by Amy Clipston
“Just okay?” Christiana matched her pace. “You were so excited when Kevin agreed to join you today. I thought you’d be doing cartwheels when you got home.”
Phoebe swallowed an annoyed sigh. Why had she told Christiana and Mamm about inviting Kevin? If she had kept that information a secret, she could have avoided this conversation. At least they promised not to mention her interest to Dat yet. He was protective of his daughters!
“Wait.” Christiana took Phoebe’s arm and gently spun her toward her. “Was iss letz?”
Mamm pushed open the screen door. “I thought I heard a horse and buggy. You’re home early.” She looked beyond the porch. “Who brought you home?”
Phoebe bit back a groan. Well, at least she could tell them both at the same time so she wouldn’t have to repeat her disappointing story. “Kevin did.”
“Oh! Didn’t you invite him to stay for supper?”
“Ya. But he declined. He said he had to get home to help with the animals.”
Concern clouded Mamm’s pretty face. “Is something wrong?”
“Our time together didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.” Phoebe gave a little laugh that sounded more like a squeak. “It’s no big deal.” She tried to move past her mother, but she blocked the door.
Mamm’s expression warmed. “What happened?”
Phoebe took a deep breath. “One minute, Kevin and I were talking, and everything was great. The next minute, he said he was ready to leave. He told me then that he had to get home to care for the animals, but he seemed upset about something. At least he gave me a ride home, but he barely said a word to me on the way. Then when I invited him to stay for supper, he used the animals as an excuse again. At least he sounded like he was making an excuse.”
Mamm clucked her tongue and touched Phoebe’s hand. “Ach, mei liewe. I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Mamm’s right,” Christiana chimed in. “I’m sure it wasn’t you. You’re always so sweet and thoughtful.”
“Exactly.” Mamm smiled. “If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have showed up today.”
“Maybe he just agreed because he works for Dat and felt obligated.” Phoebe longed to erase the anguish that overcame her. Why was she so sad over a man she hardly knew?
Christiana looped her arm over Phoebe’s shoulders as they all stepped from the mudroom into the kitchen. “I seriously doubt that.”
“Why don’t you go shower and get ready for supper?” Mamm gestured toward the stairs that led to her daughters’ rooms.
“Okay.” Phoebe nodded as she headed out of the kitchen.
Christiana caught up to her. “Wait.” She stopped Phoebe at the bottom of the stairs. “Did something else happen?”
Phoebe heaved a deep sigh that seemed to bubble up from her toes. “No. I’m just so disappointed. I really like him.”
Christiana’s eyes brightened. “Then invite him to another youth gathering.”
“I don’t think he’d come, but danki for your optimism.” Phoebe spun and started up the stairs.
Christiana’s footsteps echoed behind her. “Wait! Surely we can come up with another plan.”
Phoebe rolled her eyes. Why couldn’t her sister just leave this alone? She longed to take a hot shower to wash away the disappointment. “I appreciate your encouragement, but I think if I invited him again, he’d turn me down, and it would make me feel worse. It’s better if I just forget it. I tried, and it didn’t work out.” She reached the top step and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.
Christiana marched in behind her and slammed her hands on her small hips. “When have you ever given up so easily, Phoebe?”
Phoebe pursed her lips. “Really, Christiana. I—”
“Don’t you remember how Jeff and I had a huge misunderstanding when we first met?”
Phoebe sank onto her desk chair. “Of course I do.”
“Jeff and I had our problems, but we worked it out. You never know. Kevin could be the one God has chosen for you.” Christiana wagged a finger at Phoebe. “Give him another chance. Invite him again and see what happens.”
“If I agree to do that, will you let me take a shower?”
Christiana smiled. “Ya—if you not only agree but promise.”
“I agree, and I promise.”
“Gut.” Christiana started for the door. “Now, don’t take too long. We’re having Mamm’s amazing chicken salad for supper.”
“Christy.” Phoebe called her older sister by the nickname Jeff had given her, and her sister pivoted toward her. “Danki for believing in me.”
“That’s what schweschders are for.”
Phoebe sighed as her sister left the room. She wanted to spend more time with Kevin. She just hoped he’d give her another chance.
Chapter 2
Rachelle smiled as Kevin stepped into the kitchen from the mudroom. “You’re home early. I wasn’t expecting you before ten.”
“Onkel Kevin!” Hannalyn, his four-year-old niece, jumped up from the table. She’d been coloring, but now she rushed over, wrapping herself around his legs with a tight hug. “I missed you.” She grinned up at him. With her hazel eyes and honey-blond hair, she was the spitting image of her mother.
Kevin laughed and touched her nose. “I bet you didn’t even notice I was gone.”
“Of course I did! You’re my favorite onkel!” Hannalyn giggled, and Kevin’s smile widened. How he loved that sound!
“I’m your only onkel,” he said, correcting her.
“Onkel! Onkel!” Tommy, Hannalyn’s two-year-old brother, called from his booster seat as he waved a green crayon in the air.
“Hey, buddy.” Kevin mussed Tommy’s honey-blond hair as he sat down at the table. Although Tommy, like his sister, had Rachelle’s hair, he was blessed with his father’s dark-brown eyes.
“What’s this?” Kevin rubbed his chin as he examined the haphazard green scratch marks on Tommy’s paper. “Let me guess. A waterfall? A horse and buggy?”
“Nooo!” Tommy belly laughed as he swatted Kevin’s arm.
Kevin snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. It’s a drawing of your dat.”
Tommy laughed louder as he held the piece of paper up in the air. “No. A doggie!”
“Oh!” Kevin pointed. “I see it now.” He took the paper from Tommy and turned it sideways before setting it back down on the table. “It is a green dog. In fact, it looks just like Spike, the neighbors’ dog.”
Tommy hooted, and Rachelle joined their laughter.
Hannalyn sat down beside Kevin. “You’re so gegisch, Onkel Kevin.”
Kevin grinned at his niece and then looked at Rachelle. “Is Dathan in the barn?”
“Ya. He’s feeding the animals.” Rachelle crossed to the refrigerator and began sifting through it.
“I’ll go help him.” Kevin pushed back his chair and took the snack out of his bag. After he placed it on the counter, he said to the children, “Would you please draw me a picture of the haus and barn?”
“Ya!” they responded in unison. Then they each reached for their own box of crayons. Thank goodness they wouldn’t have to struggle with who got the right color crayons first.
Kevin snickered to himself as he headed for the stairs. He cherished his time with those kids. He made his way to his room on the second floor, just across the hallway from Tommy’s room and beside Hannalyn’s.
As he set his bag on his bed, he glanced around the space that had been his since he’d been born. His life had changed drastically over the years—especially when his mother died and then his father. But through all the grief and upheaval, Kevin’s room had remained the same.
The dresser that had been a hand-me-down from his brother sat in the corner next to the desk his grandfather had given him. The shelves clogged with his favorite books stood at the far wall. And the quilt his grandmother made for him when he was ten still covered his bed.
While Kevin enjoyed the privacy and sanctuary of his room, he still l
onged for his own home. It would be his, all his. He’d finally be on his own, and his brother and sister-in-law would no longer feel the need to take care of his needs as though he were one of their children.
Kevin’s thoughts turned to the youth gathering as he changed into his work clothes, and he pressed his lips into a frown. Why had he ever thought he and Phoebe could be good friends? Today had proved that their five-year age difference was more than just a number. His life experiences also made him feel much older than he was, including his failed relationship with Mary.
Mary.
She had never understood his need to have his own career and home before contemplating marriage. Instead, she’d broken his heart with her attitude, and he’d had no choice but to break off their relationship. The whole experience had also left him leery of dating at all. Phoebe was attractive, but if he dated her and she adopted the same attitude Mary had, he’d be hurt again.
He headed back downstairs to the kitchen. Hannalyn and Tommy were still busy drawing, and Rachelle was putting together their Sunday supper.
“How are those pictures coming along?” he asked the kids as he crossed to the mudroom.
“Gut!” Tommy called.
“I’m almost done with mine,” Hannalyn announced.
“Great. I look forward to seeing them when I come back.” Kevin sat on the bench in the mudroom and pulled on his work boots and straw hat before walking out to the horse barn. Once there, he found Dathan leaning against one of the horse stalls. Rachelle had once remarked that the family resemblance between the brothers was obvious, and sometimes Kevin realized that more than others. They both had inherited their father’s dark hair and eyes as well as his six-foot height.
“I thought you were feeding the horses,” Kevin told his brother. “But it looks like you’re just hiding from your fraa in here.” He ensured his teasing was evident in his eyes.
“Ha-ha,” Dathan said, deadpanning. But then he grinned. “I thought you’d be at that lake well into the evening. Why are you back so soon?”
“I just decided to come home early.” Kevin leaned back against the barn wall and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Why?” Dathan lowered himself onto an overturned bucket. “A day of swimming sounds like some much-needed relaxation and fun after laying bricks all week.”
“It was all right.” Kevin shrugged and looked around the barn. “Have you fed all the animals?”
“I’ve practically raised you, Kev, so I can tell when you’re avoiding a subject. What are you not telling me?”
Kevin blew out a puff of air. “I guess I’m disappointed. Phoebe isn’t who I thought she was.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s just, well . . .” Kevin kicked a stone with the toe of his work boot. “She just seems so immature, and so do her freinden. I guess I expected too much. I felt like a fish out of water today. I don’t belong with that group. Phoebe is only nineteen. I think they all are.”
To his surprise, Dathan guffawed. “That’s only a five-year difference. You’re twenty-four, not forty-four. You’ve been working hard, and you don’t spend enough time with freinden. You need to get out more and meet new people, especially since you stopped going to your own youth group last year, after Mary.”
Dathan hesitated before going on. “I know you don’t want to spend the rest of your life as a bachelor, and you’re not going to meet any maed if you work all day and stay home every night.”
“I go to church,” Kevin said, challenging him.
“It’s not the same, and you know that. You don’t have time to socialize at church. Give it another try. And maybe you’re more ready for another girlfriend than you realize. You said Phoebe was schee and sweet. So what if she’s younger? Rachelle is younger than I am.”
“But you and Rachelle married when you were older.”
“We started dating when I was about your age, and Rachelle was younger than Phoebe.”
“But you had the farm. I want to be independent and on my own before I get serious with anyone again. I also thought maybe Phoebe could just be a freind.”
“Well, you have a new job, but you don’t need to be so focused on a haus. You have a place to live. You can build your haus later. In the meantime, let God lead you to the right maedel in his own time.”
Dathan stood. “Did you come out here to help me or just talk?” He started for the door leading to the dairy barn.
As Kevin followed his brother, he let his words roll through his mind. Who was he kidding? He was attracted to Phoebe despite her apparent immaturity. But he still couldn’t imagine fitting in with her group of friends. And she was still his boss’s daughter. He also couldn’t risk dating her if he wasn’t sure she’d understand that marriage was a long way off for him.
* * *
Phoebe’s heart pounded as she squared her shoulders and walked up the rock driveway toward the job site, pulling a rolling cooler. The hot, mid-morning sun beat down, warming her back as the cooler bumped along behind her.
“Would anyone like a bottle of cold water?” she announced as she approached the group of men working on the exterior of the house. She parked the cooler and pulled out the bottles, condensation dripping as she distributed them.
Dat approached her with a wide smile. “You’re a blessing on this hot and humid Tuesday! The water I brought already ran out.”
“Is that why I’m your favorite dochder?” she said, teasing him.
Dat grinned. “I didn’t say you’re my favorite. Danki for bringing these over.” He took a bottle of water and walked back to several of his workers.
“Hi, Phoebe.”
She spun and faced Kevin. He wore dark trousers and a dark-blue shirt that complemented his handsome face. He lifted his hat and pushed his hand through his thick, dark hair, and his tentative smile sent her senses spinning. Why did this man she hardly knew have such an effect on her—especially when he’d acted as though he didn’t even like her, as though he’d changed his mind about getting to know her?
“Hi, Kevin.” Her throat felt so thick she could barely say his name.
He pointed to the cooler at her feet. “You’re an answer to prayer today.”
“Help yourself.” She fingered her black apron as he chose a bottle and then opened it and took a long drink.
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine. You?”
“Gut. And grateful for water this cold.” He took another drink.
Phoebe lifted her chin and reached inside herself to find some confidence. “My youth group is getting together to play games this Sunday. Would you like to join us again?”
“Ah. Well . . .” He swiped the back of his hand over his chin. “I’ll have to see what mei bruder’s family is doing.”
“Oh.” She felt her smile wobble.
“But danki for the invitation.” He pointed to the cooler. “May I have another one?”
“Take as many as you’d like.”
“Danki.” Kevin took two more bottles and then winked at her. “I need to get back to work before your dat calls me a slacker. See you later.”
“Bye,” Phoebe called as he walked away. A heavy defeat pressed down on her shoulders. He hadn’t readily accepted her invitation, but then again, he’d winked at her. Would he have done that just because she brought the water?
She distributed the remaining bottles and then returned home.
After stowing the empty cooler, she stepped into the kitchen, where the aroma of peanut butter cookies caused her stomach to gurgle with delight. Christiana had spent all day baking items to sell at her booth at the market. The oven made a hot day even hotter, but the whole house smelled heavenly. Christiana pulled a sheet of cookies out of the oven before sliding the next batch into it.
Mamm looked up from where she sat at the table packing cooled cookies in cling wrap. “How did it go with Kevin today?” Mamm knew about the promise she’d made.
“Fine.” Phoebe
moved to the sink to wash her hands.
Christiana used a spatula to slip the warm cookies onto a cooling rack. “That didn’t sound like a very froh response. Did you invite him to the youth gathering on Sunday?”
“I did.” Phoebe slipped into a seat across from Mamm and began pricing packages as her mother handed them to her.
“And . . .” Christiana moved to the counter to mix more batter.
“He said he’ll see what his bruder’s family is doing.” The words tasted sour in Phoebe’s mouth. Wink or no wink, the more she thought about it, it was obvious Kevin didn’t want to spend time with her, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Mamm’s smile was as bright as the sunlight spilling through the kitchen windows. “Maybe after talking to his bruder, he’ll let you know he’s free to join you.”
Phoebe kept her eyes focused on her task. “He hesitated as if he was trying to find an excuse to say no.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Christiana tossed the words over her shoulder. “Maybe he honestly isn’t certain what his bruder has planned for Sunday afternoon.”
“I doubt it,” Phoebe grumbled as she priced another package of cookies.
Mamm reached across the table and touched Phoebe’s wrist, forcing her to look up. “You always go out of your way to make sure your freinden are froh and included. I’ve seen you walk over to someone standing alone and invite that person to join the group. It’s your nature to be kind and thoughtful. I think you’re imagining Kevin’s hesitation.”
“Ya, maybe you’re both right.” Phoebe tried her best to sound positive, but she knew deep in her heart that Kevin wasn’t interested. Her efforts had been in vain.
Chapter 3
“Danki for helping me load up.” Freeman set the last of the tools in the bed of his driver’s pickup truck. Kevin knew the job site was close to his boss’s home, of course, but the crew had too many tools and supplies to transport in a buggy.
Kevin shook his boss’s extended hand. “Gern gschehne.”
“Will your driver be here soon?” Freeman asked.
