A Hope Springs Christmas (8 page)

“I forgot. Ben Lapp needed a part. Sally must be having trouble finding it for him.”

“I’ll take care of it.” She took another step back but discovered she was reluctant to leave him. The frown had returned to his face. She knew he was once again thinking about his brothers.

“Levi, would you like me to ask Bishop Zook to have a talk with the boys?”

“Do you think it would help?”

“It can’t hurt.”

“I will speak to him about them. They are my responsibility.”

“And none of mine. I understand.” She gave a half-hearted, embarrassed smile and hurried toward the carriage shop front door. She heard him call her name. She stopped and glanced back.

He said, “I’m grateful for your counsel.”

Her heart grew light again. “I only want to help.”

She pulled open the door and went inside. She found Ben Lapp leaning against the counter. Sally stood on the other side, smiling at him as she said, “The right hub nut is threaded to the right and the left hub nut is threaded to the left so they won’t spin off the wheel while it’s turning.”

“For only working here one day you sure seem to know a lot about the equipment.”

Sally blushed a becoming shade of pink. “I try to pay attention. Some people think I ask a lot of questions, but it’s only because I want to learn new things.”

Sarah walked behind the counter with Sally. “And I’m sure that Levi was happy to answer all your questions.”

“Actually, he didn’t seem happy to answer any of them. Ben helped me finish the inventory of the tall cabinets. He’s been wonderfully patient with me.” She smiled sweetly at him.

He shrugged off her compliment. “It was no trouble. What are you doing for Christmas, Sally?”

“
Mamm
is cooking a big dinner for the family on Thursday. We have cousins coming from Kilbuck to visit for the long weekend. What about you?”

“That’s funny because my folks and I are traveling to my uncle Wayne’s place. My grandparents live with his family. His farm is down near Kilbuck. My family goes there and your family comes here.”

The young pair were so focused on each other that Sarah began to feel invisible. “Ben, Levi said you needed a part. What can I get for you?”

Sally answered her. “He needed a left hub nut. I found it for him, but I didn’t know how much to charge. We’ve just been waiting for you or Levi to come back.”

Sarah rang up the amount on the cash register. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Ben. There was a problem with the Hershbergers’ buggy.”

“I didn’t mind.” He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Sally.

“Are you staying in Kilbuck long?” she asked.

“Just until Friday evening.”

“That means you’ll be back in time for the barn party on Saturday.” Sally spoke with a nonchalance that was a dead giveaway his answer was important.

“I’ll be back in plenty of time. Who’s having a hoedown?”

“There’s going to be one at Ezra Bowman’s farm. Maybe you could come by for a while.”

Sarah looked at Sally in surprise. “I thought that was the night of Leah Belier’s winter picnic?”

Sally shrugged. “It is. I didn’t hear about the hoedown until last night. It should be loads more fun than an old picnic. Leah will understand if I don’t come.”

A troubled look crossed Ben’s face. “Ezra Bowman belongs to the Sparkler gang, doesn’t he? Do you run with that crowd? I hear they’re a pretty wild bunch.”

Sally raised one eyebrow. “We’re not goody-goodies, but you shouldn’t judge us without getting to know us. Some of them are kind of wild, but most them are like me. Ordinary Amish kids just looking to enjoy their
rumspringa
.”

Ben pulled out his wallet and handed Sarah the money he owed. “I’ll think about it. It could be fun.”

“It will be.”

His smile returned. “Okay. I’ll see you there and maybe I’ll see you tomorrow when I come back for my wheel.”

“I’ll be here,” she said brightly.

When he left, Sally turned and grasped Sarah’s arm, bubbling over with excitement. “I can’t believe Ben Lapp actually spent the better part of an hour talking to me. He’s so fine.”

Sarah saw her hopes for a match between Sally and Levi going out the window. She wasn’t one to give up easily. “Levi is a fine-looking fellow, too. He’s hard-working and much more mature than a boy like Ben.”

Sally rolled her eyes. “I know he appeals to someone older—like you—but not to someone like me. We should get back to work or we’re never going to get finished here.”

Sarah picked up the clipboard. Her first serious attempt at matchmaking was a failure, but Sally was right. They still had a lot of work to get done. “We can move to the upholstery room. That has the second largest number of small items.”

Sally followed along behind Sarah. “Why is the upholstery room enclosed? None of the other rooms have ceilings over them.”

“To keep the dust out of the cloth in there.”

“How much cloth do you keep?”

“It depends on how many orders we have. Often, we have to special-order fabrics, but if we find a good deal on something our customers like, we’ll order in bulk.”

As they counted needles, threads and bobbins, Sally continued to pelt Sarah with questions. Before long, she realized that working with Sally was more tiring than working alone. Her patience began to wear thin. After another twenty minutes and as many questions, she said, “I can finish up in here. You’ve been a big help. Why don’t you go ahead and go home?”

“It’s barely noon. I’m not going to leave you to do this by yourself. I said I could work for two days and two full days is what you will get. Why are the threads arranged according to size and not according to color?”

“Because they are.”

Sarah heard the large double doors at the side of the building open. She stepped out of the workroom and saw Levi pulling the Hershberger carriage in. He was struggling with the heavy vehicle and could barely move it. She put down her clipboard and rushed to help him. Together, they were able to pull it inside.

“Danki,”
he said and blew out a long breath.

“You should have called me to help. It’s too heavy for you to manage alone.”

“Don’t scold. I thought I could do it.” He raised his fist to his mouth and coughed sharply.

Concern sharpened her tone. “You deserve a good scold. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will?”

“Grace is normally here to help, but someone told her to take a vacation. Oh, wait, that was you.”

“You’re not going to start harping on that again, are you? What’s done is done.”

“Gee, you two sound like an old married couple,” Sally said from the upholstery room doorway.

Levi scowled. “I reckon a wife would not talk to me like I was a child.”

“Sometimes you act like a child,” Sarah said quickly.

“As do you,” he snapped back.

Sarah’s mouth dropped open. She shut it and marched back into the workroom without another word. Sally moved out of her way. “Sorry.”

“That’s quite all right. Where were we?”

“Nylon thread, size eight.”

Sarah opened the bin. “Four spools.”

Consulting the clipboard, Sally said, “Cotton thread, size eight.”

“Six spools.”

“Are you sure you aren’t upset with me?”

Sarah closed her eyes. “I’m not upset with you.”

She wasn’t upset with Sally. She was upset with herself for promising Grace she would try and find a wife for Levi. She had no business being a matchmaker. She didn’t know the first thing about helping people fall in love.

Sally said, “I’ve learned so much today. Plus, I had the chance to make an impression on Ben Lapp. I’ve been hoping for a chance to do that for ages, and he’ll be back tomorrow.”

Her comment gave Sarah pause. Maybe she’d been going about this the wrong way. It might not be about who she thought Levi would like. It could be she needed to find out who liked Levi.

“Sally, earlier you said Levi was attractive to someone who was...older. Were you thinking of someone specific?”

“I shouldn’t have said you were older. You’re not old.”

“Never mind that. Were you thinking of someone else?”

“You have to promise you won’t tell her I said anything.”

“I promise. Who is it?”

“My cousin Joann.”

Joann Yoder? The one woman Sarah had crossed off her list as being too shy. On second thought, the spinster might be the perfect woman after all. She wasn’t likely to speak to Levi like he was a child even when he acted like one.

How could she get them together?

“I don’t know your cousin very well. What is she like?”

“Quiet, shy, but she has a heart of gold.”

That sounded familiar. “What kind of things does she enjoy doing?”

“Joann? She likes to garden and she loves quilting. She’s coming to Ina Stultz’s quilting bee. You’re coming, right?”

“I am.” Sarah couldn’t envision a way to get Levi involved in quilting.

“
Goot
. Joann likes to cook. She likes to visit. Oh, and she really likes to fish. Yuck. I hate handling worms, but she doesn’t mind. She goes with my brothers when they have time.”

“She likes fishing? That’s very interesting.” Sarah smiled. Levi used to go fishing with Jonas. Could he be persuaded to toss a line in with Joann? How?

Sally’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you like fishing?”

“It can be...rewarding. I love the taste of fresh trout.” As long as she didn’t have to clean it before she cooked it.

She would have to get up a fishing trip of her own. If all went well, using Levi Beachy as bait might just land him the perfect mate.

Chapter Eight

“I
know that silly thing is in here somewhere.” A crash followed Sarah’s muffled words.

Levi, splitting kindling in her backyard, stopped swinging his ax and glanced toward her back porch. It was late in the day and they had finished at the shop an hour ago. The sound of something heavy hitting the floor made him put his tool down. “Sarah, are you okay?”

“I would be if I could just find that rod. Do you know where it is?”

Puzzled, he walked toward the building. He stepped inside and saw Sarah down on her hands and knees pulling out baskets and boxes from beneath a wooden storage bench. “What kind of rod are you talking about?”

“Jonas’s fishing rod. I know I still have it. It has to be here somewhere.”

“Why are you looking for his rod?”

“Because I’m going fishing.”

It was the last thing he expected her to say. “You hate fishing.”

She glared up at him. She had a smudge on one cheek and a look of steely determination in her eyes. “I don’t hate fishing. I simply didn’t like it as much as Jonas did. Which was why I was always glad he went with you. Why can’t I find his rod?”

Levi arched one eyebrow. “I distinctly remember hearing you tell him you wouldn’t go fishing until God started making fish that weren’t slimy and didn’t stink.”

She turned back to searching under bench. “I must have been having a bad day.”

Levi stepped past her and lifted a four-foot-long black tube off a nail on the back wall. He handed it to her. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

She glanced at it and shook her head. “No. I’m looking for a red fiberglass rod with a silver reel thing on it.”

He opened the end of the tube and pulled out two rods. One was a dark blue fly fishing rod and the other one was a red spin-casting rod. They had been taken apart to let them fit inside. “I bought Jonas this case after one of my brothers stepped on his favorite rod and broke it.”

She rose to her feet looking sheepish and adorable.
“Danki.”

“Du bischt wilkumm.”
He handed them to her.

She took them from him and looked them over. “The pieces just fit together, right? Where are the hooks?”

“In the tackle box you threw aside.”

“Oh.” She looked at the mess on the floor.

“Are you really going fishing?”

“I can see it may be a more complex undertaking that I first imagined, but I do intend to go. I have to.”

“Why?”

“To be out in the fresh air. To enjoy the glories that are the world God has given us. To be at one with nature.”

“I ask again, why are you going fishing?”

She closed the lid of the bench and sat down. “I invited my brother and his family to come for Christmas. Apparently, his son loves to fish. I offered to take my nephew fishing if the weather was nice enough while they were here. It was snowing when I wrote the letter. How was I to know it was going to warm up? I received an answer this morning. They are coming for a visit, and Merle is very excited that he is going fishing with his aunt. Can you give me a few pointers so I don’t look like a complete fool?”

“Like how to tell a tackle box from a picnic basket?”

“You enjoy poking fun at me, don’t you?”

He folded his arms over his chest and stroked his chin with one hand. “I’ve never gotten to do it before.
Ja,
it’s kind of fun.”

“Levi, will you take me fishing or not?”

How could he deny her anything? “All right.”

“When?” she demanded eagerly.

“Tomorrow?”

“It can’t be tomorrow. I’m going to a quilting bee.”

“That’s just as well. I need to deliver Susan Hershberger’s repaired buggy. How about the day after tomorrow?” He had plenty of work to do, but the prospect of spending an afternoon alone at the lake with Sarah was too tempting to pass up.

“I think the day after tomorrow will be fine, but I’ll have to let you know tomorrow for sure. What time would we leave?”

“I’ll pick you up at one o’clock.”

“Where will we go?”

“Down to the old stone quarry. I think the bass fishing will be good there.”

Sarah grinned. “It sounds like a wonderful time.”

She looked so excited and happy that his heart gave a funny little skip. He never imagined she would be thrilled to spend time in his company.

She went inside the house and he returned to the woodpile. Picking up his ax, he began whistling as he worked.

* * *

Over a dozen buggies and two-wheeled carts lined the lane leading up to Sally Yoder’s home. Sally herself greeted Sarah at the front door. “Come in and welcome. Nearly everyone is here except the bride and her family.”

“She’ll be here.” Sarah remembered how excited and nervous she had been at her own quilting frolic, for she knew she and her new husband would spend many nights together beneath the quilt she had designed and pieced together. She had chosen the Birds in the Air pattern in shades of blue, soft creams and bright greens. That quilt was packed away now, for she couldn’t bear to sleep beneath it alone.

Inside Sally’s home, twelve women were already seated around the large kitchen table. The air was filled with lively chatter. The mouthwatering smells of fresh coffee, warm donuts and freshly made cinnamon rolls added to the party atmosphere.

Sally’s father and three of her brothers were setting out straight-backed and folding chairs around the edges of a large quilting frame in the front room. The furniture in the room had all been pushed against the walls to make room. Sunlight streamed in through the south-facing windows. The quilt top was a beautiful Sunshine and Shadows pattern with blocks in shades of blue, green, magenta, pink and violet alternating with rows of black. She wondered what had made Ina choose this particular pattern and fabrics.

Sarah scanned the faces of the women who ranged in age from seventeen to seventy. They were all women she knew well. Nettie Imhoff and her daughter-in-law Katie Sutter were talking to Karen, Nettie’s stepdaughter, who had recently wed Jonathan Dresher. Faith Lapp and Rebecca Troyer sat beside Naomi Wadler. Esther Zook, the bishop’s wife, was locked in deep conversation with Susan Hershberger. They darted compassionate glances in Sarah’s direction.

No doubt, the bishop’s wife was getting an earful about the Beachy brothers. Poor Grace would have her work cut out winning over Henry’s mother when she came home.

Looking for Joann Yoder, Sarah spied her standing alone near the back door and staring with longing out the window. She was dressed in a drab gray dress with a black apron. Her hair was mousy brown beneath her black
kapp
. Her shoes were coated with drying mud.

After accepting a cup of coffee, Sarah moved to stand near her. “I almost wish it were rainy and dreary out today.”

Joann looked at her in surprise. “Why?”

“It’s such a beautiful day, cool but not chilly, with plenty of sunshine to tempt a person away from the chores inside. After all, how many more nice days can we expect this late in December?”

“Not many, but a quilting bee is not really a chore.” Joann lowered her gaze again, as if she was afraid she’d said too much.

She reminded Sarah so much of Levi that she wanted to give the woman a hug. Not that Sarah was tempted to hug Levi. That wouldn’t be proper. Okay, she did feel the urge to hug him sometimes, but only because he worked too hard and his family didn’t appreciate all he did.

Sarah said, “You’re right, a quilting frolic is much more than stitching. We’ll hear familiar tales from the grandmothers, and catch up on their grandchildren’s antics. Perhaps we’ll even hear some of the latest gossip. We’ll sing and laugh together. Later, there would be oodles of food. I can smell the ham cooking already, can’t you? The only thing better than this would be a day spent fishing.”

For you and Levi, not for me.

Joann looked up with interest. “You enjoy fishing?”

Sarah couldn’t outright lie to her. She decided to sidestep that comment. This was for Levi. She forced a smile and said brightly, “
Enjoy
is hardly the word I would use. My husband took me when we were first married. I never seemed to have time after I started working at the fabric store.”

“I know what you mean. I don’t get to go as often as I would like, either.”

This was her opening. Sarah tried not to sound too eager. “Levi Beachy is taking me over to the old quarry tomorrow. Would you like to join us?”

A look of delight filled Joann’s eyes, but it quickly died away. “I’m sure the two of you would rather go alone.”

“Not at all. You would be doing me a great favor by joining us. Levi is a much better fisherman than I am. I know he’d enjoy the company of someone who isn’t a novice.”

“Do you really think so?” The fearful hope in her words fueled Sarah’s determination. Here was a woman who didn’t need to be convinced of Levi’s good traits. She just needed a way for him to notice her.

Sarah laid a hand on Joann’s arm. “He’ll be thrilled. Please say you can come.”

“Well, if you’re sure it’s okay.”

“Perfect. We’re meeting at my house at one o’clock. Levi said the bass fishing should be good over at the old quarry.”

“After this nice warm-up, I reckon it will be. I hooked into a big one there a month ago, but it broke my line. I’m ready to try and land him again.”

Sarah felt a sudden pang of envy. Joann and Levi might find they had many things in common besides fishing. That was the reason Sarah had suggested the outing. So why did the look of anticipation on Joann’s face leave her feeling jealous?

Sarah faced the true cause of her discontent. She wanted to feel that rush of attraction again. She wanted her heart to skip a beat when the name of a certain someone was mentioned.

Such thoughts were pure foolishness. God had given her the best possible husband, but for some reason, she didn’t deserve to know years of happiness with him. The fault lay in her, not in her husband, she was sure of that. Joann and Levi deserved a chance at the happiness that eluded her.

Joann asked, “What’s the matter? You look so sad.”

Sarah managed a smile as she shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

The front door opened and Ina Stultz came in with her mother and both her grandmothers. Sarah went to say hello, glad for something else to think about.

Now that the bride-to-be had arrived, Sally’s mother invited everyone to find a place at the quilting frame. With so many eager hands, Sarah knew the project would be finished by day’s end. She followed the others into the front room and took a seat beside Joann.

Out came the inch-and-a-half-long quilting needles, called “sharps” or “betweens” and spools of thread. For a few minutes, the chatter died away as the women got down to work threading their needles and studying the areas to be outlined. The quiet didn’t last long.

“Do you remember when I used to make a play fort under your quilting frame?” Ina asked her mother.

“I do. It wasn’t until you were ten that you decided to watch me quilt while you stood beside me instead of playing at my feet.”

“Does this quilt have a story?” Rebecca asked, running her hand over the colorful pattern.

Ina smiled. “My mother and her mother both used the Sunlight and Shadow pattern for their wedding quilts.”

“To remind us that our lives will be filled with both gladness and sorrow, but that the comfort of the Lord will always be over us,” her grandmother explained.

There were murmurs of agreement from around the room.

“From the time I first started setting stitches I wanted to become as good as my grandmother.” Ina smiled at her family.

Sarah nodded. Hand-quilting was a journey of personal accomplishment for each Amish girl. Like Ina, Sarah had spent years striving for consistent lengths, working to make straighter lines and improve her stitch count.

For Sarah, her personal best became ten stitches per inch. A goal few quilters could reach. But then, most Amish girls married and began raising families—work that took them away from their craft until their children were grown and they had more time again. Without a husband or children to care for, Sarah had been free to devote her evenings to quilting. She often made two a year. Naomi Wadler sold them for her to the tourists who stayed at the Wadler Inn.

Sarah chose a starting place on Ina’s quilt and began to rock her needle through the three layers of fabric stretched on the frame, the solid backing, the batting in the middle to make the quilt fluffy and warm and the top sheet, which bore the pattern. By rocking the needle back and forth, she was able to load as many stitches as possible before drawing the thread through the layers.

Looking up from her work, she saw smiles on the happy faces around her. These women had come together to do something for one of their own. It was a wonderful feeling to join them, young and old alike, as they worked on a craft they all loved.

The skill levels were diverse in such a large group. It was one reason that quilts done at a bee were kept by the families and not offered for sale. Having been employed by an Englishwoman and having met many of the English tourists who came to the store, Sarah knew they prized uniformity in the stitching of the quilts they came to purchase. Such quilts were usually done by one woman.

Joann leaned close. “Watch, Sally will start a contest soon to see who can make the shortest stitches.”

Sarah looked over the women. “Anyone who can beat Rebecca Troyer will deserve a prize. You may be a contender. You have a very neat hand at this.”

“
Danki,
but my skills are nothing compared to Rebecca’s,” Joann said.

Rebecca was a renowned quilter in the community. She once suffered from a disease that gradually robbed her of her sight. She had supported herself and her aged aunt by making quilts to sell. With the help of many, and Gideon Troyer in particular, the community had raised enough money for Rebecca to undergo surgery to restore her sight.

By the grace of God, she could now see as well as anyone, but she still kept her eyes closed when she was quilting. She said the sight of so many colors and shapes distracted her from the feel of her needle.