Chapter 2
H ENRY
I admit that I’ve had a crush on Ellie Petersheim for as long as I can remember.
I also admit that I probably should have chosen someone easier to get. Because Ellie Petersheim is tough as nails.
But, working in construction, nails just happen to be my specialty. And I love a good challenge.
I’m not even sure why she doesn’t like me. All the other girls seem to like me just fine.
But maybe that’s why I like Ellie so much. She’s not just like the other girls. She has a mind of her own.
Just that spark in her hazel eyes is enough to light my fire. Challenge accepted.
How hard could it be, right?
Growing up, Mamm said I could charm just about anybody into anything. And that's exactly what I plan to do to get Ellie Petersheim to marry me.
But she can’t suspect what I’m up to. Because if she suspects anything, that will be the end of that.
Nope, I need to take her by surprise.
Maybe I should have a chat with her brother Elijah to find out why she detests me so much.
Whatever I do, it’s going to have to be fast. Because I overheard Simon Byler say he plans to ask her on a buggy ride.
It seems like no matter how many times I ask, she turns me down flat every time. I plan on wearing her down, so she’ll eventually ride with me. She can’t say no forever, right? But that strategy doesn’t seem to be working so far. I might have to come up with a different plan.
So, a chat with Eli it is. He’s never mentioned anything before about why Ellie can’t stand my presence. Would he even know why his schweschder doesn’t like me?
I sigh and make my way over to Elijah after the singing. “What did she say?” I ask, but I already know the answer. Still, a guy can hope.
“Sorry, Henry.” The pity in his eyes doesn’t escape my notice.
“Has she said anything to you about why she detests me so much?” I keep an eye out behind Elijah’s back as Simon Byler makes his way toward Ellie. I growl, causing Elijah to look in his sister’s direction.
“ Nee .” Elijah studies me, a little too intently, like when we’re out on the pond playing ice hockey and he’s about to go for a goal. For no good reason, the accusation in his mien makes me squirm.
“What?” I don’t like being accused of something I know nothing about, which is exactly how Elijah is looking at me.
“Did you do something to her?”
Thinking about Eli’s question, I scratch my thin layer of facial hair, which seems to have grown since this morning when I shaved and donned my for - gut clothes for visiting and tonight’s gathering. Since our church is only conducted every other week, our next service won’t be until the following Sunday. “Not that I know of.”
“Then why don’t you talk to her?”
Jah , like that has ever worked with Ellie. “She won’t give me the time of day. Just huffs and storms away.”
“That ain’t normal behavior for mei schweschder . You must’ve done something .” Elijah’s eyes squint at me like he is trying to determine if I am the devil or not.
I’m not. And as far as I know, I’m a halfway decent guy. “How can I get her to talk to me if she scurries away every time I’m near?”
Elijah shrugs. “Beats me. What if you did something to make her jealous?”
“Like what?”
“Take one of her friends home.”
I have taken a couple of maed home on occasion. It never worked in the past. Nevertheless, I think about his suggestion. “How will that make her jealous when she has no desire to let me court her?”
“ Jah , I guess you’ve got a point.” Elijah frowns. “I have an idea”—he leans over and lowers his voice—“but you can’t tell her that it came from me because then she’ll hate both of us.”
Hate is such a strong, ugly word. Although Ellie detests me something wonderful, I doubt she would actually hate someone. That’s not the Amish way. But still… “I don’t want her to hate me.”
“She already hates you , dummkopp , so you don’t have anything to lose. I just don’t want mei schweschder to hate me too. I have to live with her, you know.”
“ Wunderbaar .” I roll my eyes. “I’d love to hear whatever grand advice you have that might make her hate me more.”
He whispers something in my ear.
“Do you think that would work?” My lips curl up at his suggestion. Not necessarily a bad one.
“It would at least get her to talk to you, ain’t not ?”
“Do you think Simon will go for it?”
“I think so. He’s been saving his pennies for a new dashboard and radio for his buggy. If you offer him a decent amount, I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance to make some quick cash.”
I’m not convinced Elijah’s plan will work, but I suppose it’s worth a shot if I can get Ellie to talk to me for once.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and eye Simon. For Ellie, I can do this.
I begin striding over to Simon, thankful that Ellie’s back is toward me. Jah , her back is always toward me, so I’m not surprised. But Ellie has a nice back, so I don’t really mind. But staring into her eyes is the stuff my dreams are made of.
No, I’m serious.
Just last night, I had a dream. Nee , it wasn’t the kind of dream that I read about one time in a famous poem about not judging others by their appearance. Nor was it like Joseph’s dream in the Bible. My dream was different.
It was about me and Ellie. The two of us were down by the pond after my unicorn dropped us off.
Jah , I know. There’s no such thing as unicorns, but anything is possible in a dream.
Anyhow, it was just Ellie and me by the pond. And there was a waterfall too, that kind of shot out of a tree. With peacocks in it. The peacocks were in the tree, not in the waterfall. Don’t ask. I don’t know where the unicorn went, but somehow, it grew wings and flew off into the sky and disappeared behind some clouds.
And Ellie and me, well, we just stood by the pond gazing into each other’s eyes. I didn’t touch her. I didn’t kiss her. I just stared at her. And she stared at me.
And then I woke up. The smile stayed fixed on my face the entire day. My cheeks actually ached. Well, until I saw Ellie and she turned her nose up at me. Again.
So, yes, I am stooping low enough to pay Simon to let me use his buggy and take Ellie home. It is underhanded and it will quite possibly make Ellie like me even less, if that is possible. I don’t like the underhanded part.
But I have to try, don’t I? I can’t just let this opportunity slip through my fingers. What if she rides home with Simon tonight, falls desperately in love with him, and signs up for baptism classes this fall? Then where will I be? I can’t let that happen.
So, here I am, approaching the man who managed to get Ellie to say yes to a buggy ride. What does this guy have that I don’t? “Simon. May I have a word with you?”
He shrugs. “Sure. What’s up?”
I tilt my head toward the door so we can speak in private. He follows me with his plate of snacks, smacking with every bite he takes. Really, Ellie? You’re choosing this guy over me?
I get right to the point. “May I use your buggy tonight?”
He scratches his head. “Uh…I don’t know. I was going to take Ellie home tonight.”
“I can take her home.” Okay, so maybe I sound a little too eager.
“What’s wrong with your rig?”
“Nothing at all.”
He scratches his head. “I’m confused.”
I attempt an explanation. “I was going to ask you to drive my buggy home, then I’ll pick it up after I drop off Ellie.”
Simon sticks out his hand and touches my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
“ Jah , I’m fine.” I bat his hand away. “I just want a chance with Ellie, that’s all.”
“So, why didn’t you ask to take her home?”
“I did, but she turned me down flat.”
Simon laughs. And laughs. And laughs.
I want to slug the guy, no matter how deep my Amish roots run. But I keep my cool, because Amish men don’t just go around getting aggressive. We’re cool, passive, non-resistant. That’s the refrain I’m repeating to myself as my hands clench.
Simon finally reins in his amusement. “So, let me get this straight. Ellie won’t ride with you —Henry Yoder—so you want to pretend to be me so she’ll ride with you?” Simon shakes his head. “I never thought I’d see the day a maedel would say no to Henry Yoder. Why Ellie when you can have your pick?”
“She’s the only one I want. And I’m willing to pay you for your inconvenience.”
His eyebrow lifts and I know I have his attention now. “Bribery?”
I shrug. “Something like that. Come on, I just want a chance with her.”
“You must really like her if you’re this desperate.”
“I do.” But maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that. Desperation doesn’t usually make for good bargaining power.
“Okay.” Simon tosses his plate into the trash and shoves his hands into his pockets. “A hundred dollars.”
“A hundred dollars? Are you crazy?” I squint at him. “I’ll give you fifty.”
“Make it one fifty.”
“A hundred dollars it is.” I growl.
“ Gut .” Simon holds out his hand, palm open.
“I don’t have it all right now. I only have forty bucks on me.” I pull out my wallet and slide Simon forty dollars. I hate being without any money.
“You’re not going to pull a fast one on me, are you?” Simon examines me.
“I said I would pay you, and I will. Besides, you know where I live, and I see you every week. Now, please drive your rig up to wherever you agreed to meet Ellie, then we’ll switch out places. Be sure to park in the shadow.”
“Okay, I’ll let her know I’m heading out. I’m driving to the side where the door to the mud room is.” Simon frowns. “She’s going to be mad at me for doing this.”
“ Nee . She’ll be mad at me .” I rub my facial hair. Maybe this isn’t such a hot idea. But since I already have my pucks in order, I may as well go for the goal. Besides, I doubt Simon would be willing to give me my money back and let me off the hook.
I make my way outside, then hop into Simon’s buggy while he goes to fetch my rig. I wait until Ellie descends the steps, making sure to stay in the shadow and keep my hat low. The buggy dips on the opposite side as the girl of my dreams plants herself on the seat beside me.
My heart feels like it might just gallop right out of my chest. Ellie Petersheim is sitting beside me.
I signal to the horse and jiggle the reins with my clammy hands, and that’s when I know she knows.
“Henry Yoder? What are you…why are you in Simon’s buggy? I agreed to ride home with him , not you .” Venom laces her words. “I told Elijah to tell you no. I don’t appreciate whatever kind of trick you are trying to play.”
My hope plummets. Although I somewhat expected her words, hearing them spoken to my face stings. But I’m not about to give up. “Aw, come on, Ellie. You wouldn’t ride with me otherwise. What else could I have done?”
“Respect my wishes.” She demands, “Let me out. Now.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more mad.
But I’m not giving up. Not now that I finally have her next to me. “No. Not until we’ve had a civil conversation,” I challenge. “How else could I have gotten you to talk to me?”
She huffs, crosses her arms over her chest, then turns away. Great. The silent treatment. Just what I was hoping for. Way to go, Yoder .
We ride in silence for a little while, because I don’t dare speak. I’ll wait until she’s ready. We’re far enough away from the young folks’ gathering that darkness surrounds us. But I keep quiet and wait until she is ready to speak.
“Why are you doing this?”
I was not expecting a sob to escape her lips. It’s my undoing. The last thing I desire is for Ellie to be in tears. I acquiesce and pull over onto the road’s shoulder. I gentle my voice. “Hey. Hey, now.”
Surprisingly, she lets me gather her into my arms. Perhaps my calm tone has softened her toward me just a little bit.
“It’s okay,” I soothe, stroking her back. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I never meant to upset you.” Now, I’m wondering…does she truly hate me like Elijah said earlier?
She looks up at me as tears streak her face.
I thumb them away, her face cradled in my hands. We lock eyes and when her breath hitches ever so softly, I can hardly refrain from dipping my head and tasting her full pink lips. Jah , self-control has never been my strong suit. Nor has common sense, apparently.
She responds in kind at first, and I’m in heaven. Maybe she doesn’t hate me like I thought. Then she seems to come to her senses when she remembers it’s me, and pushes me away.
“Henry Yoder, don’t you ever do that again!” She skitters out of the buggy like her dress is on fire and shoots off down the road in the opposite direction.
I turn Simon’s horse and rig around and follow after her. When we are side by side, I coax, “Ellie, come on. You shouldn’t be out here walking in the dark alone. It’s not safe. Please get in.”
She completely ignores me and continues her determined pace. She finally speaks. “I’m not talking to you, Henry Yoder!”
“That sounds like talking to me. But if you prefer, we can do more kissing.” Jah , I am pushing it, and I know it.
“Ugh, you have to be the most annoying person that ever lived!” She turns an about face and begins walking the opposite direction.
I flip a U with Simon’s buggy and head in the same direction. Now that I am side by side with her again, I can resume our mostly one-sided conversation. Use your charm, Henry. Get her to smile.
“I think you might be slightly exaggerating. Take Ernest Kinsinger, for instance. Remember he used to blow his nose really loud right next to people and then leave his snot rags on other peoples’ desks then blame someone else for it? Now that was annoying. Then, how about Martin?—”
“I get the point.” She grinds out the words. “And you’re proving mine.”
She veers off into the cornfield.
Oh, no, you don’t!
There is no way on earth I am going to let her tromp through a cornfield. Alone. In the middle of the night. I sigh, then bring the buggy to a halt and jump down. “You leave me no choice.”
Ellie must hear me coming because she quickens her pace to almost a full-on run.
“Ellie, come on!” I charge after her. “You can’t just run through a cornfield in the middle of the night. There are wild animals out here.”
Without thinking, I swoop in, twist her body around, and hoist her over my shoulder. I pivot, hauling her back to the buggy.
“Henry Yoder, you’re the wild animal. Let me down right now!” She pounds my back like her life is in mortal danger.
I groan, sure and certain she is leaving bruises. But I don’t care. I have Ellie Petersheim in my arms, and I’m not about to let her go. “Settle down, my little banshee.”
“How dare you! Put me down.” She wriggles to no avail.
“Not until we talk. And I’m taking you home whether you want me to or not. What kind of a man would I be leaving you out here alone in the dark? I’m probably saving your life. It’s ridiculous trying to run off when we’re nowhere near civilization.”
“Oh, so now you think I’m ridiculous and you’re a hero?”
The ire in her voice doesn’t escape my notice. “Why do you hate me so much?”
“I don’t hate you, Henry Yoder. It’s not Amish. It goes against the Ordnung .”
I sneer. “Right. Then why do you dislike me and ignore me at every turn?”
She erupts in a mirthless laugh and squirms. “You have to ask?”
I tighten my hold, ignoring the thrill of having her so close to me, her feminine scent tantalizing my senses. Well, it might be thrilling if she didn’t insist on pounding on my back. “Hey, I asked you to stop in the cornfield. Nicely, I might add. I even said please. Can I help it if you wouldn’t listen?”
“You can’t just haul women over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes!”
I shrug, then chuckle. “Seems to me, I can.”
I silently thank God for my size and strength. Because I’m pretty sure Simon wouldn’t be able to carry Ellie like this.
“Ugh!” This time her teeth sink into the backside of my upper arm.
“Ow! You don’t play fair, woman.”
“And you do?”
“Almost there, my feisty little potato. Or maybe I’m the potato since you’re obviously attempting to eat me.” I chuckle.
“Quit with the annoying nicknames, will you?”
“I thought it was cute.”
“You would, you brute.”
“Aww, now who’s using cute nicknames?”
She snorts. “Only you would interpret the word brute as a term of endearment.”
“I’m not sure I know what that means.” I actually do, but bantering with Ellie is fun. I never know what she’ll come up with next.
“Figures.” I can’t see her expression, but I can picture her rolling her eyes. Not literally, of course. Because that would just be weird. “Ever thought of opening a book once in a while instead of spending every spare moment playing hockey on the pond?”
“The thought never occurred to me. Besides, the pond is only frozen for so long. I have to take advantage of it while I can.”
We approach Simon’s rig.
“Okay. Am I going to set you down in the buggy nicely or am I going to have to hold you in my lap? What’s it going to be?” I lean back and lift an eyebrow. “Choice is yours. Of course, the latter sounds funner if you ask me.”
“Just. Put. Me. Down.” Ellie grounds out the words.
I’ll admit that I love a good challenge. “Fine. But don’t go anywhere. If you’ll allow me to, I’ll take you safely home.”
“Fine.”
I side-eye her. “Really? You won’t try to run? Or bonk me on the head with a rock?”
“Not unless you try to kiss me again.”
“If I recall correctly, you were kissing me back.” I smirk.
“Only because it was a natural reflex. I never would have kissed you otherwise.”
“I’m not sure I believe that, Ellie Petersheim. I think that deep down, you like me. Maybe even think I’m hot.”
Ellie laughs. “You’re so full of yourself, Henry Yoder. Just another reason I don’t like you. Or think you’re hot. Hot guys aren’t full of themselves. You’re just hochmut .”
I snort. “You want me to be all boring like Simon Byler?”
“Exactly.”
I eye her curiously. “And you think Simon is hot ?”
“I didn’t say that . Just that he’s not prideful.”
I hop up into the buggy, then gently set her down beside me. For the first time in my life, I wish buggies had seat belts. Because, if Ellie was to bolt again, I’d at least have the unbuckling of a safety belt to warn me.
I maneuver Simon’s buggy back onto the road. Thankfully, Ellie is true to her word and doesn’t bolt. “Hmm. I guess you really don’t know him, then, do you?”
“I know him just fine.”
“Name one thing Simon has that I don’t.” I challenge, because I really want to know what she sees in the guy. It isn’t that he’s a bad person, he just isn’t right for Ellie.
“He’s nice.”
“And I’m not?”
“Hardly.”
I scratch my head, trying to recall a time in my life that I haven’t been nice. Because I feel like I truly was—or am—a nice person. I’m thoroughly baffled.
“What do you mean? Name one time I wasn’t nice.” I stare at her. Man, she has pretty eyes. It is hard to look away.
But I should have because now her eyes dance with fire as though she wants to torch me. I half expect lasers to come shooting out, like I saw in a movie one time.
“I’ll give you one hint, Henry. Whoopie pie.”
I love it when she says my name. Although, admittedly, it would be better if it rolled off her tongue with affection and wasn’t laced with bitterness. But, hey, I’ll take what I can get.
“I have no idea what you’re referring to. I love whoopie pies.”
“Ugh. Never mind. You are so clueless.” She turns in her seat, jamming her arms across her chest, shunning my presence. Again.
This evening isn’t exactly going the way I’d hoped.
“Or…do you not like whoopie pies?”
“I happen to love whoopie pies, Henry Yoder.” She glares at me like I’m supposed to get some hidden meaning behind her words.
I sit there “clueless” like Ellie oh so gently pointed out, wishing the horse would slow down so our ride would take longer. But no matter how I try to rein the gelding in, he seems to have only one speed.
Before I know it, we’re pulling into the Petersheims’ driveway. And my time with Ellie is up. I have to think of something to say and quick. Otherwise, who knows if I’ll ever get this opportunity again? Because I’m sure and certain she isn’t about to invite me inside.
“What kind?” I blurt out.
“What are you talking about?”
“What kind of whoopie pies are your favorite?”
“I like all kinds. Lemon, strawberry, chocolate with peanut butter filling.” She shrugs.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had any of those kinds. But I could imagine they would be delicious.” If only I can talk her into making me some. But I better not push my luck.
“You would. Probably steal them right off the grocery shelf if you saw them at the store.”
Her comment is like a slap to the face. “I’d never steal whoopie pies. Or anything, for that matter.” I scratch my chin in confusion.
At that, she jumps out of the buggy and bolts toward the door of her house.
“Ellie, wait!” I call out in desperation. “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”
But it’s too late. She’d already stepped inside, and the screen door shuts with a thud. I’m not about to follow where I’m not wanted.
“I’ll take that as a no,” I mumble.
I sigh, turn the rig around, and head out of her driveway and onto the road. Our conversation plays over and over in my mind. I attempt to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but fail at making sense of Ellie’s behavior and words.
Then an idea strikes like a puck to the forehead.
Yes, that’s it!