Cleon sat at the kitchen table staring into his empty mug and mulling things over. In his heart, he knew that he still loved Grace, but he felt frozen, unable to respond to her as a husband should respond to his wife. If only he could rid himself of the memory of her lies. How he wished he could erase everything that had happened between them and start over with the day they’d first met. Would Grace have said and done things differently if she’d known how things would turn out between them?
He leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. The gas lamp hanging overhead hissed softly, and he spotted a fly that had landed in a spider’s web in one corner of the room.
That’s how I feel, he thought ruefully. Like a trapped fly.
Cleon remembered his grandfather saying once that happiness didn’t depend on what life dished out to a person but rather on how the person chose to accept whatever came his way.
Guilt lay heavily on Cleon’s chest, and tension pulled the muscles in his neck and upper back as he shifted in his chair. It wasn’t good for a body to get so worked up, but every time he thought about Grace’s deception, it was as though his heart was being ripped in two. As a Christian, he should forgive, but did he have the strength to forget the past and look to a future with Grace and the baby she carried? Could he find enough love in his heart to be Anna’s stepfather?
Chapter 38
What a perfect day for a picnic,” Ruth said as she and Martha spread a quilt under a leafy maple tree. “The pond looks so clear today. It’s almost as blue as the sky above. I’m glad spring is finally here. Makes me anxious for summer.”
Martha nodded and glanced down at Anna, who stood off to one side with her arms folded and a scowl on her face. Most children would be excited about going on a picnic, but Anna still grieved for her puppy. Nothing anyone had said or done had helped ease her pain. Maybe today would be different. Maybe something would happen that might make Anna laugh again.
“I thought it might be fun to take a walk in the woods.” Martha tapped Anna on the shoulder. “Should we do that now or after we eat our lunch?”
Anna wrinkled her nose. “I’m not hungry.”
Ruth placed the picnic basket on the quilt and took hold of Anna’s hand. “All right then, the three of us will take a walk now, and we can eat when we get back.” She smiled as the thought of the tasty lunch that awaited them made her mouth water. “I’m sure by then you’ll have worked up an appetite.”
Anna said nothing, but she didn’t resist as the three of them walked away.
Martha halted and turned back toward the quilt. “What about our picnic basket? Do you think it’s all right to leave it unattended, or should we put it back in the buggy?”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Ruth called over her shoulder. “No one else is around that I can see, and we won’t be gone long. Let’s leave it under the tree where it can stay nice and cool.”
Martha shrugged and started walking again. If she wasn’t careful, she might end up like her older sister—worried about everything.
As Cleon headed to his folks’ place on foot, he struggled with feelings of guilt. He’d turned down Grace’s offer to accompany him, knowing she wanted them to spend time together. He simply wasn’t able to deal with the two of them being alone. He became anxious whenever they were in the same room, and his words often came out clipped or defensive. He knew it was wrong to harbor feelings of mistrust and bitterness, but he couldn’t seem to control his emotions where Grace was concerned.
It was an exceptionally warm day for spring, and Cleon reached up to wipe the rivulets of sweat running down his forehead and into his eyes. He wanted to be a father, had wanted it for a long time. This should be a joyful occasion, and he and Grace shouldn’t be sleeping in separate bedrooms.
That’s your choice, a voice in his head reminded him.
He picked up speed. It was best that he didn’t think about this. Maybe he would feel better once he’d talked to Ivan and decided what to do about his beekeeping business.
A short time later, Cleon’s folks’ house came into view. He found Mom and Pop relaxing on the wide front porch in their rocking chairs, with one of the yellow barn cats sitting at Mom’s feet. She kept so busy all the time with her many responsibilities, it was nice to see her doing nothing for a change.
She smiled when Cleon stepped onto the porch. “It’s good to see you, son.”
“Good to see you, too.”
Pop grunted. “You don’t come around so much now that your bee boxes are gone and you’ve begun workin’ for Roman.”
Cleon took a seat on the top step and swiped at his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. “That’s one of the reasons I came over—wanted to speak with Ivan about the bees.”
“How’s Grace and that cute little stepdaughter of yours?” Mom asked. “I’m disappointed you didn’t bring them along.”
“Anna went on a picnic with Ruth and Martha today.”
“And Grace? How come she didn’t come with you?”
Cleon winced. Should he tell his folks the truth about his strained relationship with his wife? Should he tell them about her pregnancy? He knew they would find out sooner or later, and he figured the news should probably come from him.
He swallowed hard. “Uh … Grace isn’t feeling well these days, so I thought it would be best if I came alone.”
“What’s wrong with her? Is she grank?” Mom’s brows furrowed with concern.
Cleon removed his straw hat and fanned his face with it. “Grace isn’t sick. She’s … uh … in a family way.”
Mom clapped her hands and nearly jumped out of her chair. “Oh, that’s wunderbaar!” She nudged Pop’s elbow. “Just think, Herman, our first kinskind is on the way.”
Pop’s face broke into a wide smile. “That is good news. Are ya hopin’ for a buwe or a maedel?” he asked, nodding at Cleon.
Cleon shrugged. “Haven’t had a chance to think much about whether I’d like a boy or girl. Just found out Grace was pregnant a few days ago.” He stood and flopped his hat back on his head. “Is Ivan about? I’d like to talk to him.”
“I think Ivan’s out in the barn. Said he was goin’ to take a nap in the hayloft.” Pop chuckled. “Ever since that boy was a kinner, he’s liked sleepin’ in the hay.”
“Okay. I’ll see if he’s there.” Cleon hurried away before his folks could continue discussing the baby.
He entered the barn a few minutes later and tipped his head to stare into the hayloft. “You up there, Ivan?”
No response.
Cleon cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, “Ivan!”
A muffled grunt, followed by another, came from a mound of hay. “What’s with all the racket?” Ivan peered over the edge of the loft. “Cleon, I didn’t know you were comin’ over today.”
“Since this is an off-Sunday from church, I thought it would be a good chance to drop over and say hello to the folks.” Cleon removed his hat and fanned his face with the brim. “Wanted to speak with you about something, too.”
“What’s that?”
“Why don’t you come down here, and we can talk about it. It’s kind of hard to carry on a conversation when you have to yell.”
“You’ve got a point.” Ivan crawled out of the hay and scrambled down the ladder. When his feet hit the bottom, he shook like a dog, sending pieces of hay flying.
“Hey, watch it!” Cleon jumped back, but not before a couple of stubbles landed on his shirt. He flicked them off and sat on a nearby bale of straw.
“What’d ya want to talk to me about?” Ivan asked as he plunked down on the bale next to Cleon’s.
“Bees and honey.”
Ivan reached up to pick a chunk of hay out of his hair. “What about bees and honey?”
Cleon pulled out a length of straw and chewed on the end of it as he contemplated the best way to ask his question. “I’m wanting to start up my bee business again, and as y
ou know, I don’t have enough cash yet to buy more bees, boxes, and the supplies I’ll need.”
Ivan nodded. “I still feel bad about you losin’ ’em that way.”
“I’m making pretty good money working for Roman, but it’s gonna be a while before I have enough saved up to start the business again.” Cleon reached up to rub his bearded chin. “The thing is, I read an ad in The Budget the other day from someone in Pennsylvania who’s selling off his beekeeping supplies. So I was wondering if you might be able to loan me enough money to get a start on things. Or maybe you’d like to go halves on the business with me this time around.”
Ivan’s dark eyebrows drew together. “I do have some money laid aside, but I was plannin’ to use it to buy a new buggy horse.”
“What’s wrong with the one you’ve got now?”
“Nothing, really. He’s just gettin’ kind of old and isn’t as fast I’d like him to be.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ivan stroked his clean-shaven chin. “Guess buyin’ a new buggy horse can wait awhile, though.” He nodded at Cleon. “Don’t really want to be your business partner, but I’m willing to loan you whatever you need.”
Cleon sighed with relief. If he could get his bee business going again, he’d be earning money from that as well as from working for Roman. Then he not only could pay Ivan back what he’d borrowed, but he’d have enough to pay Roman back for all the lumber and other supplies he’d bought in order to finish Cleon’s house. Besides, working with the bees again would give him a good excuse to be away from home when he wasn’t at work in Roman’s shop. He thumped his brother on the back. “I appreciate the loan, and if Roman doesn’t mind me missing a few days’ work, I’ll head out soon and see about buying what I need.”
Martha led the way for Ruth and Anna as they tromped through the woods. Birds warbled from the trees overhead, insects buzzed noisily, and leaves rustled in the breeze. It had turned into such a warm day, but being in the shaded forest made it seem much cooler.
“Should we play hide-and-seek?” Ruth suggested, remembering how the childhood game had always made her laugh whenever she’d felt melancholy.
“That’s a good idea.” Martha halted and turned around. “I’ll close my eyes and count to one hundred while you two hide. Then the first one I find has to hide her eyes next time around.”
Anna looked up at Ruth with a hesitant expression. “What happens if I get lost?”
Ruth bent to give Anna a hug. “You won’t get lost, because the two of us will be staying close together.”
Martha leaned into the nearest tree and closed her eyes. “One … two … three … four …”
Ruth grabbed Anna’s hand and dashed away in search of a good hiding place. They halted behind a clump of bushes, and Ruth motioned Anna to get down. “Be real quiet. Martha won’t find us so easily if she can’t hear us.”
Anna giggled and covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. Ruth crouched behind her. If Martha found them, she would spot Ruth first. Then Ruth would have to count to one hundred while Martha took Anna off to look for a place to hide. If they kept going like that, Anna would never have to be the one to go looking, and they would know she was safe and couldn’t get lost in the woods.
“One hundred!” she heard Martha shout. “You’d better have found a really good hiding place, because here I come!”
Ruth held her breath and squeezed Anna’s hand. This reminded her of when she was little, and she and her sisters had run through the woods behind their home playing hide-and-seek. So many times she’d been caught because she’d given herself away by making too much noise. She was determined that wouldn’t happen now.
“Anna? Ruth? Where are you?” Martha’s voice sounded farther and farther away, and Ruth figured they were safe—at least for the moment. She relaxed a bit and was about to whisper something in Anna’s ear, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around. Martin Gingerich was staring at her.
“What are you doing down there?” he asked with a crooked grin. “Looking for bugs, are you?”
Anna giggled, and Ruth snickered as she put her finger to her lips. “We’re hiding from Martha.”
He tipped his head and looked at her as if she’d taken leave of her senses. “Why would you be hiding from your sister?”
“We’re playin’ hide-and-seek,” Anna said before Ruth could respond. “Aunt Martha’s it, and if you’re not quiet, she’s gonna find us.”
Martin nodded and dropped to his knees beside them. “I won’t say another word.”
The three of them crouched there for several more minutes until Martha jumped out from behind a tree and hollered, “Found you!”
When she spotted Martin, she planted her hands on her hips and stared at him. “Now where on earth did you come from?”
“Came from home, same as you.” He winked at Anna and offered Ruth a heart-melting smile. In that moment, she realized how easily she could fall in love with this man. Martin was nothing like Luke. He was steady, polite, and attentive, not impetuous, flippant, or brash. She felt certain that Martin was trustworthy, which was more than could be said for Luke.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m hungry as a mule,” Martha announced. “I say we head back to the pond and eat our picnic lunch.” She nodded at Martin. “We made plenty of food, so you’re welcome to join us if you like.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I left my brother waiting in the buggy where the road cuts by the pond. The only reason I came into the woods was because I heard you hollering and thought someone might be in trouble.” Martin turned and smiled at Ruth again. “Maybe some other time I can join you for a picnic.”
Her cheeks heated up. “That’d be nice.”
“See you later then,” Martin said and dashed away.
Martha nudged Ruth’s arm as they started back toward the pond. “I can tell he’s smitten with you.”
Ruth just kept her gaze straight ahead.
“What’s ‘smitten’?” Anna asked, looking up at Martha.
Martha chuckled. “It means he can’t take his eyes off my sister.”
“How come he wants his eyes on her?”
Martha’s laughter escalated, and Ruth joined in, too. She hadn’t felt this carefree since she was a little girl.
As they stepped out from the darkened trees and into the clearing where they’d left their food, Ruth gasped. “Our picnic basket—it’s gone!”
Chapter 39
What in all the world?” Martha planted her hands on her hips and stared at the quilt where they’d left the picnic basket. “Where did our lunch run off to?”
Ruth squinted. “It sure couldn’t have walked off by itself.”
“Maybe some animal came along and took it,” Anna said, looking up at Martha with a frown.
“More than likely it was some human playing a trick on us,” Ruth said with a shake of her head.
“You don’t suppose Martin did this, do you?”
Ruth looked at Martha as if she’d gone daffy. “Martin?”
“He snuck up on you in the woods, so what’s to say he didn’t hide the picnic basket, too?”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t have done something like that.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do, that’s all.”
“You said you’re only beginning to know him, so I doubt you’d be able to tell what he’s capable of doing.”
Ruth’s eyebrows drew together. “It’s not like I just met Martin. I’ve known him since we were kinner.”
“We’ve known Luke that long, too, yet you seem to think he’s capable of doing all sorts of terrible things.”
Ruth motioned toward Anna, who had taken a seat on the quilt. “Let’s not argue about this, okay?”
Martha nodded. “You’re right. We should be looking for that picnic basket, not trying to figure out who took it.” She glanced around. “Which direction should we look first?”
Ruth shrugged.
“Makes no difference to me. I’m getting hungry and I want to eat.”
“Me, too,” Anna said in a whiny voice.
“Then let’s get busy looking. We can start on this side of the pond, and if we don’t find it here, we’ll walk around to the other side.” Martha reached for the little girl’s hand, pulling her gently to her feet.
They broke through a clump of bushes, rounded the bend, and had only gone a short distance when Martha spotted the wicker basket sitting near a pile of men’s clothes not far from the water. “There it is!” she and Ruth shouted at the same time.
Martha dropped to her knees and opened the basket lid. Nothing remained except a bunch of empty wrappers and a half-full jug of lemonade. “This makes me so mad,” she muttered.
“Look there!” Ruth pointed to the pond. Several young English men floated in inner tubes. “I’ll bet they’re the ones who took our picnic basket.”
Martha shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and squinted. “I think one of those fellows was with Luke when we saw him talking to some Englishers outside the market several months back. Do you remember?”
Ruth shrugged. “Can’t say for sure since they’re so far away, but they’re obviously the ones who took our food, so I think we should teach them a lesson.”
“What kind of lesson?”
“One that’s going to leave those fellows with some sore feet on their trip home and probably feeling pretty chilly if the wind picks up.” Ruth bent down, grabbed the shirts and shoes, and turned toward the woods.
Martha reached for Anna’s hand and followed. They stumbled through a tangle of bushes, past a grove of spindly trees, and went deeper into the forest. As Ruth scurried along, she hung the shoes and shirts on various branches, hiding some under shrubs and inside a hollow log. “That ought to teach them not to take what doesn’t belong to them.” Her forehead wrinkled as she shook her head. “If they’re the ones responsible for the terrible things that have happened at our place lately, then maybe this will make ’em think twice about that, too.”
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