His Love Endures Forever (22 page)

Her surrogate mother had been by to visit daily, sometimes alone, sometimes with Arnold. Danielle tried to make excuses for the condition of the place. In addition to the rundown state of the house, Danielle knew she wasn’t the best at cleaning. Martha had eyed their sink full of dishes several times when she’d visited. But it just seemed easier to let them all stack up and do them when the sink was full. There was no dishwasher, so she had to fill the sink up with soapy water and do them all by hand. Plus, Danielle had been working in the afternoons and by the time she got back, she was tired.

She glanced at the clock on the wall in the kitchen, took a deep breath, and went to get dressed for the event. After she put on the most conservative thing she owned—her knee-length navy skirt, pullover white blouse, and tennis shoes—her heart pounded, wishing there was some way to get out of going. But Emily had been so sweet when she came to invite her, and Danielle suspected Katie Ann and Lillian would be there—and she really liked both of them.

It was Vera and Sarah she was mostly worried about.

She wound her hair into a loose side braid, something she’d been doing most of the time, since she didn’t have electricity to use her flatiron. She’d gotten used to using lanterns in the evening, and even found it a bit cozy—and
romantic—even though romance didn’t seem to have a big claim on their lives at the moment. Levi had even stopped kissing her with the passion of their wedding night. It was hard not to be depressed, and there wasn’t even a television or radio to take her mind off things. So she’d tried bread making a few times and played games on her cell phone in the mornings until time for work. When Martha came to visit, Danielle took advantage of that time to charge her cell phone in Martha’s car.

She’d also found a new love of pickled okra, something she didn’t even like before she was pregnant. Now she went to the market every other day for a new jar.

She picked up her box of cookies to take to Sisters Day, found her purse and keys, and made herself walk out the door. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

S
ARAH PULLED UP
at Emily’s house at the same time as Vera and Betsy. No matter how things had transpired, Sarah respected the sacrament of marriage enough not to do anything more to try to cause problems between Levi and Danielle. She had no choice but to go on with her life. But her stomach churned at the thought of having to be around the girl at all.

Sarah forced a bright smile to her face and climbed out of the buggy as Vera and Betsy walked past. “
Wie bischt
, Vera and Betsy?” Sarah balanced her container of whoopee pies and stepped into stride alongside Vera, who toted a cake plate covered in foil. When Betsy skipped ahead of them, Sarah whispered, “We haven’t had a chance to talk since—”

“The Lord’s will has been done.” Vera kept her eyes straight
ahead and moved faster toward the house. There was no mistaking Vera’s sharp tone of voice.

“Well, of course it has.” Sarah had failed to stop the wedding, but was Vera going to hold a grudge? “I—I hope that—”

“Sarah, now is not the time.” Vera hurried in front of Sarah and up the porch steps with Betsy.

Sarah followed slowly, unsure what to make of Vera’s attitude. She’d done everything she could do. What had the woman expected? And did she somehow
blame
her for how it ended?

“Emily, dear.” Vera hugged her daughter, then Sarah did the same.

Sarah put her whoopee pies alongside the many other dishes on Emily’s kitchen table, then made her way around the room greeting the other ladies. Lillian was sitting on the couch with her two daughters, Anna and Elizabeth, and Katie Ann was carting Jonas on her hip. Levi’s sister-in-law, Beth Ann, was in the far corner. Beth Ann was another woman in their community who had been married ample time to have conceived a child, but like Emily, was still not pregnant. Sarah hoped Beth Ann didn’t start whining about it the way she was sometimes known to do. Hannah, Ida Mae, Karen, Frieda, and Laura Jane were already there—all kin to Katie Ann through her husband, Eli.

The only person Sarah didn’t see was Danielle. Emily had already told her that she’d extended an invitation to Danielle in an effort to make her feel welcomed into the family. Emily was like that. Always sweet. Sarah knew she should be more like Emily. Sometimes there was a bitterness that crept inside Sarah’s soul, an unpleasant restlessness that she knew she brought on by her actions. She took a deep breath and once again resolved to be a better person.

But when Danielle walked in, Sarah felt her resolve melt like butter on a griddle. If there was anything to be thankful for, it was that Martha wasn’t with Danielle. The older
Englisch
woman was obnoxious, and Sarah couldn’t believe she’d been allowed into their circle. Martha had attended several Sisters Days in the past, arriving with Katie Ann, and she went to most worship services. Sarah was sure the Lord didn’t approve of Martha and her place within their community. If she hadn’t been welcomed in, surely Danielle wouldn’t have been able to sink her talons into Levi . . .

Danielle’s long blond hair was pulled to one side in a braid, and Sarah tried not to think about Levi running his hands through it while they slept side by side at night. At least Danielle had dressed conservatively today, not the trashy way she’d been known to in the past. Sarah couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of satisfaction that Danielle’s face was red as she shuffled into the room. And her satisfaction grew when she noticed the box of store-bought cookies in Danielle’s hands.

L
EVI WONDERED HOW
Danielle was faring at Sisters Day, knowing he probably shouldn’t have pushed her into going, but he longed for her to be acknowledged by his family. His mother hadn’t been back to the house since the morning after the wedding. And according to
Daed
,
Mamm
refused to speak about his marriage. Jacob had been coming to help Levi work on the house in the evenings, but even his brother avoided conversation about Levi’s marriage.

He missed the closeness of family, of community. He could tell that Danielle was doing her best to be a good wife, but their
married life wasn’t anything like he’d expected. Things started out awkward, and there hadn’t been much change. They weren’t intimate like husband wife should be. Levi knew that was his fault, and he prayed daily that he’d done the right thing by marrying Danielle. The calling had seemed so strong before, but he worried that he’d misread God’s plan for him.

If there was a saving grace today, it was Emily. Levi knew that his sister would be good to Danielle and do her best to make her feel included.

Levi walked to the buggy and got his lunch pail, as well as his father’s.
Daed
had been picking him up for work every morning around six o’clock. Levi missed his mother’s hearty breakfast before he set out for work; Danielle was still sleeping when he left. He was grateful for the lunch Danielle always made for him the night before, but the store-bought chicken salad was nothing like his mother made. Same went for the apple pie that Levi watched Danielle pull from a box to heat up.

Today they were installing solar panels on an
Englisch
house that was still under construction. The panels weren’t meant to power up the entire house, just parts of it to minimize the electric bill. Levi wound his way around several construction workers to where his father was leaning against a stack of lumber. He handed him his black lunch pail.

Levi was chewing on his first bite, trying not to frown, when his father spoke up. “How is married life?”
Daed
grinned.

Levi tried to return the smile, not sure how his father had intended the question.
“Gut,”
Levi finally said before he took another bite, wondering if he’d ever have homemade bread again.

They were quiet for a few moments, then Levi asked, “Has
Mamm
spoken of our marriage?”

“
Nee
.”
Daed
pulled a thermos from his lunch box and took a sip of what Levi presumed was iced tea. Levi glanced at his own thermos filled with grape Kool-Aid.
It couldn’t be that
hard to make tea
. “But that’s probably a
gut
thing,
sohn
,” his father added. “Your
mamm
is dealing with this the best way she knows how.”

Levi doubted it. He reached into a bag of potato chips as he watched his father scoop out a spoonful of broccoli and raisin salad, Levi’s favorite. His mouth watered just thinking about the taste.

Daed
smiled as he handed the container and spoon to Levi, reaching for the bag of chips. “I don’t even remember the last time I had potato chips. Your
mudder
says they’re bad for my cholesterol.” His father bit into one of the chips with the same passion that Levi felt as he scooped up a bite of broccoli and raisin salad. Levi savored the flavor, and he could tell his father was doing the same thing with the chips, a gleam in his eyes as he ate two at a time.

Levi had wanted to talk to Jacob about what was on his mind, but since his brother didn’t seem interested in talking much about him and Danielle,
Daed
was second in line. But every time Levi tried, the words just wouldn’t come. It would have been so much better and easier to talk to his older brother, but Levi suspected Beth Ann was putting distance between Levi and Jacob. Maybe he was wrong, but his brother’s wife didn’t respect Jacob’s place as head of the household. Everyone knew that Beth Ann ran most aspects of their lives.

Daed
wadded up the empty chip bag and handed it back
to Levi. “Can’t let your
mamm
see the evidence,” he said, followed by a chuckle.

Levi gave him the empty container and spoon, wishing there had been twice the amount inside.

“I woulda told your
mudder
to send a lunch for you too, but I figure no sense fueling her fire. She’d think your new
fraa
wasn’t taking care of you.”

“It’s okay. She . . .” Levi paused. “She doesn’t really know how to cook.” He thought about the frozen pizza they’d had for dinner last night.
Mamm
would have fallen over. Levi had always thought that he’d marry an Amish girl whose mother had taught her to cook. Now he faced the possibility of never having a home-cooked meal again. But he thought about how Danielle had been trying to make bread. At least she was trying, even though Levi had no idea what she was doing wrong. How hard could it be to get bread to rise?
Mamm
and Emily did it daily, several loaves.

Daed
gave him a sorrowful smile. “I’ve heard Martha say repeatedly that she doesn’t cook, so I reckon the girl didn’t have much opportunity to learn. Be patient with her.”

Levi nodded and followed his father back to the buggy. They both put the pails on the backseat. Then Levi couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Daed . . .”

His father turned to him. “
Ya, sohn?
What is it?”

“Danielle and . . .” Levi pulled his eyes from his father’s and shifted his weight. He looped his thumbs in his suspenders, thankful it was a warm and sunny day. He’d have done anything to be spared asking his father this next question, but he had to know. “Danielle and I haven’t . . .” He shrugged, still not looking up.

“Haven’t what?”

“Uh, you know . . .” Levi locked eyes with his father.
Read
my mind
, Daed
. Don’t make me say it
.

In some ways, Levi and Danielle were so close. But in other ways they were miles apart, and Levi’s question was one that needed to be answered if he was going to narrow the distance between them.

“
Ach
. . . do you mean . . . you haven’t been intimate?”
Daed’s
expression was difficult to read.

Levi nodded. “I’m afraid . . .” He took a deep breath. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt her.”

Daed
raised a brow, frowning. “Huh?”

Levi rubbed his forehead and sighed. “You know, because she’s pregnant. I’m afraid for the baby.”

A slight smile formed on his father’s face. “
Ach
, I see. If there are no problems, married couples have relations usually until just three or four weeks before the baby is born.”
Daed
paused, stroking his beard. “Or in the case of Jacob, all the way up until the day he was born.”

Levi could feel his face turning three shades of red as he avoided his father’s eyes.

Daed
slapped him on the shoulder. “Go home and be a husband to your
fraa
tonight. I promise you, it will be fine.”

Levi knew his face was still red, but he smiled ear to ear just the same, wondering if they would finish early for the day today.

V
ERA WASN’T SURE
who she was trying to avoid the most. Danielle or Sarah. She could barely stand to think about
Danielle and Levi married, yet Sarah’s attempt at seducing her son—then telling Danielle about it—wasn’t settling well with her either. Vera didn’t regret asking Sarah to try to talk Levi out of his marriage to Danielle. The boy needed to be reminded about what was at stake. His life. His faith. But Sarah took it a step further than Vera would have liked. Although, if she was honest, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d be finding fault with the girl if her plan had worked, which made Vera question her own morals a bit.

She longed to know how Levi was doing. Was he happy? Well fed? Did Danielle read from the Bible with him in the evenings? Did they share devotion time? She doubted it. And that caused a pain in her heart. She was lost in her own thoughts when Lillian gently nudged her.