The Winnowing Season

by Cindy Woodsmall

  If he could talk to someone, maybe the unbearable loneliness churning inside him would ease. Or maybe it would at least make it possible to sleep. But Jacob was the one person he normally turned to. Or Catherine. Even if Samuel could find a few private hours with his brother, what could he possibly say? Hey, little brother, I’m miserably lonely, mostly because I’m in love with your girl. Any ideas on what I should do?

  “Hallo?” Jacob clapped his gloved hands.

  Samuel took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment before blowing it between his ungloved hands and rubbing them vigorously. “What?”

  “Rhoda asked me to find out who you want teamed up first—you and her or me and her?”

  Himself and Rhoda. Definitely.

  “You and her. Of course.” Samuel always avoided being paired with Rhoda. Hadn’t Jacob figured that out by now? “Let Steven be the swingman, changing teams as needed. Once we have down how best to aerate and spread mulch, we’ll pull in Leah and Landon.”

  The walkie-talkie beeped, and Samuel turned it up. A young voice called from the other end saying, “Can I have a hot dog?”

  Samuel chuckled. It was four-year-old Isaac. Was he practicing one of the few Englisch phrases he knew? There was something about the simplicity of children’s thoughts that seemed to make his melancholy ease.

  “Leah.” Phoebe’s voice came over the walkie-talkie. “I looked where you said, but I can’t find the box of heavy blankets.”

  “Let me check the attic,” Leah answered.

  Jacob got a bridle off its nail and went into the stall to get the mare.

  Rhoda. Thoughts of her pushed in again. If the slate were clean and Jacob had never cared for her, Samuel would marry her the moment she was willing. Scripture—that’s what Samuel needed circling in his mind and heart. Starting tomorrow, he would begin his mornings by studying and memorizing passages. He wasn’t giving in to the temptation to pull Rhoda into his arms and tell her he loved her.

  He wasn’t.

  End of it.

  But the desire was never far away.

  “Hot dog? Can I have a hot dog?” Isaac’s voice rang out again. Was he hungry or just playing pretend into the walkie-talkie? Either way, it somehow lifted Samuel’s spirits a bit.

  “Isaac, may I have that now?” Phoebe asked. There was another small burst of static, and then silence indicated that his few moments of spirit-lifting entertainment were over. Then another round of static came over his walkie-talkie, followed by a very loud shout of, “Can I have a hot dog?”

  Samuel pulled the walkie-talkie to his mouth and pressed the button.

  “Somebody give that boy a hot dog.” He chuckled as he reattached the walkie-talkie to his suspenders. He took a horse by the lead, directing the team out the barn door.

  As soon as the cold air hit him, Samuel saw a pickup truck pull into the driveway. Moments later a young woman got out, bundled in a heavy coat and carrying a notepad.

  She looked right at Samuel and started for him. He couldn’t turn and motion to Jacob. He jerked the walkie-talkie from his suspenders. “We have an Englisch visitor.”

  He didn’t need to say more. Everyone on the farm knew the weight of what that meant.

  Rhoda most of all.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  A nervous chill ran through Rhoda. She clung to the hoe, unable to budge. The Englisch woman was visiting the farm?

  Despite her speech to Jacob and Samuel that she wouldn’t carry the guilt about the blogger because she had done nothing wrong and people in the community knew Amish had moved in, she stood there facing her reality.

  This was her doing. Or maybe her undoing.

  She set the hoe next to the door as she left the greenhouse. The possibility of Jacob being discovered hung over her every waking minute. And over Jacob. Neither of them voiced their concerns, but the weight was like an unwelcome guest lingering between them.

  She hurried across the yard and saw the woman talking to Samuel, a notepad and pen in her hand. Samuel motioned the visitor toward the greenhouses or, perhaps more accurately, away from the barn.

  Panic pounded in Rhoda’s chest.

  Samuel’s eyes caught hers, radiating comfort. “Rhoda.” His tone assured all was well. “You remember Nicole Knight. You two met at the seminar a few weeks back. She’s a solar technician.”

  “Ach, ya.” Rhoda breathed a sigh of relief before realizing she’d spoken in Pennsylvania Dutch. Unlike the day they met, Nicole had her hair pulled back, and her tiny body was hidden under a burly scarf and coat, so she looked quite different. “We talked about our need for solar panels.”

  Nicole nodded. “Yes. I meant to drop by earlier, but I’ve been so busy at work. Still, I attended the last few Saturday classes hoping to see you, but you weren’t there.”

  Rhoda wasn’t sure she’d ever go again, not after the evening she had when she’d returned from the first seminar. That miserable night had taken away her joy of attending.

  Rhoda shivered, realizing she’d left her hat and gloves inside the first greenhouse. “We’ve been too busy.”

  “I’m sure. So tell me what you’d like to accomplish through the solar panels?”

  Samuel pulled out a pair of gloves from his pocket and passed them to Rhoda. “We need to set up some horticultural lights for the plants to keep them warm through the winter. We’ve been using a couple of portable propane heaters the last few weeks to knock off the chill, but that’s expensive, and it’s not sufficient for giving the plants the proper light.”

  “Let’s take a look.” Nicole headed for the greenhouses.

  Samuel fell into step beside her. “I’ve never installed solar panels. We had a set on our farm in Pennsylvania that we used to recharge our twelve-volt batteries.”

  Rhoda felt a little invisible, but she tagged along, sliding her hands into the warm gloves. Samuel didn’t show any reluctance in welcoming Nicole and talking to her about business.

  The woman took notes while walking. “So you disconnected the batteries each time they were recharged and carried them wherever you needed them?”

  “Ya.” Samuel cleared his throat. “I mean, yes.”

  “That’s a lot of work.” She looked up from her notepad. “With a little money for supplies, I’d be glad to help you set up enough panels and batteries for each greenhouse, and you won’t have to carry batteries anywhere. They’ll be a constant power source, only waning a bit if we go too many cloudy days.”

  “What’s your charge per hour?”

  Nicole paused. “Oh, no. I work for a home improvement store near Waterville. That’s about fifteen miles from here. I’m not a contractor. Most of what I know I learned from my dad. He used to be a contractor before he had to retire. Arthritis. If you’ll cover the cost of the supplies, I’d like to do this job simply as a neighborly gesture.”

  “Why?”

  Nicole extended the measuring tape a few inches and let it snap back again and again while talking. “Because my family is glad someone bought this orchard. When I was a little girl, my parents used to bring us here to pick apples in the fall. The Parsons used to have two acres that were pick-your-own, mostly for locals to enjoy, and we did. My dad was really upset when the farm went into foreclosure. He’s thrilled it’s been bought, and my family will be excited if I have a hand in helping you get on your feet here.”

  Samuel glanced at Rhoda, but she wasn’t sure what to think.

  He nodded. “I can’t accept your work on those conditions, but we can iron out the details later.”

  Nicole grinned. “Works for me. We’ve got a lot to do.”

  Did Rhoda hear whispers? “Will you have to take part of the greenhouse down to install them?”

  “No. We’ll build an eight-foot frame outside the greenhouses for the solar panels and battery boxes. They’ll need to face south.”

  “Eight feet?” Rhoda asked.

  “It’s a little hard to get solar power if the panels are buried in snow. T
o save money and time, I’d suggest—” She went to the fourth greenhouse and jerked open the door before stopping cold. “Uh, hi.”

  Rhoda tried to peer around her. Jacob hadn’t gone the long way around and come in the back of the greenhouse, had he? Did it matter if he had? How hidden did he need to stay?

  Samuel glanced at Rhoda, his eyes asking questions she couldn’t answer.

  Nicole stepped inside, and Rhoda went in behind her. Two girls stood at the far end: Gretchen, who had a bakery box in hand, and either Kristen or Savannah. Rhoda wasn’t sure which one since she hadn’t been introduced to them. Whichever one Rhoda was looking at held one of the old cracked pots with dried-up soil.

  Gretchen smiled and extended the box toward her. “Hi, Rhoda. We brought you something.”

  Samuel stepped inside, and the girl holding the pot almost dropped it.

  “Hey. Sorry.” She poked the soil in the pot. “I’m Savannah. And these”—she motioned to the row of ten or twelve half-alive plants lined up on the floor—“are part of a science experiment we’ve been working on. We needed to check on them.”

  Rhoda couldn’t believe they’d returned and with a gift. Had they been here since she told them not to come back about three weeks ago? Rhoda would eventually put this fourth greenhouse to good use, but for now it remained pretty much as it was when they had bought the place—except for a few scrappy plants that were clinging to life.

  “Girls.” Rhoda smiled, but she didn’t like them being here. Were they trying to make amends or continuing to use this place as their hangout? Either way, if she was curt, it wouldn’t do for them to tell a parent, who might feel compelled to confront the Amish. Or maybe that didn’t matter. She didn’t know what Jacob would have her do, but with Nicole looking on, it seemed the wrong time to correct the girls. Surely friendliness was the best choice.

  Rhoda turned to Nicole and Samuel. “This is Gretchen and …”

  “Savannah.”

  Gretchen stepped forward. “I brought you something from a wedding cake shop in Oakland. My sister is getting married soon, and we were there, and I thought …” She shrugged. “I hope you like it.”

  Rhoda took the box from her. “That is nice but not necessary and not what we agreed to, right?”

  Gretchen shrugged again. “I just wanted to thank you.”

  Rhoda turned to Samuel. “Perhaps you and Nicole could look inside one of the other greenhouses and give me a few minutes?”

  “Sure.” Samuel opened the door and waited for Nicole to leave first.

  Rhoda held the box, realizing it had a bit of weight to it. “You were camping out here a few weeks ago, and I asked you not to come back.”

  “I know, but when we realized you hadn’t turned us in to the police, we wanted to thank you.”

  Should she believe them? One thing she knew for sure: she hadn’t thought of calling the police. It wasn’t the Amish way. That realization made her understand a little more of how easily Jacob had walked into the situation with the construction company.

  Gretchen held up the pot. “We need a couple of these for our science class. Could we leave the others for now?”

  “No. I’m sorry, but if you want to take the pots with you, then do so. But as I said before, you can’t come in and out of here. You’ve already proven to me how you intend to use this place.”

  Gretchen tucked the pot into the crook of her arm. “We shouldn’t have done what we did. We had beer to pour on the plants as part of the experiment, and, well, you know.”

  An uneasy feeling tugged at Rhoda.

  Savannah set the pot on a workbench. “What are you doing with these greenhouses?”

  “I grow herbs and mostly make compost.”

  “Like for herbal teas?”

  “At times, yes.”

  “You grow your own?” Gretchen glanced at Savannah. “Could we see?”

  Rhoda would like to get a handle on how she should respond to these girls. She didn’t know whether to keep gently pushing them away or befriend them. “I suppose. Follow me.”

  Rhoda showed them the herbs and even gave them a jar of dried peppermint leaves for making tea, but it finally became clear to her that she had the opposite feeling toward these girls as she had about Camilla and Bob.

  “You’ve brought me a thank-you gift, and I appreciate that. If we see each other out somewhere, we’ll speak. But unless you’re coming to our front door as proper guests, I do not want to see you on this property again. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” Gretchen looked rather miffed. “If that’s how you want to be about it. I guess we’ll just abandon the science experiment. We got enough information to get a passing grade.”

  Rhoda sent them on their way before rejoining Samuel and Nicole, who were in the yard discussing the solar panel installations.

  Samuel nodded toward the girls, who were walking through the orchard. “Are they headed home?”

  “Ya.”

  Nicole made a face. “On foot? There’s not another house in sight.”

  Rhoda shrugged. “I walk to the Cranfords’ house whenever I get a chance. But I don’t think they’ll come this way again.”

  “Bob and Camilla allow visits?” Nicole’s face wrinkled with disbelief. “Wow. Those two are very reclusive these days. Good for you. And them. So what’s your secret?”

  Rhoda glanced at Samuel. “Excuse me?”

  “Even without the aid of horticultural lights, you are growing herbs like I’ve never seen before. Samuel said you had the most amazing fruit garden in Pennsylvania.” She poised her pen over her pad. “What’s your secret?”

  “That’s easy.” Samuel grinned at Rhoda. “She never stops working, and she doesn’t let anyone else stop either.”

  Nicole laughed. “I’m not writing that down.”

  Samuel chuckled. “Good plan, because once it’s written, there seems to be no way to erase it.”

  He seemed to be taking Nicole’s surprise visit in stride. Actually, he seemed to be enjoying it. But Rhoda’s heart still pounded. Would she ever be at peace again? Or would Jacob’s secrets cast a shadow over every surprise visitor for the rest of her life?

  TWENTY-FIVE

  The aroma of crisp conifer needles and fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies filled Leah’s senses. With Thanksgiving behind them, she looked forward to Christmas Day, only seventeen days away. Not that she was counting, but it was especially fun to prepare for it since she got to help decorate Erlene’s house.

  It felt like December too, even though there was less than six inches of snow on the ground. Leah lifted a red-and-silver glass bulb from the box and strategically placed its hook on a branch. Erlene and Landon thought decorating was boring, but excitement raced through Leah. Not only was she in Erlene’s home with Landon, but she had Samuel’s permission to be here. Her hands trembled a bit. Decorating a home might be part of the annual Christmas routine for Landon, but this was something she had spent most of her childhood dreaming about.

  Landon tossed a blanket around the base of the tree. “You don’t have to be so exact with hanging those.”

  “How many more go up before we plug in the lights?”

  “We have to put the star on first.” Landon chuckled. “You’re like a six-year-old.”

  She felt her skin tingle. Was she blushing? Hopefully not. “Oh, hush.” She grinned at him and gave his arm a playful slap. “No spoiling my fun.”

  He returned her smile. “That’s the last thing I’d want to do.”

  She believed him. He seemed to be having fun because she was enjoying herself. Samuel hadn’t even given her a look of disapproval when she asked if she could help Landon’s granny decorate her house for Christmas.

  Leah had been in Englisch houses before, but this was different. Unlike the Englisch drinking parties where she’d worked so hard to fit in and never did, she almost felt at home here.

  “If I were to”—she peered into the kitchen to make sure Erlene wasn’t within hearing
range—“live Englisch for several years, would this become ordinary and dull?”

  Landon reached into the bowl of popcorn and put a piece in her mouth. “What do you think?”

  “Mmm.” Leah licked her lips, but rather than giving in to her desire to flirt with Landon, she turned back to the tree. She’d prepared the popcorn herself, using a microwave. Within seconds, ta-da! It was done.

  Landon moved to the iPod station and turned the music down.

  “Hey. Louder, not softer.”

  “I’d like to be able to hear you rather than read your lips. Okay?”

  The song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” made her want to do just that—if she knew how to dance. She tapped her feet to the beat of the music.

  Landon shook his head, a big grin on his face.

  Leah put her hands on her hips. “Are you laughing at me?”

  He made her feel alive and as if she could step into this kind of life with only a little planning. She returned to the worn-out cardboard box that contained the glass bulbs and various ornaments and sat beside it, looking at the different pieces. She picked up a small snow globe that contained a miniature Nativity scene.

  “Aww.” She held it up. “It even glitters.”

  “Well, it’s unlikely that Jesus had glitter all around Him … or snow.”

  She’d always thought of Christmas as Jesus’s birthday, and Christmas had snow, right? Whenever she had read the story, she imagined the bitter cold that Joseph and a pregnant Mary had traveled through. “There wasn’t any snow?”

  “Not likely. I watched a History Channel special, and it claimed that Jesus was actually born in the spring. Besides, even if He was born in winter, Bethlehem doesn’t get all that cold in the winter, not like Pennsylvania and Maine.” He pulled a wooden snowman out of the box. It had some words written across its belly.

  “Can I see it?” She set the globe on the floor next to her.

  “No making fun of me.” Landon handed it to her.

  The inscription said, “I love you, Granny.”

  “Is this your handwriting?”