A Plain Man (23 page)

When it was the women's turn to eat, she got in line as quickly as possible without knocking down elderly
grossmammis
with their canes. Paying little attention to her food selections, Josie searched the crowd with a keen eye for a certain tall man.

Caleb leaned against a tree to eat, without the benefit of a flat surface.

She crossed the lawn at an amazing speed. “Why didn't you sit at a picnic table? That beef isn't as fork-tender as your sister implied.” When he trained his dark eyes on her, her knees went weak.

“I wanted to take no chances on missing you,” he said. “I don't care if the meat is tougher than boot leather.”

Josie glanced around before lowering herself to the grass. Crossing her legs Indian style, she pulled her dress down discreetly. “I wanted to talk to you about something too.”

“That's
gut
to hear. Why don't you go first?” He plopped down on the lawn beside her.

“My sister Laura heard a rumor that you quit your job. Is it true?”

The corners of his mouth dropped. “It's no rumor. I left on Friday. I would have stayed another week, but my father has already replaced me. A new carpenter from Killbuck is ready to start.” Caleb hacked at the beef with his pocketknife.

Josie shooed away a gnat that refused to leave her coleslaw alone. “May I ask why you quit? Jobs aren't easy to come by in Wayne County.” She blanched, knowing she sounded exactly like her mother.

“Several reasons, but mainly because my father usually works with
Englisch
contractors. At least for now, I prefer not to be reminded of my old life on a daily basis.” Caleb chewed his meat with deliberate slowness, not taking his eyes off her.

“Is your
daed
mad about you leaving his company?”

“Not in the least. He gave me an idea for work that I'll look into on Monday.” He swallowed and frowned. “What's this about, Josie? Are you afraid my quitting means I intend to leave town?” He set his plate in the grass.

“I suppose I was a little worried.” She ate every one of her baby beets without breaking stride.

“Ye of little faith.” He lifted her chin with a finger. “Lots of Amish men quit their jobs. I told you I'm here to stay. Even if you decide I'm the last man you wish to court, I'm not packing my bags. I'll cry my eyes out right here in Fredericksburg, surrounded by my family.”

“You would cry your eyes out over me?” Josie set her plate atop his.

“Most likely for a few months. Then I would probably suffer in silence.” He took a celery stick from her plate to nibble.

Relief washed over her. “Crying, at least for now, is premature and
unnecessary.” She grinned as he popped a cherry tomato in his mouth. “I was really happy to see you in class.
Danki
for saving me a seat.”

“I told you my intentions. Where I find a job or how I earn a living has nothing to do with joining the church.” He reached for the last tomato, but she grabbed his hand with a firm grip.

“You should know that there are ants crawling all over those plates.”

Caleb peered at their lunch with a scowl. “And you couldn't have mentioned that first?”

“I was saving the best for last.”

Sarah peeked around the craggy willow tree again. Each time she spied on her brother and her best friend, her exhilaration ratcheted up a notch. Josie and Caleb. If they continued to gaze at each other like that,
Mamm
and
Daed
might as well plan a double wedding in December. Nothing could make her happier than having Josie for a sister-in-law. They would become family, as well as the closest pals in the world.

She'd had her doubts Caleb would show up at class until he followed her into the Zook kitchen. Whenever he and their father argued about work, Caleb withdrew deeper inside his shell. Working with
Daed
wouldn't be easy because they were too much alike. Two people exactly the same usually rubbed each other wrong. Maybe that's why she and Rebekah seldom agreed on anything. They were both stubborn and opinionated. If there was a person in the world who could keep Caleb on the correct path, it was Josie Yoder. Who could resist those emerald green eyes? Caleb was a goner, and Sarah was pleased as punch.

“Who are you spying on?”

Sarah jumped a foot at the sound of a male voice, spilling her iced tea down her dress. “Adam, look what you've done! Now I'm all wet.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you,” he said. Joining her side, he peeped around the willow tree. “Caleb and Josie—that's what has you fascinated? You already knew they were courting.”

“True, but Caleb quit his job last Friday and I wanted to make
sure that didn't make a difference to Josie.” Sarah stole another glance around the massive trunk and then brushed bark from her palms. “Looks like it didn't. Let's get something to eat. There's no more line at the buffet.” She took a step toward the tables.

Adam tugged on her sleeve. “Why did Caleb quit his job? I thought he loved carpentry and construction. There aren't that many Amish contractors in Wayne County and none can line up as much work as Eli.”

“He left because of the temptation to slide back into old bad habits.” With her mind at ease regarding her future sister-in-law, Sarah was famished. She shook off his restraint.

Her comment silenced Adam long enough for them to load their plates with sliced roast beef and cold salads. “Your family doesn't own enough land to do any serious farming.” Adam balanced a glass of lemonade on his plate.

Sarah decided to wait for more tea since she was wearing her first glass. “He's going to visit Albert Sidley tomorrow to help him fix up their farm. That's all I know.” She headed toward a table of other courting couples in the shade, many of whom had been in her membership class.

Adam latched onto her sleeve a second time. “Let's sit somewhere where we can talk privately.”

After scanning the Zook backyard, they walked to a pair of webbed chairs near the garden. A bower of grapevines offered some cool, midday relief from the scorching sun. “You must admit the Sidleys certainly can use help. I was a tad frightened when I called on them last summer. Their driveway had so many potholes, I feared my mare would twist an ankle and end up lame.” She wrapped two slices of bread around her beef to eat as a sandwich. Slathered with mayonnaise, the beef wouldn't taste so dry.

“You had no business going alone,” said Adam. “If you hadn't chosen to be secretive, I could have taken you after my shift or on Saturday.” When he bit into his tomato, seeds and juice sprayed his pressed white shirt.

“
Gut,
now we're both a mess.” Chuckling, she stretched out her long
legs. “Do you think Albert Sidley will ever join the church? He might if Caleb renews their friendship. This could be the best thing for both of them.”

Adam dabbed at his soiled shirt to no avail. The orange blotch darkened against the fabric. Tossing the paper napkin to the ground, he swiveled to face her. “I don't know him well enough to form an opinion. But could we talk about a subject other than Caleb and Josie or Albert perhaps?”

Sarah cocked her head on one side. “I suppose. What topic did you have in mind?”

“Us—you and me.” A bright pink flush rose up Adam's neck. “Do you know how relieved I was to see you in the membership class this morning?”

Frowning, she lowered her sandwich and wiped her mouth. “You knew I would be there.”

“
Jah
, but now that you've stated your intentions we can plan our future. As soon as you're baptized we can announce our engagement. We could be married by Christmas.” When he attempted to cut his beef, the plastic knife snapped in half.

“It occurred to me that Josie and Caleb might want a double wedding this fall. After all, many of our guests will be the same.” She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Oh, dear, I just brought up the forbidden subject.”

Adam shook his head, fighting back a grin. “You're impossible, but I'm hopelessly smitten with you, like a bug trapped in a spiderweb. Just don't get too far ahead of yourself with Cal.”

Sarah leaned over to pat his cheek. “You're the cutest bug in our district. What else is there to discuss? It's too soon for me to buy fabric and make my dress.” She finished off her sandwich in three bites.

“It's not too soon to talk about where you'd like to live. Since my
bruders
help
Daed
with the farm, the eldest will live in the big house when my parents move into the
dawdi haus.
Right now James lives with my grandparents to help with chores. The other two have already built homes on Troyer land. I thought we could buy a small parcel midway between my job at the factory and your parents so you wouldn't
be too far from your family. Maybe three or four acres, just enough to pasture our buggy horse, along with a nice garden plot.”

“Buggy
horses
,” she corrected. “I need my own rig. How would I get to quilting or to
Mamm'
s? Don't even think of locking me in the house, cut off from the world.” She angled a suspicious expression.

“Of course not. I meant to say
horses
—plural.” He jammed the beef inside his biscuit and took a bite. After a full minute of chewing, Adam was able to swallow and speak. “Would you prefer a newer ranch house, a farmhouse to fix up, or open land on which to build? If it's the latter, I need to look for available acres now so I can build in the fall. We can start with one bath and two bedrooms and then add more rooms as needs arise.” His face blushed to a shade that rivaled the ripest Beefsteak tomato.

Sarah fluttered her eyelashes. “What do you mean, Mr. Troyer? Why on earth would we need more than our bedroom and one guest room?”

A bead of sweat formed above his lip as he pushed to his feet. “No one can hold a serious discussion with you. I'm going to dump the trash and pick out our desserts. If you haven't composed yourself by the time I return, I'll wave over your father. Then you can repeat what you said to him.” Adam buzzed her brow with a kiss before marching across the yard.

“I'll concentrate on sad thoughts while you're gone,” she hollered, “so hurry back.”

How she loved to tease him. How she loved that man.

11

How His kindness yet pursues me

Mortal tongue can never tell

C
aleb jumped out of bed at the regular hour even though as of today, he'd joined the ranks of the unemployed. In Cleveland he would have signed up for government compensation during periods of layoff. The weekly check, although not close to his normal salary, still kept a roof over his head and the lights on.

Now the house where he lived didn't have electric lights anyway.

Although the Amish never collected unemployment, workers' compensation, or Social Security, few worried about where their next meal would come from or where they would live. Caleb had never heard of homeless Plain folks. Families or district members stepped in and shared whatever they had. If he developed the same mind-set, his future would no longer seem so frightening.

Downstairs, he found his father doing paperwork at the kitchen table. “Getting ready for the new man to start?” Caleb poured a cup of coffee.

Eli peered over his reading glasses. “I am, always another form to fill out. I've been thinking...would you like me to send Bob along for a few days at the Sidleys'? You might need his help, at least in the beginning. And Bob wouldn't mind getting away from the Ashland plumber strike.”

Caleb didn't need much time to consider. “No, Albert never cared for
Englischers.
He always thought they were staring at him, even when they weren't.”

“Will you be okay by yourself?” His
daed
took a muffin from the plate.

“Of course. Why wouldn't I? Albert and I used to be friends. Even if he doesn't want my help, he's not going to shoot me with his squirrel rifle.”

Eli buttered the cornbread without breaking eye contact. “No, John Sidley would use his shotgun filled with pellets.”

“I will be fine,” Caleb said, his bravado slipping a notch.

“In that case your
mamm
packed plenty of sandwiches to take.” Eli pointed at a hamper near the door. “She's sending jars of vegetables, pickled meat, and fruit preserves too. Who knows how well those five men eat with no
fraa
in the
haus
?”

When a car horn drew their attention, Caleb followed Eli onto the porch. “Hi, Jack, Bob,” he called as the van pulled to a stop.

Bob rolled down his window while Jack popped open the back for Eli's briefcase and blueprints. “Where's your tool belt, Cal?”

With as few words as possible, Caleb explained why he'd quit his job, along with his plans for the immediate future. Then he wished for a speedy resolution to the strike. No one man seemed surprised by his decision. Before the van could reach the county road, Caleb had hitched his horse and loaded the hamper, his thermos, and tools into the buggy. For a brief instant, he considered borrowing a battery powered Sawzall and cordless drill from the neighbor, but he reconsidered.
Ordnung
was
Ordnung
—whether the bishop was there as witness or not. Besides, Roy Pratt probably wouldn't have charged them anyway.