“That’s the hope,” Willa murmured.
“Let me take those.” Lydia reached for the flowers in her mother’s hands, then her gaze moved across the grass toward where the men stood. “Is that Elias Lehman?”
“Yah. I hardly recognized him yesterday when we met. He’s helping his parents move. I’ve hired his daughter to help out at the flower farm.”
“Are you...” Lydia licked her lips. “Are you...getting to know him?”
“Yah. Well, a little. I mean—it isn’t serious. It’s—” She swallowed hastily. “We have kinner the same age, you see. And we understand what that’s like, and...”
“Now, now,” Willa said, putting a cool hand over Delia’s. “You’re both grown. If you want to get to know a widower, that is entirely your business. You aren’t a teenager in your Rumspringa!”
“In fact, I have a boy of my own in his Rumspringa,” Delia said, attempting to joke.
“How are the boys doing?” Willa asked.
The conversation turned toward Ezekiel’s new buggy that she’d put a down payment on, and the calves Aaron and Thomas wanted to raise for market. Lydia was a talented knitter and crocheter, and she was trying her hand at some knit sweaters to sell at a local shop in town.
Liam emerged from the house with a glass of iced tea.
“Where do you live, Liam?” Delia asked.
“Pittsburgh.”
“So this must be very different than what you’re used to,” she said.
“I guess. Yeah. No TV or internet, except what I can get on my phone. And I have to charge it in the neighbor’s barn.”
Delia chuckled. “That’s true. But there’s so much more to do out here, don’t you think? There’s horses and cattle and always a job to do.”
Liam shrugged. “A lot of work. That’s why my dad sent me out here—to work.”
Right. Punishment, probably, for his misbehavior during the school year. She’d have a few consequences for her own boys if they decided to act up and get into trouble, too. She could only respect proactive parents who did their best to straighten out their misbehaving kinner.
“There is a youth event coming up Monday evening,” Delia said. “My kinner are all going—I have boys your age. It’s a volleyball tournament at the Lapp farm. All the young people will be there.”
“Yeah?” Liam brightened. “There’s like...teenagers? And fun?”
“Yah, we have teenagers here,” Delia chuckled. “And if you like volleyball and food and standing around talking, then you’ll have a good time. Talk to your grandparents about it. It might be nice to see some people your own age.”
Willa raised her eyebrows and glanced in the direction of her husband. “That’s an idea, isn’t it?”
But her comment didn’t confirm whether or not the boy would be permitted to go. Willa started to cough again, and she took a sip of her hot tea.
“I’m sorry, Delia, but I think I’m going to go inside and lay down,” Willa said, and she took another sip of tea.
“Of course, Willa,” Delia said. “I just wanted to come by and tell you that we’re praying for you and bring you those roses since they reminded me of you.”
“Thank you, dear...” And she leaned over to cough again.
It was time to get going. Poor Willa needed some rest, and there were times when friends were not the medicine that a sick person needed most. Delia came down the steps and let Lydia help her mother to her feet.
“Goodbye!” Lydia said. “We’ll have to get together for a proper chat one of these days.”
“We sure will,” Delia replied. “Take care!”
Elias held out his hand and helped Delia up into the buggy. She was a few inches shorter than him, and he liked the feel of her hand in his. He caught the look of obvious surprise on Art’s face when he did so, and Elias felt his face heat. Yah, he knew how it looked—it was supposed to look that way! And there was no shame in two people who had lost their spouses exploring a possible romance. In fact, in Amish communities this was encouraged. But he still felt a little caught out, as if he was a teenager again and all eyes were on him.
He got up into the buggy next to Delia, and she sent him a smile that lowered his blood pressure just a bit. She seemed to have a calming effect on him.
“Their grandson is visiting for a few weeks,” Delia said. “He’s Paul’s son. Do you remember Paul?”
“Yah, I remember when he jumped the fence,” Elias replied. “That was the summer before I left for Indiana. I remember how crushed his parents were. Willa sat in our kitchen and sobbed her heart out while my mamm did her best to comfort her.”
Elias flicked the reins and they started forward, pulling around to go back up the drive. He looked out the window and saw Art and his grandson standing there watching them go. He waved, and they waved back.
“My mamm sat us all down and talked to us about the dangers out there,” Delia said. “It scared all the parents, because Paul was a nice boy.”
“Well... Paul talked a lot about leaving,” Elias said. “We weren’t very close friends, but we saw each other at all the youth group events. He wanted to be a car mechanic. All us boys knew that.”
“I thought he was just talking big,” Delia said. “He’s the first one I knew who actually left.”
“For weeks, we just waited, figuring he’d come back,” Elias added. “Do you remember how we prayed for his return in youth group?”
Delia nodded mutely. The entire community had been shaken up when Paul left, and Elias remembered still thinking he’d come back a year later when Elias was leaving for work in Indiana.
“It’s a good warning that teenagers will often do just what they say in anger,” Elias said quietly. And Violet was saying a lot in anger lately. As her father, he was taking her threats incredibly seriously.
Elias leaned forward, waiting until a car passed before he flicked the reins and they pulled back out onto the road. He caught a glimpse of Delia in the corner of his eye, and she looked so calm and pretty sitting there, her dark brown eyes focused on the road ahead.
