The Amish Christmas Matchmaker, page 15
The words sliced through her heart, but she had a moment of clarity at the same time. She could fight this and be miserable for the time they had left or she could accept the situation for what it was. In some strange way she also felt lighter from hearing their plans. The worst had come about. She could stop worrying and start dealing with it.
“I plan to stay.”
Her mamm reached for her hand and covered it with her own. “Your older bruders and schweschder will still be in the area, for now, and they’ve all said they’d be happy to have you live with them.”
It had gone that far?
They’d decided where she was going to live?
Annie felt her old stubbornness rise, and it was like a coat that she’d pushed to the back of the closet and just recently rediscovered. She was tired of crying, tired of worrying, and suddenly she knew that she would find a way to deal with this and she’d do so on her own terms.
“Priscilla said that I could live with her.”
Her dat stared into his coffee cup. When he glanced up, she saw nothing but concern in his eyes, and she felt bad for causing them so much worry.
“She’s a gut person. You both know that. You both like her.”
“You’re not thinking of leaving the faith, are you?” Her mother watched her carefully.
“Nein. I like being Amish. I am Amish, but I need somewhere to live, and our catering business is really taking off. I don’t want to move to Shipshe or Middlebury. I like it here.” She realized the absurdity of that. Her parents were going to move twelve hundred miles away, and she was insisting that a ten-mile change would be too much. “I know I don’t need your permission, but I’d like your blessing.”
“That you will always have, Anna Marie.” Her dat so rarely used her full name that it always brought a lump to her throat. The words were like a caress and a blessing all in one.
Her mamm stood, began picking up dishes and then paused to kiss Annie on the top of the head. “You must promise to come and visit us—at least twice a year.”
“Ya, of course.”
“And who knows, maybe when you do, you’ll like it enough to stay.”
Annie didn’t think that was likely.
She could only imagine how terrible it would be to visit her family in their new home, meet neighbors that she didn’t know and hadn’t grown up with, continue to see Levi after he settled down and married. Nein, she did not picture herself visiting Texas twice a year. But she didn’t voice her concerns. Now wasn’t the time. She had moved from grieving into planning in the space of a heartbeat.
“Have you talked about a date...for the move?”
She hadn’t attended the last two meetings regarding the Texas settlement, and she’d avoided being alone with Nicole. She hadn’t been able to bear her schweschder’s talk of a new life. Now she regretted the distance she’d put between them, and she vowed to spend as much time as possible with her niece and nephews in the next few months.
“We’ll go in the spring, if Levi and Jebediah have been able to locate farms we can afford to purchase. It could be as late as summer if it takes a long time to sell this place.”
They all knew that wasn’t likely.
The reason they were moving was because there were more people who wanted to buy land in the area than there was land for sale. The farm was tidy and profitable. It would probably sell as soon as they stuck a sign in the ground. This time next year her family would be celebrating Christmas in Texas, and she would be here.
Alone.
* * *
Levi, Jebediah and Adam stood at the crest of a hill, an elderly Englisch farmer at their side. Buddy Johnston had just celebrated his eighty-eighth birthday. He was nearly as round as he was tall, but he had the hands and the bearing of a farmer.
“It’s gut land,” Jebediah said.
“Yes, it is, and it pains me to sell it.” Buddy hooked his thumbs under his belt and shrugged. “My boys, they all work in the city now. They’re not farmers, and neither of them has any use for this place. Also they could use the money from the sale—though they’re in no hurry for it. Still, when me and Betty pass on, the money will be a nice amount to give to them.”
“Hopefully that won’t be anytime soon,” Levi said.
“Eh. It’s in the Lord’s hands, and I’m good with that.”
Which seemed to confirm that this was a place they were meant to be, on land that had been farmed by a God-fearing man, passed on to God-fearing men. It didn’t always happen that way, but when it did Levi sensed a special blessing.
“Would you mind if we took a moment to speak among ourselves?” Adam asked.
“Take your time, and join me for some of Betty’s coffee and pecan pie when you’re done. Trust me. Betty’s pie is not something you want to miss.”
They watched him toddle down the lane which led to the house. An old hound dog had been lying in the sun, but it jumped up and trotted over to walk beside him, something they’d probably done together a thousand times.
“Should one of us go with him, make sure he doesn’t fall?” Jebediah was like that—a caretaker in more ways than one.
“He’s been walking this farm longer than the three of us have been alive,” Adam said. “I think he’ll be fine.”
They turned and stared out at the land, which stretched to the horizon. There was a high plateau to the east. They could just make out a cut between the hills, which was the road they’d travelled on from Stephenville. What might have been the remnant of an ancient volcano shimmered to the south, and farmland as far as you could see spread to the west.
“This is a big place.” Adam turned in a circle, trying to take it all in.
“A thousand acres—” Levi pulled off his hat and held it in both hands. “It could be divided into ten, maybe eleven farms.”
“We have fourteen families,” Jebediah pointed out.
“And we passed three other farms for sale on our way here.”
“Speaking of which...” Adam glanced back toward the farmhouse. “How are we going to get the Uber driver back?”
“I paid him twenty dollars to go to town and get dinner. He had a few errands to run and said he’d be back here by dark.”
The three fell silent, each contemplating the enormity of the decision they were about to make.
“We’ve been given the duty of finding land for our community. It’s a solemn and weighty thing to make such a decision, and it’s important that we be in complete agreement.” Adam fell into the role of leader easily.
Levi thought he’d make a good bishop, a fair one who would make the physical and spiritual health of their community his priority.
“Any hesitation, any doubt at all—now is the time to voice it.”
“I can’t think of any reason not to make this deal.” Jebediah pulled his gaze from the horizon and nodded at Levi. “Can you?”
“Nein. It’s all I’ve dreamt of, all I’ve hoped and prayed for.”
“Then we’re in agreement,” Adam said.
“Ya, I’m in agreement.” Jebediah shoved his hands into his pockets, a smile spreading across his face. “I can see my boys growing up here. The land is less expensive than Stephenville, the barns not as well cared for, but we can easily rebuild a barn.”
Levi had waited for this moment for so long that he felt a lump rise in his throat. “Ya, I agree,” he said, which seemed to be all there was to say. He was aware that with those words, he not only changed the direction of his own life, but he also was changing the lives of all of the families who would be moving. And of course it would affect one pretty young lady who would not be coming to Texas.
Why was life so full of difficult decisions?
Why were his feelings for Annie so strong at a time when he should be focused on this land and the families he had committed to bringing here?
He knew in his heart that this move was good and right and something they should do. For Levi, it was like coming home again, the fulfillment of years’ worth of planning and working.
So why, when they turned toward the house, to tell Buddy Johnston and his wife that they’d gladly purchase their land at the suggested price, did his heart ache with another dream that died even as this one was born?
Thirty minutes later, Buddy’s neighbor had arrived. The man also happened to be his lawyer.
“We called him while you were surveying the place,” Buddy explained. “Seemed to me that you liked it.”
“This is a preliminary notice of intention to purchase that I downloaded from the internet.” Raymond Cole was probably in his fifties, had the soft, cultured voice of a man with an advanced education and the calluses of a farmer. His skin was ebony black, his hair graying at the temples, and his manner serious.
“We would have been happy with a handwritten receipt and a handshake,” Adam said.
“And it says something about you folks that you would have been.” Raymond accepted the three copies that they all had signed and added his own signature under the word Witness. “I’m not sure I’d recommend carrying twenty thousand dollars in earnest money around in your pocket, but it certainly speeds things up that we don’t have to wait three days for a transfer of funds.”
“We wanted to be able to show that we were serious about our ability to purchase such a large parcel.”
“I say it’s time to celebrate.” Betty set the pecan pie in the middle of the table. Like Buddy, she was in her eighties. Her hair was whiter than the cotton they’d seen in the fields on the drive down, and her skin thin as parchment. Whereas Buddy was short and round, Betty’s build was slight and her posture ramrod straight. They both seemed at peace with the decision to move off the farm.
Levi glanced around the kitchen, saw a rocking chair in the corner and beside it a small table with an open Bible resting on it. So they were truly people of faith. That might explain their calm and confident nature. He remembered Buddy’s comment, It’s in the Lord’s hands, and I’m good with that. What more could a person ask for than to be at peace with the Lord’s guidance in their life?
The pie had already been sliced into pieces. Betty placed a tray with six mugs, sugar, cream and a pot of coffee in the middle. “You folks help yourself.”
“Where will you go?” Levi asked.
“Our sons have already picked out a place in Sun City—it’s a development for old folks, but they have a fine golf course there.”
“And is it closer to your sons?” Jebediah asked.
“Yes, it is. Our oldest has three pretty grandbabies, and they live in Georgetown. We’ll be able to see them as often as we want. At our age, that’s more important than having a field to plant winter oats in.”
Levi had enjoyed Mrs. Calloway’s pecan pie growing up, and Betty’s was every bit as good as hers. He couldn’t help laughing when Jebediah took his first bite.
“Your eyes nearly rolled up in your head.”
“This is as good as shoofly pie. I didn’t think anything was as good as that.”
“Your wife and I will have to swap recipes, in that case. Buddy’s never had shoofly pie.”
“Doctor says I’m supposed to cut back, but then he’s never tried Betty’s cooking or he wouldn’t ask me to do such a thing.”
There was talk of farming and families and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. When they’d all finished their pie, Raymond sat forward, crossing his arms on the table and looking at each of them in turn. Levi had the sense that this was the real test—not how much money they had or their knowledge of farming.
Raymond was assessing them.
If they were found wanting, in his estimation, then their time in Texas would be difficult because word would spread. Call it gossip or call it being neighborly, one man talks to another who then talks to another. It was the way of things, and Levi didn’t hold it against the man, though he did hope that they’d pass with flying colors.
“I’ve read a little about you people.”
“Have you now?” Adam nodded as if it had been wise for Raymond to check them out before accepting their money. “And do you have any questions?”
“I do.”
“Fire away.”
“Is it true that you have extremely large families?”
“It is.”
“Eight to ten children?”
“Not unusual.”
Levi nodded, but it was Jebediah who jumped into the conversation.
“My wife and I have a three-year-old girl and twin boys who will turn one next month...”
Raymond let out a long whistle.
“And they’re expecting another,” Levi added.
Raymond’s eyebrows shot up. “Four children under four? Is that normal?”
“It’s not unusual.”
Adam nodded toward the Bible that sat near the rocker. Levi wondered if Betty had been doing some reading before they all traipsed in. He marveled again that they would be buying the land from fellow believers of God’s word. “Our understanding of the Scripture teaches us that the Lord grows each household as He sees fit.”
“I was one of ten,” Buddy commented.
Betty added, “It was normal in our generation, but our children all think that two or three are a handful, and perhaps in this day and age, in our modernized way of life, perhaps they’re right.”
Raymond nodded as if that all made sense and moved on to his next question. “You’re not allowed to use technology—cars or electricity or computers?”
“It’s true that we prefer the old ways,” Adam said. “Though it’s not a matter of being allowed so much as it is that we prefer to not have the distractions of a television set or the expense of an automobile. Each community has its own guidelines. For instance, we may decide that solar energy would be beneficial, even necessary, in order to irrigate our crops.”
It seemed to be a good enough answer for Raymond who nodded and then distributed the copies of the papers they’d signed and slipped his into a battered old leather bag.
Levi wasn’t sure if they’d passed the test until they were all walking out to the front porch and Raymond said, “How much more land do you think you’ll need?”
“At this point—two or three hundred additional acres.”
“I think I know two other families who would be interested in selling. Their land is close to here. One is a hundred and twenty acres. The other is a hundred and thirty. If you’d like, I could contact them.”
“Ya, we’d like that,” Adam said.
Levi released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Finally he dared to believe it was actually going to happen—after twelve long years he was moving back to Texas.
* * *
Annie was sitting at the kitchen table planning their Thanksgiving dinner when Nicole arrived with the news. Jebediah had left a message at the phone shack. They’d found land. Soon Annie’s dat and mamm were gathered around the table, and they were all studying a map of Texas. They wouldn’t be living in Levi’s beloved Stephenville, but they’d be close. She could only imagine how happy he was.
The next week both farms went up for sale, and Annie helped her sister make lists of what she needed to pack in what order, what could be sold and what would need to be purchased in Texas versus what should be moved. The horses would stay. There simply wasn’t an economical way to move them, but they’d have good homes. That was one thing for certain—as long as there was an Amish community nearby, any horse would have a home.
Annie wondered if they would move before Nicole gave birth. She’d been present when Rachel, Micah and Mitchell were born. She’d presumed she would be there for all of her schweschder’s births, but in the future she would have to be satisfied with reading about them in letters and the occasional visit.
Her dat was over the moon with enthusiasm. She’d never seen him so focused. Her mamm had been right, and even Annie could see it. The move was going to be good for him. Sometimes change was exactly what the doctor ordered. Sometimes change was what you needed when you didn’t even realize you needed anything.
Moving plans halted long enough for them to prepare for Thanksgiving. All of her siblings and their families would be coming as well as Levi. Annie had done her best to avoid him, and she hoped the size of the crowd at her house would negate any awkward feelings.
But as soon as he walked inside, sporting his Stetson and those old cowboy boots which she noticed he had at least bothered to shine, she walked straight up to him. What was the point in remaining angry? Soon he’d be gone, and she would wish that she had settled things between them.
“Congratulations. You’re going home to Texas.”
The room was crowded with family, children running in circles and a large number of coats and scarves and gloves and mittens piled on the pegs near the front door. He pulled her out onto the porch. A light snow was falling, and she realized with a start that Christmas was just around the corner. It made her feel both amused and sad that she’d thought she could be a matchmaker for Levi. She’d thought she could have him promised off to another woman by Christmas.
“Are you sure you won’t go with us?” Levi asked, staring at her, watching for any sign of hesitation.
“Nein, but I’m happy for you.”
He didn’t smile, didn’t respond to that remark at all. Instead he turned and placed his hands on the porch railing and stared out at the fields that were slowly turning white.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, reminding her of their workhorse Pretty Boy, tossing his mane as he headed across the field.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“Yes and no.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.”
