at this hour? He pulled open the door and took a step back. Eva Coblentz stood on his porch with a large basket over her arm.
She flashed a nervous grin. “I’m used to cooking for more than just myself and I made too much tonight. I thought perhaps you could make use of it for lunch tomorrow. It’s only chicken and dumplings.”
Willis was speechless. Maddie came to stand beside him. “Teacher, how nice to see you.”
Eva smiled at Maddie. “It’s nice to see you again, too. How is Bubble?”
Maddie stuck her tongue out at Otto. “She’s fine but kinda hungry. We haven’t had our supper yet. Willis had to give Jesse Crump special shoes so he was going to make scrambled eggs again, but Otto isn’t thankful for our chickens.”
Eva blinked her lovely green eyes. “I see.”
“Do you?” Willis couldn’t help smiling at her perplexed expression. “Then you’re ahead of me most of the time.”
Harley came to the door. “Let me help you with that.” He took the basket from her and carried it to the table. He began setting out the contents.
Otto pulled his plate back in front of him. “That smells great.”
Harley dished up his own and then passed the plastic bowls along. Willis thought his siblings were acting like starving animals. He could hardly blame them. He was going to have to learn to cook for more than himself. Normally, he didn’t care what he ate or when he ate it. That had changed when the children arrived, and change was something he didn’t handle well.
Eva folded her arms across her middle. “I will be going so you can enjoy your meal in peace. Have a wonderful night, everyone.”
He didn’t want her to go. He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door from the prying eyes of his family. “How’s your head?”
She touched it gingerly. “Better.”
“I fixed the chair. You won’t have to worry about tipping over again.”
“I appreciate that.” She turned to go.
“The school board hired me to supply and install the hardware in the new building. I’ll get the rest of the coat hooks, cabinets and drawer pulls installed tomorrow. Have you had your supper? You are welcome to join us.”
“I have eaten. Danki. Don’t forget to feed Bubble. She’s much too thin.”
Willis raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why Maddie makes things up.”
She gave him a soft, kind smile. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of children have imaginary friends.”
“Really?” He wanted to believe her. When she smiled he forgot his worries and his ignorance.
“Absolutely. She will outgrow her invisible friend someday soon. Until then, enjoy her imagination.”
“I reckon you have seen a lot of things like this in your teaching career.” It made him feel better to know Maddie wasn’t the only child who had a pretend companion.
“This will be my first year as a teacher. I was actually surprised that the position didn’t go to someone with more experience. Perhaps my enthusiasm won the school board over.”
“I think you were the only applicant.”
She laughed and clasped a hand over her heart. “You have returned my ego to its normal size. How can I ever thank you?”
He smiled along with her. “We are blessed to have you.”
She leaned toward him slightly. “We will have to wait until we have Bubble’s assessment of my teaching skills before jumping to any conclusions. Guten nacht, Willis Gingrich.”
“Good night, Teacher.”
She walked away into the darkness. He watched until he saw her enter her house across the way. There was something attractive about Eva Coblentz that had nothing to do with her face or her figure. She was the first woman in a long time who made him want to smile.
He went back inside the house. The children were still eating. He took his place at the head of the table, bowed his head for a silent prayer, then reached for a bread roll. It was still warm. He looked at Maddie. “What did you say to your teacher that made her bring food here tonight?”
Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“You must have said something.” He took a bite of his roll.
Maddie had a whispered conversation with the empty chair next to her. She looked up and grinned at him. “Bubble says that she told teacher you need a wife who is a good cook.”
He started coughing. Otto pounded on his back while Harley rushed to give him a glass of water. When he could catch his breath, Willis stared at Maddie in shock. “Eva thinks I’m looking for a wife?”
Maddie nodded.
Willis hung his head. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was no way he could keep his secret from a wife. Even if he found the courage to reveal his handicap to a woman again, there was still one pressing reason he had to remain single.
Amish ministers and bishops were chosen by lot from the married men of the congregation. At baptism every Amish fellow vowed to accept the responsibility of becoming a minister of the faith if he should be chosen. What kind of preacher would he make if he couldn’t read the Word of God? The humiliation didn’t bear thinking about. He would remain a single fellow his entire life. That was God’s plan for him.
He turned his attention back to Maddie. “You were wrong to tell your teacher that I’m looking for a wife. I’m not. Now what am I supposed to do?”
Maddie lifted both hands. “Just tell her you don’t want a wife. How hard can that be?”
Early the next morning Willis hurried to get the cabinet pulls installed on Eva’s desk and on the cupboards in the school. He glanced constantly toward the door, hoping she wouldn’t show up until after he was gone. He had no idea how he was going to face her. He tried to convince himself that it had simply been kindness that brought her over with a delicious supper last night and not because Maddie had said he was looking for a wife.
Maybe he shouldn’t even mention it except to thank her for the food. If he kept quiet, was he encouraging her or discouraging her? How could a six-year-old get him into hot water with her teacher in less than twenty-four hours?
He needed to make Eva understand that he wasn’t interested in marrying without hurting her feelings or embarrassing her. She wasn’t a giddy teenage girl. She seemed to be a mature and sensible woman. He would remember that and not beat around the bush with her. Maybe. Unless his courage failed him. These days it seemed in short supply.
He was fastening the final coat hooks in the cloakroom when he heard the outside door open.
