Mose just grinned his answer. The little guy had grown on him, and Abby knew that he couldn’t say no.
Chapter Fifteen
MOSE WATCHED ABBY tinker with the tools in the shop. He could tell she was used to being busy. It was also a little awkward to have her living in his haus. With anyone else it wouldn’t be an issue, but his feelings for her were growing. He just didn’t know how apparent it was. “It would be nice for you to feed and water the horses while you’re here.”
She nodded in agreement. “I need to make myself useful. Everyone around me works, so should I. I just don’t know where my place is.” She leaned against a workbench and looked down at her boots.
Thinking of ways to keep her there seemed to be his latest selfish desire. But he also was worried for Ginger’s welfare, along with the rest of the livestock at her daed’s place. He knew it was always on her mind too.
“I’ve been worrying about Ginger since I left.” She ran a hand over the horseshoe she’d been fingering. He didn’t miss the opportunity to tell her he felt the same about Ginger. Getting Abby out of harm’s way was first and foremost; if she was ready to go back, he was ready too.
“Let me know when it’s the right time for you to go.” He sounded knowledgeable but didn’t fool himself. At least his comment was somewhat impartial.
“This has never happened before. I didn’t think he’d hurt me the way he did my mother.” She averted her eyes as she spoke, something unusual for her. Abby was very direct, looking a person in the eyes, almost defensive at times. But Mose felt from the first time he met her that that was a cover for her hurt and insecurities.
“Jim hurt your mamm?”
She nodded. “A couple of times that I know of. He stopped when she got sick.”
He scoffed unintentionally. “But now he’s started again.”
Her eyes softened with pain, and she looked down at her shoes. “Something’s wrong with him.”
“Jah, and until he’s gotten help, you should stay away.”
“No, it’s more than that. It’s his health.”
Mose tried to feel empathy for this man, but he couldn’t get there. Not yet. “That’s no excuse.”
She turned away from him, looking out the only window in the shop. The metamorphosis was somewhat like a butterfly returning to its cocoon. She took a rag and began cleaning the tools—something that actually needed to be done but that Mose tended to put off until they were unmanageable.
“I apologize if I said something wrong.”
I should keep my thoughts in my head, where they belong.
She shrugged. He hated it when she did that. The gesture meant she’d closed down and would disengage him until he could break down the wall again. “How about we take a drive and haul Ginger and Old Blackie back here?”
She stopped and turned abruptly toward him. “But we don’t have a trailer.”
“We’ll borrow Ira’s again. He’ll be happy to help us out.” He smiled slowly, waiting for her reaction before he felt he’d accomplished what he set out to do, which was to make her smile. It worked.
“I’d like to use Jim’s, but he keeps it under lock and key.” A glint of anger shone in her expression, but she moved forward and was out the door before he was.
“Hold your horses.” Mose teased at her enthusiasm. “I don’t want you to be disappointed if there’s a glitch.”
She slowed and listened. “Like what?”
“Ira might not still have the trailer. It was originally borrowed from an Englisher. There could be something that needs fixing. Repairing it is the agreement we have with the Englisher who lets us borrow it. And even if we do get everything we need, your daed might be there.”
Abby lifted her eyes to his. “I’m aware of that.” Her eyes flashed, and she was moving forward again. “But I’m willing to go if you are.”
By the time they hitched up the Clydesdales to the wagon and made it over to pick up Ira, Mose was sure Abby would make this work even if every possible scenario that he’d described happened.
Ira came out to greet them and meet Abby. “What happened to him?” she asked, noticing he compensated fairly well for missing a leg.
“He lost it to an infection that spread and almost killed him. But he rejoiced over his loss, saying that’s why Gott gave him two—so he’d appreciate the one.”
She grinned as he helped her step down from the wagon.
“Well, aren’t you a dandy sight to see.” Ira didn’t lean to the side as she expected; he stood as straight and tall as Mose did, eye to eye with him as they talked.
“Hallo, Ira.” She held out her hand, and he gave her the one-shake Amish pump that Mose expected she was getting used to.
“I hear ya have a couple of horses that need a ride.” He motioned to her.
“Thank you for letting us use the trailer again. I’d like my horses close by.”
“Special ’uns, huh?” He squinted one eye like Popeye.
“Yes, very much.”
“Needs some training, though. And Ira’s the man for the job. He has an instinct like nobody else.” Mose shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how talented he was.
Abby’s eyes lit up into a vivid blue. “I’d like to see you work with her.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Ira looked over to Mose for reinforcement.
“Sure. We’ll bring her over here for you to take a look at her.” He knew his daed would want them to be chaperoned and thought he’d ask, knowing he’d done the right thing by trying. “You wouldn’t happen to be up to taking a ride to Abby’s place, would ya, Ira?”
Abby’s eyes caught Mose’s. He’d have to explain to her at some point, but for now, this is what he needed to do to make it right.
“Need a chaperone, eh?”
Abby kept her gaze on Mose, but her features softened with the knowledge Ira so quickly offered.
“My daed would appreciate it.”
Abby smiled now with clear understanding as she stepped up into the wagon. It took a few minutes to hitch the trailer to the wagon, which Mose did mostly by himself. But Abby seemed so taken with Ira, he didn’t mind. Besides, once Ira started talking horse training, Mose was pretty much left out of the conversation. The Clydesdales plodded along without complaint, but when they got close to town, Abby got fidgety.
When Mose put his hand on hers, Ira leaned back in his seat and kept quiet, which Mose knew was difficult for him.
When they got to the last country road before town, Mose slowed the horses. “We’re almost there. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“This is the third time you’ve asked me, and the answer is still the same.” But when she didn’t see her dad’s truck and exhaled, he knew differently. She was scared to death, and deep down, so was Mose. Someone like her dad was unpredictable, but that wasn’t what Mose feared. He didn’t know if he could keep himself from what he might do. He’d never felt true hate like he did with this man, and he’d been diligently praying for discernment and forgiveness for his thoughts.
“It seems pretty quiet.” Abby’s eyes swept over the farm and what she could of the house. But with her dad’s truck missing, he felt they were safe. He didn’t want to worry about Ira being out and about, so he’d have him stay put.
“Do you mind staying in the wagon, Ira? This will just take a minute.”
“I don’t mind waiting.”
Mose smiled at the old man. His balding gray hair and potbelly only made him more likeable than he already was, but Mose didn’t want anyone to know more information than necessary. “Give us a holler if you see anyone pull in.”
“Sure. Glad to help.” He leaned to one side of the wagon, his head bobbing. Mose figured Ira would be taking a nap by the time he and Abby returned.
Mose parked by the barn and backed in as far as he could, to Ginger’s stall. “How does she look?”
When he didn’t get a response, he walked over to see the horse. Ginger’s leg was sw
ollen again, but what was worse, she was without food and didn’t have much water. Mose’s first reaction was anger, but when he saw tears on Abby’s cheeks, they washed the rage away. He opened the gate and harnessed the horse.
“Open the trailer door, Abby.”
She startled at the sound of her name and did as she was told. Ginger stumbled, but with some coaxing, slowly lifted each hoof and forced her body forward. Abby murmured comforting words to the horse as she got her settled in the trailer. She moved stiffly as she made her way to the wagon.
They repeated the process, and soon Blackie was by Ginger’s side. “Let’s take a drive around the place to see how the other animals are,” Mose suggested, feeling more secure about it with them all mobile and able to leave quickly if needed.
The barnyard looked much worse than the first time he’d seen it. “With the pond and a large enough area for grass, the animals must do okay on their own.”
“It’s what they’re used to.” Her tone didn’t sound convincing, but he didn’t read anything into what she said right now. There were probably a lot of emotions stirring around inside of her. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. “Ready to go?”
“Yes, more than ever.” She kept her eyes forward, looking at the road until they got to the highway. Then she sat back and relaxed.
Mose’s two best Clydesdales made pulling the trailer seem effortless as they clomped down the road. The time would go a little faster with the two strong animals leading the way. Abby was as jumpy as a rabbit, constantly looking over her shoulder.
“Abby, even if we do run across your daed, there’s nothing he can do with me by your side.” He patted her tense shoulder and thought back to when he’d first met her. She had been so strong and forceful. But this Abby was transparent. All of her fears and worries were out there for him to see, making her completely vulnerable. She looked over her shoulder again. “We’ve come this far. I don’t want anything to stop us from getting Ginger out of here now.”
They were silent for a while, until a pickup came up behind them. Abby discreetly watched it as the vehicle passed them, then she looked away.
Mose tried to look into the truck, but he couldn’t see through to the driver’s side. “Was that him?”
“It might have been, but I didn’t look.” She glanced over at Mose. When the truck was farther down the road, she let out a breath. “Do you think I’m being ridiculous? It’s not even his color.”
“Nee, but you can’t live in fear.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“That is the way of the Amish. We’ve been persecuted for centuries, and still are, but with a different sort of persecution.”
Her brows drew together as she stared at Mose. “I did hear about some young men who were threatening a young woman from your community a while ago.”
A flash of Elsie’s face brought the whole incident back to him. She had been harassed by a group of Englishers for months. “Jah, but our vow of no resistance kept her from telling anyone until it got out of hand and the authorities got involved.”
“Have I met her?” The way Abby looked at him, it was as if she knew there was more than what he was telling her. Maybe it was obvious. Maybe he was still sensitive about the way things had turned out with Elsie.
“Nee, it’s awkward for me still, sometimes. She married someone else.”
She took her time in responding, digesting his meaning. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s all for the best.” And when he looked at her, he honestly felt, for the first time, that what he said was true. Despite the barrier between them, Mose couldn’t help the way he felt about her. He would enjoy the time they had and be grateful for it—even if they’d never be together.
Chapter Sixteen
WE HAVE A school to build today.”
“It only takes one day?” Abby looked from Mamm to Mose. They both nodded. “It’s hard to believe.”
“Come and see.” Mose stood and took their plates to the sink. “Are you coming later, Mamm?”
“Ach, yes. I’m bringing my sweet potato pie.” She smiled at Abby. “You two go ahead.”
Mose felt Abby’s discomfort, but he knew she’d find the process interesting. Most English did. As they walked to the buggy, Mose took off the top and then offered his hand to help her up, but she climbed in before he had a chance to assist her. She apparently wasn’t one that wanted coddling, but he thought she might enjoy letting someone care for her, once she learned to trust.
“Is it going to be awkward?” She kept her eyes forward and wore a frown. He couldn’t tell her; she would just have to see if she would be accepted.
“Nee, it’s not usually like that here. We had some trouble with some English young men, but once that was ironed out, some visit now and then.” He wanted her to look at him, just once, and smile. She was prettier when she did, and he wanted her to be content. He realized that was what he wanted most for her. There was so much to Abby that she held inside, understandably so, but no matter what happened between them, he wanted to see her happy.
When they got to the site, Mose felt a little guilty for not getting there at dawn with the rest. They had three sides of the frame up and were working on the beams. Every able-bodied male was there, ready to help with whatever needed to be done. Mose parked the buggy and tried to get to Abby’s side before she got out, but once again she beat him to it.
“They’ve gotten a lot done already.”
“Jah, it will be finished before dark.” He walked her over to where the women were preparing the food. He knew the person he wanted Abby with and walked straight over to her to avoid too much conversation from others. “Rebecca.”
She pinned her brown hair and secured her kapp as she turned around to see them. “Mose, we were wondering where you were.” She gave him a teasing smile and then turned to Abby. “Hallo, you must be Mose’s friend.”
Abby’s face softened, and the start of a smile rippled across her lips. “Yes, I’m Abby.”
“Becca is with Joe, if you remember him.” Mose was sure she would after their day fishing together.
Abby’s grin spread at hearing the name. “Oh, yes. I accidentally went fishing with him and Mose.”
Becca chuckled. “So I heard. I admire you trying your hand at it. I’ve never quite seen the fun in it.” She put her hand on Abby’s arm and led her away from Mose. Abby turned back once and smiled at him.
With Abby in good hands, Mose went over to help saw the wood. He would do more of the detail work once the building was finished, but for now, he was one of the fastest to get the posts and beams cut to the right measure.
As the morning went on, he looked from time to time to find Abby, and each time she was helping the women or chatting with the others, mainly Becca. There was no one better she could be with. Rebecca had a big heart and a gentle spirit, one he felt Abby had as well, but she had been on guard so long, she kept her feelings deep inside.
“Hallo.” Chris plunked down by Mose and watched him work. “Can I help?”
“Jah, you can, by meeting my friend Abby.” Mose pointed to her where she stood with Rebecca and the bishop’s wife.
Chris moved the blond hair from his eyes and turned his head completely around to see her instead of getting up to look. “Is she from the other community?”
Mose grinned. She did look the part with the plain clothes his mamm had given her to wear. “Nee, she’s English.”
Joe let go of the lever on the generated powered drill and looked at Mose. “She’s getting on well with Rebecca.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Mose said sarcastically, but he meant it in a good way. “Will you see if she needs anything?”
“Is she nice?” Chris jumped up as his blue eyes grew larger.
“She’s very nice, and she likes children.”
Chris smiled, seeming to like the idea.
“She’s a teacher,” Mose added, and watched his smile slip away. “A fun one.”
“I went to her school one day to see her teach. Esta likes her.” Mose looked at Joe, who stared at him in surprise.
“Ach.” Chris shrugged as if that made everything all right. He walked away, and Mose shook his head, wondering when he was going to stop.
Joe jumped down and took a step closer to Mose. “What are you thinking, my friend?”
Mose couldn’t read his expression but trusted Joe wouldn’t judge him. “I’m keeping my head about things.” He didn’t look Joe in the eyes, worried he might see more than he wanted him to.
Joe shrugged. “It’s not the worst thing that could happen.”
Mose wasn’t sure what Joe meant by that, but didn’t know if he wanted to, so he didn’t answer.
“You’ve pined over Elsie for too long. It’d be nice to see you happy again.” Joe grabbed the drill and jumped up to the beam he was screwing in.
Mose hadn’t expected that. The lecture about settling down, jah, but not that he was unhappy. He hadn’t realized he was, it’d been so long. He felt like a hypocrite for thinking only Abby was. They were quite the pair.
But was Joe saying what Mose thought he was? That it was okay to have interest in an Englisher? He hadn’t let himself think about it, expecting too much grief, but maybe he was wrong about what might be accepted within this community. It wasn’t as conservative as the one in Virginia, but something on that level would be more than even Mose could pardon.
Abby watched with fascination as the men set up the beams that outlined the area where the schoolhouse would be. They had finished building the frame and now stood in a line, each holding a section. The crew chiefs stood across from them at the opposite end.
The chief counted, “Ein, zwo, drei!”
They lifted the frame together, and men at the platform up top took hold of it and put the frame into place, ready to be nailed down. They did this with each side, creating a skeleton framework of the building.
The women took glasses of lemonade to them halfway through the morning, but the men didn’t stop working, and the women kept busy preparing the food and quilting.
Healing Grace (9781621362982) Page 9
