Courting Emily (A Wells Landing Book 2) Read online

  Ruthie warmed up to the telling, adding her two cents into the mix. “But she realized he was going to take his time to collect the frog and sent Joshua in after him.”

  “Like his brother would be any better.” Susannah laughed. This was her first year out of school. Emily couldn’t tell if she missed the other kids or not. But from the look on her face right then, she did.

  “So she sent me in after both of them,” Bea added.

  Everyone laughed.

  “What happened to the frog?” James asked.

  Up until that point, Emily hadn’t been sure if James had even been paying attention to the story.

  “I caught him,” Bea said. Emily could tell that she was suppressing her pride at accomplishing something that two boys couldn’t.

  “Did he pee on you?” James asked.

  Bea made a face. “Jah.”

  James laughed. Not a belly-shaking laugh, but a gentle chuckle that sent a ripple of surprise through the group.

  Jah, the Riehls were long overdue for some everyday joy.

  “Time to finish up,” Emily called. They had less than an hour before they would need to head back to their house and begin their milking. She couldn’t say that she had accomplished everything she had wanted to, but she had given Joy and her daughters a jump start on getting back on track.

  The girls gobbled down the last of their snacks and took their plates to the sink.

  “Let’s get you back to bed.” Joy stood and took her husband’s arm.

  “I want to stay here,” he said, watching as Mary started running water to clean up their mess.

  Johanna climbed into her father’s lap and laid her head on his chest. Her thumb went immediately into her mouth, and she closed her eyes.

  “Jo.” Becky reached for her sister, but James slapped her hands away.

  “Leave her.” His voice sounded like that of a petulant child.

  “Now, James,” Joy started. But whatever she was about to say was lost as a deep voice sounded from the doorway.

  “What is going on in here?”

  Chapter Four

  Emily could feel the anger coming off Elam in waves like the ocean tide. He practically vibrated with it. But for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what he was so upset about.

  “Are you going to answer me?”

  She glanced around, only then noticing that Joy was gone. Where she had disappeared to was anybody’s guess. Amid the earlier laughter and chattering, she might have stated her intentions, but Emily didn’t hear. As the oldest, she figured it was her job to answer. Well, that and the fact that Elam’s hard green eyes were pinned on her.

  “We were just cleaning up from our snack.” She tried to smooth the frown that puckered her brow. What was wrong with him?

  He didn’t say, just stood there, hands braced on his hips and nostrils flared like an angry bull. “Johanna, get down. Mamm, please help Vatter back to his bed.”

  Emily turned to see Joy behind her.

  “Jah.” The woman dipped her chin, and made her way over to her husband. She scooped Johanna from his lap and set her feet on the floor. “Kumm, James.” She pulled the man to his feet, and the pair disappeared down the hallway.

  “But . . . but . . .” James sputtered as his wife led him away.

  “Miriam, Ruthie, it’s time to set up the milking machines.”

  The red-haired twins ducked their heads and hurried out the back way.

  It was as if they didn’t want to pass by their bruder on their way out the door.

  Then he turned those cold green eyes back to her.

  Emily propped her hands on her hips and stared right back. Whatever was bothering Elam Riehl was not her fault. And clearly he was upset about something.

  “Emily,” Bea started, her voice small and hesitant. “Should I go help the twins?”

  “Nay,” Emily said without taking her gaze from Elam’s. “It’s time for us to leave.”

  “Jah, okay,” she said.

  The rest of her sisters slowly set their feet into motion, gathering their things as Elam continued to scowl at them all.

  “Elam,” Becky started, though her voice sounded as tiny as Bea’s had earlier.

  “It’s time for you to sterilize the milk vats.”

  She looked about to protest, but obviously thought better of it. Instead she gave a quick nod to her brother and headed for the door.

  “Take Johanna out with you. She can gather the eggs.”

  Becky backtracked to get her sister, and without a word all of the Riehl girls were gone.

  “I think that’s everything,” Mary said. “All Joy has to do is take down the sheets from the line. Unless you want us to do it before we leave.”

  “You have done enough,” Elam gruffed. But instead of sounding like praise, it was more of an accusation.

  “Girls, go wait for me in the buggy.” Emily’d had enough. They had come here to help and instead were being made to feel as if they had somehow intruded. This was definitely not the Amish way.

  Her sisters didn’t protest, all too ready to get away from Elam Riehl.

  The door shut behind them, and Emily and Elam were left alone.

  She crossed her arms and calmly met his hard gaze. “What’s the matter with you, Elam Riehl?”

  “What’s wrong with me?” The words were barely controlled. “I came home to find my house chaotic and my father bothered with all kinds of noise and activity. What’s wrong with you?”

  Something in his words didn’t ring true. There was more to his reaction than he was telling her. That was fine. Elam Riehl could keep his secrets. But he wasn’t going to make them feel like they had been a burden instead of a help.

  “Not a thing.” She grabbed up the basket she’d used to bring in the baked goods. “Tell your mamm that we’ll be by tomorrow afternoon.”

  Before he could say one more word, she marched out the door.

  “Just who does he think he is?” she grumbled as she made her way across the yard to the buggy. One of the sisters had already hitched up their horse, and they were ready to go. Good, because she was more than ready to leave.

  “What happened in there?” Mary asked as Emily swung into the driver’s seat.

  “Nix,” Emily lied.

  “Well, something happened,” Susannah chimed in. “Your face is all splotchy, and you’re breathing like you just ran a race.”

  “Such a thing to say,” Mary admonished.

  Yet Emily knew Susannah was right. She felt all splotchy and winded.

  She clicked the reins and started the horse forward. One quick turn around and they would be on their way back home.

  But she had no more than gotten the horse facing the right direction when Joy Riehl hurried from the house, her prayer kapp strings flying out behind her.

  “Emily! Halt! Halt! ”

  Emily pulled back on the reins and waited for Joy to catch up with them.

  “I’m sorry about . . .” Joy waved a hand toward the house, and Emily could only assume she was talking about Elam and his surly attitude. “Danki for coming to help today.”

  Emily smiled. “Gern gschehne.”

  Her sisters echoed the sentiment.

  “Will you come back tomorrow, like you said?” Joy asked.

  “If that is what you want,” Emily said.

  Joy smiled, an honest to goodness smile that lit up her whole face. “I would like that very much.”

  “Then we will be here.” Emily could only hope Elam would not.

  He knew the minute his stepmother shut the door behind her she was angry.

  Joy Riehl lived up to her name most always, but this afternoon, he could tell she would fall short on that promise.

  “Elam Riehl!” she called as she stalked across the room. “What has gotten into you today?”

  He didn’t have an answer. He had walked into the house and chaos surrounded him.

  Girls were everywhere. He’d lost count at eight, sinc
e they fluttered around, nosily chattering as they zoomed from one task to another.

  There was noise, so very much noise. In the middle of it all sat his poor dat, Johanna cuddled in his lap even as he cradled his head in one hand. Elam had no idea the pain his father suffered. He could only guess. None of them truly knew. So they kept the house dark and quiet. When Elam had arrived home, his house had been neither.

  Then his gaze fell on Emily Ebersol, and he knew who was to blame.

  “Dat cannot take so much racket,” he replied, his voice sounding rough as sandpaper.

  “Your dat was fine. Enjoying himself even.”

  Elam shook his head against the truth in her words. Jah, his father had looked okay then, but how was he going to feel later with his head throbbing because he’d been up too much, or even nauseated from tiring himself out? “You know as well as I do it is not that simple.” But he couldn’t ignore the look on his father’s face as he held little Johanna in his lap. She had missed her vatter this past year. They all had. And if the smile of contentment on Dat’s face was any indication, he had missed them too.

  “You should apologize to Emily. And her sisters,” Mamm continued.

  He knew she was right. Just as he knew his father had seemed on top of the world. But what was right was not always the best way to do things.

  “Jah,” he said.

  “Tomorrow, when she comes back.”

  “She’s coming back?” A muscle in his jaw started to twitch.

  “I need someone to help make clothes for the girls. I have jelly that needs to be made and tomatoes that must be canned.”

  “I should hire you someone to help. Maybe someone from town could come in and—”

  “Why are you so against Emily Ebersol coming here?”

  “It’s not that.” He said the words even as he knew them to be a lie.

  “Then what is it?”

  But he had no answer. At least not one he could share with his mamm. “I must get to the milking,” he rasped. Then he left for the barn, hoping that by the time the afternoon milking was done, Mamm would have forgotten all about her question and the answer he never gave.

  “What is wrong with him?” Emily asked Mary as they set about their milking. Each sister had a job to do. Once the goats were in their milking stalls, Bea and Susannah cleaned their teats with the iodine solution while Mary and Rose hooked them up to the machines. It was Emily’s job to clean the milk vats and pour the smaller containers of milk into the large cooler. Once she went into the milk room, she would be by herself until the milking was done.

  “I do not know.” Mary shrugged. “Pride maybe?”

  “‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,’” Emily quoted as they worked to get the goats into the milking stalls.

  Normally the does were easy enough to work with. They had been through the process too many times to count, but today they seemed unusually ornery. Or maybe it was her own frustration and impatience working against her.

  “Are you going to say something to Dat?”

  “Nay.” Something in the haunted look coloring Elam’s green eyes had her wanting to forgive him quickly despite the anger he showed toward her. He was hurting, though Emily didn’t know if it had to do with his father or something else. Though she suspected there was more to it than his dat’s injury.

  “Well, here goes,” Emily muttered to herself as she pulled to a stop in front of the Riehl house. Her sisters had been none too happy when she had left them behind, but she thought perhaps it best. They had gotten a great deal accomplished the day before. With her help today, Joy Riehl would be caught up with her housework.

  Emily swung down from the buggy, her gaze drifting to the family garden. The tomatoes needed picking, as well as the squash and beans. That was just what she could see from where she stood. Those were probably the last of the vegetables for the season. With any luck she might be able to still harvest a few ears of corn.

  She gathered her things out of the back of the buggy, a basket filled with bread and cookies as well as some material for dresses. Her mamm had sent over the latter with the intentions of Emily staying long enough to sew a dress for young Johanna.

  Emily sighed. It wasn’t that she minded sewing, but it was the staying. It would take a couple more trips to get the garden taken care of, and the rest of the laundry finished. Then to sew a dress on top of that . . . well, it seemed that her eldra expected her to come to the Riehl house every other day. Which would have been fine except for the hard stare of Elam Riehl.

  She knocked on the door, and it swung open immediately.

  Little Johanna stood just inside, thumb in her mouth and doll tucked into the crook of her arm. She smiled around the digit, and Emily’s heart melted.

  “May I come in, Johanna Riehl? I have cookies.”

  Johanna laughed, then ran toward the back of the house.

  The high-pitched sound of her chatter floated back into the front room as Johanna spoke to someone in the back. Then Joy appeared, a sweet smile on her tired face.

  “Emily, guder mariye. I thought you would be at the market this morning.”

  She shook her head. “Mamm sent Mary instead.” Though Emily had a feeling her father was behind the switch. First he had told her that he wanted her to not teach and to help her mudder with the market stand. Then he suggested she should consider Elam Riehl as a suitor. Which would happen when the goats started milking themselves. Now her father insisted she help the Riehl family and let Mary take care of the market. He wasn’t fooling her. He was trying to get her to see Elam in a different light. But it wasn’t Elam that spurred her father’s actions, it was Luke. Her dat wanted her to forget Luke Lambright. As if she could ever.

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Emily smiled. “I’m froh to be here.” She was happy she was there to help. And yet . . .

  “Becky has gone to the market, but we didn’t have a lot to sell. She should be home by lunch.”

  “Where is . . . ?”

  “Elam? He’s in the barn.”

  “Joy?” James called. From the close sound of his voice, Emily could tell he had gotten out of bed and was coming down the hallway toward them.

  “James.” Joy bustled over to him as he steadied himself, one hand braced against the wall.

  “I thought I heard voices.”

  “Jah,” she said. “You did. Emily Ebersol has come again today to help us in the house.”

  “The bishop’s daughter?”

  “Jah, the one and the same.”

  “I like her,” James said, then flashed Emily a quick smile.

  “And I like you, too.” She started as something touched her hand. Looking down, she found Johanna gazing up at her with those big blue eyes.

  “I like you, too,” she said in her high-pitched Deutsch. “Are you going to stay with us?”

  “For the afternoon, jah.”

  “Stay all day and all night.” Johanna bounced on her toes, pulling on Emily’s hand as she hopped around. “Please please please.”

  Emily squatted down to look into Johanna’s precious face. “I will stay until it is time for the milking. Then I must go home and take care of my mamm’s goats. But until then, you and I are going to have a fun sisters’ day, cleaning and such. Would you like that?”

  Johanna’s eyes lit up. “A sisters’ day? You and me?”

  “And your mamm, jah.”

  “I would like that very much.”

  Emily smiled. “Then let’s get your father settled, and we will start our day.” She offered her other arm to James and supported him in his short walk to the table.

  “Can we have cookies first?” Johanna asked, climbing into the chair opposite her dat.

  “If it is allrecht with your mamm.” Emily looked to Joy who simply nodded.

  “Yes, cookies, please,” James said, a bright smile on his face. He looked so childlike and innocent it nearly broke Emily’s heart. She rememb
ered James Riehl as a strong man who came to help them rebuild their barn a few years back. Now he could barely walk without assistance.

  “James,” Joy started, her tone gentle. “Perhaps you should go back and lie down.”

  James gave a few shakes of his head, then stopped as if the motion was too much for him. “No,” he said, sounding all the more like a petulant child. “I want to stay here with Emily and Johanna.”

  “But what if—”

  “I want to stay here.” His voice boomed, and he winced as if it hurt his head.

  Johanna seemed not to notice his outburst and continued to distribute the cookies between the four places at the table. Or maybe she was accustomed to her father’s mercurial moods.

  “He gets dizzy spells,” Joy explained, where only Emily could hear.

  “Is he fine as long as he’s sitting?”

  Joy nodded.

  “Then we will have to make certain that he continues to sit.” She smiled reassuringly.

  Joy’s response trembled on her lips. “I’m glad to have your help, Emily Ebersol.” To Emily’s dismay, tears filled Joy’s eyes.

  “Don’t cry, Joy. Perhaps you should go lie down for a bit.”

  “Nay, I cannot. James needs me.”

  “I will not argue with that,” Emily said. “But right now, I think all James needs is someone to watch him. And I am here.”

  “But if he were to fall . . .”

  “What do you do when he falls while you are here?”

  “I go get Elam from the barn.”

  Emily gave a satisfied nod. “Then that is what I will do as well. Go rest, Joy, and let me take care of this for you. You look like you could fall asleep standing up.”

  Joy wiped the tears from her eyes. “James . . . James had a bad night.”

  Emily could tell that Joy didn’t want to admit as much to her. “Sleep while you can. We’ll all be here when you wake up.”

  “Danki, Emily.” Joy squeezed her fingers. “I wasn’t sure you’d come back today.”