by Amy Clipston
“Everything is delicious,” he finally said.
Betsy didn’t reply. Her shoulders were stiff as she kept her back to Matthew and her husband.
Matthew took a long drink from his glass and then divided a look between Earl and Betsy. “Is everything all right?”
Betsy let out a strangled noise from deep in her throat as she sagged against the counter.
Matthew’s heartbeat seemed to gallop. “What’s going on?”
Betsy spun around. Her face was crumpled and tears ran down her face.
Matthew jumped up from his chair and went to her. “Did someone die?”
“No.” She shook her head and looked at Earl as her bottom lip trembled. “We have to tell him.”
Earl nodded, his expression solemn. “Ya, you’re right.”
“Tell me what?” Matthew looked back and forth between them. When they remained silent, he blew out a frustrated sigh. “Please tell me what’s going on.”
Betsy pointed to his chair across from Earl. “Please sit down.”
Dread wafted over him, and as he sat back down, Betsy dropped into the chair next to Earl. She wiped her nose with a napkin and then cleared her throat.
“Was iss letz?” Matthew asked.
“We’re broke.” Her voice shook.
“Broke?” Matthew blinked, trying to comprehend her words. “What do you mean?”
“I mean we’re broke.” She grabbed another paper napkin from the holder and began to shred it. “As you know, Earl hasn’t been able to find a steady job. The bills have been piling up.”
She pointed to the top paper on the pile in front of Earl. “We owe an exorbitant amount of back taxes. Plus, our taxes have gone up this year since the haus you’re building has added to our property value.” She cleared her throat again. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to get caught up, but it’s impossible. The money Mamm left me isn’t enough to cover our debt.” She looked down at the napkin she’d ripped, and her next words came out in a rush.
“So we have to declare bankruptcy. We’re going to lose the farm, and then—”
“Whoa!” Matthew held up his hands in confusion. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” Her voice shook again as she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “We’re buried in debt, and we’ve been refused for every loan we applied for to try to consolidate it. Earl has been to more than one bank, each one more than once. But they turned him down because he hasn’t been able to secure a permanent job. His parents don’t have any money to loan us, but they said we can move in with them until we’re back on our feet. So that’s what we’re going to do.”
“You’re moving to Western Pennsylvania?” Matthew ran his hands down his face as the situation came into clear focus in his mind. “You’re declaring bankruptcy, and you’re going to lose the farm.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Earl chimed in. “It’s the best option for our maed.”
Betsy nodded, wiping her eyes again. “We’re going to lose everything. We have no choice but to let the farm go and move in with Earl’s parents.”
“How long have you known, Betsy?”
“I . . . well, I mean, we’ve known we were in trouble . . . and then today we realized—”
“How long?” It was all he could do to keep his voice down, but he didn’t want his nieces to hear.
She swallowed. “About two months.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
White-hot fury burned through him as he glared at his sister. “You’ve known you might have to declare bankruptcy and lose the farm for two whole months?”
She nodded.
Matthew’s mind filled with an image of his house, abandoned. The house into which he’d poured his money, his time, and his dreams. He was about to lose everything too—maybe even his whole future with Lindsay if he broke the promises he made to her when he asked her to marry him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Losing the battle to keep quiet, Matthew pushed his chair back with such force that it fell onto the floor with a clatter. Betsy startled, and Earl half rose from his chair.
Betsy held up her hand as if to calm him. “I’m so sorry. I know this means you’re going to lose your haus too.”
“We didn’t want to tell you until we knew for sure,” Earl said as he sat back down.
Fury clouded Matthew’s vision as his mouth worked and no words came out. The walls began to close in on him, and he couldn’t breathe.
“I need to get out of here.” He turned and stomped out of the kitchen. After pushing his feet into his boots, he headed out the back door and down the driveway.
Anger and despair warred in his gut as he stalked down the street. His world was shattered. And to make matters worse, Betsy and Earl had known for two months they were probably going to lose their farm and leave him with a house he couldn’t finish, let alone live in. His sister hadn’t given him any indication she and Earl were in financial trouble. Why didn’t Earl tell Matthew the truth, man-to-man?
He felt betrayed.
What was he going to do now? His heart squeezed as angry tears formed in his eyes. Maybe the bank would divide up the land so he could buy the acreage where the house sat.
The idea took shape in his mind as he turned back. Emotional turmoil still surged through his veins as he went into the house and entered the kitchen. Earl and Betsy had remained at the table, looking miserable.
“Matthew.” Earl stood and held out his hand. “I’m so sorry I—”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Matthew stood in front of him and jammed a finger in his brother-in-law’s chest. “Why would you keep me in the dark when this affects me too?”
“I was wrong to keep it from you.” Earl looked at his wife and she looked down at her hands. “I asked Betsy not to tell you because I was hoping we could work it out. But there’s nothing we can do. We’re going to let the farm go.”
“You’ve watched me work on mei haus for months now.” Matthew pointed toward the back of the property. “Were you going to clue me in on the day you packed up and left me here?”
“No, no, no.” Betsy leapt to her feet and rushed over to Matthew. “We were never going to leave you here. You can come with us.”
“Ya, ya.” Earl nodded. “Mei dat has a dairy farm. We can all live and work there. He has three extra bedrooms in the haus—one for the maed, one for you, and one for us.”
“You can bring Lindsay too.” Betsy forced a smile. “We’ll make room for all for us.”
Matthew snorted. “So I should tell Lindsay we’re moving in with Earl’s parents?”
“Right,” Betsy said, confirming that plan.
Matthew pressed his lips together. “I could never take her away from here.”
“Why?”
“She deserves stability after losing her parents, separating from her schweschder, and then dealing with the back and forth between Rebecca’s haus and her parents’ freind Trisha’s haus.” He shook his head. “She’s finally found a home after all the turmoil of her childhood, and I have no right to ask her to leave Bird-in-Hand.”
“But she’d still have you.”
“It will never work.” He started to back away from them. “You had no right to keep this from me for so long.”
“We didn’t mean to hurt you.” Betsy stepped closer. “This has been painful for us, and we hoped we could find a solution before we shared it with you.”
“What exactly do you owe on taxes and your other bills?” Matthew asked.
Earl pointed to the pile of papers. “Let me show you.”
Matthew sat down beside him and sifted through the documents, taking in the overwhelming numbers. He ran his hand down his face as dread mixed with worry choked back words.
“I was hoping we could still dig out of it,” Earl said with a solemn expression. “But today I realized it’s time to face the facts. We need to just stay positive and move on. God will provide for us.”
“Tha
t’s right.” Betsy stood next to Earl and threaded her fingers with his. “We’ll get through this. We just have to have faith. You’re part of our family, Matt, and we weren’t planning on leaving you behind. You’re welcome to come with us.”
Earl nodded. “That’s right.”
“How soon are you leaving?” Matthew held his breath.
Betsy and Earl looked at each other, and Matthew’s stomach constricted with apprehension.
“We have to be out by June first,” Earl said.
“In three weeks?” This time his voice rose.
“Matt, please listen.” Earl held up his hands. “That deadline was finalized only today. We didn’t know—”
“I’m going to go to the bank on Monday and see if they’ll divide up the land.” The idea Matthew had considered while he was out walking had crystallized in his mind.
“What do you mean?” Earl asked, his dark eyebrows drawing together.
“I wonder if I can get a mortgage for the few acres around the haus. That way I can finish it, and Lindsay and I will have a place to live.”
“That’s a gut idea.” Betsy nodded.
“Ya,” Earl said, agreeing.
Betsy pointed to Matthew’s plate. “Finish your supper. I can warm it up in the oven if you’d like.”
“No, danki.” Matthew’s appetite had dissolved as soon as he learned what was about to happen. “I’m going to bed. Gut nacht.”
He scraped the remaining food into the trash and then carried his plate to the counter.
“I’ll wash it,” Betsy offered as she met him by the sink. “Gut nacht.”
He climbed the stairs and hurried past his nieces’ bedroom to his own at the end of the hallway. As he changed his clothes for bed, his jumbled thoughts spun like a tornado. He’d started the evening dreaming of his finished house and ended it in a suffocating nightmare.
Chapter Two
What’s on your mind?” Jake Miller asked as he sat next to Matthew on Robert Kauffman’s back porch the following evening.
Shrieks and giggles sounded from the Kauffman grandchildren as they ran around the yard playing tag. A group of the Kauffman men stood by the driveway talking while the women gathered inside the house.
Sometimes Betsy and her family came to the Kauffman gathering when it was here next door to them, and Matthew was grateful they hadn’t come tonight. Jake was sensing something was going on anyway, and they’d all agreed not to talk about the turn of events until Betsy and Earl told their girls.
“Not much.” Matthew lifted his glass of iced tea and shrugged. “I was just thinking about the new project I have at work. I need to get started on that bed frame since it’s due next week.”
Jake lifted an eyebrow. “I’ve known you for how many years now?”
“Almost four.”
“Right. And you’ve always been intense, but you’ve been a little more intense than usual today. Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Or do I need to start guessing?”
Matthew gazed out toward the road and swallowed a deep sigh. Lindsay would arrive with Daniel and his family any minute. If he wanted to share his stress with his best friend, now was the time to do it.
After asking Jake to promise not to tell anyone, Matthew relayed the conversation he’d had with Earl and Betsy the night before, being careful to keep his voice low.
When he finished with the worst of the news, the timing, Jake gasped. “You have to be out in three weeks?”
“Right.”
“All because they’re losing the farm?”
“Ya. Earl showed me how much they owe.”
“How much?”
“A lot.” The knots in Matthew’s shoulders tensed.
Jake paused. “What are you going to do? You’re not going to Western Pennsylvania, are you?”
“No. I’m going to see if I can get the bank to divide up the property. Then maybe I can get a loan to buy the acreage with the haus and finish it for Lindsay. I want to be positive, so I even worked on the haus today.”
Matthew settled back in the rocker and rested his forearms on the arms of the chair as he tried to ignore the muscles tightening in his back. But he couldn’t help but notice Jake’s blue eyes studying him.
“I think that’s a great plan,” Jake finally said. When Matthew didn’t respond, he added, “Is something else bothering you?”
“Ya. I have to be able to provide for Lindsay, but how can I if so much of my money goes to buying land as well as finishing the haus?”
“It might take time for you to get on your feet, but you will. You’re a talented carpenter, and you have a great future at the store. I’m in the same position you are. I’m living with my grandparents while I save up money to buy a place for Katie and me. There’s nothing wrong with changing your original plan. You’ll still have a haus, and that’s more than I have.”
Matthew nodded and took a drink of his iced tea. But he couldn’t quell the voice in his head.
I’ll never be enough for her.
“Lindsay!” Katie Kauffman yelled as she rushed over to the buggy to greet them. “Hi, Aenti Rebecca and Onkel Daniel.”
“Hi, Katie.” Lindsay climbed out of the back of the buggy and then helped her much younger cousins, Emma and Junior. “How are you?”
“I’m gut.” Katie took Emma by her hand. “I’ve been waiting for you to get here.”
“We had a bit of a late start.” Lindsay grabbed Junior’s hand as he tried to run off. “Slow down. You’ll see your cousins in a minute.” Then she turned to Katie. “Is Matthew here?”
“Ya.” Katie gestured toward the back of the house. “He’s sitting on the porch with Jake.”
“Oh, gut.” Lindsay couldn’t wait to see him. He’d filled her thoughts as she worked at the bakery this morning and then helped Aenti Rebecca with chores all afternoon.
“Hi, Aenti Rebecca!” Katie’s younger sister, Nancy, rushed over and held out her arms. “Would you like me to take Gracie?”
“Danki.” Aenti Rebecca handed the baby to Nancy and then turned to Lindsay and Katie. “I’ll take the kinner so you can go visit with Matthew and Jake.”
Lindsay hesitated. Aenti Rebecca looked tired. She had dark circles under her eyes. “It’s all right. I can take care of them.”
Aenti Rebecca smiled. “I don’t mind. Go have fun.” She stretched out her arms toward her older children. “Emma and Junior. Kumm.” The children took her hands, and then she walked beside Nancy as they headed toward the front porch.
Lindsay and Katie hurried up the rock driveway. Lindsay’s happy mood deflated when she spotted Matthew talking with Jake on the back porch. His expression was serious and his forehead furrowed as he spoke. Something was definitely bothering him. Maybe something was wrong.
His gaze collided with hers as she climbed the back steps, and he gave her a tentative smile.
“Hi, Lindsay.” He tapped the arm of the rocker next to his. “How was your day?”
“Gut, gut.” She sank into the chair. “How was yours?”
“Gut.” Matthew offered her his glass of iced tea. “Do you want a sip?”
“No, danki.” She glanced toward the children playing in the yard and then looked back at him. “I’m sorry we didn’t get here earlier. Gracie was fussy, so I had to feed her before we left. I’m wondering if she’s coming down with a cold. She’s been fussy since last night.”
“I hope she feels better.” Matthew settled his glass on the arm of the rocker as he gently moved the chair back and forth.
Beside him, Katie and Jake fell into a conversation. For a few minutes Matthew and Lindsay listened in as Katie talked about working in the bakery and Jake told her about his latest project at the furniture store.
“Did you work on the haus today?” Lindsay finally asked Matthew.
“Ya, I did.” He stared out toward the pasture.
“Did you start on the sheetrock?”
He nodded, his eyes still focused in front o
f him. Was he avoiding looking at her, the question, or both?
“Could we go see it?” She kept her voice gentle in hopes that the house wasn’t the source of his reticence.
To her surprise, Matthew smiled at her. “Sure.” He stood and held out his hand. She threaded her fingers with his, enjoying the strength and warmth of his touch.
“Where are you going?” Katie asked.
“We’re going to see our haus.” Lindsay nodded toward Betsy’s farm. “Would you like to come with us?”
“Ya.” Katie turned toward Jake, who nodded in agreement. “Let’s go.”
After Katie let her mother know where they’d be, they cut through the tall trees that separated the two properties. As the framework of the little house came into view, Lindsay’s pulse picked up. She squeezed Matthew’s hand and quickened her steps.
“Slow down.” He chuckled. “There’s no need to run.”
“Ya, there is.” She began to jog. “I can’t wait to see our haus.”
“You should’ve been on my softball team,” Katie called after her with a laugh. “We could’ve won more games if only you’d gone to school with me!”
Lindsay stopped at the front of the house and grinned. She turned to Matthew and threw her arms around his neck. “It’s so schee.”
At first he stiffened, but then he encircled her waist with his arms.
She looked up at him as her worry returned. “What’s wrong?”
Frowning, he hesitated. Then he said, “I haven’t made much progress on the haus this week. I’ve been working late at the furniture store.”
“But what you’ve done looks fantastic. It’s going to be perfect—and so close to both our families.”
Something in his eyes flickered. Was it chagrin? Or maybe concern? But why wouldn’t he be happy about their house? Something else was bothering him, but she couldn’t prod him with Katie and Jake there. She needed to get him alone so they could talk without an audience.
Katie stood beside Lindsay and took in the structure. “It looks great.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to have a haus that’s finally mine,” Lindsay gushed. Aenti Rebecca and Onkel Daniel had always made her feel welcome in their home, but she still considered it their home. She couldn’t wait to make this house her own.
