An Unexpected Amish Romance

by Patricia Davids

  He sat on a chair against the wall and smoothed his socks. Clyde came to smell his feet. The dog sneezed, making Mark laugh. “Can you keep a secret? I’m making a carved wooden spice rack for Helen. It was going to have solid doors, very Amish, very plain, but I have just now decided to decorate the doors with basset hound carvings. Do you think she’ll like it?”

  Clyde wiggled eagerly and woofed once.

  “I think she will, too. Something to remember us by.” He sobered as he considered the possibility that he might not see her again after he went home.

  “Mark, who are you talking to?” Anna asked from the kitchen doorway.

  “Charlotte’s dog,” he said without looking up.

  She chuckled. “Is he answering you?”

  “Not yet, but we are working on some sign language.” He pulled on his left boot.

  “Did you pick some of my tomatoes last night or this morning?”

  “Nope. Clyde, are you stealing tomatoes now?”

  The dog sat down and whined. Mark looked at his aunt. “I think that means no.”

  “Well, someone helped themselves to three big ripe ones I planned to pick this morning. Your breakfast will be waiting for you when you get back.”

  “Don’t bother. I’m sure Helen has something to feed me.”

  “She is a goot cook, ja?”

  “Not as fine as you but pretty close.” He pulled on his right boot.

  “Not married, pleasant, a baptized member of our faith and a goot cook. Charlotte even said she is glad Helen has come to visit. You could do worse.”

  He figured that he and Helen would become the subject of discussion after the church service tomorrow if he didn’t put a stop to it. He stood and brushed his hands together. “She isn’t looking for a husband. She wants an independent life. Her words, not mine.”

  “So, you have discussed this. That’s a fine start.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “The start of what, Aenti Anna?”

  “Courting.”

  “We aren’t courting. We are simply friends. I’m taking her dog home to her. Again.”

  “And having breakfast there. Again. Tell Charlotte I said she has a very smart dog.”

  He shook his head at his aunt’s nonsense and left the house with Clyde ambling behind him. At least he didn’t have to drag the dog away anymore. After hitching up the buggy, he climbed in and Clyde scrambled up after him. The dog happily sat beside him during the ride and jumped out as soon as Mark pulled to a stop in front of Charlotte’s house. He ran to the front door and started barking.

  There was a light in the kitchen. Mark assumed someone was already up. A few seconds later, the door opened and Helen looked at the dog in amazement. “I don’t believe it. How did you get out?”

  She looked at Mark. “How is he getting out of this house?”

  “My guess is that someone is letting him out.”

  Outrage filled her eyes. “Are you accusing me?”

  He held up both hands. “I was thinking of your aunt.”

  Helen stepped aside so he could come in. “I can’t believe she would willingly put him out in the middle of the night. She barely lets him out of her sight during the day.”

  He hung his hat on one of the pegs by the front door. “What’s for breakfast?”

  “I was about to make some oatmeal.”

  He made a face. “I was never very fond of it myself.”

  “I have some day-old croissants.”

  “Sounds great, if you have a cup of coffee to go with it.” He sat down at the table.

  She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I was just about to brew some. Make yourself at home, Mark Bowman. Don’t mind me.”

  “I figured since I was already here, you would want to tell me all about your success at the market yesterday. Am I right?”

  She raised one eyebrow. “What makes you think I was successful?”

  He leaned back in his chair and grinned. “Because I taught you all that you needed to know.”

  “Oh, you did? How strange. I thought it was my hard work and my fine baked goods that won over the customers.”

  “So, you did have a successful day?”

  “I did.” She carried the coffeepot to the sink and filled it. “I sold eighty percent of the goods I took. The pumpkin pie pops were the biggest hit. I had several repeat customers throughout the afternoon for them and sold out before five.”

  “Where was your booth?”

  “I had Jessica purchase it on the computer for me instead of waiting until I got there, so I was located near the middle of the grounds instead of down on the end.”

  “Good thinking. I’m sure a better location helped. How did the other bakery do?”

  “Fair, I think. Several people commented that my bread prices were higher than his.”

  “And how did you respond to that?”

  She giggled. “I told them the quality was higher, as well.”

  “Did they walk away?”

  “They didn’t, because I reduced my price to match his. It was near the end of the day, so I figured it was better than not making a sale. It was still within my profit margin for bread, so I didn’t lose money on the loaves.”

  “You have the makings of a real businesswoman, Helen. I’m impressed. Can you duplicate your success? That’s the next question.”

  “I think I can, but you won’t believe what brought in the most people.”

  “Had to be your cinnamon rolls.” He wished she had saved him one.

  She brought a plate with a croissant and several pieces of cheese and set it in front of him. “Nope, it was Clyde.”

  He slanted a glance at the dog sitting by his feet. “Clyde? Explain.”

  She added coffee grounds to the pot and put it on the stove before coming to sit at the table. “He was absolutely adorable. Charlotte sat out front of our booth on her chair, and he did trick after trick for her. Each time she gave him one of the treats she’d made, he’d sit up on his hind end and fall over with a smile of bliss on his face. I am not making this up.”

  Mark pointed to the hound at his feet. “This dog did tricks?”

  “I’ll show you.” She went to the cupboard and took out a plastic bag full of small brown cookies. “Clyde, do you want a treat?”

  He immediately woofed.

  “Beg for one.”

  He sat back on his haunches, wobbling a little, and then waved his front legs together. She gave him a cookie. It disappeared in one gulp. Then he sank over sideways and rolled to his back. Mark had to admit he did look like he was smiling.

  Helen was grinning from ear to ear. “Isn’t he adorable?”

  She was adorable. He realized he’d never seen her so happy. Her eyes sparkled with mirth. Her lips were parted in a sweet smile. Her excitement was infectious. He had trouble thinking about why he was here. “He’s not adorable when he’s barking outside our house in the wee hours of the morning.”

  Her grin faded. “You have a point.”

  Charlotte came into the kitchen from the hallway. “Helen, did you let Clyde out of my room? I can’t find him. Oh, there he is,” she said when she spied him. “Mark, how nice to see you. Have you come to give Helen a ride to work?”

  “I’ve come to return your dog. He was howling outside my window again.”

  “How strange.” Charlotte stared at Clyde. “What are you doing visiting the Bowmans at such an hour?”

  He lay on his back, wagging his tail.

  Helen passed out the coffee mugs and poured them all into a cup. “Are you sure you didn’t open the door for him last night, Aenti?”

  “I didn’t open the front door, and I didn’t open the back door for him. He must be getting out through my window.”

  Mark rose to his feet. “I’ll take a l
ook and secure it so he can’t get out again.”

  Helen followed him down the hall. “I can’t believe he can get out that way.”

  He opened the door to Charlotte’s room. The window ledge was three feet off the floor and the sash was only up a few inches. There wasn’t any furniture the dog could climb on near it. Mark was as baffled as Helen. “You’re right. I don’t see him getting out this way. I can cut a length of wood to act as a stop so he can’t push the window open wider if he is getting up here.”

  They walked back to the kitchen where Charlotte sat sipping her coffee. “Did you figure it out?”

  “We didn’t,” Mark admitted. “I can build a kennel for him to stay in at night.”

  “Absolutely not.” Charlotte plunked her coffee mug down. “I will not keep him in a kennel. He has been raised in this house. I wouldn’t put either of you in a cage.”

  “Aenti, he can’t keep waking up the Bowman family in the middle of the night. We have to be better neighbors.”

  Charlotte blinked back tears. “He would hate a kennel. If only Juliet would come home, he wouldn’t be wandering around in the middle of the night looking for her.”

  The last thing Mark wanted was to make a woman cry. “I won’t put him in a kennel.”

  She sniffed once. “You won’t? I’m sure he won’t get out again. I’ll talk to him,” Charlotte assured Mark.

  Like that would help. He turned to Helen. “Are you ready to go to work?”

  “Give me a minute to get my things together, and I’ll be ready.”

  “I’ll be in the buggy, waiting.” He paused at the door and looked back. Charlotte had Clyde’s face between her hands as she whispered something in his ear. He remembered what his aunt had said. “My aenti Anna says to tell you that you have a smart dog.”

  Charlotte looked at him. “She figured that out, did she? Anna was always a bright one.”

  Unsure of what she meant, he left the house and waited for Helen outside. It didn’t take her long to join him. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “That’s okay. There isn’t any rush. It will be just you and I at the workshop this morning.”

  “I’m glad you are letting me make up my lost hours. That’s very kind of you.”

  “It’s my onkel’s rule. He doesn’t want his workers to feel cheated. They have the opportunity for overtime work if they wish it.”

  “Will you have the same management style at your business?”

  “Most likely. It may be a year or two before I can hire an extra worker, but I want to help support the community as my onkel is doing.”

  “That’s a fine goal.”

  “It isn’t about making money. It’s about making a living for my family and others.”

  “You put me to shame.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because my only goal is to move out of my aunt’s home before I tear my hair out.”

  “You would look odd bald. It’s a worthwhile goal.”

  Helen regaled him with more stories of her day at the farmers’ market. He listened to her with only a few comments, enjoying the sound of her voice and the undercurrent of excitement she couldn’t contain. He couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed a buggy ride so much.

  When they finally reached the workshop, he got out and turned to help her. She rested her hands on his shoulders as he grasped her waist and swung her down. She was so close his mind stopped functioning. He couldn’t release her, couldn’t step away. Her upturned face was so close to his. All he had to do was lean forward a little and he could kiss her.

  * * *

  Helen held her breath as Mark’s hands lingered on her waist. She gazed into his beautiful green eyes and wished with her whole heart that she could move closer. Her fingers rested lightly on his shoulders, and she could feel his firm muscles through the fabric of his white cotton shirt. She wanted to be kissed. And she had no right to wish such a thing. She looked down and stepped back. He released her and rubbed his hands up and down on his pant legs.

  “What are you working on today?” she asked as she walked toward the workshop door.

  “The people that I met with yesterday want a reproduction piece made to match the antique dresser that they have.”

  She couldn’t be sure, but she thought his voice sounded strained. “I thought you were doing a mantelpiece.”

  “It can wait. These people are willing to pay a premium for a rush job.”

  “How soon do they want it?”

  “Two weeks.”

  “Are you serious? Can you do it in two weeks?”

  “If Samuel and I work on it together, we can.”

  Helen saw the antique dresser wrapped in plastic sitting in the middle of the work area. “This is what you have to copy?”

  “That’s it.” He stopped beside it and began unwinding the protective sheeting.

  “I shall leave you to it.” She reluctantly walked away and entered the office. When Mark was being nice, he was a very attractive man. She liked him much more than she should. Keeping a guard on her heart wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

  An hour later, Helen had filed everything Jessica had set out for her. She cleaned and dusted the office area, including the shades on the windows, and mopped the floor. There was nothing left to fill her time, so she went out to find Mark. He was bent over a large drafting table where he was making a full-size, detailed drawing of the dresser. It sat beside him. He got up to measure the width and height of the legs. She didn’t want to disturb him, so she turned to go.

  “Leaving already?” He pulled his pencil from behind his ear and made a notation on the paper.

  “I’ve done everything Jessica left for me. Unless you have some work that needs doing, I’m going to go home.”

  “Can you give me a hand with this for a few minutes?”

  “Of course.” She hurried to his side.

  He held out his tape measure without looking up from his drawing. “Check to see that the drawer heights are the same on all three drawers. They don’t look quite even.”

  “Sure.” She took the tape measure, being careful not to touch him.

  After checking and rechecking the drawers, she handed the tape back to him. “The bottom drawer is one-quarter inch shallower than the others.” She read off the measurements, and he jotted them down.

  He tapped his lips with the eraser end of his pencil as he stared into space. “I’ve been thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “Clyde.”

  “I honestly don’t know how to keep him in without putting him in a locked kennel or a dog crate, and I don’t think Charlotte will stand for that.”

  “You are right about the window. I don’t see how he can get out that way. Charlotte has to be letting him out.”

  “She is adamant that she isn’t.”

  “I hate to call her a liar, but she must be.” He spun around on his stool to look at her. “Maybe she sleepwalks. I have a little sister that does.”

  Helen shrugged. “I guess it’s a possibility. How would we tell unless we saw her doing it?”

  “I can’t expect you to sit up every night all night.”

  “I’m the last person you want for that job. I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat.”

  “So you won’t be any help.”

  “I could ask her if she sleepwalks. Your aunt might know. Some of her friends might know if she does, but I would hate to start a lot of speculation if I started asking questions. Charlotte is a very private person.”

  “We could ask Clyde. If he says no, then we don’t have to ask anyone else.”

  “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

  “When the answer is no, he lays down on the floor and whines.”

  “Are you trying to tell me that you speak dog now?”


  “Clyde and I are reaching an understanding.” He wagged his eyebrows.

  She looked down and giggled. “Be serious.”

  “Believe me, my sleep is serious business.”

  “I’m sorry he is making such a pest of himself.

  “Me, too.” He turned back to his drawing.

  Helen hesitated. The desire to stay and watch him work was strong, but she forced herself to start toward the door.

  “Helen, I have an idea.”

  She turned around to see a mischievous grin on his face. This was not the Mark she had met on the bus or even later. This fellow with his sparkling green eyes and infectious smile was downright dangerous for her heart. “Let’s hear it. How do we find out how he is getting out without watching the house all night?”

  “That’s exactly what I intend to do. Would you care to join me in some detective work?”

  “I should hear your entire plan before I agree, but ja, count me in.”

  After hashing over the details of their plan, Helen went home, and Mark went up to the house. The family was gathering for lunch. The men had come in from the fields and were taking their places at the table. The women were busy in the kitchen. Paul hopped up from his seat and waved an envelope at Mark. “Another letter for you.”

  “From Angela?” Had she changed her mind? Part of him wanted her to and yet part of him didn’t want that.

  “It’s from her father.” Paul handed it over.

  Mark took it and stared at Otis Yoder’s spidery script. Inside was the information Mark had been waiting for. Was the land still available, or had Angela’s change of heart ruined all his years of planning?

  Chapter Twelve

  On Monday night, Helen waited until after midnight, then she quietly opened Charlotte’s bedroom door and peeked inside. Clyde was snoring on his blanket in the corner. Her aunt was snoring, too. The curtain on the open window waved gently. The sash was up a foot. Enough for Clyde to squeeze through if he could get up there. Helen closed the door and liberally sprinkled flour on the wooden floor in front of it. She did the same outside the back door and outside the front door, then she slipped out of the house and crossed the yard to the buggy that was parked in the yard. She gave a squeak of surprise when Mark reached out to help her up.