Where are you going?” Mom asked as Martha headed for the back door. “If we don’t get this kitchen cleaned up right away, we’ll be late for Sadie and Toby’s wedding.”
Martha grabbed a shawl from the wall peg near the door. “I know, but I want to check on Heidi’s puppies.”
Mom sighed as she lifted her gaze toward the ceiling. “You and those hundlin. I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t late for your own wedding because you were checking on some dog.”
“Heidi’s puppies are only a couple of days old, Mom. I need to be sure all five are getting plenty of milk. One of them’s a runt, you know.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine. Heidi did well with her last batch of pups, didn’t she?”
Martha nodded. “Except for that one pup I found dead in the yard.”
“Accidents happen,” Mom said. “I know.”
“My point is,” Mom said in a patient tone, “that you spend too much time with your hundlin and not enough time socializing. You’ll never find a husband if you don’t take an interest in courting.”
“I’d need to find someone interested in courting me first.”
Mom reached for the dishwashing liquid. “I’m sure the right man’s out there. You’ve just got to look for him.”
I’ve already found him; I just can’t tell you who he is, Martha thought as she draped her woolen shawl across her shoulders. Besides, Luke may never come to like me the way I do him. “I’ll dry the dishes as soon as I get back from the barn,” she said.
Ruth entered the room just then. “I’ll dry the dishes so Martha can check on her hundlin.” She grabbed a sponge from the counter and began wiping off the tablecloth. “I know she wants to be sure they’re all right before we leave for the wedding.”
“Danki, Ruth.”
“You’re welcome.” Ruth made a clicking noise with her tongue as she wagged a finger in Martha’s direction. “Just make sure you’re not checking on puppies the day of my wedding. I can’t have my main attendant being late to the service.”
“I promise I won’t be late.” Martha slipped out the door and hurried for the barn. She found it unlocked, but that was no surprise since Dad had done his chores earlier that morning. Ever since the paint episode, he’d been locking the barn door at night. It remained unlocked during the day, but Martha wasn’t too concerned because someone was usually at home.
When Martha entered the dog run where she kept Heidi and her pups, she gasped. One of the puppies was dead! Her thoughts went to the day she’d found one of Heidi’s first batch of pups with a broken neck. It was the puppy she’d promised to give Grace’s daughter, Anna. The child had been devastated, refusing the offer of another pup. Martha had never figured out the reason the puppy had broken its neck, but she had a hunch someone might have done it on purpose.
“I’m sorry, Heidi,” Martha said, patting the sheltie’s head. “I hope this puppy wasn’t the victim of another attack.”
Heidi whimpered and lifted her head as Martha reached into the box and picked up the dead pup. It was the runt of the litter. Maybe it hadn’t been foul play, after all. The barn door had been locked last night. Perhaps the puppy hadn’t been getting enough milk or had gotten stuck under its mother and smothered. Now she was down to only four puppies, which meant one less pup to sell. Would she ever get her kennel business going well enough to make a decent living? Hopefully, Polly, her female beagle who was due to have a litter soon, would deliver a healthy bunch of pups. Most shelties sold for anywhere from $300 to $350, but beagles only brought in $200 to $250 if they were trained to run rabbits. Martha would be grateful for whatever she made from either of her female dogs.
She glanced down at the limp pup in her hand. Maybe I’m not supposed to raise hundlin. Maybe I should look for a full-time job. She shook her head. No, I’m happiest when I’m caring for my dogs.
“What do you mean you’ve got to work today?” Luke’s mother asked when Luke announced that he wouldn’t be going to Sadie and Toby’s wedding.
“It’s Thursday, Mom,” Luke said around a mouthful of oatmeal. “John wasn’t invited to the wedding, and he’s open for business as usual.”
“Couldn’t you have asked for the day off to attend your friend’s wedding?” she persisted.
“I didn’t feel like I could. We’ve got a lot of orders. John needs me in the shop while he makes some deliveries. Besides, Toby and I aren’t getting along so well these days. I doubt he’ll even miss me.”
“Of course he will.” Mom reached over and touched Luke’s arm. “You and Toby have been friends since you were kinner.”
“We used to be friends. Here lately, though, all we do is argue.”
“Can’t you bury your differences for one day? You know what the Bible says about—”
“If the boy says he has to work today, then he has to work,” Luke’s dad said as he stepped into the room. “We should be grateful our son has a good-paying job, Betty.”
Mom’s dark eyebrows furrowed as she took a sip of her tea. “I am grateful. I just think Luke should be at Toby’s wedding.”
Luke opened his mouth to comment, but his dad cut him off. “It’s not as if he’s one of Toby’s witnesses, you know.”
“That’s true. Even so—”
“We’d better drop this discussion and eat our breakfast, or the two of us will be late for Toby’s wedding,” Pop said as he sat at the head of the table.
Mom nodded. “Jah, okay,”
The spicy aroma of cinnamon wafted up to Luke’s nose as he poked his piece of toast into the oatmeal and dipped it up and down. Mom always seemed to be fussing about something these days. She wanted him to join the church, find a good woman, and get married. Luke had other things on his mind right now, and marriage wasn’t one of them. At least it hadn’t been until he’d taken an interest in Martha.
I need to do something to fix things between me and Roman, he thought. I need to find a way to get back into his good graces and remove my name from the list of suspects Martha’s working on.
Martha had a hard time concentrating on Sadie and Toby’s wedding as she sat on one of the backless wooden benches with some other women her age. All she could think about were Heidi’s pups and whether the four surviving ones would be all right. She’d been relieved that Dad had agreed to lock the barn before they left home that morning. At least she didn’t have to worry about anyone breaking in while they were gone.
She glanced over at the men’s side of the room, searching for Luke. He wasn’t in sight. Had he stayed home from the wedding because of the disagreement he’d had with Toby the other day, or had he been expected to work for John? Probably the latter, she decided. Luke might not appreciate the way Toby got under his skin, but Martha didn’t think he would deliberately skip out on the wedding because he had a grudge against Toby.
Martha clutched the folds in her dress. I hope he’s able to be at Ruth and Abe’s wedding in January. It’s going to be a joyous occasion, but it won’t be nearly as joyous for me if he’s not there.
When Toby’s father called for the bridal couple to step forward, Martha’s attention was drawn to the front of the room. Her eyes misted when she saw Sadie look lovingly at her groom. Toby looked happy, too, wearing a smile as wide as the Ohio River.
If Luke would only look at me like that. If he would just ask to court me.
Anxious to get out of the stuffy house where a third group of guests had been served their wedding meal, Roman stepped onto the Eshes’ back porch for a breath of fresh air. The sun shone brightly on this crisp November afternoon. A group of children frolicked on the lawn, while several young people milled about.
“You’re looking kind of wistful,” Bishop King said as he stepped up beside Roman and motioned to the children in the yard. “Are you wishing you were young again?”
Roman shook his head. “Although I’d be happy to have half their energy.”
“Me, too.”
“How’s it feel to have your youngest buwe married off?”
“It feels rather good. I’m happy my boy’s found a nice fraa and will soon be starting a family of his own.” The bishop grunted. “Not like Toby’s so-called friend, Luke, who didn’t care enough to come to the wedding.”
“Maybe he had to work today.”
“Humph! You’d think he could have taken the day off to see his friend get married.”
“Could be his boss had lots of work and wouldn’t give Luke the day off.” Roman didn’t know why he was defending Luke. Truth was, he didn’t trust the fellow any further than he could throw one of his buggy horses. The whole time Luke had been working for him, he’d acted cocky, like he thought he knew more than Roman did about woodworking. Luke had been late to work on more than one occasion, too, which made Roman think he was lazy and undependable. If Luke were his son, he would lay down the law and tell him he either had to settle down and join the Amish church or move out. But no, Luke’s folks simply looked the other way while Luke pretty much did as he pleased.
Roman grimaced. Who am I to talk? My oldest daughter took off for a time during her rumschpringe, and we didn’t even know where she was. Then there was my sister, Rosemary, who left the Amish faith when she was eighteen years old. For the next thirty years, we never heard a word from her.
The bishop nudged Roman’s arm. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just been given a hefty dose of cod liver oil.”
“I’m fine. Just thinking about the past, is all.”
“How far back were you thinking?”
“Back to when Rosemary left home.”
“But she came back last year, and the two of you have made your peace. I don’t see why you’d be brooding about that now.”
Roman stretched his arms over his head then lowered them and reached around to rub the small of his back. His muscles always tightened up whenever he felt overly stressed. “Sometimes, even when I think I’ve let go of the past and given everything over to God, something happens or someone says something that brings it all to light again.”
Bishop King’s bushy eyebrows drew together. “I hope it wasn’t anything I said that got you mulling over the past.”
Roman shook his head. “I guess the mention of Luke Friesen is what set me off.”
“You don’t still think he’s responsible for the attacks against you, I hope.”
“I don’t know.” Roman shrugged. “I guess several people might have a grudge against me, but Luke seems the most likely.”
The bishop leaned against the porch railing and stared into the yard. “I’ve never really believed Luke was capable of doing any of those things to your family, but after a couple of discussions I’ve had with him and his folks, I’ll have to admit that I am a bit concerned.”
“You think Luke’s the guilty one?”
“It’s not that. What’s got me concerned is that Luke is twenty-two years old and still hasn’t decided to join the church.” The bishop grimaced. “From what Toby’s told me, Luke’s still running around with a couple of wild English fellows.”
Roman nodded. “So I’ve heard.”
The bishop’s voice lowered as he leaned closer to Roman. “Toby also told me that Luke’s got a truck he keeps hidden in the woods because he doesn’t want his folks to know.”
“Puh!” Roman waved his hand. “A lot of young Amish fellows who haven’t yet joined the church own a car. Many keep ‘em right on their folks’ property.”
“That’s true, but Luke’s parents have always been very strict about that kind of thing. They’ve never let any of their kinner keep a car on their property, so I’m sure they won’t abide by Luke doing it, either.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Toby’s told me a lot about Luke over the years, and one of the things he’s said is that Luke tends to be strong willed and moody and always wants his way on things.” The bishop slowly shook his head. “Unless Luke has a change of heart, I fear he might never settle down and join the church.”
“You think he’ll decide to jump the fence and go English?”
“Could be.”
Roman grunted. “Maybe it would be for the best if he did. I wouldn’t want someone like Luke courting or marrying any of my daughters!”
“Grace is already married, and Ruth will be soon, so that only leaves you one daughter to worry about.”
“Jah, well, I’m sure Martha would never be interested in the likes of Luke Friesen. She’s got better sense than that.”
“That was sure a nice wedding, wasn’t it?” Mom asked as she turned and smiled at Martha and Ruth, who sat in the back of their family’s buggy.
Ruth nodded. “Sadie seemed real happy to be marrying Toby.”
“They’d been courting quite awhile before they were published,” Mom said. “Sadie might have been worried that Toby would never ask her to marry him.”
“Oh, Toby didn’t ask her; it was the other way around.” Martha winced when Ruth’s elbow connected with her ribs.
“You weren’t supposed to say anything,” Ruth protested. “I told you that in confidence.”
“Sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Did Sadie really propose marriage to Toby?” Mom asked.
Ruth nodded, and her face flamed. “She wanted me to do the same with Abe, and I sort of did.”
“You did what?” Dad craned his neck to look back at Ruth.
Martha, fearful that their buggy might run off the road, pointed up ahead.
“Don’t worry,” Dad said with a shake of his head. “Jeb won’t leave the road unless I tell him to.”
Mom touched Dad’s shoulder. “Just the same, Roman, I’d feel more comfortable if you kept your focus straight ahead.”
“Jah, okay,” he mumbled, turning back around.
“Now, Ruth,” Mom said, “tell us about how you sort of proposed to Abe.”
The color in Ruth’s cheeks deepened. “Well, Sadie had mentioned reading the story of Ruth in the Bible, and she got the bright idea that I should do something that would let Abe know I was interested in him and wanted to be his wife.”
“Don’t tell me you lay at Abe’s feet?” Mom said with a gasp.
Ruth shook her head. “Of course not. I did, however, take a seat at the end of the sofa, and his legs were stretched out—one still in a cast.”
“What happened?” Martha prompted. “Did you ask him to marry you?”
“I asked if he could think of me as an acceptable wife.”
“How did Abe respond?” Mom asked.
“He reminded me that we’re ten years apart and said he thought I could find a younger man.” Ruth paused and sucked in her bottom lip. “I can’t imagine what Abe must have thought about my boldness.”
“He must have agreed to marry you, or else you wouldn’t be making plans to be married in January,” Martha pointed out.
“Our conversation was interrupted when Abe got the news that Willis had fallen in the pond.” Ruth sighed deeply. “Some time after Willis’s funeral, I found Abe in the barn, offering Gideon comfort because he blamed himself for his brother’s death. It was then that Abe finally asked me to marry him.”
“I’m sure it was the Lord’s timing,” Mom said as she turned back to the front of the buggy. “Just as all things are.”
“Wasn’t that Steven Bates’s car I saw going in the opposite direction?” Ruth asked.
Dad grunted. “Jah, and I gave him a friendly wave, but he didn’t bother to wave back.”
“Maybe he didn’t know it was you,” Mom said.
“I’m sure he knew who I was, Judith. The man looked right at me as he went past. He never cracked a smile.”
Mom said nothing more. Martha figured it was because she knew Dad would only rehash the past if the subject of Steven Bates continued.
Martha’s thoughts went to Luke. A couple of years back when Luke was still working for Dad, some cabinets Steven had ordered for his wife fell off the back of the wagon Luke had used to deliver them. Steven had blamed Dad for it, and Dad put the blame on Luke. Steven had also told Dad that he was done doing business with him. Ever since then, Steven hadn’t spoken to Dad. Talking about Steven, the broken cabinets, or Luke always set Dad on edge.
Martha leaned her head against the back of the padded wooden seat. Would God see fit to bring her and Luke together, the way He had Ruth and Martin and then Ruth and Abe? It seemed doubtful, since Dad didn’t care for Luke.
The buggy jostled this way and that, and Martha’s eyes grew heavy.
Sometime later, the buggy lurched as Dad gave a sharp pull on the reins and guided the horse up their driveway. They drove past Dad’s woodworking shop, and then their house came into view.
“Look, Roman,” Mom cried. “Someone’s thrown eggs all over the side of our house!”
Ruth gasped. “There’s a headless scarecrow on our front porch, too!”
Dad halted the horse and jumped down from the buggy. Martha watched as he leaped onto the porch, bent over to study the scarecrow, and plucked something off the scarecrow’s shirt. With a grim expression, he marched back to the buggy and waved a piece of paper in the air. “I can’t believe it!”
“What is it?” Mom asked, leaning out the opening on her side of the buggy.
He handed her the paper. “This!”
Mom’s voice quavered as she read the words: “IT’S NOT OVER YET. BE PREPARED FOR MORE.”