Elijah And The Widow. Rebecca Kertz

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СКАЧАТЬ snickered. “Not looking as you do now.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “You’re not the same size as Noah, but I imagine he’ll have clean clothes you can borrow.”

      “But will he have enough soap and water?” Eli heard Martha laugh as he climbed into the buggy. The sound rippled over him, making him smile.

      “You can wash up in the house,” she suggested. “I may be able to find something clean for you to wear.” She paused when Annie whispered in her ear. Eyes widening, Martha gave a short gasp of laughter. “On second thought, maybe you should ask Noah.”

      “Ja, you’d best get moving, Eli,” Annie urged. “It looks like you have your work cut out for you before you make deliveries.” Laughter lurked in her blue eyes, and Eli scowled playfully at her.

      “Danki, Eli,” Martha said. “I couldn’t have caught them without your help.”

      “You would have eventually,” Eli said, “but I’m glad I was able to assist.” He readjusted his hat before he reached for the leathers. “It may be a gut idea to have your fence checked.” He gave them each a nod. “Martha. Annie. Have a gut day.”

      With a click of his tongue and a flick of the leathers, he drove the vehicle toward the main road. A quick glance back showed him that Martha watched his departure. He smiled. The widow lingered in his thoughts as Eli pulled into the graveled lot next to his brother’s furniture shop. He tied his mare to the hitching post and turned as Noah exited the building.

      “Where’ve you been?” Noah asked as Eli approached. His brother gaped at him as they drew closer. “What happened to you?”

      Eli removed his hat to run a hand through his hair. “I took Annie to Martha King’s for Jacob.”

      “You had an accident!” Noah gasped, eyeing him with concern. “Annie—is she all right?”

      “Ja, she is fine. But there was no accident. I had a run-in with two sheep, a cow and a goat.” He chuckled at his brother’s puzzled look. “I helped Martha with escaped livestock.”

      “And you got to looking this way how?”

      Eli smiled crookedly. “They’re wily critters. The cow wasn’t hard to corner, but Martha’s two sheep and goat were too cunning. Martha fared worse than me.” He felt his mouth twitch before he allowed laughter to escape. “I actually enjoyed the chase. But I’m afraid I can’t make deliveries looking like this.” He gestured at his clothing. “Do you have a clean shirt and pants I can borrow?”

      “Ja.” Noah gazed at him with twinkling brown eyes that held mischief. “Rachel will enjoy a gut laugh when she sees you.”

      Eli gave him a sour look. “I’m not going to the house. If you don’t care how I look, then I don’t.”

      His brother’s amusement faded. Noah sighed. “They’re on the wall hook near the sink.”

      “Danki.” Eli washed his face, neck and hands in the back room; then he dried his face with a clean towel from a stack on the shelf above the sink. As he changed his clothes, he thought of Martha. He envisioned her with her hair neat under a freshly laundered kapp. He imagined her wearing a purple dress with a clean black work apron. He smiled as he pulled the stopper on the sink and the water drained while he hung the towel to dry.

      He rejoined Noah in the front room. “Better?”

      “Better than what?” Noah joked. “The pants are a little short, but they’ll do. No one will notice but me.”

      “Then I’m presentable enough for deliveries.”

      “As gut as you can be,” his brother teased.

      Eli snarled at him playfully. “Then let’s get to work. Do you have a list?”

      “Ja.” Noah gave him a sheet of paper. As Noah explained about the pieces for delivery, Eli found his mind wandering...back to the King farm and the woman whose laughter had delighted him while lighting up her features.

      “Eli! Pay attention!” his brother said sharply. “Did you hit your head while you were chasing animals?”

      Eli thought of the impact of Martha’s smile. “Something like that,” he murmured before he made an effort to focus on work.

      * * *

      “I’d have loved to join the chase,” Annie admitted as she followed Martha into the farmhouse.

      Martha picked up EJ to carry him inside. “It was fun, but I’m glad it’s over and they’re penned up again.” She smiled at the child’s resemblance to Eli. “It was exhausting—I was at it for a while before you and Eli came. Thank the Lord you did, or I’d still be chasing them.”

      “I wish I had your energy,” Annie said with a sigh. “Lately I’ve been too tired to do much of anything. This little one here—” She gestured toward her son. “He keeps me busy. I’m glad it’s late April and the weather is finally warming again. I’ll have to take EJ outside to play often. Maybe he’ll tire himself out in the fresh air. Then I can have a long lie-down while he takes his nap.”

      “’Tis wonderful to get out of the house, ja?”

      Annie eased herself down onto a kitchen chair and gestured for Martha to set EJ on the floor beside her. She regarded her son with tender warmth. “Ja. It was a long winter. Especially for you.” She watched her son as he sat quietly and stared up at his mother. “He’s being a gut boy. Do ya have a pan or pot he can play with?”

      “Ja, in the cupboard.” Martha opened a door and took out two pans along with a big metal stockpot. Then she dug into a drawer for wooden and metal spoons.

      “You may regret giving those to him,” Annie warned as Martha placed the spoons inside the biggest pot and gently pushed it in the boy’s direction.

      The toddler immediately reached for the spoon and began to bang on the sides of the pot. “I see what you mean,” Martha said with a laugh. Before EJ had a chance to protest, she switched the spoon for a plastic spatula. The child grinned at her happily, stuck the spatula in a pan and stirred it about.

      “Have you started on your vegetable garden?” Annie asked conversationally when her son was settled.

      “I worked up the soil, but I haven’t decided what to plant. You?”

      Annie’s smile held regret. “No garden this year, I’m afraid.” She patted her pregnant belly. “I can’t bend to garden.”

      “I’ll put it in for you,” Martha offered.

      “You’re a gut friend, but I can’t let you do that.”

      “Then I’ll bring you vegetables from mine,” Martha insisted and was pleased when Annie didn’t argue.

      The women chatted and enjoyed tea while EJ played contently on the floor. Martha enjoyed the delightful morning spent in good company.

      “What was all that whispering about?” Martha asked her friend as she had a surge of memory of Annie murmuring gibberish into her ear before instructing her to laugh, then encourage Eli to go to СКАЧАТЬ