The Winnowing Season (34 page)

Arlan?

He adjusted his cap and grinned. It was him! In Englisch clothes.

Her heart leaped as she let out a muffled half squeal and dropped the sheet onto the snow.

“Arlan!”

She hurried through the snow toward him with all the speed she could muster in her knee-high boots. He met her halfway, and she flung her arms around his neck and squeezed tight.

“Good to see you too.” He laughed. “I guess that eleven-hour trip was worth it after all.”

“You should’ve known that the second you realized you were coming to see me.” She held up her arms. “Ta-da.” She’d never been so glad to see him.

It had only been a few months, but somehow his face looked more, well … 
Mature
wasn’t really the right word but certainly more handsome. “Oh, you have no idea. I’ve been so …” She stopped before she said the word
bored
. It was true, wasn’t it? At least it had been for the last couple of weeks since no one inside that house was in the mood to chat except Arie and Isaac. “Do your parents know you’re wearing that?” She pointed at his jeans and cowboy boots.

“Yeah, they know.” He shrugged. “My folks aren’t too happy about it. My sister is worse than both of them put together. I knew Catherine would be that way. But they haven’t thrown me out or anything. Not yet, anyway. I imagine, if I’d asked, Catherine would have come with me even though she’s not supposed to ride in my car or be friendly with me if I’m dressed this way.”

“Let me guess. She’s still hoping Samuel will change his mind about her.” She pushed him. “What are you doing here?”

He scratched his jaw. “Well, I’m not supposed to say outright.” He glanced around. “Someone caught wind of the news about Rhoda and her troubles. Your Daed asked my Daed if I could make the trip and see what’s really going on.”

“You’re here to spy?”

“Got money under the table for it too … to cover gas and food.”

“Who gave you money?”

He shrugged. “My Daed passed it to me. Maybe your Daed did, but I got a feeling several people—especially the gossipy ones—chipped in because they want me to find out what’s happening. All done in the name of holding people accountable, mind you.”

Arlan had no idea what his words did to her. She would guard her mouth carefully while he was here. No way would she say anything about Jacob or Nicole coming in and out or Rhoda regularly visiting the Cranfords. She liked the extra freedoms of this new Amish district, and she wasn’t willing for any
church leaders to try to take them away. Besides, she wouldn’t be disloyal to anyone on this farm.

Wow. Where had that attitude come from? Apparently during all their long days, she’d learned to truly love this bunch of workaholics.

“You can’t go back with anything negative.”

He laughed. “Just who do you think you’re talking to?” He waved his arms in exaggeration. “I’m no tattler, and what you want ranks way above what anyone else wants.”

She grinned. “Sorry. I should’ve known that.”

“You bet your heavy load of laundry you should’ve known that.”

She imagined she had a goofy smile on her face, and her mind raced with things she wanted to tell him. “When did you get the car?”

“I bought it when I turned seventeen—sort of my birthday present from me to me.”

How could she have forgotten her best friend’s birthday? Her jaw went a little slack as the realization sank in. One apology after another flashed across her mind, but none of them felt quite right to say. “Well, it’s not exactly James Bond material, but the driver is at least a full-grown man, up for whatever the task!” Admittedly she didn’t exactly understand her own reference to James Bond. The character and the car were mentioned many times in commercials she had seen at Erlene’s, so she had concluded he was some sort of car designer who often wore a tuxedo.

“James who?” Arlan’s brow creased.

“If I knew, I’d tell you.” They both laughed, and it felt so good. “So which is first—seeing the farm and family or taking me for a spin in your new car?”

“Farm and family. I need to stretch my legs and use your rest room and get a glass of water.”

“They grow you boys needy in Pennsylvania.” She looped her arm through his. “Kumm. Maybe later tonight, you, me, and Landon can go get pizza.”

“There it is! You guessed it!”

“Guessed what?”

“That’s the reason I came to Maine: to check out the pizza.”

She pushed his arm and laughed again, noticing the thick black leather of his jacket. “Oh.” She tugged on his jacket. “Nice.”

He flexed his muscles. “Ya, and you can’t hurt me through it. This coat is like leather armor. And with my shiny armor and steed,”—he gestured to his car—“I can drive you away!”

She held back a snicker and tried to look serious as she turned and started to walk away. “Well, if you’re going to try to drive me
away
, I might as well just—”

He bounded after her and caught her arm with another laugh. “Wait, not what I meant.”

She pulled out a walkie-talkie from her coat pocket and announced that Arlan had arrived. Several greetings came through from the other walkie-talkie holders, including Samuel. Arlan chuckled, pleased at the welcome.

Phoebe came out the front door and went to the abandoned laundry. She waved them away before picking up the dropped sheet, relieving some of Leah’s guilt over ditching her chores.

“You should come more often. Your presence alone just got me out of doing laundry.”

“I like you and all, but I’m not making that drive so you can get out of doing laundry. I might do it, however, to
bring
you my laundry.”

She huffed and pressed the button on the walkie-talkie again. “Guys, we’re going inside for a bit, so wherever you are, come say hi when you get a chance.” Leah released the button and waited for a response.

A chorus of “Be there in a minute” and “Sounds good” and “Okay” came back to her. Everyone answered except Landon.

Leah pressed the button again. “Landon?”

“Yo.”

“We’re going for pizza in a few hours. Care to join us?”

There was silence for a moment. “I’d like to.” There was another pause. “We’ll see.”

What was wrong with him lately? Did the police investigation have him that rattled? Maybe what he needed was to quit fretting and to get out for an evening with them.

They stepped into the house. “So how long will you be here?”

“Two days if you’ll have me. Then I need to get back to work. Carpentry work’s hard to find these days, so I can’t afford to lose my job.”

Landon came down the stairs, carrying two large boxes stacked on top of each other. “Hey, Arlan. This is a surprise.”

Arlan grinned and pointed at the boxes. “Some things never change.”

“Don’t I know it. There’s plenty more where these came from. I’ll be moving them to the barn until dark. I lug these things from one wrong spot to another. Excuse me while I take these somewhere they don’t belong.”

Landon didn’t even glance at her as he passed by.

I will not chase after someone ever again
.

But she would give Landon a little space while Rhoda’s investigation was looming. She’d be nice and even invite him again to go with them tonight. But if he didn’t straighten up soon, she’d …

Hmm, what would she do? Well, she’d probably unload her thoughts on him first. But then she would savor the relationships she had, not wallow in what she didn’t have.

Isn’t that what God would want her to do?

THIRTY-THREE

Landon watched as Leah and Arlan pulled out of the driveway. Man, he wanted to go with them.

The front door opened behind him. “Is that the last of them?” Rhoda shifted the small boxes in her hands.

“Yeah. Next time the Amish community wants to load you guys up with used dishes and such, decline.” His tone didn’t sound friendly. His blood was boiling, but he kept the conversation pleasant enough.

Rhoda paused behind him. “About Leah … it’ll get easier. It’s just the way it has to be. I’m sorry.”

“No problem, right? Just as long as everything goes exactly as the matriarchs and patriarchs of the Amish want it to.” He exited, walking toward the barn.

“Landon, wait.” Rhoda hurried over to walk beside him. “I don’t have a choice any more than you do.”

He kept his focus straight ahead. It didn’t matter how much he could sense her eyes pleading. He couldn’t stand to look at her right now. “So it’s fine if Arlan shows up with a car and takes Leah wherever she wants, but if I take her to Granny’s to help out, it’s going to destroy the whole fabric of Amish culture, perhaps end the world as we know it, and cost me my job?” He all but shouted the last part.

Rhoda stopped in her tracks.

He turned. “You of all people should know how hard it is to find someone worthy of your friendship, someone you connect with and don’t want to lose. Being outcasts and loners is part of what drew you and me together. You think
it’s been easy for me all these years not having anyone to hang out with? All you ever want to do is work and avoid any conversation that might delve into pop culture, and that’s most of what I know. Besides, she’s not like other girls. She’s … Leah.”

“I believe in the Amish culture with all that is in me. I want Leah to believe in it too. I have since the day I met her. Because of that, I can’t be easygoing or turn a blind eye where you and Leah are concerned. I … I’m sorry.”

“I know how you feel about the Amish culture, and as best as I remember, I’ve never once hinted you should leave it. I supported your decision to live this way. Leah needs to decide for herself, just like you did.”

“She’s too young and too impressionable, and you make the idea of leaving look too easy and too fun.” Rhoda shook her head, sighing. “I’m sorry to have to be this way.”

“Yeah, me too.” He walked off, crushing some snow with each step. He thought he heard Rhoda say something, but it was too soft for him to understand. When he turned his head to tell her to speak up, he lost his balance when one of his feet sank deeper into the snow than he expected. He tumbled forward, boxes flying out of his hands as he fell face-first into the snow. The cold ice nipped at his unshaven face, melting against his flushed skin and a bleeding lip. He stood up and wiped away the blood. His mouth must have hit a rock or something.

“Are you all right?” Rhoda set down her box and hurried to him.

“The fall is nothing, Rhodes. It’s the push I got from you that really stings. I can’t believe you’re the one who insists I back off your Amish territory.” He gestured toward the road. “She invited me as a friend. You do remember what friends are, right?”

Hurt reflected in her eyes, and yet her resolve didn’t budge.

He set the box upright. “Just let me get my work done.” He opened the box to see if anything was broken.

“Landon, I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “It’s my own fault for being a klutz.”

He knew she wasn’t referring to his fall, but he was done trying to reason with her.

And he had work to do.

Rhoda stood in a greenhouse and stared at the empty workbenches. She had never been so lost. The police had spent a month investigating her, and she had been neither cleared nor charged. Samuel and Steven believed that having a senator’s daughter involved had complicated matters for the police and slowed the whole process. Rhoda didn’t know, but she’d been stripped of nearly every potted herb, and the investigators had turned her bedroom upside down—twice.

Why did the police continue to confiscate her stuff? She knew the reality—they were searching for evidence. Officer Smyth said the police weren’t usually overzealous with incidences of marijuana, but Senator Allen’s wife continued to put pressure on them, as if she considered Rhoda a drug dealer. The woman was being absurd. What was her problem anyway? And why weren’t the police finding the answers they needed to clear up this matter? It didn’t make sense. Was she going to be cleared of these accusations or not?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the greenhouse door opened and Steven announced, “Hey, Sis. It’s time for supper.”

She wasn’t hungry, but she’d play along. Her goal was to pretend she was doing better than she was. “Sounds good. What’s Phoebe fixed this time?”

“Chicken spaghetti.”

He moved to a bench and ran his hands over the vacant top. “You talked to Daed today?”

She imagined checking on her was the real reason Steven was here. Otherwise, he would have used the walkie-talkie to call her to supper. “Of course.”

“He’s worried. He doesn’t understand why you won’t let him or Mamm
come up. I can’t say I understand it either. Is it because Jacob isn’t here, and you don’t want them to know?”

That was part of it, maybe most of it. “I’m fine, Steven. For them to come all this way in the dead of winter makes no sense.” But she felt so vacant without Jacob or her Daed here.

The thing was, her Daed was better off not seeing her now. If he wasn’t here, it was easier to convince him she was sailing through this current upheaval.

“Rhoda.” Phoebe’s voice came through the walkie-talkie. “Officer Smyth is here and would like to speak to you.”