Jane and Sadie had just sat down with Lanie for their dinner when a knock sounded on the door.
“Who could that be at this hour?” Sadie said as she got up.
Jane hoped it was Matt.
“I’m sure I heard a car,” said Lanie.
“I wasn’t taking much notice.”
Lanie kept talking to Jane, but Jane had one ear on the door, listening to see who it was. She got the surprise of her life when she heard Isaac's voice.
“Hello, Ma’am. I'm Isaac Egan, a friend of Jane’s.”
“You're … you're not Isaac, are you?”
Jane frowned. It was Isaac. This was dreadful. If only she hadn’t mentioned Isaac to Sadie and exaggerated their relationship.
Isaac said, “I live right next to Jane and I just happened to be in the area and I knew she was staying here.”
Jane knew he hadn't 'just happened to be in the area.' He never went anywhere. He was a goat farmer and as long as she’d known him, he had trusted no one to look after his goats.
“Come in. This is perfect timing. We’ve only just sat down for dinner. Would you care to join us?”
“Would I ever. I've been traveling all day on the Greyhound with little to eat.”
“Well, we have plenty. Come in. We’re having corned beef, with white onion sauce and baked vegetables.”
“That sounds, and smells, mouth-watering.”
Jane bounded to her feet. “Isaac. What a surprise.”
“Jane, it’s so good to see you. Can I steal you away for a quick moment for a word? I know you’re in the middle of dinner.”
“Steal her away,” Sadie said. “And we’re not in the middle. We’ve barely started.”
Jane walked with Isaac into the living room. “What are you doing here?”
“I missed you. I had to see you.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open and she covered it with her hand.
“Is it so shocking?”
“Kind of.”
“You told Mrs. Yoder about me?”
“I mentioned you.”
He smiled. “You must feel something for me to have mentioned me.”
“Let’s eat and then we can talk later, jah?”
“Sure. Are you pleased I came?”
That put her right on the spot.
NO!
She wasn’t pleased that he had come.
Right now, she didn’t need any further complications when she was in the middle of losing the only man she’d ever loved.
Matt would see Isaac, and Jane would slip further from his mind as a possible fraa.
Matt would think she was taken.
“Of course I’m pleased. Wait, where’s Rosalee?”
“With my mudder.”
They walked back into the room with the others and by this time, Sadie had set Isaac a place.
“You sit right next to Jane,” Sadie said.
“Denke, that’s very kind.”
“You got here just in time for dinner, Isaac.”
“Oh, Isaac, this is Lanie.”
“Pleased to meet you, Lanie.” They exchanged smiles while Jane filled his plate with food, and then placed it in front of him.
“Denke, Jane. This looks amazing.”
Sadie felt the need to tell him, “Lanie is a widow with a young dochder.”
Isaac said, “I’m a widower and I have a young dochder too.”
“Oh, how old?” asked Lanie.
“Rosalee is five-years-old.”
“So’s Mary-Lee.”
“You have things in common,” said Jane, seeing the writing on the wall. He was going to fall in love with Lanie.
Isaac ate a mouthful before he said to Jane, “Probably not too much in common.” He looked back at Lanie, “You see, I'm a goat farmer.”
“I love goats. My family raised goats for the milk. We made cheese and yoghurt too. It was so much fun playing with the goats. Your dochder must enjoy it too, Isaac.”
Isaac drew his eyebrows together. “There’s not much time for play. It’s mostly work.”
With a sparkle in her eye, Sadie said, “Ah, but if you had a fraa to help you on the farm, it would be … there would be time for games and fun.”
“You’re probably right. Rosalee was only a few months old when her mother took ill.”
“I’m sorry, Isaac,” said Lanie. “I know what it’s like to lose someone you love so much.”
He smiled at her and gave a little nod. “Do you work, Lanie?”
“Nee, not really. I help my bruder out on his farm. I guess that’s work. In exchange, I get to live in the small haus on his property. I’m getting the better end of the arrangement by far.”
Jane had heard that Lanie sewed for a living, and wondered why she hadn’t mentioned that.
“I’m sure it makes him happy to be looking after you,” Isaac said.
“It does, I suppose.”
Jane noticed Isaac’s face come alive when he spoke to Lanie. This wasn't good. This was her backup man and the last thing she wanted was for him to have an interest in another woman.
But there was nothing she could do about it, nothing at all. And who wouldn't be attracted to her with her creamy skin, haunting dark eyes and raven black hair?
And he hadn't even met Mary-Lee yet and she was as cute as a button. Jane knew in her heart the two little girls would get along so well. They would be like twins.
Maybe she was destined to be alone, and if she couldn’t have Matt, she was better off that way. It wouldn’t be fair to marry a man who was her heart’s second choice.
Unless … unless Gott had someone else for her, Jane thought. Someone she could love and who would love her in return.
“Where are you staying, Isaac?” asked Jane.
“Our bishop arranged for me to stay with Bishop David.”
“That's perfect,” said Lanie. “He lives up the road from me. I can drive you there when we’re finished with dinner.”
“That would be great, but I thought I might have a word with Jane before I leave if that's okay.”
“I can wait for you.”
When they’d finished a dessert of peach pie with cream, Sadie wasted no time making a suggestion. “Isaac, why don’t you and Jane go to the living room and I’ll stay here and talk with Lanie.”
Isaac smiled. “Thank you.”
Isaac and Jane walked into the living room and Jane quickly sat. She knew he’d want to discuss the letter he’d written. “Sit here beside me.”
He sat down. “I hope you don’t mind me coming to see you. I wasn’t quite sure what I was walking into.”
“That's okay. It’s always nice to see you.”
“I guess you got my letter?”
“I did and I have to say I was surprised by it. I thought we were friends.”
“I hope you don't think I'm too forward in the letter. I've never said anything to you like that in person, but I figured you might have known my feelings for you without me having to say anything.” He pushed his dark hair behind his ear. “Then I realized I might be wrong and I had to find you and tell you in person. As soon as I sent the letter I knew it wasn’t enough. You can’t say these things with just written words. I needed to look into your eyes.”
“Do you mean, you still feel that way?”
“Of course, I only wrote the letter last week. What possibly could have changed?”
“Meeting Lanie.” Jane decided the straightforward approach was the best. She had to figure this love thing out fast. She’d sensed something between the two of them right away.
“Jane, I don't know that woman. Never met her before. Why would meeting a woman for five minutes change my feelings for you?”
“I don't know, but that's the funny thing. How do you know what love is when you feel affection for someone … is that love? If you want to live with someone and look after them … well, isn’t that what a bruder does for a schweschder, and that’s not the kind of love we’re talking about, but it’s still a kind of love.” Not the one she was looking for, though. Did Isaac have a brotherly love for her?
He narrowed his eyes and Jane saw it as confusion.
She tried to explain herself better. “Love needs to be all consuming, doesn’t it? You only see that person, you only think about that one person. It’s not a choice, as such.”
A smile replaced Isaac’s confusion. “Will you marry me, Jane?”
Jane’s mouth fell open with shock. Someone had proposed. No longer would she be a woman with no choices. She was now a woman someone wanted. It felt good.
He continued, “Return with me now; marry me as soon as possible.”
She always wanted something like this to happen. She couldn’t say yes, but she was too cowardly to say no. What if this was her only chance of becoming a mother? Surely that would make up for everything. But, would it be fair to Isaac? “Can I have time to think it through?”
“Of course. I know this has come as quite a shock to you. Take all the time you need. As long as you can give me a yes at the end.”
They smiled at each other. She was grateful to be loved, to be given that chance for happiness. Isaac was a good man. She’d always respected him. “I can't believe you came all this way.”
“I thought I should. Just in case you fell in love with someone here. I never would’ve forgiven myself. I didn’t want to hold back any longer.”
“That never would’ve happened. This is my old community. I know most of the people here.”
“I know, you said that. You told me your father moved over here, then your mother joined him and then years later you moved back to Ohio.”
“That's right and that's why I feel like I have two homes. This is where I grew up, mostly.”
Jane was grown up on the outside, but inside she felt just like a young girl. She did all the grown-up things, had a job, paid the bills, but just like any little girl who sometimes needed a good mother and her father, she also needed. What made her feel more alone was that her sister and brother had left the community and she'd not heard from them since.
“I should go. I think Lanie wants to go, and the bishop will most likely want to talk with me when I get back. It’d be rude to get back there too late.”
“That’s fine. I agree.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Oh, Isaac, I'm sorry, but I don't really have any free time while I’m here. I came here to help out a friend. It’s been quite time consuming so far.” She had to keep the two men apart, but how could she now that Sadie knew about Isaac?
“Could you squeeze in lunch with me tomorrow?”
She owed him that much for coming so far to see her. “Yes, I think I could do that. We could have a quick lunch somewhere. But neither of us have use of a horse and buggy. Unless, you do?”
“I'm sure I can borrow one from Bishop David.”
“That sounds good, and how long will you be here for?”
“Just a few days and then I have to get back. It was tough getting someone to mind the place. That's why…”
“I know, that's why you can never go on a vacation.”
“That's right. But if we get married, if you accept my proposal, I will do my best to try to get away every few years and go somewhere nice. I have relatives all over the country we can stay with.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Is that a yes?” he joked.
She giggled. “No. It’s not.”
“I’ll collect you at eleven.”
“Perfect.”