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Authors: Charlotte Hubbard

Tags: #Fiction, #Religious, #Christian, #Romance, #Amish & Mennonite

Autumn Winds (23 page)

BOOK: Autumn Winds
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Jerusalem stepped back, her gaze unwavering. “What have your young sons learned from their discovery today?” she queried in a rising voice. “And what will they carry through their lives with them, Bishop? The image of a father who humbled himself before his congregation and his God to confess his sins? Or the idea that since their
dat
made excuses and felt himself above punishment—or laid the blame on others—they can behave that way, too?”
Ben held his breath. Nobody in the Sweet Seasons moved.
After a moment, Aunt Jerusalem glanced out the nearest window. “Come along, boys,” she said in a lower voice. “The rain’s stopped for now. We’ll get on home to our goats and our fall cleanin’.”
One of the twins caught sight of Rhoda, who’d stopped in the doorway with a tray of pie slices. Rachel was behind her with a bucket of ice cream in each hand. He sucked in his breath. “Can we have—”
“
May
we have,” Jerusalem corrected him.
“May we please have some pie, Miss Hooley?” his brother hastened to ask in his sweetest voice. He looked hopefully toward Rhoda, so Jerusalem couldn’t miss the tempting sight.
Their new teacher smiled but shook her head. “We’ll finish your room and have our noon dinner at home with your family,” she replied with a pointed glance at Hiram. “Annie Mae and Nellie were bakin’ up a nice pot roast—and pie—when we left, remember?”
With that, Jerusalem steered the boys to the front entry again. She nodded at Ben and his brothers, and they nodded back, remaining silent until the door closed. All eyes went back to the bishop, who had remained standing, clenching and unclenching his jaw. As his silvery beard quivered at the end of his chin, it occurred to Ben that Hiram resembled a billy goat himself and it was all he could do to keep from laughing out loud.
But this was no laughing matter. Owning a car was one of the most frowned-upon worldly sins among the Old Order Amish, and Hiram had been caught by his young sons—and called out in front of many of the same people who’d been here when Rebecca displayed the bishop’s photograph on his website. What made the situation more interesting, however, was the way Hiram hadn’t talked back; he hadn’t put Aunt Jerusalem in her place or offered any rationalizations for his behavior. The bishop stood there, staring toward the door. Then he fetched his hat from the peg on the wall.
“We need to call a meeting. Make it this evening,” he murmured to the two preachers. Then he took money from his wallet, tossed it on the table, and walked out of the Sweet Seasons without another word.
Gabe struggled to his feet, his face lined with age. Tom rose and fetched the older man’s cane and their black hats, and then tossed more money on the table. “Sorry to be leavin’ the celebration,” he said to Luke with a grim smile. “Guess this just goes to show that ya can’t tell what the wind might whip into motion. It didn’t toss a tree through Miriam’s window this time, but we for sure and for certain have a mess to clean up.”
After the two preachers left, conversations resumed among the customers . . . speculation about whether Hiram would indeed confess at a members’ meeting this coming Sunday. . . remarks about how Jerusalem Hooley and her sister had taken over the Knepp family while Hiram had put up no apparent resistance.
Matthias Wagler spoke up. “Rhoda, let’s bring on that pie and coffee now. No sense in lettin’ that
gut
ice cream melt.”
Ben and his brothers returned to their table rather than fetching their salad. “Seems like a sign we ought to eat dessert first,” Ira remarked as he grinned at the people around him. “So tell me—do you Missouri folks always stir up this much excitement over a meal?”
Chuckles erupted around them. Ben smiled up at Rhoda as she presented the tray of pie, and he snatched a wedge of blackberry with a sugar-dusted crust. He pointed to the blueberry ripple ice cream and Rachel placed a generous scoop alongside his pie. His brothers lingered over their decision until he had to laugh. “This won’t be your only chance for Miriam’s pie, ya know,” he teased them. “We’ll most likely eat our dinner here every noon, and there’ll be all manner of pies to try, over time. Unless you’d rather have me do the cookin’ to save money, of course.”
Luke chose a slice of cherry while Ira went for French apple with a streusel topping. “If we get to the point we can’t afford the prices on this menu,” Luke remarked as he cut his first bite, “we’ve got no business buildin’ a mill here.”
Ira let out an ecstatic sigh, closing his eyes. “I don’t care if I have to do the dishes to pay,” he murmured, “for pie this
gut
, I’d do anythin’!”
“
Jah?
Anythin’?” Rachel scooped the vanilla ice cream they pointed at, grinning at the youngest Hooley. “How about ya ask my sister Rhoda for a date?”
Ira chewed for a moment, while she served ice cream to the Kanagy boys. “Did she make this apple pie?”
“Rhoda’s our cream pie girl. Banana cream, coconut cream, chocolate, pumpkin spice, lemon ice box—”
“Oh, stop!” Luke teased. “The poor boy’s overloadin’ on sugar just hearin’ about all those pies he’ll have to try.”
Rachel shrugged, chuckling. “Maybe you’ll be needin’ bigger pants then. Rhoda could sew ya up some of those, too.”
“I’ll think on it,” Ira replied. His cheeks were tinged with pink as he mopped up the melted vanilla ice cream with his last few bites of pie.
When Rachel moved on, Ben leaned across the table to chuckle at his brother. “What’s this I see? The youngest Hooley hooligan bein’ embarrassed about a girl?”
“Ya know better than that, Bennie!” he shot back. “And ya won’t catch me kissin’ her in the phone shanty, either!”
Ben blinked. Why wasn’t he surprised that his brothers had spied on him and Miriam this morning? “Watch out, now. You’re settin’ yourself up for payback.”
“Oh, my word, would ya look at this?” Rhoda had passed around all the pie and returned to the corner table to clear the preachers’ dishes. “There’s two twenties and a ten on the table here! Their three meals only came to twenty-one—”
“You girls have earned every nickel of that tip, dealin’ with Hiram lately,” Ben assured her. “Ya work hard here. I hope you’ll spend that on somethin’ you’d enjoy, Rhoda.”
Her face lit up as she considered what he was saying. Was his younger brother paying attention to the way her blue eyes sparkled? To the way Rhoda Lantz moved with such efficiency and had a cheerful smile for everyone?
“I know just the thing, too!” she said as she tucked the money into her skirt pocket. “Somethin’ I’ve been aimin’ to make for Rachel. I’ll fetch your stuffed shells now. Do ya still want the lemon icebox pie? I saved ya back three pieces.”
“
Jah
, bring it on!” Ira replied.
“For sure and for certain!” Luke said as he wiped his last bite of crust through the ice cream puddle on his plate.
Ben glanced at the clock above the kitchen door, amazed that it was nearly two o’clock and time for the Sweet Seasons to close for the day. And what a day it had been! He’d parted ways with Polly Petersheim, proposed to Miriam and gotten an immediate
jah!
and then watched his brothers buy a parcel of land before seeing Hiram Knepp humbled beyond belief by his Aunt Jerusalem. What could possibly top all of that?
He smiled. He had no trouble whatsoever devising ways to make this evening one of the high points of his life.
Chapter 22
As Rhoda hung the damp towels from helping Rachel with the supper dishes that evening, her eyes widened. “Well now, would ya look at this? I figured on Annie Mae and Nellie comin’ over to crochet, but who would’ve thought about the Hooley aunts bringin’ them?”
Rachel chuckled. “We should never try to guess what Jerusalem Hooley might do, after the way she cornered the bishop today. Hiram must be stayin’ home with the little ones this evenin’. And
that
’s different, ain’t so?”
“It’ll be interestin’ to see what comes of that conversation at the café,” Mamma agreed as she watched their four guests come up the porch steps. “Preachin’ is at Tom’s house this Sunday. We’ll have to help him redd up Friday afternoon. . . ask what he knows about Hiram confessin’ to the members instead of goin’ to the bishop in Morning Star.”
“
Jah
, not many folks’ll find reason to miss this service, when word gets out about Hiram havin’ a car.” Micah rose from his seat at the head of the table, a grin tickling his lips. “At least it wasn’t Rebecca who caught him this time. He seems to be leavin’ you out of it, too, Miriam, and that’s a
gut
thing.”
Rhoda hurried out to hold the door open for Annie Mae, who was carrying a bulky plastic shopping bag in each hand. All colors of yarn were jammed into the sacks, popping out the tops of them, and the sight made her glad she’d agreed to this crocheting get-together. “Come on in, girls!” she said to Nellie and Ben’s aunts. “I’ve got extra hooks if you two would like to join us.”
Nazareth smiled kindly. “I was tellin’ Nellie what a fine idea this was. Matter of fact, we’ve got our own crochet hooks up in the room.”
“
Jah
, and after a day of deep cleanin’ and settin’ that house to rights, a little time with yarn and
gut
conversation sounds mighty fine.” Jerusalem Hooley removed her black bonnet and hung it on a peg before doing the same with her sister’s. “I suggested to Hiram that this would be a fine time to spend with his younger children, readin’ the evenin’s devotional and gettin’ them all four into bed if Annie Mae and Nellie just happen to be here until after dark. It wouldn’t be proper for Nazareth or me to stay over, ya know. Not that we were invited.”
Rhoda exchanged glances with the Knepp girls. Their faces glowed with mischief, as though they had every intention of staying until their
dat
put their younger siblings to bed. That would be a rare treat for them.
“This sounds like a hen party I could miss.” Micah went for his hat, smiling at them. “I’ll mosey over to the smithy and see the Hooley brothers about startin’ this mill in a day or two. I’ll take care of the horse chores and what-all outside for ya.”
“
Denki
, Micah,” Mamma replied. “But it’s your house now. You’re welcome to stay and chat!”
The tall, muscled blond rolled his eyes and blew a kiss to his new wife. “Not sure I could stand all that excitement.”
As he jogged down the stairs, he had an air of satisfaction about him, Rhoda thought—just as her sister seemed to be floating on her own little cloud, even after a day of working at the Sweet Seasons. They had all agreed that Rachel and Micah would now spend their mornings together over breakfast before she came in to work. And if business remained brisk as the colder weather came on, it would be a good time to bring in Hannah Brenneman, Micah’s younger sister, to clear tables and work alongside her
mamm
.
“Rhoda says she’s startin’ an afghan,” Mamma remarked as she slipped an arm around Rhoda’s shoulders. “I think I’ll make a few granny squares along with her just to help my fingers recall how to crochet. So what’s everyone else got in mind?”
Nellie grinned as they all headed into the front room. “On the way over, Nazareth was sayin’ a Friendship afghan might be a fun project, what with all the yarn we’ve accumulated between us,” she recounted. “If we all make squares about the same size, any colors we want, among the seven of us we could make enough blocks for a whole afghan in an evenin’ or two!”
“Then one of us could crochet them all together and finish the borders,” Annie Mae went on. She sounded genuinely thrilled to be here working on such a project, too. “We could either pass it around amongst ourselves to enjoy—”
“Or we could decide who might like it for a gift,” Rachel continued in a voice rising with excitement. “Just so happens we’ve got three new fellas in Willow Ridge who’ve got no one to make their place cozy for them, so—”
“Well, that’s a fine idea!” Miriam agreed. “And with them livin’ upstairs in the mill when it’s ready, an afghan would be a real nice present for their new rooms. A perfect way to warm up their first winter in Missouri.”
“Or a way to get somebody’s attention, ain’t so?” Rachel added with a giggle. “Now which of you girls is interested in which Hooley brother? Knowin’, of course, that Ben’s already spoken for.”
“
Jah?
How’s that?” Nellie teased. She settled into a rocking chair while her sister took the center of the couch between Rachel and Rhoda, who were watching their mother’s reaction to that question. Mamma had seemed especially bubbly today despite the rainy weather . . .
“I’ve got to tell ya that our Bennie could hardly talk of anythin’ besides Miriam and her bakery on our way here from Lancaster,” Nazareth remarked with a girlish grin. “And after watchin’ the way his old girlfriend was tryin’ to grab him back—”
“Now
that
was a scene like I’m hopin’ never to see again,” Jerusalem declared. “Common sense and a little dignity on Polly’s part would’ve been appropriate.”
“It’s been such a pleasure to get acquainted with you, Miriam.” Nazareth chose a ball of bright blue yarn from the large basket Rhoda had brought out earlier. “And we thank you again for providing us with a room.”
“It’s yours for as long as ya care to stay.” Mamma, too, picked up a crochet hook and plucked a half-used skein of variegated reds, oranges, and yellows from the basket. “I’m sure your family back in Lancaster’s glad ya came along to give your nephews a hand—and to let them know what’s goin’ on, too. That was a big decision for those young fellas, movin’ so far away.”
“
Jah
, but the right decision, for sure and for certain.” Jerusalem nodded decisively. Her fingers deftly formed a loop of brown and she began to cover it with double-crochet clusters. “Truth be told, Nazareth and I figure to stay here and see to the boys’ housekeepin’ over the winter. Seems a lot more useful than anythin’ we could be doin’ back East.”
“And more excitin’, what with watchin’ their new mill go up!” Nazareth remarked cheerfully. “They had quite a
gut
business, sellin’ their specialty flours and grains back home.”
“
Jah
, and the new teacher seems to be handlin’ things at the school, so they won’t be needin’ us to step in anytime soon,” Jerusalem explained. “And we’ve enjoyed seein’ new scenery and meetin’ new folks, too. Didn’t realize how stale we were gettin’ until we got out of our own backyard.”
Rhoda’s fingers flew over turquoise double-crochet stitches as she listened . . . speculating about Jerusalem Hooley’s reasons for staying in Willow Ridge. Who would’ve thought
maidels
their age would seek out adventure rather than stay close to hearth and home, especially in the winter? Or maybe there was more to Jerusalem’s plan than she was letting on. Hiram had taken a shine to her from the first time the schoolteacher had corrected him, when they’d met before the wedding feast. Nobody here in Willow Ridge—especially the women—had dared to set the bishop straight about how to raise his unruly children. And who would have dreamed of confronting him about the car he’d hidden away in his stable?
“That’s an advantage to bein’ unattached, for sure and for certain,” Mamma agreed. Her square now had its first three rows; she clipped her yarn and wove in the end before choosing a deep maroon yarn to work with next. “How many rows are we makin’ our squares, girls?”
“How about seven rows of color finished off with a row of black?” Nellie suggested. “I’ve already got five done, so if I work two more in the same red I started with, that’ll finish off to a
gut
size.”
When Nellie held up the red-and-purple square she’d worked, they all agreed on that number and compared how their stitch sizes were matching up, so the individual blocks of the afghan would measure the same.
Rhoda finished off her row of turquoise and rummaged in her bag of yarn to choose the next color. “If this is to be for one of the Hooleys, we maybe shouldn’t use the pinks and the baby yarns left from makin’ booties, ain’t so? Don’t want it to look girly, or they won’t like it.”
“And who do ya think we should give this one to?” Annie Mae asked. She held up her square of orange and navy blue. “Or maybe, since this is goin’ so fast, we should make one for each of them. It would be a
gut
excuse for gettin’ together each week, ain’t so?”
“And Dat couldn’t argue with the way we’re workin’ with other folks’ welfare in mind,” Nellie added with a laugh. “He preaches that at home night and day, after all.”
They all laughed, reaching for more yarn or considering how many rows of each color would make their square the prettiest.
Rhoda sat back on the couch. Her fingers had found their rhythm again, so she hardly had to look at what she was doing as she worked her hook around the yarn. She had missed sitting with Rachel and Mamma in the evenings, embroidering kitchen towels and pillowcases, or crocheting this way. They had simply been too busy, what with running the Sweet Seasons all day and then doing the household chores in the evenings. Wasn’t it interesting that three new bachelors coming to Willow Ridge had inspired this frolic?
“Annie Mae, I’m sure glad you had this idea,” Rhoda said quietly. “It’s been way too long since we sat chattin’, lettin’ our fingers fly while we relaxed.”
“You can say that again!” Nellie remarked. “How about if we meet at our house next time, so Dat won’t get peeved about us leavin’ him with the little ones?”
“
Jah
, we could do that.” Rachel finished the black border of her square and plucked at its corners to make the edges straight. “We could keep our finished squares all together and bring them along each time, so when we have enough, somebody can whipstitch them together while the rest of us start on the next afghan. That way, if we can’t all show up every time, the rest can keep workin’.”
“I think we’ve just started a crochet club!” Nazareth chirped. “And what a
gut
way to get to know our new friends better! I’m feelin’ right at home. Glad you girls wanted us older ones to join ya.”
Mamma was nodding, pressing her finished square against the arm of her chair to make it lie flat. She had a secretive grin on her face as she chose a ball of grass-green yarn to work with next. “We still haven’t decided who gets this first afghan,” she said.
“We could make it a secret contest!” Annie Mae said with a laugh. “Whichever of the Hooley brothers asks one of us for a date first wins the first afghan!”
“
Jah
, that’ll work! There’ll be a singin’ Sunday night—the first one since Ira and Luke came to Willow Ridge. Maybe by then they’ll figure out who they’ve taken a shine to.” Rhoda eyed her mother, who seemed to be off in her own little dreamworld. No doubt who Mamma was thinking about, either. “Of course, at their ages, they might not want to join in with girls and fellas who’re mostly still in their
rumspringa
.”
“Well then,” Rachel remarked as she, too, glanced at their mother, “that means they’re old enough to meet up with girls on other nights besides Sunday, ain’t so?”
“Puh! Don’t you girls go thinkin’ you’ve got a corner on the market, far as gettin’ fellas to court ya,” Jerusalem ventured with a chuckle. “Some of us in this room have been agin’ like fine cheese, waitin’ for a man
mature
enough to realize we’re the best gift God will ever send him!”
“You tell them, Sister!” Nazareth crowed.
Mamma laughed like she hadn’t in a long time. “Hear, hear! Willow Ridge has a few unattached men who can probably still be trained up the way we’d want them to go! Feed them enough pie and they’ll follow ya anywhere.”
Again their laughter filled the front room as their fingers, hands, and wrists didn’t miss a stitch. Then Rachel, sitting closest to the kitchen, cocked her head. “Is that somebody at the door? I’ll go see.”
Rhoda turned to lift the curtain behind the sofa. “Hmm, dark enough that I can’t tell for sure,” she said as she peered out. “I don’t see a carriage.”
“Sure hope it’s not Dat, come to fetch us home because the twins wouldn’t go to bed,” Annie Mae said. “I’m havin’ such a fine time I could sit here quite a spell longer.”
Rhoda smiled. Wasn’t that something to hear, from the girl who supposedly sneaked out with the likes of Yonnie Stoltzfuz?
Jerusalem shifted in her chair, chuckling. “Josh and Joey gave me their word they’d go straight to bed—and would help settle the younger ones if they fussed about turnin’ in, too. We’ll see if the boys get to order those new collars for the goats, with name tags, or if I have to work on them a bit more.”
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