Sarasota Dreams (43 page)

Three weeks later during the church picnic, Jeremiah approached Shelley as she stood with her mother. “If you don’t mind, Mrs. Burkholder, I’d like to have a chat with your daughter.”

The twinkle in her mother’s eye let Shelley know her mother was in on something she was about to find out. “Of course I don’t mind.”

“I promised to help put out the desserts,” Shelley said. “Can it wait?”

Both Jeremiah and her mother shouted, “No!” in unison.

“Okay then. Let’s go.” She turned and tucked her hand into the crook of Jeremiah’s arm. “Where are we going?”

He gestured toward a waiting car. “I called David to drive us to the beach.”

All the way to the beach, David kept glancing at them in his rearview mirror. Even he seemed to know a secret. “How about I drop you off here?” he asked.

“Perfect,” Jeremiah said. “Pick us up in about an hour unless I call you to come earlier.”

“When are you going to let me in on your secret, Jeremiah?” Shelley asked as she removed her shoes before stepping onto the sand. Then it dawned on her. She turned toward him, smiling. “You’ve started working on the house!”

“Well,” Jeremiah said as he rubbed his neck, “not exactly, but that will be happening soon.”

“Then what’s so important we had to come all the way here for you to tell me?”

Jeremiah tugged her over toward a private area beside a cluster of palm trees. He opened the towel he’d brought and placed it on the sand. “Have a seat, Shelley.”

Once they were seated facing the water, Jeremiah took her hand and kissed the back of it. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes.

Finally, Jeremiah took a deep breath and turned to Shelley. “I’ve never done this before, so I might be a little bit awkward.”

She laughed nervously. “You’ve never seemed awkward to me, Jeremiah.”

“How do I seem to you?”

“You are a very sweet, hardworking man who has asked for forgiveness … and a man who loves the Lord.”

“Yes, that is true, but that’s not all. I love you, too, Shelley.”

A lump formed in her throat, but she managed to reply, “And I love you.”

“Good. That makes what I have to say much easier. I would like for you to be my wife.”

Shelley remained sitting there, stunned, for a few minutes before she turned to face him. “You’ve already talked to my parents about this, haven’t you?”

“Yes, and William and Paul.”

“What did they say?” she asked.

“William jumped up and clapped his hands. Paul said he would be happy to have me for a brother-in-law, and your father shook my hand.”

“How about my mother?” Shelley asked.

“She’s the only one I was worried about, but she said that if marrying me would make you happy, she’ll be happy for us.” He looked into her eyes. “Well, what’s your answer?”

Shelley flung her arms around Jeremiah’s neck and hugged him tight. “Marrying you will make me the happiest woman in Sarasota.” She stopped, thought for a moment, and corrected herself. “Make that the happiest woman in the world.”

U
NLIKELY
M
ATCH

Dedication

I’d like to dedicate this book to my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray.

A
ll Charles Polk had ever thought he wanted in life was to be a clown—a real clown with ridiculous makeup, baggy britches, oversize shoes, and an audience at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Then he’d started helping out on the Glick farm and realized he had a different calling.

“Ready, Charles?” Pop asked.

Charles stepped out into the hall of the house that had gone from being his parents’ dream to their burden. “Ready.”

All the way to the small Mennonite church in Pinecraft, the Polk family chattered about insignificant things to calm their unspoken fears. Even though he’d been there several times, his insides still churned with nerves.

Since most of the Mennonite families walked to church or rode their adult-sized tricycles they called bikes or three-wheelers, the Polk car was the only one in the parking lot. Charles knew his family was an enigma to the members of the church, but he prayed they’d eventually accept him without questions. Pop had assured him they would, but that was hard to imagine.

Charles walked into the church sanctuary with his parents, but Mom veered off toward where the women sat as he and Pop found a place among the men. There were so many things he needed to learn about the new life he wanted, but as the people who had come to talk to his family said, they had plenty of time.

Ruthie looked over toward the younger of the two new men in church and caught herself daydreaming about his past. She found it difficult to believe some of what she’d heard, but he did have an air of mystery.

Mother cut a glance at her and narrowed her eyes. Ruthie’s cheeks flamed as she turned back to the pastor, who was right in the middle of his sermon.

An hour later, as she joined the other women getting ready for the monthly potluck, she overheard some of the talk about the Polk family. Ruthie’s curiosity overcame her good sense, so she edged closer to the women doing all the talking.

“I heard the boy was taking some classes to become a clown. Isn’t that the silliest thing?” Sharon Bowles shook her head. “What kind of work is that for a man?”

“Perhaps that was a childish dream,” Mrs. Penner said. “You know how children can be.”

“None of our children ever dream of being clowns.”

Shelley Burkholder Yoder scooted past with a casserole dish. “That’s because they’re already a bunch of clowns.”

“Shelley!” Mrs. Burkholder shook her head and pretended to scowl as a smile played on her lips. “That is no way to talk about the fine young people in our community, especially since you’re going to have one of your own soon.”

Shelley glanced down at her growing abdomen. “Oh, I’m sure this child will fit right in with the rest of the clowns with a father like Jeremiah.”

Mrs. Yoder chuckled. “My son might be a clown, but he’s a smart one.” She handed Ruthie a basket filled with biscuits and rolls. “Be a dear, Ruthie. Take these outside and put them on the end of the bread table.”

Ruthie did as she was told, although she wished she could have remained in the church kitchen to hear what else the women had to say about the Polk family. As she walked past clusters of men, she sensed that all eyes were on the basket of bread she carried. Mennonite men sure did have big appetites. They never let more than a few seconds pass after the women gave them the go-ahead to pounce on the buffet line once the food was in place.

She glanced up in time to see Abe walking toward her. Her face burned, and her hands started shaking as they had since the time she acted out of character and boldly flirted with him before she realized he was in love with Mary. Although he wasn’t interested in her in the least, he was still nice, so there was no reason for her to be so embarrassed whenever he came near.

“Hi, Ruthie,” Abe said. “Looks like no one will go away hungry.”

“Ya. There is always plenty of food.”

“It’s always nice to show off our hospitality to newcomers.”

Ruthie took a chance and met his gaze. “Ya.” She knew his smile was meant to put her at ease, but she still felt like a bundle of nerves.

He nodded toward the Polk family. “Perhaps you can find some time to speak to Charles. He’s a very interesting young man. Did you know he used to dream of being a clown?”

She looked down and tried to stifle a giggle. “So I’ve heard.”

“I’m glad he came to his senses,” Abe said. “Charles is a very hard worker just like his father.”

Ruthie glanced toward the women who were hauling more food out to the picnic tables. “I’ll try to speak to him, but now I need to help take out the food.”

Abe took a step back. “Then I need to get out of your way. There are too many hungry men out here, and I don’t want to be the cause of their starvation.”

As Ruthie scooted past Abe and made her way back to the kitchen, she thought about Abe’s warmth, kindness, and good humor. Those qualities were what had attracted her to him; she wondered if anyone else could even come close. She wished her older sister Amalie were here to advise her. Amalie and her husband had gone back to Tennessee to run his family’s farm.

Mrs. Penner, Mary, and Shelley quickly gave her jobs to do, one right after the other, so she didn’t have much time to think about her former attraction to Abe. But she did notice how many times the other women had her running past Charles Polk. Each time she looked at him, he had a different expression—all pleasant and very animated. He was attractive in an unconventional way, with reddish-brown hair that hung a little too long in front, deep blue eyes that were impossible to look away from, and a ruddy complexion from being outdoors in the sun.

“She’s quiet but sweet,” Jeremiah whispered.

Charles pulled back. “Who?”

Jeremiah pointed toward the shy girl who stood slightly apart from the women. “Ruthie. I’ve known her since she started school several years behind me, and she’s always been a tad shy.”

There was never any doubt the people in the church loved to matchmake. As soon as the Polk family expressed an interest in exploring the Mennonite faith, he could tell that was one of the first things he’d have to face if they ever got serious about joining.

“Have you had a chance to talk to her yet?”

Charles shrugged. “Just a few words. Not much.”

Jeremiah laughed. “I’m beginning to think you’re just as shy as she is.”

“You know me better than that.”

“Yeah, I know you from working on the farm, but this is different.” Jeremiah’s eyes twinkled as he leaned over and exaggerated a whisper. “This is about a girl, and they can be quite scary.”

“No kidding.” Charles glanced over toward the women again. Ruthie stood out with her chestnut-brown hair that was darker than most of the women’s. Earlier he’d noticed her stunning blue-green eyes that were framed by long eyelashes. “She’s pretty. I wonder why she’s so shy.”

“I get the whole looks thing, but do yourself a favor and don’t make a big deal of her being pretty.”

Charles cringed. He’d gotten so many things wrong that he thought he’d never fully understand how to act, even though it had seemed simple at first. “Is that not allowed in the Mennonite church?”

“Not that it’s not allowed so much,” Jeremiah said slowly, “more that it’s not the place to put emphasis in your relationships.” He chuckled. “I’ve always thought Shelley was the prettiest girl in town, and when I told her, she let me know there was much more to her than that.”

“Thanks for the lesson.” Charles appreciated Jeremiah’s friendship. Between Jeremiah and Abe, he felt he had a chance of grasping the basic social aspects of being a Mennonite.

“Try to find some way to talk to her today.” Jeremiah narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. “That is, if you’re interested.”

“I’m not sure yet.” Although a handful of folks from the church wanted to matchmake, Charles had seen just as many skeptics. If any of them suspected he was even slightly interested in one of their girls, he was afraid they’d erect some sort of barrier to prevent him from getting to know her. He’d been reserved about expressing his opinions of Ruthie with Jeremiah, but he couldn’t ignore the spark of attraction he felt whenever their gazes met.