take his share of the profits. It wouldn’t be right.”
He hadn’t expected that, and maybe he should have. Beth, for all her softness, had a strong sense of what was right.
“We can work that out,” he said. “Like I said, we could hire someone else. Or you might want to spend some time helping out, ain’t so?”
He could see how that idea shook her, could anticipate the instant refusal coming.
“I... I can’t. I’ve never done anything like that. And anyway, I can’t leave Benjy.”
Again, he had that longing to reach out and take her hand. “Not full-time, no. But why don’t you come in for a few hours a day? You can bring Benjy with you. He’d enjoy it.”
“I don’t know...”
He sensed her considering it and pressed his advantage. “It makes sense, Beth. You ought to see the operation for yourself. Maybe look over the books and get a little understanding of how it works. It’s part yours now, yah?”
She rose, and he stood up with her. It looked as if she’d leave without a decision, but then she nodded. “I can’t promise more, but I’ll come in one day. Not tomorrow, but soon.”
He’d have to be content with that for now. But he for sure wanted to know what was behind her reluctance.
The next afternoon Beth stood in the driveway, waving as her father’s horse-drawn wagon reached the main road and turned in at the store. The apple-picking had been enjoyed by all the young cousins. She’d been expecting someone to fall out of a tree, but Daad had kept a stern eye on his grandchildren, so there’d been no horseplay.
Each of them had taken a small basket home with them. They’d stopped at the store to deliver ten peck baskets of apples. There’d be more in a few days, but she’d wait to see how the first ones sold. She didn’t want to burden Daniel with anything he couldn’t sell.
She was starting toward the back door when she saw a buggy turn into the drive. Company for her? She gave her skirt a quick shake, hoping she didn’t have any leaves or twigs caught in her clothes. Then she recognized Lydia, so she smiled and waved, walking to the driveway to meet her cousin.
“How nice. I’m having lots of company today.” She fastened the line to the hitching post. “Wilkom, Lydia.”
Lydia gave her a quick hug and stood back for a moment, scanning her face. She gave an approving nod. “You look better today. Gut!”
“Always better for seeing you.” They linked arms as they walked into the house. “Tea or coffee?” She usually preferred tea in the afternoon, but sometimes Lydia liked coffee. “I have a pot I made for Daad.”
“Coffee, then.” She took the chair she usually sat in for their afternoon break. “I saw your daad at the store. Looked as if they were unloading apples.”
“Yah, we did the first picking of the early apples. I’ll put some in a basket for you to take home. Tell your mamm they’re Honeycrisp.”
“I’ll do that. Denke.” She took the mug of coffee Beth handed her. “All right, tell me. Why are you looking better today?”
Beth shrugged, taking her seat. “I’m not sure. Just being busier helps, I guess. The apple-picking today, and yesterday I went to the store to talk to Daniel.” She frowned a little at the thought of what she’d promised. “What about you? Have you been working a lot?”
Lydia nodded, making a face. “Waitressing at the coffee shop isn’t a very challenging job. Sometimes I wish the regulars would order something different, just for a change.”
“Why should they? You have the same thing every day for breakfast at home, don’t you?”
“That’s different. I have whatever Mamm cooks. If I had my way, I’d fix something different every day.”
Beth couldn’t help but smile. Lydia always claimed to long for something different, but she went on in the usual Amish routine all the same.
“Laughing at me?” Lydia said. “Ach, I deserve it. I should be ashamed to complain. Never mind that, anyway. Tell me what Daniel wanted.”
Now it was her turn to grimace. “Everyone keeps pushing me to make some decisions about the store, and I can’t think of anything but...well, you know.”
“Yah, I know.” Lydia reached across the table to clasp her hand. “Did anything new come to light?”
“No. I asked Daniel where James was going that last night, but he didn’t know.”
“You think he was meeting that woman, whoever she was? It might not be that at all.”
“Then what was he doing out on Owl Hollow Road?”
Lydia didn’t have an answer to that. After a moment she countered with another question. “What exactly did Daniel say?”
She rubbed the tense muscles in the back of her neck. “He said they’d been working on something in the store, and when they were about finished, James went out first. I guess he thought James was just going home.”
“So James didn’t say anything to him.”
Was there doubt in Lydia’s voice? She couldn’t be sure. But Daniel wouldn’t lie to her. “If he’d known where James was going, he’d have told me.” She clenched her teaspoon so hard her fingers stung. “Now I’m supposed to take over our share of the store, and I don’t know a thing about it.”
Lydia glanced down at the liquid in her mug, as if mulling something over. “I was always a little surprised that you didn’t help out in the store sometimes, especially once Benjy wasn’t a baby anymore.”
“That’s the way James wanted it. He said I had enough to do with Benjy, the house, the garden and the orchard. I never questioned it.”
She’d grown so used to the fact that she’d never really wondered about it. Plenty of women with families helped out in the family business.
“It would be easier now if you had been more involved, but I don’t suppose James envisioned a time when he wouldn’t be there.” Lydia glanced at her, as if to be sure her words hadn’t hurt.
“Yah, it would be. I don’t believe James ever considered the need. After all, his mother never did work outside the home, and she just had the one child and the little house in town.”
Lydia’s dimples showed at the mention of Beth’s mother-in-law. “It’s certain sure Sarah Esch never thought of anything on her own. I’ve never seen a woman so...so passive in my life.”
Beth had to suppress a smile. “Sarah is like a soft, fluffy pillow you can push into any shape.” Fearing that sounded critical, she hurried on. “But she’s a wonderful, sweet mother-in-law.”
“I guess.” She hesitated. “Pillows are all very well to rest on, but they don’t help you get anything done. And she
