On Her Own (22 page)

Barbara wrinkled her nose. “I don’t cotton to the idea of my boys pointing a gun at anyone—not even a toy one.”

Paul’s ears turned bright red. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “At least this time you’re not chewing me out for something related to the harness shop.”

His statement caught Barbara off guard. Was she always chewing him out? Did Paul think all she ever did was nag? She
had to admit that she had been pretty testy of late, but he seemed to know just how to get under her skin.

Unable to look him in the eye, she lowered her gaze. “I–I’m sorry for snapping. It’s just that I would have preferred it if you’d checked with me about the squirt gun. Then I could have explained my reasons.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have given Joseph the toy without first asking you.”

Shivers shimmied up Barbara’s spine as Paul stared intently at her. Did he really agree with her on this, or was he merely giving in to avoid an argument?

“Mama?”

Barbara glanced down when she felt a tug on her dress. Aaron stared up at her with a curious expression. “Is it all right if I spend the night at Gabe Schwartz’s?” he asked. “Gabe’s daed has hired a driver to take ’em to Springfield tomorrow morning. They’re going to Bass Pro Shop, and I think they plan to do some other fun stuff, too.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Aaron. Paul might need you in the harness shop tomorrow.”

Paul shook his head. “Your daed said he’s free to help in the morning, so I think we can manage okay without Aaron.”

Barbara deliberated a few seconds. Her oldest child had been moody and sad ever since David died. This was the first spark of the old Aaron she’d seen in a long time. Maybe she should let the boy have a good time with his friend.

Finally, she nodded. “Jah, okay. You can go.”

Aaron clasped her hand. “Danki. I’ll ask Gabe’s daed to stop by our house when they head for home today so I can get
a change of clothes.”

Barbara smiled at her son’s enthusiasm. “Don’t forget your toothbrush and comb. I wouldn’t want my boy going off to the big city looking like a ragamuffin.” She bent down and gave him a hug. “You be good now, you hear?”

“I will, Mama.” The child scampered off toward Gabe.

Paul smiled. “Seemed real eager, didn’t he?”

Barbara nodded. “Aaron and Gabe have been good friends since they were little fellows.”

“Sure wish he’d see me in a friendlier light.”

“Give him time, Paul.” As the words slipped out, Barbara wondered why she had bothered to say them. She would be back working full-time soon, and it would only be a matter of days before Paul would announce his intention to return to Pennsylvania. Then everything would be back to normal.

O
n Monday morning as Barbara headed to the harness shop, she decided to tell Paul that she could manage on her own now. If she gave him the option of leaving and he took it, she would know he had no interest in developing a relationship with her. If he hesitated and said he wanted to stay, then maybe he could take Dad’s place permanently.

Barbara shook her head, hoping to get herself thinking straight again. Having Paul working in the shop with her alone six days a week wouldn’t seem proper when they weren’t married or even related.

As Barbara drew closer to the shop, she noticed that Paul’s buggy wasn’t parked outside.
Strange
, she thought as she opened the front door.
He’s always here early—usually before Dad or me. Surely he wouldn’t have gone back to Pennsylvania without telling me first
.

When Barbara entered the shop, she spotted her father working at the riveting machine. He smiled and nodded in her direction. “Guder mariye, daughter.”

“Good morning, Dad. I’m surprised to see you pressing rivets. Paul usually does that, and it’s not like him to be late for work.”

Dad stepped away from the machine and placed the leather he’d been holding on one of the workbenches. “Paul dropped by a little bit ago. He wanted me to let you know that he wouldn’t be in today.”

She wrinkled her forehead. “He’s not sick, I hope.”

“
Nee
. His daed fell off a ladder in their barn this morning. An ambulance had to be called to take him to the hospital, so Paul and his brothers hired a driver to take them there.”

Barbara’s breath caught in her throat. “How bad was Moses hurt?”

Dad shook his head. “Paul didn’t have any information yet. He said he would let us know as soon as he could what the doctors had to say.”

“I hope it’s nothing serious.” Barbara sighed. “We’ve had enough tragedy in our community lately.”

Barbara’s father patted her shoulder. “And that’s why we need to pray.”

Paul paced the length of the hospital waiting room, anxious for some report on his father’s condition. The doctors had been running tests on him for the last couple of hours, and Paul
worried that might mean something was seriously wrong.

“Won’t you please stop that pacing?” his mother said from the bench where she sat. She blinked her dark eyes and patted the sides of her grayish-brown hair, which she wore parted down the middle and pulled tightly into a bun.

He came to a halt in front of the window and stared out at the cloudy sky. They might be in for some rain, which seemed fitting for an already gloomy Monday morning.

“I wonder why Monroe and Elam aren’t back yet. It shouldn’t take them this long to get a few cups of coffee.” Mom shifted restlessly on the bench. “I sure could use some about now.”

Paul clenched and unclenched his fingers. How could Mom be worried about coffee when Pop was in the emergency room and they didn’t know how badly he’d been hurt?
Maybe it’s just Mom’s way of trying to take her mind off the situation
, he concluded.
I know how much she loves Pop
.

“Maybe you should head down the hall and see what’s taking your brieder so long,” she said.

Paul turned to face his mother. “I’m sure my brothers will be back in due time. They don’t need me to go traipsing after them.”

Mom grabbed a magazine from the table in front of her. “I just figured it would give you something to do besides wear down the soles of your boots as you pace back and forth.”

A middle-aged nurse stepped into the room. “Joann Hilty?” she asked, looking at Paul’s mother.

Mom nodded and stood.

“Your husband has been moved to a private room now, so if you wish to see him, please follow me.”

Mom’s face looked pinched, and deep lines etched her forehead. “Is Moses going to be all right? What did the tests reveal?”

The nurse offered a reassuring smile. “The doctor will fill you in on all the details.”

Paul started to follow his mother, but she stopped him with a raised hand. “I think it would be better if you waited here for your brothers so they won’t worry when they return.”

Paul looked at the nurse. “What room is my dad in?”

“Second floor, room 202.”

“Okay.” Paul offered his mother what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Monroe, Elam, and I will be up to see Pop as soon as they get back.”

As soon as Alice stepped into the harness shop, she spotted Barbara bent over a huge metal tub filled with neat’s-foot oil. Holding a leather strap in each hand, she dipped them up and down in the savory-smelling oil. Samuel stood in front of the riveter, punching shiny silver rivets into a leather strap. “I heard about Paul’s daed and knew Paul wasn’t helping today,” Alice said, stepping up to him. “How are things going here without his help?”

“We’re managing okay,” Barbara said before Samuel could respond. She hung the straps overhead to dry, then stood.

“Are you sure? You looked awfully
mied
.”

Barbara arched her back and rubbed a spot near her right hip. “I’m not really tired. Just feeling a little stiff is all.”

Alice glanced over at Samuel to gauge his reaction. He merely shrugged.

“I’ve got lunch ready, so if you’d like to come up to the house, I’ll put it on the table.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m hungry as a mule.” Samuel moved away from the riveter and toward the door.

Alice looked back at her daughter. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll be there shortly,” Barbara said, motioning to the pile of leather strips lying at her feet. “I want to get these oiled and hung before I eat.”

Alice’s forehead wrinkled. “Can’t it wait until you’ve had some lunch?”

“I need to get this done so I can work on some orders this afternoon.”

“But you need to keep up your strength, and you can’t do that unless you eat,” Alice argued. “Besides, the boppli will be waking from his nap soon, and you’ll need to feed him, as well.”

Barbara released a sigh. “There’s so much work to do, and it seems there’s just not enough of me to go around anymore.”

“Which is exactly why you should think about giving up the harness shop.”

“But the harness shop is all I have left of David.”

“That’s not true. You’ve got four of David’s buwe to raise.” Alice looked over at Samuel, who stood near the door with his arms folded. “Can’t you talk some sense into our daughter?”

“I’ve tried, but she won’t listen to anything I have to say concerning the shop.” He held up his hands. “She knows that I’m not much help to her, what with these old gnarled hands that don’t work so well. Yet she’s determined to keep the shop going,
and I guess I can’t fault her for that.” He smiled at Barbara. “So I’ll continue to help as long as I can.”

Barbara’s chin quivered, and her eyes filled with tears. “I love working here, Mom. I love the feel of leather beneath my fingers, and I love knowing that this shop is mine and will be passed on to my oldest boy someday.”

Alice moved over to Barbara and patted her gently on the back. “Be that as it may, you still need to take care of yourself. So I insist that you come up to the house with your daed and have some lunch.”

Barbara blinked a couple of times, and then her lips curved into a smile. “Guess I should know better than to argue with my mamm when she’s determined to make me do something.”

Alice gave Barbara’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Well, at least I get my way on some things.”

“Papa, I don’t see why Mary and I couldn’t have stayed home and baked some cookies this afternoon,” Hannah complained from her seat at the back of John’s buggy.

John grimaced. Not this again. It seemed like all his girls ever did anymore was whine. “It’s not proper for me to call on Margaret alone when she’s newly widowed. I’ve told you that before.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Besides, the last time I left you two at home alone, you ended up arguing all day.”

Hannah poked Mary’s arm and glared at her. “Papa wouldn’t have known that if you hadn’t blabbed.”

“And if you hadn’t been tryin’ to tell me what to do, we
wouldn’t have had a
dischbedaat
that lasted most of the day,” Mary shot back.

John ground his teeth together. “You’re having an argument now, and if you don’t stop it, you’ll both end up with double chores for the rest of the week.”

The girls sat back in their seats and clamped their mouths shut. John breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point, he wondered if he shouldn’t have left them home. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he called on Margaret by himself. In times past, either her daughter, son-in-law, or one of the grandchildren had been around, so they hadn’t really been alone. Well, it was too late to turn back now.