For Every Season Page 8

  Leah grimaced. “We don’t have that long.”

  “What do you mean?” Samuel asked.

  “I’ve hired someone. She’ll be here in just a bit.”

  “You what?” Samuel plunked his plate on the tray. “What are you talking about?”

  Leah explained everything.

  Rhoda’s fork clanked against her plate as she pushed it away from her. “That was inappropriate. We know nothing about this girl. We don’t have any money to pay her. And you may have just invited trouble, as if we haven’t had more than our fair share lately.”

  Leah turned to Jacob. “Every one of us knows we need help. Rhoda was going to run an ad in The Budget.”

  “Whoa.” Rhoda motioned for Leah to hush. “That was going to be for a specific type of help when the harvest began. Months from now. We’ll have a product to sell and some cash flow to hire one really good worker by then.”

  “But we need someone now. See all the stuff stacking up in this office?” Leah looked to each of them.

  “No one can tend to this except one of us three.” Rhoda gestured at Samuel and Jacob.

  Samuel was sure she was being diplomatic. Except for the occasional quick job of accounting, Jacob had never been one for paperwork, and after being gone so much, he wouldn’t know where to start. How many of Rhoda’s responses had been carefully weighed since Jacob returned as she aimed to create peace?

  Leah focused on Jacob, her steady ally when she wanted her way. “Phoebe needs more help with meals and laundry than I can give her, unless you don’t want me to work in the field.”

  Jacob nodded. “Leah’s right about us needing help.”

  “And I’m not?” Rhoda took Jacob’s empty plate. “There isn’t money to hire anyone else, and we know absolutely nothing about this girl.” She placed it on the tray with a clang. “What are the chances of this woman being the right person?”

  Leah fidgeted with her apron. “You didn’t interview me, and I’ve worked out pretty well. Why wouldn’t Iva?”

  “You’re selling yourself short to think just anyone can do what you do. You’re a perfect fit inside a hot canning kitchen day after day.” Rhoda brushed crumbs into the trash can. “And I most certainly did interview you, starting the first day we met. It’s just that none of us realized it at the time.”

  Leah seemed surprised by Rhoda’s confidence in her. In the distance a car door slammed. “Landon’s back already?”

  Jacob went to the window. “Ya. And he’s got the girl with him. She doesn’t look old enough to legally leave home.”

  Rhoda sighed. “Leah, what have you done?”

  EIGHT

  Iva got out of the truck, clutching the front of her coat. Her research had said the April temperatures in Maine and Indiana were similar, but it felt a lot colder here. She grabbed her suitcase and followed Landon.

  She had recharged her camera battery and taken lots of pictures during a four-hour layover at Union Station in Washington. While waiting in Bangor for Landon to pick her up, she had walked around and snapped a few more. But when he arrived, he seemed shocked that she had a camera, so she shoved it and the tripod into her suitcase. If he reacted that way as an Englisch man, she wasn’t about to let these Amish see it. She needed to make a good first impression, but now her ancient carrying bag was quite heavy and bulging.

  Landon pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Leah?”

  “We’re in the office.”

  “Okay.” Landon motioned for Iva to follow him. “They’re in the barn. You need some help with that?”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks.” But her arms ached as she carried the bag.

  Between her exhaustion and nerves, Iva’s whole body trembled, making even walking a challenge. She had left home more than forty-eight hours ago, changed trains three times, and would have slept until morning if she could’ve curled up in a corner at the station.

  The peeling red paint of the barn caused a thrill to run through her. She’d seen such barns before, but this one would make a gorgeous photo. She turned a full circle while walking, seeing the old farmhouse and a wagon hitched to a horse and a few apple trees in the distance.

  She itched to get shots of the new scenery. Although the buildings were in need of paint and repair, to her the place was absolutely gorgeous. Actually, the more scarred and worn the subject, the more fascinating she found it. Character, that’s what made an image endearing. Still-life subjects were fascinating, although animals made for interesting pictures too. She rarely took a snapshot of people, partly because the Amish frowned on such things and partly because inanimate objects awakened her appreciation of the world too few seemed to notice.

  Once in the barn she spotted an old shoe nailed to a wall, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Landon went through a narrow door, and she followed him, studying which angle would give her the best light to capture the shoe on the wall.

  When her suitcase bumped hard against the doorframe, she was jolted out of her thoughts. “My camera!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she gasped.

  Landon took her suitcase. “I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll put this somewhere in a moment.” He motioned as he spoke. “This is Leah King, her brothers Samuel and Jacob. And this is Rhoda Byler.”

  Iva looked from one man to the other before her eyes locked with one of them. “There’s no denying you’re brothers.”

  Leah frowned. “They don’t look that much alike. Do they?”

  No one answered. Except for Leah, they all seemed speechless.

  Iva searched for something to say to break the ice. “I saw all of you, except him”—she pointed to the man standing next to Rhoda, unsure which one was Samuel and which was Jacob—“on television when you got the news that Rhoda had been cleared of the lies those girls told, right?”

  Leah glanced to Landon before returning her focus to Iva. “Indiana Amish watch TV?”

  “Oh no, but I used to clean house for an Englisch woman before she got laid off, and she recorded the news and showed it to me one day.”

  Jacob extended his hand. “You didn’t see me. I’m Jacob.”

  Iva shook his hand. “Ah, the one who wasn’t questioned by the bishop for being seen on television, right?”

  “Actually”—Rhoda pressed her fingertips against the desk—“we don’t have a bishop or a preacher. Not yet.”

  “Really? No wonder I liked the idea of coming here.”

  When Rhoda’s eyes widened and her startled face turned to Samuel, Iva realized how her statement sounded. What must they be thinking about her now? “Beneath everyone’s love and respect for the church leaders is a desire not to have to answer to them on occasion.” She stared into blank faces. “I guess that could just be me. It seems I’ve managed to put both feet in my mouth.”

  Jacob glanced at Rhoda and chuckled. “She fits right in. A bit clumsy, colors outside the Amish lines by owning a camera, and is drawn to avoid church leaders at least once in a while.”

  “Is that who we are?” Rhoda’s brows furrowed as she studied Jacob.

  He nodded. “Afraid so. Don’t you think?”

  Rhoda pursed her lips. “Ya, I suppose it is. But it’s not our intention or our goal.” She took a seat behind the desk. “Iva, it was good of you to come all this way. Would you care to sit?” She gestured to a chair.

  Iva sat, feeling very much on the hot seat. “I thought I was going to be traveling by train for just a day, but I read the tickets wrong. I’ve been traveling for more than two days straight. The view and the layovers were nice, though. Interesting.”

  “Did you get some good shots?” Jacob asked.

  She tried to suppress her enthusiasm. It’d been a wonderful couple of days of capturing on her digital camera things she’d never seen before. But now that she didn’t have access to her Englisch neighbor, she wasn’t sure how she’d upload images or recharge the batteries. “I think so.”

  Rhoda looked to Samuel. Was she waiting for him to speak up?
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br />   When he said nothing, Rhoda cleared her throat. “Iva, how old are you?”

  “Twenty-one.”

  Surprise flickered across Rhoda’s face. Iva was used to that. Most people thought she looked seventeen at the most. “I have proof if you—”

  “Nee.” Rhoda shook her head. “I believe you.”

  Iva was relieved, because her proof was a driver’s license, which probably wouldn’t endear her to them.

  Rhoda tapped her fingers on the desk, seemingly reluctant to speak her mind. “I’m sure you need some rest, and dinner will be ready soon, but there’s been a mistake. We simply aren’t in a position to hire.”

  “Please. I just arrived. My Mamm spent all she had to get me here.”

  “Why would she …” Rhoda’s countenance radiated disbelief. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business. But—”

  “But,” Jacob interrupted, “we can talk about the job aspect a little later.” He picked up the tray and handed it to Leah. “Why don’t you show Iva to the empty bedroom.”

  “Empty?” Rhoda shifted, looking up at Jacob.

  Iva sensed his words bothered her. “If it’s being used, I’m willing to sleep anywhere, even in the barn.” She lifted the tray from Leah. “I know I’ve not said the right things, and I’ve probably made a bad impression, but if you’ll give me a chance, you’ll find I’m a hard worker.”

  “I’m sure you are.” Rhoda’s gentle smile added to the sympathy mirrored on her face.

  Jacob picked up a stack of mail and eased it in front of Rhoda. “Maybe we need to be more ready to hire someone than we are.”

  “Maybe.” Rhoda nodded. “But there isn’t any money right now.”

  What? If they didn’t have money to pay her, why had she come? How would she ever get home? Her Mamm couldn’t send any money. Besides, Iva would rather earn the right to stay than have them figure out a way to send her back home. If she went back, her Daed would start pressuring her again to marry Leon. If barely liking him wasn’t enough reason to remain single, she also wasn’t interested in marrying a man mired in grief.

  “I don’t mind the money.” Iva shifted the tray. “At least not for now. If I have a place to stay and food, I’m better off than most.”

  Rhoda nodded. “That’s a very kind offer, but …” She turned to Landon. “Would you take her luggage to the empty bedroom? Leah, see that she meets Phoebe and gets fresh towels and something to eat.”

  Iva thanked them for letting her stay and left the office, trying not to cry.

  What if, come tomorrow, they told her to go home?

  Rhoda turned to Jacob, tempted to share her disappointment. He was ready to hire the girl full-time and give her Rhoda’s bedroom. Was he never going to invite her back home? “So now what?”

  Jacob closed the door. “I think she should stay.”

  Rhoda already knew that much. Needing something to do other than stare at Jacob, she began looking through the pile of mail. “You think that because you have a good heart. I appreciate that about you, but we can’t afford her.” Not daring to look at Samuel, she sorted letters to her into one pile. “Samuel?”

  “There’s no way we’d consider hiring someone we know this little about if she hadn’t just shown up. We have far more questions than answers. I don’t like it. Leah let herself get talked into something, and I say Iva stays for a day or two to get some rest, and then we send her home.”

  “And use what to purchase her ticket? Our good looks?” Jacob asked.

  Rhoda held up a few envelopes. “We’re still getting money from folks who want to help because of all the legal trouble. We haven’t used any of it yet.”

  “There’s no reason to use it to send Iva home.”

  Jacob had more compassion than wisdom, but this was hard to believe. Rhoda straightened a stack of envelopes. “Look at what came from three girls who used our greenhouses to party. It turned into a nightmare. Why would this girl’s mother send her to beg off strangers unless Iva isn’t as eager to please as she’d have us believe?”

  Jacob put his hand on the mail in front of her. “You’re both being skittish because of all Rhoda’s been through.”

  Rhoda stared at him. “Don’t you find the whole thing strange?”

  “Sure. But the way we connected with you was odd too.”

  “I consider how we came together to have been a God thing.”

  “And it’s too early to say this isn’t one too.”

  Rhoda rose, gazing into Jacob’s eyes. “Why are you so much in favor of her staying?”

  “I think we should talk alone.”

  Samuel got up.

  “Samuel, wait.” She turned. “Jacob, he should be a part of this discussion.” That was putting it mildly. Samuel was Kings’ Orchard long before she joined them and during the years Jacob was absent, working for his uncle and then traveling on his own.

  She couldn’t believe Jacob wanted Samuel to leave what was clearly a business meeting. “I know that Samuel and I have lost most of our power businesswise and, in many ways, relationshipwise. We can’t even breathe for fear of angering you. But you can’t possibly make a decision about Iva without Samuel being in the room.”

  “Is that what you think? That you’re powerless?”

  She saw it in his eyes. Her words described how he felt. “You just gave away my bedroom. The farmhouse is my home. You haven’t even mentioned me returning. And then you offer my room to a perfect stranger.”

  “She needed a place to stay.”

  “And what about what I need, Jacob? Do you even have a clue what that is?”

  Samuel went to the door. “This is becoming personal, so I’ll go. But I’d like to remind both of you of something. Jacob, Rhoda did nothing wrong.” He turned the handle. “Rhoda, Jacob did nothing wrong. I don’t know what else to say.” He closed the door behind him.

  Silence hung in the air, and yet Rhoda heard condemnation loud and clear. If Samuel thought she was faultless, he was fooling himself. She remembered every second of being in his arms, and the feelings of those few moments haunted her.

  Jacob owned her heart, so why couldn’t she get her flesh free of that memory with Samuel? Without a confidant the mess might stay a confusing jumble inside her brain. Would it ever fade? Would it become one more grief she had to learn to live with?

  Jacob went to the file cabinet and began gathering items from it. “You don’t trust my opinion anymore?”

  She could ask him the same thing. Instead, she flipped through the mail.

  “Kumm on, Rhodes. We need Iva here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I overheard some of what you said to Samuel about Nicole. And it sounded to me as if you’re jealous of her.”

  “What?” Her raised voice made hurt flicker through his eyes. She took a breath, determined to measure her tone as well as her words. “Even if that were true, and it’s not, I don’t see what that has to do with Iva.”

  “Then look again. If I try hard enough, I can make myself believe that your attitude about Nicole comes from your fear that an Englisch woman has an eye for a lonely Amish man. But what am I supposed to think now that you want to keep Iva away from him just as much?”

  “You’re supposed to realize I’m being practical. We know nothing about Iva. We can’t afford her. And her mother paid good money to send her to a community that doesn’t know her and may be desperate enough for help to let her stay. Your forte is math. Add up those facts, and tell me we should open up our lives to that.”

  “There are other things that need to be factored in.” He moved to the office door. “She came in facing this direction. You and I were directly in front of her. Leah was to her left, and Samuel was on the far side of Leah. Yet the only person Iva saw when she came in was Samuel. Their attention seemed glued for a bit, and maybe I’m seeing what I need to, but I think there were sparks.”

  She didn’t see any of that, but it was possible Iva was caught off guard by Sam
uel’s presence. Rhoda was when she first met him. Of course she was also frustrated and annoyed by him. “He doesn’t want her here either. You heard him.”

  Jacob strode back to her. “Of course not. He’s looking at it strictly from a business perspective.”

  “That’s the only one that matters where Iva is concerned.”

  He sat on the corner of the desk, facing her. “I don’t like that you’re so against her staying.”

  She put down the mail and leaned back in her chair. “You gave her my room, not just for a night or two, but in hopes she’ll stay. How do you expect me to react?”

  He angled his head, studying her. “Your feelings are hurt.”

  She swallowed hard, embarrassment creeping up her neck. “I’d hoped you’d invite me to move back home.”

  He drew a deep breath. “I know it’s been only a couple of days, but I like picking you up in the mornings and taking you home in the evenings. It’s the closest thing to a courtship we’ve ever had. And …”

  “And what?”

  He shook his head. “Never mind.”

  “Don’t do that. Finish your thought.”

  “I don’t want you and Samuel under the same roof, where by the time anyone else in the house is up, you two have shared half a pot of coffee and an hour of conversation. I don’t want to wake during the night wondering if you’ve bumped into him while getting a glass of water. It’s not a good situation for now.”

  “Jacob.” She stood and cradled his face. She wanted to kiss him. It’d be their first since before he’d left to go into hiding in mid-January.

  “It’s how I feel.” The sadness in his eyes made her ache.

  Would things between them ever be as they once were? “If you need me to stay at Camilla’s, then that’s what I’ll do.” She smiled. “I have to admit, your coming to pick me up is fun. I woke last night looking forward to it. But hiring Iva and letting her stay—”

  “Until other Amish move here, we’re a tiny settlement. Your brother has Phoebe and their children. Leah has all of us, including Landon. You and I are starting to really talk again, and Samuel has no one he can open up to.”