he talked with Rosie in the kitchen. When she came downstairs he grinned at her. “Ready?”
Katie nodded. Rosie stood at the sink rinsing the strawberries she’d picked that morning. “You’re having something other than strawberries, right?” she asked and realized she sounded like a mother.
Rosie just gave her a mild look. “Thought I’d make a strawberry and spinach salad, have some of that chicken salad that’s left, too.”
“She’s making me hungry,” Daniel announced. “But a man wants more than some leaves and berries. Let’s go, Katie.”
“I feel like having more than leaves and berries, too,” she agreed and followed him out the door.
Chapter 2
2
Guder mariye.”
Rosie turned as she knelt in a row of lettuce to see Jacob standing near the fence. “Why, Jacob, what are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d say hello.”
“Uh, hello.” Rosie brushed at her cheek then remembered she was wearing gardening gloves. She took one off and wiped dirt from her cheek. Honestly, she must look like a mess. “I didn’t hear you.”
“You looked like you were talking to someone,” he said, unlatching the gate. “Oh, Rosie, don’t move.” He approached cautiously. “There’s a snake a few feet from you. Don’t worry, it’s harmless.”
Rosie grinned. “I’m not worried. He comes to see me every day I’m out here.”
“And you’re not scared?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. Like you said, he’s harmless. I call him Blackie. Silly, I know. But he seems to enjoy my voice.”
Jacob squatted down beside her. “Interesting. Most women scream and run from snakes.”
“Well, this is really more his territory than mine. And if a mouse darts out, you’ll probably see me react the way you describe.”
“Quite a garden you have here. This is where you grow the things you can for your business?”
“How’d you know about our business?”
“I carried two boxes of jars labeled Two Peas in a Pod into the storeroom at Saul’s store the other day, remember?”
She remembered. She’d stared into those eyes of his then and now, with him so close found herself doing it again. The sun beat down, dusting his hair and turning the chestnut strands reddish. It was so quiet she could hear a bee buzzing nearby.
“I—we grow most of what we can, but we do buy some fruits and vegetables from other local gardeners and farmers. I was about to stop for a cold drink. Do you want one?”
“Sounds good, Rosie.”
Her head jerked up at his use of her name.
“It is Rosie, isn’t it.” He grinned at her, making it a statement instead of a question.
“Ya,” she admitted. “But how did you know that? Even people who’ve known us for a long time sometimes get us confused.”
“I paid attention the day we met.”
Feeling a little unnerved, unsure how she felt about that, she rose, lifting the basket of lettuce she’d picked. Blackie slithered away.
“There’s water for your horse over there,” she said, indicating the pump with a wave of her hand as she walked toward the house.
“Danki.”
Rosie went into the house and washed her hands before getting a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator. She filled two glasses with ice and tea, then added a plate of apple butter bars she’d baked using some of the apple butter she and Katie had made. Then she couldn’t resist a quick look in the mirror in the front bathroom. She frowned. Her face was shiny, and there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek. Grabbing a washcloth, she ran some water on it and gave her face a quick scrub. At least her hair had stayed neatly tucked under her kerchief.
Jacob was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the porch when she carried the tray outside. He rose quickly to take it from her and set it on the table between the chairs. Interesting, she thought. A gentleman. She followed him and took a seat.
“So you were in the neighborhood?”
He nodded as he sipped his tea. “Getting used to the area. You know how it is.”
She shook her head. “I’ve always lived here.”
“I wanted a change,” he said, looking around at the fields beyond the house. “I visited here last year and talked to Abram Lapp about organic farming”
“Really? We raise our fruit and vegetables organically, too.”
“I know. Abram told me. That’s one of the reasons I thought I’d stop by and see if we could talk about it someday.”
“Schur. I’d love to.”
The front door opened, and Katie strolled out. “Well, I didn’t know we had company. Hello, Jacob.”
“Guder mariye. I was taking a drive around the neighborhood and thought I’d pay a quick visit.”
“I see.” She turned to Rosie. “Our driver called to ask if he could pick us up a little early today.”
Rosie glanced at Jacob, then Katie. “How early?”
“He’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
She jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I’m going to have to go get ready.”
“I’ll keep him company until you get back,” Katie said, and she took Rosie’s seat. And drink. “So, Jacob, tell me about the farm you bought.”
Rosie walked quickly into the house and when she reached the inside stairs she ran up them, pulling off her kerchief. She undressed, took her shower and dressed for work, returning downstairs in record time.
“That was fast,” Katie remarked as Rosie rushed into the kitchen. “Jacob had to leave.”
She skidded to a stop, disappointed.
“I tried to keep him here for you,” Katie said as she added a plastic bag of cookies to a lunch tote.
“You did? For me?” Rosie tried to keep the disbelief from her voice.
“I did. I told him it wouldn’t take you long to get cleaned up, but he said he’d stop by another time.”
Rosie sank into a kitchen chair. Interesting. Most of the time men wanted to talk to Katie. She studied her sister’s face, wondering how she felt about Jacob taking off instead of sticking around to talk to her.
Katie
