“Who is it?” asked a small voice.
“Adeline.”
“Come in.”
She opened the door to see Nella sitting up in bed and wiping her eyes as she turned and swung her feet to the floor. “What’s happened, Nella?”
“It’s Mary Lou.”
“What’s she done?” Adeline wondered if she’d already heard about Mary Lou having lunch with Joshua.
“She and Joshua …” She started crying.
“What? Don’t be so upset.” She rested a hand on Nella’s shoulder.
Nella took a deep breath. “She and Joshua had lunch.”
“Jah, I know. She stopped by my haus to tell me today. How did you hear about it?”
“Because Mrs. Dalton saw Mary Lou there, where Joshua works. She was there getting a pantry door replaced. Mary Lou told her she was having lunch with Joshua. Mrs. Dalton told Mamm.”
“Oh. Well, it mightn’t be as bad as it sounds.”
“It is. It is, I’m sure of it. What about how they were talking for so long at the wedding?”
“That doesn’t mean anything. They were just talking. It’s not as if they’ve announced their marriage.”
“Don’t even say that!”
When Adeline looked into her friend’s red, tear-smattered face, she knew she could never have Joshua. Not with Mary Lou liking him and now Nella being so fixated on him.
“I’m happy you came here,” Nella said sniffing back tears.
“I don’t like to see you so upset.”
“I won’t be if you help me.”
“Help with what?” Adeline asked.
“I have a plan. A plan to make Joshua my boyfriend. Will you help me? I need your help.”
If she couldn’t marry Joshua, she wanted it to be Nella who married him. Mary Lou needed a strong-willed man who wouldn't let her control him. “Okay, I suppose. What is it?”
Nella sniffed. “I’ve been thinking while I’ve been sitting here alone. I can’t just do nothing. I have to try something. You know how the three oldest Fuller boys help the elderly and the widows around their houses every Friday afternoon?”
“Jah.”
“Well, my old Onkel Trevor needs things done.”
“Does he?”
“Not really.” Nella managed a little giggle. “But he could, if you get my meaning.”
Adeline twirled her prayer kapp strings around her finger. She didn’t like to be drawn into deception. “Oh, I see. And if the Fuller boys go out to your onkel’s farm, you’ll be there?”
“Jah, but it won’t be all three of the Fuller boys who go. I’ll make sure that it’s just Joshua who goes there.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Well, that’s where you’re going to have to come in,” Nella said.
“Go on.”
“Since your schweschder just married Levi, and Hazel is married to Isaac, Levi’s bruder, that sort of makes you and Hazel related.”
“I guess so.”
“Can you ask her to arrange that it’s just Joshua who goes to my onkel’s place? I know for a fact that Hazel is the one who organizes their Friday afternoons.”
“Okay, I can ask.”
“Denke, Adeline. Denke so much!”
“Can I tell her why? She might do it for love—in the interest of love.”
“Okay. Tell her whatever you have to. I just hope my plan works.”
“Me too. When do you want to do it? This Friday?”
“Jah.”
“I don’t know how I’ll get to talk to Hazel before then.”
“Stop by her work.”
Adeline gulped. She didn’t want Joshua to see her there, at his work.
“Unless you want to stop by her haus, but Isaac will be there and he’ll hear everything.”
Adeline scratched her forehead. “Nee, that wouldn’t be good.”
“So, you’ll do it?”
Reluctantly, Adeline agreed. She felt she had no other choice.
When Adeline got home, she fixed everything for dinner and then, before her father got home, she ran a plate of food up the stairs to Catherine.
Catherine was sitting up in bed propped up by pillows.
“You’re awake.”
“Jah. The only way I can breathe is to sit up like this. What’s going on?”
“You’ll never guess what happened, and what I have to do.”
“What?”
“I’ll be back after dinner and I’ll tell you everything.”
Adeline resisted Catherine’s pleas and hurried back down the stairs to set the table for dinner.
Throughout dinner, Adeline heard about her mother’s visitings.
Then her mother stopped and put her fork down. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve barely said two words.”
Adeline could’ve said she couldn’t get two words in because her mother hadn’t stopped to take a breath, but she would’ve earned a reprimand from her father if she’d said that.
“What did you and Catherine do today?”
She wrinkled her nose and looked over at her father who was silently cutting up the meat on his plate. “Catherine stayed home in bed, and I …”
“Jah, I know you went out. You didn’t rub the horse down properly and he was in the wrong paddock.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Well, what was so important that you left your schweschder alone while she was sick?”
“I gave her soup and then she wanted to sleep. I didn’t think it would hurt for me to go out if I did all my chores.”
“Where did you go?” her mother asked again.
“I went to Nella’s haus.”
“How is she?”
“Okay.”
“Then why have you been so quiet?”
“Have I?”
“She might be coming down with the same virus Catherine’s got,” her father suggested.
Her mother stood up and leaned forward and held the back of her hand to Adeline’s forehead. “Nee, she doesn’t feel hot.”
“I feel okay. I’m just in a quiet mood.” She was relieved when her mother and father started talking to one another and stopped talking about her.
“You know who I’m trying to get friendly with?” her mother asked her father.
“Who?” he replied.
“Hazel’s mother. She keeps to herself and she’s very shy, but she needs friends. She hasn’t made one single friend since she’s been here.”
“And you’ll be her friend?” her father asked in an amused tone.
“Jah. I feel sorry for her. Things have never gone well for her. I like her. She seems nice and you can never have too many friends. I’ll visit her soon. Will you come with me, Adeline?”
Adeline had been thinking about Joshua and when she heard her name, she looked up, not too happy about being involved in conversation. She just wanted to feel sorry for herself in silence. “Sure. I’ll visit her with you.”
“Good. I’ve heard she’s a little depressed and there’s nothing like a young person to lift someone’s spirits.” She leaned forward toward Adeline. “You’ll have to get out of this mood. We can’t visit her while you're like this.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just a little tired today.”
“I think we should visit her this coming Saturday afternoon.”
“Jah, Mamm.”
Chapter 8
Joshua felt awful about the dreadful lunch he’d had with Mary Lou. Well, a good lunch, but with a dreadful companion. He hadn't believed his eyes when he'd seen her there with that table full of food. Hazel had assured him she’d had nothing to do with it and she’d been caught up in the whole thing at the last minute.
He sat down at the dinner table with his four younger brothers. Now that he was the eldest son living at home, he knew he had to set a good example for the others.
Adeline waited until lunchtime the next day before she went to the Fuller�
��s factory.
She hoped Hazel was having her lunch there. She parked the buggy as close as she could to the door and walked into the factory. All she saw was an open factory until she walked a few more steps and then she saw two glass-walled offices off to one side. There Hazel was, in one of the offices behind a computer. She hurried to the door and knocked on it.
“Adeline. Come in.” Hazel sprang to her feet.
“I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
“Of course not. Have a seat.”
When Adeline was seated, Hazel sat also.
“The reason I’m here is I have a huge favor to ask you. It’s not for myself it’s for someone else.”
“I’ll help if I can.”
“It’s to do with Nella. Everyone knows that you arrange Isaac and Levi, and also Joshua, to help people in the community on Friday afternoons.”
“Jah?”
“Nella was hoping that you would organize Joshua to go to her Onkel Trevor’s place on this Friday afternoon.”
“Jah, I’ll just write that down. What does he need done?”
Adeline looked down. “Is it possible to arrange that Joshua goes there alone?”
Hazel stared at her. “Why’s that?”
“Because Nella wants to be alone with him.”
Hazel’s brow furrowed “Wants to be alone with her onkel?”
“Nee, nee. She wants to be alone with Joshua, if you get my meaning.”
“Ach, I see.”
“Do you think you’d be up to doing that?”
“Hmmm. Only if her Onkel Trevor needs something done. Otherwise, I’m just sending my bruder-in-law on a blind date.”
Adeline nodded. “Jah, I’m sure there’s something that needs to be done there. And then Nella would just happen to show up. I don’t like asking but …”
“It’s okay. I can do that. I’ll find out from Nella what needs to be done at her onkel’s haus. Anyway, with Levi away this week, I was planning on sending the two of them to some of the places separately anyway.”
“Were you?”
Hazel nodded.
“Denke so much, Hazel. I was hoping you would do it. I didn’t like asking. I feel a bit awkward about the whole thing.”
“It’s okay, don’t let it bother you." Then she said, "I packed more than enough lunch for just myself today if you’d like to stay and share it with me?”
“Denke, but I need to get back home, and I didn’t want any of the Fuller boys to see me here.”
“I understand. Why don’t you stop by the haus and visit me sometime?”
“I’d like that. Do you work every day?”
“Jah, I work the usual five days, and sometimes a Saturday morning.”
“I’ll remember that, and I’ll stop by one weekend in the afternoon, or you could come and visit us. Mamm and Catherine would enjoy it, too.” Adeline didn't mention her mother's plans, knowing Mamm wanted the visit the next day to be seen as spontaneous.
Adeline left the Fullers’ workshop pleased with her interaction with Hazel. She was so sweet the way she had offered to share her lunch.
It was Friday afternoon and, for some reason unknown to Joshua, it had been organized that he visit Trevor Yoder alone. That was odd because he normally went with his two older brothers, and that way they got their jobs done in a third of the time and then they’d go onto the next.
Hazel was insistent that he go to old Trevor Yoder’s by himself, saying that since Levi was away Isaac and he would get things done quicker if they split up. She also said that Trevor’s job was a job for one, and now that she was organizing their Friday afternoons, he didn’t like to disagree. The system they already had in place worked, though, so why change it? He was glad that things would return to normal once Levi was back. It was more enjoyable working side-by-side with his brothers.
He jumped down from his wagon as soon as he arrived at Trevor’s house. Once he had wound the reins around the post, he made his way to the house to have a word with Trevor before he fixed the hole in his barn, and to see if there was anything else that needed doing.
He knocked on the door, and was surprised that Nella answered it.
“Nella! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Onkel Trevor said to tell you he’s sorry he wasn’t here, and he wanted me to show you where the hole in the barn is.”
“Okay.”
She stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her. He wondered whether this was another set-up. It had to be. That’s something he’d take up with Hazel. If he finished early he’d have a word with her today. Otherwise, it would have to wait until the very next morning. Everyone was working on this Saturday morning due to the large order of kitchenettes for a hotel. They had to finish them for delivery during the following week.
She headed down the porch steps and then turned around to face him. “I suppose you’re looking forward to getting married now that your two older brothers are married?”
“Not especially.”
“Well, I mean, you’re around the age to get married.”
“Hazel didn’t say if anything else needs doing here.”
“There’s just the hole in the barn. Follow me. I’ll show you.” She pulled open the double doors of the barn and led him through to the back of one of the horse stalls. “One of his horses kicked it in.”
“Where’s your onkel today?”
“He was going to be here, but he got called away somewhere. Do you need to wait until he comes back before you can fix it?”
“Nee. I’ve got wood in the wagon that I can patch this with. It won’t take too long. If he was here, I would’ve had a talk with him about how he wanted it done.”
“I’m sure whatever you do will be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll just get the wood and my tools.” He walked out of the barn with her following him close behind.
“Do you mind if I watch you work?”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
She giggled. “Maybe I can help.”
“It’s okay, I won’t need any help. It’s just a small job.”
He made two trips from the wagon with his tools and the wood he needed for the repair. All the while, Nella followed talking to him. He measured the wood and then took hold of his saw to cut it.
“I’m ready to get married,” she said suddenly, just as he was about to start sawing.
He froze, and looked up at her in shock. “Oh.”
“Do you know anyone who might be interested?”
“There might be a lot of men, you just have to find someone that’s compatible.”
“Maybe I already have.”
He nodded. “That’s good.”
“Joshua, I’m talking about you.”
He gulped. “Me?” All he wanted to do was finish the repair and get out of the place. Since it was a small job, he'd left it until last.
“Jah, you.”
He had to be honest. “Nella, I’m sorry. I'm flattered, and I think you're nice, but I don’t feel that way about you.” Her face twisted as though she were in pain. He continued, “I don’t know why I feel that way, I just do.”
“Maybe it’s because you don’t really know me. Perhaps if we spend some more time together—”
That was something he couldn’t do because the only woman he wanted to spend time with was Adeline. “I already have a girl I like.”
“You do?”
He nodded.
“Who is it?”
“I’d rather not say at the moment.” He looked back down and sawed the wood and when he looked up again, Nella had gone.
The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings, but the kindest thing he could do was tell her the truth. After the hole was repaired and his tools were back in his wagon, he knocked on the door and Nella opened it just slightly.
“All done,” he said.
“Denke,” said a small voice. “Bye.”
“Bye, Nella.”
Instead of go
ing home, Joshua hurried back to work. It was just before five, so Hazel would still be there. The best thing was to nip this in the bud, before it blew out of proportion. He didn’t want talk to get around about him and Nella, or him and Mary Lou. This was the second time Hazel had caused him to get into hot water.
He found Hazel sitting in her office tapping away at a calculator. She looked up at him, surprised to see him back there so late on a Friday afternoon.
“Hazel, why did you put me on the roster to go to Trevor Yoder’s?”
“Well … I thought it best because … I already told you it was a small job and Levi wasn’t here to do the usual thing of you all going together.”
He could tell by the way she looked away from him that there was more to it. She was embarrassed by something and she was clearly keeping something from him. “Come on, Hazel. You can tell me the rest. I know you were forced into it. I’ve only come here to ask you not to do anyone any favors again. First it was Mary Lou and now you did a favor for Nella.” He couldn’t blame her. She was fairly new to their community and she probably just wanted friends. That was why it was difficult for her to say no to people. The thing was, she had to know not to do it again.
“You’ve got it wrong it. It wasn’t Nella, it was Adeline who asked me.”
His heart beat faster when he heard her name. “Adeline?”
“Jah. She asked me if you could go alone to Trevor Yoder’s. I guess that’s the same thing, though. I’m sorry. I won’t be drawn into anything again. And please don’t say anything to Adeline.”
“Denke for telling me, Hazel. I wonder why she would want me to do that.”
“It’s obvious.”
He stared at Hazel. “Is it?”
“She was only helping her friend.”
He was upset by that news. After he’d given Hazel a sharp nod, he stepped out of her office and came face-to-face with Jacob.
“So, your Adeline isn’t as sweet as you’d like to think? And she doesn’t like you.”
Joshua didn’t want to entertain the thought of Adeline not liking him. “I don’t know how you could say that.”
“I overheard all of it. If Adeline was helping Nella be alone with you that means she doesn’t like you at all.”
It didn’t fit with the woman he knew Adeline was. He’d have to confront her and ask her if she’d done it. Somehow, Hazel must’ve been mistaken. Joshua shook his head. “I won’t hear anything bad about Adeline.”
Joshua's Choice: Amish Romance (Seven Amish Bachelors Book 3) Page 4
