a little one, though, all right?”
“That’s enough for me.”
Chapter 20
The pail of berries continued to be a great source of amusement at his house.
“So, Calvin?” his mother asked with a slight hint of amusement as she scrubbed the kitchen counter. “Is this pail of berries here your way of askin’ me to bake you a pie?”
“Mamm, you know these berries belong to the Lapps. I’m off to go deliver it.”
“Any reason you brought the pail home in the first place?”
“I was speaking with Lucy yesterday near the blackberry patch. Unfortunately, she forgot the pail when she left.”
“That’s a shame.”
Calvin swallowed hard. His mother was trying hard not to smile. And she obviously knew much more than she was letting on. Feeling vaguely childish, he added, “We, ah, had a small misunderstanding.”
“But things are cleared up now?”
“Not yet.”
As she rinsed out the sponge in the soapy water, she looked at him over her shoulder. “Care to tell me what the problem was?”
“Nee. It’s Lucy’s story to tell, not mine.”
She waited a beat, looked him over. “Does her story include the fact that she was married before?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Lucy’s been through a difficult time, for sure. Everyone in her family was terribly worried about her, I’ll tell you that.”
“She is awfully young to be widowed.”
His mother’s brow furrowed as she scrubbed at a hardened spot on the counter. “She was awfully young for many things.” After a pause, she added, “A woman like that would need a lot of patience, son.”
He knew what his mother meant. It wasn’t going to be enough to simply want a future with Lucy. He needed to be ready to take on her past, too.
That called for someone who was strong—and he hoped he would be strong enough, because Lucy needed a man who she could count on.
She’d been deeply hurt by the one person who’d promised to love and protect her, no matter what.
Quite honestly, the idea of Lucy being abused by her husband made his blood boil. He didn’t like to think of any woman trapped in a difficult marriage—but imagining Lucy in such an arrangement was especially hard.
Calvin picked up the pail. “I think I’ll go deliver the berries now.”
“Have a care, Calvin,” she murmured. “And don’t forget to keep the Lord with you. Let Him guide you in this instance.”
“I always do,” he replied as he carried the pail out the back door.
Only when he was walking on the path near the bushes did Calvin wonder if his mother had been talking about caring for Lucy . . . or caring for himself.
The knock at the door startled Lucy. All morning, she’d been cooking and cleaning for Mattie and her parents. Actually, her mind had been in such disarray, she’d been grateful for the work. For too many nights, she’d been dreaming about Paul.
And thinking about Calvin when the sun rose.
The knock came again.
Hurrying, she swung open the door. “Yes?”
And then she stifled a gasp as she slowly realized that the woman on the other side of the entryway was Calvin’s old sweetheart.
“Guder mariye,” she said with a smile, just like she stopped by all the time. “You’re Lucy, yes?” When she nodded, Gwen finished her introduction. “I’m Gwen Kent. I saw you when you were out shopping with your aunt, but didn’t have the opportunity to introduce myself.”
Lucy’s eyes widened as she remembered. Mrs. Weaver had said Gwen had broken Calvin’s heart.
Oh, but this was awkward! “I’m sorry, but Mattie isn’t here right now.”
“That’s all right. Actually, I came to see you. I brought some fresh cherry bread. I hope you all will enjoy it.”
“I’m sure we shall . . .” Lucy worked her bottom lip, trying to think of something to say. “Jenna took Mattie to get blood drawn. I decided to stay here and clean.”
“Would you mind if I still came inside? I won’t stay long. But it would be nice if we could get to know each other.”
Lucy looked behind her with misgiving. “I’m afraid the house isn’t in shape for guests. I was just washing the floors.”
“I can help, if you’d like.”
“Oh, goodness, of course you couldn’t.”
“Well, perhaps I could simply leave this in the kitchen for you?”
“All right. Danke.”
When they were in the kitchen, Gwen did her best not to step in the wet spots on the floor. After setting down her bread, she leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms.
“So what do you think of our little town of Jacob’s Crossing?”
“I like it very much.”