An Amish Cookie Club Courtship

by Sarah Price

  “Best get going,” she called out to her mother as she raced through the kitchen for the door.

  Outside, she grabbed her bicycle from the side of the house and began pushing it down the driveway before she jumped onto the seat. The front wheel wiggled as she pedaled over the gravel until she hit the pavement on the main road. The morning air was cooler than usual, and she found herself wishing she’d grabbed a sweater from the coat closet. One could never tell what the weather would be like in late April. Some days were warmer than usual, while others felt more like winter.

  At least the sun was shining.

  She guided her bicycle along the road, cringing whenever a car flew past her. Why did they have to drive so fast? she wondered. Besides how dangerous it was, didn’t they know how much they missed by speeding along like that? She never could understand why Rachel didn’t mind those fast cars. Of course, Rachel tended to like anything fast. It was one of the few things they didn’t agree on. When they were younger, Rachel liked to ride her bicycle fast down the hill behind the Millers’ farm. She’d put her feet onto the handlebars and laugh, and all the while Ella Mae would scream at her to slow down. The more Ella Mae made a fuss, the faster Rachel tried to go.

  Eventually, Ella Mae had learned to ignore her sister’s tomboyish behavior, something she’d thankfully outgrown.

  Up ahead, a black buggy waited at a stoplight, the right blinker flashing. Slowing down, Ella Mae stretched her foot down, getting ready to stop. Carefully, she pulled alongside the buggy, leaving enough distance to allow the horse to make a wide turn.

  “What ho!”

  Ella Mae started at the sound of the too-familiar voice. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see Jonas grinning at her from inside the buggy.

  Her heart skipped a beat and, inwardly, she groaned. “Jonas Esh.”

  He smiled. “Ella Mae Schwartz.”

  “What’re you doing here? Why aren’t you busy carpentering?”

  He laughed. “Carpentering? Is that a word?”

  “It should be.”

  Another laugh. “I agree.” He tightened his hold on the reins. “Wanted to check on my lumber order. See if they might be delivering it today. You know, for my maem’s new building. And she asked me to pick up a few things for her.”

  Ella Mae shifted the bicycle beneath her. She wasn’t certain how to respond. Was a response even necessary? She felt uncomfortable standing there and looked toward the light. It was still red.

  “Hey. I’m headed back now,” Jonas said. “Why don’t I pull over and give you a ride? I can put the bicycle in the back. Save you some time, anyway. Plus, it’s safer.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Traffic can be bad in the mornings.”

  For a moment, she thought about refusing his offer. The last thing she wanted was to spend a minute alone with Jonas, even though he was behaving properly enough today. Still, Ella Mae knew that pride goeth before a fall, or something along those lines. And as distasteful as she found Jonas Esh, the thought of riding her bicycle all the way to the Esh farm by herself was even more so.

  “That would be right gut,” she heard herself say, just as the light turned green.

  He motioned with his head that he would pull over on the other side of the intersection. Pedaling her bicycle, Ella Mae followed him. Once they were on the side of the road, Jonas stopped the horse and jumped down from the buggy to help her with the bicycle.

  Despite his offer just a few seconds earlier, she hadn’t actually expected him to do that. It was something she could have done. But Jonas took the bicycle from her and rolled it toward the back of his buggy.

  When he lifted it and placed it in the back space, twisting the handlebars so that the front tire turned to the side, she noticed that he did so with no effort. Despite being the shortest of the three Esh brothers, Jonas was possibly the strongest. Why hadn’t she noticed before how broad his shoulders were? She supposed it was because she’d been too distracted by his mouth to pay attention to anything else about Jonas.

  “Go on and get in,” he said. “I got this, Ella Mae.”

  Quietly, Ella Mae did as he instructed. When he wasn’t being such a mischievous rascal and trying to get under her skin, Jonas was a decent man. Or, at least, the possibility that he was decent existed, she told herself.

  Within seconds, he joined her in the buggy. Grabbing the reins, he glanced in the side mirror before he made a kissing noise to urge the horse on. With great eagerness, the horse leapt forward so that the buggy jostled and his arm brushed against hers.

  “Whoa,” he said, pulling on the reins. Once the rhythm of the horse evened out a bit, he turned to Ella Mae. “She likes to run fast, this one. Have to hold her back a bit sometimes.”

  “I don’t like fast,” she admitted.

  “Oh?”

  “Never know if one of those automobiles will swerve and hit the horse or a wheel might break. It’s dangerous.”

  He tightened the reins and slowed the horse in order to start turning down a side road. “I like going fast.”

  “Please don’t.”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “I won’t. There’s a time and place for that. Plus, you already told me you don’t like it.”

  She studied the back of the bay mare that pulled the buggy. Her coat was a rich brown, while her mane and tale were the darkest of black. As the horse jogged down the road, her mane fluttered in the wind. “She’s a pretty horse.”

  “I bought her not so long ago.” His eyes returned to the road. “Nothing quite like a good mare to carry you through life.”

  “Or at least to town and back.”

  He smiled. “True, true. Reckon it’s God that carries us through life anyway.”

  Ella Mae frowned. Was this the same Jonas who had been teasing her and Rachel for the past two days? She would never have expected him to say something so profound. Uncertain how to respond, she settled her back against the seat and stared straight ahead. This was certainly turning into a day full of surprises. First Rachel sneaking off to the Esh farm extra early, and now riding in Jonas’s buggy and learning that there might be a bit more substance beneath his surface than she’d previously thought.

  EDNA

  CHAPTER 10

  “I can scarce believe it,” Wilma said to Edna as they sat on the porch piecing some quilt tops in the afternoon sun. She sat in a rocking chair, pushing back and forth with her bare feet on the wooden floorboards. Each time she moved, the wood creaked under her weight.

  It was Friday. Unlike previous weeks, the four friends had decided to meet not in the morning but, instead, following the noon meal. While it was nice to meet in the morning—something they’d been doing for years—it would certainly be just as nice to meet after Edna’s guests had left. At least during the busy season. For Edna, this arrangement made the day much less stressful. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of changing the time before now.

  When she voiced this revelation to Elmer, he had teased her that she was getting muddled in the head with old age. Maybe he was right.

  Oh, how she loved getting together with her friends and baking cookies—today’s recipe was for peanut butter drop cookies—but as her tourist clientele grew, it became increasingly difficult to squeeze in her friends in the morning and still get everything ready before the guests arrived at eleven thirty. Even though she usually had plenty of time to spare, that didn’t stop Edna from fretting. Had she made enough chicken? Would she have time to mash the potatoes? Would she get the kitchen cleaned before their arrival? Edna had found that the more she worried, the less she enjoyed her time with her friends.

  “Cookies can be baked in the afternoon, you know,” Elmer had told her one evening.

  Edna had been sitting on the sofa, reading a devotional, when he spoke. Upon hearing his words, she looked up. “What did you say?”

  Elmer lowered the paper, peering at her over the top. “You could have your Cookie Club gather in the afternoons on Wednesdays and Friday
s. No one says you must bake in the morning.”

  For a moment, she let his idea roll around in her head. While the house wouldn’t smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls upon their arrival—for she usually baked a fresh batch to welcome her friends—the relief of not rushing and worrying might just make up for it. Besides, everyone loved a freshly baked cake or pie, both of which were well suited to an afternoon snack.

  “Genius,” she whispered. “Pure genius.”

  He’d smiled when she said that, but merely returned his attention to the paper.

  The very next day, Edna had contacted her friends and shared his idea.

  That had been almost two weeks ago. Today was the first Friday that they were meeting after the noon meal instead of earlier in the morning. Edna felt so relaxed, sitting in the warm sun and visiting with her friends. She made a mental note to make the change permanent.

  “Believe what, Wilma?”

  Mary’s question interrupted Edna’s thoughts.

  Wilma, however, hadn’t noticed that Edna hadn’t been paying attention.

  “Why, Rachel came home yesterday fit to be tied!” Wilma continued. Her lips were pursed and the muscles along her jaw twitched. “She hardly said one word all evening.”

  Sitting in the corner on a folding chair, Mary set down her pieces and peered over the top of her glasses. “Didn’t say a word? That’s fit to be tied?”

  Wilma’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “For my Rachel? Ja!”

  Verna snickered. “Bet that was quite a pleasant change. Silence in the haus.”

  Ignoring the sharp look that Wilma shot in Verna’s direction, Edna shifted her focus back to her stitching. “I was wondering about that,” she admitted reluctantly. “She was rather tongue-tied yesterday. Today, too.”

  Mary gave a short intake of breath. “Oh dear. Something bothering her, you think? Mayhaps she doesn’t like the work?” She turned to look at Wilma. “Does she not like the work? Did she say anything?”

  Edna clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Nee, that’s not it.” Even though the Schwartz sisters had only been helping her for three days, she’d noticed Rachel seemed to take to the work. There had been no bickering at all over the past two days, and Rachel never complained when asked to do something. Still, Edna felt a momentary wave of panic. She didn’t want to presume the young woman was happy. Perhaps Rachel had confided in her mother that she didn’t like helping out with Edna’s guests. “She arrived earlier than usual today, so I don’t think she’s unhappy.”

  She felt relieved when she heard Wilma say, “Nee, not unhappy. At least, she hasn’t said anything to me. I’ve just never seen her so quiet-like.”

  Edna planted her feet firmly on the porch floor, the rocking chair abruptly stopping.

  “What is it, Edna?”

  She looked at Mary. “I noticed that Jonas was sure hanging around the haus a lot.”

  Wilma made a noise.

  Quickly, Edna continued, “Although he’s never been one for farmwork, so I’m not completely surprised by it.”

  Mary frowned. “I thought he was working on that new outbuilding?”

  “He is. Of course, he does take breaks.”

  Wilma raised an eyebrow.

  “What, Wilma?” Verna leaned forward and poked her in the knee with her knitting needle. “What’s going on in that brain of yours?”

  She gave a gentle lift of her shoulders. “Oh, nothing.”

  Verna rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Well, I know someone who’ll be confessing to the bishop on Sunday. Confessing about lying!”

  “Oh, hush you!”

  Mary made a face. “I don’t understand what—”

  With an agitated sigh, Wilma interrupted her. “Jonas is hanging around the kitchen more, Mary. You know, hanging around.” She spoke the words in a drawn-out way, clearly insinuating that those two words were secret code for something else. “And Rachel was fussing about Jonas something fierce the other day, yet now she’s suddenly quiet and arriving early.” Wilma’s lips twisted into a satisfied smirk. “Mayhaps I wasn’t so off base. A young woman don’t start behavin’ different unless there’s one—and only one—thing on her mind: a young man!”

  The truth was that Edna had noticed something different about Rachel the previous day. She’d been quieter than usual, especially when Jonas came into the kitchen. He’d made certain to position himself between Rachel and Ella Mae, bantering with both of them, although he seemed to pay more attention to Rachel. Edna wasn’t surprised. The previous day, Rachel had reacted strongly to Jonas’s ribbing and teasing. And if Jonas enjoyed anything, it was getting under someone’s skin.

  Was it possible that Jonas and Rachel might actually like each other? He certainly was personable enough, even if he did behave like a scoundrel sometimes.

  “Well.” She took a deep breath and exhaled, letting the possibility settle into her brain. It wouldn’t surprise Edna if Jonas married before Jeremiah. He was, after all, much more outgoing and flirtatious. Surely a young woman would capture his heart sooner or later. And, if it was to be sooner, would it truly be so terrible if it was Rachel Schwartz who tamed him? “Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Wilma asked.

  “Oh no.” Mary shook her head. “You gals will find nothing but trouble if you’re scheming again.”

  Wilma waved her hand at Mary. “Oh, hush you, now. You have your dochder married off—and quite well, too, I might add! Now it’s my turn!”

  Mary straightened her shoulders in a prim way that suggested she was put out by Wilma’s comment.

  “No one is scheming, Mary,” Edna said slowly, hoping to heal her friend’s bruised ego. “But there’s no harm in trying to push those two together a bit. Mayhaps let them get to know each other, that’s all.” She turned toward Wilma, ignoring the amused look on Verna’s face. “And Rachel is rather pleasant when she’s not being so argumentative.”

  “Told you so.”

  Edna ignored that comment. “Of course, three days does not a wedding make.”

  “Oh help! I knew I was going to marry Simon the first time he asked me home from a singing!” Verna smiled in a wistful sort of way, as if savoring the memory of that evening so long ago. “When you know, you know.”

  Mary clucked her tongue, clearly disapproving of the direction the conversation had turned. “You, too, Verna?” She sighed. “No good will come of this. Mark my words.”

  Edna tossed a scowl at her friend. “Now, Mary, don’t be like that.”

  “Ja, Mary!” Wilma chimed in. “You only have one dochder to worry about, and she’s settled in right nice. Now it’s our turn to do a little matchmaking.” She turned toward Edna. “Right?”

  “Well, mayhaps not exactly matchmaking,” Edna said, her voice low. “But, like I said, a little nudge in the right direction certainly couldn’t hurt, now could it?”

  Before Mary could counter Edna’s question, the timer went off.

  Setting down the piece she’d been quilting, Edna smiled and slowly rose from her chair. “Look at that! Perfect timing. The cookies are done,” she said as she made her way into the kitchen, “as is this conversation.” She paused at the door and peered over her shoulder at her friends. “For the moment, anyway.” And, with that, she slipped inside, letting the door shut behind her as she hurried to remove the sweet-smelling peanut butter cookies from the oven before they burned.

  RACHEL

  CHAPTER 11

  Nervously, Rachel stood outside the meat and cheese store on Main Street. She wrung her hands as she glanced at the sky, trying to determine what time it was. The shop was next to the large auction house. There were few cars and trucks in the parking lot, because it was near the end of the day. Rachel knew that, if she timed everything correctly, she’d run into Jeremiah as he was leaving work.

  Nothing like an unplanned encounter in town on a Friday afternoon.

  After working a
t Edna’s all morning, Rachel had returned home to discover that her mother had left. Rachel and Ella Mae must have missed her on the road, for her note stated she had gone to Edna’s. Rachel had already known that, for she had helped set out all of the items that Edna and her friends would need to bake their cookies.

  The convenience of her mother being gone only added to Rachel’s determination. She could leave the house without having to deal with her mother’s observant eye and insatiable curiosity. Even Ella Mae hadn’t asked her where she was going when she slipped out the kitchen door. It was better that no one knew what she was up to.

  Rachel had walked to the store—it was no more than a mile from her house. If anyone asked, she would tell them that she was checking on the Cookie Club’s display at Yoders’ Store. No one would question her further, although it was usually on Saturdays when someone went to town to fetch the remaining cookies before the store closed for the weekend. No sense in letting the leftovers sit in the store until it reopened on Monday.

  She’d already gone inside the store to purchase some cheese. Her mother loved cheese, and it would justify Rachel’s absence from the house if anyone asked when she returned. Now, as she lingered outside the store, Rachel’s heart beat rapidly while she waited. What was taking him so long to leave? Surely there couldn’t be that much to clean up after the auction?

  A few seconds later, she saw the side door to the auction house open. At first, she caught her breath and stared, hopeful, as two Amish men walked out. She perked up but was almost immediately disappointed. Both men wore beards. Clearly not Jeremiah.