A Daughter's Dream (12 page)

“I'm afraid if I give you too much time to think about it, you might change your mind and tell me no after all,” he said honestly.

“You might be as ruthlessly honest as I have a tendency to be. Come to my desk when I get off. I'll be waiting.”

“I'll be there,” he said as they walked down the stairs to her desk. After getting his key and folder from Mercy, he walked outside.

He had some time to kill. Then he was going to do something he'd never expected to do when he'd packed up his things and moved to Charm.

He was going courting.

Just the idea of it made him grin.

That same day

I
t was turning out to be quite the Tuesday for Lilly Yoder. First, Mrs. Mast had asked her to stay a few minutes after school to talk. Then, when she'd told Peter that she couldn't walk home with him after all, he'd offered to stay behind and wait for her. Right in front of his best friend Andy, Katie, and another handful of people. Lilly, of course, had blushed like crazy. Because that was all she seemed able to do around Peter. But that didn't stop her from telling him thank you.

Beyond all of that, Katie was talking to her again. At first, she'd only said hello and talked about her little brother's new rabbit. When she'd realized Lilly wasn't going to hold a grudge, Katie sat next to her at lunch.

“You don't mind if I sit with ya, do you?” she'd asked.

“Why would I mind?” After all, it wasn't like she had that many friends.

“Probably because I haven't been that nice to you lately.”

“What did I do?”

Katie chomped on a carrot stick. “It weren't that as much as what Peter did. He's been following you around like a puppy.” Around another bite, she said, “I was pretty jealous.”

Lilly wasn't sure what Katie could be jealous of—she was the one who had all the friends. Then she remembered the way Katie had glared at her when Peter was talking to her the other day. “I'm sorry. I didn't know you and Peter were seeing each other.”

“We weren't.”

So Katie had been holding on to a crush? “Oh. Well, I guess I should tell you that it wasn't anything personal. I honestly didn't try to get Peter to start walking me home. It just happened.”

To Lilly's amusement, Katie shrugged off her concerns as if they were of no consequence at all. “Don't worry about it. I was being foolish. The truth is that Peter and I have known each other all our lives. We've never been all that close or even that good of friends. I don't know why I thought he'd one day start looking at me in a new way.”

“Oh. I see.” Of course, Lilly really didn't, but if things were fine between them now, she wasn't going to argue.

Sighing dramatically, Katie added, “Actually, last night I was thinking about why I was so upset with you. And that's when I realized something.”

“What?”

“See, I wasn't only jealous of Peter liking you. I was jealous of you, too.”

Her? “Katie, you're the one with all the friends. What are you talking about?”

“You're pretty, Lilly. And smart, too. And it's even kind of
nice that you are new here. All the kids might like me now, but they remember when I couldn't say my ‘R's and used to suck my thumb.”

Lilly burst out laughing. “You are pretty, too. And I haven't noticed you slip up with your ‘R's yet.”

Katie chuckled, too. “
Gut
. What I'm trying to say is that you being here reminded me of everything I'm not and it made me kind of sad. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.”

“Danke.”
With another smile, Katie had dived into her sandwich and started telling Lilly another story about her many siblings. They sounded like a wild bunch. One of them was always getting hurt or injured or in trouble.

Lilly had been happy to simply listen and eat her sandwich. As she did so, she realized that Katie hadn't brought up Lilly's parents dying once. Maybe Peter had glared at her so much the other day that she was afraid to mention Lilly's parents ever again.

But Lilly preferred to think that Katie had started thinking of Lilly as just, well, Lilly. The new girl. Not Lilly, the poor girl whose parents died and who had to live with her grandparents and uncle.

If that was the case, she would be thankful for that.

Late that afternoon, when Mrs. Mast reentered the classroom after dismissing school for the day, Peter was following her.

“It's pretty warm outside. I didn't have the heart to make Peter stand in the sun while waiting for you,” Mrs. Mast explained. “Do you mind if he sits in the back of the classroom while you and I chat near my desk?”

After casting a quick glance in Peter's direction and seeing him shrug, Lilly shrugged, too. “Sure. That's fine.”

“Good,” she said as she walked to her desk. “Now then, I bet you know why I wanted to speak to you.”

“Is it because I was working on algebra in your classroom?”

“It is.”

“I won't do that again.”

“Lilly, you certainly aren't in trouble. Actually, I went over to the high school the other day and talked to some of my teacher friends there.”

This was starting to sound bad. “What did they say?” she asked hesitantly. Oh, she really hoped no one wanted her to start attending the English high school.

Mrs. Mast's kind eyes softened. “My friend Blaire wants you to go over there on Monday. She's going to meet you at the door and—”

“
Nee
,” Lilly interrupted. “I don't want to go to the high school.”

Mrs. Mast held up a hand. “No one wants you to transfer over there. All Blaire wants to do is give you some tests.”

“Why?”

“If you score as high as I think you might, Blaire is going to help me gather some materials for you.” She paused, then added, “And find you some tutors.”

“Could I do the work here?” Though she hadn't meant to, she glanced over at Peter.

He'd moved closer and was making no secret that he was eavesdropping on the conversation. When she looked his way, he smiled. That smile helped enough to make her stop questioning everything her teacher was saying.

“I'm sorry. I'll stop interrupting so much.”

Mrs. Mast grinned, then looked over her shoulder. “Peter,
since it's obvious that you're listening, and since I have no doubt that you and Lilly will talk about this the whole way home, you might as well join the conversation.”

“
Danke
, Aunt Rachel,” he said, walking right over and, bold-as-you-please, sitting on Lilly's other side.

Unable to help herself, Lilly giggled. “You are incorrigible, Peter.”

“Since I'm not even sure what that means, I think you need to go to the high school on Monday and meet Blaire and get tested,” he replied.

“Who would the tutors be?” Lilly asked. “And where would I meet them?”

“They are going to be high school juniors and seniors who can drive. They'll come here once or twice a week and help you understand everything you're working on.”

“So I would still be here, but I'd be working on my own a lot.”

“Jah.”
Mrs. Mast's expression was somber. “Lilly, my job as a teacher is to help my students. If I thought you needed glasses, I would help you get to the eye doctor. If you were having a lot of trouble learning and I feared that you needed a special class or teacher, I would do that, too. As far as I'm concerned, your needs are no less important than anyone else's. They're simply a bit unusual.”

Lilly liked that statement. Plus, it would be so nice to learn something new instead of always pretending to be interested in what everyone else was trying to figure out.

But still . . . What would her grandparents say?

“Would the tutors be expensive?” she asked.

“They wouldn't be expensive at all. They would be free,” Mrs. Mast explained.

“Oh.”

“When would she go over to the high school?” Peter asked.

“Blaire said she could drive over here and pick you up during her morning break. So you'd go to the high school a little after nine, then either Blaire or another teacher would drive you back here.”

“I'll still need to talk with my uncle Jacob and my grandparents.”

“I understand. Just let me know by the end of the week. If you decide you don't want help, when Blaire stops by, I'll tell her that you changed your mind,” Mrs. Mast said easily.

“All right, then. I guess I'll let you know on Thursday or Friday.”

“I'm proud of you, Lilly,” Mrs. Mast said as she stood up and walked her and Peter to the door. “I know you've been through a lot and that this is another change. But I think you'll be really glad you decided to do this.”

“
Danke
,” Lilly said. “You went to a lot of trouble for me. It was mighty nice of you.”

“You're welcome, dear.” Stepping back, Mrs. Mast said, “Now you two go enjoy your evening.”

“We sure will, Aunt Rachel,” Peter said. “See you tomorrow.”

“
Jah
. I'll see you then.” Wagging a finger at him playfully, she added, “But don't you forget to do your homework.”

His grin slipped away. “I won't.”

“Gut.”
After winking Lilly's way, Mrs. Mast closed the door behind them.

When they were alone, Peter laughed. “I think she's said that to me every afternoon for five years.”

“I guess there was a reason for that?”

“
Jah
. I got pretty lazy when I was eight or nine. Our former teacher had to ask my parents to help keep me in line. They warned me to be better behaved for Aunt Rachel when she started here.”

“Did you listen?”

He rubbed his rear end. “Oh,
jah
. My
daed
made sure of it.”

“Ouch.”

He shrugged off her sympathy. “It weren't so bad. Like I said, I've always been kind of a handful.”

“You've been really nice to me,” she said as they crossed the stretch of empty highway, then detoured onto a narrow path that lay between two different farms. Everyone walked down it to get from one end of Charm to the other.

So far, Lilly had only been on it when most of the other kids were there. Now it was just the two of them.

It felt different.

Peter glanced her way and grinned again. “Of course I'm going to be nice to you.”

“Why?”

He stared straight ahead. “You know why,” he said after a good five minutes.

She really didn't. Her worst fears got the best of her. “Is it because my parents died?”

He stopped suddenly.
“Nee.”

Now she was really confused. Glancing around, she felt like they were the only two people for miles around. There was a faint breeze making the hay in the field on their left rustle in the wind.

“Then why?” she asked.

He sighed, looked at her backpack on her shoulder, then
reached out and set it on the ground. He tossed his down with a lot less care. While she stood there gaping at him, he took both of her hands in his. It was the first time she'd ever held a boy's hand. She noticed his hands were far bigger and rougher.

“Peter?”

“I like you, Lilly,” he said at last. “I think you're pretty. I like how you're kind of shy. I like how you're really smart. I like how you put up with Katie and her goofy ways. But what I like the most is that you are letting me walk you home.”

“I'm letting you hold my hands, too,” she pointed out.

He squeezed her hands gently. “
Jah
. Today? Well, today's a really
gut
day.” He dropped her hands then and picked up their backpacks. “Now, do you have any more questions, Miss I'm-too-smart-for-regular-school?”

She couldn't help it, she burst out laughing just as she grabbed her backpack from him and started walking. When he chuckled too as he fell into step beside her, she knew Peter had been right. It surely was a really good day.

That same day

I
t was a beautiful early September afternoon. Though the air was warm, the humidity had lessened. A slight breeze filled the air, bringing with it a hint of the upcoming change in season. Those elements, combined with the many terra-cotta pots of dark red geraniums, yellow mums, and pretty purple pansies, made walking outside a pleasure.

But Rebecca was beginning to think that the main reason the day felt so perfect was because Jacob was by her side.

He'd returned to the office at four o'clock on the dot. Then, he'd stood patiently by the door as she cleared off her desk and gathered her purse and keys. Of course that had taken double the time it usually did, what with her smiling at him, losing her train of thought, and generally behaving like a schoolgirl instead of the independent working woman that she was.

When she'd finally announced that she was ready to go, he'd smiled.

“I'm glad,” he'd said. As if nothing else was needed to be said.

And maybe nothing else did.

His easy acceptance of her made her feel special, which was a mighty nice feeling.

Now, as they continued to walk, she noticed that Jacob was measuring his steps to hers. It was a kind thing to do. So many men would have expected her to walk faster to keep their pace. His accommodation was a sign, she thought. A sign that they were supposed to enjoy this time together as much as possible. And, perhaps, use it to discover more about each other.

“Hey, Jacob?”

“Jah?”

“Do you remember when I was walking home with Lilly? We were on that path in between the Hendrix and Montgomery properties and had almost made it to town?”

“If you are asking if I remember overhearing Lilly being terribly rude to you, the answer is yes. I remember that well.”

Rebecca noticed that his voice had darkened. She also sensed that he was about to apologize to her again. She decided to get to her point, and quickly.

“Well, before all that, Lilly asked me a funny question.”

Looking down at her, Jacob grimaced. “Do I even want to know? Half the things that I hear come out of her mouth are surprising.”

“Don't sound so glum,” she said pertly. “First of all, girls her age are dramatic.”

“I believe that.”

He sounded so confused about it that Rebecca laughed. “Being dramatic is not a bad thing. I promise!”

“All right. If you say so.” He sighed. “I tell you what, I am looking forward to the day when Lilly and I are more comfortable with each other. I hope and pray that one day I can tell her something without feeling like I am walking on eggshells.”

Boy, she'd started this off on a bad foot. “Jacob, I didn't bring this up to talk about Lilly.” Before she started blushing, she cleared her throat. “Lilly asked if I had ever had a boyfriend.”

“I'm sorry. That girl has no shame.” He shook his head. “How did you answer that? Or do I even want to know?”

She smiled in return, liking both his joke and his honesty. “Well, you see, that caught me off guard. I actually thought it was kind of a funny question.”

“Of course you did. It weren't any of her business.”

“No, it was actually because I hadn't really reflected on my past relationships—or lack of them. You see, my answer was no. I've never had a serious boyfriend.”

“There's nothing wrong with that.”

“I don't think so, either. But when she then asked me why I hadn't, I got to thinking some more.” After a brief pause, she continued on. It was obvious that she needed to get to the point soon, before he began thinking she was being critical of his niece.

“When I was attempting to give her reasons as to why I hadn't ever had a boyfriend, I discovered something about myself.”

“What was that?”

“I never gave myself the time or opportunity to do so.”

“Truly?” He sounded surprised.

She didn't blame him. She'd been kind of surprised about her romance-less state, too. “I started thinking about my life. At first I decided I could say that I've simply been too busy for love
and romance. But once I was honest with myself, I realized that I've actually let myself become too busy. I allowed myself to put other people's needs before my own.”

“There's nothing wrong with that. That's what family is for, don't you think?”

“I do. But not necessarily at the expense of twenty-five years. I feel like I wasted a lot of time trying to be everything to everyone. Sometimes a girl needs to take a chance and give herself time to be selfish.”

“Is that why you said yes to me walking you home? It was time to be selfish?”

She thought about that, then shook her head. “Yes. Hmm. No, I mean,
nee
.”

“Yes and no?”

“What I'm trying to say—very badly, I might add—is that I think I realized that there was something different about you. It appealed to me. I wanted to get to know you better.”

“I think I was ready to be selfish, too, if you want to know the truth,” Jacob said. “When I heard that my brother and sister-in-law died, it made me realize that I'd been living each day without much thought to the future, or to my past. I'd been living in Pinecraft, getting up in the morning, working my job, getting something quick to eat, and sleeping. And then doing it all over again in the morning.”

She knew exactly what he was getting at. It was so easy to think that each day was going to be like the one before and the next one, too. Before you knew it, another week had passed, then a month. And if you weren't careful, you would have nothing to show for it.

“I'm not sure what I want to do with my life anymore,” Rebecca admitted as they turned down her long driveway and headed toward the large white two-story house that her family had lived in for generations. “I thought it was caring for my siblings. Then I thought it was teaching school. But maybe God simply wants me to try to make a difference in other people's lives.”

“That's all?” he asked in a teasing tone. “Attempting to make a difference is a pretty lofty goal to take on.”

“Maybe. Or maybe not. You see, my mother was able to make a difference in our lives almost every day before she passed away.” To her surprise, her throat got tight with emotion. Even after all this time, she still missed her mother's love and guidance.

“What did she do that was so special?”

“She raised a family. She cooked us supper every evening and made us breakfast every morning.”

“Don't all mothers do that?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. But if you had asked me when I was seven if other mothers did that, I would have told you it didn't matter to me. All I cared about was that my mother did. She made a difference in my life.”

“When you figure out what you are going to do, let me know. Because I am simply just trying to get through each day.”

Rebecca nodded, but inside she felt deflated. Maybe she had been sounding just a little too preachy. Or perhaps she'd sounded dreamy? After all, it was a fairly big proposal, to attempt to make such a difference in a life.

She was just about to explain herself again when Jacob started laughing.

“When did you get that little guy?”

She slowly turned her head to where Jacob was staring and gasped.

There, in one of their flower beds stood a baby goat. It was a tiny thing, surely not more than a few months old. It seemed fascinated with Amelia's mums and was nibbling on the purple ones that lined the bed. By the looks of things, it had been enjoying those mums for quite a while.

As they got closer, it popped its head up, a ragged bloom hanging from its teeth, and stared directly at them. Rebecca couldn't help but smile. It was adorable with silky white fur, an inquisitive expression, and sturdy-looking little legs.

“You didn't tell me you'd gotten a baby goat,” Jacob said. “It's cute.”

“I didn't know, either.” It was impossible to keep the dismay out of her voice. “I don't know where it came from.”

“Well, it currently seems to have a fondness for purple chrysanthemums. I wonder why.”

Intent on saving the mums her mother had planted years ago, Rebecca strode toward it. But she was brought up short by its change in expression. Instead of looking content, it now looked extremely irritated with her. Its beady black eyes looked directly at her.

Did goats bite? She wasn't sure. After a few seconds, it bleated.

Jacob, unfortunately, looked just as lost about what to do with the little creature as she did. He was standing in front of it, his hands held out, as if warding off an attack.

The goat? Well, after barely glancing at Jacob, it delicately pulled the head of yet another mum and began nibbling on it in earnest.

“Do you want me to try to grab hold of it?” Jacob asked.

“I don't know.” If they caught the little thing, what would they do with it then? Maybe that didn't matter, though. She couldn't simply remain there and watch it destroy Amelia's garden.

“Oh, Princess.
Nee!
” Amelia cried as she ran out from the barn. “You mustn't eat the blooms.” When she saw Rebecca, Amelia frowned at her. “Becky, why are you just watching Princess eat my garden?”

The answer seemed so obvious, she didn't dare say it. Instead, she asked a question of her own. “Why is a goat here? And why on earth is it named Princess?”

“She is my new kid,” Amelia explained as she strode into the bed and wrapped her arms around the goat's neck. After brushing a hand through its soft-looking fur, she added, “I thought Princess was a wonderful-
gut
name. She's a rather fine-looking goat, don'tcha think?”

“She is pretty, I'll give you that,” Rebecca said. “But I don't understand how she came to be here.”

“Oh, that's easy. I was over at Hershberger's today and they had some goats for sale.”

Hershberger's was a popular tourist destination in the area. Folks could even buy corn to feed the goats who loved standing on top of one of the barns. The place was fun and the goats were amusing to watch. But it was a bit of a shock to realize that Amelia had not only ventured over there on her own, but had chosen a baby goat, too.

Not wanting to hurt her sister's feelings, Rebecca took care to simply state the obvious. “So you bought one.”

“Obviously,” Amelia said as she pulled the goat toward Rebecca and Jacob. “Hi,” she said with a smile. “We haven't met. I'm Amelia Kinsinger.”

“Jacob Yoder.”

Still holding on to the goat, she looked from Rebecca to Jacob and back. “Are you new to Charm?”

“
Jah
. Just moved here from Florida.”

“His niece is in Rachel's classroom. That's how we met.”

“I didn't think you were helping out there anymore.”

“I'm not. But now Jacob is going to work at Kinsinger's.”

“Are you? That's
gut
to know. Doing what?”

“Carpentry. I'll be building house frames,” Jacob added.

Before Amelia could ask any more personal questions, Rebecca redirected their conversation back to the goat. “Where is, ah, Princess going to be living?”

“In the barn, of course.” Looking a little worried, Amelia added, “But I think I'm going to need to get her in a better stall. She slipped out of the one I put her in just an hour ago.”

“Let me see if I can help you,” Jacob said.

Amelia smiled softly. “
Danke
. Lukas is going to be mighty upset with me if I don't make sure to take care of Princess.”

“Does Lukas know about her yet?” Rebecca asked.

“Of course not.”

“Aren't you a little worried he's gonna be upset?”

“Nee.”
Looking decidedly obstinate, she added, “Lukas is my big brother, not my guardian.”

That was true. However . . . “But don't you think you should have asked him about her?”

“
Nee
. Why? Are you upset that I didn't ask you?”

She was, actually. A flower-eating goat sounded like trouble. “I'm not upset,” she began, “but I am surprised.”

“You'll get used to Princess in no time,” she said as she picked
up the goat and started toward the barn. “
Danke
for your help, Jacob.”

After sending an amused smile her way, Jacob turned to Rebecca. “I guess I should go help out your sister.”

It was startling, but she felt a fresh burst of jealousy. Amelia, with her perfect balance of beauty and sweetness could get just about anyone to do anything for her. Especially if that someone was a man. Since it had been happening all their lives, probably from the time that Amelia could smile and point to a block or toy that she wanted, Rebecca couldn't even fault her sister for it.

But suddenly, Rebecca wished Amelia's natural appeal wasn't quite so . . . well, appealing. “You don't have to go help her if you don't want to,” she said. “Lukas can work on the stall later.”

“I don't mind helping.” She bet he didn't. Just as she was willing herself not to say anything unkind, he added, “But would you do me a favor, too?”

“What do you need?”

“Come rescue me in fifteen minutes or so?”

Since he looked like the last man to ever need to be rescued, especially not from Amelia, she laughed. “What do you need rescuing from?”

“Princess. She's cute, but I'm not really a fan of goats.”

“You really aren't a farmer, are you?”

Looking sheepish, he grinned. “Nope. Besides, no offense, but I didn't come here to work in your barn. I wanted to see you.”

Instantly, all her worries vanished. “I'll come to the rescue in fifteen minutes.”

“Danke,”
he said before striding to the barn.

After watching him for a bit too long, Rebecca went inside the house. She needed to put her purse down and clean up.