As Ruth neared the back door with a jug of iced tea and a pitcher of lemonade in each hand, she almost collided with Abe Wengerd, who had just entered the house.
“Ach, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was there.” His face had turned nearly as red as his hair.
“No harm was done.” Ruth took a step back, being careful not to spill the beverages. “How are your kinner doing? I assume they’re home with your sister today?”
Abe nodded. “They’re getting along okay with Sue, but they still miss their mamm. That’s especially true with Esta. She seems to be taking Alma’s death harder than the others.” He smiled, but it appeared to be forced. “I appreciate the kindness you showed Esta on the day of Alma’s funeral.”
As Ruth thought about that sorrowful day, she remembered her promise to buy Esta one of Martha’s puppies. “Esta seemed interested in having one of my sister’s hundlin. Would that be all right with you?”
Abe’s forehead wrinkled. “I can’t afford to buy any pedigree dogs right now.”
“Oh no. I was planning to buy the dog for Esta.”
The lines in his forehead deepened. “Why would you do that?”
“I thought having a puppy to care for would be good for Esta. It might help her deal with losing her mamm better if she had a dog to take her mind off her grief.”
Abe compressed his lips, mulling the offer over. Finally, he nodded. “Jah, okay, but she’ll have to be responsible for the hundli. My older kinner already have critters to care for, so they won’t have time to babysit hers.”
“I’ll make that clear to Esta when I bring the puppy over.” Ruth smiled. “Would tomorrow be a good time, since it’s an off-Sunday from church?”
Abe nodded. “That’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be over sometime before noon.” Ruth moved toward the door again. “I’d better get these cold drinks out to the men.”
Abe held the door, and Ruth stepped outside. Martin was sitting on the porch swing, and her heart skipped a beat when he smiled at her.
“What took you so long?” he asked.
“I was on my way out when Abe Wengerd came into the house. I asked if it would be okay with him if I brought one of my sister’s puppies over to his house tomorrow. I’m buying it for Esta.”
“That’s real nice of you.” Martin stood and reached for the jug of iced tea. “Let me carry that for you.”
“Danki.”
As they walked up the driveway leading to Cleon and Grace’s new house, Martin commented on the unseasonably warm spring weather they were having.
Ruth nodded. “I hope it’s not a sign that summer will be hot and dry.”
“Never know what the weather will bring.”
As they neared the house, he stopped and turned to face her. “Say, I was wondering …”
She tipped her head. “What were you wondering?”
“Would you mind me going with you when you take the puppy to Esta? It would give us a chance to spend some time together.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Maybe afterward, we can drive over to the pond near Abe’s place and see if the fish are jumping.”
“I’d like that,” she said as they began walking again.
When they reached the work site, the crisp scent of wood being sawed mingled with the acidic aroma of sweaty bodies, and Ruth knew the men were in need of a break. She set the jug of lemonade on a piece of plywood that had been placed over some sawhorses, and Martin did the same with the iced tea.
“Guess I’ll have a glass of lemonade and then get back to work,” he said.
“Aren’t you going to take a break with the other men?”
“I took my break while I was waiting for you on the porch.” Martin gave her a heart-melting smile and headed toward the house.
Martha and Sadie showed up with a tray of cookies and a pot of coffee. Ruth motioned Martha to one side. “Can I speak to you a minute?”
“Jah, sure. What’s up?”
“I’d like to buy one of Heidi’s hundlin.”
Martha’s eyebrows lifted. “I never thought you’d want to buy one of my puppies.”
“The puppy’s not for me; it’s for Esta Wengerd. I thought it might help her deal with her mamm’s death a little better.”
“Then I should just give her a pup.”
Ruth shook her head. “You’re trying to build up your business so you can buy more dogs for breeding. I insist on paying for the puppy.”
“You’re a good sister and a good friend to little Esta.” Martha gave Ruth a hug. “When did you plan to take the puppy to her?”
“Since tomorrow’s an off-Sunday, I thought I’d head over to the Wengerds’ sometime after breakfast.”
Martha smiled. “Sounds good to me. I’ll have the puppy ready for you then.”
“Guess I’ll go back to our place now and see what Mom has for me to do.”
“Sadie and I will serve the men their snacks, then we’ll come back to the house to help get lunch ready to serve.”
When Ruth returned to the house, she found Grace and Mom sitting at the table, drinking lemonade. “I figured you’d be making sandwiches by now,” she said.
Mom smiled. “They’re already made, and since the rest of the women have gone outside to either check on their kinner or see how things are going with the house, Grace and I decided to take a break.”
“Guess I will, too, then.” Ruth pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’ll be taking one of Martha’s puppies over to Esta Wengerd tomorrow, so I hope you haven’t made any plans that will include me.”
Mom shook her head. “Your daed and I thought we would visit my sister, Clara, but there’s no need for you to go along.”
“If you’re goin’ to see Esta, can I go, too?”
Ruth turned at the sound of Anna’s voice. She hadn’t realized her six-year-old niece had come into the room. The child’s vivid blue eyes were wide with expectation, while a wisp of dark-colored hair peeked out of her kapp and curled around her ear. Not since before the fire had Ruth seen Grace’s daughter looking so enthused. There was no way she could say no to Anna’s request. “If it’s all right with your mamm, you can ride along,” she told the child.
Anna hurried to her mother’s side. “Can I go with Aunt Ruth to see Esta?”
Grace nodded and gave her daughter a hug. “It’s fine with me.”
Ruth thought about Martin’s offer to drive her over to Abe’s place and wondered how he would feel about Anna tagging along. It meant they wouldn’t get to spend time alone, but she hoped he would understand.
Martin had just started up the ladder on the back side of the house when he heard angry-sounding voices nearby. He glanced to the left and spotted Ruth’s dad talking to Luke.
“Your carelessness could have caused serious injury to my daughter.” Roman squeezed his fingers around his straw hat so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“It was an accident; the hammer slipped out of my hand.” Luke looked over at Martin. “You were there when it happened. Tell Roman I didn’t drop the hammer on purpose.”
Martin swallowed hard, not sure how to respond. Even though it had appeared to be an accident, he wasn’t sure it was. Fact was, he didn’t trust Luke Friesen and had been relieved when Ruth broke up with him.
“Speak up,” Luke said, moving closer to Martin. “Tell the man how the hammer slipped out of my hand and slid down the roof.”
“It did that, all right,” Martin said with a nod. “And if you’ll recall, I told you that you needed to be more careful.”
“What he needs to do is stay away from my daughter.” Roman planted his hands on his hips and stared hard at Luke. “I don’t trust you. Haven’t since we found your sunglasses on the ground under my wife’s clothesline that somebody cut.”
“Well, it wasn’t me.” Luke’s eyes darkened to the color of the night sky.
Roman continued to glare at Luke. The tension between them blazed like a hot fire. “Why’d you come here today?”
“To help rebuild Cleon and Grace’s house, same as all the others who came.”
“Everywhere you go, trouble seems to follow. I’d appreciate it if you’d go home.” Roman’s eyebrows furrowed. “Better yet, go on back to John Peterson’s woodworking shop and do some work there. He’s still your employer, isn’t he?”
Luke kicked at a dirt clod with the toe of his boot. “John and I both took the day off so we could help here.”
“I appreciate John showing up, but you can spend your day off doing something else, because you’re not welcome in this place!”
Luke grabbed his work pouch from the patch of grass where he’d laid it and stalked off.
Roman looked over at Martin and slowly shook his head. “I don’t trust that fellow.”
Martin glanced across the yard. When he saw Luke heading toward his buggy, he made a promise to himself. Whenever Luke’s around Ruth, I’m going to keep a close watch on things.