Читать книгу Twice Blessed - Barbara Cameron - Страница 10

Chapter 2

2

Guder mariye.”

Rosie turned as she knelt in a row of lettuce to see Jacob standing near the fence. “Why, Jacob, what are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d say hello.”

“Uh, hello.” Rosie brushed at her cheek then remembered she was wearing gardening gloves. She took one off and wiped dirt from her cheek. Honestly, she must look like a mess. “I didn’t hear you.”

“You looked like you were talking to someone,” he said, unlatching the gate. “Oh, Rosie, don’t move.” He approached cautiously. “There’s a snake a few feet from you. Don’t worry, it’s harmless.”

Rosie grinned. “I’m not worried. He comes to see me every day I’m out here.”

“And you’re not scared?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. Like you said, he’s harmless. I call him Blackie. Silly, I know. But he seems to enjoy my voice.”

Jacob squatted down beside her. “Interesting. Most women scream and run from snakes.”

“Well, this is really more his territory than mine. And if a mouse darts out, you’ll probably see me react the way you describe.”

“Quite a garden you have here. This is where you grow the things you can for your business?”

“How’d you know about our business?”

“I carried two boxes of jars labeled Two Peas in a Pod into the storeroom at Saul’s store the other day, remember?”

She remembered. She’d stared into those eyes of his then and now, with him so close found herself doing it again. The sun beat down, dusting his hair and turning the chestnut strands reddish. It was so quiet she could hear a bee buzzing nearby.

“I—we grow most of what we can, but we do buy some fruits and vegetables from other local gardeners and farmers. I was about to stop for a cold drink. Do you want one?”

“Sounds good, Rosie.”

Her head jerked up at his use of her name.

“It is Rosie, isn’t it.” He grinned at her, making it a statement instead of a question.

“Ya,” she admitted. “But how did you know that? Even people who’ve known us for a long time sometimes get us confused.”

“I paid attention the day we met.”

Feeling a little unnerved, unsure how she felt about that, she rose, lifting the basket of lettuce she’d picked. Blackie slithered away.

“There’s water for your horse over there,” she said, indicating the pump with a wave of her hand as she walked toward the house.

“Danki.”

Rosie went into the house and washed her hands before getting a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator. She filled two glasses with ice and tea, then added a plate of apple butter bars she’d baked using some of the apple butter she and Katie had made. Then she couldn’t resist a quick look in the mirror in the front bathroom. She frowned. Her face was shiny, and there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek. Grabbing a washcloth, she ran some water on it and gave her face a quick scrub. At least her hair had stayed neatly tucked under her kerchief.

Jacob was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the porch when she carried the tray outside. He rose quickly to take it from her and set it on the table between the chairs. Interesting, she thought. A gentleman. She followed him and took a seat.

“So you were in the neighborhood?”

He nodded as he sipped his tea. “Getting used to the area. You know how it is.”

She shook her head. “I’ve always lived here.”

“I wanted a change,” he said, looking around at the fields beyond the house. “I visited here last year and talked to Abram Lapp about organic farming”

“Really? We raise our fruit and vegetables organically, too.”

“I know. Abram told me. That’s one of the reasons I thought I’d stop by and see if we could talk about it someday.”

“Schur. I’d love to.”

The front door opened, and Katie strolled out. “Well, I didn’t know we had company. Hello, Jacob.”

“Guder mariye. I was taking a drive around the neighborhood and thought I’d pay a quick visit.”

“I see.” She turned to Rosie. “Our driver called to ask if he could pick us up a little early today.”

Rosie glanced at Jacob, then Katie. “How early?”

“He’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

She jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I’m going to have to go get ready.”

“I’ll keep him company until you get back,” Katie said, and she took Rosie’s seat. And drink. “So, Jacob, tell me about the farm you bought.”

Rosie walked quickly into the house and when she reached the inside stairs she ran up them, pulling off her kerchief. She undressed, took her shower and dressed for work, returning downstairs in record time.

“That was fast,” Katie remarked as Rosie rushed into the kitchen. “Jacob had to leave.”

She skidded to a stop, disappointed.

“I tried to keep him here for you,” Katie said as she added a plastic bag of cookies to a lunch tote.

“You did? For me?” Rosie tried to keep the disbelief from her voice.

“I did. I told him it wouldn’t take you long to get cleaned up, but he said he’d stop by another time.”

Rosie sank into a kitchen chair. Interesting. Most of the time men wanted to talk to Katie. She studied her sister’s face, wondering how she felt about Jacob taking off instead of sticking around to talk to her.

Katie set the totes she’d packed with afternoon snacks on the counter next to her purse. She turned back around and found Rosie staring at her. “What?”

“I’m just surprised that he didn’t stay to talk to you.”

Katie grinned. “Ya, me too.”

There it was, that self-confidence Rosie seldom felt. Katie might be joking right now, but she knew that she was the one who seemed to attract men.

“He said he’d be back to visit later this week. I told him our hours at the store.”

“Danki.”

“You know we’ve never competed over a man.”

“There was that time you made a boy think you were me,” Rosie reminded her. She got up, picked up the totes, and started for the front door. Their driver would be here soon.

“I was only ten,” Katie said, following her. “We did that sort of thing back then, remember?”

“You did,” Rosie told her as she opened the front door.

Katie sailed through. “Danki.”

“Eldest first.”

Katie turned and stuck her tongue out at her.

Rosie laughed, shut the door and locked it.

***

Katie looked at Daniel and sighed. The two of them had known each other all their lives. Their mothers had been best friends and so they had played together, gone to schul together, attended singings, and gone for long drives in his buggy listening to forbidden Englisch music. Everyone she knew smiled indulgently when they saw the two of them together as if they expected them to marry.

She wondered how you really knew when you had found the man God had set aside for you. Daniel had been right there, in front of her, all her life, but she wasn’t sure. Several times she’d talked with another man, gone out for a Sunday lunch and drive after church. She was a friendly girl and the guys responded to that and usually were gentlemen. Allrecht, she liked to flirt and even though Daniel had complained mildly about it a couple of times, they always ended up together.

Tonight they were going by the house of a couple of friends for supper. It was the first time Rachel Ann and Abram Lapp had invited them over to their haus after they’d been married.

“You’re quiet. Tired?”

“Nee. I’m fine.”

“You’re never quiet.”

She looked at him. “Are you saying I talk too much?”

“Nee, of course not.” Daniel kept his eyes on the road even though his horse needed little attention as he trotted down the road. “You’re just quiet tonight.”

She shrugged. “Something just doesn’t feel quite right tonight. I can’t explain it.”

“If you don’t feel well—” he began.

“I’m fine.” But chills danced up and down her arms. She rubbed them. “I wonder if Rosie . . .”

“Do you want to call her?”

“Maybe later.”

They pulled up in front of Rachel Ann and Abram’s house. Katie got out of the buggy and walked toward the house, and Daniel unhitched the buggy and put his horse in Abram’s barn.

“Katie! So gut to see you! Come in!” Rachel Ann invited them.

“Something smells delicious.”

“The chicken’s nearly done. Let’s go in the kitchen.”

“Will Abram’s mother be joining us tonight?” Katie asked, glancing at the closed door of the dawdi haus.

“She’s gone to visit her sister. Sit down, I’m going to put everything on the table.”

Katie glanced around the kitchen. “You’ve put your own touch on the house. Those curtains are new, aren’t they?”

Rachel Ann nodded. “Lovina helped me. You know she’s always been like a second mamm to me since we lived next to each other and was a little bit of a matchmaker with Abram and me to tell you the truth. She’s been great about letting us have privacy here.”

The men came in and took their seats. Rachel Ann placed the platter with the roast chicken in the center of the table and took her seat. After they gave thanks for the meal, everyone began passing dishes and serving themselves.

Katie enjoyed the meal—Rachel Ann was a gut cook—but more, she enjoyed seeing how her friend glowed with happiness, especially when she looked at Abram. And Abram looked at his fraa with such love . . .

The headache began as they were eating some of Rachel Ann’s strawberry-rhubarb pie. A ball of pain seemed to come out of nowhere, searing, causing tears of pain to run down her cheek. Katie dropped her fork and pressed her napkin to her eye.

“Katie, you allrecht?” Rachel Ann asked, touching her other hand.

“I’m—headache.”

“Can I get you some ibuprofen or aspirin?”

“Danki. But I need to go home.”

“Schur. Daniel?”

He scooped up a last bite of pie and stood. “I’ll get the buggy.”

“I’ll go with you,” Abram said, following him.

“Are you sure you don’t want something for your headache?” Rachel Ann asked quietly at her side.

Katie pulled her cell phone from her purse. She tapped the display and then frowned when Rosie didn’t answer. Tucking the phone back in her purse, she stood and swayed a little. “Nee, I have to get home. Something’s wrong with Rosie.”

“Rosie? What makes you say that?”

“I—just feel it. You remember, like that time she had appendicitis when she was at our grossmudder’s.”

“And you broke your finger and she knew.”

Rachel Ann took her arm and walked with her to the front porch. Daniel pulled the buggy up in front of the house. When he saw Rachel Ann holding her arm as she descended the stairs, Daniel got out and hurried up to her.

“Is the headache that bad? Maybe I should take you to the emergency room,” he murmured as he helped her into the buggy.

“She thinks something’s wrong with Rosie.”

Katie felt Daniel staring at her. She glanced at him and saw disbelief. “Just call her. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I tried that. There’s no answer.”

She turned to Rachel Ann who’d been joined by Abram. “Danki for supper. I’m sorry we had to leave early.”

“No problem,” Rachel Ann assured her, and Abram nodded. “I hope Rosie’s allrecht.”

“Supper was wunderbaar, Rachel Ann,” Daniel told her. “See you both at church on Sunday. Gut-n-owed.”

He guided the buggy down the drive and paused where it met the road. A car drove past, its headlights illuminating the interior of the buggy. “So you’re having some—what, some sort of premonition about Rosie? What is it, a twin thing?”

She’d talked of such things with Rachel Ann but never shared it with Daniel. Now she could see that was probably wise. He was looking at her skeptically as he waited to pull on to the road to her house.

Katie shrugged. “I can’t explain it. Sometimes we just know if something’s wrong with each other. Some people call them twin flashes.”

She rubbed at her temple. The throbbing in her eye was easing a little, and the tearing had stopped.

A short time later he pulled up in the driveway. The buggy had barely come to a stop, and she was leaping up and running up the steps to the house. The minute she unlocked the front door she was calling out Rosie’s name.

“Katie?” Daniel followed her into the house.

She stopped abruptly and waved her hand at him. “Ssh, I hear something.”

There it was again, a faint mewling noise that sounded like a kitten. Katie rushed toward it, into the kitchen. It was empty. “Rosie?”

Then she saw her, sprawled at the bottom of the steps leading up to the second floor.

“Rosie! Mein Gott! Rosie!”