“Ya. Another chore is exactly what I need.” But he laughed when he said it. He heard the joy in his laughter, and he thought maybe Eunice heard it too because she smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.

  “He seems better, ya?”

  “I think so. I think the fact that I’ve been spending more time with him has helped.”

  “And maybe it was simply something he had to go through. Part of his journey.”

  Zeb nodded. Her words reflected exactly what he’d been thinking.

  The owners of the petting farm had furnished a small, older barn with picnic tables, installed large gas heaters and offered free coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Eunice’s meal included thick slices of ham, fresh bread, potato salad and cookies.

  “You’re a gut cook, Eunice.”

  “Danki, Josh. My schweschder Becca is teaching me.”

  Josh found that awfully funny. “You’re going to cooking school?”

  “I suppose I am.”

  “Don’t get in trouble, Eunice. Or you’ll have to clean the chalkboard.” Laughter spilled from him and he reached over to high-five Zeb.

  In customary Josh-like fashion, the boy gulped down his sandwich and two forks full of the potato salad, then asked if he could go and play in the small playground area set up in a corner of the barn.

  “Yes, son, but—”

  “Be careful. Got it.” Josh dashed off.

  Eunice started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Zeb tried to sound offended, but he couldn’t quite pull it off.

  “He was running like that when I first saw him, and the first day you brought him to stay with me. That boy loves to run.”

  “He might grow up to be a professional runner.”

  “And a sheep farmer.”

  “He could do both.”

  “Indeed, he could.” Eunice’s eyes were still on Josh, when she said softly, “I love him, you know.”

  “Ya. He cares for you too. We both care for you, Eunice.”

  She pulled her eyes from the children playing a rousing game of tag, and turned to study Zeb.

  He struggled to swallow.

  Took a drink of the coffee, which didn’t help at all.

  His hands started to sweat. He knew what he was about to do, and he couldn’t believe that he was going to do it. Here. Now. He should wait until they resumed dating, but he’d already gone too many days without Eunice by his side. He wanted to change that, and he wanted to change it now.

  “We both love you, Eunice.”

  Her eyes widened, but still she didn’t say anything.

  “Took me some time to accept that. I guess for a while I saw it as some kind of betrayal to Suzanne. But now I know it’s not that. She would want Josh to have a mamm. She’d want me to be happy.”

  “Zeb Mast. Are you asking me to marry you in a barn?”

  “Now that you mention it...” He scooted closer to her on the picnic bench, reached for both of her hands, held them in his. “Ya. I am. Will you marry me, Eunice? Will you be my fraa and Josh’s mamm? You would make me a very happy man. And I would try with all of my being to make you a happy woman.”

  “I am happy because I love you both too.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “And my answer is yes.”

  * * *

  The next few days flew. Eunice waited until Sunday morning, until her entire family was gathered together, to tell them her news.

  Ada threw her arms in the air and shouted, “She’s tying her kapp strings!” Then she jumped up and enfolded Eunice in a hug as someone muttered, “Tying the knot is what she means.”

  Sarah had tears in her eyes. Now that she was in the third trimester of her pregnancy, she was more emotional than ever. “Happy tears,” she assured Eunice.

  Each of her schweschdern and each of her bruders-in-law gave her a hug, whispered congratulations and we love you and words of blessing. Eunice didn’t realize how much she’d craved her family’s blessing until they’d given it.

  Her dat didn’t even seem surprised. In fact, he nodded his head as if he’d expected as much.

  “You knew, didn’t you?” They were standing on the front porch, watching Zeb’s buggy turn into their lane.

  “Zeb came to me two weeks ago. Told me he cared for you and would like to ask you to marry him. I gave him my blessing, of course.”

  “Two weeks ago?”

  “Ya. After you found Josh. I think he had several revelations that day.”

  “Such as?” She could see Josh waving now. She offered a small wave in return.

  “How blessed he is. How much he cares for his son. How important you are to him.”

  Her dat pulled her closer to his side and kissed the top of her head. Eunice thought that it was a show of affection that she wouldn’t mind receiving well into her old age.

  “You’ll be alone,” she said. It was her one worry. The thing that had caused her to toss and turn the last few nights.

  “How can I possibly be alone, Eunice? Gotte has blessed me with a large family, with sons and doschdern who live close and enjoy visiting, and with grandkinner that fill my heart with joy.”

  “Josh will be your grandson.” She hadn’t realized it until that moment. She had worried about her father eating by himself, puttering around a large empty house, wondering if his best days were behind him. But it hadn’t occurred to her that he’d be gaining another son and a grandchild.

  “Josh will be your grandson,” she repeated.

  “That he will be. Gotte is good.”

  “All the time,” she whispered, then jogged down the steps to take the container of oatmeal bars from Josh and kiss Zeb.

  The Sunday meal was a time of laughter and being genuinely thankful. She would look up from what she was doing and see one of her schweschdern pulling Zeb into a hug or one of her bruders-in-law slapping him on the back. They didn’t speak of the engagement openly. Everyone had agreed to wait until she and Zeb had a private moment to speak with Josh.

  In the afternoon, when the smaller children were asleep and the parents wished they were as well, Zeb asked Eunice if she’d like to go on a walk with him and Josh. They’d spoken with each other at least once a day since the visit to the petting zoo, either in person or by going to the phone booth. They’d decided that today would be the day that they’d tell Josh.

  The day was cold with low clouds that looked as if they might dump several inches of snow at any moment. A light dusting lay on the ground. No wind though. Good for walking. Josh ran ahead as they walked toward the barn, through Eunice’s work area, and back out the other side.

  Josh spoke to each of the horses who had been let loose in the field. As soon as they’d seen the boy, they trotted over, sure that he had a treat in his pocket—and he did.

  “He learned that from you, I do believe,” Zeb said.

  “Guilty.”

  Zeb reached for her hand. She loved that about him, that he showed her in so many small ways that he was thinking about her, that he cared for her. “Walking through your workroom reminded me of something.”

  Eunice froze like a rabbit caught in a flashlight beam. She’d been ready for Zeb to ask her to marry him that day at the zoo. She’d hoped and prayed he would. But she didn’t know if she was ready for this conversation. She’d spent her entire life apologizing for her interests, trying to explain her hobbies, hoping people would understand. They rarely did.

  Better that they speak of this now than after they were married, she supposed. So she turned to him, forced her eyes to meet his, and said, “And what did my workroom remind you of?”

  She feared he would say something about her needing to be a traditional wife. Or that she’d have no time for playing with gadgets once she was a fraa and a mamm. But Zeb surprised her. He reached forward, tucked a strand of hair into her kapp and said, “I need to create a similar area in my barn for you. You’ll need a place to continue your work.”

  “And you won’t mind?”

  “Mind? I’m proud of you and what you do, Eunice. I think you’re amazing. And I would never want to stand in the way of that.”

  She melted into his arms, which of course was when Josh dashed back to where they were and announced, “Gross. Are you guys about to kiss?”

  Eunice pulled away, and Zeb laughed. “We might have been about to kiss, but then we were interrupted.”

  “Grown-up stuff.” Josh kicked the dirt floor, then looked up at the two of them, a concerned look on his face. “Anything I need to know about?”

  “Actually there is,” Zeb said.

  “How about we sit out on the bench?” Eunice suggested. “We can watch the horses and wait for the snow as we talk.”

  “Are we going to talk that long? It might not snow until tomorrow or next week.” Josh ducked out of the way when his dat reached to squeeze his neck.

  They sat on the bench.

  Josh in the middle.

  Eunice on one side.

  Zeb on the other.

  Eunice waited. She thought it was Zeb’s place to start this conversation. She wasn’t sure if he was going to carefully work up to the topic or plunge right in.

  “Son, Eunice and I love each other.”

  Plunge right in. Good. She liked that approach.

  “Ya, I know.” Josh said. “Ezekiel preached about it last week. We are all called to love one another.”

  He swung his feet, glanced at Eunice, then looked at his dad. “Oh. You mean love love. Like married love?”

  He jumped off the bench and turned to face them. “Are you two getting married?”

  “We are,” Zeb said.

  Eunice nodded her head and smiled. What could she say to this dear child? She could practically see the wheels of his brain turning, making sense of what Zeb had told him.

  “So, like... You’re going to be my mamm.” His smile had slipped a little.

  And she knew him so well, that she knew he was thinking of Suzanne, of his confession that he might forget who she was and what she looked like. Of his fear of losing his mother from his heart.

  “Listen to me, Josh.” Eunice waited until she had his complete attention. “Suzanne will always be your mother. That will never change.”

  “She’s in heaven though.”

  “Exactly. She’s in heaven, and she’s in your heart.”

  “Okay. I suppose that will work. One mamm up there. One mamm here. What am I supposed to call you?”

  “What do you want to call her, son?”

  “I don’t know. I’m only five. This is hard stuff.” But the smile was tugging at his lips again. “I guess I could call you Eunice.”

  “Which would be great,” she assured him. “After all, it is my name.”

  “Are you going to live with us?”

  “Yup.”

  “Like...now?”

  Zeb laughed and shook his head. “We’ll have the ceremony first. You’ve been to weddings, Josh. You know what they’re like.”

  “Sure, but I never needed to pay attention before.” He took off his hat, squished it into a different shape that quickly popped back into the original shape, plopped it on his head and announced, “I think it’d be nice to have this done before my birthday.”

  “That’s only a few months away,” Zeb reminded him. But then he looked at Eunice.

  She knew that he saw all of her then—the hopes and dreams and yes, even the same impatience that Josh felt. She nodded.

  “We’ll speak to Ezekiel,” Zeb said.

  Which seemed to be a good enough answer for Josh. He dashed toward the pasture fence. Zeb and Eunice walked out into the cloudy day—a day filled with the possibility of snow, the likelihood of a lifetime of such talks and the probability of a growing family. Zeb pulled her close to his side, and Eunice basked in the solidness of this man—both his presence and his love.

  Josh ran back, threw his arms around both of their legs at once, then dashed away again.

  “I think he’s okay with this,” Eunice said.

  “Of course, he is. He’s a smart kid. He knows a good deal when he hears one.”

  “A good deal, huh?”

  “Probably could have said that in a more romantic way.”

  “Oh, I love being referred to as a good deal. Makes me feel like a new buggy.”

  And then they were both laughing, walking back toward the house, walking in the last light of a winter day. Josh dashed past them, ran up the porch steps and into the house. They could hear him announcing to all, “Eunice is marrying my dat. Can you believe it?”

  She would have followed Josh inside, but Zeb tugged on her hand, nodded toward a corner of the porch that afforded them a little privacy and pulled her into his arms. Eunice couldn’t remember ever feeling happier.

  Life was a journey, as her dat had said. She and Zeb and Josh were embarking on a journey together. And she couldn’t wait to see what was around the bend.

  Epilogue

  On the afternoon of the second Tuesday in March, Eunice stood next to Zeb as Ezekiel presented them to all those assembled—which seemed to include everyone in their Amish community and a few Englischers to boot. Ada and Becca and Bethany had decorated the Yoder barn with fresh boughs of cedar, a couple hundred white carnations and small twinkly lights that operated off batteries. Sarah had overseen the placement of benches, tables and chairs—though no one would allow her to actually lift anything. She was only a few weeks away from delivery now, and they were all treating her with great care even though so far the pregnancy had been completely normal.

  The heavy snows had come late and seemed determined to stay. Two feet of white fluffy powder lay on the ground. The market was still closed for the winter season, which worked well since most of the employees wanted to attend the wedding ceremony.

  Eunice’s pulse beat a bit faster than normal and her senses seemed especially sharp. The cedar boughs smelled fresh and woodsy. The lights practically sparkled. The man beside her seemed more handsome and more solid than she’d ever known him to be, and she’d known him a very long time. She had a sudden image of the two of them inside a snow globe. Only this time the snow globe was entirely composed of the important things in their life.

  Ezekiel had been speaking, but Eunice had lost the thread of what he was saying. Suddenly, he cleared his throat, paused and waited for her and Zeb to turn their gaze to him. “All of those assembled here, your friends and family in Christ, and I, as your bishop, wish you the blessing and mercy of God.”

  Eunice and Zeb were facing each other, her hands in his, Ezekiel’s hands on top of theirs. The old bishop’s tender expression reminded Eunice of being a child, of sitting on her mamm’s lap, of being truly cared for. In the absence of her mother, she knew that Ezekiel and her dat and her siblings would help guide her and Zeb. She would always miss her mamm, especially in moments like this one. But Gotte had provided.

  Ezekiel’s smile grew, stretching the corners of his beard. With tears shining in his eyes, he turned them toward those witnessing the ceremony.

  Eunice glanced up in time to see her family’s reaction. Her father wiped at his eyes. Sarah reached over and clasped his hand. Ada said something that made everyone smile. Josh stood between Becca and Bethany. Oh, how she loved her family. They were, even now, pulling Josh into their circle of love.

  Ezekiel cleared his throat. “Go forth in the Lord’s name. You are now man and wife.”

  “Hal-le-lujah!” Josh shouted and tossed his hat into the air.

  Which seemed to express the sentiment that everyone was feeling. Eunice couldn’t believe she’d made it through the whirlwind of the last two months. Couples classes with Ezekiel. Planning meetings with the Amish caterer. Dress-making sessions with her schweschdern. The pale green dress she wore would always remind her of the promise of spring and this place where she’d learned to be an adult and embrace new beginnings.

  It was later, after the meal and the cake, after the guests had left and only her family—her complete family that included Ezekiel and Samuel—remained. Ada picked that moment to share what she’d said to their dat at the end of the ceremony.

  “Told him it was his turn to fall head over suspenders for someone.”

  No one corrected her. No one needed to.

  Instead, Sarah put a hand to her stomach and said, “She might have a point, Dat.”

  “You did it, after all,” Becca said.

  Bethany reached for her doschder’s hand. “You matched all your girls to wunderbaar men.”

  “I’m not sure I was that involved,” Amos said with a twinkle in his eye.

  Sarah and Becca and Bethany and Eunice and Ada all shared a look. Then they broke into laughter.

  The men had been loading benches into the bench trailer which had been pulled inside the barn. At the sound of laughter, they looked up to see what they’d missed, but it was Josh, who dashed over, straw stuck to his hat, icing from the wedding cake smeared across one cheek, and said, “This family sure is growing. All we need now is a grossmammi.”

  Then he high-fived his grossdaddi, said something to Lydia and they both dashed off to play with Mary.

  “Out of the mouths of babes,” Ezekiel murmured.

  Eunice didn’t know if her dat would ever marry again. As far as she was aware, he’d never been interested in another woman since her mamm had died. He’d built his entire life around his church and the market and his family. She couldn’t imagine him slowing down long enough to court someone.

  But then Eunice knew better than anyone that you could not predict what might happen next in a person’s life.

  Zeb helped her up into his buggy. Some of the youngies had chalked “Just Hitched” across the back and paper streamers of green and white and silver had been tied to every possible surface.

  Josh stood with her family on the front porch, waving, as she and Zeb drove down the lane. Samuel and Joshua would stay in Eunice’s old room. Eunice and Zeb would spend their wedding night alone at their home and return in the morning to pick up their son. A proper honeymoon would wait until spring had officially arrived.

 

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