Courting Her Prodigal Heart

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Bishop Bontrager took hold of the horse’s harness. “I’m going to go unhitch Nelly and turn her out in the field.”

Eli raised up from where he set a bag of powdered cement. “I can do that if you want me to.”

“Danki, but I can do it.” The bishop walked the big draft horse away, pulling the wagon.

Eli turned to the other two and grasped the handle of one of the shovels. “Let’s dig a shallow trench for the cinder blocks first.” They would form the foundation of the addition. The string lines had already been set out.

Benjamin Yoder took the other shovel.

Daniel Burkholder grabbed the pick. “I can’t believe the bishop is letting an outrageous Englisher live in his home. And building her a room.”

Eli could hardly believe it himself, but that was not something to voice out loud. One didn’t question the bishop. Besides, the bishop’s actions fell under their Amish rules of forgiveness. “Why shouldn’t he? She’s his enkelin.”

“She abandoned our faith and is English now.”

Though Benjamin Yoder didn’t say anything, he nodded his agreement with Daniel.

Eli didn’t like anyone speaking poorly of her. “She’s obviously decided to return.” At least he hoped that was what she’d decided.

“Dressed like that? And what about her hair? The bishop can’t allow that. Do you think he’s okay? He is pretty old.”

“Of course, he’s fine.” But Eli had to wonder about the bishop, as well. In times past, he wouldn’t have tolerated her appearance, but now, he seemed fine with her returning as she was. He leaned his shovel against the outside of the haus. “I’m going to get a drink of water. Start without me.” He charged up the back steps and through the doorway, wiping his dusty boots as he entered. Then he stopped short. He shouldn’t barge into a haus unannounced with a woman inside. “Hallo?”

Rainbow Girl stepped into his field of vision from the kitchen area. “Hallo.”

His insides did funny things at the sight of her.

“Did you need something?”

He cleared his throat. “I came for a drink of water.”

“Come on in.” She pulled a glass out of the cupboard, filled it at the sink and handed it to him.

“Danki.”

She gifted him with a smile. “Bitte. How’s it going out there?”

He smiled back. “Fine.” He gulped half the glass, then slowed down to sips. No sense rushing.

After a minute, she folded her arms. “Go ahead. Ask your question.”

“What?”

“You obviously want to ask me something. What is it? Why do I color my hair all different colors? Why do I dress like this? Why did I leave? What is it?”

She posed all gut questions, but not the one he needed an answer to. A question that was no business of his to ask.

“Go ahead. Ask. I don’t mind.” Very un-Amish, but she’d offered. Ne, insisted.

He cleared his throat. “Are you going to stay?”

She stared for a moment, then looked away. Obviously, not the question she’d expected, nor one she wanted to answer.

He’d made her uncomfortable. He never should have asked. What if she said ne? Did he want her to say ja? “You don’t have to tell me.” He didn’t want to know anymore.

She pinned him with her steady brown gaze. “I don’t know. I don’t want to, but I’m sort of in a bind at the moment.”

Maybe for the reason she’d been so sad the other day, which had made him feel sympathy for her.

He appreciated her honesty. “Then why does our bishop think you are?”

“He’s hoping I do.”

His heart tightened. “Why are you giving him false hope?” Why was she giving Eli false hope?

“I’m not. I’ve told him this is temporary. He won’t listen. Maybe you could convince him to stop this foolishness—” she waved her hand toward where the building activity was going on “—before it’s too late.”

He chuckled. “You don’t tell the bishop what to do. He tells you.”

He really should head back outside to help the others. Instead, he filled his glass again and leaned against the counter. He studied her over the rim of his glass. Did he want Rainbow Girl to stay? She’d certainly turned things upside down around here. Turned him upside down. Instead of working in his forge—where he most enjoyed spending time—he was here, and gladly so. He preferred working with iron rather than wood, but today, carpentry strangely held more appeal.

Time to get back to work. He guzzled the rest of his water and set the glass in the sink. “Danki.” As he turned to leave, something on the table caught his attention. The door knocker he’d made years ago for Dorcas—Rainbow Girl—ne, Dorcas, but now Rainbow Girl had it. They were the same person, but not the same. He crossed to the table and picked up his handiwork. “You kept this?”

She came up next to him. “Ja. I liked having a reminder of...”

“Of what?” Dare he hope him?

She stared at him. “Of...my life growing up here.”

That was probably a better answer. He didn’t need to be thinking of her as anything more than a lost Englisher.

She pointed to her computer on the table. “I found posts online about a few of your iron pieces you made that Englishers bought. They all praised your work.”

“I don’t care about such things.”

“You should. You could sell a lot more of your pieces with reviews like that, but I couldn’t find your website.”

“I don’t have one.” He’d hoped to be able to sell enough to make a living off his work. So far, he hadn’t and realized he would need a website, but he didn’t want to be beholden to her to get it. He wanted to be self-sufficient.

He needed to create more pieces, and now was a perfect time—with the lighter workload with Vater’s fields rented out.

Since his vater’s heart attack last summer, nine months ago, Eli had been entrusted with more responsibilities around the farm. Fortunately, his vater had decided to rent out the fields this year on the recommendation of the community’s new doctor, Dr. Kathleen. Eli could have handled running the farm himself with his younger brothers. It wouldn’t have been too much for him to manage, but Vater thought otherwise, scared after nearly dying.

Though Eli didn’t like witnessing Vater’s vulnerability, he secretly delighted in the lighter workload. This would give him an opportunity to design more original ironwork pieces in his blacksmith shop behind the barn. He’d consigned a few items in town but hoped to have enough creations to start his own business. Farming was gut and honorable work, but he liked making things with his hands, with hot metal and a hammer. He had ideas for new pieces he wanted to create.

If he could figure out how, this was his chance to get his business going. He knew it would take all the time he’d been afforded in lieu of planting and harvesting. He would need to learn all about selling on the internet, creating a website and proving to the church leaders—his vater being one of them—that his was a viable business worthy of internet access and use. He wouldn’t have another opportunity like this. If he didn’t make a go of this by the fall, he would need to give up his dream.

Rainbow Girl broke into his thoughts. “You need to have a website. You could sell a lot more of your work. Englishers love buying Amish-made stuff. A website can do that for you.”

Ja, he knew he needed a website in order to make money from the Englishers. “I plan to hire an Englisher to do that for me.” So much to do and learn to get started. A bit overwhelming.

“I can do it.”

“Ne. I’ll hire someone.” He couldn’t be beholden to her.

“That would be a waste of money. There are so many programs out there to help you build a site. And they’re easy to use.”

He could make his own site? Ne. “It would be better if I don’t fiddle in Englisher things and let an Englisher do them.”

“So you’re going to pay an Englisher to monitor your website after it’s built and tell you when you have orders? You aren’t going to make any money that way. You need to monitor your own site. I can build you a site and teach you how to maintain it.”

“Ne. I’ll hire an Englisher.” An Englisher who wasn’t her.

“But you can do this. You’ll pick it up fast. I know you will. You always were the smartest boy in class. If I could learn how to do it, then you can.”

She thought he was smart? He liked that. He wanted her to help him, but that wouldn’t be wise. He couldn’t let her do work for him. She wasn’t staying. Or at least she didn’t know if she was staying. How could she not know? She simply needed to make a choice. The right choice. He wouldn’t let her get under his skin to just have her leave again. “Ne. I need to get back to work.” He headed for the back door.

“Eli, wait.”

He turned and resisted the urge to cross over to her. To stand next to her. To stare at her.

She dug a ten-dollar bill from her backpack. “Here. I never had a chance to buy any food with this.” She held it out to him.

He waved it away. “Keep it.” He strode out the door. She probably needed it more than he did.

Once in the yard again, he picked up the shovel and jabbed it into the ground. The trench would stabilize the concrete blocks of the foundation. But what would stabilize him?

He wished he’d grabbed the pick. Swinging it would have been similar to the rhythm of swinging his hammer in his forge. An action that helped him think. An action that could replace thoughts of Rainbow Girl. Instead, he was stuck with her image drifting in the front of his mind.

Chapter Five (#uec86657e-6705-50cd-9003-02c52ab253e8)

Midafternoon, Dori sat in the shade of the front porch of the dawdy haus. Just about time for her younger siblings to return from school. Which ones were still school-age? John, the youngest at age ten, for sure attended school. Luke and Mark at eleven and thirteen would, as well. Sixteen-year-old Matthew had likely gone off to work with Vater