The jars of freshly canned tomatoes glistened in the sunlight that glowed through the kitchen window. The aroma reminded Susan of homemade spaghetti sauce. Of suppers spent around the table as kinner when Mordecai had been on a practical joke streak a mile long and Mudder and Daed pretended to bicker over her cooking or his dirty clothes. It smelled like contentment. Steam billowed from the mammoth pans of tomatoes and green beans on the stove, alongside the wet bath filled with sterilized jars ready to receive their bounty. Sweat dripped down her temples and tickled her cheeks. She wiped the edges of the jar mouth with care not to let the towel touch the contents. “This one is ready for a lid.”
“That’s the last of the tomatoes.” Rebekah bustled along behind Susan, adding flats and rings to the steaming jars. “How are the green beans coming?”
“Everything is snapped.” Abigail wiped her hands on a ragged dish towel, her face flushed with the heat of the propane stove mixed with humid May air. Summer had arrived on the first day of the month with a ferocity usually reserved for July in South Texas. As if Gott knew a canning frolic was afoot. “The girls are chopping cucumbers for the pickles now.”
Hazel stuck a cucumber slice in her mouth and crunched. “I’d rather eat them.” She giggled, further mashing her words through a full mouth. “Pickles are a lot of work.”
“But they’re mighty good with a hamburger.” Abigail patted the little girl’s kapp-covered head. “So stop eating them and start chopping. You’ll be glad you did next winter.”
Despite the heat and the sweat, Susan loved canning frolics. Having all her favorite women in the same room—crowded though it was—meant lots of chatter and laughter. Different from school where quiet was priceless. Plus, she had a chance to let someone else be in charge. She could relax and not worry about being responsible for the kinner. Canning vegetables was much easier.
“Sorry we’re late.” Martha Byler stuck her head in the door. The girl looked like Tobias in the face, but without the five-o’clock shadow. The hair peeking from the back of her kapp was dark blonde and her eyes blue. “Nyla was running a fever this morning. I made some chicken soup and left her with Ida reading Little House on the Prairie to her.”
“I love those books. The Long Winter is my favorite.” Susan’s opportunity to keep her commitment to talk to Levi’s oldest daughter had arrived, right on time, and she was talking about books. She couldn’t help herself, it seemed.
“I like them all.” Martha didn’t seem to mind. “And the girls love for me to read to them.”
Susan couldn’t help but smile at that. Her teacher heart was happy to hear it. She trotted across the room to the table, picked up a knife, and held it out. “Last woman in has to chop the onions.”
Accepting the offer, Martha smiled and shooed Lupe and little Liam into the room. “I don’t mind onions, especially when that means pickles later on.”
“Where’s Diego?” Susan patted Lupe’s shoulders. The girl settled into a chair next to Hazel. “Working with the men?”
“With Milo, tilling the space we’ll use for the garden,” Martha answered for Lupe, who ducked her head, a shy grin on her brown face. “He likes playing in dirt and we’re way behind in our planting.”
“I like playing in the dirt too.” Susan liked gardening. Gott was good. She handed a small paring knife to Lupe. “Cut the cucumbers in chunks before Hazel eats them all.”
Lupe looked puzzled, but she took the knife.
“Have you ever seen anyone can before?”
The girl shrugged, her eyebrows lifted.
“We cook the tomatoes, put them in jars, and seal them so we can eat them in the winter.”
Lupe nodded, but Susan could tell she didn’t understand. It didn’t matter. She probably would be long gone before winter. The thought made her heart squeeze. Jesse hadn’t gotten back to Will yet, but he surely would any day now. “How do you say hot in Spanish?” She pointed to the stove. When all else fails, do what comes naturally. Teach. “Hot.”
“Caliente.” Lupe obliged. “Estufa está caliente.”
“Estufa está caliente,” Susan repeated. “Everyone now.”
The ladies repeated the phrase in chorus, Hazel trailing behind by a word or two. Liam yelled, “Caliente!” after everyone had finished, only it sounded like “cold tea.” They all laughed.
Susan squeezed into a chair next to Martha and picked up a huge onion. The greenhouse vegetables had done well this year. She plopped it on the cutting board and picked up another knife. “How are you settling in here in Bee County?”
Martha wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “These are some strong onions.” She giggled. “Good. We’re doing fine. The house needs some work, but Daed and the boys are busy setting up the shop. That’s more important right now.”
“Do you need any help? We could organize a frolic. Help clean the place up, plant the garden.”
Martha flashed a smile. Susan got a glimpse of what Levi’s wife must’ve looked like. “That would be nice. Ida and Nyla help as much as they can, but they’re still small. Between the laundry and the cooking and the baking . . .” Her cheeks turned red. “I don’t mean to complain. I love taking care of them.”
“I didn’t think you were complaining.” Susan got to work on her own onion, careful to keep her voice light. “It’s a lot of work for any of us. Everyone needs a little help now and then.”
She separated the onion into nice rings. “In fact, I was thinking I could make dinner for your family Sunday night at your house and you could come to the singing here at our house. My treat.”
Martha frowned, her nose wrinkled. “Did Daed put you up to this?”
“He just wants you to have the same fun other girls your age have.”
“Why’s he in such a hurry to marry me off?” She smacked the onion with more force than necessary. “Who does he think will take care of Liam and Nyla—”
“He’s not in a hurry.” Susan touched her arm. “Believe me, he’s not. The fact that he wants you to have this time in your life speaks to how much affection he has for you. He wants what’s best for you. What’s meant to be for you as Gott’s child.”
Tears brightened the girl’s eyes. She sniffed. “I think maybe Gott intended for me to take care of my schweschders and bruders.”
“For a while, but not forever. They’re getting old enough to take care of themselves and each other. To help you too.”
Martha sighed. The knife hung in the air as if she’d forgotten it in her contemplation of her future, surely an uncertain and scary proposition for a sixteen-year-old.
The sound of someone banging on the door startled them into silence. Simon stumbled through the back door. He looked so much like his brother Jesse, but his face would never lose its childlike innocence. Gott had given Leroy and Naomi the gift of a special child. His hat flopped and hit the floor. “There you are, Martha. I looked for you at your house. Levi got thrown from a horse. He’s headed to the hospital. Tobias sent me to tell you.”
“Is he hurt? Is it bad?” Susan stood. The knife dropped to the table with a clatter. “We need to—”
“Where is he?” Martha’s face had turned as white as the onion in her hand. She dropped it and it rolled across the floor and disappeared under the stove. “Is he dead?”
“He’s not dead. We don’t know how bad he is, though. He wasn’t talking and his eyes were closed.” Simon’s inability to find words was worse when he was under stress. He scooped up his hat and slapped it on his head with more force than necessary. “An ambulance took him to Beeville. Mr. Carson is out front with his van to take y’all.”
“Is Tobias all right? Was he there?” Rebekah took Liam’s hand. “Was he hurt?”
“Tobias is fine. So is David. They’re on their way to the hospital.” Simon turned as if to lead the way. He’d been given a job to do and he was trying very hard to do it to the best of his ability. “Hurry up. Let’s go, then.”
Susan turned to Abigail, who was staring at Rebekah with a bemused look on her face. Susan touched her sleeve. “We’ll all go.”
“I’ll stay with the canning. We can’t have all this food spoil.” Abigail gave Martha a swift hug. “I’ll pray.”
Praying would be their job, in the van and at the hospital. That’s what the community did when trouble visited. She’d barely had a chance to begin to know Levi. The force of her desire to know him more stunned her. Susan took a breath. This wasn’t about her. His kinner had lost a mother. They couldn’t lose their father too. She put an arm around Martha. “We’ll go together.”