by Emma Miller
“Sure seems nice.” Eve smoothed her skirt. “Nothing like this where I grew up. Singings and frolics were always at people’s homes, the same as when my mam grew up.”
“Tradition is good.” Sara nodded thoughtfully. “It’s served our faith well for hundreds of years, but as I see it, we don’t live in a vacuum. We have to be open to change when it can be done without endangering our way of life.”
“Sara!” A young woman carrying one of the big stainless tubs called from across the room. “Did you want the fixings on this table or that one?” With both hands occupied, she had to use her foot to point.
“I’d better take care of this before we have eight pounds of shredded cheese on the floor,” Sara said as she walked away, squeezing Eve’s arm.
Eve glanced around the airy barn one more time and then found her way back to the kitchen that was as well equipped as any in an Amish house. There were two large gas cookstoves, two cavernous sinks, a large refrigerator and counters along two walls, as well as an enormous prep island. A slender red-haired woman she didn’t know was standing at a big gas stove, stirring sizzling ground beef in several cast-iron frying pans. “Ah, reinforcements have arrived,” the woman announced when she spotted Eve. “Want to stir this beef? My hand is about to drop off.”
Eve hurried to the stove, introducing herself as she accepted the spoon, and she and her new friend, Lena, were soon chatting as they worked. The next hour was a whirlwind of activity as Eve joined the other women to make and get the fixings out on the buffet table. There were trays of flour tortillas, ground beef, shredded chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pinto beans and rice. They also set out jars of homemade salsa and tubs of sour cream. By the time all the food was on the table and a silent grace had been said, Eve was nearly starving.
She was just adding a serving spoon to a stainless steel tub of pinto beans when she heard Levi behind her. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
She stepped away from the buffet table where folks were lining up, wiping her hands on her apron. “Sara is very organized, but there was still a lot to be done.”
“It looks delicious.” Levi glanced over her shoulder, checking out the food. “Want to get in line?”
Eve nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve never had a burrito before.”
“Never had a burrito?” He feigned shock.
She shook her head. “You eat so many Englisher foods here in Delaware,” she said, thinking of the spaghetti and meatballs and pork medallion stir-fry Tara had taught her to make.
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked.
“Ne. I like trying new foods.”
“Then come on.” He took her hand. “Let’s see what you think of beef and bean burritos.”
A short time later, Eve held a paper plate with her very first burrito on it, as well as a pile of corn chips covered in gooey yellow cheese. Levi stood beside her, gazing over the crowd, looking for a place for them to sit.
“Wow, there must be fifty or sixty people here,” he remarked. “I don’t see two seats together.” He hesitated. “Wait. How about over there, near the front door?”
She looked in that direction, but there were no dining tables set up. “Where?”
“That little table against the wall.” He indicated a card-sized table with a couple of pillar candles and empty glass vases.
She pursed her lips. “No chairs.” Her gaze drifted to the long tables packed with young men and women. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, voices and laughter ringing out in the barn. “Do you think, as chaperones, we should be sitting with Sara’s guests?”
He looked down at her. “I don’t think a matchmaker will object to newlyweds having supper alone together.”
She smiled, feeling shy, but pleased. “And we are on a date.”
“We are.” He tilted his head in the direction of the little table. “Let’s put our food down and get bottles of pop.” They walked together, plates in their hands. “Root beer, cola or orange?”
“Definitely root beer,” she told him.
“Me, too!” He smiled down at her, and his voice grew husky. “Know something?”
“What?” she asked, looking up.
“I like you, Eve.”
She nibbled on her lower lip, looking up at him. “You do?”
He nodded, and she felt a warmth wash over her as she thought to herself, I sure could get used to dating my husband.
Chapter Nine
Eve veered off the dusty lane, taking the path that led to the side of the vast dairy barn where Levi now spent his days building his first buggy. When they’d arrived in Hickory Grove, he’d been so eager to get started. Looking back, she knew now that his frustration concerning not working—and therefore not earning money—had added to his bad behavior. That and his father’s reaction to the unannounced marriage. Now that he was working, he seemed so much better. Levi’s relationship with his father still wasn’t what it had been before the marriage, but it seemed to her that it was better.
Enjoying her time outdoors, she swung the basket she carried on the crook of her arm, watching dragonflies float lazily in front of her. Someone had mowed the orchard that morning, and even from a distance, Eve could smell the sweet scent of cut grass. It was a perfect summer day.
Her thoughts drifted to the evening before when she and Levi had sat on the edge of her bed and chatted. She smiled at the memory. They hadn’t spoken about anything of importance, just their day, but Levi had commented to her how much he looked forward to coming to bed each night because he knew she would be there. He had complimented her on what a good listener she was, and his words had made her heart sing.
After praying together, they had sat side by side for a long moment, looking into each other’s eyes. Levi had been silent for so long that she had gotten the impression he’d wanted to say something more, do something, but then he had risen suddenly, and they had said their good-nights. Long after Eve had heard her husband’s rhythmic breathing, she had lain awake thinking about how warm and safe she had felt sitting beside Levi. How now, whenever she saw him, she felt a light-headedness that nearly made her giddy.
Was this love? she wondered. Was that what she was feeling? She didn’t know because she’d never been in love.
She had, of course, loved, but that was different. She had loved her mother; she loved her brothers and sisters. She knew what that kind of love felt like, but this, this feeling in her chest, it was different. It excited her and scared her at the same time.
It was times like this that she missed her mother the most. Because if her mother had still been alive, she could have asked her about the love between a man and a woman, what it felt like—but her mam wasn’t here so she had no one to ask. Tara had become a dear friend, but she was still unmarried and had never even had a boyfriend, so Eve couldn’t talk to her about these feelings bubbling up inside her. Besides, for all Eve knew, Tara thought they had fallen in love and that was why they had married.
And Eve couldn’t talk to Levi about it. She would be too embarrassed, especially because she didn’t know how he felt about her. He had told her several times over the last couple of weeks that he liked her, and she was pleased by that. And she certainly liked him. Liking the man you married seemed like an important part of a good marriage, she thought.
But she wasn’t naive enough to think that all Amish marriages were love matches. She knew that from watching other married couples. Men and women wed because it was expected of them by their community, because they wanted children and it was God’s way. Sometimes matches were arranged by parents; sometimes two friends or even two strangers just agreed to marry because it was logical. Maybe a widowed man needed a mother for his children, or a woman needed a home of her own.
While knowing all that, secretly, Eve had dreamed of falling in love with a man and marrying him. Her marriage to Levi hadn’
t happened that way, but what if God gave them the gift of falling in love after they married?
Was that too much to hope for? To pray for? she wondered.
Reaching the buggy shop, Eve held tightly to her basket and peered in through the large, open bay door. She heard the loud, grumbling sound of a gas-powered generator. “Levi?” she called, unable to see anything because the bright sunlight was behind her. She stepped inside. “Hallo?”
As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw her husband leaning over a sawhorse, sanding something. Afraid she might startle him if she approached, she raised her voice. “Levi!”
He looked up, then when he saw it was her, he broke into a grin. He flipped a switch on the electric sander attached to the generator and then turned it off.
“Eve! I didn’t think I’d see you until supper,” he said, looking at her through a pair of clear safety glasses.
“Nice glasses,” she teased as he approached her.
He chuckled and removed them. “My old boss was a stickler for safety. Jehu and I used to complain to each other all the time, but now that I’m my own boss, I see the value in it. I’ve even got Dat wearing them.” He set the glasses on a workbench that was covered with parts for a buggy, she guessed, though she couldn’t identify any of them. “Tara let you out of the kitchen?” he teased.
“Only for a few minutes.” She nibbled on her lower lip, enjoying the back-and-forth with him. “We picked more tomatoes this morning, so we have more to can.”
He nodded. “I see. You bring me something?” He pointed to the basket.
“Ya.” She swung it on her arm, smiling up at him.
“I hope it’s not a jar of canned tomatoes.” He held up his hand that had little bits of sawdust on it, palm out. “Don’t get me wrong. I love tomatoes fresh on a salad, or in a soup or spaghetti sauce, but I’m not much for eating them out of the jar.”
She laughed, loving that he could be playful. “I brought you some limeade.”
“Limeade?” His face lit up. “We usually only get lemonade around here.”
She set the basket down on a workbench and dug into it. “Limes were on sale at Byler’s store. We bought a big bag of them.” She held up a pint canning jar with a screw-top lid.
Levi accepted it, unscrewed the lid and took a big drink. “Mmm, that’s good,” he muttered.
She smiled at him. “And I brought cookies, too.”
“Cookies!” He took another drink. “What kind?”
“Our favorite.” She pulled a plastic container from the basket.
“Oatmeal?” he guessed.
“Oatmeal with chocolate chunks. I cut up chocolate bars.” She pulled off the lid and offered the container to him.
He took one, reached for another and drew back his hand. “Okay if I have another?”
She laughed. “They’re all for you.”
“Ne, I can’t eat all of these cookies,” he told her, setting down the jar of limeade after he took a second cookie.
He stepped closer to her, and she smelled the fresh sawdust on him and the underlying scent of his skin that she’d come to associate with her husband. When he met her gaze, she felt the same dizziness she often experienced now whenever he was around.
“One for you, one for me,” he told her, offering one of her cookies.
She accepted it and they both bit into them at the same time.
“Best cookie ever,” he told her, closing his eyes in pleasure.
“I sprinkle a pinch of salt on the top of each one, just as they come out of the oven,” Eve explained.
“Never heard of that. Maybe that’s why they’re better than Tara’s.” He opened his eyes. “But please don’t tell her that.”
“Of course not.” She was smiling so big that she could barely chew her cookie. “I would never want to hurt Tara’s feelings. She’s been so sweet to me since I got here. Like a sister.”
“She’s a sweet kid,” he agreed, taking another cookie from the container.
“Not exactly a kid anymore,” Eve told him, looking down at something rubbing against her bare ankle. It was a fluffy white cat.
“Snowball,” Levi told her, pushing the rest of the cookie into his mouth. “A rescue. Ethan brought her home when she was just a little thing. Jacob took over her care. He loves strays.”
Eve leaned over and petted the cat. “I like cats.”
“Me, too.” He hooked his thumb in the direction of the workbench covered in buggy parts. “Want to see what I’m doing?” he asked. Then he shook his head, grimacing. “Probably not, right?”
“I would love to see what you’re doing.” He moved toward the workbench and she followed him. “I keep wanting to come down to the barn to see what you do, but I don’t want to bother you.”
“Never think you’re a bother, Eve. I wish you’d come down to the shop more often. Especially if you bring me cookies.” He hesitated. “You want to see what I’m working on right now?”
She nodded excitedly.
“Okay.” He started to lead her over to where he’d been working, then turned. “Wait. I almost forgot. We had a big delivery this morning and I have something for you.”
“For me?” she whispered. “What?”
“A gift,” he said, walking over to a large stack of cardboard boxes in various shapes and sizes. He moved several small boxes, picking up one and then the other to read the return addresses. “Ah ha!” he declared. “Here it is.” He turned around and offered it to her.
“What is it?” she asked, staring at the box she’d accepted from him.
He tucked his hands behind his back. “Guess you’ll have to open and see.”
Eve hesitated, trying to extend the moment. She’d only ever received a couple of gifts in her whole life, and they had been from her mother when she was a child.
“Open it,” he encouraged.
She set it on a pile of boxes and opened it. Inside was a brown paper bag and inside of that, something soft. She looked up to see him smiling, then gently slid the gift from the bag.
It was yards of a blue cotton blend fabric, and she knew exactly what it was for. And she was touched by his kindness in a deep place in her heart that she hadn’t even known existed until now. “Danke,” she managed when she found her voice.
“It’s for a dress. For you,” he told her. “Blue, because it’s your favorite color.”
She looked up at him, clutching the fabric to her chest, her eyes glistening. “You remembered.”
“After I ordered it, I asked Rosemary to make you the dress, but she suggested I give you fabric first. She said it would mean more to you that way. And she thought you might like to make it yourself. Because it came from me,” he explained.
“She was right.” Eve gently slid the fabric back into the bag and placed it in her basket. “Such a kind thing to do. But I don’t want you to think I need things bought for me.”
“I think nothing of the sort. I’m just glad you like it.” He tipped his head in the direction of his work area. “Still want to see what I’m doing?”
“Of course,” she told him, setting down the basket to follow him.
Grinning, Levi began explaining to her what he was working on: the chassis of the buggy. He explained to her how the chassis was the frame beneath the buggy the wheels were attached to and then showed her the long, wooden reaches he was sanding that would connect the front and rear axles on the chassis.
He chattered on about head blocks, spring bars and shaft couplings, and as he talked, Eve’s thoughts kept drifting. As Levi spoke, she admired how handsome he was and how, when he smiled, his whole face lit up and she couldn’t help but smile back at him. She still couldn’t believe he had given her a gift, and such a perfect gift. Now she would have a blue dress that would remind her every day of her mother. And of the kindness of the m
an she had married. When they had first arrived in Hickory Grove, Eve had worried she had made a mistake in marrying Levi, but she knew now that it hadn’t been.
Levi kept talking and she tried to pay attention.
When he led her to a workbench to show her the parts of the drum brakes he was putting together, his hand brushed hers as he passed her parts to show her how they went together. The brakes of a buggy, he explained, kept the buggy from running into the horse when you pulled back on the reins.
Eve swallowed hard. His hand was warm and rough in the places where he had calluses, and she wondered what it would be like to hold it. To walk together, holding hands. She had rarely seen Amish men and women holding hands, but Rosemary and Benjamin did. Every other Sunday, when they walked to church, they went separately from their big, blended family. They walked close together, holding hands, talking and laughing. Eve wondered if it was too much to hope for, to someday hold hands with Levi on their way to church.
Levi stopped midsentence and stared at her.
Eve wondered if he was waiting for her to answer a question. She’d been so lost in her own foolish dreaming that she hadn’t been listening.
“This is boring,” he declared, throwing up his hand. “I’m boring you.”
“Ne.” She shook her vehemently. “You’re not. I want to know what you do. I like hearing about it, even if...if I don’t understand everything. My day is so boring—cooking, cleaning, hanging clothes on the line. Not that I mind,” she added quickly. “I like being useful. But what you do—” She gazed around his shop that was stacked with cardboard boxes full of parts he had ordered and benches covered in parts in various stages of assembly. “This is so much more exciting,” she declared enthusiastically.
When Eve met his gaze, she realized he was staring at her. “What?” she asked, wiping her mouth, afraid she had cookie crumbs on it.
