Chapter 13
The park was empty and Junior gave thanks for that. It was Wednesday afternoon and he’d taken off early from work. Monday and Tuesday had been so hectic, he’d not only gotten home late but had been so tired that he’d barely given his dogs much more than a short walk and a couple of distracted pets.
Deciding that he needed a midweek break, he’d worked through lunch, told Cherry that he’d see her on Thursday, and hurried home to take Clyde and Honor out for a long walk. As he’d expected, the Labradors were pleased to see him, wiggling and wagging like he’d been gone for days instead of hours.
The Labs were a brother and sister from the same litter and now twelve years old. He still was surprised that he’d bought the pair of them together. One Labrador puppy was a destructive handful. Deciding to raise two of them at one time was a mistake.
He’d known that and done it, anyway.
Looking back, Junior figured that his decision had more to do with the way the puppies had snuggled together when they were sleeping. They truly loved each other. Just like he and his brother, Samuel, had been when they were small. Part of him had hoped that one day he and Sam would be close again.
Now, all these years older, Junior was a little older and wiser.
He’d also long since given up the hope that he and his brother would ever be close again.
Samuel had not only jumped the fence, he refused to grow up.
Whenever he visited, he was always talking about some new scheme to make a gob of money.
Which he never did.
Clyde and Honor, on the other hand, were still best friends. They didn’t like to do anything on their own. They had also lost most of their wild ways. It had been a long time since he’d found one of his Red Wings chewed or a library book shredded.
Now the pair were slightly rotund, always ready for a nap, and no longer seemed to care what any of the neighborhood squirrels or neighboring cats did. The only things they seemed to move quickly for anymore were dog treats and tennis balls.
The dogs’ current favorite method of getting around was a slow, meandering walk filled with lots of smells, stops, and sniffing for chipmunks. Junior had long since given up trying to encourage the pair to “heel.” Neither had any desire to walk politely by his side.
Actually, the dogs’ general laziness had become a blessing since he’d been working so much.
Though he tried to take them to work one day a week, they were usually home.
Every morning, either one of his neighbors or his mother would come over and keep them company for a spell.
They would pet the dogs, take them out to do their business, and then spend an hour or two reading, knitting, writing letters, or, on occasion, helping dust his house.
After they left, the dogs ate a bit, took a long nap, and then occupied themselves by staring out the front window waiting for Junior to return home.
It was obvious that the three of them were quite content with their lives. But it was also obvious that a little bit of a change of pace wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“I fear we’re in a rut, dogs,” he said as he sat down on his favorite bench in the park. “You two are getting old, but I’m not. Shouldn’t I be doing something besides think about candles and you two?”
Neither of his chocolate Labradors replied. They were too busy inspecting every bush and shrub in the vicinity.
Junior chuckled. “Really? That’s all you have to say?” he teased.
But then Clyde barked. Then barked again. Honor chimed in and began wagging her tail.
Curious about what had caught the dogs’ attention, Junior turned.
And then did his best to hide his shock. There was Elizabeth Schrock, looking as pretty as ever. And, if he was being honest, looking as lost as he felt.
The aura about her was one of the reasons that he’d agreed to have her help him at work. Sure, he needed help. Everyone knew that. But he’d gotten the feeling that she’d needed the work almost as much.
Had she been in a rut, too?
He got to his feet. “Hiya,” he said.
“Hi, Junior. Sorry I didn’t call out to you when I got close. These Labs caught my eye.”
The pair was wiggling and wagging their tails to beat the band. “They do like to get attention.”
“Are they yours?”
“Yep. Please meet Clyde and Honor. They’re brother and sister.”
“They’re also so cute.” She chuckled as Clyde meandered over to say hello. “Hello, you,” she said as she tentatively held out her hand for him to sniff.
Before Junior could warn her, Clyde licked her hand.
She laughed. “You’re adorable.”
“He is. He’s a good dog, though not the best sportsman.”
Bending down to rub his head,she said, “That’s okay, Clyde. I’m not the best sportsman, either.” Turning to Honor, she held out her hand to greet. “What about you? Are you the sportsman of the family?”
Honor responded by lying on her back.
Junior walked closer and rubbed the dog’s tummy. “They’re hopelessly spoiled, I’m afraid.”
“Maybe not hopelessly. They look loved,” she said as she sat down on the grass by Honor’s side.
“Well, they are that.”
Watching her, Junior took in her outfit. Today she was wearing loose jeans, a baggy sweatshirt, and canvas tennis shoes that had obviously seen better days. Her hair hung loose down her back, looking gorgeous and shiny. Altogether, she looked comfortable and pretty.
Elizabeth also looked very far from what he’d thought she was, which was a woman seriously considering being baptized in the Amish faith. He wondered if she’d had a change of heart.
“Have you been to this park before?” he asked.
“I have. I think my grandmother’s neighbor Patti took me here once. Or maybe my younger brother. Jonny is always up for exploring a new park.” She smiled at the dogs. “Usually Jonny’s on the back of a bike, though.”
“It’s gut you’ve got so much of your family here.”
She lifted her chin. “Yes, it is.”
“That’s got to be something, all of you intent on becoming Amish.”
“Not all of us,” she corrected. “So far, only Kelsey and Jonny have gotten baptized. This quest we’ve been on hasn’t been all that easy. It’s actually been something of an odyssey for us.”
“Of course not. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were living here as a lark.”
“You didn’t.” Taking a deep breath, Beth pulled her hair away from her face.
“I’m sorry if I sounded defensive. It’s just that .
. . well, all four of us have had to respond to a lot of questions over the last couple of years.
Everyone we know—whether they’re English or Amish—have felt obligated to share their opinions about our choices. ”
He drew in a breath. It seemed his first impression hadn’t been wrong. She did seem to be a little bit lost. And it didn’t matter what she was wearing. The important thing was that she didn’t look either relaxed or happy. “Do you not like to talk about your family being here? We don’t have to.”
“It’s not that. It’s . . . well, I’ve had a couple of difficult conversations over the last couple of days.
I not only drove up to Cleveland to speak to the, ah .
. . baby’s father, but I also went out to eat with my brothers and sister and it didn’t go well.
Now my grandmother is involved, too.” Looking down at Honor, a wrinkle formed between Beth’s brows.
“Sometimes I wish that I could spend twenty-four hours tucked away from the world. I’d give a lot to only worry about staying up too late reading a book. ”
He nodded. “I’m sorry your week has been so tough. It sounds like you’ve been through the wringer.”
“I guess I have, but I’ll be fine. I hate personal conflicts. I used to be able to handle any conflict that came up in a realestate deal. Sometimes I think I even kind of liked it.” She turned to him. “It made me work harder, you know?”
“I do know.”
“But I have a much harder time arguing with people I’m close to.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Arguing with my family?” When he nodded, she shook her head. “No. Luckily the four of us don’t usually argue much at all.”
“And with the, um . . . father?”
“We didn’t argue once. Surprisingly, that went well. Really well.”
Junior wondered what that meant. Was she getting together with the guy? Back together? He knew nothing about her story. Sure, it wasn’t any of his business, either.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to know about it. He wanted to know a lot of things about her—and to hear all about it from her, too. Not as relayed information.
Deciding to fill the silence, he said, “If you aren’t used to arguing with your family, then you should count yourself lucky. Me and my brother rarely see eye to eye.” Actually, it was usually never.
“Family is family, right?” Nodding, she sat down on the grass and kicked out her legs. Clyde, who’d been inspecting a bush and then half-heartedly digging a hole, trotted to Beth’s side.
“You are so cute. Both of you are,” she cooed as the dogs crept closer and closer.
“They’re both real cute, but they don’t realize that they’re each seventy pounds. Plus, they like to cuddle.”
“Cuddle?” She raised an eyebrow.
And now he officially sounded like an awkward teenager. “What I’m trying to say is that one of ’em is going to plop down on your lap if you’re not careful. You’ll be stuck with a slobbery, furry dog in your business in no time.”
“That’s not a bad thing. Clyde or Honor, if either of you are in the mood to cuddle, I’m ready.”
He laughed at her singsong voice. “Something tells me you’ve been around dogs before.”
“Yep. We always had one at our mother’s growing up. They were never big and exuberant, though.”
“No?”
“My mother favored poodles and terriers. When they weren’t barking at the postal carrier, they were generally quiet, didn’t shed too much, and were happy to lounge on the couch for hours at a time.”
Junior sat down across from her on the grass. “Are you planning to come to work on Monday?”
“Yep. It’s one of the reasons I went ahead and drove up to Cleveland.”
“You know I would’ve given you the day off.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to be thinking about Kiran when I was looking at invoices or answering the phones. One thing at a time, right?”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure that you’re going to be ready for life at Walden Wax Works. I have a feeling that we do things at a little slower pace than you’re used to.”
“Sorry, but that wasn’t the impression I got.”
“What does that mean?”
“Only that the phone was ringing off the hook, people were walking in for business and deliveries, and you had more work than any one man—or woman—could do. If that was working slow, then a busy day must go at warp speed.”
“I guess you got me there. But, um, things aren’t usually like that.”
“I didn’t think it was bad. Do you not want to have a lot of business?”
“I do.” When she raised her eyebrow, he groaned.
“Fine. I guess I do like things busy. But I also want to honor everyone else’s time commitments.
Which means if you told me that you needed to be in the big city for personal reasons, I wouldn’t have minded.
” Tossing her a pointed look, he added the obvious.
“Especially since you don’t want to be paid for your work. ”
“I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to juggle too many things at once. I needed to wrap up some unfinished business.”
“Were you successful?”
“I think so. It went better than I thought it would.”
“I’m glad.” When both dogs stood up and stared at him, Junior knew it was time to move on. “I need to go,” he said as he got to his feet. “They enjoy getting out and about, but they’re most comfortable at home.”
“Ah. And I’ve kept them from it for too long.” When she moved to get on her feet as well, he reached down to help her. Clasping her hand, he gave a little tug.
Her hand was soft and smooth in his. It was a hand that hadn’t washed a lot of dishes or scrubbed a lot of floors, he realized.
“Thanks,” she said as she got to her knees, then finally got to both of her feet. She paused, trying to steady herself.
He didn’t know much about pregnant women, but the frown she was now wearing didn’t look good. “You all right?”
“Yes. It’s . . . well, I just realized that today was probably the last time that I am going to sit down on grass without thinking about how I’m going to get back up. I’m getting bigger by the day.”
“I reckon that’s to be expected, ain’t so?”
“Yes.” She paused. Tucked in her bottom lip. “Ah, I’m fine now.”
“Hmm?”
“My hand?”
He was still holding her hand. “Oh, sorry.” Junior dropped his like he was in danger of getting burned. “I didn’t realize . . .”
“No worries. I’ll see you tomorrow at work, boss. Nine o’clock?”
“It’s up to you, remember?”
“I know. But I’d still like to pretend to be a decent employee.”
He had a feeling Beth had been far more than just a “decent” real-estate agent. “Nine’s good. See you then.”
Her smile was bright before she turned and walked away. From the back, she didn’t look pregnant at all. Her hips were nicely curved and her walk was graceful.
“Yip!”
“Sorry, buddy. You’re right, buddy. It’s past time we were on our way. Let’s go, you two.” Turning, he headed toward home.
Honor scampered ahead. As Clyde increased his pace, his tail wagged. The dogs were happy. Happy with the walk, happy to have him all day long. The three of them were a good team—there was no denying that.
But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a part of him that couldn’t help but acknowledge that his dogs’ backsides weren’t near as fun to watch as Elizabeth Schrock’s.
His new almost-employee.
“That is a problem, right there,” he murmured. “She’s your employee and probably someone else’s girl.”
“Dogs, it looks like it’s just going to be us for a while longer,” he said. “What do you think?”
To his surprise, Honor whined.
“Jah. I was thinking the same thing, hund.” It would be nice to have someone like Elizabeth in his life.
Maybe it was time to think about courting again.