do, but preferably not in the water,” Rosemary said, setting the plants on the ground. “Here.”
“She’s full of honey-do’s, this wife of mine.” Benjamin winked at Lovage conspiratorially and lowered the bag of bonemeal to the ground beside a section of newly worked, bare dirt. “You see how she treats me?” He straightened and slipped an arm around her mother’s waist.
“Go on with you.” Her mam blushed like a schoolgirl. “You’re embarrassing Lovage. What will she think of us?”
“That we suit each other like bread and honey,” he teased, wrapping his other arm around his wife.
Giggling, Rosemary tried to push her husband’s hands away, but with no great effort.
Uncomfortable, Lovage glanced away. She truly liked her stepfather, but their outrageous behavior was going to take some getting used to. She could never remember her father acting so, and she knew their marriage had been a happy one. Physical affection wasn’t something one saw often with an Amish couple. And certainly not one of their age. Both were old enough to be grandparents and Benjamin soon would be. His married daughter, Mary, was expecting twins.
“See, what did I tell you? Behave yourself in front of the children.” Still chuckling, her mother stepped out of her husband’s embrace. “Go see to your harnesses and buggy wheels and leave us in peace.”
“There now, wife, I meant no harm,” Benjamin said. “And no disrespect to either of you,” he added, looking to Lovage.
“I know that.” Lovage nodded, but avoided his gaze.
It was true. In spite of the current situation, she was pleased that her mother had found someone who obviously adored her and could provide for her. It was only natural that mixing two large families into one would require adjustment. Her aunt Paula thought her sister Rosemary had lost her mind to accept the offer of a man with six children, five under his roof.
“You must have chores of your own to do,” her mother told Benjamin.
“If you say so, Rosebud,” he agreed. “Unless you need me here.”
She smiled at him. “I do not. Now off with you, before you embarrass poor Lovage even more.” She watched him trudge away with a feigned sad expression. When the gate shut behind him, she turned to her daughter. “You mustn’t pay his silliness any mind. Benjamin is so pleased to have you with us. And you’re going to like it here,” she added.
Lovage nodded.
Leaving the home where she’d been born and grown up hadn’t been as difficult as Lovage had thought it might be. She could see that the move to a new place and a new, larger home that neither her mother nor Benjamin had shared with another spouse seemed the wisest course. It was too soon to know if she would like Delaware, but her mother clearly did. And Lovage was happy to be reunited with her sisters and mother, and her little brother.
“It seems like a good house and community,” she said. “Of course, I haven’t met the new bishop and preachers yet. Or the other families.”
“You will like them very well,” her mother said. “The sermons are short and pithy and our church members welcoming. Everyone has embraced us and they’re eager to meet you.
“Now, to get back to what we were talking about before we were interrupted,” her mother continued. “Why is it that you have set your mind against being courted by a suitable young man now? A sweet and capable girl like you. You could have your pick if you’d just—”
“Mam, please. Don’t talk like that.” She felt her cheeks grow warm. She knew what she was. Too tall, too lanky...too opinionated. But that wasn’t the point. “It’s not about me. It’s about you. A woman your age...in your condition,” she intoned.
“In my condition?” The amusement seeped from her mother’s face and her chin firmed. “I am neither sick nor so decrepit that I can’t run my own household. I’m forty-five and carrying a child. It is not an illness. It’s a natural condition for a married woman and it’s a blessing. God has given Benjamin and me another life to cherish.”
Lovage knew she blushed. To have such a conversation with her mother made her uncomfortable, but if she was determined to have it, have it they would. “A pregnancy at your age is considered high risk. I’m worried about you and it’s my duty to help you through this.”
“Goose feathers! I’m as strong as a horse.” Chuckling, she picked up the basket she’d been using to gather herbs. “You’re the one who needs help, Lovage. And I would be neglecting my duty as your mother if I didn’t see you happily wed to a good man. I think you should take that young man’s offer and ride home with him from the softball game.”
Lovage whipped around to look at her mother. “Ginger should not have told you. He wasn’t—” She knew her cheeks were burning bright. “He didn’t—Ginger should mind her own business.”
Her mother headed for the garden gate. “It wasn’t Ginger. It was Bay who—”
“How did Bay know Marshall asked me to ride home with him?” She crossed her arms obstinately. “I’m not going to, of course.”
Her mother raised her brows under her broad-brimmed hat. “Marshall, is it? Your stepbrother Will’s friend? Nice-looking young man.” She made a clicking sound between her teeth. “And from a good family. I’ve met his grandmother, Lynita. Faithful woman. Knows how to work hard and live with joy.” She opened the gate. “A good choice for a suitor, Lovey.”
“He’s not my suitor,” Lovage called as the gate swung shut, leaving her alone in the garden.
* * *
The following morning, Lovage made her way back to the garden, hoping to beat the full heat of the day. Her mother was letting out the seams on one of her dresses, and the younger girls had taken over the task of cleaning up the kitchen and starting the chicken and dumplings for the midday meal. Lovage had offered to plant the new seedlings Benjamin had bought, and to finish weeding around the fish pond.
Family breakfast had been as noisy and satisfying as Lovage remembered. She approved of her mother’s new house, especially the large kitchen with its attached, open dining room. Benjamin’s twenty-two-year-old twins, Jacob and Joshua, who were apprenticed to a cabinetmaker, had built a fourteen-foot oak trestle table. The table provided enough room for all of them to eat together and this morning her brother, Jesse, who was ten, had declared it the finest dining table he’d ever eaten at.
How she’d missed Jesse’s mischievous face in the months they’d been apart. He was brown-haired like her and her father, with green eyes, and his own special lopsided grin. That morning, Benjamin had promised to take Jesse to look at a pony for sale and the boy was so excited he could hardly sit still for grace, let alone eat his bacon and eggs. It was clear to Lovage that Jesse was very fond of his stepfather, and soon would begin to think of him as simply his dat. It made Lovage sad to think that eventually her little brother would barely remember their own father. She knew it was best for Jesse; it was just hard, no matter how much she liked Benjamin. But as her aunt Jane said, “Life moves on for the living. My brother is in heaven and beyond those earthly cares. You can’t stop change. You may as well embrace it.”
Lovage gazed out over the garden. It had rained sometime in the night, and the soil was wet. The garden smelled deliciously
