[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey (4 page)

“Jah
, I am,” Titus replied.

“What about your job with Matthew?” Zach questioned. “I wonder how he’s going to take this news.”

“After I made my decision, I called his cell phone and talked to him about it.”

“What’d he say?” Dad asked.

“He gave me his blessing and said, since work’s been a little slow in his shop lately, he thought he could get along without my help until he can find someone else to take my place.”

“You won’t make it in Kentucky.” Mom shook her head. “You never stick with anything, Titus.”

“I stuck with Phoebe—until she dumped me, that is.”

“That’s true, but sticking with her is nothing to brag about. Phoebe wasn’t good for you,” Dad said with a scowl.

“Well, I’m hoping Kentucky will be good for me, because I’ve made up my mind, and that’s where I’m planning to go.”

Mom planted both hands on her ample hips and whirled around to face Dad. “Abraham, don’t just stand there; do something!”

T
his town isn’t as big as some, but I think you’ll find everything you need here,” Allen told Titus as he pulled his truck into a gas station in Hopkinsville. “There’s a hospital, doctors, dentists, chiropractors, restaurants, and plenty of places to shop—including a big Walmart. Most of the Amish who live in the area hire a driver to bring them into town, and I’ll make sure you get the names and phone numbers of a couple of people who drive for the Amish.”

“I appreciate that.” Titus yawned and stretched his arms behind his head. It had been a long drive, and he was tired.

Allen eased his truck up to the pumps and turned off the engine. “As soon as I get some gas, we’ll head toward Pembroke, which is where Isaac Yoder’s woodshop is located. Once you agreed to come here, I left a message on Isaac’s voice mail, letting him know when we’d be leaving, so I’m sure he’ll be expecting us soon.”

“I hope so. Sure wouldn’t want to barge in thinking I have a job and then find out that he didn’t know anything about me coming.” Titus would never have admitted it to Allen, but he felt nervous about meeting the man he hoped would be his new boss. Starting over in a new place with new people was an adventure, but it was also frightening. What if he messed up? What if Isaac Yoder didn’t like his work?

Allen gave the steering wheel a couple of taps. “I’ve gotten to know Isaac fairly well in the short time I’ve been here, and I’m guessing that even if he had no idea you were coming, he’d roll out the welcome mat.”

Titus chuckled, hoping his nerves wouldn’t show. “He sounds like my twin brother, Timothy. He’s about as easygoing and friendly as anyone I know.”

“After we leave Isaac’s place, I’ll take you to the trailer I bought as an investment a while back—mostly for the property, though,” Allen said. “My real estate agent said the place is fully furnished, but I’ve only seen the outside, and it’s nothing fancy. So I won’t charge you much rent, and at least you’ll have someplace to live while you’re getting settled into your new job and learning your way around.”

“Sounds good.” A sense of anticipation replaced Titus’s nervous thoughts. He’d never been this far from home and realized that this was a good chance to prove his worth to his folks—and to himself.

While Allen pumped the gas, Titus leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander. He could still see the pathetic look on Mom’s face when he’d said good-bye to her and Dad yesterday morning. She’d pleaded with him not to go, until Dad finally stepped in and told her that they needed to let Titus lead his own life and that he was a grown man and had the right to live wherever he pleased. Mom had tearfully hugged Titus, saying she wished him well, and then she’d said that if things didn’t work out for him in Kentucky, he could always come home.

Mom doesn’t understand that I need to get away from everything that reminds me of Phoebe
, Titus thought.
Even though Phoebe will be in California, if I’d stayed in Pennsylvania I’d see her family, so it would be hard not to think about her. It’s better if I make a clean break and start life over here where there are no reminders of the past
.

Titus’s stomach growled. He opened his eyes and reached into his backpack, fumbling around for a candy bar. In the process of looking for it, he discovered a note that Phoebe had written him some time ago—when he thought she still loved him.

His stomach tightened. How was he ever going to get her out of his system? He couldn’t stop thinking about her, and seeing her love note only made her rejection hurt all the more. He crumpled the note and pushed it into Allen’s litter bag.

The truck door opened, and Allen climbed in. “All set!”

“I didn’t realize you were done pumping the gas.”

“Yep. Ready to meet the man who’ll hopefully be your new boss?”

“Uh … guess I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Are you nervous?”

“A little. I’ve never been this far from home, and starting a new job in a new place is kind of scary,” Titus admitted.

Allen nodded. “I’ll give you some advice my dad gave me when I left home: ‘Those who fear the future are likely to fumble the present.’ “

Titus groaned. “I sure don’t wanna do that.”

“Just do your best and try to keep a positive attitude, and I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

“I hope so.”

Allen drove out of Hopkinsville and turned left on Highway 68. After they’d gone a few miles, he pointed up ahead. “There’s the Jefferson Davis Monument. It’s just a couple of roads over to your right.”

Titus whistled. “Wow, that building is sure tall!”

“You’ll have to go inside the monument sometime and take a look at the view from up there.”

“Think I just might.”

“What else would you like to do for fun?” Allen asked.

Titus turned his hands palms up. “Don’t really know yet. Maybe some fishing if there’s a nearby lake or pond. Oh, and I also like to ride horseback, so hopefully there are some good trails for riding.”

“There are several ponds in the area, and I’m sure you can find lots of places to ride your horse. This community doesn’t get near as much traffic as Lancaster County, so you can go most anywhere on your horse if you’ve a mind to.”

Titus smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

When they reached Pembroke-Fairview Road, Allen turned right. They drove a mile or so, and then he turned onto a dirt road. Titus noticed a sign by the driveway: Y
ODER’S
W
OODSHOP
.

As they continued up the lane, a large white farmhouse came into view. To the left of the house was the woodshop, with another sign above the door. To the right was a huge flower garden with some plants that were just coming into bloom.

As they drew closer, Titus saw a young, auburn-haired woman bent over one of the plants. He took a deep breath, trying to still the pounding of his heart. He couldn’t see her face, but from the back, she looked like Phoebe.

Suzanne lifted her head and turned when she heard a vehicle rumble up the driveway. Seeing the sign on the truck, she realized it was Allen Walters. The truck came to a stop, and both doors opened. Allen got out, and so did a young Amish man with dark brown hair whom she’d never seen before.

Grandpa stepped out of the woodshop just then and joined them on the lawn. Curious to know who their visitor was, Suzanne left the garden and hurried into the yard.

“This is Titus Fisher, the young man from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I called you about,” Allen told Grandpa.

“Glad to meet you.” Grandpa shook Titus’s hand. Then he looked over at Suzanne and said, “Titus is going to help out in my shop, and if things work out, he’ll be hired full-time.”

That bit of news didn’t set well with Suzanne, but she forced a smile and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Titus.”

“Same here,” he mumbled, staring at Suzanne in a peculiar sort of way. It was almost a look of disgust.

“Titus will be staying in the old trailer I bought awhile back,” Allen said.

“Oh, you mean the one Vernon Smucker used to own?” Grandpa asked.

Allen nodded.

“It was sad when the poor man died, because he’d never married and has no family that any of us know about. That old trailer has been sitting empty for quite a spell.” Grandpa looked at Allen and slowly shook his head. “I’m surprised you bought the place. Haven’t been inside it for a long time, but from what I remember, it was pretty run-down, even when Vernon lived there.”

“I bought it as an investment,” Allen said. “Figured since there are no homes for rent in the area right now, it’d be a good place for Titus to live.”

Grandpa shrugged; then he looked over at Allen’s truck and motioned to the horse trailer behind it. “Looks like you’ve brought a horse with you, huh?”

Allen nodded. “It belongs to Titus.”

“I didn’t want to leave Lightning behind,” Titus explained.

“Didn’t you bring a buggy for the horse to pull?” Grandpa asked.

Titus shook his head. “Figured I could ride Lightning to and from work every day.”

“That’s okay for now,” Grandpa said, “but once winter comes, you’ll need a buggy.”

“I’ll get one before then.” Titus glanced at Suzanne, and a blotch of red erupted on his cheeks. He cleared his throat and quickly looked away.

Is there something about me he doesn’t like?
Suzanne wondered.

Just then, Esther Beiler came up the driveway on her scooter.

When Esther joined them, Suzanne introduced her to Titus and then added, “This is Titus Fisher. He’s from Pennsylvania, and will be working in Grandpa’s shop.” Suzanne nearly choked on the words. It should be her working for Grandpa, not some stranger who wouldn’t even make eye contact with her.

Esther smiled politely, and her milk-chocolate brown eyes shone brightly in the sunlight as she shook Titus’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Titus returned the smile and looked directly at Esther when he spoke. Apparently he found her more favorable to look at than Suzanne. Esther was an attractive young woman—dark brown hair, vivid blue eyes, and a dimpled smile that turned many men’s heads. Suzanne felt plain compared to Esther.

“Where in Pennsylvania did you live?” Esther asked.

“Lancaster County, in Paradise. My oldest sister and her husband own a general store there, and several others in my family have businesses there, too.”

“My folks lived in Strasburg when I was a baby, but Dad moved our family here before I started school,” Esther said.

“Could be my folks and your folks know some of the same people,” Titus said.

The sun-dappled leaves of the trees overhead cast a shadow across Esther’s pretty face as she nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“You all can get better acquainted some other time.” Allen motioned to the woodshop. “Right now, I think we ought to head in there and meet Suzanne’s brother Nelson.”

Titus gave Esther another quick smile. “It was nice meeting you.” Then he glanced at Suzanne, looked away, and mumbled, “Uh—you, too.”

As the men walked away, and the women headed for the porch, Esther whispered, “Titus seems nice, and he’s sure goodlooking, wouldn’t you say?”

Suzanne shrugged. “I suppose so, but he acted kind of odd and would barely look at me.”

Esther giggled. “Maybe he saw that smudge of dirt on the end of your naas.”

Suzanne groaned and swiped her finger over her nose. “So that’s what it was. Before you came, I was working in the garden. Guess I must have touched my naas with my dirty finger.”

They sat on the porch swing, and Esther glanced at the woodshop. “I hope Titus likes it here enough to stay. We could use more available young men in our area.”

“How do you know he’s available?”