“Of course.” She smiled at him and picked up the lines. “I left a piece of cake for you on the table. Sassy, walk on.” The horse took off at a leisurely pace.
* * *
Nathan walked back into the cabin and stood with his hands in his pockets. The quiet emptiness was almost unnerving. Maisie was always humming softly or talking to the babies when she wasn’t clattering pans or dishes in the kitchen or sweeping the floor. She was never rushed, never impatient—she simply went about her work.
She didn’t jabber at him the way Annie used to in a giggling, immature way that he’d found cute, but he was always aware of Maisie. It shouldn’t be that way.
He sat down in his chair and picked up his magazine but didn’t open it. He stared into space and wondered if he should’ve gone with her. What if the babies became fussy? Would she concentrate on her driving or try to tend to them? The road out this way was narrow. It didn’t get much traffic, but it only took a moment of inattention to end up in the ditch.
He looked at Buddy, who was gazing mournfully at the front door. “I’m not going to worry about them. I don’t want you to worry about them, either. She’s not going to give you or me a second thought. She has the babies with her, and she will be happily showing them off to everyone.”
He opened his magazine and started reading until he realized it was an article he had already finished. He laid it aside and drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.
They were his children. If anyone was going to act the happy new parent, it should be him.
He heard a sound in the kitchen and looked that way. Buddy had his front feet on the tabletop trying to reach the slice of cake in the center with one paw. His leg wasn’t quite long enough. “Shlecht hund! Bad dog. Get down.”
Nathan crossed the room and picked up the plate. “She left it for me. Not for you. Besides, I hear chocolate is bad for dogs.”
He got a fork and sat down at the table to eat his treat. It was moist and delicious. He looked at the dog, who was eyeing him hopefully. “For all Maisie’s faults, the woman does know how to cook.”
Buddy barked twice.
“What are her faults? I’m glad you asked.”
He thought for a long moment but couldn’t come up with much. “She has a bit of a temper when she does get riled.”
He snapped his fingers and pointed at Buddy. “She irritates me.” He twitched his mouth to one side. “I don’t think she does it on purpose.”
Maisie didn’t have many faults other than the fact that she reminded him of Annie every time he looked at her. That wasn’t something she could change.
The sooner he found a nanny for the children, the sooner he would have relief from Maisie’s disturbing presence. He got up and took his hat from the peg. Maybe there was a message for him. His ad had been in the grocery store for several days. “Come on, Buddy. Let’s go check the phone.”
* * *
Maisie was relieved to find the bishop and his wife were at home. It turned out that she wasn’t the only visitor. Michael Shetler and his wife, Bethany, were there along with Dinah Lapp and her husband, Leroy. The bishop and the men were playing horseshoes in the backyard. They left the women to provide refreshments, enjoy catching up on the current news in the community and pass the much-admired babies from arm to arm.
“I heard that Esther Fisher’s sister, Julia, is planning to move here in the spring. She wants to open an Amish bakery,” Bethany said. She smiled at Charity, who was yawning.
Constance frowned. “But I thought her family owned a bakery in Illinois.”
“Her stepmother has convinced Esther’s father to sell the business,” Bethany said. “They are moving to the Amish community near Sarasota, Florida.”
“Our daughter lived there for a while,” Dinah said. “She claims it’s a beautiful area, but I was thrilled that she decided to return home and marry Jesse.” She tucked the blanket under Jacob’s chin. “I couldn’t bear to have my grandchildren be so far away.”
“What about you, Maisie?” Constance asked. “Will you be returning to Missouri?”
“I’ve decided to stay in Maine.”
Constance pressed a hand to her heart. “I’m so glad Nathan is letting you stay. You are the one who should be looking after his babies.”
Maisie shook her head. “Nathan still wants someone else to care for the children. He wasn’t happy when I told him I’m not leaving, but he has no say in the matter.”
“Goot for you,” Bethany declared.
“If you won’t be staying with Nathan, where will you stay?” Dinah asked in a worried tone.
Maisie smiled with more confidence than she was feeling. “I will get a job and find a place of my own. Constance has offered to let me stay with them until I get settled. I will see the babies as often as I can. He will be gone to work in the lumber camp most days, so I don’t think it will be a problem if I keep the nanny company.”
Dinah took a sip of her coffee and put her cup down. “I’m sure whoever it is will be glad of an extra set of hands. I know I was when Gemma and her brother came along. Babies are wonderful but they can be exhausting.”
Constance chuckled. “You are fortunate that you have twins first. That way you have no idea how much work only one baby can be.”
“It’s a shame Nathan has to work in the lumber camp,” Maisie said softly. “I wish he could spend more time with them. They grow up so fast, and he will miss so much.”
She looked up to see all the women staring at her. “What?”
“It sounds like you care for Nathan,” Constance said with a strange glint in her eye.
Maisie frowned as she looked from face to face. “Of course I do. He’s my brother-in-law. We may not always get along, but he’s a fine man and he deserves to be at home with his children as any Amish father would hope to be. Is it wrong to wish that for him?”
“Not at all,” Dinah said quickly. “You are to be commended for your concern. I mean, you say he does not want you there, so it would be understandable if you found him objectionable.”
“I don’t. He was married to my sister and I owe him my respect.”
“That’s only right. Tell me, do you think he will remarry?” Constance took a sip of her coffee.
Chapter Eight
Maisie sat stunned by the bishop’s wife’s question. Would Nathan remarry? She hadn’t considered it. She looked away from the sharp eyes of her hostess. “It’s much too soon for him to think about that.”
Constance set her cup down. “Of course. I wasn’t suggesting he would rush into anything, but he is going to need a wife to help raise these children. Not soon, but one day. He can’t do it alone.”
Maisie felt the need to defend him and looked up. “Nathan will manage on his own. He’s determined to do so. And I admire him for that.”
“We all do,” Dinah said, giving Constance a speaking glance.
“Of course,” Constance said sincerely. “A man may raise a family without a wife. I’ve seen it done, but I know from my years of being married that burdens which are shared are cut in half and joys that are shared are more than doubled. I would wish any parent, a man or a woman, to have a spouse to share their life with.”
Maisie nodded slowly as the idea sank in. “Nathan and the children deserve to be happy.”
“I understand Nathan built his own cabin,” Bethany said brightly. Maisie was grateful for the change of subject.
“He did. It’s quite beautiful and very functional. I know that there are improvements that could be made, but I see why log homes are so popular.”
“Are they?” Constance asked with interest.
“Oh, they are. I noticed a little house on the bishop’s lot where he builds sheds. Has he considered selling log homes?”
Constance became thoughtful. “Not that he has ever mentioned to me.”
Maisie smiled. “It was just a thought on my part. Nathan has considerable skill as a builder, and I do wonder if it isn’t going to waste simply cutting down trees for someone else.”
She held her breath, wondering if she had done enough to plant the idea in the mind of the bishop’s wife. If Nathan could work for the bishop, he wouldn’t need to travel so far to earn a living. He could build the homes on his own property and have the bishop handle the sales.
A sly smile curved Constance’s lips. “I’ll tell my husband about your idea. You are looking out for Nathan’s best interests, aren’t you?”
“He has suffered a great deal. I fear his faith may be shaken. I know that I have depended on others when I was questioning. Knowing there are people who care about you can make all the difference during a dark time.”
Bethany looked at everyone. “We have all been the recipients of loving-kindness when it mattered most.”
The women nodded in agreement. Constance clasped her hands together. “I almost forgot the most important news. There is a new family coming here from upstate New York. They want to farm, and land here is cheaper than in New York, so they are bringing their entire family. They have twelve children.”
Bethany laughed. “My grandfather would’ve been so happy with that news. He prayed that he was doing the right thing when he first came to New Covenant to start an Amish community and invited other Amish families to join him.”
“Twelve children.” Dinah chuckled. “They are almost single-handedly going to double our population.” Everyone laughed.
Maisie stayed until early evening and then decided it was time to take the children home. Her visit had cemented her desire to remain in New Covenant. She was among friends here. They were already making her feel at home.
Only one thing troubled her about the day. She hadn’t considered that Nathan might remarry until Constance asked the question. If he did, the children would become his wife’s children and Maisie would have to accept that.
When she drove into the farmyard, she saw Nathan had moved one of the kitchen chairs out to the porch. He was leaning back on two legs against the cabin wall. She thought he looked relieved to see her, but she couldn’t be sure. He sat in the shadows.
“I thought I said before dark?”
“It’s not dark.”
“Hmm. It will be before long.”
She got down and lifted the babies out. “The sun won’t set for another hour. We are back safe and sound. You needn’t have worried.”
“When you take my newborns and go wandering around the country I have a right to be concerned, don’t I?”
“You are absolutely right. Does that mean you will come with me next time?”
He frowned. “We’ll see.”
It was a small victory. Maisie held back her grin. “Would you please put Sassy away?”
He took the horse by the bridle and glanced back. “I doubt you even brought a crumb of cake home. The piece you left me wasn’t very big.”
Maisie gave him her saddest look. “I didn’t. Everyone took extra slices. But I did bring home half a cherry pie that Bethany made. Does that help?”
“I like apple better, but cherry pie will work.”
She pressed the back of her hand to her brow and tried to sound dramatic. “I’m so glad you approve. I was terribly concerned it wouldn’t do. Is food all you think about?”
His expression turned from amused to stoic. “Annie used to do that. Put her hand on her forehead and make a big drama about some little thing.”
Maisie’s happiness slipped away. “We used to pretend we were acting in a play when we were children.”
“She was good at pretending to care. I wonder if you share her talent.”
Maisie didn’t know how to reply to that. “I’ll get supper on.”
She took the babies and hurried inside.
* * *
The following morning after breakfast Maisie was packing Nathan’s lunch for the day. They hadn’t spoken since the previous evening. He was sitting at the table drinking his second cup of coffee when she happened to glance over and saw he was watching her with an odd light in his eyes.
She had to know what he was thinking. “What?”
He stared down at his coffee. “Nothing. You make a good cup of kaffi.” He took another sip.
“Danki.”
“Annie’s coffee was like dishwater. A little color but not much taste.”
Maisie chuckled. “That’s exactly what John said about my coffee when we were first married. He was the one who taught me to make it this way.”
“I wish I could’ve met him.”
Maisie looked at Nathan in surprise. “I wish you could’ve, too. The two of you were a lot alike.”
He leaned back and hooked one arm over the top rung of his chair. “In what ways?”
“He was a thinker, a planner. He didn’t like to rush into a project.”
“Since you and Annie were so alike I imagine you were at his side telling him how to do it better.”
She smiled and looked down. “I did, which annoyed him to no end.”
“Don’t I know it. I had carefully planned and built a new henhouse. I was almost done with it when Annie came out, put her hands on her hips and said, ‘You have the door on the wrong side.’”
“Did you?” Maisie asked, happy to hear Nathan talking about her sister without bitterness in his voice.
“I put the door on the side closest to the barn, where their feed would be stored.”
“What did she think was wrong with that?”
“It was on the side farthest away from the house. She would have to walk around to the other side to gather the eggs in the morning. We had a heated discussion about it. It was only twenty extra steps.”
“That would’ve been an easy fix,” Maisie said.
“The door was already on. I wasn’t about to move it.”
“Of course not.”
He frowned slightly. “Annie’s solution was to put a second door in the henhouse. I suppose that would be your solution, too?”
“Mine would’ve been much simpler. I would let you gather the eggs every morning and I wouldn’t have had to walk out at all.”
He chuckled. “Amazingly simple. It never occurred to me.”
“What did you do?”
“I put in a second door to make her happy.” His smile faded. “I guess it didn’t after all.”
Maisie finished packing his lunch and handed him the blue-and-white lunch pail. He took it and looked at her intently. “There was a message on the phone this morning. A woman is coming to interview for the nanny position today at noon. She’s Amish. Her name is Agnes Martin.”
“Oh. I see.” So quickly? Maisie wasn’t ready to give up caring for the twins.
“I’ll leave it to you to decide if she knows enough about babies. If so, I’ll talk to her myself. I think I hear Jimmy’s truck coming.”
She clutched her hands together to keep from reaching for him. “Be careful out there.”
He crossed to the babies and kissed each of them. “Be goot for your aunt Maisie.”
“That’s the only way they know how to be.” She wished he didn’t have to go. Things seemed better between them this morning.
A vehicle honked outside. Nathan crossed to the door but paused before he opened it. “Make a list of things the kinder heeda will need to know. Feeding schedules and stuff. You don’t have to take the first woman that shows up. My ad should be in today’s paper. Are you going to be all right alone? I mean without me here?”
That he was concerned about her warmed her insides. “Don’t worry. I know where the phone shack is. I have Sassy if I need to go somewhere. I have food, formula for the babies, water, warm clothing and Buddy to keep me company. I’ll be fine. It’s not like you’re going to be
gone a month.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “That would make you happy, wouldn’t it?”
She waited until he was out the door and pressed a hand to her heart. “I’m afraid not, Nathan. I’m going to have enough trouble getting through today.”
When she was sure the truck was gone, she went out and brought in the bathtub. She normally sponged off in the tiny bathroom, but if she was going to meet a potential nanny she wanted to be at her best.
Fortunately, between heating water and hauling it out when she was done with her bath, taking care of the babies, making sure the cabin was spotless and working on the storage project she was planning, she had little time to think about Nathan. When she wasn’t busy, he was all she thought about. Was he being safe? Was he missing his children? Had he given her a single thought? Would he ever get past thinking that she was like her sister?
Maisie shook her head at her own foolishness. No doubt he was delighted to be back with his lumberjack companions and hadn’t given her a second thought except to hope the nanny would be a good fit and Maisie would need to find a new place to live.
When Agnes Martin arrived, Maisie tried to keep an open mind. The woman was in her late fifties or early sixties. She was slender with a pinched face that seemed to be on the verge of a identifying a sour smell.
Maisie welcomed her in. “Would you like some coffee?”
Mrs. Martin untied her bonnet strings as she and Maisie sat down. “I understood that Mr. Weaver would be the one to interview me.”
“I’m his sister-in-law. I’ve been giving Nathan a hand taking care of the babies.”
“Then why does he need a nanny?”
“I’m sure Nathan can answer that question better than I can. I do know he wants someone who can take on a permanent position. I’ve taken the liberty of writing down some of the things you will need to know about Charity and Jacob. Their feeding schedule and such. Would you like to meet them?”
She looked around. “Isn’t this a live-in position? I’d like to see my room. This cabin certainly doesn’t have much to recommend it.”
An Amish Mother for His Twins Page 9
