Promised to Another (9 page)

Annie stopped long enough to grab the flashlight lantern, then quickly scampered up a ladder, going into the dark recesses of the loft, where Daed wouldn’t see them or overhear them.

“What did you need to talk about?” She flipped the lantern on and set it atop a hay bale. The dim light left his face partially obscured. “If you want to cancel the trip to Springfield, I completely understand. It’d be best—”

“Nein. That’s not it. I want to go.” His expression turned serious. “You told your mamm I’m a player.”

Annie slumped. He had heard that part of the conversation, after all. Still, she was surprised he had the courage to bring it up. She wouldn’t have.

He waited a minute, as if giving her a chance to respond, and then frowned. “You and I, we haven’t…I mean….” He sighed. “Ach, Annie.”

Annie shrugged. “It’s true. At least, it’s what everybody thinks. Every week, you take a different girl home from singing. They talk….”

She shivered under his scrutiny in the semidarkness. His frown deepened, but his steady gaze held hers. “I never meant…I only wanted…I wasn’t sure about courting anyone, except…well, since….” He shook his head. “I thought inviting different girls would be a gut way to get to know people, and if I liked any of them enough to consider, I’d take her home again. Spend a bit more time with her.”

“So, you haven’t met the woman of your dreams?” She hoped that her smidgen of hopefulness hadn’t come through in her tone. She really shouldn’t have asked that.

After a long hesitation, Joshua chuckled—not a genuine laugh, really, but more of a forced sound, for lack of anything else to say. “I don’t know. I think so, jah…but I’m not sure.”

So, there was a chance he had? The flicker of hope died.

“Annie, I don’t want a reputation of being a player. I didn’t mean to mislead you—or anyone—that way.”

She sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry for judging you.”

“And just so there’s nein more confusion, I won’t take home another girl unless I’m reasonably sure about her.”

“Ach, Joshua, that isn’t fair to you. But you might get to know a girl better if you spent more than just a few minutes riding in a buggy with her.” She didn’t want him to have an unfavorable reputation. Maybe this would help improve it. Not that she wanted him to spend more time with other girls, of course. Especially not with whoever it was who’d inspired the “I think so” part of his answer.

The light from the lantern flickered and died. Time to replace the batteries. Joshua chuckled again, and, this time, it sounded real. To her shock, his hand grasped hers. Unexpected sparks shot up her arm. Could he feel them? “I’m looking forward to spending hours with you this weekend.” He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, leaving fire in its path, and then he pulled away.

Was he playing with her? Could he possibly be serious? She wished she could read his expression, but all she could see was a dark shadow turning away.

“I think we’ve been dismissed.” Humor colored his wry comment. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Annie Beiler. Gut nacht.” He headed toward the ladder, apparently satisfied with the conversation they’d had.

Still trying to process his remarks and his touch, Annie hesitated a minute before grabbing the dead flashlight and scampering down the ladder. Joshua had left the door open, and she reached the ground level just in time to see Bu, the dog, dart outside, taking off for the woods.

Annie rushed outside. Daed would be angry if he found out she’d let Bu run off. “Kum here, Bu!” Annie shouted after the dog. “Now!”

The dog didn’t listen, of course. But, to her horror, Joshua’s steps stuttered, and he froze. After a moment, he slowly turned to look at her. “Were you talking to
me
?”

Joshua opened the door to the Schwartzes’ kitchen and slipped inside. Immediately, Luke shot up from a chair. Henry also rose, moving a cup of koffee closer to the center of the table as he did. It seemed that both men had been waiting for him. This didn’t look good. Joshua hesitated, looking from one to the other. Luke had his hands in fists at his sides, and the anger that raged across his face colored it to nearly match his red hair.

“Where have you been?”

The question had come from the elder Schwartz. But it was rhetorical, really. Henry and Luke both knew the answer. Still, Joshua didn’t appreciate the hard tone the man used, as if speaking to an errant child. Though he probably should have told them about his new job. “I was at Isaac Beiler’s. He hired me on.”

Henry nodded, his anger evidently dissipating. “All right, then. I wasn’t aware of that. So long as you weren’t there trying to court Luke’s Annie. He said you’d been…well, never mind. My frau kept dinner warm for you.” He gestured to the stove.

“Danki, but I ate there.”

Luke’s fists clenched even tighter, and his whole stance seemed ready to spring.

Joshua felt his own body tense in response.

Luke didn’t even wait for his daed to leave the room. He took a menacing step toward Joshua. “I saw you and Annie talking tonight. You went into the barn together.” The volume of his voice rose with every word.

Joshua surveyed him silently, calmly. He doubted Luke was looking for an explanation. And he certainly wasn’t about to lie and say they’d been doing chores together.

“Annie is my girl.” Luke moved even closer.

Henry paused in the doorway and turned back, maybe wanting to see how this would play out. Or to see that Joshua, the transplant, behaved himself.

“Did you miss that we’re getting married this winter?”

Joshua shook his head. “You haven’t even started membership classes with the other district, and there is nein way Bishop Sol will approve your marrying without them. Annie won’t be marrying you until next year’s wedding season.” He tried to keep from smirking. “If then.”

Luke shoved him. Hard. “I said, stay away from her.”

Joshua staggered a couple of steps, then regained his balance. He sucked in a deep breath. “I think you’re the one who should stay away,” he muttered. “I heard her turn down your offer to take her home from singing. She won’t even let you near her.”

Luke’s eyes bulged, as if they’d pop right out of their sockets.

Yet Joshua couldn’t restrain himself. “I’m going to win her away from you,” he added. Then, he gulped, shocked by his own spoken words. That was bold. Too bold. He certainly hadn’t planned to say that. It had just slipped out. Now what? He’d probably lost his temporary home. A proverb Mamm always said surfaced in his memory: “
When you have spoken a word, it reigns over you. When it is unspoken, you reign over it.
” How true that was.

“How dare you!” Luke raised his fist and moved to strike, but Henry stepped in and stopped it mid-swing.

“Luke!” The man had anger etched in every line of his face, but Joshua could tell it wasn’t directed at his son. He turned to Joshua. “I’m afraid having you stay here isn’t going to work out. I have to ask you to leave. Get your things. You can spend the nacht in the barn. Tomorrow, we’ll contact Bishop Sol.”

Jah, Joshua had figured so. For a brief second, he considered apologizing, taking it back. But he couldn’t, in good conscience. “I’ll get out of your way, sir.” Joshua headed for the stairs. “I’ll be out of here in a moment.”

When he remembered that Isaac Beiler had offered him a place to stay, he couldn’t keep from smiling. Maybe he would sleep in the Schwartzes’ barn tonight, as Henry had suggested, and approach Isaac in the morning. Or, maybe he’d just sleep in the Beilers’ barn.

Danki, Lord, for giving me a place with the Beilers.
Joshua would be glad to get away from Luke and his stereotypical redhead temper. If he had his way, Annie wouldn’t end up with that bully. Joy bubbled up in his chest, producing another smile that couldn’t be controlled.

Ten minutes later, Joshua had stuffed all of his belongings into two plastic grocery bags. With a nod to Henry Schwartz, he set out across the yard.

“Where’re you going?” Luke sounded alarmed. “Where’s he going?”

Wouldn’t you like to know?
Joshua kept the snarky comment unsaid.

“The barn. He’s headed to the barn,” Henry said firmly.

“You think?”

Grinning to himself, Joshua shifted his trajectory and strode past the barn, out into the dark fields toward the Beilers’ farm. No one tried to stop him, which was surprising, since he was certain Luke watched his every step. He was a good spy. Ought to work for the CIA.

Even as he relished the thought of living with the Beilers, shame ate at Joshua for being kicked out of the Schwartzes’ home. He shouldn’t have goaded Luke the way he had.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he climbed the steps to the Beilers’ haus and opened the kitchen door a crack. “Hello?”

Annie stood at the sink, finishing up the dishes. She turned, a dishcloth and a plate in her hands. “Joshua?” Water dripped from the plate onto the floor, but she didn’t pay it any attention. “What are you doing here?”

“Is your daed still awake?” Heat crawled up Joshua’s neck. He held up his bags. “They kicked me out.”

Her eyes widened. “Whatever for?”

Joshua shrugged, not wanting to explain. But it didn’t matter. She’d learn the truth, sooner or later. Might as well be sooner. “Irreconcilable differences between their son and me.”

Annie gave a little gasp. “Luke?”

He nodded, his temples throbbing—probably due to embarrassment, about both the way he’d acted at the Schwartzes’ and having to face Annie in this homeless state. “He’s determined to marry you this wedding season, and I was apparently encroaching on his territory.”

“Marrying him? His territory? There is nein—” She turned abruptly and set the plate back in the dishpan. “So, they kicked you out and sent you here? That doesn’t make sense.”

When she swiveled to face him again, Joshua half smiled, feeling weary. He hated having to explain the situation. It was wrong in so many ways. “Nein. They kicked me out of the haus and told me to stay in the barn. They said they’d be contacting Bishop Sol in the morgen to find me a new home. But, since your daed offered to let me stay here, I thought that maybe just this once…if the offer’s still open…?”

“The offer’s still open.”

Joshua turned around and saw Isaac standing on the porch. “Danki, sir.”

The man gave a knowing smile. “Happened to look outside the barn as you were walking up. Annie will show you to your room, and then you can kum down to join us for family devotions. Aaron and I need to finish up the evening chores. We’ll be in directly.”

“Do you need help?” Joshua set his bags down on the porch. “I’d be more than glad to….”

Isaac had shifted his attention to the driveway, where the gravel crunched beneath buggy wheels. “Cathy’s home.” He looked back at Joshua. “You could help take care of the horse and buggy, if you would.”

“Jah, I’d be happy to.” Joshua nodded at him. “Danki again for taking me in for the nacht. I’ll find a permanent place tomorrow.”

Isaac clapped him on the shoulder. “Nonsense. This is your new home. I’ll work it out with Bishop Sol. Glad to help.” He looked past Joshua. “Annie, you take his things upstairs and make sure the room’s ready for him.” His gaze returned to Joshua. “You’ve met my daughter Cathy, ain’t so?”

***

Annie stood in the kitchen for a minute or so, watching as Daed and Joshua met Cathy in the driveway and talked with her a bit, and then as Joshua unhitched Buttercup and led her by the reins to the barn.

Not wanting to be caught gawking, Annie grabbed Joshua’s bags when Cathy headed for the haus, and hurried upstairs. The extra room up there used to be Mamm and Daed’s, but they’d moved downstairs after Mamm’s accident.

She opened the door to the empty bedroom and put Joshua’s bags on top of the dresser. Then, she went to get some sheets and a quilt for the full-sized bed. She was tucking in the ends of the sheets when Cathy stormed into the room. Annie braced herself for the tirade. What had upset her this time?

“Daed told me Joshua’s moving in. I wish he would have asked us first. With Mamm hurt, and everything else going on, it’ll be more than awkward having a stranger living here. Not to mention more work.”