Called to Order (19 page)

She swallowed, her sad eyes watching him closely. “How long until you bond with her?”

“You’ve read my thoughts. I have not decided. I need to figure out a way to tell her what we are and hope she does not flee. After that, I will let her choose.”

“Choose? Adam, I like Anna a lot, but if she says no, you have to force her. Otherwise you are just sacrificing yourself.”

“I will not sentence her to a lifetime she does not want.”

“You love her.”

He pressed his lips closed. He was not ready to admit all the emotions Annalise stirred within him. Gracie’s large smile spread across her childlike face. “Do not say a word to her,
blabbermaul,
” he warned.

She scoffed. “I do not gossip!”

“Of course not. Now, if you will excuse me. I must fetch water for Anna and then go feed.”

“I’ll get her water. She doesn’t like it cold. I will take care of it and heat it for her. You go start your business so you can return to her soon.”

* * * *

Annalise spent most of the afternoon thinking of Adam. It wasn’t until around noon that she realized the Hartzler family and the other families that shared the farm did not begin work early in the morning like she assumed most farmers did. Gracie explained that the men worked in shifts to feed the animals in the predawn hours and that it was currently her father Jonas’s week. For some reason they did not break their fast at dawn after the animals were fed, but waited until the later hours of the day for brunch. Some families worked from dawn and retired when the sun was at its highest point for the day, but the Hartzlers did not.

Anna was disappointed when Adam did not return for lunch. Abilene had said the men were in a meeting. Adam’s mother seemed to be preoccupied with her thoughts and in comparison to the other night she seemed rather quiet. Annalise imagined it must be frustrating to hear of her two sons fighting so viciously over a girl.

When lunch was cleaned up and all the dishes put away, Abilene excused herself to the privacy of her bedroom. Annalise felt atrocious that she was at the root of her stress. If not for her, Adam and Cain never would have had such issues.

Gracie grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “This is not your fault.”

“You need to stop poking around in my head.”

“I’m sorry, but you need to know this is not your fault. What Cain did is against everything our people stand for. He violated a value we all hold above anything else. A male does not interfere with another male’s called mate.”

“What do you mean called?”

“You and Adam shared dreams, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we believe that is like a calling from God. It is our way of finding the one person who is destined to be with us, the other half of our soul. It is something no male or female can ignore and is meant to be respected, not interfered with.”

“But why me? I’m not Amish. I know nothing of your values or traditions. Why wouldn’t God choose someone more like Adam for him to share his life with?”

“Because for some reason, God chose you. You were called to him for a reason, and only time will show you how right you are for each other.”

Annalise went to use the outhouse and thought about Gracie’s words. The people here made everything seem so much more intense than the way Annalise was used to living. Didn’t they ever just date and see if there was a mental connection? And what about plain old lust? There seemed to be so many rules here, yet on the other hand things were way more simplified here than at home.

As she rinsed her hands in the small bowl, Annalise wondered how things were going at home. She wondered if anyone was looking for her. Was Kyle worried about her?

Checking to make sure her clothing was in its proper place, she left the outhouse and returned to the shade of the kitchen. Gracie was already preparing a meat rub for dinner and knotting twine and spices around some sort of roast. Annalise did not want to think about the soft animals she had seen living on the farm. It made her fear if she thought too hard about the pretty livestock, that she would not be able to stomach her supper.

Anna was tired. Her sleep schedule had been all over the map. After being up all hours of the night, sleeping late into the morning, her emotions had been on overload. She was altogether drained and was now wondering how long until Adam would return. Annalise wanted to be awake when he came home from his meeting, but she also wanted to nap.

The thought of sneaking off to bed brought back images of that morning. Adam’s mouth on her, bringing her to—

Gracie shouted, her herb-covered hands flying to her head, and she began to sing nonsense words.

“What’s wrong?”

The girl lowered her hands. “You cannot think about my brother like that when I’m around!”

Annalise laughed. “Well, if you weren’t nosing around in my thoughts, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

“I can’t help it. You just think out loud.”

“Then teach me how to guard my thoughts.”

“I don’t know how the others do it. You would have to ask Adam.”

“Okay, well how about this. Every private thought I have I will follow with an image of your brother naked. That will teach you to stay out of my head.”

“You would not be so
hesslich,
”
Gracie gasped.

Annalise giggled. “I don’t know what that means, but trust me, I would. I take my privacy very seriously.”

“Oh, you are mean!” she accused, turning back to her dinner preparations. “That is fine. When you and my brother have children, I will spoil them rotten and teach them all of my irritating tricks.”

Annalise laughed and began to set the table for the next meal. It was early, but she didn’t really know how to cook things when all the ingredients didn’t come ready-measured and in a box. When she and Adam have children. She smiled. That was jumping the gun a bit. Anna didn’t know what the next day would bring. She would eventually have to return home. For all she knew, this whole mate thing might be out of Adam’s system and he might be ready to send her on her way, alone.

Frowning, she placed the last plate on the table. Annalise would be sad if he let her go. She could barely stomach his leaving her this morning. And what if she became pregnant? Would he then feel obligated to keep her here even if he no longer wanted her? They had not used a condom the other night. She could have his baby in her belly right this minute, growing and splitting cells and changing her life forever. Why had she been so careless?

Gracie huffed and moved to the water pump at the sink. She washed her hands then came to stand in front of Annalise. The girl looked at her sternly and said, “Please do not punish me for this.” She placed her hand on Annalise’s stomach and shut her eyes. A second later she dropped her hand and looked at her. “You are not with child. There are no brainwaves coming from your womb. Second of all, even if you were pregnant, Adam would stay with you. Not because you carried his babe, but because he cares for you more than he has ever cared for another female. You are his mate. That is forever. It is not something that fades, rather it intensifies with time. When will you accept that he is your fate?”

“You can tell I’m not pregnant? But it’s only been hours.”

“That doesn’t matter, and did you even hear anything else I said?”

“Yes, but…that’s crazy that you can do that. With all of our technology we cannot identify if a woman is pregnant until at least a couple weeks.”

“I understand. If you want I will check your belly every day, but I want you to believe me when I tell you my brother will not let you leave, Anna. Please don’t get some silly idea in your head about returning home either. Eventually he will take you, but you need to wait until he tells you it’s time. Please, for me, do not run from him. You do not understand what will happen if you do.”

Not used to hearing Gracie so serious, Annalise asked, “What will happen?”

The girl sighed. “It will destroy him in more ways than one.”

Suddenly the clip-clop of horse’s hooves in the distance had them both turning toward the screen door. Gracie went to the window and squealed then flew out the front door in a flash. Annalise went to the door and waited as a covered buggy pulled to the front of the house. A man wearing a black-brimmed hat that shaded his face tied off the reins and hopped down. Gracie bounced impatiently on the porch steps.

The man walked to the door of the carriage and offered his hand to the woman inside. A tall brunette woman stepped down. She turned before Annalise could get a good look at her and retrieved a suitcase from the carriage. When she turned back around, Annalise sucked in a breath. She was stunning. Even without make-up and with her hair pulled tightly back into her bonnet, she easily had one of the most beautiful faces Annalise had ever seen.

The man took the woman’s arm and escorted her onto the porch. The woman smiled at Gracie, the expression appearing to use facial muscles she had not used in some time. Gracie threw her arms around the woman and spun her in a circle. It was funny watching little Gracie tousle the taller woman. The man stepped back and pressed his lips firmly together as if already irritated by the childish display.

When Gracie finally released the girl, the man stepped forward and kissed the brunette. She turned her cheek for the buss and said nothing. “I will pick you up when the meeting is over. We will not be supping here, so do not ask.”

The woman nodded, and Gracie looked down at the luggage she carried. “How long is this meeting meant to last?”

The man quickly returned to the carriage, tipped his hat, and pulled away. The brunette beauty breathed a sigh of relief then said, “The clothing is not for me. I brought gowns for Adam’s mate. Is she here?”

Gracie turned toward the house and saw Annalise watching them. “Well, do not just stand there, come meet our sister!”

The women spent the afternoon laundering and mending Larissa’s older gowns. Luckily, Annalise was not asked to even thread a needle, something she didn’t know how to do properly. Larissa was intimidating. She sat with perfect posture and reminded Annalise of a Victorian duchess. Her hair was the color of Adam’s and her eyes the same devastating silver. She did not smile easily, but when she did her beauty took Anna’s breath away. She worked diligently and quietly, asking Annalise different questions about where she had come from, but never seeming to pry or border on impropriety. She was not snobby but reserved. If ever Annalise had been in the presence of a true lady, Larissa was it.

“So when is it Adam plans on having the ceremony?” Larissa asked as she loosened the hem of a skirt.

“Oh, we aren’t talking marriage yet.”

Larissa paused and looked at Annalise. “But you are his mate.”

“Yeah, but…I’m English. Oddly enough, when it comes to marriage, we do things a little slower than you Amish.”

“But you must,” the woman insisted. “Otherwise Adam risks becoming
feeish.”

“What’s that?” Annalise asked. It didn’t sound pleasant.

“Larissa,” Gracie warned shaking her head. “Anna is not quite familiar with all of our customs yet. Perhaps we should allow our brother to explain such things.”

“Well, what is he waiting for? It has already been weeks. Perhaps if he had his end of things taken care of, this riff between he and Cain never would have happened. I hear they can do
hesslich
things when they put off the bonding.”

“
Ganoonk!
You were not there. Cain tried to trick Anna into believing he was Adam. He touched her and Adam saw. Cain had no business even speaking to her. He would be wise to stay hidden at your place for a while. No doubt the elders will want to speak with him.”

“He is not at our home.”