A Daughter's Dream Read online

  Hopefully, Rebecca Kinsinger would eventually settle in to the swing of things and be able to take over the class when the baby came. Then? Well, Rachel supposed her future was up to the Lord.

  She was pretty sure that her teaching days were almost over, though.

  Rocking back and forth, Rachel sighed. As much as she wanted a baby and to make Marcus happy, she was going to miss this place. Her mother had always assured her that the Lord gave each person special gifts. Her mother’s gifts were in her quilting. She not only designed and made beautiful quilts for their family and friends, but she also made several a year to sell in order to help the family’s finances. Daed always said Mamm’s nimble fingers were responsible for their comfortable savings account. Because of her, they’d never had to worry about illnesses or their future.

  From the time she was five or six, Rachel had known her gifts revolved around teaching children. She’d taught her little brother and sisters, even her dolls and stuffed teddy bear. She’d practically had tears in her eyes on her first day of school, she’d been so excited.

  But now that she was going to have a child of her own, she was going to have to give up her time in this classroom. Of course she looking forward to the opportunity to teach her own kinner. But it wasn’t going to be the same.

  “Wishes and dreams are for children. Shame on you, Rachel, for thinking about anything negative on such a special day.” It was time to go home and tell her husband the happy news.

  She’d just gathered her things together when the door burst open.

  Her heart hammering in her chest, she gasped, then laughed at her husband’s panicked expression. “Marcus Mast, what are you doing here?”

  Striding forward, he reached for her hands. “The question should be why are you still here? And what were you doing today at Agnes’s haus?”

  “I’m still here because I had to put this room to rights. You know how I like to spend time in here after all the children go home.” With a bit of trepidation, she said, “How did you know I saw Agnes?”

  “One of the men at work mentioned that he saw you enter her haus.” He frowned. “Are you ill? And if you are, why didn’t you tell me?” Before she could reply, he reached for her hand. “Besides, you know how I feel about Agnes. She’s old and crotchety. If you aren’t well, you need to go to the clinic, not to that old woman.”

  Squeezing his hands, she smiled. “Which question would you like me to answer first?”

  “Don’t tease me, Rachel.” His dark eyes scanned her face. “You don’t know what I’ve been going through. I had to wait to get over here until we finished completing our order of trusses for that home builder in Michigan. It took forever.” Exhaling, he said, “What is going on?”

  Well, this certainly wasn’t the way she’d hoped to tell him about their babe. But ever since the accident at the mill, her sweet husband seemed to be on edge. He liked to know where she was at every moment of the day. “I’m pregnant,” she said simply.

  His expression went blank. “Already?”

  Taking care not to look amused at his shocked expression, she nodded and squeezed his hand again. “I thought it might be the case, but I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I was sure.”

  “Ah.”

  Her amusement at his confusion faded and was replaced by concern. “This isn’t how I thought you’d react. Aren’t you happy?”

  “Jah. I mean, yes. Yes, of course.” He took off his hat, closed his eyes, and rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m just surprised. It took my mamm years to have a child. I had assumed that would be the case for us, too.”

  Letting go of his hand, she stepped closer so she could lean in for a hug. When he exhaled, she leaned close, enjoying how strong and solid he felt. “You know my mother had five children in seven years. Sometimes these things don’t take too long.”

  “I guess not.” With obvious care, he wrapped his arms around her and cuddled her close. At last. “Danke, Rachel. You made me mighty happy. Before you know it, I’ll be rushing off work to get home to you and our babe, and this classroom will be a thing of the past.”

  His words pinched. But instead of going down that path, she pressed her face into his neck and breathed in his familiar, clean scent. He was a good man. The best. He cared for her deeply and he always had. She had just made him happy. That was what mattered—not that she was going to have to give up her dream of being a teacher far too soon.

  She needed to remember that.

  REBECCA GOT HOME just in time for supper. After washing up, she helped Darla and Amelia place the country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, thick cream gravy, and roasted carrots on the table.

  A few months ago, she had apologized for not helping to prepare the meals. But when she’d seen the flash of hurt in Amelia’s eyes, Rebecca had realized that she needed to simply be appreciative of Amelia’s efforts. After all, her sister was an excellent cook and an even better homemaker. She didn’t need help cooking their meals. Now, Rebecca simply made sure that she complimented her sister on a fine meal.

  Having Darla in the house was a welcome change, too. When she married Lukas, Lukas had offered to move to her family’s home so she could continue to help care for her siblings.

  But Darla’s oldest siblings, Aaron and Patsy, had firmly pushed aside that idea. After depending on Darla to do so much, they were happy to take over the running of the family. Darla had accepted their wishes without argument. Rebecca thought she was grateful to have some time to concentrate on herself and her new husband.

  Darla’s presence also seemed to ease Lukas’s worries about Levi’s absence. And her large family helped, too. Whether it was because of Amelia’s talents in the kitchen or because Darla was missed, usually one or two of Darla’s siblings joined them each day for the evening meal. Rebecca enjoyed the novelty of having guests for supper. Each one of Darla’s six siblings added something different to the conversation. It was also heartwarming to see how much Darla enjoyed their company.

  Tonight, it was Evan, one of Darla’s younger twin brothers, who stopped by. He was fourteen and had a good sense of humor. After Rebecca, Amelia, and Darla joined Evan and Lukas at the table, the five of them bowed their heads in silent prayer.

  Then the chaos began.

  It had always been like this. When they were little and both of their parents had been alive, whoever was present at dinner seemed to transform once they sat at their old, sturdy oak table. Suddenly everyone had an opinion about everything and had a need to voice it, loudly and proudly. If someone disagreed, they were ignored or talked over.

  Usually Rebecca enjoyed the conversations. They were lively and fun and often a bit humorous, but never without laughter.

  Tonight’s conversation centered on something near and dear to her heart—her bulldog puppy, Oscar.

  “My Oscar is a gut hund,” she said. “The best.” Looking down at him, she thought again how handsome he was, with his white coat and brown spots and ears. She’d always thought he looked as if he’d gotten mixed up in a bucket of white paint.

  “Not hardly,” her normally sweet-natured sister countered. “Your puppy ate my kapp.”

  Rebecca couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “Since it’s on your head, I don’t think you’re much worse for wear.”

  “This is my second-best kapp. My best one, the one I just bought at Miller’s, is shredded to pieces. Your dog had a mighty fun time destroying it, too.”

  “I doubt he enjoyed it. He didn’t know what he was doing. He’s just a puppy. And remember, puppies chew.”

  “I am sorry to say this, Rebecca,” Darla commented, “but I think I must side with Amelia. I saw Oscar running around the house with its remains. The kapp’s ties were hanging out of his mouth. He looked right proud of himself.”

  “He lumbered,” Lukas corrected. “I don’t think that chubby dog is capable of running.”

  “He’s not chubby. It’s how he is made.”

  “He’s cute,
for sure,” Evan said.

  “Danke, Evan. You may come over for supper tomorrow night, too.”

  While Rebecca grinned at the boy, Darla tilted her head as if she was actually trying to weigh Lukas’s words. “Lumbering is a good description, I think.”

  Amelia scowled. “Whatever he did, my kapp is ruined.”

  “Honestly, Amelia, it’s not the end of the world.”

  One perfectly arched eyebrow lifted. “It’s the end of that kapp.”

  “Fine. I’ll buy you a new one.”

  “Danke.”

  Considering how easily her little sister accepted that, Rebecca suspected that had been her goal all along. “But, just for the record, I think you need to start putting your things out of his reach. Or maybe close your bedroom door.”

  “Really, Rebecca?” Amelia said, a look of irritation playing over her usually composed features.

  Lukas groaned. “Let’s not start this. I canna take another argument about nothing.”

  Amelia jutted out her chin. “Just because this doesn’t concern you, it don’t mean it’s nothing, bruder.”

  “Don’t twist my words, sister.”

  Darla placed a steadying hand on Lukas’s arm then turned to Evan with a bright smile. It was obviously pasted on, but Rebecca was impressed with her effort.

  “Evan, how was seeing your sister-in-law at school today?”

  And just like that, all thoughts about Oscar and shredded kapps ceased to be important. Bracing herself to hear the boy’s criticism, Rebecca set her fork down and waited. She knew she hadn’t done a good job filling in for Rachel.

  After looking at her warily, Evan averted his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know.”

  “What does that mean? I’m sure it was a nice change to have Rebecca there.”

  Evan moved a couple of beans around on his plate before replying. “Um, well, we all really like Miss Rachel. She’s a gut teacher.” Looking a bit apologetic, he added, “We’re real used to her ways, too.”

  Rebecca felt her face heat. There it was. A teenaged boy carefully sidestepping her inadequacies, right there for everyone to see. Not wanting to meet Evan’s eyes, she speared a couple of beans on her fork, too.

  After helping himself to another heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes, Lukas looked her way. “What did you do, Rebecca?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, I was only in charge for an hour.”

  “Was that all? It seemed a lot longer than that,” Evan said.

  Of course, it had felt that way, too. Rebecca caught Amelia’s eyes widening before she carefully hid her expression.

  Something about seeing that even her little sister knew she was a hopeless teacher was a rather bitter pill to swallow. “I was there longer, but I didn’t do too much while Rachel was in charge.” Rebecca felt her cheeks flush. “If you want to know the truth, I soon learned that looking after twenty-five kinner is harder than it looks.”

  Lukas rolled his eyes. “How can it be so hard? They’re just children.”

  “Trust me. Children are not easy to handle. Some of them, like that Peter Schlabach, are right difficult.”

  “He was only difficult because you called him a child, Rebecca,” Evan said. “All the kids made fun of him on the way home.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by it.” She sighed. “But jah. I figured that out really fast, too. Still, he should have acted better.”

  “He always acts good when he’s at work,” Lukas pointed out. “He’s one of the hardest-working teenagers we’ve ever had. We’re going to let him deliver mail soon.”

  Rebecca shrugged. “I don’t know what happened, exactly. All I know is that if Rachel hadn’t come in when she did, that boy’s behavior would have gotten even worse.”

  Lukas frowned. “Want me to talk to him?”

  “Of course not. If you say anything, he’s going to think I tattled.”

  “You kind of did,” Amelia pointed out.

  Rebecca rolled her eyes. “You tattled on Oscar.”

  “That hund ate my kapp.”

  “Maybe your next visit will go better,” Darla said encouragingly.

  “Maybe, though it might not.” Actually, she was thinking she had quite a ways to go before she could consider her time in the classroom a success.

  “Maybe you should stick to working at the mill,” Lukas said. “I don’t want to ruin your dream of being a teacher, but we really missed you there. You’re a mighty gut receptionist.”

  “Lukas, you shouldn’t have said that,” Darla chided.

  “Why not? It’s true. She’s wonderful-gut.”

  “That might be so, but everyone needs to follow their heart.”

  Right before their eyes, her bossy brother softened. “That is true,” he said with a smile. “Look what happened to us.”

  “Oh, no,” Evan grumbled. “You two aren’t going to start fawning over each other again, are you?”

  “Evan, you are a guest here,” Darla said. “Mind your manners.”

  “I’m also your bruder. And I don’t want to watch you get all mushy over your husband.” Then, as if he suddenly realized who that husband was, he flushed. “Sorry, Lukas.”

  “I don’t blame you. If Levi was here, he would have said something far more direct.”

  The mention of Levi put an immediate damper on the conversation.

  “I hope Levi is okay,” Amelia whispered. “I wish he’d come home.”

  Their supper conversation tonight was a veritable minefield of taboo topics. Grasping for another subject to raise their spirits, Rebecca said, “Guess what, Evan? I did meet a new student this afternoon.”

  “Oh? Boy or girl?”

  “Girl, and her name is Lilly. She is thirteen. She’s going to start tomorrow.”

  “Where’s she from?”

  “I’m not sure. I thought her daed said he was from Florida, but the girl said something about how she was from Ohio. Anyway, she seemed really nice.”

  “We’ll see.” Evan shrugged. “Girls her age aren’t always so nice to boys.”

  “You’re a full year older than her, Evan,” Darla said.

  “Jah. But to some girls, that don’t matter one bit.”

  The silly, sweet comment was so true and irreverent, Rebecca giggled. And just like that, all of her problems faded away. Lukas chuckled, Darla shook her head in dismay, and Amelia grinned down at her plate.

  As Rebecca smiled at Evan, she gave thanks for him. His simple statement was a nice reminder that everything mattered to someone. No matter how big or small it might seem, it was still important.

  Chapter 4

  Monday, August 17

  Four days later, Rebecca wished she could return to the wonderful feeling of contentment that she’d felt at her supper table. Instead, she was once again sitting behind the circular reception desk of Kinsinger Lumber. The broad granite countertops that surrounded her were covered with piles of folders she hadn’t sorted and messages she’d neither had time to read nor reply to. Phones had been incessantly ringing, customers in the retail showroom had been asking questions, and deliverymen from no less than three companies had stopped to ask her for help.

  She was also currently surrounded by a handful of men, each of whom was acting as if his business was more important than the others.

  “One at a time, please,” she bit out. Again. When they quieted, she turned to the man who’d been standing there the longest. “Now, Jonas, what invoice did you say you had concerns about?”

  “The invoice marked July seventh. I told you that,” he said impatiently.

  She ignored the jab and wrote down his reminder. “I’ll look into it.” Turning to the next man, she said, “Scott, tell me what it was that you needed again.”

  “I need you to call Griffin Mill in Washington State.”

  She wrote that down. “Because?”

  “Their latest shipment of redwood is running two weeks late. The customers who or
dered it want some answers. But no one at Griffin is answering my calls.”

  Though Rebecca wasn’t sure why Scott thought anyone would pick up her calls if they weren’t picking up his, she still wrote down his concerns dutifully. “I’ll call this afternoon.”

  “Danke.” He leaned closer. “And, Becky, when you get an answer, don’t forget to let me know as soon as possible.”

  Rebecca nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself about how she definitely did not have time to trot down to Scott’s building to give him updates. “Next?” she asked wearily.

  Abe smacked his palm down on her desk as if he didn’t already have her full attention. “I need to put in for some vacation, Rebecca.”

  Her patience nearing its end, she shook her head. “You know you should go to your team leader. I canna take care of vacation leave for a whole company.”

  “I know that,” Abe replied, looking just as irritated to be talking to her as she was to be hearing about vacation leave. “However, my team leader is Jeremy Wolfe. He’s out sick. I was told that you were his backup.”

  Shoving a notecard his way, she said, “Write all the pertinent details down, and I’ll take care of it. Next?”

  “We need to check on our fundraiser,” Paul said. “It’s scheduled to take place in six weeks but I don’t think anything’s getting organized.”

  Pulling her spiral notebook closer, Rebecca scribbled Fundraiser. Paul. Check. Hopefully when she finally got to that note she’d remember what it meant, though it was doubtful.

  And so it continued. Four more workers, plus one retail customer, and one builder representative, all with questions and demands. An hour later, after assuring everyone that she could get to his needs far more quickly if he was not watching her every move, Rebecca shooed them all away. Each person left grudgingly.

  “You’re sure you won’t forget about Griffin Mill?” Scott asked.

  “I will not forget, Scott.”

  Glad to have a few minutes of peace and quiet, Rebecca rested her head on the back of her chair and sighed. She wasn’t sure how much longer she was going to be able to do this full-time.