Taken for English (34 page)

“You have my card,” Larry said. “Call me if you decide to proceed. In the meantime I will unofficially keep my ears open for anyone looking for land out that way.”

“Thank you.”

Larry scratched the top of his head. “Maybe you should hang on to it for another year. The market might settle as the economy improves. You could come out well.”

Another year could be too late for his
daed
if Joel’s land did not have a good yield.

On Friday afternoon, Annie closed up Mrs. Weichert’s shop and strolled the few blocks home. She compelled herself not to rush but to walk slowly and breathe in deeply and out fully every several strides. She rolled her shoulders and moved her neck. For good or for bad, the week had brought more than its share of stress.

Elijah’s injury. If she had not dragged him into the hunt for Leah, he would not have been hurt. She did not force him to climb that gravel truck, but she had not stopped him. When Annie thought about it logically, Elijah’s plans to leave the church should not have come as a shock. As teenagers, Elijah and Ruth had both questioned whether they ought to be baptized. Annie knew their story. Yet she found herself conflicted about understanding his choice and being disappointed that someone she cared for was setting aside the very vows she had taken.

Ruth’s frustration. On top of her ongoing emotional turmoil about her feelings for Elijah, Ruth was frustrated with Elijah’s mother, with Annie, with Leah. The air in Annie’s small home had become tenser than she imagined possible. These weeks of being roomies with her dear friend and future sister-in-law were supposed to be full of joy and companionship. But they weren’t now.

Leah’s behavior was erratic. Leah made her bed and straightened her end of the living room before she disappeared every day, but she was still gone before Annie came downstairs. Enough food was finding its way out of Annie’s cupboards for her to know that Leah was eating. As the days shortened and grew cooler, Annie wanted to suggest Leah should come home before dark for her own good. But to suggest any kind of rule would shake the fragile trust that kept Leah sleeping in a safe place at night.

That afternoon Annie had dropped a vase that shattered on the shop floor. The symbolism did not escape her. When she turned off Main Street onto her street, Annie breathed prayers for insight and peace in the hearts of all around her.

And she missed Rufus.

P.S., God
, she thought,
let Rufus come for a visit
.

Ruth had only four items to take through the checkout line on Friday evening. She suspected that Leah was the one absconding with Ruth’s food contributions to the household, but so far she had not seen Leah awake all week, so she was not going to press the point. She was living rent-free and had enough money saved to cover her minimal expenses until Christmas, even if she had to buy the same food twice a few times.

She spotted Bryan working a cash register and debated getting in another line, but in the moment she spent wavering, the other cashier plunked an orange C
LOSED
sign on the conveyor belt and turned off her light. Ruth smiled as she set her items on Bryan’s belt. What else could she do?

“I wondered how long it would be before you came in during my shift.” Bryan slowly waved a container of yogurt over the scanner.

“I don’t know what your schedule is.”

“I find out every Thursday.” He set the yogurt down and picked up the bag of four apples to weigh.

Ruth had never seen a checker punch in a fruit code more slowly. She glanced to make sure a line was not forming behind her.

“I’m off tomorrow night.” Bryan picked up the half gallon of milk and waited for the scanner’s beep. “Maybe you would let me take you to a movie.”

Ruth nudged her last item, a carton of orange juice, forward. She had never been to a movie, and she did not think this was the time or place to explain that reality to Bryan. He might never understand her, she realized, but he was consistently kind.

“How about it?” Bryan finally got the juice to beep.

“How about what?” Alan Wellner swooped in and scooped up Ruth’s four items, rapidly dropping them in a bag.

“None of your business, buddy.” Bryan hit the T
OTAL
button and reported the sum to Ruth. She scanned her debit card and watched the cash drawer pop open.

“Nuts.” Bryan pushed a button above the cash register, and a light blinked. “I’m out of quarters.”

“You don’t eat much,” Alan observed.

“I don’t like to buy more than I need, and I like fresh food,” Ruth said.

“Frugal and healthy. I like that.” Bryan grinned.

The shift manager shuffled over with a new cash drawer. “You keep running out of everything. Let’s just fill you up.”

“Great idea.” Bryan stepped aside for the manager to swap the drawers.

“Alan,” the manager said, “remember you owe me half a shift for Wednesday morning last week.”

“Right.” Alan tapped the side of his head.

“The next time you need to leave early, just say something instead of disappearing before we’re finished with the overnight stocking.”

“Yes, sir.”

Last Wednesday. Something stuck in Ruth’s brain, and she tilted her head as if to shake it loose.

Last Wednesday morning was the day of the planned training burn.

And the unexplained outbuilding burn.

“I couldn’t get away from work.”
Ruth was sure she had heard those words from Alan’s mouth on the day of the burn. If he was not at the store, and he was not on time for the training, then where was he?

Could he have been three miles away?

A
nnie came down the stairs on Saturday morning and instantly knew something was different. Ruth was gone, but Annie knew she had a morning shift at the clinic. At first she thought the whimpering she heard was the kitten, but he brushed by with the casual arrogance of most cats Annie had ever known and scratched at the back door to be let out. Annie ignored the kitten’s plea, uncertain whether Leah would approve and not willing to disturb the fragile peace of the household over a cat’s wanderlust.

Rustling in the living room confirmed the source of the whimper. It was after eight in the morning, and Leah was still home.

Annie sucked in a deep, uncertain breath and closed the yards between the staircase in the middle of the house and the sectioned-off half of the living room. Careful to respect Leah’s privacy, Annie remained on her side of the screen.

“Leah?”

The girl blew her nose but did not respond.

“Did you sleep?” Annie heard Leah come in around eleven, so she knew she was in the house all night.

Sniffles.

“Are you hungry?”

“No.”

At least it was an answer.

“I could make you a cup of tea.”

“Okay.”

Progress.

Annie withdrew to the kitchen and started the kettle. Hopeful that Leah would accept some morning company, even without conversation, Annie took two mugs down from the shelf. She checked the kettle to make sure the water was warming and then stood in a classic impatient, foot-tapping pose, all the while listening to the noises coming from the other end of the house. The cat abandoned the quest for the outdoors and slinked back through the rooms.

At the first hint of a whistle, Annie grabbed the kettle and poured boiling water over green tea bags. She gripped one handle in each fist and followed the cat.

Leah had emerged from her bed and now sat in one of the chairs, her eyes red but dry. Annie handed her a mug and sat in the coordinating chair.

“I suppose you want to know what’s going on.” Leah blew on the hot tea.

“We have a deal.” Annie leaned back in her chair, hoping to appear far more nonchalant than she felt. “No questions.”

“So you don’t want to know?”

“I’m here to listen to whatever you want to tell me.” Annie’s heart raced.

“It’s been over a month! No letter in over a month. What if he doesn’t love me anymore?”

There it was.

On top of Leah’s heartbreak over being separated from her young man, she was in a panic over his lack of response. Thirteen days had passed since Annie’s letter to Matthew, and she had heard nothing, either.

“I’m sorry you’re hurting so much.” Leah’s anxiety was palpable, but Annie would not promise everything would be all right.

“Aren’t you going to say
Gottes wille?
That’s what everybody says to me when I’m unhappy.”

“I don’t think God means for us to be unhappy.”

“Then why doesn’t He fix things? He could make Aaron write a letter. He could make my parents understand that I love Aaron. He could give me a job so I can earn train fare to Pennsylvania. God could do lots of things, but He doesn’t.”

Annie moistened her lips and then hid them behind the mug of steaming tea. She hoped this disappointment would not put Leah over an edge Annie could not predict.

“So you going home for the weekend?” Marcus sliced through the bottom of a carton and stepped on it to flatten it.

“My friend should be here soon to drive me.” Rufus wiped sweat off his forehead then dropped the rag in his toolbox. His small bag of personal items, removed from the motel that morning, waited for him next to the door.

“I live up toward Cripple Creek or I would have been glad to drive you home,” Marcus said.

“That’s kind of you. Tom doesn’t mind coming.”

“Who would have thought we’d finish with this place in a week? You’re a speed demon when it comes to this stuff.” Marcus tossed the flat box on a stack in the corner.

Rufus gave a half smile. “I’ve had a lot of experience with cabinets.”

The door opened, and Jeff, their employer, came in. He nodded with approval. “Nice work, guys.”

“Thank you,” Rufus said.

“Look, this job went a lot faster than what I scheduled. I don’t have things firmed up for the next job yet. I’ve let everybody know to plan on a few days off, and I’ll call you next week and let you know where we’re going to be working.”

“Give a hint where?” Marcus said.

“Alamosa, probably,” Jeff answered.

Marcus groaned. “That’s a long drive. You have to go around half the world to get to Alamosa from here.”

“We have to follow the money, my friend.” Jeff gave a playful salute. “When you’re finished cleaning up, you can go. Talk to you next week.”

Rufus tugged on the brim of his hat in thought. Alamosa was on the other side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. None of the highways were a direct route on the map. On the other hand, Amish settlers were increasingly numerous in Alamosa and Monte Verde, far more than in Westcliffe. He might find a family to extend him hospitality.

His mind turned to Annalise and the land she did not know he owned. She did not know he was coming home, and now he could stay longer than just for the Sabbath.

The land meant to be home to Rufus and Annalise might keep his parents in their home. And Joel and Lydia and Sophie and Jacob. Before Annalise sold her thriving software business and gave away most of her money, she would have seen the funds the Beilers needed now as loose change. She could have solved their problems with a phone call and an electronic funds transfer.