Harvest of Blessings (26 page)

Luke pulled her closer, kissing her temple as a chuckle rumbled in his chest. “We’ve been comparing notes, Nora and I,” he went on. “And all that stuff you told me about being her silent partner and buying her barn is a pack of lies, Hiram. She’s got bank backing, like any smart businesswoman.”

Hiram opened his mouth to refute Luke’s statement, but Nora was ready for him.

“Same thing goes for that story you told me about Ben financing Luke and Ira’s mill,” she asserted. “And you did
not
lower the price of this property for me. You made a killing on this place—raised the price so your crooked Realtor would get a bigger commission. The loan officer in New Haven confirmed my suspicions.”

Hiram smirked. “Who’s been filling your pretty head with such—”

“Lay off !” Nora blurted. “I find it
disgusting
that you’re putting the moves on me—and that you insinuated Luke left a woman in the lurch, back in Lancaster. Matter of fact, every woman I know thinks you’re disgusting—including Miriam and Jerusalem,” she continued in a voice that rang around the rafters. “So why do you keep making a fool of yourself? Why don’t you get a clue and go after
stupid
women, Hiram?”

The slightest flicker in Hiram’s eyes told Nora her arrows had found a soft spot.

“That’s why Delilah left you, too,” Luke continued without missing a beat. “That black dye’s a poor cover for the old goat you really are, butting into everybody’s business with your lies. Delilah and Nora have got your number—and I’ve got a number ready, too.”

He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and positioned his thumb over a button. “So what’ll it be? Will you get out of Nora’s face—out of our lives for good?” Luke demanded. “Or do I let Officer McClatchey know you’re driving with expired license plates?”

Hiram’s eyes widened before he could cover his reaction. “Fine,” he muttered as he turned to leave. “But don’t believe for a minute that you can tell me where to go or with whom to spend my time.”

As her uninvited guest made his way between the displays, Nora kept her arm around Luke, maintaining their appearance as a team. Her heart was pounding too fast and her legs felt wobbly, but she dared to believe she’d gotten rid of Hiram Knepp—at least for a while.

“Hey, Knepp?” Luke called out.

Hiram turned, scowling.

“That underwear you said was missing?” Luke went on in a knowing tone. “You got it all wrong. It’s pink and frilly and made of silk.”

Hiram pivoted. After a few moments a car engine roared, and then gravel pinged against the outside of the barn as he raced away.

Nora let out the breath she’d been holding. “Are his plates really expired? How’d you notice
that
little detail?”

Luke reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out two small, curled-up slips of plastic film that were tattered around the edges. “I’d have been here sooner, but I had trouble lifting the edges of these renewal stickers off his plates with my pocketknife.”

Nora laughed out loud. “So are you going to call the sheriff ?”

Luke shrugged, easing away from her. “I’ll let Hiram wonder about that for now. He can get new stickers at the license bureau. But like he said, we can’t tell him where to go or who to see.”

“Yeah, but he knows we’re wise to the lies he’s been telling us.” Nora sat down in her desk chair to keep her knees from buckling. “I’m not sure why you showed up when you did, but
thanks
, Luke. Hiram’s full of hot air but he still gives me the creeps.”

Luke realized he was breathing in and out in time with Nora. He wanted to grab her and kiss away her fear—her huge hazel eyes took up half her face as she gazed up at him. She was so grateful for the way he’d rescued her, he could probably ask for anything he wanted.

But he held his breath for a few heartbeats so his fantasies wouldn’t run away with him. He knew some of the stuff she’d said had been designed to get Hiram out of her store, but when Nora had put her arm around him—when she’d said they were engaged . . .

Was that part of her ruse, too? Was Nora pulling one over on Hiram, the same way
he
had peeled off the Cadillac’s license plate stickers? Hiram could replace those, but Luke wasn’t so sure he could handle it if Nora had only been toying with his emotions.

Should he reveal why he’d come over? How he’d been a fool for believing Knepp’s lies? Luke decided to start slowly, to clarify a few major points first. He hoped he wouldn’t regret delving into the issues their confrontation had raised.

“When I looked out my upstairs window and saw Hiram’s car parked behind the windbreak of evergreens across the road,” he began, “I realized he’s probably been hiding there periodically, ever since you moved here. Spying on you.”

Nora’s mouth formed an O but no sound came out. She looked ready to crawl underneath the desk. “Stalking me,” she whimpered. “That’s horrible—but what can I do? The windbreak’s not my property, so—”

“We can tell Dan Kanagy what’s going on,” Luke suggested. “Wouldn’t hurt to trim those evergreens and the vines that’ve grown between them. Ira and I could make pretty short work of that.”

Luke stopped before he volunteered any more of his time or emotional involvement. As pieces of their conversation with Hiram came back to him, he figured he had to be careful about how he used that information.

“So Knepp said you were a thoroughbred yoked to an
ox
?” he murmured. “I’ve been compared to a lot of animals over the years, but most of them were more, well—graceful. Certainly sexier.”

Nora bit back a laugh. “But an ox is strong and dependable, and he
gets the job done
,” she remarked. “And only a fool would get crossways with an ox.”

Luke smiled. Was that the tiniest hint at innuendo in her teasing tone, her arched eyebrows?

“Think of it this way,” Nora went on. “Would you rather be considered an ox or a snake? I know which one I’d prefer to be hitched up with.”

Hitched up with.
Nora was referring to Hiram’s yoke imagery rather than marriage, of course—yet her words made his heart wander down a more hopeful trail.
Too early to jump to such conclusions. Focus on the answers you need to hear.

“So Hiram told you I left a trail of trouble back in Lancaster?” Luke ventured, watching Nora’s expression. “What did he mean, saying I left a woman in the lurch?”

“That phrase could cover a lot of sins,” Nora replied. “I see it as another of Hiram’s attempts to manipulate me. Another lie to make you look bad.”

“Glad to hear that,” Luke murmured. “While I’m by no means as pure as the driven snow, I was
careful
about sowing my wild oats. If you know what I mean.”

“I believe that,” Nora whispered. “You’ve always told me what you wanted to do with me, but when I asked you to slow down, you showed me total respect. I really appreciate that, Luke.”

Appreciation was fine, as far as it went, but Luke had wanted more from Nora from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her—not to mention after he’d kissed her. The open expression on Nora’s sweet face made him want to kiss her
now,
but he had another point or two to clarify first. “Why’d you tell Knepp we’re engaged?”

Nora clasped her hands in front of her white apron, her gaze never wavering from his. “Why’d you give him so many details about my underwear?” she countered. “That bit about the pink silk was an interesting touch.”

Nora had him there, and they both knew it.

“Can’t a man have his fantasies?” Luke blurted. “I was just fighting fire with—”

“You could probably have more than fantasies if I sensed a bit of... repentance.”

Luke’s throat went tight. His previous encounter with Nora came back in all its inglorious detail as he glanced at the wooden staircase and up to the loft level, where a magnificent quilt was hanging. “I owe you that,” he agreed with a sigh. He paused to pray—asking God for the right words, because he doubted they would flow out without divine intervention.

“Nora, I was way out of line when I stormed over here and accused you of being Hiram’s—
partner
,” he said, quickly replacing a harsher word. “I’m sorry I let his insinuations get me all riled up—”

“You were green with envy,” Nora recalled in a breathy voice. “This might sound strange to you, but after the way my ex lost interest and left, it was kind of gratifying to see a man get so worked up over me—so angry about who might be getting what he wanted for himself.”

Luke sucked in his breath when Nora came over to grasp his hands. Her face had regained its usual glow as she gazed up at him with eyes that shone like wild honey.

“I accept your apology, Luke. And I’m sorry I slapped you so hard,” she said. “The way both of us sometimes fly off without thinking, I suspect this won’t be the last time we apologize to each other.”

That implied a future, didn’t it? Luke wrapped his arms around Nora, resting his head on hers. While he’d come here to rescue her today,
he
was the one who’d been sprung from a trap of his own making. It felt so good to hold Nora this way, to feel her forgiveness and erase the doubts Hiram had fabricated.

“Is this where we kiss and make up?” he murmured.

When Nora tilted her head, Luke settled his lips over hers. She reached up to twine her hands behind his neck, driving him crazy when her fingers toyed with his hair. He pulled her closer, daring to kiss her more fervently . . . awash in the waves of her acceptance and affection—

“Well,
this
looks hopeful,” a familiar voice said behind them.

Luke didn’t break the kiss immediately, and it pleased him that Nora didn’t jump away like a scared schoolgirl. “Mmm,” he murmured against her
kapp
. “Later.”

“
Jah
.
Please
,” she whispered back.

Luke flashed his older brother a smile. “Preacher Bennie,” he teased. “Too bad you didn’t get here earlier for the
real
action.”

“
Jah
, I’m glad Hiram didn’t run you down, considering the way he took off,” Nora remarked as she loosened her hold on Luke.

Ben’s arching eyebrows expressed the exasperation they all felt whenever Hiram showed up, but then he smiled at Nora. “I brought the sign for your store,” he said. “If my brother’s agreeable, I think the two of us can get it mounted above your entry.”

Nora’s smile brightened the entire shop. As she hurried outside to see the sign, Luke told himself he’d do well to put that sort of happiness on her face every chance he got.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Ben murmured as they followed her.

“I’ll keep them to myself, thanks,” Luke teased.

“But let’s say that Nora’s given me a
lot
to think about in this past half an hour.”

Ben clapped him on the back. “Imagine that—
you
, thinkin’ about what a
gut
woman’s told ya instead of runnin’ around like a wild, aimless rooster. And our youngest brother soon to join the Amish church,” he added. “I hadn’t figured on seein’ either of those events anytime soon, yet here they are!”

Ben stopped in the doorway, smiling pensively. “It’s gonna be quite a harvest season for the Hooley family, what with Miriam carryin’ our firstborn and your new mill doin’ so well—a harvest of blessings!” he added happily. “I’m a thankful man, Luke.”

As they stepped outside, Luke was glad his brother hadn’t launched into a full-blown sermon, yet Ben’s words had summed up their family’s situation perfectly. Luke usually balked at talk of blessings and settling down, yet he felt curiously contented—relieved after this morning’s encounter with Knepp, and hopeful about what he’d shared with Nora.

As Luke watched Nora running her hands over the wrought-iron lettering of the sign, admiring its curving vines with roses on each end, he knew what joy looked like. He was witnessing the fulfillment of Nora’s biggest dream, and he felt honored to be a part of it.

SIMPLE GIFTS,
her sign proclaimed in white ironwork. As he went to fetch a ladder, Luke whistled the tune to that beloved song. And when was the last time he’d whistled when he worked?

It really was a gift to be simple. Luke was finally figuring that out.

Nora bustled about the kitchen early Sunday morning, groaning as she burned her toast. Then she spilled her coffee and nearly slipped in the wet spot before she could wipe the floor. She did
not
want to be late for church, yet it seemed everything she did took twice as long or turned out wrong.

Nora bowed her head, breathing deeply.
And I am Your Nora, and I’m making a bigger mess of things than I need to, right?
she replied silently.

“I’d appreciate it if You’d keep me from running off the road between here and Morning Star, too,” Nora murmured as she grabbed her purse. “The way things are going—”

When she went to lock the front door, Nora saw Millie hurrying up the driveway, waving. How could she remain out of sorts at the sight of her dear daughter, who’d come to join her on this very special morning?

“Hope it’s all right that I come to church with ya,” Millie panted as she reached the door.

“What a fine surprise!” Nora replied. “I’m glad for your company, sweetie. Let’s get going or we’ll be late—and that wouldn’t look good!”

Millie laughed as they hurried to the van. “Are ya scared?” she asked as they took off. “I would be.”

Nora inhaled deeply, reminding herself to concentrate on the curves in the road while she chatted with her daughter. This felt like an important topic of conversation. “
Jah
, my nerves feel like hungry hens are pecking at me, but it’s only stage fright,” she mused aloud. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Millie nodded, looking her up and down. “Your dress is a real pretty shade of red—like dark cherries. Or wine.”

“When Preacher Stephen said he’d be talking about the first Pentecost as part of my baptism, I thought this color would be appropriate without looking too flashy.”

Her daughter’s laughter helped Nora relax and put her minor troubles into perspective again. “And it’s a solid-color fabric instead of a print. You’d pass for Amish—not that I want ya to change your mind,” Millie added quickly.

It was a sentiment Nora appreciated as they whizzed past the Schrock place. “What’d Mammi and Dawdi say when you wanted to come with me instead of being in church with them today?” she asked. “It’ll be a big deal when your
dawdi
makes his confession. He’s hoping to get out of four more weeks of his ban—which is an unheard-of favor to ask of Bishop Tom and the others.”

Millie shrugged. “I don’t get to go to the Members’ Meeting,” she pointed out, “so I’d rather be with you, Mamma. It’s really special that you’re gettin’ baptized at your age. A lot of folks would let it slide by, thinkin’ it didn’t matter anymore.”

Nora’s eyes widened. She let the part about her
age
pass, because the rest of Millie’s response touched her. “That’s a really important observation—and
jah
, if I were still living English, I doubt I’d be going to church at all,” she replied. “But if I declare that I’m following Jesus from here on out, I believe it’ll change the whole world for me.”

Millie nodded, listening carefully.

A few minutes later Nora parked in the lot alongside the plain white Mennonite church building with its two single doors on the front, one for women and one for men. Other families were arriving, calling out greetings to each other and to her. It felt good to introduce Millie to these people who were quickly becoming her friends. She and her daughter filed inside with the other women and took their place on one of the pews in the simple sanctuary.

Preacher Stephen began the service with a prayer. The first hymn enveloped Nora in the richness of the four-part harmony this congregation embraced, and not long after their song, the minister began his sermon.

“As we celebrate the baptism of Nora Landwehr, I’ve chosen to talk about the first Pentecost, as told in the book of Acts,” Stephen said. He smiled at Nora and began to read from the Bible.

“‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,’” he recounted with enthusiasm. “‘It filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’”

As Preacher Stephen continued his sermon, Nora felt as though he was talking directly to her. What a wonderful sensation it was, to compare the experience of Jesus’s apostles to her present-day situation.

“The first Pentecost is considered the birth of the church,” he went on. “It was the day Peter preached his first sermon, and later in the passage we learn that nearly three thousand believers repented and were baptized. I can’t say that my first sermon initiated any such response.”

All around Nora, men and women in the congregation laughed along with the minister. Nora relaxed, smiling at Millie. She felt more comfortable in this place every time she came here to worship among these friendly people.

“And as the Holy Spirit came upon those followers of Jesus, so shall Nora be blessed with His presence today,” he went on. “We should note that although the apostles began speaking in different tongues, they weren’t babbling. These Galileans spoke in dialects that were understood by the many visiting Jews and foreigners who were in Jerusalem that day for a sacred celebration at the Temple.

“Even so for us today,” Preacher Stephen said as he leaned forward, “the Spirit speaks to us in a language each of our hearts understands, if we’ll listen for His call.”

The minister invited Nora to the baptismal font, and from that point she entered a state of her own private awareness. She answered the questions she and Stephen had discussed previously . . . a pitcher of water was poured over her head . . . someone handed her a towel as the final words of the baptismal ceremony were spoken. When she’d blotted her face and hair and put on her
kapp
, Nora felt sanctified—and relieved. Millie was beaming at her. The others in the congregation were smiling, too. Then she got a jolt that had nothing to do with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

At the end of a pew near the back of the church, Luke sat gazing steadily at her.

 

 

Luke enjoyed the surprise in Nora’s eyes, even if he’d have to explain his presence at church—

As Nora resumed her seat beside Millie, Luke realized that he was the surprised one. Why did Nora look more appealing to him now than when he’d first gone over to meet the hot redhead who’d moved next door? Watching her baptism had made him feel twitchy, as though one of those tongues of flame mentioned in the sermon had settled on his head. Yet Luke felt ready to consider what that sensation might mean.

He’d come to show his support for Nora, mostly. He would’ve understood if she’d skipped religion altogether, after what that long-ago bishop and her father had done to her. Yet she’d found a faith that fit her better than the Old Order Amish ways, and she’d made her stand. She’d committed her life to Christ despite all the excuses she might have made.

Luke admired a woman who could do that at this stage of her life. He admired a lot of things about Nora, and that was a first for him. Other women had turned his head with their good looks and flirtatious ways—and Nora had done that, too. But she was rock solid. She was a survivor, and she was nobody’s doormat. Nora believed in a cause bigger than herself, and she’d forgiven him for being such an idiot—

After the benediction Luke headed outside to wait in the shade, knowing folks would congratulate Nora. He was pleased that Zeb Schrock and some of the other men came up to chat with him. He liked the way nobody was pressing him to join the church, and that these Mennonites didn’t require an instruction period. These folks believed that if you were ready to follow God, He was waiting to embrace you. They weren’t focused on sin and suffering for it. They believed in moving past mistakes and making improvements, a doctrine he found very refreshing.

At last Nora stepped out into the bright sunshine, along with several of the women. Mary and Priscilla Schrock were talking about Nora’s grand opening. Their happy chatter rang around the parking lot, and Luke was glad Nora had found a new group of friends who welcomed her and Millie. If they knew she was divorced and that Millie had been born out of wedlock, they showed no sign of hesitation—no inclination to stand apart from her, thinking Nora’s former English life might contaminate her relationship with them.

As though she felt him watching her, Nora turned to look at Luke. She smiled and then turned back to her conversation, silently stating that it was his move. While others he’d dated had come running when he’d beckoned them, Nora was too self-assured for that. She intrigued him. She didn’t
need
him, which gave him even more incentive to pursue her.

When he saw Preacher Stephen step outside, something prodded Luke to go shake his hand. He’d been impressed by this man’s down-to-earth faith, and before they’d chatted for very long, Luke surprised himself. “I’d like to talk to you sometime soon about being baptized. Joining your church.”

Stephen’s smile made his eyes sparkle. “I’m always happy to hear that,” he replied. “We’ll set up a time whenever you’re ready.”

No getting out of it now
, his thoughts challenged. After years of avoiding such a commitment, Luke was surprised at how easily the words had come—and at how comfortable he felt, now that he’d stated his intentions to the Mennonite minister. He’d never been one to think much about the role God played in his life, but he was pretty sure the Lord had brought him to this church service today—and that divine intervention had guided Nora into his life when he’d needed her.

Luke didn’t intend to tell Nora or his family about his decision just yet. He wanted the most important people in his life to believe that hooking up with a woman wasn’t the only reason he’d decided to follow Christ. That kind of church membership was for younger guys.

As Luke crossed the parking lot, he savored the flutter of Nora’s deep red dress in the breeze, and the way she held her head high. The red hair beneath her
kapp
was still wet and mussed from the water Preacher Stephen had poured over it, yet she didn’t seem anxious about her appearance. He stopped a few feet behind her, letting her finish her conversation.

When Nora turned, her smile dazzled him. “Luke, it’s so
gut
to see you,” she said. “Millie and I are going to the common meal in Willow Ridge now. Care to join us? It’s at the Wagler place.”

His heart began to hammer. He would already be perfectly welcome there, where his brothers and aunts would be eating, but Luke felt as if he’d just been invited on a special date. “I suppose I could—”

“Mammi and I roasted a big batch of chicken yesterday,” Millie chimed in. “And we made a bowl of fresh kale salad, too.”

Nora chuckled. “I’m taking a tray of pickles, olives, and raw veggies. Nothing to
cook
that way, you know.”

Luke laughed. “Sounds better than scrounging around in my fridge,” he remarked. “Go ahead and eat, if you want to, since I won’t get home as fast in my rig—”

“We’ll be waiting for you,” Nora replied firmly.

Luke liked the sound of that. A
lot
. And when he arrived home in his rig, it was gratifying to find Nora watching for him from her porch swing. She started across the yard and met him as he unhitched his horse.

“Millie went on over to eat?”

Nora smiled. “Ira’s there, you know.”

“But you and I are
here
.” Luke steered her into the shade of the stable and stole a kiss. When he released her, Nora took a kiss of her own, slower and deeper.

“Why not stay here awhile?” he hinted. “Just the two of us.”

“It would take Millie two seconds to figure out what we were doing,” Nora replied without missing a beat. “And Mamma’s waiting to hear about my baptism, and I need to find out how Dat’s confession went. But I
want
to stay here with you.”

Luke’s pulse sped up. After Nora got her relish tray from her fridge, they strolled over to the Wagler place, where almost everyone in town was loading a plate at the long serving tables. When Nora looked up at him, holding his hand, it felt so natural. So easy. Even when he saw Annie Mae Wagler grinning at them like a sly cat, Luke felt good about being seen by the much younger woman he’d once run the roads with.

Annie Mae’s found her happiness and you’ve found yours
, he realized.
It’s all good.

And it wasn’t just Annie Mae watching him with Nora. His aunts, Jerusalem and Nazareth, came to chat with them, as did Ben and Miriam and many of the others. While he’d hidden himself away with the other women he’d dated, Luke felt comfortable attaching himself to Nora . . . making a statement about their relationship among these people who wanted him to commit to something. To
someone
.

Wilma’s roasted chicken tasted fabulous. Millie’s kale salad—ordinarily a dish he would’ve avoided—surprised him with its apple chunks and tangy dressing. Even the bologna and cheese sandwich he’d taken seemed special, maybe because Nora was eating the other half of it.

As Nora’s father approached their lawn chairs, Luke smiled at him. Was it his imagination, or did Gabe Glick look twenty years younger? The bitterness that had once etched Gabe’s face had disappeared.