The Photograph (31 page)

Lily laughed a little. “Honestly? So you and Eva obviously became friends in a very short time. Have you kept in touch
 . . . written
, perhaps?”

He hesitated, then figured she'd eventually hear the full account from Eva anyway. “Unfortunately things ended on a sour note between us. You see, I didn't tell her about the photograph right away like I should have.” He shook his head at the memory of Eva's shocked and befuddled expression that day. “Guess maybe she thought I was a little too taken with your photograph.”

“That's silly.” Lily laughed again.

Jed shifted in his seat, wishing he'd sat back there so they could talk more privately. This had become a very open conversation, considering George was hearing everything. “Actually, I was impressed
 . . .
but not by your picture, Lily.”

She placed her hand on her chin. “What do ya mean?”

“I paged through your book.”

“Not exactly male reading material,
jah
?” she said.

Jed chuckled. “You've got that right. But honestly, I was taken with your notes and what you chose to underline.”

She grimaced. “Jed—”

“What I'm sayin' is
 . . .”
He paused. “Okay, I understand how foolish this might sound to you.”

“You felt a connection with the person who wrote the notes?” Lily interrupted.

“Like minds, I guess you could say.”

Lily smiled and looked at
Little Women
. “My sister Eva is the dearest person to me, so I'm not surprised you would be impressed with her notes. Her thoughts are all over these pages.”

Jed frowned. “What?”

Lily's smile widened. “It's not my book, Jed. I only brought it along so I'd have something to remind me of Eva.”

The
book isn't Lily's?
Jed could not have imagined this.

Their driver, George, burst out with a chuckle. “Well, Jed, ain't that something?”

Jed and Lily joined in laughing at his unexpected interjection.

Moments later, Lily's smile disappeared as she glanced out the window, wringing her hands. “Thanks for takin' me home, Jed. But I'm so nervous.”

“They'll be excited to see you, so don't be,” Jed said.

Lily sighed again. “I hope so.”

Still amazed at Lily's revelation, Jed turned to watch for the turnoff to Eden Road as they headed south through rolling hills and pastureland. “Is this the quickest way?” he asked George.

“You seem anxious, too, Jed,” said Lily with a titter.

He glanced over his shoulder. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes now that they'd shared each other's secrets. “Do I, now?”

“After what you've told me, I'm not sure which of us is more keyed up.”

He chuckled. She was right. “Will ya put in a
gut
word for me with Eva?”

“I think you'll do fine without my help, honestly.”

He asked to see the book again one last time. Opening at random, Jed noticed one of his favorite notes:
Yearning for true love points us to the
all-lovely one—the great Lover of our hearts, the
Lord Jesus.

He wholeheartedly agreed.
To think it was Eva
all along
 . . .
from the very start,
he thought, closing the book.

———

The driver slowed to heed the speed limit on Eden Road, and as they gradually moved west, Jed spotted a line of lake willows
set back beside a broad meadow covered in wild daisies—and then his eye caught something more.
Can it be
?

“Let's stop here,” he instructed George. “Look there, Lily,” he said, opening his door, then getting out and opening Lily's. “Your sisters are sittin' over on a fence. See them?”

“I can't believe this. It's Eva's and my spot,” Lily said, her eyes dancing. Then, just as suddenly, she shrank back. “What if
 . . .
”

“Follow me,” Jed said, leading her.

Eva must have seen them; she was already running this way, her skirt tail flying. Frona was hurrying behind her, waving.

“Lily!” Eva called. “Oh, Lily, you've come home!”

Jed didn't have to look to know there were happy tears; he could hear Lily's sniffles. And then she took off toward her sisters.

Observing the heartwarming scene unfold, Jed hung back, letting Lily have the promised reunion in the grassy meadow.

“I don't have to introduce you to Jed, do I?” he heard Lily say.

Grinning, he reached down to pick one of the daisies.

———

Eva hugged Lily repeatedly—this was so unbelievable. Yet she'd longed for this moment every single day of Lily's absence. “God answered our prayers,” she said, reaching for Lily's hand. “He obviously wanted you home, where you belong.”

Frona started to laugh, though she was trying to smother it as she stared at Lily. “Your hair is, well, very different, sister.”

Another curl sprung loose as Lily reached up to touch it. “It's the worst thing I've ever done to myself.”

“
Ach
, it'll grow back,” Eva said with a tug on Lily's hand.

Lily glanced back at Jed, standing yards away. “Someone came a long way
 . . .
and not just to accompany me home,” she whispered.

Eva's glance followed her sister's, and she was struck again by how handsome Jed was. But she wasn't surprised to see him with
Lily. “I'm so glad Jed finally found you.” The thought was bittersweet, but she was too happy to see Lily again to let anything interfere with her joy. “He must've been awfully determined to manage to track ya down once he got back to Ohio.”

Lily broke free, her eyes alight with mischief. “
Jah
, I'll say he's determined
.
But the girl he was searchin' for was right here all along.”

Eva was confused. “I don't understand.”

Lily gazed earnestly into her face and gently held her by the shoulders. “Jed only came back with me to see you, Eva.”

“Are ya ever so sure?” she whispered, guarding her heart.

“Come, Frona, let's head for the van,” Lily said with a grin back at Eva. “We should leave the two lovebirds alone.”

Looking toward Jed, Eva walked to him, her heart in her throat.
Does Lily know what she's talking
about?

“Hullo again,” Jed said, offering a yellow daisy.

“
Denki
for bringin' my sister back to us. I don't know how to thank you.”

“It was the Lord's doing, but I have to admit I asked Him for a hand. S'pose you didn't expect to see me again so soon.”

She sniffed the flower, then looked up—his eyes were fixed on hers. “Seein' you is sure a welcome surprise, Jed.” She couldn't help but recall the times she'd prayed for peace in the midst of her bewilderment. And to think Lily was home again, and here Jed was, standing before her, too.

Frona
said he'd be back for more of my truffles
,
she thought, letting a smile take over her face.

They went to the van, where Jed asked George to take Frona and Lily home. “We're going to walk awhile.”

George nodded. “At your service.”

Lily let out a little giggle, and Frona shushed her before Jed closed their door.

“I want to tell you a little story,” Jed said as he fell into step with Eva on the dirt shoulder.

“Sounds nice. I like a
gut
story.”
Especially love stories,
she thought, wondering what was up his sleeve.

“This one's about a fella who was a little sweet on a girl he'd never met,” Jed began. “And then when he naïvely thought he'd met her, he knew he was a goner—she was better than he'd imagined.” He stooped to pick another flower and gave it to Eva. “Of course, he really confused things by not being straightforward with the girl—a mistake he's regretted ever since,” he added. “But then there was a twist he wasn't expecting.”

“Sounds like a mystery.” Eva liked this.

“One with a startling surprise at the end.”

“
Jah?
”

Jed nodded. “When the fella finally figures it all out.”

“And does the story end happily?”

“Well, that part's unfinished,” Jed said, catching her eye.

“Maybe we could finish it together,” Eva suggested.

They walked along slowly, the breeze warm on their faces. Birds twittered high overhead, flapping their wings as they soared against the wind. Eva noticed the run-in shed the neighbors had recently built for their horses, and the way the trees moved gracefully, as if somehow swaying to a heavenly melody.

At last Jed said, “I was wondering if I could borrow your copy of
Little
Women
.”

Startled, Eva turned her head quickly but saw the twinkle in his eye. She played along. “I'm afraid that book's just for women, Jed.”

He chuckled. “Well, I've already read a good portion of it. Besides, it's where I found Lily's photograph.”

Jed told her the full story, and her eyes widened.

“So you've been reading my secrets, have ya?”

Jed slowed his stride. “Can you forgive me?”

“Absolutely not.” Then she began to laugh.

He was grinning now and stopped walking to face her. “I said it before: I want to get to know you, Eva.”

She smiled. “Honestly, I think you already do.”

Eva couldn't help it—her heart sang as Jed reached for her hand and raised it slowly to his lips this shining Lord's Day afternoon.

I
F
SOMEONE
HAD
SAID
even a month ago that I'd be courted long-distance by a serious beau, I wouldn't have believed it. In addition to Jed's frequent letters, he visits me every other weekend. Abner and Naomi have opened their home to him when he's here, welcoming him as warmly as Dat and Mamma would have—they're sure Jed Stutzman was hand-picked by God for me. It's hard not to blush when Naomi privately tells me such things.

As for Lily, her longing for the fancy world is a thing of the past, and she has been cheerfully received back by the People. Our neighbors have gone out of their way to drop by to visit, some bearing red and pink bleeding hearts picked from their flower beds. Lily has fully embraced the Old Ways and even plans to join church come mid-September. She revealed this recently when we wandered out to our old playhouse together, where she confessed to having taken the
Little Women
quote jotted down decades ago.

“When I left home, I needed something of
my early roots,”
Lily explained.
“That's why I took
your book, too.”
While we were there,
Lily also made a point of explaining why she hadn't written for so long after her disappearance.
“And even then, I
had someone mail my one and only letter from Wooster
, in case ya noticed the postmark. I was awful selfish, not wanting you to come lookin' for me.”

Together, we slipped the quote back into its narrow quarters along the window frame. It was a meaningful moment, and we decided that, perhaps in the future, one of our own little girls might discover the words hidden in the playhouse, since Menno has promised not to turn it into firewood. Thanks to Frona!

When I think of leaving Eden Valley behind someday, I know how much I'll miss my family, and our dear neighbors, too. But being Jed's bride will be worth the parting many times over—should he ask me.

I'm so thankful to have met a man who shares my heart. Nice as Alfred is, I could never have settled for him. Here lately Miriam Dienner told Naomi Mast that Alfred has met someone in Wisconsin. It's comforting to know, because Alfred deserves someone to love him, too.

During blistering August, when the cornstalks towered high over us and the humid days stretched longer than the nights, Jed came to Eden Valley for another visit and borrowed Abner's family carriage to take me riding.

He eased back in the seat and slipped his arm around me. “I've been talkin' with Jonas Byler about renting his carriage shop, and all the tools and equipment, too, just till I can afford to officially take over his business. My time with him and his many connections will be awful handy once I relocate to Lancaster County.”

“Oh, Jed.” Happy tears welled up. “You're movin'
here
.”

We talked further about his plans, including Perry Hostetler's eagerness to run Uncle Ervin's buggy shop. Jed also wanted me
to attend his sister Bettina's wedding in Ohio. “My family can meet you at last.”

“Are ya sure you want to move away from them?”

“Why wouldn't I?” He cupped my face with his hands and looked deep into my eyes. “My heart's right here, Eva
 . . .
with you.”

The following May, when the lily-flowered tulips painted the beds yellow along my parents' former front porch, Jed dropped by to see me at Abner Masts'. I had accepted their kind offer to stay with them once Menno and his family settled into my childhood home last October.

Jed wanted to walk around “our” pond, and I felt sure something was up. The willow grove behind the Masts' house was bursting with new foliage, and there beneath the heavenly green canopy, Jed bent down and kissed my cheek. “I've been thinking 'bout something,” he said furtively. “But everything hinges on one thing.” He paused and smiled tenderly. “Only one.”

I felt nearly breathless. “What is it?”

He rubbed his smooth chin. “I'm wonderin' if ya still have that recipe for those tasty truffles,” he said solemnly.

“Believe me, I would never think of losin' that top-secret recipe!”

“
Des gut,
'cause if you'll have me as your husband this wedding season, those truffles would be perfect at the feast.”

I started laughing so hard I could hardly stop.

“Well, I hope
that's
not your answer,” he said, feigning horror. “I mean, a hearty laugh instead of: ‘
Jah, Jed, I'
ll be happy to marry ya.
'”

“Oh, you!” I tried to regain my poise, taking a deep breath. “I would be honored to make irresistible sweets for ya all the days of your life.”

Jed made a big show of wiping his brow. “
Ach
, you had me worried.”

“Don't be silly.” I rose up on my tiptoes to kiss his chin.

“My whole family will want to come for our wedding,” Jed said. “That is, once I inform them that you've agreed to marry me.”

“And I surely have.” My heart was as full as a cream-filled bonbon.

“By the way, I've got an idea. My uncle, a few years older than Frona, might be her ideal match.”

“Really? Surely not a
perfect
match?”

“Considering he's nearly as tetchy as Frona can be, they might be cheerfully prickly together.”

I smiled. “And just when do ya plan to introduce this relative of yours?”

“At our wedding, of course.”

“If it's a match,” I said, the wheels turning in my mind, “Frona won't have much reason to worry anymore.”

“And Lily?”

“Oh, I assume she'll continue being a mother's helper for Bena, at least for the time being. Or do you have more unmarried kin up your sleeve?”

Jed's laughter rang out. “I'll see what I can do.”

Later, the sun beat hard on the gray vinyl roof of Jonas's buggy as we rode, coming upon Ida Mae's roadside vegetable stand down the way. We waved and she motioned for us to stop and have some ice-cold lemonade. “Freshly made,” she said, bringing two tumblers to the buggy.

“What do ya know? A lemonade drive-in,” Jed joked as he reached into his pocket.

Ida Mae refused his payment. “It's the least I can do for you two.”

The word's out.
I glanced lovingly at Jed.

Thanking her, we headed onward, and it was a joy to see this verdant area through his eyes, especially when he stopped in front of a modest clapboard house on the east end of Eden Road and pointed to the
For Sale
sign out front.

“Lookee there.” He leaned forward. “I wonder how hard it would be for someone to build a candy shop in back.” Jed turned to wink at me.

“Are you kiddin'?” I whispered, searching his dear face.

He admired the house again. “Seems solidly built—perfect, too, for tourists comin' in and out of the lane.”

My smile was so big, I could feel it stretch clear across my face. “When can we see it?” I paused, realizing I was jumping ahead of Jed. “I mean . . .”

He pulled into the lane and checked his wristwatch. “The real estate agent should be arriving right about now.”

My heart was beating wildly. To think I'd worried about having to someday leave my family and Eden Valley!

Later, after seeing every inch of the lovely house, we took our time while driving back toward Abner Mast's place. And as we turned into the drive, I noticed the front porch swing moving in the breeze.

“I know my parents would've liked you,” I said when Jed came around to offer a hand.

“Somehow, I hope they know how happy you are, Eva.”

“Oh, I trust so.” I could hear Abner calling his lead cow in his down-to-earth way, ready to bring the herd home for afternoon milking.

“I'll water the horse,” Jed told me. “You go in and talk to Naomi. I'm sure you want to.”

With all of my heart, I did. I hurried across the yard, past Naomi's rainbow of peonies in mature bloom, a gift from Mamma years ago. Standing on the side porch, I took in the rich array of
pinks, whites, and crimsons.
Gifts of love live on and on.
I thought of these flowers appearing every springtime
 . . .
and of Dat and Mamma's sweet love for each other and for all of us.

Jah,
they would rejoice in my love for Jed.
The man I was born to love.