Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  With all the courage she could muster, she looked him in the eye. “Did your dat tell you to stay away from me?”

  That unexpected question caught him off guard. He gaped at her as if she’d just dived into the pond. “My dat? Why would my dat tell me to stay away from you?”

  Well, she had his full attention, whether she wanted it or not. “I don’t have a contagious disease that I know of, and I’ve cooked tofu for you three times this week, but when I walk in the house for work, you walk out. If I do chores inside, you do them outside.”

  He folded his arms across his chest and turned his face from her. “I always have chores.”

  “If I tend the garden, you find something to fix inside.”

  “Coincidence.”

  “Your dat has probably caught wind that I’m a scaredy-cat when I get around ponds and that I have wild yellow hair and I’m bossy.”

  A ghost of a grin appeared on Aden’s lips. “Who would have tattled to my dat about all that?”

  “Your dat probably doesn’t want you getting mixed up with a girl like me. Has he demanded that you stay at least four feet away from me? Or is it ten? Some dats are quite strict.”

  “You know how obedient I am.”

  “Oh, no. It’s ten feet, isn’t it? I was afraid it would be ten feet.”

  Aden shook his head. His smile was weak, but she saw his teeth.

  Lily felt a thrill pass through her. She had never teased him before. “Have you been given instructions to shun me forever or just for a few weeks? I knew I shouldn’t have thrown that plastic bottle on the side of the road. I should have known you’d find out.”

  Aden chuckled and then sighed as if in surrender. He deposited his buckets on the ground and sat next to her, but she sensed that he did so reluctantly. He propped his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands together. Staring at the ground, he fell silent and Lily, feeling that she’d pushed him too hard already, wasn’t inclined to say more.

  When he lifted his head to look at her, the pain she saw in his eyes stunned her. “Lily,” he whispered, “Tyler is my friend.”

  “He . . . he’s my friend too.”

  “And I would never betray that friendship.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay then.” He hardened his expression, slapped his thighs, and stood up as if that cryptic conversation solved everything. “We should get back.”

  “That made no sense, Aden.”

  He frowned and sank back to the log. “Do you like Tyler?”

  “Jah. Of course I like Tyler.”

  He looked devastated, as if she had slapped him across the face. What had she said? He stood up for the second time. “Okay. We should get back.”

  Lily had never felt so confused or so bold. She reached out and took his hand, pulling him to sit. He sat but withdrew his hand as if she were made of fire. “You are talking nonsense, and I have no patience for nonsense,” she said.

  He cradled his head in his hands. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

  “Say what? Do you have a headache?”

  Aden shook his head and looked squarely into Lily’s eyes. “Something happened to me last week. I mean, it’s been coming on for a long time, but Saturday was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” He pulled a weed from the dirt and twisted it in his fingers. “You were trying so hard not to get dirty and you tiptoed around the pond as if avoiding a herd of slithering snakes. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Then you fell in and your hair came undone, and I came undone with it.”

  That shivery feeling passed up her spine.

  “Then Tyler held your hands, and it was like I didn’t even exist. And I hated that feeling.”

  Lily’s heart raced with anticipation.

  He scooted closer to her on the log. “Lily, do you feel anything for me at all?”

  She swallowed hard. “Feel anything?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Jah, I do.”

  “Jah, you know what I mean, or jah, you feel something for me?”

  Her hands trembled as she fingered the hem of her apron. Feel anything? How could she entertain such a thought when she tried so hard to resist his green eyes and enticing smile? Warmth tingled through her whole body as she thought of the way Aden had lifted her into his powerful arms and carried her to shore at the pond. She could still feel the brush of his hand on her neck as he braided her hair and deftly tied it with a strand of yarn.

  Feel anything? Feelings associated with Aden drenched her. Soaked her through. Submerged her. The sensation felt exhilarating and alarming all at the same time. Was she drowning?

  Dat would never approve of her feeling anything for Aden Helmuth. Lily caught her breath and felt an emptiness in her chest the size of a deep cave.

  She’d been silent too long. He stared at her with his lips pressed into a hard line. The tension etched on his face made him seem weary.

  He slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Say no more, Lily. I understand perfectly.” He stood up for the third time and turned his back on her. “We should get back.”

  Drowning or not, she couldn’t stand to see him so unhappy. “One feeling I have about you is that you are a very gute swimmer.”

  He turned and gazed at her with his brows knit together. “A gute swimmer?”

  “And you can throw a Frisbee good.”

  Aden sank tentatively back onto the log. “Lily, do you like me?”

  She couldn’t breathe. Of course she liked him—more than she ever thought she would. What she wanted to know was, how much? Apparently, Aden wanted to know the same thing.

  Pilot chose that moment to run to her and moisten her cheek with his nose. She growled and nudged him away. “I like you better than I like your hopeless dog.”

  Aden’s lips curled upward slightly, but other than that, he didn’t move a muscle. “But you told Pilot you’d love him forever.”

  Lily lowered her gaze to the ground as her heart beat a strange and unfamiliar rhythm. “I exaggerated. I don’t even know if I like him today.”

  Aden looked hurt. He ran his fingers through his hair. “I should have stayed in Ohio. At least there I didn’t know how miserable I was.” He stood again, like a yo-yo, bouncing up and down with agitation. “So, Tyler is your choice?”

  Lily didn’t like it all so plainly laid out for her like that. His words made a marriage to Tyler seem too real. It made her defensive.

  “Tyler is a hard worker and a man of God.”

  Aden frowned. “I know. He’s also a gute man, thoughtful and kind. The best of men. If I had a daughter, I’d want her to marry Tyler.”

  “Jah, my dat wants me to marry him.” Lily felt dull and scrubbed thin.

  Aden studied her face. “Do you want to marry him?”

  “Not . . . yet.” Why the bald truth? It was none of Aden’s concern who she wanted to marry.

  His gaze could have seared a hole through her head.

  “Don’t stare at me like that,” she said. “Green eyes may work on Erla Glick, but I am not so easily impressed.”

  “Green eyes?” His lips twisted with a hopeful smile, and he leaned closer to her. “You like my eyes?”

  “I never said that.”

  “But you noticed that I have eyes and that I’m gute with a Frisbee.”

  Lily cleared her throat. “Tyler is the bishop’s son, and he can already support a wife with his dairy.”

  “Do you think Erla Glick likes me?”

  Now he was teasing. His eyes twinkled, but Lily couldn’t relax. Why was he suddenly fixated on Erla Glick?

  “Only because she doesn’t know you very well.”

  “Why don’t you want to marry Tyler?” Aden grew serious again and seemed eager to hear her answer.

  “Dat says love will grow with time,” Lily said.

  “Like a potted plant.”

  “Like love.”

  Aden had the nerve to intertwine his fingers with hers. Heaven help her,
she loved the feel of his hand. “Potted plants are so predictable,” he said. “If one becomes unruly or outgrows its pot, you cut it back. It never grows wild.” He squeezed her hand. “Do you like me, Lily? Will you give me some hope, or should I pack up right now and go back to Sugarcreek?”

  She couldn’t look at him, although she couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand away. “My dat doesn’t want me getting mixed up in your schemes.”

  “Of course he doesn’t.” He nudged her chin with his finger until she looked at him. “But do you like me? Because I am wonderful crazy over you.”

  She didn’t expect the sudden elation that flooded her body, making every finger and toe tingle. She pulled her hand from his grasp and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist to contain the feeling. She couldn’t give in to this. Aden was not a potted plant. Dat would fall off his chair if he knew what she was doing right now.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Short of throwing herself into his arms, she didn’t know what else to say.

  “Yes, it does,” Aden countered.

  “I must honor my father’s wishes.”

  “What of your wishes?”

  She managed to look him squarely in the eye. “I never said I liked you in return.”

  He deflated like a balloon as an uncomfortable and oppressive silence overtook them. He refused to look at her as he stood up for the last time. “We should get back.”

  What would Dat say about the emptiness inside her?

  She heard a rustling in the bushes to her left and expected to see Pilot leap out of the thicket, blissfully unaware of what had passed between Lily and Aden. At least Pilot would be cheerful on the walk home. Lily thought she might never feel cheerful again.

  Lily stopped breathing as a black bear bigger than three Pilots lumbered out of the woods and plucked three berries from a bush with his wet, pink tongue.

  Every muscle tensed in terror as Lily watched the bear, which was oblivious to her and Aden’s presence.

  Aden slowly lifted a hand and gave her a signal to stay still. No instructions necessary. Fear paralyzed her.

  The bear grunted and snuffled while stripping the bush of its light red huckleberries. Lord willing, it would get its fill and disappear back into the woods without even noticing them. That didn’t seem likely with the way Lily’s heart pounded like a full orchestra.

  Aden reached his hand slowly toward Lily. Did he really think she was composed enough to take his hand, stand up, and walk away while the bear stood not twenty feet away having an afternoon snack? She shook her head slightly so the bear wouldn’t notice her. Aden’s gaze intensified. “Come on,” he seemed to plead with his eyes.

  “I can’t,” she mouthed.

  The bear suddenly snapped its head around and caught sight of them. It growled ferociously with a force more savage and threatening than Lily had ever heard. She instinctively clapped her hands over her ears. Aden yanked her hand away from her head, pulled her to her feet, and shoved her behind him.

  The bear growled again and rose to its hind legs. Lily gasped. It stood almost as tall as Aden.

  “Don’t move a muscle,” Aden cautioned as he kept his eyes glued to the frightening sight before them.

  The bear growled and showed its yellow teeth.

  “If he charges,” Aden said, his voice barely above a whisper, “run away as fast as you can. Do you understand?”

  Lily couldn’t so much as nod. She knew her legs would fail her if she tried to run. Aden bent over and picked up a stick, nowhere near big enough to fight off an angry bear. It wouldn’t even do as a fetching stick for Pilot.

  Lily thought she might die of panic as, without warning, the bear fell back on all fours and came at them at a speed that she would not have believed possible.

  Aden lifted his stick. “Run, Lily,” he yelled, even as he stood his ground.

  Her legs suddenly, unbelievably found their strength. Grabbing his sleeve, she pulled him back. She wasn’t about to leave him behind. She might as well have been pulling on an oak tree. Aden had sprouted roots.

  As if in answer to a prayer she hadn’t had time to utter, Pilot came tearing through the trees, barking ferociously. He took a great leap and landed on the bear’s back. The bear whirled in a circle and forced Pilot to the dirt. Pilot regained his feet, bared his teeth, and attacked again. Lily wouldn’t have guessed Aden’s mischievous dog could look so deadly. The noise between the two animals was deafening. The bear lifted a great paw and swiped at Pilot’s nose. Lily stood breathless as Pilot dodged the sharp claws and clamped his jaws at the bear’s throat.

  She felt pressure on her arm and looked down to see Aden’s hand clenched around her wrist. He pulled her but her feet didn’t move. He said something, but she couldn’t make sense of his words.

  “Lily!” His voice finally broke through her stupor. “Lily, we’ve got to get out of here!”

  Almost numb with shock, she nodded and let him half drag, half lead her up the trail to the house. He walked quickly but kept glancing behind him as if expecting the bear to chase them, or Pilot to follow.

  The bellowing faded and Pilot’s barking traveled away from them. It sounded like the conflict had moved farther into the woods.

  Aden picked up his pace until Lily had to run to keep up with him. His grip on her arm was painfully tight, as if he thought she might slip out of his protection if he didn’t hold securely.

  Finally, the house came into view, and Lily had never seen a more welcome sight. Aden relaxed his grip but not his pace as they marched up the porch steps and burst into the kitchen. Aden stopped at the threshold, took a deep breath, and put his arm protectively around Lily. “Are you okay?”

  “Jah,” she said, even as she felt her knees buckle beneath her. “What about Pilot?”

  Aden still had that stupid stick in his hand. He laid it on the table before tightening his grip around her shoulders and leading her to the sofa. She sat, and he knelt next to her on the floor. “Can I get you a drink or a Tylenol?”

  Lily sank into the soft folds of the puffy sofa. Could he do something for this overwhelming feeling that she was going to faint? “A drink might be gute.”

  He went to the cupboard for a glass.

  Anna and Felty came up from the cellar, giggling like teenagers. “I never agreed to no such thing, Banannie,” Felty said. He caught sight of Lily. “Look who’s back.”

  “How were the berries?” Anna said, bustling behind the counter to give Aden a peck on the cheek.

  “We left them there,” Aden said, filling a glass for Lily. His agitation showed in his every movement.

  Anna tilted her head and tried not to frown. “They weren’t ripe?”

  Aden hurried to the sofa with Lily’s water. “A bear, Mammi. We ran into a bear.”

  Anna put her hand to her mouth. “Was he picking berries?”

  “We saw a bear up there three years ago yet,” Felty said. “A black or brown one?”

  “Black,” Aden said. “Pilot ran him off.”

  “Probably the same one.”

  “Are the berries ready to pick?” Anna asked.

  Aden sat on the sofa and watched Lily take a few swallows. When he seemed satisfied that she wouldn’t melt into a puddle of tears, he jumped up and started rummaging through Anna’s cupboards. He pulled out Anna’s two large frying pans and without another word headed for the door.

  “Where are you going?” Anna and Lily asked at the same time.

  “To get my dog,” he said, his voice steely with determination.

  Lily’s heart flipped like a flapjack on the griddle. “Aden, that bear could kill you without even trying.”

  Aden actually gave her a boyish smile. “You’re so cute when you’re worried.” He opened the door.

  Her legs regained their strength, and she bolted to Aden and grabbed his arm. “This isn’t funny. I want Pilot to be all right, he just saved my life, but this is too dangerous. You aren’t going to be safe armed with two f
rying pans.”

  “Black bears hate noise,” Aden said, leaning forward, chomping at the bit to be gone. “These are my best weapons.”

  Lily felt the panic rise like bile in her throat. Her fear at the pond was nothing compared to how she felt at that moment. “At least take Felty’s hunting rifle so you’re not completely defenseless.”

  “I don’t own a hunting rifle,” Felty said.

  “I wouldn’t ever shoot it anyway,” Aden added.

  Lily growled in frustration. Blast these do-gooders who wanted to save the planet! Right now, all she cared about was saving Aden. “Then let’s call the police.”

  Aden shook his head. “They’ll call Animal Control. Then the bear’s as good as dead.” He extricated her fingers from his arm. “Lily, you can talk until you’re blue in the face—which you kind of are already—but I’m not leaving Pilot out there to fend for himself.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m a fast runner.”

  “And a gute swimmer,” Felty said, trying to be helpful.

  Lily gave up, even though the terrified part of her wanted to throw herself at his feet and beg him to stay. If that didn’t work, she could always grab his ankles and refuse to let go. Fear threatened to overpower her sense, so she decided to fend off the fear with anger. Anger made her feel like she had more control. She scowled at Aden. “You better come back safe or I’m never speaking to you again.”

  He gave her a reassuring nod. “It is a deal.”

  He looked ridiculous, ridiculous, running into the woods with a frying pan in each hand. Lily shut the door, too hard, and turned to see Anna and Felty staring at her.

  “He’ll be right as rain,” Anna said.

  Felty went so far as to give her arm a pat. “Nobody is better with the animals than Aden. He knows what to do.”

  At which point, Lily spied Aden’s stick on the table and promptly burst into tears.

  Lily wished for a cell phone, longed for a cell phone, would have done just about anything for a cell phone at that moment. She didn’t care if it was against the Ordnung. This raging anxiety would send her over the edge. Of course, even if she had a cell phone, it wouldn’t do her any good unless Aden had a cell phone and they got coverage on Huckleberry Hill, which was a pretty good chance they didn’t.