[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey (34 page)

Titus figured it was best not to press the issue, so he said good-bye to Esther and left the store.

Think I’ll ride over to the produce auction and see what’s going on there
, he decided.
I’m not in a hurry to go home and sit by myself for the rest of the day, anyway
.

Fairview, Kentucky

Suzanne had just sold four hanging baskets to one of her English neighbors when she spotted Titus heading her way. Her heart skipped a beat. She wished there was something she could do to make him notice her without being obvious. Maybe if she learned to cook as well as Esther did, Titus would see her in a different light.

“Are you feeling better?” Suzanne asked when he joined her by the flowers.

He nodded. “My folks left today, and I plan to be back at work on Monday morning.”

“I’m sure Nelson will be glad to hear that.” Suzanne figured that, with Titus returning to work and Grandpa taking over most of the bookwork again, Nelson probably wouldn’t want her hanging around the shop anymore. She’d have to sneak out there after dark and work on some project of her own, the way she’d done several times in the past.

Titus motioned to the few hanging baskets she had left. “Looks like business is going well for you today.”

“It has. In fact, I’ve been so busy since I got here that I haven’t had a chance to buy myself any lunch.”

“Would you like me to go inside and get something for you?” Titus offered.

Suzanne smiled. “I’d appreciate that.”

“What would you like?”

“A hot dog, a bottle of water, and a bag of chips would be fine.” She moved toward her cash box. “Let me give you some money.”

Titus shook his head. “That’s okay. I’ll get it. Think I’ll buy myself a hot dog, too.”

“Feel free to eat your lunch inside before you bring mine out to me,” she said. “Other than the folding chair I brought, there’s really nowhere to sit. Besides, it’s warm out today, so you’d probably be more comfortable eating at one of the picnic tables inside.”

“I’m not worried about the heat or a place to sit, but I’ll be back soon with your lunch.” Titus hurried away.

When he returned a short time later, he had two hot dogs, a bag of chips, and two bottles of water. “Since you don’t have any customers right now, why don’t we take a seat in there to eat our lunch?” He motioned to his buggy, parked a short distance away.

She hesitated at first, wondering if she should leave her plants for that long. “I guess I can keep an eye out for customers from there,” she finally said.

They took seats in his buggy, and when Titus closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer, she poked his arm and said, “Aren’t you going to take off your hat?”

He frowned. “There’s still a bald spot on the back of my head, and I’m sparing you the misery of looking at it.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t look that bad.”

“Oh, yeah?” Titus jerked off his hat and turned his head so she could see the back of it.

Suzanne suppressed a giggle. He did look pretty silly with a hunk of hair missing.

“You’re not saying anything.” Titus turned around so he was facing her again. “It looks baremlich, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not terrible, but I can see why you might want to keep your hat on. Someone could think you’d faced the mirror the wrong way when you shaved this morning.”

Titus’s lips twitched, and then he leaned his head back and roared. “I like your sense of humor, Suzanne. In fact, the more time I spend with you, the more I like you.”

She felt the heat of a blush cover her cheeks, but oh, it was nice to hear him say such a thing. “I … uh … like you, too,” she murmured without looking at him. She was afraid if she did, he might be able to tell just how much she actually did care for him.

“Guess we’d better pray now so we can eat,” Titus said.

They closed their eyes, and after their prayer, Titus told Suzanne the details about the money he’d found and about getting a reward.

“That’s great. What are you going to do with it?” she asked.

“I’ll probably put it in the bank.”

“That sure was a frightening ordeal you went through,” Suzanne said as they began to eat.

“It was, and when you showed up at my place, I was afraid for you, too.”

A flush of heat cascaded over Suzanne’s cheeks once more. It made her feel good to know he’d been concerned about her. Of course, he’d probably have hollered a warning to anyone who’d showed up that day.

“Did you hear that there’s going to be another singing on Sunday evening?” she asked.

He drank some of his water and nodded. “I asked Esther if she’d like me to pick her up, but she said she wasn’t planning togo.”

“Oh? Did she say why?”

“Nope. Just said she wasn’t going this time.” He blotted his lips with the paper wrapped around the hot dog.

“Will you go to the singing anyway?”

He shook his head. “Probably not. Think I’ll stay home and rest.”

“Oh, I see.” Suzanne hoped the disappointment she felt didn’t show on her face. If neither Esther nor Titus would be at the singing, she guessed she wouldn’t go either.

Los Angeles, California

“I’ll be going home at the end of the month,” Darlene told Phoebe as they headed down the beach toward the concession stand.

Phoebe halted and whirled around to face her friend. “You never mentioned going home for a visit. Is something special going on?”

Darlene shook her head. “I’m not going for a visit. I’m tired of living here, and I’m going home to stay.”

Phoebe frowned. “I thought you liked California. It was your idea to come here, you know.”

“I realize that, but I’ve changed my mind. I miss my family, and living in the English world isn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.”

Irritation welled in Phoebe’s soul. “How am I supposed to pay the rent on our apartment if you’re gone?”

“I figured you’d probably go back to Pennsylvania, too.”

Phoebe shook her head vigorously. “There’s nothing for me there anymore.”

“What about your folks and the rest of the family?”

“If I moved back home, they’d be after me to join the church.”

“Would joining the church be so bad? At one time, you said you were going to join, remember?”

“Of course I remember, but that was when Titus and I were courting. It’s over between us, and he’s living in Kentucky.” Phoebe started walking again, a little faster this time. “You can go back to the Plain life if you want to, but I’m staying here!”

O
n Monday morning when Titus entered the woodshop, he hesitated inside the door. It felt good to be back; he’d missed working in the shop, but he was surprised to find Isaac, going over the books. He was even more surprised to see Suzanne crouched on the floor with a piece of sandpaper in her hand, working on a cabinet door.

“Looks like I’ve been replaced,” he said, kneeling beside her.

She shook her head. “Not a chance. I’ve only been helping out with some sanding because Nelson was getting behind.”

“Ah, I see.” Titus still couldn’t get over how easy Suzanne had been to talk to at the produce auction the other day. When he was with Esther, he had to think of things to say. Since he and Esther didn’t have much in common, it was difficult to make conversation.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Titus turned to Nelson and said, “I’d have been back here sooner, but the doctor said I couldn’t start working again until today.”

Nelson, who’d been staining some of the cabinets, slowly shook his head. “It’s not a problem. We got along okay, although it’s good to have you back in the shop.”

“That’s right,” Isaac put in, “and I’m happy to be back at my desk again.”

“Now that you’re both working here again, Suzanne’s help won’t be needed, and she’ll have more time to do other things,” Nelson added.

Suzanne abruptly stood. “I guess if I’m not needed here I’ll head up to the house!” Without waiting for anyone’s response, she tossed the piece of sandpaper down and rushed out of the shop.

Nelson looked at Titus and shrugged. “What can I say? My sister’s been acting kind of strange here of late. But then to me, she’s always seemed a bit strange.”

Titus couldn’t help but notice how upset Suzanne had looked when Nelson said her help was no longer needed. He wondered if she’d rather be sanding wood than doing household chores.

He bent to inspect the cabinet door she’d been sanding and was surprised to see what a top-notch job she’d done. It almost seemed like she’d had experience sanding.

Paradise, Pennsylvania

“Aren’t you going to do the breakfast dishes?” Abraham asked when Fannie remained at the kitchen table after breakfast was over. “You’ve always washed the dishes right away.” “I’m really tired today. I’ll do them later.” Abraham frowned. “If you’d go to sleep at night instead of lying awake, worrying about Titus, you’d have the energy you need to get things done during the day.” He motioned to the kitchen floor. “Looks like this hasn’t been swept for a few days, and I’m gettin’ low on clean shirts, so I’d appreciate it if you’d wash some clothes today.”

Fannie yawned. “I’m planning to.”

“Better not wait too long. I read in the paper that rain’s in the forecast.”

“Okay.” She yawned again and poured them both a cup of coffee.

“Ever since we got home from Kentucky, you’ve done nothing but worry and fret.” He touched her shoulder. “You can worry yourself silly about Titus, but it won’t change a thing. Just give your worries to God, and let Him take care of our son.”

She gave a slow nod. “I know you’re right, but it’s hard for me not to think about what those men did to him. With Titus living so far away, I struggle not to be anxious.”

“I know, but it’s not healthy to worry the way you’ve been doing. You ought to be more like Abby.
Sie druwwelt sich wehe nix.”