Elaine plastered a smile on her face as she followed her mother and aunt to the Glick family’s back-porch steps. It was a church Sunday, their first in Lancaster County, and the Glicks were hosting the service.
She pulled her black sweater tight across her chest as a cool breeze caused her to shiver. She should have chosen a heavier sweater to wear over her favorite long-sleeved dress—the pink one.
After glancing at the cloudy, mid-October sky, she turned her gaze toward the barn. The middle-aged men had all gathered by the barn before the church service, and she spotted her father talking to his older brother, her uncle, Mel, and nearly sighed.
This was what her father had wanted. A new start in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. And new friends for her in this new church district. But was she willing to make friends after what happened back home in New Wilmington?
Elaine straightened her shoulders as she made her way up the porch steps. The women she’d grown up with in Western Pennsylvania always met in the kitchens of host houses before services, and her aunt told them this district was no different.
“Lovina, before we go in, I just want to tell you again how excited we are to have you here,” Aenti Mary Liz said, one hand on the storm-door handle. “You know Mel has been trying to convince Abram to go into business with him for years. We’re so grateful and blessed that he finally accepted.”
“Well, God’s timing was just right. For the last couple of years, Abram was finally considering selling our dairy farm, and then the perfect offer came in.” Mamm smiled at her. “We’re grateful that a partnership in Mel’s shed business was still open, and you’re even letting us live in the daadihaus where your parents lived. We’re blessed as well.” She turned to Elaine. “And you were eager for a new start, too, right?”
Elaine slowly nodded. That sounded like Mamm had told Mary Liz what happened in the youth group back home. She inwardly groaned at the humiliation.
“Ach, don’t worry.” Her aunt touched Elaine’s arm. “We have a nice group of young folks in our church district. I’m certain you’ll quickly make some wunderbaar freinden.”
“Danki.” Elaine forced her lips into a smile. She’d always thought her aunt was one of the prettiest ladies she knew, and she had a kind heart to match.
“Let’s introduce you to the women of our congregation.” Mary Liz opened the back door, and a buzz of conversation floated out.
With a deep breath, Elaine stepped through the mudroom to where the women stood in a circle in the kitchen. She once again forced a pleasant expression on her face as her aunt steered Mamm and her around the circle, introducing them.
Elaine tried to commit the strangers’ names to memory, but she knew it was a lost cause. She could never remember them all this soon.
“Elaine, this is Dorothy Blank,” Mary Liz said as they approached a woman probably in her mid to late forties with dark hair and eyes. “Dorothy, this is Elaine’s mamm, Lovina Lantz. She’s my sister-in-law, married to Mel’s bruder, Abram, and their family just moved here from the western part of the state.”
“So nice to meet you,” Dorothy said, and Elaine and Mamm nodded.
“Dorothy and her dochder, Alice, like to quilt, just like you and your mamm do, Elaine. And Alice is about your age.” She looked at Dorothy. “How old is she?”
Dorothy smiled at Elaine. “She’s twenty-one. And you are . . .”
“Twenty-two.”
“How about that?” Her aunt’s smile widened. “I’ll introduce you to Alice. You and your mamm will have to quilt with us. We’re making quilts for Christmas gifts and to sell in some of the Bird-in-Hand shops.”
Dorothy’s expression brightened. “Absolutely! And Alice and her freinden like to sing for members of our community. Do you like to sing, Elaine?”
Elaine nodded. “I do.”
“Wunderbaar.” Mamm clapped her hands. “You should join them.”
Dorothy pointed toward the mudroom. “Why don’t we go outside so you can meet Alice and her freinden now?”
Elaine followed them out and then to a group of three young women talking near the pasture fence. Standing close together as they spoke animatedly, they looked like a tight-knit group. They were all pretty, and like her, they were of average height for a woman. But they each had different-colored hair peeking out from under their prayer coverings. One woman was a blonde, the second had light-brown hair, and the third had reddish-brown hair.
Visions of her former friends came to mind, and a niggle of worry crept in. Maybe these young women could become her friends, but would they eventually turn on her too? She could never go through that again.
“Alice!” Dorothy called. “I want you to meet someone.”
The young woman with the reddish-brown hair smiled as she took a step away from her friends and joined them.
“Alice,” Dorothy began, “this is Elaine Lantz. She’s Mary Liz’s niece. And this is Elaine’s mamm, Lovina. They just moved here from New Wilmington, and they like to quilt.”
“Wunderbaar.” Alice shook Elaine’s hand, and her smile seemed genuine as her dark eyes sparkled. She glanced behind her, where her two friends stood looking curious. “Elaine, come meet mei freinden.”
Elaine glanced at her mother, who nodded encouragement, almost as if Elaine were a toddler. But her mother knew just how reticent she’d become—and why.
“Okay.”
They met the other young women halfway, and Alice first gestured toward the blonde. “Elaine, this is Darlene Bender.” Then she pointed to the brunette. “And this is Sharon Lambert. Elaine just moved here from New Wilmington. She’s Mary Liz’s niece, and she likes to quilt.”
“You do?” Sharon asked.
“Ya. We had a quilting group where I used to live.” That is, until I was no longer welcome there.
“You’ll have to quilt with us, then,” Alice said, and the other two young women nodded.
“Do you like to sing?” Darlene asked, just as Alice’s mother had.
Elaine gave a half shrug. “Ya.”
“We sing for members of the community and for Englishers who come to suppers Alice’s and Sharon’s mamms host. We could always use an extra voice. Right?” Darlene turned to her friends as if for their approval, and they both nodded.
“We’d love for you to join us,” Sharon said. “We’re already talking about what Christmas carols we want to sing starting right after Thanksgiving.”
“Maybe I will.” Elaine glanced to her left as a group of four young men made their way toward them.
She locked eyes with one of them. He had golden hair, and he was tall, around her father’s six-foot height. When he smiled, she felt a flutter in her chest and quickly looked down at the toes of her black shoes, away from his blue-gray eyes.
“Here are the other freinden who sing with us,” Sharon announced. “This is my boyfriend, Jay Smoker.” She pointed to another tall young man, who had light-brown hair and eyes the color of honey. He nodded as he came to stand beside Sharon.
Elaine thought of her ex-boyfriend, Lewis, and her stomach soured.
“And this is Dave Esh.” Sharon pointed toward yet another tall young man, this one with light-brown hair and blue eyes. “He’s dating Alice.”
“Hi.” Dave gave her a shy smile before stepping to join Alice.
“And this is Andrew Detweiler,” Darlene announced as a young man with dark hair and eyes joined her. He was about the same height. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Andrew waved.
“Hi. I’m Calvin King. Mei freinden call me Cal. I’m the only single member of the group.” The young man with the golden hair and alluring blue-gray eyes held out his hand. “I didn’t catch your name.”
She found it amazing that all four of these men were so tall, let alone so close in height. Lewis was only a couple of inches taller than her.
“I’m Elaine Lantz.” She offered him a weak handshake and nearly jumped when his skin touched hers. Her cheeks heated, and she looked away, turning toward where Mamm still spoke to Dorothy. “I’m going to catch up with mei mamm. It’s nice meeting you all.”
“It’s nice meeting you too.” Sharon gave her a wave.
Elaine quickly sidled up to her mother, who was discussing quilting patterns with Dorothy and Mary Liz. When she glanced back at Alice and her friends, she found Calvin watching her. He waved.
She merely nodded in return, and this time a strange shiver of awareness rolled over her skin. If only she could, she’d run and hide without a second thought. After the way Lewis shredded her heart and her trust, she’d rather be alone than give another man a chance to hurt her.
* * *
Cal couldn’t take his eyes off Elaine as she stood next to Alice’s mother and Mary Liz, her profile in clear view. She was beautiful with those striking dark eyes that matched her hair, and he’d never seen a maedel with such stunning ivory skin and adorable freckles marching across her nose. But something about her was intriguing besides her looks, something he couldn’t quite put a finger on.
“Hey, Cal.” Jay smacked his arm. “Are you daydreaming?”
“No.” Yes!
About a month ago, Andrew and Darlene had finally settled into their relationship, leaving him the only single man in their tight group of seven. He had to admit, having a girlfriend was beginning to sound appealing—maybe. If she could be anything like this woman.
He cleared his throat. “Is Elaine just visiting our district today?”
“No.” Alice shook her head. “She just moved here.”
He rubbed his jaw. “Really? From where?”
“New Wilmington.”
“Interesting.” He looked back at Elaine.
“She said she likes to quilt,” Sharon said, “so we invited her to quilt with us.”
“And she sings too,” Darlene added. “We’ve already invited her to join us at singings.”
“Huh.” Calvin placed a hand on each hip. “How does she know Mary Liz?”
“Mary Liz is her aenti,” Alice said. “Elaine’s last name is Lantz, so I guess her dat’s bruder is married to Mary Liz.”
“Really? That means Uria, who works with me on mei dat’s horse farm, is her cousin.”
Alice nodded. “Right.”
“Mm. Do you have a sudden crush, Cal?” Jay asked.
Cal turned to his friend with narrowed eyes. “No. I’m just curious. How often do Amish families move here and become members of our church district?”
“Not very,” Dave said.
“We unmarried women will invite her to sit with us in church, too, but we should all welcome her with open arms to sing with our group, starting this afternoon,” Sharon said. “She’s new, and she’s our age.”
Darlene nodded along with everyone else. “I agree.”
Cal smiled. He really was curious about Elaine, and he looked forward to getting to know her.
* * *
“Did you like the service?” Alice asked Elaine as they walked toward the Glicks’ house.
“Ya, of course.” Elaine was grateful that Alice had invited her to sit with her and her friends during the service.
She’d spent a good part of the time glancing around at the congregation. Her cousins Levi and Uri had been sitting together in the unmarried men’s section, and Alice’s, Darlene’s, and Sharon’s boyfriends sat only a row away from them. And, of course, Calvin sat with his friends.
Although she’d tried her best to avoid looking at him, her eyes betrayed her more than once. And she’d found him watching her more than once. She immediately broke away from his gaze, but she’d been caught, entranced by his handsome face.
She chastised herself. Her last relationship with a man had ended in disaster, and this community was a brand-new start for her and her parents. She had to make the best of it and avoid creating another terrible situation. That meant avoiding Calvin at all costs. She had a feeling a man like him expected female attention.
Pushing those thoughts away, she followed Alice into the Glicks’ kitchen and picked up a coffee carafe. Alice said she’d stay to make more coffee, and Sharon and Darlene each lifted a tray of food.
“I know you just met us,” Sharon said as they made their way back to the barn, “but this afternoon we’re going to sing for one of our community members who’s bedridden, and we’d love for you to join us. Just think about it.”
“Josiah Gingerich?” Darlene asked.
“Ya. He’s had some complications after back surgery.”
Alice clucked her tongue. “Ach. So bedauerlich.”
Darlene balanced her tray of peanut butter spread and bread as she looked at Sharon. “Did you tell the guys?”
“I did.” Sharon nodded, holding her tray with bowls of pretzels steady as well. “They all want to come with us.”
“Gut.”
Elaine looked straight ahead. She wished she could come up with an excuse to avoid going, but her parents expected her to participate in the youth group, so she had to go. But it would be impossible to avoid Calvin all afternoon. As outgoing as he seemed to be—and already a bit too attentive—he might offer her a ride home. She didn’t want to run the risk of giving him the wrong idea. She didn’t need or want a boyfriend.
“Do you have a boyfriend in New Wilmington?”
Elaine halted and faced Sharon, who slowed and turned to face her as well. Had she just read her thoughts? “No, I don’t.” Not anymore.
“Oh.” Sharon smiled.
Darlene’s expression warmed as she stood beside them. “Maybe you’ll meet someone here.”
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now.” When she noticed them all sharing a confused expression, she added, “I just want to help my parents get settled. Mei dat is starting a new job, and we’re still unpacking in a daadihaus on mei aenti and onkel’s farm, where we’ll live until mei dat finds property to build a place. We have a lot on our plates.”
“Right.” Darlene nodded. Her pinched brow seemed to illustrate her skepticism, but at the same time, Elaine thought she saw a hint of understanding in her eyes. Maybe she’d had a lot on her plate before dating Andrew.
Elaine started toward the barn again. “I need to serve this kaffi before it gets cold.”
She stepped into the barn and began moving down the tables, smiling as she filled the men’s cups with coffee.
When she came to the table where Calvin sat with his friends, he was laughing at something Jay said.
She stilled for a moment and took in his profile, his face looking as though it had been carved out of a fine piece of granite. He was certainly attractive, but Lewis was too. And he’d not only trampled her heart but destroyed her reputation.
Elaine closed her eyes and fought against the familiar cloud of betrayal and heartache that took up residence in her soul after Lewis broke up with her. Then she squared her shoulders and headed down the table.
When she came up behind Calvin, she forced her lips into a smile. “Kaffi?”
Calvin craned his neck to look up at her. “Hi, Elaine.”
“Hello.” She held up the carafe. “Would any of you like kaffi?”
Andrew lifted his cup. “Ya, please.”
Elaine filled his cup and then reached over to fill Dave’s and Jay’s. When she allowed her gaze to tangle with Calvin’s again, she said, “Do you want some?”
“Of course I do.” Those blue-gray eyes sparkled. “How did you like the service?”
“Fine. It was similar to our services back in New Wilmington.” She filled his cup.
“Did you know your cousin Uria works for mei dat? We work together.”
Her eyes locked with his. “Your dat owns King’s Belgian and Dutch Harness Horses?”
“That’s right.” He took the full cup from her. “Danki.”
“Gern gschehne.” She moved on to the next group of men, but her mind was stuck on the information Calvin had shared. Uria worked with him. Would that make it even harder to avoid this man?
If so, her heart might be doomed.