Could they pretend the kiss had never happened and go back to being friends?
She was willing to try.
She had breakfast well underway by the time he came in from taking care of the animals. She smiled cheerfully. “Good morning. How is Oscar?”
A bemused expression flashed across his face before he turned to hang his hat on a peg by the door. “His hip is draining more. I changed the dressing again.”
“Do you think we should have the vet out to look at him?”
Joshua washed up at the sink. “I don’t think it’s that bad. If it’s not better by Monday, then maybe we should.”
After drying his hands on a towel, he folded it neatly on the counter. “Is your headache better?”
“All gone.”
“Mary, about yesterday. I’d like to explain.”
Pasting a false smile on her face, she said, “It was just a kiss, Joshua. It wasn’t my first one. In case you haven’t noticed, I have a daughter.”
“I just want you to know that I didn’t mean to offend you. I value your friendship. I hope I haven’t lost that.”
“You haven’t lost a thing. I’m still your friend.” She turned away. It was too hard to keep up the pretense while he was watching.
“I’m thankful for that. It won’t happen again.”
Oh, but she wished it would. “Go ahead and pour your own coffee. I’m going to get Hannah and Ada up. We’ll have to hurry if we don’t want to be late for church.” There was plenty of time, but she left the room, anyway.
Since they hadn’t yet been able to purchase a new buggy, they journeyed in the cart to the home of Adrian and Faith Lapp about three miles away. The main doors of the red barn had been opened wide. Men were unloading backless wooden benches from a boxlike gray wagon the congregation used to transport them from home to home on the day of the services. A number of men recognized Joshua and called out a greeting. Atlee and Moses Beachy had been put in charge of the horses. They came up to the cart as Joshua helped Mary down.
Ada gave the young men a stern look. “No tricks from you boys today.”
Atlee and Moses smiled at each other. Atlee said, “Everybody has been telling us that. A good joke is only funny when you least expect it. We couldn’t get away with anything today. Everyone is watching.”
Ada poked her finger toward them. “I’m keeping my eye on you just the same. Any funny business and you’ll have to answer to me.”
Mary tried to hide her smile, but she caught Joshua’s eye and saw he was struggling to keep a straight face, too. A giggle escaped her. Ada could no more keep up with those two boys than she could fly, but that didn’t stop her from giving them what for.
Joshua managed to cover his chuckle with a cough. He handed Mary the baskets of food from the back of the cart. “Find me when you’re ready to leave. It doesn’t matter to me how long we stay.”
The service would last for at least three hours. Afterward, a light noon meal would be served. Afternoons were usually spent visiting with friends and neighbors while the children played hide-and-seek and the teenagers got up a game of volleyball. Families didn’t normally leave until late afternoon. If the hosting family was having a singing that night, many of the young set would remain until dark.
Ethan Gingerich came up to Joshua. “How is your horse faring?”
“The wound is still draining more than I would like. Have you any suggestions?”
The two men walked away discussing equine medicine. Mary sighed deeply. Joshua seemed right at home among them. It was a pity he was leaving. She would miss him dreadfully.
Ada grasped Mary’s arm to steady herself as they walked across the uneven ground. “What’s the matter, child?”
“I just realized that Joshua is going to find out today that I’ve never been married.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I will be sitting in my usual place with the unmarried women. He’ll know I wasn’t married to Hannah’s father.”
“And how will he know the women around you are single? He doesn’t know them.”
“He knows Betsy. We always sit together.”
“Well, isn’t it better that he finds out sooner rather than later?”
“I know, but I don’t want him to think badly of me.”
“Our mistakes cannot be undone, child. We face them, we admit them and then we strive to do better. The sins of your past were all forgiven when you were baptized. If Joshua thinks less of you, then he is not a man to worry over, he’s a man to be forgotten. There are plenty of Amish men in this community who would prize you as a wife.”
“I’m not sure that’s true, but you are kind to say so. Only I don’t fancy any of them.”
Ada turned to face her. “And do you fancy Joshua Bowman?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I do.”
Mary thought Ada would begin shouting for joy. She was always pressing Mary to find a man. To her surprise, Ada ignored her comment and said, “Let’s take this food into the house and enjoy praising our Lord on this beautiful day. We have much to be thankful for. I wonder who will preach the service since Bishop Zook is still in the hospital?”
After delivering the food to the kitchen and chatting briefly with the women gathered there, Mary, Hannah and Ada went out to the barn and took their places on the benches provided.
The sun shone brightly beyond the barn doors. They had been propped open to catch the warm rays on the cool spring morning. Rows of wooden benches in the large hayloft were filled with worshipers, men on one side, women on the other, all waiting for the church service to begin. Large tarps had been hung from the rafters to cover the hay bales stacked along the sides. The floor had been swept clean of every stray piece of straw.
Mary sat quietly among her friends with Hannah beside her. Glancing across the aisle to where the men sat, she caught Joshua’s eye. He was near the back among the single men. He smiled at her and she smiled back shyly. If he realized the significance of where she was sitting, it didn’t appear to bother him. Had she been worried about nothing? When would she learn to leave her fears in God’s hands?
As everyone waited for the Volsinger to begin leading the first hymn, Mary closed her eyes. She heard the quiet rustle of fabric on wooden benches, the songs of the birds in the trees outside and the occasional sounds of the cattle and horses in their stalls below. The familiar scent of alfalfa hay mingled with the smells of the animals and barn dust as a gentle breeze swirled around her. She opened her eyes and saw a piercing blue sky above the green fields outside. It was good to worship the Lord this close to His creations.
The song leader started the first hymn with a deep clear voice. No musical instruments were allowed by their Amish faith. Such things were seen as worldly. More than fifty voices took up the solemn, slow-paced cadence. The ministers, the deacon and the visiting bishop were in the farmhouse across the way, agreeing on the order of the service and the preaching that would be done.
Outsiders found it strange that Amish ministers and bishops received no formal training. Instead, they were chosen by lot, accepting that God wanted them to lead the people according to His wishes. They all preached from the heart, without a written sermon. They depended on the Lord to inspire them. Some were good preachers, some more ordinary and some, like Bishop Zook, were truly gifted at bringing God’s word alive on Sunday morning.
The first song came to an end. The congregation sat in deep silence. The Lord’s Day was a joyful but serious day. Everyone understood this. Many in the community had suffered, but God had spared many more. All of them were here to give thanks.
After a few minutes of silence, the Volsinger began the second song. When it ended, the ministers and the visiting bishop entered the barn. As they made their way to the minister’s bench, they shook hands with t
he men they passed.
For the next several hours Mary listen to the sermons delivered first by each of the ministers and then by the bishop. They spoke of sharing the burdens that had been placed on the community. She tried to absorb the meaning of their words. There had been many times when she felt burdened by the vows she had taken, but today wasn’t one of them. She belonged to a special, caring people.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. This day she felt the warmth of God’s presence. She gave thanks for the goodness He had bestowed upon her and her family and begged His forgiveness for all her doubts and faults.
Facing the congregation, the bishop said, “Galatians, chapter six, verses nine and ten. ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’
“The Lord has made it clear that it is the duty of everyone present to aid our members in need. As you know, Bishop Zook was injured in the storm. He remains in the hospital, but by God’s grace he will soon be released. We will be taking up a collection for the medical bills he can’t meet. His barn was also destroyed in the same storm. I have met with other area bishops and we are planning a barn raising for him a week from Monday. Everyone is invited to help to the extent that they are able.” He gave a final blessing and the service was over.
The scrabble of the young boys in the back to get out as quickly as possible made a few of the elders scowl in their direction, including Ada. Mary grinned. She remembered how hard it was to sit still at that age. It was harder still because the young people knew they would be spending the rest of the day visiting with their friends and playing games. Although the young girls left with more decorum, they were every bit as anxious to be out taking advantage of the beautiful spring day. She let Hannah follow them.
Mary happened to glance in Joshua’s direction and caught him staring at her. All the other men were gone.
Betsy elbowed her in the side. “Will you stop looking at that man like you are a starving mouse and he is a piece of cheese?”
Mary rose to her feet. “I’m not a starving mouse.”
“You could’ve fooled me.” The two of them went out together and soon joined the rest of the women who were setting up the food. The elders were served first. The younger members had to wait their turn. When Joshua came inside to eat, Alvin was with him. Betsy saw him, muttered an excuse and quickly left the room.
Alvin put his plate down. “I reckon I’ve lost my appetite.”
He left and Joshua looked at Mary. “Is there anything you can think of that would aid his cause? He’s miserable. He’s been talking about her nonstop for the last half hour.”
“Betsy is miserable, too. I don’t know how to help.”
“I might have an idea. It’s my turn to have a plan, right?”
She smiled. “I think it’s my turn, but you go ahead.”
“Is Betsy the jealous type?”
“I wouldn’t know. Alvin has been stuck to her side ever since they met. She’s never had to worry about him straying.”
“Let’s see how she reacts if he shows an interest in someone else.”
Mary bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. That doesn’t seem right.”
“If this blows up in our faces, it’s your turn for a plan.”
“Oh, make it worse and then hand it to me. Danki. What girl will go along with this? Don’t look at me.”
“Just make sure Betsy is where she can see the barn door on the south side in half an hour. Can I borrow your traveling bonnet?”
“What for?”
He gave her a big grin. “Because my helpers didn’t bring theirs.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, but I left mine on the seat of the cart.”
“Okay. Thirty minutes.”
“South barn door.”
“Right.” He winked and went out.
Betsy returned shortly. When it was their turn to eat, they carried their plates outside and joined Betsy’s sisters on several quilts spread in the shade of an apple tree. The alpacas that Adrian and Faith raised were lined up at the fence watching the activity. Mary found them adorable, especially the babies. The adults, with their freshly shorn bodies and fluffy heads, were comical. The south barn door was in easy view from where she was sitting.
“Betsy, where is Alvin?” her sister Lizzie asked.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Betsy declared.
Her three sisters shared shocked looks. Clara, the oldest, gaped at Betsy. “Since when?”
“Since ages ago. I don’t have to share everything with you just because you’re my sisters.”
Greta touched Mary’s arm. “Did you know about this?”
“I know she’s been miserable since he stopped talking to her.”
“I have not. And he didn’t stop talking to me. I stopped talking to him.”
Mary saw Joshua and Alvin standing just inside the barn door. The bottom half of the split door was closed, but the top was open. A tall woman in a black bonnet was standing with them. She was turned so Mary couldn’t see her face. She appeared to be in an animated conversation with Alvin.
Lizzie noticed at the same time. “He’s not having any trouble talking to that woman. Who is that?”
Betsy swung her head around to look. “I don’t know.”
Alvin laughed at something the woman whispered in his ear. Her bonnet dipped and her shoulders jiggled as if she were giggling. Clara said, “She’s very tall. I don’t know who it could be.”
Joshua stepped out of the barn and came toward them. Alvin slipped his arm around the woman’s shoulder and they disappeared from view inside the barn.
Betsy shot to her feet. “Who was that with Alvin?”
Joshua shrugged. “I didn’t catch the name, but they seem to know each other well.”
He sat down beside Mary. “Are you about ready to go?”
She tried to keep a straight face. “Not yet.”
Betsy fisted her hands on her hips. “Is it one of those Pennsylvania Amish girls that came to help in town? She should stay in her own state.”
Joshua shook his head. “That’s unkind, Betsy. Alvin was just being nice.”
“I saw how nice he was being. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
“But you aren’t speaking to him,” Mary reminded her.
“You’re right. I’m not.” Betsy sat down, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the barn. Alvin and his friend never reappeared.
Later, when they were getting ready to leave, Joshua was helping Ada into the cart when Atlee and Moses brought Tilly to them and hitched her up. Ada scooted to the far edge of the seat. “You boys were good today. I’m glad to see you’ve grown out of your need to play pranks.”
Moses grinned at her. “I wouldn’t say we’ve outgrown it.”
Atlee handed Mary a bundle of cloth. “Thanks for the use of your bonnet. Alvin found it very becoming on my brother.”
The boys punched each other in the shoulder and walked off laughing. Ada shook her head. “I’m glad they aren’t mine.”
Mary smoothed out her bonnet and took Hannah as Joshua handed her up. “Really? Moses, Alvin and my bonnet? That was your plan?”
He climbed in and took the reins. “I think it worked. Betsy was stunned. At least Alvin knows she isn’t indifferent.”
“You got her attention, I’ll give you that.”
“Now all Alvin has to do is keep it.” He slapped the reins against Tilly’s rump and the mare took off.
* * *
Relieved that his relationship with Mary seemed to be on the mend, Joshua was eager to return to work in Hope Springs. On Monday, he and Mary made the tri
p again. There were fewer volunteers in town. The initial storm and media coverage had brought in hundreds of people wanting to help. Now that the nitty-gritty of rebuilding was getting underway, there was less need for general cleanup and more need for skilled carpenters. The Amish and Mennonite workers remained as the backbone of the recovery effort.
After leaving Mary at the Wadler Inn, Joshua crossed the now barren blocks toward the church. He and several others would be rebuilding the portico that morning. As he passed by Gina Davis’s home, he saw she was out pruning her rosebushes. Pete’s children were playing in the yard. The front door of the house opened and a woman with a baby in her arms called for the others to come in. He saw Pete on the roof setting the last of the chimney bricks into place. Pete saw him and waved. “How’s it going?”
Joshua stopped and tipped back his hat. “Not bad. And you?”
“I’m done here. I’ll start at the school tomorrow. I’ve been hired by the school district to repair the building. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“The laborer is worthy of his hire. Are you still staying at the inn?”
Pete gathered his tools and came down the ladder. “Actually, we’re staying with Mrs. Davis until we can get a new house built. It’s working out for both of us.”
Exactly as Mary had hoped it would. Joshua touched the brim of his hat. “Have a goot day.”
He started to walk away, but Pete stopped him. “You might want to keep an eye out for anything odd. They told us in the town meeting this morning that some of the stores have been looted. The police have set up a tip line folks can call if they see something. Just when it seems the goodness of mankind toward one another is overwhelming, a few have to prove there are still miserable people out there.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Joshua walked on. Instead of following the winding street, he took a shortcut through a wooded area that surrounded the rocky outcropping behind the church. A small stream cut through the woods. It led to the bubbling spring that had given the town its name. There was a small bridge over the brook behind the church, but he had no trouble jumping across using a couple of convenient stones. He was about a block from the church when he saw two men slipping through the trees ahead of him. Something in their stealthy demeanor caught his attention. He watched as they entered the back door of a vacant house with faded paint and boarded-over windows that had fallen into disrepair years before the tornado arrived. He was tempted to walk on, but his curiosity drew him to follow them.
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