She reached for his hand. “May I come back and see you again?”
He wasn’t good at telling her no unless he was angry, and he had no strength to do so now. What had happened to them, to the connection from his heart to hers? “Ya. Maybe you should wait until next week, though. If I get my way, I’ll be off the pain meds by that time and able to think.”
Surprisingly, she nodded. “Okay, if that’s what you want. Next week, then.” Catherine squeezed his hand and walked out, leaving him alone in this muddled, weird place.
His home surrounded him, but it didn’t. He’d expected the sight of Catherine to stir his heart, for her presence to remind him how much he’d missed her, but he barely felt the heartache over the chasm between them. Was that a side effect of the medicines too?
If she’d been impatient about marrying him when the orchard had a few issues, she’d never understand the length of wait they’d face now.
If he was interested in her waiting.
He lay down on the bed, staring at the flapping blue tarp.
Nothing resembled the life he’d once known. Nothing.
Catherine put on her best dress, feeling as nervous as she had on her first date night with Samuel. She ironed her prayer Kapp and combed her hair, repinning it half a dozen times before scurrying out the door to hitch the horse to the carriage.
Within fifteen minutes she was pulling into Samuel’s driveway. Leah was in the yard, hanging clothes on the line.
Catherine wished she didn’t need to speak to her, to apologize and be met with sarcasm and smart remarks, but she went to her. “How are you holding up?”
Leah clamped a clothespin onto a damp shirt and sighed. “As well as can be expected.”
Catherine kept telling herself to apologize. Even though she knew she’d been wrong, saying so didn’t come easy. “I’m sorry for what I said about you to Arlan. It was wrong.”
Leah shrugged. “I was wrong too, about lots of stuff.”
Wow. Catherine hadn’t expected her to say that. “Is Samuel inside?”
“No. He got in the pony cart and drove to the orchard early this morning. He’s been there ever since, just staring at it. Rhoda and Jacob took him some lunch awhile ago. They’re probably still with him. They aren’t far. The orchard is too full of debris to get a cart past the edge of it. Want me to help you find them?”
“Nee, but denki.”
Catherine walked to the orchard and easily spotted the horse and cart. She kept going and soon saw Samuel with Rhoda and Jacob, all three sitting on a fallen tree. Rhoda was on one side of Samuel, Jacob on the other. They were looking at a large piece of paper, maybe a map of some kind. A batch of small magazines sat stacked beside them.
They seemed to be making serious plans. Until July, Catherine had been the only woman Samuel cared anything about. Had she been replaced?
“Samuel?”
The three of them looked up. Samuel folded the map. Rhoda and Jacob stood, greeting her before they excused themselves.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt something important.”
“We can get back to it later.”
“You look a lot better than last week.”
“Got a ways to go, but I’m stronger.”
She sat beside him, absorbing the ruin. This apple orchard had never meant more to her than a way for Samuel to make a living so he could marry her. Now she missed it. Missed seeing Samuel’s eyes dance when he talked about the pruning or good news concerning the yield. It’d been a part of him, perhaps more than she ever had. “I don’t understand what happened to us, Samuel.”
“Wish I could say I did.”
How could their two years of courtship turn into something that resembled the destroyed orchard around them? “I know I was wrong, and I’d like for us to start new.” She weighed each word. If she’d done that all along, they wouldn’t be in this mess. Or would they? “I came to tell you that weeks ago, but, well, I left a pie for you and hoped you’d at least come see me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t remember a pie.”
What would have happened to it? Had Rhoda ruined it, as she had everything else between Catherine and Samuel? “I left it on the cooling shelf in the windowsill of the summer kitchen. I can’t imagine what could’ve happened to it.” She fought the temptation to ask if Rhoda might have tossed it away. It’d be best to tuck that green-eyed monster out of Samuel’s view until she could free herself of it. Was that even possible?
She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Samuel. I should’ve spoken to you, not just left a pie.” She fumbled with her fingers, wishing he’d say something. “I … I need to know. Do you care for Rhoda?”
He turned to her, frowning. “I imagine she’ll be my sister-in-law one day.”
“Really?” Catherine jumped to her feet. “Is that all it is between you and her?”
When he didn’t answer, her excitement faded. Samuel reached beside him and grabbed a small magazine. He flipped the pages, folded the periodical in half, and passed it to her.
“An apple farm?” She turned the book over and back again. “Where is it?”
“Maine.”
She melted to her knees. Could he seriously be thinking about moving? “I love you, Samuel. We’ve both been through too much recently, and I think the pressure and stress has caused us some problems. Maybe that’s what has torn us apart, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.” She took his hands into hers. “Please.”
He gazed into her eyes, and it gave her hope.
“We’re going to Maine as soon as I’m strong enough, hopefully in a few days.”
“We?”
“Jacob, Eli, Rhoda, my Daed and hers, Landon, and Leah. Our uncle Mervin will go as a church leader, to give his approval or disapproval of the plan. And one of Rhoda’s brothers will go because he’s considering moving there too.”
Her heart broke. If they’d stayed strong the last couple of months, he’d speak of his love and his hope for their future. But he didn’t seem to have an encouraging word for her.
Samuel picked at the bandage covering his injured leg. “If we like what we see and feel it’s worthy of our time, we’ll try to secure a lease-purchase option on a nearby farm while aiming to buy the farmhouse and orchard out of foreclosure. Depending on what we find out and the report we give, there are four other families who may want to move with us—establish a new Amish community. If we do this and can buy the orchard, I’d have to start living there as soon as I’m well enough.”
“You’ve decided all this since I saw you last week?”
“Landon had the information. His grandmother lives there. He got Jacob on board, and once Jacob believes in a plan, no one is more persuasive. But everything is tentative at this point.”
He talked without disappointment or anger, sounding much as he would’ve before they parted, except sadder. She longed for some crumb of hope.
She got off her knees and sat beside him. “If you get everything you hope to out of your visit to Maine, what will happen next?”
He picked up another book and flipped the pages back and forth. “Jacob will return here and do the construction work on our house until it’s done, which may not be till spring. Rhoda has a few weeks of work to do here, canning all she’s been harvesting from the fallen trees, the few remaining rooted ones, and what can be salvaged from the apples on the ground. Then she and one of her brothers will join me.” He moved a bit and winced. “If the orchard in Maine is salvageable, it’ll take a lot of work.”
“But you won’t have a harvest to can from for quite some time. Why would Rhoda move up there so soon?”
“There are three huge greenhouses on the property. She’ll spend all winter creating mulch for the fields and maybe growing berry plants. We’re not sure if the mulch will help as much as we need it to, but an orchard left unattended for two years needs every chance it can get.”
“And what about me, Samuel? Is there any room in your life for me?”
/> He looked down, and her heart sank. “I don’t know, Catherine.”
She hated that tears were running down her cheeks, but she couldn’t stop them. “We should at least try, shouldn’t we?”
“I’m tired of trying, and I can’t even give you a good reason why. I’m sorry.”
Catherine rose. That was it then. She could say little else. “I’ve always loved you, Samuel. And if you decide I’m worth the rough patch we’ve been through, I’ll be here in Harvest Mills, waiting.”
FORTY-SIX
Rhoda stared out the side window of the van, amazed at the scenery that surrounded them. The road they traveled wove through long sections of tall trees, past large farms with barns and silos, and through small residential towns with modest homes, most boasting well-tended vegetable gardens. The largest sections had been plowed under and mulch added in preparation for next year’s crop.
It struck her as odd that many homes had a garden and that they were well manicured. Aside from her fascination with the gardens, she was most thrilled by how familiar it all felt. Different from Pennsylvania, of course, but similar enough that it felt almost like home.
And after the devastation they’d left behind, the beauty of Unity, Maine, refreshed her.
Landon kept his eyes on the road most of the time except when he glanced at Rhoda in the rearview mirror, grinning at her delight. “I knew you’d like it here.”
Hail had damaged Landon’s truck beyond repair, so the insurance company had covered the cost of a rental vehicle until it could be replaced. He’d paid the difference to get an enormous van, big enough to carry ten people. They were a bit scrunched, but no one minded.
Rhoda’s Daed sat up front with Landon. Samuel’s father and uncle had a more limited view from the row behind her, but that’s where they’d wanted to sit. Her brother Steven and Leah shared a bench seat with her. And Samuel, Jacob, and Eli were in the last row.
“Look.” Rhoda pointed out her window at a sign. “Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.”
Landon pressed the brakes, almost coming to a crawl. “It has a motto of some sort.” He peered and then chuckled. “Listen to this: ‘If the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant an apple tree today.’ It’s a quote by Martin Luther.”
Landon picked up speed again, and they all pointed out various items of interest. The anticipation in the van was tangible.
A light rain began to fall, and Landon turned on the windshield wipers. The mist made everything sparkle, giving the scenery a mystical quality.
Her family had been able to secure only one building permit for the land that was once her fruit garden. John was building a home there, but Steven wanted more than just a lot. He’d shared with Rhoda how he longed to find a place with enough land that he could divide it for his own children—and his grandchildren—when the time came. As Rhoda looked out the window, she couldn’t help but feel he could find such a place here.
“That’s it.” Landon pointed and then pulled the van alongside the curb in front of a tiny yellow house with light-green shutters. Blue hydrangea bushes lined the sidewalk.
As the group piled out of the van, a short, white-haired woman in slacks and a blouse came out, rushed up to Landon, and gave him a hug.
“Granny, this is Rhoda.”
She raised her arms toward Rhoda, her eyes sparkling. “Landon never told me you were beautiful. Come here.”
As Rhoda bent over slightly to enjoy the woman’s hug, she giggled at the blush that colored Landon’s cheeks.
After introductions were made all around, Granny invited them inside to use the bathroom, stretch their legs, and get a quick bite to eat. After the ten-hour drive and eating only packed lunches along the way, they were all eager for a break.
Granny’s house was small but cozy. She warmed a large pan of tuna noodle casserole in a microwave oven in a matter of minutes and made them all feel like family.
Once they’d double-checked the maps and expressed their gratitude for her food and generosity, they stuffed themselves back into the van for the last leg of their journey.
A few miles past a lovely lake, they rounded a corner and saw a plot of land with straggly trees, their branches thin and brown. “This must be the place,” Landon called out to the backseats.
He eased the van down a long driveway of cracked concrete to a large, rather dilapidated farmhouse. Electric wires ran to the home. “The Realtor’s a friend of my granny’s. He said he’d leave the place unlocked for us so we could check it out. If we’re interested, I can call him, and he’ll meet us here to discuss the details.”
As they got out of the vehicle, Rhoda watched Samuel gaze at the barren, sickly trees. His Daed, brothers, and uncle walked with him, as did her brother Steven.
The rest of the group followed Landon into the house.
“Phew!” Leah held her nose.
Rhoda sniffed. “It does smell a bit musty, doesn’t it?”
Daed tried to open a few windows, although some were stuck so tight they wouldn’t budge.
They went through the front room, living room, dining room, and bedrooms. “Four fireplaces.” Leah made a face. “That’d take a lot of wood and work. It does have gas heating, right?”
“A home is only as warm as the people in it.” Daed grinned as Rhoda quoted the old family saying. “But there’s a large propane tank sitting out back.” She pointed through a dingy window. “So I’m sure there’s gas heat.”
Leah wrinkled her nose. “The bedrooms are tiny.”
Daed looked out the bedroom window. “It gets really cold here, and small rooms are easier to heat and only meant for sleeping.”
They made their way back to the kitchen, a room Rhoda had barely glanced at earlier. But this time she realized it was the largest kitchen she had ever seen in a house. Bigger than the summer kitchen! It had a cooking fireplace, built forever ago, maybe refurbished at some point, and it had an old crane for hanging pots, and two tiny brick ovens with iron doors for baking bread.
“Look at all those cabinets.” Leah came up beside her. “And tons of counter space.” Leah flipped the electric light switch. Nothing happened. “Yep, that’s about right for an Amish home.”
Rhoda ran her hands along the brick of the fireplace. She didn’t know why, but she felt connected to this home.
Leah sneezed. “Like the rest of the place, it could use a good cleaning.”
“That stove would have to be replaced.” The rickety-looking thing couldn’t possibly cook anything properly. Rhoda opened the refrigerator. It stunk. And it was electric. A gas line would have to be run, but they wouldn’t need to purchase new appliances. They could move all the ones from the summer kitchen.
She could see herself working here, doing whatever she could to help the orchard come back to life and then, in time, canning the harvest.
This plan meant so much to the Kings, especially Jacob and Samuel. But she was getting ahead of herself. She’d get a vote, but the decision wasn’t up to her.
She looked out the dirt-crusted window and saw the King men walking the neglected orchard. Their opinions would carry far more weight than hers. If the trees were too far gone, nothing else mattered.
But now that she’d seen this place, she wanted to nurture every bit of it back to life.
A poke in her back made her jump and turn around. Landon stood there, a wide grin on his face. “Well, Rhodes, what do you think?”
“I think you’re still pushing for the same thing you’ve been wanting for years.” She spotted her father in the doorway, his back to her. “Landon, why don’t you find something more useful to do than pestering me?”
He followed her gaze. Clearly getting her hint, he corralled Leah out the door.
Rhoda joined her Daed. He put his arm around her while continuing to stare across the yard. Rhoda followed his gaze.
Oh, he knew her so well.
“Greenhouses.” Four round-roofed, glass-and-wood buildings st
ood in the distance. It was all she could do to keep from racing to them. But she remained at her father’s side.
“Ten hours isn’t so far.” Emotion made his voice hoarse. “And Steven will be here with you.”
“And Phoebe and their little ones.” She nudged his side. “Landon will come get you and bring you and Mamm here whenever you want. Might be a nice getaway for you two.”
He gazed down at her, his eyes misting. “I know you’re itching to go check out those greenhouses.”
“I am. You want to come with me?”
“You go on. I want a minute with Steven and with Samuel’s Daed. I have questions.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then scurried toward the enclosures in the field.
The minute she walked into the first greenhouse, her heart soared. The place smelled of earth and fertilizer. And new life, despite the season. As she strolled down the aisle between rows of plant stands covered with broken clay pots, her mind’s eye visualized a thriving indoor garden filled with starter plants. Berries. Grapes. Perhaps other fruits. Even—dare she imagine it?—herbs.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
She turned and saw Jacob in the doorway.
He meandered inside, looking robust and hopeful. “The orchard looks promising enough. It’ll take a lot of work.” He caressed her hand.
She enjoyed how secure and treasured he made her feel. “So will the house.”
“They’re both in better shape than what that tornado left us back home.”
Rhoda freed her hand and picked up a pot that had only a slight chip. “I can’t help but wonder what kind of plants once grew here.”
“And what kind of plants could grow here again.”
She put the pot back on the shelf and stared at it. What else might grow if they relocated here? A new Amish community full of hope and potential. Friendships. Relationships. Families.
Love.
Jacob came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you in?”
His soft voice chased away years of loneliness. “Are you?”
“I am. It’s the answer. I know it is.”
She turned to face him. “I’m not as sure as you, but my vote is yea.”
A Season for Tending: Book One in the Amish Vines and Orchards Series Page 33
