Love At Pebble Creek (Hope Chest of Dreams Book 5) Read online

  She knew women in the community who always agreed with their husbands. She wondered, at times, if those couples really agreed, or if they merely pretended to make peace. So many variables entered into finding the man she’d spend her life with and be with in eternity.

  Maemm’s voice took on a firmer approach. “He’ll make a good husband for you, Anna.”

  Anna nearly choked as they stepped up the concrete steps to the door. While her mother opened the screen for her to go inside, its hinges squeaked. Anna’s heart pumped to a dangerous beat. She hadn’t realized that her parents had been planning out her life for her. Especially marriage to Jesse Beiler.

  In the kitchen, the aroma of the yeast rolls became stronger. Anna licked her lips. But before she thought about lunch, she was forced to deal with a relationship with her daed’s handsome hired hand who, unbeknownst to her before today, her parents wanted her to marry.

  The more she contemplated the planning that had gone on without her knowledge, the more her pulse picked up to a speed that was a combination of nervousness and excitement. Excitement because marriage to Jesse was something she wanted. Nervousness because it probably could not happen.

  While Anna considered what was going on between her eltern, she realized how much more serious the outcome of the contest would be—if she won, of course.

  She’d never shared her thoughts about her future with Maemm or Daed. And that they were playing matchmaker between her and Jesse created an even more serious issue than she’d anticipated.

  She considered telling them about the contest, her ambition to be an artist, to experience other cultures, and her decision about joining the Amish faith. All of that would be bad enough.

  But now that she’d learned that they were planning a wedding between her and Jesse . . . how much more difficult the break with their faith would be if it materialized.

  As her heart pumped to an uneasy beat, she realized that Maemm was waiting for her to say something. But what should I tell her? I can’t lie. I don’t want to disappoint her; at the same time, I can’t lead her on to believe that Jesse Beiler might become their son-in-law. Should I be completely honest and share my plans with her?

  Anna realized that she was still holding the clothes. With one careful motion, she bent to place the basket on the floor. She glanced up at her mother, and the hopeful, excited expression in her eyes saddened Anna.

  I need to say something. It’s not right to allow her to believe that there’s hope for a marriage between me and an Amish man. Or any man, at the moment.

  Anna took her basket with both hands as she and her mother went upstairs. In silence, they returned the clothes to their appropriate pegs and their socks to their respective drawers. But as they worked, an uncomfortable feeling filled Anna’s chest with an ache she knew had no remedy. At the same time, Anna wondered what was happening between Jesse and the owners of the farm he wanted with all his heart.

  Downstairs, in the kitchen, Anna stopped for a moment in front of the large fan to enjoy the welcome air that cooled her face. The screened windows were also open, as usual. Farm scents floated in through the screens. Freshly mowed grass.

  The light fragrance of roses was beneath the kitchen window. The bush Mary had recently given her flourished. Anna had never liked air-conditioning and the cold on her arms. But today, she’d welcome it.

  She had just opened her mouth to speak when a knock broke the silence. When her mother stepped to the door, Anna sighed with relief. But eventually, she’d have some explaining to do.

  And now that she was aware of her parents’ plans for her and Jesse, Anna wasn’t sure if she could put her parents through her transition should she win the contest.

  The open door revealed Jesse. As Anna took in his tall, rugged-looking body, her heart did a somersault. Excitement welled inside her. “Did you get the farm?”

  He dipped his head and smiled a little.

  Naomi offered a quick motion to the dining-room table that was only several feet away. “Please. Have a seat. And tell us all about your morning!”

  Not trying to hide her excitement that Jesse might now be the owner of the farm he wanted, she remembered her manners. “Would you like fresh lemonade?”

  He nodded with a handsome smile. “Denki.”

  “I’ll have one, too,” her mother chimed in. “Jesse, we’ve got chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. Will you have one with us?”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t want to cause you work.”

  “It’s our pleasure.”

  Anna took in the concern on Jesse’s face. The way he was acting . . . She continued to study him with a frown. Usually, he was laid-back.

  But today, to her surprise, he appeared uneasy. A bit too formal. He clenched his fingers into his palms over his pockets. Anna knew him well enough to sense that something bothered him. And he hadn’t mentioned the Norris farm.

  After she helped Maemm with three sandwiches, the two women stepped to the table, set three medium-sized plates in their respective spots, and took their seats. “Let’s pray.”

  After a brief prayer of thanks, Anna softened her voice so that Jesse would be aware of her concern. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “But it hasn’t been the best morning.” Anna’s mother narrowed her brows with concern while Anna pressed her lips together in a straight line and lifted an uncertain brow. After taking a drink, he looked at Anna before turning to her mother.

  Anna and her maemm listened with great interest while he explained the offer he and his daed had made with the real estate agent. She and Maemm stopped eating and sat very still while Jesse told them about the other offer. Concern edged his voice. He offered an uncertain shrug as he regarded Anna, then her mother.

  Maemm was the first to break the silence that followed. “We’re here for you.” She motioned with her hand. “Please. Go on. And don’t leave out anything.”

  “I know things happen for a reason, but I had already imagined that farm belonging to me. Of hearing children running around the house. Having a wife fixing dinner in the kitchen. Because naturally, I thought if we got our offer in first and paid the asking price, it would be ours. And I think that’s what makes the uncertainty so difficult.” He smiled a little. “Maybe it would have been easier if I hadn’t already planned the rest of my life with that beautiful farm in the picture.”

  A long silence ensued while the three sat very still. The only sounds were the fan blades whirling and birds chirping on the sill outside the kitchen window.

  Finally, Anna spoke in her most logical tone. “Jesse, of course this isn’t the easiest situation. But let’s see . . .” She strummed her fingers against the table and narrowed her brows. “Optimistically speaking, sometimes we have to fight for what we want most. But in the end, it will all be worth it.” Automatically, she recalled a conversation she’d had just recently about something good coming from something bad. That everlasting life had resulted from the brutal death of Christ.

  The corners of Jesse’s lips curved in amusement. “I’m glad I brought this to you.” Smiling broadly, he added, “Already I feel better.”

  Anna’s heart warmed. She yearned to help him even more and concentrated on his predicament. But it wasn’t easy to know what to say because the situation was like none she’d ever come across.

  But Maemm had always told her that you didn’t have to be an expert to apply common sense. And that was what she tried to do. She wanted with all her heart for him not to give up, to keep looking at his glass as half full. But if she understood correctly, ownership of this farm wasn’t coming easily.

  After a sip of lemonade, she returned her drink to the coaster on the oak table. Ice cubes clinked against the glass. At the same time, Maemm scooped a couple of pieces of chicken with her fork and returned them to the sandwich on her plate. “What did you do when the other offer came in?”

  Jesse let out a breath. “Sandy, the real estate agent, wrote a new one that topped it.
” After taking a bite, he swallowed. A few moments later, he glanced at Anna before turning his attention to her mother. “It was several thousand dollars over the offer of the couple who was willing to pay more than the asking price. And to be honest . . .” He lifted his palms to the ceiling and gave an uncertain shake of his head. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. My familie stretched their pocketbooks to lend me as much as they could. But I know God will help me with this.”

  Anna bit her bottom lip while she tried to absorb everything she’d just heard. As she took small bites of her sandwich, she realized how very much she yearned for Jesse to have his dream. Maybe even more than he wanted her to have hers. She swallowed an emotional knot as she acknowledged how very close he was to having what he’d always wanted. And at the same time, so very far away.

  It was unfortunate that she had no experience with real estate offers. But what he’d just said was beginning to make sense to her. “So another couple offered more than the asking price, and their offer went to the owners. But then, you and your daed wrote an offer that topped their amount? And now both are in the owners’ hands?”

  He nodded.

  Anna’s mother chimed in. “I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert at this kind of thing, but let’s use common sense here.”

  She locked gazes with Anna and smiled a little. Anna returned her smile, knowing that she’d been told that very thing so often by the very woman who was now trying to advise her best friend. “For a moment, let’s pretend that Paul and I are the sellers.”

  She followed with a confident shrug and scooted forward on her chaise. “When I look at the situation like that, it’s easy to say what we’d do. Without asking my husband, I am sure that he would agree to go for the larger offer.” She hesitated and focused on Jesse. “Yours.”

  Jesse swallowed. Several heartbeats later, he softened his voice to a more appreciative tone. “You make it sound so simple.” He offered a grateful nod. “Thank you for that, Naomi.”

  Anna added to the conversation. “Jesse, I think we’re making this more difficult than it really is. First of all, know that you did all that you could. You raised the ante. I think that, for now, you have to be satisfied with that. And, of course, pray.” She lowered her voice for emphasis. “Their offer is out of your control. But you do have control over yours. And you changed it.”

  “Jah. Apparently, they want the land as much as I do. And because my offer was already in, their only option was to offer more than the asking price.” He took a drink and returned the glass to the coaster. “Which meant that Daed and I had to top theirs. And we did.”

  He lifted a brow and smiled a little. “Daed told me not to worry. That things would work out if we kept faith.”

  While Anna and her mother sat very still, Jesse lifted a set of helpless palms and expelled a satisfied sigh. “Now you know what’s going on. That’s where we are.”

  Anna took the last bite of her chicken salad and swallowed. After following with a drink, she returned her glass to the table and looked at Jesse, edging her voice with as much positivity as she could. “So, the way I see it, the most logical thing for the sellers to do is to accept your last offer. And I don’t know why they wouldn’t. When will you hear?”

  This conversation seemed to have encouraged Jesse. His facial muscles relaxed. So did his shoulders. And he lifted his chin a notch higher. “Any time. Sandy will call as soon as she knows something, and Daed’s working in the barn right now, so he’ll hear the phone if it rings.”

  He let out a low whistle. “We’ll just have to see what happens. But what I came by for was . . .” He smiled a little at Anna. “I wanted to ask you to ride by the farm with me in my buggy.”

  “I’d love that!”

  He directed his attention to Naomi, dipping his head a notch and lowering the pitch of his voice to a tone that was a combination of hopefulness and seriousness. “May I have your permission to take Anna with me?”

  Chapter Ten

  As Jesse’s horse pulled his buggy, he considered the conversation he’d just had with Anna and Naomi King. Their takes on the farm for sale had boosted his excitement.

  As the horse swished its brown tail back and forth, Jesse eyed Anna from the corner of his eye and smiled. “Your conversation picked up my spirits. Denki.”

  She crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned back on the blue velvet that padded the hard bench. “I’m glad. And the more I think of it, Jesse, the more I’m convinced your dream is about to come true. And . . .”

  He offered her a quick glance.

  “I have saved money for many years. I want you to have it for your farm.”

  Jesse swallowed as he absorbed her words. “You would give me your savings for the farm?”

  When he looked over at her, their gazes locked for a quick second, and she nodded. He’d noted the sparkle of moisture in her eyes. The serious expression on her face.

  “Anna, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Tell me you’ll use it. I want you to have your farm.” In a soft voice, she added, “Even more than I want my art degree.”

  It took him some time to find his voice. What she was offering him . . . Of course, he couldn’t take it.

  “Anna, I don’t know what to say. Thank you. But you’ll need that money if you move to St. Louis.” His heart nearly broke when he said those words.

  “Know that it’s yours if you need it.”

  He thanked her again before a long, thoughtful silence ensued. While the clomp-clomping of hooves made an uneven beat, her words pulled at his heartstrings until his chest ached. He realized how very much Anna must love him. And how much he loved her.

  He decided to tell her what was on his mind. “I’ve learned a lot from this experience, Anna.”

  “Oh?”

  He glanced at her briefly as the animal scent filled the small open carriage, and as the late August sun beamed high in the sky. In the distance, soybeans and corn were tall. In the open country, Jesse decided something very important. And as quickly as he’d realized it, he deliberately nixed it from his thoughts.

  Anna’s soft voice pressed for an answer. “What have you learned?”

  He grinned. “That if the farm becomes mine, that’s wonderful. But . . .” He straightened for a more comfortable position after the buggy bounced on the uneven blacktop. “Anna King, what’s even more important to me than having the farm . . .” He cleared the knot in his throat and lowered the pitch of his voice to a serious tone.

  When he glanced at her, he noted the expression on her face, a combination of eagerness and interest.

  “Is having your prayers and support throughout this whole ordeal. There will be other farms. I mean, eventually. But there’s only one Anna King.” After a slight hesitation, he went on in a more uncertain tone. “And by the way, everything I said about wanting to spend my life with you still stands.”

  When she didn’t respond, he eyed her and saw the devastation on her face. He frowned. “Hey, what’s wrong? What I said should make you happy. It’s not every day I pay a compliment like that.”

  She turned to better face him. “Jesse, thank you. What we have . . . it’s a friendship I’ll treasure forever.”

  Her comment made his heart sink. Because what he wanted from Anna was much more than friendship. He yearned for a life with her. To wake up next to her every morning. To celebrate holidays with her.

  Still, her words shouldn’t disappoint him. From his first day at work for Paul King, when he and Anna had talked in her barn, she’d been honest about her goal. And he’d been honest about his. But now that he was close to having his dream, he’d added something else to it: Anna King. He didn’t want to live in the large, two-story house without her.

  He didn’t respond. A long silence passed while they continued to the Norris farm. As they approached it, his pulse picked up to a more excited speed. “Here it is.”

  After he’d tied the horse, he motioned her up the porch
stairs. In front of the door, he looked down at Anna. “They’ve already moved out.”

  The real estate’s lock box required a code, so he knocked on the door to make sure no one was inside. When no one answered, he automatically turned the handle. To his pleasant surprise, the door opened. He motioned with his hand. “C’mon. I can’t wait to show you this.”

  He led her to the kitchen, the living room, and, finally, the second story. The stairs creaked as they ascended to the upper level, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

  The last room he showed her was an empty office. It was between two bedrooms. Inside, they looked out of the large window that offered a distant view of Pebble Creek. He caught his breath. “This is my favorite part of the house.”

  She stood next to him, breathing in with awe. “I see why! What a great view of your farm. And Pebble Creek!”

  While Jesse studied her face, something new came over him. And he recognized that it was something he’d never experienced before. Reality became clear. She belongs here. With me.

  He decided to share his thoughts with her. “You know what I’m thinking?”

  She pressed her lips together and touched them with her finger as she lifted a curious brow. “Let me guess. That you can’t wait to move into this home and start farming.”

  Slow steps took them closer to the large window. Jesse knew if he became the owner of the farm, he needed Anna here. She belongs here. With me. How can I convince her?

  The decision had to come from her. Nothing he could say or do could make it for her. It had to come from her heart. But someone could help him.

  He squeezed his eyes closed and said a silent prayer. Dear Lord, I might be close to losing her, and I want her to be my wife. Please let her realize she belongs here with me.

  When he opened his eyes, an idea came to him. “This would be a great art room for you,” he mentioned. Hopefulness edged his voice. But he didn’t try to hide his dream of growing old with Anna.