The Selfless Act (10 page)

When Kristi entered the Farmstead Restaurant and saw the long line that went almost out the door, she realized she’d probably have to wait awhile before being seated at a table. Since she wasn’t in a hurry to get home, she didn’t really mind the wait. Besides, it would give her a chance to digest all that Doris had told her. Was it possible Joel had actually changed? Could he really have sold his Corvette and given his sisters the money? For his family’s sake, she hoped it was true.

It’s a shame he couldn’t have changed when we were still dating,
Kristi thought.
It’s been quite a while since I last heard from Joel. If he loved me, the way he said he did, I would think he’d have let me know he’d made things right with his family.
She shifted her purse to the other shoulder.
But then, I chose not to respond to any of the messages he did leave, so I guess it makes sense that he didn’t call later.

Kristi assumed that, more than six months after their breakup, Joel had moved on with his life. For her, though, it had been hard to move on—at least when it came to dating. She was actually thankful Darin hadn’t pursued a relationship with her. She was content to be his friend.

It’s still hard for me to fathom that Joel could have changed. I wonder what all he said to make Doris believe him. Could he have only said it to get his inheritance, or is it possible that—
Kristi’s thoughts halted when the person behind her nudged her arm gently. “Excuse me, Miss, but the people ahead of you have moved to the front of the line.”

“Oh, sorry.” Kristi’s cheeks warmed as she quickly stepped forward. She was almost to the hostess’s desk and could see into part of the restaurant, including the all-you-can-eat buffet. She watched the young Amish waitress clear a table, wiping the area clean as soon as the customers rose and headed for the desk to pay for their meal. Several other workers moved quickly about, trying to cater to many hungry patrons.

Her mouth watered, smelling the delicious aromas. She could hardly wait until it was her turn to be seated at a table. Kristi had eaten at this restaurant before and remembered how good the baked chicken on the buffet had tasted. Another thing Kristi had enjoyed were the pickled red beets.
After I’m seated and it’s time to place my order, I’m definitely going to do the buffet.

Kristi didn’t normally eat much for lunch, but today she’d make an exception and would probably be full the rest of the day.
I may not have to eat any supper tonight, but if I get hungry later, I’ll fix a light snack. I probably should go for a run as soon as I get home, to burn off all the calories I’ll be eating today.

The man and woman in front of Kristi were being seated, so it was her turn next. Her stomach growled, and she placed her hand over it, hoping no one had heard. In a short while she’d be choosing whatever she wanted from the delicious array of foods on the buffet.

Looking to the right, where a man and woman sat in a booth, Kristi’s breath caught in her throat. It was Joel, with the pretty Amish woman she’d seen him talking to the day of his father’s funeral. When she’d asked Joel about it later, he’d said the woman’s name was Anna, and that he’d been engaged to marry her before he left the Amish faith. Apparently they were back together, for Joel reached across the table and placed his hand on Anna’s.

I can’t believe it.
Unbidden tears sprang to Kristi’s eyes.
I should have expected he would eventually give up on me. No wonder Joel hasn’t called or left any messages for so long. He’s obviously back with his old girlfriend.
A lump lodged in her throat.
I bet he’s planning to return to the Amish faith again, too. Or maybe Joel’s convinced Anna to become part of the English world with him.

The hostess returned from seating the other people, but before she could say anything, Kristi turned, nearly bumping into the gentleman behind her, and rushed out the door. She’d waited all that time to be seated, but now her appetite was gone.

Joel smiled as Anna told him about Melvin Mast, who had recently started courting her. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her face glow like this—not even when the two of them had been courting. Anna deserved to be happy, and he wished her well, reaching across the table and placing his hand over hers.

Joel hadn’t made plans to meet Anna here for lunch. They’d both arrived around the same time, and after learning she was alone, he’d invited her to sit with him. He was anxious to see how she was doing and tell her that he’d committed his life to the Lord. Anna seemed as happy for Joel as he was for her starting a relationship with Melvin. They’d laughed and talked when they began eating, and Joel couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed in her presence. Of course, he felt better around everyone these days—especially his family members.

Joel thought about the inheritance he’d received from his father and bit back a chuckle. There would have been a day he’d have been hopping mad at Dad for leaving him so little and at his sisters for getting much more than him. Not that it was their fault. None of them knew what Dad had designated in his will. To Joel’s surprise, shortly after Doris, Arlene, and Elsie opened their envelopes, they’d each offered to give him part of the money they’d been left. He’d said no. He didn’t deserve one penny of what Dad wanted his daughters to have. All three of them had been dutiful to Dad—especially after Mom died and he’d needed their help. Joel’s sisters had always been kind and loving to their parents; unlike him, who’d given Mom and Dad nothing but trouble and heartache.

Once more, Joel wished he could turn back the hands of time and begin again. Knowing what he did now, if he could start over, he’d be a better son and brother. Well, he couldn’t undo the past, but he’d spend the rest of his days trying to make it up to his sisters and their families.

“Joel, did you hear what I said?”

Anna’s question drove his thoughts aside, and he blinked a couple of times. “Sorry, I was spacing—kind of lost in my thoughts.”

“There’s a young woman out by the hostess’s desk, and she looks a lot like the woman you brought to your daed’s funeral.” Anna pointed in that direction.

He turned his head sharply, but only caught a glimpse of the back of a woman’s auburn head as she hurried from the restaurant. “That couldn’t have been Kristi,” he murmured. “What would she be doing here?”

W
e need some more boxes to load up the last of your food items,” Joel called to Elsie as he emptied one of the kitchen cupboards.

“I think there are some more in the barn.” She smiled. “Thank you for taking the day off to help us move. We also appreciate all the work you’ve done on our new home.”

“I was happy to do it, Elsie.” Joel glanced around the kitchen. “Now I need to figure out what to do with Dad’s house.”

She placed her hand on his arm. “It belongs to you now. For whatever reason, Dad wanted you to have it.”

“I realize that, but I have my own place in Akron.”

“You said it’s a mobile home, right?”

He nodded.

Elsie made a sweeping gesture of the kitchen. “This isn’t fancy, but it’s a solidly built home. With the three acres it sits on, there’d be room for you to build a shop for all the tools and supplies you need for your construction business.”

Joel massaged the back of his neck. “Are you suggesting I sell my place and move here?”

“It’d be nice for all of us if you did. Keeping the home we grew up in would be meaningful, and living closer would give us opportunities to see you more often.”

He tilted his head, weighing his choices. He could either sell Dad’s place and use the money to build a new house on the property he owned now, or sell his land and mobile home and move here. If he did the latter, he’d have to update the house, connect to the power lines, and get an Internet provider, because he needed that for his business and computer. Since the jobs Joel often did were in various locations, he didn’t need to live in Akron. He could commute to most anywhere in this part of Ohio within a few hours’ drive. Still, what would he do in this rambling old house all alone? If he had a wife and children, it would be a nice place to live and raise a family. But by himself, all he’d have were the memories from growing up here as a child.

“Are you thinking about my suggestion?” Elsie tugged on his shirtsleeve.

“I am, and as nice as it would be to live closer to you and the rest of our family, it may not be the sensible thing to do.”

“Well, give it some thought before you make a final decision.” Elsie looked at the open cupboard they’d just emptied of food.

“I will. And I’ll be praying about it, too.” Joel turned toward the back door. “I’ll head out to the barn now and look for those boxes.”

Elsie grabbed a sponge and rinsed it in the sink; then she stepped over to the cupboard and started wiping the shelves. “Okay. If you see Aunt Verna, would you let her know I could use her help in here? She went outside some time ago to hang a few dish-towels on the line, and I haven’t seen her since.”

He chuckled. “You know our dear aunt. She can easily become distracted.”

“You’re right about that. It was nice of her and Uncle Lester to come down to help with the move.” Elsie grinned. “I think she’s looking forward to spending the next few nights in our new home. Since it has two bedrooms on the main floor, she and Uncle Lester can have a cozy room on the first floor, and John and I won’t have to give up our room.”

“They could stay here, you know.”

“Right, but since Glen will be staying here until you decide what to do with the place, I thought he would enjoy having some peace and quiet without any visitors.”

Joel gave his sister a hug. “You’re a thoughtful
mudder
.” He opened the back door and stepped out.

Grinning, Aunt Verna waved at him from where she was rocking back and forth on the porch swing.

He smiled in response. “I can see you’re enjoying yourself. But when you get tired of swinging, Elsie could you use your help in the kitchen.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “Elsie has a kitten?”

Joel resisted the urge to laugh.
She must not have her new hearing aids turned on.
“No, she said she needs your help in the kitchen.”

“Oh, of course.” She rose from the swing, pausing for a minute to watch some robins searching for worms in the grass, before going into the house.

Joel headed for the barn. He’d barely set foot inside when Dad’s spirited horse started acting up, kicking at the back wall in his stall.
I wonder what’s got him so worked up.

Speaking softly to the horse, Joel entered the stall. “Whoa, boy. Settle down.”

With an ear-piercing whinny, the horse reared up, then kicked again—this time putting a hole in the wall.

Joel figured a cat, or even a mouse, may have spooked the horse. He grabbed a rope, put it around the animal’s neck, and tied him to the other side of the stall. Then he knelt in front of the wall to examine the damage. When Joel peered into the gaping hole, he was surprised to see something shiny. It looked like a piece of chrome, but it wasn’t close enough for him to reach. The horse’s stall was at the back of the barn, where outside, dirt was built up along the whole side and stretched out into the hillside. Dad had called it a “bank barn.” Joel used to climb up on the mound of dirt when he was a boy and pretend he was standing on a mountain. He remembered once, Dad had caught him playing up there and told him in no uncertain terms to get off and never go up there again. When Joel asked why, Dad said, “Because you could fall and get hurt.” Joel never understood what the big deal was. The mound of dirt wasn’t that high. But he’d done as Dad asked and never went near it again. For that matter, Dad had been fussy about Joel or anyone else coming into this particular stall. Joel always figured it was because Dad had been so finicky about his own horse.

Gazing back at the hole, Joel decided to investigate further. He was curious about what was behind the wall. “Better get a flashlight,” he mumbled.

After moving the horse to another stall, Joel was about to head out to his truck when he spotted a flashlight on the shelf halfway up the wall. Several shelves made the wall inside the stall look like a huge, built-in bookcase that went from top to bottom and all the way from one side to the other along the back wall.

Reaching up to get the flashlight, Joel touched something cold. It felt like a knob. Twisting it to the left, he was stunned when the bookcase-like structure swung open, revealing another room, apparently hidden under all the dirt behind the barn.

“What in the world?” Joel turned the flashlight on and shined the beam of light into the room. His nose twitched when he stepped inside. The room had a different smell. Dust, mixed with fuel and rubber, tainted the air.

He rested his hands on his hips. “What did Dad keep secret in here?”

Seeing a lot of things covered with tarps, he moved to the closest one and pulled it back. A beautiful old car came into view.

“Oh, wow!” Like a kid in a candy store, Joel went to each tarp, pulling them off. It seemed like a dream, but he’d just discovered not one, but ten antique classic cars hidden under all those dusty tarps.