[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey (5 page)

“You didn’t see a beard on his face, did you?”

“No, but that only proves he’s not married. It doesn’t mean he’s not courting someone in Pennsylvania. He could even have plans to be married.”

“Are you going to ask?”

Suzanne pushed her feet against the porch to get the swing moving. “No way! If you want to know, you should ask.”

Esther grinned, revealing the two deep dimples in her cheeks. “I might, if the opportunity comes up.”

“How about now? Why don’t you go to the woodshop and see what you can find out?”

Esther halted the swing.
“Ach
, I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“He’d think I was too bold. Besides, he and Allen are talking business with your grandpa and Nelson right now.”

“So how are you going to find out what you want to know?”

“I’ll ask, but just not in front of anyone.” Esther’s elbow bumped Suzanne’s arm. “Are you interested in him at all?”

“Of course not. I don’t even know him.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I took an interest in him?”

“Not at all. I’m sure he’d be more interested in you than he would me, anyway.”

“What makes you say that?”

Suzanne held up her index finger. “For one thing, you can cook and I can’t.”

Esther lifted her gaze toward the porch ceiling. “That’s nobody’s fault but your own. You’re twenty-two years old, and you should have learned to cook by now. If you don’t learn soon, you may never find a man.”

“I’ve tried cooking a few things, but Mom has no patience with me in the kitchen. Whenever I mess up she gets frustrated and ends up doing it herself. Why, just last week I tried making some bread.” Suzanne groaned. “The crust was so hard, I thought I might have to cut it with a saw.”

Esther snickered. “I know you’re exaggerating, but if you want to learn how to cook, I’d be happy to teach you.”

“Thanks anyway, but there are lots of other things I’d rather be doing. Besides, I’m not interested in finding a man right now.”

“Do you think you ever will be?”

Suzanne shrugged. “Maybe someday … if I can find one who cooks.”

W
hat did you think of the Yoders?” Allen asked Titus as they headed down the road in his truck again.

“They seem nice enough. I think Nelson and I will get along fine, and hopefully Isaac will be pleased with my work and hire me full-time.”

“What’d you think of Nelson’s sister Suzanne?”

“I … uh … can’t really say. Didn’t talk to her long enough to form an opinion.” Titus turned toward the window and spotted several horses grazing in the pasture of an Amish farm.
I came here to forget about Phoebe and start a new life, and what did I find? A woman who looks so much like Phoebe she could be her sister!

Since Isaac’s woodshop was on the same piece of property as the Yoders’ home, he’d probably see a lot of Suzanne. Every time he saw her, he’d think of Phoebe, who’d be sitting on some sandy beach in California with nothing on her mind but sunning herself and having lots of fun.

Sure wish I hadn’t wasted all those years waiting for her
, he thought with regret.
Should have listened to Mom and Dad when they said Phoebe was too young and immature for me. I can’t believe I was dumb enough to believe she’d be ready to join the church and marry me when she turned eighteen. She was probably leading me on so I wouldn’t court anyone else
.

“Here we are. This is the trailer I was telling you about,” Allen said, breaking into Titus’s disconcerting thoughts.

Titus stared out the truck window in disbelief. The dilapidated, single-wide trailer had metal siding that was dented in places. Fake-looking shutters hung lopsided at the filthy windows, one of which was obviously cracked. The steps leading to the front door looked slanted, the screen door hung by only one hinge, and the porch sagged like an empty sack of potatoes. If the outside of the trailer was any indication of what the place looked like inside, Titus knew he’d be in for a lot of work to make it habitable.

As though sensing Titus’s reservations, Allen offered him a reassuring smile. “Sorry about the condition of the place. Guess the outside needs a little more work than I’d thought. Let’s go inside and take a look. Hopefully it’s not so bad.” He opened the truck door and stepped out. Titus did the same.

As they walked through the tall grass, a crow swooped down from the pine tree overhead, flapping its wings and screeching as though Titus were an intruder. At the moment, that’s what he felt like.

“Watch out for that hole,” Allen said as Titus stepped onto the porch.

Too late—Titus’s foot slipped into the crevice, knocking him off balance. He grabbed the handle on the screen door to keep from falling over and pulled the door right off the hinge.

Oomph!
—he landed on his backside with the screen door on top of him.

Allen picked up the screen and slung it into the yard. “Are you okay?”

Titus clambered to his feet, feeling like a complete fool. “I’m fine. Just never expected that to happen. Guess I should have though; I’m always doing something stupid to embarrass myself.”

Allen studied him, then shrugged and opened the front door. “You might want to use the back door until we can get some work done to the porch,” he said.

Titus stepped inside and halted. “Ugh! What’s that disgusting odor?”

Allen’s nose twitched like a rabbit’s. “It smells musty in here. I think once we get some windows open and the place airs out, it should be okay.”

Oh Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Titus
silently moaned.
Maybe I should have listened to Mom and stayed in Pennsylvania. Maybe I’m not capable of making any right decisions
.

Paradise, Pennsylvania

As Phoebe tossed a few clothes into her suitcase, she thought about Titus and wished he’d been more understanding about her going to California. If he hadn’t already joined the church, she was sure he’d have been willing to go with her. Maybe she could get him to change his mind.

Tap. Tap. Tap
. “Phoebe, are you in there?”

“Jah, Mom. Come in.”

When Phoebe’s mother entered the room, she stopped short and stared at Phoebe’s suitcase lying on the bed. “I—I was hoping you’d change your mind about going.”

Phoebe shook her head. “I’ll be leaving this evening after Darlene gets off work.”

Mom pursed her lips, and her pale blue eyes narrowed. “If that young woman runs off to California, I doubt her job at the restaurant in Bird-in-Hand will be waiting for her when she gets back, and you might not have a job cleaning house for our neighbors either.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll both find other jobs.” Phoebe shrugged. “If we come back, that is.”

Mom sank onto the edge of Phoebe’s bed. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of staying in California permanently. I thought you were just going for a short time—to see what it’s like on the West Coast.”

“I might stay there if I like it.”
And even if I don’t. Anything to get away from you and Dad always telling me what to do
.

“I guess that means you have no plans to join the Amish church?”

“I don’t know yet. I need more time to think about it. I want to enjoy some of the things the English world has to offer. I want to see the Pacific Ocean and walk on the beach.”

A few wisps of Mom’s faded auburn hair, now streaked with some gray, peeked out from under her covering as she lowered her head. “You’ve been to a couple of New Jersey beaches with your friends. I don’t understand why you think you need to go clear across the country to walk on the beach.”

“It’s different in California. Darlene’s been there once, and she said I would like it.”

Mom folded her arms and met Phoebe’s gaze. “What about Titus? He’s been waiting for you all these years, you know.”

Phoebe grunted. “Like you care about that. You and Dad have never liked Titus.”

“It’s not that we don’t like him. We just knew you were too young to think about courtship when he first took an interest in you. Once you turned eighteen, we had no objections to him courting you.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to join the church. He should have given me more time to decide what I wanted to do.” Phoebe closed the lid on her suitcase and zipped it shut. “I don’t want to talk about this is anymore. I’ve gotta go.”

“But if you’re not leaving until this evening, what’s the hurry?”

“I’m going over to the Fishers’ to see if I can get Titus to change his mind and go to California with us.”

“You look so
mied
, Mom. Why don’t you have a seat while I pour us some tea?” Fannie’s daughter, Abby, motioned to the kitchen table.

Fannie pulled out a chair and sighed as she sat down. “You’re right. I am tired. Hardly slept at all last night.”

Abby poured them both a cup of tea and sat down next to Fannie. “You look awfully sad, too. Are you still
brutzich
over Titus moving to Kentucky?” Abby’s dark eyes revealed the depth of her concern.

“I suppose I am fretful,” Fannie admitted. “I just can’t believe he made such a hasty decision or that Matthew was okay with it. Titus hasn’t been working for him very long, and he should have been more considerate about leaving Matthew in the lurch.”

“Matthew’s fine with Titus’s decision, Mom. His business is slow right now, and when it picks up again, he’ll hire someone else. Maybe one of Norman’s boys will be interested in learning the woodworking trade.”

Fannie blew on her tea. “Seems like everything was going along fine one day, and the next day, that English friend of Zach’s showed up and whisked my
bu
away.”

Abby chuckled. “Titus is hardly a boy.”

Fannie sniffed, struggling to hold back the tears threatening to spill over. “Doesn’t he care about us anymore?”

“When someone chooses to move away from home, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about their family. Remember, Mom, you left Ohio and moved here so you could marry Abraham. When you made that decision, I didn’t take it personally or think you didn’t care about me anymore.”

Fannie plucked a napkin from the wicker basket in the center of the table and dabbed at her tears. “I realize that, but I wasn’t running from something the way Titus is. Besides, it wasn’t long after I moved to Pennsylvania that you came here, too.”

“But when you left Ohio, you didn’t know I’d eventually move. Only God knew that.” Abby took a sip of her tea. “If you’re really upset about Titus leaving, maybe you and Abraham should consider moving to Kentucky.”

“And leave the rest of our family?” Fannie shook her head vigorously. “Never!”

“You’re not living close to Harold and his family,” Abby reminded.

“That’s different. Your brother didn’t move away when I was living in Ohio.”