Sisters of the Quilt Trilogy (55 page)

Her skin felt like it was on fire as she gave a slight nod.

Eli slapped Luke on the back. “I guess this means you won’t be partnering with Stoltzfus’s Harness in Lancaster after all, eh?”

Mary lifted her eyes, realizing all the rumors about this were true and wondering if Luke would ever straight out tell her of his plans.

Eli smiled. “Well, I’ll just leave you two to talk, and I’ll see you both on Sunday.”

She was still gawking at Luke when she heard the sounds of the buggy pulling onto the paved road.

Suspicion covered Luke’s face. “You talked to the doc—”

She gestured toward him, stopping him in midsentence. “What’s this about you partnering with somebody in Lancaster?”

Luke’s countenance changed. “It was just an idea, a way of making extra money while we waited for your doctor’s okay to marry.”

Determined to keep him right here in Owl’s Perch, Mary whispered, “We h … have permission.”

Luke smiled. “So I heard.” He stepped forward and took her hand.

The warmth of his touch spread through her. Like the bishop said, this matter went to the heart of trusting God. The CT scan said she was healed. The doctor had given her a clean bill of health, except he’d said …

Never mind what he said
.

“Mary?” Luke placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head. She looked into his brown eyes.

There was nothing wrong with trusting God in these matters.

“We can get married this wedding season,” she whispered.

Hannah squeezed the steering wheel as she pressed the brake.

Gideon looked out the open window on the passenger’s side, acting like he wasn’t nervous about Hannah wrecking his older model Buick.

From the backseat Zabeth tapped Hannah on the shoulder. “You think we’ll get to Martin’s sometime tonight?”

Gideon and Zabeth both broke into laughter. Gideon drew a heavy breath. “I ain’t even sure we’re gonna get to the end of the lane before morning.”

Hannah didn’t respond to their playful jests. This machine had real horsepower, about two hundred of them according to Gideon, which made no sense to Hannah. If she had two hundred horses hooked to a buggy, she couldn’t imagine it being able to go sixty or seventy miles per hour—although however fast it went, the trip would completely tear a buggy to pieces. She was fairly sure that stopping a vehicle at a red light would be easier than stopping two hundred horses.

Coming to a stop at the end of the driveway, she pushed the lever for the blinker up and waited for a car to pass. Zabeth gave directions as they eased onto the road and sweat inched down Hannah’s back. It was quite a drive to Martin’s place, and the car seemed much hotter than a buggy.

“We made it … before it’s over,” Zabeth chirped. “It’s that second house on the left. Right there.”

The second …

Hannah turned into a paved, circular driveway and stared at the two-story, smooth-stoned home with high arching windows and stacked-rock columns. “Zabeth?”

Zabeth chuckled. “Yeah, we’re at the right place. His father taught him how to invest money and gave him a few thousand to invest each year for his birthday since he was twelve. Something about making some savvy choices in the stock market before he even graduated from high school.”

She put the car in Park, set the brake, and turned the engine off. She pulled the keys out and passed them to Gideon. “You want to come in for a while?”

“Nah, it’s been a long day of driving and … being driven.” He smiled. “Since Martin will see to it you guys get back, I’m ready to go on home.”

Hannah paid him while Zabeth went to the front door. She made arrangements for Gideon to pick her up the next day and then went up the steps to Martin’s home.

Soft, unfamiliar music pulsated through the room as she entered through the opened door. Zabeth was busy talking to people Hannah didn’t know. Martin was nowhere in sight as she closed the door behind her. Polished woods and colorful rugs covered the floors. Fancy lights with fans hung from the ceiling, and the walls were covered with photos. Seemed to her the place looked awfully shiny and clean for a single guy.

She meandered into the adjoining living room and stopped in front of a group of pictures on the wall. Her heart palpitated at the sight of photos of family events. Melancholy washed over her as she stared at a picture of Zabeth when she was a few years older than Hannah, holding a one-year-old in her arms and a little girl by the hand—probably Martin and Faye. Another frame had a man and woman standing behind a young boy and older girl. That had to be Martin and Faye with their parents. Several photos had Martin in sports uniforms; one showed Faye wearing a ballerina costume.

“Hey, phone girl.” Martin spoke over her shoulder.

She glanced at him before pointing to a photo. “Did Faye take ballet as a child?”

Martin shook his head. “That’s a Halloween costume.”

“Oh.” She touched the silver-framed picture of Zabeth holding a baby. “Is this you?”

His confident nature seemed to melt as he nodded.

Hannah looked around the room. “This isn’t how I thought a single man’s place would look.”

A half smile crossed his lips. “I hired a decorator, who put everything that was worn, torn, or too guylike into the storage room. And I have a cleaning lady who keeps everything shiny and tidy—when I’m not baby-sitting Lissa and Kevin.” He rolled his eyes. “So, I heard you inched … I mean, drove here tonight.”

She mimicked his roll of the eyes.

He laughed. “Now if you practice that a little, you can tell a person off without ever opening your mouth.”

From somewhere she heard Lissa chattering. “Is Faye here?”

Martin shook his head. “The musicians always hire a sitter for our parties. And never underestimate the power of Faye to use any available sitter.” He slid his hands into his pockets. “How’d things go at North Lincoln?”

She still chafed under the guilt of pursuing an education, and yet part of her was overjoyed at the opportunity—torn between the ways of her people and the choices offered in the Englischers’ world, without a hint of how to pray her way to peace.

She cocked an eyebrow. “You and Zabeth talk too much.”

“Nah. Not all that much, but she’s a tad interested in you getting on your feet ASAP …” He shook his head. “Sorry. I tend to think about things like they’re a business deal and what needs to be handled in what order, and I just saw concern for Zabeth’s health flicker through those brown eyes.”

Hannah drew a deep breath. “The cancer
is
in remission. Even with the heart condition the treatments caused, she could live for …”

“Yeah, I know.” He stepped closer. “And no one wants that more than you and me, but she’d like to see progress made, okay?”

She nodded and opened her purse. “You won’t believe this, but the Robert T. White School of Practical Nursing has a program that starts at the first of the year.” She pulled a small stack of informational papers out and passed them to him. “Admission testing takes place in time for me to begin the two-year program this January.”

He read through the first page, not looking all that impressed. “Are you sure you want to go here?”

“Ya. It’s perfect for me. It’s close; it’s part-time. The classes are at night, so you’d be available for Zabeth while I’m in class.
And
it’s even housed in the same building where I’ll study for my GED, so I’m pretty comfortable with it.” She pointed to the criteria for admissions. “This plan gives me a chance at passing my GED and getting everything in order to begin the two-year course without having to wait until next fall.”

He flipped through the papers. “But you won’t finish with an associate’s degree, just a diploma. There are other schools, nursing schools where you’d have a degree at the end of two years and really good schools where you could earn a bachelor’s in four … or a little more.”

She took the papers from him. “But I
can
do this one.” Clearing her throat, she shoved the stuff back into her purse. “It’s only part-time plus a clinical rotation every other weekend. Martin, I’ve never spent any time in a classroom that wasn’t a one-room schoolhouse. Maybe you stepped right into a college campus full-time, but this feels right for me.”

His green eyes narrowed. “I didn’t mean to …” He held her gaze before offering a smile. “I apologize. This is a huge step, one that makes you happy, and I should’ve looked at it from your perspective, not mine. So let’s try again.” Martin pointed to her purse. “That school is perfect, and I think you’ll be comfortable there. If you want a better chance of passing the entrance exams, we’ll get you a tutor, the GED study book, and whatever else you need to prepare for nursing school. I’ll find you a car to drive by the time you get your license. And—”

She held up her hand, interrupting him. “Did you invent the to-do list or something?”

He grimaced. “Sorry. We’ll talk about it later.” He motioned. “Come on. I’ll give you a quick tour and introduce you to everyone.”

The kitchen, music room, and open spaces, as he called them, were incredibly lavish. Upstairs he had an entire room devoted to a huge-screen television. He called that the entertainment room. It had leather couches, stained-glass shades on lamps, and bookcases with glass fronts. Lissa and Kevin were sprawled on the couches, along with some other kids, none of whom even looked up from their show.

She followed him back downstairs and into the kitchen. She’d known he had money because he spent it so freely, but she didn’t realize this was what having money looked like on the inside: mahogany cabinets, tiled floor, stainless-steel refrigerator, oak table and chairs, and two granite islands.

Martin opened the fridge. “Care for a bottle of water?”

She looked at the shiny faucet, set in green marble, then back to him. “Is there something wrong with the tap water?”

He closed the refrigerator. “Not that I know of. But bottled water tastes better, and then the container can be thrown away.”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“How about some food?” He held a platter of fruits out to her: strawberries, bananas, apples, and red grapes.

She picked several grapes off a vine and popped one into her mouth. Their conversation was disrupted by what sounded like a herd of cattle clomping down the stairs.

Martin propped his forearms on the island. “I guess they got to a part in the movie where they were willing to hit Pause.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” She held up a grape. “These are really good.”

“Hannah,” Lissa shrieked and wasted no time jumping into Hannah’s arms.

She squeezed her. “Hi, sweet girl. Been riding or feeding any horses lately?”

Lissa’s silky black hair and dark eyes were almost a mirror image of her mother’s. “Nope. Didja bring Ol’ Gert with you?”

Hannah laughed. “I tried carrying him, but he complained.”

Lissa giggled. “No you didn’t. Ol’ Gert’s too big.”

Hannah glanced at Kevin, who stood back, watching. Until this moment she hadn’t realized how much the young boy favored his uncle, in spite of having straight, light brown hair and fairer skin. “Hi, Kevin. How’s the bug catching going?”

He poked an elbow into his uncle’s thigh. “Uncle Martin ain’t much good at catching bugs, but he has no problems squooshing them.”

Hannah’s eyes met Martin’s. “You know, I’d think a beetle thing would show a little respect for his kind … and hope I don’t start squooshing all bugs.”

He laughed. “Watch it, phone girl.”

She turned back to Kevin. “Maybe we can catch some tonight and hide them from the bug squoosher.”

“Yeah!” Kevin’s face lit up. “She’s good at catching fireflies, Uncle Martin.”

“Well, then that’s one more thing she can do that I don’t have to, right?” He set the water bottle on the counter. “We’ll begin jamming in a few minutes. You’ll enjoy seeing just what Zabeth adds to the group. She’s really good and not the least bit shy.”

A teenage girl walked into the room wearing skin-tight shorts and a tank top.

Martin lifted Kevin onto the counter. “Hannah, this is Nina. She’s doing the honors of baby-sitting for us tonight.”

Hoping she didn’t look as uncomfortable as she felt around a half-clothed girl, Hannah shifted Lissa in her arms and held out her hand. “Hello.”

Nina shook it. “Hi.” She turned to Martin. “Dad called and said he’s running late but you should get started without him.”

Lissa reached for Martin. He lifted her from Hannah’s arms. “Nina’s parents are Dave and Vicki Slagle. They’re good friends I’d like you to meet when they get here.” He looked to Nina. “That’s fine. I knew he had a lot going on today. Why don’t you take the kids outside for a while? That’s where we’ve set up all the band equipment.”

“Okay.” Nina helped Kevin jump down.

Martin tickled Lissa’s belly. “You’re going to be good for Nina tonight, right?”

Lissa giggled and nodded, and Martin set her feet on the ground. “Go on.” He gave a nod for her to follow Nina, then took a swig of water. “According to Zabeth, you’re not interested in coming to church. Is there a reason?”

“I … I’ve never …” She shrugged.

“Been to church?”