Dark Crossings (19 page)

But what if he
was
a poacher? She
couldn’t possibly be attracted to a man like that.

Not that I am attracted to him. Nay, I am
not.

Lena rejected the idea and called upon her common sense. How
could such a thing be possible? She’d only just met the man. Yet for some reason
he set her pulse racing when he drew near. Like now.

Lena realized with a start that she had spent far too much time
alone with Isaac. She shot to her feet. “I must go and check on the
children.”

She rushed toward the front door, wondering how she was going
to get through the rest of the day knowing he was watching her every move.

Outside, the younger children were at play on the swings, while
the older ones had divided themselves up into teams for a softball game. Ruby
was sitting by herself, leaning against the side of the small barn across the
schoolyard. Lena’s heart went out to the little girl, who seemed so alone and
withdrawn.

Lena’s students were siblings and cousins from a close-knit
community, but she expected them to include Ruby in their play. It was the right
thing to do, and the children knew it. She beckoned to Katie Gingerich, another
of her eighth-grade students.

“Katie, I’m surprised at you. Why is Ruby sitting by
herself?”

“We all asked her to join us. Sarah even sat with her for a
while, but Ruby wrote ‘go away’ on her board.”

Lena frowned. Getting the girl to feel comfortable in her new
school was going to be more difficult than she’d thought. “I’m sorry for
doubting you, Katie. I should’ve known you had more Christian charity in your
heart. I will speak with Ruby and see if I can find out what’s wrong.”

* * *

I
SAAC
WATCHED
L
ENA
SIT
beside his
daughter as he came down the front steps of the school. The new teacher seemed
to have Ruby’s best interests at heart, unlike her last one.

Instead of encouraging Ruby, her former teacher had often
punished her for refusing to read aloud or sing with the other children. She
didn’t stop them from teasing Ruby or making fun of her, and had defended her
actions by saying Ruby needed to be shamed out of her silence. Her attitude was
the last straw that finally convinced him he needed to take his daughter
somewhere new.

Someplace where people didn’t know the story of her mother’s
death.

He was fortunate that his cousin had found them a house to rent
outside the village. John had even offered to let Isaac continue his craft as a
wood-carver in John’s furniture business. Isaac wasn’t overly fond of his stoic
older cousin, but the man had a shrewd head for business and a firm belief that
family was second only to God in his life. His help was a blessing Isaac
couldn’t afford to turn down.

Since Lena was occupied with Ruby, Isaac crossed the schoolyard
and entered the barn to feed his horse. Sophie was standing patiently in her
stall with her head down and her eyes half-closed. Her ears perked up when Isaac
held out the feedbag, and she quickly buried her nose in the oats. As Sophie
munched, Isaac realized he could hear Lena’s voice through the open window.

“Ruby, can you tell me why you won’t play with the other
children? I know that they asked you to join their ball game.”

There was silence as Ruby wrote out her answer. After a minute,
Lena spoke again, “‘They don’t like me.’ Is that what you think? You think none
of these children like you.
Nay,
I think it is the
other way around. I think you don’t like them.”

Isaac frowned. It wasn’t what he’d expected Lena to say.

CHAPTER THREE

L
ENA
REMAINED
QUIET
,
and Isaac assumed
his daughter was writing a reply to her comment. A few seconds later, the
teacher said, “So, you agree that you don’t like any of the children here. Not
any?”

What would the young woman make of that? He leaned closer to
hear what she had to say.

“You must have a reason to dislike someone. Why do you dislike
Mary?”

Lena gave a deep sigh. “
Nay,
Ruby,
a shrug of the shoulders is not an answer. You must explain to me why you don’t
like each child here at school. You may think about it and write about it
tonight. Tomorrow, I will read your reasons. If they are sound, I will accept
that you don’t like anyone here, and no one will ask you to play with them
again. If your reasons aren’t sound, we will talk about it.”

Again there was silence. Had Lena walked away? He frowned. He
wasn’t sure he approved of this. He was about to leave the barn when he heard
Lena speak again. “You don’t like Mary because she has a baby sister and you
don’t.”

Isaac hadn’t realized Ruby wanted sisters and brothers. He had
been content with her as his only child. He hadn’t stopped to think how she
might feel about his failure to remarry.

Lena said, “The fact that Mary has a sister and you don’t is a
true statement, but she can’t help that. You are mistaken when you say you don’t
like her because of that. You are jealous of her because she has something you
don’t.”

After a few moments of quiet, Lena added, “Jealousy and dislike
are two different things. Birds can fly and I can’t. I wish I could. It would
make getting home easier. I may be jealous that they have the gift of flight and
I don’t, but I don’t dislike birds because I must walk. They’re beautiful
creatures. Do you understand? No? All right, why do you dislike David?”

After a second, Lena laughed. “You’re thinking. I imagine you
do a lot of that, Ruby Bowman. Think about it after school, because now it’s
time to go back to class.”

Isaac came out of the barn to see Lena headed toward the bell
rope that would sound the end of recess. Ruby was still sitting beside the barn.
She looked at him and then at Lena. Leaning over, Ruby wrote on her board and
held it up to him. It said, “I like her.”

A heavy weight lifted from his heart. It wasn’t much, but it
was a start. He said, “I like her, too.”

He held out his hand to help his daughter up. Ruby pointedly
ignored his offer and jumped to her feet. She ran to the schoolhouse, where Lena
stood watching them.

So he wasn’t forgiven. He wiped at the sudden moisture in his
eyes. Why did his daughter reject him at every turn?

Isaac took small comfort from the fact that he’d seen the first
crack in the wall Ruby had built between them. Perhaps his brother had been
right about this move. Perhaps a new start was exactly what she needed.

When Isaac regained his composure, he followed the children
into the school. Lena again glanced in his direction. He pretended to be
studying the ceiling so she wouldn’t see the tears that weren’t quite dry. When
she came toward him, he gestured upward. “Has anyone been up in the attic
recently?”

Her eyes grew round. She blushed a fierce shade of red and
stammered, “Wh-why do you ask?”

* * *

L
ENA
KNEW
HER
FACE
was beet-red, but she couldn’t help it. She
laced her fingers together and squeezed until they ached. It seemed she must
confess her interference with his hunting, after all—and in front of her
students.

Before she gathered enough nerve to speak, he said, “I ask
because I see a water stain on your ceiling. Has anyone checked out the leak or
repaired it?”

She folded her arms tightly and stared at her shoes. “To my
knowledge, no one has been up there to look for water damage recently.”

“I’ll go up after school. No point in letting it get
worse.”

“That won’t be necessary,” she said quickly. “I intend to bring
it to John Miller’s attention at the board meeting next Friday night. He likes
to stay informed about the school’s needs. I’m sure he’ll be okay with you
making a repair, but I feel he should make that decision. If you’ll excuse me, I
have classes to teach.” Lena rushed away, hoping Isaac hadn’t noticed her odd
reaction to his question.

Three-thirty finally arrived, and Lena dismissed her students.
She watched from the steps of the building as Isaac and Ruby drove away. The
daughter was an endearing if challenging special child, but the father was a
different story.

Isaac Bowman was disturbing yet attractive. Lena didn’t know
what to make of him or her reaction to him. She’d never experienced such a
jumble of emotions in a man’s company.

When their buggy entered the covered bridge and was lost from
sight, Lena rushed back inside and up the narrow stairwell to the attic. She
gathered her favorite romance novels from inside one of the unused school desks.
She would return them to her friend Clara Jenkins on the way home. Clara and her
husband lived on the farm across the road from her home.

Lena’s guilty conscience prompted her to make sure no one was
about before she went downstairs. She paused to peer out the small dusty window
that provided the attic’s only light. All the children were gone and there was
no sign of Isaac’s buggy. She’d started to turn away when a movement at the edge
of the forest caught her eye.

Two men in camouflaged clothing rose from their hiding place
behind a clump of bushes and disappeared into the woods.

Gooseflesh broke out on Lena’s arms. She quickly pulled away
from the window. Why was someone watching the school? Was it the poachers? Did
they mean her harm?

Cowering in the gloom, she sought strength as her father had
taught her to do from the time she was small. She whispered Psalm 27:1 aloud.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Slowly, her fear subsided and her common sense returned. If
they wished her harm, they would come to the school, for it must be obvious she
was alone. Instead, they’d merely watched from a distance and left.

Perhaps they hadn’t been watching the school at all. Perhaps
they had merely been resting, and only happened to stand up while she was
looking.

Reassured by her logical explanations, Lena gathered her
courage and went downstairs. She grabbed her cloak, wrapped herself in it and
hurried down the path to the covered bridge. When she reached the far side, she
paused in the shadows to check the edge of the woods. Nothing moved. She left
the safety of the bridge and hurried along the road, but couldn’t help glancing
over her shoulder numerous times until she reached Clara’s farm. Only then did
she feel safe.

Clara Jenkins was a teacher in the township’s public school.
Sometimes Lena envied the fact that Clara had only one grade to teach instead of
eight. Clara’s husband had worked at a local sawmill, but he, like many others,
had been laid off when the mill went bankrupt. For now, the couple was scraping
by on Clara’s salary. Lena helped her friends by bringing them fresh produce
from the garden and fresh baked goodies from her kitchen. When she refused to
take any money, Clara began loaning her books.

“Honey, what’s the matter?” Clara was standing in the yard
shaking out a throw rug.

Lena stopped and drew a deep breath. She held out the books.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just in a rush to get home, and I wanted to drop these by
first.”

Her friend smiled and came to the white rail fence that
bordered her yard. “Did you finish them already? They aren’t due back to the
library until next week.”

“I finished one of them, but I decided to return them all. You
know my church does not allow us to read such books.”

Clara’s smile faded. Deep concern filled her dark eyes. “Did
someone catch you with them? I’m so sorry if I got you in trouble.”

Shaking her head, Lena said, “No one saw them. I realized that
it’s important to follow all the rules of my faith rather than just the ones
that are easy for me.”

“But you haven’t been baptized. You aren’t bound by those rules
yet.”

“I will be baptized one day soon. I need to know in my heart
that I’m ready to accept the path God asks me to travel.”

“When you say it like that, I see your point. However, I’m
going to miss discussing them with you.”

Lena grasped Clara’s hand. “We will find new things to talk
about. You are not my friend
only
because you loan
me books. Has Brad found a job yet?”

She shook her head. “He’s been everywhere within a fifty-mile
radius and hasn’t had any luck. Lately, I’m starting to worry. It’s like he’s
given up. All he’s doing this week is hanging out with some high school friends
who’ve been laid off, too. I guess everyone is struggling.”

“God will smile on Brad’s efforts, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope you’re right. Let’s not talk about our hard luck.
What’s new with you?”

Lena considered telling her about the dead deer and the men
watching the school, but decided against it. Clara was her friend, but still an
outsider. It was better to talk about ordinary things. “I have a new student.
Her name is Ruby Bowman and she is mute. She and her father recently moved
here.”

“Mute, but not deaf?”

“
Ja.
Her hearing is fine. Her
father said she hasn’t spoken since her mother died. I’m afraid she’s going to
be a handful to teach.”

Clara playfully punched Lena’s shoulder. “You’re up to the
task. You’re a natural-born teacher. So the father is a widower. How
interesting. Is he good-looking?”

Lena folded her arms and managed a mock glare. “That has
nothing to do with his daughter’s ability to learn.”

“He
is
good-looking! Ah, I smell
romance in the air.” Smiling brightly, Clara rubbed her hands together.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been reading too many of those
books. I only met the man today.”

“Love can happen in a single glance. I knew the first time I
saw Brad that he was the one.”

Lena took a step closer and lowered her voice. “Did you? How
could you be so sure without knowing what kind of man he was?”

“People will say it’s crazy, but I knew because when he looked
at me…I went all jittery inside.”

“Like nervous butterflies in your stomach, only worse?”

“Yes!”

Lena shook her head. “It has to be more than that. Love can
only come after knowing a man for many months, even years.”

Clara smiled. “Oh, I agree that love must grow over the years
in order to be the real thing, but sometimes it starts with a sparkling glance.
So what’s his name?”

“Who?” Lena pretended ignorance.

“Don’t give me that. You know who I mean. The man that makes
you jittery inside when he looks at you.”

“I don’t know anyone like that.”

“Play coy, it won’t matter. Let me rephrase my question. What
is Ruby’s father’s name?”

“Isaac. Isaac Bowman.” The name rolled off Lena’s tongue easily
and brought a tiny smile to her lips. She quickly suppressed it. Clearly, she
was the one who’d been reading too many books. No wonder her church discouraged
such things.

Isaac Bowman might also be a poacher. Taking two steps back,
she said, “I should get home. Goodbye, Clara.”

Leaving was the only way to avoid further questions from her
friend.

On her way home, Lena looked back only once to see if she was
being followed, and saw no one. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she
was being watched.