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Authors: Barbara Cameron
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lately."
"He's been busy taking care of the farm. He bought it from his parents."
Leah nodded. "I heard. I've also heard he hasn't married."
"No."
"He's a nice-looking man."
Mary Katherine nodded and tried to think of some way to change the direction her grandmother was headed in.
"Want some more coffee?"
" Nee, danki. So, if you two had supper together, does that mean you're interested in him?"
"You had dinner with a man? I thought you were going out with Jamie?"
Mary Katherine turned to see Anna standing in the doorway.
"I didn't hear you come in."
"You had dinner with a man? Who?" Anna asked. She put her purse in a cupboard and started taking off her coat and bonnet.
"Anna," her grandmother warned.
"It's okay," Mary Katherine said. "Jacob happened upon Jamie and me eating pizza, and she asked him if he wanted to join us and that was it." She finished her hot chocolate and got up to wash her mug.
"What was it?" Naomi asked as she walked in.
"Jacob and Mary Katherine had dinner last night," Anna told her as she helped herself to a cinnamon roll.
"I thought you were having supper with Jamie." Naomi put her purse away and hung her coat next to Anna's.
Mary Katherine rolled her eyes. "Did. Jacob came in the same restaurant. She asked him to join us. That was it." She paused. "Now if we're finished with the inquisition, I'm going out to work."
Leah chuckled. "Me, too."
Jacob walked his fields, his shoulders hunched against the chill wind.
Being outside, walking the land that had been tended by generations before him, always helped him think. The land didn't change.
But people surely did.
He'd never expected to come upon Mary Katherine dressed in Englisch clothes, sitting with a woman he'd never met, an Englisch woman whose clothes bordered on the strange.
Oh, he knew that Mary Katherine wasn't like most other Amish girls. She had daydreamed a lot when they were in schul, and often scribbled on a pad of paper when the teacher wasn't looking. But he'd seen that pad and it didn't have the kind of girlish ramblings on it like "I love Jacob" or spell out their name with one of the boy's last names attached.
No, she drew patterns for quilts and weaving projects and sketched woven caps and scarves and shawls and lengths that she pictured being worn over a woman's shoulders. Her scribbles were of names for these things—a stole?—and colors like emerald morning and cobalt sky and misty purple.
He frowned. Daniel had been the one to mention her work when they had eaten that day at the restaurant. That was something he had forgotten. Several months ago he'd noticed that she seemed happier, but he hadn't connected that to her working at her grandmother's shop. Well, of course she would, given her girlish interest in such things years ago.
Why hadn't he been the one who had mentioned it to her? he asked himself. Why had he let some other man look like he was sensitive and interested in her? Women loved that in a man. Even he, who hadn't had much to do with women—he certainly hadn't courted one yet.
While he didn't think anyone should pretend to be something other than he was—a sure way to disaster—he was interested in Mary Katherine and could have found a way to know more about her, to approach her, before this. Now Daniel was in town and he was clearly interested in Mary Katherine.
And she had seemed interested in him and where he lived.
He kicked at a clod of dirt. He'd probably blown it. At this moment, Daniel and Mary Katherine could be sitting together somewhere talking about Florida.
"Jacob!"
He jerked his head up and saw his sister Rebecca waving from the edge of the field. She held up a casserole in her hands, and he nodded his understanding. Supper was here! He started walking toward her.
Leaning down to give her cheek a quick kiss, he took the heavy casserole dish from her hands.
" Gut-n-owed."
" Gut-n-owed."
He sniffed at the contents. "Stuffed peppers?"
" Ya."
"It's the best
"He's been busy taking care of the farm. He bought it from his parents."
Leah nodded. "I heard. I've also heard he hasn't married."
"No."
"He's a nice-looking man."
Mary Katherine nodded and tried to think of some way to change the direction her grandmother was headed in.
"Want some more coffee?"
" Nee, danki. So, if you two had supper together, does that mean you're interested in him?"
"You had dinner with a man? I thought you were going out with Jamie?"
Mary Katherine turned to see Anna standing in the doorway.
"I didn't hear you come in."
"You had dinner with a man? Who?" Anna asked. She put her purse in a cupboard and started taking off her coat and bonnet.
"Anna," her grandmother warned.
"It's okay," Mary Katherine said. "Jacob happened upon Jamie and me eating pizza, and she asked him if he wanted to join us and that was it." She finished her hot chocolate and got up to wash her mug.
"What was it?" Naomi asked as she walked in.
"Jacob and Mary Katherine had dinner last night," Anna told her as she helped herself to a cinnamon roll.
"I thought you were having supper with Jamie." Naomi put her purse away and hung her coat next to Anna's.
Mary Katherine rolled her eyes. "Did. Jacob came in the same restaurant. She asked him to join us. That was it." She paused. "Now if we're finished with the inquisition, I'm going out to work."
Leah chuckled. "Me, too."
Jacob walked his fields, his shoulders hunched against the chill wind.
Being outside, walking the land that had been tended by generations before him, always helped him think. The land didn't change.
But people surely did.
He'd never expected to come upon Mary Katherine dressed in Englisch clothes, sitting with a woman he'd never met, an Englisch woman whose clothes bordered on the strange.
Oh, he knew that Mary Katherine wasn't like most other Amish girls. She had daydreamed a lot when they were in schul, and often scribbled on a pad of paper when the teacher wasn't looking. But he'd seen that pad and it didn't have the kind of girlish ramblings on it like "I love Jacob" or spell out their name with one of the boy's last names attached.
No, she drew patterns for quilts and weaving projects and sketched woven caps and scarves and shawls and lengths that she pictured being worn over a woman's shoulders. Her scribbles were of names for these things—a stole?—and colors like emerald morning and cobalt sky and misty purple.
He frowned. Daniel had been the one to mention her work when they had eaten that day at the restaurant. That was something he had forgotten. Several months ago he'd noticed that she seemed happier, but he hadn't connected that to her working at her grandmother's shop. Well, of course she would, given her girlish interest in such things years ago.
Why hadn't he been the one who had mentioned it to her? he asked himself. Why had he let some other man look like he was sensitive and interested in her? Women loved that in a man. Even he, who hadn't had much to do with women—he certainly hadn't courted one yet.
While he didn't think anyone should pretend to be something other than he was—a sure way to disaster—he was interested in Mary Katherine and could have found a way to know more about her, to approach her, before this. Now Daniel was in town and he was clearly interested in Mary Katherine.
And she had seemed interested in him and where he lived.
He kicked at a clod of dirt. He'd probably blown it. At this moment, Daniel and Mary Katherine could be sitting together somewhere talking about Florida.
"Jacob!"
He jerked his head up and saw his sister Rebecca waving from the edge of the field. She held up a casserole in her hands, and he nodded his understanding. Supper was here! He started walking toward her.
Leaning down to give her cheek a quick kiss, he took the heavy casserole dish from her hands.
" Gut-n-owed."
" Gut-n-owed."
He sniffed at the contents. "Stuffed peppers?"
" Ya."
"It's the best
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