Patchwork Dreams (8 page)

At least Jacob hadn’t followed her home.

Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

Emotions whirled about in her head. Jacob shouldn’t have listened to gossip—but then, how could he help it? Sometimes, it seemed she was a popular topic. Her choices, decisions, sins, all held up to the young people as an example of what not to do. The young men were warned to stay away from her. It just wasn’t right. And now, Jacob would be getting a warped opinion of her. He’d already been told to keep his distance.

Yet he seemed to care about her in a way that no one else ever had.

Becky hated the feelings of vulnerability that filled her. Why did she have to be the one who ran scared?

Her hands trembled as she hitched up her buggy horse. Still, she had to go someplace to calm down. Someplace far away from Jacob and the flood of emotions he’d released. She couldn’t take it anymore. If he was going to invade her territory, she needed to get away.

If only she could think of someplace to go.

And she certainly wouldn’t run away without Emma.

But right now, Emma was safely with her grossmammi, which was good, because Becky could hear chocolate calling her—a big, yummy Hershey’s candy bar, and maybe a cappuccino from McDonald’s. Both were rare treats and served as her method of dealing with extreme stress.

Daed and Mamm knew her well enough to guess where she’d go. They wouldn’t worry.

Not so long as she was home by the time Emma got hungry. She should have about two hours.

She hoped the escape would calm her down—build up her defenses—before she returned home and had to face Jacob over dinner and devotions.

And if she wasn’t calm by then, well, she would think of something else. Like maybe coming down with a migraine.

She climbed into the buggy, hands still shaking, and made a clicking sound. When the horse started moving, she turned the buggy out of the gravel drive. After a car passed, she headed down the road toward town.

***

Jacob didn’t see any sign of Becky when the family returned home that afternoon. He figured she was hiding out upstairs in her room, away from everyone. It hurt to think that he might have been the cause of her distress. He only wanted to help.

She didn’t seem to appreciate his efforts.

Jacob tried to read
The Budget
as he sat in the living room with Daniel and Leah, but Daniel must have caught on to his restlessness, or maybe his frequent glances toward the stairs, because he cleared his throat. “Her buggy horse is gone.”

Leah let out a noncommittal hum when Daniel spoke, not even looking up from her book. Jacob didn’t know how many horses they kept. He glanced at Daniel over the top edge of the paper.

“Probably went to McDonald’s.” Daniel caught his eye and winked.

Jacob scratched his ear. Was Daniel telling him to go after Becky?

She’d told him she wanted to be alone. McDonald’s seemed a funny place to seek solitude.

And why would she want to go there, anyway? Unless she planned to meet someone. Maybe she had a date, though that would be odd in the middle of the afternoon. Dating was usually done under the cover of darkness. In Pennsylvania, at least. Missouri might have different rules.

Jacob shrugged and returned to
The Budget
. He started a new article and read two paragraphs.

“A cappuccino sounds mighty fine, jah?” Daniel spoke again.

A cappuccino? Jacob wrinkled his brow. He didn’t think he’d ever had one and wasn’t even sure what it would be. But since Leah ignored that comment, too, he figured it had to have been directed at him.

For some reason, Daniel wanted him to follow Becky to McDonald’s.

Jacob set his jaw and stood. He didn’t look forward to another run-in with that hard wall. How much would it take before the blockade around her began to crumble?

Jacob refolded the newspaper and placed it back on the end table. As he did, he caught Daniel’s self-satisfied smirk.

His distant cousin played matchmaker, for sure and for certain. Probably was in on Daed’s decision to separate him and Susie for good. Or maybe he thought Jacob liked Becky some.

He did. More than some.

Or maybe he just liked the challenge.

Becky sat in a corner booth with her steaming cappuccino in front of her, waiting for it to cool enough to drink. She’d already inhaled one Hershey’s candy bar that she’d bought at a convenience store she’d passed, but a second one waited beside the coffee cup, just in case she needed it.

At least she’d finally stopped crying.

Actually, she’d quit before she’d reached town. She hadn’t wanted to be seen with red eyes and a runny nose, although with flu season in full swing, perhaps people would assume she was sick and keep their distance. Might be a good idea after all.

She took a tentative sip of her coffee, watching the cars on the highway zoom along. What would it be like to have the freedom to go anywhere? Maybe even to Springfield? She’d been there once, when her older sister, Naomi Joy, had gone into labor prematurely and had to be rushed to the hospital. Little Regina had been kept at the hospital for months, and Naomi Joy had practically lived there with her.

Becky had considered asking Naomi Joy to raise Emma, too, but Daed had put his foot down and said Emma would be Becky’s responsibility.

She was glad he had.

A shadow passed over her, and someone paused beside her booth. She silently willed the person to move on. Maybe if she ignored him, he would.

“Mind if I join you?”

He wouldn’t be moving on. Becky closed her eyes. “Jacob.” Couldn’t he just leave her alone? Fear that he’d followed her to see if she really was “loose” warred with hope that he might really be interested in her as a person.

Of course, he might have come to dispense with some unwanted and unwelcome advice.

He slid into the booth across from her, his knees brushing against hers. “Daniel said you’d be here.”

“Jah. I needed….”
To get away from you
. “I needed some quiet time.” She opened her eyes and dared a glance at him. If he looked even the tiniest bit cocky, she’d get up and walk out.

He gave a lopsided smile. “And I had to go interrupt it.”

Thankfully, he didn’t make any comment about her claiming to need quiet and then going to a bustling fast-food restaurant.

He reached out and picked up her candy bar. “Plain milk chocolate? Have you ever tried it with almonds?” He set it down again, his gaze resting on her.

“So, did you pursue your Susie this relentlessly?”

Jacob’s eyes widened. For the longest time, he didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze moved past her to the window. His lips thinned as he stared outside. Finally, he looked back at her. “Nein. She chased me.”

Becky rolled her eyes. Of course, she did. And when the single girls in this community caught wind of Jacob, they’d be chasing him, too.

“Did you want a coffee?” She gestured to the tall Styrofoam cup in front of her.

He eyed the cup with a wary look. “Is that the, uh, cappuccino Daniel mentioned?”

“Jah. It’s an espresso—really strong coffee—with flavoring and sugar, I think.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Maybe not so much.”

Becky laughed. “They have normal coffee here, too.”

Jacob’s eyes jerked back to hers, and a slow grin spread over his face. “Bex, I’d drink a thousand of your cappuccinos just to hear you laugh again.”

Her face heated. She lowered her eyes, flattered and intrigued. Ach, he was a bold one.

***

Encouragement. He’d managed to find a small crack in her barricade. And she had a beautiful laugh. Jacob slid his hand over the table until his fingertips touched hers. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to order myself a cappuccino. I’m willing to give it a try.”

“I probably should be going.” Becky glanced up. “Emma….”

“Emma is fine. Leah’s taking gut care of her.” Funny how he didn’t want their time together to end.

“But….” She started to stand.

“Please.” Jacob stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently urging her back into her seat. “Wait.” After another long glance at her bowed head, he turned and strode up to the counter and stood in line.

“Well, look who’s here. You miss me, babe?”

Jacob had just reached the front of the line when he heard the loud voice somewhere behind him. He glanced back and hesitated when he saw a couple of Englisch guys stop beside Becky.

Her face paled as she stared up at the two men. He saw her lips move, and although he couldn’t hear her, he knew what she said: “Nein.” She closed her hands around her drink and made a slight move. One of the guys, the dark-haired one, sat down on the edge of her booth, forcing her back in. The redheaded one sat on the other side. Jacob’s side.

“May I take your order, sir?”

Jacob frowned at the clerk and shook his head, then stepped out of line and walked back to the booth in front of Becky’s. He hesitated there, not sure whether he should interrupt now or wait to see if she needed help. Glancing out the window, he noticed the lone buggy tied to the red hitching pole.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the man as he slipped his arm around Becky and pulled her closer to him. “Wanna go out and have some fun, babe? There’s a party tonight. I can find a date for Luke, and we can—”

“Nein. Kent, please. Go.” Becky’s voice wobbled.

Kent. Emma’s daed. Jacob gave up pretending to look outside and openly studied the man beside Becky. What had she ever seen in this man?

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that the Amish were pacifists. Then, he strode over to the table. “She’s with me.”

The man Becky had called Kent looked up. Jacob’s fingers itched to form a fist and rearrange his face.

Lord, forgive me. Help this to end quietly.

“Found yourself a new plaything, babe?” Kent rose to his feet. “And who might you be?”

“I might be Jacob Miller.”
Plaything?
How dare he treat Becky like this!

“Chakob? What kind of name is Chakob?” The Englischer laughed as he pronounced the name the Amish way. He stepped forward, getting in Jacob’s face.

The redheaded guy, Luke, stood up, looking uncomfortable. “Let’s go, Kent.”

With one strong hand, Kent shoved Jacob away, then continued past him. “Yeah. She’s not worth it.”

She was so worth it, but still…. Jacob let them go.

Thank You, Lord.

Becky’s hand gripped her fancy coffee so tightly that Jacob feared she’d crush the cup. He hesitated at the end of the booth, looking down at her, then glanced out at the parking lot to see the two men climb into a red car.

“You about ready to go, Bex?”

The two men slammed the doors shut, and the engine roared to life.

“Jah.” Her voice shook.

The car backed out and drove off.

“Let me throw my bicycle in the back of the buggy, and I’ll take you home.”

Jacob watched them pull out onto the highway.

“I can take care of myself.”

“What?” His attention leaped back to Becky. Her eyes were the same icy color as they’d been the day he’d arrived.

***

Becky supposed Jacob thought he was some big and mighty hero, coming to her rescue. But she didn’t have any fear of Luke, Annie’s old beau, and, well, she’d figured she’d be safe so long as he was there.

Even though Kent could be unpredictable. Especially if he’d been drinking.

When Jacob had come striding up and declared for the world to hear that she was with him, for a second, she’d felt valued and protected.

She’d reveled in that feeling for a whole minute before the truth had set in: she wasn’t. And Jacob couldn’t be her hero. He belonged to Susie.

Becky decided she didn’t much like his Susie.

Probably because she’d gotten to Jacob first.

Becky pried her hand from its death grip on her cappuccino and stood. “I said, I can take care of myself.”

“Jah.” Jacob’s expression didn’t match his words. “Of course, you can.”

She didn’t know whether to take his comment at face value or to accuse him of sarcasm. But there wasn’t a bit of mockery in his tone. Instead, it was soft and soothing.

“But, while I’m here, Bex, you don’t need to. I’ll take care of you as if you were my little sister.” His gaze held hers.

Ach, jah. That made her feel so much better. His sister—just the person she wanted to be.

“Kum. Let’s get my bicycle loaded, and then we can go.”

Becky wanted to remind him that she wasn’t his sister and never would be, but a glance around the restaurant reminded her that they weren’t alone. And they had attracted attention. With a self-conscious nod, she picked up her cappuccino and candy bar and headed for the door.

Outside, Jacob unlocked his bicycle from the bicycle rack and wheeled it over to her buggy. He lifted the two-wheeled contraption effortlessly into the back, then turned to her, offering his hand and assistance.

She didn’t want to accept either.

Instead, she gave him her cup and candy bar, then climbed up into the buggy.

Once settled, she turned back to reach for her things. Jacob handed them to her, then climbed up beside her and took the reins. He set the horse at a fast trot, and they headed away from of town, back toward the family farm.

“Did anyone invite you to the singing?” Becky glanced at him.

“Jah. Ben said that there’d be a gathering in their back field. I’ll head over later. You sure you don’t want to go?”

“Jah. Positive.” She took a sip of her coffee. Should she warn Jacob that Ben’s “gatherings” weren’t where the good Amish young adults hung out, or should she leave it alone and let him find out on his own?

She should tell him. In a minute. She took another sip.

“That’s gut, jah?” He nodded toward her drink.

“You never got one for yourself. Want a taste?” She held it out to him, expecting him to refuse.

With a smile that almost took her breath away, he took the cup from her. “Jah. Danki.” He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip, his eyes widening as he swallowed. “This is ser gut.” He held it out to her.