Huckleberry Hill (21 page)

Felty dropped a handful of huckleberries into his bucket and winked at Lia. “Anna will be disappointed if I don’t bring at least a few for her to taste.”

“If we pick a bucketful now, I can make some pies for the frolic tomorrow.”

“Make sure Moses gets the biggest piece. That ought to do the trick.”

 

 

One wheel of Moses’s scooter met a giant-sized pebble in the lane, and he nearly had a spectacular crash. Instead, he caught his breath, gripped his handlebars tighter, and hopped on his good leg until he regained his balance. It would take awhile to get used to this new gadget, and the crutches might be more practical outdoors.

“Oh, oh, be careful,” Rachel encouraged as she tiptoed to catch up and tried to slip her arm into the crook of his elbow.

Honestly? Did she think he should help her to the door?

He subtly dodged her grasp by turning his handlebars and maneuvering to the driver’s side of the car, wishing Lia had gone to the doctor with him instead of Rachel.

Rachel had turned pale when the doctor started picking out Moses’s stitches, and the assistant had led her to the waiting room to sit for the duration of the doctor visit.

Moses paid the driver and scooted himself to Mammi’s front porch as efficiently as possible while avoiding Rachel’s clingy hands. She must have realized she was useless, because she stayed two feet behind him as he studied the steps. The scooter wouldn’t make it up to the porch. Grabbing the railing, Moses pulled the substantial scooter out from under him and hopped up the steps with the scooter dangling from his grasp. Up the stairs took more effort than he anticipated, and he paused at the top to catch his breath. He’d lounged in bed entirely too long. Positioning the scooter underneath his cast, he waited for Rachel to catch up and open the door for him. Much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t do everything for himself.

Instead, Mammi threw the door open, squealed with glee, and hugged him tight. “Look at you. You’re getting around on your own.”

“He’s like a toddler learning how to walk all over again,” Rachel insisted.

While Mammi hugged him, Moses caught sight of Lia kneading dough. His heart jumped around a bit. She granted him a brilliant smile, which made his heart jump higher. Even though sadness shone in her eyes, he sensed she was happy to see him. Happier than she had been for days.

Moses winked at her—anything to keep her smiling. “I didn’t miss huckleberry picking, did I?”

“Nae, they are coming after dinner to pick,” Lia said.

He rolled himself farther into the room. Rachel sauntered in behind Moses and hovered around him like a pesky fly.

Mammi patted the handlebars of his scooter. “And what in the world is this piece of machinery?”

“This is my knee scooter, so I don’t have to use crutches all the time.”

Lia rinsed her hands and came to see the new arrival. She spoke directly to the scooter as if it were a new baby. “You’ve got a cute little basket and everything. We should tie a ribbon around you.”

Moses pretended to be offended. “I’ll have you know, this basket is for carrying important things. It’s very manly.”

Lia laughed. Moses tried to remember how long it had been since she had been amused at something he said. Too long. If he could, he’d be funny every minute just to hear that musical laugh.

“What did the doctor say?” Lia asked.

Rachel grabbed Moses’s arm possessively. “He took out the stitches, which made me sick, and I had to lie down in the waiting room.”

Lia’s crooked grin did not escape Moses. He smiled to placate Rachel and slid his arm from her fingers. “He said I’d need to be in the cast for probably seven weeks. But he took an X-ray and said my leg is healing straight.”

“Gute,” Mammi said, knocking on Moses’s cast. “I will have to knit a cover for this thing, or you’ll be putting dents in all the walls.”

Hopefully not. If he was unstable enough to be crashing into walls, he had worse problems than his broken leg.

Mammi wrapped her arm around Lia. “Lia has made something special for supper tonight. Your mamm and dat are coming and so are Uncle Titus and Aunt Abigail and their families.”

He hadn’t seen Mamm and Dat since the accident. Moses glanced at Lia. It shouldn’t really matter, but he hoped she liked his parents. Of course, his parents would like Lia. Everybody liked Lia the minute they met her.

“We will bring you back plenty of huckleberries,” Lia said. “There are so many, you could like as not swim in them.”

“Do I have to come?” Rachel said.

Lia, Mammi, and Moses spoke in unison. “No.”

“Gute, I’ll stay and take care of Moses.”

Moses shook his head and widened his eyes in mock displeasure. “I’m not letting them pick huckleberries without me. I’ve done it every year since I was a baby.”

Lia opened her mouth to speak.

Moses interrupted. “And it’s not easy holding a bucket crawling on your hands and knees.”

Lia couldn’t hide her smile even as she tried to be firm. “You won’t be able to scoot all the way to the north side.”

“I’ll ride the horse and then use my crutches. I’ve been stuck inside for two weeks. I’ll get there even if I have to crawl. I’ve got real tough knees.”

Again Mammi put her arm around Lia. “Did I mention Lia has made something special for supper tonight?”

Chapter Seventeen

Moses stood at the top of the lane with his crutches tucked under his arms and a bucket in one hand. His parents rode up the hill in their buggy, and another buggy followed close behind. Mamm and Dat lived almost an hour and a half away from Huckleberry Hill and didn’t get here often. They counted on Moses to look out for Mammi and Dawdi.

“We probably should have tried to make it sooner, but your dat’s been sick and then we had to catch up with the mowing.”

“Don’t worry,” Moses said. “They took good care of me.”

Mamm jumped from the buggy and gave Moses a loud kiss on the cheek. Dat, who stood only six feet tall, put his arms around Moses and patted him hard on the back. “You don’t look too bad.”

“Neither do you,” countered Moses, who couldn’t stop smiling at the sight of his parents.

Mamm quit smiling and pulled a bright yellow envelope out of her pocket. “I stopped by your house and got your mail.” She handed Moses the letter and stared into his eyes as if she were trying to see the back of his head.

Moses wrapped his fingers around the envelope with Barbara’s handwriting on it. She’d drawn little hearts next to his name. Hearts? Hadn’t seen that before. Surprised at his disinterest in the contents of the letter, he folded the envelope once and stuffed it into the pocket of his trousers.

Moses’s mamm was the fourth of Mammi and Dawdi’s children, and Moses was her youngest child. Aunt Abigail, the sister just older than Mamm, came with Uncle Titus and his wife, Sally Mae, in their extra-long buggy. Titus and Sally Mae’s two unmarried sons, Ben and Titus Junior, hopped out of the buggy along with cousins Max and Amanda, twins from Ohio.

At twenty-two years old, Ben was a fine young man. He stood three inches shorter than Moses and looked as skinny as a broomstick. His brother, Titus Junior, always had a toothpick in his teeth. They both worked for their dat on his farm and also at the harness shop. They didn’t have much time to come up to Huckleberry Hill.

Moses hadn’t seen Max and Amanda since a year ago last Christmas. They lived in Ohio but had come to Wisconsin to visit Uncle Titus and his family. Cousin Amanda, still as petite and wiry as ever, gave Moses a cautious hug, careful not to upset his delicate balance on the crutches. “That cast is huge. You must have broken your leg something awful.”

Max shook Moses’s hand. “Some people will do anything to get out of harvest time.”

Moses raised his bucket. “Do I look like I’m planning on taking a nap?”

Moses couldn’t even remember how old Max and Mandy were. Old enough to be looking for someone to marry. Neither of them would have much trouble with that. Mandy’s dark brows succeeded in perfectly framing her greenish-blue eyes, and Max’s full head of curly, thick hair must surely attract the girls like moths to a lantern.

Mammi, Dawdi, and Rachel came from the barn each carrying a bucket of their own. Mammi hugged all her relatives and marveled at how big Titus Junior was getting even though she had seen him just last week at the country store.

Ben, Titus Junior, and Max caught sight of Rachel and made no attempt to hide their interest. Ben nudged Titus and grinned, and Max followed Rachel’s every move with his eyes. Gute. His cousins could flirt with Rachel while they picked berries, and Moses would be free of her for the afternoon.

Mammi introduced Rachel to all the relatives, and Rachel batted her eyes and giggled at all the appropriate moments. Max was handsome enough. Maybe Moses could convince him to take Rachel off his hands.

Nae, Moses wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone, especially not his cousin.

Lia finally emerged from the barn leading the already-saddled horse. Mammi beckoned to Lia to meet the family. “This is Lia Shetler. She has made something very special for supper. I don’t know what we would do without her.”

Where Mamm had been polite and attentive to Rachel, she seemed intensely interested in making Lia’s acquaintance. She stepped forward and gave Lia a hug. “I have heard so much about you, Lia. I am glad to finally meet you.”

Mammi smiled like a cat with a mouthful of the pet bird. Jah, Mammi must have told Mamm a great deal about her hopes for Moses and Lia. Moses found himself hoping that Mamm would approve.

Lia’s smile never ceased to send warmth pulsating through his veins. “I am thrilled to meet you,” she said. “Moses is such a fine man, I knew he must have very fine parents.”

Moses’s three cousins stood with their heads together like three wise old trees studying Lia as she spoke. Their looks of admiration did not escape his notice. It didn’t surprise him that they found Lia pretty. He felt extremely annoyed. He silently willed them to return their attention to Rachel.

Moses knit his brows and narrowed his gaze. Each of his three cousins was taller than Lia. Her height would not scare them off. It would, unfortunately, draw them in, as it had Moses. Tall boys couldn’t resist tall girls.

Uncle Titus pulled a stack of buckets from his buggy and handed them to the cousins. Mammi stuffed her hands into her apron pocket and retrieved brightly colored knitted things, each about the length of Sparky’s tail. “These are handle covers for your buckets,” she said, her eyes twinkling with delight. “They fit around your handle so you won’t get blisters.”

Rachel turned her head and rolled her eyes at Moses, who ignored her. Everyone else gratefully accepted Mammi’s handmade creations. With every breath, she thought of how she could make other people’s lives easier or more pleasant.

“Let’s get moving,” said Uncle Titus. “I’ve been craving huckleberries since November.”

Lia took Moses’s crutches while Max and Ben helped him onto the horse. He felt out of balance with the clunky cast on his leg. Someone would probably have to lead him to the field. But, all things considered, it was better than not getting there at all.

Aunt Abigail and Mandy led the way with Uncle Titus and Aunt Sally Mae following.

“Watch for bears,” Mammi called.

“And snakes,” Dawdi added. “I know for a fact there’s one out there somewhere.” He took Mammi’s hand, and they shambled slowly into the woods, taking the lightly worn path to the north side of the hill. They’d all make enough noise to scare predators away.

Titus Junior took the toothpick out of his mouth and stuffed it in his pocket. It was obviously a special occasion. “I’ll carry your bucket, Rachel.”

Rachel glanced at Moses, probably calculating the risk of losing his affection if she strayed more than four feet from his side. She must have decided it was safe, because she gave Titus a half smile and handed him her bucket. They sauntered into the woods, Titus taking up the lead and Rachel keeping a safe distance between Titus and Moses’s horse.

With crutches and bucket clutched in one hand, Lia scooped up the reins. Max quickly took them from her hand. “I’ll lead the horse.” He smiled a very nice smile filled with nicely straight teeth.

Lia smiled back, and a black raincloud parked right over Moses’s head. His mind raced for something, anything to say that would make Lia smile at him. “I hope you’re going to run all the way, Max. I want to get there before anyone else.”

But Lia didn’t even hear him because at that moment, Ben appeared at her left and offered to take her bucket and the crutches. She bestowed a smile on him and handed over her load.

Moses kept his focus glued to the back of Lia’s head as she walked with Ben and Max on either side of her. They talked and laughed and ignored Moses altogether.

At the first opportunity, Moses would have to have a stern talk with both of his cousins. If they wanted to flirt, they should chase after Rachel. He would not allow them to flirt with Lia.

A gaping hole formed in the pit of his stomach as he realized he had no say in what Lia or his cousins did. She might just as soon decide to marry one of them. The pit in his stomach expanded to fill every space inside of him. He didn’t like that at all.

Lia had said she wouldn’t marry. Wait a minute. No, she had said she wouldn’t marry Moses. And that was on the first day they met. Had she changed her opinion? And why did he care? He had Barbara.

Thoughts of Barbara gave him no comfort today. If anything, they made him feel worse. Had his loyalty waned?

Moses felt more like an invalid than ever when they arrived at the huckleberry patch and Lia watched while Ben and Max had to help him down from the horse. He took his crutches and insisted on clumsily leading Red to a nice patch of grass where he took off the bridle and let him graze.

Moses limped and dragged himself to the bush where Lia, Ben, and Max picked berries, deftly maneuvering himself between Ben and Lia. Lia smiled warmly at him, but her smile might have been inspired by the story Ben was telling her about his mishap with an ornery cow. Never before had Moses craved that smile so badly.

“Can you bend low enough to pick the berries?” Lia asked.

Moses winked. “I’ll sit and scoot myself around.”

Lia blushed. “Would you like to put your berries in my bucket? I’ll hold it between us.”

Moses nodded and flashed her a boyish smile. Any excuse to keep her close.

Rachel migrated to the popular bush as soon as she saw which one Moses sat by, and Titus followed close behind.

Lia moved aside cheerfully to make way as Rachel inserted herself between her sister and Moses. Did Lia honestly think he would rather stand by Rachel? Moses ground his teeth together. Everyone, it seemed, was expected to accommodate Rachel.

Rachel held out her bucket in Moses’s direction. “You can put your berries in my bucket.”

Not being able to reach Lia’s bucket anymore, Moses reluctantly plopped his handful into Rachel’s bucket.

Since Rachel insisted on taking up so much space, Lia moved farther from Moses to another thicket of huckleberry bushes.

“My cousin Sarah says you are learning to be a midwife,” Ben said as he followed Lia to the next bush.

“Jah, Sarah is kind enough to teach me.”

Max pointed to a clump of berries for Lia to pick as Ben offered his hand so she wouldn’t trip over a rock in her path. Why couldn’t they quit bothering her? Moses knew for a fact that she didn’t like to be babied. The problem was, Lia didn’t look annoyed by their pestering. At least Titus Junior’s attention seemed to be riveted firmly to Rachel.

“I hear you saved Moses’s life,” Max added. “Mammi said he could have bled to death.”

“Oh, I didn’t do much at all. I ran to the road and flagged down a motor home and used their cell phone. I was very frightened.”

“I was more frightened than Lia,” Rachel said. “I couldn’t even bear to look at his leg. It’s because I’m delicate.”

Moses looked at his cousins to see how they took the news of Rachel’s frail constitution. Ben merely nodded. Max wouldn’t take his eyes off Lia, even to look for berries.

Only Titus was encouraging. “Mammi said it was disgusting.”

Rachel drew back her hand as if she had been stung. “Look at my fingers. They’re stained.”

Almost in unison, Max, Ben, and Moses held up their hands to show Rachel the purple berry stains on their fingers.

“Part of the job,” Ben said.

Rachel examined her fingernails. “Will it wash off?”

“Not to worry. It will disappear after a few days,” Lia said, in that calm, appeasing tone of voice that she reserved for Rachel.

“A few days? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have worn gloves.”

Gloves. Rachel’s little trick to get out of doing her share of the work. If only they’d told her she needed gloves, Rachel would still be back at the house looking for the perfect size. For all the irritation broiling inside him, the thought forced a laugh from Moses’s lips. Lia didn’t meet his gaze, but he saw a ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

Rachel shot fire at Moses with her glare. “What’s so funny?”

Moses decided he’d rather not tell Rachel a fib. He kept his mouth shut and made himself very busy picking berries.

Once she stripped her bush, Lia moved farther and farther from Moses with Ben and Max following her every step. Titus finally moved away and also gravitated toward Lia when he saw how much laughing Lia, Ben, and Max were doing.

Moses now wished he hadn’t sat down. It would be difficult enough to stand and even more difficult to follow Lia through the woods under the pretense of picking berries.

Continuous laughter floated over the huckleberry patch and slammed into Moses’s ears like a blaring horn. Lia and the three cousins were having a fine time. On the other side of the huckleberry patch, Mammi and Dawdi kept a lookout for ripe berries while the aunts and Mamm and Dat hunched over the bushes, picking feverishly. They looked as if they were having a very agreeable conversation. Uncle Titus and Mandy were off in different directions foraging for berries farther into the woods. Huckleberry bushes grew here and there all over the hill.

And Moses was stuck with Glove Girl.

Increasingly irritated that Lia was over there and he was over here, Moses picked every berry he could reach, took up his crutches, and groaned as he made it to his feet. Foot.

Rachel propped her hands behind her and arched her back. “Ach, my muscles are aching something wonderful.”

At last. His chance to escape. “I would hate to see you overexert yourself. Why don’t you sit over there on that log? Or you could walk back to the house and lie down.” Dared he hope she’d take him up on that suggestion?

“I’m so tired. Will you take me back on your horse?”

“I’m afraid once they got over here and hefted me onto the horse, it would take more time than walking. And you wouldn’t be able to get me off the horse once we got there.”

Rachel tilted her head and massaged her neck. “I guess you’re right. I’ll sit for a minute until my back feels better.”

Moses almost cheered out loud. With any luck, Rachel would tire of waiting, hike home by herself, and leave him alone. With her hand pressing against her lower back, she groaned softly, limped away, and eased her body to the log. If she weren’t Amish, that girl would make a mighty fine actress.