Amish Reckoning

“I’ll get the jack.” Gail ducked under the gooseneck, dashed to the front passenger door and uncovered the jack assembly. When she turned in the V of the open truck door, he was there. She held the jack in front of her like a shield. It wasn’t much protection against her escalating heartbeat that hammered away at his nearness. “Got it,” she said unnecessarily. To her relief, he stepped back and she skirted around him to the tire, pulled off the hubcap and began setting up the jack. Seconds later Samuel crouched at her shoulder.

He was too much like the Amish charmer she’d fallen for years ago, too close for her ricocheting senses and too tempting for her obvious poor judgment in men.

“Do you…ah…know what it is to block a wheel?”

Samuel smiled at her as if she’d asked if he knew what shoofly pie was. “Ja, I think I can handle that.”

“Can you block the far rear one?” The errand would give her a moment of space. Working quickly, she had the jack in place and the nuts loosened by the lug wrench. Gail was starting to loosen the nuts the rest of the way manually when Samuel’s fingers reached for the next lug nut and their hands brushed. Gail jerked hers back. As he quickly loosened that one and moved on to the next, she dropped the nut she held into the upturned hubcap with a clang and stood.

The remaining bolts were quickly stripped of lug nuts under his capable fingers. Samuel pulled the flat tire off and set it aside. “It’s pretty much like changing a buggy wheel—” he grunted as he lifted the spare onto the bolts “—except with rubber, heavier, wider and the buggy has a name.” He shot her a grin over his shoulder. “Where’d you come up with Bonnie?”

“Ah.” Gail wasn’t going to mention that Bonnie, a big Percheron mare, had been her favorite among her daed’s draft horses. “Um, black truck. Bonnie starts with B. Just popped into my head when I was driving.” One time when I was traveling long miles by myself, trying to support a child, so homesick I cried for about sixty miles. I just needed something from home.

Gail slid the hubcap with the lug nuts within his reach. Grabbing the deflated tire, she maneuvered it to the truck’s tailgate, wrestled it into the bed and slammed the tailgate shut. Samuel had stepped back from the wheel by the time she returned. Kneeling, Gail released the jack and used the wrench to finish tightening the nuts.

“I can do that.” Samuel’s voice came from just off her shoulder.

Gail switched the wrench to the next nut, her brow lowering as she stared at the tread of the spare. It wasn’t in much better condition than the flat they’d removed. Reality settled in like the weight of the truck on the unjacked tire. “I got it. My truck, my responsibility. But thanks for your help.” He must have heard the dismissal in her tone, as he stepped aside. Gail could feel his gaze on the back of her head.

Concern for her and Lily’s future chased away the long-dormant feelings of awareness and attraction that’d fluttered like a newly caged bird through her. She had no time for such frivolous things when their livelihood was at risk. Without another word, she stored the jack assembly, leaving the front passenger door open in unspoken invitation for him to get into the truck. As she rounded the hood, Gail glanced dejectedly at the other front tire, apprehensive now that it’d blow out as well before they reached the city. She’d let it go too far. They all needed replacing. There was no more postponing the inevitable.

With slumped shoulders, she climbed into the truck. Returning to the highway intersection after finding a lane in which to turn around, Gail looked to the right and found Samuel watching her. Giving him a weak, warped smile, she turned on the radio again. Upbeat music, contradictory to her mood, reverberated through the cab as she pulled onto the road.

As they headed toward Milwaukee, Gail didn’t know which was more detrimental to her peace of mind—the attractive Amish man beside her or her nonexistent finances that were about to get worse.

Finances won. With risky tires, she couldn’t make any income. Without the income, she’d lose the rig. Without the rig—Gail inhaled sharply through her nose—she could lose her daughter.

When Samuel asked a few questions, Gail cranked the music to avoid conversation and the distraction it brought. Hands firm on the steering wheel in case another of Bonnie’s tires decided to go, she sent up a simple prayer. Gott said not to worry about tomorrow, but that was hard to remember when your future was riding on four bald tires and an empty bank account.

Unfortunately for her bank account, but fortunately for the sorry turn of events, Gail had no extra hauls scheduled that day. At the track, she took a moment to introduce Samuel to a few key people, primarily trainer George Hayes, before leaving the trailer in the track’s back parking lot and heading for the tire dealer George had recommended.

Safety first. The thought drummed through her head in concert with her fingers that rested on the open window. Her daughter was an occasional passenger. Her reputation transporting horses depended on it. Gail’s heart pounded at the possibility of a blowout and loss of control when Lily was in the truck, or an equine passenger was in the trailer.

She could live without air-conditioning. She had for years growing up. She couldn’t live without safe tires. Getting a complete set was the right thing to do. Even knowing that truth, her stomach twisted as later she handed over the credit card that already had a balance higher than her bank account.

She’d have to get an extra job. Gail’s stomach wrenched further. That would mean more missed time with her three-year-old daughter. It felt like she was rarely home as it was.

Home. Gail flattened her lips at the thought of it. Not the tiny basement apartment she shared with Lily, but the well-kept farm Gail had grown up on. If only she could go home…

Picking up the newspaper in the waiting area, she flipped to the want ads. There were jobs, but nothing she was qualified for. Gail dropped the paper and crossed her arms. Hopefully, Samuel knew what he was doing and was more than just a pretty face. Although Gail made some money with him as a passenger, the real money was when she was hauling horses. If he bought even one or, better yet, two today, it would help her desperate finances. She’d be thrilled enough to ignore her hard-earned wariness and hug Samuel Schrock’s handsome neck.

If he’d only buy a horse.

Samuel waited outside George Hayes’s stable block where Gail had left him that morning.

It’d been a wunderbar day. Knowing that he looked strange even for a stranger, Samuel had been uncharacteristically nervous when he’d first arrived at the track, but the few brief introductions from Gail had set him on an effective course for the day. He’d even bought a horse, an older gelding that no longer made the time trials, from George. It was a risk on his first day, but Gail obviously respected the older man, so Samuel figured it was safe to do so, as well.

He smiled at the thought of his freight hauler. Old Elam must’ve had something he didn’t, because if Gail was what Elam called decent company, the man hadn’t gotten out much. Or had spent too much time with only horses.

Of course, maybe she didn’t get out much, either, if she was naming her truck. He snorted at the memory. Samuel almost wished there’d been four tires needing changing instead of just the one. She’d seemed almost friendly there by the side of the road.

But as soon as they’d climbed back into the truck, it was back to business and ear-ringing music. Samuel liked Englisch music, but he liked a good conversation, as well. Particularly one with a pretty woman. With her dark hair and expressive blue eyes, Gail-the-freight-hauler was definitely a pretty woman.

One who was as skittish around him as an unbroken filly. Old Elam had indicated that trust was paramount in his new position, but Samuel had never figured that would be an issue with women. He’d never had a problem with them before, Amish or Englisch. He didn’t expect one now, but it was hard to flirt with a woman while shouting. And every effort of his had been deflected. The woman certainly had a way with words. A way of speaking as few of them as possible.

The July afternoon sun beat down on him. Using a knuckle to tip his flat-brimmed hat farther back off his sweating forehead, Samuel watched the horse and the human traffic that flowed around him. It was quieter in the stable block now than it’d been earlier. A number of equine athletes were already returned to their stalls for the day. Latecomers from the track passed, some with jog carts, most with racing bikes; their nickers of greeting to their stablemates along with the stomps of shod hooves, rattle of stall doors and murmur of distant conversations were muffled in the sultry air.

Glancing down the shed row, Samuel caught sight of Gail, immediately recognizable from her long but feminine stride and graceful lean figure. She walked like she had someplace to go and was intent on getting there. His lips curved into an admiring smile. Although he enjoyed the efforts of the young Amish women who’d vied for his favor, none had caught his attention. But this one might. Samuel’s smile widened. Then she’d throw it right back at him.

She’d been in the back of his mind all afternoon, which was disconcerting as so many wunderbar new things had been peppering the front. His driver was very attractive indeed, but Samuel wasn’t about to do anything to risk their professional relationship. He needed Gail for his business. And based on the age of the truck, the trailer and her worn blue jeans, she needed him as a customer.

While it’d been a gut day for him, as Gail got closer he could tell from her drooping shoulders that it hadn’t been such a gut one for her.

She stopped several feet away from him. “Ready?” Distressed or not, she wasn’t one to dawdle.

Samuel nodded and tipped his head back toward George’s stable block. “Need to pick up a horse first.”

“Really?”

For a moment Samuel thought he was seeing a second sunrise in the day, the way Gail’s face lit up. She lunged forward, her arms lifted like she was going to throw them around his neck.

Chapter Three

They were inches apart for a breathless moment before Gail took a step back, her face as red as some racing silks that he’d seen on the track that day. Releasing a quiet sigh, Samuel regretted that she hadn’t come to her senses a few seconds later.

Samuel knew he’d love this job. And if this was the way his pretty driver reacted when he made a purchase, he envisioned himself quickly gaining a small herd of horses, the big white barn at the farm bursting at the seams.

Gail awkwardly rubbed her hands together. “Let’s, ah, let’s go get him, then.”

Nodding, Samuel turned and headed for the stall that held his new purchase, with Gail falling in step beside him.

“He’s a sweetie.” Gail ran a hand down the sleek neck of the gelding while Samuel obtained a lead rope from the attending groom. “I can tell by his eyes. They’re patient. Approachable. Calm.” She smoothed the horse’s forelock over the bay’s broad forehead.

Samuel suppressed his responding snort. That was at least three qualities the gelding didn’t share with the woman petting him. Snapping the lead rope to the horse’s halter, he unhooked the half door and led the horse out. “Those characteristics might be the very reasons he’s coming with me instead of staying at the track.” The steady clip-clop of the bay’s steps accompanied them as they headed for the parking lot.

“Different realities in life require different strengths. I’m sure he’ll do fine in his new role. You have a prospective buyer for him?”

“I’ve got a neighbor who mentioned he was looking for a new horse for his wife. I’m thinking this one might be a good fit.”

On the other side of the horse, it was quiet a moment before he heard her murmur, “Good. Sometimes it’s hard to find the right fit for your life.”

When they reached the truck and trailer, the gelding loaded like the pro he was. After watching Gail secure the trailer latch, Samuel walked the length of the trailer, pausing when he reached the rear of the truck and noticed the tires, all dark and shiny.

He raised his voice to be heard across the truck where she was approaching the driver’s side. “You didn’t just replace the one?”

From the far side of the truck he heard the slam of the cab door. Gail didn’t respond until Samuel climbed in beside her. “They all needed to be replaced. It’s safer.” She gave him a lopsided smile. “Don’t want to give our new passenger a ride like this morning.” She started the engine and rolled down the windows. “Or worse.”

They pulled out of the parking lot, the open windows letting in a hot breeze. As they took the ramp to the interstate, the truck’s speed picked up, as did the rush of air into the cab. Although loud, it didn’t prohibit conversation like the music had on the way in.

Gail glanced over, frowning apologetically. “Sorry about the windows. The air-conditioning is misbehaving.”

Samuel grinned. “S’all right. It’s about the only thing I’ve faced today that I’m used to. At home, instead of the breeze blowing in the side windows, it’s coming through the front. And it doesn’t come as fast.”

He thought her lips tipped up toward a smile, but he wasn’t sure. “Bonnie seems a bit cantankerous.”

Gail patted the weathered dash. “She’s all right. Just needs a little support and TLC now and then, like all of us.”

“Speaking of support, thank you for the introductions this morning.”

“No problem.” For a few miles, except for the streaming wind noise, it was silent. Samuel saw Gail glance at the radio, like she was thinking of turning it on, but didn’t. Instead, she pitched her voice above the cab noise and asked, “Elam didn’t mention much about you. Are you originally from the Miller’s Creek area?”

“Nee. Moved up to Wisconsin from Ohio last year. Followed my older bruder.” He shrugged. “Seems I’m always following him in some manner. This is my first solo adventure. Malachi’s very successful. He’s…” Samuel struggled with words that would accurately describe his bruder. “I admire him greatly, but it’s time for me to strike my own path. That’s why this job opportunity is wunderbar. It’s a chance to make my own way doing something I love.” He rested an elbow on the edge of the open window. “You ever feel like a sapling under the shade of a huge oak tree?”

Samuel glanced over at Gail. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she was about to say something, but all the conversation was in her eyes. It must have been a difficult one. Samuel didn’t speak, waiting to hear what she wanted to share. When she remained silent, he took pity on her.

“What? No music this time?” To him, it was a victory. The comment earned him another small smile.

Gail clicked on the radio and adjusted it so it was just a quiet thrum under the sound of the breeze. Her shoulders rose and fell under a slow, deep sigh. “So what does your oak of a brother do?”

Samuel grinned at the reference. It was an apt description of Malachi. “He owns a furniture business. A shop and the attached store in Miller’s Creek. Used to be Fisher Furniture.”

Gail remembered Fisher Furniture. It’d been a fixture on Miller’s Creek’s main street. She used to love going into town on shopping day. “What happened to the Fishers?”

“Amos Fisher died sometime back. Don’t know the cause, but he’d apparently been sick awhile. Bishop Weaver wouldn’t allow his daughter to continue to own the shop that employed several men, so she had to sell. Malachi bought the business and a farm—the one you picked me up at this morning—and we moved in.”

Gail’s fingers tightened on the wheel as she recalled her own encounters with the Weaver family. She wasn’t surprised to hear Bishop Weaver had forced another Amish community member into something against their wishes.

From her peripheral vision, Gail could see that Samuel was smiling. He always seemed to be smiling. Didn’t the man take anything seriously? “What?” she pressed when he didn’t say any more.

“In the move, Malachi ended up with the business and a wife. He married the previous owner’s daughter. I’m not sure how that happened. Most of their interactions that I witnessed had her fluffed up like an outraged cat. But one day she was making arrangements to leave the community and seems like the next, their upcoming wedding was announced in church.”

Gail remembered Ruth Fisher, as well. She was glad for her. She’d always liked the energetic Ruth. Glancing over at her passenger, she found Samuel watching her pensively, like he was going to ask her something. Possibly something about her own history.

That wasn’t going to happen.

“So, what? You flunked at making tables, chairs and dressers?”

“If flunk is the same as fail, I didn’t flunk at anything. Not to be hochmut, but I was a pretty good furniture maker.”

Gail’s own lips twitched at the wry grin on his handsome face.

“Most of the time,” he conceded. He shifted in his seat, turning more to face her. “Ruth caught occasional, very minor—” he held his fingers a hairbreadth apart “—errors and made me correct them. When they were married, they moved to Ruth’s farm. With settling into the farm, the furniture business and now a new wife, my bruder has his hands full. One of the reasons that Malachi released me from the business was that I’m taking on more of the farmwork for both places. I’m gut with that. My bruder is a fair boss, but I’d rather be working outside and with livestock instead of being under a roof all day.”

That was something Gail easily understood. She missed being part of a working farm. The baby animals in the spring. The warm earth beneath her bare feet in the garden. Lily would’ve loved those and other aspects of a close-knit family farm life. If only they could go home…

“So who’s your oak?”

Although Gail’s eyes were on the road and the sweeping Wisconsin countryside, her older sister immediately came to mind. She hadn’t talked about her family to anyone in years. The vehicle slowed as a tsunami of homesickness swept over her. Glancing over, Gail found Samuel watching her again. There was no judgment in his gaze. Only a speck of…commiseration? She returned her attention to the highway in front of her.

“My sister. She’s perfect. Never puts a foot wrong no matter the situation.” The words escaped before she realized it. Puffing out a breath, Gail continued, “Which was the opposite of me growing up. I was more impulsive, which sometimes got me in trouble.” She frowned. “I’d like to despise her perfection, but in addition to being perfect, she’s…sweet. Really nice. Sincerely nice.”

Recollections of her older sister made Gail swallow hard. She shot a look at Samuel again. He was nodding his head solemnly, as if he understood.

“Ach, I see what you mean. She isn’t like you at all.”

Gail blinked and dropped her jaw as she processed what he’d said. Without thinking, she reached out and bumped his shoulder with her fist. He didn’t try to dodge, just grinned his magical grin.

“So how did you become such a fine, sturdy tree, then?” There was humor in his voice, but all thoughts of responding to its playful timbre evaporated from Gail at the memory of how she’d had to change so much, so fast.

“I moved away.” Leaning forward, she flicked up the volume on the radio. “And never went back.”

To her dismay, he reached out and turned it back down. “Why not?”

Gail strove to ignore the warmth that ran up her spine at the rich tone of his voice. She attributed it to the thought of revealing her history. Wasn’t going to happen. An expert in redirection, she responded, “I’d always heard that men liked to talk about themselves.”

Although her eyes were fixed on the windshield in front of her, she could hear the smile in his voice. “You must be thinking of Englisch men. It would be too hochmut for an Amish man to do so.”

Gail snorted. “And you aren’t proud?” There was an unexpected silence where she’d expected a quick retort.

His voice was thoughtful when he finally responded. “Not hochmut. Just…confident. Sometimes it takes confidence to get things done. To face new situations. If I didn’t have some level of confidence, how could I have the courage to leave my old job and start a new, uncertain one?”

Gail pulled off the highway onto the country road that led to his farm. She was surprised at his insight. If she hadn’t had some level of confidence in herself, she’d never have made it as a pregnant teenager leaving the Amish community. It had tested every minute amount she’d had. Still did.

She’d already succumbed once to a charming Amish man. Look where that’d gotten her. While she couldn’t afford to lose this man as a customer, she couldn’t afford any attraction to him. Gail tightened her grip on the steering wheel. As long as Samuel limited his obvious passion to his job and not his driver, they wouldn’t have a problem.

Slowing for the turn into his lane, she glanced toward the big white house. What she saw in the farmyard drove the breath from her body.

Climbing into a buggy were two women, one petite with auburn hair, the other tall and blonde.

Hissing in a breath, Gail made the careful turn off the road and pulled to the edge of the two-track gravel lane. Not wanting to stop—that might prompt the approaching buggy to do so, as well—she kept the truck inching along as far to the side of the driveway as she could. Blindly, she flipped up the armrest beside her and dug in between the seats until she closed her fingers on the brim of her ball cap. Snatching it, with one hand still clenched on the steering wheel, she awkwardly tugged it on, pulling the brim as low on her forehead as possible. Whipping her head toward the pasture that bordered the lane, she tried focusing her gaze on the two placid Belgians grazing there, only to see Samuel watching her, a puzzled frown on his face.

“It’s my sister-in-law, Ruth, and her friend Hannah Lapp. Every once in a while they take pity on my younger bruder, Gideon, and me and bring over some food. Unfortunately, they draw the line at housecleaning and doing laundry. They’ve seen female Englisch drivers before. Don’t worry.”

He lifted a hand to wave. Gail captured his hand, surprising them both. Jerking hers back, Gail grabbed the wheel with both hands. Unrestrained, Samuel gave a friendly wave to the pair, his eyes remaining on Gail. His look said he probably thought she was jealous. Let him. It was the least of her concerns.

Gail glanced up the lane. From the corner of her eye, she saw the two women wave back. Beneath the kapps whose ribbons floated in the breeze of the moving buggy, Gail could easily make out their smiling faces. Hunching her shoulders, she sank lower in the seat. When the two vehicles were side by side, she put her hand by her face, ducked her head and stared at the footwell under Samuel’s seat. Breathing shallowly, she could hear the clip-clop of hooves and the buggy wheels crunching on gravel as they passed a few feet away. Please don’t stop, please don’t stop… The mantra echoed in her head as she counted the eyelets on his brown work boots.

The truck inched forward. When the sounds of the rig faded, Gail dragged in a deep breath.

“They’re gone.”

Lifting her head, Gail checked the rearview mirror to ensure the buggy wasn’t turning around. Only when their Standardbred sprang into a ground-covering trot did her anxiety ebb. Silently, she drove up the rest of the lane and circled the farmyard to back the trailer toward the barn. Shifting into Park, she reluctantly faced Samuel.