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Sadie felt guilty for gossiping, but she wanted to know. “How did his wife die?”
“She fell off a chair cleaning a window and hit her head. A neighbor found her and called an ambulance, but she was already gone,” Maria lamented and Sadie’s eyes filled. “I think Levi’s afraid something like that might happen to his kinner, too, and that’s why he’s overly protective. His mamm was the only person he trusted to take care of them. Ever since she died and he’s had to rely on nannies, he’s become even more cautious. I know it must be difficult to tolerate. That’s one of the reasons I’m working in the shop instead of watching the kinner myself. But...”
“But it helps to know why he is the way he is,” Sadie finished her sentence. “Denki for sharing that. It gives me a different outlook.”
“Gut, because I was close friends with Leora and I’m still very fond of Levi. I’d hate for him to lose you, too—”
“Hey, I was using that!” Elizabeth scolded her brother, who hugged the glue stick to his chest so she couldn’t take it.
Her conversation with Maria interrupted, Sadie decided it was time for the children to get a little fresh air before lunch. She invited Maria to eat with them but Maria declined, saying she’d take her break in the workshop with the men when they came in to eat the meals they’d brought from home.
“Feel free to drop by again. It’s nice to have a woman around here to talk to.”
“I feel the same way,” Sadie told her. But now that she had new insight about Levi, she didn’t mind the prospect of chatting with him again, either.
“Something smells appenditlich,” Levi commented after he said grace. It really did; he wasn’t just trying to butter Sadie up and influence her decision to stay.
“It’s stew.” Sadie placed the pot on a trivet in the center of the table to serve them. Her cheeks were flushed and the children’s faces were ruddy, too.
“Did you go outside this morning?”
“Jah, but we didn’t go any farther than the barn. You said we could,” Sadie quickly reminded him, as if she was afraid they’d get in trouble. Had he really come across as that prohibitive this morning? No wonder she was considering whether to stay or not.
“Oh, gut. I was only asking because your complexion looks pretty...” he began but stopped midsentence to concentrate on not spilling the full bowl of stew Sadie handed him. When he set it down in front of him, he suddenly realized what he’d said and rushed to clarify. “I meant to say your skin looks pretty pink. Very pink, that is, not pretty. Although it’s not not pretty, either. David’s and Elizabeth’s faces are extremely pink, as well.”
Levi was certain his face was the pinkest of them all as Sadie bit back a smile and graciously switched subjects. “We stopped in the workshop and said hello to Maria, too.”
“She let us make ornaments,” David said.
“But the kinner didn’t go anywhere near Maria’s shears,” Sadie informed him. “Or get too close to the woodstove.”
Levi blinked. Was Sadie mocking him? Or was she trying to reassure him she took his concerns seriously? If so, Levi appreciated it, although he wondered what accounted for her sudden change in attitude.
“Then we played Freeze Tag in the yard. It’s like tag but you have to freeze in place like this.” David leaped up from his chair and struck a pose, causing Levi to chuckle. His laughter grew louder the longer David remained motionless, refusing to even blink.
“All right, sit down and eat your lunch now,” he finally directed his son.
“You have to tag him first.” Elizabeth walked around the table and tapped her brother on the shoulder. “Like that.”
“Denki, Elizabeth. I was getting starved,” David said appreciatively, taking his seat again.
Tickled by their cheerful behavior, Levi turned his attention to Sadie. It occurred to him he’d been so preoccupied with his own concerns that morning he hadn’t asked Sadie to tell him anything about herself.
“I’d like to hear more about your life in Pennsylvania. Do you work as a nanny there, too?”
“Neh, I worked in a furniture store.” She blew on a spoonful of meat. “But sales were in decline and the owner couldn’t employ two clerks, so here I am.”
Relieved by her response, Levi said, “We’re glad you are, aren’t we, kinner?” Their mouths were full, but they nodded vigorously.
He tried to think of something else to ask Sadie but his mind went blank, so they ate in silence. Once their meal was over, Sadie suggested the children take picture books to their rooms and told them she’d be up to tuck them in for their naps after she finished the dishes.
When Elizabeth paused in the doorway and asked, “Will you still be here when we wake up, Sadie?” Levi felt a prick of guilt, remembering how their second nanny actually did leave when the children were napping. She was so peeved about something he’d said she didn’t even finish out the day.
“Of course I will. I’m staying until the day before Grischtdaag.”
Her answer elicited cheers from the children. Over their heads Levi caught Sadie’s eye and mouthed, Denki.
When she nodded and smiled back it occurred to him his household was beginning to experience the return of joy. Maybe David was right; maybe Christmas was when wonderful things happened.
Chapter Three (#ud5561fbc-93ae-5418-a2ef-5b767fb3ed3f)
On Tuesday morning it was Levi who answered the door because the children were still getting dressed. “They fell asleep right away last night, so I thought they’d be up bright and early today but I had a difficult time rousing them.”
Suspecting they were tired because she’d run their legs off playing Freeze Tag yesterday, Sadie stifled a smile. There was no need to gloat. “My guess is they’ll be hungrier than usual this morning, so I’ll make pannekuche and wascht for breakfast.” She’d taken inventory of the pantry the day before, so she knew Levi had the ingredients for pancakes on hand and there was sausage in the fridge.
“Denki. I already put on a pot of kaffi. Would you like me to pour you a cup before I go see to the milking?”
Pleased by the gesture, Sadie accepted. As she mixed the batter, she hummed softly. Clearly Levi intended this day to get off to a much better start and so did she. The children were their usual cheerful selves, although David couldn’t stop yawning.
“Schlofkopp.” Levi affectionately called his son a sleepyhead. “If you and your schweschder had gotten up earlier, we could have taken Sadie on a tour of the farm. Now it’s too late. I have to go meet the crew.”
“That’s all right,” Sadie assured him. “We’ll run around in the yard or walk to the barn like we did yesterday.”
Levi shot her a grateful look. “If we have a quick lunch this afternoon, I’ll have time to show you around then. That way, you and the kinner will have more options for your outdoor activities.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind, we’d really like that,” Sadie replied.
“It would be my pleasure.”
Elizabeth screwed up her face and asked, “Why are you and Sadie talking funny, Daed? It sounds narrish.”
“Elizabeth,” Levi admonished, “that’s not any way for a kind to speak to her eldre.”
Elizabeth apologized, but Sadie silently admired how astute the child was; Sadie and Levi were being overly polite and their conversation sounded artificial to her ears, too. Although it was better than the previous day’s tense discussions, Sadie hoped in time they’d relax around each other enough to talk naturally.
After Levi left, Sadie washed the dishes while the children brushed their teeth, made their beds and took turns sweeping the floors. Then she read to them from the Bible and helped them practice writing their names before they went outside, where Sadie taught them how to play Simon Says and Mother, May I, followed by another round of Freeze Tag.
She must have needed more time to get used to the climate because Sadie wanted to go back inside before the children did. “If we keep playing Freeze Tag, I’m going to freeze for real!”
“Five more minutes, please?” Elizabeth cajoled and David echoed her request.
Sadie realized playing outdoors was so new to them they probably felt like they couldn’t get enough of it, so she gave in to their request. After another twenty minutes of chasing each other, they returned to the house to warm up and make hot chocolate, which they then brought to the workshop to share with Maria.
“You must have known I needed your help again, Elizabeth and David,” Maria said. “Would you like to decorate one of the trunk ornaments you made yesterday? We’ll hang them up as examples for the Englisch kinner.”
“Do you need my help, too?” Sadie asked as Maria situated the children at their workbench, out of earshot.
“I won’t turn it down, that’s for sure. We’re shipping these to our vendors on Thursday and then I’ll assemble more for sale here. I’m worried I won’t have enough made by the time we open, especially since I won’t be here next Tuesday.” Maria snapped her fingers and set down her mug. “Ach! That reminds me, I have something for you.”
“What’s this?” Sadie asked instead of opening the envelope Maria had fished from her tote bag and handed to her.
“It’s from Grace Bawell. You didn’t get to meet her Sunday because she was visiting relatives in Unity but I saw her yesterday evening and she asked me to deliver this to you. It’s a note inviting you to her hochzich. She wanted to invite you in person, but she’s so busy with the preparations she can’t make the trip over here.”
“An invitation to her hochzich?” Sadie repeated blankly. She felt as if her face were made of brick and she couldn’t have smiled if she wanted to.
“Jah, a week from today. I can’t wait. I love hochzichen!”
“Well, I don’t.” The words escaped her lips before Sadie could stop them and she scrambled for something to say that wouldn’t sound rude. She repeated, “Well, I don’t...want her to feel like she has to invite me just because I arrived at the wrong time—at the last minute, I mean.”
“That’s narrish. Open it. Read her note. She really wants you there.”
Sadie unsealed the envelope and scanned the card for details. On the bottom in tiny print, Grace had written, I truly hope you’ll come, Sadie! I can’t wait to meet you and introduce you to my husband (to-be). Until then, may the Lord bless you—Grace. Sadie’s groan was audible.
“What’s wrong? You’re acting as if you’ve been summoned to a funeral, not invited to a hochzich.”
Realizing how ill-mannered she appeared, Sadie said, “It’s lovely of Grace to invite me, but...but Levi might not give me the day off.”
“Lappich! Levi and the kinner will be attending, too. I don’t know how your district does things in Pennsylvania, but here in Serenity Ridge, we close our businesses and the teacher and scholars take the day off school for hochzichen, too. The entire church is expected to go—it would be unthinkable for anyone to stay home.”
Of course, that was exactly how things were done in Sadie’s district, but she’d been hoping it was different in Maine. She stammered, “I, uh, I guess I’ll be there, then.”
Maria clapped. “Gut! And don’t worry about being new here and not knowing anyone—Grace will pair you up with a friendly bachelor for supper.”
“Neh, she shouldn’t do that!” Sadie objected.
Amish weddings lasted all day. There was the three-hour church service and ceremony, which was followed by a big dinner. Guests socialized, sang and played games throughout the afternoon, and in the evening there was a second, informal meal. It was tradition for the bride and sometimes the groom to play matchmaker, seating young, unmarried people together for supper.
“Why not? Do you have a suitor back in Pennsylvania?”
“Back in Pennsylvania, I wouldn’t tell you if I did,” Sadie retorted, irritated by Maria’s persistence. “We consider courting to be a private matter.”
Maria blinked rapidly and the tips of her ears went red. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m sorry.”
Sadie felt terrible; her new friend was only trying to make her feel welcome. “You have no reason to apologize. I’m the one who’s being rude and I’m sorry. It’s just that I came to Maine to avoid going to hochzichen.”
In a hushed tone she described what had happened—what hadn’t happened—between her and Harrison. Abashed, Sadie concluded by telling Maria she’d decided to put all thoughts of romance out of her mind so she wouldn’t be so desperate to be in a courtship that she made a mistake like that again.
“I understand why you wouldn’t want to attend Harrison’s hochzich, but I’m not sure you can just make up your mind you’re finished with romance,” Maria countered. “It has a way of creeping up on you.”
Sadie giggled. “You make it sound like catching the flu. Which might actually be an accurate comparison, judging from my experience.”
Waving a bough at her, Maria said, “That’s because you haven’t met the right man yet.”
“I don’t want to. Not right now and certainly not here, since I’m going home in a month.” Sadie fiddled with a lopsided bow, pulling it straight before venturing to ask, “You said you love hochzichen, but be honest. Doesn’t it bother you to watch meed much younger than you getting married?”
“Are you asking if I feel like a bitter old maid? I’m only thirty-one, you know. That’s hardly ancient.”
“Neh,I didn’t mean it like that—”
“It’s okay,” Maria said with a laugh. “But neh, it doesn’t bother me, because I wouldn’t want to marry the men they’re marrying. Not that they’re not wunderbaar men, because they are. But their suitors wouldn’t have been the man for me. I’d rather wait however long it takes to marry the man Gott intends for me to marry than get married simply because I’ve reached a certain age.”
“Then you still think...” Sadie realized the question was rude, so she let her sentence dangle but Maria seemed to read her thought.
“Do I think there is a man out there the Lord has intended for me to marry?” Maria didn’t hesitate to answer. “Jah, I do. And I think there’s one out there for you, too. Like it or not!”
Sadie was about to say, “I won’t hold my breath,” but Maria looked so earnest Sadie changed her mind and forced a laugh in spite of herself.
After lunch Levi pushed aside his plate, unfolded a small map and laid it flat it on the table. “The printer delivered these this morning, so I brought you one,” he told Sadie, who pinched her lips together. Was she irritated or amused? “I had them made for the customers so they’d know how to navigate back to the exit once they’ve chosen their trees, but I thought you could use one, as well. Not that you’ll get lost, but I wanted us to have a common reference point. This way, if I tell you what part of the farm I’m working on and later you need to find me, you can just look at this. All the sections and rows are labeled.”
“That was a gut idea. Denki.” Sadie smiled, relaxing at his explanation and coming around to his side of the table. As she leaned to examine the map, her sleeve brushed against his. She traced a marking with her slender finger. “What does this symbol indicate?”
“That’s the pond.” Acutely aware he hadn’t been in such close proximity to a woman in ages, Levi was suddenly nervous. He didn’t want to intrude on Sadie’s personal space, so he sat as motionless as David had been when he demonstrated how to play Freeze Tag.
“Is this thing in the middle of the pond a duck?”
Levi chuckled. “That’s a caution flag, so the customers know to keep their kinner from wandering off to the other side of the barn. The printer duplicated my original sketch. I guess I should have asked David or Elizabeth to help with the drawing.”
Sadie giggled and stood straight again. Collecting the dirty plates from the table, she asked, “Now that I have the map, does that mean you’re not giving me a personal tour?”
Is she relieved...or disappointed? Levi couldn’t tell from the levity of her tone. Before he could say it was her choice, David spoke up.
“Aw, Daed, you promised we could show Sadie our farm and help you point out hazards she might not have in Pennsylvania.”
“David!” Elizabeth admonished. “You were supposed to be secret about that so Sadie doesn’t think Daed is too bossy.”
Levi cringed, but Sadie calmly replied, “That’s okay, Elizabeth, I won’t think your daed is being too bossy. I’ll think he just wants us to be safe.”
“We can’t be safe if we don’t help point out the hazards,” David reasoned.
Levi caught Sadie’s eye and shrugged. “It’s up to you.”
“Then jah, let’s take a tour of the hazards,” Sadie replied with a wink that caused Levi to grin from ear to ear. “You three go put on your coats while I finish rinsing the dishes.”
When Levi and the children had donned their outerwear and Sadie still didn’t come to the mudroom, Levi brought her jacket to her in the kitchen. Holding it up so she could slip her arms into it, he asked, “Are you going to be cold? This coat seems kind of thin.”
“I’ll be fine. Tomboys are tough,” she said as Elizabeth came into the room.
“Daed, you tied my scarf too tight. My neck is choking,” she complained, so Sadie loosened it for her before they finally set out on their trek.
Sadie was so inquisitive about the farm and so appreciative of the beauty of the landscape it seemed time stood still as the foursome made their way around the property. Since Levi’s break was already half-over, they didn’t get to cover the entire farm, but he showed Sadie a sizable section of the acreage—including the “hazardous” pond, “treacherous” rocks and the “precarious” run-down shack on his neighbor’s property—before she began to shiver. I knew that coat wasn’t warm enough for her. It’s too bad I donated my mamm’s clothing or I could have given Sadie her wool coat.
“Does anyone want a mug of hot chocolate?” she asked when they returned. The children said yes, so she directed them into the living room to warm up by the woodstove while she heated the milk. “Would you like some, too, Levi?”
He’d already taken twice as long as he usually took for a lunch break, but the afternoon had been so pleasant he wanted to draw it out. “Jah, please. While you’re making it, I’ll bring in more wood. I can hear your teeth chattering from here. I’ll get the fire roaring and then we can drink our cocoa in the living room.”
When he returned, there were two mugs and two plates holding thin slices of shoofly pie on the kitchen table. Sadie raised a finger to her lips and pointed to the living room with her other hand. “The twins couldn’t hold out until nap time. I’ll stoke the fire later. I don’t want to wake them—I brought the leftover pie from church and there’s really enough for two people. I was going to give it to the kinner, but...”
“Their loss is our gain,” Levi jested. When he pulled his chair away from the table, it loudly scraped against the floor. He and Sadie simultaneously stopped moving and cocked their ears toward the living room, but they didn’t hear the children stirring, so they took their seats.
