Seasons of Tomorrow (36 page)

They went inside, where Rhoda’s Mamm and her sister-in-law Lydia were still washing dishes.

“She just now took a seat.” Rhoda’s mother nodded toward the sitting room.

Samuel and Jacob joined Rhoda there, each taking a wingback chair.

“I just need to catch a second wind.” Rhoda yawned and shifted to lie down on the couch. “So, Jacob, tell us about this construction job you mentioned earlier.”

“It’s in Virginia.”

It had been a long time since Samuel had seen this kind of excitement in Jacob’s eyes.

Rhoda put her hands under her cheek, looking even sleepier. Even now she was radiant. “You’ll be part of a construction crew?”

“No.” Jacob drummed his thumb and index finger on the arm of the chair. “It’s for a man who owns an ironwork shop. He asked me about a month ago if I’d consider building him an outdoor kitchen and resurface his pool deck. He asked again a few days ago.”

“Have you ever done either of those things?” Rhoda had chosen a good topic. Jacob didn’t mind talking about construction work.

“Nee.” Jacob propped his feet on an ottoman. “I know what you’re thinking. Why would I agree to do something that will require a learning curve when I could do what I know and make easier and better money?” He interlaced his fingers. “But it’s not about the money. It’ll be different, and it’s what I want to do.”

Hope sprang forth. Did his brother have someone special in Virginia? “You’ll never know what it meant to me for you to come today.”

“It wasn’t so bad, and it’s getting even better.”

“Ya? How so?”

Jacob leaned in. “Because it’s your wedding night, and your wife is sound asleep on the couch.”

Samuel glanced at Rhoda and laughed. It was tradition for Amish couples to spend their wedding night in the bride’s home, mostly so they could
help clean up the following day. But it wasn’t exactly a comfortable situation for the newlyweds.

Of all the things he and Rhoda had discussed in the last week, sharing a bed wasn’t one of them. But he’d not expected them to sleep together tonight. He knew her too well. When she was really tired, all it took was her relaxing a bit, and she was out cold, like a candle being snuffed. He rose and grabbed a quilt to cover her. “I doubt she budges even to roll over before daylight tomorrow.”

Car lights reflected off the wall, and Jacob rose. “My ride’s here.”

Samuel walked out with him. He’d hoped to embrace his brother before they parted, but Jacob hopped in the car.

“Thanks for coming.” Samuel held up his hand.

Jacob waved as the car drove off. Samuel went inside and talked to Rhoda’s family for a bit before telling them good night. He climbed the stairs to Rhoda’s bedroom and stripped down to his T-shirt and boxers. The bed was a welcome relief from the last few days. The sounds of springtime at night echoed through the open windows as hope continued to beat its rhythm inside him. As tired and sore as he was, would he be able to sleep tonight?

“Samuel.”

Rhoda’s whisper stirred him from the dark place filled with dreams, and he tried to open his eyes. Daylight stretched its golden arms across the room, and birds were singing loudly. He blinked.

“Hi.” She stood next to his bed, a cup of coffee in hand.

“Morning.” He sat up, and she placed an extra pillow behind him. A sweet, girly scent surrounded her every move. “You smell nice.”

“I’ve showered and done my hair.”

He took the coffee from her. “What time is it?”

“Late for you.” She picked up a plate from the side table. It had two bacon-filled biscuits and a large side of fresh fruit. “It’s eight. You have about forty minutes before the driver arrives to take us to see Phoebe and then to the train station.”

Unable to take his eyes off his wife, he sipped the coffee. “I look forward to our lifetime together.”

She caressed his face. “Me too.”

“Rhodes?” Daed called from the foot of the steps.

“I’d better go. You eat and shower, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Okay.” He ate his breakfast, enjoying the slower pace, but soon enough the day became a blur of getting ready and packing, visiting Phoebe, saying good-bye to Steven, Arie, and Isaac, as well as the rest of Rhoda’s family. And Landon. He didn’t see Leah or Iva today. They were at his folks’ place, but they’d return to the farm in a few days.

Once they were on the train, Samuel felt like a newlywed again and held Rhoda’s hand as they whispered to each other and enjoyed the view while the train sped them homeward.

Camilla picked them up at the station in Boston because the train schedule for Bangor was too limited. Rhoda sat in the backseat with Samuel. After riding with Camilla for three hours to reach the farm, he couldn’t get his mind around the fact that Jacob enjoyed traveling on a regular basis.

Today was a joy because he was taking his bride home. They would try to make the trip back to Pennsylvania once each winter, but that was more than enough for him. Rhoda’s family could come as often and stay for as long as they liked. He enjoyed their visits. But his Daed was another story.

Camilla pulled onto the driveway. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you for doing this for us, Camilla.”

“Glad to. You know that.”

The dogs rushed from the barn, barking.

Rhoda clutched the handle of her traveling bag. “We’ll visit soon. Okay?”

“Not this week. It’s your honeymoon, but if you need anything—a ride into town or whatever—you holler.”

“Thanks.” Samuel slid money across the seat.

She shook her head. “Put that away.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. As I understand it, you two are going to have your
hands full tending the orchard from now through the harvest and canning season, and I just want you to know you’re welcome to bring laundry to my place anytime. We can wash and dry it in no time.”

Rhoda glanced at Samuel, and he saw her insecurity about her home-making abilities.

He squeezed her hand. “Thanks. We’ll keep it in mind, but I’m sure we can manage somehow.” He’d need to help wash dishes, cook, and do laundry, even though he would be worse at those things than Rhoda. But they couldn’t start relying on Englisch ways for everyday chores. If they did, how would they hold on to the Old Ways for themselves and their children and grandchildren?

Rhoda got out and petted Ziggy and Zara while walking toward the barn. “I want to check the messages.”

“Sure.” Samuel unloaded their stuff and waved good-bye to Camilla.

When she drove off, he felt the weight of the oddity of being here alone with Rhoda. A new thought struck him. They’d accomplished their goal—they could share the same home, neither having to live elsewhere. But with Phoebe in the hospital fighting for her life, did Rhoda find the idea of possibly conceiving a child unnerving?

A chill ran down his spine. Did he? Until this moment he hadn’t thought about it. They were going to have to talk about the most uncomfortable subject of all—the marriage bed. He set the luggage outside the barn and tended to the livestock for the evening. When he was finished, he went to the office door.

While listening to a message from someone about codling moth traps, Rhoda took notes, and then she clicked a button, making the machine go silent. “All done.”

Samuel shifted. “I should probably clean the stalls.”

She sat back in the chair, studying him. “Are we avoiding going inside?”

His heart pounding, he moved to her side of the desk and sat on the edge. “Maybe.”

Her eyes held a smile that tipped her lips.

He shrugged. “We need to talk.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”

“We rushed into this—”

Rhoda stood, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. “Having second thoughts?”

“What? Of course not. But I wasn’t sure what you wanted … I mean—”

Her hand covered his mouth, silencing him. “You’re overthinking. If you want to know what I want, you can’t find out by staying in this barn.”

He kissed her neck, mesmerized by how soft her skin was. “No?” He kissed her neck again. “It seems to be working really well so far.”

She chuckled. “True.”

“What do you want, Rhoda?”

“To be yours and to forget about heartaches and harvests and all that can go wrong in this world.”

Samuel stood, sliding his hand around the small of her back. He remembered being right here with her once before, a little more than a year ago, longing, thirsting for the moment to last forever and for her heart to turn toward him.

And here he stood again, every hope and dream his. His eyes met hers.

No matter what the future held, he knew one thing would always remain true.

“I love you, Rhoda.”

THIRTY

The dueling beeps from monitors were ceaseless, grating on Landon’s nerves as he talked to Steven. With the wedding over yesterday, Landon needed to head back to the guest ranch. It’d take him the better part of three hours to get there, and he was scheduled to work in four hours, but right now Steven seemed to want to talk.

Landon repositioned his aching body against the chair. He didn’t recall these seats being this uncomfortable yesterday when he stayed with Phoebe during the wedding. Had someone swapped them with chairs from another room?

Steven was on the other side of Phoebe’s bed, and Landon tried to think of another round of simple things to talk about, subjects that would be easy for Steven to discuss while getting through another long day. “So what made you willing to change from being a handyman in Byler and Sons to becoming a trainee in a huge orchard?”

“Ah, I’ve asked myself that same question. What makes a man throw away years of apprenticeship and honing one set of skills to learn a new vocation?” Steven leaned forward and sandwiched his wife’s hand between his. “The simple answer is love.” He paused, staring at Phoebe’s still face. “I knew firsthand there wasn’t enough land or affordable housing in Lancaster or the surrounding areas to support future generations. So my love of the Amish ways nudged me to be a part of establishing a new settlement in an affordable place with lots of land. Phoebe loved Rhoda too much to simply let her go, as did I, and the farmhouse had to have a married couple. Since we didn’t have a home in Pennsylvania to sell or children who were in school yet, I figured, what did I have to lose?” He patted his sleeping wife’s hand. “As fraught with troubles as our time in Maine has been, Phoebe’s never been happier.” He shrugged. “Maybe
happy
isn’t the right word. Fulfilled? As if what we’re doing really matters, not only to everyone in that home and to Orchard Bend Farms, but for future generations.” He chuckled. “After
being one of three cooks in my parents’ home, she loved … 
loves
being the head cook and running the home.”

“Good thing, because there was lots of that going on.” Landon leaned his head from one side to the other, working out the kinks as his mind meandered to and fro.

“Do you mind if I ask”—Steven slid the chair to the right, more directly in Landon’s view—“where things are between you and Leah?”

Landon tapped the ends of his fingers together, taking time to gather his thoughts. His first reaction to that question was to be miffed. He and Leah had landed exactly where Steven and every other Amish person wanted them to. But could he blame anyone for how things had ended for Leah and him? It’d been clear from the start that no Amish person would approve or support their love for each other. Some—like Samuel, Rhoda, Phoebe, Steven, Jacob, and Iva—wouldn’t fight them, but he’d known the majority would silence them. He’d had a view inside the Amish world for too long not to know where everyone stood. The Amish were their own culture, with their own thoughts and values that were completely separate from his viewpoints. He couldn’t blame Steven or anyone else at Orchard Bend Farms for that.

He interlaced his fingers and stared at his hands. “We’ve agreed to go our separate ways. It stinks, but how I ever thought Leah would really want to leave her roots is beyond me. I guess I looked at all the trouble Rhoda had in her district with a few Amish people being set against her, including that jerk who ripped up her fruit patch, and I got it in my head that it wasn’t worth what it took to live the Plain life. But I didn’t see all the invisible and unbreakable threads that bind Leah to the Amish.”

“I have to say it sounds like a good, solid decision, Landon.”

“Not sure we had a choice. She would have to leave, or I’d have to join, and as much as I respect what it takes to live as you do, I simply don’t agree with man—whether that’s church leaders or the rules of the Ordnung—deciding how others should live. I mean, what if your people are missing their calling because it’s outside acceptable Amish vocations?”

Steven nodded, unperturbed by Landon’s question. “How many of your people are missing their calling because they follow wherever their flesh leads, no boundaries concerning anything, only doing what they want?”

And there was the dilemma—no guarantee of either lifestyle yielding a good harvest. “I still believe it’s the individual’s responsibility to follow God as he or she believes is right. But we both lose out if we focus only on what separates us.”