“Nee, child. She was not bird-watching.”
Turning off the gas burner, Susanna set the frying pan to one side. “I’m sure Amanda is fine, Mamm. Please don’t worry.”
As she always did, her mother thought about that answer. Then she shook her head. “Something is bothering her and I know you know what it is. You might as well tell me. Is she still unhappy about the move?”
“I think she’s settling in.” Actually, Susanna was pretty sure Amanda was settling in a little bit too much. Ever since Dale had walked her home from the bridge, Amanda had acted distracted. She was smitten.
“When I asked her what she was looking at, Amanda just blinked at me, like she didn’t know how to respond.”
Susanna was beginning to not know how to answer her mother, either. To give herself more time, she combined the sauce and meat mixture, then began to stuff the peppers she’d hollowed out earlier that day.
“Susanna, I think she was searching for something in particular.” She wrinkled her nose. “But what could it be? There’s not much to see except snow.”
“Maybe she saw a deer? Or, um, a rabbit? You know how pretty they look against the snow-covered fields.”
“She was never all that excited about woodland creatures, Sue.” Her mother’s tone had more than a good bit of sarcasm in it. Yet another reminder that she never had been the type of woman who was easy to fool.
Just as she had never been the type of woman who was good at dodging questions or telling fibs. Tired of making the attempt, Susanna said, “Why don’t you ask her?”
“I did. But she—” Mamm stopped abruptly when the back door to the mudroom opened with a slam. Together, Susanna and her mother turned in surprise.
When Daed entered the kitchen, tracking wet dirt and snow behind him, her mother groaned. “Do you see the mess you’re making on my floors? Honestly, John. I just—”
“We’ve got a problem, Leah,” he interrupted. “Part of the back fence was broken last night. Someone demolished a good six-foot section of the fencing. It’s in pieces all over the ground.”
“My word!” Mamm exclaimed. Walking to his side, she said, “What do you think could have done that? Was it a bear or something?”
“It weren’t no bear.”
Still wondering why her father was so upset, Susanna said, “We had some strong winds last night. Maybe that shook some of the boards loose.”
“Maybe so,” Mamm said. “You know what? Sue and I were just standing here, talking about deer. Maybe a buck could have broken it. You know how much damage those deer can do.”
Daed shook his head. “That damage wasn’t caused by the wind, and it certainly wasn’t caused by some deer. And it wasn’t an accident, either. I think someone went on our property, took out a sledgehammer, and deliberately broke a good six feet of the fencing.”
Susanna knew her father wasn’t the type of man to exaggerate, but that did seem a little bit farfetched. Still attempting to be helpful, she offered, “Well, you know how teens are. Maybe a couple of kids were out walking and got rowdy.” Of course, the moment she said that, she felt foolish. Rowdy teens did not wander around farms with sledgehammers breaking fences. No one was that bored.
“This wasn’t caused by teens running around, Sue.” Sitting down, he sighed. “As much as it pains me to say this, I think someone broke our fencing on purpose.”
Her mother was looking increasingly flustered. “But why? We just moved here. We haven’t done anything to anyone.”
Her father sighed. “You know how cool everyone has acted toward us. I didn’t want to upset you girls, but I think a lot of people are mad that we bought this property.”
“It was for sale,” Mamm pointed out. “They should be happy because we bought it.”
“I know that. But sometimes people twist things in their heads,” Daed said.
“Say someone was upset. Breaking fencing doesn’t seem like a smart way to deal with that anger.”
Susanna cleared her throat. “Um, Mamm, Daed, I’m afraid there might be something to this. Several women told Amanda and me that lots of people think we took advantage of the Vances by buying the farm at such a low price. Then, well, I talked to Neil Vance at church. He kind of confirmed that his family has been upset about how the sale was handled.”
Daed glared. “You heard all that at church?”
“Jah.”
“And all this time you didn’t feel the need to share that information with your mother and myself?”
“I didn’t want to upset you or Mamm. Besides, Amanda and I saw Neil and Dale Kaufmann on Monday when we were walking home. We talked for a while, and patched things up.”
Mamm groaned. “And you didn’t think to mention that either?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Is that why Amanda keeps looking out the window? Is she afraid of those boys?”
Oh, this was a mess! “Nee . . .”
Her mother folded her arms over her chest. “Susanna, I’ve had enough of your talking in circles. Please, just give us some information without making us play twenty questions.”
Mentally apologizing to her sister, she said, “Amanda isn’t looking out the window because she’s afraid. She’s looking out the window because Dale hinted that he might stop by. She likes him.”
“That is what is wrong?” Mamm groaned.
“I told you she was fine, Mother.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes. You girls never fail to surprise me,” Daed said with a groan. Susanna knew he wasn’t too upset because there was a new bit of light in his eyes. “You know what? I think it’s time we went over to our neighbors and introduced ourselves. Maybe I’m blowing things out of proportion and there’s an obvious reason for that broken fence. Maybe they know what happened to it.”
“Amanda did say that Dale’s parents wished they’d already come here to welcome us,” Susanna said.
“The decision is made, then.” Turning to Susanna, Mamm said, “You’d best go fetch your sisters and share our plans for the evening.”
“We’re all going to go?” asked Susanna.
Her mother nodded. “I think so. It’s time we reached out to folks, even if they haven’t been reaching out to us. I’ll even bring a pecan pie.”
Daed’s eyes twinkled. “And while we’re there, we can meet Dale.”
“Don’t tell Amanda I told you about him. She’s going to be so mad if she finds out.”
Her mother laughed. “She’ll be fine. All you have to do is tell her that I wore you down. She’ll believe that.”
Susanna chuckled, too. Amanda would believe that without question. Their mother was extremely skilled at wheedling information from them. “After I talk to Amanda and Traci, I’ll come back to help you with the pie.”
“Danke, Sue.”
Leaving her parents to discuss what they were going to say, Susanna informed Traci, who was in the basement working on laundry, then walked to the back room, where Amanda was sewing.
The moment she saw Susanna, she hastily hid her project.
“What are you working on?” Susanna asked.
“Something for Christmas. What do you need?”
“Only to tell you that we’ll be going over to the Kaufmanns’ haus tonight.” While Amanda gaped at her, Susanna filled her in on their father’s news about the broken fence line and the plan to visit the Kaufmanns’ house after supper.
As she anticipated, her sister’s expression shone with different emotions. “Do you need help with the pie?”
“Absolutely not.”
Amanda laughed. “That’s what I hoped you’d say. I’ll finish this project, then go see how I can help Mamm or Daed. Then, I think I might go ahead and wash my hair.”
“You’re going to wash it this afternoon?”
“Of course. I won’t want to wash it when we get home. It might be late.”
Yep, Amanda was definitely infatuated with their new charming neighbor. Smitten enough that she probably
wouldn’t even care if the whole household knew who occupied her thoughts. That was a relief, indeed.
CHAPTER 7
Thursday, December 14
It had been a long day. Neil had volunteered to come in early to work to help Junior, his boss at Horse Cave Salvage, reorganize the bulk-food aisle. Flour, sugar, and popcorn fairly flew off the shelves this time of the year.
After he carefully followed Junior’s directives, he’d gone out in a truck to help with deliveries. Of course, they’d gotten stuck in traffic and had returned almost an hour late.
All that meant he was walking home right as the sun was setting. It was going to be a race to see if he could walk in his door before it was pitch-black outside.
Just as he approached the entrance to his uncle’s land, he spied Uncle Joseph himself on the front porch. He was sitting in one of the five Adirondack chairs decorating the area. His feet were resting on the porch railing and he was smoking a cigarette. A large metal kerosene lamp rested on the table nearby.
Though Neil would have preferred to walk on by, common courtesy—and his family’s gratitude—dictated that he approach and at least say hello.
“Gut ohvet, Onkle,” he called out.
“Good evening to you, too,” Joseph said as he got to his feet. “You are getting home late. Ain’t so?”
“I am. I’m grateful for the work, though.”
“Jah. Work is always a blessing.” Joseph leaned against one of the square columns decorating his expansive front porch. His relaxed posture was a marked contrast to his words.
Actually, many things about Joseph were contradictory.
Looking at him in the dim light, Neil figured if he didn’t know better, one would think his uncle was English. His hair was cut short, he had no beard, since he was unmarried, and his clothes, though technically plain, were definitely sewn from expensive fabric. His fondness for smoking was also rare in the Amish community. It wasn’t forbidden—many men smoked pipes—but his fondness for his red pack of cigarettes was notable.
“Would you like to join me for a bit?” Joseph asked. “I made some fresh kaffi.”
He didn’t want to. But here his uncle had given them so much. How could he refuse? “Danke.”
Looking pleased, Joseph extinguished his cigarette. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back. You take it black, yes?”
“Jah,” he said as his uncle strode into the house. Before sitting down, Neil glanced around the side of the house. In the distance, about a mile up the drive, stood the house he was now living in. Multiple lights shone through the windows. Smoke rose from the chimney. It looked like everyone was home, either eating or visiting together around the fireplace. He longed to join them.
But surely it was good he was spending some time with his uncle, too? How many evenings had Joseph spent in this same spot, watching all of them together while he smoked his cigarettes alone?
“Here you go,” Joseph said as he strode back outside with two large white ceramic mugs in his hands. As he passed Neil his, he said, “Some people complain that coffee keeps them up at night, but it never affects me.”
“Me, neither,” Neil said, though he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d sipped coffee so late in the day.
Joseph sat down, shook out another cigarette, and lit it with a sigh. “I’m glad you stopped to say hello, Neil. Most times you don’t.”
What could he say to that? “Usually, I’m anxious to take a shower and eat . . .”
“And there is only one shower in that house. No doubt hot water is at a premium.” He grinned at his joke.
Neil grinned uncomfortably. There was a note in his uncle’s tone that sounded like he was talking about something other than just hot water.
As he tapped his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray, Joseph murmured, “I bet you are missing your house. There was a lot of space there. I mean, from what I remember. Three bathrooms on the second floor alone.”
Feeling more ill at ease, Neil sipped his coffee. “We are fine where we are.”
“No, you’re not.” After placing his cup on the table, he turned to face Neil more directly. “You don’t even have a bedroom now, do you?”
“I do not.”
“Where do you sleep?”
Neil knew Joseph was aware of their sleeping arrangements. He had brought it up on purpose, just to stir the pot. But even though Neil knew that, he still answered. Joseph had done a lot for their family and deserved his respect. “Me and Roy are sleeping on the floor in the living room.”
Looking even more pensive, Joseph blew out a plume of smoke. “Here you are, a grown man, a man working ten, eleven hours a day . . . reduced to sleeping on the floor of his living room. Such a waste.”
“I am fine, Onkle.”
“I suppose your bruder is, too?”
Neil nodded. After all, what could he say? It was because of their uncle’s generosity that they had a place to live at all.
But his lack of complaint only seemed to make his uncle even more frustrated. “Did you know that I offered to have you and Roy move in with me?”
Neil was shocked. So shocked, he shook his head.
“I didn’t think so. Your father refused to consider the idea, even though I have plenty of room. Even though I would have appreciated the company. Even though I’ve done so much for you all over the years . . .” His chair creaked as he stamped out his smoke. “But it was never enough, I guess. I wonder why.”
“You don’t understand why?” His voice was strained. Hoarse.
“What reason could your father have for refusing my invitation? Was it simply pride . . . or did he think your living arrangements were only temporary?”
Yet again, it seemed as if Uncle Joseph was speaking of more than one thing. But instead of helping him understand his father’s point of view, it only made Neil feel more uncomfortable. And vaguely disloyal.
Needing to put some space between them, Neil surged to his feet. “Danke for the kaffi. But I need to go home now.”
Uncle Joseph laughed. “Sorry. I guess I’m telling you things I shouldn’t.”
“It’s not that. It’s that my father should be here for this discussion, too.”
“I guess you would feel that way. I don’t blame you. It’s hard to know who to trust anymore, isn’t it?”
“Good night, Uncle.”
“Jah. Have a good night, Neil. Sleep well.” His uncle’s words rang in his head as Neil started down the black asphalt driveway. Had Joseph been trying to say that he didn’t trust his father? And if that was the case . . . why did it not feel all that shocking?
AS THE FOUR of them walked neatly in a line behind their father and his flashlight, each of the women taking care to step in his large footprints in the ankle-deep snow, Susanna thought they probably looked like a line of ducks.
That, or maybe a little train, she mused whimsically, given the fact that they had walked like this many a time. Over the years, the five of them had delivered pies or crocheted blankets or other small gifts to neighbors many times. It was nice to do something for other people, but they actually enjoyed doing things together. They were a close-knit family and always had been. Even though their daed had worked away from home, they’d still managed to be closer than most.
It was one of the reasons Susanna had accompanied her whole family south to Kentucky without a second’s thought. No matter what opportunities might have arisen in Berlin, she felt the same way that her parents did, that after their faith, family came first.
She supposed Neil felt that way about his family, too. Of course, he would side with them if his parents thought her parents had mishandled the purchase of their property. But as she thought of their conversation on their way home the other day, Susanna felt that things were changing for the better. She, at least, was learning more about Neil as a person—and she liked the things she was discovering about him. She liked that he worked hard and was so serious. She was that way, too.
“We’re almost there,” Amanda whispered, interrupting her thoughts.
“That we are.”
“Do you think Dale is going to be home?” she asked. Her eyes were wide with anticipation.
She looked so cute, so, well, smitten, that Susanna was finding it hard to keep a straight face. “I guess we’re going to find out soon.”
“I hope he is,” she said with a smile.
As she watched her sister from behind, Susanna grinned at the way Amanda seemed to have a new bounce to her step. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. Amanda’s feelings for the neighbor were honest and wide open. Out there for anyone to see. From the looks of things, it had seemed that Dale felt the same way.
It seemed Dale had no qualms about separating his sadness about the Vances leaving from his admiration for Amanda.
She hoped he would continue to act the same way in front of his family, even after their father shared the disturbing news about the broken fence.
What if he acted noticeably cooler? Amanda would be so embarrassed and hurt. She shivered, thinking how painful that would be to watch.
“Are you shivering, Sue?” Traci asked.
“What? Oh, maybe a little. I should have worn another scarf,” Susanna said. “How cold is it, do you think?”
“Only in the twenties,” Amanda said over her shoulder.
“Cold enough.”
Traci trotted up to her side. “Jah, but it ain’t all that cold. You’re so silly, Sue. You always complain about the winter weather.”
It was kind of true. While everyone else seemed to take the winter weather in stride, Susanna always was whining about how wet and cold she was. Eyeing the well-kept farmhouse they were approaching, she said, “Look, we’re almost there. They have a pretty home, don’t they?”
“It is. I like their green metal roof. Look! They have a gazebo. I bet that’s pretty in the summer.”
Amanda smiled. “I bet it is.”
Susanna noticed that her response was slightly hesitant. “Are you worried about this visit?”
“A little bit.”
“Me, too,” Susanna agreed. “The last thing we need is another family being upset with us.”
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