A Hopeful Heart (6 page)

“Really?” Hannah studied Mr. Peterson’s broad smile. He seemed caught up in the moment
and the happy memories.

“My sister, Christy, and I did chores on the farm, and we loved it. We were exhausted
and tan by the end of August, but we really bonded with our grandparents and the animals.
I wished I could bring Snickers home with me, but we couldn’t exactly keep him in
the backyard in a subdivision.”

Hannah shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t work too well.”

Trey studied the horses. “Aren’t they the most beautiful animals you’ve ever seen?
They’re huge, massive animals, but yet they’re so graceful.” He rested his chin on
his fist while leaning on the fence. “Brings back wonderful memories of the time I
spent at my grandparents’ farm.”

“
Ya.
” Hannah smiled. “They are a great paradox. How can something so big and powerful
be so graceful? It’s the Lord’s work. Only God can create something so beautiful.”

“That’s true.” Mr. Peterson was silent while he continued to stare at the horses.

Hannah turned back toward the house and spotted her children heading back to the barn.
“I guess they finished their donuts.”

“Are they working in the stables?”

“
Ya.
Andrew must be content to let me give you the tour.” Hannah pushed the ribbons from
her prayer covering back over her shoulders. “There’s always work to be done. The
horses get their hay and their oats in the morning and then their stalls need to be
shoveled. We do that morning and night.”

“I imagine that takes awhile with all of the horses you have here. My grandparents
had about two dozen at one time, and it took a good part of the day to care for them.”

“
Ya
, it is a lot of work. That’s why we need to hire someone to help Joshua. The children
help as much as they can, but Joshua really needs someone here all the time, even
though he disagrees.”

Mr. Peterson raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t think he needs help?”

“He doesn’t like seeing me have to work so I can help pay the salary.”

Mr. Peterson turned toward her. “What do you think?”

“I like working. I love being around the hotel guests and meeting new people, but
Joshua thinks Gideon wouldn’t like it.” Hannah paused while she considered sharing
her true feelings with him. It baffled her that the truth seemed to always spill out
from her lips when he was around. “To be honest with you, I believe Joshua thinks
Gideon would be disappointed in him somehow.”

“Do you think he’s right?”

“
Ya
,” Hannah shook her head. “But I’m doing what I feel is best for our family, the family
I was left alone to care for.”

Mr. Peterson nodded slowly, as if taking it all in. “I think Joshua wants to help
you raise that family.”

Hannah tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I got the feeling he’s a little possessive of you and your children.” Mr. Peterson
grimaced and raised his hands as if to apologize for his honesty. “I don’t mean to
overstep my bounds. It was just a feeling I got Wednesday night during supper, but
I could be wrong.”

Hannah pondered his words for a moment. The idea made sense when she thought about
how strangely Joshua had acted Wednesday night. He said he was worried about Hannah
and warned her to be careful with Mr. Peterson. “You could be right.”

Mr. Peterson looked beyond the pasture. “Is that a pond?”

“
Ya.
We have our own pond.”

“Can we walk down there?”

“Of course.” Hannah fell into step with him as they walked the fence line toward the
pasture. She looked up at the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds. “It’s a perfect
day.”

“Yes, it is.” Mr. Peterson smiled down at her. “There’s nothing like a farm. My grandfather
made his money in real estate and retired young. His dream was to have his own farm
and raise horses. Sometimes, when I visited there, I’d pretend I lived there and I’d
tell my parents I didn’t want to go home.”

“I bet your parents didn’t like hearing that.”

“No, they didn’t.” He paused for a minute. “You know, I’d forgotten about that until
just now. I think something about being here has really affected me. I feel a sense
of peace I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s as if being here with your family and
your horses has brought me some relief from my grief that I haven’t been able to find
anywhere else.”

“I’m glad that visiting here has helped you. I know I had a difficult time finding
things that would help me right after I lost
Gideon. The best therapy I could find other than the Bible was sitting here.” Hannah
pointed toward a bench next to the pond. “Why don’t we sit for a moment?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Hannah sank onto the wooden bench next to him and breathed in the warm spring air.
She watched a mother duck and her fuzzy ducklings swim across the pond. Their little
quacks made her smile. “This is my favorite time of year.”

“It’s mine also.” Mr. Peterson nodded. “I think I could just stay here all day and
nap in the warm sun.”

Hannah contemplated his comments about Joshua. She wondered what Joshua had done to
demonstrate his possessiveness. “I hope Joshua didn’t make you feel uncomfortable
Wednesday night.”

Mr. Peterson shrugged. “I didn’t really feel uncomfortable.” He paused. “Okay, I did
feel uncomfortable. It was as if I’d walked into another man’s home uninvited.”

“Really?” Hannah shook her head. “I’m sorry. I never wanted you to feel unwelcome.”

“It’s not your fault at all. And I was okay. I can handle a little hostility.”

“Hostility?” Hannah gasped. “I had no idea he behaved that way. I noticed he was rather
sullen, and it seemed as if something was bothering him during supper.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t come here again.” He stood.

“No.” Hannah touched his arm. “You can stop by anytime. It’s my home, not his.”

Mr. Peterson sank back down onto the bench. “This is really a beautiful place. Paradise
is the perfect name for this community. It’s the perfect mix of nature and modern
life. It’s paradise.”

Hannah nodded. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else. What was the house you shared
with your wife like?”

“Corrine and I had a nice house in the suburbs of northern New Jersey. The area had
really good schools, which was a big draw. Actually, that’s why we wanted to live
there.”

He picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it into the pond. A ripple moved rhythmically
across the small body of water. “Sammi loved school. She played flute in the band
and spent a lot of time with her friends. It was rare that I saw her without her cell
phone stuck to her ear. Sometimes I’d get frustrated and even a bit envious of the
attention she gave her friends, but I know that was normal teenage stuff.” He stared
over the pond. “It was a good life. It was a
really
good life.”

Hannah nodded. “It sounds like you had a wonderful life.”

“I did, but I did grow tired of my job over the years—the commute into the city, the
phone ringing nonstop, the stress of running here and there. I had missed out on so
much with my family because of my job. And Corrine begged me to quit and make our
family the first priority. She told me I was a workaholic, and I know she was right.
I had this misguided belief that it was my duty to make as much money as I could for
us. I did make a nice salary, and I put a lot of money in the bank. But I did it to
the detriment of my family. I forgot what was important, and that was family. It’s
nice to live a comfortable life, but it means nothing if you can’t share it with your
family.”

Hannah could see the regret in his eyes, and she felt sorry for her friend.

“We were going to move to Lancaster so I could get away from that job and spend more
time with Corrine and Sammi. I wanted to make up for the time I’d lost. My daughter
was
looking into colleges close by so we could see her often.” He paused and shook his
head. “But I made the decision to retire too late. I know I messed up. I should’ve
quit the first time Corrine accused me of being a workaholic. I was too blind to see
all of the mistakes I’d made. Now I’d give anything for five minutes with my family
again. Just five more minutes to look into my wife’s and my daughter’s eyes and tell
them how much I love them.”

The words spoke directly to Hannah’s heart. She too would give up nearly anything
to look into Gideon’s eyes again and tell him how much she loved him. She sniffed
and wiped her eyes. “I understand.”

Mr. Peterson smiled at her. “I didn’t mean to make the mood gloomy.” He stood. “Let’s
walk back and check on the children. Maybe I can help them with their chores.”

Hannah looked at his expensive-looking trousers and collared shirt before shaking
her head. “I don’t think you’re dressed to work in the stables.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “So you don’t think I can do manual labor?”

“I didn’t say that. I just said you weren’t dressed for it.” She stood and they fell
into step while walking back toward the stables.

He glanced down at his shirt. “Maybe I’ll dress appropriately and help next time I
come.”

“I think the children would like that. They would appreciate the help.”

“Does Joshua come to help on weekends?”

“
Ya.
” Hannah nodded. “He should be over soon. He had to help his parents with a few chores
this morning. He has breakfast
with his parents on Saturdays and then does a few things around the house for them
before he comes here.”

They talked about the weather and the beautiful horses as they approached the clearing
near the stables. When Hannah spotted her mother-in-law standing with the twins on
the house porch, she raised her eyebrows. It was rare that Barbie came to visit on
a Saturday. She hoped nothing was wrong.

“What a surprise. My mother-in-law is visiting.” Hannah picked up the pace as they
moved toward the house. “You’ll get to meet Barbie.”

They approached the porch, and Barbie turned to the girls. “Why don’t you both go
inside and start getting ready for lunch?” The girls disappeared, and Barbie’s expression
transformed to a glower as she peered down at them.

Hannah forced a smile. “
Gude mariye
, Barbie. What a surprise to see you today.”

Barbie lifted a chubby arm and motioned toward the stables. “I decided to ride over
with Joshua. I thought I should see what was going on over here.” Her eyes moved to
Mr. Peterson and then back to Hannah.

“Oh.” Hannah cleared her throat. “Barbie, this is Mr. Peterson. He’s from New Jersey
and looking for a place to open a bed and breakfast.”

Mr. Peterson climbed up a few steps and held out his hand to her. “It’s nice to meet
you, Mrs. Glick.”

Barbie clicked her tongue and looked back at Hannah. “I think you should consider
getting ready for lunch,
ya
? Or will you delay lunch since your children have gobbled up a box of donuts mid-morning?
It seems that they may have ruined their appetites for a
gut
lunch.”

Hannah clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. She’d gotten accustomed to her mother-in-law’s
sharp comments over the years. When Hannah married Gideon, Barbie seemed to enjoy
sharing her opinions on how to run a household. After the twins were born, Barbie’s
opinions transformed into criticisms of how Hannah was raising her children. Hannah
learned to simply ignore Barbie’s words and go about her business instead of trying
in vain to defend herself. Yet having to endure Barbie’s condescending remarks in
front of a guest was nearly more than Hannah could endure.

“Oh, look at the time.” Mr. Peterson studied his wristwatch as if he’d just discovered
it. “I better get going. I’m supposed to meet my realtor in thirty minutes. Thank
you for showing me around the workings of an Amish farm.” He smiled up at Barbie.
“It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Glick.”

Barbie’s lips formed a thin line.

Hannah turned to Mr. Peterson. “I’ll walk you to your car.” They moved in silence
to his waiting vehicle. “Thank you for coming to visit today.”

“You’re welcome.” he opened the door. “I had a good time. Your farm is lovely.”

“Thank you.” Hannah glanced back at the porch where Barbie stood watching with her
arms folded over her wide mid-section. She then looked back at Mr. Peterson. “I’m
sorry Barbie was rude to you.” She nodded toward the house. “I better get inside.”

“I’ll see you Monday.” He climbed into the car. “Have a good weekend.”

“You too.” Hannah waved as he drove off and then she headed back to where Barbie was
waiting on the porch, her foot
tapping disapprovingly against the railing. Hannah climbed the steps. “I have a feeling
you want to talk to me.”

Barbie glanced back toward the house and then stepped toward Hannah. “Why would you
bring an
Englisher
to your home? What impression do you think this gives your
kinner
, especially your
dochdern
?”

Hannah frowned. “Did Joshua tell you that Mr. Peterson came for supper Wednesday night?”

“Of course he did. I wanted to talk to you about it, but then I found you walking
alone with the man this morning. What are you thinking, Hannah? Your
dochdern
are at a very impressionable age. You should want them to grow up with the right
morals. You may give them the wrong ideas about being alone with a bu.”

“I’m not teaching them anything bad,
Mamm.
He gave me a ride home Wednesday after finding me soaking wet in the rain at a bus
stop. Amanda invited him to stay for dinner, and I felt it was okay since Joshua was
also here. Today he came to see the farm, and I gave him a tour of the property. It
was all completely innocent.”

Barbie shook her head. “I don’t think you’re being a
gut
example for your
kinner
, Hannah. You’re telling them it’s okay to become friendly with strangers and invite
them into your home.”