An Amish Arrangement
As Mercy had learned herself fifteen years ago when she’d been the one given away by what she’d thought would be her forever family. If the Bambergers hadn’t been there to take her in... No, she didn’t want to think of that awful time.
Again, she warned herself to focus on the present, not the past. And her and Sunni’s future. She had to stop letting her emotions take over. She needed to be logical. Building Come Along Farm into a retreat for city kids would require her to face a lot of bureaucracy on local and state levels. She must be ready to stand up for what she wanted.
“Sunni, if you go and get the book we were reading, I’ll meet you in the living room once I’m finished here.”
The little girl looked from her to Jeremiah, then nodded. “Okay, Mommy.”
Mercy said nothing as Jeremiah watched Sunni hobble away. There was no pity in his expression, and she was grateful. Too many people felt sorry for Sunni, calling her a “poor little thing.” Sunni was one of the strongest people Mercy knew and had learned to walk through perseverance and hard work. If only Mercy could help her heal from the emotional wounds she’d suffered, but those would take more time.
As soon as the little girl was out of earshot, Mercy said, “I guess I should see the purchase agreement you say my grandfather signed.”
Jeremiah hooked a thumb toward the door. “Give me a minute, and I’ll dig out the paperwork I’ve got.”
She considered locking the door, but that wouldn’t solve the problem. Instead, she held the door open while he brought in two scuffed duffel bags.
Closing the door, she said nothing while he opened one bag and found a manila envelope. He withdrew a sheaf of pages and sorted through them. In the middle of the stack, he pulled out several and offered them to her.
“Here’s everything I got from your grossdawdi through my Realtor,” he said without a hint of emotion.
Mercy didn’t look to discover if compassion had slipped into his gaze. This time, for her. She wanted it no more than Sunni would have. When he handed her the pages, his work-roughened skin brushed against her fingers. Sensation arced between them like electricity, and she jerked her hand away. Being attracted to the man who insisted he was buying her family’s farm would be stupid.
If he had the same reaction, she couldn’t tell, because she carefully kept her gaze on the papers. She scanned each page, her heart sinking lower and lower. Everything looked aboveboard, and she recognized her grandfather’s scrawled signature on the bottom of each page. She didn’t stop to decipher every bit of legalese, but grasped enough to know Grandpa Rudy was selling the farm to Jeremiah Stoltzfus.
Just as Jeremiah claimed.
“But my grandfather died,” she whispered. “Doesn’t that change things?”
“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve ever bought property.” He gave her a lopsided grin that lifted her traitorous heart once more.
Paying it no attention, she returned the papers to him and he put them in his bag. No one could answer the question gnawing at her most. Why would her grandfather promise her the property and then decide to sell it without telling her? She’d often mentioned her plans for the farm. Hadn’t he read her letters? Yes, he had, because he’d responded to things in them. But never, she realized with a jolt of dismay, had he written anything about her intention to make Come Along Farm a sanctuary for city youngsters like the one she’d enjoyed when she was a Fresh Air kid years ago, escaping for two amazing weeks each summer from the steam bath of the Bronx.
“I’m not sure what we should do,” he said when she remained silent.
“Me, either.” For the first time she looked straight into his brilliantly blue eyes. He must realize what she was about to say she meant with all her heart. “However, you need to know I’m not going to relinquish my family’s farm to you or anyone else.”
“But—”
“We moved in a couple of days ago. We’re not giving it up.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s our home.”
Chapter Two
Jeremiah had to select his words with care. He didn’t know if he’d be allowed to close on the farm as scheduled. He’d never heard of a person dying before property was transferred, because in Paradise Springs most farms were handed down from one generation to the next.
As Mercy said Rudy had meant to do with this farm. He’d changed his mind, but why?
Until he spoke with Kitty Vasic, his Realtor, and got her advice, he didn’t know what the outcome of this sticky situation would be. Mercy wasn’t going to back down. That much was clear. If their situations were reversed, he suspected he’d be as unwilling to compromise. He was unwilling to compromise.
There wasn’t room to. Either the farm was going to be his...or it wasn’t.
“It’s late,” he said when he realized Mercy was waiting for him to say something. “I doubt Kitty’s office is open. Do you know anyone nearby who has a phone I could use?”
As if in answer to him, a faint ringing came from beyond the living room. He glanced at Mercy and saw she was as surprised as he was at the unexpected sound.
“Phone!” called Sunni. “I’ll get it.”
“No! I’ll get it.” Mercy spun on her heel and ran toward the sound.
Jeremiah followed, too curious to wait. He paid no attention to the large living room as he went after Mercy through what looked like a storage room and then into a bedroom. It was draped in shadows, but a single greenish light glared off to one side.
Mercy grabbed the cordless phone and jabbed at a button. Holding it to her ear, she asked, “Hello?”
The faint buzz of a voice reached him, but he couldn’t discern words. His eyes widened when she held the phone out to him.
“It’s for you,” she said.
“For me?”
“Yes, unless you know another Jeremiah Stoltzfus.”
He knew three others in Paradise Springs alone. Taking the phone, he said, “This is Jeremiah Stoltzfus.”
“Hi, Jeremiah,” replied a strained female voice. “This is Kitty Vasic. I know Rudy invited you to the farm, so I thought I’d catch you there. We need to talk. Rudy Bamberger is dead.”
“Ja, I know.” He glanced toward Mercy, but she’d gone to stand by a window. Talking about this was uncomfortable. For him, the farm and his future were at stake, but she’d lost her grossdawdi. He didn’t like the idea of losing his opportunity to buy this farm, but he also disliked the idea of taking Mercy’s home.
“I’ve got something tonight I can’t get out of,” Kitty said. “How about I come over tomorrow afternoon?”
“Tomorrow afternoon should be fine.” What else could he say?
“Good. I’ll meet you at the farm around one.”
He thanked her. Tilting the phone toward the faint light coming through the window, he found the button to end the call. He set it in its holder. It chirped once, and then its glow faded.
“That was my Realtor,” Jeremiah said. “She’s coming over tomorrow afternoon around one to discuss what happens next.”
A soft click sounded in the room before a lamp came on by the side of a bed with a headboard taller than he was. It was carved with a great tree filled with birds and other beasts gathered below it. He realized the lamp must have been connected to a timer.
“I can make myself scarce,” Mercy replied.
He shook his head. “Don’t. You should be here so you can ask Kitty your questions. In fact, you should contact the Realtor your grossdawdi used and have him here.”
“I have no idea who that is.”
“His name is on the paperwork I signed. Why don’t I get it? It might have his phone number. You can call him and get him here, too.”
She rubbed her hands together. “Thank you, Jeremiah. You’re being nice about this.”
“Me? You didn’t throw me out on my ear when I barged in.”
When she smiled, it was as if another dozen lights had turned on. “I couldn’t throw you out after you saved me from my own foolishness.”
The pleasant warmth buzzed through him again as his gaze connected with hers. He looked away. Until he knew what was going to happen with the farm, he needed to keep his distance.
Turning on his heel, he went to where he’d left his bags. He’d get the information she needed and then...
And then what?
Tell her he’d planned to stay here tonight? He couldn’t insist Mercy and her little girl find another place tonight. He wasn’t sure what, under the circumstances, would happen if he left the property before the disposition of the farm was decided. Possession being nine-tenths of the law...or something like that.
He paused as he saw an overhead photo of the farm. His gaze riveted on the tenant house. It was the answer to tonight’s impasse.
Digging among the stack of legal forms, he found the purchase agreement. He paged through it to find Rudy’s Realtor’s name and contact information. There! He pulled a pencil out of his pocket along with the small notebook that he kept handy to take notes when someone ordered a piece of furniture. Though he planned to concentrate on farming, he knew he’d be doing woodworking on the side until he could get his first crop harvested. His hand tools and small power tools were on their way to Harmony Creek. As he wrote the name and number of Rudy’s Realtor, he hoped he wouldn’t have to ship those heavy crates back unopened.
He handed the information to Mercy, who nodded her thanks. Returning the papers in the envelope, he dropped it into the open bag. He drew the strings to close it and looked at Mercy. She was as serious as a sinner confessing in front of the Leit. Maybe it was for the best she didn’t smile again. He was too fascinated by the high arch of her cheekbones and her dark eyes.
“It’s getting late,” he said. “We’re not going to settle this tonight. It makes sense for you and your little girl to stay here. I’ll sleep in the tenant house.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s very kind, Jeremiah, but I’m not sure there’s heat in the tenant house.”
“I can figure out something.” He glanced around the room. “Do you have blankets?”
“There are plenty upstairs. Help yourself.” After she’d given him directions to the linen closet and he started for the stairs in the narrow space behind the door, she added, “Be careful. Like I told Sunni, the floors aren’t as sturdy as they should be.”
“I’ll take my cue from her and test the floors before I step on them.” He hurried upstairs before his grin popped out and betrayed how pleased he was to have an excuse to see more of the house he hoped would become his.
A pulse of guilt coursed through him, hot and powerful. The farm belonged to Mercy’s family, and he’d be upset if someone came along and insisted his brother surrender his claim on the farm where Jeremiah had grown up. But if he walked away, he might not find another farm near Harmony Creek.
Leaving to live elsewhere might be the difference between the new settlement succeeding or failing. A settlement needed about a dozen families to prosper, and a single person not staying as agreed could doom it. He’d made a deal with the other families, and he couldn’t break it without trying to stay.
Following Mercy’s directions to a linen closet, Jeremiah paused whenever he heard the floor creak beneath him. Each time it wasn’t anything more than the sounds made by an old building. He went to the closet beside the single bathroom on the upper floor and glanced into each room as he passed. Most were empty. Remnants of wallpaper hung in loose strips, and a damp odor filled every breath. Nibbled acorns warned squirrels had invaded. He was sure they were in the attic, too. Once it was warm enough for the squirrels to go outside, he’d check the exterior and block the holes they’d made to get into the house.
If he was here then...
He sighed. “God, You’ve brought me here. Help me see Your plan and the way for me to be part of this new settlement.”
Selecting a couple of wool blankets and guessing there would be plenty of moth holes, he grabbed two more before he went downstairs. He could get by for a single night. If it went as he hoped, by tomorrow night he’d be able to sleep in his own house.
Mercy was waiting in the exact same spot where she’d been when he’d left. Again, guilt tormented him. Part of him wanted to walk away, but he couldn’t.
“Did you find enough blankets?” she asked.
“I did.”
“They may not be in good condition.”
“They’re gut enough for tonight.”
She rubbed her hands together as she had before, and he realized she was as torn as he was. Turning the other cheek was the Mennonites’ way, too, but he’d seen how her eyes snapped when she spoke of him keeping her from making a home here for her and her kind.
“If it gets too cold,” she said, “come back.” A hint of a smile played along her lips. “You freezing to death would be a real complication.”
When he chuckled, her smile broadened, revealing the gentle person she was.
“Don’t worry, Mercy. I’ll be fine.” He hoped it wasn’t a boast. The temperatures had been dropping fast when he came to the house. He headed for the door.
“Do you have anything to eat?” she asked.
Her question stopped him in his tracks. “No.”
“Wait here.” Mercy rushed into the kitchen. He heard cabinet doors opening and closing as well as drawers being slid in and out; then she returned with a plastic bag filled with odd shapes. “It’s peanut butter and jelly and a few slices of the bread I brought with us. Also a couple of cans of orange juice. It’s Sunni’s favorite, so I always have a bunch on hand.”
“It’s my favorite, too.”
The smile he hadn’t guessed he’d see again spread across her face, adding an aura of light to her eyes and skin. “I’m glad!”
That pleasurable something uncurled within him once more as he gazed into her pretty eyes. A man could get lost in those eyes. He looked away. He hadn’t come to Harmony Creek to get lost, but to find his dream.
Picking up his duffel bags, he opened one and stuffed the thin blankets inside. He felt like a hobo as he steered his bags and himself out of the house. By the time he’d reached the porch steps, he heard the dead bolt click closed. Mercy wasn’t taking any chance he’d have second thoughts and return.
He would be there tomorrow, he thought as he trudged through the snow. Because he wasn’t ready to give up his dream...when it was within his grasp.
* * *
The next morning Mercy surveyed the wall completely stripped of ugly, peeling wallpaper. It’d taken more effort than she’d expected to get the remaining paper off. Maybe she shouldn’t have done more work until she knew for certain what was going to happen with the farm. When the clock on the mantel in the living room had chimed nine o’clock, she’d used the phone in the kitchen and called Darren Paquette, Grandpa Rudy’s Realtor. His office was in Glens Falls, more than twenty-five miles away, and she’d been grateful to catch him at his desk.
At least she had been until he told her not to do anything until she heard from him again. When she explained about the meeting that afternoon with Jeremiah and his Realtor, Mr. Paquette warned her to say nothing.
“A real estate transaction is adversarial at best,” he’d said, “and this is far from the best situation.”
“When can you come here?”
“Tell Kitty Vasic to call me, and we’ll discuss it. There’s no reason to involve you and Mr. Stoltzfus at this point.”
“I’ll tell her.”
How could he say she and Jeremiah weren’t involved in deciding the future of the farm? That was the silliest thing she’d ever heard.
“Are you okay, Mommy?” asked Sunni as she came downstairs.
Mercy smiled at her dear daughter, who looked adorable in her light green dress and with her black braids falling over her shoulders. The little girl was sensitive to everyone’s moods, and Mercy didn’t want her to get more upset.
“I’m fine, eolin-i.” The phrase meaning “little one” was one of the few she knew in Korean.
“Is he coming back?”
“Jeremiah?”
“Yeah, him.”
She got the broom she’d found in a kitchen closet and began sweeping the wallpaper scraps into a pile. “He’s returning this afternoon with a friend of his.”
“Is he going to make you sad again?”
Putting aside the broom, Mercy squatted until her eyes were level with her daughter’s. “Jeremiah didn’t intend to make me sad. But he talked about Grandpa Rudy, and that made me sad.”
“Me, too.” Her dark eyes glistened with tears. “I miss his water balloons.”
“I don’t miss that.” Mercy forced humor into her voice. “You two made me your favorite target.”
“It was fun to be splashed on a hot day.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” She hugged Sunni, being careful she didn’t pull her daughter off balance.
Mercy started to add more, but the door opened. She gasped when Jeremiah walked in. Nobody ever knocked at her grandfather’s door, but for the first time, having someone let himself in seemed like an invasion. From where she squatted, it appeared the top of his straw hat brushed the ceiling.
Telling herself not to be frivolous, she made sure Sunni was steady as she came to her own feet. Paper crunched under her sneakers when she turned to him. “I thought you were coming this afternoon.”
“It is afternoon.”
“It is?”
He chuckled. “The hours pass swiftly when there’s plenty of work, ain’t so?”
Mercy warned herself to relax. His teasing was aimed at trying to make the situation as comfortable as possible. “There are never enough hours in a day.”
“True.” He turned to Sunni. “How are you doing today?”
“You aren’t going to make my mommy sad again, are you?” her daughter shot back in a tone that warned Jeremiah he’d be sorry if he did that.
Though she wanted to remind Sunni of her manners, Mercy said nothing. How Jeremiah answered could tell her a lot about what he was planning to do next.
Taking off his hat, he held it by the brim. “I’m sorry if I made her sad before.” He raised his eyes to meet Mercy’s, and she saw his sincerity as he added, “And I don’t want to make her or you sad.”
“So you say,” Sunni retorted, shocking Mercy again. Her daughter wasn’t usually rude, but she seemed to have taken an instant dislike to Jeremiah. Should Mercy heed her daughter’s instincts...which she now could see had been spot-on where her ex-fiancé had been concerned?
But being rude to someone in their home—or what she hoped would be their home—wasn’t acceptable. “Sunni,” she interjected in a firm tone, “it’s not nice to suggest Jeremiah would do something hurtful on purpose.”
As it isn’t kind for me to ask why Grandpa Rudy hid how he was selling the farm that he said would be mine. Why? Why would you change your mind without telling me?
“I’m sorry,” Sunni said, but her obstinate frown countermanded her words.
“It’s okay to ask questions,” Jeremiah replied, “but my mamm says you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
“Who wants to catch flies?” The little girl grimaced. “Gross.”
Mercy struggled not to laugh as she explained the adage to her daughter. Looking at Jeremiah, she said, “It’s past time for Sunni and I to have lunch, and I know how hungry she gets after doing her schoolwork. I’m homeschooling her.” Realizing she was babbling, she added, “Have you eaten?”
“I had the last of the peanut butter for breakfast.”
“You can join us if you don’t mind leftover pizza.”
“Leftover pizza sounds like manna from heaven.”
Laughing, she said, “I didn’t order the manna topping. I hope you like pepperoni.”
A slow smile spread over Jeremiah’s face, and her heart did a stutter step as his blue eyes shone like a cloudless summer sky. He’d been so serious during their previous discussions. Seeing him smile was like being confronted by a stranger.
He is a stranger. A stranger who wants your farm. Telling her heart to behave itself because it’d been so wrong about Graham, she led the way into the kitchen. She’d be a fool to listen to her heart that had believed Graham loved her. Fortunately, she’d realized in time she always would have been a distant second in his affections after his mother.
She’d learned her lesson. Or she should have. Maybe her brain had, but her heart had a lot to learn.
Mercy used the time while she got the pizza out of the ancient refrigerator in the off-white kitchen and began warming it in the oven to regain her equilibrium. She must not be distracted by Jeremiah’s beguiling smile when the future of Come Along Farm was at stake. When she got cans of soda—a special treat for Sunni—from the fridge, she listened as Jeremiah tried to engage her daughter in conversation.
Sunni was being cautious, either not replying or giving a single-word answer. It was a reminder, though Mercy didn’t need one, of how her daughter had been hurt by Graham’s decision to choose someone over them and walk away without a backward look. Too many people had done that to Sunni, and Mercy was determined her daughter wouldn’t feel abandoned again.
They were finishing what was a very uncomfortable lunch when a knock came at the door. Mercy watched as the door opened and a woman stuck her head in.
“Anyone home?”
Mercy was on her feet as Jeremiah pushed back his chair. She saw him reach to assist Sunni and shook her head to halt him. Sunni needed to do everything as other kids did. If Jeremiah acted as if he thought Sunni couldn’t do something, it would make the little girl dislike him more.
Jeremiah appeared taken aback, but drew aside his hands as Sunni pushed her chair out. When Mercy went to the door, he followed.
“Hi, Kitty,” he said before introducing Mercy to his Realtor.
Kitty Vasic was the picture of an elegant, successful businesswoman. She wore a business suit of the brightest pink Mercy had ever seen, and her shoes had spiked heels that must be five inches high. Mercy was fascinated, because she expected the Realtor to topple on each step.
“Mr. Stoltzfus, how nice to meet you in person.” Kitty held out her hand and when he took it, she pumped his hand vigorously. “And you, too, Ms. Bamberger.”
“Please call me Mercy,” she said at the same time Jeremiah was urging the Realtor to use his given name.
Jeremiah added, “Plain folks don’t like to use titles.”
“Oh, that’s good to know.” Kitty smiled. “With you Amish moving into southern Washington County, it’s important to learn how to be good neighbors. Don’t you agree?”
Mercy considered saying she wasn’t Amish, but she didn’t want to delay hearing what the Realtor had to say. “We appreciate you coming so we can get this unfortunate situation resolved right away.”
Kitty’s smile wavered. “Oh, dear! I’m sorry if I led you to believe this could be settled today.”
“But I thought—” Jeremiah began.
“Let’s talk, and I’ll tell you what I do know.” She grinned as Sunni appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Well, hello, young lady. You must be a Bamberger because I know Jeremiah doesn’t have children.”
“Sunni,” Mercy said, “this would be a good time for you to finish the story we started last night.”
The little girl glanced at Jeremiah’s and Kitty’s taut faces. Mercy guessed her own expression was as uneasy. With a nod, Sunni went into the dining room, where two overstuffed chairs were set by a fireplace that opened into the kitchen, as well. It needed to be swept because ashes had tumbled onto the floor. Something else for Mercy to add to her lengthy to-do list.
Pushing aside her longing to go with her daughter and forget about these complications, Mercy squared her shoulders. “We can sit in the living room.”
Behind her, the click-click-click of Kitty’s high heels marked her steps, but Jeremiah’s boot falls were surprisingly light for such a tall, muscular man. She shook those thoughts from her head. She couldn’t allow herself to become distracted.
She sat in what had been her grandfather’s favorite chair by the wide window offering a view of the road through the bare branches of the maple trees. Waiting until the others chose chairs, she gazed at the green tiles on the large fireplace.