An Amish Flower Farm

by Mindy Steele

  “I got the queen.” Belinda smiled proudly, her eyes glittering in triumph. Suddenly Adam wasn’t thinking of his lost queens, just the most important one, the brave woman capturing them right along with his heart.

  Later that evening, as frog song filled the warm air, Belinda went to check the answering machine at the phone shanty. Barefoot, she kept to the grass cradling both sides of the pavement before slipping inside the cramped space. One message from Mia, the baker, panicked as she asked if Belinda could deliver daisies by tomorrow for a rushed retirement event, and another from Daed. Belinda missed her father’s voice and was lulled by its familiar sound as he gave Dawdi’s most recent update. It seemed not taking all those treatments had sparked a bit of life back into Saul Graber, but cancer was not something that simply disappeared. Belinda brushed a tear from her cheek, knowing time was still running out.

  When the telephone rang, Belinda let out a squeak of surprise before answering. “Hello,” she said.

  “Belinda. How nice to hear your voice,” Mudder said on the other end of the line. Belinda felt her pinned-up emotions deflate. How she wanted to tell her mother everything that has transpired since her leaving. They chatted for a moment about the market stand and then about the vegetable garden. “Has Mammi finished canning beans and started the corn? Saul has a bit of a garden, but not enough to press on me. The neighbors here have kept us in food for days with their charitable gifts.” She sounded tired, but happy. How would she react if Belinda told her about Adam, about her strong and growing feelings? Would she be happy Belinda was making deliveries for herself and for Adam, all alone? Suddenly the wooden shanty door swung open and there he was, the topic of her thoughts. Belinda held up a finger, indicating for Adam to keep silent.

  “Mammi just finished the last three runs of beans and the house is full of tomatoes and corn lining all the counters,” Belinda said into the receiver. Adam leaned stiffly on the doorframe, neither stepping forward, nor away to give her some privacy. He shouldn’t be out again, overdoing it. He should be resting. She gave him a narrow look which only earned her a mischievous smile.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Belinda tried ignoring her distracting neighbor as Mudder went on about Pleasants, Kentucky, and its tight-knit Old Order Amish community. When Adam opened his mouth fully, as if threatening a holler, Belinda swatted at him playfully. She placed her hand over the receiver. “Would you give me a minute?” she asked him. To her surprise, he shook his head back and forth, indicating he absolutely would not, and simply stared at her. Wasn’t it enough that those eyes had a way of making her breaths labored when he was doing nothing at all? Did he have to tease her too?

  “Nee, I have been helping. We finished the harvest but it’s near time to start again.” Belinda held his gaze as her mother poured out more questions. “He can be a bit moody and awfully bossy, but I think he is learning that I know plenty about what I’m doing.” Belinda grinned, earning her one of Adam’s more challenging looks. It was the kind the made her knees feel like jelly.

  “I hated to hear about his accident,” her mother continued. “Such a sweet boy he always was, and a dutiful son. Do you find him handsome, a good man?”

  Belinda’s cheeks blushed. Good thing Adam couldn’t hear a thing Mamm was saying. “Jah. I mean, sort of.” She couldn’t confess, not with him standing there.

  “Mica says he is a hard worker.” Adam was more than that. He was the kind of man who put everything aside for others. The kind who kept his word. But not one who followed his doctor’s orders so well.

  “He does work hard, but I’m not sure he knows how to rest so he can heal properly.” Adam narrowed his gaze. Something warm washed over her. He knew the conversation had shifted from canning to him. “Mamm, I should go. Is there anything else you want me to tell Tabitha, Mica or Mammi?”

  “Nee, I will call again. Oh, Bee, my dear. One more thing.”

  “Just one.” She smiled at her mother’s “Just one more thing” ritual. Adam’s gaze grew concentrated, deep. She swallowed hard in the face of it. “Don’t ignore what Gott is placing before you. I know about Abner returning to Havenlee. May be best you stop spending so much time at our neighbor’s and see if you and he have things in common.” Belinda bit her lip.

  Sensing the conversation had become too serious, Adam reached out and poked at her ribs playfully. She jerked, slapped away his next attempt, and suppressed a giggle.

  “I don’t have time for that, and I’m not sure I would want to even if I did,” Belinda replied to her mother.

  “Okay. We’ll see. I love you, Belinda. Tell everyone I will call tomorrow.” When she finally hung up, Adam burst into laughter.

  “You should have seen your face.”

  “Did you want Mamm to hear you?” She flushed and nervously began tidying herself.

  “What would she have heard?” he said. “You laughing? She might have liked that. You don’t do it enough.”

  “Adam.” She tried to charge by him through the doorway. He didn’t budge.

  “You have a nice laugh.” He stepped back, let her through. “You should bring it with you to supper tomorrow night. Mamm insists.” He closed the shanty door before she could respond.

  All the way home, Belinda pondered it. His teasing and the invitation to supper, Mamm’s words, and that lingering smell of sawdust that Adam somehow still carried even though he hadn’t been to the mill in weeks. She shook her head. Silly thoughts. First thing she was going to do when she got into the house was ask Mica how to keep a stubborn man down so he could heal. She turned just as she reached the adjoining mailboxes and veered right. Home.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Going to town was getting easier, but why Tabitha insisted on Belinda going today with so much to do at home was beyond her. At least she had the treat of running into Nelly, who was working at Zimmerman’s. Spending time with Adam and keeping up her regular duties, Belinda had failed in recent weeks to connect with her closest friends.

  “So, we are going to be published in a couple weeks,” Nelly continued, after announcing Caleb had proposed.

  “I’m so happy for you.” Belinda hugged her. “How did he ask?”

  “Not like in one of your books,” Nelly laughed. “But he did take both my hands in his and asked me to sit. Then he kneeled in front of me,” Nelly said dreamily. “It was so perfect. I am the luckiest woman in the world.”

  “I agree. You two will have the greatest life together.”

  “I want you and Salina to stand with me.” Nelly gripped her hand. “I know you don’t like such things, but please say you will try. You are my best friend, and I want you standing beside me on the happiest day of my life.” The old Belinda would have cringed at such a request.

  “I will be right beside you. I promise.” The sound of the bell ringing overhead alerted the two that a customer had entered the store. Belinda walked with Nelly toward the front. Once the woman had paid for her purchase of chocolate chips and a bag of oatmeal, Belinda followed Nelly back to the aisle where she had been stocking shelves.

  “I notice Abner Lapp is back in town,” Nelly said.

  “I know.”

  “You should know that he told Caleb he’s hoping to court you once he gets your parents’ permission,” Nelly informed her, as she stacked coffee on a shelf.

  “He already asked if I would go fishing or walking with him. I’m not sure how to tell him no. I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t want to spend time with him. My parents can’t decide that for me.” It was a particular bee farmer who had already consumed her heart. He was the only man Belinda wished to spend her time with. In the last week alone, they had shared several meals together and played more card games than she thought had existed. Belinda couldn’t help but wonder about his recent fascination with soils and plants, but chalked it up to boredom. Adam was stuck with so little he could do unti
l he was fully healed.

  “Oh, Belinda. He is handsome, opening his own leather shop, and wants to spend time with you. You might have a proposal by the end of the week.” A sly look came into her eyes. “Unless you have changed your thoughts about a particular handsome man who happens to sell honey for a living.”

  Belinda couldn’t help but grin. Of course Nelly knew Belinda was in love with Adam, but Nelly also knew Adam would never change his thoughts about marriage after suffering such a heartbreak. Nelly nudged Belinda’s shoulder, and just as Belinda was ready to share the account of her recent visits with Adam, a familiar voice intruded.

  “Hello, Belinda.” She spun around to find Abner walking their way down the dimly lit aisle.

  Nelly giggled. “Hiya, Abner. We were just talking about you.” Why hadn’t they heard the bell ring? Belinda bristled.

  “Is that so?” Abner’s dark eyes danced with delight. He was handsome and possessed many fine qualities, but he made Belinda’s skin so itchy with discomfort that it was hard not to scratch. “I thought I might find you here.” Had he been looking for her?

  “I should go. I’m already behind today and just needed to pick up everything for Tabitha’s chicken dish tonight.” Belinda scooted past him until she was in the open area again, Nelly close behind.

  “Could I give you a lift home?” Abner urged. “I have nothing else to do right now.”

  “I have a buggy, but danki.” Belinda looked to Nelly, hoping for help out of this awkward conversation. She was not a fan of this kind of attention, at least not from Abner. She thought of Adam. The way he leaned toward her the other day, close enough to kiss. If she hadn’t panicked, she might have gotten her first kiss.

  The bell over the door jingled and all eyes lifted to see who had just entered. Lynn Christner, Noel’s mother. Too many people were running into Belinda today, kicking her nerves up a notch. Could it get any worse?

  Lynn gave a wry smile as she studied the three standing in the aisle. Surely Lynn would be displeased Belinda was talking with Abner and not her precious Noel.

  “Excuse me,” Belinda offered politely. “I need to go.” She went to move past Abner, but he sidestepped into her path. She clutched the bags closer to her chest.

  “Let me help you to your buggy?” Abner reached out to take her bags.

  “Nelly, it’s not polite to make customers wait. Your onkel won’t like you ignoring paying customers. I am in a hurry,” Lynn called from the front of the store. Nelly offered a sympathetic look, but it was clear Belinda would have to deal with Abner alone. All the confidence and self-assurance she had worked for all summer vanished as she stood between Abner Lapp and her mother’s dear friend Lynn, both blocking her only exit.

  “I...I...” Her head was spinning, her heart pounding, and she was fairly certain breathing was something a person could actually forget how to do. She clenched the bag of spices and butter to her chest and took one step to the left.

  “Maybe we could stop by the diner for pie, before you head home?” Abner grinned that cocky smile of his. His confidence bothered her. Belinda didn’t like cocky, any more than she liked the newly arrived customers being drawn to the scene.

  “Excuse me,” she said, before fleeing into the little backroom she and Nelly used to use to play board games in when they were little and their mothers chatted in the store for hours.

  “I will be right here when you get out,” Abner yelled after her.

  That’s what she was afraid of. Breath quickening, she turned the corner. Once out of sight, Belinda veered right. The supply room was small, but no one would come looking for her in here. She closed the door, quickly secured the lock, and let out a pinned-up breath. Once her breathing slowed, she realized the consequences of her actions. There was only one door and now she felt as trapped as a wounded animal. Nelly would have customers to tend to, and her family was too far away to offer any assistance in the mess she had gotten herself into. She was on her own, alone.

  Dropping her face into her hands, tears spilled out. Why did her sister send her to town today? She wanted to be home, with her flowers and buzzing bees. Her heartbeat began pounding in panic again. What was wrong with her? Apparently everything, she decided, and wept harder.

  Adam thought things were going swell. He was still a bit stiff, but healing. Spending these extra weeks with his parents had reminded him of the simple joys his busy life had suffocated. And then there was Belinda. His heart had no doubts what he wanted any longer. Spending time with her these past days, unrushed, had given them the chance to grow even closer. But leave it to his best friend to stop by today and spread the latest gossip, pouring a cup of vinegar straight into Adam’s happy little basket of hope.

  He knocked on the Grabers’ front door. No matter how many conversations Belinda and he had about her willingness to handle delivery days on her own, he had seen apprehension in her eyes. Belinda did what needed to be done. It was that simple. But she clearly wasn’t fully comfortable going to town alone so often.

  She had also expressed that she had no interest in Abner Lapp, who was inviting himself to supper at the Grabers’ house tonight, according to Tobias. Adam wasn’t the kind of man who marked territory or staked claims, but he wasn’t having Abner step into what he had finally admitted he wanted.

  The door swung open. “Is Belinda home?”

  Tabitha motioned him inside. “She isn’t.” Why did Tabitha look so ill?

  “Is everything all right? Has something happened with your dawdi?” Adam removed his hat and stepped inside the doorway. If Saul Graber had passed, Belinda would be heartbroken. She spoke so often about her grandfather that Adam felt he knew him himself.

  “Nee, that’s not it. Mica is right. I shouldn’t have meddled. I just wanted her to see she wasn’t the ugly duckling she always thought she was. And Abner is such a good man and seemed interested. He talks about her all the time, comes to the market daily and asks me what kind of things she likes,” Tabitha blurted out defensively.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what you’re saying.” But even as he spoke, understanding settled in. Tabitha had played a hand in Abner’s supper invitation this evening. Heat rose up inside him. Why couldn’t Belinda’s family just let her be herself? She was content at home, in her gardens, around the greenhouses and hives, in her mother’s kitchen. And there was not one thing wrong with it. In fact, it was those qualities that made her perfect for him, and him for her. Adam knew what he wanted, what she needed, and couldn’t stand by and let others try and alter that.

  “I’m a horrible sister. I told Mamm about Abner and how Belinda let him walk her to her buggy. How he asks about her all the time. Mamm said I should give her a little push. So I sent Belinda to buy a few things and made sure Abner knew where she would be.” Tabitha sighed. “And I invited him for supper without asking her first. I did that, to her, and I feel horrible about it now. What kind of sister am I?” Indeed, Adam wished to say.

  “Belinda loves you. She knows you mean well.” He wanted to believe his words were true, even as he knew he wouldn’t be so forgiving in Belinda’s shoes. Tabitha had no right to push her sister into a situation that would make her uncomfortable.

  “But is it really okay that she is shy and timid and doesn’t want to be courted?” Painful regret racked her voice.

  “Jah, it is. She is Belinda. That is who she is. She doesn’t need pushed or altered, just loved for herself.” Adam said. Where was Mollie? Adam looked around the kitchen and into the sitting room. Belinda’s grandmother would have never allowed Tabitha to play matchmaker in this intrusive way. When Adam faced Tabitha again, she was staring at him with wide green eyes.

  “Ach, no. I hurt you too, I see. She said you didn’t like her like that.” She shot him a sideways glance. “But that isn’t true, is it?”

  “No, it isn’t. I love her,” he said with utmost sinceri
ty.

  “Oh Adam, I’m so sorry.” She looked about to cry. Adam stepped forward and placed an arm around her. “What have I done?”

  “You didn’t know, and neither does she, yet. I hope to tell her soon. So, when will she be back?” he pulled away.

  “I don’t know. She should have come home hours ago.” She lowered her head in shame.

  “Hours?” He tensed.

  “Mica said leave her be, that she was happier helping you than she has been since she was a child. I should see if Mica will go look for her.”

  “Jah, I can handle that.” He aimed for the door. “I’ll see she gets home safe.”

  “What about your injuries?” Tabitha gave him a doubtful look.

  “I can handle a buggy just fine. Now where exactly did she go?” Adam placed his hat back on his head, determination swirling in his gut.

  “Zimmerman’s. I just sent her for a few things. What if something...” Tabitha’s hand flew to her mouth.

  “I will find her, bring her home. Trust all is well.” Adam went to the door, giving himself a reminder to trust, too. If Belinda was sharing a ride or walk with Abner, he didn’t know what he would do.

  “Danki.”

  “No thanks needed. But I do intend on having a talk with her. So don’t expect to see us anytime soon.” He winked. Tabitha nodded, understanding his meaning as he slipped back out the door.

  Adam hurried to get the buggy ready. The simple task was tedious, but at least he could breathe without feeling like needles were being jabbed into him. When he got to Zimmerman’s, he carefully got down from the buggy seat, cautiously took the steps, and strolled inside. Tabitha said this was the only place Belinda planned to go today, and Mica’s horse and buggy outside was evidence that she was still here. A quick scan told him plenty. Abner was staring at a quilt hanging on the back wall, looking bored. Bee, on the other hand, was nowhere in sight. Nelly finished ringing up an older man and he went to the counter as casually as he could manage.