Chapter Twenty-Six
Hope’s cheeks still burned from being so forward with Micah. She’d been so glad he and Chloe hadn’t been hurt, she’d gotten carried away in her relief. And she’d made a fool of herself in front of everyone—Daed, Priscilla, and most of all Logan. Now he’d never believe her denials.
Logan led the pony past them without meeting her eyes. “I’ll rub him down.”
“Thanks.” Hope wanted to assure him that her hug had only been for Chloe, but she couldn’t lie. And she couldn’t explain in front of everyone.
As he passed Priscilla, Logan said, “I’m sorry about this.” He squatted in front of Asher. “Maybe we can reschedule your lesson.”
“I’ll check with Hope.” Priscilla thanked him and strode over to Hope. “I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, but I’ll take Asher and go now.”
“He hasn’t had his lesson.” Hope owed her best friend an apology. Of all the people who deserved a lesson, Priscilla should be first on the list. Without her, Hope wouldn’t have this business.
Asher stood beside his older sister, flicking the brim of his hat.
Priscilla leaned closer to Hope and whispered, “Asher does that when he’s upset, so we’d better leave.” Then she took Asher’s other hand and led him to their buggy.
Hope wished she could ask Priscilla to stay, but she and Logan had another student arriving soon. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow at church,” Hope called after her, and Priscilla waved her acknowledgment.
After Logan disappeared into the barn and Priscilla’s buggy rolled down the driveway, Daed clenched his hands together. “Chloe’s accident was my fault.” He stared at the ground. “I was supposed to ask Micah to fix that harness.”
The harness. Hope had almost forgotten about her request.
“Then it’s my fault,” Micah said. “You told me you needed a harness fixed. I should have asked which one and taken it to my shop.”
“No, that wasn’t your responsibility.” Hope hastened to reassure him. He deserved no blame.
But where had Chloe found the harness? If it had been with the rest of the tack, she and Logan would have seen Chloe dragging it out of the barn.
Hope turned to Daed, who squirmed.
“I’m sorry, Hope.” He lowered his head and mumbled, “When I said I’d get the harness for Micah, I, umm, did something else.”
Something like steal from the cashbox. “But the harness was gone from the tack room.”
“I didn’t want you to know I lied about why I went out to the barn, so I leaned the harness on the other side of the old shed.” He pointed to a ramshackle shed on the far side of the backyard.
How had Chloe found the harness? Hope squeezed her eyes shut as Daed continued his confession.
“I was going to give it to Micah that day, but once you found out about—”
Hope’s eyes flew open. Was Daed blaming her?
He held up a hand. “That was no excuse for forgetting to give it to Micah. Like I said, this is all my fault.”
A heaviness weighed down Hope’s spirits. Not only had Daed’s gambling cost them money, it had almost injured a small girl. A small girl she cared about. A small girl she wanted to protect. A small girl who’d just lost her parents.
Rather than lash out at Daed, Hope prayed for patience and control. “When the harness was gone from the tack room, I assumed Micah had it.” She could barely get out the words.
Daed looked from one to the other. “I’m so sorry.” Then he met Hope’s gaze again. “For everything.” Tears formed in Daed’s eyes. This time he seemed genuinely remorseful. Maybe realizing he’d almost hurt Chloe had made an impression.
Micah stared at the two of them, confusion written on his face. Hope lowered her lashes. She couldn’t look him in the eye. How could she explain about Daed’s gambling? Or her reasons for hiding their family’s shameful secret? Maybe concealing it all these years had been a mistake. But she hadn’t realized anyone might get hurt.
Daed looked Micah in the eye. “I’m to blame for putting Chloe in danger. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course.” Micah squeezed Chloe’s shoulder. “She’s fine, and it’s all over, except . . .” He glanced down at Chloe.
She hung her head and scuffed one foot in the dirt. “I’m sorry.”
“I think we all learned an important lesson today,” Hope said.
Chloe brightened. “I did. I learned God answers prayers.” She looked up at them, her eyes shining. “I prayed and prayed out there that God would help me. And He did.”
Hope smiled down at her. “I’m so glad, Chloe.” Then she met Micah’s joy-filled eyes and couldn’t look away.
* * *
Micah rejoiced that Chloe had been willing to pray. He hoped it would be a big step on her way back to believing in God.
Hope’s enthusiastic response had touched him, and the mesmerizing blue of her eyes drew him in. Micah was lost, drowning in their depths.
If Logan hadn’t arrived to break the spell, Micah had no idea how long he and Hope would have locked eyes.
“So what happened?” Logan demanded. “The leather on that harness was so badly worn, it snapped under pressure.”
“I’m sorry,” Daed said. “I wish I’d given it to Micah instead of . . .”
Micah couldn’t let Isaac take all the blame. “Hope mentioned it to me, and I should have asked about it.”
Logan’s stare skimmed from Daed to Micah, and he crossed his arms. “Is everyone trying to sabotage this business?”
Hope jumped in. “No one is sabotaging anything.”
She surprised and impressed Micah with her willingness to correct Logan. Had she been standing up to him that day in the office too? How often did he confront her? Micah longed to protect her.
To his surprise, Logan appeared contrite. He mumbled something that might have even been “Sorry.” Then he said, “We need to check all the equipment immediately. We can’t chance having another accident.”
Micah stepped forward. “I can do that. I’ll make any needed repairs.”
Logan looked at him askance, and once again Hope hurried to Micah’s defense. “Micah owns Miller’s Harness Shop in town.”
“Really?” Logan seemed skeptical. “That’s where I go for all my repairs and new purchases. Very reliable and top-quality products. How come I’ve never seen you there?”
“I just moved here from New York to take over my brother’s—”
Logan cut him off. “I’m sorry, man. I should have made the connection.” A slight flush slid across Logan’s high cheekbones. “I—we appreciate you looking at the tack.”
“No problem.”
“By the way,” Logan continued, “you did an awesome job out there earlier.”
“Thanks, so did you.” If Logan hadn’t come along when he did, Micah might have dragged on the pony’s reins and maybe ended up tipping Chloe out of the cart. She could have been badly hurt.
“It’s my job.” Logan brushed off the praise. “Speaking of jobs, we have a student coming in”—he glanced at his watch—“about five minutes.”
“Looks like she’s already here.” Hope nodded toward the driveway, where a car had just turned in.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” Micah said. “Chloe, let’s go. Where’s Jabin?”
At his question, Hope pointed to the porch, where Jabin stood with his hands clenched together and his eyes squinched.
She beckoned to him. “Are you all right?” she asked as soon as she was near.
“Chloe made me scared,” he admitted.
Micah put an arm around his nephew’s shoulder. “She frightened all of us.”
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said. “I just wanted to have fun.”
“I thought you were going to die.” Jabin pressed a knuckle against his lips and looked ready to cry. “And Micah too. Then I’d be all alone.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Chloe went over and took her brother’s hand.
Micah knelt and embraced them both. “I’m so grateful to God to have both of you.” When he glanced up and met Hope’s teary eyes, he wished his hug could include one more.
* * *
Hope’s heart overflowed with longing as Micah cuddled the twins. If only she had the right to join them. Warmth flooded her as she pictured the earlier scene when she’d rushed over and—
“Are you ready for our student?” Logan’s sharp question interrupted her musing.
She pulled her attention from Micah and placed it on Maritza, who was trailing behind her father. And she did her best to keep it there as they taught Maritza and, later, explained their planned program to her father.
Usually, Hope loved this work, but today, she couldn’t wait for their one o’clock meal break. The morning’s scare with Chloe had drained all her energy, and her memory of hugging Micah brought both exhilaration and chagrin.
“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” Logan asked as they waved goodbye to Maritza’s disappearing car.
Hope didn’t answer. She’d rather not get into another disagreement with Logan.
“He’s an OK guy,” Logan admitted. “He jumped right in and rescued Chloe. That took a lot of guts.”
“Especially with his fear of horses.”
Logan’s brows rose. “You’ve mentioned that before. He didn’t appear frightened. He dove right in there.”
“Probably because he put Chloe’s safety above his terror.”
“Touché.”
“Huh?” Hope stared at him, unsure what he meant.
“I know you didn’t intend it as a criticism of me, but your jab hit its mark.”
Hope frowned as she went back over her words, trying to figure out how she’d hurt Logan. “All I said was, Micah overcame his fears.”
“By thinking about someone else’s welfare.” Logan rubbed his forehead. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, most of my decisions are for my own benefit.”
“I didn’t mean that. Besides, you didn’t hesitate to help,” Hope pointed out.
“I suppose not, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” He turned his back to her and strode to the window. His words, when they came, were tight and strained. “When I saw you in that tight little group, hugging the two of them, I realized I’d never be a part of what you have. I don’t share your lifestyle or your faith.”
“The Amish aren’t the only ones with a strong faith in God. Many Englischers believe in Him too.”
Logan waved a hand in the air. “That wasn’t my point. I’ll think about all that God stuff later.”
“You never know when it might be too late. Look at Jabin and Chloe’s parents. They never expected to—”
“I know.” Logan’s harsh tone silenced her. “I meant I’d think about God and faith later today. Right now, I want to finish what I started to say, not get sidetracked.”
Hope longed to say talking about God was never a detour. God was the main focus of everything, but she stayed quiet and waited for Logan’s explanation. And prayed God would touch his heart.
“When I saw that group hug, I was on the outside looking in, wishing I were a part of it, yet knowing I never would be.”
“I’m sorry you felt excluded.”
“Hope . . .” Logan’s warning held a note of impatience.
She started to apologize but pressed a hand over her mouth before a “sorry” could escape.
“Seeing the three of you together made me realize how good you are for one another. And Micah’s right for you in many ways that I’d never be.”
Too bad Micah didn’t see that. Or did he? Today, when they’d looked into each other’s eyes, she’d wondered.
“It’s obvious he cares about you. And that you return those feelings.”
Hope bit back a gasp. If Logan had recognized that, what had Micah seen? She was grateful Logan had his back to her so he couldn’t read her reaction.
“As much as I wish things could be different, I won’t block your happiness.”
She’d been right about Logan’s jealousy, but he hadn’t been standing in the way of anything. As much as she wished it could be different, she and Micah had no relationship.
* * *
Micah waited until Hope and Logan took the little girl and her father back to a stall before heading for the tack room. Isaac had offered to watch the twins while Micah checked the equipment.
“I’ll be a good girl,” Chloe promised, “and listen to Isaac.”
“Danke for trusting me,” Isaac said when Micah gave his permission. “I know I don’t deserve it. Not after what I’ve done.”
“We’ve all forgiven you. Now you need to forgive yourself.”
Isaac’s eyes grew moist. “You have no idea what I’ve done.”
“Whatever it is,” Micah said, “you can confess it to God and ask for His forgiveness.” It seemed odd to be counseling an elder, but Isaac seemed to need to hear that truth. No doubt he already knew to extend forgiveness to others. It wasn’t Micah’s place to lecture Hope’s daed.
But it reminded Micah he also needed to forgive. He’d been carrying a grudge against Logan because he spent so much time with Hope. Micah needed to let that go. Besides, Hope wouldn’t get into a relationship with an Englischer. She’d made it clear she had no interest in marriage.
But unless he’d misinterpreted it, the look in her eyes today had told him differently.
As Micah walked quietly into the barn, Hope’s gentle encouragement floated to him. “Here, Maritza, you can do it.”
He resisted the urge to move farther up the aisle to peek into the stall where she was working. Instead, he examined every buckle and buckle tongue, every breeching and breast collar strap, every terret. He studied the stitching, examined the leather to be sure it wasn’t dry or oily, checked for thin or weak metal. Most of Hope’s tack was in good repair, but he did find a few things that could be replaced, just to be on the safe side.
All the while, he enjoyed Hope’s musical voice instructing Maritza. He could have done the work much faster, but he was reluctant to leave. He excused his delay by telling himself he had to get Hope’s permission to make the repairs. He supposed he could ask Isaac. Although her father never seemed to participate in the lessons, he probably handled the financial affairs.
As Micah headed out of the barn, one of the horses whinnied and stamped in her stall right near him. He edged against the opposite wall, and his old dread came back to haunt him, but Micah focused on the morning’s rescue. If he could save Chloe, he could handle these fears. With God’s help, of course.