The meeting broke up then, everyone stretching and talk turning to upcoming harvests, plans for winter crops and the fall festival which was to take place in a few weeks.

  Levi saw Annie dart around the corner of the building. Fortunately her dat was still speaking with the bishop. Perfect. He’d have a few minutes alone with little miss Annie. Maybe she could explain why she was trying to sabotage his plans.

  * * *

  “Sabotage? You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “What would you call it?”

  “Asking questions. I thought that’s why we were meeting.” Annie had guessed he wouldn’t be happy with her, but she didn’t think he’d have the nerve to follow her to the buggy.

  “I don’t even know why you’re here.” He waved his arms in the direction of Simon’s backyard, nearly knocking off his hat. “Why would you bother coming to this meeting when you have no intention of moving with us?”

  “I’m here because I care about what happens to my community, to my family.”

  “You care about them? Do you care if Avery and Beth are able to purchase land?”

  “Gotte will provide a way.”

  “And maybe that way is moving to Texas!” Levi snatched his hat off his head and slapped it against his leg. “You wouldn’t move if the entire community was packing up and leaving.”

  “And why should I? This is a gut place to live.” She stomped her foot, which at first seemed to work because Levi stopped arguing with her, but then he shook his head and after that he started laughing. Before she could figure out what was so funny he was holding his side as if he had an ache from running.

  “Do not laugh at me, Levi Lapp.”

  “I can’t help it.”

  She stared at him in disbelief, so he held up his hands and repeated what he’d just said. “Honestly, I can’t help it. Sorry. I’m sorry. You just look so...well, funny.”

  “I look funny?”

  “I want to stay mad at you. I still am mad at you. I’m plenty steamed, but if you could see the look on your face...and then you stomped your foot like some child annoyed at not getting your way.”

  “Did you just call me a child?”

  “I said like a child—not the same thing.”

  He moved to her buggy and rested his back against it, his hands still pressed against his stomach, his gaze on the ground. “You are one interesting gal, Annie Kauffmann.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You have no problem speaking your mind.”

  “Why should I?”

  “Not exactly the meek Amish woman pictured in romance novels.”

  “What do you know about romance novels?”

  “My schweschdern kept them around the house... I used to tease them about it.”

  It was the first time Levi had mentioned his family, and Annie felt her anger toward him soften.

  “Don’t you miss them?”

  “Some.”

  “Then why—”

  His look silenced her. Okay. Not a subject he wanted to talk about. That was fine with her.

  “We had a deal,” he reminded her.

  “I haven’t tried to stop you from talking to my dat.”

  “But you came to this meeting when you obviously have no intention of moving.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to know the status of things, and I’d rather receive my information firsthand than hear it from the grapevine.”

  “Okay, fair enough. Come and listen.”

  “I wasn’t asking for your permission.”

  “And I didn’t mean it that way.”

  He stared at the ground a moment before raising those gorgeous blue eyes to study her. He really was a nice-looking guy.

  “But do you have to throw out obstructive questions?”

  “Obstructive? Someone was paying attention in English class.”

  “Look me in the eye and tell me that you were not trying to throw down a roadblock.”

  She squirmed under his gaze and finally admitted, “Yes and no.”

  “I understand the yes part of that answer.”

  “I’ll admit, you all looked like a bunch of starstruck fools—so, yes, I was trying to splash some cold water on the group.”

  “Finally, some honesty.”

  “But also no—because I didn’t ask why Texas for the sole purpose of slowing your progress.”

  “Okay, then, explain it to me.”

  “I honestly want to know.” Her hands went to her hips again, and a smile twitched on Levi’s lips. It made her want to stomp her foot once more but she resisted. No need sending him into more gales of laughter. “Why Texas, Levi?”

  He didn’t answer her right away.

  The people who had attended the meeting were walking around the corner of the house now. A few saw them and waved. Great. Now they’d think she was stepping out with Levi Lapp.

  “Maybe I should have addressed that to begin with. You were correct when you pointed out that there are other places—closer places—we could move. Missouri and Arkansas are both gut examples, and I’ve been to communities in both of them.”

  “Let me guess. They don’t measure up to your memories of Texas.”

  “They’re gut places, I guess. Pretty much like Indiana. Arkansas has more mountains—a different way of life than what we have here. Missouri has plenty of farmland, and we would basically be living the life we have here in a different state. Maybe costs are less. I’m not really sure. I guess I’ll be checking before our next meeting.”

  “Information isn’t a bad thing, Levi.”

  “Sure. I understand.”

  “But...”

  “But, they’re not Texas, and that’s something that you can’t understand unless you’ve been there.” He resettled his ridiculous hat on his head and pushed away from the buggy. When he turned back toward her the laughing friend was gone and the adversary was back—but it seemed to be a kinder, gentler adversary.

  “I’ve been there, Annie, and it’s my life dream to go back. I only hope that I have that opportunity. Did you know that Texas comes from the Native American word for friend or ally?” And without any further explanation, he turned back toward the house, shoulders slightly bowed from the weight of the task before him.

  In that moment, Annie experienced a sudden and profound remorse. She’d pulled the rug out from under his feet, and although she didn’t regret that, she hated to see him so dejected.

  “Martha enjoyed going out for ice cream with you.”

  He stopped, turned and nodded once. Then he walked back toward the house without another word.

  Martha had told Annie earlier that day that she’d enjoyed the trip for ice cream and the walk down the Pumpkinvine Trail. She’d gone alone with Levi on the first date, but Levi had suggested they bring Big Tom along on the second. They’d ended up eating snow cones—she’d had grape, Big Tom had cherry and Levi had settled for coconut.

  “I told you I thought he was a nice guy,” Annie had said.

  “Ya, I know. The thing is...he did more than tolerate Big Tom. He actually included him.”

  But it was the last thing Martha had said that had stuck in Annie’s mind, that she replayed over and over as she’d tried to sleep the night before. “Some people don’t make gut couples because they’re complete opposites. Levi and I would never be right for one another because we’re too much alike.”

  Levi was like her best friend? How was that even possible?

  And why did the thought of that deepen her remorse and cause her to wonder if she should be fighting Levi’s plan at all? Because she still didn’t want to move to Texas, and she still planned to do everything in her ability to stop her family from doing so.

  The only difference was now she felt bad about it.

  * * *

  Annie woke the next Wednesday determined to shake her foul mood.

  As she pulled out her most worn dress, she vowed not to care that Levi had taken Martha on another date—after all, she’d asked him to, hadn’t she?

  Fastening a frayed kapp to her head she stared at herself in the mirror and scolded her image. It was time to stop dwelling on the look of hurt on Levi’s face when she’d thrown cold water on his plans at the meeting. Her questions had been good ones. If settling in Stephenville, Texas, didn’t work before, why would it work now? And why there? Despite what Levi thought, there were bound to be good places closer to Goshen.

  Pulling on her work boots, she remembered how she’d stomped her foot at him and he’d laughed—laughed at her when she was trying to make a point. If he’d been angry, it would have been more satisfying, but to have him laugh at her? That was just insulting.

  She fastened a stained but clean apron around her dress and marched down the stairs. The rain had held off, though cooler temperatures had arrived. She actually needed a sweater or shawl in the evenings. Her dat had informed the family that the corn harvest would begin today. Harvesting was always a family affair and two of her bruders would be there to help. Her oldest schweschder would arrive in time to help Mamm fix a big lunch. It would be a busy day filled with hard work, good food and family.

  She stomped into the kitchen refusing to let the fact that Levi Lapp would be in the middle of it all ruin her mood.

  It took some effort, but she held on to her complaints through breakfast and cleaning the dishes. Once she stepped outside, though—into a fall day that had dawned crisp and clear—even she couldn’t help smiling.

  “That’s my girl,” Mamm said.

  So she’d noticed.

  Of course she’d noticed, but her parents believed a bad mood had to be worked through on a private level. Annie didn’t have them often, and they usually blew over quickly, so perhaps her parents were right.

  But honestly, who could be angry when surrounded by so many of God’s blessings? That would be worse than stubborn. It would be ungrateful, and Annie couldn’t find it in her heart to be that.

  So she smiled at her mamm, bounded down the steps and hurried out to the field.

  Nathan and Joseph had eaten an early breakfast at home, but they were already standing by her dat next to the field where the corn waited to be harvested. Even the horses seemed eager to begin their work.

  The sun was barely peeking over the horizon and the weather was cool. Finally, fall was here. And fall in Indiana was a special time indeed.

  The stalks had been cut and stacked into tepees two weeks before. Now they were sufficiently dry to separate the corn from the husks. It would take everyone working all day to finish the job, and she’d be working side by side with Levi.

  “Gude mariye,” he said as she walked up to join the group.

  She was about to answer when her father raised his hand for quiet.

  “Nathan and Joe, I want you working collecting. Levi and I will stand on the wagon and catch and stack. Annie, you’ll drive. Now let’s take a moment to pray that Gotte blesses our harvest and keeps each of us safely in the palm of his hand.”

  There were times when Annie wished they prayed aloud, where she could simply listen to the calming sound of her dat’s voice. Instead the silence forced her to speak to Gotte. She found herself confessing her ungratefulness, her tendency to consider her wants and needs more important than those of others, her love for her family and this day and their simple life.

  After her father said, “And in His name, we pray...” and everyone answered “Amen,” Levi glanced her way.

  Did he just wink at her?

  Annie looked at the ground, back at the house and then at Levi who was smiling broadly.

  They walked together toward the wagon that was already hitched to the Percherons. Pop was the older of the two. He had a light gray coat, stood sixteen hands tall and weighed nearly two thousand pounds. Annie reached in her pocket and handed him a carrot.

  “I was a toddler when Dat bought Pop. He’s older, but still strong, still a gut workhorse.”

  “I’ve cleaned out their stalls for nearly a month now, but I haven’t really spent any time with them.” Levi ran his hand down the neck of the other workhorse. He was chestnut colored and nearly identical in size to Pop.

  “That’s Pretty Boy. We’ve only had him three years now.”

  “You’ll drive careful, right?”

  “I always do.”

  “You won’t intentionally knock me off?”

  “How can you even suggest such a thing?”

  “It’s no secret I’m like a burr under your saddle.”

  “We don’t have saddles. We’re Amish.” How many times had she reminded him? This time instead of being irritated at her correction, he smiled even more broadly.

  “Just remember your dat is riding back there with me.”

  He held out a hand to help boost her up onto the wagon bench seat.

  She ignored it, grabbed the handle and pulled herself up.

  And then they were harvesting, and she didn’t spend another minute arguing with Levi Lapp in her mind. She was too busy minding Pop and Pretty Boy.

  Enjoying the sounds of her brothers as they pulled the corncobs from the husks and tossed them to the wagon.

  Even smiling when Levi and Dat picked up the chorus of “I Have Decided” and then followed it with “Victory in Jesus” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” The morning flew by, and she was surprised when the sound of her mother ringing the dinner bell echoed across the field.

  Nathan jumped up onto the wagon, reminding her of the young teen he’d once been. Now he was thirty and had seven children of his own. “I’ll take them to the barn.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Can’t have my little schweschder watering horses.”

  She handed him the reins and stepped down, dismayed to see Levi waiting for her. Her father and Joseph were already walking toward the house.

  “You didn’t have to wait.”

  “I wanted to.”

  She started to ask why, but she didn’t want to ruin her good mood by being snarky.

  “You’re pretty gut with the horses.”

  “Danki.” She fished around for something else to say. Why did she suddenly feel tongue-tied around Levi Lapp? It occurred to her that he was adorable in a lost puppy kind of way.

  “You’re smiling.”

  “I am?”

  Instead of answering, he bumped his shoulder against hers. They walked toward the house where she could see her mamm and oldest sister, Mary, had set lunch out on the picnic table beneath the maple trees. The sight brought a cascade of memories to her mind—twenty-four years’ worth, though she wasn’t certain she could remember the early ones.

  But always they’d had the fall harvest.

  Always family had helped.

  Always they’d had lunch under these trees.

  She glanced at Levi, saw a smile spread across his face as he looked at the spread of food and gathering of her family.

  “It’s gut here,” she said. “This place? This land? It’s gut.”

  He slowed and studied her for a moment, and Annie had the ridiculous notion that he was about to reach for her hand. Instead, Levi again nudged her shoulder and said, “I’ll race you.”

  Which was completely ridiculous. After all, they were not kinner anymore. Laughter bubbled out of her, sounding young and hopeful and free. And then she was running to catch up, because she couldn’t stand the thought of Levi Lapp beating her even at something as silly as a race to the lunch table.

  Chapter Six

  Levi had expected to like Annie’s family from the very beginning, but he hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable with them. He pushed back from the table, certain that if he ate another bite he’d be asleep in the field rather than working in it.

  “I think I better walk this off,” he muttered and headed toward the shady side of the lawn. He was surprised when Joseph walked out of the barn and joined him.

  “Ready for the second shift?”

  Levi patted his stomach. “The mind is willing, but...”

  “Ya. The flesh is full.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Dat always takes a thirty-minute break after the meal is done. You’d think we were going out to swim instead of harvest.” Joseph pushed his hat back on his head.

  Levi thought of Annie making fun of his hat, and then it occurred to him how he and Joseph must look. Both Amish. Both relatively young men. One traditionally Amish, wearing the customary straw hat, and the other—him—not so traditional, wearing his Stetson. They were both standing at the fence, hands crossed over the top bar, watching the workhorses nod in the sun. In that moment, he felt their similarities outweighed their differences. He felt, temporarily at least, like a part of something bigger than himself.

  “Actually what I wanted to talk to you about was Annie.”

  “Annie?”

  “We’re all a bit protective of her.”

  “Bruders usually are.” He’d felt that way toward his own schweschdern once. Then they’d grown up, married and decided it was their job to set him straight.

  “It’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Levi looked at him in surprise.

  “It’s obvious that you like her.”

  “Annie? I like her fine.”

  “You’re not understanding what I’m trying to say. It’s obvious that you’re interested in her.”

  “Annie?” His voice screeched like when he was a youngie and everything was changing. He swallowed, took a deep breath and forced himself to speak in a normal voice. “Nein, not like that. She can barely tolerate being around me.”

  “That’s not what it looks like from where I’m standing.”

  Levi glanced back toward the picnic area. The women were cleaning up, and Annie was in the middle of them stacking dishes into a tub.

 

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