Patchwork Dreams (27 page)

Susie needed to go home.

And he needed to end this ongoing silence between him and Becky. It had gone on long enough. She must be getting his letters, and unless his love meant nothing to her, she should have written back by now.

Daniel came over and caught Jacob’s arm in mid-swing. “Getting a bit carried away there, son. Want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

Ach, an open invitation. But what did he have to say to the father of the woman ripping his heart to shreds?

Nothing. He had to work this out on his own.

“Need a glass of water,” he mumbled, then shoved past Daniel, avoiding his too-knowing gaze. But Jacob didn’t go to the house. Becky wasn’t there. The outside pump would be good enough.

He splashed water on his face and let it run down his arms, soaking his shirt. Then, he stuck his head under the cold flow, trying to drown his wayward thoughts.

It didn’t work.

With water still pouring over his head, Jacob peered at a pair of blue sneakers that stopped beside him, clear of the water. One of the sneakers rose and then came down in what Jacob could only call a stomp.

He straightened and shook his head to get some of the water off, then wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt.

Susie stomped her foot again. “I’ve had it, Jacob. I’m tired of living with this family. Your cousin Daniel has given me a week’s eviction notice. He told me to go home! Can you believe this?”

Relief washed over him. Daniel had handled it. Or, maybe he’d done it to throw down the gauntlet and force Jacob to decide between Susie and Becky. But there really was no decision to make. “I’m not leaving with you.”

“Of course, you’re not. You’re still pining over your Becky. Get over it, Jacob. If she loved you, she’d be here.”

“She’s helping her sister.”

“If you loved her, you’d be going over there every chance you had. Get over her, Jacob. You don’t love her. Last chance. Kum home with me. Saturday. We’ll get published and marry as planned.”

Jacob heaved a sigh. “You’re right. This has gone on long enough. I’ll settle it.”

He should have done that in the first place instead of relying on letters alone to communicate with Becky.

He wouldn’t write to tell her he was coming. The element of surprise had to work in his favor.

He turned away from the pump and headed back toward the blacksmith shop with Susie on his tail, talking away, though her words sounded like gibberish. Didn’t matter. Jacob was done listening. He’d arrange for some time off tomorrow. That would be a good time to visit Becky. And, one way or another, he would speak with her, even if he had to shout at her back as she retreated. It made no difference whether her sister and brother-in-law were present. He needed to tell her how he felt. She would hear him out, one way or another.

Then, he would know whether he should stay in Missouri or give up and go home to Pennsylvania.

But not to marry Susie.

He turned to face her. “Susie, we’ve got to talk.”

***

“I have an idea.” Naomi Joy pushed her coffee mug away. “Let’s go home tomorrow and visit Mamm and Daed. They’ll see how you are doing, and you can explain that you’ve not been getting any mail. Besides, I’m feeling a little better, so I can give you confidently back to Daed. School’s out now, so Katie can kum for a while.”

“Tired of me, Naomi Joy?” Going home wouldn’t be a good idea. Not good at all.

“Nein. I think you are fattening Samuel up. He says if he has much more of your gut cooking, I’ll have to let his pants out.” Naomi Joy laughed. “Maybe it’d be better for him to not have such gut cooking so he’ll appreciate me more. Besides, Katie needs the practice. Someday, as a frau, she’ll be expected to run a haus. And Mamm says you can practically run theirs single-handedly. She didn’t worry a bit about things getting done when you were there. I think Mamm’s missing you.”

“Too bad I’ll never be a frau.” Becky punched her fist into the bread dough she was kneading. “Really no point in my going home, Naomi Joy.”

“Mamm says that there’s a certain Jacob Miller moping around the farm,” Naomi Joy said with a wink.

Becky shrugged. “His former sweetheart came to visit. As far as I know, she’s still here.” She tried not to sound as bitter as she felt.

Naomi Joy’s mouth dropped open. She shook her head. “Rebekah Troyer. Are you saying you used me as an excuse to run away from your problems? Not that I don’t appreciate your help; I never would have survived this month without you. But I think you need to get home now and resolve your unsettled issues. Besides, much more of your cooking, and Samuel will send me home to Daed and keep you here, instead. I just can’t risk that.” She grinned at Becky. “That’s settled, then. I’ll have Samuel call for a driver, and we’ll go home tomorrow.”

Becky frowned at the table and considered throwing herself into Naomi Joy’s arms and begging to stay.

Instead, she set the dough off to the side to rise.

“Hmm, that’s interesting,” her sister continued, skimming a letter she’d opened. “Mamm says that Daed talked to the bishop about you and what happened with that Englischer. She said that the bishop decided to just tell a few choice people what happened and let the truth get out that way. I guess that would be gossips at their best, ain’t so? They didn’t want to rehash the whole unpleasant situation by bringing it up in a meeting. Can’t really blame them there.”

Becky shrugged, not really sure how she felt. She didn’t want the whole issue dragged into the mud, that much was certain. Wouldn’t it have been better to simply forget it? Telling the gossips meant she’d be a choice topic of conversation again.

Becky sighed as she scrubbed her hands at the sink. Then, she returned to the table and tore into Annie’s package.

Out fell five letters bound with a rubber band. A note was clipped to the top.

Dear Becky,

Guess what I found when I put some of Cathy’s clothes away?

Love always,

Annie

Relief and anger warred within her. Cathy had stolen letters addressed to her? She thumbed through the envelopes. Daed’s name was scrawled in the top corner of each one.

Why would Cathy steal Daed’s letters? It made no sense. She flipped through the envelopes again. They had all been opened. Opened! Becky blinked, trying to control the sudden rage that boiled within her. How dare Cathy invade her privacy? She’d have a thing or two to tell her when she returned home.

Then, another thought occurred. Had Cathy stolen Jacob’s letters, too? Or had he been too busy entertaining Susie to write?

Since there was nothing she could do about it now, Becky swallowed her anger and turned her attention back to the letters. With no postmarks for reference, she didn’t know where to start reading. She hoped Cathy had kept them in order.

She glanced at her sister. “Jah, tomorrow sounds ser gut.” Then, she picked up the letters and went upstairs to read them in the privacy of her room.

***

The next morning, Jacob settled into the backseat of the driver’s car. They hadn’t even started the trip, and already he felt skittish and sick to his stomach.

Nerves. All nerves.

Lord, let her listen to me, please.

He hoped God wouldn’t find that sort of prayer disrespectful.

But it seemed the whole courtship had been fraught with failure to communicate. He wished he knew how to have a conversation when the other person wouldn’t listen. And he was just as guilty of that as Becky.

Maybe more so.

Today, he would settle that. He’d talk with her, and they would work this out.

Thirty miles. How long would that take in a car? Forty-five minutes, maybe?

He couldn’t wait to see her. To talk to her. To touch her, at least on her hand. He’d gone too long without contact.

Though, if he failed in his quest, then he’d be forced to go longer. Possibly even forever.

Jacob heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. He’d spend the rest of the trip in fervent prayer.

All too soon, the driver pulled the car into a circular drive. A dark-haired man with a beard led a horse pulling a plow toward the barn. He stopped and looked at the car.

Jacob opened the door and climbed out. “Jacob Miller. I’ve kum to see Becky.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Samuel Mast. Becky and Naomi Joy have gone home for the day. You just missed them; they left maybe ten minutes ago. Fact is, Naomi Joy mentioned leaving Becky home and bringing Katie back. Not sure what they’ll do, though.”

For a second, frustration ate at him. He’d missed her. So much for the element of surprise. But then, Becky had gone home. Home. To him.

Okay, to her family. But still.

Jacob grinned. And fought the urge to pump his arm in the air and shout “Yes!” like the Englisch sometimes did.

Samuel nodded, seeming to measure Jacob up, making sure he was worthy of Becky. Finally, he returned the grin. “Best be heading home, then, Jacob. Sorry you wasted the trip.”

“Be seeing you, Samuel.”

“Jah, expect so.”

Jacob turned and walked back to the car. He couldn’t control his grin as he climbed into the backseat again. He leaned forward. “Home, please.”

Becky would be there waiting for him.

The radio blared as the driver pushed the button to turn it on for the drive back. Jacob couldn’t make out most of the lyrics, except for the recurring refrain, “We can work it out! We can work it out!”

He prayed that was a sign.

Becky handed Emma to Mamm, who began exclaiming how much Emma had changed in five weeks, and climbed out of the van. She immediately found herself engulfed in Daed’s strong arms. “We missed you.” He squeezed her tight, then released her and stepped back as Becky’s littlest sisters rushed in for a hug.

It felt good to know she’d been missed.

Becky scanned the small crowd gathered around the van as Tony opened the back and pulled out Emma’s cradle and Naomi Joy talked with him about what time she wanted to be picked up.

Everyone was present and accounted for, except Jacob and….

“Where are Grossdaedi and Grossmammi?” Becky looked around again. Maybe they were just taking longer to come out. After all, Daed had come running from the barn, her sisters and Mamm from the greenhouse.

Mamm hesitated a moment. “Grossmammi fell the other day and broke her hip. She’s in the hospital in Springfield waiting for a hip replacement. Don’t worry, she’ll be alright. He’s staying with her there.”

And Jacob?

She swallowed that question down. Maybe he’d gone to Springfield with her grandparents. Or maybe he was out with his Susie. Though Daed had indicated in his letters that Jacob and Susie didn’t get along so well. Fighting constantly, he’d said.

Becky was hurt anew at the thought of Cathy opening Daed’s letters, but she swallowed her anger down again. All these years, she’d been taught that it was necessary to forgive. Now would be a good time to exercise that choice.

She followed the family inside as Daed hoisted the cradle and carried it up to the porch.

The kitchen was filled with the intermingled aromas of fresh coffee and baking bread.

“Be gut to have cookies again. Think we’re fresh out.” Daed gave her another tight hug.

“I tried.” Katie made a face at him. “They just got a little overdone.”

“The dog wouldn’t even eat them.” Ruthie took Regina from Naomi Joy. “It was quiet around here without you, Becky.”

“Jah, and poor Jacob.” Katie shook her head. “He was all kinds of bothered to find you gone. He acted almost like a child who’d lost his favorite toy.”

“Jah, that’s all I want to be. Jacob’s toy,” Becky said, then gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. She hadn’t meant to blurt that out loud. And it had sounded bad. She ducked her head as she felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

Naomi Joy gave her a pointed look. “I can’t wait to meet this Jacob.”

Daed pulled out the chair next to Becky and sat down. “Jacob’s gone to Naomi Joy’s haus today.”

At least he wasn’t with Susie. Wherever she was. Becky slanted Daed a sideways glance. He straightened his legs out in front of him and clasped his hands together over the waist of his pants. “He sent Susie home last night.” Daed’s expression spoke volumes.

Jacob had chosen today to finally go after her? He’d allowed Susie to stay so long. With five weeks gone by, it had certainly taken him long enough. Funny he’d rented a driver to go out there and never let them know he was coming. But then, Naomi Joy had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to travel, too.

She wondered how long he’d be gone. Maybe she’d have time to run over to Annie’s before he got home. She didn’t want to miss him.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

She considered asking when he’d left so that she could calculate when he’d arrive home, but she lost her nerve. What she’d have to say to him, she didn’t know.

Buggy wheels rolled over the gravel driveway. Mamm looked out the window. “Annie’s here. Did you tell her you were coming home?” She sounded a bit accusing.

“Nein. I didn’t tell anybody.” Becky stood and went outside to meet her friend. “Hi.”

Annie smiled. “I didn’t know you were coming home. Why didn’t you tell me?” She jumped down and hugged Becky. When she released her, Becky saw that she waved a bundle of letters bound with a rubber band. “Cathy’s not home today, so I took the liberty of going through the rest of her things. I came over to show these to Jacob and ask how he wanted to handle this. But since you’re here, I’ll give them to you, with my apologies. I had no idea—”

“More letters? She stole all my mail?” Becky’s mouth dropped open. She shut it with a snap. She seriously needed to have a talk with Cathy about this violation of privacy.

“Apparently so. Appears that she read them, as well.” Annie sighed. “I really am sorry, Becky. I didn’t know. But now I need to apologize to Jacob, too. I didn’t know my sister was sabotaging his relationship with you.” Annie handed Becky the letters. “Is he home?”

“Nein. He went to Naomi Joy’s haus to visit me.” The irony of it. The day she comes home, he leaves. She shook her head and looked down at the stack of mail, anxious to read it. The envelopes were all tattered along the upper edges, where they’d been opened.