Cal walked the length of the stable the next morning, and as usual, the aromas of hay and horses struck his senses. He stopped when he reached the stall where Uria was mucking with the pitchfork.
He’d contemplated his running into Elaine—or her running into him—for hours last night. He couldn’t stop envisioning her lovely face and shocked expression when she rammed into him with her shopping basket. He touched his side where a colorful bruise had appeared. Although the spot still ached a bit, he smiled at the memory.
He wondered if he’d used the wrong words when he asked her to join him for lunch. Had he appeared too forward and scared her away? But women had always seemed to enjoy his joking demeanor. Why would it have driven Elaine away?
As he stared at his ceiling waiting for sleep, it hit him. Good thing Mamm had been called away to help a friend for the evening. He still hadn’t asked Uria about Elaine, and maybe he should do that before asking Mamm to invite Elaine’s family over. Perhaps Uria would know why Elaine was so leery of him, of even spending time with his friends. After all, she’d sung to Josiah Gingerich with them after church that first Sunday, and no one had bitten her! Yet Elaine seemed so skittish.
Now Uria stopped his work, turned, and leaned the pitchfork against the barn wall before wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his gray shirt. “Are you here to supervise?”
Cal smirked. “No, you’re doing a fabulous job, as usual. I do have a request, though.”
“What?” Uria leaned back against the wall.
“Tell me about your cousin Elaine.”
Uria lifted his straw hat and raked his fingers through his sweaty hair. “What do you want to know?”
“She seems so reluctant to spend time with me and mei freinden. Do you know why?”
Uria brushed his hands down his shirt. “From what I’ve overheard mei mamm and dat say, I think she was hurt by a boyfriend.”
“What do you mean by hurt?” He couldn’t keep his brow from furrowing.
Uria’s eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t mean physically. I think her ex-boyfriend and best freind turned against her or something.”
Cal drummed his fingers on the stall door. Ex-boyfriend. But the fact that Elaine no longer had a boyfriend did little to erase his concern for her. She’d been hurt, and that bothered him.
“I’m going to ask mei mamm to invite Elaine’s parents over for supper one night. Do you think she’ll come too?”
“Sure. Why not?” Uria shrugged. “They’ll probably expect her to anyway.”
“Great. Danki.” Cal turned to go but then stopped and looked back at Uria. “Don’t tell anyone I asked about her.”
Uria grinned. “I won’t.”
Cal smiled. “Danki.” Then he lifted his chin toward the stall. “Now get back to work.”
Uria rolled his eyes, but Cal knew he recognized teasing when he heard it.
“You’re as bossy as your dat.”
“You know it.” Cal headed back into the house, where he found his mother washing breakfast dishes.
She stared at him. “Is it lunchtime already? I just put the eggs away, and I haven’t finished these dishes.” Then she glanced up at the clock.
“It’s not lunchtime.” He cleared his throat. “I want to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor?” Mamm dried her hands on a towel and then folded her arms over her black apron as she leaned against the sink. “This should be gut.”
He gathered his thoughts. “Would you please invite Elaine Lantz and her parents over for supper one night?”
Mamm’s lips turned up in a smile. “You want to have Elaine over?”
Here we go with the teasing. “It’s not what you think.”
“Oh it must be. Raymond was right. You do like Elaine.” Mamm gave a little squeal. “I’m so froh. It’s been so long since you dated.”
He held up his hands. “Hold on now. Don’t send any wedding invitations yet. I just like her as a freind, and I want to get to know her. But at this point, I don’t even think she likes me.”
“Oh, I’m sure she does, Calvin. How could anybody not like you?”
He shook his head. “I’m trying to figure that out myself.”
Mamm clapped her hands. “I’d love to have them over for supper. Would you ask Uria what their phone number is? They most likely share the phone shanty with Mary Liz and Mel, but I want to be sure.”
“I will.” Cal kissed her cheek. “Danki, Mamm.”
“Gern gschehne. This will be wunderbaar.”
As Cal walked back to the stable to start his own chores, he prayed. Please, God, encourage Elaine’s parents to say yes to Mamm’s invitation. And then help Elaine understand I want to be her freind and I won’t hurt her the way her boyfriend in New Wilmington did.
* * *
“I received an interesting call this afternoon,” Elaine’s mother announced during supper.
“Oh?” Dat filled his plate with a mountain of teriyaki chicken casserole and then passed the dish to Mamm as Elaine took a long drink of water.
“It was Edna King.” Mamm looked at Elaine. “Calvin’s mamm.”
Elaine began to cough. Then she sputtered and gasped for breath.
Dat jumped up and patted her back until she regained control.
“Are you all right?” Dat asked as Mamm gave her a worried look.
“Ya.” Elaine sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “The water went down the wrong way. What did Edna want, Mamm?”
“She invited us to join them for supper Friday night.” Mamm dropped two scoops of casserole on her plate and then passed the dish to Elaine.
“Why?” Elaine asked, alarm surging through her at a rapid pace.
“How nice,” Dat said at the same time.
Mamm smiled at Dat and then turned to Elaine. “I had a pleasant conversation with Edna. She said she and her husband want to welcome us to the district and get to know us better.”
Suspicion threaded through the alarm still there. This had to be Calvin’s doing. Why wouldn’t he just leave her alone?
“I asked her what I could bring, and she suggested dessert. Would you please make one of your triple-chocolate pumpkin pies, Elaine?” Mamm asked.
“Oh, I love that pie,” Dat said. “I’m certain the Kings will enjoy it. They’ll be froh they invited us for your dessert alone.”
Elaine looked down at her plate, but her appetite had evaporated at the mention of Calvin’s name.
“It will be nice to meet the Kings,” Dat continued. “Mel told me Uria enjoys working on their horse farm. In fact, he wants to own a horse farm someday.”
Elaine struggled to maintain a calm demeanor. She would have to spend the evening with Calvin King. So much for her plan to avoid him. He kept popping up in her life like a pesky weed.
* * *
Elaine peeked out the window at the rolling pastures of the Kings’ farm as her father’s horse pulled his buggy up the long, winding rock driveway that led to a large, two-story, brick farmhouse with a sweeping wraparound porch.
She nearly gasped as she took in the long row of bright red barns and the freshly painted, white split-rail fence lining the pasture, where several horses frolicked. The business appeared profitable, and the Kings lived a comfortable lifestyle.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Dat said as if reading her mind.
“No wonder Uria likes working here,” Mamm added.
Dat secured the horse to a hitching post near the front door, and they all climbed out of the buggy.
Balancing a pie plate in her hands, Elaine followed her parents onto the porch, where her mother knocked on the door. Footfalls sounded from inside the house, and Elaine pulled in a deep breath. Her hands trembled as she imagined Calvin appearing and flashing his attractive smile.
The door swung open, and a teenaged boy who looked slightly shorter than Calvin smiled at them. He wasn’t blond like Calvin, and his eyes were hazel, not blue-gray, but the family resemblance was clear.
“Hi. I’m Raymond.”
“Nice to meet you,” Dat said. “I’m Abram, and this is Lovina and Elaine.”
“Please come in.” Raymond held the door open for them. “You can hang your jackets here if you’d like.” He pointed to pegs by the door.
Elaine pulled off her wrap and hung it on a peg beside her mother’s and father’s. Then she followed her parents into a large family room furnished with two sofas, two wing chairs, three end tables, a matching coffee table, and two propane lamps. A recliner sat near a desk in one corner. She glanced toward a steep staircase and imagined how large the bedrooms at the top of the stairs must be.
“Hello.” A woman about Mamm’s age came in from the kitchen. She was pretty, and her hair and eye color matched Raymond’s. She held her hand out to Mamm. “I’m Edna. I’m so glad you could come tonight.”
Mamm made a sweeping gesture. “This is Abram and Elaine.”
Edna gave Elaine a smile that seemed to be just for her. “It’s so very nice to finally meet you, Elaine.”
Elaine nodded as heat crawled up her neck. Had Calvin talked about her? She brushed away the thought and held out her offering. “I made a triple-chocolate pumpkin pie.”
“Oh my.” Edna took the pie and sniffed it. “Calvin will be delighted. He loves pumpkin pie. In fact, we all do.”
“I’m so glad.” Elaine glanced around the room. “Your farm and haus are lovely.”
“Danki.” Edna pointed toward the kitchen. “Please come make yourself at home. Harvey and Calvin should be down soon. They’re still cleaning up after working all day.”
Elaine stepped into the kitchen and barely swallowed another gasp. Just like the family room, the kitchen was huge. A long table with eight chairs sat in the middle of the room. Cabinets lined an entire wall, and a pretty cabinet full of china and crystal sat at the far end.
The delicious aroma of beef filled Elaine’s senses as she looked toward the counter where Mamm and Edna now stood. Dat and Raymond were huddled by a window while Raymond pointed as if giving Dat a tour of the farm from afar.
“What can Elaine and I do to help?” she heard Mamm ask.
“Oh, nothing, but danki. I think we’re all set. We just need the other two men to join us.” Edna looked toward the doorway to a hall and then smiled. “Here they are.”
Elaine absently smoothed her hands down her black apron and red dress as Calvin walked into the room just behind an attractive older man.
Calvin said hello to Elaine’s parents and then faced Elaine. When he smiled, her heart seemed to come to life.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” he said.
He was more handsome than ever in a blue shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes.
“Dat, this is Elaine.” He gestured toward his father. “Elaine, this is mei dat, Harvey.”
Elaine walked over and shook Harvey’s hand. “You have a schee home and farm.”
“Danki.” Harvey seemed pleased with the compliment. “We’re froh to have you all over.” He smiled at his wife. “I convinced Edna to make steak and potatoes.”
Dat rubbed his hands together. “My favorite.”
“Isn’t it every man’s favorite?” Elaine blurted. She turned toward Calvin, who gave a bark of laughter, and then everyone joined in.
“On that note,” Edna said with a laugh, “let’s eat. Please sit wherever you’d like.”
Calvin touched her hand, and warmth rushed to the spot where their skin made contact. “Sit by me.”
Elaine found herself captured in the depth of his eyes.
“Let me help serve the meal,” Mamm told Edna.
“I should help too,” she told Calvin.
He nodded. “I’ll save your seat.”
Elaine couldn’t quite suppress a smile as she returned the nod. Then she carried two large bowls of mashed potatoes to the table while her mother filled glasses with water from a crystal pitcher. Edna brought the platter of steak, and Elaine followed with a large tossed salad.
Once all the food was delivered, Elaine took her seat beside Calvin. When her leg brushed against his, she took in a rush of air. She glanced at Raymond and found him grinning at his older brother. What did that mean? She recalled the way Darlene had looked at Calvin in her store. Did everyone know something about Calvin she didn’t?
Elaine bowed her head and tried to dismiss confusion from her mind as she prayed.
When she heard her father shift in his seat, she looked up just as Harvey took a steak and then passed the platter to Dat. Soon the sound of cutlery scraping plates filled the kitchen as well as voices. Their arms resembled an octopus as they reached for food and passed serving dishes from place to place.
Elaine glanced to her left, where her mamm and Edna were already discussing quilting. To her right, Dat and Harvey talked about Dat’s dairy farm.
“I saw a pie plate on the counter.”
Elaine looked at Calvin. “Ya. I made a triple-chocolate pumpkin pie.”
“Oh.” Calvin put his hands to his chest. “My favorite.”
“You’ve had it before?”
He shook his head. “No, but you said my two favorite words—chocolate and pumpkin.”
Elaine smiled.
“He loves pumpkin,” Raymond chimed in. “This is his favorite time of year.”
“It’s Elaine’s too,” Calvin said.
Elaine turned toward Calvin again. “You remember I told you that in Darlene’s store?”
“How could I forget?” Calvin sliced his steak. “What do you like about the fall?”
“I love how the leaves change.” She scooped a pile of mashed potatoes and dropped it onto her plate. “How the air smells. And how the nights get cooler.” She passed the bowl to Calvin and found him looking at her with an intensity that made goose bumps dart up her arms. “What?”
“I feel the same way.” He took the bowl from her.
Elaine turned her attention to her meal, all the while trying to stop her pulse from zooming.
Calvin was so handsome, and he seemed to like her, not just be flirting with her. But how could she trust any man after the way Lewis had betrayed her—and with Rhoda? And how did she know Calvin truly liked her when he and Darlene seemed to be sharing secrets? It was just too risky to allow him into her heart.
“Elaine,” Edna began, “what do you think of Bird-in-Hand so far?”
After she swallowed a piece of steak, Elaine said, “It seems very nice.”
“I love the little downtown area on Old Philadelphia Pike with the shops and restaurants,” Mamm added. “And everyone seems so friendly in our church district.”
“Everyone is glad you’re here,” Edna said.
“Ya, we are,” Calvin chimed in.
Elaine did her best to focus on what Edna was saying. But she had a sinking feeling. She’d have a tough time avoiding Calvin but an even tougher time denying how her attraction toward him was intensifying.