Michael couldn’t wait for Carolyn to appear at the neighboring work site four days later while they watched the first concrete truck start pouring its load into the forms for the cellar of the house next door to hers. The news he had for her today should bring one of her gentle smiles. He hoped he wouldn’t burst with what he had to share with her.
At last, she arrived. She carried a tray. The cups of kaffi on it sent out an inviting aroma that drew the workers toward her like bees to a patch of flowers. Someone grabbed a cup for the guy operating the truck.
As Michael stood to one side to let the others take their cups, there was only one thing more enticing than the kaffi’s scent. Carolyn herself. Her blond hair was drawn back at her nape beneath a small round lace kapp. Beneath a black apron, her lilac dress was decorated with small flowers in a scattered pattern and accented by her gold locket. The image of a sweet, plain woman was ruined by the heavy work boots someone had given her so she didn’t ruin her sneakers in the mud.
“How’s it going?” she asked as he took one of the last cups.
“It feels gut to be moving forward again.”
Michael drained his cup while Carolyn collected empty ones. “Do you have a few minutes?” he asked when she held out the tray to him in a silent invitation to add his cup. “I’d like to talk to you about something important.”
“I need to return the tray, and—”
He didn’t give her a chance to continue. Putting two fingers in his mouth, he let loose a whistle in the direction of a pair of teens. One Englisch boy whose name he thought was Jack turned to look at him. Since work on the Gagnon house had resumed a few days ago, about a half-dozen Englisch teens, both boys and girls, had been hanging around after school. They wanted to help, but Glen had been firm that volunteers had to be approved by Amish Helping Hands and the Mennonite project director before they could work.
Michael didn’t agree because the teens were as eager as he would have been at their ages to help rebuild their village. Maybe he should mention that to Glen and suggest the teens be found chores at the work sites. He valued Glen’s vast experience, but there must be tasks they could ask the kids to do.
Later, he’d make a point of seeking out Glen.
For now, he motioned to the lad he thought was named Jack to come closer. Taking the tray from Carolyn, he handed it to Jack.
“Can you take this to the community center’s kitchen?” he asked.
When the boy hesitated, not wanting to miss watching the concrete being poured, Carolyn said, “There are extra cinnamon rolls left over from breakfast. Tell them I said you should get two for bringing back the tray.”
“Can we both go?” He pointed toward his friend who’d been listening while trying not to appear to.
Michael glanced at Carolyn and saw her nod. “I’m sure the offer is gut for two.”
“Thanks!” The kid grabbed the tray and with his friend hurried in the direction of the community center.
“What do you need to talk to me about?” Carolyn asked as another truck reached the site.
So many things, he wanted to reply. He wondered about her life as a conservative Mennonite, and he wondered what had happened to her husband. She never mentioned him. The kids didn’t, either, he realized with a bolt of shock. He’d been so involved in the disaster relief work, he hadn’t given any thought to Carolyn’s husband.
“Michael?” she asked, and he knew he’d been mired in his thoughts too long.
He chided himself for being distracted when at last she was standing beside him and he could share the news he’d been waiting to tell her. Making sure he didn’t smile and give away his surprise, he said, “I wanted to let you know you and the kinder won’t be sleeping in the stables tonight. You’re being moved elsewhere.”
Puzzlement threaded her brow. “What? Where are we moving to?”
“It’s simple.” He couldn’t halt his grin. “You’ll be living in the trailer, and Benjamin, James and I will use the cots in the stable. After all, we’re not as susceptible to colds as the kinder are.”
“You’re working hard every day. You need to have somewhere comfortable to sleep.”
“We aren’t working any harder than you are, and you’re taking care of two active kinder, as well.” He put his hands on her shoulders and bent so he could look into her eyes. “Most important, Carolyn, there’s plenty of insulation in the trailer’s roof, and that will deaden the sound of rain.”
Her eyes widened, and he found himself wondering if a man could get lost exploring their deep brown depths. He looked away before he ended up gawping at her with the same expression her son had worn when Kevin watched the bulldozer push in the foundation of their old house.
“I didn’t think of that,” she said.
“Those little ones have endured enough, don’t you think?”
“But to put you out of your comfortable beds—”
“Comfortable? Three men in such a tiny space isn’t what I’d describe as comfortable.” When she opened her mouth to protest further, he held up a single finger. “One thing you should know about plain men, Carolyn. When we set our minds on a course of action to help someone else, nothing deters us.”
“You’re making that up.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He was relieved to see her resistance to the idea crumbling. “But it doesn’t matter. We can move our stuff out and your stuff in while the concrete is being poured. We’re in the way here anyhow.” He waved to his friends who’d waited near the road.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say thank you.”
Her shoulders dropped, and her smile softened. “Thank you. I should—”
“No,” Benjamin interjected as he and James joined them. “You shouldn’t do anything. Let us take care of it.” He grinned at Michael. “So glad you got a chance to tell her what we decided. I hope she didn’t object too much to what is common sense.”
“Not too much.” She smiled.
Did it brighten when she aimed it at him? Michael wanted to think so.
Carolyn had to wonder what others must think when she followed Michael, his two friends and the children she’d collected from the day care center in a bizarre parade.
She wasn’t surprised to see Kevin trailing Michael as if he were the man’s shadow. Rose Anne was dancing around, almost getting in the way on each step. Nobody seemed to mind as they talked and laughed with her nephew and niece.
This was what she wanted for her sister’s children. To have in their lives strong, gentle men who would treat them as special gifts from God. She prayed God had concealed any memories Kevin had of his father and thanked Him that Rose Anne was too young to recall the horrific scenes the children had witnessed.
Kevin stopped to peer into some used cars, and Rose Anne had to be lifted to do the same. He decided Carolyn should replace the sedate black sedan that had washed away in the flood with a bright silver SUV. The children were accustomed to her driving a car, a skill she’d mastered when she decided to live as a Mennonite and another example of how far she’d removed herself from the life she’d assumed she would live as an Amish woman. Telling him she’d keep his suggestion in mind, she convinced the children to keep going.
There were a pair of trailers parked behind the dealership. One was small, shaped like a horizontal teardrop and made to tow behind a car. The other was a much grander vehicle with a steering wheel set behind its large windshield. Double sets of tires front and back were needed for such a big RV. She caught sight of a rectangular bay that stuck out the far side to give more room to the interior.
They went to the smaller trailer. Though Benjamin had made it clear all three men had agreed to switching places, she had no doubts Michael was the catalyst behind the idea. Not that he would admit it. No Amish man would lay claim to such a good idea, because to do so would hint of pride.
James opened the door and stepped back. “Be careful. There are three steps in there.”
Carolyn thanked him and lifted Kevin and then Rose Anne onto the steps. Inside, the trailer wasn’t much bigger than the two stalls at Mr. Aiken’s stables. Looking past the miniature kitchen with its dull green appliances and sink, she saw a bedroom at the back and realized the trailer was the size of three stalls. The extra room would give her privacy she hadn’t had since the flood.
She gasped when she saw a stacked washer and dryer in the bedroom. “Do they work?”
“Ja, they do now,” Michael said, coming up the steps. “We fixed them last week and got them hooked up.”
What luxury! Their old house hadn’t had a washer or dryer, though she’d seen space for them on the plan in the new house.
In front of her was a narrow sofa with cushions covered in striped fabric the same green as the stove. To her right beneath a low ceiling was a table with a curved bench along the outer wall of the trailer. More cushions matched the ones on the sofa.
She edged out of the way as the other two men entered. With all of them inside, she understood why they’d been eager to swap. There wasn’t room for them even if she and the children hadn’t been there.
“Sorry about the dirty dishes in the sink,” Benjamin said, embarrassed.
“I hardly noticed them,” she said as she unbuttoned her coat. The trailer had been toasty warm when she stepped in, and now, with all of them crowded in it, the air was beginning to feel as if she’d crawled into the oven. “This is wonderful.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it wunderbaar.” Michael laughed. “But it should be much more comfortable for you and the kinder.”
His words made her think again of how chilly it would be in the stables as the mercury dropped night after night as winter approached. “I can’t ask you to give up—”
Her protest was interrupted when Kevin climbed on the sofa and grabbed the edge of the low ceiling over the table. He hauled himself up, rolled onto his belly and peered over the edge. “Can I sleep here?”
“It’s a bunk bed with a single bunk,” Michael said when her confusion must have been visible.
“I’ll sleep in the corner and won’t fall out.” Kevin clasped his hands together. “Please! I promise to be careful.”
Before she could answer, Michael said in a whisper, “We’ll rig up something so he won’t fall out. A couple of narrow slats will let him climb in and out, but keep him from rolling over the edge while he’s asleep.”
“All right, Kevin. You can sleep there after Michael fixes it into a bed.”
“It’s not a bed?” He looked at them in astonishment. “There’s a mattress. All I need is a pillow and some blankets.”
“We used the area for storage,” Michael answered.
Undaunted, her nephew asked, “When can you fix it, Michael?”
“Probably this evening. I need to get some supplies, and then once I’m done, you can sleep there every night until your house is finished.”
Kevin’s eyes filled with abrupt tears. “Tippy would love being here. It’s the kind of place he likes.”
Michael looked at her, puzzled. “Tippy?”
She blinked back tears of her own. “Tippy is—he was the stuffed dog he’d had since he was a baby.”
“Gone?”
She nodded, glad she didn’t have to explain more. As she moved to ask Kevin at which end he’d want to put his pillow, in hopes of distracting him from his sorrow, she heard Michael draw in a deep breath and release it through pursed lips. She wanted to remind him that some things were out of their hands and they needed to trust God had a reason for what had happened along Washboard Brook.
But that wasn’t easy when one small boy had lost his only connection to Indiana. She knew Kevin didn’t think of Tippy like that. Carolyn wasn’t sure how much her nephew remembered of his life before they’d come to Evergreen Corners. It was a topic she wouldn’t bring up, and he hadn’t asked.
Someday she was going to have to be honest with him and with Rose Anne.
Not today.
When Kevin was calmer, she discovered Benjamin and James had slipped out of the trailer. She didn’t see them outside, so she wondered if they’d returned to the Gagnons’ work site.
Rose Anne tugged on Michael’s pants leg. “What about me?”
“We’ve got a special place for you. Watch.” Michael bent over the sofa built against the wall. When he pulled on the seat cushion, the base rolled out enough to let the cushion on the back fall into place to make a twin bed.
The little girl clapped her hands with glee before climbing onto the cushions and lying down. “My own real live growed-up bed.”
Again Carolyn had to blink back tears. They filled her eyes each time one of the children mentioned how they’d been roughing it. How she wished they’d never had to experience losing everything and living in the stable!
Now...
She put her hand on Michael’s strong arm and whispered, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s the answer to a prayer.” She glanced at where Rose Anne was standing on her bed and peeking into the space where Kevin would sleep. “You’ve made the children so happy.”
“And you?”
“You’ve made me happy, too.” Heat rose up her cheeks, and she guessed she was blushing. “Thank you, Michael.”
“I’m glad to be able to help. I know Benjamin and James are, too.”
Was that his way of severing the sudden connection between them? If so, she should be grateful because her fingers tingled with a longing to lace them through his as she stepped closer to him. She couldn’t do that. Until she knew the children were safe from Leland, she must avoid getting their lives involved with anyone else’s.
“Please thank them for us.” She edged away. “No, don’t do that. Instead, ask them to come here tomorrow night after supper. I’d like to try out this oven and bake a cake.”
“Cake?” cried the children as one. “Yummy!”
“How can I resist such an invitation?” asked Michael, his eyes twinkling. “After all I’ve heard about your baking, we’ll be excited to sample it.”
“Good. Come tomorrow night after supper.”
“We’ll have time before tomorrow evening’s planning meeting.” He winked at the children. “And if we’re a little late, it’ll be worth it, ain’t that so?”
“Mommy makes the bestest cakes in the whole big, wide world,” Rose Anne said, crossing her arms over her narrow chest as if daring someone to challenge her assertion. “The gut-est, right, Michael?”
Carolyn fought her smile. “Rose Anne, we shouldn’t brag about the gifts God has given to us.”
“Even when it’s the truth?”
Putting her arm around the little girl, Carolyn sat beside her on the extended sofa. “Whether it’s the truth or not, it’s not something we brag about to the world. We should—”
“Let everyone find out for themselves,” said Kevin, looking over the edge.
Rose Anne nodded. “And then everyone will find out Mommy’s cakes are the bestest things in the whole wide world.”
Giving her niece a hug, she said, “No, you are the bestest thing in the whole wide world.” She smiled at Kevin. “Both of you are the bestest things in the whole wide world.”
“You can’t have two bestest things,” he argued.
“Maybe not, but you two are the bestest things in my world.”
Her answer set both children to laughing. When a deeper chuckle rumbled underneath their voices, she couldn’t help her gaze from rising to meet Michael’s.
His warm eyes twinkled as the skin around them crinkled to reveal lines left by frequent good humor. “And if you’re wondering, we haven’t forgotten about you.” He gestured toward the other end of the trailer. “There’s a real bed in the bedroom. Not as interesting as the two out here, but it’ll give you more privacy than you’ve had.”
“How can we thank you for all you’ve done for us?”
“The cake will be a gut place to start.” His easy grin sent a sweet warmth uncurling through her middle.
For the first time, she didn’t try to dampen it. Instead, she wanted to savor the luscious sensation while he explained to her that once they had the men’s clothing and supplies out of the trailer, he’d help her and the children move their things from the stable. She looked forward to spending the rest of the morning with him.
Enjoying their time together wouldn’t last forever, so she intended to appreciate every second now.