She shuffled up next to her mamm and put the tea kettle on, ignoring the cup in front of her. “I need tea this morning, Mamm. I feel a little stiff from being caught in the rain yesterday when Levi took me into town to get sugar for the bakery.”
She’d dried off for the most part before reaching home for the day, but she was certain her mamm had noticed her rumpled clothing and disheveled hair.
Lizzie looked at her dochder and smiled. “I sort of noticed something was different, but I didn’t want to offend you. You’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Levi.”
She’d been waiting for such a comment from someone in her familye, but she expected it more from her grossdaddi. But since he was recuperating from a possible heart attack, she’d thought she was in the clear.
“We’ve become friends. I’ve spent more time with Grossdaddi and Nettie since he’s been ill, and Levi is always there. He offered to give me a ride into town since he had to run errands for Nettie. But since he took the open buggy, we got pretty soaked in the rain.”
Concern showed on Lizzie’s face. “I hope you were able to salvage the sugar from melting.”
That was all she was concerned about? Rachel knew her mamm trusted her to make smart decisions, but would it really be that easy to participate in her rumspringa without her mamm looking over her shoulder? She’d never given her parents any reason to worry or question her judgment, but this was a first time a boy had entered the equation.
“Jah, I brought a plastic tub with a lid just in case.”
The tea kettle began to whistle, and Rachel took some tea out of the glass jar and put it in the small steeping basket. Dropping it into her cup, she removed the kettle from the flame and poured the hot water over the tea, using the little chain to bob the aluminum basket up and down in the water. She sat down at the kitchen table and spooned two teaspoons of sugar into the cup and held the steaming beverage to her lips to blow on it.
Lizzie sat down across from Rachel. “I hope you don’t get a cold from playing out in the rain like that.”
Rachel nearly spit her tea across the table at her mamm. “Who said I was playing in the rain?”
Lizzie smiled knowingly. “You did. Since I just took you on Saturday to pick up sugar, I’d say you wanted to go into town because of the company.”
Her mamm knew her all too well. But she was smiling. Was it possible she didn’t care that her youngest dochder was taking a beau? Rachel’s cheeks heated at the thought of it. She couldn’t look at her mamm, so she kept her face down blowing and sipping on her tea.
“We’ve become friends.”
Lizzie smiled wider. “You already said that.”
Rachel pursed her lips. “I wasn’t certain that you heard me.”
“He seems like a nice young mann. Your grossdaddi and Nettie tell us he’s a hard worker.”
It delighted Rachel that her familye liked her new beau. She would never admit to them her interest in Levi beyond friendship, but she suspected her mamm already knew.
The hot tea began to work on relaxing Rachel’s stiff muscles. She could no more regret the stiffness any more than she could regret her time with Levi the day before. She had a long day ahead of her, but one look out the window at the myriad of colors painted across the sunrise, and she knew the day held promises that would come with no regrets.
Rachel tipped the cup and emptied the last drops down her throat. They felt soothing going down, and would help her to do her chores before work. She had to gather eggs and milk Daisy before she could go. She needed the ingredients for her day, and her mamm needed them to start breakfast for the familye.
She brought the eggs in quickly and rushed out to the barn to get enough milk to fill a few Mason jars. While her mamm made breakfast, she would feed the chickens and then rush inside to change her dress for the day ahead of her. Thankfully, her daed and bruder would finish the rest of the chores.
As she scattered chicken feed along the ground for the pecking hens, her mind drifted to Levi and the kisses they’d shared in the rain. It was her first experience with a real kiss, and it had left her wanting more of the same. She wanted to kiss Levi every day, but she wasn’t sure if he would want to after the way he suddenly pulled away from her at the end of their time together. He’d made an excuse that he didn’t want her to catch a cold, but there had been something in the way he’d looked at her that told her there was more to it than that. What had he wanted to say to her that he’d kept to himself?
Chapter 26
By the end of the week, Levi knew without a doubt that Rachel loved him and that he returned her feelings for him. They had met each night at the dock of the B&B, and had talked and kissed late into the night. Rachel had voiced a desire to explore the Englisch world during her rumspringa. Levi hoped it would work out for them when she discovered he was an Englischer. He decided that tonight would be the night to tell her the truth. Then in the morning, instead of taking Bruce his weekly wages, he would sever his ties with him, and he would be a free man.
Levi patted Lulu’s side as he sat down on the small stool to prepare for the morning milking. When the large pail was full, he patted Lulu once again, thanking her for cooperating with him.
A noise from the loft of the barn drew his head automatically toward the rustling sound. Bruce staggered toward the edge of the loft, kicking alfalfa hay to the floor of the barn below him. Levi’s heart lurched in his chest as he stood abruptly, knocking over the small stool and causing Lulu to let out a nervous moo.
Levi rushed to the edge of the loft and looked up at Bruce, who was standing dangerously close to the edge. “What are you doing here?”
Bruce waved his half-empty bottle of whiskey in one hand and held the other arm out in mock-balance. “I’ve been here a couple of days, but now my food is gone and my last bottle is half empty. I need some breakfast. Be a good boy and get your dad something to eat.”
Levi’s lips formed a grim line. “What happened to the motel room I paid for?”
Bruce plopped down on the edge of the loft and let his legs dangle precariously over the edge. “They kicked me out when I ran out of money to pay for the room. I told you that money you gave me wasn’t enough to pay the bills.”
Levi stood under his father, prepared to catch him if he toppled over the edge of the loft. “It would have been enough if you would have budgeted the money instead of spending so much on cigarettes and whiskey.”
Taking a swig from the whiskey bottle in his hand, Bruce leaned over the edge of the loft, making Levi very nervous. If the man fell, he might break a few bones in the best-case scenario, and then he would have a tough time convincing Hiram of his worth as a farm-hand. He would have a hard time explaining Bruce’s presence to his boss.
“Why don’t you come down from there and we’ll talk. I’ll get you something to eat, and then I’ll take you back into town and get you back into the motel.”
Levi didn’t want to spend his hard-earned money on this man anymore since all he did was waste it on booze and cigarettes. But if it would buy him the time he needed until he could explain things to Rachel and Hiram in his own way, it might be worth it.
Bruce pushed himself to his feet and teetered for just a second, causing Levi to feel a rush of adrenaline course through his veins.
Taking a step back, Bruce waved the bottle at his son again. “My things are up here. I’ll go sit with them. Bring me something to eat, and then we’ll talk.”
Levi wrung his hands. “It might be a while before I can sneak any food out of the house without the Millers knowing. They’ll be sitting down to eat in just a few minutes. I can’t just walk in there and take a plateful of food out of the house when they’re sitting right there.”
Bruce frowned. “Well you better hurry up Boy, or I’ll come in there after it. I’m hungry.”
Levi felt like a kid again, cowering under his dad’s authority. The last thing he needed was to have Bruce barge into the Miller’s house and frig
hten them. There would be no time for a plausible explanation then.
“I’ll get you the food, but I need you to be patient. Promise me you’ll stay put until I get back.”
Bruce raised his upper lip, exposing his teeth like a rabid dog. “I ain’t promising you nothing, Boy. You hurry on into that house and fetch me some breakfast, or I’ll be coming in after it. And while I’m in there I might just tell your boss exactly who you are.”
Levi found it difficult to pull enough air into his lungs. Was he having a panic attack? If he was, he couldn’t let Bruce see his weakness. The cruel man would play off of it, and he would be on the losing end of the game.
Levi clenched his jaw. “I’ll be back just as soon as I can. There’s no need to threaten me.”
Bruce whipped his head around toward Levi so fast, he nearly fell over. “Don’t you EVER think you can tell me what to do, Boy. I’m the boss of you, and don’t you ever forget that.”
Levi leered up at Bruce. “I already have a boss. I need a dad.”
He knew he was pushing his luck speaking out of turn the way he was, but he had reached his limit for tolerance of this man.
Bruce waved a hand behind him as he walked toward the back of the loft away from the edge. “Go on. Get out of here. And don’t come back without some food for your old man.”
Levi took the pail of milk and exited the barn. Hiram’s presence just outside the entry surprised him. His heart lurched again, and he wondered if he was too young to suffer a heart attack.
Hiram nodded. “I was just coming out to see if you’d fallen asleep milking Lulu. Nettie has breakfast ready. Might as well eat it while it’s hot. The rest of the chores will keep until you finish.”
Levi nodded to his boss, fearful the man had overheard his conversation with Bruce.
Chapter 27
If Hiram had heard him conversing with Bruce in the barn, his expression didn’t show it. Aside from the clanking of a fork on a plate, the room was silent. It wasn’t like either of them to be this quiet during breakfast, but Hiram had his nose in the latest issue of The Budget, and Nettie was busy eating. Levi picked at his breakfast, moving the eggs around the plate. His melancholy went unnoticed this morning, and he was grateful.
When Nettie rose from the table to get a second cup of coffee, Levi took the opportunity to stuff a biscuit and a few pieces of bacon into his napkin and push it back onto his lap. The tricky part would be to get out of the door with it. Perhaps if he took his time eating, Nettie would start the dishes before he finished, and Hiram would remain glued to his newspaper. With any luck, he would be able to slip out without either of them being the wiser.
Just as he’d hoped, Nettie started to clear the table while he finished his eggs. He grabbed another biscuit and a few more strips of bacon off the plates before she removed them, and poured himself another glass of milk. He was hungry, but he was nervous. Paranoid was probably more likely. He took Hiram to be the type of man to say outright if there was something on his mind. But his silence this morning was a little unnerving.
Levi quickly gobbled down his breakfast, and then picked up his napkin full of food and went for the back door while Nettie’s back was turned. He’d already thanked her for the meal, so there would be no reason to linger. As his hand went for the door handle, Hiram called his name. He tried to turn around without showing the napkin he held close to him.
“How’s the corn looking this week?”
Levi smiled with pride, knowing he had helped the plants grow by tending to them. “The ears are getting mighty thick. We should be ready to start picking the first few rows this week.”
“I’d like you to take a bushel of tomatoes and squash up to the roadside stand today. There is a gut breeze to keep you cool today. Should be a gut day to sell to Englischers passing by the main road. If that corn is as thick as you say, then take a bushel of that up there and sell it too. The prices for vegetables and the change jar are on the shelf in the tack room. I’ll walk up there in a little while and sit with you if you want me to.”
Levi could feel the heat rising to his cheeks.
“That isn’t necessary. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself too soon.”
Hiram waved a hand at him. “Doctor Davis said I need to start walking every day. The end of the road is a gut start, don’t you think?”
“Jah. I’ll see you in a little while then.”
Levi rushed to the barn. He had to act fast if he was going to get his dad out of the barn and get the vegetables picked and hauled to the roadside stand under the big oak tree on the main road before Hiram took his walk out there to meet him.
First things first; he climbed the ladder to the loft, and thankfully, found his dad asleep in the alfalfa hay. How long would he sleep? Levi hoped it would be long enough to pick the vegetables and get them back to the barn. He intended on using the enclosed buggy to smuggle Bruce out of the barn. He would put the vegetables in back with the man, and then take him as far as the main road. Bruce would have to walk the rest of the way back to town, which Levi guessed he’d already done when he came here. He set the napkin full of food next to his dad’s head and slid down the ladder. Gathering the bushel-baskets, he headed out to the field.
Once there, he picked as quickly as his hands would work, pushing the basket along with his foot while he used both hands to check each ear before removing them from the stalk. In his frantic state, he knew he couldn’t keep up this lie any longer. It was eating away at his peace and stealing his joy. Joy that he should be feeling about his love for Rachel. Instead, he was anxious and full of regret. Would this feeling ever go away? He hoped so, or he would surely make a mistake, and at this point, he couldn’t afford to do such thing.
With Bruce safely in the back of the buggy with the produce, Levi steered the mare to the end of the road. He parked the buggy under the tree behind the stand to give the horse relief from the sun. He would ask Hiram to take the buggy back with him when he arrived.
Tying the horse to the oak tree, Levi opened the back door and ushered Bruce out. He handed him fifty-seven dollars and grabbed his duffel bag from the back. “This should get you back into the room at the motel for the night. You can use the rest to get yourself some dinner. After that, you’re on your own.”
Bruce gritted his teeth and growled. “What do you mean I’m on my own?”
Levi took in a deep breath. “I mean, I’m out. I can’t do this anymore. These people have been very kind to me, and I won’t continue to work with you. They don’t know where the stolen money is. That is, even if it exists. The authorities haven’t been able to find that money all these years. What makes you think you can find it? I won’t hurt these people, and I won’t let you hurt them either.”
Chapter 28
Bruce caught Levi off guard and pushed him up against the tree by his neck. His fingers dug into the flesh of Levi’s neck, and he struggled to bring in air.
“What are you gonna do, Boy? You aren’t gonna threaten me. I’m the boss of you. I already told you that.” Bruce tightened his grip on his son’s neck and knocked his head against the tree. “I’m gonna tell you how it is and you’re gonna listen or you’re gonna get what’s coming to you. I’m gonna give you until tomorrow to deliver that map to me, or I’m gonna take matters into my own hands, and you’re not gonna like that. I’ve been watching you and that pretty little brunette. I’d say by the way she kisses you she likes you a lot. If you don’t get me that map, we’ll see how much she still likes you when I tell her what kind of a man you really are—a thief and a criminal just like me.”
Levi had only stolen under his dad’s instruction, and by his way of thinking, he’d been a victim of poor parenting. He’d hated it when Bruce made him steal. The very clothes on his body had been stolen off the clothesline of an Amish farm in Ohio. He knew he would be held accountable for what he’d taken, but he would not put Rachel in harm’s way because of his sins. He was nothing like Bruce, and he wanted not
hing more to do with him.
“Now, do we understand each other?”
Levi nodded.
Bruce let him go, and Levi coughed and held his sore neck. He had no intention of helping Bruce. His plans had now changed. He would tell Rachel the truth when they met for their date this evening. Then he would tell Hiram after he finished his work for the day. He would leave the community of his own accord and hope that his final week of pay would be enough to get him as far away from Bruce and all the hurt of losing Rachel. He didn’t want to tell her or Hiram the truth, but he owed them that much. He could go away quietly and neither would be the wiser, but that was not the kind of man he wanted to be. If being honest and honorable would come with the price of losing his job and the girl he loved, then that’s the price he was willing to pay.
Hiram pulled his straw hat down over his eyes to shield the sun so he could get a better look at what was going on with Levi and the older gentleman. They seemed to be having some sort of scuffle. Hiram didn’t know whether to holler at them to make his presence known, or just continue walking toward them at a slow pace. He wished he had the energy to walk faster or even run, especially since it appeared that Levi was in some sort of trouble with the Englischer. Had the mann been so unsatisfied with the quality of the produce, or did Levi know him? Hiram supposed it was possible that the mann was attempting to rob Levi, but there wouldn’t have been enough time for the buwe to have made enough sales to accumulate the money that would make a robbery a worthy attempt.
Amish Summer of Courage: Book Six Page 8
