The Bishop's Daughter (29 page)

“That’s probably the case.”

“How’d the first day of school go? Did my three behave themselves?”

Leona nodded. “No problems with discipline, although Millie didn’t seem very interested in learning.”

Naomi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“When I tried to get her to write the letters of the alphabet, she got several of them mixed up and acted as if she didn’t want to try.”

“Maybe she was too nervous to concentrate. During breakfast this morning, she expressed some concern about her first day of school.”

“That’s probably all it was,” Leona agreed. “I’m sure in a couple of days she’ll be fine.”

Naomi opened her mouth to reply, but a noisy truck pulled alongside her rig. Jimmy Scott, wearing a straw hat like the Amish men wore this time of the year, leaned out the window and offered them a friendly wave.

If Jimmy had a different haircut and wore suspenders, he would almost look Amish
, Naomi noted.
I wonder if he’s wearing that hat to keep the sun out of his eyes, or if he’s trying to fit in with the fellows he works with
.

“Are you on your way home or heading to a job?” Leona asked, nodding at Jimmy through his open window.

“I’m basically done for the day, but Arthur asked me to drop by your folks’ place and see about painting their kitchen.”

“I thought Arthur was planning to do the painting for us.”

“He was, but he’s been busy with other jobs and doesn’t think he’ll get around to it for several weeks, so I told him I’d be happy to do it.”

Naomi couldn’t help but notice the eager smile Jimmy offered Leona—or the one that Leona gave Jimmy in return. It made her wonder if her daed had been right when he’d mentioned to Caleb recently that he thought the Englisher had too much interest in Jacob’s daughter.
Of course
, she reasoned,
Papa might be jealous because Jacob seems to enjoy Jimmy’s company these days more than he does Papa’s
.

“I’m heading home now, Jimmy,” Leona said. “So if you’d like to meet me there, I can show you what needs to be done.”

“That would be great.” He gave the steering wheel a couple of taps. “If you want to go ahead of me, I’ll drive slow and follow you.”

“All right then. See you at the house.” Leona got her horse moving and turned onto the main road. Jimmy pulled out behind her.

Naomi clucked her tongue.
I’ve not seen Leona smile at any fellow that way since Ezra died. Maybe Papa’s right. Maybe there is cause for concern
.

Traffic was sparse on this sunny stretch of road, and through the undercarriage of Leona’s buggy, Jimmy could see the horse’s feet clopping briskly along. As he drove slowly behind Leona, he thought about how much he enjoyed being with her. Leona was pretty in a plain sort of way, and even though she wore glasses some of the time, it didn’t detract from her natural beauty.
It’s good to see her smiling today
, he thought.
She’s been so sad since her dad’s accident
.

Jimmy’s cell phone rang, and he grabbed it off the seat. “Hello.”

“Hi, son. How are you?”

“I’m a little bit sunburned and kind of thirsty right now, but other than that, I’m doing okay,” he said with little enthusiasm.
I wish he would quit calling. It only adds to my frustration
.

“I—uh—had lunch with a friend of yours the other day.”

“Oh? Who was that?”

“Holly Simmons, the lady who goes to your church. You know—the one who owns the health food store at the mall.”

A ray of hope flickered in Jimmy’s soul. If his dad was getting
friendly with Holly, maybe he would see the light and start going to church, which was exactly where he needed to be if he was ever going to see his need for Christ.

“Jimmy, are you still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Holly invited me to attend an AA meeting with her.”

“What’d you tell her?”

“I said I wasn’t an alcoholic and could quit drinking any time I wanted.”

“You really believe that?”

“Well, I—”

Jimmy tapped the brake pedal a few times, realizing that he was getting too close to the back of Leona’s buggy. “If you can quit drinking on your own, then why don’t you?” he asked, feeling his irritation mount further.

“I will—when I’m ready.” There was a long pause, and then Jim asked, “So, what’s new with you? Any luck finding your Amish family?”

“No. I’ve struck out at every place I’ve looked, and I’m beginning to wonder if I should forget about trying to find them and concentrate only on helping the Weavers.”

Jim grunted. “Maybe you should come home and forget about trying to rescue that family.”

Jimmy tensed as his face grew hotter, and he knew it wasn’t from the sunburn he’d gotten earlier today. He needed to get off the phone before he said something he might regret.

“I miss you, son, and it’s awful lonely here without you.”

It’s not my fault you’re alone or can’t deal with your guilt. I didn’t ask to be kidnapped, and I shouldn’t have to pay for your trickery or lack of selfcontrol where your drinking’s concerned
. “I’ve got to hang up now. Bye.”

Jimmy followed Leona up her driveway, feeling a sense of relief to be off the phone. Maybe now he could concentrate on something more positive.

He turned off the ignition and hopped out of the truck the minute her horse stopped in front of the barn. “Want me to put him away for you?” he called to Leona.

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not a bit. Eli’s been teaching me how to handle his horse, and I’ve even driven his buggy a couple of times.”

She smiled and nodded toward the house. “I’ll go inside and fix us a glass of iced tea. Then, as soon as you get the horse put away, we can cool down with our drinks before you look at the kitchen to see what needs to be done.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The sun beat upon Leona’s back, causing rivulets of sweat to trickle down her spine. She hurried for the house, anxious to get out of the intense heat.

She stepped into the kitchen a few minutes later and found it empty. By the time Jimmy came in, she had two glasses of cold tea and a plate of peanut butter cookies waiting on the table.

He removed his straw hat, placing it on the nearest wall peg. “I got a little too much sun today, so a cold drink will hit the spot.”

Leona studied his face and realized that it was quite red. “Let me get something to put on that burn,” she said, heading for the refrigerator.

“You keep sunburn medicine in there?”

“It’s aloe vera, and it feels better going on if it’s cold.”

“Ah, I see.” Jimmy took a seat at the table and gulped down half of his iced tea before she returned with the leaf from an aloe plant that had been sliced open.

“Would you like me to put it on for you?” Leona asked. “Or would you rather do it yourself ?”

“You can see better where I need it the most, so if you don’t mind, I’d be much obliged.” Jimmy leaned his head back and closed his eyes as Leona gently slathered the gel on his face.

When her fingers made contact with his warm skin, it sent unexpected shivers all the way up her arm.
What’s wrong with me? Why should being close to this man make me feel so giddy?
For an unguarded moment, she let herself imagine what it would be like to be courted by Jimmy.

Drawing in a deep breath, she ordered her runaway heart to be still.
I’m just attracted to him because he’s been so kind and helpful since Papa’s accident
.

“That feels better all ready. Danki,” he said, pulling her thoughts aside.

She pulled her hand back and stared at him. “You said ‘thank you’ in Pennsylvania Dutch.”

He grinned up at her. “Eli’s been teaching me that, too.”

“It’s good,” she said.

“Jah, is gut.”

She nodded. “Yes, it’s good.”

Feeling the need to put some distance between them, Leona moved aside. She sat in the chair across from Jimmy and took a drink of her iced tea. It was hard to make sensible conversation or think straight with him looking at her in such a peculiar way. The only sound to break the silence was the steady
tick-tock
of the battery-operated clock on the wall and the persistent hum of the propane-operated refrigerator.

After Jimmy had eaten a few cookies and finished his tea, he pushed away from the table and stood. “Thanks for the refreshments and the sunburn remedy.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Guess I’d better see what needs to be painted in here.”

“I didn’t realize you’d come home already,” Mom said, stepping into the room. “Your daed’s taking a nap, and I was resting on the sofa. Must have dozed off and didn’t hear you come in.”

The whites of Mom’s eyes were red, and the skin around them was kind of puffy, making Leona wonder if things hadn’t gone well with Papa today. She was about to voice her concerns when Mom squeezed Leona’s arm and said, “I’m so sorry to be tellin’ you this, daughter, but Cinnamon is dead.”

L
eona sat there several seconds as she let her mamm’s words sink in.
My dog can’t be dead. Cinnamon was alive this morning when I went to the barn to get the buggy horse. She hasn’t even been sick
.

“I’m awful sorry,” Mom said, shaking her head. “It was an accident, plain and simple.”

“Wh–what happened?” Leona rasped.

“Your dog ran into the road and was hit by a car.”

Leona’s spine went rigid, and tears gathered in her eyes, wetting her lashes and threatening to spill over. “Cinnamon never goes into the road. I’ve trained her to stay on our property.”

Mom pulled out the chair beside Leona and sat down. “Your daed was outside playing with his goat, and then Cinnamon came along and got in on the act. The goat chased the poor dog around the barn so many times I feared they would both get dizzy.” She paused and drew in a quick breath. “I kept calling to the dog, and your daed chased after the goat. But the two of them ignored us and ran down the driveway and into the road. Then a car came whizzing past, and Cinnamon—”

Leona held her hands tightly against her ears, hoping to drown out her mother’s next words.

“Cinnamon was killed instantly, and the goat ran into the cornfield with your daed right behind him.”

Leona clenched her fists and tightened her features as she screamed, “This was Papa’s fault!”

“I don’t think you should put the blame on your dad’s shoulders,” Jimmy spoke up.

She looked at him, but tears clouded her vision. In the pain of hearing about Cinnamon’s death, she’d almost forgotten Jimmy was in the room. “If Papa had been at work, the way he used to be, this
would not have happened.”

“Leona, please be reasonable,” Mom said. “It’s not your daed’s fault he had an accident and lost his memory. And he’s not to blame for the car hitting your dog, either.”

Leona trembled as she fought for control. Mom didn’t understand the way she felt. She never had. “Where is she? Where’s Cinnamon now?”

“Your daed wanted to bury the poor dog, but I knew you’d want to see her first. So after he captured the goat, I had him move Cinnamon’s body to the barn.”

Leona stood, and with a convulsing sob, she rushed out the door.