by Sherry Kyle
“You’re asking more than I can give.” Tobias’s eyes narrowed.
“A set time for my cows to drink from your spring is asking too much?” Mr. Cavegn spit out his words.
“The spring is on my land. I purchased this property fair and square years ago. You cannot take it away from me.” Tobias’s face reddened.
“Look, Tobias. There’s no need to get all fired up. Thought you might’ve had a change of heart since this morning. I see you haven’t.” Mr. Cavegn brushed past Tobias and Samuel, marching toward the barn door.
Jonas had an idea. He focused on Mr. Cavegn. “Maybe if you can find the thief who’s been taking Tobias’s dairy cows, he might consider allowing your herd to drink from his spring.”
Mr. Cavegn paused, turned slowly, and raised a brow. “Go on.”
“You’re speaking out of turn, son.” Tobias spat out the words.
“Please consider it, Mr. Seifert. You’d be getting what you want—the perpetrator caught and possibly the return of your cows, and Mr. Cavegn would be getting what he wants—water from the spring. Seems fair to me.” Jonas clapped Samuel on the back. “I know this young man would get more sleep if the thief were caught.”
Samuel nodded. “He’s right, Papa.”
Mr. Cavegn extended his hand. “I’m ready to shake on it when you are.”
Tobias hesitated and rubbed his jaw.
Was the older man contemplating the idea? Jonas hadn’t remembered him to be stubborn. Reminded him of a particular blue-eyed woman who also had a mind of her own.
“Not a drop from the spring until the thief is caught.” Tobias challenged.
Mr. Cavegn stepped toward Tobias. “Not one drink.”
The frustration and anger on each man’s face had been palpable one minute, and the next they were making an agreement. Maybe they were tired of fighting. At any rate, God was the one who gave Jonas the idea. Yes, only by God’s grace and wisdom. A grin spread across his face. Felt good to help Elena’s pa. He folded his arms across his chest in satisfaction as the men shook hands.
Samuel leaned toward Jonas. “Don’t know how you did that, but I’m glad you came along when you did.”
“Me too.” Jonas smiled.
“It’s late,” Tobias said.
“We’ll talk more another time.” Mr. Cavegn tipped his hat and excused himself.
A few hours later, Jonas perched atop his horse, roaming the outskirts of the Seifert property.
Satisfied that everything was as it should be, he guided Shadow back to Tobias’s paddock and closed the gate. He proceeded toward the barn when subdued voices stopped him. His eyes narrowed. Two people stood beside the oak tree, their identities hidden by dark shadows. The moon cast a glow, allowing him to see the outline of a man and a woman.
With careful steps, Jonas moved closer, hoping to catch a word or two of their conversation. He ducked down behind Tobias’s plow and strained his ear to hear.
“He came by ... threatening your life ... give him what he wants.” Jonas heard bits and pieces of what the man said.
He removed his hat. Nicolas?
“I’m not going to hand over information to the man responsible for Adrian’s death. I will go to my grave knowing my husband was innocent.” Yvette sagged against the tree.
Apparently there was a lot more to the story than Jonas had imagined. His stomach lurched, and a headache throbbed in his temples.
Nicolas stepped forward. “He told me Jonas couldn’t be trusted. That he was like his father.”
Jonas shifted his weight and balled his fists. The conversation had turned personal. Now his reputation was at stake. Whoever spoke with Nicolas not only wanted to harm Yvette, but was familiar with his father too. Pa, what were you involved with?
“I don’t believe it,” said Yvette. “I’ve seen the way Jonas cares for his mother and sisters. And don’t forget how he gave you a job.”
Jonas liked the way Yvette stuck up for him, although that was the least of his worries.
“We shouldn’t be talking here now. Jonas could ride up any minute.” Nicolas shifted his stance. “We don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“Nicolas, listen to what you’re saying. How can you believe the worst of Jonas, someone you’ve worked alongside for weeks?”
“I’m not with him twenty-four hours a day—”
“Has he done anything dishonest for you to doubt his integrity? Trust him. He’s an honorable man.”
The pounding in Jonas’s temples grew, along with resentment toward his hired hand. He took a step back toward the barn. How could he face Nicolas in the morning? Maybe it was time to let the man go.
Chapter Twenty-Five
By the time Elena opened her eyes, the yeasty smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns filled the room. She rolled onto her side and stretched. Oh, my aching back. Why did Yvette and Willie have to come to Harmony? Here she had only a short time before she married, and she was sleeping on a pallet on the floor instead of in her comfortable bed.
“Would you like one?” Yvette knelt down with a plate of rolls covered in glaze.
Shame washed over Elena. She’d been selfish, only thinking of herself. Yvette was in transition, same as her. She should be more compassionate.
Elena sat up. “Yes, thank you.” She reached for a cinnamon bun. “Did you bake them yourself?”
“Oh my, no.” A giggle bubbled from Yvette’s throat. She set the plate on the kitchen table. “Your mama made them. I observed so that the next time I’ll be able to make them myself. Won’t Jonas be thrilled?” Yvette’s eyes held a hint of insecurity.
Elena took a hefty bite of the baked treat. The glaze dripped down her fingers and she quickly licked it, surprised at how delicious the cinnamon bun was. Mama must have taken extra care to bake them properly to impress their boardinghouse guest.
Elena grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped her hands. “I can’t believe I overslept.”
Mama placed another batch of cinnamon buns on the table. “Samuel has already helped your pa with the milking. Said Lars promised to take him fishing after church. I’m thankful Samuel has a friend—soon to be brothers once you two are married.”
Her mama’s words stung. Elena hadn’t seen Lars since their lunch date in Cayucos. Was this how life would be? She imagined herself stuck in Lars’s house while he spent time with Samuel. A lonely existence, to be sure.
Yvette sat in the rocking chair, feeding Willie.
Elena’s shoulders drooped. “I’ll be in my room.”
Yvette brushed Elena’s arm as she walked past. “Wear your nicest dress today. Men from town like to see their women looking their best.”
Yvette was right. Elena must ready herself to see Lars. After all, today was Sunday. He deserved a woman who concentrated all her efforts on him—instead of longing for someone else.
She closed the door behind her and thumbed through her meager choices. Was Lars embarrassed to be seen with her? Is that why he’d rather spend his time fishing with her brother? She’d wear her catalogue dress, the one she’d purchased for the night Lars proposed. She held the pale yellow gown against her body. The first time he saw her in the dress he’d told her she looked beautiful. Maybe he’d tell her again. She stepped out of her nightgown and into the dress, drawing it up over her shoulders, and careful to tuck the silver locket inside. Elena brushed and pinned up her hair and pinched her cheeks for color.
Mama peeked into the room, a smile lighting her face. “You look lovely.”
“Is he here?” Elena handed the ends of her sash to her mother.
“Yes, he only just arrived.” Mama tied a bow on the back of the dress.
“Do you think he loves me?” Elena wanted to take back her words the moment she said them. It wasn’t love that would bind Lars and her together, but loyalty to take care of her family. For Samuel most of all.
“Lars loves you in his own way. Some men are more reserved.” Mama turned Elena around and brought h
er close. “He’s a prosperous man. And a good choice.”
Elena blinked away the moisture that pooled in her eyes and stepped back from her mother’s embrace. “And the Sunday after next, I will be his bride.”
“That you will be.” Her mother squeezed her shoulders and led her to the family room and her soon-to-be groom.
“Jonas? What are you doing here?” Elena shot him a look. “Where’s Lars?”
“Samuel wanted to show Lars his fishing pole in the barn.” Jonas held out his arms to hold Willie. “Thought I’d come get Yvette and Willie for the Sunday service.”
Yvette handed the baby to Jonas and retrieved her shawl from the hook by the door.
Elena couldn’t get away from Jonas if she wanted to. In the past couple of days, she’d seen more of him than was good for her aching heart. It would help if Lars could be as attentive as Jonas had been of late. Her skin tingled at the memory of the way he’d looked at her cleaning the rug, and then again the other night by the mare in the paddock.
Yvette glanced out the window and smiled. “I didn’t know you owned a carriage.”
Jonas lowered his gaze.
“No, dear, that’s Lars’s carriage.” Pride edged her mother’s tone.
Elena would rather ride in a rough-hewn wagon than sit in a fancy carriage beside someone who didn’t stir her emotions. Please, Lord, let me feel something for Lars.
“Here come Samuel and Lars now,” said Yvette.
Her mother welcomed the men inside.
Lars removed his hat. “Ready for church?” He lifted his elbow.
Nothing. Not a flutter.
“Yes, Lars, thank you.” Elena slipped her hand in the crook of his arm.
“You will join us for the midday meal, won’t you Lars?” Her mother called after them.
“How ‘bout fish for supper?” Lars spoke over his shoulder. “Samuel and I plan to catch a whole mess of fish.”
Supper. He planned to spend all afternoon fishing. Elena’s stomach twisted.
Lars helped her into the carriage, then walked around to the other side and climbed in. He flicked the reins and the team moved forward. Not a moment went by before he spoke his mind. “Thought we could speak to Pastor Nef after the service. I overheard a couple of ladies talking in my shop. Said the preacher planned on going out of town. Sick relative, I think. We may need to change our wedding date—”
Relief filled her soul. She would spend more time in the Valley. “It’s all right, Lars. We can wait for as long as necessary.”
“Wait?” Lars looked at her, his brows raised. “I was thinking the sooner the better. I’ve got a big shipment coming soon, and I need Samuel’s help.”
Was it a wife Lars wanted, or a hired hand? Lars could always pay Samuel without marrying her, couldn’t he? Elena’s spine went rigid. “Until the cow thief is caught, my pa needs him. Besides, my wedding dress—”
“No need to worry, my dear. I’ve informed Mrs. Dettwiler, the seamstress in Cayucos, of our predicament and she’s more than willing to work on your dress.”
The blood drained from Elena’s face. She fanned herself with a hand. Her mind grasped for a reply, but no words would come. She had steeled herself to marry Lars in two weeks. How would she be able to marry him sooner?
“I can see you’re speechless.” Lars smiled.
Speechless, indeed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The conversation Jonas overheard last night between Yvette and Nicolas replayed in his mind as he drove his team to church. He would stay true to his promise to his pa and protect Yvette, a woman who clearly believed Adrian innocent of any wrongdoing, but he wouldn’t sit around and allow a man to live under his roof whom he didn’t trust.
Yvette glanced over her shoulder at the basket sitting in the back of the wagon. “I see you packed us a picnic.”
“Thought you’d like to have lunch down by the creek after church.” If there was one way to get a woman to open up about her past, it was to treat her special. Jonas had a mind to get to the bottom of this mystery.
“How thoughtful.” Yvette’s body swayed to the rhythm of the wagon moving along the dirt road, baby Willie in her arms. “Do you know if Nicolas was planning on meeting us for service?”
“Nicolas rode off on his horse. Don’t know what his plans are.”
Now was not the time to tell her he let Nicolas go. Didn’t fix the man breakfast or promise work in the future. Jonas’s thigh accidentally brushed against Yvette’s. He kept his eyes forward not daring to look at the woman beside him.
Yvette’s silence unnerved him. Was she thinking about her conversation with Nicolas? Jonas couldn’t stand the thought that she might think ill of his father. He pushed his hat forward on his head and gripped the reins between tight fingers.
“I fear for your safety as well as mine.” Yvette’s soft-spoken, offhanded remark grazed Jonas’s ears.
He turned toward her, attempting to read the concern in her eyes. “What do you mean?”
Yvette had a faraway gleam, and the corners of her mouth turned down in a frown. “Did I say that out loud?” She blinked, waking her out of her daze.
“Yes, you did. Is there something you need to tell me? I can’t help you if you keep information from me.”
Yvette’s breathing increased. Puffs of air escaped her lips. “Please, can we discuss this later?”
The picnic. Everything he needed to know, he’d find out when they had their picnic by the creek. “After church, then.”
When the small country schoolhouse came into view, Jonas pulled back on the reins and brought his team to a stop. Would Nicolas head out of town or show up for the Sunday service?
The moment Jonas, Yvette, and Willie entered the small schoolhouse, Elena’s heart skipped a beat. By all appearances, they looked like a family as Jonas guided Yvette to the row beside them.
Soon they would be.
Elena’s throat squeezed shut, and she turned her gaze.
Lars clutched a Bible, his back ramrod straight. The corners of his mustache twitched as the pastor opened the service with a word of prayer.
Instead of closing her eyes like she should, Elena stole one more glance in Jonas’s direction. He was bent forward, his forearms resting against his muscular thighs, his head hung low. Elena had always admired the way Jonas humbled himself before God. She enjoyed watching him now.
When the pastor said “Amen,” Jonas tilted his head in her direction. His eyes met hers, and Elena jerked back in her seat. She longed to take one more glance but thought better of it. Heat wormed its way up her neck at being caught staring a man who wasn’t her intended. Had others in the congregation noticed?
Mama sat at her usual place at the piano. By her pursed lips and wrinkled brow, she must have seen. Elena turned her attention to the preacher and folded her hands in her lap, pretending nothing was amiss.
During the sermon, her mind wandered. While she sang, she didn’t pay attention to the words. God must think her the most selfish woman on earth with her wayward thoughts about her lovesick heart.
After the service ended, Lars gripped her elbow and led her to the front of the church. “Now is a good time to discuss our wedding date with the pastor.”
A sinking feeling in the pit of Elena’s stomach twisted and turned into a queasy knot. The room started to spin, and she inhaled a steadying breath.
Lars tapped the man on the shoulder, interrupting his conversation with Dana Cavegn’s little sister. “Pastor, Elena and I would like to have a word with you.”
The pastor patted the girl on the head. “Tell your mama I’d be honored to come for Sunday dinner.”
The child nodded and skipped off.
The pastor turned to Lars and Elena. “What did you want to discuss?”
Lars cleared his throat. “Our wedding date. We need to marry as soon as possible.”
The pastor’s eyes widened. “What’s your hurry?”
“I heard my customers
say you have a sick relative and will be heading out of town.” Lars’s voice held an air of authority. “Didn’t want to prolong our ceremony as I have a big shipment coming in. As a business owner, I need to time things perfectly.”
“Ah, your honeymoon.” The pastor nodded.
The swirling feeling returned, and Elena’s throat constricted.
“No time for such frivolities.” Lars waved a hand. “Moving into town will be enough of a vacation for my bride.”
Could Lars be any less romantic? True, most people living in the Valley couldn’t afford time away from their farms, so Elena didn’t expect a lavish trip. Still, her heart ached. Was she unworthy of his time and attention?
The pastor rubbed his chin. “I don’t know who spread the rumor that I have a sick relative, but it’s not so. You can’t believe everything you hear in that shop of yours.”
Lars’s face flushed crimson. “You’re right, of course.”
Elena loosened the grip on her reticule, her knuckles returning to their natural color.
Pastor Nef’s glance flickered her way, and then returned to Lars. “It would be best to leave things alone for now.”
Could the pastor read her thoughts? She relaxed her shoulders.
Lars placed his hat on his head. “Two weeks, then.”
Pastor Nef extended his hand. “Be sure to come next week. I’ll be speaking on gossip.” The man of God wouldn’t name names, of course, but the idea that Lars had given him fodder for next Sunday was bound to bother Lars like a horn fly on the back of a cow.
Lars grabbed hold of the pastor’s hand and pumped twice before releasing it. “Let’s go, Elena.” His words were spoken through tense lips. He walked out the door, expecting her to follow.
Elena slipped her hand into the pastor’s.
Instead of a traditional handshake, he covered her hand with his own. “Peace be with you.”
“Thank you.” Tears stung the back of her eyes.
The pastor gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go.
Elena rushed out the door to catch up with Lars. She located him standing by his carriage talking with Samuel—about fishing, no doubt. They were smiling and laughing. Frivolities. The term Lars used for their honeymoon grated on her. She felt as though her eyes were newly opened, and she was seeing her fiancé in a different light.
