to it. “I thought I’d fill a cooler with lemonade. The water’s about all gone. The men are thirsty.”
She started to turn. “I’ll get it for—”
“Nee, I wanted to…I mean I need to wash up anyway.”
Adah studied his sweaty, sunburned face. No way Richard came up to the house to wash up. The men didn’t do that. They might stick their face in the horses’ water trough to cool off now and again, but they didn’t care if they were dirty and sweaty. No sense cleaning up until the end of the day. “What are you really doing here?”
“Getting lemonade.”
“Did you come to see someone?” The memory of Molly’s longing face floated in Adah’s mind. Had Molly taken her advice and made the brownies to take out to Edna’s when she picked up the library books? “You did, didn’t you?”
“How do you know I didn’t come to see you?” He flashed her a smile. “How come you didn’t make it to the last baptism class? I thought I’d see you there.”
She ignored his question. “I don’t live here so you had no cause to think I would be here. It’s Molly, isn’t it? You wanted to see her.”
A dull red crept up his neck, deepening his tan. “She brought brownies to the house a while back when she came to pick up some books to return for Edna.” He hesitated, his gaze falling to his feet. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “She told Edna…well…anyway, I thought I’d thank her for the brownies.”
“That’s real polite of you.” Plain folks didn’t abide much by fancy thank yous, but it didn’t hurt to let a person know a kindness was appreciated. In this case, Richard had played right into her plan. Unfortunately, Molly had to work at the library today. “Molly’s at work. I bet she has her hands full helping with all the extra company and the grandparents here.”
“That’s why I’m here. I’ll be helping out for the next month or so, maybe longer. Tobias said he could spare me.”
Good. He’d see Molly on a regular basis. “That’s gut .”
They were both silent for a few minutes. “I guess I should—”
“I should—”
They both stopped, waiting for the other to finish the sentence.
“Are you and Matthew courting?” Richard’s face darkened to the color of the pile of beets on the ground next to Mary and Lillie. “Still,I mean. I know you were, but lately, I hadn’t seen y’all together, and, well, I just wondered…”
Adah opened her mouth and shut it. She wasn’t sure how to answer that question—not truthfully, anyway. “Courting is private.”
“I know it’s an awkward question, not one I should be asking.” He traced a line in the dirt with his dusty work boot, looking like a little boy with his head ducked. “But I got myself into trouble once before and I don’t want to do it again. So I figure it makes more sense just to flat out ask and save everyone a lot of embarrassment.”
Adah had heard about those problems, seen them firsthand with her brother Daniel’s friend Michael and his special friend, Phoebe, now his fraa. She had enough man troubles already. “If you’re asking about me, my heart is taken.”
Those words were the flat-out truth. Two men had a hold of her heart and between the two of them, they might tear it apart.
“A day late and a dollar short…again.” Richard’s woebegone expression squeezed Adah’s heart. He sighed. “I guess God’s plan is for me to be a bachelor.”
“Nee. You must be blind as a bat.” Men were so thickheaded sometimes—most of the time. “Don’t you know why Molly brought those double fudge brownies with walnuts for you?”
His forehead wrinkled under the broad flat brim of his straw hat. He cocked his head. His dumbfounded expression would be funny were it not so painful. “Molly?”
“Jah, Molly.” Adah wanted to stamp her foot. Matchmaking was frowned upon, but Plain women could be forced to it in a pinch when men wore blinders. “You think she bakes
She started to turn. “I’ll get it for—”
“Nee, I wanted to…I mean I need to wash up anyway.”
Adah studied his sweaty, sunburned face. No way Richard came up to the house to wash up. The men didn’t do that. They might stick their face in the horses’ water trough to cool off now and again, but they didn’t care if they were dirty and sweaty. No sense cleaning up until the end of the day. “What are you really doing here?”
“Getting lemonade.”
“Did you come to see someone?” The memory of Molly’s longing face floated in Adah’s mind. Had Molly taken her advice and made the brownies to take out to Edna’s when she picked up the library books? “You did, didn’t you?”
“How do you know I didn’t come to see you?” He flashed her a smile. “How come you didn’t make it to the last baptism class? I thought I’d see you there.”
She ignored his question. “I don’t live here so you had no cause to think I would be here. It’s Molly, isn’t it? You wanted to see her.”
A dull red crept up his neck, deepening his tan. “She brought brownies to the house a while back when she came to pick up some books to return for Edna.” He hesitated, his gaze falling to his feet. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “She told Edna…well…anyway, I thought I’d thank her for the brownies.”
“That’s real polite of you.” Plain folks didn’t abide much by fancy thank yous, but it didn’t hurt to let a person know a kindness was appreciated. In this case, Richard had played right into her plan. Unfortunately, Molly had to work at the library today. “Molly’s at work. I bet she has her hands full helping with all the extra company and the grandparents here.”
“That’s why I’m here. I’ll be helping out for the next month or so, maybe longer. Tobias said he could spare me.”
Good. He’d see Molly on a regular basis. “That’s gut .”
They were both silent for a few minutes. “I guess I should—”
“I should—”
They both stopped, waiting for the other to finish the sentence.
“Are you and Matthew courting?” Richard’s face darkened to the color of the pile of beets on the ground next to Mary and Lillie. “Still,I mean. I know you were, but lately, I hadn’t seen y’all together, and, well, I just wondered…”
Adah opened her mouth and shut it. She wasn’t sure how to answer that question—not truthfully, anyway. “Courting is private.”
“I know it’s an awkward question, not one I should be asking.” He traced a line in the dirt with his dusty work boot, looking like a little boy with his head ducked. “But I got myself into trouble once before and I don’t want to do it again. So I figure it makes more sense just to flat out ask and save everyone a lot of embarrassment.”
Adah had heard about those problems, seen them firsthand with her brother Daniel’s friend Michael and his special friend, Phoebe, now his fraa. She had enough man troubles already. “If you’re asking about me, my heart is taken.”
Those words were the flat-out truth. Two men had a hold of her heart and between the two of them, they might tear it apart.
“A day late and a dollar short…again.” Richard’s woebegone expression squeezed Adah’s heart. He sighed. “I guess God’s plan is for me to be a bachelor.”
“Nee. You must be blind as a bat.” Men were so thickheaded sometimes—most of the time. “Don’t you know why Molly brought those double fudge brownies with walnuts for you?”
His forehead wrinkled under the broad flat brim of his straw hat. He cocked his head. His dumbfounded expression would be funny were it not so painful. “Molly?”
“Jah, Molly.” Adah wanted to stamp her foot. Matchmaking was frowned upon, but Plain women could be forced to it in a pinch when men wore blinders. “You think she bakes
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