Noah's Sweetheart (20 page)

“I’ll come,” she said.

“I’ll stay and wait for you then.
Mam
is making Joseph’s favorite.”

Rachel entered the house. “Come in, then, while I put away a few things. So it’s young Joseph’s birthday.”

Noah seemed larger than life as he followed her into her kitchen. “
Ja,
the youngest Lapp child before Hannah.”

Rachel set her lunch bag on the counter, and then she opened a cabinet and took down two glasses. “Iced tea?”

“That would be nice.” He sat at her kitchen table and Rachel poured him a glass and set it before him. She put out a plate of cookies and he grinned as he grabbed one and took a bite.

“I will be back in a few minutes,” Rachel said as Noah enjoyed a chocolate-chip cookie and drank his tea. He waved at her as he helped himself to a chocolate cookie iced with chocolate frosting.

Rachel headed to her room and took off her school apron, replacing it with a clean one. She’d worn her spring-green dress for the first day of school. She splashed water on her face before she returned to the kitchen to find Noah staring out the window, apparently deep in thought.

“Noah.”

He jumped as if startled and rose to his feet. “Ready?”

“Do you think Joseph will like some of these cookies?” she asked.

Noah smiled. “
Ja,
he will, and if not, his big brother does.”

Rachel laughed. She checked to see that the back kitchen door was locked before she and Noah left the house by the front door.

“I thought we could walk,” Noah said when he saw her look for his buggy.

“It is a nice day for a walk,” Rachel agreed as she fell into step beside him. They went through the schoolyard and then cut across the field until they reached the dirt driveway that led to the Lapp home.

As they followed the lane toward the house, they heard the wheels of a buggy and the clip-clop of the horse that pulled it.

“Noah! Rachel!” It was the King carriage. “Want a ride?”

Noah shook his head. “We’re almost there. Mae, Amos. Glad you could come by this evening. Charlotte, Nancy.” He nodded at each one in turn. “Is that John and Joshua I see hiding in the back of the buggy?”

Rachel could hear Joshua’s giggle before she saw him peek up alongside his older brother. “John,” she said. “Any trouble with homework?”

“
Nay.
Not much to do. It didn’t take me long.”

“I thought I’d go easy on the first day. Be prepared!” She saw John’s eyes widen, and she laughed to let him know she was teasing him.

She spent a pleasant evening at the Lapp residence. It was wonderful to see Katie again. Rachel genuinely cared for the woman, and Katie seemed to know how much she enjoyed holding Hannah, for it wasn’t long before the baby was asleep in the young woman’s arms.

The evening was pleasant, not cool but not too warm. After supper, they sat on the front porch, and even the men joined them. Soon, the time came for her to go home. She had another day of class the next morning, and she needed a good night’s sleep.

Noah volunteered to escort her home. He matched her steps as they strolled down the lane and then entered the field. Rachel appreciated that she felt easy and lighthearted whenever she was in Noah’s presence.

Noah noticed that Rachel seemed to enjoy the evening and that she wasn’t in the least afraid as he walked her home. If she thought of the coyote, she didn’t mention it.

“Everything all right at
schuul?
” he asked. “Any problems with the construction?”

“
Nay,
the construction is fine and all went well.” Rachel felt his presence like a warm blanket of protection. She’d never felt this way about anyone. He made her feel safe, cared for…special.

She stepped inside, and he hesitated in the door opening. “Rachel…”

She turned to him and said, “
Ja.
Noah—”

Noah looked confused…and then as he studied her face, he felt warmth radiating inside his chest.
“Ja?”
He waited hopefully.

“You may court me.” She stared at him. “If you want to—”

“If I want—” Noah whooped for joy as he lifted her within his strong arms and spun her around before setting her down again. “Rachel, I—”

Rachel had laughed as he’d spun her. “I know,” she said. “Me, too.”

He grinned as he caught and held her hand. “We can go for a ride tomorrow. John can chaperone us. We can—” He suddenly frowned. “I’ll need to talk with someone about us, but who?”

Rachel shrugged. “My parents are in Ohio. My only relatives here are Aunt Mae and Uncle Amos, and they love you. Talk with Uncle Amos. I don’t think there will be a problem.” Eyes softening, Noah continued to study her. Rachel loved the giddy way he made her feel. “I hate to say this, but it’s late, and I have a class to teach tomorrow morning.”

“
Ja.
I will go,” Noah said, “but Rachel?”

She tilted her head as she gazed up at him. “Is something wrong?”

“
Nay.
I only wanted to tell ya that you’ve made me a happy man tonight.”

The look in his eyes made her feel dizzy with joy. Rachel gazed at him with tenderness. She dared to lift a hand and caress his cheek. “And you’ve made me a happy woman, Noah Lapp. Now, you’d best get home before your
mam
and
dat
wonder what happened to you.”

He spun to leave and turned back to flash her a warm smile. “
Gut
night, Rachel. Pleasant dreams.”

“
Gut
night, Noah. I had a nice time tonight.”

“Me, too,” he said, and then he left, but not before glancing back several times to see if she was still at the door watching him, and she was.

* * *

The weeks that followed were filled with wonder and happiness for Rachel. She taught school with the enjoyment of one who loves to teach. Noah came by the school often for one reason or another. It was the Friday after her dinner with the Lapps that she and Noah were seen out and about in the wagon together with only Rachel’s cousin John King as chaperone. Rachel was surprised when Noah first came with the large wagon instead of the courting buggy, but considering what had happened the last three times she’d ridden in one, she was secretly glad. Still, did folks realize that she and Noah were courting? If they didn’t at first, they would soon. Noah and she were seen often in each other’s company, always accompanied by one cousin or another—mostly John and occasionally little Joshua.

Aunt Mae and Uncle Amos couldn’t be happier. If they were surprised by Noah’s interest in Rachel, they didn’t show it.

“You’re a
gut
girl, Rachel. We are happy you have taken a liking to Noah,” Aunt Mae said. “Noah is a
gut
boy.”

“He is a
gut man,
Mae,” her husband corrected softly.

“
Ja,
this is so,” Aunt Mae said, “but it seems only yesterday when he and our girls were small children.”

Rachel wondered how her aunt and uncle felt about her relationship with Noah after it became obvious to the community that Noah had chosen Rachel over Charlotte. It was during the second week of her and Noah walking out together that Rachel learned that several women had approached Charlotte to commiserate with her the loss of Noah’s affections. Charlotte had reacted with laughter at the notion and expressed to all her genuine happiness at her cousin’s good fortune to have Noah court her.

“Abram and I have been seeing each other secretly,” Charlotte had confided to Rachel. “Abram is shy, but he seems to enjoy spending time with me.” Charlotte told Rachel that she had high hopes that their budding friendship would lead into something special and long lasting.

It was an early Saturday morning when Charlotte came to visit Rachel at the cottage. She knocked and Rachel was pleasantly surprised to see her and invited her in for breakfast.

“You haven’t eaten?” Rachel said.

“
Nay,
I wouldn’t mind a bite.”

“I can make you eggs and I have coffee cake.”

“Coffee cake will be fine,” Charlotte said, taking a seat at Rachel’s kitchen table. “And tea, please.”

Rachel felt her cousin studying her as she poured a cup of tea and cut Charlotte a piece of cake. She looked up and met her gaze. “What?”

“It becomes you,” Charlotte said with a little half smile. When Rachel looked confused, Charlotte continued, “Courting. Or should I say, Noah becomes you.”

Rachel blushed as she sat down. “He is wonderful.”

“I told you so,” Charlotte said, sounding satisfied.

“And I thought you were saying so because you were in love with him yourself.”

“What?”
Charlotte looked stunned. She thought a moment and then began to chuckle. “I never thought…I guess you might have seen it that way. I wanted you to know how amazing he is so that you’d see him for what he is—the man for you.”

“I can see that now…” Rachel sipped and swallowed some tea. “Sometimes I feel so happy that it scares me.” She hesitated and then admitted, “You know what happened with Abraham Beiler.”

Charlotte shook her head. “
Nay,
not really. I know you and he were in a buggy accident…”

“We were courting, Charlotte. I got hurt and spent some time in the hospital,” Rachel said lightly, unwilling to go into detail about the horror of that time. “That was the last day of our courtship.”

“Oh, Rachel…”

“Noah is different,” Rachel said. “He makes me feel special…and loved.”

Charlotte smiled. “
Gut,
because he loves you.”

Rachel felt a jolt to hear her cousin say it. Noah and she hadn’t reached the point of such discussion. They were enjoying their courtship, but the depth of their feelings had yet to be stated.

“You couldn’t do better than Noah, Rachel.” Charlotte sipped her tea.

“And I hope all works out well with Abram.”

“I think it will,” Charlotte said as she put down her cup. “Abram is coming to the house this afternoon. He says he wants a word with
Dat.
” She lowered her voice. “I hope it’s for the reason I want it to be.”

Rachel got up and went over to hug Charlotte. “It will be. I can feel it in my heart that today will be special for you.”

They ate their coffee cake and drank their tea. Soon, Charlotte got up to leave. “Tell me all about it tomorrow,” Rachel said.

“You won’t come to dinner?”

“
Nay.
Noah is coming to take me to his house. Katie is making something special, he says.”

The cousins hugged and wished each other a fine day, and then Rachel set to work cleaning the cottage and baking something delicious to take to the Lapp table this evening.

* * *

Katie Lapp was glad to see her. Rachel beamed at the woman as Katie accepted her cherry-chocolate pie and then led her into the kitchen, where she invited Rachel to sit down.

“I’d like to help,” Rachel said.

“No, please. You sit and relax. You work hard enough as it is. If you like, you can hold Hannah.” Katie left a moment and came back with her daughter in her arms.

Rachel gladly accepted the little girl and set her on her lap. She played with the child’s fingers to entertain her.

“You’ve made my son happy,” Katie said as she set down a cup of tea before Rachel, who nodded her thanks.

“I’ve never met anyone like Noah,” Rachel said. “He is kind and generous.” She paused a moment. “You raised a
gut
son.” She was having fun with Noah. She didn’t want to think about it ending. She didn’t want to believe that there was a chance that she couldn’t have children. The possibility that a child wasn’t in her future could ruin her relationship with Noah. Maybe she could make an appointment with a doctor to see if it was true….

It wasn’t long before dinner was ready and Rachel helped Katie put out the meal. Katie, Hannah and Rachel were the only females at the table filled with eight men, including little Joseph. It was clear to Rachel that the Lapp males liked to eat and enjoyed Katie’s cooking. Tomorrow was Sunday. There were other food items already prepared for the next day when there would be no work, including cooking, except for the simplest chores that couldn’t be avoided, like caring for the animals.

“We’ll be visiting the Kings tomorrow,” Katie said. “Rachel, you’ll be there as well?”

“
Ja.
I miss my aunt and uncle. It will be
gut
to spend the day with them.”

Not long after the meal, Noah took Rachel home. He halted at the door, reluctant to leave her. “My family loves you.”

“I love them, too.”

He flashed her a grin. “And me?”

Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. “We wouldn’t be courting if I didn’t like you.”

“Only like?”

She sighed. “Noah…”

He held up his hand and stepped back a few paces. He gazed at her with affection. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” she echoed.

Noah stepped up to her quickly, took hold of her hands. “Think of me tonight,” he said as he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. Then he released her and was gone.

Chapter Sixteen

T
he following Wednesday, Rachel dismissed her students and then straightened the classroom as usual. She didn’t expect Noah to stop by, for he had errands to run for his father, so she lingered, planning her lesson for the next day and erasing the chalkboard in the front of the room.

The pain, when it hit her, was sharp and made her cry out and clutch her abdomen. She gasped and moved to her desk chair, taking a moment to sit down. She took several calming breaths and the pain subsided for a few seconds before coming back full force.

Dear Lord
, she prayed,
don’t let this be my injury from the accident!

When she’d gotten hurt in the buggy accident with Abraham, she had been told that her injuries were serious…that they might come back to trouble her in the future.

Tears filled her eyes as she hugged her abdomen.
What if this pain is the result of the old injury?

She stood and felt nauseous, the pain was so great. How was she to get help? She couldn’t walk anywhere. She pressed lightly on her abdomen and inhaled sharply.