Ben was pleased at Julia’s supper invitation, amazed in fact, as she already had a houseful of mouths to feed. But she’d called to urge Ben to join them for a celebration ‘‘at the birth of Esther’s baby,’’ now that Irvin was home.
He felt she was linking him to the joyous arrival of Essie Ann, and he couldn’t take credit . . . wouldn’t think of it. But he certainly wouldn’t turn down a chance to visit more with Irvin or enjoy Julia’s exceptionally good cooking. Not to mention all those cute kids with their contagious smiles.
Annie had not expected to run smack dab into Ben Martin as she was leaving Julia’s by way of the side door. ‘‘Oh, goodness . . . I need to watch where I’m goin’,’’ she said, backing up and looking at him full in the face.
‘‘I guess we both do.’’ Ben’s eyes held her gaze. ‘‘You all right?’’
She wasn’t . . . not really. It had been months since she’d been that close to a man.
Ben stood there, not budging. And now that she’d stepped back, putting a better distance between them, she wasn’t inclined to move, either. She did think it interesting that Louisa had chosen today, of all days, to go off by herself, taking pictures of barns and such with her fancy phone and computer gadget— ‘‘artistic research,’’ she’d called it. Which put Annie right here in the Rancks’ driveway, talking to Irvin’s hired man alone, of all things.
‘‘Would you think I’m forward if I asked you to have coffee with me sometime?’’ Ben asked unexpectedly.
‘‘Are you askin’ me now . . . or later sometime?’’
He smiled and she did, too. She’d been much too hard on this fine-looking fellow. Downright difficult.
‘‘Well, I’ll ask now,’’ he said.
She shied away from his shining eyes, instead staring down at her black high-topped shoes. Doesn’t he mind that I’m Plain?
‘‘I could meet you somewhere if that’s easier,’’ he offered.
She thought of the other options. ‘‘I doubt you’d want to ride in an Amish buggy. . . .’’
He laughed. ‘‘And you wouldn’t be caught dead in a car with me, right?’’
‘‘Better dead than alive,’’ she was quick to say, which brought another chuckle from Ben.
‘‘I didn’t expect a Plain girl to have such a good sense of humor. So is it against the rules to ride in a car? Would your church fathers frown on it?’’
‘‘Well,’’ she replied, ‘‘there are both angels and devils in those beards . . . but you never heard this from me.’’
Her comment seemed to catch him off guard. He looked at her curiously. ‘‘I’d like to know more about that.’’
Just then Julia poked her head out the side door. ‘‘Would you like to stay for supper, Annie?’’
How do I squelch my smile? She needs to be more subtle about matchmaking, Annie thought.
‘‘I can easily set another place,’’ Julia persisted.
‘‘Thanks anyway, but Mamm’s waitin’ supper.’’
So Julia approves of Ben. . . .
‘‘I know of a wonderful espresso place,’’ Ben said when Julia had disappeared back into the house.
I shook hands with Daed, she reminded herself. I can’t go out with an Englischer now!
She took a breath. ‘‘Well, it’s awful nice of you to ask . . . but I prob’ly shouldn’t,’’ she said. ‘‘But thanks all the same, Ben.’’
His smile slipped a bit. ‘‘I understand,’’ he said softly.
Annie gave him a little wave and walked away, already feeling glum.
A dessert of chocolate silk pie was served, and the five youngsters eyed Ben at the table. He had consistently made comical facial gestures at each of them, off and on throughout the meal. He knew he had a way with little kids. His own father had first noticed it years back, when Ben’s smile quickly soothed a howling baby on numerous occasions—his colicky nephew, one case in point. His mom and sister often said he would be a ‘‘terrific dad’’ someday. Finding the right woman is the key, he thought.
While Julia and Irvin worked together in the kitchen, he got down on the floor with Laura, Esther’s oldest, and James. Esther had already whisked diaper-laden John and his infant sister back to the bedroom. Molly and Zach sat out in the kitchen playing with extra-large, toddler-safe Legos at the table.
Thinking how to entertain Laura and James, he pulled something from his pocket, keeping it hidden in his closed hand. ‘‘I have a secret hiding here.’’
‘‘You do? I want to see it!’’ Laura said, moving right over next to him.
‘‘Me too!’’ James said, folding his hands under his chin, sitting cross-legged like Ben.
‘‘You have to guess first,’’ Ben said.
‘‘Give us a hint,’’ said Laura, the older.
‘‘Let’s see.’’ He closed his eyes, enjoying the tension-filled game. ‘‘I know. . . .’’ He opened his eyes.
‘‘What?’’ Laura’s face lit up.
‘‘Well, you never find it unless you’re hungry and start to munch. Then the secret will slowly start to appear. That’s the hint.’’
James looked discouraged. ‘‘That’s too hard.’’
Laura’s pensive expression changed to a smile. ‘‘I think I know.’’
‘‘Then tell me.’’ He loved playing along.
She leaned over and whispered her answer in his ear.
How could she have guessed? he wondered.
‘‘What is it?’’ James asked, his lower lip drooping now.
Ben kept his voice low and a bit mysterious sounding. ‘‘Here, I’ll show you.’’ He opened his hand to reveal a smooth peach stone. ‘‘Watch closely.’’ He flicked the pit, fast as a sneeze, between his thumb and third finger. It stood on its end and spun like a little top.
James said a happy oh, while Laura wore a wide-eyed look of glee.
‘‘How’d you do that?’’ asked James.
Ben spun it a second time. ‘‘Just . . . like . . . this.’’
‘‘Do it again!’’ James scooted next to him, too.
He twirled it again and again, followed by the children’s sidesplitting laughter each time. At last, when James was called off to his bath, Laura asked to hold the ‘‘little top.’’
Ben placed the pit in her hand, and she looked closely at it. ‘‘Ach, it’s ever so smooth. Dat’s got himself a whole bag of these, but not a single one like this.’’
A man who collects peach pits can’t be all bad, Ben thought.
Laura returned the peach stone, and he found himself looking down at it, aware of the overwhelming urge to squeeze hard, and not knowing quite why.