She took a small step backward. Josiah seemed to fill up the whole hallway with his presence. And he smelled like fresh-cut clover. She was having trouble remembering, but it might have been her favorite smell ever. “You really were doing fine. Aaron is a handful, but Alvin is very sweet.”
Josiah smiled. “Alvin is the tricky one. If he's quiet for more than three minutes, he's doing something he shouldn't.” He ran his fingers through his short hair, shorter than most Amish boys wore it. “I was taking a nap on the couch last Sunday, and Alvin cut most of the hair off one side of my head. I can't believe I didn't wake up. I had to cut off the rest to even it up.”
Rose curled her lips. “I wondered why it was so short. It looks nice.”
“It does? Suvie says I look like a plucked chicken.”
Not a plucked chicken. Josiah would have been handsome any way he wore his hair. Rose lowered her eyes. “
Nae.
You look . . . I like it.”
He fingered the black-and-blue goose egg above his eyebrow. “It definitely makes the bump on my forehead stand out.”
Rose frowned. “How is it feeling?”
“Better,” he said with a big grin, as if it didn't hurt at all. “The one on the back of my head is bigger. At least my hair covers that.”
She cracked a smile. “I'm glad you didn't have to get stitches.”
They stood in awkward silence until Josiah reached out and grazed his thumb across her cheek. “A little flour,” he said.
“Oh.” He was too close. She couldn't even breatheâhe took up so much space. He stared at her as if he could have stood there all day. She didn't have that much time. “I should get home.”
They heard a sound in the other room. Josiah raised his eyebrows. “Arie's awake.”
The anxiety grew in her chest like mold. She couldn't leave Josiah by himself. No matter how late it got, the children were her most important concern. She went into the baby's room and picked up Arie. She was a cute little pink bundle of chubby cheeks and thigh rolls. Rose clutched the baby to her chest. Arie needed her. She could be brave for the baby.
Josiah walked Rose down the stairs, cupping his fingers lightly over her elbow in case she tripped. He'd been too close too many times tonight. Rose was more than a little breathless.
“I hope she isn't hungry,” Josiah said with an amused light in his eyes. “I don't know if I'm up to trying to feed her again.”
Rose smiled. They'd have to scrub down the kitchen if Josiah made another bottle.
The front door opened, and Suvie and her husband Andrew strolled into the room. Suvie was a tall woman with fair skin and a face full of freckles. Her hair was light yellow, like Rose's, with just a tinge of red to it, and her eyes were the same brilliant blue as Josiah's. Her husband, Andrew, was also tall with chestnut-brown hair and a perpetual smile on his face. There was nothing small about Andrew, including his big, booming voice and his loud, jolly laugh, which could be heard for miles in the outdoors.
Suvie bloomed into a smile. “I saw the buggy out front and wondered who had come to call yet. How
wunderbarr
to see you, Rose.”
“How are you?” Andrew said, smiling in Josiah's direction.
“I brought some honey,” Rose said.
“How very kind,” Suvie said. “But you know you never need an excuse to visit.” She leaned toward Rose and nodded eagerly. “Have you been here long? I hope you two have been having a nice time together.”
“She got here just in time,” Josiah said. “She saved the house from being burned to the ground and washed away in the toilet water.”
Suvie seemed untroubled by the news of fire and flood. “
Ach
,
vell
, it's
gute
Rose happened to come by.” She reached out, and Rose handed her the baby. “How's my little pumpkin?”
Rose grinned. “Pumpkin” was a perfect name for Arie. She was chubby and solid and orange on top. “She doesn't take a bottle very well.”
Suvie huffed. “She doesn't, the little stinker. I fed her right before I left. I was hoping Josiah wouldn't have any trouble with her.”
“Not much trouble,” Josiah said. “But I felt really bad that she screamed until Rose got here.”
Suvie stuck out her bottom lip sympathetically. “I'm sorry. We had to look in on Onkel Melvin. He isn't feeling well.”
Josiah narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said Aendi Linda was sick.”
Suvie was busy bouncing Arie on her hip and didn't seem to hear Josiah. “How did Alvin and Aaron do?”
“They clogged the toilet. They got to bed very late, and Rose made them pancakes,” Josiah said. “Whole wheat. The best I've ever tasted.”
Suvie's smile seemed to double in width. “We all know what a
wunderbarr
cook Rose is.”
Rose's face got warm. She didn't deserve such praise. Everybody knew how to make pancakes.
“They clogged the toilet?” Andrew said.
Josiah nodded. “We dried up the water, but it's still clogged. I will come by and help you fix it in the morning.”
“No need,” Andrew said, a little too quickly. “I can do it myself. You've got plenty of chores.”
Rose nearly sighed in relief. Josiah should probably stay away from plumbing fixtures.
Josiah glanced at the clock on the wall. “I've got to get Rose home. She didn't plan on spending her Friday night here.”
Dread pressed on Rose's chest until it became unbearably heavy. “My family will be worried,” she said, wincing at how winded she sounded. It would be a sure sign of weakness if she fainted before she even made it to the buggy.
With her free arm, Suvie pulled Rose in for a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “
Denki
for saving my brother. He loves the
kinner
, but three is quite a handful.” Her eyes flickered mischievously as she pulled Rose closer and whispered in her ear. “Especially if you don't have the right equipment to feed the baby.”
Rose cracked a smile. Suvie often said shocking things that made the women laugh and the men turn red.
Josiah gave Arie a kiss on the cheek. “Just so you know, Suvie, you should never ask me to babysit again.”
Suvie ushered them out the door. “Maybe we'll invite Rose to come too.”
Josiah followed Rose down the sidewalk. The closer she got to the buggy, the harder her heart hammered against her ribs. She would be all right. She could take Queenie fast and be there in half an hour.
Josiah slid the door open, took her hand, and helped her into the buggy. To her surprise, he climbed up next to her, forcing her to slide to her right. “What . . . what are you doing?” she asked, with an embarrassingly shaky voice.
“I'm driving you home,” he said, as if surprised she didn't know.
“But how will you get back?”
He picked up the reins. “I'll walk. It's not that far.”
It was too much. “It's five miles.”
In the dim light, she could see the determined set of his jaw. “Rose, I would never want you to have to drive home alone in the dark.”
“
Denki
,” she said, her voice cracking into a million pieces. Relief swept over her like a flood, and she turned her face from him as silent tears trickled down her cheeks.
How had he known it was just what she needed?
Chapter Five
The sun had just disappeared below the horizon when Josiah and Dan climbed out of Dan's open-air buggy and trekked up the lane. They were headed toward the barn, but Josiah's attention was squarely focused on the house, where the propane lanterns had been lit. Rose Christner was inside that house, baking bread or painting a picture or reading a book with her sisters. What he wouldn't give to be in there, sitting next to Rose, making her smile, talking about anything just so long as he could be near her.
But he wouldn't even see her tonight, even though he was achingly close. They had parked Dan's buggy on the road so Rose wouldn't know they were here. Josiah hated that he had to come under these circumstances. Why wouldn't the troublemaker leave the Christners alone?
Dan carried a heavy-duty flashlight, and Josiah had a roll of black vinyl tucked under his elbow. Lord willing, they could fix the buggy tonight, and Rose would be none the wiser. They crept silently into the barn, where Luke stood assessing the damage with his own flashlight.
Four long slashes had been cut down the sliding door of the Christners' buggy. Josiah clenched his teeth. Rose had been sitting in that buggy with him just last Friday.
“Poppy came by this morning,” Luke said, not even looking up when they came in. “They've been canning peaches all day and haven't had to use the buggy. Rose doesn't know about it, but I don't think we can keep this from her.” He motioned toward the vinyl in Josiah's hand. “I'm afraid fixing this slider will take more than just a piece of vinyl.”
Josiah winced. “Rose can't know about this.”
“I can fix it.” Luke curled his lips slightly. “I can fix anything.”
Josiah wasn't in the mood for Luke's arrogance. “What else do we need? I can call a driver and go to the store. Whatever you need. Just tell me.”
Luke shook his head. “It's not that easy. We can cut the new vinyl, but then we have to get the damaged piece off the frame and hammer it into placeâ”
“I can get whatever you need,” Josiah insisted.
Luke sighed. “I need a buggy shop.”
Josiah folded his arms. “Then we take it to a buggy shop.”
“At eight o'clock at night?”
“Jah.”
Dan walked to the other side of the buggy. “Any other damage?”
Luke shook his head. “Not that I can see.”
“Let's hitch it up and take it to the buggy shop,” Josiah said.
“
Ach
, look at this.” Dan came from around the other side with a pocketknife in his hand. “Is this one of yours?”
Josiah and Luke looked at each other. “
Nae.”
Dan pulled the blade from the handle. “Do you think one of them dropped it?”
The knife had a rosewood handle with gold tips on either end. The dull side of the silver blade had seven raised notches. Josiah's heart jumped. “I've seen this knife before. Or one like it.”
Dan frowned. “Where?”
“I can't remember. But I will.”
Luke scowled. “I'd like to personally return it to its owner and have a long talk with him.”
They jumped as the barn door creaked opened, and four flashlight beams pointed in their direction. Josiah squinted into the light. He couldn't make out who was behind those four flashlights, but he had a pretty good guess. His heart sank. Rose was going to be terrified, and he couldn't do anything to protect her from it.
All four flashlights lowered at the same time, and even in the dimness, Josiah recognized the hurt and uncertainty on Rose's face.
Bitsy's hair was an ethereal shade of pink tonight, and her shotgun hung from her elbow like a purse. “Surely there are better places for a meeting.”
Luke slid over and stood directly in front of the slash marks, blocking them from view just in case Rose hadn't already seen them. Josiah sidled next to him. Luke wasn't such a bad friend sometimes.
“I told you it was Luke and Dan,” Poppy said. “Nothing to worry about.”
“But why are they here?” Rose said, her voice shaking like a match in the wind.
Josiah wanted to gather her in his arms and hold on tight, but he couldn't move without revealing the slashes on the buggy, not to mention the fact that he'd scare her if he tried to give her a hug. “I'm really sorry, Rose. We didn't mean to frighten you.”
She furrowed her brow and looked as if she were going to cry. “I don't understand.”
“Neither do I,” Bitsy said. She gave Luke, Dan, and Josiah the stink eye. “What are you doing in our barn?”
Poppy grabbed onto Rose's elbow and tried to pull her backward. “I think we should all go in the house and have a pretzel,” she said, acting as if they hadn't just caught her fiancé skulking around their property. “They're warm out of the oven.”
“That sounds delicious,” Luke said, not surrendering his place in front of the buggy.
Poppy forced a smile. “Rose made them.”
Rose blinked several times, and even in the dimness, Josiah saw a tear slip down her cheek. That tear felt like a fist to the stomach. “Rose,” he said. “It's okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
“What are you hiding?” she said.
Poppy was still trying to pull her out the door. “It doesn't matter.”
Rose wouldn't budge. She just stared at Josiah with that hurt, betrayed look on her face. “What have they done this time?”
Nobody needed to ask her who “they” were.
A look of desperation traveled between Lily and Poppy, and Bitsy's stink eye got downright smelly. “Luke Bontrager, I suspect you're behind this. I told Poppy from the first that you were trouble.”
“It's not his fault, B,” Poppy said. “I asked him to come.” She huffed in resignation and looked at Luke. “Might as well show her.”
Luke and Dan scooted away from the buggy. Josiah was the last to surrender his place. He slowly moved aside, keeping his gaze glued to Rose's face. “It's not as bad as it seems. We can fix it with a hammer and a little vinyl.”
Fear saturated Rose's expression, and Josiah felt sick. Sweet Rose should never be put through this. She wiped at an errant tear. “Did everybody know about this but me?”
“I didn't,” Bitsy said, “and I am very put out. I brought my shotgun out here for nothing.”
“We're sorry for not telling,” Lily said. “We didn't want Rose to be scared, and we thought the boys could fix it before you found out.”
“It was my fault,” Dan said. “We should have waited until you were in bed.”
“Why didn't you tell me when I saw them out the window?” Rose said.
“I got all worked up for nothing,” Bitsy said. “And you scared Rose to death.”
Poppy rolled her eyes at Luke. “I was hoping Rose wouldn't see my fiancé sneak into the barn.”
“She didn't see me,” Luke protested. “It's Dan and Josiah who don't know how to sneak.”
Poppy took Rose's hand and squeezed it. “We were hoping you'd stay in the house.”
Tears trickled down Rose's face, but she didn't wipe them away. It was as if she wanted to pretend they weren't there. “You were going to lie to me?”
Poppy only looked mildly contrite. “But Rose, now you see the buggy, don't you wish you didn't know?”
Josiah wished Rose didn't know. He never, ever wanted her to be this upset again.
Rose slid her hand from Poppy's and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I wish it never happened. That's not the same as wishing I didn't know.”
“We just want to protect you,” Lily said.
Rose pursed her lips. “You're both getting married soon. You won't be here to protect me. What will happen then?”
Bitsy jiggled the shotgun in her arm. “You'll always have me, baby sister. And my trusty shotgun.”
“After we're married, we'll probably be on the Honeybee Farm more than we're not,” Dan said.
“It's very hard to get rid of stray cats,” Bitsy said. “Like it or not, Dan and Luke are never going to be far away.”
Josiah wanted to speak up for himself. He'd be on the Honeybee Farm every day if Rose would have him. She didn't even have to ask.
To his surprise and complete dismay, Rose buried her face in her hands and let out a heart-wrenching sob. “I'm such a burden.”
Josiah closed the distance between him and Rose in four long strides as if an invisible thread pulled him to her. He had no right and no reason except that he loved her better than his own soul and he couldn't bear to see her suffer. Thank the
gute
Lord that Bitsy had more sense than he did. Before he could wrap his arms around Rose, Bitsy stepped between them and raised a warning eyebrow. Josiah backed away so fast, he probably left skid marks on the cement floor.
What had he been thinking?
Bitsy looked daggers at Josiah as she put her arm around Rose. “I'll have none of that nonsense, baby sister. You're not a burden to anyone. If anyone's a burden on this farm, it's me. You girls clean my bathrooms and tend my bees and bake up a storm in my kitchen. You might as well put me in a home for all the use I am.”
“That's not true,” Rose said between sniffles. “You are everything to us, Aunt Bitsy, and you know it.”
“If they put you in a home,” Luke said, “who would take care of the cats?”
Bitsy narrowed her eyes. “It's your fault I've got three cats, Luke Bontrager. I've half a mind to leave them at your house in the middle of the night.”
Luke didn't seem impressed with the threat. “I live next door. They'd find their way back, especially if Rose is here. Those cats love Rose.”
“At least I'd be rid of the cats if you put me in a home.”
Luke showed all his teeth when he smiled. “We'd bring them to visit every day.”
“If it hadn't been for you, Rose,” Poppy said. “Aunt B would have gotten rid of those cats a long time ago.”
Rose didn't look happy, but she didn't look as upset as she had a few minutes ago. “That's not true. Aunt Bitsy loves those cats.”
Lily patted Rose on the arm. “I can't believe you consider yourself a burden. You're a better cook than any of us. We're not half as good at the hives as you. The bees know you and would never dream of stinging you. And you can calm Queenie out of her orneriest moods. What would we do without you?”
“You can make anyone feel better, no matter how sad they are,” Josiah said.
Poppy smiled at Josiah. For a moment, he didn't feel like he'd been quite so clumsy. “
Jah
,” she said. “And the chickens always lay better for you.”
Rose wiped her eyes, and Josiah saw a small grin playing at her lips. “Now you're just being silly.”
What else could he say to make that smile gain in strength? “You were brave enough to come out here to investigate who sneaked into your barn,” he said.
Her face immediately lost any trace of happiness.
Oy
, anyhow, he shouldn't throw caution to the wind like that. “I was too frightened to be left alone in the house.”
Poppy hooked her arm around Rose's neck. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the buggy, Rose. Please don't be mad at me.”
Rose's tears returned. “Mad at you? I could never be mad at you. I'm frightened, and I wish I wasn't.” She pulled a tissue from her apron pocket and dabbed at her tears. Eyeing Josiah, she nibbled on her bottom lip. “I'm sorry that you three had to come all the way out here just to protect my feelings.”
“I only live next door,” Luke said, with that gentleness to his voice he only used when talking to Rose.
“You don't have to apologize,” Josiah said. “We wanted to help.” Truth be told, he'd rather be here than anywhere else.
Rose slumped as if the weight of the world had fallen on her shoulders.
“Jah,
I'm sure everybody wants to do their Christian duty. You're all so kind, and I'm so weak.”
“
Gotte
gave you many gifts,” Bitsy said, a sharp scold evident in her voice, “but if He'd given you all the gifts, there wouldn't be any left for the rest of us.”
Rose pressed her lips together and nodded. She obviously didn't want to argue with Bitsy. “I think I'll go to bed now,” she said, as if she were almost too weary to talk. She turned around, pushed the barn door open, and walked out.
Bitsy narrowed her eyes and looked from the boys to Poppy to Lily. “You five have really done it this time.”
The barn door creaked open again. Rose stood at the opening, her eyes dull with fear and sadness. “Lily, it wonders me if you would walk me to the house.”
Josiah held perfectly still as Lily put her arm around her sister and they walked out of the barn together. He struggled for breath. Rose was frightened and unhappy, and he ached to make everything all better for her.
If only she'd let him.
If only he knew how.