Barnabas fell into his desk chair. “I’ve got a real problem on my hands.”
Wendy sat across from him, still trying to process the scene she’d witnessed. As she approached the glass door, she saw Ella and Junia whirl toward the candy display and tumble to the floor in a spectacular crash. It would have been a little funny if Barnabas didn’t look so defeated right now.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that.” He shook his head. “They haven’t spoken much lately, and I thought they’d taken some time to cool off from their fight last week and let things go. Boy, was I wrong. I had three brothers and two sisters growing up, and we never fought like that.” He paused, smirking a little. “Maybe us boys did when we were younger. But not my sisters, and not as adults.”
She nodded, unsure of what to say. He was right, though. He did have a big problem. Two of them.
He waved his hand. “Nothing I can do about it right now.” He looked at her. “You said you needed to talk to me?”
Wendy nodded again, fiddling with her sewing bag. She did want to pick up hot chocolate for Mom, and for herself. She wasn’t one for sweets, but a steaming mug of cocoa on a wintry day had sounded good. It also gave her an excuse to come here. After her talk with Eunice, she’d spent the rest of the afternoon and night thinking about her life. She sensed she was at a crossroads of some sort, but she wasn’t sure exactly what path to take, or even why she was so uncertain. By morning she had made one decision—she wanted to give Barnabas a gift. Again, she had no idea why, other than thinking the scarf she’d made at Eunice’s would look good on him. She needed to give it to him before she chickened out.
She opened the bag and pulled out the scarf. “Merry Christmas,” she said, handing it to him.
His bushy brows lifted as he looked at the scarf. But he didn’t move to take it.
Her cheeks heated to the boiling point. She’d never done anything on impulse in her life, and she shouldn’t have presumed he would want something from her.
“Sorry.” She started to shove the scarf back inside the bag. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Wait.” He held out his hand.
She paused, and when he waggled his fingers a little, she handed him the scarf.
He took it, the shock still in his eyes as he looked at the plaid. Now she felt silly on top of being embarrassed. The scarf was just a piece of fabric with two seams up the sides. Nothing special about it. “I’m taking sewing lessons, and this was my first project. I have plenty of scarves. So does Mom. The black and navy plaid is masculine, and I don’t know any other men to give . . . it . . . to.” Did she really just admit that? Cringy. “Anyway, you didn’t charge me for the crackers, so . . .” Ugh, this was turning into a disaster. “I’ll be going now.” She popped up from her chair and turned to rush out of his office before she humiliated herself further.
“Wendy.”
She turned, her ears tingling. He had such a calm, soothing voice. Not too deep nor too mellow. Just right.
“Thank you.” He wrapped the scarf around his neck. And smiled.
Her heart flipped. His smile was even better than his voice, and she was glad she was able to do something nice for him. She smiled in return. He was a kind, humble man who should have some happiness.
But as with so many things in her life lately, she was surprised. She hadn’t expected to feel so elated at seeing his happiness over her small gesture. “You’re welcome.”
* * *
That evening, Nelson was in the warehouse—his warehouse now—for the first time, figuring out his temporary living quarters. He’d put in a full day of work at the farm, then loaded up his buggy with a small gas heater and a two-drawer wooden chest, hitched up Crackerjack, and headed here. Although it was dark, he had a large camping lamp along with several other lights—a big flashlight, two small ones, and a battery-operated mini-lamp—spread out on the floor, giving him plenty of illumination to figure out the layout of his new abode. Not that he needed a lot of space—just enough for a twin bed and a place to put his clothing.
His initial thought had been to stay at Jesse’s until he was finished renovating the warehouse, but upon further reflection, he realized that wouldn’t work out. Spending a night or two with his brother and Charity would be fine, but their house was tiny, and they had only one bedroom, so he’d have to sleep on the couch. There was a lot of room in the warehouse, though, and he could set up temporary accommodations until he came up with more suitable living arrangements.
Tonight he would leave the gas heater and chest here, and on the following trip, bring a wagon with his bed and a few other items. Next week was Christmas, but after celebrating that holiday and Second Christmas with his family, he would move here and start renovating his new place in earnest. The longer he waited to get started on his business, the longer it would take for him to repay the loan.
He’d settled on the back left corner of the vast area and was in the process of marking the space when he heard a rustling noise by the rear exit of the warehouse. He grabbed a flashlight off the floor and went outside, shining a light on the woods several yards away.
“Hey!” Ella lifted her hand to her eyes. “Watch where you’re pointing that thing.”
He set down the light, although not without smiling at the little bit of inadvertent payback for when she’d blinded him several times on their search for Malachi and Junia two weeks ago. “What are you doing back here?”
“None of your business.”
Her tone was as sharp as ever, but he didn’t miss the weariness lacing it. “Yer on my property, so I have the right to know.” He flashed the light at her again, but not in her eyes this time.
“Oh. That’s right.” Her shoulders slumped and she started walking away.
He moved to go inside and finish up, only to halt when he saw that Ella wasn’t headed back to the store, or even her house. And the puny little flashlight she was holding was so dim he doubted she could tell where she was going. What if a raccoon ran out of the woods? Or worse, a group of them?
He shook his head. Nothing would happen unless she provoked them, and she was too smart for that. Still . . . Why was she walking at night by the woods anyway? Shaking his head at his inability to leave her to her own devices, he rushed to catch up with her.
She was tapping the body of the flashlight against her palm. “Stupid thing,” she muttered.
“Maybe it needs new batteries.”
Ella jumped at the sound of his voice. “Why are you following me?”
“I’m not . . .” But that’s exactly what he was doing. “Better question. Why are you walking by the woods?”
“I—” Her flashlight blinked out. She shook it, the batteries rattling inside. “Great.” She started to shiver.
“What’s with you not wearing a coat?” He started to take his off and give it to her, but she held up her hand.
“Thanks, but nee. I need to geh home anyway.”
She sounded like she was getting her teeth pulled. He shouldn’t even be here questioning her. “Okay,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
“You’re working? Now?”
“Ya. Just getting some things done before Christmas.”
“Like what?”
He should have known she’d ply him with questions. At least that kept her from walking into the dark woods without a working flashlight. “Setting up my temporary bedroom.”
“You’re going to live in there?”
“Yep.”
She was still shivering, and even though she’d told him no, he took off his coat and put it on her. She didn’t protest. “Why aren’t you living with your bruder?”
“They have a little house. And they’re still newlyweds.”
“It doesn’t seem right—you not having a real place to live.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got a bed—well, I’ll have one in a day or two—and a heater, plus a chest for my clothing.”
“What about a bathroom?”
“Ordered a Port-o-John yesterday. I’ll need it for the business. And to answer yer next question, I’ve got a big watercooler where I can wash up.”
“What makes you think I was going to ask that?”
“Weren’t you?”
She paused, then frowned. “Ya. But you don’t have a shower.”
“I can shower at Jesse’s.”
“Are you eating there too?”
“Probably.” He hadn’t thought that much about food, which was unusual for him. He knew Charity wouldn’t mind making extra, but he wouldn’t impose for every meal. He could go back to his parents’ house too. He also had another resource. “I’ll be living next to a grocery store,” he said with a grin. “Plenty of food there.” A gust of wind kicked up, frigid enough that it even made him shiver.
“Have you eaten yet?” she asked.
“Nee, but mei bruder’s expecting me.”
She slipped off his coat and handed it to him. “Better not keep him waiting.” She started to walk away, this time toward the store.
It didn’t seem right not to properly end the conversation, so he said, “Night, Ella.”
“Gute nacht.”
He watched her go. Yep, something was bugging her, all right. Even her inquisition didn’t have much enthusiasm, as if she were preoccupied. He shrugged. Like she said, it wasn’t his business.
Nelson went back into the warehouse. She was right, he did need a proper place to live. He had a vague idea about what kind of house he would build behind his business, but nothing was firm, other than he would have to clear part of the woods. His property line ran back far enough that there was plenty of room for a decent-sized home. He didn’t need anything bigger than what Jesse had, although he said they were planning to add on to their place in the spring. Charity might be expecting, or they just wanted more room. If she was pregnant, that was another reason for him to stay here. She didn’t need him underfoot, and he didn’t want to be.
He finished up, untied Crackerjack’s reins from a tree near the warehouse, and started to climb inside his buggy. He glanced at a faded trail leading from the street to the warehouse entrance. He’d have to create a parking lot and put in a concrete path in front of the building. Doubts started to creep in as he added that to his mental list of things to do. There were so many of them, his head was spinning.
As he guided his horse to the road, he glanced at the Yoders’ house. A light was on in the kitchen and one in the living room. The memory of Ella’s scrumptious blueberry pie made his stomach growl and, oddly, settled his nerves a little bit. She should consider selling those in the store. He’d buy one . . . or five. He turned on the road and headed to Jesse’s.
* * *
Ella picked at the pork chops and sauerkraut she’d made for supper and glanced at Junia’s empty chair for the dozenth time since they’d started eating. She hadn’t seen her sister since she fled from the store. She owed her an apology, but try as she might, she wasn’t eager to give her one.
After she’d finished cleaning up the candy mess and attending to the steady stream of customers that came in during the rest of the afternoon, she went to the office to apologize to Daed and tell him she was taking the cost of the candy out of her next paycheck. Her rueful words were met with a curt nod, and he’d spoken very little to her since she’d come home after she closed the store and went for a short walk before starting supper. Running into Nelson was a surprise, and it didn’t sit all that well with her that he was living in a cold, empty warehouse for the foreseeable future. But he was a grown man and that was his decision. A dumb one in her opinion, not that her opinion mattered. To anyone.
Daed took a bite of sauerkraut, but from the look of his almost full plate, he didn’t have much more of an appetite than she did. They went through the motions of eating for a few more minutes, and suddenly Junia breezed through the door. She sat down at the table as if she hadn’t disappeared for most of the afternoon and was over an hour late for supper. She made a face at the sauerkraut and picked up the platter, taking one of the two pork chops and plopping it on her plate. Her eyes closed.
“Junia,” Ella said.
“Shhh.” She waved her off. “I’m praying.”
Ella fisted her hands under the table and waited for her to finish. Junia seemed to take her time asking God to bless the food, and by the time she was done, Ella decided to keep her mouth shut. What was the point in trying to find out where she’d been or why she was late or if her hand was okay, or even to apologize? Every syllable she’d say would be met with a smirk, a sassy chin tilt, and a knowing look that no matter what, Junia wouldn’t be held accountable. Not for being late or for the fight in the store . . . nothing.
“Where have you been?”
The women jerked their gazes to Daed. His brow flattened above angry gray eyes, his tone deep and harsh, something Ella hadn’t heard from him in, well, forever.
Junia’s eyes widened in surprise. “I was out.”
“Out where?”
Confusion replaced surprise. “I came back here to take care of my wounded hand.” She held up her index finger, the tip covered with a single bandage.
“That didn’t take all day.”
Ella shrank back in her chair.
Now Junia looked annoyed. “If you must know, I met with Malachi.”
“He came over here?”
“Nee.” A blush appeared on her cheeks. “We have a special place. Halfway between our homes. It’s a far walk from here, so it took a while to get home.”
Daed grew quiet. “You met with him alone?”
“Ya.” But the confident tilt of her chin dropped.
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. Junia glared at Ella.
Ella glared back. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” Junia snapped.
“Like it’s mei fault you ran off with Malachi.”
“I didn’t run off with him!” Junia let out a dramatic sigh. “He’s the only one who understands me.”
Ella scoffed. “If he really understood you, he’d run in the opposite direction.”
“You take that back!”
“Nee. I’m sick and tired of you taking off all the time and leaving me to do everything. You’re acting like a spoiled brat.”
“Am not.” Junia shoved her pork chop away. The edge of the dish clanked against her glass of watered-down tea. She turned to Daed. “See what I mean? She bosses me around and calls me names. She has no idea how hard it is on me—”
“What!” Ella exploded, jumping up from her chair. “Hard on you? You don’t do anything but make breakfast, and lately it’s been lumpy oatmeal, soggy eggs, and rock-hard biscuits. You don’t put an effort into anything. You’re lazy—”
“And you’re jealous.” Junia leapt to her feet. “You’re mad that you’re ugly and frumpy. Nee mann would want a single date with you, much less to marry you.”
Ella stilled, every word piercing her heart. Then she loaded her final arrow. “You’re a liar,” she said quietly.
“Everything I just said is true.” She crossed her arms.
She leaned forward. “You’re lying to Malachi. Because if he knew the real you—the lazy, selfish, mean woman you really are—he’d never look at you again.”
Junia stepped back. “Daed, tell her to take that back!” She looked in his direction.
So did Ella. Then she gasped. Daed was gone.