“They’ve gone for pizza with their cousins,” she said. “Where is Violet?”
“My mamm is showing her some keepsakes she has from her childhood,” he replied. He was silent for a moment. “She did say something today about being worried about having a stepmother. She seemed angry about it.”
“What part? Does she not like me, particularly?” Delia asked.
“No, I think she was upset that you told me about the Englisher boy,” he said.
Delia winced. “Yah, she would be.”
“You aren’t the only one who told me about him, though,” Elias said.
“That won’t matter to her,” Delia replied. “Maybe I’ll be able to smooth things over with her yet. But she’s right, you know.”
“About what?”
“A stepmother will help in the raising of her, and she wouldn’t be keeping secrets from you, either. That’s not right in a marriage. No secrets between a husband and wife.”
“What do I do?” he asked.
“You keep that conversation going,” she replied. “There will be a lot to talk about between the two of you, and she has to trust that her father will continue loving her just the same as he always did.”
“Danke for the advice with her,” he said, and he cast her a warm look again.
It was probably just as well that Elias wasn’t here in Redemption for long, because given too much time with him, Delia was bound to fall for the man herself. And with all five of their combined kinner not ready for remarriages, there was no point in getting any of their hearts entangled.
But once Elias had Violet ready for some changes, he’d have no problem at all finding a lovely woman to share his life with. Elias would be very easy for any good woman to love.
Elias pulled up next to Joseph’s buggy. A small, one-level house sat on a sparse section of land. There was a large chicken coop behind the house, and he could hear the flutter and cluck of the birds as he reined his horse in. The older man had already unhitched, and was heading back from the stable, his rubber boots squelching through the wet ground around a water pump. Joseph shot Elias a quizzical look.
Right. Why was he here during an obviously private family affair? He could almost feel the man’s questions, but Elias didn’t regret coming. Delia needed support, too, even though she’d come to offer hers.
Delia’s finger plucked at her dress, betraying some nervous energy. She wasn’t comfortable here—he could tell that much.
“I’ll just wait out here, obviously,” Elias said to Delia.
She nodded, and her hands stilled. “Danke, Elias. I don’t know how long I’ll be...”
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Take all the time you need, and I’ll drive you home when you’re ready.”
He meant it with all his heart. He could wait as long as she needed, but he wasn’t going to leave without her unless she specifically asked him to.
“You are a sweet man, Elias,” Delia said, her eyes misting, and his heart skipped a beat. If they were alone, he’d be tempted to lean in and press his lips against her forehead—an image of doing just that rose so forcefully in his mind that he had to muscle it back—but Joseph was out there watching them. As if that was the only reason, although it was the first one to come to mind. The truth was, Delia wasn’t really his to kiss, was she? The fact that their courtship wasn’t real was getting harder and harder to remember. He was starting to fool himself.
So instead, Elias reached out and caught her hand in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and her smile was reward enough. She slipped out of the buggy, and met her stepfather in front of the house.
Elias watched them talk quietly for a moment, and then the side door opened, revealing Delia’s white-haired mother. The three of them went back into the house together, and the screen door bounced shut behind them.
Why on earth had he held her hand like that? Well, maybe it was better to ask why he’d allowed himself to do it. He knew why he’d wanted to—because Delia was beautiful and comforting and sweet... But it was foolish. Yah, they were supposed to appear like they were courting for the sake of the kinner, but he wasn’t actually supposed to court her! He knew he shouldn’t be allowing himself to feel more, but he was. He wasn’t sure where that left him.
Elias let out a long, slow breath. Yah, it would seem that he was feeling more for Delia Swarey than he should be. He wanted to comfort her, to support her, to help her out of her troubles. He wanted to be her answer in her difficult times—and when a man’s heart went in that direction, it was dangerous indeed.
Elias had a pocket-size German Bible, and he brought it out and started to read. He had gotten through most of the book of Matthew by the time Delia came back out again. She paused on the step and said a few words to Joseph, and then the door shut behind her as she came back to the buggy.
Elias tucked his Bible away again and scooted over to give her a hand back up into the seat next to him. She had a ball of pink yarn in her hands, and she stroked it absently.
“You’re ready to head home?” he asked.
“Yah, I am,” she said, and exhaled a shaky breath.
Elias flicked the reins and brought the buggy around. He leaned forward, but no one was on the step or in the window. As they went back up the bumpy drive, he reached for her hand again, and she reached back, clasping his hand fervently.
“I convinced Mamm to go to the doctor,” Delia said.
“That’s good.”
“She’s upset with me, though. She thinks I’m not believing her. She sees this as betrayal—by both me and Joseph.”
He had no idea how to make that better, so he squeezed her hand, then released it as he took the reins and guided the horse back onto the road.
“Did you see evidence of her...slipping?” he asked.
“Yah. She didn’t remember things—like my birthday, or my youngest son’s name. She kept calling him the little one. It was confusing. Joseph said that this was a bad patch, but at least I was able to see it. Mamm needs help.”
They headed back the way they’d come, and Delia leaned back in the seat. Elias stole a look at her, and her gaze was trained on the road, worry lines creasing her brow. She ran her fingers gently over that pink ball of soft yarn.
“The boys have a key to get back inside,” Delia said. “And all four of them are together. I think we could take the long way home, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all,” he murmured, and he felt a rush of gratitude that he was able to offer at least this much. He wanted to take her hand again, but he knew he shouldn’t do that.
