Nate was silent as Jeff pulled his car into the Arlin Stoltzfus driveway.
“You’re not coming home with us?” Jacob asked with disappointment.
Charlie gave him a small smile. “Nate will be with you. You don’t need me.”
“And I’ll be home tomorrow, too,” Nate said, drawing her glance. “We won’t need you then, either.”
Jacob frowned. “Don’t you have to bale hay?”
“Not tomorrow.”
“But I’ll be fine with Charlie.”
“I’m staying home,” Nate said gruffly. “I’m sure Charlie has other things to do.”
She hid her pain. “Thank you, Jeff. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”
“You’re more than welcome, Charlie.” The man regarded her warmly. “Rest up. You look exhausted.”
She spun toward the house without looking back at either brother in the rear seat. She’d reached the bottom of the front porch steps when the door opened and Ellie flew down the stairs.
“How’s Jacob?” she asked after a quick glance toward the car.
“He’s doing better,” Charlie said, “but the doctor wants to see him back in a couple of days to make sure.” She couldn’t resist one last look at the vehicle as Jeff drove past toward the road. The action brought Nate’s side of the car into view. His eyes seared hers briefly through the window before she averted her gaze. Her chest hurt. Her heart ached, and she felt perilously close to tears.
“Mam fixed supper. You hungry?”
Charlie shook her head. “I’m tired. Do you think she’ll be upset if I go to bed?”
Worry settled on her sister’s brow as Ellie studied her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine. Just tired. ’Tis been a long day.”
“I’ll tell Mam you’re resting upstairs.”
It was still early evening. Charlie could only imagine what her mother would think after Ellie told her that she’d gone to bed.
She pulled back the bed covering and slid beneath the quilt with her clothes on. Her entire body ached, and her emotions were all over the place. She’d done the best she could under the circumstances, but it hadn’t been good enough. She was the reason that Jacob had fallen, and it’d been clear that Nate blamed her.
After a good quiet cry, Charlie slipped into a restless sleep. It was dark outside when she woke and sensed a presence in her room. She wasn’t afraid, for she knew instinctively that it was her mother. A flashlight clicked on, confirming her identity.
“Mam,” she murmured.
“Are you ill?”
“Just tired,” she admitted. “And my head hurts.”
Mam brushed light fingers over Charlie’s forehead. “Ellie said that Jacob fell down the steps.”
Charlie inhaled sharply. “Ja, he did.”
“And you got him to a doctor.”
She nodded.
“What happened?”
She told her about the events leading up to Jacob’s tumble down the stairs.
“Tough day,” Mam murmured.
“Ja.” She looked away, unwilling to let her mam see how much Nate’s reaction to Jake’s accident had hurt her.
“What time will you be going tomorrow?”
Charlie shuddered out a sigh. “I’m not going to the Peachys’. I’ll be here if you need anything. I can do the laundry.”
Her mother was silent a long moment. “You’re not going,” she said with a frown.
“Nate asked me not to come.” She sniffed. “He’s staying home with Jacob.”
Mam stood. “He probably thought you needed a rest after the day you had today...and you were tired.” She caressed Charlie’s cheek. “Sleep well, dochter.”
She didn’t really believe that was Nate’s reason for telling her to stay home, but her mother’s touch made her feel better. Charlie rolled over, closed her eyes and comforted by her mam’s love, she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning she woke early and headed to the barn. She wanted to spend time with the animals, especially the horses. She loved horses. There was something calming about them.
Charlie fed the animals then put the cows and goats out to pasture. She then returned inside to brush the gelding her father had purchased recently. She found brushing Buddy’s chestnut coat soothing. Immersed in the task, she didn’t immediately detect a presence behind her.
“Charlie.”
She spun, gasped. “Nathaniel! What are you doing here?”
“I need to speak with you.” Dressed in a blue shirt and navy tri-blend pants with black suspenders, he looked good. Too good.
She sighed, trying not to notice his appearance and the way her heart leaped. Flushing with guilt, she went back to brushing Buddy. “I know what you came to say, and I’m sorry.”
His tension radiated from behind her. “About what?”
Charlie faced him with brush in hand. “It was my fault Jacob got hurt.”
He frowned. “Did you push him down the stairs?”
“Nay!” She blinked as she registered his surprised expression. “I should have stayed upstairs and waited to help him down.”
“He wouldn’t have allowed it.”
She eyed him curiously. “Then why did you tell me to stay home?”
She watched with astonishment as Nate’s features softened. “You were exhausted. I was worried about you. It was a bad day yesterday and I thought you might need some time to yourself.”
Charlie studied him a long moment. “Maybe I do,” she said, thinking of her plans to visit Bishop John. “Then why are you here?”
“To thank you and to ask for your help. I heard from my dat. My grossmudder is ill, and my family will be staying in Indiana for another week.”
“You need someone to stay with Jacob.”
Nate stared at her. “Ja. You.”
“I don’t know if that’s a gut idea.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“Why me?” she dared.
“Because you have done a great job with Jacob and with the haus.”
She felt both pleased and annoyed. She’d rather hear that he missed her than he missed her cooking and cleaning...and brother-sitting services, but she supposed the fact that he trusted her enough to want her back meant something.
“Well?” he asked.
“Well what?”
He studied her with patience. “Will you come back tomorrow?”
“I don’t think so,” she admitted. She had a terrible night, thanks to Nathaniel Peachy. She wasn’t going to rush and jump in to help out, even though she wanted nothing more than to do so. “But I know for a fact that Ellie will be available to come tomorrow.” She bit her lip. “How is Jake?”
“He’s in pain, but the medicine helps.”
“I’m sorry.” She blinked rapidly and looked away. Resuming the task at hand, she kept her gaze focused on the horse.
Suddenly, Nate stood next to her. Close. Too close. He reached up to still her hand with his warm fingers. “I hope you’ll be the one to stay with Jacob...if you’re free.” Then he turned and left her. She sighed and wondered how she was going to stay away from the Peachy farm. It would be hard now that Nate had asked nicely for her return.
Charlie hugged herself with her arms. She shouldn’t, but she cared for him a great deal. He’d called her a child. He regarded her as a girl helpful but troublesome. There was nothing she could do to make him see her differently, she realized with sadness. Nothing to convince him that she was a responsible young woman...who was falling in love with him.
* * *
Nate had risen early, taken care of the animals then returned to the house to make breakfast. Today he would spend the day with Jacob. He had to bale hay soon, but not yet. He’d been shaken by the news that Jacob had fallen down the steps. After they’d returned home, he’d debated whether or not he should call his parents. He changed his mind after receiving word late last night that his grandmother had become ill and his family would be gone another week. He didn’t want to further worry his father. Jacob would recover, while he had no idea how bad his grossmudder’s condition was.
He’d lain awake last night, obsessing over Charlie. She’d looked crestfallen yesterday when he’d told her to stay home. It had occurred to him during the night that she might have misunderstood the reason. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her with Jacob’s well-being. On the contrary, she’d done a good job getting Jacob medical attention. No, his concern was for her. She’d given them so much of her time, and he figured she was ready for a break. Which was why he’d gone to see her first thing this morning to explain, in case she’d had the wrong idea. And she had.
After his return from the Stoltzfus residence, Nate parked his buggy in the barnyard and hurried inside the house to check on his brother. He was relieved to find Jacob asleep. He wrote him a note to stay put—just in case—before he headed out to the barn to let the horses, goats and cows into the pasture.
He watched the horses run in the fields and thought again of Charlie. If only she was older. If only she wasn’t like Emma, then maybe...
The best thing for the both of them would be if Charlie sent one of her sisters to stay with Jacob.
He needed coffee. He returned to the house and put on a fresh pot then searched through the pantry for something to eat. Charlie has been busy, he thought with a pang as he spied a plate of muffins, a fresh loaf of bread and a pie plate with the remains of an apple pie. He pulled out the bread and then grabbed butter from the refrigerator.
The coffee finished perking, and he poured himself a cup and added a spoon of sugar with a splash of cream. He brought it to the table, then grabbed a piece of bread and buttered it. His hand stilled in midaction as something occurred to him. The church elders would be seeking a permanent teacher for their Happiness School. Elizabeth Troyer would be leaving soon. Which left the opening for Charlie.
Nate grinned as he picked up his coffee. “She can start next week,” he murmured before he took a sip. His grin faded. It would be a wonderful opportunity for Charlie, but it would also mean that she wouldn’t ever be back to help with Jacob. He exhaled sharply. He didn’t know how he felt about that.
After Charlie’s sister came tomorrow, Nate would head out to speak with the bishop about Charlie.
He was shocked to realize that he’d miss her. Given his past with Emma, he shouldn’t feel this way, but somehow Charlie had gotten deeply under his skin.
Because she’s good with Jacob, he reasoned. He’d miss her help, her cooking...and her smile. Because of Jacob. Something inside him suggested differently, but he buried the feeling.
* * *
“I appreciate you staying with Jake today, Ellie,” Charlie said.
“I’m available. I don’t mind.” Ellie studied her thoughtfully. “What are you going to do?”
“I plan to talk with Bishop John about the schuulteacher position.”
Surprise flickered across Ellie’s expression. “You want to teach schuul?”
Charlie frowned. “I thought you knew that. I’m sure I told you.”
Her sister shook her head. “Nay. I would have remembered if you had.” Ellie smiled. “Gut for you.”
“I hope I get a chance to teach,” she said, giving voice to her fears.
“Why do you say that? You’d be a great teacher.”
She softened her expression and she smiled. “Danki, Ellie. I hope the church elders agree.”
“What am I supposed to do once I get to the Peachys’?”
“Keep Jacob company, fix him and maybe Nate lunch. I made a grocery list for Nate, but I don’t know if he’s had a chance to shop. You can always call Nell and ask her to bring you a few things.”
Her sisters Ellie and Nell were the only two in the family with cell phones, allowed by the church elders because of their lines of work with Nell as part of her husband’s veterinary practice, and Ellie because she cleaned houses for a living.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take gut care of him.”
It wasn’t Jacob she was worried about. It was Nate. She smiled her thanks. Charlie brushed a hand down the length of her white apron that she tied over her purple tab dress. “How do I look?”
Ellie smiled. “Vanity, schweschter? I’m shocked.”
“I’m not vain...I don’t think.” At least she hoped not since vanity was a sin. “I need a little confidence for when I meet with Bishop John. It won’t be easy to convince him that I’m the best person to be teacher.”
She accompanied Ellie until she reached her vehicle. She climbed into the family market wagon while her sister got into her pony cart. She then waved at Ellie before she drove in the opposite direction.
As she parked the wagon close to Bishop John Fisher’s house, Charlie felt a wild nervous fluttering in her chest. She sat unmoving in the wagon for several minutes. Too much hinged on this meeting, she thought.
Would the bishop remind her of every misdeed of her youth? Would he tell her that she was out of luck since the elders had already found a replacement?
She drew a calming breath then climbed down from her vehicle, went to the side entrance and rapped on the wooden door. Within seconds the door opened, revealing Sally Hershberger Fisher, who looked surprised but delighted to see her.
“Charlie!” the woman welcomed with a smile. “Come in!”
“Hallo, Sally. ’Tis nice to see you.” She glanced down at Sally’s pregnant belly and flashed her a genuine smile of pleasure. “How are you feeling?”
Sally smiled. “I’m well.” She stepped aside and gestured Charlie into the kitchen. “Wonderful, actually. I’m feeling great and...” Her hands cradling her stomach, she leaned close and whispered, “I’m so happy.”
Charlie beamed at her. “I’m pleased for you.”
“Danki.” Sally eyed her intently. “Would you like tea or coffee?”
She shook her head. “I need to talk with Bishop John. Is he available?”
“Ja. Let me tell him that you’re here.” Looking curious, but clearly unwilling to pry, Sally studied her for a long moment before she left the room. She was back within seconds. “He’s happy to see you. Come with me.”
Charlie started to follow then froze as her chest tightened and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. As if sensing Charlie’s hesitation, Sally stopped and faced her. She must have read something in Charlie’s expression because she quickly returned to her side. “Is everything oll recht?”
“I...” Why was she so nervous? If she didn’t get the job, what would it matter? It would matter to me, she realized. It was important and she wanted her chance. “Sally, I’ve come to talk with John about the teaching position. Do I even have a chance? I know I was impulsive and a bit reckless when I was younger, but I’m not the same person now,” she said, hugging herself with her arms.
Sally’s expression softened. “I think you’d be a wonderful teacher.”
She blinked. “You do?”
The bishop’s wife nodded. “Go in and talk with him. Let him know you’re interested. The decision isn’t John’s alone. He may not be able to give you an answer right away, but you won’t be considered if no one knows how much you want to teach.”
Closing her eyes, Charlie exhaled sharply. “I do want to teach.” She bit her lip. “A lot.”
“Then tell him that,” Sally urged as she led Charlie down the hall until they reached the room where John handled church district business.
“John, Charlie’s here,” Sally announced then left the two of them alone.
Charlie stood a moment, wondering how to start.
“Have a seat, Charlotte.”
Her heart hammered as she nodded and sat down.