Saving Gideon (28 page)

Gideon ignored them as he walked up the porch steps Louie ran over to him and together they went into the house, the screen door slamming behind them. He went straight to the kitchen and washed his hands in the sink.

It was none of his business a’tall. Well, ’ceptin’ this was his property, and Annie was under his care of sorts. She was his guest, anyway. And that bore a certain amount of responsibility. He should check on her to make sure she was okay.

He dried his hands on a dishtowel and made his way back into the living room. He could see them easily from the window. Annie stood with her arms folded across her middle, while her
Englischer
leaned against the front of his car.

He was a slick one, this outsider. His pants gray, his shirt the pale yellow of the butter cream frosting his
aenti
put on the cupcakes she made every Easter.

He shouldn’t be spying on them. Annie had made it clear she wanted to be alone with this Jack. He should grant her this request. And he should not feel jealous at the possessive light in the other man’s eyes.

But he didn’t like how the outsider had treated Annie. Didn’t like that any man thought he could treat a woman with such disrespect, and then to come around again like nothing had happened . . .

Gideon tore his gaze away from the pair and went back into the kitchen. He cut himself a wedge of pie and a hunk of cheese to refuel for the afternoon.

He sat down at the table with his snack. The auction had been sort of fun. He hadn’t been in a long time, and it was
gut
to see all the folks he’d been missing these last few months. It was
gut
to spend time with his brother. And
gut
to bring a new animal onto his farm. He had gotten a deal on the beast—that was why he bought him. He hadn’t gone with the intentions of purchasing an animal, but the mule would help with the plowing and save Molly and Kate’s energy for trips to town.

And church
.

He hadn’t made up his mind about going, but he had been thinking about it. Mostly due to his
mamm
. If she could keep her faith even with what was ahead of her, he felt . . . well, he felt like he owed it to her to keep his right alongside. At least try to.

The auction had done something else. It had brought him face to face with the alpacas Annie was always talking about. Once he saw them, he walked over and visited with the man who was selling them. They were everything Annie had said—small, gentle, and docile in disposition. They had thick fleece coats in many beautiful colors, and they would provide for years since they—like sheep—were not slaughtered for their commodity. He’d talked with the man for a few minutes, then walked away, but the lazy eyes and alert ears of the alpaca had stayed with him for the rest of the afternoon.

Louie whined, and Gideon broke off a piece of crust and fed it to the tiny dog. What could they be talking about out there? And how long was he going to stay? Gideon shifted in his seat trying to see out the window, then fooled himself into believing that wasn’t his intention at all.

Would the
Englischer
try and take Annie with him?
Would she go?

He grabbed up his plate and took it to the kitchen, peering out the window as he did. They still stood in the yard, but he could barely see them. He deposited his plate and fork in the sink and eased back over to the window.

The wind ruffled the ends of Annie’s hair that had pulled free of the pins she used. She started to brush it back, but Jack Welch beat her to it. There was a familiarity to his touch, and Gideon had to remind himself again that the ways of the
Englisch
were so very different than his own. He had to remind himself again that Annie was
Englisch
.

Their muffled voices told him nothing. He could hear the sound, but not the words. Jack said something. Annie replied. She still had her arms across her middle, but now Jack Welch had taken ahold of her elbows. Gideon couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like she was trying to pull away from him.

Jah
. That was
gut
.

Annie took a step back and forced Welch to straighten. She said something else, and the blond-haired man replied. Then he leaned down, his intention clear—he was going to kiss her.

But Annie moved just in time, and the kiss fell on her cheek instead.

Although he had no right to be, Gideon was pleased.

The next thing he knew, she was striding toward the house.

Louie barked as if sensing her return. Gideon jumped back from the window, hoping she didn’t see him, that she didn’t know he had been spying on her.

He hurriedly sat in the rocking chair, barely getting his behind on the seat before she burst into the house, her face like a thundercloud. Cheeks flushed, eyes blazing.

“Of all the—” She saw Gideon sitting in the living room.

He rose to his feet out of sheer habit. “Annie.”

“Sorry . . . I . . . I thought you were out back.”

“Did you have a nice visit?”

She hesitated a fraction too long before answering. “Very nice. Jack wished he could stay a bit longer, but he had to get back to town.” She tucked the loose strands of hair back under her
kapp
and smiled a little too brightly. “A mule, huh?”

“
Jah
.”

“That’s really good.”

He knew it was
gut
, a step toward healing, but her gushing response was more than the situation called for.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” he asked.

She smiled again, but the emotion didn’t reach her eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ll get us something to eat.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her he’d just had a snack. Instead, he followed her to the kitchen, scratching his head over the ways of the
En
glisch
.

12

A
very tried to appear as casual as possible. “Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

It had been three days since Jack had intruded into her extended vacation. Thankfully, Gideon hadn’t asked any more questions about the visit. Thankfully, Jack hadn’t returned for round two. And thankfully, she had left her phone off to keep him from contacting her.

Or maybe that was just cleverness on her part.

Gideon nodded but didn’t look up from the seed catalog he’d picked up in town the day of the auction. “
Jah
.”

“I heard the service is at Hester Stoltzfus’s house.”

“Where’d you hear th—never mind, Mary Elizabeth told you.”

“Actually, it was your mother.”

At the mention of his mom, Gideon stopped, looked up, and gave her his full attention. “
Jah
.”

“I think she would like it if you were there.”

“I think Hester likes to have somethin’ to talk about.”

“Not Hester, your mom.”

He grunted, the sound that was neither a yes or a no.

“What’s stopping you?”

“I—”

“Your beard’s grown back in.”

“I—”

“And don’t tell me you don’t have faith. I’ve seen you pray. You didn’t think anyone noticed, but you’re not fooling me.” What had started out to be a friendly conversation had turned into an all-out nag fest. Pestering the stubborn man would only make him pull away more. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just—”

“You’re right.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“
Jah
.” He nodded. “You’re right. It’s time I got back to church.”

Avery had never been so proud in her life as she watched Gideon step up into his buggy the next day. He looked very handsome in his black pants and matching for-
gut
vest. The pale blue shirt he wore underneath made his eyes seem even greener than before. Or maybe it was the specialness of the day, a turning point for him on his way to recovery.

Avery saw this as a personal triumph. His mother would be thrilled. His entire family would be ecstatic. She waved once, still watching as he pulled the buggy around and headed toward the road.

She would have loved to have gone with him, but she understood that just wasn’t possible. The Amish were open about showing their religious views, but very closed when it came to their worship. Avery would love to attend an actual service, hear them singing in unison, praying from a book and preaching off the cuff. But she knew she wasn’t allowed.

Plus Gideon being gone would give her some much needed time to herself. She knew he felt an attraction for her. Every now and then, she would glance his way only to find him looking at her. Desire burned in his eyes, but she had been around him enough to know that he would never act on it. If he had been English he would have already tried to get her into bed, but he wasn’t. He was Amish, honorable and chaste. He wouldn’t even kiss her. How ironic that the very virtues she admired in him were causing her such grief.

It was for the best. As much as she liked pretending that she wasn’t leaving anytime soon, Jack’s visit made it perfectly clear—her time here was coming to an end. She wouldn’t be able to keep her “real” life from intruding much longer. Soon her father would come looking for her. Or Maris would. The wedding of the year would require her attendance. Or another benefit, or fundraiser, or golf tournament. Whichever happened first didn’t matter. Something
would
happen and force her return to Dallas.

It was bold of her to think about it, but she wished she had kissed Gideon down by the creek so many days ago. Then again, any physical relationship with Gideon would only make leaving harder.

Avery sighed as the black dot of Gideon’s buggy disappeared through the clump of trees down the road. She still wished she could go to the service. Maybe next week she would go to one of the churches in town. At least she would be around others for worship and praise.

The Bible said whenever two or more gathered in the Lord’s name, then He would be there as well. She looked down at Louie, who sat at her feet, his head tilted to one side as he watched Gideon leave. “Guess what?” She scooped him into her arms. “You’ll have to be my two.”

And she carried him into the house to get the Bible.

Louie settled at her feet as Avery opened the Good Book and started to read. It was amazing how much her German had improved since she’d started. She was quite proud of herself. Not in a bad way, but in a you-finally-stepped-up kind of way. Just like cooking, cleaning, and planting a garden, there was so much she had never known she could do. She couldn’t help but be pleased with herself for all she had learned.

Lord, thank You for helping me realize my talents, and may I always use them in a way that glorifies You. Amen.

Annie was on the front porch reading when Gideon pulled up.
Ach
, but he had missed her! He’d enjoyed the church service, and the fellowship afterward, but even as he feasted on chicken and crackers, cheese and pickles, and drank sweet tea, what he had really wanted to do was come home and see his Annie. It wasn’t
gut
, these feelings he was starting to have for her. This week just proved it—it wouldn’t be long before she returned to her life in the big city. What he hated most of all was that she would probably fall in with the likes of that Jack. She deserved so much more, so much better.

She closed her book as he hopped down from the buggy, and Gideon could see she had been reading the Bible. He smiled. She had gained something from this trip. In truth he had gained so much more.

“Well, hello there.” She shaded her eyes with one hand. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

Gideon shrugged. “Hester’s isn’t so far from here. And . . .”
And I ate like the devil was taking away my food, and I talked to everyone I had to as fast as I could so I could come straight home. To you.
“. . . thought I’d better check on my mule. I don’t think he was none too happy about sharin’ the barn with three ladies.”

Annie laughed, and the sound made Gideon chuckle in return. This was why he had hurried home. Because he knew their time was limited, and he wanted every second he could squeeze out of the day. Maybe it would hold him over when winter came again.