A Sister's Secret

by Brunstetter, Wanda E. ;

  “I am not.” Grace’s forehead wrinkled as she nudged Ruth’s arm with her elbow. “If you don’t mind, I think I will ride home in Cleon’s buggy.”

  Ruth shrugged. “Makes no never mind to me, so I’ll see you at home.”

  As Grace climbed into Cleon’s buggy, her stomach twisted as though it were tied in knots. Had Cleon met Gary while he was in town? Could Gary have told him things about her past? Is that why Cleon wanted to speak with her? Maybe he’d decided to call off their wedding.

  “Are you okay?” Cleon reached across the seat and touched Grace’s arm. “You don’t seem like yourself today.”

  “I’m fine. What did you want to say to me concerning our wedding?”

  “I wanted you to know that I lined up a few more honey customers today, and if my business keeps growing, eventually I’ll be able to stop farming for my daed.” Cleon smiled. “Once we’re married, you can quit your job.”

  A feeling of relief swept over Grace. Cleon must not have spoken to Gary or learned anything about her past, or he wouldn’t be talking about her quitting her job after they were married.

  He picked up the reins and got the horse moving down the road.

  Grace pushed her weight against the back of the leather seat and tried to relax. Everything was okay—at least for now.

  They rode in silence for a while. Grace listened to the steady clip-clop of the horse’s hooves as the buggy jostled up and down the hilly road, while she thought about Cleon’s attributes. He was strong and quiet, and ever since she’d met him, she’d appreciated his even temper and subtle sense of humor. He was the opposite of Wade, whose witty jesting and boyish charm she’d found appealing. But Wade had never seemed settled, which could have accounted for the fact that he’d worked as a cook for five different restaurants during the time they’d been together.

  As they passed an Amish farmer’s field, the rustle of corn blowing in the wind brought her thoughts back to the present, and she sighed.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Worry lines formed above Cleon’s brows. “We’re almost at your house, and you haven’t said more than a few words along the way.”

  In an effort to keep him from knowing how upset she was over Gary coming to town, Grace forced a smile. “I was thinking how lucky I am to be betrothed to someone as wunderbaar as you.”

  “I’m the lucky one,” he said, reaching over to gently touch her arm. “And it’s you who’s wonderful, my blessed gift.”

  If Cleon knew the secret I’m keeping, would he still think I’m wonderful?

  Cleon turned the horse to the right and guided it up the graveled driveway past her father’s woodworking shop. A few minutes later, her folks’ white, two-story house came into view. He pulled back on the reins and halted the horse and buggy in front of the hitching rail near the barn. “Here we are.”

  “Would you like to stay for supper?” she asked. “I’m sure that, whatever Mom is fixing, we’ll have more than enough to go around.”

  He gave her a dimpled smile, and the flecks of gold in his brown eyes seemed brighter than usual. “I’d be happy to join you for supper. Afterwards, maybe we can sit on the porch awhile and talk about our wedding.”

  Grace glanced around the kitchen table. Ruth sat to her right, with their younger sister, Martha, on the left. Mom’s seat was at the end of the table closest to the stove, Dad sat at the opposite end, and Cleon was seated across the table from Grace and her sisters.

  Grace was pleased that she’d invited Cleon to stay for supper. The conversation and joke telling around the table had helped her feel a little more relaxed, and it was nice to see how well Cleon got along with her family. Dad had said several times that he was happy with Grace’s choice for a husband, but she wondered what he and Mom would have thought about Wade. She was sure they wouldn’t have approved of the way he hopped from job to job, but they might have enjoyed his lighthearted banter and playfulness.

  Those qualities of Wade had attracted Grace from the moment he had showed up to interview for a position as cook at the restaurant where she’d worked in Cincinnati. If her parents had known Grace had once been married to an Englisher, she was sure they would have been upset.

  “How are things with your woodworking business, Roman?” Cleon asked Grace’s father.

  Dad reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes and smiled. “Been real busy here lately.”

  “Guess it’s a good thing you hired Luke Friesen as your helper, then.”’

  “Luke’s a good-enough worker,” Dad said with a nod. “Unfortunately, the two of us have butted heads a few times.”

  “About what?” Ruth asked in a tone of concern. She and Luke had only been courting a few months, and Grace was certain her sister didn’t want to hear anything negative about him.

  Dad shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, daughter. Luke just needs to learn who the boss is and what I will and won’t tolerate.”

  Ruth opened her mouth as if to say something more, but Martha spoke first.

  “Say, Dad, I was thinking that if you’re too busy to build a kennel for my dogs, I could see if Luke would have the time.”

  Dad frowned at Martha and shook his head. “Luke’s got plenty of other work he needs to do, but I’ll get your kennel built as soon as I can.”

  “If you need any help with that, I might be able to lend a hand,” Cleon spoke up.

  “This is a busy time of year, what with the harvest and all,” Dad said. “I’m sure between helping your daed and bruders on the farm, working with those bees of yours, and trying to get your and Grace’s new house done, you’ve got your hands plenty full right now.”

  “You’ve got a point.” Cleon glanced over at Grace. “I’m hoping to have our house done by the time we’re married, but with everyone being too busy to help me right now, I’m concerned that it won’t get done on time.”

  “Would you rather postpone the wedding?” she asked as a feeling of dread crept into her soul. If she and Cleon didn’t get married in December because the house wasn’t finished, would they have to wait until next fall? Most Amish couples in their community got married in October, November, or December when the harvest was done. Grace didn’t think she could stand waiting another year to become Cleon’s wife.

  “Not to worry. You and Cleon can live here after you’re married and stay as long as it takes to complete the house.” Dad smiled across the table at Mom and gave his full brown beard a couple of pulls. “Isn’t that right, Judith?”

  “Oh, jah, that won’t be a problem at all,” she said. “And since their new house is being built on the backside of our property, it will be easy for both you and Cleon to work on it during whatever free time you have.”

  Grace glanced back at Cleon to gauge his reaction and was relieved when he smiled and said, “That’s just fine by me.”

  Chapter 3

  Despite the pleasant evening she’d had with Cleon the night before, Grace awoke the following morning feeling tired and out of sorts. She’d had trouble sleeping, unable to get Gary out of her mind. All during breakfast, she fretted over his sudden appearance, wondering how long he would remain in Holmes County, questioning if he was really a freelance reporter, and worrying that he wouldn’t keep quiet about her past. By the time they’d finished eating and Dad had gone out to his shop, Grace had developed a headache. She dreaded going to work for fear of seeing Gary again and hoped no one she knew would have an opportunity to speak with him.

  “Are you feeling all right this morning, Grace?” Mom asked as she ambled across the room with a pile of dirty dishes. “You were so quiet during breakfast and hardly ate a thing.”

  “I didn’t sleep well last night, and now I’ve got a splitting headache, which has my stomach feeling kind of queasy.” Grace filled the sink with hot water and took the plates from her mother’s hands.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Mom said with a worried expression.

  “Why don’t you le
t me wash the dishes?” Ruth suggested, stepping up beside Grace. “Martha can dry while you sit at the table with Mom and have a cup of tea. Maybe by the time we’re ready to leave for work, your headache will be gone.”

  Grace glanced across the room to Martha, who was sweeping the floor. “Would you like me to take over so you can help Ruth with the dishes?”

  Martha shook her head. “That’s okay. I’m almost done. You’d better do as Ruth suggested and have a cup of tea.”

  “All right.” Grace headed to the stove to get the simmering teakettle, but her mother got there first. As Mom lifted the teakettle, Grace removed two cups from the cupboard, grabbed a box of chamomile tea and a bottle of aspirin, then took a seat at the table.

  While Ruth and Martha did the dishes, Martha chattered about her dogs and how she couldn’t wait for Heidi, the female sheltie, to give birth to her first batch of puppies. Grace sipped her tea and tried to tune out her sister’s prattle but was unsuccessful.

  “Can’t you think of anything to talk about except those hund?” she snapped. “There are more important things in this world than how many hundlin Heidi will have and how much money you might make when it’s time to sell them.”

  Martha turned from the cupboard where she’d put the clean plates and blinked. “It may not be important to you, but it is to me. Just because you don’t care for dogs so much doesn’t mean you have to make my business venture seem like it’s of no great concern.”

  “Sorry for snapping.” Grace took another sip of tea. “I’m not feeling like myself this morning.”

  Martha wrinkled her nose. “You seemed all right last night when Cleon was here. What happened between now and then to make you so edgy?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t feel so well.”

  Mom’s blue eyes squinted as she reached over and patted Grace’s shoulder. “Maybe you should stay home from work today and rest.”

  “I agree with Mom; you should go back to bed,” Ruth put in from her place at the sink.

  Grace shook her head. “I don’t want to leave the restaurant short-handed.” She popped two aspirins into her mouth and washed them down with some tea. “I’m sure I’ll be fine once these take effect.”

  As Ruth and Grace headed toward Berlin in their buggy, Ruth’s concern for her sister escalated. Grace hadn’t said a word since they’d left home, and when she leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes, her breathing came out in short little rasps.

  “Does your head still hurt?” Ruth asked, reaching over to touch her sister’s arm.

  “A little.”

  “Want me to turn the buggy around and take you home?”

  “No. I’m sure I’ll be fine by the time we reach Berlin.”

  “Is something bothering you besides the headache?”

  “Just feeling tired and a little jittery is all.”

  “You know what I think you need?”

  The buggy jostled as they descended a small hill, and Grace opened her eyes. “What’s that?”

  “Some fun in the sun before our beautiful fall weather turns cold.”

  “What kind of fun did you have in mind?”

  Ruth smiled. At least she had her sister’s full attention. “This Saturday coming, Sadie and I are planning to meet Luke and Toby at the pond for some fishing and a picnic supper. Why don’t you and Cleon join us?”

  “That sounds like fun, but I have to work this Saturday.” Grace yawned and covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. “How are things with you and Luke? Do you think he might be the man you’ll marry some day?”

  Ruth shrugged as she flicked the reins to get the horse moving up the hill. “We’ve only been courting a few months, so it’s too early to tell.”

  “But you like him, right?”

  “Jah.”

  “He must like you, too, or he wouldn’t ask you to go places with him.”

  “Maybe he’s just being nice because he works for our daed and wants to keep on his good side.”

  “From what Dad said last night, it doesn’t sound like Luke’s doing so well keeping on Dad’s good side.”

  Ruth bristled. “I think maybe it’s more Dad’s fault than Luke’s.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You know how picky our daed can be. If it’s not done his way, then it couldn’t possibly be right.”

  “I guess either Luke will have to learn to keep his opinions to himself or Dad will have to let some of what Luke says roll off his shoulders.”

  Ruth nodded. “I hope things work out. It’s nice to have Luke working nearby, where I can see him more.”

  Grace lifted her gaze toward the top of the buggy. “Have you forgotten that you’re starting your new job this morning? Most days you’ll probably be headed for work before Luke arrives at Dad’s shop.”

  Ruth’s dark brows drew together. “I hadn’t thought of that. I hope he doesn’t take an interest in Martha since she’s at home all day and he’ll see more of her than he does me.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Martha doesn’t have anything on her mind these days except raising hund.”

  After donning his overalls, gloves, and veil, Cleon lit some wood chips in the steel smudge pots with leather bellows. He puffed air through the bottom of the smoldering fuel, and it gave off a cool white smoke that quieted the bees so he could take their honey.

  As Cleon worked, he thought about supper the night before with Grace and her family. How grateful he was that he’d not only be getting a wonderful wife when he married Grace, but a great family, as well. He seemed to get along well with all of them, especially Roman.

  Cleon had just pulled another honeycomb from one of the bee boxes when his younger brother Delbert showed up, announcing that their father was ready to begin harvesting the cornfields and needed Cleon’s help.

  “Pop’s got the help of half the men in our community this morning. He surely doesn’t need me,” Cleon protested.

  Delbert’s gray-blue eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Pop needs all the help he can get, and he pays you to work for him, so you’d better get out to the fields schnell.”

  “Jah. I’ll be there as fast as possible. I need to finish up here first.”

  “Sure don’t see why anyone would want to mess around with a bunch of buzzin’ bees.” Delbert sauntered off before Cleon could respond.

  After Cleon took the honeycombs inside to Mom so she could cut them into small pieces, mash them, and heat them on the stove to extract the honey, he headed out to the cornfields. They should finish by suppertime, and then he hoped to pay Grace a call.

  Grace glanced at the clock on the wall above the restaurant’s front counter. It was almost three—quitting time for her today. They’d been busier than usual at the restaurant during the breakfast and lunch hours, and she was glad her shift was almost over. Her feet ached something awful. Fortunately, Ruth’s hours at the bakeshop today were the same as hers, so she figured her sister would be here soon, ready to head for home.

  “Can you take that customer who just came in?” asked Grace’s coworker Esther. “I’ve got an order to put in and one that needs to be picked up.”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” Esther nodded in the direction of the booth where a red-haired man sat with his head down as though studying something, and then she hurried off toward the kitchen.

  Grace grabbed a menu, an order pad, and a pencil before moving over to the booth. When she arrived, she saw what the man was looking at, and her heartbeat picked up. Several pictures of Amish buggies and Plain People lay on the table, and even before he looked up, she knew the man was Gary. Drawing in a quick breath to help steady her nerves, she placed the menu on the table on top of his pictures.

  “Hey, watch it! I don’t need any of these prints getting ruined.” Gary frowned as he looked up, but his frown quickly faded. “Well, well. I didn’t expect to see you again—at least not so soon. Have you wo
rked here long, Gracie?”

  Ignoring his question, she pointed to the menu. “Today’s special is pork chops and sauerkraut.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Not one of my favorite dishes, but that’s okay because it’s too early to be thinking about supper. I just came in to take a load off my feet and go over these prints before I send them off to a publisher.”

  “So you don’t want to order anything?”

  “I didn’t say that.” He picked up the menu, thumbed through it quickly, and handed it back to her. “I’ll have a cup of coffee and a hunk of pie.”

  “What kind of pie?”

  “Why don’t you surprise me?”

  Grace clutched the edge of her apron and gritted her teeth. The man was impossible! “I’m not allowed to choose for the customer. You need to pick something yourself.”

  He drummed his fingers along the edge of the table in an irritating tat-a-tat-tat. “How about a slice of apple? Have you got any of that?”

  “I believe so.” She turned to go, but he reached out and snagged her wrist, holding it firmly with his cold fingers. “Don’t run off. I’d like to talk to you a minute—get caught up on each other’s lives, maybe reminisce about our dating days.”

  She tried to pull away, but he held firm as his thumb brushed her arm in a slow, deliberate movement. “Those were fun days we had together. Don’t you miss ’em, Gracie?”

  Grace’s pulse pounded in her temples. She thought she’d resolved her guilty feelings for leaving the Amish faith for a time and keeping her past a secret from her family, but now, with Gary looking at her with such intensity, guilt rushed back like raging floodwaters. If only she’d felt free to tell her parents the truth about where she’d been living and what had transpired during her rumschpringe years.

  But she was certain they wouldn’t have understood, especially Dad, who had mentioned several times how angry he was about his only sister leaving the Amish faith and marrying an English man, then never contacting her family again. Just the mention of anyone leaving the faith, whether they’d joined the church or not, caused her father to become irritable for days. If he had known the details of Grace’s rumschpringe, he would have been angry with her, even though she hadn’t been a church member when she’d left home.