Rosemary helped her father out of the hospital bed and into the wheelchair the nurse had brought, wishing it was anyone other than Saul who would be spending time at their home. But she figured she would stay inside and avoid him. In the end, the planting would be done, and she’d have a garden. And that would put an end to Katherine showing up with her vegetables. Rosemary would have her own garden. And if Saul did things right, maybe she’d have vegetables to be proud of.
Saul pushed the wheelchair until they were outside the hospital. Barbie lived in Paradise, so Rosemary knew it wouldn’t take her long to get back to the hospital.
“Wayne, is there anything else I can do for you?” Saul hung his head for a moment before he looked back at her father.
Daed shook his head. “I can tell I’m not going to like those things.” He nodded toward the crutches Rosemary was carrying. “But it could have been worse, and I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“It was my fault,” Saul said again. They all started moving toward the circular drive when Barbie pulled up in the van. It was still sprinkling, and as Saul helped her father into the front seat, Rosemary was thankful the area was covered by an awning. She realized that Saul would need a ride home too.
“We will drop you at your haus on the way.” Rosemary opened the sliding door and climbed in the van, then scooted to the far side. Saul just nodded, and they were all quiet on the way to his house. After a while, Rosemary shifted her eyes to the right to peek at Saul. No smile, and his boyish dimples weren’t visible. He was staring out the window.
“Joshua and Jesse can help you in the fields and with planting the garden, but it won’t be till late afternoon since they’re in school most of the day and have chores.” Rosemary waited until Saul turned her direction before continuing. “So I don’t know how much time they’ll have.”
Saul smiled, but just barely. “Nee, I’ll be able to do it.”
After a few minutes, Rosemary swallowed hard and asked, “How’s your arm?”
Saul offered her another weak smile. “It’s fine.”
Rosemary’s father looked over his shoulder. “It’s a nasty case of road rash. I heard the nurse say that. I also heard her say it was real important that you take the antibiotics they prescribed.” He turned back around and spoke to Barbie. “Can you stop at the pharmacy before you drop Saul? The boy needs his medication.”
“That’s a gut idea. Daed, you have prescriptions too.” Rosemary leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder as Barbie turned the corner, nodding that she’d heard.
“I’m not taking those pills for pain. Made me feel all loopy.” He scowled as he shook his head.
Rosemary glanced at Saul and wondered if he was so quiet because he felt bad about everything or because he was in pain. She bit her lip for a few moments. “Does it hurt?” She was directing the question to Saul, but both her father and Saul answered no at the same time. Rosemary suspected that neither of them was being completely truthful, and as Saul flinched, Rosemary wondered how he was going to finish planting the alfalfa and get a garden put in with his arm in such bad shape.
“We’ve gone without a garden for a long time.” Rosemary kept her eyes straight ahead as she spoke. “Maybe just finish the little bit of planting Daed has left and don’t worry about the garden.”
Saul glanced at her but then looked forward. “Nee, I’m going to get the garden put in too.” He flinched again, and Rosemary wondered if this was about needing the money. She knew that was why her father had changed his mind about having Saul put in the garden. Daed saw an opportunity to have a garden for the first time in years, but he also saw a chance to help someone.
“If that arm gives you trouble, Saul, I don’t expect you to do either of those jobs,” her father said. “Katherine Huyard keeps us supplied with fresh vegetables. And she doesn’t have any chickens, so I try to make sure she always has plenty of eggs.” He twisted around. “That reminds me, Rosemary, I want you to pick out one of the goats to give Katherine. She’s been mighty gut to us, and her only goat died last week. She loves to make soap from the goat’s milk, like your mamm used to do.”
Rosemary was quiet. She thought about not seeing Katherine so often once the garden was finished. For the first time, she wondered what Katherine’s life must be like. Lonely, she decided. No matter her bubbly personality, Katherine was bound to miss her husband. They’d been married a long time, at least ten years.
Rosemary was sure she’d let her own bitterness affect her attitude lately. Just because she was unhappy, she surely didn’t wish that on others. She tried to recall the last time she laughed and couldn’t. One word always came to mind. Cheated. God had taken her mother much too soon. And Rosemary had no time to herself amidst taking care of her father and brothers. As much as she loved them all, she often found herself wondering if happiness would ever come her way. She glanced at Saul again. And the same word surfaced. She’d been cheated out of a relationship with the one man she’d wanted to be with.
When Barbie parked at the pharmacy, Rosemary offered to go in and get both of their prescriptions. The men both nodded, and Saul said to let him know how much his was.
Once Rosemary was in line at the pharmacy, she asked the woman in front of her what time it was. She’d already called Esther and left a message, telling her what had happened. And she’d asked Esther to meet the boys at the house after school if they were still at the hospital. But it looked like Rosemary and her father would be home in plenty of time. She would ask Barbie to get word to Esther.
Thirty minutes later, her father was asleep in the front seat, and they were pulling into Saul’s driveway. It was a beautiful home, a big place that had been in his family for three generations. The farmhouse looked freshly painted, and so did the white picket fence surrounding a lovely garden. All the flower beds were filled with colorful blooms. Rosemary felt a pang of jealousy but quickly stuffed it away. She didn’t want to be that kind of person. Maybe someday she’d figure out how to balance her time well enough to have a lovely home, an organized household, and flourishing flower beds. She thought about Katherine. And freshly ironed dresses, aprons, and kapps. But she sat taller, smug with the idea of having her own garden soon. The price was having Saul around for a week. Maybe the Lord was angry at Rosemary to put such temptation right outside her own front door. She cringed, knowing that wasn’t how God worked. And despite her feelings for Saul, Rosemary knew it was a temptation she would have to resist.
Elizabeth Petersheim shielded her eyes from the drizzle as she hurried down the porch steps and across the yard. She was at the van when Saul slid the door open.
“I’ve been worried sick. Your father got the message you left at the shanty, but not until an hour later.” Elizabeth’s eyes drifted to her son’s bandaged arm. “Are you in pain?”
“Nee.” Saul stepped out of the van, and Rosemary wondered if he’d been given pain medication at the hospital. He winced as he stood, and Rosemary’s father awoke and rolled down his window.
Elizabeth and Daed exchanged greetings, and Elizabeth asked how he was feeling. “I will be just fine. Danki, Elizabeth.” Her father turned to Saul. “I was running just as hard and fast as you were. This wasn’t anyone’s fault. Just an accident. But I appreciate your offer to finish the planting, and it will be nice to have a garden again.”
Rosemary saw the look in her father’s eyes, the faraway gaze he got when he was thinking about her mother.
“I’ll be there next Monday after we finish the job we’re working on this week.” Saul was holding his injured arm now, his mouth tight and grim, like he might be gritting his teeth. “Stay off that ankle as much as you can for a few days before you start using the crutches, like the doctor said.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out some money, and handed it to Barbie. She argued and tried not to accept it, but in the end, Saul convinced her to take it. Gas wasn’t cheap these days. He’d already paid Rosemary for his prescription.
Elizabeth latched onto Saul’s arm. “Danki for bringing him home, and, Wayne, please let me know if you need anything. Take care.” She gave a quick wave as she tugged on Saul’s uninjured arm. “Let’s get you out of the rain.”
It was endearing the way Elizabeth nurtured her grown son. Rosemary assumed those maternal feelings must hang on forever, no matter how old your children got. Rosemary wanted nothing more than a houseful of children. And a husband to help rear them. She looked at Saul. He waved, and just before he turned to leave, Rosemary saw him clench his jaw. She had no doubt that Saul was hurting much more than he’d let on. She waited until they were almost home before she said anything.
“Daed, I’ll make time to plant the garden. Maybe Saul can just supervise Jesse and Josh on the plow.”
Her father twisted to face her. “I know you have way too much to do, mei maedel. I don’t think I’ve ever pushed you about that garden. Besides, it sounds like Saul could use the money if he doesn’t have any work lined up for next week. I’m sure Katherine will keep us stocked with vegetables until our garden starts producing.” Daed smiled. “It’s a gut arrangement, trading eggs and a goat for her produce. But even after our garden is flourishing, I’ll continue to invite Katherine to gather eggs for herself. No need for her to bother with chickens when we have such a plentiful supply of eggs.”
Rosemary was quiet as she pondered exactly what it was about Katherine that she didn’t like. Yes, she was a bit jealous that Katherine always seemed to have herself together and be so organized and cheerful. Rosemary knew good and well that jealousy was a sin, but even as she made a mental note to work on it, something else about Katherine bothered her. Something Rosemary couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Saul went straight to the bathroom and sat down on the side of the tub, cradling his arm as he bit his bottom lip to keep from crying. Whatever they’d given him in the hospital before they treated his wound had worn off, and it felt like his arm was on fire from his elbow to his wrist. He’d turned down the prescription for pain medication, thinking it would slow him down and make him sleepy. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. He would take the antibiotics like the doctor said and hope that he healed quickly, for sure by next Monday when he needed to start work at the Lantzes’ place. He would spend the rest of the week mostly supervising and give his arm a break.
He’d seen a softer side of Rosemary, and as much as he looked forward to the possibility of spending more time with her, it was going to be a challenge to get the work done unless his arm was much better. He jumped when someone knocked on the bathroom door.
“Saul, are you okay? Mamm said you hurt your arm. Do you need anything?” His sister was the caregiver in the family, even more so than their mother. Saul could remember when Lena was younger and she’d told everyone that she was going to leave the community to go be a nurse or doctor. At some point she’d given up the idea, and two years ago she got baptized. But she was born to tend to others.
“I’m okay, Lena.”
“I’m going to help Mamm get supper started. You holler if you need anything.”
Saul waited until Lena’s footsteps got farther away, then he pulled his arm close to him, and for the first time since he was a young boy, he cried. The doctor had told him that it was a nasty wound, but he didn’t realize how bad it was until the pain medication wore off. He’d made a point not to watch the doctor cleaning and bandaging it. Saul planned to tend to it himself and do his best to help out the Lantzes. He was thankful he’d hurt his left arm and not his right.
Rosemary had acted a little like the girl he remembered and the young woman he’d fallen in love with years ago. Compassionate and loving. She wasn’t the spirited, happy person she used to be, but Saul was committed to peeling back the layers of sadness that had consumed her since her mother died. He couldn’t imagine that kind of pain, to lose someone so close. But surely the old Rosemary was in there somewhere, and he wasn’t going to stop searching. He dabbed at his eyes, glad no one was around to see him like this. He dreaded having to change the bandage on his arm tomorrow. Maybe he’d let Lena do it after all. For now, he just wanted to rest. Despite the aroma of something delicious wafting up the stairs, Saul walked to his room and eased down onto the bed. He would rest for just a bit before supper.