Paul walked around and inspected his work. “You did a fine job, Toby. Danki.”
Toby beamed with pride. Alvin finished harnessing the horse to the buggy and they were soon on their way.
An hour later, they turned into Eli’s lane and stopped in front of the house. There was a car sitting beside the barn. It was empty. Paul scanned the area and saw a man in a white cowboy hat walking around the machinery that had been pulled out. It was Jeffrey Jones, the man who had offered to buy the farm from Ralph the day Paul met him.
Jones saw them. He flipped away his cigarette and walked toward them with an unhurried pace. “My dad used to use a corn planter just like the one out here. I knocked at the house but no one answered. Thought I’d look around a little while I waited.”
“Waited for what?” Paul asked.
“Thought maybe I’d see if the owner has changed his mind about selling at auction. Will he be around soon?”
“I have no idea when he’ll show up. He doesn’t live here.” Paul had an uneasy feeling about the man. He didn’t look or act like a farmer so why was he so interested in buying this land? He turned to Toby. “Go open the corral gate for me.”
The boy jumped out of the buggy and walked to the corral.
Jones pushed his hat up with one finger. “The young woman with the kids, she lives here, right?”
“She does.”
“She is the old fellow’s niece. I heard one of her kids is sick. I’m surprised the old man didn’t leave her the farm. That would make more sense than giving it to a fellow who isn’t Amish and who doesn’t farm.”
Paul didn’t say anything. He nodded to Alvin. They both turned away and began unhitching the horse.
Jones chuckled. “I see you’re going to give me the Amish silent treatment. I’ve had it before. I know when I’ve worn out my welcome. It’s in my nature to ask questions. Sorry if I offended you.” He tipped his hat and walked to his car.
After he drove away, Paul left Alvin and Toby to take care of the horse and crossed to the house. Like most Amish, Clara didn’t lock her home. Paul stood in the kitchen doorway trying to remember how the room had looked the last time he was in it. A loaf of bread was still on the table. There were a few dishes in the sink. The room looked undisturbed. Patches was sunning herself on the back of the sofa.
Alvin peered over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“He was in the house.”
“How do you know?”
He gestured toward the cat. “Sophie put the cat outside yesterday. She wanted to take Patches with her but Clara said no. Now the cat is over there by the window. She must have slipped in when he opened the door.”
“That’s creepy. Who is that guy?”
“I wish I knew. Where is Toby?”
“I put him to counting wrenches and arranging them by size.”
“Okay. Let’s finish the inventory of tools in the shed and then call it a day.”
“Are you going back to the hospital?”
“I thought I might.”
“To see the child or the child’s mother?”
Paul scowled at Alvin. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” The boy gave him an innocent grin.
Paul was eager to see Clara. She hadn’t been far from his mind since he met her and that was starting to scare him.
He avoided serious relationships and with good reason. He had a hard time being serious about anything. He enjoyed being free to date whomever he wanted and whenever he wanted. He used to think being tied down to one woman was like having an auction without a loudspeaker. It was possible but it didn’t make much sense.
He had five sisters at home, all younger than he was. He and Mark had grown up in a house full of women. The squabbles and petty arguments had been almost more than Paul could bear. Sure they all loved each other but they seldom got along. What did they argue about the most? Boys.
When Mark wanted to serve an apprenticeship with Isaac for two years, Paul had jumped at the chance to go along. Not only did it get him away from the foolishness of his sisters but it also gave him a chance to start earning enough money to begin his career as an auctioneer.
He liked women, he just didn’t like the idea of being stuck with the same one for the rest of his life. What if she turned out to be boring or a nag? He had watched his sisters act coy and shy until the fellow they hoped to impress was out of sight. He always thought some poor fool was in for a rude awakening after he married one of them.
Paul vividly remembered some of the loud and scary arguments his parents had before his father’s death. After retreating from the house following one of them, his father had laid a hand on Paul’s head and said, “Don’t be in a hurry to marry, son. There is no telling who your wife will become once you say ‘I do.’ Divorce is forbidden to us. One miscalculation and a fellow could end up regretting his choice for a long, long time.”
Paul had a self-imposed limit of three dates with any given girl. More than that and they would start talking about weddings and babies. It would be a few more years before he was ready to have that conversation, if ever. So why was he in a rush to spend time with a woman who already had children?
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he’d spent too much time with Clara already. They hadn’t been dating but they had seen each other almost every day for almost a week. He had no real reason to go to the hospital to visit her. He could send Toby with someone else. Clara had the women in his family to keep her company and support her. She didn’t need him. That was a good thing. Wasn’t it? So why didn’t it feel right?
Paul turned and walked toward the toolshed. “You get started in here. I’m going to check the fences and the condition of the fields.”
“Can I come with you?” Toby asked.
Paul shook his head. “Stay here and do what Alvin tells you.”
A long walk alone was exactly what he needed to clear his head and gain some perspective.
He followed the perimeter of Eli’s farm to make sure the fences were intact and in good repair. He found one place that needed to be mended and made a note of its location. It wasn’t until he was on the far side of the property in the pasture on a rocky hillside that he came across something odd.
A new chain-link fence had been installed recently. Based on the fragments of the old fencing down the hill, the new fence was inside the farm’s property line by nearly three hundred yards. Had Eli sold some of it to the mine? If that was the case, the land had to be surveyed even though Ralph didn’t want it done.
Paul noticed a pile of rocky rubble near the fence. A closer look proved it was a drill site, and a recent one. Someone had been test drilling on Eli’s land. The spot was on the far side of a steep ridge at the very end of Eli’s property. The area was pasture and not farmed. It wasn’t visible from the house.
“Can I help you, mister?”
Paul turned to see a man in a hard hat approaching from the mine buildings down below. He wore the uniform of a security guard for the New Ohio Mining Company.
“I’m not sure if you can help or not. I think this fence may be inside the property line of Eli King’s farm.”
“So what if it is?” The man stood with his arms akimbo, frowning at Paul.
“If it is, it will have to be taken down and moved back to the property line.”
“Maybe you should speak to Mr. Calder. He’s the boss.”
“I’ll be happy to. Shall I wait here?” Paul managed a pleasant smile.
“You’ll need to call and make an appointment.”
“Fine. Can you give me the number?”
“I’m not at liberty to give out personal information about the boss.” The man turned and walked down the hill toward a cluster of buildings.
“I guess you’re not at liberty to be friendly, either,
” Paul muttered.
He left the newly fenced area and followed Eli’s old fence to the crest of the hill. A lone hickory tree marked the far corner. Paul caught the scent of cigarette smoke and stopped. There was no one about but there were several dozen cigarette butts littering the ground at the base of the tree. He picked one up.
Why would someone come out into the middle of nowhere to smoke? There was nothing here but a nice view of Eli’s farmstead to the west and the mining company buildings to the east.
A feeling of unease made the hair at the back of Paul’s neck prickle. Had someone been watching the farm? A gravel road ran along the other side of the fence. Paul assumed it wound around back through the hills to the mine but he wasn’t sure. He’d never been on it.
Should he tell Clara about this? He didn’t want to worry her. She had enough on her mind already. He didn’t know for certain someone was watching the farm—they could as easily have been watching the mining company.
Most likely there was a simple and innocent reason someone had been waiting here. It wasn’t unusual for a group of Amish teens on their rumspringa to meet at such an out-of-the-way place to smoke and enjoy music where their parents wouldn’t see them. He decided not to mention it to Clara.
He finished walking the remaining fence lines and didn’t find anything else out of order. When he reached the gate beside the barn, he saw a shiny black SUV turn into the drive and stop beside the house. A man in a gray suit got out and walked toward him.
“I’m Alan Calder. I understand you wish to see me. I own the coal mine you were snooping around today.”
“I wasn’t snooping and I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” Paul closed the gate behind him.
“I don’t like to waste time. What can I do for you?”
“I think the fence you put up between your property and this one isn’t on the property line.”
“We didn’t put up that fence.”
“You didn’t?”
“Eli King had the fence installed.”
Taken aback, Paul wasn’t sure he’d heard that correctly. “It would be unusual for an Amish farmer to install a chain-link fence across his pasture, not to mention expensive.”
“I have no idea what is usual for an Amish farmer. I understand this land is for sale. I’m willing to make a reasonable offer.”
“It’s going to be sold at a public auction. You are welcome to bid alongside anyone else who is interested.”
“I doubt the new owner will get much for it. The place is a pile of rocks and weedy fields fit for goats and not much else.”
Paul tipped his head slightly. That was the exact phrase Ralph had used when he first described the property. “Do you know the new owner, Ralph Hobson?”
Alan Calder frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Never met the man. Why?”
“Just wondering.” Something wasn’t right. There was no reason for the mine owner to rush over and speak to him. The man’s demeanor seemed wrong. He looked ill at ease.
“Tell this Hobson fellow that I’m willing to make him a generous offer for the farm today as long as the sale includes the mineral right.”
“I can give you his contact information.”
“What is it?”
Calder immediately dialed the number Paul gave him and walked away speaking on his cell phone. The conversation quickly became heated by the sound of Calder’s raised voice but Paul was unable to hear what was actually said. After a short time, the man returned to his car and sped away.
“Who was that?” Clara came out of the house and down the steps.
Had the sun come out from under the cloud? There wasn’t any other explanation for why Paul’s day suddenly seemed so much brighter. “What are you doing here?”
She grinned and tipped her head to the side. “Paul, I live here.”
“I mean why aren’t you at the hospital?” He tried to ignore the rush of happiness that filled his chest.
“Sophie is doing better and I needed to come home and get some things done. I’ve been wearing the same dress since we took Sophie to the hospital. It was starting to smell like old pond water. It was time for a change. Jessica drove me. She promised someone will be here at seven to take me back.”
“That’s great. How are you?” She looked fine to him. Better than fine. She looked wonderful.
He studied her lovely face. A light blush colored her cheeks, her eyes had dark circles under them but they sparkled now as she gazed at him. A soft smile curved her lips. She was happy to see him.
Rebecca’s comment came back to him. Clara wasn’t his type, so why was he so delighted to see her? He’d never felt this way around any other woman.
Suddenly uncomfortable, he hooked his thumbs under his suspenders. “I made a check of all the fences.”
“Were there any problems?”
“What do you know about the mining company on the east side of this farm?”
“Not much. They wanted to buy or lease the mineral rights from Eli but he wasn’t interested in selling. It seems they own the mineral rights under most of the land around here. People sold them ages ago. Dan Kauffman didn’t know his grandfather had sold the rights in 1929 until underground blasting woke him up one night and he tried to get it stopped.”
“Did Eli give someone permission to test drill out in the pasture?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“Because it looks like a test site has already been dug. That was the mine owner who just left. He wants to make Ralph an offer for the farm as long as it contains the mineral rights.”
“One more thing he is taking from my children.”
One more thing I’m helping Ralph Hobson take from them.
Paul pressed his lips together tightly. He wanted to beg Clara’s forgiveness and promise he’d break his contract with Hobson. It might make her look more kindly on him but it wouldn’t solve her troubles and it would only add to his. He had his brother to think about, as well. Mark and Helen couldn’t open their business until Paul repaid them. Even knowing all that, Paul was ready to seek out Hobson and end their bargain.
His feelings for Clara were getting out of hand. He needed to put some distance between them.
The door of the house opened and Toby came out. “Mamm, can I stay with Paul again tonight?”
“I reckon that’s up to Paul.”
He rocked back on his heels and pasted a big grin on his face. “Sure. I’m glad to hear Sophie is doing better. I’d love to stay and visit but I’ve got work to do.” The words came out sounding more abrupt than he intended.
A look of disappointment flashed across her face but it was gone before he could be sure. Her smile slipped a little. “Don’t let me keep you.”
She turned around and went in the house ushering Toby in front of her.
The letdown was massive. Paul didn’t want to hurt her feelings. He didn’t want her to be disappointed in him. He wanted to see her smiling again. At him. He took a step toward the house and stopped.
No, it was best to leave it this way. If she was unhappy with him, so much the better. That way she wouldn’t harbor unrealistic romantic expectations.
Who was he kidding? Why would Clara harbor any romantic feelings about him? He was the joking auctioneer who was getting ready to sell the roof over her head. They barely knew each other. He should keep things professional and get things done as soon as possible. The less he saw of her, the less likely he was to open his mouth and say something stupid.
He found Alvin finishing up in the toolshed and said, “The barn is next. Let’s go.”
“I thought we were quitting early?” Alvin hurried to keep up with him.
“I have to get finished here before I make a fool of myself.”
Chapter Seven
Paul was already hard at work in his un
cle’s shop when Mark came in the next morning. Paul continued sanding the top of a dresser while he waited for his brother to say something but all Mark did was raise one eyebrow and then get to work himself.
After about ten minutes, Paul couldn’t take the silence any longer. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m doing here so early?”
“It looks to me like you’re working. That’s what you get paid to do, right?”
“Right.” He blew the sawdust off the piece he was working on and ran his fingers over it to test the smoothness. It would pass even his uncle’s stringent quality requirements. “I’ll go bring in some more particleboard and finish putting the backs on these dressers.”
“Where is your little shadow?”
“Onkel Isaac took Toby and Hannah fishing this morning. I don’t know which one of them was more excited.”
“I’m going to say Isaac. When was the last time you knew him to take a day off?”
“Never. How is the bakery coming along?”
“Helen and I are moving into the upstairs tomorrow. We are still trying to convince Charlotte to come with us. She’s decided Juliet doesn’t want to move. I love the woman but she can be a trial. We are still waiting on the ovens before we set a date for the grand opening. Any idea when you can repay me? I hate to ask but I need to pay for the new picture windows that were installed and order baking supplies soon.”
Sighing deeply, Paul faced his brother. “I’m sorry I’m holding you up. It was foolish of me to spend so much money on a fancy wagon that should have waited until I was actually making money at auctions. I let my wishful thinking override my common sense, if I ever had any common sense.”
“Have you finished getting Eli King’s farm ready to sell?”
Paul started sanding again. “I have a few things left to take care of.”
“Such as?”
Paul threw down his sanding block. “Why is everyone so curious about Clara Fisher and me?”
Mark stopped work on the piece he was carving. “I didn’t ask about Clara Fisher. What makes you so touchy on the subject?”
His New Amish Family Page 9
