[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey (7 page)

While the men ate their lunch, Suzanne looked at the set of cabinets Titus and Nelson had been working on. Her fingers ached to pick up a hammer and begin a project of her own. She knew that wouldn’t be appreciated, though—especially by Nelson. He’d probably ask her to leave.

In no hurry to return to the house, Suzanne grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the pile of sawdust on the floor. While she swept, she listened to the men’s conversation, occasionally peeking at Titus. It didn’t take her long to learn that he had a twin brother named Timothy, who’d been married to Hannah almost two years, and that they had a one-year-old daughter, Mindy.

“Your
bruder
must have gotten married when he was pretty young.” Nelson thumped Titus’s arm. “You don’t look like you’re much more than twenty years old.”

“I’ll be twenty-three in October. Mom’s always said that Timothy and I have baby faces.” Titus’s face sobered. “Timothy was twenty when he married Hannah, and she was more than willing to become his wife. But then things always seem to go the way he plans.”

“How many other brothers and sisters do you have?” Nelson asked, apparently unaware of Titus’s attitude when he’d spoken about his twin.

“Timothy’s my only full brother, but we have three half sisters and five half brothers from my
daed
‘s first marriage. Our
mamm
and her first husband had a girl and a boy several years before Timothy and I were born, so that gives us another half brother and sister. All my siblings are married except for me,” Titus added with a frown. At least Suzanne thought it was a frown. Maybe he just had a case of indigestion.

“So your folks were both widowed for some time before you were born?” Grandpa asked.

“Jah.”

Nelson whistled. “You have a big family. Ours is small by comparison.”

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Titus asked.

“Besides Suzanne, there’s Russell, Chad, and our little sister, Effie.”

“I guess that is small compared to ours.” Titus reached for a cookie and took a bite. “Umm … this is good.” He glanced over at Suzanne, frowned, and then quickly averted his gaze.

Not this again. He’s got that look of disgust. Does he think I was listening in on his conversation? Is he irritated that I’m still in the shop? Maybe he thinks like Nelson, that a woman’s place is in the house
.

When the men finished their lunch, Suzanne set the broom aside and gathered up the sandwich wrappings and empty jug of lemonade; then she put everything in the basket. “I’m going back to the house now,” she said to Grandpa. “Is there anything else you’d like me to bring out to you?”

He smiled. “I think we’re fine. If we get thirsty we’ll drink water from the jug in the ice chest in the back room.”

“Okay. See you at suppertime.” Suzanne hurried from the shop. At least she’d learned a few things about Titus. She still didn’t know whether he had a girlfriend or not.

Of course
, she reasoned,
it’s not my job to find that out. Esther’s the one who’s interested in him, and she did say she would ask. I just wonder when she’ll do it, and what she’ll find out
.

A
s Fannie stood at the kitchen sink, peeling potatoes for supper, her thoughts went to Titus. He’d used Allen’s cell phone to let them know he’d made it to Kentucky, but she didn’t know how often they might hear from him in the days ahead. She planned to write letters, of course, but knowing Titus, it was doubtful that he’d take the time to write back. Probably would just leave messages on their voice mail from time to time, and she’d never get to speak to him directly.

“What are you thinkin’ about?” Abraham asked, touching Fannie’s shoulder.

She whirled around. “Ach, you startled me!”

“Sorry.”

“How do you know I was thinking about anything?”

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “ ‘Cause I said your name three times, and you just stood there, staring out the window without saying a word.”

“I was thinking about Titus and how much I miss him.”

“I miss him, too, but we still have the rest of our family living here.”

She nodded. “Just doesn’t seem the same without one of our special twins.”

“The twins are special,” Abraham agreed. “Havin’ those boys was such a comfort to me after Zach was kidnapped.”

“I know they were.” Fannie set her potato peeler aside. “Let’s sit down so we can be comfortable while we talk.”

They sat across from each other at the table. “The twins didn’t take the place of my lost son, but they sure filled an empty spot in my heart,” Abraham said.

She nodded. “Even though I thought I was too old to have anymore
bopplin
, when the twins came along, it was a blessing to me as well.”

Abraham smiled. “Remember when Titus and Timothy were teenagers, and how much they liked to joke around?”

“Jah. One of the things they did to irritate each other was to grab the other one’s hat and toss it into a tree.”

“And remember the time when the boys were fooling around and got too close to a pile of manure?” He reached for the plate of pickles she’d cut up before starting the potatoes and popped one into his mouth. “They ended up with that stinky stuff all over themselves.”

Fannie crinkled her nose. “What a stench that was! It took two or three good scrubbings before I had the smell out of their clothes, and I don’t know how much soap and water they used to get their bodies smelling good again.”

Abraham chuckled. “Another prank those two often pulled was pretending to be each other. ‘Course I’ve always been able to tell ‘em apart, because Titus’s left eye is a little bit larger than his right eye, whereas the shape of Timothy’s eyes is about the same.”

“It’s the difference in their personalities that’s always let me know which twin is which,” Fannie said. “Timothy’s easygoing and doesn’t let much bother him. But Titus has always been impulsive and kind of headstrong.”

Abraham gave a nod. “Timothy’s a steady worker and has been satisfied to farm with me and work part-time as a painter for Zach. Titus has tried several different jobs and becomes easily distracted.”

“Between the two of them, Titus is more immature.” Fannie sighed. “Why, that boy couldn’t even do his chores without being reminded all the time. I have to wonder how long he’ll stick with the new job in Kentucky.”

Abraham grabbed another pickle. “I think he’ll do okay. Once he starts working, he works hard and does a good job. He just needs to be on his own so he can grow up. I believe Titus might be on a journey to discover himself, and we need to let him find his own way.”

“Do you think he’ll ever get over Phoebe Stoltzfus?” Fannie asked, going to get the coffeepot from the stove.

“I hope so. Maybe he’ll find someone new in Kentucky—someone more mature and settled into the Amish ways—someone who’ll make him a good fraa.”

Fannie frowned. “I’d rather he came back here to find a wife. If he marries a woman from there, he’ll probably never move back home.”

“I know it’s hard for you to see one of our sons move away,” Abraham said, as she handed him a cup of coffee. “It’s hard for me, too.”

Fannie sniffed. “I never thought any of the kinner would decide to leave.”

“As much as it hurts to have Titus gone, we need to accept his decision and realize that it’s probably for the best.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Think about it. If he’d stayed here and kept pursuing Phoebe, she may have hurt him again and again.”

“But she’s gone to California,” Fannie said. “I don’t see how she could hurt him from there.”

“She’ll be back.” Abraham grunted and slapped the table with the palm of his hand. “Mark my words, that girl won’t last long out there in California among the English.”

Pembroke, Kentucky

“We’ve put in a good day, but it’s time to call it quits,” Nelson said, setting his hammer aside.

Titus did the same. “Say, I need to stock up on some food. Can you tell me where the nearest store is located?”

“We do our big shopping at the Walmart in Hopkinsville, but there’s an Amish-run store in the area, and they carry most of our basic needs, as well as some bulk foods.”

“Where is it?” Titus asked.

“Just off Highway 115—the Pembroke-Fairview Road over near the Fairview Produce Auction. You probably went past the place when Allen brought you here yesterday.”

“I don’t recall. Just remember seeing the Jefferson Davis Monument.”

“The store’s not far from there.”

Titus grabbed a pen and scribbled the directions on his arm.

Nelson’s eyebrows lifted high. “There’s no need to mark up your arm with a pen. I’ll write it down for you.” He quickly scrawled the directions on a tablet and handed it to Titus.

Titus smiled. “Danki.”

“How you planning to get to the store?” Isaac questioned.

“Figured I’d ride over on Lightning.”

Isaac grunted as he shook his head. “You’re gonna need somethin’ bigger than the back of your horse to carry groceries home. Why don’t you go up to the house and see if Suzanne’s free to drive you to the store? Tell her she can take my horse and buggy if she wants.”

Titus hesitated near the door. He wasn’t sure he wanted Suzanne to take him anywhere. But he guessed Isaac was right—he couldn’t carry all the groceries he’d need on the back of Lightning. He grabbed his straw hat from the wall peg near the door, plunked it on his head, and headed out the door. “See you both tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder.

When Titus stepped onto the Yoders’ back porch, an orange, white, and black calico cat whizzed past his leg. Startled, he jumped back, nearly clipping the critter’s tail.

“Go on! Get away! Shoo!”

The cat hissed at Titus, leaped off the porch, and bounded away.

“Stupid
katz,”
Titus mumbled as he knocked on the door.

A few seconds went by; then Suzanne opened the door. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, tipping her head.

Seeing her again made Titus’s heartbeat pick up speed. He sure wished she didn’t remind him so much of Phoebe.

“I … uh … need to get some food and a few other things, and Nelson said there’s a store nearby.”

“That would be the Beilers’ store. You met Esther Beiler yesterday.”

Titus shuffled his feet, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. “Umm … your grandpa said I should ask if you’d mind taking me there. Said you could use his horse and buggy.”

Suzanne’s mother, Verna, stepped out of the house just then. Titus had met her briefly when he left the shop the day before. “I need a few things at the store myself,” she said, smiling at Titus. “So Suzanne would be happy to take you to the store.”

Suzanne shot her mother a questioning look, but she didn’t offer a word of protest.

“You can tie Titus’s horse to the back of the buggy, and then when you’re done shopping you can drop Titus off at the trailer,” Verna said.

“Oh, okay,” Suzanne mumbled.

Titus suspected by the slump of Suzanne’s shoulders that she wasn’t happy about accompanying him to the store. Well, he could understand that because he wasn’t thrilled about going with her, either.