Love's Abundant Harvest (9 page)

“
Jah
, sure.” But she stayed the course, and they soon stood in the middle of the
greenhouse.
Mamm
inspected each flower, fruit, and vegetable. “Hmm.”

Lucy knew the sound;
Mamm
disapproved of something. “There's a lot more to it than
I realized, and this is my first attempt.” Lucy stopped. She was already giving
Mamm
her excuses for failing at something. It was a common conversation between them whenever
Lucy tried something that
Mamm
felt was above her abilities. She knew her mother
was only trying to help, but she wasn't. Each time her
mamm
told her she couldn't
do something or do it well enough, it took a piece of Lucy.

Skip and Hop came alongside them, threatening to jump up. “Stay.”
Mamm
lifted her
pointer finger at the dogs, and they obeyed. “Such silly names.”

“They're verbs,
Mamm
.” Lucy started to smile, but stopped when she realized that
was Sam's response when she'd suggested the names. They might not have had names
at all, if it was up to him.

Mamm
waved a hand as if to dismiss Lucy's reasoning. “They're animals, nothing more.” She told Skip, “Down!” and scowled at the dog until
he caved and lay down with his nose between his paws.

Lucy looked skyward to see the sun shining brightly, but Sam wasn't anywhere in sight.
“Are you hungry? It must have been a long ride.”

“Actually, I'm famished. I haven't had a decent meal since I left.” She cupped her
hand under Lucy's chin. “Your scar.” She studied her cheek. “It seems darker, and
you look exhausted. Let's get you something to eat and some rest.” Without waiting
for an answer, she started the walk to the
haus
just as Sam came out of the barn.

When he saw
Mamm,
he stopped for a moment and then lowered his head and kept walking.
Lucy could feel his irritation from twenty feet away but didn't know what to do about
it. He'd known
Mamm
was coming, just not today.

“
Hallo
, Sam,”
Mamm
called out to him.

He didn't respond until they were all close to the
haus
. “Verna, I didn't know you
were coming today.” He eyed Lucy with a quick flash of his dark eyes and then shifted
them back to her
mamm
. “How was the bus ride?”

He opened the white wooden gate and let it go for Lucy to catch before it shut. She
was more aware of these small things now that
Mamm
was there and wondered how she
would react. It would be interesting to see how they got along, as they had met only
twice—once when he came up to get her and once at their wedding, which was over so
fast it made Lucy's head spin, not to mention
Mamm
's.

They walked into the kitchen, which was fairly tidy, though lacking some charm and
color. Lucy watched
Mamm
scan the room, taking mental notes as Lucy expected. She
told herself to take
Mamm
's comments with a grain of salt, and anything she or especially
Sam didn't like, they could change after she left. It wasn't worth anyone getting
upset. It was just what
Mamm
did, to decorate.

“This is a large room. I can see why it's been difficult to spruce up things—where
to begin and whatnot.” She clapped her hands together.

Lucy felt the tension coming from Sam, knowing the only thing he was concerned about
at the moment was food. “I'll start on lunch. First, I'll show you to your room,
if you like, so you can freshen up.”

“We'll eat first.” Sam sat down hard in his chair at the head of the table and looked
straight ahead.

Mamm
squinted as she stared at him.

Lucy stepped in quickly. “Go on up; any of the empty rooms are fine.” They hadn't
been together five minutes, and already Lucy was deflecting them from each other.
Her stress level shot up, and the baby responded.

She started in on the meal, working quickly while Sam read the Budget paper to catch
up on the Amish from all over the country. She'd never been so happy to see him read
the paper as if she weren't in the room, though many times she'd wished he'd talk
to her while he read it.

As she diced potatoes to go with the roasted chicken she'd made, for the first time,
she wished she had her English friend's microwave oven.

M
anny thought he was going to bust. “This chicken pot pie is good, Emma.” He put
his hands over his belly, waiting for her to say what she always did.

“
Gut
, you need to put on some weight. When Caleb gets in here, you'll have to have
some more.” She gave him that pitying look she had about her and then turned away
from the table to clean up. “You can't mourn over Glenda forever. And she would
want you to be fat and happy.” She smiled as she looked over at him.

“
Jah
, well, I don't cook as
gut
as you do, but I make do.” He smirked. He'd actually
learned a thing or two about cooking but didn't like to eat alone. It wasn't worth
the effort to cook for one. Sometimes Manny just needed to be around people, and
since Emma was the one who lifted his spirits the most, he usually ended up here.

She frowned. “I've told you to come over for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day,
if you like. Why don't you come?”

“Good question, you ol' mule,” Caleb said as he came in from the barn, where he'd
been cleaning up a bit more after the milking. “Why don't ya come over more often?”

“Milking went twice as fast with me helping.” Manny winked at Emma and turned to
Caleb. “So what took ya so long to get in here?”

“I thought I'd let you two talk.” Caleb washed up and sat
down across from Manny.
“You seem better.” Caleb gave Manny a knowing look.. “Any special reason?”

Manny scoffed. “Tell me what you're really asking.”

“All right. Have you been out to Sam's place again?” Caleb held his gaze on Manny.

Manny drummed his fingers on the table, pondering what to say. “Why do you ask?”
He couldn't find the right words, so he answered with a question to avoid saying
more than he should.

How honest could he be without feeling disrespectful? He saw not only her pure heart
but also her need for someone who truly cared about her. He shook his head at how
ridiculous he sounded. She was married, and he was still in mourning, but Caleb was
right: he needed to move on. The draw he had been feeling toward Lucy had taught
him that much at least. Now he was beginning to hope that someday he would have a
relationship again, but he couldn't imagine how that would happen or with whom.

“Don't encourage him, Caleb,” Emma snapped at him. “She's a married woman, ya know.”

Caleb snorted. “I'm not trying to cause trouble between her and Sam, but Lucy's got
to be the unhappiest person I ever met. Surely there's no harm in her having a friend
in Manny.” He leaned back in his chair and stared at Manny. “Emma's right. Lucy is
a married woman. So who else is there that you enjoy spending time with?”

Emma walked over and slapped his leg with her spatula. “You're making Manny uncomfortable.”

“
Nee!
” Caleb sat back in his chair, tipping it up on two legs. “You're not uncomfortable,
are ya, Manny.” He said it more like a statement than a question, knowing Manny wouldn't
tell him even if he didn't like the conversation.

“Can I use that spatula?” Manny teased, making them all laugh.

“It's the only thing that works when he starts flapping his tongue.” Emma handed
it to Manny for fun.

“I'm armed now. So change the subject.” Manny whipped the spatula around and caught
Caleb on the arm.

Taken off guard, Caleb reared backward and lost his balance. He fell with a slam
to the floor, cradled his head with one hand, and pushed himself up with the other.
Scrambling to his feet, he stared at Manny. “I give!” He held up both hands. “I'm
done teasing you for today.”

Emma had her hand over her mouth in shock, but now let out a loud laugh. “Are you
okay?” She stroked Caleb's cheek and then felt the back of his head.

“I'm
gut
. I was probably asking for that.” His face was a bit pale, but he was in
good humor, so Manny decided he was right. His teasing had gone too far, and Manny
was glad Emma got on him about it. He couldn't tell anyone how he felt—not now, probably
never.

“Sorry, friend.” He stood and clasped Caleb's hand. “No hard feelings?”

“
Nah
. Now I don't need that extra cup of coffee. 'Cause you woke me up!” Caleb grinned,
letting him know he meant it, and walked over to Emma to give her a peck on the cheek.

“
Danke
for dinner, Sis.” Manny headed for the door as Emma patted Caleb's cheek.
The endearments they shared were too much for Manny. He was happy for them but selfishly
jealous he didn't have what they had. It wasn't right to pine over it, so he tried
to occupy his mind with something else. He hadn't had a good talk with Sweet Pea
in a while. Maybe he'd head home and have a heart to heart with her.

Manny took his time going back to his farm, deciding to check and see whether the
mail had come yet. He looked up at the blue sky. The sun was straight overhead. His
mail should be there waiting for him. It would be a slow ride because he'd brought
Sweet Pea. He liked to get her out now and then, not wanting her to think she was
going to be sent to pasture.

He'd been delivering the mail to Lucy for over a week now, but he felt a little unsteady
inside each time he rode down the path to her place. Sam wasn't usually around, so
the awkwardness was at a minimum. The best part was, she seemed a bit more relaxed
around him. But because of her concern that Sam might not approve of him dropping
by, Manny stood in the mudroom, never entering the
haus
.

Manny took in a long breath and gave himself a minute to scope out the surroundings
as he pulled on the brake. Sam was nowhere in sight, and neither was Lucy. The path
to the main road was lengthy, so they had time to see who was coming long before
a visitor actually got to their farm. Lucy usually greeted him at the door and asked
him if he wanted a drink of tea or lemonade, but today no one could be seen.

He looked down at the two letters he held and wondered whether he should shove them
under the door, but he didn't want to take the chance they might get lost. He decided
to take a walk around to see whether he could find either of them.

As he strolled along, he started thinking he had chores to do and should be getting
back to his own place, but
something about Lucy drew him to her. He didn't know whether
it was an attraction or a need to make sure she was all right. He'd never seen anyone
so forlorn . . . at least until he got her talking. Then another side of her came
out that he enjoyed very much.

He was deep in thought when he heard Sam's voice. The sound grew, and soon Sam was
yelling . . . no, screaming.

Manny's first thought was for Lucy, but he held back the thought, thinking it could
be a horse just as easily as a human on which Sam was taking out his wrath. Still,
he found himself running, following the growling force that seemed to surround him.
He tried to decipher where exactly the noise was. There were a number of buildings
to pick from—the bunk
haus
, chicken coop, barn, and shed, to name a few. Sam's farm
was so big he could get lost in it.

A woman's cry, shockingly loud, made him stop in his tracks. It directed him to where
he should go, and he was at top speed within seconds. His boots felt like concrete,
they were so slow and heavy. He drew up as he neared the door, smacking into it to
stop his pace. The large garage housed farm equipment, which he maneuvered around
to find the source of the sobbing he now heard. Lucy stood against a flatbed covering
her face with her arm. Sam paced back and forth in front of her with balled fists,
squeezing and releasing them.

“Sam!” Manny didn't recognize his own voice. It was calm and louder than usual.

Sam lifted his head and squinted at Manny. “Who's there?”

“It's Manny.”

Sam stopped and looked at Lucy, who straightened with
palms against her thighs, but
didn't lift her head. “What brings you here?” He growled at Manny.

“Just dropping off your mail.” Manny was glad he had a reason to come and now understood
why Abner was concerned. It wasn't clear what was happening, but whatever it was,
it was not good.

“Take it from him.”

Sam didn't have to ask Lucy twice. She was by Manny's side before he could lift the
letters up to her.