The Courtship Basket (20 page)

“You can go,”
Dat
said. “You and John go and have a
gut
time. I can stay here.”

“I'm not leaving you alone,” Mike insisted. “We'll stay home with you.”

“No.”
Dat
shook his head. “I can't stand holding you back, Mike. Go and have supper with Rachel.”

“Why can't you come,
Dat
?” John took
Dat
's hand in his. “We'll bring your wheelchair with us. I can help you climb the steps into Rachel's
haus
.” He tugged at
Dat
's hand. “Let's go,
Dat
. I don't want to go without you.”

Mike's chest constricted as his little brother pleaded with their father. How he longed for
Dat
to be healthy.

Dat
's lower lip trembled, and Mike held his breath, hoping his father wouldn't cry. “I'll go,”
Dat
whispered.

John jumped up and down and clapped his hands. “I'll get your shoes,
Dat
.” He rushed out of the room, his own shoes pounding on the hardwood floors.

Dat
turned toward Mike and wiped his fingers over his tired eyes. “I can't say no to that
bu
.”

“I know the feeling,” Mike said with a smile.

R
ACHEL
'
S PULSE SPED UP WHEN SHE HEARD THE CRUNCH OF
tires on the rock driveway.

“I think they're here,” Veronica said, peering out the window above the sink. “There's a white van in the driveway.”

“You go greet them, and I'll finish setting the table,” Emily said, shooing Rachel away with a wave of her hand.

“Thanks.” Rachel placed the last dish on the table and then rushed out the back door. She wiped her hands down her black apron as she stood on the back steps.

Her father and her brother-in-law, Jason, walked over to the van. After shaking hands with Mike and his father, they helped Raymond out of the van and into his wheelchair, which the three men then lifted to the sidewalk leading to the back porch.

John hopped out of the van and rushed toward the house, waving. “Hi, Rachel!”

“Hi, John,” she said. “I'm so glad you could come tonight.”

“I am too.
Mei dat
wasn't feeling well, but I asked him to come. I told him I didn't want to come without him.” He pointed toward his father.

Mike pushed the chair toward the house as he talked with Jason and her father. Raymond looked thin, but he smiled at Rachel. She waved, and he raised his hand.

“I'm so glad to see all three of you.” Rachel gestured toward the house. “You can go inside and choose a seat in the kitchen. We put the leaf in the table so we have plenty of room for everyone.”

John hurried into the house.

“Hi, Mike,” Rachel said as they approached the porch. When Mike smiled at her, happiness washed over her. She turned her attention to his father. “Raymond, it's so
gut
to see you.”

“It's
gut
to see you too,” Raymond said, his voice quavering.

He seemed weaker and paler than the last time she'd seen him. Her chest compressed with concern for him.

“Can I help you up the stairs?” her father offered. “I'll take your arm.”

“I'll help too,” Jason offered.

Rachel took a step back as her father and brother-in-law helped Raymond slowly climb the stairs. She held her breath, hoping Raymond would make it to the porch without collapsing. His slim legs trembled, but her father and Jason held him up more steadily than his slight body could.

Mike stood behind them and watched his father intently. She could feel his unspoken concern. Once his father was safely on the porch, Mike carried the wheelchair up, and Jason and
Dat
helped Raymond sit down.

“We're so glad you came tonight, Raymond,”
Dat
said. “Let's head inside. Mattie made a pork roast and mashed potatoes and the
haus
smells heavenly.”

Jason held the door open, and
Dat
and Raymond disappeared inside. Jason followed, and the screen door clicked shut behind them. Their muffled voices sounded inside the house, and Rachel and Mike were left alone on the porch.

“Hi,” Mike said, stepping toward her.

“Hi,” she said with a smile as her pulse zipped through her with delight.

“
Danki
for inviting us tonight.” He leaned against the porch railing, lifted his hat, and pushed his sandy blond hair back.

A grin taunted the corners of her mouth as she recalled the joke he made about the picnic. “It wasn't my idea. It was Emily's idea to invite you tonight.”

He chuckled, and his eyes twinkled with mirth. “Is that so? Just like the picnic, huh?”

“That's right.”

They stared at each other for a moment, still smiling, and she felt as if their friendship had suddenly deepened to a new level.

“I wasn't sure we were going to make it,” he finally said. “
Mei dat
hasn't been feeling well, and he tried to convince John and me to come alone. But John insisted
Dat
come with us.”

“John told me your
dat
wasn't feeling well.” Rachel pondered sharing her concern over his father's health but decided to keep it to herself. She didn't want to add to Mike's anguish. “I'm thankful you're here. I wanted you to meet the rest of my family.”

“Jason is very friendly,” Mike observed.

“
Ya
, he's
wunderbaar
to Veronica. I'm grateful she has him.”

Mike studied her with an unreadable expression, and Rachel moved her hands over her apron. She hoped she looked presentable.

“It's really
gut
to see you,” he said softly.

Rachel gave him a tentative smile as a thrill buzzed through her. Had he missed her as much as she'd missed him?

“Rachel? Mike?”
Mamm
appeared in the doorway. “We're ready to eat. The food is on the table.”

“Oh.” Rachel's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “We're coming now.”

Mike moved ahead of her and greeted her mother before holding the door open for Rachel. They stepped through the mudroom and into the kitchen, where the two families were already seated and platters of food dotted the long table.

Rachel took a seat beside Veronica, and Mike sat next to his father on the opposite side of the table. After a silent prayer, arms resembling a large octopus reached for the platters. The clink of utensils scraping plates and conversations that broke out around the table overtook the room.

Rachel watched Mike fill his father's plate with food, and then her chest squeezed as he cut up the meat for his
dat
. Then he whispered something to his father, who nodded. Raymond lifted the fork, and his hand trembled as he stabbed at the meat. For a moment, Rachel wondered if Mike was going to have to feed Raymond, but he slowly fed himself.

“So, Mike,” Jason began, “you do woodworking for a living. I build sheds.”

Mike nodded. “Rachel told me that. I make lawn ornaments—lighthouses, planters, that sort of thing. How long have you done shed building?”

Rachel smiled as Mike and her brother-in-law discussed their work. She felt someone watching her, and she turned to find Emily grinning. At the far end of the table, John was talking to her father. Happiness flooded her soul. She'd hoped Mike and his family would enjoy spending time with hers, including Veronica and Jason, and they had blended in as if they had been friends with the Fishers for years.

If only Raymond could return to good health. The sorrow in Mike's eyes broke her heart.

M
IKE RUBBED HIS STOMACH AS HE SAT ON THE BACK PORCH
with Jason, Leroy, and his father. A warm breeze saturated the air with the aroma of flowers and dirt as John tossed a ball up in the air on the driveway.

“I am stuffed,” Mike announced. “Everything was
appeditlich
.”

“I can't get enough of my
fraa
's pies,” Jason said, rocking in the chair beside Mike. “She thinks I built her a bake stand on our property so she can sell her pies. The real reason is I want her to feel inspired to keep making them for me.” He chuckled.

Leroy joined in the laughter. “You're a
schmaert
man, Jason.” He turned toward Mike's father. “Raymond, how long ago did you start Bird-in-Hand Builders?”

While the two fathers began discussing their businesses, Mike turned to Jason. “Do you work at the shed place just up on Old Philadelphia Pike?”

“
Ya
. It's close to your shop.”

Mike nodded. “That's right. Where is your farm?”

“I live in Gordonville. How about you?”

“I live a few miles away in Ronks.”

“Oh
ya
?” Jason smiled. “I go to a hardware store over there pretty often.”

As the two men fell into an easy conversation, Mike's shoulders relaxed. He was thankful he and his family clicked with Rachel's family. He just hoped she felt the same way.

“M
IKE IS SO NICE
,” V
ERONICA SAID AS SHE WASHED A PLATE
in the frothy water. “John is adorable.”

“
Ya
, I know.” Rachel dried a bowl and set it on the counter.

Veronica smiled over at Rachel. “Mike really likes you too.”

Rachel could feel the weight of her older sister's stare as she concentrated on drying another dish.

“Rach?” Veronica prodded her. “Did you see how he was watching you during supper?”

“Shh,” Rachel hissed, glancing toward the open window. “They're all sitting on the porch. I don't want them to hear you.”

“They won't,” Emily insisted as she swept the floor. “They're talking about work. They're not paying any attention.”

Rachel turned back toward her older sister. “You really think he likes me?” she whispered.

Veronica nodded. “Absolutely. He seemed to hang on your every word.”

“I agree,”
Mamm
chimed in as she wiped off the table. “He definitely likes you, Rachel. I don't know what you're worried about.”

“What do you mean?” Veronica asked, her smile fading. “You've been worried he doesn't care about you?”

Rachel placed the dry dish on the pile on the counter. “I've been worried he doesn't care about me the same way I care about him.”

“You love him,” Veronica said quietly.

Rachel nodded. “
Ya
, I do. And I didn't want to fall in love so quickly after losing David.”

“Mike is not like David,” Emily said. “Mike is much warmer and more in tune with you. David was always so aloof and disconnected.”

“I thought the same thing, but I never said it,”
Mamm
commented, agreeing with Emily. “David always seemed as if he wanted different things than what you did, Rachel. I never saw David look at you with the love I saw in Mike's eyes tonight.”

Rachel's throat dried. “Love?” she gasped.

Mamm
nodded, and Emily grinned as she rushed over to Rachel.

“Shh!” Rachel shushed them again. “They're going to hear you.”

“No, they won't,” Emily insisted again, hugging her. “I'm so
froh
for you.”

“Just take it slowly,” Veronica warned. “Mike will eventually ask you to be his girlfriend, but give him time.”

“And don't give up on him,” Emily added. “He definitely has his hands full with his
dat
, but he cares about you. I'm sure of it.”

Rachel's head spun like a buggy wheel as her mother and sisters continued to pepper her with unsolicited advice.
Doesn't Veronica remember how she felt when we were all giving her advice about Jason!

She nodded as they talked, but her mind was stuck on one detail—they all agreed that Mike loved her. But did he really love her? And if so, would he tell her soon?

M
IKE GLANCED OVER AT HIS FATHER, WHO WAS NODDING AS
Leroy spoke to him.
Dat
's eyes looked dull, lacking the sparkle he'd witnessed earlier.

“Are you all right?” Jason asked. “You look upset.”

“It looks like
mei dat
has had enough excitement for one night,” Mike said. “As much as I hate to say it, I think I'd better get him home.”

“
Ach, ya
.” Jason glanced toward Mike's father. “He does look tired. You'd better call your driver.” He stood. “I'll show you where the phone is.”

“
Danki
.” Mike followed Jason to the phone shanty next to the barn and called his driver.

After Mike hung up, Jason leaned his back against the shanty. “So you like Rachel, huh?”

Mike smiled. “
Ya
, I do.”

“I'm
froh
to hear that.” Jason pulled a toothpick from his pocket. “Did you hear what her former boyfriend did to her?”

Mike grimaced. “
Ya
, that was terrible.” He rested his hand on the shanty door.

“Rachel was really heartbroken when he broke up with her, and Veronica was upset too. It was tough on the family because Rachel and David had been together a long time.” Jason shook his head and rubbed the beard on his chin. “I can't believe David did that, but
mei mamm
said they probably grew apart. Four years is a long time to be together when you're so young, but that's the time to find out you're not right for each other.”

Mike glanced toward the porch, where his father still sat beside Leroy, and absently wondered what it would be like to be a member of this family.

“I knew Veronica's former fiancé,” Jason continued. “He and I were best
freinden
, and he told me how amazing Veronica was. We worked together, and then he died in an accident at work.”

“He had an accident at work?” Mike asked with a gasp. “Was he building a shed?”

“
Ya
, that's right,” Jason said. “I was there when he died.”

“
Ach,
no,” Mike said, shaking his head. “I remember now. I heard about that accident. It was horrible.”

“It was.” Jason's eyes flickered with sadness. “I saw Veronica at the funeral, but I hadn't officially met her. I met her a couple of months later when I came to her bake stand here. It was love at first sight. Well, at least it was for me.” He rolled his eyes and laughed. “I know that sounds so lame.”

Mike laughed along with him. “You two seem really
froh
together.”

“We are.” Jason grinned. “Veronica is the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

Mike thought about Rachel and nodded. “I know the feeling.
I'm just trying to figure out how to work things out with Rachel and take care of my father at the same time. His health is failing faster than I ever imagined it would.”

“I think Rachel would be willing to help you with your father if you gave her a chance. The Fisher
maed
are
wunderbaar
.” Jason started walking toward the house. “I'll help you get your father down the stairs and into the van.”

“I appreciate it.” They climbed the porch steps, and Mike went inside. He stuck his head into the kitchen, where the women were still cleaning up. “
Danki
again for supper. Everything was
appeditlich
.”

The women spun to face him.

“Are you leaving?” Rachel asked, her smile fading to a frown.

“
Ya
.” Mike pointed toward the porch. “
Mei dat
is worn out. I need to get him home.”

“Oh.” Rachel walked toward him with apparent disappointment twisting her pretty face. “I'll walk outside with you.” Was she as disappointed as he was that he had to leave?

Emily, Veronica, and Mattie said good-bye before he followed Rachel out to the porch.

“I'm sorry we didn't get to talk more,” Rachel said. “If I had known you were going to leave, I would've come outside with you.”

“It's okay,” Mike replied. “I was enjoying getting to know Jason and your
dat
. Your family is great.”

“They like you too,” she said, her expression bashful. “
Danki
for coming over tonight. We need to do this again soon.”

“Absolutely,” he said. He wanted that more than he could say.

The hum of an engine drew his attention to the driveway, where the white van came to a stop. Why did his driver have to arrive so quickly?

“I guess you'd better get going,” she said. Her expression seemed to be mirroring what he imagined was his own.

“Let me help you down the steps,” Jason said, approaching Mike's father. “It was really nice meeting you, Raymond.”

Mike touched Rachel's hand, and heat rushed to the place where their skin met. “
Danki
again. I won't let two weeks pass before I see you again.”

Rachel's eyes widened as a smile found the corners of her pretty mouth. “I'm going to hold you to that promise.”

“Mike, would you please get the wheelchair?” Jason asked.

“
Ya
,” Mike called over his shoulder. Then he looked back at Rachel. “
Gut nacht
.”

“
Gut nacht,
” she whispered. Her eyes were warm, and his chest constricted. He was falling in love with her.

“I
HAD A
G
UT
TIME TONIGHT
,”
D
AT
SAID AS
M
IKE HELPED
him to his bed. “Rachel and her family are very nice.”

“
Ya
, they are.” Mike held
Dat
's arm until he was settled on the edge of the bed. “I'm glad you came with us.”

Dat
gave him a weak smile. “You love Rachel.”

Mike dropped into the chair beside the bed and breathed in deeply through his nose. “
Ya
, I do.”

“I'm glad.”
Dat
patted Mike's arm with his bony hand. “I remember when I met your
mamm
. We were younger than you. We met at a youth group gathering and became
freinden
, but really, when I saw her across the barn, I knew I would marry her.”

Mike chuckled to himself remembering Jason's comment about love at first sight.

“Her
freinden
introduced us and we got to know each other enough to become
freinden
ourselves. But it wasn't too long before we started dating.”
Dat
had a faraway look in his eyes. “We were married the following fall and then we had you a year later. It seems like it was only yesterday.”

He turned to focus on Mike. “You should go to Rachel's youth group meeting and get to know her better. She's
gut
for you. She loves John, and she'll be
gut
to you both.”

“I don't need to go to youth group,” Mike insisted. “I'm fine here with you, and that's where I need to be.”

Dat
shook his head. “You're just as stubborn as your
mamm
was.”

“You need your rest.” Mike pointed toward the bed. “I'll see you in the morning.”

After
Dat
lay down, Mike tucked him in. Then he extinguished the lanterns and climbed the stairs. After tucking John in, he trudged to his room next door. He changed into a fresh pair of boxers and a T-shirt, turned off his lanterns, and climbed into bed.

Mike stared at the ceiling as he contemplated the evening at Rachel's house. He tried to close his eyes and fall asleep, but his mind was stuck on her smile and her gorgeous, deep-chocolate eyes. He was definitely falling in love with her, but apprehension twisted in his gut. He was no longer worried about things falling apart if he and Rachel got together. He felt sure now that Rachel felt the same way about him.

But how could he make room in his life for Rachel when
Dat
's health was failing?

“O
KAY, SCHOLARS
,” R
ACHEL SAID AS SHE STOOD IN FRONT
of the class. “Gather up your lunch pails and bags. It's time to go home. Have a nice evening. We'll see you tomorrow.”

The students scurried out the door where Malinda stood saying good-bye to them. Rachel straightened the desk, fetched her favorite red pen, and picked up a stack of math worksheets to grade.

She was marking a worksheet when she heard a familiar voice
in the doorway. Glancing up, she saw Mike talking with Malinda, and Rachel's stomach twisted with anguish. Why was Mike off from work early to pick up John? Had something happened to Raymond?

“Mike,” she said, rushing to the front of the classroom.

“Hi, Rachel.” Mike greeted her with a warm smile. “How are you?”

“I'm fine,” she said. “I'm surprised to see you here. Is everything all right?”

“
Ya
, everything is fine. I got off work early today and thought I'd surprise John.” Mike mussed his brother's blond hair. “We were just talking about going out for ice cream. Would you like to come with us?”

“We're going to the Lapp farm,” John said, rubbing his hands together. “Please come with us, Teacher Rachel.”

Rachel grimaced. As much as she wanted to go, she didn't feel right leaving all the paperwork and cleanup to Malinda. “I would love to, John, but I have to grade papers and prepare the lessons for tomorrow.”

Malinda placed her hand on Rachel's arm. “Go.”

Rachel gave Malinda an incredulous expression. “I don't feel right leaving you with all the work. I can go out for ice cream with them another time.”