Sarah counted the number of lynchpins in the wooden box and added the total to the sheet of paper on the clipboard beside her. Inventory was tedious work whether she did it at the fabric store or here. It was part and parcel of a business. It had to be done.
It was her second day of working with Levi since riding home with him after the preaching. She could count on one hand the number of words he’d spoken to her since that evening.
“If he gets past ten words, I can make a tally sheet for him and keep it on my clipboard,” she muttered to herself.
The twins were outside working on the church district’s bench wagon. Eli Imhoff had brought it in that morning. The rear axle had cracked and needed to be replaced. Fortunately, Levi had an axle that would work and gave the project to the twins to finish before the day was done.
The wagon would be needed to carry the benches to Samuel Stultz’s farm for a wedding service the day after tomorrow. The first of his five daughters was getting married. A second daughter, Ina, would be wed in three weeks’ time. Sarah had promised Grace she would attend the quilting bee for her early next week. Weddings were wonderful events, but they were also sad reminders of what God had taken away from her.
Through the closed window, Sarah could hear the sounds of the twins’ heated debate as they disagreed over the best way to undertake the bench wagon repair. It reminded her so much of the conversations she’d had with her sister when they had been teenagers. Her mother used to say they fought like cats and dogs. Sarah knew that wasn’t entirely true. She had loved her sister unconditionally, even if she didn’t always approve of Bethany’s actions or her choices. She had loved Bethany and God had taken her, too.
If she never loved anyone else, she would never have to suffer such loss again. It was the main reason she wouldn’t consider marrying again.
Suddenly, Sarah caught the mention of Leah Belier and she listened more closely.
“He did not,” Moses said
“He did,” Atlee insisted.
“Levi took Leah Belier, the teacher, riding in his buggy?”
“I saw them together yesterday with my own eyes. What do you think it means?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t mean nothing.”
Atlee said, “It doesn’t mean anything. Have you forgotten all your English classes with Leah?”
“I try to. Give me a hand with this wheel or get lost.”
The boys continued to quarrel, but they had given Sarah something to think about. So Levi had taken Leah for a ride. That was promising.
Letting her mind wander for a minute, Sarah shifted her gaze from the twins to where Levi was affixing a new tongue to a farm wagon. In spite of the cool temperature in the building, he had his sleeves rolled up. His light blue shirt was darkened with sweat between his shoulder blades. He was hatless, and she could see the beads of perspiration clinging to the hair at his temples.
He lifted the heavy wooden bar with an ease that surprised her. When he finally had it seated to his satisfaction, he stood back, dusted his hands together and propped them at his hips.
Why hadn’t she noticed before what a fine figure of a man he was? While he wasn’t a brawny fellow like her husband had been, his slender frame was well muscled. All in all, Levi was an attractive man. She hoped the women she had in mind for him would notice.
Sarah tipped her head slightly as she studied him. She already knew his crystal-clear blue eyes were his best features. His forehead was broad, and his chin jutted out slightly, giving him a look of determination. His nose was a little big for his face, but not overly so. She smiled. He could have been blessed with his grandfather Reuben’s nose. Fortunately, he hadn’t been.
He didn’t smile often, but she knew there was a dimple in his right cheek. It made him look less severe, less aloof. He didn’t smile enough.
Sarah was ashamed to realize how much she had ignored Jonas’s friend over the past few years. Now that Grace had brought Levi’s needs to her attention, Sarah was determined to find him a wife. Her aunt Emma might think he was destined to be an old boy, but Sarah didn’t believe it.
She had a plan to change that, and she’d already set it in motion. Levi deserved someone who cared about him, who could work beside him and bear his children to carry on his business.
She stopped when she realized how much that sounded like the hopes she once held dear. It wasn’t to be for her.
She shook off the sad thought. Because that dream wasn’t what God had planned for her didn’t mean it couldn’t come true for Levi and his wife.
A buggy pulled up outside. Glancing out the window, Sarah grinned. Part two of her plan was about to get underway. Sally Yoder stepped down from her carriage.
Sarah hurried to hold open the door for her. “Guder mariye, Sally. I’m so glad you could come.”
“Good morning, Sarah. I hope I’m not late.”
“Not at all.”
“Isn’t this the strangest weather we’re having? Cold and snow one week, sunny and warm the next.”
“I’ll take sunny and warm any day.”
Sally shook her head. “I like snow during the holiday season. Not a lot, just enough to make everything look sparkling and new.”
Sarah kept her opinion of snow to herself. She glanced in Levi’s direction and found he was watching them. Taking Sally by the elbow, Sarah led her toward him.
“Levi, I forgot to mention that I asked Sally Yoder to give me a hand with the inventory. You don’t mind if she helps, do you?”
“I reckon not.”
Sarah thrust her clipboard into his hands. “Wonderful. If you have a few minutes, can you show her what needs to be done? I would appreciate it. I’ve got something on the stove I have to check on. I’ll be right back.”
She hurried out the front door leaving the two of them together.
* * *
Levi had never considered Sarah a flighty woman until she had started working with him. He vowed to be less critical of Grace when she returned. Sally stood waiting for his instructions.
He handed her the clipboard without meeting her gaze. “This is a list of things to be counted. The shelves and bins are labeled. Write down the number of items you find in each one.”
Sally glanced at the clipboard. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” He nodded and returned to work on the farm wagon.
“Levi, what is an axle nut?” Sally asked as she stood looking at the eight-foot-tall wooden cabinet filled with drawers that covered the west wall.
He put aside the hardware meant to hold the tongue to the front axle and crossed the room to show her the correct drawer. Pulling it open, he said, “It’s used to hold the wheel on the axle.”
“I thought as much.” She counted the ones in the drawer and pushed it closed.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“No, I’ve got this.” She opened a second drawer and began counting.
Levi returned to wrestling with the wagon waiting to be finished.
“Why do you have left and right axle nuts?”
He exhaled in frustration. “Because the nut on the axle had to be threaded to turn right on one side and left on the other side.”
“Why?”
“To prevent the nut from being spun off when the wheel is going in the same direction. If that happens, the wheel falls off.” He lay down to tighten the bolts under the tongue.
“I see. What is a clip bar used for?”
He finished tightening the bolts, wiped the sweat from his face and rose to walk past to her. “Moses will be in to help you. I have work to do outside.”
He rolled down his sleeves, donned his jacket and escaped out the door. How many questions could one woman ask? Outside, he found young Ben Lapp unloading a wheel from his wagon. Ben was a few years older than the twins. He rolled the wheel toward Levi. “I’ve got a broken fellow on this one. Any chance I can get it replaced today?”
Behind Ben’s wagon, Daniel Hershberger was helping his new wife out of their buggy. He had a second horse tied on behind.
Atlee and Moses came hurrying up. Moses took the wheel from Ben. “We can’t get to it today. It will be tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”
Ben nodded. “That will work. I also need a new left axle nut.”
Levi pointed over his shoulder. “Sally Yoder can find you one.”
Ben’s eyes brightened. He looked with interest toward the building. “I didn’t know Sally was working here.” He headed inside without another word.
Dan Hershberger, with his bride, Susan, at his side, approached Levi. They made an imposing pair for both were tall with ample figures and stern expressions. Dan said, “I understand my wife’s new carriage is done.”
Levi nodded. Atlee said, “I’ll hitch your horse for you. The two of you can take it for a ride around the block to make sure it’s to your satisfaction.”
Susan folded her arms and gave Levi a stern glare, ignoring the twins completely. “I would prefer that my husband harness the horse.”
She wisely didn’t trust his brothers. Neither of the boys looked disappointed, so perhaps they didn’t have a prank in mind. Levi said, “It’s this way.”
Levi walked toward the back lot. Dan followed, leading his spare horse. It was a high-stepping and spirited coal-black mare. Glancing over his shoulder, Levi saw Susan waiting near their buggy. She was keeping a close eye on the twins.
The open carriage was sitting in the center of the back lot. Dan’s stern face broke into a wide grin when he saw it. “This is exactly what I had in mind. Susan will love it. I hope she will love it, for a happy wife makes a happy life.”
The two men hitched up the horse and led her to the front of the building. Susan walked around the buggy, tested the doors, and ran her hand over the leather upholstery. Turning to her husband, she finally smiled. “It is wonderful, danki, mie husband.”
“It is my joy to see you happy.” He opened the carriage door and assisted her to climb in.
Levi happened to catch a glimpse of Atlee’s gleeful face from the corner of his eye. A cold feeling settled in his bones. What had they done?
* * *
Sarah finished her cup of coffee and took the blue enameled pot off the stove. She hadn’t lied. She did have something on the stove—her coffee pot. Glancing at the clock, she wondered if twenty minutes was enough time to leave Sally and Levi alone. Hopefully, he had spoken more than a handful of words to her.
Sarah was anxious to see how the couple was getting along. She rinsed her cup and set it to dry on the side of the sink. When she opened the front door, she saw Dan and Susan Hershberger sitting in their new carriage. Levi was with them and not with Sally. Sarah scowled. She hadn’t taken into account that they might have customers.
As Sarah descended her steps, Dan tipped his hat in her direction. Susan lifted her hand to wave as Dan slapped the reins against the rump of his horse. The mare surged forward. Sarah heard a sharp crack. Dan and Susan both fell backward as their seat gave way. The mare trotted smartly down the street with her passengers’ legs sticking in the air.
Horrified, Sarah dashed out her front gate. Levi was already in hot pursuit of the couple. Moses and Atlee were clinging to each other as they laughed hysterically. Sarah stopped in front of them. “Oh, how could you?”
“They are such a pompous pair,” Atlee managed to say when he caught his breath.
“Ah, Levi’s got their horse already,” Moses said with a pout.
Sarah looked down the street and pressed her hand to her heart in relief. “Thank heavens. What if the horse had run into traffic or upset the buggy?”
Moses shrugged. “Nothing bad happened. I was hoping they’d go clear through town that way.”
Sarah wanted to box his ears. “We’re lucky they didn’t. Dan Hershberger could buy and sell this business ten times over. He is an influential man. If he decides to make trouble for us, we could lose most of our business.”
Atlee said, “He won’t make trouble for you, Sarah. You’re a widow. The church elders would never stand for that. Here they come. We better get out of here.”
The boys took off, leaving Sarah and Levi to face their irate customers alone.
It was an ugly scene. It took the better part of half an hour to soothe Dan and his wife’s ruffled feathers. Sarah ended up letting them have their carriage at cost. Levi promised to deliver it to their home tomorrow after thoroughly inspecting it. When they finally left, Levi and Sarah turned to face each other.
“Where did they go?” he asked in a tired voice.
She knew he was talking about his brothers. “They took off running toward the center of town. God only knows where they are by now.”
“I can’t believe they pulled this off. I knew they were up to something, but if I can’t trust them to work for me, what will I do with them?”
“Send them to work for someone else,” Sarah suggested.
He thrust his hands in his pockets and stared at his feet. “Who would have them?”
“Your grandfather perhaps?”
“Maybe. I will speak to him.”
The silence stretched between them. Sarah glanced at Levi just as he looked at her. She couldn’t hold back a grin. “It was kind of funny.”
Levi’s hangdog expression changed to a reluctant smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Ja, it was. Susan Hershberger wears pink bloomers.”
“She does?” Sarah choked on a chuckle. Their eyes met. The ridiculousness of the prank hit them at the same time. They both started laughing.
“Snap, wee!” Sarah threw her hands in the air. Levi laughed harder. Sarah pressed her hands to her face as tears blurred her vision.
“Stop,” Levi begged her, holding his sides.
“Snap, wee! Pink I see!” Unable to stand because she was laughing so hard, she fell against Levi and grasped his arm. His hands came up to steady her. She looked at his smiling face and her mirth slowly died away.
Their eyes met. Sarah realized that she was practically in his arms. She took a quick step back. His hands dropped to his sides.
She said, “It was funny, but it could’ve been so much worse.”
Levi nodded. His gaze once more dropped to his feet. “Reckon I should get back to work.”
“As should I. I have left Sally alone for too long.”
“I forgot. Ben Lapp needed a part. Sally must be having trouble finding it for him.”
“I’ll take care of it.” She took another step back but discovered she was reluctant to leave him. The frown had returned to his face. She knew he was once again thinking about his brothers.
“Levi, would you like me to ask Bishop Zook to have a talk with the boys?”
“Do you think it would help?”
“It can’t hurt.”
“I will speak to him about them. They are my responsibility.”
“And none of mine. I understand.” She gave a half-hearted, embarrassed smile and hurried toward the carriage shop front door. She heard him call her name. She stopped and glanced back.
He said, “I’m grateful for your counsel.”
Her heart grew light again. “I only want to help.”
She pulled open the door and went inside. She found Ben Lapp leaning against the counter. Sally stood on the other side, smiling at him as she said, “The right hub nut is threaded to the right and the left hub nut is threaded to the left so they won’t spin off the wheel while it’s turning.”
“For only working here one day you sure seem to know a lot about the equipment.”
Sally blushed a becoming shade of pink. “I try to pay attention. Some people think I ask a lot of questions, but it’s only because I want to learn new things.”
Sarah walked behind the counter with Sally. “And I’m sure that Levi was happy to answer all your questions.”
“Actually, he didn’t seem happy to answer any of them. Ben helped me finish the inventory of the tall cabinets. He’s been wonderfully patient with me.” She smiled sweetly at him.
He shrugged off her compliment. “It was no trouble. What are you doing for Christmas, Sally?”
“Mamm is cooking a big dinner for the family on Thursday. We have cousins coming from Kilbuck to visit for the long weekend. What about you?”
“That’s funny because my folks and I are traveling to my uncle Wayne’s place. My grandparents live with his family. His farm is down near Kilbuck. My family goes there and your family comes here.”
The young pair were so focused on each other that Sarah began to feel invisible. “Ben, Levi said you needed a part. What can I get for you?”
Sally answered her. “He needed a left hub nut. I found it for him, but I didn’t know how much to charge. We’ve just been waiting for you or Levi to come back.”
Sarah rang up the amount on the cash register. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Ben. There was a problem with the Hershbergers’ buggy.”
“I didn’t mind.” He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Sally.
“Are you staying in Kilbuck long?” she asked.
“Just until Friday evening.”
“That means you’ll be back in time for the barn party on Saturday.” Sally spoke with a nonchalance that was a dead giveaway his answer was important.
“I’ll be back in plenty of time. Who’s having a hoedown?”
“There’s going to be one at Ezra Bowman’s farm. Maybe you could come by for a while.”
Sarah looked at Sally in surprise. “I thought that was the night of Leah Belier’s winter picnic?”
Sally shrugged. “It is. I didn’t hear about the hoedown until last night. It should be loads more fun than an old picnic. Leah will understand if I don’t come.”
A troubled look crossed Ben’s face. “Ezra Bowman belongs to the Sparkler gang, doesn’t he? Do you run with that crowd? I hear they’re a pretty wild bunch.”
Sally raised one eyebrow. “We’re not goody-goodies, but you shouldn’t judge us without getting to know us. Some of them are kind of wild, but most them are like me. Ordinary Amish kids just looking to enjoy their rumspringa.”
Ben pulled out his wallet and handed Sarah the money he owed. “I’ll think about it. It could be fun.”
“It will be.”
His smile returned. “Okay. I’ll see you there and maybe I’ll see you tomorrow when I come back for my wheel.”
“I’ll be here,” she said brightly.
When he left, Sally turned and grasped Sarah’s arm, bubbling over with excitement. “I can’t believe Ben Lapp actually spent the better part of an hour talking to me. He’s so fine.”
Sarah saw her hopes for a match between Sally and Levi going out the window. She wasn’t one to give up easily. “Levi is a fine-looking fellow, too. He’s hard-working and much more mature than a boy like Ben.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “I know he appeals to someone older—like you—but not to someone like me. We should get back to work or we’re never going to get finished here.”
Sarah picked up the clipboard. Her first serious attempt at matchmaking was a failure, but Sally was right. They still had a lot of work to get done. “We can move to the upholstery room. That has the second largest number of small items.”
Sally followed along behind Sarah. “Why is the upholstery room enclosed? None of the other rooms have ceilings over them.”
“To keep the dust out of the cloth in there.”
“How much cloth do you keep?”
“It depends on how many orders we have. Often, we have to special-order fabrics, but if we find a good deal on something our customers like, we’ll order in bulk.”
As they counted needles, threads and bobbins, Sally continued to pelt Sarah with questions. Before long, she realized that working with Sally was more tiring than working alone. Her patience began to wear thin. After another twenty minutes and as many questions, she said, “I can finish up in here. You’ve been a big help. Why don’t you go ahead and go home?”
“It’s barely noon. I’m not going to leave you to do this by yourself. I said I could work for two days and two full days is what you will get. Why are the threads arranged according to size and not according to color?”
“Because they are.”
Sarah heard the large double doors at the side of the building open. She stepped out of the workroom and saw Levi pulling the Hershberger carriage in. He was struggling with the heavy vehicle and could barely move it. She put down her clipboard and rushed to help him. Together, they were able to pull it inside.
“Danki,” he said and blew out a long breath.
“You should have called me to help. It’s too heavy for you to manage alone.”
“Don’t scold. I thought I could do it.” He raised his fist to his mouth and coughed sharply.
Concern sharpened her tone. “You deserve a good scold. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will?”
“Grace is normally here to help, but someone told her to take a vacation. Oh, wait, that was you.”
“You’re not going to start harping on that again, are you? What’s done is done.”
“Gee, you two sound like an old married couple,” Sally said from the upholstery room doorway.
Levi scowled. “I reckon a wife would not talk to me like I was a child.”
“Sometimes you act like a child,” Sarah said quickly.
“As do you,” he snapped back.
Sarah’s mouth dropped open. She shut it and marched back into the workroom without another word. Sally moved out of her way. “Sorry.”
“That’s quite all right. Where were we?”
“Nylon thread, size eight.”
Sarah opened the bin. “Four spools.”
Consulting the clipboard, Sally said, “Cotton thread, size eight.”
“Six spools.”
“Are you sure you aren’t upset with me?”
Sarah closed her eyes. “I’m not upset with you.”
She wasn’t upset with Sally. She was upset with herself for promising Grace she would try and find a wife for Levi. She had no business being a matchmaker. She didn’t know the first thing about helping people fall in love.
Sally said, “I’ve learned so much today. Plus, I had the chance to make an impression on Ben Lapp. I’ve been hoping for a chance to do that for ages, and he’ll be back tomorrow.”
Her comment gave Sarah pause. Maybe she’d been going about this the wrong way. It might not be about who she thought Levi would like. It could be she needed to find out who liked Levi.
“Sally, earlier you said Levi was attractive to someone who was...older. Were you thinking of someone specific?”
“I shouldn’t have said you were older. You’re not old.”
“Never mind that. Were you thinking of someone else?”
“You have to promise you won’t tell her I said anything.”
“I promise. Who is it?”
“My cousin Joann.”
Joann Yoder? The one woman Sarah had crossed off her list as being too shy. On second thought, the spinster might be the perfect woman after all. She wasn’t likely to speak to Levi like he was a child even when he acted like one.
How could she get them together?
“I don’t know your cousin very well. What is she like?”
“Quiet, shy, but she has a heart of gold.”
That sounded familiar. “What kind of things does she enjoy doing?”
“Joann? She likes to garden and she loves quilting. She’s coming to Ina Stultz’s quilting bee. You’re coming, right?”
“I am.” Sarah couldn’t envision a way to get Levi involved in quilting.
“Goot. Joann likes to cook. She likes to visit. Oh, and she really likes to fish. Yuck. I hate handling worms, but she doesn’t mind. She goes with my brothers when they have time.”
“She likes fishing? That’s very interesting.” Sarah smiled. Levi used to go fishing with Jonas. Could he be persuaded to toss a line in with Joann? How?
Sally’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you like fishing?”
“It can be...rewarding. I love the taste of fresh trout.” As long as she didn’t have to clean it before she cooked it.
She would have to get up a fishing trip of her own. If all went well, using Levi Beachy as bait might just land him the perfect mate.