An Unlikely Match

by Beth Wiseman

  “Anyway, this man—they called him Gus—he started basically screaming at those sweet ladies who own the inn. He was really obnoxious and rude. I felt like I had to say something, so I politely asked him not to talk to them that way. Then he tried to get all up in my face. Can you believe that?” He turned back to Billy. “He’s probably in his seventies. Anyway, he finally left, and then Dad came barging into the room ranting that he heard me from upstairs. He demanded to know what I’d done—said I was stirring up trouble the first day.” Jayce shook his head as he told Billy how the women tried to defend him, but his father wasn’t hearing it.

  “I got up and walked out.”

  Billy didn’t say anything. He’d worked for Jayce’s father for a long time, so he knew the man well. But Billy was fair and if asked for an opinion, he’d give an honest answer.

  “He was the one out of line, right?” Jayce finally asked.

  Billy thought for a few more seconds before he answered. “Yes, I suppose he was. Although, after what happened recently, I can see why he would jump to conclusions.”

  Jayce leaned back into the headrest and sighed. “That wasn’t my fault either.”

  “But it happened.” Billy paused. “You’re a good guy, Jayce, but you need to learn to control your temper.”

  He respected Billy but still felt the need to defend his actions. “Never once have I lost my cool when it wasn’t warranted.”

  “You might believe that to be true, but a real man will walk away from a physical encounter if he can.”

  Jayce shook his head. “That’s being a coward. And if I hadn’t stood up for those women, I would have felt guilty. I didn’t think I’d have to hit the man, but he had no business talking to them like he was.”

  They were quiet for the last short stretch back to the inn until Jayce said, “I asked that Amish girl to dinner and a movie tomorrow night. Can you believe she’s never seen a movie?”

  Billy slowed the car almost to a stop when they turned onto the road that led to the inn. “Do you know anything about the Amish?”

  Jayce shrugged. “They all dress alike and ride in buggies. But man, this woman is gorgeous.”

  Billy pulled off the road and put the car in park. Jayce could see the inn in the distance and hear the hum of the generators if he listened closely. Gus was probably going nuts about the noise.

  “I lived in Pennsylvania for a while when I was around your age, in Lancaster County.” Billy paused and waited for Jayce to look at him. “So I know a lot about the Amish. And for starters, they generally don’t mix with outsiders. Granted, I don’t know if the rules are different here, but I think some things are universal. They are very religious, for one thing.”

  “I believe in God.” Jayce sat taller, feeling a little offended.

  “I’m not calling your relationship with God into question. I’m just telling you that the Amish believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, and one of the things they believe very strongly is that you turn the other cheek. They are very passive. They won’t engage in a fight, even if provoked. Also, this girl you’re going out with isn’t like anyone you’ve dated back home.”

  Jayce shrugged again. “Her choice of clothing isn’t the best, but her beauty makes up for it.” Jayce pushed his visor back up and nodded toward the house. “Why are we stopped to have this conversation?”

  “Because it’s important for you to understand that this girl is . . . pure.” He lifted an eyebrow. “You following me? And she’ll stay that way until she gets married. So don’t pressure her to do anything, not even so much as a kiss.”

  “I have my faults, but I have never pressured a woman into anything.” Jayce fought a surge of anger, feeling insulted again.

  “I believe that. I’m just letting you know these people are very chaste.” He scratched his chin. “I’m surprised she agreed to go out with you. As I said, they usually don’t date outsiders.”

  “I’ll treat her with the utmost respect.” Jayce was considerate to women. Billy would be surprised to know he wasn’t the romantic conqueror most people probably assumed.

  Billy smiled. “I believe that too. I just thought you should have a little background.” He put the car in gear and headed toward the inn.

  It hadn’t been all that long since Jayce had eaten, but his stomach was already growling. He wondered what the sisters had on the menu for tonight.

  * * *

  Esther finished glazing the ham and put it in the oven to keep warm, along with a pot of twice-baked potatoes and pinto beans. The salad was made and in the refrigerator. Two loaves of freshly baked bread sat on the counter. She’d prepared enough for ten people—the six guests, she and Lizzie, and extra in case anyone changed their mind about dining with them. The young man, Jayce, could put away a lot of food. She loved watching people enjoy a meal. It was her reward for the effort and a reminder of the many ways the Lord provided for them.

  She was pleased when Quinn and three gentlemen entered the dining room. Hal, Giovanni, and Jesse, if she remembered their names correctly. She suggested everyone be seated while she and Lizzie finished setting the table. Naomi had walked over earlier in the day to help, but Esther assured her that she and Lizzie could finish up.

  They needed to hire a new girl who could manage most of the cooking and cleaning. Naomi still helped when she could, but now that she was married and pregnant with twins, her time was mostly devoted to running her own household, as it should be.

  Esther was still getting used to the sound of the generators running on the motor homes. She was surprised Gus hadn’t returned to complain some more. As she placed the ham in the middle of the table, Mr. Clarkson entered the room. Everyone seemed to sit a little taller. He greeted Lizzie and Esther, then the group fell into a conversation about their plans for tomorrow. If she’d heard correctly, they were going to Bluespring Caverns for part of the day.

  Jayce came into the room, smiling, until he saw his father. His expression fell and he took the seat farthest away from Mr. Clarkson. Esther’s heart hurt for the poor boy. He’d boldly taken on Gus, which no one ever did except Lizzie. Jayce had actually gotten Gus to leave. Lizzie only fired up an already smoldering situation when she confronted their renter. No good ever came from encounters between the two.

  “I believe that’s everything,” Esther said as she placed a loaf of warm bread on the table. She and Lizzie had already decided they would eat in the kitchen. Occasionally they joined their guests for a meal, but only by request. This group barely noticed when they left the room—only Quinn threw a quick thank-you after them.

  “See, it’s not so bad,” Lizzie said as she bowed her head. After they prayed silently, she began to cut her ham. They’d each made a plate to leave in the kitchen before setting out the meal for their guests. “They’re nice enough.”

  “There’s just so many of them.” Esther glanced out the window. “And I must admit, the generators are rather loud. I’m surprised Gus hasn’t come back over.”

  Lizzie chuckled. “He’s probably afraid of that boy.”

  Esther wasn’t sure Gus was afraid of anything, but he had clearly backed down when Jayce confronted him.

  “And that boy is right.” Lizzie gave a taut nod of her head. “We shouldn’t let him talk to us that way.”

  Esther frowned. “You are as forthright as Gus when it comes to the two of you arguing, minus the terrible language.”

  “He starts it,” Lizzie said, rolling her lip under.

  Esther sighed. It wasn’t true. Lizzie sometimes instigated the run-ins with Gus. But she was too tired to argue.

  They both looked up when they heard footsteps.

  “Got room for one more?” Jayce stood in the kitchen holding his plate.

  “Ya, ya.” Esther nodded to the two empty chairs at the kitchen table, wondering if he left the others because of his father.

  Lizzie instantly resembled a lovestruck teenager as she batted her eyes at Jayce, asking if she could
get him anything. Esther couldn’t help but look away and roll her eyes. If Lizzie knew how silly she looked, perhaps she’d act her age. But anyone who stood up to Grumpy Gus Owens was a hero in Lizzie’s book.

  “Nah, I don’t need anything,” he said as he slipped into the chair across from Esther, with Lizzie sitting between them. “I just didn’t want to listen to the plans for tomorrow anymore. I’m terrified enough.”

  Esther and Lizzie exchanged glances, then waited for him to explain.

  “I don’t like enclosed spaces,” he finally said. “I didn’t realize until Evelyn told me that this particular cave is only accessible by boat.” He sighed. “Meaning I can’t run out if I need to.”

  “Evelyn?” Esther asked, ignoring his concerns about the cave. They only had one Evelyn in their community, but the name was also common to the English. “Is that someone in your group?”

  “No.” Jayce took a sip of tea before he continued. “When I left earlier, I needed some air and to get away from my dad. So I took off walking. A woman’s horse had stepped on a piece of glass, so I helped her. Her name was Evelyn.” He grinned. “The woman, that is. The horse was Millie.” Pausing, he focused on Esther. “I’m really sorry about my behavior today. I just couldn’t stand to see that man speak to you that way. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

  Lizzie was beaming, flashing her pearly white dentures. She was clearly smitten with this young lad. It was almost embarrassing.

  “I’ve waited a long time for someone”—she glared briefly at Esther—“someone besides me to stand up to that grumpy old man.”

  Esther was more curious about Jayce’s encounter with Evelyn. If Lizzie was giddy over the handsome English man young enough to be her grandson, what must Evelyn have thought about him?

  “It was nice of you to help Evelyn with her horse.” Esther tried to sound casual but kept her eyes on Jayce to catch any reaction.

  He finished chewing a bite of ham. “It wasn’t a big deal. I’m usually pretty good with animals.” He set his fork down. Esther was sure he wasn’t done eating, but his expression started to mirror Lizzie’s, dreamy and dazed. “She’s beautiful.”

  “The horse or Evelyn?” Esther asked playfully. She hoped he said the horse, even though she knew he was talking about Evelyn Schrock. Every single man in their community had courted—or attempted to court—her. She’d even gotten a little serious with one or two. But she always broke it off in the end, saying no matter how wonderful the man was, he just wasn’t the one.

  The young woman was probably drawn in by Jayce’s charming personality and natural good looks. Esther and Lizzie had both lived beautiful love stories, despite their inability to have children. They loved seeing young people find each other and start a life together and had even been known to play matchmaker, but Jayce wasn’t a consideration for Evelyn. They were too many worlds apart.

  Jayce picked up his fork, stabbed at a piece of ham, and grinned back at her. “Evelyn, of course. We’re going to dinner and to see a movie tomorrow night.” He took a bite and swallowed. “Can you believe she’s never seen a movie before?”

  Lizzie was quieter than she’d been in decades as she watched the handsome young man talk. Alarms were ringing in Esther’s head.

  “We don’t go to movie theaters, but young people are often allowed to during their rumschpringe. It’s a time when—”

  “Yeah, she told me. She gets to do her own thing before she gets baptized.” He excused himself to go into the dining room for seconds, returning with more food than he’d started with.

  How much time had the boy spent with Evelyn? What would her parents think about her going out with an English man? Jayce had nearly perfect features, long hair, and ink peeking from beneath his short-sleeved shirt. That was more than enough to send Jonas Schrock into a tizzy. Looks shouldn’t matter, but first impressions stayed with a person, wanted or not.

  “Will you be taking her to Washington to see a movie?” Esther knew where the theater was, even though she’d never been inside. “That would be the nearest town to see a movie, and you can get there by buggy.”

  Jayce finished chewing, then swallowed. Esther remained in awe at the amount of food the lad could eat. “I want to do things the right way and pick her up. Billy can take us. He’s one of our drivers. Or I can probably take one of the cars and pick her up.”

  Esther glanced at Lizzie, whose gaze had shifted from dreamy to concerned. For once they were on the same page. If Jayce showed up in a limousine, Jonas might forbid Evelyn to go in such luxury. Even though Evelyn was nineteen and not yet baptized, she still lived under her parents’ roof and must abide by their rules. Given the circumstances, it might be best that Evelyn and Jayce not get too chummy.

  “Nee, nee, nee.” Lizzie pushed back her chair, folded her arms across her chest, and grunted. “You can’t pick up Evelyn in that fancy black car. Her daed wouldn’t let her out of the haus.” Lizzie waved a hand in the air. “Take one of our buggies.”

  Esther’s eyes widened. “Lizzie, he doesn’t know how to drive a horse and buggy.” She glanced at Jayce, who had stopped chewing, his eyes ping-ponging back and forth between them.

  “If he can drive a car, he can drive a horse and buggy. We’ll give him Poppy. That old horse isn’t going to kick up and cause him any trouble.”

  “Lizzie, you don’t know that. Poppy is old, but she can be unpredictable.” Esther glanced at Jayce. The boy finally swallowed the food in his mouth.

  “Uh . . .” He scratched his head. “Would her parents really not let her go if I show up in a limo? Because those are the only cars we brought.”

  Esther was tempted to implore Jayce to cancel the date. This had disaster written all over it. “I’ve known Jonas and Mae, Evelyn’s parents, for a long time. They are fine people, but . . .” Esther sighed. “Lizzie is right. Jonas might not let the girl out of the haus.”

  Jayce stared at his plate, then picked up a slice of bread and grinned. “Then the horse and buggy it is. I don’t want to take any chances that her parents won’t let her go.”

  Esther tried to smile. They didn’t even know this young man. But when she looked at Lizzie, her sister winked. Esther would have a talk with her in private later and explain the obvious—this was not a situation to be encouraged.

  Four

  Jayce carried as much scuba equipment as he could under one arm and pulled a wagon behind him with the rest as he descended four hundred feet into the cavern. With the sun still at his back, his chest tightened as he neared the underground river. He slowed behind the others when they reached the platform, reminding himself that daylight and the ramp leading out of the cave were just around the corner.

  To the right four boats were docked. Jayce’s heart raced at the thought of getting in one of the narrow aluminum vessels and going into the cave with no means of escape. The boats reminded him of his grandfather’s fishing boat, except these had been outfitted to hold tourists with two rows of seating running down the middle. On the few occasions Jayce had visited his grandfather, they’d fished on the pond on his property. Jayce’s father grew up on a farm in west Texas. More than once, he’d told Jayce how he couldn’t get out of the Podunk town fast enough. Jayce loved the rural area, the slowness of the town, and the quiet. It was the polar opposite of everything in Los Angeles. No sirens, honking horns, schedules, or traffic. He wished he could have spent more time with his grandparents when they were alive.

  He followed Veronica, who was wearing a wetsuit. Cameramen were already loading equipment into one of the boats and insisted they would carry the more expensive gear themselves. There was a flurry of activity as several other actors and crew members hustled to board the boats.

  How far into the cave would they be going? His stomach began to twist and churn.

  “Jayce, hold up.”

  He slowed at his father’s voice coming from behind him. He turned and waited as the others kept going.

  “Listen . . .” His fat
her took a moment to catch his breath. Jayce had seen the man go up and down the long ramp to the river level twice.

  “What?” Jayce asked, frowning.

  His father put a hand on Jayce’s shoulder. “I know how you feel about places without an easy exit, so after everything is loaded, you can hang back. We’re only filming one scene, and the setup will probably take longer than the actual filming.”

  Wow. He’d dodged a bullet. Jayce was about to take him up on the offer when the corner of his father’s mouth went up on one side, mockingly. His silent expression spoke volumes to Jayce as he remembered the time the man had forced him into an elevator that took them to the top of a forty-six-floor building. He couldn’t have been more than eight or nine, but he could recall the event like it happened yesterday. By the time they reached the forty-sixth floor the first time, Jayce was crying and could barely breathe. His dad pushed the Down button, and they made the trip three more times while he screamed at Jayce to suck it up. The dissatisfaction in Brandon Clarkson’s eyes, telling him to toughen up and be a man, had never left his memory.

  “No, I’ll go,” Jayce said as he stared him down, wishing immediately that he’d accepted the get-out-of-jail-free card. Just once he’d like to prove the man wrong. Maybe he would treat Jayce with a little more respect if he saw this through.

  His father’s smirk expanded as he eased his arm to his side. “Well, okay then.”

  Jayce tightened his grip on the wagon and forced himself to meet up with the others at the water’s edge. After two more trips for the rest of the gear, it took another thirty minutes or so to get people and equipment stowed in a way that was acceptable to the guides who would be driving the boats. Despite the cool temperature in the cave entrance, sweat gathered on Jayce’s forehead and trailed down both sides of his face.