A Hopeful Heart (7 page)

Hannah felt frustration boiling inside her, but she needed to keep calm. She’d realized
early in her marriage that arguing with Barbie was useless. Besides, she needed to
respect Barbie, who was the only mother she had since her own mother had died ten
years ago. “We need to remember what Scripture says: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Mr. Peterson is a nice man who offered me a ride in the rain.”

Barbie lifted her chin. “It’s inappropriate, Hannah. You know I’m right. I’m going
to make your
kinner
a proper lunch. I’m glad I stopped by so I could make sure they’re eating right.”
Her mother-in-law marched off into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Hannah lowered herself into a rocking chair and blew out a cleansing breath. She knew
it was best to stay out of Barbie’s way when she took over the kitchen. Although she
resented Barbie’s criticism of how she was raising her children, she was thankful
her children had a grandmother in their lives since her parents and husband were gone.
Families were full of complicated, intertwined relationships that somehow translated
into love and support.

She rocked back and forth while staring up at the glorious blue sky. A strange excitement
skittered through her as she reflected on her short visit with Mr. Peterson. She was
thankful for his friendship. Although they were from different worlds, they shared
similar experiences. He understood her better than most of the people close to her.
She looked forward to seeing him again and wondered if he had enjoyed their visit
as much as she had.

J
osh stood in the stable doorway and watched Trey Peterson drive off in his flashy
car. He glowered as Hannah waved to the
Englisher
and then went back to the porch. Why would Hannah welcome this man into her home,
a home Gideon had built? It didn’t make any sense at all. He hoped she wasn’t unhappy
with her life. He groaned at the thought of watching Hannah, the woman he’d always
loved, walk away from everything they believed in.

“
Onkel?
” Andrew held out a shovel. “Are you ready to clean the stalls?”

“
Ya.
I’m coming.”

Josh turned back to the porch, where Hannah and his mother were speaking. He deduced
from their frowns that his mother was speaking her mind. It was his fault she had
insisted on coming by this morning to give Hannah a stern lecture. He’d stopped in
to check on his parents last night after supper, and when his mother asked what was
wrong, he spilled the news about the
Englisher
Hannah had brought home. His mother was appalled, and she insisted on coming with
him this morning to tell Hannah what a poor example she was setting for her children.

“
Onkel?
” Andrew studied him from one of the stalls. “Did you come here to work or stare at
the
haus
?”

Josh shook his head and grinned while crossing the stable. “You sound just like your
dat.
”

“Oh
ya
?” Andrew flashed a toothy grin. “You didn’t do your chores when you worked with
Dat
either?”

Josh laughed. “You’re lucky I like you, or you’d be in trouble.” He grabbed a shovel
and gloves and then began working in the stall next to Andrew.

“You should’ve come earlier. Mr. Peterson brought us donuts.”

Josh stopped shoveling and wiped his sweaty brow with his arm. “He brought donuts
this morning?”

“
Ya!
” Andrew’s voice radiated with excitement. “They were so
gut.
I should’ve saved one for you, but I couldn’t help myself. I ate most of them. I
love the ones filled with cream the best. Although, the chocolate covered ones are
appeditlich
too.”

Josh’s stomach churned as it had when he’d seen the
Englisher’s
car in the driveway. Was the man using food to try to bribe the children into liking
him? Jealousy stabbed him in the chest.

“Lillian said I shouldn’t eat so many because I’d get a stomachache, and she was right.”
Andrew’s words carried over the neighboring stall. “But I couldn’t let them go to
waste, you know?
Mamm
is always watching her weight, so I knew she wouldn’t eat any. I was doing her a
favor by finishing them. And a little stomachache was worth it. How often do we get
fresh donuts for breakfast?”

Josh smiled despite his disgust with the
Englisher.
“You’re a smart
bu
, Andrew.”

“I’m just like you.
Mamm
says I look like
Dat
, but I think I look like you too. I bet some people think I’m your son, right?”

“Right.” Josh began to shovel again while thinking about his nieces and nephew. He
longed to fill in as their father, and even more, he wanted to be their stepfather.
If only he could distract their mother from the
Englisher
who was trying to worm his way into her life.

Trey set his car keys and phone on the counter in the hotel room’s kitchen area and
dropped onto the leather sofa. He lifted the television remote and scanned the channels
without giving much thought to the content. He settled on a police drama and stared
at the screen while contemplating his day.

After the unwelcome encounter with Hannah’s mother-in-law, he’d left the farm and
met his realtor at another home. Although it was a beautiful house with six bedrooms
and a vast amount of land and barns, he still liked the first house he’d found better
than the rest of them. The other homes were nice, but they didn’t have the charm or
character of the first home he’d found.

The first home had appealed to him from the moment he’d laid his eyes on it. He was
drawn to the sweeping porch that spanned the front of the house, the row of red barns
behind it, the fenced-in pasture, and the little pond at the back of the property.
Suddenly it hit him—the first house he’d looked at reminded him of Hannah’s and his
grandparents’ farms. Perhaps he was searching for the warmth and comfort of his childhood,
when everything was easy and he didn’t have to worry about the future.

His iPhone began to ring. He pushed up from the sofa and grabbed it from the counter
where he’d left it. “Hello?”

“Hey, little brother.” Christy’s voice sang through the speaker. “How are things in
Amish country?”

“They’re fine, thanks. How are you?” Trey fetched a can of Coke from the little refrigerator
and popped it open before returning to the sofa.

“I’m fine. Brett’s at a conference in Raleigh and the kids are asleep. It’s nice and
quiet here. I thought I’d give you a ring since we haven’t talked in a couple of weeks.
How’s your search for the perfect bed and breakfast going?”

“It’s going pretty well.” Trey hit the mute button on the remote control, silencing
the television. “I found a place I really like, but my realtor is still dragging me
all around the area to look at others so that I’m certain before I make an offer.”

“Oh.” Christy chuckled. “Trying to get a bigger commission I suppose, huh?”

“Maybe.” He sipped his drink. “I visited an Amish farm today.”

“Really? How did that happen?”

“I sort of became friends with an Amish woman.”

“How did you befriend an Amish woman? Don’t the Amish keep to themselves?”

“She works as a housekeeper at the hotel, and we keep running into each other.” He
shook his head while thinking of the first time he met Hannah. “A few of the times
were a little embarrassing. I guess you could say it was sort of meant to be that
we’d become friends.”

“What do you mean by embarrassing?” She asked the question slowly, sounding intrigued.

Trey told her about each of their encounters, beginning with the day Hannah walked
in on him when he was shirtless and
ending with Hannah soaked at the bus stop. “She invited me to stay for supper Wednesday
night, and I met her family. She has three kids, twin teenage girls and a little boy.”

“What does her husband do?”

“He ran a horse farm with his brother. He died of a heart attack four years ago.”

“Oh, no. So she’s lost her spouse too. I can see why you became friends. You have
a lot in common.”

“Exactly. I went back to visit her today so I could see her horses. She raises Dutch
Harnesses along with a couple of other breeds.”

“She has Dutch Harnesses? That’s incredible!”

“I know.” Trey smiled. “Do you remember Snickers at Grandma and Grandpa’s farm?”

“Of course I do. Snickers was your horse. He followed you around like a puppy.”

“That’s right. Hannah has this horse named Huckleberry. He’s chestnut colored with
the same four white feet and white blaze between his eyes. You wouldn’t believe it,
Christy. Going to Hannah’s farm is like stepping back in time. While I was there,
I felt more at peace than I have in a long time.”

“That’s really nice. I bet Corrine would’ve loved to have been there with you. I remember
how much she loved the Amish. I’m glad you’re finding some happiness there. I’m just
surprised Hannah invited you to her home.”

Trey thought of Barbie and frowned. “Not everyone was happy to see me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hannah’s mother-in-law came by to visit this morning and gave me the cold shoulder.”

“Did she really give you the cold shoulder or was she just quiet and reserved?”

“Christy, the woman had daggers in her eyes.”

“Yikes. I guess I was right about the Amish keeping to themselves. I saw this special
on the Amish a few months ago on PBS, and it talked about how tight-knit their community
is.”

“Yeah, but that’s a broad generalization.” Trey sipped more Coke and then placed the
can on the end table beside him.

“The Amish community is a culture, and they live by certain rules. They stay together.
They worship together and they support each other. She could’ve been violating rules
by having you over as a guest alone. You’re both single, and maybe it looked like
a date or something.”

Trey contemplated his sister’s words. “A date? I just wanted to see her horses.”

“I’m certain it was innocent, but the Amish are very conservative in the way they
act and dress. Having a single man at her farm may have sent the wrong message to
her mother-in-law.”

“It was broad daylight. We walked to the back of the pasture and back up to the house.”

“Trey, you’re not listening to me.”

“I am listening. I’m just pretending to be ignorant.” Trey raked his hand through
his hair while staring at the television screen. He was kidding himself if he tried
to protest his sister’s words. “You’re probably right. I hope I didn’t cause her any
trouble today. She’s a really nice lady.”

“Uh oh.” Christy clicked her tongue. “Tell me you don’t have feelings for her, Trey.”

“No, no, it’s not like that. I just feel like we were meant to be friends. She understands
how I feel about losing everything
that mattered to me. She can relate to my grief. It feels like God brought us together,
like he engineered how we met. And when I was at her farm, I felt a sense of hope
for the first time since I lost Corrine and Sammi. I’ve been going through the motions
for months, just living day to day, hoping to feel something other than complete loss.
Being with Hannah on her farm made me feel like I was living again—really living and
not just breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.”

“Wow. That’s really deep.” She paused and sniffed. “Everything you said makes sense,
and it actually makes me want to cry. Just be careful. She’s Amish, and you’re not.”

Trey sipped more Coke. “I know the limitations of our friendship, but it’s nice to
have someone to talk to who understands how I feel.”

“You know you can always talk to me. I can’t relate on the same level as someone who’s
lost their family like you have, but you know I care.”

“Of course I know, and I appreciate you for it. How are things in Charlotte? How are
my favorite niece and nephew?”

They made small talk about Christy’s family, the weather, and Christy’s job until
he heard a click on the other end of the line.

“Oh, I better go. Brett is on the other line. I need to find out what time he’s heading
home tomorrow after the conference ends.”

“Tell him I said hello and give Sabrina and Cody a hug and kiss for me.” Trey hoped
his brother-in-law wasn’t making the same mistakes he had, working and traveling too
much.

“Yeah, I will. Call me soon, okay? I’d love to come see you when you pick a place
for your bed and breakfast. Maybe I can help you set it up.”

“That would be great, sis. Thanks. Good night.”

“Talk to you soon.”

The line went dead, and Trey placed his iPhone on the end table next to the sofa.
He drank his Coke and turned up the volume on the television.

While he stared at the screen, he thought about what his sister said about the Amish.
He hoped he hadn’t created problems for Hannah by visiting her farm today. He also
hoped that her mother-in-law wouldn’t prevent Hannah from being his friend. He was
thankful that he’d finally met someone who truly understood his grief. Hannah’s friendship
felt like a gift from God, and he didn’t want to lose that precious gift.

Lillian walked beside her sister on their way back toward the house later that evening.
They’d helped Andrew put the horses in the stables for the night since their uncle
had left before supper. Andrew ran ahead toward the house and Lillian glanced at Amanda.
She’d wanted to talk to her all day but hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to her
alone. “It was nice seeing
Mammi
today,
ya
?”

“
Ya
, it was. I’m surprised she came by to visit. We don’t normally see her on a Saturday.”

Lillian touched Amanda’s arm, causing her to stop walking and face her. “She told
me why she came by.”

“Oh?” Amanda raised an eyebrow. “What did she say?”

“She was very upset when
Onkel
Josh told her that we’d had an
Englisher
for supper Wednesday night.”

Amanda shook her head. “I don’t understand. Mr.
Peterson is a nice man. Why would she be upset that he came for supper?”

“I got the feeling that
Mammi
thinks it’s inappropriate that
Mamm
is spending time with an
Englisher.
She implied that since
Mamm
is a widow the relationship is frowned upon.”

“She implied it? What did she say?”

“
Mammi
said that her
mamm
once said widows shouldn’t spend time with men alone, especially with men who aren’t
Amish. She said she wasn’t talking about our
mamm
specifically, but she wouldn’t have said it if she wasn’t thinking of our
mamm.
”

Amanda grimaced. “I love
Mammi
, but I think she’s overreacting a bit. It was just supper.”

“But he came back today.” Lillian gestured toward the house. “And he brought donuts.
Don’t you think he likes
Mamm
?”

“Of course he likes
Mamm.
They’re
freinden.
”

Lillian frowned at her twin sister. Why couldn’t Amanda see things the way she did?
“I don’t know, Amanda. I have a bad feeling.”

“You worry too much.” Amanda smiled. “Have faith in
Mamm.
Maybe God introduced Mr. Peterson into her life so she’d have someone to talk to
other than us.”

Lillian studied her sister. Amanda always saw blue skies, even when storm clouds were
peeking over the horizon. “I don’t know if it’s that simple.
Mammi
looked really concerned that Mr. Peterson was here.”