Gabe considered it. The question would be better coming from someone who knew how to talk to Esther. But was the time right?
He decided against the idea. “Danki, but not yet.”
He needed Esther to help him finish his work before the festival. If she found out he was interested in courting her and she didn’t return those feelings, she might be uncomfortable working with him. It was more than her sewing skills he wanted to keep. Seeing her every day all day long made him happy. He couldn’t risk losing that.
What he wanted to say could wait until after the festival. By then perhaps his lessons with Jonah would give him a good enough grasp of sign language to make himself understood without worrying that she didn’t get what he was trying to say.
Later in the afternoon, when the families had returned from the church service, Gabe was reading a book in the living room when Esther and Jonah came in. Jonah sat on the sofa beside Gabe while Esther sank to the floor in front of him. He closed his book, keeping his finger between the pages to hold his place. “Did you want something?”
Eagerness filled her amber-colored eyes and made them sparkle. “Bethany Shetler mentioned there is a farmers market in Fort Craig every Wednesday afternoon during the summer.”
“That’s true. Do you have produce you wish to sell? Have you been growing radishes on the side?” He could see that Jonah was signing everything he said.
Esther rolled her eyes. “Be serious a moment. Bethany told me her husband takes some of his clocks to sell, so it doesn’t have to be just vegetables. Apparently a lot of Englisch people come to it.”
“I’ve seen a fair number of them there. What is your point?”
“That the farmers market might be a good place to see how well your items sell, particularly the purses we have made.”
He rubbed his chin as he considered the idea. “There is some merit in your suggestion. But none of the purses are lined yet. How many could we have finished by Wednesday? We still have a lot of pieces to make before the festival.”
“I’ve talked to my sisters, and they are all willing to sew linings for us. We could have a dozen done to take, plus a few of your other items to show people samples of what you make. I said you couldn’t depend on a single festival for your income. Selling at this market could give you income all summer long after the festival is finished. What do you think?”
“I think it is something we should try to see if it is indeed worth our while.”
She clapped her hands together. “I knew you would see the benefits. Perhaps your mother has some leftover fabric from her quilting we can use without adding the expense of buying new material. I’ll go ask her.”
Gabe leaned forward and put his hand on her head to stop her from rising. “It is Sunday. A day of rest. We do only essential work on the Lord’s day.”
“Asking about supplies and looking to see what’s available isn’t working.”
He tipped his head. “Isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Okay. Maybe I am getting carried away.”
He removed his hand and sat back. She sighed deeply. “What are you reading?”
“A book about birds.”
“Is there something you don’t already know in it?”
“The author talks about how the migration patterns of birds are changing due to the changes in our climate.”
“Must be fascinating.” Her expression said just the opposite.
He held back a smile. “Shall I read some since Jonah is here to interpret?”
Jonah shook his head and stood up. “I’m going to play a game or two of horseshoes with Moses.”
The boy left the room, leaving Esther still sitting at Gabe’s feet. He closed his book and put it aside. “What do you like to read?”
She crossed her arms and raised her nose in the air. “What makes you think I enjoy reading?”
“You have a sharp mind. I can’t imagine you would ignore all books have to offer.”
She chuckled. “I do like to read. I enjoy mystery stories and some romances.”
“Love stories? You seem so practical. I wouldn’t have pegged you as a romantic.”
“Well, I am. I think there is someone out there for everyone. Despite the obstacles that life places in our way, the Lord will see that faith and love win the day.”
He leaned forward to gaze into her eyes. “Do you truly believe that?”
Chapter Eleven
Esther gazed up at Gabe. His bright blue eyes were fixed on her intently. What was he thinking? She knew in her heart that this was about more than his question. She did believe there was someone for everyone. Gabe would certainly make some woman a wonderful husband. Esther cared for him dearly, but they weren’t meant for each other. Had she given him the impression that she thought they might be? Was that what he wanted to know?
She wouldn’t hurt him for the world. She had to convince him that his friendship was all that mattered. Because it did, more than she could say.
“I fervently pray the Lord has someone in mind for me to love. A man I can respect and who respects me in return. One who understands what it is to be deaf in a hearing world. I pray Gott has a kind and generous woman in mind for you to love, too.”
Gabe sat back. His gaze became shuttered. “We have both been disappointed in the past. I admire that you still believe in love.”
“Don’t you?”
“I hope to marry someday. I want a family. But trusting that a woman has my best interest at heart is hard.”
“I know what you mean. It is difficult, but at least we know what we want.”
Hearing Barnabas tell her that she needed to be “fixed” before he could marry her had crushed her. It had taken a long time and the wise counsel of her Deaf friends for her to recover her self-esteem. She never wanted to feel that despondent again.
She rose. “I will let you get back to your reading.”
“What will you do this evening?”
“I may take my sketch pad outside. Your mother has a lovely flower garden.”
“Would you like to take a walk? We can choose a different path through the woods. Perhaps you can discover some new wildflowers.”
“I would like that.”
He got to his feet and nodded toward the window. “Our challenge may be avoiding other couples strolling in the woods.”
She looked out and saw Danny talking to her sister Julia in the garden. They headed toward the gate that led to a grove of fruit trees behind the house.
“I’m glad I straightened the ribbons on her kapp.”
Gabe gave her an odd look. “What does that mean?”
“She was insistent that I finish a new head covering for her before church today. This explains whom she was hoping to impress. Let me get my sketch pad.”
She hurried upstairs, eager to spend more time with Gabe. He wasn’t the man for her. She accepted that, but she still cherished their time together. What little of it they had left.
When she returned, he was waiting with his binoculars and his birding book. Together they went out the back door and across the garden. At the gate he took a path that led away from the orchard. They crossed a small meadow with a lone gnarled tree at its center. The remnants of an old rock wall extended a few feet out from its trunk. He took a seat and raised his binoculars to his eyes. Esther settled herself on the ground. A cluster of small yellow flowers were poking their heads out from between the blades of grass. She opened her sketchbook and was soon trying to capture their beauty silhouetted against the moss-covered rocks behind them.
When she finally looked up, she saw Gabe had set his binoculars aside and was watching her. “No birds?” she asked.
“Ordinary ones. Nothing special in the skies or the trees this evening. What did you find?”
She handed him her pad. “I don’t know the name, but
they are very pretty and delicate.”
“They’re called Quaker ladies.”
“Are there flowers called Amish ladies anywhere?”
“I see a lovely one right in front of me.”
She felt a blush rising to her face. “I’m sure I don’t compare favorably to these beauties.”
“I’m forced to disagree.” He looked through the pages at the drawings she had made. He paused at one page and then closed the pad.
“Are you ready to go back?” she asked.
“Nee, I’m content right here.” He handed her sketchbook back to her. “Don’t let me interrupt you.”
She tried to concentrate on drawing a small blue violet she spied a few feet away, but she couldn’t keep her mind on what she was doing with Gabe staring at her.
She looked at him. “It’s disconcerting.”
“What is?”
“You. Gawking at me.”
“I was studying your mouth.”
She raised her fingers to her lips. “Why?”
“You once told me I had a pretty mouth.”
“I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You captured a good likeness of someone’s lips.” He nodded toward her drawing pad.
She had forgotten this one contained the sketches she had made of him at the bog that day. “I spend a lot of time looking at people’s mouths.”
“I was trying to imagine what that must be like.”
“Would you kindly stop staring at mine?”
“It’s pleasing. I like the way you smile. It sneaks out like you aren’t quite ready for it, but then you give in and it’s lovely.”
She stared at her hands. “Now you’re making fun of me.”
He reached out to lift her chin until she was looking at him. “Not in the least.”
She noticed something beyond him in the sky. “You are missing what you came here for.”
“I came here to spend an hour with you.”
“I thought you came out here hoping to see the swallow-tailed kite. He’s flying over your left shoulder.”
“Is he?”
She cocked one eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to look?”
“I’ve discovered observing flowers is more interesting than watching birds.”
Esther wasn’t sure she understood him, but there was no mistaking the tenderness in his eyes. He was making it almost impossible to pretend that friendship was all she wanted.
* * *
Gabe realized his mistake almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. His intention had been to keep their relationship friendly. It wasn’t to reveal his growing attraction to her. But gazing at her lovely face so close to his own was almost his undoing. He had to put some distance between them.
“It’s getting late. We should head back.” He got to his feet and clenched his hands into fists so he wouldn’t reach out to help her up. He didn’t trust himself to hold her hand and not pull her into his embrace. He moved a few steps away.
“Okay.” She scrambled to her feet and dusted off her skirt. She gathered her drawing materials and put them in her bag.
He started walking. After a few steps, he glanced back to make sure that she was following. She kept her eyes downcast. Maybe she didn’t want to know if he spoke again. He told himself it was for the best. She was praying that God would bring a deaf man for her to love. Someone who understood her silent world.
Gabe gave a heavy sigh. She would never believe that he could be such a man.
“Are you in a hurry?”
He stopped and looked back. He had outpaced her by several yards. “I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“Then I’m sorry I interrupted.”
He waited for her to catch up. “Don’t be. I was being rude.”
“Were you thinking about the farmers market?”
Not until she mentioned it, but it was a safe subject. “I may purchase some dyed leather from my supplier. The dog collars and purses might do better if they were more colorful. What do you think?”
“I like the idea. Will you be able to get it soon enough? We absolutely need pink.”
“Maybe not a large assortment of colors. It wouldn’t be wise to invest heavily in something until we know if it will be popular. I’m supposed to have my stitches out tomorrow. I’ll stop at Ed Carson’s when I’m done at the clinic and see what he has available. He tans hides. I know he has some leather already dyed. I can order more if your plan works.”
“If? Do I detect some doubt?” A spark of defiance appeared in her eyes. “May I remind you that you doubted my ability to sew leather goods.”
He decided to goad her a little. “I may have been wrong once, but developing a marketing plan isn’t like planning a meal for the family.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “How many meals have you planned?”
“Well, none.”
“Then you don’t know if it’s more difficult or not.”
He grinned. “Do you feel better now that you have put me in my place?”
She cracked a smile. “A little.”
“If this doesn’t work and I have stacks of pink leather left over, it will be your fault.”
“It won’t come to that. I’m sure of it.”
He leaned toward her. “And how many times have you successfully sold leather goods at a farmers market?”
She turned her head slightly to the side. “Never,” she mumbled.
He tapped her shoulder to make her look at him. When she did, he cupped his hand around his ear. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that.”
“Going deaf, are you?” He heard the amusement in her voice.
“Nee, and I’m not going broke over this project, either. We’ll take a small selection and see how it goes.”
“Agreed.”
“Goot, now can we go home? It’s getting dark, and soon you won’t be able to hear me.”
She chuckled. “I’m glad to see you can finally joke about my condition and not worry that you are insulting me.”
“Friends do that, right? They tease each other.”
“They do. Go ahead, but don’t walk so fast. Your legs are longer than mine.”
He started toward the house again but stayed by her side. They were back on friendly terms, and he was glad of it. He hadn’t ruined their relationship, but he would have to be careful not to be alone with her outside of their work lest he slip up again. It wouldn’t take much to prod him into kissing her adorable mouth.
* * *
The next morning Gabe’s conversation with Esther remained lighthearted and focused on their work together and nothing personal. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. After seeing that she had everything she needed to work on, he took the small wagon into Fort Craig. The clinic was busy. He had to wait almost an hour to be seen. Nurse Heather was the one who called him back to the exam room. “How is that arm?” she asked.
“Much better. I did tear a stitch out the day after the doctor put them in.”
She scowled at him. “And you didn’t come back to see us?”
“It didn’t seem worth the trouble of a trip into town. Someone taped it for me.”
“I forget that you have to come by horse and buggy. Let me get your vital signs and then we’ll have a look.”
When she finished her assessment, he rolled up his sleeve. She unwound the bandage. After pressing in several places, she nodded with satisfaction. “It seems to have healed well despite popping a stitch. Once the doctor has a look, I’ll remove them and send you on your way. How is Esther? Is she still staying with your family?”
“She is, and she’s doing fine. She had a pretty bad headache for a couple of days, but she hasn’t complained of anything since.”
“I’m glad to hear that. She seemed like a very n
ice woman.”
“You mentioned something about a special kind of hearing aid that your daughters were getting. Is it like a cochlear implant?”
She shook her head. “They are very different, but both do require surgery. Why?”
“Esther had a cochlear implant that didn’t work.”
She looked surprised. “Really? That’s very unusual, but it does happen. How disappointing for her.”
“Could she have this other type of hearing aid even if the kind she has failed?”
“As long as she only had a single cochlear implant, yes. If she had two then the bone-anchored hearing aid isn’t an option for her.”
“Why?”
“In most instances the patient’s own cochlea, an internal part of the ear, is permanently impaired by the implant. Some people have residual hearing after the surgery, but most don’t. The bone-anchored device needs an intact cochlea in order to work.”
Maybe that was why Esther hadn’t been interested in learning about this different type of hearing aid. Because she already knew it wouldn’t work for her. But it didn’t explain why Nancy had taken a brochure.
The door to the room opened, and the doctor came in. Heather handed him Gabe’s chart. “He popped one of the stitches the first day, but the rest look fine,” she said.
“How did you manage to do that?” the doctor asked with a sour look.
“Our neighbor’s feed wagon broke down. It took several of us to raise it and replace the wheel.”
The doctor looked at the nurse with an amused grin. “Remind me to add wheel changing to the list of restricted activities for our next Amish patient.”
She nodded solemnly. “Yes, Doctor.”
“Go ahead and remove those sutures. Mr. Fisher, it was a pleasure meeting you.” He walked out of the room still smiling.
It only took Heather a few minutes to snip the stitches in Gabe’s arm. She disposed of the instruments and pulled off her gloves. “You are free to go. Please tell Esther I said hello.”
“I’ll be sure and do that.”
Someone to Trust Page 12
