An Honest Love (24 page)

“He’s a total jerk, Aaron.”

He put his hat back on and took a step closer to her. To her surprise, he took her hand in his. “Marry me, Elisabeth.”

Chapter 14

W
hat?” She pulled away, shocked and positive she must have heard him wrong.

“Marry me. We can tell everyone the
boppli
is mine.”

“Aaron! Do you realize what you’re saying?”

“
Ya
, I do.”

“Aaron—”

“I’ve thought about this, Elisabeth, and it makes sense. We work together, so it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise to our families. We can marry quickly, just a small ceremony. I’ll take care of you and the
boppli
.”

Elisabeth was so shocked she couldn’t speak. He thought she was pregnant? And because of that he was offering to marry her, to claim a baby that wasn’t his to help her save face? Tears sprang to her eyes. Never mind that she wasn’t pregnant. Just knowing he was willing to make such a sacrifice for her made her want to weep.

“Elisabeth, don’t cry. It will be okay.” He moved closer to her. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Aaron.” She blinked back the tears. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I know I don’t. But I want to.”

“
Nee
, I mean you really don’t.” She let out a deep breath. “I’m not pregnant.”

Confusion crossed his features. “You’re not? Then why did you get a pregnancy test?”

“It’s not for me. For someone else.”

He paused, clearly deep in thought. “Deborah.”

Elisabeth nodded.

“That’s why she was so upset last week.”

“
Ya
. But you can’t say a word. She asked me to keep it a secret.”

“I won’t.” He crossed the barn and sat on one of the square hay bales in the corner. She could hear him sigh with relief. Walking over, she joined him. “I can’t believe you thought I was pregnant.”

He glanced at her. “I saw you and Chase coming out from behind the bales. You were upset that night.”

“I remember.”

“You wouldn’t tell me why, and I didn’t want to pry. Then I saw the receipt for the test.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

“I’m not mad. I can see why you would have thought that.” She untied the black strings of her bonnet and pulled it off. “And you were partly right about Chase. He took me behind the hay bales. Then he kissed me.”

“He did?”

Elisabeth noticed Aaron had practically folded the brim of his hat in half, his knuckles white from the strain. She reached over and took the hat from him before he destroyed it. “More like he tried. I bit his lip and then kicked him in the shin so he stopped.”

Aaron’s brows lifted. “That’s why he was limping when I saw him.”

“Yep. And that’s why I was upset. Not only did I have a terrible time, but he put alcohol in my drink and then kissed me.” She scowled at the memory. “It was gross.”

Aaron grinned. “Really?”

“Really. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think kissing itself is gross.”

His brows lifted higher, but his eyes were filled with mirth.

“But kissing Chase?” She shivered. “Ugh. What’s so funny?”

He laughed. “You.” He smiled. “I can’t believe you’re talking to me about kissing.”

“Well, you did just ask me to marry you. Which is just as ridiculous.”

His expression suddenly sobered. “I meant it. I would have married you, Elisabeth. I wouldn’t have let you
geh
through that alone.”

Her heart swelled. “I can’t believe you would have done that for me.”

“Why not?”

“Because it wouldn’t have been fair to you.”

“It was my idea, remember?”

“But what about you? You don’t love me, do you?”

His eyes widened with surprise. “Do I love you?” He looked away for a moment, and she had her answer before he even spoke.

“See. That’s why I would have never married you. I wouldn’t let you be stuck in a loveless marriage. You deserve more than that. Much more.”

“I care about you, Elisabeth. That would be enough for me.”

Their gazes met, and a shiver coursed through her body. Daisy nickered in her stall, and the scent of hay and animals surrounded them. But she barely noticed, her mind replaying his words. He cared for her, and she realized she cared for him. A few months ago she would have never believed that Aaron Detweiler would become her best friend. But he was. Today had proved that.

He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry about your friend. What’s she going to do?”

Elisabeth shrugged. “I’m not sure. But something happened when she told Chase about the
boppli
. He was horrible to her, but after he left she seemed really calm. She told me she has a lot of praying to do. I’m hoping she’ll lean on the Lord.”

“Me too. He got me through my time in jail and rehab. I wouldn’t have been able to make it without him.”

“Then maybe that’s why you had to
geh
through it.”

He picked up a piece of hay and twirled it in his fingers. “Makes sense. Reminds me of when I’m working at the forge. That’s probably why I enjoy my work so much. With the heat and pressure, I can turn a plain rod of iron into something useful. I think God does that with us.” He looked up at her. “Obviously I’m still a work in progress.”

“I think you’ve turned out pretty
gut
.”

“
Danki
. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“God’s still working on me too.” She looked down at her hands, which still held his black hat. She ran her finger across the brim.

Aaron put the hay in between his teeth and stood up, then turned around. He held out his hand to her.

Realizing he wanted his hat back, she handed it to him. He put it on his head, pushing the brim back the way he liked to wear it. A smile played on his lips, and he held out his hand to her again. “Want to
geh
skating?”

“Now? It’s almost dark.”

“We have some time. I’ll teach you how to skate backward.”

She slipped her hand in his. “Don’t you think I should figure out frontwards first?”

Lukas tugged his black coat closer to his body as he unhitched his horse from the post next to the woodshop. Another busy but satisfying day. Yes, he was tired, but it was a good kind of tired, one that came from doing hard work. He looked forward to going over to the Eshes’ for supper tonight. Anna had invited him yesterday after he’d dropped her off at home after work. He couldn’t wait to see her. He also couldn’t wait until he could see her every day as his wife. They had planned to announce their engagement in church this Sunday. A few weeks later, they would be married.

He moved to climb in his buggy, then saw Elisabeth and Aaron coming out of the barn laughing. He looked at them for a moment. They had grown pretty close since she’d started working at Gabe’s shop. Still, he couldn’t imagine them as a couple. Their personalities were so different. Then again, it wasn’t as if you could plan to fall in love. He hadn’t expected to fall for Anna so quickly.

The sun hovered just above the horizon by the time he reached the Eshes’. Although he and Zeb had done a lot of work on the place over the past couple months, he could still see things that needed repair. The house wasn’t only old, it was big, with several out buildings scattered on the acreage. Inside the house was neat and tidy, but the kitchen cabinets were outdated, the railing on the stairs was warped, and the wood flooring needed to be redone. Much like Esh’s Amish Goods, the house needed a face-lift. Because of this, it made sense for him to move in with the Eshes after they married. He had been over there so much lately he’d already started to think of it as home.

The scent of pork roast and potatoes hit him when he walked inside. He found Edna in the kitchen, adding a couple shakes of pepper to the stew pot.

“
Guten owed
, Lukas.” Edna turned to him and smiled, then pushed up her silver wire-rimmed glasses. “I’m glad you could join us tonight. Did you have a
gut
day?”

“
Ya
. Busy, but
gut
. Where’s Anna?”

Edna’s brows furrowed, but only for a moment. She smiled briefly and turned back to the stew. “She’s lying down upstairs.”

He frowned. “Is she feeling all right?”

“Oh,
ya
. She’s feeling fine. Just a little tired this afternoon. I’ll
geh
get her.”

Lukas sat down at the kitchen table and crossed his leg over his knee. A few moments later Anna appeared. He noticed the faint shadows underneath her eyes, along with the fatigue lining her face. He’d never seen her so tired. “Anna, is everything okay?”

“
Ya
,” she said quickly, coming into the kitchen. She smiled, then went to the stove to check on the stew. “Everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. Why would you think I wouldn’t be?”

“I’ve never known you to take naps in the afternoon before.”

She looked at him and smirked. “You don’t know everything about me, Lukas.”

He rose from the table. “Not yet. But I intend to.” He smiled before moving to stand beside her. He leaned over and breathed in the delicious aroma from the stew. He looked at her profile, realizing she seemed pale. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he said, “Anna, you would tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn’t you?”

She nodded, her eyes steadily meeting his. “Of course. But there’s nothing to tell. I had a long day at work. That’s all.”

“Maybe you should hire someone to help now that Ruth has gone back to school.”

“I can’t really afford it right now. We had a
gut
day today, but business has gone down since the holidays.” She moved from the stove to the cabinet and pulled out a glass. She walked to the sink to fill it with water.

Lukas followed her. “You don’t have to worry about money anymore. Once we’re married, you’ll be able to hire someone full-time to take your place.”

“You want me to quit working?”

“Eventually.
Ya
. It’s what Amish do, Anna. You know that.”

“But what about my business? You can’t expect me to abandon it?”

Lukas could hear the panic and frustration in her voice. “
Nee
, not at all. You’ll still own the business but hire others to work for you. Like my sister Ruth. There are many young women in Middlefield who would be happy to have a job.”

“But Lukas . . . what if I don’t want to leave?”

He frowned, not expecting her answer. As was the Amish way, young women worked outside the home until they married, or at least until their first child was born. Then they stayed home and focused on raising the children and taking care of the house and family. While they might have an income-producing job— such as making homemade goods like jams, baked items, and handicrafts—the sale of the items would also be done from the home so that the mothers would be free to tend to the work at home.

“I don’t see how you could stay. Who would watch the
boppli
? Your
mudder
has her hands full with Zeb, and you couldn’t take the
kinn
to work with you. And when the next
boppli
comes, can’t you see how impossible that would be?”

She turned her back to him, preventing him from seeing her reaction. “You’re right,” she said, her voice barely audible.

He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her to face him. “We don’t have to talk about this now. And I don’t want to fight, or see you upset.”

She nodded, then suddenly let out a light gasp, causing her to reach out and grip his arm.

“Anna,” he said, bewildered and concerned.

“It’s . . . nothing.” She straightened. But it had taken several seconds for her to do so.

“You’re in pain. I can see it.”

“Just a twinge. You know, like a muscle spasm. Everyone gets those.” She held out her arms and stepped back. Then she picked up her water and took a sip. “See? I’m fine.” She smiled at him. “Now, let’s go get something to eat before the food gets cold. Besides, you know
Onkel
Zeb. He’s likely to start without us.”

“He’s not one to wait to eat, is he?” Lukas chuckled, but he was still a little worried, despite her reassurances that she was all right.