Two Suitors for Anna Page 2
“We and other Amish women in the community.”
“Anna, you should show him our keepsake pocket quilts.”
He fingered a brown-and-white one with a star pattern. He patted the pocket. “What do you put in here?”
Anna removed a quilt from the hooks, draped the coverlet over her arm, and untied the ribbon holding the pocket closed. “You write a letter to the person receiving the quilt and tuck the note inside. The quilt and letter become keepsakes. The person receiving the letter will have the giver’s words to read again and again for comfort and joy for years.”
“What a creative idea. I’ll purchase it along with my towels.”
Anna opened her mouth in surprise. She hadn’t had many men purchase the quilts. His enthusiasm and interest in the idea of the pocket warmed her heart.
Leah joined them. “I’ll wrap your purchase for you while Anna accepts payment.”
Anna removed the dented gray metal cashbox from under the counter and recorded the sale.
He passed her the correct change and accepted his package from Leah. “Danki for your help. Pleasure meeting you both. The sun is shining in spite of the pouring rain.” He pointed to the window. “There’s a rainbow.”
She strained her neck to look out the window. “The rainbow’s arch stretches far.”
Leah pressed her nose up to the glass. “The pink, green, and blue in the rainbow paint the prettiest picture across the sky. I wish they would appear more often.”
Anna stepped around the counter and walked Daniel to the door. On the way, a drop of water wet her sleeve. She paused and touched the damp spot. Pointing to the ceiling, she grimaced. “We must have a leak in the roof.”
He peered at the moisture on the ceiling. “I’d be glad to fix the damage for you for a minimal cost.”
She clasped her hands to her chest. “Danki for offering. I’ll ask Grace King, my employer, for permission. She has to approve maintenance costs.”
“I’ll stop in on Friday to take a look at the damage and give you an estimate. Please assure Mrs. King I’ll give her a fair price. If she agrees to me doing the work, I’ll schedule a time with you for next week.”
Leah grinned. “Kumme back anytime. These are my favorite towels because they’re homespun cotton and keep their shape and absorb the water much better than the rest of the ones we sell.”
He smiled but kept his eyes on Anna.
Her cheeks heated. “Have a pleasant day, Mr. Bontrager. Wilkom to Berlin.”
“I’ll talk to you Friday, Miss Plank.”
“Call me Anna.”
“Only if you call me Daniel.”
“Agreed.”
Daniel paused and put his hand on the doorknob. “It truly was a pleasure meeting you, Anna.” He grinned and shut the door behind him.
Leah closed the sales journal and stowed the book under the counter. She chuckled and nudged Anna’s shoulder. “Noah better hurry and ask you to marry him. He’s got competition. Daniel Bontrager couldn’t pry his striking dark brown eyes away from you.”
Anna sucked in her bottom lip. Daniel had matured and was more attractive than she remembered. His brown hair and eyes complemented his high cheekbones and structured jawline. Now she understood why she’d only seen him a few times in the church services. He’d experienced a boatload of sadness in his life. No wonder their families hadn’t gotten better acquainted.
She had noticed Daniel staring at her earlier, but she wouldn’t admit this to Leah. Noah was her first love, and she hoped they could reach a mutual understanding about their differences and the confusion in her mind would vanish. “You missed Noah. He came in earlier.”
“Did he meet Daniel?”
“Jah, they got along well.” She hung another quilt in place of the one Daniel bought. “Noah’s kumming to supper tonight. He wants to talk about our future.”
Leah’s brown eyes rounded, and she put a hand to her mouth. “Tonight could be when Noah proposes to you! A night you’ll never forget.”
* * *
In the evening, Noah joined them for their evening meal. She pushed the corn on her plate from side to side. Her stomach was in knots. Mamm prattled on about new, heavier scissors they were selling at the General Store. Leah told them about meeting Daniel, and Noah chimed in about his good impression of him. Beth asked questions about him. Anna fidgeted with the blue cloth napkin in her lap. All this small talk was getting on her nerves.
Noah wiped his mouth. “Mrs. Plank, your chicken and dumplings were excellent.” He squared his shoulders. “Anna, I was going to ask your mamm to step outside to ask her an important question, but what I have to say concerns your entire family.” He darted his eyes to each one of them. “If Anna agrees to marry me, do any of you object?”
Anna gasped and froze.
Mrs. Plank smiled. “You’ve got my blessing, sweet Noah, but you and Anna need to discuss your proposal in private.”
Noah stood. “Your mamm has a point. We should step outside. I’m sorry I caught you off guard. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot.”
Leah and Beth squealed. “Say jah, Anna!”
Mamm put a finger to her lips. “Don’t push Anna for an answer. Let her and Noah have time alone to discuss this.”
Her mind whirled with enthusiasm and confusion. Eyes pooling with tears, she exchanged an endearing look with Mamm and her schweschders before going outside with Noah.
He clasped her hand, and they walked toward the pond. With puppy dog eyes, he cocked his head. “I’m afraid I’ve handled this all wrong. Forgive me?”
“Of course I do.” She had wished he’d asked her first. They had important issues to discuss before they could agree to marry. On the other hand, he hadn’t mentioned a word about leaving Berlin in his proposal. Had he reconsidered moving to Lancaster? Her other problem with him had gotten worse. Why had he nagged her the last several months to change her displays, recipes, routines, and other things to suit his way of thinking? She went to the same spot they sat last time. She’d wanted to claim the area under the big oak tree near the edge of the pond as their spot. She’d told him this numerous times, but her request fell on deaf ears.
Noah pointed to another thick, green, grassy area a couple yards farther away from the soothing calm of the water. “Sit here with me.”
She bit her tongue and squelched telling him again why his ignoring her request hurt her feelings. She glanced at the purple and yellow wildflowers lining the perimeter, and a cluster of fully leafed green oak trees stood off to the right side. Summer was her favorite season. Darkness came much later, and the temperature couldn’t get hot enough for her. These favorites usually calmed her, but not here with Noah at this moment. Her heart thudded against her chest like a heavy hammer. She’d let him speak first.
Noah reached for her hand and turned her chin toward him. “Anna, I love you. I want you with me for the rest of my life, but I want to travel to other Amish communities and consider moving to the one we are the most comfortable in. If we wait to have a boppli, we could move to Lancaster, live with my aunt and uncle, and work for them on their property. After a year or so, we could move again and settle down for good in whichever place we choose. You’ve avoided my questions concerning living in Lancaster. Are your feet firmly planted here?”
She shouldn’t have dared to hope he’d abandoned his idea. He was tenacious once he had a plan. Her deep sigh came from the bottom of her heart. “I want to raise a family with my loved ones near me, Noah. I treasure my job and friends here. Berlin suits me. I have no desire to leave. Lancaster was a pleasant place to live, but I like Berlin much better.”
“You are older and you might find Lancaster more interesting now. You can work in an Amish-owned store and meet new friends, as well as get reacquainted with past ones. My aunt and uncle will wilkom you with open arms.” He gently squeezed her hand. “My mamm and your family will be fine. We’ll visit them. You can exchange letters and keep up on the gossip.”
Noah frowned and stared at the pond. “We got better acquainted and more serious as time passed. I got more comfortable with telling you how I felt. I wish you would be more spontaneous and share my enthusiasm for adventure, but I still want to marry you.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Don’t get upset over my showing you how to do things better or when I make suggestions. I can’t help myself. I don’t mean to ruffle your feathers. I’m confident we can overcome any obstacle we face together.” He kissed her hand. “Marry me and kumme with me to start a new adventure.”
Their times together had changed from joyful to worrisome. She’d kept her mouth shut each time he mentioned joining his relatives and making new friends away from Berlin. He’d pushed her to change her life, tasks, and way of thinking for several months. All of which made her uncomfortable.
Had he really thought through this major change in his life and maybe hers? “You have Mark and your mamm to consider. Mark has been a good teacher, employer, and friend to you. Won’t you be letting him down by taking off to live somewhere on a whim and not for a good reason?”
“I haven’t told Mark why and when he’ll need a replacement for me yet, but I’m confident he’ll understand. There are plenty of young Amish men waiting to take my place.”
She was disappointed in him for abandoning his mamm and asking Anna to abandon hers. They were widows and needed help. “What about our mamms? They need us.” Jane Schwartz worked in the bakery in town, and she had Amish farmers helping her with her hay and garden, but Noah cut her wood and did repairs. They had a close relationship. Anna’s income at the shop and help at home would be missed by her family.
“Mr. Zook and Mr. Beiler insist on tending to the hay field, garden, and livestock for mamm. She’s comfortable managing the rest of her property. She earns enough money to live comfortably working at the bakery and has enough produce for food. Mr. Zook and Mr. Beiler will continue to supply her with meat. Your family is doing fine as well, and Mr. Zook and Mr. Beiler look out for your family, too. I’m confident our families will support our decision to move to Lancaster.”
Staring at crows getting ready to pounce on a dead squirrel on the edge of the pond, she shivered and hugged herself. She didn’t like crows or this conversation. They were at a crossroads. As she searched her heart for an answer, her head began to ache. “Noah, I love you, but I’m uneasy leaving Berlin and need more time to find out if you can accept me for who I am and not try to change me.”
His serious brown eyes stared into hers. “I was quiet yesterday because I was afraid you wouldn’t want to leave here. Today I couldn’t wait any longer to ask you to marry me and find out. Anytime I brought up the subject, you avoided commenting. The one problem we have, in my opinion, is your unwillingness to relocate. The rest we can resolve. I’ll show you new ways to do things to help you. Remember, Anna, I love you, and you can trust me to provide a good living for you.”
His dismissal of her worries filled her with dread. “Will you leave anyway if I refuse to go with you?”
He cut his glance to a squirrel clambering up the tree. “I’m counting on you being by my side for the rest of my life. I refuse to consider the alternative.” He hopped up. “The sun is lowering. We’ll discuss your problem with me suggesting you change certain things again after you’ve had time to consider a date for the wedding and what you’ll need to take to Lancaster.”
Hadn’t he heard a word she’d said? He assumed she’d leave with him. She blamed herself a little. Her throat constricted. Her life was about to change, and either direction she chose didn’t thrill her. She walked with him to his wagon.
He lowered his head and pressed his gentle lips onto hers. “Good night, my sweet Anna.”
Her heart skipped with joy. She touched her lips and gazed into his eyes. “Good night. I love you.” She watched him leave, and her joy vanished. Her concerns returned. She took slow steps to the haus as tears dripped onto her cheeks. She dabbed them away with her sleeve and went inside.
Leah and Beth sat together on the settee knitting.
Beth raised her head. “When are you getting married?”
“Where’s Mamm?”
Beth pointed. “She’s in her room putting away laundry. Tell us your plans.”
Leah grinned and stopped knitting. “Jah, tell us.”
“Brace yourselves. Noah’s proposal has a hitch. His plan is for us to marry and move to Lancaster and live with his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz.”
Beth pursed her lips. “What! You can’t leave us! Why can’t he stay here?”
Leah stood and crossed her arms. “Jah, why?”
Anna’s head jerked. The anger in Beth’s and Leah’s tones rang out like a strike of lightning amid dark storm clouds. She expected no less from them. They’d formed a close bond, especially after their daed passed.
Hands on hips, Mamm stood in the doorway. “What are his reasons?”
Anna’s eyes swept around the cozy room she loved. She slumped in the chestnut cedar chair in the corner. “He wants to experience living in other Amish locations and meet new folk. He’s always craved change.”
Beth’s face reddened. “He’s being ridiculous.”
“I agree with Beth. He’s being selfish satisfying his desires and giving no thought to his mamm and us.” Leah narrowed her eyes.
Mamm sat in the other cedar chair across from Anna. “What do you want to do?”
“I love Noah, but I have no desire to leave my family, job, and friends. We have other problems to resolve too.”
“Then don’t leave. And what other hitches do you have with Noah?” Beth pouted.
Mamm moved next to her youngest child. “Leave your schweschder alone. She has a right to her privacy. She’ll tell us what information she deems appropriate. We must support Anna in whatever path she chooses to take.”
“Not me!” Beth stormed to her room.
Leah went to Anna and knelt at her side. “Will Noah settle in Lancaster, or will he want to move somewhere else in a few years? Relocating several times wouldn’t be an easy life for you or your kinner.”
Anna touched her dear, sweet schweschder’s hand. “He mentioned moving at least one more time after relocating to Lancaster, and you’ve made a good point. He may want to lead a vagabond life. I have no guarantee he won’t want to pick up and move again and again. I would be miserable moving from place to place. Noah’s sense of curiosity and adventure were interesting to me when he shared learning woodworking from Mark, finding a new way to use a tool, or changing the furniture arrangement in his mamm’s haus, but his constant criticism of the way I do things is unsettling.”
Mamm kissed Anna’s forehead. “Pray to God for guidance. I trust you to do what’s best for you and Noah. I’ll not stand in your way if you choose to leave Berlin with him.” She hugged Leah. “I’m going to bed after I say good night to Beth. I suggest the two of you do the same.”
“I’ll speak with Beth in a few minutes.” Anna gently squeezed her mamm’s arm.
Mamm dipped her chin to her chest and left the room.
Leah gripped Anna’s hand. “Please, don’t go. If Noah loves you, he’ll stay here.”
Her family’s reaction to her news added more heaviness to her chest. They mimicked the thump of hurt in her heart, picturing herself leaving them behind. “I surmise Noah is set on going to Lancaster with or without me. To be honest, I’ve struggled the past few months, wondering if he is the husband for me. His restlessness has put a wedge between us. I’m worried we’re drifting apart.”
“I’m sorry, Anna. We
love Noah, but I’m angry he’s being immature and thoughtless. I’ve noticed he badgers you to change our displays, your recipes, and other things. I find it irritating, so you must too. Have you told him how you feel?”
“Jah, but he’s been dismissive of my worries when I’ve brought them to his attention.”
“He has to accept you for who you are or, in my opinion, you’ll live a life of frustration.”
She understood all too well what her schweschder meant. Anna hugged herself. “Believe me, I agree with what you’re saying. I’m afraid to admit it and to let him go, though.” She yawned. “I better go to Beth before she falls asleep. I may already be too late.”
Leah nodded.
Peeking around the half-closed door, Anna smiled at her youngest sibling. “Do you mind if I kumme in?”
Sliding back and giving Anna room to sit on the edge of the bed, Beth pouted. “Please don’t leave me.”
Beth’s sad eyes and worried look pained her. She’d done her best to answer questions and relieve any fears her little schweschder had over the years. “I have no plans to go anywhere as of yet. Let’s not waste time arguing over whether I stay or go. We want to enjoy each day we have together. Besides, if I go, we can write letters and you can tell me everything that’s happening in your life, and I’ll do the same.”
Beth’s chin trembled. “You understand me better than Leah or Mamm. When you have kinner, I want to spend time with them. We won’t be able to bake, laugh, play games, and have family meals together. There’s so much we’ll miss out on.”
Her schweschder simplified the jumbled thoughts in her head in minutes. These things were important to her, too. “I understand, and I’ll tell you when I’ve decided what to do. Get some rest. Did you say your prayers?”
“Jah, and I prayed Noah would kumme to his senses and build a haus for you here.”
She wanted the same. Anna chuckled and tousled her schweschder’s hair. “Good night. I love you.”
Leah slowly opened the door and sat next to Anna on Beth’s bed. “Tell me why you’re both laughing.”