Chapter 8
Daisy sat at the kitchen table, the dread in her stomach flipping to anger as her mother explained the real reason she and
Daed had been so eager to send Daisy to Marigold. “You what?”
“I know it was a dumm idea.” Mamm ’s face contorted with shame. “And wrong. But your Daed and I didn’t know what else to do.”
She gaped at her mother, one of two people she trusted most in the whole world. The second was her father, and they had both
duped her.
When Mamm reached for her hand, Daisy drew back.
“You have to believe me.” Mamm put her hands in her lap. “We never would have lied to you—”
“And betrayed. Don’t forget that.” She crossed her arms over her chest, not bothering to curb her caustic tone. She didn’t
get mad very often, and she’d always been told she had a good-natured personality. But if there was ever a reason for her
to be furious, this was it.
“I know you’re angry.” Mamm touched her temple. “You have to believe that we have your best interests at heart.”
“How can you say that? You sent me here because you don’t want me to be with Maynard.”
“Exactly.”
“But I love him—
“You don’t know what love is.” The remorse in her eyes changed to frustration. “If you did, you wouldn’t insist on chasing
after a man who doesn’t care about you.”
Her mother’s words pierced her soul. “That’s not true. You don’t understand our relationship. It’s special. God set him apart
for me.”
“ Lieb , you shouldn’t have to beg someone to love you.”
Angry tears pricked Daisy’s eyes. Bother, she always cried when she was livid. She fought them back. “I’m not begging.”
“Have you talked to him since you left Dover?”
Ugh, she should have known Mamm would ask that question. “ Nee , but—”
“If he cared about you, he would have contacted you by now.”
Mamm had a point, but Daisy wasn’t about to acknowledge it. Besides, once she told him how she felt, she was sure he would feel
the same way. Maynard just needed some guidance, that’s all. “He and I are meant to be together.” She lifted her chin. “You
and Daed will see.”
“Daisy...” Mamm heaved a sigh. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
A chilling thought hit her. “Do you know something about him that I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is he...” She swallowed. “Is he seeing someone else?”
Mamm shook her head. “As far as I know, he’s as consumed with his job as he says he is. Although it might be better if he were
dating someone else.”
“How can you say that!” She shoved away from the table and left the kitchen.
“Daisy!” Mamm called, following her. “Where are you going?”
“To pack. Since Grace and Aenti Rosella don’t need my help to plan the wedding—” She paused. “Are they in on this?”
Mamm blanched. “Grace isn’t. Rosella has the same concerns I do.”
So the phone call last night was about Daisy. Whirling around, she glared at her. “How could she? She’s never met him.”
“I told her about the problems with Maynard.”
“Oooh.” Daisy clenched her fists. She had never been this upset in her life. “There are no problems with Maynard!” She stomped
toward the staircase and started to go upstairs.
“Daisy Hershberger.”
Daisy stopped at the quiet fury in her mother’s voice.
“You will come here, and we will sit down and discuss this like civilized adults.”
She gripped the banister so tightly her knuckles burned.
“I know you’re angry, and I’ve already admitted that your Daed and I were wrong to deceive you. But that doesn’t mean you get to scream and stomp like a spoiled kinn .”
Slowly, Daisy released the smooth wood railing. Everything inside her wanted to ignore her mother, pack her bag, and leave
Marigold. But she couldn’t. Not only was respecting her mother and father one of God’s Ten Commandments, but eventually her
temper would cool. If she behaved poorly now, there would be more problems for her later.
Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
She had cross-stitched the verse from Proverbs last year as a birthday gift to her sister-in-law, who had taken it a little
personally until Daisy had said it was just a reminder, not a judgment. She turned around and walked down the steps to sit
in her aenti ’s chair.
Mamm parked on the sofa across from her, her shoulders slumping. “We probably should have had this conversation a long time ago,”
she said.
“About Maynard?”
“ Ya , but not just about him. I’ve never been one to approve of dating people indiscriminately.”
Daisy frowned, confused.
“Promiscuously,” Mamm said. At Daisy’s shrug she supplied, “Shamelessly. Recklessly.”
“Oh.”
“But you’ve been completely focused on Maynard for so long, you haven’t looked in anyone else’s direction, or given them a
chance.”
She didn’t bother to tell her mother that before Maynard had moved to Dover, there wasn’t anyone else in her community who
made her feel the way he did the first time she saw him. The absolute shock of certainty that sparked through her brain when
he sat down on the pew next to his father. In that moment she knew there was no one else. He was the one . “I don’t need to. I love Maynard.”
“You think you love him.”
“ Nee ,” Daisy said, feeling her ire rise again. “I know I do, right here.” She pointed at her heart. “We’re meant to be together.
In fact, I’m positive we’ll be married by November.” Uh-oh. That was a bold claim. But once she and Maynard started dating,
there wouldn’t be any reason for them to put off marriage.
Mamm didn’t say anything for a long moment, just stared at the coffee table in between them. Then she lifted her head, a small
smile on her face. “Let’s prove it.”
“Huh?”
“If it’s God’s will for you and Maynard to marry, it will happen whether you’re in Marigold or in Dover. If you stay here
for three months, you’ll find out if you two are meant to be.”
Daisy considered her proposal. Her initial reaction was to say no, because the whole idea was silly and a waste of time. But as she thought about it, she realized the only way her mother and father would believe her love for Maynard was true was if she proved it to them. Three months was too long to be separated, however. And even though she was upset with her parents, she would miss them too. “What if I stay for six weeks instead?”
“Two months?”
She folded her hands in her lap. “One month.”
“Six weeks then.” Mamm nodded, her smile widening. “And if your Daed and I are wrong, you and Maynard will have our full support.”
Daisy couldn’t help but return her smile with a small one of her own. She didn’t like the idea of being away from Maynard
longer than her original plan of two weeks, but she was warming to the opportunity to quell their doubts. “Deal.” With the
issue settled, she started to lament her behavior. She glanced at her lap. “I’m sorry I acted like a brat.”
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s okay. You have a right to be angry with us.”
“I’m not anymore.” She was grateful to see the relief in her mother’s eyes. “And I do see what you were trying to do. But
I promise when I go back to Dover, Maynard and I will be a true-blue couple.”
Mamm nodded, her smile fading a little. “If it’s God’s will.”
“It is.”
“I just have one favor to ask.”
Uh-oh. “What’s that?”
“You’ll keep an open mind and heart while you’re in Marigold. And if you should meet someone here who strikes your fancy—”
“I won’t,” Daisy said firmly.
“But if you do,” Mamm stubbornly continued, “give him a chance.”
She was about to argue again, then thought better of it. Daisy was positive no one else but Maynard would “strike her fancy,” as Mamm put it. She nodded, and when she saw her mother’s joyful expression, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Her confidence back, Daisy got up and sat next to Mamm on the couch. “How long are you staying?”
“Just for tonight. I don’t want to miss church on Sunday, and then there’s work on Monday.” She put her arm around Daisy’s
shoulders. “I must say, I do like your job. Mr. Brinkman is a joy to work for.”
“He is a gut boss. Will he be okay with you substituting for six weeks?”
“I’m sure he will. I think he likes me.”
“What’s not to like?” She put her head on Mamm ’s shoulder, and they sat in silence for a short while.
“I love you, lieb . And so does your Daed , of course.”
“I love both of you too.” And Maynard. Daisy closed her eyes, tired from the blowup with her mother. She didn’t need to date anyone else to know her feelings for
Maynard were real. And soon enough she would show her parents, Aenti Rosella, and any other doubters that they were absolutely, profoundly wrong.
***
Perry sat on one of two chairs on his back patio, swiftly sketching on his artist’s pad in a race to beat the sunset. He could
continue working on his drawing inside under the gas lamp in the living room, but the yellowish glow didn’t compare to bright,
natural light. He ran his pencil over the thick paper with small, short strokes, then glanced up at Lady, who was being a
very cooperative model as she perched on the back of the opposite chair.
After he’d parted ways with Daisy, he spent the afternoon weeding and mowing, then went inside to prepare yet another can of soup for supper. He’d been busy but not distracted enough to stop thinking about what he would tell his mother tomorrow night when he got off work and drove to Birch Creek. He was also thinking how extraordinarily well Daisy had taken the news of his deception, even going so far as to reassure him.
There was also one other thing he couldn’t get out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. Her skin was so soft, and his
fingers were still tingling from touching her.
When he’d finished eating, he got out his sketch pad and went outside. Drawing was always a good diversion, and he tried to
draw the admiral from memory, but after two attempts he realized he had little recollection of what the butterfly looked like
and too much recall of Daisy’s ankle. That’s when Lady had flown by and landed on the chair, as if an answer to prayer. He
flipped over his pad and started drawing her. He had a growing affinity for the butterfly, and he needed to get her image
down before—
He shook his head, not wanting to think about the inevitable and that it wasn’t that far away. He guessed she was about a
week old—no more than two—and butterflies didn’t live much longer than that. Plus, there was always the possibility that she
would fly away for good. It was strange that she hovered around his house so much since he hadn’t planted his garden yet and
there weren’t that many butterfly-friendly plants around in early spring. He would have to start that project soon.
The last trace of usable light disappeared, and so had Lady, who had flown away a little before sunset. He closed his pad and took a moment to look at the beautiful, warm colors striping the sky, each hue melting into the other. Tree crickets, katydids, and a barn owl made their presence known in a blended, if cacophonic, symphony. He stayed until the sun dipped past the horizon, then went back inside.
Per his habit, he shucked his boots and socks, then stripped off his shirt and dropped it in the basket near the wringer washer.
His pants would be okay to wear tomorrow, but after he got home from work, he would put them in the wash.
Bare chested and barefooted, he entered the kitchen to get a drink of water before going to his bedroom to finish undressing
for bed—
“Hello.”
He fell backward and gripped the doorframe to keep from falling. “Daisy!” He pressed his hand over his thumping chest.
She held up the doorknob. “It fell off again.”
“Don’t...” He held his palm toward her, his entire body sagging. “Don’t ever do that again.”
She pressed her lips together and carefully set the knob on the table. “I, um...” She folded her hands in front of her,
her gaze shifting down to her bare feet, then back up again, stopping at his chest. Her lips formed a cute, coquettish, and
fully irresistible smile.
He couldn’t help but grin.
Then as if they simultaneously recognized that he was half dressed and she was quite appreciative of that fact, they scrambled.
“Be right back,” he said.
She spun around. “Okay!”
He dashed to his bedroom and shut the door, aware that moving fast in his little house couldn’t have made his heart race this
much. He paused, searching for his senses. It wasn’t that big of a deal if Daisy had nice ankles, and who cared if she didn’t
hide her admiration of his body. In fact, it felt kinda awesome—
Perry slammed the brakes on his thoughts, took several deep breaths, and put on a clean shirt. As his wits came back, he frowned. He’d tested that doorknob three times after he installed it. There was no way it could have fallen out again.
He shoved his feet into the pair of slippers Phoebe had gotten for him seven years ago and he’d worn exactly twice, then left
his room. Her back was still to him and she was standing by the table.
“I’m sorry,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. Then she turned around. “I saw that the door was ajar again, and the knob
was on the porch.”
“There’s nee way.”
She kept her gaze down. “All I know is that it was partly open when I got here.”
Perry started to speak again, then noticed her neck was the color of sour cherries. Then he had the off-putting feeling that
he had imagined her visual admiration and her sultry smile. Or his pride had imagined it. Either way, he’d embarrassed her.
“Hey,” he said, bending down a little so he could see her face. “It’s okay.”
Daisy glanced up, her head barely moving, but it was enough for him to make eye contact. “I didn’t mean to interrupt while
you were...”
“Enjoying my privacy?”
“ Ya . That.” She was standing up straight now. “I came over to ask you something, if that’s okay.”
He leaned his hip against the kitchen counter, relaxing his stance so she got the signal that everything was fine between
them. When it came to comparing embarrassing moments, she was coming out ahead. At least she hadn’t lied to her mother about
him. She hadn’t touched him either. “Do you want a drink?”
“ Nee . I won’t be here long.”
“Okay.” Satisfied that they had put their most recent awkward episode behind them and could finally be at ease, he asked,
“What did you want to talk about?”
She took a step forward. “Will you go out with me?”