The Hearts of Middlefield Collection

by Kathleen Fuller

  She lifted a light blonde brow. “I wouldn’t ask that of you. I’m sure you have enough work to do.”

  “I can come by during lunch. It’s no bother, and I’ll have the fixtures and electric wires out in no time. Also, if you need some display shelves I could make you a few.”

  Anna hesitated for a moment. Her pause convinced him that money was on her mind. Then she shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but to be honest . . . I don’t think I could afford your work. If your shelves are as gut as your crafts, which I suspect they are, you’d be well out of my price range.”

  Her words pleased him, making him redouble his efforts to convince her. “Not if I use scrap wood.” He leaned forward, pressing the issue. “Which I have plenty of back at the shop.”

  “I don’t know. Seems I would be taking advantage of your kindness.” She lifted her chin and her expression became stern. “Danki for the crafts, Lukas. I know they’ll sell very quickly.”

  On the verge of being dismissed, he had to figure out a way to help her. “I don’t think you’re taking advantage of anything, especially when what I’m proposing will help both of our businesses.”

  She stepped out from behind the counter. “What do you mean?”

  “I can build your shelves in exchange for putting some business cards in your store and maybe a label telling where the shelves came from. You could sell them to your customers if you wanted, and we’ll split the proceeds.”

  Putting her hands behind her back, she said, “That does make gut business sense.”

  “Then shall we shake on it?” He held out his hand.

  “I haven’t said ya, yet.”

  “But I can tell you’re going to.” He moved his hand toward her, gratified when he saw the ghost of a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. She slipped her delicate hand in his. He noticed the warmness of her palm, and he didn’t want to let go.

  “And if you don’t mind,” she said, still shaking his hand,” I’ll take you up on the offer to pull out the electricity and put in some gas lighting. I’ll pay you, of course.”

  “Of course.” But he didn’t intend to take a penny from her.

  “Zeb, you really should be at home. Resting.”

  “I don’t need you tellin’ me what to do, Edna Esh.”

  Anna stopped washing the store-front window and glanced over her shoulder at her mother and uncle arguing behind the counter. Uncle Zeb had insisted on coming to the shop today and helping out, even though his doctor had told him to take it easy for the next few months after he’d fallen off the ladder in March. Luckily he hadn’t broken anything when he landed on his back, only compressed some vertebrae. Still, he’d spent a few days in Geauga Hospital, giving the nurses fits. At that point the hospital personnel had called Edna, Uncle Zeb’s next of kin, and practically begged her to take him home.

  “Zeb, Anna and I can’t help you if you ignore what we say.” Edna put her hand on his thin shoulder.

  He shrugged it off, his back bent into a slight C shape. “Didn’t ask for your help. Was doin’ just fine until you came along.”

  “You could barely stand up.”

  Zeb scowled but didn’t contradict her.

  “I promised the hospital I would keep an eye on you.” Edna moved to stand in front of Zeb, her hands on her full hips. “And that’s what I’m going to do. Anna and I are capable of getting the store ready for opening day. Now, get in the buggy and I’ll take you home. Melvin Yoder should have never brought you here in the first place.”

  “He was being neighborly.”

  “Because he saw you limping on the side of the road. He said he couldn’t let you walk all the way over here, and he was right. I’m glad he did pick you up.” She let out a long sigh.

  “You can’t expect me to stay home and do nothin’.” He slid away from her, the soles of his work boots scuffling against the smooth cement floor.

  “That’s exactly what I expect you to do. I wish you would listen to me for once.”

  “An’ like I said before, I ain’t takin’ orders from you.”

  Noting the escalating tone of their voices, Anna went to them. “Mami’s right, Onkel Zeb. You should geh home and rest your back. That’s the only way you’re going to get better.”

  “Mei back is fine.” Stepping away, he looked at her, his blue eyes surrounded by deep wrinkles in his permanently tan skin. “Just like I told that doctor. Don’t trust them anyway. Yankee docs, what do they know about Amish people?”

  Anna wanted to say they knew plenty, but at that moment the door opened and Lukas walked in, a heavy tool belt slung over his shoulder. From the looks of it he’d brought every tool he owned. “Guten morgen.” He looked straight at her, then smiled.

  Attraction zinged through her but she tried to ignore it. She hadn’t expected to see him so soon after making their agreement yesterday. “Hello, Lukas.”

  “We’re so glad you’re here.” Edna’s frustrated expression suddenly melted faster than ice cream on a summer day. “Anna told me you offered to take care of the power. Danki again for your help.”

  “Glad to do it.” He walked further into the store and nodded at Onkel Zeb. “Herr Esh. Nice to see you.”

  Zeb ignored Lukas’ greeting, turning to glare at Edna and Anna. “So you’ll let this bu help you but not me?”

  Anna detected a note of hurt in his gruff tone. “Onkel Zeb, it’s not that we don’t want your help—”

  “You think an old mann can’t do his share.”

  “Nee.” She looked to her mother, catching the flustered expression in her eyes. Why did her uncle refuse to listen to reason?

  “Just got finished tellin’ these womenfolk I’m fine.” His gaze narrowed. “But all they want to do is put me out to pasture.”

  “Zeb, that’s not true and you know it,” Edna said.

  Without missing a beat Lukas jumped in. “Well, if you’ve got the time to spare, I can use all the help I can get.”

  Edna shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a gut idea.”

  “Well, I do.” Zeb shuffled over to Lukas. “I’ve been takin’ out fancy Yankee wirin’ since before you were born, Edna Esh. Could do the job with my eyes closed.”

  “That’s not the point and you know it—”

  “Why don’t we start in the back?” Lukas gave Edna a quick nod and led Zeb toward the back office. A moment later Lukas stepped out of the office, pulling the door almost closed behind him. In a lowered voice, he said. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t overdo it.” He winked at Anna, then disappeared into the office again.

  Anna couldn’t help but smile. Somehow she knew her uncle was in good hands.

  “He’s a fine young mann.” Edna leaned against the counter, relief washing over her features. “Not too many people can handle Zeb that easily.” She turned to Anna. “He’s quite schee, too, don’t you think?”

  “I’m not interested.” Anna turned away from her mother and returned to the front window, her good humor dissipating. “I’m sure Lukas isn’t either.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.” Edna came up behind her. “It looked to me that he’s definitely interested.”

  Anna turned to her mother. “Don’t, Mami.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. I’m not ready, or willing, to get involved with someone again.”

  “Oh, Anna.” Edna’s voice lowered and turned soft. “I know Daniel hurt you deeply. But you have to forgive him sometime.”

  “I have.” She nearly choked on the words, even though they were the truth. She had been raised to forgive others, seventy times seven if necessary. “Forgiving isn’t the problem.”

  “Then you have to move on. You’re twenty-four years old, dochder. Time to be thinking about marriage and a family.”

  “What if that’s not what I want?” She turned her attention back to the window and started wiping it with a paper towel dampened with cleaner.

  “You wanted that
at one time.”

  “Not anymore.” She moved the towel back and forth over the glass with such force the towel started to fray. “This new business holds so many possibilities, and I’m excited about that. I love the idea of being independent.”

  “Now you sound like Zeb.”

  “Maybe I’m more like him than you think.”

  Edna moved to stand alongside her. “Nee. I think you’re hiding.”

  “And I think you’re prying.”

  “Well, at least there’s one thing you and Zeb have in common.”

  “Which is?”

  “Stubbornness.” She smoothed the skirt of her navy blue dress. “You are both sehr stubborn, and there’s no talking to you.” Turning around, she walked back to the counter.

  Anna pressed her lips together and stared out the window. Esh’s Amish Goods was one of a small strip of stores that faced the side of a large quilt shop. She imagined a steady stream of customers coming into the store. She loved the idea of not having to depend on anyone. She would be her own person, with her own money and her own business. That was what she wanted.

  But if that was the case, then why didn’t she feel satisfied? She refused to believe her mother was right—that she was hiding her true desires for a husband and family. That had been her dream once, before Daniel Hochstetler had crushed it into a thousand pieces by breaking their engagement last November. They had been together for over three years, although she had been in love with him for much longer than that.

  With a shake of her head she cleared her thoughts. After Daniel had left her two days before their wedding, then married someone in another district only months later, she had redefined her goals. God must have agreed with her choice, because He had given her this new opportunity. Moving from Maryland to Middlefield and purchasing this shop had been almost seamless, save for Uncle Zeb’s cantankerous attitude.

  “Anna.”

  She turned around at the sound of Lukas’ voice. She had been so deep in her own musings she hadn’t heard him approach. He had come up directly behind her, and now they were face-to-face, so close she could see tiny flecks of gold interspersed with the green in his hazel eyes. She felt her pulse thrum and blurted out, “You’re done already?”

  “Nee. It’s a bigger job than I thought. Plus we still have to take out the fixtures.” He glanced up at the ceiling at the gold-pendant lights. “Too fancy for the shop, don’t you think?”

  He had left his hat in the back room, and his black, wavy hair hung down to his eyebrows and over his ears. “Ya,” she said, tearing her gaze away from him. “They are too fancy.” She strode past him to the opposite counter.

  “Once Zeb and I get them down and finish with the wiring, we can hook up the propane.”

  She turned around. “Are you sure he’s not bothering you?”

  “Bothering me?” Lukas chuckled. “He knows this stuff inside and out. I’m glad he wanted to help out. He tells me what to do, and I do it.”

  “Sounds like my uncle. He’s great at giving orders, just not so gut at taking them.”

  “He’s a gut mann. A little gruff, but who wouldn’t be after falling off a ladder? Especially at his age.”

  “So you heard about his accident.”

  “He filled me in.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. But I don’t think he’s gruff only because of the accident. According to Mami he’s been crabby pretty much his entire life. Or so she tells me. I hadn’t met him until we moved here. He’s almost twenty years older than my father was.”

  “Was?”

  “He died a few years ago.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” Lukas shoved his hands in his pants pockets, the tool belt dangling around his trim waist.

  “I appreciate you working with him. Not everyone can handle Onkel Zeb.”

  “I will say he’s unusual, being a lifetime bachelor and all that. But the Lord created all kinds of people, because He knew we all had to be a little different or we’d drive each other ab im kopp.”

  Anna grinned, unable to help herself. Lukas Byler was definitely different than Daniel, not only in looks but in manner. Daniel had been shy and reserved, at times even unsure of himself. That description definitely didn’t apply to Lukas, who exuded confidence and was quick with a smile. A very attractive smile.

  Not that any of it mattered, because she didn’t want to be attracted to Lukas. She couldn’t afford to be attracted to him.

  Chapter 3

  Aaron grunted as he lifted another crate of horseshoes into his buggy. It must have weighed about eighty pounds, and he was thankful he had a vehicle to transport it in. His feet had been his transportation for the past couple of years, but when he took over the farrier part of the business for Gabriel last fall, he finally broke down and bought one. Many of their clients lived within a few miles, and though he could borrow Gabe’s buggy when he needed to go to a job, having his own was quicker and more practical.

  He walked back to the shop and saw Gabe busy at the forge, pounding out another horseshoe. “Why don’t you knock off for the day?” Gabe brought the hammer down on the hot metal, the clanging sound vibrating through the shop. “There’s only a few more of these left to do.” He looked up at Aaron. “How many horses do you have to shoe tomorrow?”

  “I think about fifteen, but I’m taking twenty pairs with me.” Gabe and his father, John, had not only taught Aaron how to make horseshoes and other useful items out of metal but also how to shoe horses. Aaron actually enjoyed being a farrier more than he did a blacksmith, but those two jobs went hand in hand. He looked forward to Tuesdays when he had a chance to work with the horses.

  “Better to be prepared.” Gabe put down his tongs and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

  “Are you sure you don’t need me to stay?”

  Gabe shook his head. “Nee. I’m going to finish up these shoes, then close the shop for the rest of the afternoon.”

  “When’s John due back from Indiana?”

  “Next week.” Gabe picked up the tongs again. He took the horseshoe from the anvil and put it back in the forge. “But he’s extended his visit twice, so we may not see him for another month or so.”

  “I’m glad he’s enjoying time with his familye.”

  “Ya, I am too. Retirement seems to suit him, and to hear him tell it, he’s healthier than he’s ever been. Although I’m sure he’s staying busy with his sister’s kinner. Daed can never be idle for too long.” He pulled out the shoe and put the red hot metal on the anvil. “Speaking of familye, your sister was asking about you. She wondered if you planned to come visit her and the boppli in the hospital. I didn’t know what to tell her.”

  Aaron paused. “I don’t want to bother them.”

  “I don’t think Rachel would see it as a bother. Sounded to me like she would appreciate you stopping by.”

  “All right. I’ll head up there later on.” Aaron was glad his sister and the baby were doing well. He hadn’t always gotten along with Rachel, but after she’d married Tobias—and since he’d given up his wild and illegal ways—they were on better terms with each other.

  His four brothers were several years older than him, so they had never been close. Three of them lived nearby in West Farmington, and one lived in Pierpont, about an hour away. He didn’t see them very often, although his mother had often babysat the grandchildren when they were younger. Aaron had done little to cultivate any type of relationships with his nieces and nephews, or his brothers and their wives. In turn, they hadn’t wanted much to do with him during his teen years. Not that he blamed them. More regrets to add to an ever-growing list.

  Back in his buggy, Aaron made his way toward his parents’ home. He saw another buggy in the distance, but instead of making its way down the paved road, it was pulled to the side. When he drew near enough, Aaron pulled his horse to a stop behind it to offer his help. He jumped out and walked up to the driver’s side of the buggy. “Do you need some . . .” His voice trailed as he saw E
lisabeth Byler inside.

  “Oh, I’m glad to see you!” Elisabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she poked her head out of the buggy. She said a quick prayer of thanks that God had sent help, especially Aaron, who would know exactly what to do about her predicament. “Daisy threw a shoe a little while back.”

  He stopped when he reached the driver’s side, then faced her. “Is she hurting?”

  “She’s limping, but I don’t think she’s in a lot of pain. I pulled over as soon as I could.”

  Aaron nodded. “Gut. I’ve got shoes and tools in my buggy. We’ll get her fixed up quick.” As he stood on the shoulder of the road, several cars dashed by, stirring up a breeze strong enough to flutter the brim of his straw hat.

  “Danki, Aaron.” She moved to step out of the buggy when he touched her arm.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Going to find the shoe.”

  “Nee. Stay in the buggy. I’ll find it.”

  “That’s all right, I don’t mind looking for it.”

  “Stay here. Too many cars flying by.”

  His tone firm, she nodded and hopped back inside. Elisabeth peeked over the edge of the door and watched him search for the shoe. When he found it, he strolled to his buggy, apparently oblivious to the traffic racing by. He climbed inside, then disembarked, holding a black object in his hand, and went straight for the horse. Now she could tell what he held—a small protective leather boot that would allow her to drive home without damaging the horse’s foot. After murmuring a few words to the horse, he crouched down and placed the boot over her left foot. When he stood up, he put his hands on his hips and called out to Elisabeth. “I’ll meet you at your house.”

  Goodness, she’d never noticed how broad his shoulders were. Not that she’d ever thought of Aaron in romantic terms. That would be ridiculous. But she had to admit he was a nice looking man, and she couldn’t help but see the way his light blue shirt sleeves, rolled to the elbow, revealed muscular forearms sprinkled with blond hair. Just like all the other Amish men, he wore black suspenders and broadfall pants, pegged at the ankles, along with a yellow straw hat that cast a shadow over his face.