The Courtship Basket (21 page)

“It's fine.” Malinda gave her a knowing smile. “You can make up for it next week, and I'll let you plan the lessons.”

Rachel smiled. “
Danki
.”

“T
HIS WAS UNEXPECTED
,” R
ACHEL SAID AS SHE SAT AT A TABLE
with John and Mike. She licked her vanilla cone, savoring the sweet taste.

“I wanted to do something fun with you and John today.” Mike glanced down at John. “How's the chocolate?”

“Chocolaty!” John grinned, revealing his chocolate-covered teeth. His mouth was also outlined in the ice cream.

Rachel chuckled as she wiped her own mouth with a paper napkin. “You certainly do enjoy your ice cream.”

Mike grinned and then licked his butter pecan treat. “It's been a long time since we've done something like this.
Mei dat
always loved Lapp's ice cream.”

“Are we going to take him some?” John asked between licks.

“He's not supposed to have it, but I might take home a pint as a surprise.” Mike took another lick.

John stood. “May I go look at the animals?” he asked.

“
Ya
.” Mike nodded. “We'll come and find you when we're done eating.”

“Okay!” John trotted off toward the barns.

“How is your butter pecan?” Rachel asked.

“It's fantastic.” Mike took another lick before speaking again. “
Danki
for the meals you sent Monday and Wednesday. We've really enjoyed them, and
mei dat
is still talking about how much fun he had at supper Saturday night.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed them,” Rachel said. “I was wondering if I could bring a meal over to you tomorrow night after school.”

“You don't have to do that.” Mike shook his head. “You've already done too much.”

“I enjoy it,” Rachel said. “I thought it would be easier if I brought the meal to you this week so your
dat
doesn't have to travel.”

“Rachel,” Mike began, “you've done so much for our family already. I don't feel right accepting another meal from you, especially during a weekday. You work all day and then you want to bring a meal to us. That's just too much.”

Rachel shook her head. “I disagree. That's what we do in our community. We take care of each other. Besides, it's a Friday. I'll
have the food already prepped, so I just have to stop at home and get it before coming over. It's not a problem.”

She held her breath while he considered her offer. She and Emily had been planning a meal Rachel could take to the Lantz family Friday night. This time the meal was Rachel's idea, but Emily offered to help with the cooking since she would have time to prepare the food between her chores and her shift at the harness shop.

“I suppose it's all right if you bring a meal,” Mike finally said. “But I feel like I need to do something for you.”

“You already are. You're allowing me to spend time with you and your family.” Rachel felt a blush begin at the base of her neck and move up to her ears.

“I feel like I owe you more than that,” Mike said. “Spending time with me can't be nearly enough payment for all you've done for John and me.” He licked his cone.

“It is.” Rachel longed for her cheeks to cool down.

They ate their ice cream in silence for a few minutes, and then their cones were gone.

“Should we find John?” Mike offered.

“Okay.”

They threw their paper napkins in the trash can and strolled toward the barns.

“It's such a
schee
day,” Rachel said, walking beside him. “This was a special treat.”

“It was for me too.” Mike stopped and looked down at her, his eyes glittering with a mixture of appreciation and something resembling affection. “I promised you I wouldn't let two weeks go by before seeing you again.”

“
Ya
, you did.” Her heart raced as she studied the fondness in his eyes.

“Rachel,” he began, his voice warm and smooth. “I'm really thankful for your friendship. I'm enjoying getting to know you.”

Rachel's breath paused, and her eyes widened. “I'm enjoying getting to know you too.”

“
Gut
.” He gave her a nervous smile before pointing toward the barns. “I suppose we'd better go.”

As they walked, Rachel suppressed a cry of joy. Her mother and sisters had been right. Mike did like her. She looked forward to where their friendship would lead.

M
IKE SAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE, SORTING THROUGH A STACK
of bills. The hum of the water running in the bathroom above him indicated John was taking his bath as he'd been instructed. The sweet smell of the spring breeze filtered through the kitchen from the window above the sink.

Gripping his pen, Mike sifted through the bills for the third time in an attempt to decide which bills to pay, but his mind wasn't concentrating on the due dates. Instead, he was contemplating the time he'd spent at the Lapp farm with Rachel. Picking up John and Rachel after school had been an impulsive decision after Sam insisted Mike leave work early. He'd longed to spend more time with Rachel after visiting her home Saturday night, and waiting until Thursday had been tough enough.

Every day that passed without seeing her felt like torture. He was falling in love with her. He longed to tell her how he felt about her, but he didn't know how to form the words. Something was holding him back from sharing his deepest thoughts and feelings.

It had taken every ounce of Mike's emotional strength just to tell Rachel he was enjoying getting to know her. He was thankful she hadn't rejected him. As they walked together toward the barns to find John, Mike had thought about holding her hand, but he didn't want to move too quickly or appear too forward. She seemed comfortable with him, and he hoped their friendship would continue to progress.

He tried in vain to turn his attention back to the bills, but his mind continued to recall his outing with Rachel. He was staring at the checkbook when a crash sounded from somewhere in the house.

Mike leapt up from the chair, knocking it over with a clatter as it hit the kitchen floor.

“
Dat!
” He ran into his father's bedroom. “
Dat!
”

“Michael.” His father's shaky voice sounded from the small bathroom off the bedroom.

Mike hurried to the bathroom and opened the door. He gasped when he found his father sprawled on the floor with blood pooling under his right arm.
Dat
had fallen before, but he'd never seen that amount of blood. The sight sent terror clawing at his neck.

“Oh,
Dat
,” he gasped. “You're bleeding! Should I call nine-one-one?”

“No, no.”
Dat
shook his head. “Just help me up.” He reached for Mike with his left arm.

Mike took his father's arm and hefted him onto the commode. “What hurts?” he asked, examining his bloodied arm.

“I think I scraped my arm.”
Dat
slumped on the seat, placing his arm on the sink beside him. “I thought I could make it to the bathroom myself.”

“You should have called me,” Mike said gently. “I'll always help you.”

“I know you will, but I want to do things for myself sometimes. I can't stand being a burden to you.”

Mike met his father's expression. “You're not a burden.” He examined the bloody arm and found a long gash. “This looks pretty bad. You may need stitches.”

“Just put a bandage on it.”
Dat
waved off Mike's concern. “We can get the nurses to look at it at the dialysis center tomorrow.”

Mike cleaned the wound with peroxide and then applied salve to it before covering it with a bandage and taping it.

“Does anything else hurt?” he asked, studying his father's tired eyes.

“No.”
Dat
gave him a grim smile. “Just my dignity.”

Mike smiled, and some of the tension in his body eased. “Don't worry about your dignity. Just call me when you need something. I want you to be safe.”

“You're a
gut bu
.”
Dat
patted Mike's arm. “John told me you took him and Rachel for ice cream earlier.”

“
Ya
.” Mike stood and leaned his arm on the towel rack. “I brought home a pint of vanilla, but you have to ask your doctor if you can have it.”

Dat
gave him a sad puppy-dog expression. “Ice cream would make my scraped arm feel better.”

A bark of laughter escaped Mike's throat. “I know it would, but we have to ask your doctor first. If he says your labs are
gut
, then you can probably have some when you get home from dialysis tomorrow.” He lifted
Dat
to his feet. “Let's get you to your chair, and I'll wheel you out to the kitchen. You can have some pretzels instead.”

Once
Dat
was settled at the kitchen table, Mike brought him a small bowl of pretzels and sat beside his father while he ate.

“What kind of ice cream did Rachel have?”
Dat
asked between bites of pretzels.

“Rachel likes vanilla,” Mike said, absently tracing a finger over the tablecloth.

“She has
gut
taste.”

“She's bringing supper over tomorrow night after she gets off work.” Mike rested his arms on the table. “I tried to talk her out of it. I told her she's already done too much for us, but she insisted.”

“Some people enjoy taking care of others.”
Dat
lifted a pretzel from the bowl. “All you have to do is thank her, and she'll feel appreciated.”

“I really do love her,
Dat
.”

He patted Mike's hand and smiled. “That's obvious, Michael. What I want most is for you and John to be
froh
. Don't let Rachel get away.”

Mike pondered
Dat
's words as he finished the pretzels. An unfamiliar sense of hope swelled within his gut, and he silently prayed he could find a way to make a life with Rachel.

R
ACHEL CLIMBED THE STEPS AND KNOCKED ON
M
IKE
'
S BACK
door the following evening. The delicious aromas of the creamy noodle and hamburger casserole and chocolate brownies drifted up from her mother's basket, which she held in her arms.

Muffled voices sounded from beyond the door, and Rachel glanced down at her best purple dress, which she'd changed into for the dinner tonight. She hoped everything would be perfect. Hopefully, she could steal a few private moments alone with Mike, and maybe, just maybe, he'd officially ask her to be his girlfriend. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

The door opened with a loud
whoosh
, and John stared at her, his eyes round with alarm.

“
Mei dat
is very sick,” John said, his words rushed.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat. “
Ach
, no. I'm so sorry to hear this. Do you need me to run to the phone and call nine-one-one?”

“Rachel.” Mike appeared behind John. “I'm so sorry. I tried to reach you by phone before you left your
haus
.
Mei dat
is violently ill with flu-like symptoms. He's been ill since he got home from his dialysis treatment earlier today. It would probably be best if you went home.” He opened the door and craned his neck to see toward the driveway. “Is your driver still here?”

“No.” Rachel shook her head as dread pooled in her belly. “She's already left.”

“Oh.” Mike's faced was lined with anguish and panic. “I'm sorry. It's just not a
gut
time.”

“I made John's favorite.” She held up the picnic basket. “It's creamy noodle and hamburger casserole. He told me at school that he loves it. I also made a pan of brownies. Could I at least leave it on the counter?”

“Can she eat with us, Mike?” John begged, folding his hands as if he were praying. “Please, Mike?”

Mike gave him a curt nod. “Fine.” He turned and disappeared into the house.

Rachel stood there, feeling off balance. Her plans of spending a nice evening with Mike were ruined. Both regret and concern overwhelmed her. She prayed Raymond would be okay and his symptoms were the result of only minor stomach flu.

“Rachel?” Marie stepped into the doorway.

“Hi, Marie.” The weight of the basket caused her arm to ache. “Could I please give you the dinner? Mike said I could come in, but I don't want to impose.”

“Don't be
gegisch
.” Marie held the screen door open. “You're always welcome here. John has been talking about your visit all afternoon.”

“
Danki
.” Rachel stepped into the house and followed Marie to the kitchen. She set the basket on the counter and took out the pan of brownies and casserole dish. Mike's muffled voice sounded from somewhere beyond the kitchen.

“
Onkel
Raymond's symptoms came on suddenly,” Marie shared while pulling out utensils. “Mike called his doctor, and the doctor told him to give his father some over-the-counter medications. But he doesn't seem to be getting any better, so I'm not sure if he'll have to go to the hospital or not. Dehydration is so dangerous.”

“
Ach,
no.” Rachel set a stack of dishes on the table as she wondered if she was in the way. “Should I leave?”

“No,” John said. “Please stay.” He came up behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Rachel's eyes filled with tears. How she loved this little boy. “I'll stay if it's okay with Marie.”

“Of course it's okay. Let's eat.” Marie's smile seemed forced.

She must be so worried.

Rachel sat down at the table beside John, and Marie sat down across from them. After a silent prayer, they filled their plates with the casserole. The only sound in the room came from the scraping of their utensils on the dishes and the muffled voices in the nearby room. Rachel searched for something to say, but her mind whirled only with concern for Raymond. Her excitement about the meal fizzled out, and the casserole tasted bitter, much like her worry.

“Marie!” Mike's urgent voice bellowed from the hallway beyond the kitchen.

“Excuse me,” Marie muttered before hurrying out.

Rachel glanced down at John and forced a smile. “How's your casserole?”

“
Gut
.” John speared another bite with his fork. “Do you think
mei dat
is going to be okay?”

The question hung in the air between them while Rachel searched for an appropriate answer. She couldn't possibly admit she didn't know if he would be okay. She didn't want to add to his apprehension.

“
Ya
,” she finally said, touching his slight shoulder. “I think after he gets the right medicine he'll be fine.”

A door squeaked open, and Rachel saw Marie rushing through the hallway before returning with an armful of towels. A door slammed, and voices sounded beyond the walls.

Rachel and John ate in silence. When they were finished with the casserole, Rachel cut the brownies and stacked a few on a plate.
John devoured two brownies while she picked at one. She found herself staring at the doorway, awaiting Mike's return. When he didn't appear, she filled the sink with hot, soapy water and washed the dishes and utensils she and John had used.

“Oh, you don't need to do the dishes,” Marie said, sidling up to her. “I can take care of that.”

“I don't mind at all.” Rachel tried to smile at Marie, but her frown refused to budge. “I'm
froh
to help.”

“John, would you please go take your bath?” Marie asked as she dried a dish.

“Okay.” John wrapped his arms around Rachel's middle and squeezed her in a tight hug. “
Danki
for supper, Rachel.”

“You're welcome,
mei liewe
,” Rachel whispered, touching his hair.

John raced out of the kitchen, and Rachel began to wash the utensils, worrying about Mike and Raymond as she worked.

“Mike asked me to tell you he's sorry,” Marie said, breaking the silence between them.

“It's not his fault,” Rachel said, her voice quavering with emotion.

“He's under a lot of pressure with his
dat
,” Marie said, giving her a sideways glance. “I'm sorry we didn't think to call you earlier. We were just so concerned about Raymond.”

“I understand.” Rachel washed the last spoon and handed it to Marie. “I don't want to be in the way, so I'll get going.” She pointed toward the table. “Could I leave the food for Mike?”

“Of course.” Marie's lips formed a sad smile. “You've been a blessing to Mike and John. I'm so
froh
you came into their lives.”

Rachel nodded as emotion seemed to clog the back of her throat. She didn't feel like much of a blessing. In fact, she felt more like a burden showing up at Mike's house at the most inopportune time. “John can bring the serving dishes to school whenever they finish the casserole and brownies. I'm going to use the phone.”

Rachel called her driver and then finished helping Marie clean
up the kitchen until the van arrived. During the ride home, Rachel held the basket in her lap and stared out the window while she thought about Mike and sent up prayers for Raymond.

M
IKE RUBBED HIS HANDS DOWN HIS FACE AS HE STEPPED INTO
the kitchen. “I finally got
Dat
settled into bed.” He glanced around and found Marie sitting at the table eating. “Where's Rachel?”

“She went home.” Marie sipped from her glass of water. “She washed the dishes she and John used and then called her driver.”

Mike slumped into a chair across from Marie as guilt washed over him. “
Ach,
no.” He covered his face in his hands. “I didn't mean to completely ignore her, but I was so worried about
mei dat
.”

“She knows that,” Marie said, her voice full of empathy. “Don't worry about it. She left food for you.” She pushed the casserole dish over to him. “It's amazing. You have to have some. The brownies are
gut
too. I stole a piece off one before I started on the casserole.”

Mike stared at the food, but his appetite had evaporated once his father became ill. The thought of eating caused his stomach to sour. “She must be furious with me,” he whispered, not meaning to say the words aloud.

“No, I don't think she's angry with you, but I do think she's disappointed.” Marie scooped up more casserole with her fork. “She's an adult, Mike. She understands the situation.” She tapped his plate with her fork. “You need to eat. We don't need you getting ill next.”

He filled his plate and said a silent prayer. But he only pushed the food around on the plate as he thought about Rachel. He'd been looking forward to her visit all day, but
Dat
's stomach problems had overshadowed the whole evening. He hoped Rachel really wasn't upset with him. He didn't want to hurt her.

Maybe this is the sign that I don't have room in my life for a special
maedel
like her.

The voice in his head startled him and sent more dread coiling in his gut.

“How is your
dat
?” Marie asked, her voice breaking through his worried thoughts.

“He fell asleep.” Mike set his fork next to his plate. “He said he couldn't eat. I was glad his stomach settled down.”

“Do you think he needs to go to the hospital?” Marie asked.

He shrugged. “I don't think so, but I'll keep an eye on him tonight. I'll sleep on the floor in his room.”

Her eyes rounded. “You'll sleep on the floor?”

Mike nodded. “I don't mind it. If he's doing okay, then I'll move to the sofa.”

“Don't you have to work tomorrow?”

“
Ya
, I do.”

“You need your rest if you're working.” Marie pointed to her chest. “I'll sleep on the sofa, and you sleep in your bed. That way you can function at work without accidentally cutting your arm off with a saw.”

Mike gave a wry smile at her exaggerated worry. “All right. You can stay tonight, but you need to go home tomorrow and get your rest.”

She waved off the comment. “I don't need as much sleep as my siblings do. I'll be fine.” She carried her plate to the sink. “You need to eat, Michael. You need your strength for work tomorrow.”

As Mike speared a forkful of casserole into his mouth, he reflected on how he could make things up to Rachel. He had to find a way to apologize for not spending time with her tonight.

“I
SMELL RAIN IN THE AIR
,” E
MILY SAID AS SHE LOOKED UP
at the gray sky. She and Rachel were walking side by side down Old Philadelphia Pike.

Rachel glanced up and took in the dark, foreboding clouds. She breathed in the aroma of warm air and the hint of rain. “
Ya
, you're right. I hope it holds out until after we finish our grocery shopping.”

“
Ya
, I do too. Rach, I meant to ask you if you've heard from Mike since last night. Did you check the messages this morning?”

Rachel scowled. “I checked the messages, but he didn't leave one. I've been worried about his
dat
ever since I left their
haus
.”

“
Ya
, I was wondering how he's doing too.” Emily pointed in front of them toward the Bird-in-Hand Builders sign. “Do you want to stop by and see if Mike's working? Didn't he say he would be working some Saturdays when we saw him at the post office?”

Rachel gnawed her lower lip and remembered her promise to herself not to appear eager or pushy toward men anymore. “Yes, he did. But I don't know . . .”

Emily stopped walking and faced her. “What are you worried about?”

Rachel took a deep breath, wondering how to best express her complicated feelings. “Mike was busy taking care of his
dat
last night, and I backed off and gave him his space. His father needed him, and that's important. If I go into his store to see him today, I don't want to seem like the overbearing and smothering girlfriend.”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “Are you officially his girlfriend and you haven't told me?”

“No, no, no!” Rachel shook her head with emphasis. “He hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend, but it feels like he will soon. At least, I hope he will.” She folded her arms over her middle. “If I go in to see him, will I seem like I'm too pushy?”

Emily gave her a withering smile. “No, you're just a
gut freind
who is concerned about his
dat
's health.” She took Rachel's hand and tugged. “Let's go see if he's there.”

Before Rachel could protest, Emily steered her toward Bird-
in-Hand Builders. Rachel couldn't help remembering her last visit there. When they stepped through the front door, the same bell rang, announcing their arrival. And when Rachel and Emily crossed the showroom to the counter, the same Amish man with a brown beard was talking on the phone. He placed his hand over the mouthpiece and raised his eyebrows, perhaps as if to ask what he could do for them.

“We're looking for Mike Lantz,” Rachel said.

“Rachel, right?” he asked.

Rachel nodded with surprise. How did he know who she was? Had Mike told him when she was last here?
Oh no.

“You can go on back.” He pointed toward the door leading to the shop.

“
Danki
,” Rachel said. She glanced at Emily as they made their way toward the shop. Her sister was grinning.

“Do you want me to wait here?” Emily offered as they approached the door.

“You can come with me,” Rachel insisted, motioning for Emily to follow her.

Rachel pushed the door open and moved through the hallway where she and Mike had argued. She wrenched open the shop door, but she stopped when she saw Mike talking to an Amish girl.