Tena stepped to the back door when she heard a knock. Her heart skipped a beat when she found Wayne standing on the porch. “Hi, Wayne. You’re early. Come on in.”
“Danki.” He removed his straw hat and followed her into the kitchen, where Aenti Emma sat looking through a cookbook at the table.
She smiled up at him. “How are you, Wayne? I didn’t have a chance to speak to you at church today.”
“I’m fine. I was wondering if I could talk to you and Tena before everyone else gets here.”
Tena sank into her usual chair and patted the chair beside her. “Sit.”
“Danki.” Once seated, he folded his hands on the table. “I’ve been doing some thinking about Alex, and I want to get your opinions—and your permission, Emma—before I bring this up at the meeting this afternoon. I have an idea, but it will affect you two more than any of us on the garden committee.”
Tena felt her lips turn down as apprehension unfurled like a flower. She’d barely managed to get over leaving Alex alone on Aenti Emma’s property while they went to church. Now she had a feeling Wayne’s idea was something she wasn’t going to like.
“What are you thinking?” Aenti Emma asked him.
“Alex did a great job working in the garden yesterday,” Wayne began. “Since he doesn’t have a job, and the rest of us can’t be here to help every day, I was thinking we could pay him to work in the garden by feeding him and letting him stay in the barn. This way he would have a safe place to live, we wouldn’t have as much to do on Saturdays, and you two wouldn’t have to do so much watering. We can use part of the profits from our sales at the roadside stand to pay for the cost of his food so it won’t come out of your pocket.”
“What?” Tena asked as anguish rolled through her. “You want him to stay, and you want to pay him?” She divided a look between her aunt and Wayne as her body began to tremble.
“That’s right. Are you okay?” Wayne’s face clouded with apparent concern. But if he were concerned about her, why would he suggest such a thing?
Tena glanced at Aenti Emma, whose eyes were focused on her. Then she looked back at Wayne.
“Alex makes me naerfich.” Tena picked up a napkin and began to shred it as she tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts. “I’m not comfortable when he’s around.”
“Has he done anything to threaten you?” Wayne’s words were slow and measured.
“No.” Tena shook her head. “It’s just a feeling I get.”
“It’s okay.” Aenti Emma patted her hand. “I told you, he won’t hurt us.”
Tena tried to clear her throat past the knot of anxiety swelling there.
“I don’t think he’ll ever try to hurt you,” Wayne said. “I’ve spoken to Alex quite a bit, and he seems like a gut man. I wouldn’t suggest making this offer if I didn’t feel you’d both be safe.” Wayne toward Aenti Emma. “What do you think, Emma? Should we offer Alex the job if everyone on the committee agrees?”
“I think it’s a gut idea,” Aenti Emma said.
Tena’s gaze snapped to her aunt’s as distress weighed down her shoulders.
“I think Alex might appreciate the job.” Aenti Emma stood. “You all need to vote on it and then decide, but I’ll support whatever you want to do.” She pointed toward the doorway. “I’m going to rest in my room until your freinden get here.”
As Aenti Emma left the kitchen, Tena had the feeling she was giving her and Wayne a chance to talk alone. Hank scampered after Aenti Emma, his tail standing up as straight as a cornstalk.
Tena stood. “I should start getting our supper ready.”
“Wait.” Wayne followed her to the counter, and his eyes seemed to plead with her. “I want to talk to you. I need you to feel comfortable with this plan.”
Tena leaned back against the counter and hugged her arms to her waist. “I’ve already told you how I feel. I’m not comfortable around Englishers, and I can’t help it.”
“Can you tell me why?”
While she longed to tell him what happened to her brother, she couldn’t form the words. It felt too personal, too raw. She turned her head away.
“It’s okay.” He rubbed her arm, and she relished the chaste intimacy. “I’m glad you’re being honest with me about how you feel.” He paused. “But I feel in my heart that God is calling us to help Alex, and I can’t shake that feeling. I prayed about it last night, and I prayed about it in church today. I got the same answer each time, so I believe I’m on the right path.” He reached over and took her hands in his. “I need you to support me on this, Tena. I can’t do this without your approval.”
Her lower lip trembled as she looked into his eyes. How could she possibly tell him no when he believed he was doing God’s work? Her voice stalled in her throat as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
“Please, Tena.” He gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “Will you support me on this?”
“Ya. On one condition.” Her voice croaked.
“Anything.”
“If I feel threatened by anything Alex says or does, you have to tell him to leave.”
“Of course.” He nodded. “I would never put you or Emma at risk.”
“Then you have my support.”
“Danki!” He pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
As she breathed in his spicy scent, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment, but then she pushed away from him. What was she doing? Asking for another broken heart?
“Did I do something wrong?” His eyes searched hers.
“No.” She shook her head. “I made a casserole yesterday, and I need to turn on the oven to heat it up.”
He followed her to the counter. “What can I do to help?”
“Why don’t you get the plates and utensils ready?” She pointed to the cabinets.
Tena sat at the table beside Wayne during the meeting. She tried to keep a smile on her face as her friends discussed their weekly business. Then Wayne presented his idea.
When he was done, Tena glanced around the table, hoping at least one of her friends would agree with her point of view. But everyone nodded in agreement with Wayne.
“I think it’s a wunderbaar idea.” Mandy looked at Tena. “But does everyone agree?”
Tena nodded as she looked down at the table.
“Have you discussed it with Emma?” Ephraim chimed in.
“Ya, he has.” Aenti Emma stepped into the room with Hank at her heels. “I’m fine with the idea as long as everyone else agrees.” She looked over at Tena just as Mandy had, and Tena gave her a quick nod.
“Does anyone want to discuss it further?” Wayne asked, and no one responded. “Ephraim, I guess we can vote, then.”
“Will everyone in favor of having Alex work on the garden in exchange for room and board please raise your hand?” Ephraim said.
When all her friends raised their hands, Tena lifted hers in solidarity.
“It’s settled, then.” Ephraim looked at Wayne. “Will you tell Alex the news?”
“I’ll go now, and then he can eat with us.” Wayne stood and left the room.
As Tena removed the casserole from the oven, she tried to convince herself that Wayne’s confidence in Alex was warranted.
Alex had left a note in the barn saying he didn’t want to disturb their meeting to let them know, but he was going for a walk. The group decided to go ahead with their meal when Emma said she’d save a plate for him.
Wayne was certain Tena’s smile was disingenuous as the group talked and laughed during supper. She participated in the conversations swirling around the table, but her anxiety felt like a third person sitting between them. She told him she supported this plan, but her behavior said otherwise. He had to keep working on getting her to open up to him. She was holding something back, something that had to do with Alex. And he was determined to find out what it was.
After they’d eaten the meatball casserole and brownies she and Emma had prepared, the women began cleaning the kitchen and the men moved to the porch.
Outside, Wayne leaned against the railing while everyone else took a seat on the rocking chairs and glider.
“Are you going to go talk to Alex now?” Ephraim asked. “He’s probably come back.”
“Ya.” Wayne looked out toward the barn.
“Wayne.” Mandy stood in the doorway holding a fork, a bottle of water, and a plate with a mountain of casserole and a large brownie. “Take this to Alex.”
“Danki.” Wayne took what she’d offered and headed to the barn.
“I have supper for you,” he said once inside.
Alex looked up from a book he was reading while sitting on the air mattress. “Thank you.” He took the plate and fork, and Wayne sat the bottle of water on the floor.
“How has your day been?” Wayne sat on a nearby stool.
“Quiet.” Alex ate a forkful of the casserole. “This is good.”
“Tena is a great cook.” Wayne couldn’t stop a smile. What would it be like to date a woman like Tena? His heart seemed to swell at the thought. He had to find the fortitude to ask her if she would. “I want to discuss something with you.”
Alex’s expression fell. “I was planning on leaving tomorrow. I just wanted to ask Emma if I could stay one more night.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you to leave.” Wayne rested his ankle on his opposite knee. “We’re wondering if you’d like to stay indefinitely, in exchange for doing some work in the garden.”
Alex studied Wayne with what looked like suspicion. “What do you mean?”
“If you work in the garden every day, we’ll pay you with room and board.” Wayne pointed out the barn doors. “You could do the weeding we can’t possibly keep up with. No matter how much we do on the days we can be here, and no matter what Tena and Emma do on their own, the beds are overrun with dandelions, ryegrass, and bull thistle. The garden is just too big for our resources, and it needs a lot of watering too. You can also do any maintenance Emma might need when the rest of us aren’t here. What do you think?”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alex asked.
“Why do you ask that?”
Alex rubbed his chin, hesitating. “I don’t think Tena wants me here.”
Wayne nodded. “Maybe at first, but I’ve checked with her, and she’s supportive of the idea. So what do you say? Would you like to stay here and help us?”
“I’d love it.”
“Fantastic.” Wayne leaned over and shook Alex’s hand. “We all appreciate it.”
“No, I appreciate it.” Alex seemed to ponder something as he took a drink of the water. “I didn’t think I’d wind up like this.” He gestured around the barn. “When I joined the army, I thought it would be my career. Well, I thought it would be a stable job, but then I was injured.” He pointed to his left leg. “I shattered my femur in combat, and when it didn’t heal correctly, I was discharged. I thought I’d be able to rebuild my life, but things haven’t turned out the way I thought they would.”
Alex looked away as if shielding his emotions. “I’m thankful you and Emma believe in me, because it’s been a long time since anyone has.”
Suddenly Wayne felt a calm cover him like a warm, comfortable blanket. It was as if God were whispering in his ear. He was supposed to help this man, and he knew it deep inside. Asking Alex to stay was the right decision, despite Tena’s hesitation.
“We’re glad to help you,” Wayne said. And he truly was.
Wayne smiled as he carried the empty plate and fork back to the house. As he sat and talked with Alex while he ate, the man must have thanked him at least ten times. If only Tena could see the appreciation in Alex’s eyes, she would see one of the reasons Wayne wanted to help him. He prayed God would soften Tena’s heart toward Alex soon.
He looked toward the porch and spotted her sitting with the other young women as they talked and laughed. She was radiant as she smiled at something Mandy said. He once again imagined what it would be like if they could be more than friends.
Ephraim came down the porch steps and met him. “Wayne, can we talk in private?” He nodded toward the garden. “Let’s walk over there.”
“Of course. Give me a minute.” Wayne handed the plate and fork to Mandy, and then he followed Ephraim to the garden, near the tomatoes. They sat down on a bench in Emma’s flower garden. “What’s on your mind?”
Ephraim scrubbed his hand down his face and then blew out a sigh that sounded as if it had worked its way up from his toes. “I’m going to ask Mandy’s dat for permission to ask her to marry me.”
“Are you kidding me?” Wayne clapped his hands. “That’s fantastic!”
“Shh!” Ephraim glanced toward the porch. “I don’t want her to hear us.”
“I’m sorry.” Wayne punched Ephraim’s shoulder. “I’m so froh for you.”
“Danki.” Ephraim shook his head. “I hope her dat will agree.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. The Benders think the world of you.”
“I also hope she says yes.”
“Don’t be gegisch. I imagine she’s been waiting for you to ask.” Wayne looked over at Tena. Would he ask her to marry him one day? The thought sent excitement ripping through his chest, surprising him. They’d never even been on a date!
“Did you talk to Tena earlier today?”
“Ya.” Wayne slumped back on the bench. “I had to convince her to give Alex a chance. The truth is she’s not just uncomfortable with him because, to her, he’s a stranger. She seems to be afraid of him.”
“Do you know why?”
Wayne’s heart constricted as he recalled how she’d cried when he pressed her to tell him why. He couldn’t bring himself to share the intimate details of their conversation. He was grateful she’d allowed him to hold her, but he also hadn’t wanted the hug to end. She’d felt as if she belonged in his arms, as if they were meant to be together. But if that were true, why wouldn’t she open up to him?
“I tried. I think she’s afraid of all Englishers. She made me promise to ask him to leave if he said or did anything to make her feel threatened.”
Ephraim’s expression grew serious. “Do you think he would hurt Emma or Tena?”
“No. I truly believe he just needs someone to believe him in, and that’s what I intend to do.” Wayne angled his body toward his friend. “Now, tell me what you plan to say to Mandy’s dat.”