Dear to Me (12 page)

 Isaiah waved when he spotted Gabe, and Gabe lifted his hand in response. “Where’s Melinda? I hope she’s ready for our date.”

 The boy turned his palms upward. “Don’t know nothin’ about no date, but Melinda’s out in the barn with Papa’s new horse.”

 Gabe figured Melinda had probably gone there to pass the time while she waited for him. He guided his horse to the hitching rail and pulled on the reins. Then he jumped down, secured the animal, and sprinted for the barn.

 He found Melinda inside one of the stalls on her knees next to a nice-looking gray-and-white mare. “Are you ready for our ride?” he called.

 She stood and smoothed the wrinkles in her long green dress. “Oh, Gabe, I don’t think I can go with you tonight.”

 “How come?”

 “Didn’t you get my two notes?”

 His face warmed. “Uh—I forgot to check the birdhouse on my way in. What did your notes say?”

 “The first note I wrote said I could go, but since then, something has come up, so I wrote you a second note, figuring you’d look in the birdhouse before coming up to the house.”

 His eyebrows drew together. “What’s come up that would keep you from going for a ride with me?”

 She pointed to the horse. “Nellie has a cut on her back leg. I tended it before supper. She’s been acting kind of spooky and hasn’t adjusted to her new surroundings yet, so after we ate, I came back to the barn to see that she remains calm and doesn’t start her wound bleeding again.”

 Gabe folded his arms as they exchanged pointed stares.

 “I hope you understand,” she said with a lift of her chin.

 “I don’t.”

 “Have you no concern for Papa Noah’s horse?”

 “It’s not that I don’t care. I just don’t see why it’s your job to nursemaid the animal. Shouldn’t the vet be doing that?”

 “Now you sound like my mamm.” Melinda stroked the horse’s ears. “If the cut were deeper and needed stitches, Papa Noah would have called Dr. Franklin. But it’s not bad enough for stitches, which is why he asked me to tend Nellie’s leg.”

 “That’s fine,” Gabe said through tight lips, “but how is staying here going to help her?”

 Melinda left the stall and moved to his side. “The horse is calmer when I’m here, and I’m just starting to gain some headway with her.”

 Gabe shrugged as frustration and disappointment boiled inside his chest like a kettle of hot water left unattended on the stove. “Sure, whatever. If your daed’s horse is more important than me, then I guess that’s just the way it is.” He turned and started to walk away, but she grabbed hold of his arm.

 “Please don’t leave mad. You could stay and help me with the horse.”

 He swung around. “I can’t believe you’d expect me to spend this warm summer evening cooped up in the stuffy barn with a sweaty animal that isn’t even mine.”

 Tears gathered in the corners of Melinda’s eyes, and it was nearly Gabe’s undoing. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. Hadn’t meant to be so harsh or unwilling to help, either. One of the things that had originally attracted him to Melinda was her caring attitude and sensitivity toward hurting animals, and here he was scolding her for it.

 Gabe pulled Melinda into his arms. “I’m sorry. Let’s not fight, okay?”

 She sniffed. “I don’t want to. I want us to always be happy. But if you don’t understand my desire to work with animals, then I don’t see how—”

 He stopped her rush of words with a kiss, and any shred of anger he’d felt earlier fell away like wood chips beneath the sander. “I love you, Melinda.”

 “I love you, too.”

 “How about tomorrow night? Will you be able to go for a buggy ride with me then?”

 “I—I hope so.”

 Gabe motioned toward the horse’s stall. “How about if I stay and help you cross tie the horse so she won’t move around so much?”

 She grinned up at him. “That would be
wunderbaar
.”

Chapter 10

M
elinda sat at the kitchen table, reading a passage from her Bible out loud. “ ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ ”

 She closed her eyes.
In my heart there is no peace, Lord. Help me make this agonizing decision about becoming a vet, and give me the courage and opportunity to speak with Gabe about it on our buggy ride tonight. I can’t decide what I should do until I know how he feels about things.

 Melinda knew she should have told Gabe last night when they’d spent time in the barn with Nellie. But after having that one disagreement, she’d been afraid to bring up anything that might cause more dissension.

 “Are you about ready to help me and Grandpa make jam?” Mama asked, pulling Melinda’s thoughts aside. “He would like us to go over to his place as soon as we can.”

 Melinda nodded. “I’ll be able to help for a while, but Dr. Franklin needs me at the clinic this afternoon.”

 “I’m sure we can get most of it done by noon.”

 Melinda had just closed her Bible when Isaiah bolted through the back door, grinning from ear to ear. “Look what I found!” he said, holding out his hands.

 Mama’s face turned pale, and she trembled. “Isaiah Hertzler, get that snake out of my house!”

 He glanced at the reptile and frowned. “It’s dead, Mama. Found it down in the root cellar, and it wasn’t movin’ a lick.”

 “So that was a reason to bring the creature in here?”

 “I don’t see why you’re afraid of a dead garter snake. It can’t hurt ya none.”

 “Isaiah—” Mama’s tone was one of warning, and Melinda held her breath and waited to see what her little brother would do.

 “All right, all right.” Isaiah turned toward the door but suddenly whirled back. “I’m thirsty and need a glass of water. I’ll get one real quick and be gone, okay?” Without waiting for Mama’s reply, he plopped the snake on the floor, grabbed a glass from the cupboard, and headed for the kitchen sink. He had no more than turned on the faucet when Mama’s shrill scream ricocheted off the walls.

 Melinda’s attention was immediately drawn to the creature Isaiah had dropped. Not only was the snake very much alive, but it was slithering across the linoleum toward the table.

 Mama hollered again and jumped onto a chair. “You said it was dead, Isaiah!”

 “Guess it was only sleepin’.” Isaiah stood there laughing until tears rolled down his cheeks.

 “It’s not the least bit funny,” Mama said. “I want you to pick up that snake and haul it back outside where it belongs.”

 Isaiah took a few steps backward and shook his head. “No way! I ain’t about to touch him.”

 “Why not?”

 “He might bite me.”

 “You weren’t worried about that when you lugged him into the house.”

 “I thought he was dead.”

 “Garter snakes aren’t poisonous,” Melinda put in.

 “Maybe not, but its bite could still hurt,” Isaiah retorted.

 “If you’re not going to do as I say, then go on up to your room. And don’t come out until I say you can,” Mama said, shaking her finger at Isaiah.

 Isaiah frowned. “But that might be hours from now.”

 “Would you rather go to the woodshed and receive a
bletsching
?”

 “No, Mama.” He turned and fled from the room.

 Melinda could hardly believe her brother was acting like such a baby. If she’d been Mama, she would have given him that spanking she had threatened.

 “It’s bad enough that we have to put up with all your critters. We sure don’t need your bruder lugging snakes into the house.” Mama squinted at Melinda. “See what kind of example you’ve set for Isaiah?”

 Melinda cringed. Why was she being blamed for this? She opened her mouth to ask that question, but Mama cut her off.

 “Are you just going to stand there, or did you plan to help me get rid of this horrible creature?” Mama asked, pointing a shaking finger at the snake.

 Melinda bent down, grabbed hold of the snake, and hurried out the door. Once outside, she set the snake on the ground and watched it slither toward the woods.
If I leave home to become a vet, Mama won’t have to put up with all my critters or worry about me influencing Isaiah in the wrong way
.

 She stood staring at the stately pine trees behind their place and breathing in the fresh outdoor scent.
I wish I didn’t have to go back inside and help Mama and Grandpa make jam. I’d much rather spend my morning in the woods where I can draw, watch for deer, and think about my future
. Melinda sighed and turned around. Her responsibilities came first, despite her deep longings.

With a feeling of anticipation, Gabe headed down the road in his buggy toward the Hertzlers’ place. He’d been busy in the shop all day and hadn’t been able to get away long enough to leave Melinda a note to confirm their buggy ride.

 “I hope she’s not still doctoring that horse’s leg,” Gabe muttered.

 When Gabe pulled into the Hertzlers’, he jumped down from the buggy and hitched the horse to the rail near the barn. As he stood on the front porch, ready to knock on the screen door, he heard loud voices coming from inside the house.

 “Melinda, how many times have we told you about bringing your critters into the house?” Gabe recognized Noah’s voice, and he sounded upset.

 “Only your kitten is allowed inside,” Faith chimed in. “And sometimes even she causes problems.”

 “I’ve told her that already, but then she never listens to nothin’ I have to say,” Melinda’s little brother added.

 It sounded like Melinda’s folks were miffed at her. If that was the case, Gabe figured she probably wouldn’t be allowed to go out with him. Would he suffer another disappointment tonight?
Maybe I should turn around and head back home
.

 “Reba and Rhoda were fighting in the cage they share,” Melinda said.

 “Why wasn’t Reba in her own cage?” her stepfather questioned.

 “The latch won’t stay shut, and she keeps chewing the wire and getting out, the same way the squirrel did the night of my birthday party.”

 Gabe drew in a deep breath and blew it out quickly.
I knew I should have had a talk with her about releasing that raccoon into the woods. I’d better see if I can help in some way.

 He lifted his hand and knocked on the screen door.

“Someone’s at the door,” Isaiah announced. “Want me to see who it is?”

 “It’s probably Gabe,” Melinda said, moving in that direction. “He said he’d be coming over tonight to take me for a buggy ride.”

 Mama frowned. “What about the raccoon? She belongs outside.”

 “Can I at least answer the door?”

 “Jah, sure. If it’s Gabe, maybe he can help capture the critter.” Papa Noah’s face was red as a tomato, and a trickle of sweat rolled down his forehead. They’d all been in on the chase to catch Reba, but so far, the quick-footed raccoon had managed to escape everyone’s grasp.

 Melinda rushed to the door and was glad to see Gabe standing on the porch.

 “I came to pick you up for our buggy ride, but I have a notion this isn’t such a good time.”

 “We’ve been trying to catch one of my raccoons,” she explained.

 His forehead wrinkled. “Seems like every time I come over here you’re either chasing some critter or tending to one.”

 “It has been kind of hectic lately,” Melinda admitted, opening the screen door for him. “Come in. Maybe you can help us catch Reba.”

 “If you do catch the coon, are you planning to let it go?”

 She tipped her head. “Go?”

 “Release it into the woods.”

 “I can’t do that, Gabe. Reba’s half blind, and she needs to be somewhere safe.”

 “What about the other raccoon?”

 “Rhoda’s an orphan, too.”

 “But she’s not sick or anything?”

 “No.”

 “Then why not let her go free?”

 “Because she’s been keeping Reba company.”

 Gabe released a huff and stepped into the house just as the raccoon darted into the living room from the door leading to the hallway. Before Melinda had time to respond, the coon snatched one of her mother’s slippers, growling and shaking it like a dog would do.

 Melinda bent down and grabbed one end of the slipper, tugging it free from Reba’s mouth. Gabe came around behind the animal and nearly had it in his grasp when Melinda’s cat showed up on the scene. Reba growled. Snow hissed. Then each of them took off in opposite directions.