Love Inspired June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: The Cowboy's Homecoming\The Amish Widow's Secret\Safe in the Fireman's Arms (31 page)

“Sarah's finally okay with the
haus
. At first she was concerned what people might say, it being so different than the tract homes close by.”

Otto's brows arched. “How are you two doing? Rumor has it the girl's got a temper. She use it on you yet?”

Mose frowned in frustration. He dreaded the talk he knew he had to have with his father.

Together the two men replaced the door in its railing. Mose stretched out his back. “That door was heavy. Let's rest.” He pointed to the wooden steps that led down into the shaded yard and sat on the first step. His father sat one step down.

Mose prayed to
Gott
as he looked at his scuffed steel-toed boots and tried to gather the right words to say. “I don't know what temper you're referring to,
Daed
. Sarah's never flared up at me, but that's not saying she won't, or that she doesn't have a temper. Most women do, including
Mamm
.” He and his father shared a secret grin. “Sarah and I are getting along fine and the
kinder
seem happy, which makes me happy. I've got nothing to grumble about, except certain family members who keep poking their nose where it doesn't belong. Especially Ulla. You know what she's like. You're her bishop. Maybe you could help keep her in line and out of my personal life.”

“I have talked with her, Mose...but you must talk to her, too.” Otto swatted at a mosquito. “Ulla thinks you've replaced Greta too soon. She's hurting.
Gott
made women tenderhearted. She needs time to heal. It's the other rumors causing all the family to chatter. Ever since you brought Sarah home there's been speculation flying back and forth between Pinecraft and Lancaster County. Mostly about her behavior back home. Even your
mamm's
guilty of adding to the drama. She thinks Sarah's pregnant.”

Mose rubbed his hand across his damp forehead. “Sarah
is
pregnant.”

“Then why in the world would you...” Otto's sandy brows furrowed in astonishment as he looked up at his son.

“Marry her? Is that what you're asking? Why would I marry Sarah and raise Joseph's baby as my own?”

“How can it be Joseph's
kinder
, Mose? Do the math. He's been dead for six months. She's feeding you a lie and you're believing her. Ralf Miller warned me Sarah would bring trouble to our community. I'm beginning to believe him.” Otto stood up, his face flushed with anger.

“Lower your voice,
Daed
. Sarah's just inside the
haus
. She might hear your foolishness.”

Otto sat back down on the step with a thump. “Then tell me. How do you know for sure this baby is Joseph's?”

“Because I trust Sarah. I've never caught her in a lie. She's an honorable woman. She didn't suspect she might be pregnant before Joseph died, and later blamed her weakness and bad stomach on grief, but I knew better. She's had a test and it was positive.”

“
Gott
bless her. Poor woman.” Otto wiped sweat from his upper lip. “Joseph died in such a tragic way. I can see how she could have missed the signs.”

“Life's caught up with her. The
bobbel
will be due in a few months, maybe less. Sarah will have an appointment for a sonogram in a couple of days. When we tell the family, they'd better be kind to her,
Daed
. I won't have her upset over their unwarranted suspicions. She's been through enough.”

Otto's shoulders visibly slumped. “Pregnant. Who would have guessed? I'll talk to the family and church elders. They'll be good to her and the
kinder
or they'll answer to me. What a blessing this child would have been to Joseph's
mamm
and
daed
.” Otto met Mose's gaze. “I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I should have known there would be more to her story.”

Mose put his hand on his father's bony shoulder. “Sarah and I are going to break the news about the baby at Mercy's birthday gathering tomorrow night. Maybe once everyone knows the facts, they'll shut their mouths.”

“Don't count on it, especially when it comes to Ulla.” Otto smirked. “She likes to talk.”

Sarah slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the wooden deck behind them. “The door opens so easy now. You two did a fine job.”

“That we did.” Otto stood and wiped his brow.

Mose patted the wooden step his father had just vacated. “Come, join me. You haven't seen the back yard yet.”

Sarah hurried over, gathered up her full skirt and eased down on the wooden plank. She scooted close to Mose as Otto stepped past her with a smile.

“It's lovely out here. Just look at that palm tree.” She pointed to a tall, well-trimmed tree in the corner of the fenced yard. “It has to be twenty-feet tall. The
kinder
are going to enjoy playing in the shade in the afternoon.” Sarah's eyes were bright with excitement.

“I can see the two of them digging in that flower bed. Beatrice loves to eat dirt. We'll have to watch her closely.” Mose laughed and grabbed her hand, his thumb rubbing the top of her knuckles, his heart full of joy. Sarah had become his friend, and now other emotions flooded his mind. He longed to pull her close, touch her hair, where a soft curl danced in the wind.

Sarah laughed with him. “This is going to make a wonderful home for us, Mose. You, me and the
kinder
.”

Mose glanced at his father and smiled. Everything seemed to be falling into place. He hadn't felt this worry-free since before Greta had died, and the feeling was wonderful. Thunder rumbled overhead, the fast approaching cluster of dark clouds threatening a storm soon to come.

Chapter Thirteen

L
inda honked from outside, the golf cart motor revving as the front door opened. Sarah gave her impatient friend a wave. She grabbed her satchel and turned to Mose's mother.

The old rocking chair groaned with Theda's every movement. Her fingers knew when to pull and tug on the thick yarn as she crocheted a pink blanket for Beatrice.

“I won't be long. Linda and I are just going to Mose's shop to pick out some furniture for the new
haus
.” Sarah rubbed her hand across her slightly protruding stomach, the baby's movements growing stronger as each day passed. “The girls should sleep for at least another hour.”

“Don't worry about those two. Do your shopping and have a nice time. And tell that girl I said not to drive so fast in that fancy cart.” Theda sounded firm but softened her words with a generous smile.

Pausing at the opened door, Sarah straightened her
kapp
and reinforced several pins to make sure the lightweight prayer covering was firmly held down. The brisk Florida winds often caught her unaware.

“Is there anything I can get you while I'm out? We're going to the market for a few things for the party tonight.”

“
Nee
. Everyone's bringing a dish. There'll be enough food. Go. Enjoy yourself. You spend too much time in the house worrying about those girls.”

Sarah hurried out the door, her blue dress flying behind her as she ran across the grass to the light blue golf cart. She plopped on the passenger seat. The new cart's seat cushions were made of the softest leather. She allowed her fingers to knead into the soft hide before buckling her seat belt, and then fiddled with the dangling white leather canopy that embellished the fancy cart. “Another
Englisch
contraption, Linda? Does no one use a buggy in Pinecraft?”

“Not really. There's one parked at the restaurant on the edge of town, but it's just for show. Kurt took the van this morning, so it was the old tandem bicycle or this. What would you have grabbed?”

Her question was accompanied by a mischievous grin. Linda's dress, the palest pink, matched her flushed cheeks to perfection. Sarah noticed her white
kapp
sat sideways on a twisted bun of dark hair positioned at the back of her head. Her sister-in-law looked surprisingly spry for a very pregnant woman due to have her first baby soon.

“
Ya
, I think the golf cart.” Sarah had no idea what kind of driver Linda might be. A shiver of excitement tingled down her spine. She'd longed for change and now she had it. “I shouldn't be enjoying all these new experiences so much.
Gott's
going to get angry at my growing
Englisch
ways.”

With her petite hands on the steering wheel, Linda looked at Sarah and made a silly monkey face. “Don't be ridiculous. You're no longer Old Order Amish or under your father's thumb.
Gott
just wants us to love Him. He doesn't worry Himself with how we get to and fro. Besides, the cart only goes 25 miles an hour and that's only if the wind's blowing at your back.” Linda hit the gas pedal, glanced behind them and backed out of the drive. The street was quiet, not a car in sight, which wasn't unusual that early in the morning. “I won't be able to drive much longer. I'm going to enjoy my time behind this wheel while I can.” The cart sped down the tree-lined street, going full out. Loose strands of Sarah's long hair whipped her in the face. She leaned back, grabbed the metal frame of the canopy and held on with a death grip.

* * *

The old barn smelled of freshly cut wood, stain and the heavy cologne of Mose's last
Englisch
customer.

He wiped a tack cloth over the dusty spindle he'd just cut, admiring the shape and feel of the wood in his hand as much as he had as a boy, when the dream of owning his own furniture business began to form and then consume him.

His father had expected him to become a farmer, like him and his father before him. But Mose had stood his ground, only working on the family farm during harvest, when everyone was expected to pitch in before the weather changed and ruined the crops with frost back in Lancaster County.

The family exodus to Florida had been his dream's saving grace. He'd bought the old barn with his own hard-earned savings, and soon orders for oak furniture were coming in faster than he could fill them. He'd been forced to hire help, and even with the economy's downturn, he'd found himself dedicating more and more time to furniture-making.

Mose dusted off his pants and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. He never wore a hat while he worked, but he reached for it now. His growling stomach reminded him he had a roast beef sandwich waiting for him in the cooler up front. Placing the straw hat on the back of his head, he made a move for his office, his mouth watering.

“Another order for that bishop bench came in,” Samuel Yoder called over to Mose as he weaved through the sales floor littered with furniture waiting for pickup or delivery.

“
Gut
. You can work late tonight making the seat since you're so good at it.”

Short, blond and full of energy, the young new hire gave his boss a grin. His apprenticeship was going well, and he'd soon be working in the back next to Mose. Another man would have to be hired. Someone who would learn like Samuel, by trial and error. They would soon need another hand to fill orders. Mose had learned from the beginning, you got more work out of a happy employee.

“I'm eating early,” Mose called over his shoulder. “Sarah made roast beef last night and the leftovers are calling to me. I'll be in the office if you need me.”

Samuel sent an envious smile Mose's way and playfully flipped the dust cloth at him as he dusted the table tops around the showroom. “Someday I'll find myself a wife and have a fine sandwich waiting for me, too.”

Mose laughed and went into his office just off the main door, his thoughts on Sarah, until Greta's face pushed its way into his mind. His smile faded. He'd begun to miss Greta in a different way since he'd married Sarah. Thoughts of his dead wife came less and less often. He tried to remember how her voice sounded, but Sarah's voice filled the void in his mind. Was it possible to love two women at once?

The bell over the sales door rang out. A strong gust of wind blew in, disheveling papers on his desk. Mose looked up and saw Linda hurry in with Sarah close behind, both women's dresses spotted with fat drops of rain. They busied themselves righting their
kapps
. Sarah waved at Samuel and greeted him. “How are you this fine morning?”

Samuel blushed a fire-engine red as he always did when he saw Sarah. He smiled and dipped his head. “
Guder
mariye
, Mrs. Fischer.”

Sarah looked young and happy, her pregnancy beginning to show under her loose-fitting dress. Joseph would never see the glow of pregnancy on her face or watch her body blossom with child. Mose pushed away the grief he felt for his friend and forced a smile of welcome on his face. His heartbeat quickened as he walked toward Sarah. “You ladies picked a fine time to be out. It's about to storm from the looks of it.”

Sarah whirled at the sound of his voice and rushed over to him. “Mose, the cart ride was wonderful. I felt like a child again, the rain hitting me in the face and the golf cart sliding on the pavement.”

He stood and pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped her face dry as her eyes shined at him. He fought the urge to kiss her, his feelings for her becoming more obvious to him every day.

“I'm sorry I dampened your handkerchief.”

“Silly girl. That's why I carry the rag. To help beautiful damsels in distress.” He heard the flirting in the tone of his voice, like he might have done at nineteen when he'd first met Greta. He cleared his throat and sat back on his leather chair, his thoughts scrambled with joy and sorrow. Greta was his past. Sarah his future. He got up and walked around the old wooden desk that had been his
grossdaadi's
pride and joy. “You've come to pick out furniture?”

Linda stumbled into the room, using the hem of her skirt to wipe away the last of the rain drops from her face. “We have. I hope now's a good time.”

“It is. Business has been slow all morning, but Samuel tells me he sold another bench earlier.”

Samuel grinned, still busy dusting furniture. “I put all the pieces you mentioned in the corner.”

Mose took Sarah's elbow, leading her through a maze of dining-room tables and chairs.

Linda followed and then stopped to touch a rocking chair with a padded seat. “We'll both need one of these soon, Sarah.”

Mose watched a happy expression soften Sarah's face. Her hand went to her protruding stomach. “We will, but for today its dining-room furniture that brings me.” A warm glow coursed through his body. He'd felt the same draw to Greta while she had been pregnant. The urge to protect and provide. To love.

The king-size bed he'd told her about came into view and he slowed. “That's the bed I mentioned. Do you think it's going to fit the room okay?”

Sarah glanced toward the bed and then turned to Linda. The women exchanged looks he couldn't read. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Linda finally said, “It's lovely. Did you make the frame?”

“I did. Just finished the project this morning with a mattress set. I'm having it sent over to the house this afternoon if it meets with your approval,
mein frau
.”

Sarah's skin grew pink. “I love it. It will make a fine bed for us.
Danke
.”

Mose nodded. “
Gut
, I'm glad you like it.” In Lancaster he'd felt sure this arranged marriage would work as just a convenience. But now? His heart had become engaged. These new feelings for Sarah made him uncomfortable, as though he was being unfaithful to his dead wife, but he was growing to care for Sarah. Very much.

“There's two sets of dining-room furniture to choose from over there.” Mose gestured toward two large wood tables and matching chairs at the back of the showroom. His voice sounded perfectly normal, but he didn't feel normal. He felt like a fool torn between two women. One vibrantly alive. The other...dead.

Sarah and Linda moved toward the tables and examined the matching chairs, their voices low as they chatted and compared styles and colors. Sarah let her hand slide across the smooth surface of the light oak top. “I like this one.” The oblong table with simple lines also appealed to him.

Mose motioned to Samuel. “Make sure that dining-room set goes on the truck, too.”

“Will do.”

“I have to get back to work, Sarah. I can hear my phone ringing.” Mose hurried away, leaving the two women to look around the big store on their own. As he grabbed the phone, he threw his hat on his desk and plopped down in his chair, his thoughts on Sarah and the pending birth of the
bobbel
, rather than the customer talking in his ear.

* * *

The rain shower passed. Linda chatted as she drove the cart, her thoughts about the furniture they'd seen bubbling out. Sarah couldn't shake the feeling something had been wrong when they'd met up with Mose. He'd seemed quiet and distracted before they left. “Do you think Mose was acting himself?”

“What?”

“Mose. Did he seem tense to you. Withdrawn?”

“
Nee
, just busy. Why?” Linda frowned over at Sarah as she drove down the main road to Pinecraft.

“I just thought he wasn't himself.”

“Maybe something's up at work. Or he's just behaving like a man. Kurt's always acting strange. Men, they're different. Kind of weird and romantic at the strangest times.”

Had she imagined his mood? He might have just been hungry or tired. “Do you think we could stop by a clothing store? Beatrice needs a few pairs of socks and that sweater she wears is terrible. I'll make her one for winter, but for now a store-bought one will have to do.”

“I have a better idea. Why don't we go pack up the rest of her clothes and take them to the new house. We've got plenty of time before we have to be back.” Linda did a quick turn down an unfamiliar street and pulled into the driveway of a simple white house.

Sarah realized this had to be the home Greta and Mose had shared. “I think I'll wait in the cart.”

“Don't be silly. Mose won't mind you coming in. He's had the place locked up for almost a year. It's time Beatrice has all her things, and someone's got to bring the clothes over to the new
haus
anyway. It might as well be us.”

Sarah slid out of the cart. “Do you have keys?”

“Sure. I used to babysit Beatrice when she was little, before the temper and your bad influence on her.” Linda grinned. “She's become a little terror since Mercy was born.”

“She got a new sister and lost her
mamm
. That's a lot for a four-year-old.” Sarah understood the child's loss, but was being firm and consistent with her rules and affection.

Linda stuck the key in the lock. It turned with ease. The front door swung open to a dark house. “It smells dusty in here. Probably from being closed up for so long. Mose needs to think about selling this place or at least renting it out.”

Sarah stepped in and looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. She bumped into an overstuffed chair and rubbed her shin. “No electricity?” She tried a switch and was surprised when the overhead light came on and a warm, inviting room was exposed.

Toys lay on the hardwood floors by a comfortable-looking overstuffed couch. Two glasses sat next to each other on the coffee table. The only time Mose had spoken of Greta at length, he'd said her labor had come on suddenly and had lasted for days. She'd hemorrhaged just hours after Mercy's birth and had passed away quietly. She remembered how sad Mose had sounded when he'd told her there had been nothing the doctors could do.