The Courtship Basket

by Amy Clipston

  “Have you ever done any leatherwork?” Leroy asked.

  “No, I haven’t.” Mike examined the leash coiled on Leroy’s desk. “How did you learn the trade?”

  Mike enjoyed listening to Leroy talk about his work. Leroy was a friendly, confident man, and, again, he reminded Mike of how his father used to be before the kidney disease strangled most of the life out of him. Leroy was in the middle of showing Mike how to finish the leash when John appeared beside him.

  “Can I help make the leash?” John asked, craning his neck to watch Leroy work.

  Leroy grinned down at John. “It’s fine with me if it’s okay with your bruder.”

  “That’s a great idea, John.” Mike stood and patted the stool. “Here. You sit with Leroy, and I’m going to go see what Rachel is doing.”

  “Okay.” John began grabbing tools. “What do we do next, Leroy?”

  “Let’s see.” Leroy winked at Mike before turning his attention to John and their project.

  “I’ll leave you two to your work.” Mike started for the door.

  “Mike,” Emily said, coming around from behind the cash register. “Wait one minute.” She motioned for him to step outside with her, and he followed. “I’m froh you and John came by today. I’m so glad Rachel met you. Your friendship means a lot to her.”

  “Danki,” Mike said with surprise. “I’m thankful for her friendship too.”

  “Gut.” Emily gave him a little wave and then returned to the store.

  As Mike walked toward the house, he did a mental headshake. Rachel and her family seemed too good to be true. They were so welcoming and encouraging, and their friendship warmed his soul. He hadn’t realized how lonely he’d been until he’d met them.

  Mike felt as if he might wake up and realize this whole visit had been a dream. For too long he’d been caring for his family with only the help of his cousins, and now he’d found some wonderful friends. He hoped he could cultivate his friendship with Rachel and the whole Fisher family.

  “Mike!” Rachel waved from the porch. “I was just going to come and get you.” She held up two glass mugs. “Do you like root beer?”

  “Ya,” he said, picking up the pace as he approached the steps. “I love root beer.” He took the steps two at a time and then sat down in a rocking chair.

  She handed him a mug and sat down in a rocking chair beside him. “Mei dat makes the best root beer.”

  Mike took a long draw from the mug and nodded. “It’s the best I’ve had.”

  “I told you.” She took a sip. “Did you enjoy spending time in the harness shop?”

  “I did.” Mike pointed toward the store. “John stayed for a leatherworking lesson.”

  “I bet mei dat is enjoying giving lessons.” She pushed her feet on the porch, and the chair moved back and forth. Her gaze moved to the edge of the porch where the planter sat. “I love the planter and the daisies.”

  Mike smiled. “John wanted to give you something special since you’re his favorite teacher.”

  Rachel shook her head. “I don’t deserve that honor, but danki.” She took another sip of root beer.

  “You’ve really gone above and beyond your expected duties by helping John on Saturdays.” He studied her brown eyes. “It’s difficult to believe you didn’t always want to be a teacher.”

  She shrugged and studied the mug of root beer. “It’s like I said last week, it’s funny how sometimes God has other plans for us.”

  “I can definitely relate to that.” He sipped more root beer, savoring the cool carbonation on his throat. He enjoyed their comfortable silence and wondered if Rachel would ever trust him enough to share that painful story about David with him.

  Would she ever consider Mike a close friend?

  The silent question caught Mike off guard, and he shifted in the rocking chair. He hadn’t allowed any young woman to awaken feelings in him for years, but now he found himself yearning to get to know Rachel better. But why? How had she managed to get under his skin and break down the barriers he’d kept secured around his soul, especially since his father had become ill?

  “How’s your dad doing?” she asked, jolting him from his deep thoughts.

  Mike rested the root beer mug on the arm of the chair and blew out a sigh as the image of his ill father appeared in his mind. “The treatments have been tough this week. He’s been more exhausted than usual.”

  “Ach, no.” Rachel’s eyes widened, and the concern in her expression squeezed at his chest. “Do you need to get home to him soon?”

  “No.” Mike shook his head. “As John said when you invited us to lunch, mei aenti and Marie are with him. They wanted to visit him. John and I can stay for a while longer.”

  “Gut.” She ran her finger over the condensation on her mug.

  While Mike took in her beautiful face, he felt the wall he’d kept around his heart begin to crumble. A mixture of fear and happiness settled over him. He didn’t want to care about her, but his feelings for her were deepening as the day wore on. He was falling for her, and it shook him to his core. He couldn’t allow himself to be hurt when she rejected him because of his obligations to his father and brother.

  “Do you like to go fishing?” Rachel asked, crossing her ankles.

  Mike shrugged. “I do, but I don’t get to go as often as I’d like to.”

  “Did your dat like to fish before he became ill?”

  “Oh ya. Some of my best memories with my dat are when we went fishing.” He angled his body toward her. “We used to go to this pond behind the farm. One time I caught a fish that was this big.” He held up his hands to illustrate the size of the fish and told her the story of how he fell out of his uncle’s boat.

  Rachel laughed along with the story, and soon they were sharing their favorite childhood memories. Before Mike realized it, a couple of hours had slipped by.

  “Mike,” Mattie said, appearing on the porch. “Will you and John stay for supper? I’m going to make stew and cornbread.”

  Rachel’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, you and John have to stay.” She reached out to touch his arm, but then suddenly looked embarrassed and stopped. “Mamm makes the best stew.”

  “Danki, but we have to get home. My aenti and cousin have stayed with Dat long enough, I think.” Mike stood. “I should get John and head out.”

  “All right.” Mattie shook his hand. “I’m so froh you could come by today.”

  “I’ll walk you to your buggy,” Rachel said, standing. “Mamm, I’ll come in and help you cook after I see Mike and John off.”

  Mike and Rachel walked to the harness shop together where they found John and Leroy working on a belt.

  “It’s time to go, John,” Mike said, rubbing his brother’s straw-colored hair.

  John’s face fell into a frown. “But we’re still working on this belt. I need to help Leroy finish it.”

  Mike and Leroy shared a grin.

  “Why don’t you come back again soon, and we’ll finish this belt together?” Leroy asked with a warm smile.

  “Ya, that’s a gut idea.” John nodded with emphasis.

  “Great.” Leroy shook John’s hand and then shook Mike’s. “It was nice meeting you both. Hope to see you again soon.”

  Mike and John said good-bye to Leroy and Emily and then followed Rachel out of the harness shop to Mike’s horse, where he hitched up his buggy.

  “Danki for coming over,” Rachel said.

  John wrapped his arms around her waist. “I had fun. I’m going to come back and help your dat with his store.”

  Rachel smiled down at him. “I hope you come back soon.”

  John hopped in the buggy and leaned out the window.

  Mike stepped over to Rachel, and he fought the urge to tell her that he and John would like to stay for supper after all. He couldn’t stand the idea of leaving her when he didn’t know when he’d see her again. “Danki for letting us visit you.”

  “You can visit anytime you’d lik
e.” Rachel pushed one of the ties for her prayer covering over her shoulder. “Maybe you can stay for supper next time.”

  “That would be great.” He shook her hand, enjoying the warm feel of her skin. The air around them felt charged, and he didn’t want to release her. They stared at each other a long moment. He wanted more time with her, and he longed to pull her back up to the porch to sit and talk for a few more hours.

  She suddenly broke the trance, released her hand from his grasp, and glanced back toward the house. “I’d better go help mei mamm.”

  “I’ll see you Monday, Teacher Rachel,” John said from the buggy. Mike spun and faced his younger brother. For a moment, Mike had forgotten John was there.

  “Ya, you will.” Rachel waved at him.

  “Good-bye,” Mike said before climbing into the buggy.

  He waved at Rachel as he guided the horse down the driveway toward the road.

  “I had a lot of fun today,” John said as he gazed out the window.

  “I did too.”

  “We need to do this more often. I like spending time with Rachel and her family.”

  A feeling of dread pooled in Mike’s stomach. John was developing a deep attachment to Rachel, and Mike was too. But Mike couldn’t allow himself to risk his emotions right now. He had to find a way to push those feelings aside and concentrate on only being Rachel’s friend.

  But then he recalled how much he had wanted to stay and how John hugged Rachel before they left. How could he not fall in love with Rachel, when she seemed to be just what he and John both needed?

  CHAPTER 15

  RACHEL WAVED AS THE HORSE AND BUGGY STEERED DOWN the driveway. Then she rubbed her hands together, climbed the back porch steps, and went through the mudroom and into the kitchen. She couldn’t stop thinking about how Mike had held her hand before he left. And why had his expression seemed so intense?

  It was almost as if he’d wanted to stay, even though she knew he felt an obligation to get back to his father.

  “Did you have a nice visit with Mike and John?” Mamm asked as she chopped carrots.

  “Ya, I did.” Rachel pulled out a bag of potatoes and began to peel one, and she remembered how she’d taught John how to peel potatoes last week. She smiled while recalling John’s determination. With his tongue sticking out of his little mouth, he pinched his eyebrows together and worked diligently with the little peeler. She had quickly grown to love that little boy, and she would do anything for him and his family.

  She’d been so disappointed when Mike said they couldn’t stay for supper. She didn’t want them to leave. How had she permitted herself to get so attached to John and Mike? Rachel closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn’t allow herself to walk into another disappointment after the way David had hurt her.

  “Mike seems like a nice young man, ya?” Mamm shot Rachel a knowing expression over her shoulder.

  Rachel shrugged and ignored her mother’s smile. “Ya, he’s very nice.”

  Mamm stopped chopping and faced Rachel. “Didn’t you enjoy talking with him on the porch?”

  “Of course I did.” Rachel shrugged again, as if it weren’t a big deal that she’d spent most of the afternoon getting to know Mike Lantz.

  “You two seemed to be engrossed in a conversation when I walked outside earlier to take some root beer down to the shop.” Mamm continued to smile, making Rachel feel more and more uncomfortable.

  “We were. He’s very easy to talk to.” And he’s handsome, sweet, kind, a gut bruder to John . . . Rachel swallowed a groan. She had to stop thinking about Mike as more than just her student’s brother. “He’s a gut freind.”

  Mamm placed her knife on the counter. “Is something wrong, Rachel? You look upset.”

  “Everything is fine.” Rachel concentrated on peeling the potato in her hand.

  “I thought you’d be excited Mike brought John over to see you. You were so worried Mike didn’t like you. It’s obvious he likes you quite a bit.”

  “I am froh they came over. But Mike and I are only freinden. We really have nothing in common except we both care about John. I want to be the best teacher I can for John, and Mike appreciates that.”

  “You and Mike have nothing in common?” Mamm gave Rachel a withering look. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “It’s the truth,” Rachel insisted. “We talk about John quite a bit. Did you know John had a nice time in the shop with Dat? John wanted to stay and learn more about how to make belts and leashes. I hope they come back again soon because Dat said he’d let John help him finish the belt they were working on together.”

  Mamm walked to the table and placed her hand on Rachel’s arm. She continued to look unconvinced. “Did Mike say something to upset you?”

  “No.” Rachel shook her head. “Why would you think that?”

  “You just seemed so froh while he was here, and now you’re upset. Did something happen before he left?”

  “No, it’s not that at all. He was very cordial when he left.”

  “Are you upset he didn’t stay for supper?” Mamm pressed on, and Rachel shook her head again.

  “Of course not. He had to get back to his dat. He said his dat has had a difficult week with his dialysis treatments. I understand he’s needed at home.” Rachel frowned. Why would Mike even consider wanting to date Rachel when he had so many more pressing things to think about, such as caring for his ill father?

  “Rachel,” Mamm said. “You know you can talk to me.”

  “I know that.” Rachel wiped her hands on a paper towel. She longed to tell Mamm she didn’t want to have such strong feelings for Mike, that she couldn’t figure out how to push these feelings away. But how could she admit she was interested in someone else so quickly after losing David? What would her mother think of her? Would Mamm say she was immature?

  “Did Mike say something to hurt your feelings?” Mamm asked, oblivious to Rachel’s inner turmoil.

  “No, no. It’s nothing like that.” Rachel rolled the paper towel up as if it were a softball and took a deep breath. “It’s just that . . . I really like him, Mamm. I didn’t think I would like someone so quickly after David broke up with me. It’s overwhelming.”

  “Ach, mei liewe.” Mamm’s smile returned. “Love can be both unexpected and overwhelming.”

  “Love? I’m not ready for love. I don’t want to get hurt again. It’s too soon.” Rachel sniffed as tears threatened her eyes. “I see David and Sharon at church and at youth gatherings, and it’s too painful.” Her voice hitched and she cleared her throat. Why was she getting so emotional? She should be past the pain already.

  “You need to forgive David and Sharon and let your heart heal.” Mamm wiped away an errant tear trickling down Rachel’s cheek. “You shouldn’t be afraid to move on. You’re going to meet the right man. Don’t be afraid to give Mike a chance. I can tell he loves his bruder, and I think he really cares about you too.”

  “I can’t risk having Mike break my heart and then having to bear seeing John at school,” Rachel said, folding her arms over her apron. “I’m too connected to John and his family. It would be difficult to have to see Mike at school functions, like the picnic and the Christmas program. Besides, Malinda says I shouldn’t get too involved with the scholars and their families. I could tell she didn’t approve of my weekend tutoring sessions, but I felt like I owed it to Mike after the way I treated him.” She wiped away another tear and focused on her peeling.

  “I can understand taking your time and letting yourself heal, but don’t push Mike away so quickly.” Mamm rested her hand on Rachel’s shoulder.

  “I’m not pushing him away. I’m just being cautious with my emotions. I’m trying to stay realistic. I was too eager to get married, and I’ve learned I can’t force marriage. I will meet the right person, fall in love, and get married when God decides it’s my time. Right now I need to focus on being the best teacher I can. Marriage will come when the time is right.”
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br />   “That’s true,” Mamm agreed as she returned to the carrots. “It will happen for you when it’s the right time, but you need to keep your mind open and don’t close yourself off to everyone.”

  Rachel enjoyed working in silence as a bird sang outside the open window and the warm breeze drifted throughout the kitchen with the aroma of earth and rebirth. After the vegetables were chopped, they dropped them into a large pot, along with stew beef, broth, and spices. Once the stew was cooking, Mamm pulled out the ingredients for the cornbread and Rachel considered what chore she needed to do next.

  “I have gone through my own heartache,” Mamm suddenly said as she combined the ingredients. “I was sure I’d never fall in love again, and I pushed your dat away at first.”

  Rachel raised her eyebrows. “You pushed Dat away?”

  Mamm nodded as she kept her eyes trained on the large mixing bowl. “Ya, I did. I told you he used to bring me meals in that basket you’ve been using to send meals to Mike and his family. That basket served as a kind of mediator between your father and me. It’s sort of a symbol of how we worked things out.” A faraway expression overtook Mamm’s face as if she were recalling those early memories with Dat. “I’m thankful he didn’t give up on me. If he had, then I wouldn’t have had my three wunderbaar dochdern.”

  “I thought you and Dat grew up together.”

  “We did,” Mamm said. “But we had a rocky start to our relationship when we became more than just friends. Sometimes things are more complicated than you expect.”

  Rachel studied Mamm as questions rushed through her mind. What difficulties did her parents have to face when they were first together? “I had no idea, Mamm.”

  “You don’t need to worry about that. We worked things out, and it was for the better in the end.” Mamm looked up at Rachel and smiled. “Don’t fight God’s plan for you. It will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

  “I know.” Rachel held the pan as her mother poured the batter into it. Mamm’s words tumbled through her mind. She knew God had the right plan for her, but she couldn’t stop the anxiety that gripped her whenever she thought about Mike. She enjoyed talking to him and getting to know him, but the fear of another broken heart caused her to restrain the feelings threatening to take over her heart.