Dear to Me (8 page)

 She nodded. “When I do finally decide, I’ll let you know.”

Noah opened the door of Swartz’s Woodworking Shop, and the odor of freshly sanded wood tickled his nose, causing him to sneeze. He was glad the work he did at Hank’s Christmas Tree Farm didn’t require sanding. He stepped into the shop and discovered Gabe sanding the tops of some kitchen cabinets.

 “Wie geht’s?” Noah asked.

 “I’m doing all right. How about you?”

 “Getting along fairly well.” Noah smiled. “I was heading to work and decided to stop and see if you’ve finished that birdhouse I want to give Melinda for her birthday.”

 Gabe nodded. “I finished it yesterday. It’s right over there,” he said, motioning to the shelf across from him.

 Noah turned, and in a few strides, his long legs took him to the other side of the room, where he lifted the birdhouse from the shelf. “This is real nice,” he said. “You did a fine job making it. I’m sure Melinda will be pleased.”

 Gabe’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “I hope so. And I hope she’ll like what I made for her, too.”

 “What might that be? Or is it a
geheemnis
?”

 “It’s not a secret I’d keep from you—just from Melinda until Saturday night.” Gabe opened the cabinet door behind him and withdrew a small cardboard box. He reached inside and pulled out Melinda’s present. “I carved this little deer and glued it to a chunk of wood, thinking maybe she could use it as a doorstop.”

 “I’m sure whatever my daughter does with the deer, it will be one of her most treasured gifts since it came from you.” Noah couldn’t help but smile when he saw how red Gabe’s face had become. It was obvious the young man was in love with Melinda. “Looks like you’re doing a good job with those,” Noah said, pointing to the cabinets Gabe had been sanding when he’d entered the shop.

 “One of our English neighbors ordered them a few weeks ago, and Pap gave me the job of finishing them up.”

 “Speaking of your daed, where is he this morning?”

 “Still up at the house. Mom wanted him to go over the checkbook with her. I guess she found a mistake when the statement came from the bank in yesterday’s mail.” Gabe nodded toward the door. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon if you’d like to wait around and say hello.”

 “I’d like to, but if I don’t head out now, I’ll be late for work.” Noah moved over to the desk near the front door. “If you’ll get my bill, I’ll settle up with you and be on my way.”

 Gabe nodded and scurried over to the desk.

 A few minutes later, with the bill paid and the birdhouse tucked inside a cardboard box, Noah headed for the door. “I’ll look forward to seeing you and your folks at Melinda’s party on Saturday evening.”

 “We’ll be there right on time.”

 Noah chuckled under his breath as he headed for his buggy.
Oh to be young again and so much in love.
He figured it wouldn’t be much longer until Gabe and Melinda would be announcing their intentions to get married.

As Gabe resumed sanding the cabinets, he thought about Melinda’s upcoming birthday and hoped the week would go by quickly. He was eager to give Melinda the little fawn, which had turned out pretty well.

 “From the way you’re swiping that sandpaper across the cabinet tops, there might not be anything left by the time you’re done. I’d have to say your thoughts must be on something other than work this morning,” Pap said, stepping up beside Gabe.

 “I was thinking about this coming Saturday night.”

 “Looking forward to Melinda’s birthday party, I imagine.” Pap’s blue eyes twinkled when he grinned at Gabe.

 “Jah.”

 “It was nice of her folks to include your mamm and me in the invitation.”

 “We’ve known their family a long time, so I guess it’s only natural that they’d want all three of us to be there.”

 “Probably would have asked your sisters to come if they were still living at home,” Pap added.

 Gabe nodded, wondering if his dad knew he and Melinda were courting. He hadn’t actually told his folks he was courting Melinda and planned to ask her to marry him, but he knew Pap was no dummy. Gabe figured his dad had probably put two and two together by now.

 “Sure hope this nice weather holds out so we can have the party outside,” Gabe commented.

 Pap raked his fingers through the ends of his full brown beard, which was generously peppered with gray. “It’s been a nice May so far. Makes me wish I had some free time to go fishing.” He turned toward the rear of the shop with a shrug. “Well, time’s a-wasting, so guess I’d best get back to work on that rocking chair Abe Yutzy ordered last week.”

 “Holler if you need any help.”

 “I appreciate the offer, but you’d better stick with the project you’re working on now.”

 Gabe grimaced. “Say, Pap?”

 “What is it, Gabe?”

 “You think we might broaden the business to include more than just cabinets and basic furniture? I’d like the chance to work on some other things.”

 “I don’t think so. We’ve got our hands full making what we do now.”

 Gabe gritted his teeth as his dad walked away.
Will he ever see me as capable? Will he ever let me try out some new things?

 He grabbed a fresh piece of sandpaper and gave the top of the cabinet a few more good swipes.
As soon as I get enough money saved up, I’m going to open my own woodworking business. When that happens, I plan to make a lot more things than just cabinets and a few pieces of furniture!

When Melinda arrived home that evening with the squirrel she’d named Cinnamon, she headed straight for the barn. She set the cardboard box with the squirrel inside on a small wooden table and reached for a pair of leather gloves hanging on a nail. It wasn’t tame like Reba seemed to be, and she didn’t want to risk getting bitten by handling Cinnamon with her bare hands.

 Melinda located the spare cage and reached inside the box to retrieve Cinnamon.

 He didn’t squirm or try to get away, probably because of his hurt foot. When she closed the door on the cage, she discovered that the latch was broken and wouldn’t stay shut.

 “I don’t need you getting out, Cinnamon,” Melinda muttered. “At least not until your foot is healed.” She headed across the barn in search of some wire, but before she could locate it, Papa Noah stepped into the barn.

 “Good evening to you, too,” Melinda replied. “My day was fine until now.”

 “What’s the trouble?”

 Melinda pointed to the cage. “The latch on the cage door is broken, and I was looking for some wire to hold it shut.”

 Papa Noah moved over to the cage. “Where did you get the squirrel, and what happened to its foot?”

 “I got him from Dr. Franklin. Some English boy in Seymour found him outside the schoolhouse, and Dr. Franklin thinks the poor critter’s foot got stepped on.”

 “Why isn’t the vet taking care of him instead of you?”

 “The doctor did all he could, but he didn’t want to turn Cinnamon loose until the wound had healed properly.” Melinda grinned. “So he gave him to me for safekeeping.”

 “Couldn’t the vet have kept the squirrel in a cage there at the veterinary clinic?”

 “He probably would have, but all of the cages are full of other animals right now.”

 Papa Noah grunted as he shook his head. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to have so many critters around here that they’ll take over the place.” He motioned to the cage. “I guess if you keep him in there it will be all right, but we’ll have to wire that door shut.”

 “That’s what I was about to do, but I haven’t been able to find any wire.”

 “I know right where it is.” Papa Noah headed across the barn and flipped open the toolbox sitting on a shelf.

 In short order, he had the cage door wired shut. “I didn’t make it too tight, because I know you’ll need to be able to undo it so you can get inside to give the squirrel food and water,” he said.

 “Danki. I appreciate the help.”

 “Should we head for the house and see what your mamm’s got for supper?” he asked, nodding toward the barn door.

 “You go ahead. I want to check on the raccoon and the baby goat before I come in.”

 He shrugged. “Okay, but don’t be too long. I’m sure your mamm could use your help in the kitchen. You know how upset she gets when you spend too much time taking care of your critters.”

 Melinda knew all too well how Mama felt about her animal friends. She’d never seemed to mind a couple of pets hanging around, but when Melinda had started bringing home creatures that lived in the woods, her mother had become less understanding.

 “I won’t be but a few minutes,” she promised.

 “Okay. See you at supper.” Papa Noah lifted his hand and went out the door.

Chapter 7

M
elinda couldn’t remember when she’d been so excited about one of her birthdays as this one. It wasn’t turning nineteen that excited her so; it was knowing she would be able to spend the evening with Gabe.

 “I wonder what he’ll give me,” she murmured as she stepped into a freshly ironed, blue cotton dress in preparation for the big event. She was sure it would be something he’d made. Gabe could take any plain piece of wood and turn it into something beautiful.

 The twittering of birds outside Melinda’s open window drew her attention outdoors. At least she knew that Cinnamon, the squirrel Dr. Franklin had put in her care, wasn’t chasing any of the birds. This morning, she’d let the critter out of his cage for a bit and later caught him trying to eat at one of the bird feeders. After that, she’d put him back in the cage, and he would stay there until his foot was healed and she could set him free in the woods.

 A warm breeze coming through Melinda’s bedroom window made the dark curtains dance. She drew in a deep breath and headed downstairs, excited that her guests would be arriving soon.

 Outside, she discovered Papa Noah lighting the barbecue. He’d set up two large tables with benches, and Mama had covered them with green plastic tablecloths.

 “It looks like we’re about ready,” Melinda remarked to her stepfather.

 “Now all we need is our guests,” he said with a chuckle.

 “They’ll be here soon, I expect.” Melinda took a seat on the end of the bench closest to the barbecue grill, where she could feel the heat already rising from the hot coals. “Where’s Grandpa Hertzler? I thought he would be out here already.”

 Papa Noah blew out his breath with a puff of air that lifted the hair off his forehead. “I’m not sure what to do about him.”

 “You mean his forgetfulness?”

 “Jah. I reminded my daed this morning about your birthday party, but when I went over to his side of the house a few minutes ago, I found him asleep in his favorite chair.”

 “Maybe he’s just feeling tired.”

 “I thought that at first, but when I woke him and suggested he get ready for the party, he gave me a bewildered look. He didn’t seem to have any idea what I was talking about.”

 Melinda frowned. “It’s hard to understand why some days he seems pretty good and other days he barely knows who we are.”

 “Your mamm made him a doctor’s appointment in Springfield. I’m hoping they’ll run some tests that will help us know what’s wrong.”