* * *
Gabe sat down beside her. He might know his way around the woods, but he was at a loss for how to handle his growing attraction to Esther. The time he had spent with her had not been boring. “You’ll have a lot to tell your friends back home when you write.”
“That’s the truth.”
He wondered what she really thought of his adopted state. He loved it and wanted her to feel the same. “Have your experiences given you a distaste for Maine?”
“Not at all. I like it here.”
“I’m glad. It’s a wonderful place to live even when the snow gets five feet deep. You will always be welcome in our home,” he said softly.
Would she consider returning to New Covenant someday or even staying on when her stepmother left? She would make a welcome addition to the community. And then he could see more of her.
He gazed into her eyes for a long moment. Did she sense how much he was starting to care about her? Should he tell her? Or was it too soon? They barely knew each other and yet it felt as if he had known her for ages. She put him at ease. He was comfortable with her. Something he couldn’t say about any other woman.
Maybe after the festival was over he could explore his feelings more closely and gage her interest in return. When he knew if his endeavor had helped the family or not.
Lilly’s suggestion that he learn sign language was a good one. He’d ask Jonah to teach him as soon as they returned home.
Esther looked away first and got to her feet. “I’m ready to go.”
He wanted to take her hand again, but she walked on ahead without waiting for him. Maybe she didn’t share his growing feelings. Maybe he was reading more into their relationship because he wanted to believe it. The same way he had with Gwen. He did not want to play the fool again.
Chapter Nine
The following morning Esther hurried down to breakfast with lighthearted steps. She would be spending the day working with Gabe, and she didn’t have to worry that her stepmother would be upset. Gabe had seen to that. She was grateful to him for yet another rescue.
She concentrated on her plate of scrambled eggs and sausage in order to keep her eyes off him. It was difficult. Just seeing him smile did funny things to her. She didn’t want anyone else to notice how much she liked him. It was her secret.
Julia nudged her with an elbow and started to sign. “Have you finished our new kapps? The day after tomorrow is the church service, and I want to look my best.”
“For which brother?” Esther signed.
“I didn’t say I wanted to impress a Fisher.”
“So it is someone you met yesterday.”
“Are the kapps done or not?”
“I will finish them this morning.” It meant she would be late getting out to the workshop, but she had promised to make all of her sisters new head coverings. Since she began working for Gabe, she had put that chore aside.
She looked over and met his gaze. “I will be out to help you directly.”
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“I have some work of my own to finish, that’s all.”
“Any time you can spare for me is appreciated.” He rose with the rest of the men and filed out of the house with them.
Esther helped to clear the table and then raced upstairs to put the ribbons on the kapps she had made. It took her nearly an hour. In her haste she made one ribbon longer on the right side of Julia’s kapp. She had to pick out her stitches and do it over. Satisfied at last, she laid one kapp on the end of each cot where her sisters slept. Then she hurried downstairs and out the door. When she reached the workshop, she saw Gabe had turned the sewing table around.
“Do you like it?” He was smiling as if he had done something special.
“It’s fine. What was wrong with the way it was facing?”
“You had your back to the door. This way you can see when someone comes in. I can’t always be here. I thought this would make it easier for you to see if a customer or someone comes in.”
“This is very thoughtful, Gabe. I get better light from the window, too. Danki.”
“I’m glad you like it. If there’s anything else you want rearranged in here, just let me know.”
“This is your shop. You had it set up the way you like. I’m not going to be here long enough for you to rearrange the equipment on my account.”
Some of the happiness left his eyes. “I can always move it back after you’re gone.”
“Shall we get to work?” she asked.
“Right. I have cut out four of the purses you sketched. Let’s see if you can stamp and tool as well as you draw.”
Esther pressed a hand to her forehead. “My sketchbook! I left it out at the bog.”
“It should be fine. It hasn’t rained, and there’s none in the forecast. I will fetch it for you tomorrow. I was planning to look for the kite one more time, anyway. You’re welcome to join me if you aren’t afraid of meeting another bear.”
“Or having a snake fall on my head?”
“You’d rather not go. I understand.” His disappointment was plain.
She took a quick step toward him. “I didn’t say that.”
“So you will come?” He looked so hopeful that she didn’t have the heart to refuse him—nor did she want to.
“I will be better prepared this time. I’ll take my umbrella.”
He threw back his head and laughed. She wished she could hear what that sounded like. There were so many things she wanted to discover about him.
The day went by quickly. Esther discovered stamping leather required a strong wrist and accuracy. She couldn’t count the number of times she accidentally thumped her thumb and forefinger with a mallet while trying to hit the head of the small tool she held positioned just so on a strip of leather. Gabe made it look easy.
Gabe tried to make everything easy for her. He always made sure he was looking at her when he spoke. He left his own work frequently to check on how she was doing. He made sure she took breaks when she could have spent hours at her machine without stopping. He was almost the perfect boss. She would miss him dearly when she went home.
The following day she left the tooling to Gabe and began stitching the assortment of items he had ready for her. She was pleased with the way her first purse turned out. All it needed was to have a cloth lining added with several pockets to hold keys or cell phones. She would have to ask Lilly what size pockets would be needed, since Esther wasn’t sure how big a cell phone was. She had seen them in use and her sister Nancy even had one for a while, but Nancy had given up using it because she intended to be baptized into the faith and cell phones were not allowed by their church district.
Esther held the purse up for Gabe to see. “What do you think?”
He took it from her and examined it inside and out. “Nice work.”
“But will it sell?”
“Perhaps we should ask a few of our Englisch neighbors what they think?”
“That’s a good idea. We can ask Lilly.”
He gestured toward the cutting table. “I’ve finished here for today. How about you?”
It was early afternoon. She could have kept working. Instead she stretched her tired shoulders. “I’m ready for some fresh air and a little exercise.”
He walked to the door and held it open for her. “Let’s go over to the bog. I’ll get my binoculars. Why don’t you wait here?”
She couldn’t keep a happy grin off her face as she watched him cross to the house. A walk in the woods with Gabe promised to be the highlight of her day. More wildflowers and his company. What could be better? She saw Jonah coming her way.
He tipped his head to the side. “What are you smiling about?” he signed.
She wiped the grin off her face. “Nothing. Gabe and I are going to do some bird-watching. If anyone wants us, we’
ll be at the Arnett farm.”
“Since when do you like bird-watching?”
“Gabe looks for birds. I look for flowers to collect and draw.”
“I still haven’t seen a moose. Are you sure he was at the pond by the highway?”
She nodded. “I saw him there twice. Be careful when you are out walking. There are bears about.”
His eyes brightened. “Really?”
She scowled at him. “Do you know what to do if you see a bear coming your way?”
“Run?”
“Wrong answer,” she said. “Ask Gabe. He will tell you the best way to avoid them.”
“I will.” Jonah turned and jogged to the house.
Esther smiled as she watched him. Having Jonah to talk with was almost as good as being with her friends. She waited impatiently for Gabe to return.
* * *
Gabe had his binoculars and his book on bird identification in his hand when Jonah came rushing into the kitchen.
“Esther says I’m supposed to ask you what to do if I see a bear.”
“I thought she wasn’t going to tell you that we saw one.”
“You did? Where? Esther never said she actually laid eyes on a live one.”
“It was a long way from here, and I wasn’t supposed to tell you because she’s afraid you’ll go looking for it.”
“I promise I won’t.”
Gabe nodded and told the boy what he needed to know if he encountered a black bear. He started to leave but stopped and turned to the boy. “Jonah, is it difficult to learn sign language?”
“Not really.”
“How could I go about learning to sign? Could you teach me?”
“Sure. If you tell me where you saw the black bear.”
Gabe crossed his arms over his chest. “Nope. So thanks, anyway.”
“I was just kidding. I’ll be happy to teach you some words in sign. Why don’t you ask Esther? I’m sure she’d do it.”
“I wanted to surprise her.”
Jonah folded his arms and cupped his chin with one hand. “You’re sweet on my sister, aren’t you?”
“We are friends, but would you have a problem with it if I was?”
“Only that it would make Waneta think she is right about her gift for matchmaking.”
“Esther doesn’t get along with Waneta. Why is that?”
“They just don’t see eye to eye about a lot of things. I’m not sure they ever will. Esther and Waneta can both be stubborn.”
Gabe’s mother came into the kitchen. “What are you two discussing so intently?”
Jonah winked at Gabe. “Bears.” The boy went back outside.
“I like that kid,” Gabe said.
“Are you enjoying our visitors? I want our two families to be close friends.”
Gabe wagged a finger at her. “You want your sons to fall head over heels for Waneta’s girls.”
She grinned. “Maybe I do. They are wonderful women. I wouldn’t mind having one or more of them as daughters-in-law. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, I reckon.” They were nice women, but they sometimes neglected Esther. He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject but decided he needed to say something. “I did notice that they deserted Esther yesterday at the picnic.”
His mother nodded. “I saw that, too.”
“Tomorrow is our church service. There will be a lot of visiting afterward. Could you suggest to them that they include Esther rather than leaving her on her own? Without someone to sign for her, she is uncomfortable in a crowd of people.”
“I’m not sure it’s my place, but I will speak to Waneta. Sometimes we take our family members for granted without realizing that they may need our attention as much as others do.”
“I appreciate that, Mamm.”
“Where are you off to?”
“Esther and I are going over to the Arnett farm to do some bird-watching.”
“The two of you have been spending a lot of time together. Is it because you feel responsible for her after saving her life, or do you feel sorry for her?”
“Neither. The fact that she is deaf makes things more difficult, but I don’t pity her. I enjoy her company. She has a very lively mind.”
“Her type of deafness is inherited. Any children she might have may also be deaf.”
He frowned. “Any of us can have a child born with a disability. Gott decides.”
“He does, but I thought you should be aware of the fact.”
“I’m not planning to marry her, Mamm. We’ve only known each other a few days.”
“I knew I was going to marry your father the day I first laid eyes on him. Love comes slowly to some and quickly to others.”
Gabe gazed at her intently. “How did you know?”
She clasped her hands over her chest. “My heart lifted when he smiled at me. It may sound silly, but that’s how I knew. I couldn’t imagine going through life without seeing his smile every day.”
“I reckon the Lord didn’t want it any other way. For which I am grateful. We’ll be back before supper.”
“All right. I will speak to Waneta about making sure the girls don’t abandon Esther at church.”
“Danki.”
He headed outside and saw Esther waiting for him beside the shop. She came over to join him. As they rounded the barn, Gabe saw Pamela and Seth walking toward them holding hands. They were intent on each other and didn’t notice they weren’t alone until they were only a few feet away. Seth stopped abruptly and let go of her hand. “Were you looking for me?”
“Nee, we are going to do some bird-watching.”
“Okay. Have a good time,” Seth said as he stepped aside. Gabe walked on, but he heard Pamela giggle behind him. He glanced back. She pressed a hand to her lips and turned away.
“I may not have given Waneta enough credit as a matchmaker,” Esther said. She looked over her shoulder. “They seem to have hit it off.”
“As have we,” Gabe said. She wasn’t looking at him, so he knew she couldn’t hear him. It was just as well. He had no idea how she felt about him other than a shared friendship. He didn’t want to risk losing that by making her uncomfortable.
They traveled through the woods without talking. Twice Esther paused to pluck a few flowers and place them in her pocket. When they reached the pond, Gabe stopped and turned to her. He pointed to the violets she had sketched on their first walk. “Do you want to take some of these?”
She shook her head. “Lilly said they are a rare flower, so I will leave them be. I have my drawings and that is enough.”
“What are you going to do with the ones in your pocket?”
“I’ll press them and add them to my albums.”
“Do you have a lot?”
“Several albums with about thirty flowers in each.”
“That’s a lot of petals.”
She smiled. “The Lord has made a lot of flowers. I’ll never gather them all. Just like He has made many types of birds.”
He held out his identification book. “I mark off each one that I’ve seen. Someday I’d like to travel down south to view the egrets and storks of the Everglades.”
A small frown appeared on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand that.”
He wasn’t sure how to say it so she could. How many times had she simply smiled instead of comprehending his words? He tried to phrase it more simply. “I want to visit Florida.”
“The Amish community in Pinecrest?”
It was close enough. “That’s right. We should get going.”
He kept a wary watch for wildlife, but their trip through the bog was uneventful. She retrieved her sketch pad and brushed off the dirt before sitting down as far away from the tree as she could get without stepping into the bog. He tried not to smile. Sh
e saw him struggling.
“Laugh if you want, but I am not going to sit where a snake could fall on me.”
“You know there are more of them in the water than in the trees.”
She quickly moved back. “Now you tell me. Will we be here long?”
He shook his head then lifted his binoculars to scan the sky and trees. After several minutes he noticed an olive-sided flycatcher perched in a dead tree a few dozen yards away. He glanced at Esther. She was drawing the red-stemmed feather moss.
He touched her shoulder. “Do you want to see a rare bird?”
“Is it the one you had hoped to see?”
“No, but this one is almost as interesting. An olive-sided flycatcher.” He pointed to the tree. “He’s perched at the very top on that dead limb. He’s a gray fellow with a white strip down his chest.”
Gabe handed her the glasses. He moved closer to help her focus them. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder. He could easily put his arm around her. Would she object?
“I don’t see him. Oh, wait. Now I do. He looks like he’s wearing a gray vest over a white shirt. How cute.”
She lowered the glasses and turned to Gabe. Her smile faded as she gazed at him. She reached out and touched his lips with one finger. “You have a beautiful mouth.”
He sucked in a quick breath. More than anything he wanted to kiss her, but he held himself in check.
She blushed and looked away. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
He cupped her chin to turn her face toward his. “I don’t mind that you like my mouth. I like a lot of things about you.”
“Such as?”
“You have amazing expressive eyes. They look like amber honey in the sunlight. I’ve never seen anyone with that color.”
“I have my mother’s eyes.”
“I imagine she was a special person.”
* * *
Esther turned to look out over the water. Memories of her mother were bittersweet. Her childhood had been wonderful, but all that changed. “When I lost my hearing, she couldn’t accept it. She took me to doctor after doctor hoping to find a cure. There wasn’t one, but she never gave up hope. It consumed her. She neglected my father and my sisters, and they resented it. Eventually our bishop came to speak with her. I don’t think she realized the harm she was doing our family until then.
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