Last Bride, The (Home to Hickory Hollow Book #5) (23 page)

“
Gut
of you to drop by,” Dawdi Dave said while Tessie Ann slipped out of her warmest coat. “Won’t be needin’ that much longer, jah?”

“Spring’s just down the block, though ya wouldn’t know
it today.” She sat across from him in his small, rather empty front room. “Would ya like some hot coffee, maybe, or cocoa? I’d be happy to make some.”

His gaze moved slowly around the place, like he was expecting her parents to come in and join her. Then he shook his head. “I’ve eaten my fill already, thanks to your Mamma.”

“She came over to cook for ya earlier?” This surprised Tessie. “Guess I really slept in today.”

“Well, you need plenty of rest. Ain’t?”

“That’s what Mamma says.”

“And you’re heeding that, I hope.”

Tessie assured him she was doing everything in her power to be strong and fit for her baby.

“Have ya got any names picked out? Or shouldn’t I ask?” he said, showing his teeth when he smiled. “Guess there are still a few left startin’ with
M
, ya know.” He grinned.

“Plenty of time yet,” she said. “It’ll be Marcus, of course, if the baby’s a boy.”

“And if a girl—what then?”

“Not sure, really.” She didn’t say what she was thinking at that moment.

Dawdi looked at her for the longest time, breathed in slowly, and said, “Ever wonder who named ya, Tessie?”

“Jah, sometimes.” She laughed softly. “You must know me well.”

“That don’t surprise me none. We’ve got the same blood flowin’ in our veins, ain’t?” He frowned a little then. “You and your father were always something real special together when you were just a little bitty thing. Do ya recall that, Tessie Ann?”

She shook her head—she scarcely remembered a time when
she had felt so close to Dat. “I was somethin’ of a tomboy, maybe?”

“Not only that—as spoiled as a rotten apple, too.” He described her father’s joy that Tessie was born healthy in every way after the loss of two babies. “Your Dat was determined to name you himself, let me tell ya. Wanted something to set you apart, ’cause that’s what he felt sure you were—mighty special. What a blessing it was, the dear Lord seein’ fit for you to be born full-term. Ever so healthy, too.”

Dawdi’s words were lovely to her ears. If she’d been told these things before, it must have happened in the wee hours, while Mamma’s whisperings crept into her newborn ears as she was nursed and rocked to sleep. “You’re full of secrets, Dawdi Dave,” she said, smiling at him.

“Your father named you after your great-aunt Tessie Ann. He loved her dearly. She gave him his first Deitsch Bible before she died.”

“Was she your older sister, Dawdi?”

“Jah, and goodness but she was a lot like you. Outgoing and fun loving—and fiercely determined. She was even caught sitting in a tree a time or two, till her babies started a-comin’. . . then, well, I s’pose she had to grow up. Not that she wanted to, mind you. But I think her husband was relieved.” Dawdi let out a chuckle.

“Goodness, do I ever understand that!” Tessie felt pleased, knowing her father had named her.
Tessie Ann . . . a name to cherish.
“Denki for tellin’ me, Dawdi.” She rose to stand at the narrow window looking out to Hickory Lane. “You know so many things ’bout our family.”

“Well, and someday you’ll be the one tellin’ the stories
to your grand-youngsters,” he said softly behind her. “And, Tessie girl, will ya also have to tell them how you refused to confess to the church?”

She spun around. “Dawdi, I—”

He waved his hand in front of his wrinkled face. “No need to fret, dear one. Just think ’bout what kind of legacy you want to pass on to the next generation . . . and the next.” He smiled here. “Ponder this before Sunday, won’t ya?”

Tears filled her eyes until the sight of him began to dim. “I love ya, Dawdi Dave.” She hurried to him and knelt next to his rocking chair. “Ach, I love ya so.”

B
efore Mamma left for the quilting bee at Mary Beiler’s on Friday morning, she tried at the last minute to get Tessie to change her mind and come along, but Tessie opted to stay home. Afterward, she got busy scrubbing the kitchen sink and the counters, then wiped down all the appliances before going to dust the bookshelves. She removed the books on the shelves one by one, taking care to dust the tops of each before returning them to the gleaming shelf.

While doing so, she recalled again the sweet love story she’d read and wondered if she might end up just as happy if she let Levi court her, for surely that’s where this was headed. She’d witnessed the affectionate look in his eyes when they’d last talked, here in her mother’s kitchen. She didn’t honestly know what would come of their second date, though, especially with next Preaching Sunday still ahead of them. Any minute now, good sense might hit Levi smack-dab between the eyes. And
he had older brothers who could influence him. Siblings had a way of doing that—parents, too.

Ach, I know that as well as
anyone, if not better.

At five o’clock sharp, Levi Smucker arrived in his father’s enclosed gray buggy. He bounded up to the back door and met Tessie there. She greeted him with a smile, saying she was just fine when he asked, “How are you, Tessie Ann?”

They walked to the waiting horse and carriage, where he helped her inside. “Can’t tell ya how much I’ve looked forward to this night,” he said. “Seemed today would never get here!”

She hardly knew how to respond, not used to such attention anymore. Once she was seated, he walked quickly around to the right side, got in, and picked up the driving lines.

Levi was dressed in nicely creased black trousers, and she could see his white Sunday shirt peeking out of his black winter coat, open at his throat on this mid-March night. Had he also worn his black vest and frock coat beneath?

She’d bathed and shampooed her waist-length hair, which was still rather damp, although tucked into its tidy bun beneath her prayer veiling. She was thankful for the portable heater, not so commonly used amongst the People.
So thoughtful of him
to bring it.

“When was the last time you ate at Dienner’s Country Restaurant?” Levi asked, leaning toward her.

She couldn’t remember and shook her head. “I don’t recall.”

“Well, I thought we’d go there tonight.”

She smiled. The buffet was splendid, but she knew better
than to think they were going merely for the good eats—especially when Levi reached for her hand.

“I’m awful glad you agreed to go out with me again, Tessie Ann.”

His soft tone and pleasant remark left her without words, and she remained quiet for most of the ride.

It’s like he trusts me . . . as if
he somehow believes I did not sin with Marcus. Why?

Tessie smiled when Levi chose a private table in the side room, out of the way. He pulled out the chair for her and raved about the tender and tasty roast beef he’d had here on another occasion. She agreed and mentioned how wonderful-
gut
the buttered cut corn and lima beans had been last time, though she couldn’t put her finger on just when that was. Even so, she was certain it hadn’t been with Marcus.

After going through the buffet line, they brought their full plates back to their little corner, and she and Levi bowed their heads for the silent prayer.

As they ate and talked, she wondered if he might speak as much about Pinecraft as he had during their first date, but she quickly discovered he had other things on his mind. In fact, during the first half hour, he didn’t mention Florida a single time, nor did he give an update on his grandmother there. He seemed more interested in discussing the possibility of dating her. “How do
you
feel ’bout serious courting?” he asked, his eyes on hers.

His letters had been one thing, but having him right before
her, asking this question—however anticipated—she found it hard to breathe. It was important to slow down, wasn’t it?

“It’s something to think and pray about first,” she said, hedging a bit.

“Well, I’ve thought and prayed about nothin’ else for months.” His expression was tender. “You see, I’ve cared for you, Tessie Ann, for a very long time. A baby doesn’t change that.”

Unexpectedly, tears sprang to her eyes, and she looked down quickly. “Ach, I hardly know what to say.”

“Only what’s in your heart.” He smiled and moved his hand slightly forward, then back, as if he were about to reach for her hand on the table.

And Levi did not have to declare his love; she saw it inscribed on his handsome face. Yet he didn’t pressure her for a response, and she was thankful.

Later, after he’d indulged in two offerings of delectable desserts, including warm apple crisp à la mode and chocolate-covered strawberries, and then paid the bill, they returned to the horse and carriage, parked behind the restaurant at the first hitching post.

On the ride back toward Hickory Hollow, Levi headed west on the Lincoln Highway, then north on Ronks Road. Instead of turning east on the Philadelphia Pike, he took narrow and winding Irishtown Road. He was clearly choosing the long way back to Hickory Hollow, Tessie realized, but it didn’t bother her in the least.

In the near distance, she could see a solitary light shining in one of the farmhouses. She stared at it, thinking the flame on the wick must’ve been turned down very low, because the
light was rather faint. Something about the sight reminded her of the way she’d felt ever since Marcus’s fatal fall . . . as if her spirit had sunk within her.

The moon was gliding behind the trees as she and Levi slipped into a comfortable cadence of conversation. Tessie began to relax again, though she was not ready to address his earlier question. Knowing how persistent Levi was, she assumed he would press for an answer eventually. Even so, she wondered if he’d still want to court her once the People had their say, once she was put under the Bann for refusing to confess.

———

Levi made her feel special, very special. And the longer they rode, the more things Tessie began to share about herself at his urging—how she looked forward to planting the family vegetable garden, entertaining moments while helping at Mandy’s shop, and the kinds of pies she liked best to bake. “And I enjoy climbing one particular tree—well, I haven’t lately, of course, but it’s something I’ve done since childhood,” she confided.

“My younger sisters do that, too.”

“I’m honestly goin’ to miss it,” she said. “A lot.”

“Well, maybe your baby will also grow up with a hankerin’ to climb trees. You just never know.”

“Maybe so.” She paused, wanting so badly to forge ahead, yet flustered as to why she felt so at ease with him. She went on to hint that the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy weren’t what people thought, an echo of her failed attempt to confess in church almost two weeks ago.

“You know what?” Levi glanced at her in the dim buggy. “I believe you, Tessie.”

“Is that why you’re askin’ to court a young woman who is expecting another man’s baby?”

“Well, I know you. And there just has to be more to all of this than meets the eye.”

She felt then that it was all right to tell him how very much she and Marcus had cared for each other—that her father had forbidden them to marry for what were unknown reasons at the time. “But I now know why Dat felt it was so important to keep us apart. And I’ve forgiven him for what I thought was an unjustly harsh stand against Marcus.”

“You two dated for a long time.” Levi said it matter-of-factly.

“I loved Marcus dearly.”

Levi paused, not speaking for a moment. “Even now . . . do ya still?”

“I’ll always love him.”

Levi nodded thoughtfully. “And what if you were to release his memory? Is it time to let it go, just maybe?”

“What do you mean?”

He smiled faintly. “I s’pose if you have to ask, then maybe not quite yet.” Levi reached for her hand and held it for a long time before saying more. “I’m here to love you, Tessie Ann. Please remember that.”

She couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

He promptly directed the horse to a wide shoulder in the road and pulled over. “I’d give most anything to win your heart,” Levi said softly, firmly, as he turned to face her. “And I’m willin’ to help you raise Marcus’s child as my own.” He raised her hand to his lips.

She sighed, watching him. Part of her wanted to shrink back, to pull away.

“But I can never take Marcus’s place in your heart,” Levi went on. “I wouldn’t even want to try.”

Instead of her heart singing, she felt a sting, the pain as her carefully crafted sphere of security and Marcus’s memory started to crack apart.

“I’m here to love you. . . .”
Levi’s dear words rippled through her.

The silence in his father’s buggy was so dense, it filled her ears.

“Would you consider havin’ me as your husband, Tessie Ann?”

She breathed deeply. “Ach, Levi . . . I’m married already,” she blurted. “At least I was.” Then, struggling not to cry through the words she so wanted to say, she began to share with him what she’d held so long inside. “Marcus King and I secretly eloped back last September.”

Levi did not respond one way or the other, still holding her small hand in his. His eyes were gentle and kind, and before she could consider what was happening, he opened his arms, and she leaned into them as he drew her quietly near.

Softly, sadly she wept away her secret while he stroked her wet cheek with his free hand.

“You are so precious,” he whispered, leaning his head against hers. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything dishonorable about Marcus takin’ the loveliest girl in Hickory Hollow as his bride . . . but he would’ve wanted the People to know about it by now. Surely, he would.” He squeezed her hand ever so gently. “Now, Tessie, have ya thought of telling the church membership on Sunday everything you’ve just told me?”

She sat up straighter, drying her eyes.

“Can ya do that?” he asked tenderly. “For the sake of making peace with God and the congregation . . . and continuing in the Amish way?”

Doubtless, it made sense, at least from his perspective, but from her own, she wondered, because she still didn’t have any proof of their marriage. Telling all might only make things more strained for her and her relationship with the bishop and the membership—especially with Marcus’s family. And she couldn’t help recalling how her father had acted when she’d attempted to tell him this very thing. Why on earth would the bishop and others respond any differently when she had no more evidence of her and Marcus’s legal union than she did then?

Levi released her and picked up the reins once again. “I trust you’ll confess fully this time. The People are quick to forgive when repentance is offered. Please do it . . . for the sake of harmony in the church,” he urged, his voice ever so earnest. “I’ll keep you in my prayers till the Lord’s Day.”

She didn’t know what to do with all this tenderness, having missed out on Marcus’s love these months. “Denki, Levi. That means a lot,” she whispered. “But I can’t promise anything.”