A Bee in Her Bonnet (17 page)

Dan slapped Luke on the shoulder. “Luke,
wie gehts?
I thought you might stay buried in that workshop until winter.”

“I have an order for a table and some chairs.”

Poppy wouldn't look at him, but she pursed her lips and lifted her chin like she was preparing for Luke to yell at her. Was that really what she expected of him? Talk about a punch to the gut.

Lily folded her arms and raised her eyebrows in Luke's direction, as if she sorely wanted to scold him. Rose frowned at him as if he'd thrown Billy Idol in the ditch. They'd been talking to Poppy. He'd never be invited over again.

Not that he wanted to be invited over.

Mandy handed him a cookie, and he bit into it before realizing how foolish it was to do so. How would he break the news to Dinah that everything Poppy made was better than Dinah's baking? Just as he expected, Poppy's cookie was soft and sweet and practically melted in his mouth. He could have eaten the entire plateful. He finished it off before Poppy could tell him he couldn't have it.

Dinah took a bite and pinched her lips together in indignation. It was hard even for her to go on pretending that her cookie tasted anywhere near as
gute
. “Why, Poppy Christner, I believe you have stolen my cookie recipe,” she said, in a sickly sweet tone she usually saved to scold her little sister.

Rose put her hand over her mouth and giggled softly. Lily disguised her smirk with a smile.

It was clear Poppy didn't want a fight, even if Dinah had just accused her of stealing. The light in her eyes dimmed, and she breathed out a weary sigh. “It's a high compliment that you think my cookies taste like yours. Yours are delicious.”

Dinah wasn't appeased. She propped a hand on her hip. “Who gave you my recipe? No one has permission to use it but me.”

That wasn't such a bad thing. The fewer bad cookies in the world, the better.

Poppy looked more resigned than angry, but she cocked an eyebrow and stared at Dinah as if to silence her for good. “If you don't want me to use your recipe, you shouldn't put it on the back of the chocolate chip bag.”

Dan threw back his head and laughed. Owen and Wallace were too polite to laugh, but they both widened their eyes and tried not to smile. Dinah's jaw dropped to the ground. No one won a battle with Poppy.

Not even Luke.

His heart pounded an uneven rhythm. He didn't mind so much.

Dinah glanced resentfully at the faces in the circle. Dan, Owen, and Wallace grinned like cats. The Honeybee Sisters were poised for Dinah to pounce. “How did you hurt your arm? Were you acting like a boy again?” Dinah said, sprinkling her overly sweet voice with a little nastiness.

Luke tensed at the insult behind the question. Dinah shouldn't treat Poppy that way. She'd been very brave.

His own stupidity punched him in the mouth and knocked the wind out of him. He'd given Poppy a lot worse.

Lily lifted her chin. “She saved four kittens, Dinah. Griff Simons tried to drown them in the ditch, and Poppy fished them out.”

Poppy glanced at Luke and frowned. “Luke told me not to.”

Dan grinned. “But you didn't listen. Smart girl.”

Luke wanted to smack his best friend upside the head.

Wallace took another cookie from the plate. Hadn't he had his share already? “I heard Griff was back. Did he hurt you, Poppy?”

“
Nae.
Luke pulled my shoulder out of place when he helped me out of the ditch.”

The boys hovering around Poppy eyed Luke as if he'd broken all the rules of the
Ordnung
. “Luke,” Owen said. “What were you trying to do? Drag her halfway to Iowa?”

Luke stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I feared she might drown. That's why I told her not to go in.”

Dinah nodded, her lips puckered in a smug pout. “There, you see? If Poppy hadn't been such a silly goose but done what Luke told her, she wouldn't have hurt her shoulder.”

Poppy's eyes danced with defiance. “I never do what Luke tells me.”

She'd never looked prettier. He forgot how to breathe.

“You saved those kittens,” Ohio John said. “No one can fault you for that.”

Poppy gave Ohio John a beautiful, knock-your-hat-off smile. Why was John hanging around Poppy's cookies? Everybody knew he had a wheat allergy.

“I think it's very selfish of her to jump in the water and expect Luke to risk his own life to save her,” Mandy said. She and Dinah nodded to each other.

Luke cleared his throat. “I didn't risk my life. I just got wet.”

Poppy's eyes darted to his face. He'd surprised her. She'd been expecting an attack.

“Dinah,” Dan said, grinning as if it were Christmas morning, “I know you're very protective of Luke, and I'm sorry you're offended, but are you saying you would have let the kittens drown?”

Every eye zeroed in on Dinah. A blush traveled up her neck. “If Luke had told me to stay out of the ditch . . .”

“Would you have pushed Dorothy in and made her swim for the kittens?” Lily said.

Dinah pulled herself up to her full, indignant height of five feet two inches. “For sure and certain not.”

Poppy almost knocked Luke over with her gaze. “Even if you think I behaved poorly, I can't regret doing it.”

At that moment, Poppy looked so fierce and loyal and beautiful, he didn't regret her doing it either.

He held his breath as the world spun like a dust devil around him. What had he done? What if Poppy had not been there that day? Joann or even little Dorothy would have jumped in. Neither of them was anywhere near as strong as Poppy. They would have gotten hurt, or worse.

Dorothy and Joann were home safe, playing with their new kittens because of Poppy Christner. And he'd yelled at her for being brave enough to act instead of panic. If Poppy hadn't been there, Luke would have let those kittens die to keep his sisters safe, and they'd probably cry and sulk and give him the silent treatment for weeks.

His heart throbbed with regret. Why, oh why had he gotten so mad?

Because headstrong, independent Poppy Christner had wounded his pride. She hadn't cared for his opinion, and he'd been offended, pure and simple. He'd been mad that she put herself in danger, but Poppy never thought about the danger if someone needed her help. Even someone like the little
Englisch
boy in town.

From across the street, Luke had watched that mother become increasingly agitated with her son. He couldn't have done anything about it. It wouldn't have been appropriate for an Amish man to accost a woman in the street, even if she did need help.

And then Poppy had appeared like an angel from heaven and got a slap in the face for her trouble. That's how Poppy was. If she thought she could help, she charged in, regardless of the consequences. Luke had to hold himself back from marching across the street and pulling Poppy into his protective embrace. Seeing her sitting on that bench with the
Englisch
woman had nearly cracked his hard heart. Poppy might be foolhardy, but she was also good and strong and unafraid.

He winced as his own words came back to him.
You're a girl, Poppy. You're weaker and softer, and you're never going to be as good as the boys at anything. Ach.
He'd taken back the drill. That must have felt like a slap in the face.

To his horror, he realized he had meant it to hurt her.

He felt thoroughly, nose-in-the-dirt ashamed of himself. He, who prided himself on protecting women and treating them with respect and kindness, had yelled things at Poppy that he wouldn't say to his worst enemy. His emotions reeled as if he'd been hit in the head with a shovel.

Oh,
sis yuscht
. He'd told her he hated her.

He knew one thing for certain.

He didn't hate Poppy Christner.

He wanted to get down on one knee right there and beg for her forgiveness, but studying the determined set of her jaw and the fire that burned hot in her eyes, he despaired of ever getting another crumb of kindness from her. He'd never be able to make up for how cruel he'd been.

Sweat beaded on Dinah's lip as she realized that only Mandy and Luke agreed with her. That is, she believed Luke agreed with her, but he had very recently changed his mind. She huffed out her indignation. “Poppy wants to be like the boys when she should be content with the place
Gotte
has put her.”

Josiah kept his eyes glued to Rose. “No one is as brave as Poppy.
Gotte
put her here to bless our lives.”

Rose practically burst out of her skin smiling at Josiah.

Dinah folded her arms. “There's a difference between being brave and being foolish. Isn't there, Luke?”

He glued his gaze to Poppy's face and prayed she'd see the remorse in his eyes.
“Jah,”
he said. “I'm the fool.”

Disbelief flitted across Poppy's face, and Luke nodded to reassure her.
I'm sorry, Poppy. Will you give me another chance to be the godly man I should be?

For a brief moment, it looked as if she might let her guard down, but then Dinah opened her mouth and Luke lost hope. “What do you Honeybee Schwesters know about anything? No one believes anything you say. You cheated Paul Glick, you stole my recipe, and you're mean to Luke.”

Cheated Paul Glick? Who was circulating that rumor?

Luke clenched his teeth so hard, pain shot down his neck. Paul Glick, of course.

Dan and the Honeybee Sisters frowned and glanced at each other. Dinah's outburst hadn't surprised them. Poppy had said they'd been expecting something spiteful from Paul Glick.

“Paul Glick spreads rumors like most farmers spread manure,” Poppy said.

An unhealthy shade of purple traveled up Dinah's cheeks. “You have some nerve showing your faces anywhere in town. We all know what kind of girls you really are.”

In unison, Dan and Josiah stepped forward and stood between the Honeybee Schwesters and Luke, as if protecting Poppy and her sisters from further attack. Luke sort of stumbled backward. Didn't Dan and Joe know he'd rather be standing shoulder to shoulder with them than standing with Dinah?

“Luke,” Dan said. “Maybe you should take Dinah to get a glass of lemonade.”

“Dan, I'm not trying to . . .”

Dan placed a firm hand on Luke's shoulder and pinned him with a look of complete understanding. The tightness in Luke's chest subsided. Dan didn't blame Luke for Dinah's bad behavior. “I know.” He glanced at Dinah. “It's okay.”

“I need to talk to Poppy,” Luke said, trying to catch her eye from behind Dan's big head.

“Just get Dinah away,” Dan whispered. “She's embarrassed herself enough already.”

Luke's desperation mounted. He had to apologize. Now. Poppy shouldn't have to go one more minute without knowing how bad he felt. “I've got to talk to Poppy.”

Dan nodded. “Later.”

Luke nearly growled. Dan had picked a very inconvenient time to be levelheaded. “Come on, Dinah,” he said, turning around and marching away. “Let's get something to eat.”

He heard Dinah and Mandy behind him, shuffling through the grass in an effort to keep up with his long strides. He tromped past the eats table to a bench on the edge of the park farthest from Poppy. He had to set Dinah straight.

He sat down and propped his arms on his knees. Dinah huffed out an irritated breath and sat next to him. “How could you just walk away like that? You're supposed to defend me from people like Poppy Christner. She stole my cookies. Doesn't that mean anything to you?”

Mandy plopped herself on the bench next to Dinah. “They shouldn't think they can come to a gathering after what they did to Paul Glick.”

Luke thought he might bite through his tongue.
Oy
, anyhow. How had he gotten himself so tangled up? “The Honeybee Sisters didn't cheat Paul Glick,” Luke said, trying to keep the anger from seeping into his voice. He should be over there asking Poppy for forgiveness, not sitting on this bench coddling poor, weak Dinah Eicher. “No one has done anything to Paul Glick that he hasn't done to himself.”

Moisture pooled in Dinah's eyes. She blinked and a tear ambled down her cheek. “I'm your girlfriend. Don't you love me enough to believe me?”

Luke flinched at the word
girlfriend
. He nearly fell off the bench at
love
.

As sure as he was that he didn't hate Poppy, he felt even more sure that he didn't love Dinah Eicher. He harbored no deep emotion for Dinah at all. She was just a girl who was terrible at volleyball and got all bent out of shape over a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

It didn't matter that she never contradicted him, never scolded him for his arrogance. It didn't matter that she agreed with him without question, even when he was wrong. He found her annoyingly sweet, gratingly oversensitive, and hopelessly helpless.

A helpless girl was only attractive for about three minutes. She made boys feel strong and clever at first, but then her weakness became an irritation. What boy wanted a girl who wouldn't even attempt to hit a volleyball? Or couldn't plunge her own sink or super-glue a knife wound or pluck mice off the welcome mat?

He had thought Dinah was everything he wanted in a girl—sweet, demure, feminine—but here he was, sitting next to the girl of his dreams, wishing she would just go away and leave him be.

He stood to put some distance between himself and Dinah. He had to get to Poppy. The breakup with Dinah would have to be fast. He opened his mouth and clapped it shut again. No matter how big a hurry he was in, he should be as kind and considerate as possible. He'd been mean and hasty with Poppy, and he regretted it with every breath he took.