The PIECES of SUMMER (4 page)

“What’s that?”

“Go to Mom and Dad as soon as possible and tell them the way you feel about Kevin.
They may not like it at first, but at least this secret won’t be between you anymore,
and you’ll feel better once you’ve apologized and stopped sneaking around. It never
does anyone any good to be deceitful. Besides, you know it would hurt Mom and Dad
deeply if they heard about this from anyone other than you.”

“I know,” Laurie said tearfully. “I feel better already, just having told you.” She
leaned forward and gave Meredith a hug.

Jonah whistled as he guided his horse and buggy down the road toward Meredith’s house.
He was in good spirits this morning—partly because it was such a beautiful spring
day, but mostly because his horse was behaving so well. Jonah had figured when he’d
first bought Socks from Meredith that it was just a matter of time before the frisky
animal got to know and trust him, and he’d been right. Each time he took the gelding
out on the road, things had gone better than the time before. Now Socks obeyed all
of Jonah’s commands and didn’t try to run when he wasn’t supposed to. Apparently all
the horse needed was time to adjust to his original owner being gone. And Jonah’s
persistence in trying to win the horse over had no doubt played a role in the animal’s
improved behavior, too.

When Jonah arrived at Meredith’s, he was surprised to see her out working in the garden.
After nearly losing the baby a few months ago, he was under the impression that she
would need to take it easy right up until the baby was born.

Once Jonah had Socks secured at the hitching rail, he hurried across the yard to the
garden, where Meredith was pulling up weeds.

“Should you be doing that?” he asked after he’d said hello. “It might be a little
too strenuous for you.”

Her lips pursed as she stared up at him, the sun making the sides of her strawberry-blond
tresses look like golden threads. It was all Jonah could do to keep from reaching
under her head covering and touching her hair.

“I’m not overdoing,” Meredith was quick to say. “The exercise is good for me, and
if I don’t get these weeds pulled, I won’t have a garden.”

“Ungraut rope aus em gaarde is ken gschpass,”
Jonah said, kneeling on the grass beside her.

Her face relaxed a bit. “I guess you’re right. Weeding a garden would be more fun
if I wasn’t doing it alone. Laurie’s back from Florida now, and she was going to help
me, but she’s busy washing clothes at the moment.”

“It’s not a problem, because I’m here now, and I’m more than willing to help.” Jonah
dug his fingers into the dirt and snatched up a weed.

Meredith wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you want a shovel or a spade to do that? It’s much
easier on your fingers and nails.”

Jonah chuckled. “Working on buggies the way I do with my daed is harder on my hands
than pullin’ weeds. But if you have another hand shovel I can use, that might make
it easier to dig out the roots of these nasty ungraut.”

Meredith motioned to the small shed near the barn. “You’ll find several sizes of shovels
in there.”

“Great. I’ll go get one.” Jonah rose and strode across the yard to the shed.

“My sister and Alma think you’re really a nice man,” Meredith said when he returned
with a small shovel and started pulling weeds.

“What about you, Meredith? Do you think I’m a nice man, too?” he asked, glancing over
at her.

Meredith’s cheeks warmed. “Of course I do. I’ve always thought you were nice. You’ve
been more than helpful to me since Luke died, and I appreciate it very much.”

Jonah smiled. “Guess it’s just in my nature to be that way. Least that’s how it’s
been ever since a kid I didn’t even know cared enough to save me from drowning when
I was just a boy. Since that time, I’ve had a new appreciation for life, and whenever
I see someone who has a need, I try to help them as much as I can.”

Meredith returned his smile. “That’s a good way to be, because it’s what the Bible
teaches us to do.”

He nodded as he shook the dirt loose from the clump of weeds he’d just pulled out
from between some pea plants. “Jah, that’s so true.”

They worked for a while in companionable silence, until the
clip-clop
of horse’s hooves interrupted their quiet. Meredith shielded her eyes from the glare
of the sun, gazing across the yard to see whose buggy it was.

A few seconds later, Luke’s mother, Sadie, stepped down from the buggy and secured
her horse at the hitching rail. A frown creased her brow as she approached the garden.
Was she upset about something? Had she come with bad news?

“Wie geht’s?” Meredith asked.

“I’m fine,” Sadie said curtly. “I just came by to see how you’re doing.” She glanced
at Jonah, frowned slightly, and then quickly looked away.

Meredith thought Sadie’s behavior was a bit strange; she was usually quite warm and
friendly.

“I’m doing okay,” Meredith said. “Jonah stopped by awhile ago, and he’s helping me
pull some weeds.”

“I can certainly see that.” Sadie motioned to her buggy. “I brought you some of Luke’s
baby clothes, thinking you could use them when the
boppli
gets here. Should I take the box inside?”

“I’ll get it for you,” Jonah offered, rising to his feet. Before Sadie could respond,
he’d sprinted to her buggy. While Jonah hauled the box to the house, Meredith and
Sadie visited.

“Isn’t Alma here with you today?” Sadie questioned.

“No, Laurie’s here today. She’s in the basement, washing clothes.”

As if on cue, Laurie came around the house, carrying a basket full of laundry. She
smiled at Sadie as she walked by. “It’s nice to see you.”

Sadie smiled in return. “Same here.”

“Do you need my help hanging the laundry?” Meredith asked.

“No, that’s okay, I can manage. Just enjoy your time visiting with Sadie.” Laurie
hurried away and began clipping the clothes to the line.

When Jonah came out of the house, Sadie turned to Meredith and said, “Should we go
inside and look through the box of baby things now?”

“That’d be fine,” Meredith replied, “but I may not be able to use all of Luke’s baby
clothes.”

Sadie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why not?”

Meredith placed her hands against her bulging stomach. “I don’t know yet if the boppli’s
a
bu
or a
maedel.”

Sadie nodded. “That’s true, but many of the sleepers and blankets are in neutral colors,
so you should be able to use those for either a boy or a girl.”

“I’ll pull the rest of these weeds while you two go look at the clothes,” Jonah called
as Meredith and Sadie headed toward the house.

Meredith stopped walking and turned to face him. “There isn’t too much left to do,
and I appreciate all the help you’ve already given me, so you really don’t have to
finish the job. I can do it later.”

Jonah shook his head with a determined expression. “There’s no need for that. It’ll
only take me a short time, and then I’ll be on my way home.”

“Danki, Jonah.” Meredith smiled; then she followed her mother-in-law into the house.

When they entered the living room, Sadie turned to Meredith with a deep frown wrinkling
her forehead. “How often has Jonah been coming around here? He seems awfully familiar
with you.”

Meredith stiffened. “What are you getting at, Sadie?”

“I just don’t think it’s right for him to be here—especially when you’re a young widow,
expecting a boppli.”

Meredith sighed deeply. “Jonah is just a good friend, and all he wants to do is help
out. I’m sorry if you don’t think he should be here, but I won’t hurt his feelings
by telling him not to come over anymore.”

Sadie opened her mouth, but then she snapped it closed and folded her arms.

“Let’s look at Luke’s baby clothes now,” Meredith suggested. “I appreciate you bringing
them over.”

When Sadie arrived home later that morning, she found her husband, Elam, sitting on
the front porch with a glass of lemonade.

“How was your visit with Meredith?” he asked, taking a sip of the refreshing drink.
“Was she glad to get the baby clothes?”

“I think so,” Sadie replied, “but that buggy-maker’s son, Jonah, was there.”

Elam quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Jah, and I don’t think it’s right that he’s been hanging around there so much. I’m
afraid he’s trying to take Luke’s place, and it’s way too soon for Meredith to be
seeing another man.” She placed her hand on Elam’s shoulder. “I think you should do
something about it, and the sooner the better.”

“What do you want me to do, Sadie?” Elam asked, shrugging his shoulders. “Am I supposed
to barge into the buggy shop and demand that Jonah stay away from Meredith?”

“That might not be a bad idea,” she said with a nod.

Elam looked at her and frowned as he slowly shook his head. “If Jonah and Meredith
are meant to be together, there’s nothing either one of us can do about it.”

Sadie’s lips compressed while she tapped her foot. “We’ll just have to see about that.”

A
s the cooler days of spring turned into warmer days of summer, Meredith grew weary
of everyone doing things for her. It was the middle of June, and her stomach had grown
much bigger. She missed the physical work she could no longer do because she was so
top-heavy. This morning, she felt almost worthless, wishing she could do more than
sit and sew.

She moved from the kitchen to stand in front of the screen door and drew in a deep
breath. The sweet smelling scent of the lilacs blooming along the property line wafted
up to her nose. The butterflies obviously liked them, too, she noticed, as they glided
from one bloom to the next.

Meredith smiled, watching the birds in her yard flitting from the trees to the feeders
she kept filled for her enjoyment as much as providing for the birds. Jonah had come
by a few weeks ago and repaired a couple of the feeders that had been damaged during
a strong wind they’d had in the middle of May.

Jonah had been so kind to her and helped out in many ways. Mom had her hands full,
taking care of the children still living at home. Dad kept busy with his stands at
the markets, not to mention the chores he had to do at home, so he didn’t have much
free time at all. Luke’s folks helped out sometimes, too, but they were getting up
in their years, and Meredith didn’t feel right about asking either of them to do a
lot—especially with some of the heavier things that needed to be done. So with Jonah
helping Meredith, she didn’t have to call on anyone else too often.

Meredith enjoyed Jonah coming by; he was easy to talk to. She felt more comfortable
in his presence than she had at first. He listened and seemed to understand the way
she felt about things. At first, she’d been a bit uneasy about him doing things around
the place to help out, but that was getting less awkward, especially as she grew in
her pregnancy. Jonah had shared some things with her about his twin sister, Jean,
and how it had been for her when she’d lost her first husband. He had tried to help
her as much as possible and had been there to listen and offer support whenever she’d
needed a shoulder to cry on. It seemed obvious to Meredith that Jonah was not only
a good brother but also a friend she could count on.

Meredith’s one concern, which was never far from her thoughts, was her financial situation.
Her home-based business of making head coverings for Amish women was helping some,
but it was hard to stretch her budget every month, even with the money her parents
and Luke’s folks sometimes insisted that she take. There had also been a charity auction
in their community last month, and she’d been given some of the money from that to
help with expenses. Every little bit helped, but how long would it last? Others in
the community needed help, too, and Meredith wanted to be able to make it on her own.

She was glad Dad hadn’t taken on another stand at the Crossroads market, like he’d
talked about doing a few months ago. He worked hard enough as it was, and it was difficult
for the family to have him gone so much. It was important for a father to spend time
with his wife and children, not only for the family’s sake but for his own, as well.