the stovetop. Emma had always been a good cook.
Luke took his black hat off. Alvin pulled his off, too, and stood at Luke’s side, staring at the floor. From his own experiences, Luke knew Alvin wouldn’t be able to sink through it and disappear no matter how hard he wished he could. He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder and nodded to Alvin’s family. “Afternoon, Emma, Zachariah.”
“Goot to see you, Luke. What brings you here with my youngest in tow? Has he been up to some mischief?”
“Alvin, where is Roy?” Emma didn’t bother to acknowledge Luke. He was used to it, but it still hurt when she pointedly ignored him.
“There was a sort of accident,” Alvin muttered.
“What kind of accident?” Zachariah rose unsteadily to his feet. Emma stood beside him wide-eyed. She pressed a hand to her chest.
“Roy is okay,” Luke added quickly to reassure them. He pushed Alvin forward. “You had best tell them everything from the beginning.”
Alvin nodded, took a deep breath and looked at his sister. “We took the wood to Jim Morgan’s house like you told us to do, Emma. We unloaded it and stacked it in his shed. When we were done, Jim let us sit on his snowmobile. The red-and-white one that goes so fast. You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
“And?” Emma prompted, the concern in her eyes giving way to speculation.
“Jim went inside to get our money, and his brother Brian showed Roy how to start the snowmobile. Brian let us take it for a little ride. Just a short one. We were coming right back. It was loads of fun. Then...”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. She propped her hands on her hips. “Then what?”
“Roy drove it out on the river,” Luke continued when it was clear that Alvin was out of courage. “The machine broke through the ice. Alvin was thrown clear, but Roy was dumped in the water. Fortunately, Noah and I saw the whole thing. We fished Roy out and got him back to my folks’ place. Mamm and Rebecca thought it best that he stay in bed for a day or so to make sure he recovers and doesn’t come down with pneumonia.”
Rebecca was married to Luke’s oldest brother. She was Emma’s cousin and had worked as a lay nurse in the community before she married Samuel. Luke knew Emma would trust her judgment over anyone else on the subject of her brother’s health.
Zachariah sat down. “Sounds like my boy took more than a little dunking.”
Luke turned his hat in his hands. “He was in the water for a good bit.”
“He got swept under the ice, but Luke saved him,” Alvin said, looking up with admiration in his eyes.
Uncomfortable with the praise, Luke ruffled the boy’s blond hair. “God helped a little. He kept me from falling through the ice, too.”
“I know how treacherous the river ice is this time of year. You risked your life to save my son. Danki.” Zachariah rose to his feet again and held his hand out.
Luke accepted the man’s thanks and shook his hand. “Anyone would have done the same.”
Emma rubbed a hand across her forehead. “So Roy has ruined a machine that costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars. How are we going to pay for it? Does your brother possess a single grain of common sense? What came over him to try and ride a snowmobile? And you just went along with him as if it were okay. I honestly don’t know what to do with you, Alvin.”
“Told you,” the boy whispered under his breath. He stared at the floor again.
Luke was hard-pressed not to smile. “I managed to get a rope on the snowmobile and pull it off the river after Roy was safe. It will take some work, but it will run again.”
“You went back out on the ice? You risked your life to retrieve a stupid machine? What is wrong with you, Luke Bowman?” Emma’s eyes snapped with fury.
Taken aback by her anger, he gaped at her. She had no idea how attractive she was with her cheeks flushed with color and her hands propped on her shapely hips. Her dress was a deep blue, the same shade as her eyes, and her white kapp accented the fiery red of her hair. She was a fine figure of a woman now. Not at all like the skinny girl that he’d dated back when he was nineteen. They had both changed, but he remembered the sweet taste of her lips as if it were yesterday.
“What were you thinking?” Emma demanded.
Luke fastened his gaze on the floor. Best not to think about the times he had kissed those pert lips. “I was thinking it would be a shame to let a fine machine fall into a watery grave. Jim is a good friend of mine.”
“You are unbelievable!” Emma stormed out of the room and up the stairs. The sound of a door slamming overhead reverberated through the house.
Zachariah swung his gaze to Luke. “Forgive Emma’s temper. She has had a trying day.”
“Having Emma mad at me is nothing new. I’ll live.” Luke quelled his desire to follow her and make amends. It wouldn’t do any good, anyway. She could barely stay in the same room with him, let alone listen to his apology.
Zachariah laid a hand on Alvin’s shoulder. “I’m glad you are safe. I give God thanks for His mercy. Are you well enough to go take care of my horse?”
“Sure.”
“Danki, sohn.”
When the boy left the room, Zachariah gestured toward the chairs at the table. “Please, sit down, Luke.”
“I didn’t plan to stay.”
“Humor an old man. Sit for a spell.”
“You’re not so old, Zachariah.” Against his better judgment, Luke took a seat. He knew having him around made Emma uncomfortable. If he heard her coming downstairs, he’d leave.
Zachariah leaned back in his chair. “I feel as if I am a hundred today. How is your family?”
“Everyone is fine. I don’t know if Emma told you, but Samuel and Rebecca are expecting a child in May.” Luke’s oldest brother had married Zachariah’s niece a year ago. Rebecca and Emma had remained close friends.
“She mentioned it the other day. That is goot. A blessing to be sure. Is your father’s business keeping all your brothers busy?”
Luke’s father owned a woodworking shop. Luke and his four brothers as well as several other carpenters from the area made furniture for a high-end furniture dealer in Cincinnati. “We’ve been busy, but Daed plans to close for a month after Christmas and take Mamm down to Pinecrest, Florida, for a few weeks. They haven’t had a vacation in years. Mamm says she can’t take the cold the way she used to. She wants to visit the Amish settlement by the sea.”
“I understand how she feels. I have often wanted to go there myself. Luke, I wanted to talk to you because you’re a fellow who knows his way around machinery. I’ve collected a fair number of items that need some restoration work before they can be resold.”
Luke smiled. “You collect junk, Zachariah.”
The
