Nine

The evening had certainly taken a turn. The last thing Nelson expected was to be locked in a bathroom with Ella Yoder. Well, the door wasn’t really locked, and he could have left at any moment. But she’d caught him off guard when she dragged him in here. At first he thought she was going to scold him for . . . something. Not that he’d done anything wrong, but she did have a tendency to be snippy. It was strange Junia had sent him into the kitchen to wash his hands instead of the bathroom, which was closer. She had to know that Ella was in there.

Right now none of that mattered because he couldn’t stop looking at Ella. This was the first time he’d seen her genuinely smile and it made his heart skip four beats. Make that five. She was so attractive when she smiled.

But that wasn’t the only reason he was mesmerized. Even though she and Junia were at odds, Ella was still looking out for her, to the point of pulling him into the restroom and quizzing him about Malachi. Although he didn’t want to think about his exes, he compared her to Miriam and Norene. He couldn’t imagine either of them—especially Norene—being concerned about someone she didn’t get along with. With the blinders of love ripped off, he clearly saw how self-centered she was. Ella might be bossy and contentious at times, but it was obvious she cared about her sister. And now that he’d seen her smile . . . whoa.

A knock sounded at the door, making them both jump. “Ella?” Barnabas said. “You and Nelson still in there?”

Her knockout smile disappeared, her eyes widening into saucers. “Uh, ya, Daed.”

“Planning on coming out anytime soon? We’re hungry.”

There was subtle teasing in his tone, much like the way he’d poked fun at Malachi and his violets. From the alarm on Ella’s face, Nelson suspected she wasn’t picking up on it. She threw open the door. “Sorry about that, Daed.”

The corner of Barnabas’s lip lifted ever so slightly. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important.”

Nelson almost grinned again. He was starting to like Barnabas.

Ella smoothed back her kapp, as if she were pushing back invisible stray strands of hair, but there wasn’t a single one out of place. Now that got him thinking about what her hair looked like underneath the covering. Was it wavy? Straight? Thick? How long was it?

He froze, resisting the temptation to smack himself upside the head. What was he doing, thinking about her hair? Or her smile? And why was his heart still hammering? Oh no. Dread filled his gut. He wasn’t attracted to Ella Yoder. Nope, nope, nope. That couldn’t be possible. He’d always been a sucker for a sweet smile, but that was the old Nelson. Besides, this was Ella. Smiles from her were few and far between.

“Guess the cat’s got both of yer tongues. See you in the kitchen.” Barnabas turned and walked away.

Ella leaned against the bathroom doorjamb. “How embarrassing,” she muttered.

Agreed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Her head whipped toward him. “Why didn’t you?”

“I’m not the one who put us in this predicament.”

She faced him. “I know, but you could have said something anyway.” She lifted her chin. “You’re the most vexing man I’ve ever met.”

“Vexing? Me?” Without thinking, he stepped closer to her. “You dragged me into the bathroom!”

Junia giggled.

They both turned to see her and Malachi standing there, watching them. “Lover’s spat?” Junia said, a huge smile on her face.

To his credit, Malachi wasn’t laughing, but he shot a quizzical look at Nelson before turning his attention back to Junia. The kid couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman. She smirked and they headed toward the kitchen.

“Lover’s spat. Humph.” Ella wasn’t looking at him.

“As if that were even a possibility.” He kept his gaze forward. And just for good measure he said, “The idea is beyond ridiculous.”

“Right.” But there was less verve in her tone, and more . . . hurt? Nah, that wasn’t it. Why would she be hurt? They were both speaking the truth.

Without another word she walked away, and he followed her into the kitchen. Delicious smells filled the room. He’d noticed them before when he was washing his hands, and although the aromas were fainter through the rest of the house, he could still detect them. His stomach growled, but everyone had the good grace to ignore the sound. The cheese and crackers hadn’t put a dent in his hunger.

Barnabas was seated at the head of the table, and Junia and Malachi had taken their places on one side, leaving an empty space at the opposite end and two on the side. He didn’t feel comfortable sitting at the end. That was always reserved for . . . the wife. And mother. He felt a tinge of sadness. He didn’t know how Barnabas’s wife and Ella and Junia’s mother had passed away. He didn’t even know her name. But he was sorry for their loss.

He sat in the chair closest to Barnabas. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ella took the chair at the end of the table. She seemed to have taken her mother’s place in the kitchen and in her concern for Junia.

Ella buzzed around the kitchen, setting a casserole dish on the table, then rushing to get two large bowls of mashed potatoes and a cooked vegetable mixture. Junia was still sitting next to Malachi. Why wasn’t she helping her sister? He glanced at Barnabas, who was eyeing the casserole with great interest. What had Ella called it? Chicken supreme? He didn’t seem to notice that one daughter was serving the meal and the other wasn’t.

Odd. In his large family, all the women helped serve when they gathered for meals. After Phoebe had married Jalon, and Mamm was the only female in their household, he and his brothers helped her in the kitchen and Nelson had learned how to make a perfect pizza dough. Otherwise, it was the female domain. He looked at Junia again. Maybe Ella didn’t want her help. He could see her refusing to let Junia do anything.

When all the food was on the table, Ella finally plopped down . . . on the seat next to him. Which told him that the chair at the end of the table was ordinarily empty.

Then, as if she realized what she’d done, she jumped up and sat across from Barnabas.

She didn’t want to sit next to him? Fine. He didn’t care.

Never mind that tiny prick of indignation in his heart. Wait, what? Apparently he was so hungry he was losing his marbles.

Barnabas lowered his head to pray, and everyone followed suit. After they finished giving thanks, Ella started passing around the dishes of food. Nelson was more than ready to dig in.

“Eat your fill,” Barnabas said to everyone. “We’ve got plenty.”

Her father was right. Ella had made a feast. Nelson reached for a roll and broke it open. Steam wafted from inside as he slathered it with butter, then bit in. Light, fluffy, and yeasty. Just how he liked them. When he looked across the table, Junia had finished buttering a roll and handed it to Malachi. He smiled and put it on his plate. When Barnabas handed him the bowl of mashed potatoes, Malachi put a dollop on Junia’s dish. Hmm. They sure were comfortable with each other. That was fast—too fast.

He frowned and glanced at Ella, wanting to gauge her reaction to the two of them. But she was leaning back in the chair, her eyes closed. He figured she might still be praying, and then she opened them. She wasn’t praying. She was exhausted.

Suddenly she sat up, put a few bites of food on her plate, and began to eat.

During the rest of the meal, everyone engaged in small talk, and Nelson learned a bit about the Yoders—they had moved to Marigold a little more than a year ago from Lancaster; Barnabas used to be a cabinet maker before he became a grocery store owner; and while Ohio was different than Pennsylvania, their small family had settled here without much problem.

“Everyone’s been so welcoming,” Barnabas said, finishing off the last of the vegetables, which were so delicious, Nelson had consumed two helpings.

“Do you miss Lancaster?” Malachi asked, looking at Junia. When wasn’t he looking at her?

“I’ve been homesick.” She leaned closer to him. “I’m feeling much better now.”

The one topic they didn’t discuss was the woman who used to sit in the chair where Ella was seated. While he was mildly curious, he respected their privacy.

Once everyone had their fill, Barnabas said to Malachi and Nelson, “We can continue our conversation in the living room. I need to stoke the fire in the stove anyway.”

“But, Daed,” Junia said, her voice sticky sweet, “I promised Malachi I’d show him mei shell collection from when we went to Sarasota. I can bring it in the living room. Nelson might like to see it too.”

Nelson wasn’t interested in seashells, no offense to Junia. Naturally, Malachi was eager—whatever Junia wanted, he wanted, it seemed—and Nelson didn’t blame him. It would be rude not to look at her collection, and she seemed impatient to show them.

Barnabas glanced at Ella, who had her eyes closed again. He turned to Junia. “You should—”

“I’ll meet you in the living room.” She jumped up from the chair, gave Malachi a sugary look, and disappeared out of the kitchen.

Malachi stood. “Danki for supper, Ella,” he said, close behind Junia.

Barnabas pushed away from the table. “I’d better get the fire going.” Then he paused. “Do you need some help cleaning up, Ella?”

Not looking at him, she waved him off. “I’ve got it.”

“Join us when yer done.” He glanced at Nelson and left.

Ella put her elbows on the table and leaned forward, rubbing her temples on both sides. She closed her eyes again.

He started to get up and head to the living room. Ella said she would take care of the mess. But instead of leaving, he started picking up the dirty plates off the table.

She lifted her head. “What are you doing?”

“Helping.” He took the plates and set them on the counter near the sink. When he turned around to get the silverware, she was standing.

“I don’t need any help,” she said, weariness tinging her words. “Geh look at Junia’s shells.”

He almost smirked. Even when she was tired, she was bossy. “She won’t notice if I’m there or not.” He gathered up the silverware.

“That’s true.” She sighed. “Normally I would shoo you out of mei kitchen, but I doubt you’d listen.”

“And you’d be right.” The way she talked about the kitchen gave credence to his thought that she would have refused Junia’s help if her sister had offered. The woman was protective of her domain. “I’ll clear and you can wash.”

She nodded and went to the sink. As she filled it with water and soap, he piled dishes next to her. Although she’d made a lot of food, there wasn’t a single leftover. Nelson had done his part to make sure there wasn’t. There was some lingering food on the serving dishes, so he scraped those in the trash and handed the empty bowls and platter to her. She plunged them into the sink.

Without skipping a beat, he took a dish towel and started drying, preparing himself for her to say no. He was surprised when she didn’t, and together they made quick work of the dishes in silence.

Ella pulled the plug and rinsed off the dishrag underneath the tap and squeezed it out. She went to the table and wiped it down. “Did you leave room for dessert?” she asked, shaking the rag over the sink.

“Depends on the dessert.” He set the dry, sparkling clean meat platter on the stove.

“I thought you liked everything.” She pulled over a pie plate that was tucked in the corner of the counter.

“There is one thing I don’t like,” he admitted, inching over to see what was under the tinfoil covering. “Chocolate.”

She gasped. “You’re joking.”

“Nope. Dark, milk, white—I don’t like any of them.” But he was liking the look of this blueberry pie she was unveiling. Yum.

“I love chocolate.” She opened the cabinet and took out four small dessert plates. “Any kind anytime.” She sighed. “Except tonight. I’m too tired to eat anything. Not even a chocolate chip.”

He almost offered to cut the pie and put the pieces on the plates, but his serving skills were less than stellar. Hers were perfect, and she put four equal pieces of juicy pie on the plates. She took two, and he quickly gathered up the other ones. She gave him a quick glance but didn’t say anything as he followed her to the living room.

Junia and Malachi were sitting close together and looking at the shells. At first glance, Nelson could see she had a decent-sized collection. As he handed Barnabas his pie, he glanced out the window. The snow had eased up. Soon after dessert, he and Malachi would head home, and Nelson would tell Phoebe she had nothing to worry about—as long as Malachi and Junia stayed underneath the watchful eyes of the Yoders. That was unrealistic, though. His sister would have to deal with her concerns herself. He didn’t have the time or inclination to be Malachi’s babysitter, and Malachi would resent him for it anyway.

Barnabas was sitting in his chair working in a puzzle book. He might seem a little detached, but it was clear he doted on Junia. But Nelson didn’t have much of a read on how he felt about his other daughter.

After everyone had received their piece of pie, Ella went upstairs. Nelson brought his plate to sit down on a chair near Barnabas and took a huge bite of the dessert. Oh wow. This was the best blueberry pie he’d ever tasted. Ella was an amazing cook.

“Appreciate you helping Ella.” At Nelson’s questioning look he added, “I could hear both of you cleaning up. I’m surprised she let you.”

I am too. He looked at the staircase. Had she gone to bed? He wouldn’t blame her if she had. Obviously, she’d worked hard to make the meal by herself, since Junia hadn’t taken any credit for the food—and she struck Nelson as the type who would.

A minute later, Ella came downstairs carrying Nelson’s coat. She walked over to him. “Don’t forget this.”

He nodded and took it from her. “Danki.”

She gave a weary nod and went back upstairs.

Nelson and Barnabas continued to eat their pie slices while Junia and Malachi took their dessert into the kitchen, using the need to make coffee as an excuse. Nelson didn’t want to be too overbearing, and Barnabas didn’t stop them. What trouble could they get into when they were only a few feet away?

Barnabas fell silent, stroking his beard a few times before saying, “What do you think?”

“About what?” He looked at the empty pie plate, wishing he had another piece. But Ella hadn’t returned from upstairs, and he was sure she wasn’t coming back down. She was probably fast asleep by now. Besides, he’d eaten more than his fair share of food tonight.

“Those two.” With a nod, he gestured in the direction of the kitchen. “They seem real smitten with each other.”

“That they do. But I don’t have an opinion one way or another.” Not exactly true, but in the end, it didn’t matter what he thought. “They’re both adults.”

“That they are.” He continued to look straight ahead, and after a long silence he finally said, “When are you thinking about starting on yer shop?”

“After Christmas. Maybe late January.” That would give him plenty of time to figure out what he needed, order the materials, and find a place to live.

Junia and Malachi came back into the living room. Nelson noticed her cheeks were rosy. Maybe leaving them alone wasn’t a good idea. Just as they sat down on the couch, he stood. “We need to be heading back, Malachi. The snow’s stopped, but it could start up again.”

Disappointment crossed his nephew’s features. Junia scooted closer to him.

While he considered the Yoders a nice family—even Ella had her moments—he was done chaperoning and ready to get home. “I’ll hitch up the buggy,” he said. When Barnabas stood and offered to help, Nelson motioned for him to sit back down. “I’ve got it.” He turned to Malachi. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Malachi glanced at Junia, her mouth pursed into a frown. Or was it a pout?

Nelson put on his coat, slipped into his boots, told Barnabas and Junia goodbye, then walked out of the house. While the snow had stopped, the temperature had dipped several degrees. Good thing Ella had given him his coat. He’d forgotten all about it again.

He paused and looked at the warehouse across the street. His warehouse, soon to be a butcher shop. A part of him still couldn’t believe he owned a business. Now that he was here looking at it, a flicker of excitement lit inside him. He had to stop worrying about failing and focus on succeeding.

Tucking deeper into his coat, he walked over to the barn and hitched Crackerjack to the buggy, then drove to the front of the house and waited. And waited. And waited. He shifted in his seat, ready to give his nephew an earful if he had to get out of the buggy and go get him. He was about to do just that when the door opened and Malachi finally came outside, Junia following. He looked back at her twice as he made his way down the steps and to the buggy.

“Good grief,” Nelson muttered. Had he acted like this much of a fool when he was in love—correction, thought he was in love? Probably. He inwardly winced. Knowing he’d engaged in similar behavior made it that much harder to see Malachi so—how had Phoebe put it? —lovesick. Accurate descriptor.

“See you next week!” Junia called as Malachi hauled himself into the buggy.

They already had another date planned? Great. As Malachi nodded and waved, Nelson pulled out of the driveway.

Conversation ground to a halt between them, and Nelson assumed his nephew was reliving every second of the last three and a half hours. All Nelson was thinking about was Ella’s blueberry pie. And her—but only a little. He did hope she’d get a good night’s sleep tonight. She looked like she needed it.

“I’m curious,” Malachi said when they were a little more than halfway home.

He relaxed against the back of his seat. “About what?”

“You and Ella.”

His head whipped toward Malachi. “Huh?”

“Hanging out alone in the bathroom—”

“We weren’t hanging out. We were—” He clamped his mouth shut.

Malachi crossed one ankle over his knee and gave Nelson a side-eyed look. “You were what?”

He didn’t like Malachi’s teasing tone, although he was glad his nephew was returning to form and not openly pining for Junia all the way home. “Talking. About things.”

“What things?”

Time to switch gears. “That blueberry pie sure was gut.”

“Hmm.” Malachi chuckled.

“What?” Nelson griped.

“I think Junia’s right.” He grinned. “You and Ella like each other.”

“She’s wrong,” he grumbled. “As wrong as a person can get.”

“Or you’re in denial.”

Knowing that if he responded, Malachi would continue prying, teasing, or more likely a potent combination of both, Nelson zipped his lips. Let his nephew think what he wanted. Nelson knew the truth. So did Ella. They didn’t like each other. In fact, they could barely stand to be in the same room. Well, maybe that was a bit of an overexaggeration, but the point still stood.

He dropped off Malachi, practically kicking him out of the buggy, not that the guy minded. Nelson could tell he was still floating from his date with Junia.

After his nephew went inside, Nelson blew out a breath. Once he moved to Marigold, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the Yoders. After spending some time with them, he had to admit they would be good neighbors, especially Barnabas. But that didn’t mean he wanted to hang around Malachi and Junia. Phoebe would have to figure something out because he wasn’t going to do any more chaperoning. Not even for the promise of a gooseberry pie.