Promise Lodge (21 page)

“And we aim to help in whatever ways you need us to,” Ruby assured her. She smiled sweetly, covering a yawn. “But I'm thinking we'd best get to bed so we don't waken everybody. Plenty of time for talk tomorrow.”

“
Jah,
it's been a long day. It's not really our way to just show up and expect folks to cater to us,” Beulah insisted. “But we'll be forever grateful if you've got beds and some furniture we can use until—”

Rosetta grasped their hands, adoring these two sisters already. “Just so happens I've made up a couple of rooms,” she assured them. “You can decide which ones you'd like for your apartments tomorrow when it's light and you're rested. Welcome home, Ruby and Beulah. We're glad you're here.”

* * *

“
Gut
morning!” Rosetta called out when Beulah and Ruby came into the kitchen. “You slept well, I hope?”

“Like a rock,” Beulah replied.

“
Jah,
it's not nearly this quiet back home, what with Delbert's eight kids kicking up a fuss when they wake up,” Ruby explained with a shake of her head. “The oldest twins are eleven, and from there they stair-step downward in age—”

“And our brother's house is feeling so crowded, we figured coming to Promise Lodge would give them another bedroom—”

“And truth be told, we're a little weary of the way Delbert and Claire keep having more kids, figuring we'll be their built-in babysitters,” Ruby blurted. “That's probably not a very Christian attitude, is it?”

“And we needed an
adventure
before we got too old to get out of our rut,” Beulah added earnestly. “So after we read your columns, we packed our bags and took off without telling anybody. I suppose we should call home this morning so they won't wonder if kidnappers snatched us in the night.”

“Puh! Kidnappers would have their hands full dealing with the two of us!” Ruby declared.

Rosetta followed this rapid-fire conversation, smiling at the way the sisters finished each other's sentences without batting an eye. “You can call them anytime you're ready,” she said, gesturing toward the phone on the back wall. “My sisters, Mattie and Christine, are out gathering eggs and weeding the gardens until Amos and the boys finish milking Christine's cows. Here—come take a look now that the sun's up.”

Ruby and Beulah eagerly preceded her through the lobby and out to the wide porch. Two hummingbirds hovered near the orange blooms of the trumpet vines before darting off as the women approached. Sunlight dappled the grass beneath the tall oaks that shaded the lodge, and out beyond the barn Rosetta's goats grazed alongside the horses. The treetops swayed gently on the breeze, which carried the heady scent of the honeysuckle bushes out by the road. As one, the Kuhn sisters sighed and gazed out over the property, their faces alight with awe.

“Oh, Sister, we've come to the Garden of Eden,” Beulah murmured.

“The land of milk and honey,” Ruby said as she nodded in agreement. “It's even more wonderful than I'd imagined it from your reports in
The Budget,
Rosetta. And what's that I see beyond the lake? Apple trees?”

“
Jah,
from what we've heard, the area churches that once owned this property sold the apples as a way to fund their camp programs,” Rosetta replied, shielding her eyes to get a better look. “Truman has told the fellows he can help them revive the orchard—keeping it mowed this summer and then pruning back the overgrown trees this winter. It'll make a
gut
source of income for somebody in a year or so—”

“And it'll be even more productive with my bees to pollinate the blossoms!” Ruby exclaimed. “We can move my hives here from Versailles and those little bees will think they've landed in heaven, with all the flowers and bushes around to sip from.”

“Along with the money from selling Ruby's honey, we've laid by a nice nest egg from our wages at the cheese factory, too,” Beulah told Rosetta. “If it would be all right with you folks, we could build a small factory here and make cheese from your cows' milk! Wouldn't take a building any bigger than that shed I see.”

“You'd have milk from my dairy goats, too,” Rosetta pointed out. Her heart thudded happily at the prospect of adding bees, honey, and a cheese factory to the businesses she and her sisters were running. “Is it difficult to transport your bees without getting stung?”

Ruby chuckled. “I'll be there to oversee the packing, so it'll be a piece of cake. We'll wrap straps around the hives and duct tape the holes late at night, when they're all inside, so they won't escape while we're moving them,” she explained. “I know of folks who transport their hives from place to place all over the country, depending on whether it's apples or grapes or almonds that need pollinating. I don't have that big an operation, of course.”

“This'll be the perfect new home for your bees,” Beulah remarked. “Lots of room for them—”

“
Jah,
they do best with about an acre for each hive of bees,” said Ruby.

“—and we won't be hearing any more complaints from Claire about the kids getting stung because they were playing too close to the hives,” Beulah continued. The skin around her eyes crinkled as she smiled at Rosetta. “Let us know what your apartments are going for, and we'll advance you several months' rent. We aim to pay our way and earn our keep from the get-go.”

“May we have those rooms down the hall in the corner—the two that share a bathroom between them?” Ruby asked with a lift in her voice. “We'd be right at home there. What a blessing that we saw your columns and Amos's ad—”

“And that we hit the road to find this place instead if ignoring God's nudge to get out and do something useful—something
fun!
—with the rest of our lives,” Beulah finished. She slipped a finger beneath her glasses to clear away a tear. “He's never failed us yet, our Jesus. I can't wait to tell Delbert about our new home!”

“They'll never believe what we've gone and done,” Ruby agreed. She shielded her eyes with her hand, gazing at a big truck that was rumbling out of the metal building at the Wickey place. “Is that your boyfriend driving that truck, Rosetta?”

Rosetta swatted Ruby's shoulder playfully. “Truman owns a landscaping company. He's a Mennonite, so don't be thinking I'll hitch up with him.”

“We're Mennonites, too, you know,” Beulah said. “So I hope it's all right if we want to have electricity to run our cheese machines.”

“Amos and Roman run the bulk milk tanks with electricity, so if you put your little factory near the barn, you can hook right in,” Rosetta replied. “And speaking of our fellows, here they come. Let's get the stove fired up for some sausage and eggs, and you can get acquainted with everyone over breakfast.”

“Show me the flour bin and I'll whip up some biscuits,” Ruby said as they went back into the lodge.

“I'll be in charge of the gravy—and in appreciation for your wonderful welcome, Ruby and I will cook tonight's supper,” Beulah offered.

Rosetta's eyes widened. “I'd be silly to turn down an offer like that.”

“Better yet, we'll cook up enough to have for our dinner tomorrow, too, so we'll not be working on Sunday. How's that?”

Rosetta laughed as they entered the kitchen together. “I like the way you girls jump in and make things happen. Something tells me you two and we three Bender sisters will become
gut
friends in a hurry!”

Chapter Nineteen

That afternoon as Rosetta came downstairs, she inhaled appreciatively. Ruby and Beulah had been cooking and baking most of the day and the whole lodge smelled heavenly. Meanwhile, Rosetta had been able to clean the two corner rooms and the bathroom the Kuhn sisters wanted to rent. Deborah had agreed to paint the apartments on Monday, and Amos had bought their requested buttery yellow and pale blue paint—which would soon freshen Rosetta's apartment and her sisters' rooms, as well.

“What smells so wonderful-
gut?
” Rosetta asked as she entered the kitchen. “It's such a treat to have you cooking our supper and tomorrow's dinner.”

Beulah checked the three bread pans in the oven and closed the door. “We thought we'd make some of our family's favorites,” she replied. “We're having pizza meat loaf, and Ruby's ready to put her creamed potato loaf in the oven—”

“Topped with lots of cheese,” Ruby added. When she expertly overturned a loaf pan, Rosetta's eyes widened as a molded block of chunky, creamed potatoes landed in her casserole dish. She unmolded a second loaf beside the first.

“—so along with a couple jars of green beans from your cellar, and a loaf of fresh bread, I don't think anybody'll go away hungry.” Beulah nodded with satisfaction. “It's fun to cook for folks who appreciate our efforts.”

“And you should see this apricot-cherry slab pie Ruby baked,” Laura said from the dining room, where she and her sister were setting the silverware on a long table.

“
Jah,
we're keeping an eye on it to be sure it's still intact come time for supper,” Phoebe teased. “Roman and Amos have been eyeballing it all afternoon.”

Rosetta laughed. It was such a pleasure to see the Kuhn sisters making themselves at home in the big kitchen. She hoped to see more women offer to share the cooking chores as they moved into her apartments, because that could be a way for them all to become good friends. “And how did your call to your brother go?”

Ruby and Beulah looked at each other a little sheepishly. “Well, Delbert was glad to hear from us, and to know we're safe,” Beulah began.

“Until we got to the part about putting our money down on apartments,” Ruby continued as she spread a generous amount of shredded cheese on her potato loaves. “Boy howdy, did we catch an earful about that! He started out by informing us that as the man of the family, he wanted us to get ourselves back home where we belonged—”

“And that's all we needed to hear,” Beulah added with a sigh. “You know, I really hate to split away from him and Claire and the kids, but Ruby and I both feel called to stay at Promise Lodge, to live our own lives.”

“
Jah,
Claire was none too happy about our decision, either,” Ruby remarked with a shake of her head. “She came right out and asked how she was supposed to run the household without us taking care of the eight kids—”

“And I told her those kids needed their
mamm
and
dat
's guidance more than they needed ours. God had His reasons for us not marrying nor having kids.” Beulah's voice rose with the conviction of her words, even as it quivered a little. “I felt funny telling Delbert and Claire we weren't going to live with them anymore—because that's the way of it for Plain
maidel
ladies, to stay with whichever man in the family will look after them. I was glad I'd already paid ahead on the rent so I could stand firm about our decision.”

“
Jah,
it'll be a whole new life for us, being useful the way
we
want, instead of being at someone else's beck and call,” Ruby insisted. “We'll go back on Monday to pack up the rest of our clothes, and I'll get my bees and hives ready to transport. It'll all work out, Rosetta—because we said so!”

Rosetta smiled. “It took courage and faith to insist on living your own lives,” she agreed. “But it's not like you're moving clear across the country. Your family can come visit you, or you can go there anytime you please.”

“
Jah,
we're only a few hours apart, as I pointed out to Delbert. And I reminded him that the road runs both directions, too,” Beulah added. “We'll be tending our bees and making our cheese, so we won't be going back to Versailles at the drop of a hat.”

“Your brother probably wasn't expecting you to say that,” Rosetta remarked.

“Oh, Delbert heard quite a few surprising statements today,” Beulah agreed.

“
Jah,
I smelled smoke coming out of the phone,” Ruby added with a chuckle. “But I feel
happy
. I believe Beulah and I will lead more productive—”

“
Fun
lives,” her sister finished. “And we have you to thank for that, Rosetta. You've been our inspiration, more than you'll ever know.”

Rosetta's eyes widened. Never had she anticipated such a touching remark, and from a woman she'd just met. “What a fine thing to say, Beulah.
Denki
for telling me that,” she murmured. She was about to elaborate upon the reasons she and her sisters had sold their farms to come to Promise when Queenie began barking frantically out in the front yard.

Rosetta and the Hershberger girls hurried through the lobby and out onto the porch to see what the ruckus was about. Halfway between the road and the lodge, a Plain man and woman had stopped with their suitcases—and when the man charged at the Border Collie and spoke harshly to her, Rosetta jogged down the steps.

“Say there! I'll be happy to help you if you'll not threaten our dog,” Rosetta called out.

The man, who had a bushy graying beard and eyebrows, immediately scowled. “No, let's tell it like it is,” he countered. “Your dog's the one doing the threatening, and if it were mine, I'd keep it tied up.”

“Queenie, sit!” Laura called out, while Rosetta snapped her fingers at the dog and pointed toward the ground.

Queenie sat down, but she appeared ready to lunge if the man made any suspicious moves.

Rosetta considered this carefully, for Queenie was generally very friendly and curious around strangers. She didn't act aggressive unless she'd been provoked. “What can I do for you folks?” she asked, wondering whether they'd received a letter from these people. “Please believe that Queenie doesn't ordinarily cause any trouble.”

The man's eyes narrowed, while the woman appeared wary of the Border Collie who sat gazing so intently at them. “I assume you've gotten my letter, so it should be no surprise that we've arrived. I'm Bishop Floyd Lehman, and this is Frances, my wife.”

Rosetta put on a polite smile, glad to see Amos coming from the barn. “I recall your letter,
jah,
but we weren't expecting you until you sold your place. This is Preacher Amos Troyer,” she added as she gestured at him. “Amos, these are the Lehmans from Ohio, who wrote to us a while back. Bishop Floyd and Frances.”

Rosetta detected a flicker of Amos's eyebrows as he extended his hand. “So you've already found a buyer for your place and you're moving to Missouri?” he asked as he smiled at Frances. “Sounds like your home was a choice piece of property, priced right.”

Frances smiled stiffly. “Truth be told, we wanted to
see
Promise Lodge before we—”

“Several folks in our overcrowded district thought somebody should check this place out before we committed to coming,” Floyd cut in. When he slipped an arm around his wife's shoulders, she grimaced at the squeeze of his hand. “They put up some traveling money, and we're here on their behalf. Can't say your dog's welcome has made a
gut
first impression, though. Better lock it up before it bites somebody.”

Amos straightened his shoulders. “Queenie keeps the coyotes and other . . . intruders away,” he replied firmly. “
Denki
for your observation, but she'll always have the run of Promise Lodge property. Without her, I doubt we'd still have any of our chickens.”

Frances's eyes widened. “You've got coyotes? Have you seen wolves and snakes, as well? It does seem rather wild and removed from civilization out here.”

Rosetta smiled, suspecting the bishop's wife didn't often get a word in edgewise. “Once houses start going up, some of the wildlife will find other habitats, I'm thinking. My sisters and I love it here, but we do notice how quiet it is
.
Won't you come in?” she added. “It's nearly time for supper and you've had a long trip.”

Amos glanced toward the road. “Where's your driver? He's welcome to come in, as well.”

“We rode the bus from Ohio to Kirksville and got a cab from there,” Floyd replied. “We'll call for another cab when we've seen what we need to see.”

Maybe the Lehmans already wish they were back in that cab, considering the rocky start we've gotten off to,
Rosetta thought as the four of them walked silently toward the lodge. She sensed the Lehmans were studying the cabins, along with the condition of the lodge, the barn, and the other outbuildings—as well they should, if they were here on behalf of members of their congregation.

“We had a fine time fishing at Rainbow Lake last night,” Amos said as he pointed toward the water. “Beyond that, you'll see where we'll be selling off tracts of land—”

“I suppose you folks have already claimed the property right here, where the garden plots are planted and there's grass instead of trees and underbrush,” Floyd said in a tight voice.

Again Amos's eyebrows flickered, but he kept a smile on his face. “
Jah,
those are the plots where Mattie Schwartz and the Hershberger girls are raising produce to sell at the stand you saw out by the road. Christine Hershberger owns the property where her dairy herd grazes, including the barn. This lot with the cabins and lodge belongs to Rosetta. She's converting the lodge into apartments for—”

“And our first renters arrived yesterday!” Rosetta added. “You'll soon meet them, because they've been cooking our supper.”

Floyd dropped his suitcase to stare at her with a raised eyebrow. “You know quite well that Old Order members don't operate inns or other businesses that allow outsiders to share our living space!” he admonished her. “That's a sure path to temptation—a way for English men to lure away our women. And all those bedrooms! What are you
thinking,
woman?”

Rosetta bit back a retort. Bishop Floyd was going to be a challenge. “
Jah,
I'm aware of our church's rules about outsiders staying with us—so the apartments are only for Plain
women,
” she replied firmly. “Widows and
maidels
will live here permanently, rather than bachelors or families—or guests, as would come to an inn.”

She gestured toward the row of cabins nestled in the shade of late afternoon. “We've been redding up these cottages for folks who buy property and need a place to stay until their new homes are built,” she pointed out. “Sounds better than having to live in a tent, wouldn't you say?”

Frances's lips flickered with a smile, but Floyd wasn't impressed.

“Your apartment idea is totally
unnatural!
” he declared. “Our women are to be sheltered and provided for by the men in their families—”

“Ah, but you see, my two sisters are widowed now and they have no
dat
or brothers to look after them,” Rosetta insisted, keeping her voice low but firm. “It was a hardship for them to maintain farms and outbuildings—as it was for me after our parents passed on. We saw this plan as a solution that would benefit other women, as well. We prayed over this long and hard. We feel God led us here to this beautiful land so we could provide homes for other folks, as well.”

Floyd exhaled in disbelief, gawking at Amos. “You're a preacher,
jah?
” he demanded. “Why are you allowing these sisters to be in charge of so much property and their own businesses? That's just
wrong
.”

Amos stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, considering his response. Rosetta noted how his jaw tightened, as though he were restraining words that wanted to stampede like agitated horses.

“I've served my Lord as an ordained preacher for nearly twenty years,” he replied patiently. “Jesus taught us that he who would lead must be the servant of all, and that the meek would inherit the earth. These three sisters have taken on an enormous mission—starting a new colony with a spirit of peace and service. I'm honored that they've asked me to partner with them.”

Rosetta held her breath, pleased to hear Preacher Amos state his convictions. Before their guest could protest further, Amos continued earnestly.

“If our new idea—our untraditional plan—upsets you, Floyd, perhaps Promise Lodge isn't the place you want to call home,” he said. “You've done nothing but criticize us since we met you a few moments ago. You've not even given us a chance to show you around—or to introduce Mattie and Christine—yet you're certain we're steeping ourselves in sin and treading the road to ruin.

“When we received your letter, we agreed that God would provide us the right bishop for Promise Lodge,” Amos continued earnestly. “He might well guide more than one bishop here and then do the choosing for us, you know.”

Floyd's face had turned the color of raw hamburger. The
whump
of the screen door made him turn to see that the Hershberger girls, the two Kuhns, Mattie, Christine, and Deborah had come outside to meet them—and to witness Floyd's flaring temper. Rosetta saw that Roman and Noah were coming from the barn, as well, their expressions alight with interest. Queenie sat down at Rosetta's feet, as though protecting her from this disagreeable newcomer.