“Hey, Leah!” Thomas waved from his perch on one of the rafters of Charley’s partially constructed house. “Up here!” Leah and several of her sisters were walking across the yard below. “Leah!”
She looked up, saw him and waved back. Her sisters laughed and waved, as well. “Hold on!” Leah shouted back. “We don’t want to have to rush you to the emergency room with a broken leg!”
“I’ll try to remember that!” Chuckling, Thomas returned to his task of hammering in a wooden peg, securing one rafter securely to the ridgepole of the house. Heights had never frightened him and he was having the time of his life. From here, it seemed he could see half of Seven Poplars: the chair shop on the other side of the road, Samuel Mast’s barn and the brick chimneys of his house, Hannah’s house and barns, even Johanna and Roland’s farmstead. Working on either side of him were Leah’s brothers-in-law Charley and Eli, and two stories below, directing the project, was James Hostetler, a local contractor and carpenter with a lifetime of experience in building houses.
Charley couldn’t have picked a better day for the house raising if he’d tried. June was a busy month for farmers, and most of the men who worked in trades outside of Seven Poplars still had work to do on their own farms and homes on weekends. But the entire community and many from other church districts in the county had come to lend a hand on the house. The weather was perfect, temperature in the seventies with clear blue skies. Thomas counted more than twenty men directly involved in the construction, while more carried lumber, sawed wood and assisted the women in setting up the long tables for the midday meal under the trees. He wouldn’t even attempt to count the children. The smaller ones were running back and forth and playing, while the older kids were either helping with the coming picnic dinner or running errands for the workmen.
Until now, Charley and his wife had shared a house with one of her sisters, but rumors were that after a long wait, the couple was expecting a second child. Charley’s horse breeding and training was a successful sideline to his farming skills, and it was time that his family had room to grow. And, according to tradition, the Amish community and some of the local Englishers had turned out en masse to help. Helping one another was expected. Charley and his wife had done their best to support and aid fellow church members, and now their hard work and dedication would be repaid by their neighbors and friends.
Thomas gave the peg a final blow with his hammer and grinned as it drove without splitting to the depth of the predrilled hole. From below, on the first floor, Albert Hartman, the local veterinarian and Hannah’s husband, began the first chorus of an old hymn, and all over the house and yard, men joined in, blending their voices together amid the rhythms and din of hammer and saw. Thomas sang with them, his chest swelling with the warm feelings of unity and faith that united him to these people.
On the far side of the roof, at the top of a ladder, clung Jakob, a huge leather work belt slung over one shoulder and a hammer in his hand. Thomas would have expected Jakob to choose tasks that kept him closer to the ground due to his size, but the little man could climb better than Thomas could. His strong arms and powerful shoulders made up for his lack of size. Jakob’s addition to the family blacksmith shop had, so far, been a resounding success. Thomas knew that his grandfather was pleased with Jakob’s work, and the customers all seemed to like him, as well. Jakob started work before breakfast and would continue at the forge until long past the ringing of the supper bell if someone didn’t urge him to bank the fire and come to the table.
Thomas moved to another rafter. He glanced up at the sun. Nearly noon. His belly had been grumbling for an hour. House building was hard work. He liked hard work, but he’d been thinking about the feast the women were preparing. He could smell fried chicken, roast beef, schnitz und knepp, and baking bread. A pit and turnspit had been prepared and teenage boys had meticulously turned a whole pig for twelve hours over a bed of coals. Thomas could almost taste the juicy slices of pork with its crisp skin and delicious interior. There would be salads, green beans, scalloped potatoes, kartoffle bolla, mashed potatoes, buttered beets, stewed tomatoes, English peas with dumplings, cakes, pies and enough gravy to swim in. Every woman would have brought her finest dish, not out of pride but wanting to share her best with her neighbors and family.
“Running short of nails yet?” Jakob called.
Thomas shook his head. “I’ve got plenty.”
“I’m out.” Jakob motioned to the area where he was working. “You want to give me a hand with this?”
“No problem.” Thomas moved cautiously along the rafter and then walked toward his new friend. “Going good. We should be laying—” His foot slipped and he lost his balance and fell but caught himself with his arms. His heart pounded as he sucked in lungfuls of air, his feet dangling.
“Hang on!” James shouted from below. “Someone will—”
“Got him!” Jakob yelled. He grabbed Thomas by the shirt collar, then the arm, and helped him scramble back up to sit on the narrow beam. “Take your time,” Jakob said to Thomas.
“I’m all right.” Thomas’s heartbeat slowed to somewhere near normal as he glanced down at the distance between where he had just hung and the solid ground far below. He quickly looked back at Jakob. “Whew,” he said.
“God is with you,” Jakob said. He offered a broad hand, and Thomas took it and slowly rose to his feet. Jakob grinned. “What’s important is that you caught yourself. Back home, I saw a man fall off the roof of a barn and break his back. He lived, but he never walked again, and he had a wife and five children to care for.”
“Ya, I guess I got a little overconfident.” Thomas returned the smile. He couldn’t help scanning the dinner area to see if Leah had witnessed his near miss, but she’d been wearing a green dress and he didn’t see any. All the women seemed to be clad in various shades of blue, brown and lavender. Several had their heads together and were pointing at the roof, but none of them were his Leah. Just as well, he thought.
“Slow and steady works best when you’re up this high,” Jakob said. “But anybody can slip. Shake it off.”
Thomas removed his hat and wiped the sweat off his forehead. His shoulder ached from swinging the hammer, but it was a satisfying twinge. The beam felt solid beneath his feet and he released his death grip on the nearest post and stopped breathing in quick, hard gasps. God is good, he thought. And merciful. He swallowed, and attempted to ease his dry throat. “That was a little too close,” he said to Jakob.
“But you survived it, and all the girls will be finding an excuse to talk to you during dinner.” Jakob grinned again, his high forehead wrinkling with good humor. “And they will be telling you how brave you are. It’s almost worth it.”
Thomas chuckled. “Only one girl I care to impress. And I don’t think she saw me doing my trick.”
“A pity,” Jakob offered, and they both laughed. And then Jakob said, “How are the baptism classes going?”
“Good. I think.” Thomas replaced his hat, tugging it firmly into place. “You already baptized?”
“When I turned eighteen. Back home in Indiana. It was either accept the life or leave home without a penny in my pocket. My father was pretty firm on the subject. But it didn’t take much persuasion. I would have come to it in a year or two anyway, once I’d had my fun. This is my faith, and I wouldn’t know any other way to live.”
“Still, it’s a serious decision,” Thomas admitted. “Not as easy as I always thought it would be.”
Jakob threw him a sympathetic look. “Probably easier when you’re younger. You don’t consider the magnitude of the decision.” He waited and then went on. “But if you have questions or doubts, you don’t have to wrestle with them alone. I’d be happy to talk with you, and so would any of the others.” He indicated the men working below them.
Thomas nodded. “I appreciate that.”
A dinner bell rang loud and clear.
“Guess that’s the signal we were waiting for.” Jakob started down the ladder. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“I’m not sure I could eat a horse and plow,” Thomas replied, following him, “but I could give it a good try.” When he reached the bottom floor, Jakob was standing there waiting for him. Other men were descending the ladders, taking off their tool belts, laying down tools, but none were close enough to hear.
“What you said before,” Jakob said quietly. “About your concerns. You know we have more than one leader. Preacher Caleb seems sensible. And he’s a lot closer to our age than the bishop. You might want to talk to him if you’re having any reservations. Now’s the time to do it, not after you’ve joined the church. That’s where some make a big mistake.”
“It’s the practical side that keeps nagging at me,” Thomas said as he hung his own tool belt over a nail. “Leah having access to that car, being able to deliver my crop directly to the good markets, that means a lot.”
“She’s Mennonite, isn’t she?”
“Was. Raised Amish but joined the Mennonites when she married. Now she’s planning on returning to the faith. She’s taking classes, too, the young women’s class, of course.”
“Are you thinking about becoming Mennonite, instead? Then the two of you could keep the car.” Jakob shrugged. “It might be the answer to your dilemma.”
“I don’t know. That would be a bigger step than going through with the baptism.”
Jakob nodded. “Ya, but not wrong if your heart leads you in that direction. We choose to live apart from the world, but it’s not for everyone. How does Leah feel about it?”
Thomas shrugged. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”
Jakob paused in the doorway and glanced back at him. “Then you shouldn’t be talking to me—you should be discussing it with the woman you intend to marry. It’s a decision that you and Leah need to make together.”
“You’re probably right, but I haven’t gotten it straight in my own head. I’m not sure how I feel or what I want. I wasn’t sure I should trouble her with the idea until I knew what I wanted.” He took off his straw hat again, rolled the brim and slicked back his forelock before replacing the hat.
“There’s something in what you’re saying,” Jakob agreed, “about thinking this through before approaching Leah with it, but—” He broke off and motioned toward the windmill in the yard. “There’s your girl, now.”
Thomas looked up. It was Leah in her green dress and dainty white lace kapp. She was carrying a tray piled high with biscuits, and walking beside her was Ellie, her hands balancing a four-layer chocolate cake.
“A pretty sight,” Jakob observed, “those two.”
“Leah’s taken,” Thomas teased. “But Ellie’s single and she’s not interested in anybody special, not since we broke up.”
“That’s right. She broke up with you, didn’t she?” Jakob asked.
“Turned me down flat when I asked her to marry me.”
Jakob laughed. “Shows what good sense she has. I have a feeling she was waiting for me to show up in town.”
Leah saw them approaching and smiled. Ellie frowned, turned on her heels and marched back in the direction from which she had come.
“I don’t know about that. She doesn’t seem all that infatuated with you,” Thomas teased.
“Don’t believe it. She adores me. Who wouldn’t?” Jakob threw out his arms in a dramatic gesture. “I’m handsome. Hardworking. And very modest.”
Thomas chuckled at his antics. “Ellie can be tough, but she’s going to make someone a fine wife. Don’t give up on her if you’re interested.”
“I’m not giving up on the pretty little schoolteacher,” Jakob replied, still watching Ellie retreat. “She had me from the first time I laid eyes on her. She’s going to be my wife. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
* * *
“Ellie? Where are you going?” Leah called.
Rebecca came up behind Leah. “Let me take those biscuits. Mam wants you to fill the water glasses. There’s a pitcher on the side table over there.”
“Like old times, isn’t it?” Leah smiled at her sister as she handed her the tray. “When we were all living at home. Mam always took charge, even when it wasn’t her dinner.”
Rebecca laughed. “Mam hasn’t changed, Leah, and neither have you. The trouble is, the two of you are too much alike. I think you both like to give orders.” Her dimples flashed as she smiled. “It’s so good to have you back with us again.”
“Good to be back.” Leah brushed her sister’s cheek with a kiss. “I have to admit, I did miss your pointing out my failings.”
“See?” Rebecca laughed again. “I am good for something.”
When they were small, they’d always joined together as a team making a united front against Miriam, Johanna, Anna and Ruth, who’d seemed so grown-up and in charge. Leah had never doubted that all of her sisters loved her and would come to her aid if she needed them, but she had to admit, for all her ideas, Rebecca was her favorite. “You really think I’m like our mother?”
“Absolutely,” Rebecca pronounced. “Mam even says so herself. And you know she’s rarely wrong.”
“We need biscuits at this end of table!” their sister Ruth called.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “A woman’s work is never done.”
“It’s hardly work, though,” Leah answered. “More of a holiday with everyone here.”
Rebecca nudged her with an elbow. “There’s your Thomas over there with the new blacksmith. They’re watching you, or at least Thomas is.”
“Ne, he’s not,” Leah replied, although she knew he was. “He’s just hungry for his dinner. Thomas is always ready to eat.” Just saying his name made her want to laugh. She saw him almost every day, but still, seeing him here today was exciting. It made her feel like a giddy teenager again.
“You’re blushing,” Rebecca teased.
“Ne, I’m not.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Thomas and you will make a wonderful couple, and you’ll be a beautiful bride. Don’t you remember how it was when you met Daniel? You were so happy. I’m glad to see you happy again.”
Leah pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt. It wasn’t the same as Daniel. It couldn’t be. No one could take Daniel’s place in her heart. It wasn’t possible. “It’s not like that with me and Thomas,” she protested. “Not the same at all. I told you this weeks ago. Thomas and I are marrying because it makes sense. He needs a wife. I need a husband and this is the solution.”
Rebecca set the tray of biscuits on the long table, grabbed Leah’s arm and tugged her aside. “Come with me,” she said, walking away from the bustling women and children. “Did I hear you say what I thought I did?” She didn’t stop until they were partially hidden by a large lilac bush. “Are you telling me you don’t love Thomas?”
Leah shook off her sister’s hand on her arm. “Sara arranged this match. It’s not... It was never supposed to be romantic. I told you that.”
“I know what you told me when you started seeing each other, but I assumed things had changed between you and Thomas.” Rebecca held Leah’s gaze. “You’ve certainly been acting like things have changed.” She lowered her voice. “I thought you were in love with him.”
Leah squared her shoulders. “I like Thomas. I respect him. But our relationship is about companionship...friendship. Not everyone who marries is madly, romantically in love with each other.”
Rebecca frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “Maybe it’s too soon for you to be thinking of marriage. Maybe you need longer to mourn what you’ve lost. Give yourself more time. You loved Daniel so much. I wouldn’t rush into marriage again if you’re not ready, because that would be a mistake. And unfair to Thomas.”
“I’m not making a mistake. Thomas understands. I told him from the first my reasons for wanting to marry again.”
“All right, if you’re sure.” Rebecca sighed, looking unconvinced. “You know I just want what’s best for you. Remember what happened with Johanna. She thought she was in love with Wilmer and look how that turned out.”
Leah sighed and stared at her bare feet. “Thomas is not Wilmer. They are nothing alike, and I’m not Johanna. I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry about me.”
“It’s just that I care about you, and I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Leah insisted.
Rebecca looked at her.
“I am,” Leah repeated, opening her arms wide.
Seeming to sense she’d pushed hard enough, Rebecca changed the subject. “How are the baptismal classes going?”
“Good.”
“And Thomas’s?” Rebecca asked.
“Okay, I suppose.” She grimaced, knowing that she could never deceive Rebecca. “The truth is, I think he’s struggling a little.”
“Second thoughts?”
“Nothing like that. I think it’s just that he’s been a bachelor for so long, having fun, avoiding responsibility, that taking classes with the bishop means that this is for real.”
“It’s not cold feet? Because I’d hate for you to be the one dumped after everyone has planted fields of celery for your wedding.”
Leah rolled her eyes. “Thomas is not dumping me.” She shook her head. “It’s not about me. I think he’s just a little nervous, is all. About the responsibilities of a man in our community.”
“And you’ve talked about it?”
“We talk all the time,” Leah assured her.
“Leah! Rebecca!” Miriam appeared around the corner of the house. “What are the two of you doing over here? Mam’s been looking for you. The food is ready for the first sitting. And Thomas is looking for you, too, Leah.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Over here, Thomas.” Miriam looked back at Leah. “Did you see him almost take that dive off the roof?”
“What?” Leah asked.
“Scared me half to death.” She brought her hand to her heart. “He fell off one of the roof rafters.”
“Nothing for you to get upset about,” Thomas assured her as he joined them. “It was a stupid mistake on my part. I caught myself.” He waved one hand. “No harm done.”
Stunned, Leah stared at him. He’d almost fallen off the roof? She struggled to draw a breath. “But...but you’re all right?” she asked, feeling a little light-headed. “You caught yourself? You didn’t fall?”
He grinned boyishly. “Ne. I didn’t fall far. Didn’t even get a scratch.”
She had an impulse to run to him and hug him, but she couldn’t. Not with her sisters both standing there.
But she wanted to hug him. She wanted to hold him tight. Which she found a bit bewildering. She’d just told her sister she didn’t have romantic feelings for Thomas, and here she was, wanting to throw herself into his arms. Everything she had said to Rebecca made perfect sense. It was this feeling in her stomach, in her heart, that was confusing.
Leah forced a smile. “You must be hungry,” she said to Thomas. “For...dinner. Dinner’s ready.”
The last bell for the first seating rang.
“You’d best get to the table,” she said hastily. “Before grace.” She looked at her sisters. “And we...we need to get back to work.” Without waiting for Thomas to respond, she rushed off toward the kitchen. She needed to think this out, and she couldn’t think when Thomas was around. Later, she promised herself. Later, she’d figure all this out.