Love's Abundant Harvest (18 page)

“It's no bother.” He pursed his lips and turned to leave.

Lucy scrambled for something to say that would keep him there, even for just a second
more. “I'd like to go by and see the place.”

He stopped instantly and turned back to her. “I can
come by after lunch and pick
you up.” His eyes widened as he waited for her reply, making her feel a little better
about how eager she was when there was any excuse to spend time with him.

“I'll see you later then.” He lifted one side of his lips into a grin and walked
out the door.

Lucy dressed and went downstairs just as Abner came to the door, his face not as
jolly as usual, his fuzzy gray brows drawn tight.

Rosy greeted him, “
Gut
morning.”

“It's not so
gut
.” He held up a letter and turned to
Mamm
and then to Lucy. “This
is for you.” He stuck out the envelope, but neither of them took it.

Verna slowly moved her hand forward, and Abner handed it to her. She flipped it over
to see Fannie's handwriting. Lucy watched her rip open the envelope and close her
eyes as tears fell down her cheeks.

“
Mamm
?” When her
mamm
didn't respond, Lucy took the letter, but she couldn't make
sense of the words.

She looked at Abner, knowing he often read their mail. “What is it, Abner?”

Abner's face turned pink. “It's your
daed
.”

A
s Lucy woke to a streak of sunlight coming through her window, her first thought
was of her
daed.
She got up and dressed. She wished she could talk to him, hear his
voice, and know he heard hers. There was no other voice she wanted to hear. Lucy
would go to the bishop and ask to use the community phone, if only her
daed
might
answer.

The door creaked, and
Mamm
walked in. Her ashen face told Lucy she'd had a rough
night, much as Lucy did most of the time now, with the baby growing and the image
of the silo blast waking her in the middle of the night. Now she would worry about
her
daed
too.

“How did you sleep?” Verna's voice was unsteady, so different than what Lucy remembered
from her childhood.

“The thought of one more tragedy is . . . just too much.” Lucy looked down at her
apron and picked at the edging. She was more worried about her
mamm
than herself
or even her
daed
. The illness the doctor had described wouldn't get better. With
no timeline to go by, they prayed and waited. What would
Mamm
do without him?

Mamm
tried to be strong, wiping a tear away hastily, not meeting Lucy's eyes. “I
have to go back.” She slowly turned to Lucy. “I wanted to stay until the baby came.”
Her face tightened as if in physical pain, and Lucy knew her emotions were getting
the best of her.

The automatic response she'd always given her
mamm
was “
Jah
, me too.” The proper
response, but it was far from
the truth. This time with her
mamm
—especially with
her
daed
not there—seemed to have brought the two of them closer.

“I wanted you to stay.” She nodded. “I really did.” Her eyes swelled with tears,
and
Mamm
wiped them away. “I worry I may never see my
daed
again.”

Mamm
shook her head. “We'll continue to hope that he can fight through this, at least
a little longer.”

Lucy glanced down at her bulging belly. “How I wish he'd see my baby.”

Mamm
made an effort to grin. “He would like to have a little redhead grandbaby like
you and him. The only two in the family.” She laid a hand on Lucy's belly. “This
little one might make three.”

“Sorry to barge in.”
Mammi
rapped on the door as she walked in. “We'll figure out
how to get you to the bus station.” None of them spoke.
Mammi
finally nodded. “No
hurry. Today, tomorrow . . . whatever suits you, Verna.”
Mammi
's eyes shifted from
Mamm
to Lucy. Being such a talkative woman, her
mammi
didn't know what to do with
the silence. She let out a grunt. “You two act like you're going to a funeral.”

Lucy's eyes widened at her
mammi
's brash comment. She usually took her in stride,
but now with this involving her
daed
? Lucy glanced over at her
mamm,
who seemed to
have gained her composure. She sat up straight, stoic, her eyes on her
mamm
. So maybe
Mammi
's words were helping.

“Ezra's still kicking, and you should appreciate every second of it, Verna. You know
how hard it was for you when your
daed
passed.” She said it like a question, but
clearly it was an answer. “The doc told us he was gonna go long after his time actually
came.”

She wagged a finger. “Make some special memories together, and stop mourning when
there's still life to be lived.”

Lucy turned her head toward
Mamm
, hoping she was taking it the right way. But then
Mammi
was Verna's
mamm
. This blunt way of talking was what she'd grown up with, and
she was much the same way. “I think she might be right.”

Mamm
slowly bobbed her head with her eyes fixed on Lucy's belly. “
Jah
, I believe
you are,
Mamm
.” She stood and ran her hands over her apron, a habit Lucy was accustomed
to. “Downstairs.” She held out a hand to Lucy, and they walked down the creaky stairs.

“What's this all about?”
Mammi
's patience had worn thin.

“We're cooking something”

Mamm
was as good a cook as she was with everything. She had a secret ingredient for
most everything she made, but it did no good to ask her what it was; she said she'd
go to her grave with the information. “Blueberry French toast.”

Frieda gasped, causing Rosy and Nellie to pay attention. Lucy smiled warmly, knowing
how rare this was. Lucy's older sisters had surely figured out how to cook like their
mamm
, but this particular dish was extra special. It was bittersweet watching her
mamm
cook, the women peering in to catch every move. This was what her
daed
would
want them to be doing—doing what they did best, making people happy with fine food.

Nellie cut the bread into cubes while Rosy chopped
the cream cheese.
Mammi
went down
to the cellar to get some canned blueberries, and Lucy cracked the eggs, stirring
them as she watched this group of godly women she loved dearly.

“Milk . . . that's the last ingredient,”
Mamm
said as she looked around in the cooler.
She stood. “Half a cup, but we need two cups.” She held up the glass jar.

“There are some bottles in the cooler in the barn.” Lucy started for the door.

Rosy grabbed her hand. “Let me get it. You rest.”

Lucy chuckled. “All I did was scramble eggs. Besides, I could use the walk.”

When she looked around the room, they were making quick glances her way. “I'm fine.”
She wondered whether she looked more pregnant today and laughed at the thought. This
baby did seem to be taking up every bit of room, stretching her belly to an uncomfortable
level. No sooner did she get to the barn than she heard the door creak.

“I don't need any help,” she sang as she closed the cooler, balancing two bottles
of milk in her hands. When she turned, Manny was walking toward her. She felt her
cheeks heat a little but could blame that on her hormones. “Manny?”

“Didn't mean to surprise you. You okay?” He studied her the way everyone else was
doing.

She waited for his suggestion or opinion about what she should or shouldn't be eating
or drinking, whether she should be resting, even though she was the only one who
knew what was good for her and the baby. Still, living with those precious women
enabled her to do much less than living on Sam's farm.

When it came to Manny, though, she'd agree to anything if it meant being with him.
She felt he'd know just the right thing to say regarding her
daed
. The thought of
him tightened her heart.

“
Jah
, just worried about my
daed
.” She watched his head tilt to the side as he listened
to her. “I want to talk to him. It's been so long since I've heard his voice.” She
stopped to hold back the emotions. She missed everyone back home and wished she could
be there with all of them in that moment, when her
daed
needed them the most.

Lucy wished she was more like Fannie, able to talk their
daed
into or out of whatever
he asked her to do. Fannie was strong-willed and feisty at times, which got her into
trouble but also got her what she wanted. Like when she married a beau to her liking,
while Lucy was passed over time and again, ending up with Sam. Lucy knew her
daed
worried about her with Sam; even without being around much, he knew something was
amiss.

“I thought it might do you good to talk with Minister Eben, if for nothing else but
to ask for prayers your
daed
's way.” He quickly held up a hand. “I don't want to
overstep my ground. I know your
mamm
will have her own plans.”

Lucy almost smiled. “You're getting to know her pretty well.”

“She's hard to ignore.” He grinned.

Lucy nodded her agreement. “She's not herself. In all my days I've never seen her
so . . . weak, and . . . well, kind.”

“Hard times can bring out the best or worst in a person. Sounds like she's taking
the high road.”

“I think it's more the hard road. With me in my . . . condition . . . and
Daed
in
poor health, it seems to have softened her. It makes me realize how glad I am that
she came
to visit, even if it was only for a short time.” Lucy suddenly saw spots
dancing around and closed her eyes.

“Lucy!” She heard Manny's voice, but she didn't want to open her eyes. She felt lightheaded
and worried she might fall to the ground. Then strong hands wrapped around her shoulders,
holding her up. “Look at me, Lucy.”

She blinked several times and looked into Manny's eyes. He glanced down at her lips
and then drew his head back, helping her gain her balance. “Come sit down. Are you
all right?”

She sat on a wooden bench and caught her breath. “I don't know what got into me.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “But I'm fine now.” His face was inches from hers as he knelt in front of her. She
couldn't help but enjoy the comfort she felt when she was with him, hearing him
talk or watching him smile at her. Everything about him pleased her in what seemed
to be every way.

“
Jah
? Well, you don't look as good as you might feel.” He moved back as if he realized
what he said might offend her. “I mean, you don't look yourself. You should get some
rest.”

She managed a quiet giggle. “I just got up not too long ago.”

“Well, maybe you should still try to rest.” He chuckled. “Really, you just got up?”

She nodded and wrinkled her nose. “Don't tease. This little one takes up all my energy.”

“It must be a boy.” Manny grinned.

“No doubt. But I'm hoping for a girl.”

“
Jah
, why is that? Don't you have enough women in your family? I think you need some
boys to even things out.” He stood and looked down at her.

“That's the problem. I don't know what to do with a boy.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I could help you with that. I would have
enjoyed having a boy to play baseball with and help me with the farm.” He closed
his eyes and tilted his face up toward the rising sun. “There's no better time of
the day than right now. Nature comes alive when the sun touches the earth.”

“Hmm.” Lucy looked over at the bright beams of light and closed her eyes, letting
the warmth touch her face. “I believe you're right.”

“About having a boy or the sun?” He smirked.

“About a lot of things.
Mamm
is taking the high road. Nothing is too hard for her.
Letting her guard down and not trying to control me has brought us closer together.”

“I've noticed that myself.” His eyes rested on hers.

“Actually, I think it came from you.” She tried to look away but couldn't. She wished
she could say more without exposing the feelings springing up inside her. “Manny—”

“
Jah
?” His voice was just above a whisper and his eyes grew wider.

“I think we should go to the
haus
.” She didn't want to. Her lips were moving and
she was speaking, but her mind was thinking something completely different. She wanted
to stay just as she was, with him looking at her the way he was right at that moment.
She knew she wasn't beautiful or shapely, and her hair was a dull mix of red, but
she felt beautiful in his eyes. It was as if he could look through her flaws and
insecurities too.