A Season for Tending (27 page)

Rhoda picked a pencil off the desk and fidgeted with it. “Part of me would like to be associated with a business as unique as Kings’ Orchard, to have at least one season of working with you to see what we can accomplish. But—”

Leah came to the office door. “Catherine’s here.”

Leah’s body language made Rhoda think she was warning them more than announcing a visitor. Rhoda glanced from one man to the other, trying to get an idea of who Catherine was.

The lines on Samuel’s face drew tight. “What?”

Jacob rolled his eyes again, but despite his smile he looked less amused. “Girlfriends tend to come over unannounced.”

Was the woman Samuel’s or Jacob’s girlfriend? Neither man gave her any clues.

“Excuse me.” Samuel stood. “I’ll be back.”

So Catherine was Samuel’s girlfriend. Rhoda’s eyes met Jacob’s, and she hoped he couldn’t see any traces of disappointment. She knew now that the sparks she’d felt while with Samuel had ignited only in her, not him.

Samuel worked his way around the tight fit between the office furniture—the
desk and file cabinets—and Jacob and Rhoda. But before he was halfway to the door, a young woman with light brown eyes and hair stepped into the office. She caught a glimpse of Rhoda and froze.

Samuel went to her. “Catherine, come in and meet Rhoda.”

Catherine looked at Samuel, clearly surprised by Rhoda’s presence, perhaps as much so as Rhoda was to learn Samuel had a girlfriend.

Samuel put his hand on Catherine’s back. “Rhoda is considering partnering with Kings’ Orchard to help us increase our profit for this year’s crop.”

Rhoda stood, and Jacob got up to shift out of the way. Rhoda went toward Catherine and held out her hand.

Catherine’s face flushed. “It’s nice to meet you.” But the tension radiating from her told Rhoda otherwise.

After they shook hands, Rhoda returned to her chair.

Catherine ducked her head toward Samuel’s arm. “A paid trip to Lancaster and money to spend? Really, Samuel?” she whispered.

“Let’s step outside for a minute.”

Without another word Catherine turned and walked out.

Samuel paused, then looked at Rhoda. “I won’t be long.”

Leah didn’t budge, and the room was uncomfortably silent.

“You planned and schemed to get rid of me for the day?” Catherine’s voice echoed from elsewhere in the barn. Samuel said something, and then their voices faded.

Jacob and Leah watched Rhoda, seemingly not knowing what to say any more than she did.

A young man came into the room, brushing past Leah, then glanced out the door behind him. “What’s going on with those two?”

Jacob took Samuel’s place behind the desk and nodded toward Rhoda. “Rhoda, this is Eli, our youngest brother. Eli, this is Rhoda.”

Eli’s smile welcomed her. “You have no idea how glad I am to finally meet you.”

He was a charmer. “You have a lovely place. The orchard is a true sight to behold.”

“You’re right. It is. After growing up with seeing it every day, I forget that part sometimes.”

Jacob motioned for Leah and Eli to sit. He looked at the blank piece of paper Samuel had pulled out. “Leah and Eli, let me fill you in on what we’ve been talking about and see if you have any ideas.”

Their voices faded as Rhoda’s attention drifted. Wasn’t it natural for a person involved with someone else, be it a spouse or a steady, to mention them while talking?

So why hadn’t Samuel said one word about his girlfriend?

TWENTY-FIVE

Samuel’s emotions swung like a pendulum between agitation and understanding. He and Catherine stood in the pasture on the other side of the milking barn, a place far enough away from the horse barn and the office so no one could see or hear them.

Catherine shooed a fly away. “I came back early because Mamm witnessed something very upsetting in Lancaster—Arlan and his secret life. I was desperate for your advice. When I get here, I discover that my brother isn’t the only one neck-deep in secrets.”

“I was neck-deep in business.” Samuel couldn’t afford to get pulled into a long conversation about Arlan, but he had to verify his gut was right—he didn’t need to head to Lancaster immediately. “What was Arlan doing?”

She explained, using the words “different religion” several times, and Samuel knew Arlan could wait. Catherine was more out of sorts than the situation called for, but that didn’t surprise him. “He’s not thinking of joining a different religion, only a different denomination.”

“Only? There is no
only
about this, Samuel. You can fix this. I know you can.”

His patience wore thin, and he tried not to scream the question that often banged around inside him when she wanted him to
fix
something. “How?”

“I don’t know, but you always find solutions for whatever is important in your life. I’ve never seen you face a problem you didn’t solve.”

“That’s what owners do for a business. I can’t troubleshoot Arlan’s life or change how he thinks or what he wants. I don’t own him, and neither do you.”

“You could at least try to talk him out of this, reason with him the way only you can do.”

“I’m not leaving here to talk to Arlan, not right now. I have to get back inside with Rhoda.”

Catherine’s face registered an unfamiliar look, maybe insecurity. “Rhoda.” She pointed at Samuel. “You didn’t want me to know about her, did you?”

“I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Why don’t you tell me the truth about her, Samuel? She’s young and beautiful, and you knew I wouldn’t agree to her becoming a partner with Kings’ Orchard.”

Samuel gritted his teeth. He couldn’t remember ever longing to walk away from Catherine, but he
had
to get back to Rhoda. He hadn’t thought for one moment that Catherine would accuse him of having a personal interest in Rhoda. “It’s business, nothing more. I kept the details from you because I didn’t want to upset you. The orchard isn’t doing well, and I wanted to have something good to share before we talked about it.”

“What’s wrong with the orchard?”

He explained about the back tierce and then spent ten minutes trying to calm her back down.

Catherine’s hands shook as she wiped tears off her cheeks. “So everyone, including Rhoda, knows about the problems, but you told me nothing?”

“I was going to. But first I wanted to have the good news that she’d agreed to work with us.”

“Good news? There is none as far as I can see. You kept secrets from me while sharing them with another woman. If she doesn’t work out, we’ll have to wait years to be married. And if she
does
agree to this plan, you’ll be working beside someone who is single, smart, and beautiful.”

“She’s the only chance we have.”

“That’s your defense?” Catherine scowled. “I tell you she’s gorgeous, and you say she’s the only chance we have of getting married while I’m still of childbearing age?”

He wanted to scream. “Would you stop exaggerating? I have been focused day and night on solving the orchard problem while protecting you from the
stress of it. And if I don’t get back in there soon, Kings’ Orchard may lose its best chance to stay profitable—and
that
will cause more problems than I have time to explain.”

“We don’t need to have our own place or to be financially secure to marry. We have each other.”

Samuel set his jaw. “I’ve seen too many Amish couples say the same thing before they married, and years later they’re still living with one set of parents. They have little ones who drain their finances, and the stress of sharing tight space with parents or in-laws makes them sorry they didn’t wait. I won’t do that to us, to you.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “You should see how packed Rhoda’s parents’ home is with her two married brothers and their five children all under one roof. They should have had the foresight and self-control to wait until they could afford a place of their own.”

His conscience stabbed him. If Rhoda heard him, she’d have several things to say, and then she’d leave without a second thought of partnering with them for a season.

“Okay.” Catherine sniffed and lifted her chin—a good sign. “I hear you. Still, you shouldn’t have kept your meeting with her a secret.”

“Be reasonable, Catherine. You expect me to fix whatever is not working for you. I’m trying my best to do that. Did you want to know about the trouble on the back tierce?”

“I had a right to know about Rhoda.”

“You have no cause to doubt my motives for talking with her. Rhoda could be someone’s grandmother or grandfather for all I care. All I see in her is a woman who has the business savvy to redeem this year’s crop and to keep my plans for building a home on track.”

“Swear it?”

“No.” He gazed at her, his anger melting under her innocent stare. “You don’t like it when I do.”

After seeing Arlan as she had in Lancaster and then discovering Samuel
in the office with a woman she didn’t know, she sort of had a reason to overreact.

She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, Samuel.”

“Forgiven.” Although this time he felt no peaceful release after he said the word. “But how am I going to explain to Rhoda your reaction or my abrupt departure?”

Catherine took him by the hand. “I have an idea.”

He hoped her plan to redeem Kings’ Orchard in Rhoda’s eyes was a good one. “Okay, tell me.”

While Jacob, Leah, and Eli talked about the issues with Rhoda’s canning setup, Rhoda kept mulling over why Samuel hadn’t told her that he had a girlfriend. He’d told her about the orchard, his siblings, his grandfather, and the problems they faced with cider apples. He’d talked about his hopes for a solution, where Rhoda fit in the picture, and more. But he’d never mentioned having a girlfriend. And why had he arranged for Catherine to be preoccupied while Rhoda was here? Whatever his excuse, she knew it’d be lame. What possible defense could he give?

Leah slapped the desk. “I think I know the answer.”

Rhoda blinked, realizing she needed to pay attention. But the way Samuel had handled today left her doubtful that she wanted to partner with Kings’ Orchard. Her first impression of him was his loyalty, but it seemed he also had a manipulative side.

“Jacob, the answer to a bigger canning facility is right here under your nose.”

He frowned. “It is?”

“That old stone eyesore at the west edge of the orchard.” Leah turned to Rhoda. “There used to be a farmhouse maybe six hundred feet from here. When my grandfather built the home we live in now, that place became the
Daadi Haus
, where his parents lived. It had a big detached summer kitchen—you
know, for women who do a lot of cooking and canning in the summer months. It was a way of keeping the rest of the house as cool as possible.”

“That’s a great idea!” Eli clapped his sister on the back.

Jacob’s jaw set. “It’s not usable.”

“It could be with some carpentry work.” Eli fixed Jacob with a look. “You could do it. It has a stone floor that’s pretty solid even though it may need a little work. Some of the rock walls need rebuilding, and it’s missing a roof. I’ve helped you fix the plumbing in our house lots of time. I bet we could do that too. The only thing we may not be able to do is run the gas line.”

Leah moved to the edge of her chair. “It’d be perfect. And surely being so close to the orchard would be a plus.”

Jacob didn’t seem to be a fan of the idea—to say the least. “That’s too much work, and we have too little time.”

His response made Rhoda breathe a sigh of relief. Right now all she wanted to do was make her good-byes and wait for Landon. “That settles it then. It was thrilling to see your orchard, and Samuel’s belief in my skills is flattering, to be sure. But we’re not going to find a suitable solution.”

“Jacob, what are you thinking?” Eli leaned on the desk. “Leah’s come up with a solid answer, and you’re going to shoot it down?”

Jacob smiled at his sister. “Your idea is a solid one, and I wouldn’t have thought of it, but—”

Eli moved to the front of the desk and jabbed his index finger against it. “You’re a topnotch carpenter. I’d help you, and we could do the masonry and remodeling fast and for minimal money. You
know
we can. How expensive could it be to hire someone to run a gas line from a tank to the stove?”