The Hearts of Middlefield Collection

by Kathleen Fuller

  “Do you?”

  “Of course I do. We work together, and he’s helped me out.” More than she cared to admit.

  “I don’t mean as a coworker or a friend. You knitted him a scarf, after all.”

  “For Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Nee, there isn’t.” Anna brushed a few crumbs off the tablecloth with the side of her hand. “It was a nice thing to do.”

  “That’s because I’m a nice person.” She smiled, feeling less like a fool. “Speaking of liking people, what’s going on with you and Lukas?”

  Anna’s smile faded. “Nix. He’s not here.”

  “I know, and that’s strange. I can’t imagine where he’d be.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure wherever he is he’s having a gut time.” Anna stood up and went to the sink, turning on the water.

  “Do you need some help with the dishes?”

  She shook her head. “There’s only a few left. We washed most of them earlier.” Facing Elisabeth, she said, “Why don’t you geh upstairs?”

  “Are they still talking about quilts?”

  “Probably.”

  Elisabeth let out a sigh. “Thrilling.”

  She pushed back from the table. There wasn’t anything else for her to do, so she might as well go back upstairs. She was tempted to go in the living room and sit with the men, but knowing them, they would be talking about work, and she wasn’t in the mood to listen about the intricacies of cabinet building or the pros and cons of using coal or carbon in the forge. What she really wanted to do was go out and catch snowflakes on her tongue, like she used to do as a child. But she wasn’t a child anymore, and she needed to put those things behind her. If discussing textile designs helped do that, then she’d participate.

  Yet she couldn’t resist stepping out the back door and watching the snow float to the ground for just a minute. Looking around, she stuck her tongue out to taste the flakes, then went back inside.

  “I forgot how tiring having company could be.” Edna wiped the top of the stove with a wet rag. “I’m exhausted. But it was a nice time, ya?”

  “Ya, it was.” Despite her disappointment about Lukas not showing up, Anna liked visiting with everyone. She especially enjoyed talking to Elisabeth, whom she suspected was in a bit of denial about her feelings for Aaron. Then again, if anyone was an expert on denying their feelings, it was Anna.

  She walked over and took the rag from her mother’s hand. “Let me finish this, Mami. You geh ahead to bed.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Anna nodded. “There’s not much else to do. I’ll finish up in here and put out the candles in the living room.”

  “Zeb is in there.”

  “Still?”

  “Ya.” Edna shook her head. “He fell asleep about an hour ago. Don’t worry about him. He’ll wake up and go upstairs in a little while.”

  “All right.”

  “Gut nacht, Anna.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Hallicher Grischtdaag.”

  “Merry Christmas. Night, Mami.”

  Anna wiped down the last dish and put it in the cabinet. She turned off the gas light in the kitchen and went into the living room. Sure enough, Uncle Zeb was snoring away in his rocker. She took the quilt off the back of the couch and laid it over him, then turned to blow out the candles. Just as she was about to extinguish the last one, she heard a knock on the door.

  Startled, she paused for a moment. Who would be coming here this late at night? It was still snowing out, so maybe someone was stranded on the side of the road and needed help. She went to the door and opened it.

  “Merry Christmas.”

  Anna’s mouth dropped open at seeing Lukas standing in front of her. Snow covered his black hat and the shoulders of his coat. He held a box in his hand.

  “All right if I come in?”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, unable to comprehend that he was here. She just gripped the door and stared.

  “Anna?” He tilted his head, a puzzled look crossing his face.

  “Ya?”

  He hesitated, as if waiting for her to respond. When she didn’t, he frowned. “Can I come in?”

  “What? Ya. Come in.” She moved so he could walk past her, then shut the door and turned around, still surprised to see him. “I didn’t mean to make you stand out there in the cold.”

  “I’m really late, and I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t think you were coming.”

  Lukas nodded. “I didn’t think I’d ever get here myself. I was on the way but a buddy of mine stopped by and he needed help with one of his cows. Seemed she decided Christmas was a gut day to have a calf, but the calf had other ideas.”

  “Are they both okay?”

  “Ya. The calf finally came out. Mudder and sohn are doing fine. But by the time it was over I was a mess and had to get a shower. I got here as fast as I could after that.”

  She should have known he’d been helping someone. That was typical Lukas. “You didn’t have to come. I would have understood.”

  “I know, but I wanted to be here so I could give you this.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in plain brown paper.

  “Lukas, danki.” Surprised and touched, she took the box from him.

  He laid his coat and hat on the closest chair.

  “Are you hungry? I can fix you something to eat.”

  “Nee. I’m fine.”

  “We can sit down here.” She gestured to the sofa on the opposite side of the room.

  Lukas looked at Zeb sleeping in the chair. “Sure we won’t wake him up?”

  “I doubt it. He fell asleep while everyone else was still here, so I think he’s gone for the night.”

  They sat down and Anna held the box in her hands, anticipating the gift inside. “Can I open it?”

  “I insist.”

  She tore off the paper and lifted the lid. Nestled on a small square of white cotton was a silver watch pin. “It’s beautiful, Lukas.” She looked up. “I love it.”

  He let out a breath and grinned. “Gut, because I can’t take it back.”

  She touched the glass covering the face of the watch. It was a lovely gift, and the nicest one she’d ever received. It made hers pale in comparison. “I have something for you too. But it’s not as nice as this.”

  “You got me something?” He seemed genuinely surprised.

  “Ya.” She got up and went to her bedroom, coming back with his present. “Like I said, it’s not much.”

  “It’s great!” He took the brand new straw hat from her. “How did you know I needed a new one?”

  “I noticed the other one was starting to fray, so I thought you might like a replacement.”

  “Well, I need it now because last week I set it on a table in the woodshop and Stephen knocked over a can of stain. Ran all over the brim.”

  Anna smiled, pleased that he liked her gift. She sat next to him, a little closer than she had before.

  He put the hat in his lap and looked at her. “Danki, it’s a gut hat.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Hope that was all right,” he whispered in her ear before pulling away.

  Her heart flipped, her cheek still tingling from the warmth of his lips. “Ya.”

  He reached for her hand, then entwined his fingers in hers. “And is this all right too?”

  Her mouth went dry as he tightened his grip on her hand. At this point she couldn’t even speak; she could only nod.

  His lips tipped up in a grin. “What about going out—and I’m not talking about as friends? Are you ready for that now?”

  She swallowed, every part of her tingling at the tender look in his eyes. “Ya, Lukas. I am.”

  “About time.”

  Both she and Lukas looked over at Zeb, who was wide awake in the chair. He tossed the quilt off his body and slowly stood up, his bones cracking as he straightened. “Took you two long enough to figure this out. You should have been courtin’ a l
ong time ago. I’m going to bed. Let me know when you’re havin’ the wedding.”

  Anna’s mouth dropped open as her face flamed. “He was awake the whole time?” She turned to Lukas, who was chuckling.

  “Guess so,” he said.

  “Then he saw you kiss me!”

  Lukas leaned forward. “I don’t think he’s going to tell anyone. And you know what?” He kissed her cheek again, his lips lingering. “I don’t care if he does.”

  January arrived, bringing its crisp temperatures and blankets of snow. It had been a little over a month since the Schrocks’ party, and Elisabeth had put the incident out of her mind. She had better and more important things to think about, like her job and her growing friendship with Aaron.

  He had shown up to work the day after Christmas wearing the scarf she’d made for him, and she noticed he’d worn it every day since. He had also joined her for lunch twice. If her remark about his smile had bothered him, he didn’t show it. Instead they talked about all kinds of things, and she found out that he liked ice skating, something she’d only done once. They decided to meet on a Sunday afternoon at his parents’ house, which had a small pond in the back that had frozen over.

  “You sure we won’t fall through?” Elisabeth peered at the cloudy ice from the safety of the bank.

  “Positive. I already tested it.” He finished tying his black skates and stood up. “You ready?”

  She had her skates on, a pair of white ones borrowed from one of her friends. Suddenly she wasn’t all that eager to step out onto the pond.

  “What’s the matter, Elisabeth?”

  Looking at the ice again, she said, “I don’t know about this.”

  “Are you scared?”

  She looked at him. His voice and expression weren’t taunting. Glad that he wasn’t making fun of her, she said, “Ya. I think I am.”

  “You think?”

  “I’m indecisive sometimes. I can’t help it.”

  He held out his hand, which was covered in a thick woolen glove. “Trust me. Nothing’s going to happen.”

  Her gaze landed on his hand, which was steady and sure. Slipping her gloved hand in his, she let him lead her out on the ice.

  Still holding her hand, he turned to face her, then grasped her other hand. Skating backward, he pulled her toward him. “See? It’s solid.”

  Pushing one wobbly leg forward, she tried to match his strides but soon gave up and let him drag her around the pond. It wasn’t long before he noticed.

  “You’re not skating.”

  “I’m not? I thought I was.”

  “Standing still doesn’t equal skating.” His nose and cheeks glowed red from the cold.

  “I beg to differ. I’m moving.”

  “Because I’m pulling you.” He released her hands and skated away from her.

  “Aaron, what are you doing?” Her arms flailed as she tried to regain her balance. She couldn’t do this without holding on to him.

  “Teaching you to skate.” He glided up beside her and put his hand at her waist, then took her right hand in his.

  “How about you teach me how to stop first.”

  “I thought you said you’d been skating before.” He guided her slowly around the perimeter of the pond.

  “Once. When I was five.”

  “Then you have some catching up to do.”

  She cast him a sidelong glance. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  He flashed his rare and still gorgeous smile. “Very much.”

  “I’m glad I can entertain you.” Her left foot shot out in front of her, and for a moment she thought for sure she’d land right on her backside. But Aaron caught her, saving her from disgrace.

  “I think we need to start with the basics,” he said.

  The next hour passed quickly as she tried to get the hang of moving around on thin blades. She spent most of the time staring at her feet, which seemed to have a mind of their own. After a few spins around the pond, the ice became grooved and pocked, and she had trouble balancing. Still, she wasn’t about to pack it in, not until she could at least let go of Aaron’s arm.

  When she was finally able to skate a few steps by herself, Aaron took off and circled the pond at an amazing rate of speed. He flew around her once, then skidded to a stop about ten feet from her, sending shards of ice flying from his blades.

  “I’m impressed.” She tilted forward for a minute, then managed to right herself without falling. Maybe she’d get the hang of this after all. “Where did you learn to skate like that?”

  “Older brothers and their friends. We’d play broom hockey out here all the time when I was a kinn. At first they told me I couldn’t play until I learned how to skate, so I’d spend hours on the ice until I could. Then they got mad because I skated better than they did. But they always wanted me on their team.”

  “I don’t think I could ever skate that well.”

  “Just takes practice. Lots of practice.”

  “And some skates that fit. My feet hurt.”

  “You want to stop?”

  She nodded. She was also freezing. Skating was fun, but now it was just painful.

  “Okay.”

  They moved off the ice and to the wooden bench on the edge of the pond. She sat down and lifted up her feet, glad to be off the ice.

  He bent down and started untying his skates. He had them off and his boots on before she could finish untangling the laces of even one of her skates. Then she realized they were in a knot. After she fumbled with them for a moment, she heard Aaron say, “Here. Let me try.”

  She looked at him, then held up her foot, rearranging her skirt for modesty. He scooted closer to her, balanced her skate on his knee, and took off his gloves.

  A few minutes later he gave up. “This is some knot.” He looked at her. “I can’t undo it.”

  That wasn’t good. “I can’t walk around wearing one ice skate for the rest of my life.”

  “That would be a sight to see.”

  “Not funny, Aaron.”

  “I know, I know. Here, let me see if I can pull it off.” He put one hand on her ankle, then grasped the blade and pulled.

  “Yow! Not so hard. I want to keep my foot.”

  “Sorry.” He pushed back the brim of his hat, his brows furrowing. “Let me try something different.” He cupped the heel of the skate and started to tug on it, then wiggled it back and forth. He did that several times until her foot started to slip. “Okay, now I think I can pull it out.” Gripping the blade, he gave it a hard yank, sending the skate and him flying backward off the bench and into the snow.

  “Are you all right?” She moved to the edge of the bench and looked at him lying flat on his back.

  “Ya.” He sat up, then burst into laughter.

  She couldn’t help but laugh too. When she caught her breath she asked, “Where’s my skate?”

  “Over there.” He smiled and pointed to the skate, sticking blade up in the snow. Grabbing his hat off the ground, he shook the snow from it and put it back on his head, then scrambled up and retrieved her skate. “Here you go. Tell me you can get the other one off by yourself ?”

  She giggled. “I think I can manage.” And she did, since she hadn’t tied a knot in the laces.

  He sat down beside her as she slipped on her snow boots. When she looked at him, he was still smiling. His happiness warmed her heart.

  “You know,” he said after a long moment, “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

  “Then it was worth embarrassing myself on the ice.”

  “You didn’t embarrass yourself.” His expression grew serious. “Some maed wouldn’t have gotten out there, not unless they could skate perfectly.”

  “Perfection isn’t a word I’m familiar with.” She checked to see if her black bonnet was still tied beneath her chin, glad to discover it had remained in place.

  “Neither am I.”

  “Right, because none of us is perfect. Thank goodness we have a h
eavenly Father who doesn’t care and is very forgiving.”

  He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, staring at the pond. “Something I’ve experienced firsthand.”

  “Then why do you keep punishing yourself ?”

  He sat up and looked at her. “I’m not doing that.”

  “Ya, you are. You had fun today, Aaron. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I never said there was.”

  “But you act like there is.”

  He frowned. “Because I’m not smiling and laughing every moment of the day?”

  She shook her head. “Because you cut yourself off from people.”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment, just stared at the snow covering the tops of his boots. “There’s a reason for that, Elisabeth. Having fun and hanging out with friends was all I ever cared about. I lived for the next party, the next high. Then it all came crashing down.” He turned to her, his breath frosty in the cold air. “Life is serious now. I learned there are more important things than having a gut time.”

  “I know that. But don’t you think there should be a balance? Why does it have to be one way or another?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I haven’t figured that out yet.” He looked out at the pond again. “How did you?”

  “Oh, I don’t have anything figured out.”

  “You seem to.”

  His response surprised her, because she felt just as lost as ever. “I don’t, Aaron.” She sighed. “Half the time I don’t know what I’m doing, or what God wants me to do.”

  He let out a flat chuckle. “Join the club.”

  “At least you can ice skate.”

  He smiled. “A few more times out there and you will too.”

  “Maybe, but not today because I’m still freezing. Let’s geh inside.”

  As they walked toward the Detweiler’s house, Aaron took Elisabeth’s skates from her and carried both pairs to the house. By the time they got to the back porch, she was cold and craving some hot chocolate.

  Aaron’s mother met them at the back door. “Elisabeth, someone’s here for you.”

  “For me?”

  “Ya. She said her name is Deborah. She said she had to talk to you right away. I was going to send her to the pond, but then I saw you coming back. She’s in the living room.” Sarah leaned forward, lowering her voice. “She seems sehr upset.”