Chapter Five
Priscilla had just fixed her younger siblings an after-school snack when someone knocked at the door. Her heart clenched as tightly as her hand grasped the knife, making her slices jagged and uneven. The chocolatey aroma of the soft, gooey brownies, usually so homey and comforting, choked her.
The last two times she’d answered the door, it had been the bishop, then Matthew.
She handed the knife to her sister Sarah. “Can you finish cutting these?”
Then she dragged her feet heading to the door. Had Betty come to continue her lecture? Or had the church leaders arrived to pressure her to confess? Or did the school board plan to tell her she was unfit for the job? She built up these three scenarios in her mind, but when she opened the door, Hope stood on the porch.
“Hope?” What was her best friend doing here when she usually had horse therapy lessons at this time?
“Jah, it’s me. I just stopped by to pay on the loan you gave me.”
“But don’t Chloe and Jabin have lessons now?”
“Usually they do, but Micah and I thought coming over here was more important.”
“Micah’s with you?” Priscilla peered over Hope’s shoulder.
“Not this time. I thought you might want to talk.”
Priscilla would love to, but she couldn’t share the secrets she was hiding. She appreciated Hope acting as if everything were normal. No disapproving glances. No frowns of censure. No condemning looks. No drawing away from a sinner.
Priscilla bit her lip. “I suppose you’ve heard the rumors.”
“I try not to listen to gossip. Or to believe it. Especially not about my friends.”
“Matthew and I broke up.”
“I’m so sorry.” Hope hugged her, then stepped back. “You’ve been together since you were eighteen. That’s a long time.”
“I know.” Never, during those four years, had she considered anyone else. And now she couldn’t. Or wouldn’t. Gabe’s face popped into her mind. As much as she was drawn to him, she’d made up her mind. Never again would she let anyone else inflict that kind of hurt.
“Priscilla?” Hope’s eyes radiated sympathy. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”
As badly as she wanted to discuss it, Priscilla couldn’t share the truth. “Neh. I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“Are you confessing on Sunday?”
Priscilla shook her head. “Only Matthew needs to confess.” Well, Matthew and Mara.
Hope’s startled eyes made Priscilla realize her mistake.
“Oh, no,” Hope cried, “I’m so sorry. I never thought Matthew would—”
“No, no. I don’t want you to think Matthew forced me to do something. He didn’t. I mean . . .” Now she’d talked herself into an even bigger misunderstanding. “Hope, I can’t tell you what happened. Not until after Matthew confesses.”
Sarah peeked her head into the living room. “Did you want me to bring you both some brownies?”
The thought of eating anything made Priscilla feel ill. “None for me. Only for Hope.”
“You’re really not going to have any?” Hope asked after Sarah brought her a plate with a generous piece. “I’ve never known you to turn down chocolate.”
“I can’t.” Actually, except for the sandwich Gabe had fed her, she hadn’t eaten much since Saturday.
Hope finished her brownie, then reached into her pocket, and handed Priscilla a check. “Here’s my first payment.”
“But this isn’t due for months yet.” When Priscilla lent Hope the money for her horse therapy farm, she had given her friend generous repayment terms. Hope didn’t need to pay her first installment until five months from now.
“I know, but the business is going so well, I wanted to pay you back now.”
Hope’s broad smile made Priscilla’s heart ache. Would she ever know that deep happiness again?
“I’m so glad it’s been successful.” Priscilla was happy she’d played a small part in helping the horse therapy farm get off the ground. Maybe she could do the same for Gabriel. She didn’t know Gabriel well enough to offer him a loan the way she had for Hope, but she could help him get customers. And she’d just thought of the perfect way to do it. She only hoped he’d agree.
* * *
The next afternoon Gabe glanced up to see Priscilla framed in the doorway, and his heart skipped a beat. Her smile radiated sunbeams of joy into his heart and into the room.
“I had an idea yesterday while my friend Hope was visiting, and she agreed it would be an awesome opportunity for both of you.” Priscilla waltzed across the room to where he was sitting at the counter.
“Well, if it made you this excited, I can’t wait to hear it.” Gabe stood and offered her his chair.
“I don’t have time to sit. I promised Mamm I’d make supper tonight because she’s at her quilting circle, but I wanted to tell you so we can get started with the planning.”
Whatever her idea might be, Gabe intended to give an enthusiastic yes.
“You know how my school, the horse therapy farm, and your business all serve similar customers? I thought we could have a day at Hope’s farm to introduce all the parents at my school and everyone who takes horse therapy to the benefits of camel’s milk.”
“That’s brilliant.”
“And I thought you could invite your customers to come too. People who are willing to try camel’s milk for health problems would probably be open to horse therapy. And that would help Hope’s business.”
“Of course. It sounds great. I don’t have a lot of customers here yet, but I can send invitations to the ones from Bucks County. It’s only about an hour’s drive. Some of them come here to pick up milk. If they’re interested in horse therapy, perhaps they can schedule lessons for the days they come for milk.”
“That’s a great idea. Hope would really appreciate that.”
Gabe made the mistake of staring into Priscilla’s sparkling eyes. Then he couldn’t look away despite warning bells sounding an alarm. He needed to curb his enthusiasm and not get too involved.
“I’m so glad you like the idea.” Priscilla was practically dancing with excitement. “A big event like this will probably attract the newspapers.”
Gabe had to grip the counter to control the urge to sweep her into his arms. He forced himself to concentrate on Priscilla’s plan rather than her charm.
Her idea would give him a chance to let the community know he’d opened his business. If it went well, it could give his camel farm a big boost.
He’d focused so hard on dragging his attention away from Priscilla, he almost missed her next question.
“Do you think you could bring a camel along for people to see?”
“I have one mama and baby that used to be in a petting zoo, so they’re rather tame.”
“Bringing a baby would be wunderbar. I’m sure the children will love to see it. I could also invite the other special needs schools and the Community Care Center. They work with children and adults with special needs.”
He was so caught up in his enthusiasm for Priscilla’s plan, he almost forgot his nervousness in large crowds of strangers. But then she dropped a bombshell.
“Once everyone has gathered, you and Hope could each talk about the benefits of camel’s milk and horse therapy. If people knew more about the advantages, they’d be willing to try it.”
Gabe tumbled to earth with a thud. Talk to a group? A large crowd? He could barely draw in a breath. No, never!
Priscilla stopped talking and stared at him. “What’s the matter?”
He forced himself to suck in some air. Then he explained, “I like your ideas, and I think they’d be a great way to market, but . . .”
* * *
“But what?” Priscilla didn’t want to hear any objections. She and Hope had spent a lot of time coming up with this idea last night. Hope had left the house thrilled. And Priscilla had stayed up most of the night to be sure she hadn’t missed any details.
Gabe had a pained expression. “I can’t talk to people.”
“What?” That didn’t make any sense. “You never have any trouble speaking to me. And you seemed fine with that Englischer.” Priscilla hadn’t seen him interacting with anyone else, but she’d never noticed him having trouble with conversations.
He waved a hand. “I’ve trained myself to talk to customers, and if I have only one or two, I’m fine. But to talk to a crowd?” Gabe shook his head. “I could never, ever give a speech.”
“Giving a speech is no different than talking to one person. Look at one individual in the audience, and speak to that person. Forget everyone else is there.”
Gabe’s head whipped back and forth like wheat blowing in a violent wind. “I can’t. I just can’t.”
Priscilla couldn’t let go of her idea. Not after she’d spent so much time planning—and scheming, if she were honest—to come up with a way to spend more time with Gabe. She enjoyed his company, and she wanted to help him succeed. It hurt to have her hopes dashed.
“I’m sorry,” Gabe said. “I wish I could be a part of it.”
“You still can. We could set up a booth where you could talk to people one at a time.”
“I could probably manage that.”
He looked so pained, Priscilla almost wanted to scrap the idea.
Then he brightened. “You know so much about the benefits of camel’s milk, and you’re used to teaching. Could you deliver the speech?”
Priscilla had intended to stay behind the scenes. She’d have a lot to handle with keeping things running and taking care of her scholars with special needs. Many of them got agitated or upset in crowds and acted out. Doing a speech seemed impossible.
“I don’t think so.” Right now, the only answer that came to mind was an emphatic no. She’d definitely not have time for that.
Maybe she could figure out a way to help Gabe feel more comfortable about speeches. Perhaps if he rehearsed what he wanted to say? She’d be happy to listen to him practice. Right now, he looked too overwhelmed to appreciate that suggestion, so she’d give him some time before she offered her thoughts about practicing a speech.
She made a show of glancing at the clock. “I’d better get home to make supper.”
“Priscilla, wait.” Gabe reached for her hand to stop her from leaving, and sparks shot through her.
“Sorry,” Gabe mumbled and let go of her hand.
Had he felt it too? The warmth and imprint of his fingers remained on her skin. Priscilla forced herself to breathe. In . . . out . . . in . . . out. Had Matthew ever touched her that way? If he had, she didn’t remember it affecting her like this. She struggled to control her pulse.
Then Gabe stared into her eyes, and she was lost. “Please,” he begged. “Will you do the speech for me?”
Drawn into those sparkling depths, Priscilla was powerless to resist. What could she say but yes?
* * *
Every day for the rest of the week, Henry Defarge called Gabe several times a day. Each call began the same way—with Defarge barking the same question into the phone, “You ready to sell yet?”
The relentless pressure rattled Gabe, but he managed to keep his tone neutral. No sense in offending a large commercial customer. He forced out two words. “Not yet.”
Sometimes Defarge listed all the disadvantages of owning a business, which made no sense to Gabe. If the man believed that, why would he want to purchase this one?
On Friday, Defarge became pushier than usual. Gabe clammed up, the way he usually did in arguments. His mind ran around and around in squirrelly circles, and he couldn’t find the beginning or the ending to make a full sentence.
Defarge took Gabe’s silence as agreement. “So glad you’ve finally come around,” he said. “I think we should do business in person, though. Sign the contracts and all that as soon as possible.”
Gabe managed a strangled no, but Defarge talked right over him, outlining his plans for the takeover, the papers Gabe would need, and the arrangements they’d both need to have their lawyers handle.
Taking a deep breath, Gabe tried once again. “No, I don’t want to—”
“Oh, right, right. I forgot you Amish aren’t big on lawyers and contracts. How do you manage these land purchases, then? The government usually wants the forms in triplicate and all that stuff.”
“No,” Gabe said. “I—”
“Listen, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to my lawyer to find out how to take care of everything. He’s done deals with the Amish, so I’m sure he can figure it out. Once he has the paperwork ready, we can go from there. I need to run, so I’ll turn it over to him today.”
Before Gabe could stop him, Defarge hung up.
Gabe sat, phone in hand, as drained and squashed as if a team of horses had trampled him. How would he ever get Defarge to understand he didn’t plan to sell?
If he called the man back, he’d find himself tripping over words. Trying to get a word in edgewise against Defarge’s forceful personality had proved impossible, even if Gabe could manage to form coherent thoughts and sentences. Maybe a letter would work.
Gabe pulled a sheet of paper from the drawer and began his defense. His arguments against the sale flowed from his pen rapidly and easily. He finished writing, signed and dated the letter, and dug out an envelope. Once he found Defarge’s New Jersey delivery address in his files, he added it to the front of the envelope. Tomorrow morning he’d run to the post office to send it off.
He hoped he wouldn’t miss Priscilla’s milk pickup while he was gone. Her visits had become the highlights of his week.
* * *
Priscilla planned to run to Gabe’s farm first thing in the morning, but Mamm’s turn to host the quilting circle occurred only once every three months, and the house needed to be spotless. Priscilla’s excitement at seeing Gabe surpassed last Saturday’s anticipation for the picnic with Matthew—the picnic that had turned out to be a disaster.
Despite her best efforts to rush through the chores, Priscilla didn’t get out the door until almost noon. Not wanting to get dizzy again in Gabe’s store, she took a lunch to eat on the way. This time, she also brought her winter coat and gloves.
She pulled past Gabe’s building to park at the hitching post, tied up her horse, and headed for the door. A berry red convertible shot up the driveway, spraying gravel under its tires. Priscilla jumped aside to avoid getting hit by the car or the flying stones. The car slowed and glided to a stop in front of the entrance.
A heavyset man with a florid face and hanging jowls emerged from the driver’s side. “Sorry, little lady. I didn’t see you there.”
Priscilla opened her mouth to respond, but he interrupted her. “Tell Gabe I’ll be right in. I need to collect all the paperwork.”
With a shake of her head, Priscilla entered the store. Gabe’s smile when he spotted her brightened her day.
She headed toward the counter. “A man outside told me to let you know he’ll be in soon with some paperwork.”
“Paperwork?” Gabe scrunched his brows. “Not sure what that’s about. I hope I didn’t make any mistakes in the forms I had to file for the business.”
“I have no idea. He didn’t say.” Priscilla was close enough now to appreciate the sparkle in Gabe’s eyes. And once her eyes met his, she had no willpower to look away.
Behind her, the door banged open. “Oops, hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Reluctantly, Priscilla turned to face the man who’d driven the sports car. She should grab her milk and leave, allowing the men to talk business. But she wanted to discuss the event at Hope’s farm with Gabe, so she stepped back when the man approached.
“Well, my lawyer went over all the documents last night, and he says this should take care of everything.” He stuck out a beefy hand. “Sorry. Should have introduced myself first. Henry Defarge. We spoke on the phone.”
Gabe’s face paled, and Priscilla instinctively moved nearer.
Defarge slapped a stack of papers on the counter in front of Gabe. “I’m so glad you finally decided to sell the business.”
“Sell?” Priscilla said faintly. Gabe had only opened the business a short while ago. Why would he be selling it already? “You’re not selling, are you?”
Gabe’s mouth moved as if he were struggling to find words, but no sound came out.
“Oops, looks like I put my foot in it,” Defarge said. “You didn’t have time to tell the little lady yet?”
“No.” The word exploded from Gabe’s lips, startling Priscilla as well as Defarge, who took a step back.
Defarge glanced over his shoulder at Priscilla. “Well, ma’am, I didn’t mean to break the news this way.”
Priscilla ignored him and focused on Gabe. “You can’t sell the business. You just opened it.” She regretted barging into his personal matters when he stared at her miserably and shook his head.
Defarge pressed his belly against the counter and whipped a pen from his pocket. “Here’s the initial agreement. Now, this price is only good if everything I listed checks out.”
Gabe stared at him, then down at the papers. Finally, he lifted his gaze to Priscilla in a mute plea. What did he want from her? Not agreement, because she could never give that.
“Wait, Gabe,” she begged. “Before you sign, let’s talk about it. Please?”
Defarge huffed and stepped back. “Gabe, I’ll give you five minutes to explain it to her, but I need to get these papers executed so I can get on the road.”
“Can we go into your office?” Priscilla asked Gabe. She tried to keep the desperation from her voice. If she’d known he was in financial trouble, she would have offered to help sooner. She’d loaned Hope about a third of her savings. Would the rest be enough to cover Gabe’s costs and save the camel farm?
He nodded and motioned for her to precede him. As soon as they got inside and shut the door, Priscilla burst out, “You can’t sell the farm. If you need money”—she lowered her voice—“I’d be happy to lend you some.”
Gabe shook his head.
“Please? I don’t want to see you lose the farm.”
Holding up a hand, Gabe swallowed. “You know I told you I can’t do speeches?” When she nodded, he continued, “I also have trouble talking when people pressure me or when they argue.”
Priscilla had no idea where he was going with this. It seemed unrelated to the sale of the camel farm, but she kept quiet and allowed him to speak.
“Defarge has been hammering me all week to let him buy the business. My brain starts whirling, and I can’t find the words to answer. I said no, but he misunderstood.”
“Deliberately?” she asked.
Gabe laughed. “You’re probably right. I’ve been so busy struggling to speak that I didn’t pay attention to the bullying. I sure did feel it, though.”
“So, you don’t need money?”
The tenderness in Gabe’s eyes set her pulses tingling. “Danke for the offer, but I can pay my bills.”
“I’m so glad to know that. I was hoping you’d be around here for a long time.” Heat rushed to her cheeks. She hadn’t meant that the way it sounded. Or had she?
* * *
Gabe could hardly believe her generosity. She’d offered to give him—someone she’d just met—money to finance his business. And not only that, she’d revealed how much she cared about his future. She wanted him to stick around the area.
“I can’t believe you’d offer money to a stranger,” he said.
“You’re not a stranger,” she retorted. Her already pink cheeks darkened to scarlet. “I mean, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Of course.” And Gabe pushed aside the desire to be more than friends. “But even friends aren’t always so generous.”
“I helped Hope with—” Priscilla clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. It sounded like I was bragging.”
“You go around giving money to your friends?” Gabe couldn’t believe it. What was she, an heiress?
“No, only Hope. So far. She was in a bad situation soon after her horse therapy farm opened. But she’s already started paying me back.”
“You’re rich?”
Priscilla laughed. “I helped another friend with a jam-making business, training a few of her employees and doing some canning. She paid very well. I saved all of it, so if you do need a loan, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Gabe shook his head. She was a wonder. Not only was she beautiful, but she was knowledgeable about camel’s milk and special children, she cared about others, and she was generous and kind. Guarding his heart when he was around her was proving more and more difficult.
“You two done yet?” Defarge called.
With Priscilla beside him, Gabe stepped out of the office with more confidence. Beside him, Priscilla spoke. “Thank you for your offer, but Gabe will be declining it. He plans to hand this business down to his children.”
Gabe turned startled eyes in her direction. They hadn’t discussed that, but as soon as Priscilla said it, he felt its truth in every bone and sinew in his body. He wanted this business to be a legacy for his sons and daughters.
If only he could have Priscilla beside him in that as well as this. A sharp pang shot through him. That could never be. He believed in honoring his vows.
Defarge’s face darkened, and he swept Priscilla with a scathing glance. Gabe stepped in front of her for protection.
Defarge peered around him to shake a finger at Priscilla. “You’re making a mistake interfering with men’s business, young lady.” He turned to Gabe. “I thought Amish men didn’t let their wives boss them around.”
With Priscilla nearby, Gabe gained enough courage to say, “Amish men are the heads of their households, but they do consider their wives’ feelings.” Not that Priscilla was his wife, but saying that one sentence had taken a lot of strength, and he couldn’t handle getting into a detailed explanation.
“You’re going to regret this,” Defarge warned as he gathered his papers, pivoted on his heel, and slammed out the door.
Priscilla giggled nervously. “He’s pretty upset. I hope he doesn’t cause trouble for you.”
So do I. But Gabe didn’t want to alarm Priscilla. He changed the subject. “Did you come to pick up your milk? We set it aside this morning.” Actually, he’d let Tim do all the other orders, but he’d personally prepared Priscilla’s.
Her grateful smile more than paid him back for that small effort.
Gabe accompanied her to the cooler and carried her gallon containers for her. “I’d like to give these to you for your help with Defarge.”
“Absolutely not.” Priscilla pulled out her wallet, and her lips turned up into a teasing grin. “I don’t want to be the cause of you selling the business.”
He laughed. “Well, there is that. But, seriously, if you hadn’t come in when you did, I might have caved and given Defarge the whole business.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
Gabe loved the confidence in her voice and her belief in him. If he could take some of that assurance into his conversations, he could move mountains. All he needed was the faith of a mustard seed. Priscilla’s presence would help too.
When Gabe refused her money, Priscilla marched over to Tim and handed him her cash. Tim looked toward him, and Gabe started to shake his head, but Priscilla intervened.
“You can either put my money in the cash box, Tim, or I’ll leave it on the counter.”
Although Gabe wasn’t good at disagreeing with people, he had strong feelings about this. “I’d rather you didn’t pay.”
“But you did tell Defarge that you listened to women.”
How could he argue with Priscilla when her sassy grin set his pulse on fire?
After a quick apologetic glance at Gabe, Tim took her money. Triumphant, Priscilla strode to the door.
Gabe carried her bags to the buggy and put them inside for her. “Negotiating with you is tough. I need to keep you around to fend off pushy people like Defarge.” Right, Gabe, spending more time together would be a real smart idea.
“I’m happy to help anytime.”
“I appreciate it.” More than you’ll ever know. Priscilla might believe he could have handled Defarge, but Gabe was well aware of his limitations.
After she’d left, he sat at his office desk while Tim took over the store. In his mind, Gabe went over the encounter with Defarge, mainly to reminisce about Priscilla’s part in it. But Gabe had gotten a creepy feeling around the Englischer. And something definitely seemed fishy about the man and his offer.
In addition to Defarge’s insistence on signing a contract immediately, one thing still puzzled Gabe. He’d had only a fleeting glance at the papers Defarge had set on the counter. The price the man intended to offer was higher than what Gabe had paid for the property and his livestock. Surely, Defarge had checked real estate prices in the area. Why would he pay such a large amount?
Unless he planned to find flaws to knock down the price, the way he’d bargained for the milk. He did say the price depended on everything checking out.
With how persistent Defarge had been with the phone calls and paperwork, Gabe worried the man would never give up. If he was determined to take over this business, there was no telling what he’d attempt. He’d been pretty upset with Priscilla. Gabe only hoped Defarge wouldn’t hurt her if he decided to get revenge.
* * *
As usual, being around Gabe lifted Priscilla’s spirits. She rejoiced that she’d been able to assist him in getting rid of Defarge. His smile of gratitude had quickened her heart. And when he said he’d need to keep her around, she worried he’d hear it hammering.
Stop it, she scolded herself. She found herself adding meaning to Gabe’s every word and gesture. He’d been relieved to get rid of the annoying businessman. That was all it was, nothing more.
She’d gotten so caught up in the drama, she’d forgotten to talk to Gabe about practicing a speech. She’d have to make time to go back and discuss it. Of course, it could wait until next Wednesday when she went to pick up her next milk order. After some of her comments today—like that she wanted him to stay around here for a long time—she’d be better off avoiding him for a while, so he didn’t get the wrong idea.
Or maybe it wasn’t the wrong idea. As much as she tried to steel herself against her attraction to him, she struggled to tamp down her feelings. She’d be foolish to get involved in another relationship, even if Gabe showed interest. For all she knew, he could have a girlfriend. She had no way to find out. The last thing she wanted was to be a Mara to another woman.
Gabe seemed too upright and honest to do that, but then, so had Matthew.