turning to face her. “I’ll come for you before dinner, if that’s alright with you.”
“That’ll be fine. I’ll see you then.”
Without a goodbye, Joseph hesitated only a moment before pulling the door shut behind him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Puzzled, Rebekah stared at the closed door. He’s never acted so strange before. Cold knots of uncertainty formed in her stomach. Wringing her hands, Rebekah started to the kitchen.
“Pa? Are you in here Pa?” Rebekah tried to call for him quietly, so as not to wake Elnora and Beanie.
Samuel’s voice came from out the back door. “Go on! Get out of here!”
Lifting her skirt slightly, Rebekah hurried to see what had brought on the commotion. “Oh no!”
Sure enough, there was her Pa. He had put the apples in to soak in the wooden barrel, but he had neglected to put on the lid. There were the twins, bobbing away amid the apples. Apparently, they had decided to swim and snack at the same time. Each twin grasped a thoroughly-gnawed core in their chubby hands.
The boys, though, weren’t what Samuel’s squawking’s were meant for. His new draft horses, bought just the day before from Mr. Yoder, had helped themselves to the apples, as well.
“Ma’s not going to be too happy about this,” Rebekah muttered as she stepped out to join her family.
Samuel stood, hands on his head, as his horses trotted back toward his new barn. Rebekah could hear them crunching, even from where she stood. She drew a hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to stifle a giggle as Jeremiah plucked the boys from the apple barrel. Stifling the giggle didn’t work.
“Oh Pa!” she managed between giggles. “I’ll start the pies with the apples we have left.”
Her father’s brown hair stuck out from his head in angry wisps. “That Mr. Yoder. He didn’t tell me dem horses had a taste for apples!” His eyes twinkled as his soaked little twin boys dashed by, just shy of Jeremiah’s reach.
“Thank you for putting them in to soak, Pa,” Rebekah started. “What with all the commotion lately.” She twisted her fingers together. “It’s a wonder any of us can think at all!”
Samuel smiled his knowing smile. “Jeremiah can get the boys cleaned up and ready. Who knew the apple barrel was the best place to take a swim?” Looping his arm around her shoulders, he gave a quick squeeze. “It does my heart glad to know you’re going to the festival tonight on the arm of Joseph Graber. He’s a fine young man, he is.”
Rebekah studied the ground. The strings of her covering dangled in her vision, drawing her attention to any menial thing that wasn’t talking about Joseph Graber with her Pa. “It’s good you’re pleased,” she managed.
Obviously sensing her discomfort, Samuel patted her shoulder. “Go get to baking, Daughter. We can get a handful of pies made if we start now.”
“We?”
Samuel ran his thumbs along the inside of his black braces. “I was a mighty fine pie maker back in Canada. I baked a pie for your Ma when we were courting.”
Rebekah cocked an eyebrow. “Ma never mentioned that.”
“Oh ja , I’ll never forget the look on her face when she tried that first bite. Her eyes might near popped right out of her head!”
Forgetting her anxiety over Joseph, Rebekah stared at her father in disbelief. “It was that good?”
Samuel rubbed his chin, obviously deep in thought. “Her exact words were, ‘ You mixed up the salt and the sugar. Good thing I know the difference, otherwise we could never host any families in our home! ’” Samuel cut his eyes over to Rebekah. “I asked her to marry me that night, and thankfully, she said yes.”
“Oh, Pa, that is the sweetest story.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about sweetest. I figured it to be the saltiest.”
The sun crept from the east to the west with all the sluggishness of a snail. By the time the pies were cooling on the front porch, all of the boys were dressed in their Sunday best and
“That’ll be fine. I’ll see you then.”
Without a goodbye, Joseph hesitated only a moment before pulling the door shut behind him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Puzzled, Rebekah stared at the closed door. He’s never acted so strange before. Cold knots of uncertainty formed in her stomach. Wringing her hands, Rebekah started to the kitchen.
“Pa? Are you in here Pa?” Rebekah tried to call for him quietly, so as not to wake Elnora and Beanie.
Samuel’s voice came from out the back door. “Go on! Get out of here!”
Lifting her skirt slightly, Rebekah hurried to see what had brought on the commotion. “Oh no!”
Sure enough, there was her Pa. He had put the apples in to soak in the wooden barrel, but he had neglected to put on the lid. There were the twins, bobbing away amid the apples. Apparently, they had decided to swim and snack at the same time. Each twin grasped a thoroughly-gnawed core in their chubby hands.
The boys, though, weren’t what Samuel’s squawking’s were meant for. His new draft horses, bought just the day before from Mr. Yoder, had helped themselves to the apples, as well.
“Ma’s not going to be too happy about this,” Rebekah muttered as she stepped out to join her family.
Samuel stood, hands on his head, as his horses trotted back toward his new barn. Rebekah could hear them crunching, even from where she stood. She drew a hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to stifle a giggle as Jeremiah plucked the boys from the apple barrel. Stifling the giggle didn’t work.
“Oh Pa!” she managed between giggles. “I’ll start the pies with the apples we have left.”
Her father’s brown hair stuck out from his head in angry wisps. “That Mr. Yoder. He didn’t tell me dem horses had a taste for apples!” His eyes twinkled as his soaked little twin boys dashed by, just shy of Jeremiah’s reach.
“Thank you for putting them in to soak, Pa,” Rebekah started. “What with all the commotion lately.” She twisted her fingers together. “It’s a wonder any of us can think at all!”
Samuel smiled his knowing smile. “Jeremiah can get the boys cleaned up and ready. Who knew the apple barrel was the best place to take a swim?” Looping his arm around her shoulders, he gave a quick squeeze. “It does my heart glad to know you’re going to the festival tonight on the arm of Joseph Graber. He’s a fine young man, he is.”
Rebekah studied the ground. The strings of her covering dangled in her vision, drawing her attention to any menial thing that wasn’t talking about Joseph Graber with her Pa. “It’s good you’re pleased,” she managed.
Obviously sensing her discomfort, Samuel patted her shoulder. “Go get to baking, Daughter. We can get a handful of pies made if we start now.”
“We?”
Samuel ran his thumbs along the inside of his black braces. “I was a mighty fine pie maker back in Canada. I baked a pie for your Ma when we were courting.”
Rebekah cocked an eyebrow. “Ma never mentioned that.”
“Oh ja , I’ll never forget the look on her face when she tried that first bite. Her eyes might near popped right out of her head!”
Forgetting her anxiety over Joseph, Rebekah stared at her father in disbelief. “It was that good?”
Samuel rubbed his chin, obviously deep in thought. “Her exact words were, ‘ You mixed up the salt and the sugar. Good thing I know the difference, otherwise we could never host any families in our home! ’” Samuel cut his eyes over to Rebekah. “I asked her to marry me that night, and thankfully, she said yes.”
“Oh, Pa, that is the sweetest story.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about sweetest. I figured it to be the saltiest.”
The sun crept from the east to the west with all the sluggishness of a snail. By the time the pies were cooling on the front porch, all of the boys were dressed in their Sunday best and
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