“Let me help with the food,” Lizzy said, standing. Mrs. Reichert stopped and turned.
Ella stood. “Me too.”
“No. No. You are our guests,” Mrs. Reichert said, gesturing for them to sit back down. “Our Kate vill be here soon, and she can help.”
Lizzy crossed the room and took the old woman’s arm. “But guests can help too. Please show us what we can do.”
Lizzy followed Mrs. Reichert to the kitchen. The old farmhouse was pretty much unchanged from the first time she’d come here. It was nothing elaborate—a square, boxy house with two stories. The living room constituted the first third of the house with the dining area in the center room along with the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. The kitchen was located in the back third, with a curtained-off area that could be used for bathing.
The kitchen table was laden with food. It dawned on Lizzy that most of this must have been for the funeral. She saw various desserts—cakes, cookies, and a few pies. There were a couple of casseroles as well, which Mrs. Reichert uncovered.
“Ve have lots to eat. It’s good you came. Ve cannot eat it all ourselves.” She went to the oven and opened the door.
The aroma of Mrs. Reichert’s German cooking made Lizzy’s mouth water. Her own mother was handy in the kitchen, but this was a special treat that Lizzy experienced only occasionally.
“With all this food, you’re still cooking something special?”
“Wir haben Krautspaetzle,” Mrs. Reichert announced, then shook her head. “I mean, ve are having . . .” She paused with a frown, not certain of her next words. She shrugged. “Krautspaetzle. Sauerkraut, noodles, and sausages. Mr. Reichert asked me to make it. He doesn’t like some of de food our neighbors bring.”
“It smells heavenly. I can hardly wait, Mrs. Reichert. You make the best German food I’ve ever had. Ella, you’re in for a treat.”
Mrs. Reichert smiled. “Danke. You are kind to say so.”
“Well, I mean it.”
Mrs. Reichert laughed. “If you two vant to help, I vill let you set de table. Lizzy, you know vhere to find de dishes. Dey are der—same as last time.” She pointed across the kitchen. “I’ll varm up de casseroles.”
Lizzy went to the cupboard and began pulling out dinner plates and handing them to Ella. It seemed little ever changed on the Reichert farm.
Mrs. Reichert had just managed to squeeze the two casserole dishes into the oven when the back door opened in a gust of wind and in blew Katerina—Kate, to her family. She was dressed in a dark gray suit with only a hint of white blouse peeking out from beneath the fully buttoned jacket.
“Oma,” she declared and went to kiss her grandmother on the cheek. They conversed momentarily in German before Kate noticed Lizzy and Ella. She smiled and switched to English. “There’s a storm coming from the west. I’ll let Opa know.” She went to Lizzy. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“We wanted to give our condolences in person.” The two women embraced. Lizzy pulled back to get a better looked at Mary’s younger sister. “It’s so good to see you again. I feared it might be a long time before we came to the farm again, since Mary quit the show.”
Kate smiled. “It’s wonderful to see you too.” She looked past Lizzy to where Ella stood.
“This is Ella,” Lizzy said. “She’s a friend.” She thought it best to keep explanations to a minimum.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Kate turned back to Lizzy. “Will you be with us several days?”
“No. Just a few hours. We have to get back home,” Lizzy explained. “Mother went on ahead with the crew, but there’s a lot of work that needs our attention when we get back, so we can’t stay.”
Kate frowned. “Well, I suppose we should make the best of our time together.” She pulled off her gloves, then reached up to take the pin from her hat. “Let me go change, and I’ll help get dinner on the table.” She hurried from the kitchen.
Mrs. Reichert went back to tending the food. “Our Kate, she verks at de school in Topeka. She’s a good teacher and de children like her.”
Lizzy hadn’t heard that Kate was actually teaching. The last letter she’d received from Mary had come just before they’d headed out on tour. At that point, Kate had just received her teaching certificate from a college in Emporia.
“And what of Mary?” Lizzy asked. “Is she working too?” She could hardly wait to see Mary in private. She wanted to talk to her about August.
“No. Owen, he doesn’t vant his vife to verk.” Mrs. Reichert wiped her hands on her apron. “It’s not good for de vife to go off to a job vith other people. She needs to keep her home.”
Lizzy smiled. “I’m sure Mary will be good at keeping a house. She’s a very hard worker.”
“Ja, she is.”
Kate soon returned, and the trio made short work of getting dinner on the table. By the time they sat to eat, Lizzy could hardly contain her excitement. She found herself chattering to Jason about the meal. “You have to try the red cabbage—it’s pickled. Oh, and the ham-wrapped figs. They’re so good.”
Jason gave her a bemused look. “Uh, I’ve traveled extensively and enjoyed German food . . . at its source.”
Lizzy shook her head. “I doubt any of it was as good as what Mrs. Reichert makes.”
Everyone laughed at this.
She dug into the meal, determined to forget her frustrations and concerns about the show and their troubles. She didn’t want to think about their financial woes or the loss of her father or Mary’s brother. She just wanted to relax and enjoy the company of good friends and good food. But unfortunately, watching Owen’s attention to Mary served as a reminder of Wesley.
Was he still at the ranch? There was no reason to believe he wasn’t, but one never knew. He might have decided to move on. People did. She felt sad at the thought that he might not be there waiting for her. Missing her as much as she missed him. One thing was certain—she was determined they were going to talk. He was going to tell her once and for all what she had done wrong—why he had put up a wall between them. He owed her that much.
No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t owe me anything.
She glanced around, almost afraid her thoughts had been heard. No one else seemed the slightest bit concerned. They were too busy eating and talking. Amazingly enough, Jason was praising Mrs. Reichert for her impressive food.
Lizzy forced thoughts of the past and future from her mind and enjoyed the meal. Rumbles of thunder brought up conversations about the weather, which in turn led to the farm. Crops had been good that year, and Mr. Reichert was ahead of schedule readying the place for winter. It was inevitable that they should discuss Mary and Owen’s wedding. Lizzy knew that the celebration was set for November.
“We have to have the farms in order before we get married,” Owen said.
Mary frowned and ducked her head. Only Lizzy seemed to notice. It had to be hard to continue planning for a wedding when you had just buried your brother.
“De verk is never done,” Mr. Reichert said, shaking his head. “But ve try.”
Owen continued to talk about his plans for the farm after he and Mary were wed. His parents had been gone for several years, and it would be nice to have someone in the house again, he said.
“Hopefully before long, there will be children,” he added, grinning.
“May you have a dozen!” Uncle Oliver said, raising his glass of apple cider. Thunder rumbled again, this time a little closer.
“I’d be happy with a dozen,” Owen declared.
“Lots of help for de farm verk,” Mary’s grandfather added.
The more they talked about the wedding and the family the young couple might have, the more uncomfortable Mary grew. When the meal finally concluded, Lizzy pulled her friend aside.
“Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“I’d like that very much.” Mary looked at her grandmother. “Oma, I’ll clean everything up, but first, if you don’t mind, Lizzy would like to speak to me privately.
”
“Of course. You girls go ahead. Kate and I can gather de dishes.”
“I’ll help too,” Ella offered.
“Dat storm is blowin’ up fast,” Mr. Reichert announced as he stepped away from the window. “This autumn ve been havin’ quite a few thunderstorms lately. Some years are like dat.” He grabbed his hat. “Ve best put your hired carriage in de barn in case it comes a-hailing.”
“I would imagine you’re right,” Uncle Oliver said, giving Jason a glance.
Jason got to his feet. “Allow me.”
Owen rose too and went to retrieve his hat while the old man opened the front door. “Ve’ll be right back, ladies,” Mr. Reichert called.
Mary took Lizzy’s arm. “Come to my room.” She all but dragged Lizzy up the stairs.
Once they were safely away from everyone else, Mary made her announcement. “I can’t marry him.”
“I wondered about that.” Lizzy gave her a sympathetic smile. “Is it because of August?”
“In part, but that’s only a very small part.” Mary plopped onto her bed and patted the thick feather tick. “Sit and I’ll explain.”
Lizzy sat beside her friend. “Go on.”
“I don’t know where to begin. I suppose I could start with the problem and work my way back.” She frowned. “I’m supposed to marry Owen in just a few weeks, but the closer the wedding gets, the more I realize I can’t. Owen and I have always been the best of friends, and I know he cares for me. But, Lizzy, I don’t think either of us is in love.”
“Maybe you’re just confused because of all that’s happened.”
“No, I’ve felt this way for, well, years.” Mary got up and began to pace the small room. “I’m twenty-four and old enough to know my own mind, and I know that I don’t want to be Owen’s wife. He’s like a brother to me. A brother . . .” Her face contorted, and tears came to her eyes. “Oh, my poor brother. Lizzy, I’m sure there’s more to this than a simple accident. Perhaps someone spooked those colts, and August was caught in the middle.”
“That could be. It’s a puzzle why August was anywhere near the Fleming colts in the first place. He should have been readying our horses to bring them back to the train.”
“That’s why this doesn’t make any sense. August knows it would never be acceptable to handle another man’s horses. Something happened, and the people who know about it aren’t talking.”
“I doubt they ever will. But whatever the cause or reason, our knowing won’t bring August back.”
“But my brother wasn’t foolish, and I can’t help but think someone else had a hand in this.”
Lizzy thought back to August’s confrontation with the Fleming grooms. The Fleming men had been severely punished for the incident. Would they have sought revenge? “August did tell me about an incident our first night there. He wanted some liniment for one of our horses, but the Fleming grooms got rather heavy-handed about the matter and made August leave the stable. The employees were later whipped. Quite severely, as I understand it.”
Mary’s eyes widened. “That’s it, then. Someone wanted revenge.”
“And forced August into a dangerous situation with green colts? That doesn’t make sense. Who would do such a thing, Mary? The whipped men were hardly in any condition to force August to do anything.”
“I don’t know,” Mary said, shaking her head slowly. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “But someone does. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and I intend to find out who that someone is and learn the truth.”
“But how?” Lizzy had already been thinking about the situation herself, and she could think of nothing.
“I’m going back to Montana with you. I’m going to rejoin the show. Your father and uncle told me I’d be welcome back anytime. Maybe one of the men who worked with August has some idea what happened. One of them might have even been responsible.” She stopped and shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know why I said that. I’m so sorry. Those men are all good men.”
“It’s all right.” It wasn’t anything Lizzy hadn’t already considered. They’d picked up a couple of new men to help after Father died. They really didn’t know all that much about them, and maybe they were no good. Of course, they hadn’t acted out of line—at least not that Lizzy knew.
“Maybe Ella Fleming will think of something that might help me, since it happened at her farm.” Mary shrugged and wiped her tears with the hem of her gown. “I don’t know. But what I do know is that I can’t sit here and do nothing. I have to try. I owe August that much.”
“But what about Owen?”
Mary drew a deep breath. “I have to tell him the truth. If he’s honest with himself, he’ll know calling off the wedding is the right thing to do.” Thunder sounded, making Mary shiver. She went to her window and looked out. “I hate storms. Why can’t we just have some peace and quiet?”
“Owen does care deeply for you, that much is evident.”
“He does care, and we’ll go on caring about each other. But not as man and wife. I can’t do that to him. It wouldn’t be right.” Mary came back to where Lizzy sat. “Look, I’ll go and—”
A knock sounded on the bedroom door.
“Who is it?” Mary called.
“It’s Kate.”
Mary looked at Lizzy. “Say nothing.”
“Don’t worry.”
Mary smoothed her gingham dress and squared her shoulders. “Come in.”
Kate opened the door. She wore a worried expression. “Owen is looking for you.”
A sigh escaped Mary’s lips. She looked at Lizzy as if for affirmation. Lizzy nodded. Mary turned back to Kate. “Tell him I’ll be right there.”
Kate looked suspicious of her sister’s attitude but turned and left without another word. Lizzy got to her feet as Kate disappeared.
“You’re doing the right thing. I’ll let Uncle Oliver know you plan to rejoin the show. He’ll be thrilled. You truly were a cornerstone of the Extravaganza.”
“Well, if I was one, then you were the other three.” She smiled and gave Lizzy an unexpected hug. “I’m so happy at the thought of returning. If only August were still alive. Everything would be perfect then. We would all be together again.”
Lizzy hesitated. “Actually, I’m thinking of leaving the show.”
“Please don’t.” Mary’s eyes searched Lizzy’s face. “Please. I need you to help me.”
“I don’t know. Mother needs me too.”
“But she’ll have others at the ranch to help her through. Oh, I know how selfish that sounds. Please just stay with the show long enough to help me. We must get justice for August.”
Lizzy could see Mary’s distress. “I’ll help get justice for him. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to help you find the truth.”
“Thank you, Lizzy. Thank you so much!” Mary hugged her again as the thunder grew louder. “I need to find Owen and tell him. Pray for me.”
Lizzy smiled as Mary headed for the door. “Always.”
eleven
Ella wanted nothing more than to run from the Reichert farm and not look back. She’d hardly been able to bear Mary’s tears, nor the sorrowful expressions of her grandparents. Her father and fiancé had ended the life of their beloved August. Ella knew this for a fact yet couldn’t bring herself to be honest about it.
What good would it do? She went to the window and stared out, seeing nothing. How could my speaking up change anything? August would still be dead, and there would still be little chance of Jefferson ever standing trial for what he’s done.
“You seem reflective,” Jason Adler said, coming to stand beside her. “Are you regretting your decision? Perhaps missing your family?”
Ella stiffened and crossed her arms. “I do miss my mother, but I’m more worried than anything else.”
“Worried?”
She met his sympathetic gaze. “My father and fiancé don’t easily give up. I never meant to put Lizzy and her family in harm’s way, and I certainly never c
onsidered that there might be legal issues. I only wanted to get away from the farm and make my way to my sister’s house. Lizzy doesn’t think that’s wise, however.”
“Given what you’ve told us, I don’t think it is either.” He gave her a smile. “I come from a land where arranged marriages have been the way of things since the beginning of time. I’ve never agreed with such arrangements—at least not without complete cooperation from both the bride and groom.”
Ella found comfort in his words. Perhaps she had a friend in Jason Adler. “Thank you for being willing to keep my secret. I’ll turn twenty-one in January, and then legally I’ll have the right to speak for myself. Meanwhile, I need to make my way as best I can.”
“And after that, you intend to trick ride in the show.”
This made Ella smile. “The very thought thrills me to the core. I know you might think that’s silly, but I love the idea. I know I’ll be able to learn the tricks and do them well.”
His smile broadened. “I say, you have the brave nature it will require.”
Ella looked back out the window. She didn’t know about having a brave nature. She didn’t feel there was a courageous bone in her body right now. If there were, she wouldn’t be suffering such horrible dreams and fears.
“I suppose only time will tell,” she muttered under her breath.
Mary Reichert had always been one to speak her mind. She supposed that was what bothered her so much about Owen. She’d never tried to hide the truth from him. She had always answered his questions honestly and tried to share her heart and dreams for the future without altering them to spare his feelings. But in the last year she’d done little but avoid the truth.
She’d tried so hard to fall in love with him. She’d spent time planning for their wedding and talking about their plans for the future, but she could never find any joy in the idea of either one.
She saw Owen waiting in the front room with the others and knew she couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer.
She motioned to the door, and he nodded. Together they slipped out onto the porch as a light rain began to fall. In the west the dark clouds of the thunderstorm grew ever closer, making the air seem heavy.
When You Are Near Page 11
