A Widow's Hope (18 page)

Seth took a long swallow of tea. “I had no intention of buying today, Hannah. I only wanted to see what was available and gauge the going price. Never buy the first time you see something. You’ll usually regret it.” He looked toward the street where several teams of draft horses were leaving the parking lot. They pulled trailers loaded with new livestock.

She nodded in agreement. “That’s true. You might find a private owner willing to sell part or all his flock, and you’d be taking less risk.”

When Seth finished his sandwich, he took a small white card from his pocket. “Remember the bulletin board I told you about—the one that hangs in the auction barn?”

Hannah wrapped up the rest of her sandwich to take home. “
Jah,
you said someone might have herding dogs for sale.”

“You are in luck.” He set the card on the table.

Hannah read aloud. “For sale: Border collie pups, twelve weeks old, weaned. No AKC papers but trained to gather and work hard. Nonaggressive. Gentle with animals and people.” She grinned with joy. “I love border collies. They’re usually good-natured dogs.”

Seth rose from the bench and gathered their wrappers. “You wait for me here. There’s a pay phone on the street. I’ll see where these dogs live and how much the owner wants for them.”

By the time Hannah finished her tea, Seth was back. “Let’s go into Kidron Hardware; then we’ll need to be off,” he said. “It’s a long way home.”

He was no longer smiling, so she assumed the price was too high. No matter. She’d gotten along fine without a dog thus far.

Inside the expansive store, she soon forgot all about dogs. The place had room after room of things to see, do, eat, or read. “Oh, Seth, look!” Hannah pointed at the most ornate cooking stove she’d ever seen in her life. It had a deep oven and six large burners that would accommodate the biggest pots. “You could get a lot more canning done with that.”

“Mighty fancy, wouldn’t you say?” He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the appliance as though it were an alien beast.

She laughed and shook her head. “Fancy” wasn’t the word. Besides the bright enamel paint, it had shiny brass knobs and curlicue filigree trim everywhere. Only the most progressive Amish district would allow such a thing.

“People would come from far and near just to see it,” she said. “Not that I would like that.” She ran her finger lightly down the oven handle. “What does it use?”

“Propane,” Seth answered, moving to the next monstrosity. “Look at this bottled gas refrigerator.”

Hannah walked over but was losing enthusiasm. The appliances
were garish and showy. “Do Amish people ever buy these things?” she whispered.

“Not many. Mostly it’s tourists who are worried about power failures who buy them. Take a look at the price tag.”

Hannah did so and almost fainted. It would take a lifetime of shearing wool to afford one. “It’s a good thing I don’t care for it.” Although the stove wasn’t to her taste, she found herself almost skipping into the next building.

Here they found more practical things to consider—beautiful crockery, oil lamps in every color, hand-tooled weather vanes for the house or barn. Hannah didn’t know what to look at first but ended up with two handblown hummingbird feeders for her nieces. Seth bought simple woodworking planes for the boys. Both nephews were interested in making birdhouses.

“Look at this,” Hannah exclaimed. “Do you think Julia would like it?”

Seth peered over her shoulder. She caught his clean scent of piney soap and just for a moment contemplated what it might be like to be married. Would he enjoy shopping trips to town with her? Would he keep her company and help make difficult decisions? She’d loved how her
daed
always went inside stores with
mamm
instead waiting out in the buggy or talking to other fellows.

Seth took the baking pan to examine. It was similar to an iron skillet but had dividers to separate the batter. Small reverse indentations on the bottom would leave impressions of ears of corn on each muffin as they baked. “For corn bread?” he asked. “I think she would love it.”

“Good.” Hannah pulled it back before he tried to pay for it. “Now you go find something for your
bruder.
We mustn’t come home empty-handed for him.”

Home.
She’d said the word as though they shared the same. She’d better be careful—one kiss on the cheek did not make for serious courtship. Seth often kissed Julia on the cheek with brotherly affection, so Hannah shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

“I know just the thing for Simon,” he said, striding off into the next room of tools. Apparently he hadn’t noticed her poor choice of words.

Hannah waited several minutes for him to return, and when he didn’t, she decided to see what was keeping him. She spotted Seth talking to a young woman in a navy dress with a stiff black apron. Not a smidgen of dust, or wrinkle, or hair out of place could be seen anywhere. And when the girl tilted back her head to laugh at something funny, Hannah saw she was quite pretty. An older woman, all in black, stood nearby, presumably the girl’s
mamm.

Hannah pressed down the folds of her skirt and tucked some stray locks under her
kapp.
She felt as though she’d just come in from slopping the hogs and feeding the chickens. Just as she was thinking of joining the group, Seth tipped his hat to the two women and walked back to where she stood rooted to the floor.

“That was Leah’s and Emma’s teacher, and soon to be Phoebe’s. We must pay for our gifts and get going, Hannah, or we’ll be out way past dark.”

“Can I treat us to ice cream cones for the ride back?” Hannah asked. Suddenly her confidence had evaporated after seeing the pretty woman talk to Seth. Everything had been easy when she held Seth’s attention like a captive bird. Here in Kidron, many women noticed the handsome widower with a fine farm and sweet daughter to bring up.

“Sure, but we had better hurry.”

They headed for the cash register without a backward glance at the teacher. “What do you think?” he asked, setting down a rooster weathervane. “It’s for Simon.”

“Perfect,” she answered, remembering licorice hard candy for Julia in the nick of time.

Soon they were enjoying ice cream cones and headed south out of town. Hannah didn’t want the day to end. She loved Julia and her family, but living in someone else’s home wasn’t the same as having your own. Perhaps one day she would again have her own home… and maybe…

“A penny for your thoughts,” Seth said. “And since I didn’t buy any sheep, I’ve got money to spend.”

Hannah’s woolgathering stopped on a dime. No way could she admit thoughts of courtship and marriage after one peck on the cheek. So instead she chose her words carefully.

“I was just thinking that double chocolate swirl ice cream with chunks of dark chocolate is probably the best-tasting thing ever invented.”

She leaned back on her seat to enjoy the ride home, hoping the horse walked very, very slowly.

Seth knew the way home from Kidron like the back of his hand. And if he fell asleep at the reins, he was certain his horse would bring them safely home. But for some reason everything on the way back looked different. Maybe it was due to the sweet woman sitting beside him, trying not to let her ice cream drip. Unfortunately he’d made a mess on the floor of his courting buggy with his cone, but he didn’t mind a bit.

Courting buggy?
He hadn’t thought about anything like that in too long a time to remember. But that’s what the trip had felt like—going on an outing away from the inquisitive eyes of Hannah’s
mamm
and
daed.
But instead of parents, they’d left behind her sister and his brother. Odd how things sometimes turned out.
Am I courting Hannah Brown?
He’d certainly kissed her on the way into town. He’d chosen that precise moment in case she became angry—they could go their separate ways until she cooled off.

But she hadn’t become angry. She might have said, “No more of that,” but her beautiful green eyes said something different.

He was glad he’d spent the day with Hannah instead of going to a meeting at one of the brethren’s farms. According to the grapevine, some men in the district wanted to form an alliance to lease available
land and plant corn. They sought to make a good profit if the price kept skyrocketing as it had been. And nothing in the
Daily Journal
indicated corn prices would be going down anytime soon.

Seth favored the old ways—plant only what you need to feed your family and pay your bills. He didn’t need to get rich. He remembered hearing a passage of Scripture once about a rich man and the eye of a needle. That’s one reason why shepherding appealed to him—it was a good, simple life. Or maybe it was the pretty shepherdess by his side that had him thinking so.

As they rolled toward the next town, turkey vultures soared on high wind currents while the setting sun warmed their backs. Mount Eaton was the only town between Kidron and Winesburg. There they would rest the horse before turning south and heading for home. “Are you warm enough, Hannah?” Seth asked. “That breeze will get chilly once the sun drops behind the hills.”

“I was plenty warm until I finished eating my ice cream,” she said, and scooted closer on the bench.

He decided not to reach for the lap robe yet for fear she’d move away. He would be happy to ride all the way to Columbus if Hannah kept smiling like that. The possibility of his getting remarried someday didn’t sound half as impossible as during those dark days after Constance’s death. He’d been so consumed with grief he had made a silent promise never to remarry.

That might be one promise the Good Lord might forgive if he broke.

He remembered Proverbs 31:10-11 about how wonderful a wife could be in a man’s life. “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.”

Hannah plucked at Seth’s coat sleeve to get his attention. “What’s got you preoccupied, Seth Miller?” she asked. “Your brow’s so furrowed you could put in a short row of beans.”

Seth laughed deeply from his belly. That’s one of the things he
liked best about Hannah—her sense of humor and the wonderful sound of her laughter. But he was in no position to quote Scripture on remarriage until he was sure of his feelings—and could figure out hers.

“I was thinking about something I’d read in Corinthians,” he answered truthfully.

“
Jah?
” she asked. “That’s not one of the books of the Bible the bishop approves of.”

“I know, but someone recommended the book after Constance died, so I read it several times. It gave me a sense of peace.”

Hannah stared at the row of white houses with their lights coming on as the buggy rolled into town. “
Jah,
me too. I’ve read my share of the Good Book when sleep doesn’t come during difficult times.” Her words were barely audible over the clopping of the horse’s hooves.

Seth didn’t question her about this but took her hand and held it until they reached the traffic light. Just past the center of town, they found the watering troughs and a place to rest the horse.

“Do you think I’m a rebellious woman?” she asked. “For reading Scripture on my own?” She turned her moist, shiny eyes toward him.

He had to look away as he brought the horse to a halt at the trough. “No, nothing in Scripture could do you harm, but I wouldn’t mention it to Simon. A deacon would look differently on the matter.”

“
Jah,
that’s true.” She squeezed his hand and then hopped down from the buggy. “I’m going inside that café. Be back in a jiffy.”

The touch of her hand soothed him like a cool drink on a September afternoon. How he’d missed a woman’s gentle touch. Yet he’d had no desire to court before this, preferring to wrap himself in a heavy coat of grief. He hoped to muster the courage to kiss her again before the night was over. Then he’d know for sure where he stood. Although conversation came easily between them, she often kept a cool distance, especially in front of her family.

God had a plan for him, and Seth hoped the plan included Hannah Brown.

Once the horse had rested and they were headed south again, he broached the subject he’d been chewing on all day. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, Hannah. And it’s part of the reason why I was lookin’ today instead of buyin’.” He tipped up his hat brim so as not to miss her reaction. “I think I might have the perfect solution for your problem.”

“What problem are you referring to?” she asked, turning to face him on the bench.

“The problem with Simon’s pasture, of course. You said it was too small and the grass too sparse for proper grazing. Plus there’s the possibility the sheep might break down that fence again.”

The look flashing in her green eyes wasn’t the reaction he had expected. He watched her suck in a lungful of air. “Did Simon come to you about my sheep?” she asked, lifting her chin.

“No, this was my idea.” He slapped the reins on the horse’s rump. “I think we should move your flock to my place. I’ve got a good pasture that’s come in thick and green. It’s on higher ground than where your sheep are now, with sturdy fences in case they get another notion to stampede like wild horses.” He chuckled until he caught the annoyed expression on her face.