Her shoulders slumped. “It’s all right. I’m just dealing with a lot of stuff right now.”
He sat on the ground and crossed his arms over his bent knees. “Want to talk about it?”
She looked at him. Really looked at him. His blond hair was neatly trimmed, but it was long and fine enough to waft in the breeze. He looked so different from her brown-haired brothers and cousins. More refined, like Megan with her silky hair. Even in his mucking boots, he looked city bred. But he wasn’t; he’d been a missionary’s kid. Why was she judging him when his eyes shone with kindness?
Fletch didn’t know why he hadn’t turned and hightailed it out of there when he saw Lil, especially when she was crying. But the tender scene had gripped his heart, and he found himself drawn to her instead. And now he’d asked her if she wanted to talk about it. Either fate or God was drawing them together, and he hoped it was the latter.
“Today I overheard my mom talking to her friends. I found out why she’s depressed.”
So that’s what Mrs. Landis’s odd dinner behavior had been all about—depression. Fletch nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Mom’s a plain woman. Like me,” Lillian explained.
He definitely had an opinion on that, and he blurted it out, “You’re not plain at all.”
She pulled an ugly face, as if he’d just said something disgusting. “Never mind. Someone like you in your red shoes and red hat would never understand, anyway.”
How could such a captivating creature think that she was plain? Or was her plainness a badge of self-righteousness? He frowned. “That’s hardly fair. Anyway, haven’t you noticed I have my mucking boots on?”
“Yeah, well you’re still a pretty boy. You wouldn’t understand about the dreams of plain people.”
He frowned, shocked and disgusted to be referred to as a pretty boy. “You have a low opinion of me.” Maybe he didn’t understand what it was like to be plain, whatever that meant, but he understood about being different. “Look, Lillian. My parents were missionaries. We survived on charity and hand-me-downs. Have you even noticed that the car I drive isn’t that much newer than yours?”
Lil’s jaw dropped. “I had no idea.”
They stared at each other.
She must have changed her opinion of him on the spot because she began to explain, “Cooking is the one place we Landis women shine. For my mom, it was being the head of the hostess committee. I already told you my goal.”
“To become head chef.”
She nodded. “That and more. Anyway, one night during a baby shower, a fire started in the church fellowship hall. Mom blames herself for burning down the entire fellowship hall. It was humiliating for her. After that, she resigned, and then she fell into a depression. She even took an overdose of pills. She almost died. As you know, Mennonites don’t commit suicide.”
He wasn’t sure that was true. He always figured that depression and suicidal inclinations could hit anybody going through hard times. He wasn’t entirely familiar with how the Conservative Mennonites’ beliefs differed from his own—and his own beliefs might even be a bit convoluted from the norm just because of his upbringing. But he didn’t argue the point. “Wow. That’s tough.”
Lil went on to explain how she moved out of the doddy house that she and her friends had renovated to help her family, and Fletch was reminded again what had first attracted him to her. She was a woman with grit and conviction. Not only that, but she didn’t shirk back from helping others. He liked that a lot. But he didn’t like seeing her so dejected.
He jumped to his feet and brushed off his jeans. “I know just what you need.”
She eyed him warily. “What?”
“Somebody to push you until your feet touch those branches up there.” As he hoped, he caught her off guard. She smiled, and before she could protest, he hurried behind her. “Hang on.”
She did. Her black oxfords reached for the sky, and her navy skirt billowed. He felt a fond tug for the petite girl in plain, Conservative clothing. He’d never known a Conservative girl before and would never have imagined one would have big-city dreams and man-sized grit.
“Enough! I feel silly,” she cried.
He caught the rope and slowed her down. The swing careened, and the small black oxfords scuffed the grass. He reached for her hand to help her off, but the old weathered rope chose that moment to snap in two, propelling Lillian’s seat out from under her. Her bottom hit the ground with a hard thump, and Fletch toppled helplessly on top of her.
“Ouch!” Lil exclaimed.
His heart sped when he realized they lay in each other’s arms. He rolled slightly to the side but hadn’t the will to leave her. He breathed, “Lillian? Are you all right?”
She whispered back, “My friends call me Lil.”
He knew he needed to get up and would, just as soon as they finished their conversation. He stroked her face. “I heard your family calling you that. I think it’s cute.” At the moment, he was interested in more than friendship. Tentatively, he tilted her chin, closed his eyes, and tasted her sassy lips. The kiss was brief, and like he expected, her lips were naively eager. He pulled back.
Wonder brightened the blue of her eyes.
In that moment, she seemed so naive that it almost frightened him. He needed to slow down before he hurt her. His sister, Erica, had always called him a natural flirt, and he didn’t want to mislead Lil. But if she was plain, it was plain irresistible.
“Always dreamed about kissing someone like you,” she said breathlessly.
Definitely time to get up. He laughed nervously, rolled away, and got to his feet.
She jumped up and brushed off her clothing. A rosy blush covered her face. “I need to go back to the house and start supper.”
He glanced toward the path that wound through a stand of tangled oak and maples and concealed them from the house and barn, suddenly remembering his purpose at the farm. He wasn’t here to seduce the farmer’s daughter. Of course he was. He had been after her all along. And now she was mad, misunderstanding his sudden withdrawal. She had no idea how hard it had been for him to be a gentleman and pull away. “I’ll go with you.”
“Suit yourself.” She ran her hands down her skirt and started walking away from him.
Quickly moving to her side, he said, “I have an idea about your mom.”
She glanced sideways, warily. “What’s that?”
“It sounds like she’s lost her purpose. While we were talking, an incident popped into my mind about one of my dad’s friends who had to leave the mission field and come stateside because of health problems. He fell into depression, and my mom said it was because he lost his purpose. You need to find her a new one.”
“Like what? Her friends tried to get her to quilt, but she refused.”
“My mom always told me that even if you don’t really want to do something helpful, afterward you’re glad you did. She lives by the motto that service brings joy.” That and kissing the farmer’s daughter.
“I like that, a guy who listens to his mom.” She grinned, warming up to him again. “So helping animals, is that your purpose? Does that give you joy?”
Had she read his mind? He gave a scoffing laugh, thinking of the past couple of weeks working with Vic and all the sleepless nights studying. “So far it’s brought me a lot of hard work.”
“Service usually does.”
“I suppose so. Right now my main focus is getting a diploma.” That sounded as ignoble as his earlier advice had probably sounded trite, especially for a guy who wanted to get as far away from his parents as possible. A guy who just wanted to live a normal life. He tried to explain, “There’s this person in my life, in my family’s life…. His name is Marshall. He’s given a tremendous amount of financial support to my parents over the years. He became a family friend and saw my interest in animals and is paying for my tuition.”
“So you don’t want to disappoint him?” she concluded.
“He’s my p
erson. The one who is always there for me. I can’t let him down.”
“Do you think if you hadn’t met him, you’d still feel drawn to work with animals? I always knew what I wanted to do. Just kept gravitating toward it.”
Fletch couldn’t resist asking, “And do you feel this same gravitation toward me?”
Her face reddened, swallowing up her freckles. “Surely you don’t expect me to answer that?”
If her blush was any indication, she might be gravitating. They walked a little way in silence, and then the barn came into view. Lil glanced sadly toward it. “Tell me. Is the herd infected?”
“We don’t know yet,” he answered gravely.
CHAPTER 10
It was a happy occasion for Lil. Megan had just returned from her mission trip, and in celebration, Katy had rallied the friends together at the doddy house. Megan’s enthusiastic stories had captivated Lil for well over an hour, before the conversation shifted its focus. Now Lil found herself in the spotlight, being grilled about Fletch.
For Megan’s sake, she glowingly described his attributes. After that, she went on to share her reservations. “So he’s telling me my mom needs purpose in her life, but then when I asked him about his choice to become a veterinarian, he seemed more concerned about pleasing the man who was paying his tuition.” She shrugged. “I thought that was unusual.”
“Guys have to be concerned about financial obligations,” Jake pointed out.
Lil thought about her dad and knew her cousin made a valid point.
“You’re falling for him,” Megan observed, twisting a long strand of blond hair.
“He’s amazing. But he wears red shoes and a red cap, and I never should have let him kiss me.”
“What!” Katy squealed. “We need to meet him. Give him the once-over.”
Lil glanced at the braided area rug and back up at Katy. “The point is, if I don’t quit drooling over him, it’s going to be too late for me to let him go. And I don’t know if I can really commit to a guy who might take me away from my church.”
Katy grinned.
“What?” Lil asked.
“It’s not like you to worry about a guy. You always just drooled, even if he was an outsider. And usually you complain about the church.”
“Which means she didn’t really like those guys,” Jake observed from the sofa with his arm draped over Katy’s shoulders. They were a picture of happiness now, but Lil recalled how difficult it had been for them to finally get together. Jake had fallen away from the church and even pursued an outside girl for a brief time before he’d settled down with Katy. But he’d come back. He surely understood her dilemma.
Katy was still perplexed. “Don’t you remember how you wore shorts and jeans at church camp? You registered for culinary school before you had your dad’s permission?”
“Remember the toe ring at foot washing?” Megan interjected.
“So now you’re concerned about church?” Katy asked, as if her jog down memory lane validated her point.
“Of course I am! It’s one thing to wish and another to actually do something that will force me to step over the line of no return. I don’t want to be forced. I want to do it when I’m ready. Katy, you’re the conservative one. I’m shocked you’re encouraging me to consider Fletch. I depend on you to reel me in when I drift away.”
“I’m just trying to understand you.”
“Women. I’m in the middle of too many women,” Jake protested.
Megan’s eyes lit up. “Know how they court in Bangladesh?”
On the back of Jake’s taunt, Megan’s serious yet out-of-nowhere question set them all into a fit of laughter.
Except for Megan, “No seriously, they have a lot of rituals.” She pushed her shimmering blond hair off her shoulder, and it fell into a straight line across the middle of her back.
Sweet, naive Megan, Lil mused. Always lovely, gentle, and graceful. The exact opposite of Katy, with her dark smoldering beauty and feisty personality. At times, Lil envied them both. She worked hard to maintain a trim figure. She had plain brown hair and freckles. But it was always a mild envy. Her sin, not theirs. No matter what, Lil experienced a fierce love and devotion toward them. How she’d missed them.
Megan ended her explanation with a flourish of one slender finger. “So you see, it involves various gods, touching their elders’ feet, and bathing in pond water.”
This raised Lil’s hackles. After her church elders’ request for Mom to repent in front of the entire congregation, Lil would not touch their feet. But even in her anger, she was not ready to confide in Megan and Katy about her problem with their elder-dads. She frowned, having missed some of the story. “You mean like the foot-washing service at church?”
“Kinda,” Megan’s perplexed expression revealed she had never connected the two events.
Lil grew contemplative, too. What kind of rituals had Fletch been exposed to as the son of missionaries? Working through her thoughts, she said, “I don’t know if I could touch the elders’ feet and swim in pond water for Fletch, but I did lose my job over him.”
“What!” Megan exclaimed, scooting to the edge of the sofa.
Lil explained everything, trying to keep her voice upbeat. “Looks like we’ll both be looking for a job if we hope to boot Katy and Jake out of their honeymoon shack.”
Megan sneezed into a tissue. “Dad suggested I try Salvation Army or Red Cross.” She rolled her gaze toward the ceiling. “Mom mentioned Mennonite Disaster Service.”
“Your allergies bothering you?” Lil asked.
“Yes, and it was the strangest thing. I wasn’t bothered at all in Bangladesh.”
“Maybe you’re allergic to job hunting,” Jake teased.
Katy elbowed him. “Before you boot us out, we need to find another house.”
They were a sorry lot. Lil sank back into the armchair her mom had donated to the doddy house. To replace it, Dad had bought Mom a small rocking recliner for her birthday, hoping it would cheer her out of her gloom. That was before they had discovered the truth—nothing would cheer her. “My mom said that, after the church fire, she felt like she’d lost her purpose in life.”
“Yeah?” Katy urged, gently biting her lip.
Lil’s heart sped. Could she expose the fears that had been plaguing her ever since she overheard her mom’s confession? She lowered her voice to a near whisper. “What if I don’t find another job? What then? Will I be just like my mom?”
Megan shook her blond mane fiercely. “You’re not your mom. If anything, you’re like your dad.”
Lil objected, “No. I’m like her, too.”
“It’s a good thing that you can relate to her.” Katy pushed up from the sofa. “Because that will help you to find a way to help her. You’re always helping people. You’re good at that. And Megan’s right. You have your dad’s determination. That and God will get you through. I know you don’t like me to preach, but Lil Landis, enough gloom and doom.”
Katy went to a drawer and pulled out some Rook cards. “I don’t mean to minimize what you’re going through, Lil, but God is faithful.” Katy handed the cards to Jake. “You deal, and I’ll go cut the strawberry pie.”
“I’ll help.” Megan jumped up as though she wanted to get as far away from the talk of job hunting as she could.
Lil blinked the mist from her eyes as she watched her friends leave the room, pondering Katy’s remarks. She had gone through a rough patch. And she probably did understand what Lil was going through in the romance department. She was right about needing to enjoy the evening. She and her friends had been apart too long, and they couldn’t possibly solve all of their problems in one evening anyway.
Jake hadn’t moved to do his wife’s bidding yet. Lil grinned at him. “So does Katy get on you about picking up after yourself?” She remembered how Katy was always the neat one when they’d lived together. It worked out to her advantage, however, because while Lil had cooked, Katy had cleaned. At the farm these days,
Lil was doing it all.
He tilted his face, and a shock of wavy black hair fell over his eye. He brushed it back, looking sheepish. “Yeah. Sometimes she’s a little bossy, too, but I wouldn’t change her much.”
Lil could only wish she was at that place in life. “Can I ask you a guy question?”
“Sure. You helped me win Katy.”
“No kidding, chump.” She wet her lips, thinking how to phrase it, and opted for bluntness. “It’s about Fletch’s kiss.”
“You’ve come to the right person. I’m an expert in this category.”
Ignoring his boast, she explained, “Afterward, he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”
“Hm. Either he didn’t like it, or he liked it too much.”
“What do you mean by too much?”
“He didn’t trust himself to be a gentleman without pulling away.”
“Oh.” She sighed with confusion.
“If he likes you enough, he won’t be able to stay away long.”
Megan popped her head back into the room. “Pie’s ready.”
Lil smiled at Jake. “Thanks. I’ve missed you.” At the table, she was impressed with Katy’s pie-baking ability. “This is absolutely mountainous. Heaping with strawberries.”
“Scrumptious, just how I like it.” Jake winked at Katy.
Megan poised her fork in the air. “Hey, Lil. What about that cookbook you always wanted to write? Maybe we could do something creative with that instead of getting a real job.”
Once again, everybody burst out laughing.
“What did I say?” Megan raised her palms in frustration.
“You come up with a lucrative way to do that, and I’ll supply the recipes.” Lil looked at her cards. “Now come on, green bean, we’ve got to make a good team. These two are hard to beat.”
“That’s what I mean,” Megan countered. “We’d make a great team.”
A tug of sympathy dismayed Lil. Megan was terrified to go job hunting. The interviews didn’t frighten Lil as much as the commitment she would need to actually keep her next job. “Say, if you decide to apply at those places your parents mentioned, I can help you fill out your applications.”
Plain City Bridesmaids Page 41
