Plain Peace (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) (14 page)

Anna hadn’t ever been on a date, so she wasn’t an expert at making these types of decisions either, but her favorite place to run away to was the train tracks down behind the Kauffman place. Would Jacob find that entertaining? “I, uh . . .”

“I should probably tell you . . .” His face reddened. “I don’t have
a whole lot of money. I mean, I’m saving. I’m hoping to get a buggy soon.” Smiling, he added, “I’m probably lousy date material.”

Are you kidding me?
Anna felt like the luckiest girl alive. “Well, there’s this place I like to go. You might not like it, but it’s tucked away in a valley. There’s always a breeze blowing, and it’s the perfect place to watch the sun set. And the train comes by every evening right before dark.” She grinned. “I count the cars and wonder about what might be in them. I’m sure that sounds so dumb.”

“I think it sounds
wunderbaar
.” Jacob laughed out loud as the waitress handed him their bill. “And it fits my budget.”

Anna smiled as Jacob stood up and led her out of the restaurant to the buggy. And by the time they got to the train tracks, she was feeling almost comfortable. Jacob had spent the ride telling her about his life back in Middlefield. He and his brothers had always farmed the land with their father. This was his first time to work outside the home. A couple of times when he was talking, Anna wondered if he would mention Carolyn, the name she’d seen flash across his phone screen. But he never did.

“This is a nice place,” he said as he parked the buggy underneath an oak tree.

They got out and walked toward the railroad tracks. “Lancaster is that way.” Anna pointed to the west as she stood beside him in the plush green grass. Several trees formed a half circle thirty or forty yards from the tracks. On the other side of the tracks, green fields stretched for miles, and the farmhouses in the far distance looked like toy models.

“When does the train come?” Jacob reached into his pocket, and Anna heard coins jingling.

She studied the sun for a few moments. “About thirty minutes,
I think.” Actually, she knew. She’d watched the sun set at this spot many times.

“Come on.” Jacob grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the train tracks. She was pretty sure her hand was trembling.

Once they got to the tracks, Jacob reached into his pocket and pulled out two dimes. He handed her one and kept one for himself. Then he squatted at the edge of the tracks and placed his dime, tails up, on one of the rails. “Here, put yours beside mine.”

Anna laid her dime on the track next to Jacob’s. “Will it flatten them? Or will they fall off the track from the vibration when the train comes?”

“I guess we’ll see.” Jacob stood and again offered Anna his hand. “An old
Englisch
man told me once that if you make a wish and your coin is flattened, your wish will come true.” He turned to her, smiling. “So we should make a wish.”

Anna squeezed her eyes closed.
I wish that Jacob Hostetler could love me
.

“Did you make a wish?” Jacob stepped into the rail bed and peered to his left, then his right.

“
Ya
. Did you?”

He nodded. Anna wanted to ask him what he’d wished for, but then he might ask her, and she didn’t want to have to lie to him again.

He reached for her hand once more, and together they walked back to the spot under the trees. Anna was sure she could spend the rest of her life just holding hands with Jacob. He had a strong, firm grip, and she wondered if her hands were as clammy as they felt. She was busy trying to slow her racing heart as they took a seat on a grassy spot beneath the trees.

“Did you have a girlfriend back in Middlefield?” Anna winced
the moment the words slipped from her lips. Her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.

Jacob frowned as he stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his arms. “
Ya
. Her name was Carolyn.”

Anna had never even held hands with a boy, and she wondered how far Jacob’s relationship had gone with Carolyn. She’d probably never know, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. But her mouth took over again before her brain caught up.

“Was it serious?” She folded her legs underneath her and smoothed out her dress.

“I guess.” Jacob turned to face Anna, his blue eyes flat and as unreadable as stone. “For her anyway,” he added.

Anna felt sorry for the girl named Carolyn that she’d never met. She could imagine how it felt to fall for someone like Jacob, only to have him not return the affections. She needed to keep that thought in the forefront of her mind. But as Jacob reached for her hand and squeezed, ex-girlfriend Carolyn drifted from her mind.

“
Danki
for bringing me here. It’s peaceful.”

As he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, Anna almost panicked. How much did she really know about Jacob? How far had he gone with Carolyn? And how far would he expect her to go? Anna had never even been kissed. A wave of apprehension swept through her, but Jacob just stared straight ahead at the tracks in the distance.

After a while, he turned to her and said, “I hope you get your bakery.” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice, and Anna started to relax a little bit.

“Danki.”
She pulled her gaze from his and focused on the grass in front of her. “It’s a dream I’ve had for a long time.” When he
didn’t say anything, she looked back up at him. “What’s your dream?”

He eased his arm from around her and leaned back on both his palms, his expression tight. “I don’t know anymore.” He turned to her, and Anna wanted more than ever to ask him what he’d wished for when they put their dimes on the track.

“There must be something,” she said softly. “If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?”

Jacob’s expression was somber, and it didn’t take him long to answer. “Peace.” He paused, sighing. “Peace for me and my family.”

Anna’s dream belonged to the physical world, and it touched her that Jacob’s was of a spiritual nature. But she wondered what he used to dream, and if he’d ever tell her about it. Was it the same thing he’d wished for at the train track?

“I’ll pray that you get your dream,” she said softly, and Jacob’s arm found its way back around her shoulder.

“Danki.”
He sat taller and tapped her shoulder. “Hear it? The train’s coming.”

She leaned an ear forward, realizing she’d miscalculated . . . or the train was early. “I hear it.”

A fluttering in the tree above their heads made Anna jump. “I guess the birds hear it too.”

Minutes later the train whistle blew, and the lead car came into sight. Anna was tempted to put her fingers in her ears as she often did to block the sound, but when Jacob leaned close to her, she didn’t.

“What’s in the cars?” He was practically yelling, and Anna had to scoot away a little.

“What?”

Jacob got closer again, really yelling this time to be heard above the noise. “You said you like to guess what’s in the cars!”

Anna smiled, then looked at the train. She tapped her finger to her chin. Most of the cars were red, but every third one was black. “I think the black ones have wheat, grain, and flour!” she hollered close to his ear.

“What about the red ones?”

She flinched a little as the whistle blew, then grinned. “Ice cream!”

Jacob laughed. “What kind of ice cream?”

“Chocolate, of course.” She bumped him playfully with her shoulder.

He shook his head. “
Nee
, I think the black ones are filled with money. And the red ones are carrying pigs.”

Anna laughed. “Money and pigs!”

They kept guessing for the next few minutes as the train continued past them and laughing at the randomness of their speculations. The caboose was just rumbling by when Anna saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t heard the buggy approaching until it was right up on them. They both stood up, and Anna was surprised to see Emma step out of the buggy.

“Big trouble, Anna!” Emma hurried toward them, shaking her head. “Your
daadi
came to
mei haus—
just for a visit, so he said. But then you weren’t there!” She leaned over and put her hands on her knees. “I’m so sorry, Anna.
Mamm
told him that Jacob picked you up.” She stood tall again. “He is really mad.”

Anna couldn’t even look at Jacob. She wasn’t sure what was worse—that she’d lied to her grandparents, or that she’d lied to Jacob.

“What?” Jacob asked, frowning.

Emma took a few steps back. “I have to go. Just wanted you to
know.” She paused. “’Bye, Jacob.” She said it like neither of them would ever see Jacob Hostetler again. And that might be true. For Anna, anyway.

“I’m sorry,” she said as Jacob untied the horse from a nearby tree. “My grandfather was angry that we didn’t go to the singing, even though I tried to explain. He just wouldn’t listen, and I really wanted to go out with you.”

Jacob’s eyebrows were drawn into a frown. “You shouldn’t have done this, Anna. Now how am I going to see you?”

There was such an urgency in his voice that everything else fell away for a moment.
He really wants to see me
.

“I’ll make
Daadi
understand why I didn’t tell him the complete truth.” Anna knew that wouldn’t be easy.

“You didn’t exactly tell me the whole truth either.” Jacob’s smile softened the words as they climbed into the buggy.

“I know.” Anna threw her head back and sighed. “I just wanted . . .” She stopped, knowing she’d already told him that she wanted to go out with him. This made her sound desperate.

“Anna, I really wanted to go out with you too, and I had a great time. Even though it got cut short.” Jacob put the horse into a fast trot. “I think I should come in and talk to your grandfather when I drop you off.”

“No!” Anna’s grandfather had embarrassed her enough in front of Jacob. “We need to let him calm down first.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

Anna was sure he wouldn’t. “He will.”

When they pulled into Anna’s driveway, she realized this was the end of their first real date—unless you counted the one she’d initiated, the singing they didn’t go to. She held her breath, hoping and praying that her grandfather wasn’t waiting at the door.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in? I can explain what happened.” Jacob stepped out of the buggy, but Anna was already hurrying toward the porch steps. She spun around.

“
Nee, nee
. It’ll be fine. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Without waiting for a response, she climbed up the stairs two at a time, then paused and drew in a big gulp of air before she walked into the living room.

“You will never see that boy outside of worship service again. Do you hear me, Anna?” Her grandfather’s face was crimson, his hands clenched at his side. Her grandmother stood nearby, head hanging. Anna was surprised by the anger that swept through her—not at
Daadi
, but at
Mammi
. She had the strongest desire to scream at her and say, “Why don’t you tell
Daadi
what you do down there in the basement,
Mammi
?” Instead, she stood quietly as her grandfather told her repeatedly how disappointed he was in her. He ended by saying again that she would never again see Jacob.

She walked up the stairs, gritting her teeth.
I will too see him. I’ll find a way
. She was a grown woman, and
Daadi
had to stop treating her like a child.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Jacob would think she was worth the trouble. What had started out as a fake date to prove to others that she was dateable had landed her a real date that had been truly
wunderbaar
. . . until it went horribly wrong.

As tears burned in her throat, she wondered if the train would flatten their dimes.

And if her wish would come true.

L
UCY
T
URNER HELPED HER MOTHER INTO THE BATHTUB
, not understanding how a woman her age could get so dirty.

“Let go of me. I can do this myself!” Momma shrugged loose of Lucy’s hold and eased her tiny, naked body into the water. Lucy squatted beside the tub and longed for the mother who had raised her. Alice Turner was a cantankerous woman these days, and to Lucy she seemed like a stranger. Since the stroke, each day had become a bitter battle, each moment a fight against the grief that ripped through her. Her mother wasn’t dead, but sometimes it felt that way.

Two months ago Momma had been living at a wonderful skilled nursing facility. But apparently punching another resident in the face wasn’t going to be tolerated, and Momma had been kicked out. Lucy had no choice but to take her in until another nursing home in the area had a room. Hopefully soon.

“Momma, what have you been doing? How’d you get so dirty?” Lucy shook her head as she eyed the black streaks on her mother’s face and hands, then glanced at the old green dress on the floor next to a pair of once-white tennis shoes. Momma insisted on wearing it over and over. “You need to put on some fresh, clean clothes too. You’ve got plenty in your closet.”

“I don’t like those clothes you bought.” Momma shook her head so hard that strands of gray hair fell from the bun on her head.

“Momma, those clothes are fine.” She paused, eyeing her mother’s matted, gray mess. “We need to wash your hair too. I’ll go get you a clean dress, okay?”

“Where is my Benjamin? Did you give him away?” Momma lathered soap onto a rag, then dabbed at her face.

“Of course I didn’t give him away. He’s asleep in his room.” Lucy rubbed her forehead and wondered how bad things were going to get with her mother. It was like having another two-year-old, except this one was able to venture out on her own and roam the neighborhood. Lucy tried hard to keep up with her, but it felt like a lost cause.

“You should have never had a baby. You’re a terrible mother. You’re going straight to hell.”

Lucy blinked a few times, surprised that her mother was still able to shock her. “Whatever, Momma.” She scooped the dirty clothes into her arms and was almost out the door when her mother spoke up again.

“See, you don’t even care. You’re going to burn in the lake of fire for what you’ve done. That’s what happens to whores.”