by Jo Ann Brown
“Either way,” Leanna said, “I’m glad you’re working for Caleb instead of me.”
“But you could have had a chance to get to know him better.”
“True, but I’m sure you’ll share many stories about your time with him.” Leanna paused for a long moment, then added, “I didn’t think we’d still be talking about jobs now. I assumed I’d be a wife and mamm, but that hasn’t happened.”
“It will when—”
“Don’t tell me it’s God’s will whether I marry or not.” Her twin kept moving, each motion sure and calm in comparison with her voice. “I’ve heard that too many times.”
Annie paid no attention to her sister’s words. Only to her heartbroken tone, and Annie’s heart broke, as well. Her sister had fallen hard for Gabriel Miller before they moved from Lancaster County, but Gabriel had wedded someone else. In retrospect, Annie wasn’t sure he’d been aware of Leanna’s feelings. As far as Annie knew, her sister hadn’t told him. Instead, she’d decided to let him pursue her as the heroes did the heroines in the romance novels Leanna loved to read.
In the months since they’d arrived at the settlement in Harmony Creek Hollow, her sister had begun to emerge from her self-imposed isolation. Being a member of the Harmony Creek Spinsters’ Club with two of their friends had helped. Now their friends Miriam and Sarah were married. In fact, there had been three weddings at the end of the year, and while Leanna was thrilled for her friends, each ceremony had been a reminder of what she wanted and didn’t have: a husband and a family of her own.
Annie scooped up the chopped carrots and dropped them into the stew. When Caleb had offered her the job—even if it’d appeared to be a mistake—God had opened a door for her to help her sister. She ignored the familiar twinge in her own heart as she tried to convince herself that persuading Caleb to walk out with her twin sister would be the best idea she’d ever had.
* * *
How was it possible the evening was growing colder by the second? Each breath Caleb took seemed to be more glacial than the one before. He hadn’t thought it could get any more bitter, but with the sun setting, the very air felt as if it’d turned to ice. He guessed by the time he’d left the bakery, got home and milked his cows, the mercury must have dropped to ten degrees below zero. It would be worse by the time he got up in the morning. The idea of heading into his comfortable house and calling it a day had been tempting, but he couldn’t cede his responsibility for his cousin and her kind to Annie. He’d told her he’d stop by, and he couldn’t renege on the promise.
As he led Dusty toward the Waglers’ barn so the horse could get out of the cold, Caleb glanced at the goats’ pen. It was empty, and he guessed the goats were huddling inside their shed.
Smart goats. He smiled at the two words he’d never thought he would put together.
Caleb’s shoulders ached by the time he walked to the house. Trying to halt the shivers rippling over him was foolish, because he couldn’t relax against the cold. His body refused to keep from trying to keep the polar wind at bay.
He climbed up onto the porch and rapped on the door. The faint call from inside was all the invitation he needed to open it.
Taking one step inside the mudroom connecting the kitchen to the porch, he was almost bowled over by a reddish-brown ball of fur. A sharp command from the table didn’t stop the excited puppy from welcoming him.
Kenny rushed into the mudroom to collect the dog. Caleb smiled his thanks to the dark-haired boy before shrugging off his coat. Watching Kenny try to get the puppy to behave with little success, Caleb wondered if the boy’s shoulders grew broader every day. Kenny wasn’t going to be tall, but he was going to be a sturdy adult. Hard work in the barn was giving him the strength of a man twice his age.
Caleb set his coat, scarf, gloves and hat on a chair by the door because the pegs were filled. He turned to walk into the kitchen and then stopped as he took in the sight of the families gathered around the table. Two families. The Waglers—Annie and her twin, as well as her grossmammi, sister and younger brother, who was sliding into his chair, holding on to the puppy—and two members of the Hartz family: his cousin and her son.
Yet they could have been a single family. No one acted disconcerted. One twin held Joey on her lap and offered him bites of her food while his cousin sat on the opposite side of the table between a girl close to her age and the other twin.
But which twin was which? He was embarrassed that he wasn’t sure.
His discomfort was overtaken by distress. He hadn’t been able to reach Becky Sue’s parents. He’d waited by the phone at the bakery for an hour, hoping for a call back. He’d left after that because his dairy herd got uncomfortable when he delayed the milking.
“Komm in...and join us,” Inez said, motioning to him.
The elderly woman was shorter than the twins, and though her hair was gray and thinning, she had the same blue-green eyes. It was more than a physical resemblance, because she said what she thought, exactly as Annie did.
“Komm...in, Caleb,” Inez urged again when he didn’t move. She paused often as if having to catch her breath. “Sit...so we...can thank God...for our food...before...everything...is cold.”
He entered the kitchen, which smelled of beef gravy and freshly baked bread. When his stomach rumbled, a reminder he’d skipped lunch, he was glad he was far enough away from the table so nobody would hear it. “You could have eaten without me.”
“See?” piped up Kenny. “I told you he’d be okay with it.”
“But...I wasn’t.” Inez’s tone brooked no argument, and the boy didn’t give her any as he bent to soothe the puppy, who was lunging to escape so it could greet Caleb as he neared the table. “Hurry. Join...us before hunger...makes Kenny forget...his manners again.”
When the twin holding Joey—Caleb was almost certain she was Annie—flashed him a quick smile, he dampened his own. He admired how Inez spoke her mind. Not that she ever was cruel or critical of anyone, though she denounced what she saw as absurd ideas. She, as one of his fellow firefighters was fond of saying, called it as she saw it.
The only empty chair was at the end of the table. He sat there and nodded when Inez asked him to lead grace. He was the oldest man present, and it was his duty. As he bowed his head, his thoughts refused to focus on his gratitude for God guiding his young cousin to the bakery where she could be found. He was too aware of both twins sitting at the table.
If he mistook one for the other...
Annie had given him an easy way to avoid admitting he hadn’t realized which twin he was asking to work for him, but he couldn’t depend on that happening again.
He cleared his throat to signal the end of grace. As he raised his head, he was startled by an abrupt yearning he hadn’t expected. A yearning for a life where he could sit with a family of his own at day’s end. Several of his friends had married in November and December and stepped into the next phase of their lives. He was moving forward as well, but not in the same direction. Was he missing his chance to have a family?
There wasn’t time for such thoughts. Between the farm and the bakery, he had too much work to do every day. The responsibilities of a family would require more of his nonexistent time. He’d made his choice, and he shouldn’t second-guess himself.
Caleb took the bowl of fragrant stew. He spooned some onto his plate, then more when urged by Inez, who told him in her no-nonsense voice not to worry if he emptied the bowl because there was extra on the stove. When he sampled it, he was glad he’d listened to the old woman.
He focused on eating as conversation went on around him. He looked up when Inez spoke.
“Leanna...pass the basket...of rolls...to Caleb.” Inez gave him a wink as she spoke with her usual interruptions. Seeing how the twins glanced at her, he wondered what her pauses to take a breath meant. “I’ve...never met a...man who doesn’t...have room for...another roll
...or two.”
“Especially with apple butter,” he replied as he waited to see which twin did as her grossmammi had asked. When it wasn’t the one holding Joey, he was relieved. He’d guessed Annie was the twin bouncing the little boy on her knee and keeping Joey entertained with pieces of soft carrot she’d fished out of her stew. He watched, amazed at how she kept the kind fed while she ate her own supper. He was beginning to wonder if Annie was gut at everything she did. She’d handled the touchy situation with Becky Sue with a skill he didn’t possess.
“I’m not as out of practice as I thought,” Annie said with a laugh. Was she trying to put him at ease for staring? That she might be able to discern his thoughts was disquieting. “I used to feed Kenny this way when he was little.”
Kenny grumbled something, and Caleb swallowed his chuckle. No boy on the verge of becoming a teenager wanted to be reminded about such things.
As the meal went on and Caleb had another generous serving of the delicious stew, laughter came from the Waglers. But Becky Sue was reticent, and every movement she made displayed exhaustion. He wondered when—and where—she’d last slept.
A quick prayer of gratitude for their food, their families and for shelter from the cold night ended the meal. Leanna offered to help Becky Sue upstairs so she could rest, and Inez took the boppli into the living room to rock him until he became sleepy. Kenny wandered off somewhere with the puppy he called Penny.
Annie began to clear the table, carrying the dishes to the white farmhouse sink. “Did you get in touch with Becky Sue’s parents?”
“No answer yet.”
“As soon as they get the message, they’ll call. I can’t imagine how happy they’ll be to discover their daughter and kins-kind are safe with you.”
“With you, actually.”
“We’re happy to help.” When he picked up his dishes, she said, “You don’t have to clear the table. I know you’ve had a long day.”
“No longer than yours.”
“But I didn’t have to milk,” she laughed. “Lyndon, Kenny and Leanna milk every day, and Juanita will help sometimes. I always try to find somewhere else to be.”
“Why? There’s something wunderbaar about being in a warm barn and spending time with animals willing to share their bounty with us.” He set the dishes by the sink. “For me, it’s one of the clearest symbols of God’s gifts to us.”
She turned on the water and squirted dish detergent into the sink. “That’s a much nicer way of looking at milking.”
“But not your way?”
“Definitely not.” She chuckled as she reached for the dishrag.
“You may have your mind changed one of these days.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
He smiled. Trust Annie Wagler not to withhold her opinion! It was one of the reasons his sister liked her, and working together at the bakery was going to be interesting. At least he wouldn’t have to try to guess what she was thinking.
“So you prefer spending time with a boppli who spits up on you rather than a nice, clean cow who gives you milk?”
“Spits up?” She glanced at the spots of orange on her black apron. “I didn’t notice. Oh, well. It’ll wash out,” she laughed. “Joey should be glad he wanted to sit on my lap rather than Leanna’s.”
“Why?” He was curious how the little boy had figured out which twin was which. And a bit envious of the kind’s intuitive ability.
“Leanna prefers boppli goats to boppli humans because she spent most of her teen years babysitting for an Englisch family who had a ton of rules about their kinder. They insisted she carry the boppli in some sort of contraption that wrapped around her shoulders. Half the time when she came home, she was covered with formula because they believed she should feed the boppli in the getup.”
“That’s enough to put anyone off from kinder.”
Annie flinched, surprising him before she went to the table to collect more dishes. “She won’t feel that way about her own bopplin. She’ll be a wunderbaar mamm, I know.”
“But you’ll never like milking?”
“Never!” She carried the other dishes to the sink.
“Don’t you know you should never say never?”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
“It might be.”
“It’s one you’re guaranteed to lose. Cows and I agree we’re better off having as little to do with each other as possible.”
“You’re going to make me prove that you’re wrong.”
“About what?” asked Inez as she came into the kitchen. She set Joey on the floor and pressed one hand to her chest. An odd wheezing sound came from her, and she sat in the closest chair.
Annie rushed to her side. “Are you okay, Grossmammi?”
“I guess I’m not as young as I used to be.” She glanced at the boppli, who dropped to his belly. “Chasing a young one is a task for someone with fewer years on her than me. So, what you are going to prove our Annie wrong about, Caleb?”
“That milking is a pleasant chore,” he replied, though he wondered how Inez had failed so fast.
Beside her chair, Annie looked worried, but she kept her voice light. “That is something he’ll never prove to me. Grossmammi, I can finish up if you want to go to bed.”
He thought Inez would protest it was too early, but she didn’t. Coming to her feet, she said, “A gut idea. These old bones need extra rest to keep up with a boppli.” Before he could say he’d make other arrangements for Becky Sue, she added, “Caleb, we’re glad to have your cousin and her kind stay with us.” She wagged a gnarled finger at him. “Such things should go unsaid among neighbors, ain’t so?”
Again, as he bade Inez a gut nacht, he was discomfited at how the Wagler women seemed to gauge his thoughts.
At the very moment Inez closed the door to her bedroom beyond the kitchen, Joey began to crawl toward them on his belly. Caleb bent to pick up the little fellow, but froze when Joey let out a shriek. The boppli clenched his fists close to his sides as his face became a vivid red.
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked as he reached again for the kind.
With a screech that rang in Caleb’s ears, Joey cringed away.
Annie scooped up the boppli and held him close as she murmured. Joey’s heartrending screams dissolved into soft, gulping sobs as he buried his face in her neck. She patted his back and made soothing sounds into his hair. When the boppli softened against her, she looked over his head toward Caleb.
Sympathy battled with dismay in her expressive eyes. Caleb had never guessed a mere look could convey such intense emotion. Or maybe it was as simple as the fact he felt sorry for the toddler, too.
Becky Sue burst into the kitchen, wearing a borrowed robe over a nightgown too short for her. Her hair was half-braided and her kapp was missing. “What’s wrong with Joey?”
“I think he’s overtired,” Annie said. “Bopplin get strange notions in their heads when they’re Joey’s age. Some don’t like men. Others fear dogs or cats or tiny bugs.”
“Do you know why he’s scared of men?” Caleb didn’t want to admit how relieved he was Joey’s antipathy wasn’t aimed solely at him, because he’d always got along well with kinder.
Becky Sue shrugged. Or she tried to, but her shoulders must have been as stiff as his had been outside in the cold, because they curtailed the motion. Instead of answering him further, she hefted her son and walked away.
Caleb watched her climb the stairs at the front of the house and vanish along with the boppli. Her lack of answer told him plenty. She was hiding even more than he’d guessed.
Chapter Four
The soft chirp from the makeshift crib beneath the dormer window woke Annie two days later. Though the sun hadn’t risen yet, she guessed it must be after 5:00 a.m. because lights glowed in the barn. Her brothers were already milking. They’
d be ready for breakfast when they were done, so she should get started on her day.
She glanced at the extra bed between her and the window. Becky Sue was burrowed beneath the blankets, her knees drawn up under her and her rear end in the air, as if she were no older than her son who’d been in the same position when Annie checked on him last night.
The two had settled into the Waglers’ home more easily than Annie had dared to hope. Last night, Grossmammi Inez had come into the bedroom to bid them a gut nacht and had asked pointed questions about Becky Sue’s trip north. Their guest refused to share where she’d stayed during her journey from Lancaster County or how she’d traveled. While Grossmammi Inez didn’t push, neither did she hide her annoyance. However, nobody asked why the girl said nothing about Joey’s daed. It was as if the man didn’t exist.
Becky Sue would learn keeping such secrets was futile in a household run by Grossmammi Inez. The elderly woman wouldn’t be denied getting her way. She’d astounded everyone in the family when she announced she wanted to move with Annie and her siblings to New York. No arguments would persuade Grossmammi Inez to remain in the dawdi haus, where they had lived with her youngest son and daughter-in-law and their eight kinder. This drafty old farmhouse was now home, and Annie was glad they had enough room for Becky Sue and Joey.
Last night, when Caleb had again joined them for supper, Leanna hadn’t said more than a handful of words, but Annie had seen her twin glance at him. Had he noticed, as well?
Annie chided herself. Why had she talked about Leanna staying away from other folks’ kinder? She had to be cautious. Caleb might have mistaken her jest for the truth. If he wanted a family, why would he marry a woman who’d had her fill of kinder?
With a soft groan, Annie asked God to help her curb her tongue. By His bringing Caleb’s cousin into their lives, He was offering Annie a chance to find the perfect way to open Caleb’s and Leanna’s eyes to what a great match they’d be. She couldn’t mess that up.
