Kitabı oku: «Courting The Amish Nanny», sayfa 3

Chapter Three

On Tuesday morning it was Levi who answered the door because the children were still getting dressed. “They fell asleep right away last night, so I thought they’d be up bright and early today but I had a difficult time rousing them.”

Suspecting they were tired because she’d run their legs off playing Freeze Tag yesterday, Sadie stifled a smile. There was no need to gloat. “My guess is they’ll be hungrier than usual this morning, so I’ll make pannekuche and wascht for breakfast.” She’d taken inventory of the pantry the day before, so she knew Levi had the ingredients for pancakes on hand and there was sausage in the fridge.

“Denki. I already put on a pot of kaffi. Would you like me to pour you a cup before I go see to the milking?”

Pleased by the gesture, Sadie accepted. As she mixed the batter, she hummed softly. Clearly Levi intended this day to get off to a much better start and so did she. The children were their usual cheerful selves, although David couldn’t stop yawning.

“Schlofkopp.” Levi affectionately called his son a sleepyhead. “If you and your schweschder had gotten up earlier, we could have taken Sadie on a tour of the farm. Now it’s too late. I have to go meet the crew.”

“That’s all right,” Sadie assured him. “We’ll run around in the yard or walk to the barn like we did yesterday.”

Levi shot her a grateful look. “If we have a quick lunch this afternoon, I’ll have time to show you around then. That way, you and the kinner will have more options for your outdoor activities.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, we’d really like that,” Sadie replied.

“It would be my pleasure.”

Elizabeth screwed up her face and asked, “Why are you and Sadie talking funny, Daed? It sounds narrish.”

“Elizabeth,” Levi admonished, “that’s not any way for a kind to speak to her eldre.”

Elizabeth apologized, but Sadie silently admired how astute the child was; Sadie and Levi were being overly polite and their conversation sounded artificial to her ears, too. Although it was better than the previous day’s tense discussions, Sadie hoped in time they’d relax around each other enough to talk naturally.

After Levi left, Sadie washed the dishes while the children brushed their teeth, made their beds and took turns sweeping the floors. Then she read to them from the Bible and helped them practice writing their names before they went outside, where Sadie taught them how to play Simon Says and Mother, May I, followed by another round of Freeze Tag.

She must have needed more time to get used to the climate because Sadie wanted to go back inside before the children did. “If we keep playing Freeze Tag, I’m going to freeze for real!”

“Five more minutes, please?” Elizabeth cajoled and David echoed her request.

Sadie realized playing outdoors was so new to them they probably felt like they couldn’t get enough of it, so she gave in to their request. After another twenty minutes of chasing each other, they returned to the house to warm up and make hot chocolate, which they then brought to the workshop to share with Maria.

“You must have known I needed your help again, Elizabeth and David,” Maria said. “Would you like to decorate one of the trunk ornaments you made yesterday? We’ll hang them up as examples for the Englisch kinner.”

“Do you need my help, too?” Sadie asked as Maria situated the children at their workbench, out of earshot.

“I won’t turn it down, that’s for sure. We’re shipping these to our vendors on Thursday and then I’ll assemble more for sale here. I’m worried I won’t have enough made by the time we open, especially since I won’t be here next Tuesday.” Maria snapped her fingers and set down her mug. “Ach! That reminds me, I have something for you.”

“What’s this?” Sadie asked instead of opening the envelope Maria had fished from her tote bag and handed to her.

“It’s from Grace Bawell. You didn’t get to meet her Sunday because she was visiting relatives in Unity but I saw her yesterday evening and she asked me to deliver this to you. It’s a note inviting you to her hochzich. She wanted to invite you in person, but she’s so busy with the preparations she can’t make the trip over here.”

“An invitation to her hochzich?” Sadie repeated blankly. She felt as if her face were made of brick and she couldn’t have smiled if she wanted to.

“Jah, a week from today. I can’t wait. I love hochzichen!”

“Well, I don’t.” The words escaped her lips before Sadie could stop them and she scrambled for something to say that wouldn’t sound rude. She repeated, “Well, I don’t...want her to feel like she has to invite me just because I arrived at the wrong time—at the last minute, I mean.”

“That’s narrish. Open it. Read her note. She really wants you there.”

Sadie unsealed the envelope and scanned the card for details. On the bottom in tiny print, Grace had written, I truly hope you’ll come, Sadie! I can’t wait to meet you and introduce you to my husband (to-be). Until then, may the Lord bless you—Grace. Sadie’s groan was audible.

“What’s wrong? You’re acting as if you’ve been summoned to a funeral, not invited to a hochzich.”

Realizing how ill-mannered she appeared, Sadie said, “It’s lovely of Grace to invite me, but...but Levi might not give me the day off.”

“Lappich! Levi and the kinner will be attending, too. I don’t know how your district does things in Pennsylvania, but here in Serenity Ridge, we close our businesses and the teacher and scholars take the day off school for hochzichen, too. The entire church is expected to go—it would be unthinkable for anyone to stay home.”

Of course, that was exactly how things were done in Sadie’s district, but she’d been hoping it was different in Maine. She stammered, “I, uh, I guess I’ll be there, then.”

Maria clapped. “Gut! And don’t worry about being new here and not knowing anyone—Grace will pair you up with a friendly bachelor for supper.”

“Neh, she shouldn’t do that!” Sadie objected.

Amish weddings lasted all day. There was the three-hour church service and ceremony, which was followed by a big dinner. Guests socialized, sang and played games throughout the afternoon, and in the evening there was a second, informal meal. It was tradition for the bride and sometimes the groom to play matchmaker, seating young, unmarried people together for supper.

“Why not? Do you have a suitor back in Pennsylvania?”

“Back in Pennsylvania, I wouldn’t tell you if I did,” Sadie retorted, irritated by Maria’s persistence. “We consider courting to be a private matter.”

Maria blinked rapidly and the tips of her ears went red. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m sorry.”

Sadie felt terrible; her new friend was only trying to make her feel welcome. “You have no reason to apologize. I’m the one who’s being rude and I’m sorry. It’s just that I came to Maine to avoid going to hochzichen.”

In a hushed tone she described what had happened—what hadn’t happened—between her and Harrison. Abashed, Sadie concluded by telling Maria she’d decided to put all thoughts of romance out of her mind so she wouldn’t be so desperate to be in a courtship that she made a mistake like that again.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to attend Harrison’s hochzich, but I’m not sure you can just make up your mind you’re finished with romance,” Maria countered. “It has a way of creeping up on you.”

Sadie giggled. “You make it sound like catching the flu. Which might actually be an accurate comparison, judging from my experience.”

Waving a bough at her, Maria said, “That’s because you haven’t met the right man yet.”

“I don’t want to. Not right now and certainly not here, since I’m going home in a month.” Sadie fiddled with a lopsided bow, pulling it straight before venturing to ask, “You said you love hochzichen, but be honest. Doesn’t it bother you to watch meed much younger than you getting married?”

“Are you asking if I feel like a bitter old maid? I’m only thirty-one, you know. That’s hardly ancient.”

“Neh, I didn’t mean it like that—”

“It’s okay,” Maria said with a laugh. “But neh, it doesn’t bother me, because I wouldn’t want to marry the men they’re marrying. Not that they’re not wunderbaar men, because they are. But their suitors wouldn’t have been the man for me. I’d rather wait however long it takes to marry the man Gott intends for me to marry than get married simply because I’ve reached a certain age.”

“Then you still think...” Sadie realized the question was rude, so she let her sentence dangle but Maria seemed to read her thought.

“Do I think there is a man out there the Lord has intended for me to marry?” Maria didn’t hesitate to answer. “Jah, I do. And I think there’s one out there for you, too. Like it or not!”

Sadie was about to say, “I won’t hold my breath,” but Maria looked so earnest Sadie changed her mind and forced a laugh in spite of herself.

After lunch Levi pushed aside his plate, unfolded a small map and laid it flat it on the table. “The printer delivered these this morning, so I brought you one,” he told Sadie, who pinched her lips together. Was she irritated or amused? “I had them made for the customers so they’d know how to navigate back to the exit once they’ve chosen their trees, but I thought you could use one, as well. Not that you’ll get lost, but I wanted us to have a common reference point. This way, if I tell you what part of the farm I’m working on and later you need to find me, you can just look at this. All the sections and rows are labeled.”

“That was a gut idea. Denki.” Sadie smiled, relaxing at his explanation and coming around to his side of the table. As she leaned to examine the map, her sleeve brushed against his. She traced a marking with her slender finger. “What does this symbol indicate?”

“That’s the pond.” Acutely aware he hadn’t been in such close proximity to a woman in ages, Levi was suddenly nervous. He didn’t want to intrude on Sadie’s personal space, so he sat as motionless as David had been when he demonstrated how to play Freeze Tag.

“Is this thing in the middle of the pond a duck?”

Levi chuckled. “That’s a caution flag, so the customers know to keep their kinner from wandering off to the other side of the barn. The printer duplicated my original sketch. I guess I should have asked David or Elizabeth to help with the drawing.”

Sadie giggled and stood straight again. Collecting the dirty plates from the table, she asked, “Now that I have the map, does that mean you’re not giving me a personal tour?”

Is she relieved...or disappointed? Levi couldn’t tell from the levity of her tone. Before he could say it was her choice, David spoke up.

“Aw, Daed, you promised we could show Sadie our farm and help you point out hazards she might not have in Pennsylvania.”

“David!” Elizabeth admonished. “You were supposed to be secret about that so Sadie doesn’t think Daed is too bossy.”

Levi cringed, but Sadie calmly replied, “That’s okay, Elizabeth, I won’t think your daed is being too bossy. I’ll think he just wants us to be safe.”

“We can’t be safe if we don’t help point out the hazards,” David reasoned.

Levi caught Sadie’s eye and shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

“Then jah, let’s take a tour of the hazards,” Sadie replied with a wink that caused Levi to grin from ear to ear. “You three go put on your coats while I finish rinsing the dishes.”

When Levi and the children had donned their outerwear and Sadie still didn’t come to the mudroom, Levi brought her jacket to her in the kitchen. Holding it up so she could slip her arms into it, he asked, “Are you going to be cold? This coat seems kind of thin.”

“I’ll be fine. Tomboys are tough,” she said as Elizabeth came into the room.

“Daed, you tied my scarf too tight. My neck is choking,” she complained, so Sadie loosened it for her before they finally set out on their trek.

Sadie was so inquisitive about the farm and so appreciative of the beauty of the landscape it seemed time stood still as the foursome made their way around the property. Since Levi’s break was already half-over, they didn’t get to cover the entire farm, but he showed Sadie a sizable section of the acreage—including the “hazardous” pond, “treacherous” rocks and the “precarious” run-down shack on his neighbor’s property—before she began to shiver. I knew that coat wasn’t warm enough for her. It’s too bad I donated my mamm’s clothing or I could have given Sadie her wool coat.

“Does anyone want a mug of hot chocolate?” she asked when they returned. The children said yes, so she directed them into the living room to warm up by the woodstove while she heated the milk. “Would you like some, too, Levi?”

He’d already taken twice as long as he usually took for a lunch break, but the afternoon had been so pleasant he wanted to draw it out. “Jah, please. While you’re making it, I’ll bring in more wood. I can hear your teeth chattering from here. I’ll get the fire roaring and then we can drink our cocoa in the living room.”

When he returned, there were two mugs and two plates holding thin slices of shoofly pie on the kitchen table. Sadie raised a finger to her lips and pointed to the living room with her other hand. “The twins couldn’t hold out until nap time. I’ll stoke the fire later. I don’t want to wake them—I brought the leftover pie from church and there’s really enough for two people. I was going to give it to the kinner, but...”

“Their loss is our gain,” Levi jested. When he pulled his chair away from the table, it loudly scraped against the floor. He and Sadie simultaneously stopped moving and cocked their ears toward the living room, but they didn’t hear the children stirring, so they took their seats.

With his fork suspended above the plate, Levi whispered, “I feel like we’re doing something we shouldn’t be doing.”

“Jah, this reminds me of when my brieder and I used to sneak cookies from the cookie jar when my mother’s back was turned.”

“I hope the kinner don’t catch us—we’ll get sent to our rooms without any dinner.”

“I could be the lookout while you eat your piece and then we can trade places,” Sadie joked and her muted laugh tickled her throat, which made her face go red and her eyes water.

“You okay?” Levi asked nervously. “Are you choking? Do you need water?”

“I’m fine,” she croaked, waving her hand. It took another moment for her to catch her breath, and when she did, she said, “Oh, neh. Look, my sleeve is all wet. I must have spilled hot chocolate. I hope my manners are better at Grace’s hochzich.”

“Ah, the hochzich. I forgot about that,” Levi flatly remarked. I tried to forget about it anyway. Ever since Leora died, weddings depressed him.

“You’re going, aren’t you? Because I’d like to ride with you if I may.”

“Jah. Unless there’s a blizzard,” Levi said. Without thinking, he muttered, “Sadly, there’s little hope of that.”

Sadie lifted her eyebrows. “You don’t want to go, either?”

“Either? Does that mean you don’t want to go? Why not?” He asked his questions in rapid succession.

“You tell me why you don’t want to go first.”

Levi stalled. He couldn’t express the real reason to Sadie, that weddings reminded him of all the hopes he and Leora once had for their life together. They reminded him of losing her. Of how she died. Of what he’d never have again, what he didn’t deserve to have: a wife. “Oh, er, it’s that they last all day and it’s hard on the kinner to miss their naps. They get cranky and then I worry they’ll misbehave,” he said and he meant it, too, even if that wasn’t the primary reason. “Why don’t you want to go?”

“I—I won’t really know anyone there. I haven’t even met the bride or groom yet.”

Was that really the reason? Sadie didn’t seem particularly shy. Regardless, etiquette required them both to be there, so Levi replied, “Then we should stick together. That way, you can help with the kinner and I’ll introduce you to everyone. How does that sound?”

“Not quite as gut as a blizzard, but I like it,” Sadie said and Levi didn’t know if it was her smile or the hot chocolate warming his insides like that.

Sadie whistled as she slid a blueberry pie from the oven and placed it on a tray. Viscous, deep purple liquid bubbled within the golden-brown lattice piecrust. It was customary for guests to bring food to Amish weddings, and when Sadie mentioned she didn’t know what to make, Levi had recalled he and the children had picked so many blueberries that summer he’d ended up freezing the surplus. When Sadie asked if that was a hint, he’d admitted blueberry pie was his favorite and told her that once she tasted Maine blueberries it would be her favorite, too. And he was right; the blueberries were especially plump and sweet. Content her pie appeared to have turned out beautifully, Sadie busied herself wrapping her gift—the two sets of bath and hand towels she’d bought when Levi took her to the nearest department store on Saturday evening. She’d helped Maria make so many bows her fingers flew into action and within a minute she topped the box with a large silver bow. After that, all she had left to do was straighten her prayer kapp and put on her coat.

She positioned the rocking chair in front of the window so she could catch sight of the buggy starting down the driveway. While she was waiting, she reflected on how smoothly the week had gone. She had established a balanced routine for the children. After breakfast and chores, she usually read them a Bible story. Then they’d examine the map and choose where they wanted to play or explore for the rest of the morning. Levi came home at lunchtime and afterward the children napped while Sadie took care of the dishes and spent quiet time in prayer or reading Scripture. When the twins woke, they’d all head outside to play again, and following that, they’d help Maria in the workshop until it was time for Sadie to prepare supper.

Maria said their visits were the best part of her day and insisted she wanted them all to spend Thanksgiving at her house, too. At first Sadie hesitated, knowing Maria lived alone with her mother, who was recovering from a broken hip, and that Maria’s aunt was visiting to help. The women probably had enough work on their hands. But Maria insisted the children’s presence would cheer her mother, and when Elizabeth and David overheard the conversation they pleaded with Sadie until she agreed to consult Levi about it.

To her surprise, he enthusiastically accepted the invitation, saying, “Otherwise, we’ll end up having buttered noodles for dinner. That’s one of the few things I know how to make.”

“I could make Thanksgiving dinner,” Sadie suggested before it occurred to her she was being presumptuous; perhaps Levi didn’t want to spend Thanksgiving with her.

“Neh. You cook for us every day. You deserve a day off and I think Maria truly wants to host us. Years ago she told Leora how quiet her house was at the holidays ever since her daed died and her bruder got married. He goes to his in-laws’ house in Unity for Thanksgiving and that’s too far of a trip for Maria’s mother to make while her hip is mending.”

As she rocked back and forth, Sadie reflected on how sensitive Levi was to Maria’s needs, as well as to her own. She was glad she could reciprocate by helping him mind the children at the wedding—and doubly glad because she figured taking care of David and Elizabeth would keep her mind off the fact that last year at this time, she’d prayed she’d be hosting her own wedding instead of attending someone else’s during this year’s wedding season.

A knock startled Sadie to her feet. She hadn’t seen or heard the buggy in the driveway yet and when she opened the door, she found out why: Elizabeth stood there, red-faced and sniffling, her hair hanging down to her shoulders and her face wet with tears. Levi stood behind her, one hand resting on her shoulder, the other holding a hairbrush, and David was behind him, hopping from one foot to the other.

Recognizing the problem at once, Sadie exclaimed, “Oh, gut, I was hoping you’d let me fix your hair instead of letting your daed do it for you today, Elizabeth. A hochzich is a special occasion and a maedel wants to look her best, even if she’s not the one getting married, right?”

Elizabeth wiped her palm across her pudgy cheek and gave a forlorn nod, so Sadie told her to go have a seat in the rocking chair.

“Sorry about this. She usually doesn’t mind that I can’t do her hair as neat as some of the other meed’s,” Levi whispered. “But today she—wow, that blohbier pie smells appenditlich.”

Sadie laughed at how easily distracted he was by the dessert. “I’d ask you to carry it to the buggy for me, but I don’t think I trust you with it.”

“That’s probably a smart move. How about if I carry this instead?” Levi picked up the gift and said he and David would have the buggy ready and waiting.

When Sadie and Elizabeth approached a few moments later, Levi jumped down to assist them into the carriage. “Your hair looks very pretty,” he told his daughter, even though her church bonnet was covering her head.

“Sadie braided it just like hers.”

“Hers looks pretty, too,” he replied, and even though Sadie knew he was forced to say it, she felt a flush of shyness.

“You both look your best and you’re going to act your best, too, right, kinner?” Levi prompted his children.

As it turned out, the reminder was unnecessary; David and Elizabeth didn’t so much as fidget throughout the long wedding service. The same couldn’t be said for Sadie. As much as she tried not to think about how much she wished she were the one taking her wedding vows, the longing gnawed at her like a hunger pang and she squirmed in her seat.

When the service ended, she was torn between helping the women prepare the food and supervising the twins and the other children in the designated playroom in the basement of the church. But Levi helped make the decision for her.

“Would you mind keeping an eye on David and Elizabeth while I help set up tables?” During Amish weddings in Serenity Ridge, as in Little Springs, after the service the men arranged tables and chairs around the periphery of the gathering room and the guests sat facing the center so they could see each other as they partook of the wedding meal.

Within an hour, Levi returned to where Sadie was encouraging two six-year-old girls to share a box of blocks with their brother while David and Elizabeth quietly pieced together a puzzle in the corner. Levi told Sadie dinner was being served and since the district was so small, they wouldn’t have to take turns to eat, the way guests usually did at the large Amish weddings in Little Springs. But he said the seats were filling fast. “If we scuttle upstairs before the rest of the eldre and kinner do, we can sit together as a familye, otherwise we might get split up.”

Sadie dropped her head to hide her blush, but Levi was so focused on signaling the twins to follow him upstairs he didn’t seem to realize he’d referred to Sadie as family. And in fact, eating together felt familiar, if not familial, since the foursome dined together every day at Levi’s house. By the time dessert was served, it was no longer an effort for Sadie to keep from dwelling on her status as a single woman or to push thoughts of courtship and marriage from her mind. Those disappointments were replaced by a sense of belonging, and she enjoyed the festivities more than she expected she would. It helped that several people stopped by their table to compliment Sadie on the blueberry pie she’d made.