Seasons of Sugarcreek 02. Spring's Renewal Read online

  She stood up. “I just grilled them myself.”

  When he stopped in front of her, he whistled low. “Gardening today?”

  “That’s still to be determined. At the moment, all that’s happening is I’m getting freaked out by bugs and pulling all the wrong stuff. At this rate, we’re going to have a wonderful garden of dandelions. Caleb, do you know the difference between what’s supposed to be here and what isn’t?”

  “I suppose I do.” Rolling up his sleeves, he crouched down. “I’ll help you, Lilly Allen.” Squinting his eyes, he quickly pulled eight or ten weeds and tossed them in her green plastic wheelbarrow. “This here is clover, Lilly. And this is a dandelion thistle.” He touched two of the leaves. “See the difference between them and your beans?”

  Finally, she did. With renewed vigor, she yanked and pulled a half dozen more. “Am I doing this right?”

  “Jah.” His green eyes—eyes the color of the fresh-pulled clover in her hands—twinkled a bit. They reminded her a lot of Josh’s eyes, and how much she’d been drawn to Josh when they’d first moved in. She imagined there was a group of girls in his community who dreamed of being Caleb’s sweetheart one day. She knew she’d be hoping for his attentions if she was a few years younger.

  As if feeling her regard, he shrugged. “It’s not hard, once you know what to look for.”

  “I’ll try to remember that,” she said dryly.

  He looked toward the garage. “Charlie here?”

  “Sorry. He’s still gone. He’s visiting some friends and getting registered for the fall semester at Bowling Green. He won’t be back until Sunday night.”

  Some of the light dimmed in his eyes. “Oh. Well, thanks anyway.”

  “Did you need to go somewhere? I’d be happy to drive you to town. It’s the least I could do after you’ve pulled so many weeds.”

  For a moment she thought he would accept, then he shook his head. “I better not. My parents wouldn’t like that.”

  Wouldn’t like that? What was going on? “Caleb, are you okay?”

  “I am. Just feeling restless.” When she knelt down to pull another weed, he pushed her hand aside and pulled up a completely different plant. “That one there is a strawberry plant, Lilly. Keep that in the ground, jah?”

  “I’ll try.”

  Rolling his eyes, he nudged her aside and finished clearing weeds from the row of strawberries.

  As he did so, she balanced in a squat and watched him. “I remember being restless and a lot of other things…especially since they weren’t all that long ago. I think everyone at fifteen and sixteen is restless.”

  “My family doesna think so.”

  She couldn’t help but notice he sounded bitter. “Trouble at home?”

  “Not really. Just some differences in opinions. I’m in my rumspringa, so I’m allowed more freedom…but though my parents say I have it, I don’t. Not really.”

  “Talking about things helps. Do you have a girlfriend? Sometimes having someone special in your life can help you sort out things.”

  “No.”

  Recalling Joshua’s talk about Sunday-night singings, a time when many of the teenagers got together to hang out, she said, “When’s the next singing?”

  “I don’t go to those.”

  “Why not?”

  He stilled. “I have my reasons.”

  “Which are? I’m not trying to judge you,” she said quickly. “I’m just curious.”

  Caleb pulled another two weeds, tossed them in the barrow, then stood up and brushed dirt off his pants. After a moment, he said, “I’m not interested in all things Amish right now. I feel trapped. I want to see new people. I want to experience things.”

  “And I bet those feelings aren’t going over so well at home.”

  “You would be right.”

  “Be careful what you wish for. I got restless and then did some things I wish I hadn’t. Now I’ve had enough experiences for ten or twelve people.”

  But instead of grinning right back at her, his gaze hardened. “At least you have done something.”

  Lilly knew it was no use to explain that she would have given a lot not to have gone through so much. Even now, she was still finding even the easiest tasks monumental.

  “Thanks for your help with the weeds, Caleb.”

  “Anytime. Tell the boys to find my mamm when they leave here.” He turned and slipped through the hedge again.

  Lilly pulled a few more weeds, then couldn’t help comparing his attitude with the man she’d waited on at the Sugarcreek Inn. Both had stared at her like she should automatically know what they wanted.

  Who knew? Maybe she did.

  Maybe she should have told them that she knew what they yearned for all too well—something new and fresh and different.

  And, of course, peace.

  With a sigh, she stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees. Overhead, clouds were rolling in. A change was in the air, just like Mrs. Graber had warned the little boys about.

  But what was really hard was that she was in no hurry for any more changes at all.

  Frankly, she thought she’d been through enough.

  On Thursday afternoon, Tim stood by his horse and buggy at the train station and double-checked the time with the information in Ruby’s last letter.

  Anson noticed. “How much longer?”

  “The clock and letter say ten minutes.”

  “Then I guess we’re gonna have to wait a while longer.”

  Tim chuckled. It had probably been a sign of weakness to drag Anson with him, but he’d wanted the company, and he’d wanted a buffer between him and Ruby when she first arrived.

  Though his aunt and uncle had looked at him curiously when he’d asked if he could bring Anson along to the train station, they’d agreed readily enough.

  Anson, being Anson, had been eager to leave school a little bit early and eye the trains.

  “Miss Slabaugh said sometimes mail rides on the trains. Do you think maybe my postcard will be in one of the mail sacks?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “When do you think I’ll hear from my pen pal? It’s been a week.”

  “I don’t know that answer either.”

  “James thinks he’s going to hear first because he wrote to a fella in Indiana, but I don’t know about that.”

  “I’d say it’s anyone’s guess.”

  Anson nodded. “We’re not supposed to bet, but I bet James a fishing lure that I’ll hear first.”

  “Probably wasn’t a smart decision. You’re parents will not be pleased to hear you’re making bets like that. Especially not in school.”

  “I couldn’t help it. James always acts like he knows everything. Sometimes I get tired of it.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, but two wrongs don’t make a right, you know. You should learn to ignore his boastful ways. That would be a better way to go. There’re people who want to be right everywhere, and that’s the truth.”

  “I suppose.” Anson rocked on his heels, shifted the straw hat on his head as a pair of Englischers smiled his way, then looked right and left down the train tracks. “I hope she comes soon. I’m getting tired of waiting.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  As people congregated around them and a couple nearby hugged and kissed, Anson glanced his way again. “So, are you going to kiss Ruby hello?”

  Tim looked at Anson in surprise. “Why in the world would you ask such a thing?”

  “Because I’m curious. Everyone around here is kissing. They’re kissing a lot.”

  “They’re English.”

  “Amish kiss, too,” Anson retorted. “I know that.”

  Tim was beginning to regret bringing the boy along. “I know that, too.”

  Warming to the topic, his little cousin continued. “Once, I saw my brother Joshua kiss Gretta when they thought no one saw them.” He wrinkled his nose. “It lasted forever.”

  “They are married. And, you shouldn’t have
been spying on them.”

  “I couldn’t help it. They were in the hall outside the kitchen. What else was I supposed to do?”

  “Turn around.”

  Anson rolled his eyes. “There was nowhere else for me to go. Anyway, they stopped as soon as I walked over to them and said I didn’t think they should kiss so much.”

  Tim could only imagine what that scene had been like. “Anson. That was rude.”

  “So was kissin’ in the hallway!” He looked at Tim sideways. “But later, after Joshua told me I shoulda been minding my own business, he said there was nothing wrong with kissing.”

  “There’s not. As long as there are genuine, loving feelings involved.”

  “Oh, I think Joshua felt loving all right.” Before Tim could chastise him again Anson pulled his jacket. “So, will you kiss Ruby? Do you have genuine, loving feelings for her?”

  This had to be why the good Lord had made him an only child. There was no way he could have dealt with such intrusive questions time and again, day after day.

  Especially since he didn’t know what his feelings were for Ruby any longer. Did he still feel loving toward her? A knot settled in his stomach as he worried about the answer.

  “Are ya?” Anson nagged.

  “No. Now stop asking me so many questions.”

  “But all I’m asking is—”

  The train whistle blew just in time.

  “Quiet, now. I need to look for Ruby.” Tim wasn’t sure how much Anson heard over the roar of the train whistle and the steady pulse of the powerful engines.

  Time seemed to stop as the massive structure pulled to a stop next to the platform. Anson giggled as another whistle blew, a door opened, and a conductor called out, “Depart quickly. This train will leave in ten minutes.”

  Around them on the cement platform more people joined them, awaiting the disembarking passengers. Other men in uniforms and baggage carts pushed their way to the front.

  Anson reached for his arm and held on tight as a man on a cell phone almost knocked into him.

  Tim craned his neck to try to see Ruby. Through the tiny windows, he saw several people standing near the train doors, impatiently waiting for them to open. None of them looked like her, though.

  And then with a metallic whoosh, doors on several of the cars slid open and passengers started piling out. When he’d arrived by train, both the train and the station had been far less crowded. Today, there seemed to be at least twice as many people shuffling around, each as impatient as the next to escape the station.

  Still holding his arm tightly, Anson hopped a bit, attempting to see over the heads of the men in front of him. “Can you see anything, Tim? Do you see Ruby?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What if she didn’t come? What would we do then?”

  “She came. We just need to be patient.”

  Anson sighed. When he started hopping again, Tim moved them to the left where the crowd had thinned.

  However, nowhere did he see an Amish woman.

  Though less than ten minutes had passed, already the station was emptying and the train’s engines were growling impatiently to continue.

  A horn blared, and someone called out, “Five minutes! All aboard to Cleveland!”

  Yet more passengers rushed from the ticket area and filled the platform. Anson stepped even closer to Tim, his eyes wide as a Middle Eastern couple trotted by, the woman’s head covered in a beautiful flowing scarf.

  “Maybe we missed her,” Anson said. “Maybe we should go walk around.”

  Tim didn’t want to admit it, but he was afraid his young cousin was right. Most everyone around them had been paired up and they were now leaving the area. “If we don’t see her soon, we’ll do just that,” he promised.

  And then the waves of passengers broke, and standing right next to a metal bench with black graffiti sprayed across the top was Ruby.

  “I see Ruby,” he said with a smile.

  Anson looked right and left, then when he too caught sight of Ruby in her violet dress, black cape, and white kapp, he grinned. “I see her, too! She’s pretty, Tim.”

  “Jah, she is,” he agreed as they walked forward. “Ruby Lee? Here we are.”

  She turned, her frightened expression immediately relaxing into relief. “Tim? Oh, Tim I’m so glad to see you! I didn’t know what I was going to do if you didn’t show up.”

  “We’ve been over there,” Anson explained. “Standing by light post number five.” Tilting his hat back, he smiled. “I’m Anson.”

  “How do you do? Tim has mentioned you in his letters. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ruby Lee.” Her eyes flickered toward his. Tim read confusion there, but he wasn’t sure of the source. Was she wondering why he’d not seen her the moment she’d gotten off the train, or was she wondering why he’d brought Anson along?

  “Let’s go get your bag,” he said simply. “Baggage claim is in through these double doors.”

  “There’s no need for that.” She pointed to the compact black rolling suitcase parked next to her feet. “It’s all here.”

  “It’s not very big,” Anson said. “How long are you stayin’?”

  Tim glared at Anson. “You shouldn’t ask things like that.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t mind. Anson, I’m not staying too long, and my suitcase is small because I don’t need much. Plus, I figured if I needed something, your sister Judith could let me borrow it.”

  “Oh.”

  Tim took her bag and led them to the buggy. “Are you hungry?”

  “Not so much.”

  “I am,” Anson said. “I thought maybe we could go eat at the Sugarcreek Inn on the way home.”

  Tim chuckled. Only Anson could wheedle so well. “You thought about pie, did you?”

  “There’s mighty good pie there.”

  “Do you mind?” Tim asked Ruby. “Having a little break before we head back home might be a nice treat.”

  Her brows rose. “Back home? You mean to your aunt and uncle’s home, yes? Your home is in Indiana.”

  For a moment his mouth went dry. He had spoken like Sugarcreek was where he belonged. When had that happened?

  But instead of dwelling on that, he murmured, “Anson is right, the pie is mighty good.”

  She reached out to him, her eyes gentling as her hand curved around his forearm. “That would be fine. I like pie, too. I like anything you want to do.”

  Ah. There was the Ruby he had remembered.

  Her sweetness ran through him, taking him by surprise. How had he forgotten how generous she was? How sweet and giving?

  It had been the right thing to do, to invite her to visit. “Let’s go, then,” he murmured. “Let’s go eat and I will show you Sugarcreek. My temporary home.”

  Anson grinned. “You’re going to love it here in Sugarcreek, Ohio,” he said. “Everyone does.”

  Chapter 15

  “I see Tim is sitting over in the corner with his sweetheart,” Gretta said to Lilly as soon as she entered the kitchen. “They look very cozy together. Did you speak with them? What is she like?”

  Lilly stared at her in confusion. “Tim?”

  “Jah. Tim. He’s got dark hair and lovely brown eyes, too.”

  Lilly hid a smile as she followed Gretta’s gaze out the picture window that divided the kitchen and dining room. “Oh, him. He’s the man with Anson, right?”

  “Jah. He’s Tim Graber, Joshua’s cousin. He’s here visiting for spring planting. Now his sweetheart Ruby has come, too. It’s created quite a stir at my in-law’s house, I tell you. They’re here all the way from Indiana.”

  That was one of the phrases that never failed to make Lilly smile. The way Gretta talked, one would think Indiana was across the Pacific Ocean. “I haven’t said too much to them yet. Mrs. Kent seated them.”

  Gretta’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

  “But I’ll go get more information, if you’d like.”

  “Go do that soon,” Miriam said, joi
ning them at the window. “We want to know what this Indiana girl is like.”

  “I’m sure she’s nice,” Gretta said primly.

  Lilly heard something in Gretta’s voice that said otherwise, though. “Do you not want to like her?”

  “No…I do. It’s just that I’d hoped he would fancy someone else. Someone here in Sugarcreek.”

  “Then he could stay.”

  “Yes.” Gretta eyed Lilly again. “When are you going to go take their order?”

  “Right this minute.”

  “And get some information, too!” Miriam ordered with a laugh.

  Before they could boss her around any more, Lilly left the kitchen again.

  As she filled two water glasses for some other customers, she couldn’t believe how light and easy she felt.

  Laughing with Gretta and Miriam had been just what she’d needed. Their antics made her feel young again. Young and silly and happy. She was so lucky to have such a good job, and to fit in with the two girls in such a way that she’d never have expected.

  In fact, she was becoming so close to her Amish friends that she wasn’t even missing her English ones.

  A few months ago, she would have never imagined that happening.

  Of course, a few months ago, everything in her life had felt upside down.

  Now she only had a big gap in her heart.

  Eager to push those painful feelings aside, she walked up to the three customers of interest. “Hi, there, Anson. Looks like you’ve got some company today.”

  “I sure do. This is my cousin Tim and Ruby.”

  “I’m Lilly Allen—”

  “Lilly’s my neighbor,” Tim supplied.

  Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “For a little while, yes?”

  “Of course.”

  When all three looked back at her, she noticed a bit of tension between the couple. Anson, of course, just looked hungry. “Are all of you ready to order?”

  “I am! I’ll have peanut butter pie.”

  “Good choice. Gretta made one this morning. Tim and Ruby? What would you like?”

  “Blackberry pie for me,” Tim said.

  “I’ll just have some water.”

  Anson frowned. “You’re not eating?”