A Little Bit of Charm (28 page)

Friday morning Rachel crossed swords with her cousin for the second time that week when she arrived in the kitchen wearing English clothes.

“Why are you dressed like that?” asked Sarah.

Isaac peered up over his newspaper and frowned. “Do you want me to hitch up the rig?”

“No,
danki
. Not today.” She smiled at him before turning her focus to Sarah. “Jake is picking me up because after work I'm going with him on an errand.” Rachel hurried to pour a mug of mental fortification. “So I might as well wear English clothes.”

“What kind of errand?” Isaac's bacon started to spatter in the pan.

“He's picking up four cats from the vet that have been spayed or neutered and given their shots. These were strays that found their way to Twelve Elms. We're taking them to a no-kill shelter near Somerset. Once they're fixed, they have no trouble finding homes. The Bradys already have three cats.”

Sarah shook her head. “Don't bring any here. Chickens don't like cats.”

“I promise I won't.” She gulped her coffee and created a sandwich with scrambled eggs in between two slices of toast.

“Will you be home for supper after dropping off the cats?” Sarah lifted the bacon from the pan with tongs.

“No. When we're done Jake wants to try a new all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. Ten different kinds each day.”

“Pizza is pizza. It all tastes the same.” Sarah thumped the plate of bacon on the table. “This sounds very much like a date.”

Swallowing her mouthful of sandwich, Rachel dabbed her lips. “That's because I suppose it is. I told you I planned to court both Amish and English and not get serious with anybody.”

“Can I have a refill on my coffee,
fraa
, if you're not too busy butting your nose in Rachel's life?” Isaac's question curtailed discussion at the Stoll breakfast table.

When Jake picked her up fifteen minutes later, Rachel practically ran to his truck. All too soon they arrived at Twelve Elms, where work pulled them in different directions. But she didn't mind. The November weather was mild. Flocks of migrating birds drifted overhead in large patterns, and she would spend the day with Bess and Buster on the tour wagon. What could be finer?
Spending the entire evening with Jake
. And she had that to look forward to all day.

Promptly at four o'clock, he walked into the stable office. She
and Keeley had been cleaning and organizing after their last tour. “Ready to go?” he asked. His hair was still damp from a shower.

“Give me five minutes.” Grabbing her tote bag, she headed into the ladies' room. With her heart pounding in her chest, Rachel washed her face and hands, changed shirts, retied her ponytail, and rubbed on peach hand cream. After a spritz of raspberry body mist, she studied herself in the mirror. She looked…English. That had never been her goal, yet it had crept up on her like fog. For a moment she felt guilty. But the moment passed when she saw Jake at the foot of the office steps.

“You look nice and smell good too,” he said.

“Gosh, Jake,” called Keeley through the open window. “You need to watch some romantic movies or take lessons or
something
. You are so lame.”

He blushed to a shade of bright red. “I should have waited to say anything until we were alone. Keeley is like a tick that crawls up your pant leg and burrows under the skin. You scratch and scratch, but you can't rid yourself of her.”

Rachel took his hand. “Don't worry. We have one of those in the King family too. Her name is Beth.”

“So saying you smell nice isn't the stupidest compliment you ever received?” He tightened his hold on her hand, his embarrassment gone.

“Not by a long shot. The Kings are famous for left-handed compliments. When I was learning to cook, my father loved to say, ‘This doesn't taste nearly as bad as the last time you made it.' Once my
mamm
told me, ‘Thank goodness your sore throat is gone. Now you can sing like a regular frog instead of a dying one.'”

Jake drew her close, slipping his arm around her waist. “The Bradys and the Kings have more in common than anyone would have guessed.”

Rachel should have batted away his bold gesture. Such displays of affection were forbidden in the Plain culture, even among
engaged couples. But she didn't. Another line had been crossed between them, and that worried her far less than it should.

At the vet's office, Dr. Bobbie Kirby greeted Jake like an old friend instead of a client. “Your four new adoptees are ready to go, Jake. Fit as fiddles with all their shots. They're very friendly too. Don't worry about bringing the carriers back soon. Just use them for your next delivery. There will always be more stray cats in Casey County.”

“Thanks, Doc. What do I owe you?” He extracted his checkbook from a back pocket.

The vet placed a statement on the counter. “I wish vet bills were at least tax deductible. You sure pay enough during a calendar year.” While Jake wrote out the check, Dr. Kirby studied Rachel, who stood by the door trying to keep a low profile. “Who are you?” she asked. “Jake's new girlfriend?”

Before she could reply, he answered, “I wish, but no, we work together and are just good friends.”

“If I can offer a biased opinion, this guy has a heart of solid gold. Too bad I'm not twenty years younger.” The vet smiled brightly at Rachel.

He rolled his eyes. “Besides the fact you're already married to Dr. Mike.” Jake tore out the check and picked up two of the pet carriers. “Thanks, Doc. See you next time.”

Rachel nodded at the woman, who kept staring at her. “Nice meeting you.” She hurried out the door with the other carriers, a bit discombobulated.
I wish?
Her earlier frisson of guilt returned, yet she'd had many chances to discourage him and had taken none.

At the no-kill shelter, Jake requested that she stay in the car. “If you come inside, you'll want to take just about every cat home. That's how we ended up with Luke and Leia—Jessie helped me that day. I refuse to bring Keeley here.”

“Keeley considers Skinny Joe to be hers, not yours. So she ended up with a cat after all.” She and Jake locked gazes before he
jumped out to take the carriers inside the shelter. During his two trips, Rachel had time to ponder the vet's assessment:
This guy has a heart of solid gold
. That was only one of the things she liked about him. He wasn't just nice to kids and stray animals. He made her feel very special instead of exactly what she was—a run-of-the-mill Amish girl with no particular skills or abilities.

During supper that night, they feasted on buffalo chicken, veggie delight, and pineapple ham pizza. They drank endless iced teas and then took a long walk to the town square to burn off the extra calories and their nervous energy. Rachel never asked about the time or worried how late it was getting to be. She never considered Sarah's potential pique should this date surpass her preconceived notion. And when Jake leaned over to kiss her by the fountain, she didn't even
think
about trying to stop him.

THIRTEEN

His Word my hope secures

Saturday

R
achel lay in bed for a long time waiting for sleep to come. As much as she'd enjoyed Jake's kiss, it didn't bode well for her resolution to keep things casual with the men she dated. Friends, even good friends, didn't kiss each other on the lips. Yet she and Jake had kissed, not once but twice. The second smooch occurred on the Stoll porch when he walked her to the back door. Once again, she hadn't tried to discourage him. She simply closed her eyes and puckered up. Rachel half expected Sarah and Isaac to have been waiting in the kitchen, tapping their toes and pointing at the clock on the wall, but the room had been dark with a sole light burning at the foot of the steps.

This morning Rachel found an empty kitchen when she crept downstairs bundled in her bathrobe, carrying her Amish dress, apron, and
kapp
. She breathed a sigh of relief, but before she drank her first cup of coffee, Sarah swept open the door.

“Ah, I see you will be Amish today,” she said, setting her basket of eggs on the counter.

Rachel picked up the eggs to wash. “I am Amish every day, Sarah. My heart stays Plain no matter what clothes I wear.”

“Hearing you say that does my heart good.
Grossmammi
expects me to keep an eye on you despite the fact you're gone three days a week.” Sarah wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist in a brief but affectionate hug. “How about oatmeal and fruit? We've eaten enough eggs this week. It's cold today. Hot oats will stick to our ribs.”

“Sounds
gut
. I'll slice the fruit before I shower.”

A little while later, when Rachel emerged from a steamy bathroom, the scent of cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg wafted from Sarah's stove to fill the room. Throughout breakfast with Sarah and Isaac, she waited for one or the other to question her about last night.

I noticed you didn't get home until eleven sixteen and twenty seconds.

We saw you kiss your boss and have already mailed letters to our grandmother and all of your sisters
.

Nothing spoke louder than a guilty conscience,
rumschpringe
or not. Testing the water before joining the Amish church usually didn't include dating
Englischers
.

Isaac finished his breakfast and straightened from the table. “Eat hearty, Rachel. Take your time. I'll hitch up the rig.” He donned his hat and closed the door behind him.

“Did you enjoy the pizza last night?” Sarah asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

“Yes. Whoever would have guessed pineapple on pizza tasted good?”

“That sounds awful. Are you coming home after work or seeing Mr. Brady? There's a singing tonight.”

“I'm coming home. And you may call Mr. Brady ‘Jake' so I don't think you mean his
daed
.”

“One's the same to me.” Sarah took a deep swallow of coffee.

Rachel squeezed Sarah's shoulders before leaving. “I'll see you at supper. If there's any Hawaiian pizza left from the one we brought home, I'll bring you a piece.” All the way to work she thought about Sarah. She hoped her behavior with Jake wouldn't get her cousin in trouble with
grossmammi
. She had been thinking solely of herself lately instead of others.

Jake met her on the driveway of Twelve Elms before she had a chance to park her buggy. He jumped up to ride the rest of the way with her. “Good morning, Miss King. I trust you slept well.”

As much as she hated lies, she couldn't admit to staying awake and thinking about their walk in the town square. “I always sleep well when the weather cools down, Mr. Brady. Only hot, sticky nights keep me tossing and turning.” She parked the buggy under the barn's overhang. “Have you seen the schedule? I wonder how many I'll have for today's mounted tour.”

“None. That's why I wanted to talk to you. This time of year, especially the closer we get to Christmas, tour bookings really drop off. You'll be lucky to get half a dozen during the entire winter.” He deftly unhitched her horse and led him into the paddock.

“Uh-oh. This sounds as though I'm being laid off.” She grabbed her lunch and tote bag from the seat. “Is this my last day?”

Jake focused his honey-brown eyes on her. “Not by a long shot. I would fire Keeley or Virgil before I'd get rid of you.”

Despite temperatures being only in the fifties, her face grew very warm. “Are you transferring me to the gift shop? Because if so, I won't change into my jeans and riding boots.”

“Nope. Not the gift shop. Consider this a promotion. When there are no scheduled tours, I want you to work as an exercise girl. At first you'll mainly ride our boarding clients so they don't get fat.”
Jake pulled open the office door for her. “Eventually you will be assisting the trainers too.”

She paused in the doorway, wanting to be alone with Jake for a few minutes more. “Are you serious? Nothing would please me more. As fond as I am of Bess and Buster, I would love riding horses around the arena or on the track. I could still take Bess apples at lunchtime.”

“I'm completely serious. When there are no tours, report to Larry for your assignment. You'll also work with my dad and me. Larry has another exercise girl, Cara, who will teach you the ropes.”

“No one will mind me joining the training team?” She hoped she didn't sound as insecure as she felt.

“Of course not. The other employees like you, Rachel. And you receive a lot of positive feedback from the tourists.” Jake took her hand. “Let's talk inside. We're letting the heat out. Keeley is still in the house, so we'll have privacy.”

She entered the warm office and settled into a chair by the window. “What kind of feedback? I've never passed out a single comment card since I took over from Jessie.”

“People who booked tours over the Internet receive a follow-up e-mail that asks how they liked it. You haven't received a bad report yet.”