Chapter 3
When Perry pulled his horse and buggy toward the barn, he saw that his front door was open. He wasn’t that surprised, considering
he’d discovered that the doorknob was unfixable, and he went to E&J’s Grocery, the store his brother Nelson’s wife, Ella,
ran with her father, to buy a new one. He thought he’d repaired the old knob enough to keep the door shut. Apparently not.
Oh well, once he installed this one, he wouldn’t have to worry about his door anymore.
He took his time putting up his horse, then headed to the house with the doorknob and tools he needed to install it. He walked
inside, shocked to see someone standing in his kitchen. When he yelled at her, she whirled around and dropped something on
the floor.
Perry took a few steps forward, ready to interrogate this woman he’d never seen before and find out why she was in his house.
Then he halted, holding her astonished gaze with one of his own, his heart hammering in his chest. Her eyes were extraordinary.
Honey brown circled the pupils in a starburst, and bluish-gray and green filled out the rest of the iris. She had long, amber
lashes, and her round cheeks were the color of the pink-coral roses in his mother’s garden.
He shook his head. He never noticed this level of detail about a stranger, or even someone he knew. He saved his observational analyses for butterflies and the flora that attracted them. And he could logically assign his rushing pulse to being shocked that she was here uninvited. “Who are you, and what are you doing in my—”
“I can explain.” She held up her hands, as if warding him off. “My name is Daisy Hershberger, and I’m from Dover, Delaware.”
“You’ve traveled a long way to break into someone’s house.”
“I’m not breaking in.” She lifted her chin. “Your doorknob is broken.”
“I’m aware.”
“My family isn’t home,” she said, her hands twisting together as fast as she was speaking. “I came over here, thinking someone
would be home. But nee one was, so I came in.”
He stared at her, baffled. “What?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I’m from Dover, Delaware, and I’m visiting my cousin Grace.”
“Oh.” He nodded, relieved that she was finally making sense. “And she’s not home.”
“Neither is Onkel Howard or Aenti Rosella. I thought I would see if someone was here and if they knew where they were.” She grimaced. “I don’t understand why
they’re not here.”
“They’re on vacation.” Perry picked up the bag he dropped and set it on the end table by the lamp. “I’m taking care of their
animals while they’re gone.” Although he kept to himself, he did know his neighbors, and he didn’t mind helping them out while
they were out of town. Howard worked as a roofer, and his wife, Rosella, had a lot of friends in the district. He knew less
about Grace, other than she was in her mid-twenties and a decent looking girl with a boyfriend named Kyle. As soon as his
mother and Phoebe found out he’d moved next door to a single woman, he made sure to tell them she was taken.
“I don’t understand,” Daisy said, more to herself than him. “If they’re out of town, why were Rosella and Grace in such a hurry for me to visit?”
“They’re supposed to come back today.”
“They must be running late then. I’m sorry about the doorknob. I tried putting it back a couple times, but it wouldn’t stay.”
“It’s been broken for a while.” He loosened up a little, now that he understood who she was and why she was here. “I’m putting
in a new one today.”
“ Gut . Because anyone can just walk into your haus .”
He almost grinned. But she wasn’t smiling, and she looked extremely uncomfortable. “You’re welcome to wait here until your
familye returns,” he said, trying to put her at ease. He wasn’t thrilled about unexpected company, but she seemed harmless.
“That’s okay.” She was heading toward the door. “I can wait on the front porch.”
Perry was about to shrug and tell her to suit herself. Then he saw she was wearing a thin sweater, and the cold wind had been
increasing throughout the day, threatening rain showers. She’ll be fine. Surely the Hershbergers would be back soon, since they were obviously expecting her.
Daisy had almost one foot out the door when he changed his mind. “I don’t mind if you stay here. It’s a little chilly to be
sitting outside.”
“But you’ve got your kitchen window open.”
“ Ya , because...” He hesitated. This morning the painted lady had been flitting around his house, fully healed, and he opened the window, expecting her to leave. Instead, she sat on his table as he ate his bacon and eggs, her little wings slowly waving back and forth. He cut a thin slice of apple and put it on a paper towel next to him, and she ate while he polished off the rest of the fruit. Before he left for E&J’s, he left the window open for when she decided to go back in the wild.
But Daisy didn’t need to know all that. She’d think he was abnormal for having breakfast with a butterfly. Either that or
pathetic. “I like lots of fresh air.”
“I don’t blame you.” Daisy took a deep breath. “It smells wonderful here.”
Like everyone else in Ohio, he appreciated the refreshing spring air after a long, snowy winter. But she was acting like she
was inhaling the most fragrant perfume in the world. Did it stink in Dover? He’d never been there or met anyone from the settlement,
so he had no idea.
He heard a growling noise and glanced at her. “Have you had lunch?”
She started twisting her fingers again, then put them behind her back. “I’m not—”
Growl.
“Hungry. All right, maybe I am, a little bit.”
Although it was past two o’clock, he hadn’t eaten either. “I was going to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” he said.
“My mamm makes delicious preserves. Do you like cherries?”
Daisy nodded, her pretty eyes slightly widening. “ Ya .”
Disregarding that he’d noticed her eyes again, he went to the kitchen and spied the stubby pencil on the floor. Before going
to E&J’s, he’d taken a few notes on the painted lady on the spiral pad he kept in the kitchen drawer by the sink. He had notebooks
and pads of paper, along with pens and pencils in different areas of the house, and he thought he’d put it back in the drawer.
Picking up the pencil, he said to Daisy, “Won’t take but a minute to make the sandwiches.”
She stood by the dining room table. “You don’t have to geh to the trouble.”
“I need to eat too, Daisy from Dover.”
“I did say that a few times, didn’t I?”
“Just twice.” He got out the peanut butter and jelly from the pantry. “Must be a special place.”
“It’s—Do you know you have a butterfly on your shoulder?”
He glanced down. Sure enough, painted lady was sitting on his left shoulder, as if she belonged there. He extended his hand
to her. “You decided to come back, huh?” he murmured as she hopped onto his finger. Although he tried not to get too attached
to his butterflies, there was something special about this one, and he was glad she had decided to come home.
***
Ferman Eash scowled as he turned his buggy into Perry Bontrager’s driveway. His foul mood was partly from pain. The anti-inflammatory
the English doc had prescribed six months ago for his bum hip worked great in the beginning, but now it offered zero relief.
“You need a hip replacement, Mr. Eash,” the far-too-serious doctor had said. “The sooner the better.”
“Well, Doc” —Ferman had gotten up from the exam table, hiding his wince—“ that’s not gonna happen. I was born with this hip and I’m gonna keep it.”
Once the doctor realized Ferman wasn’t budging, they had discussed medication to manage the pain. But now he was hurting as
much as ever, and another trip to the doctor would be useless. He would just say the same thing—replace the hip. No way.
He pulled his horse to a stop and exited the buggy, trying to ignore the sharp, stabbing pain the movement caused. He stilled and closed his eyes. Lord, help me get my aggravation under control. He definitely needed divine assistance, because he couldn’t talk to Perry while he was in a sour mood, thanks to being laid
off from Wagler’s Buggy this morning. Oh sure, Micah and Jesse had been nice about it, putting the reason more on themselves
than on Ferman.
But he wasn’t born yesterday, and he knew he couldn’t keep up with the increase in work the shop had experienced over the
past few months. He also had to admit that, way down deep, he was a tiny bit relieved, although he would miss talking to the
customers. Standing all day wasn’t helping his pain, and he had slowed down over the past six months. At seventy-five, he
wasn’t ready to be put out to pasture just yet, though, and despite his internal grumbling, he was glad Jesse had told him
to talk to Perry about being his farrier assistant. He’d had plenty of experience with horses and had shod a few in his time,
so he wasn’t coming to the man empty-handed.
He just hoped Perry would hire him. And if not Perry, he prayed there was someone else willing to employ an old man with an
achy hip and an occasionally dyspeptic disposition. His temperament needed improvement. Being testy wasn’t exactly good for
his Christian witness, or for customer service.
He opened his eyes and looked at the small, white house, took a deep breath, and tried not to hobble as he walked to the front
door. His hands were oddly damp, and he could feel a ball of anxiety rolling around in his gut. Even though he was well set
financially, he needed a job for his sanity. Puttering around alone all day in his three-bedroom home would drive him ab im kopp .
When he got to the front door, he was surprised to see it was partly open. He knocked anyway. “Perry?” he hollered, in case
the young man was in the back of the house or otherwise disposed. “You home?”
“ Ya . Come on in.”
Ferman walked inside, a little taken aback by the lack of furnishings. His late wife, Lovina, had made sure their home was
always cozy and welcoming. She had loved company, and if there wasn’t enough room to sit and visit in the living room, she’d
send Ferman to the basement to fetch the extra folding chairs. Even those were comfortable and had padded seats.
But Perry’s house didn’t have much at all. He knew the man had moved in two years ago, which was plenty of time to set up
a house. Then he realized the main problem. Like Ferman, Perry was single. His place needed a woman’s touch.
That’s when he turned his attention from the almost empty living room and saw a young woman about Perry’s age sitting at the
kitchen table with him. Hmm, what a coincidence. Each of them had a plate in front of them with partially eaten peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches and a few potato chips.
Ferman backed up a step. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Perry stood. “We’re just having a bite of lunch. Do you want a PB&J?”
“ Nee ,” he said, trying to hide his distaste. He never liked peanut butter, but his son loved it and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,
even now as an adult. “I can come back later.”
“Are you here about the job?” Perry asked.
Ah, so Jesse had talked to his brother already. That was a good sign, because if Perry wasn’t interested in hiring him, he would have said so. He nodded, then glanced at the woman again. She was quite pretty, if one fancied fair skin, blonde hair, a slender frame, and unusual eyes. His Lovina had been swarthy, with black hair and deep brown eyes. She was on the stout side, even before she’d had their son, Junior, and was a couple inches taller than he was. He was smitten at first sight. Even now, almost seven years after her death, he missed her intensely.
“ Ya ,” he said, trying to keep his cool. “If it’s still open.”
Perry smiled. “If you want it, it’s yours.”
Praise the Lord. He didn’t want to come across as too desperate, so he just nodded.
“ Gut . Be here at four thirty tomorrow morning and we’ll head out. Bring your lunch.”
He almost gulped. He hadn’t gotten up that early in a long time. Wagler’s Buggy Shop didn’t open until 7:00 a.m., and when
he was working for a lumber company in Winesburg before he retired to Marigold, the van picking up him and the other Amish
employees arrived at six o’clock. He made a mental note to wind up and set his alarm clock for three thirty. That would give
him enough time to work out the kinks, get dressed, and arrive at Perry’s on time. It wouldn’t do for him to be late for work
on the first day.
Perry shook his hand, sealing the deal. Ferman glanced at the woman again. She was staring at the sandwich, her expression
uncertain. Whatever was going on here, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was intruding, regardless of what Perry had said.
It was time to vamoose.
“See you in the morning then.” Ferman nodded at the woman.
She gave him a small wave, accompanied by a slight smile.
He squared his shoulders, forced his hip to settle down, and walked out of the house. But when he carefully slid onto the
buggy seat, he let out a loud whoop, startling his horse. “Sorry, bu ,” he said, lowering his voice. Then he turned the buggy around and headed home. He’d have to turn in early tonight, that
was for sure. But he didn’t care because God had provided him with a new job. Thank you, Lord.
***
Daisy nibbled on a potato chip as Perry sat back down across from her. He’d been right about his mother’s cherry preserves.
They were scrumptious. Better than Mamm ’s, and her mother had won a blue ribbon for her raspberry preserves at the Delaware State Fair twenty years ago.
“That was Ferman Eash,” he said, picking up his sandwich. “He’s now my new assistant.”
She was surprised she hadn’t heard Ferman’s buggy pull up in the driveway, especially since the door and kitchen window were
open. Then again, she’d been caught up in eating her lunch. She was almost starving, and it took everything she had not to
inhale the food. She was also watching the butterfly that was fluttering around the room. It looked exactly like the one that
had landed on her hand at her cousin’s house. Maybe it was the same one, maybe not, but it seemed happy to be inside the house.
Perry was ignoring it.
“What do you do?” she asked, before taking a bite of the sandwich.
He swallowed and took a sip of water. “I’m a farrier.”
That was interesting. She’d always wondered about the job but didn’t have the courage to ask John Henry, the gruff man her
father had hired to shoe their horse. He never said more than hello and goodbye, and he was singularly focused on his job,
almost as if he were in a hurry to get it done and move on. He did good work, but he was one of the most unapproachable men
she’d ever met.
She opened her mouth to ask Perry a question about his occupation, then clamped it shut. Having lunch with him was awkward
enough. She didn’t need to pester him with questions.
Then again, she realized that sharing a meal with him wasn’t all that awkward. He’d already asked her a few questions about Dover that she easily answered—how many people lived in their district,
what the main jobs and industries were—and when she mentioned that many of her family members and friends liked to fish in
the ocean, particularly the men, he seemed intrigued. Growing up near the Atlantic, she’d never thought that ocean fishing
was all that enticing, and she’d never gone herself. Just as she was about to tell him that her father often went deep-sea
fishing, Ferman showed up.
The butterfly was now hovering around Perry’s head. He had taken off his hat before making lunch, revealing a head of thick,
wavy black hair, the bangs slightly pressed against his forehead above straight eyebrows and hooded blue eyes with green flecks.
He was also several inches taller than her, enough that she had to look up at him. She never quibbled about height, though.
Maynard was quite short, and she didn’t care.
The butterfly landed, perched right in the middle of the top of Perry’s hair. He continued to eat his sandwich, apparently
unaware.
Daisy lifted her hand. “Uh... you...”
He paused, a chip halfway to his mouth. “I what?”
“The butterfly is on your head.”
Perry looked up, his eyes almost crossing, making her hide a chuckle. He gently felt around for the butterfly and made a delicate
shooing motion with his fingers. The insect flew away, and he watched it fly out the kitchen window.
Daisy tried to come to grips with the contradictory man in front of her. Although she hadn’t spoken to John Henry, she had
watched him a time or two as he shod their horse. The man had large, rough hands, with long, thick fingers that handled the
tools with ease. Not exactly the hands that would treat a butterfly as gently as Perry just had.
She glanced at his hands as he picked up a few broken chips and popped them into his mouth. They were large, like John Henry’s. Strong-looking too. She couldn’t tell if they were rough or not. Wait, she just noticed a callus on the knuckle of his pointer finger on his left hand. He was wearing a navy blue pullover, and he had pushed the sleeves up to the elbows when he had prepared their lunch. Naturally her gaze wandered to his forearms... and stayed there .
They were muscly. Tanned. Well formed. Maynard worked hard, but his forearms didn’t compare to Perry’s. A man didn’t get that
muscular without a lot of taxing, strenuous work. A flittery, fluttery feeling filled her stomach.
She reined in her thoughts. She shouldn’t be noticing Perry’s arms, or anything else about him physically, not when she was
in love with Maynard. She was already missing him. Sigh.
“Something wrong?”
Had she actually sighed out loud? Oops. “I’m just tired from the trip.” That was true. She was also eager for her relatives to come home. She’d imposed on Perry
long enough.
He nodded and stood, picking up their plates. “You must be ready to unpack and settle in, ya ?”
“I am.” She took the glasses and followed him into the kitchen, just as another butterfly flew in the window. Wait, was this
the same one? She assumed so when the creature settled on Perry’s shoulder again. “Butterflies seem to like you.”
With a shrug of his shoulder, he shooed it away again and took the glasses from her. The butterfly fluttered to the stove
and perched on the edge of it. Perry turned on the tap and started filling the sink.
Daisy walked over to the stove and examined the insect. “I think this is the same one that was here earlier.” It had the same
coloring at least. Then she turned around. “I can do the dishes.”
He shook his head. “It won’t take long to finish these.”
From his lack of beard and sparse furniture, she was fairly sure he was single. Maybe he had a girlfriend... oh, she hadn’t
thought about that. He didn’t mention one, but then again, she hadn’t brought up Maynard either. If he did have a girlfriend,
Daisy was glad she hadn’t showed up while they were eating lunch. Now that would be awkward.
But she didn’t feel right just standing there while he worked either. “It’s the least I can do,” she said, moving closer to
him. “You fed me after all.”
He glanced at her. “Not exactly a gourmet meal.”
The butterfly moved to the kitchen window, capturing Perry’s attention. Daisy used the opportunity to reach over him and grab
the bottle of dish detergent.
Perry shrugged and moved away. “I guess you’re doing my dishes.”
She smiled at him and squirted a few drops of soap into the hot water, then put the rest of the dishes in the sink.
“Daisy!”
She spun around, her hands still in the soapy water. Grace! She yanked her hands out of the sink as Grace dashed into the
house. Perry handed Daisy a towel and she dried off, then rushed to her cousin. They quickly embraced.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Grace grinned, holding on to Daisy’s elbows. “ Mamm was in such a hurry to get home today, but she didn’t tell me and Daed why until I saw your suitcase on the front porch. I’m so happy to see you!”
Daisy was happy too, but she was also confused. Why would her cousin be surprised she was here? Hopefully Grace would clear
things up when they went to her house.
Grace dropped her hands and looked at Perry, who was still in the kitchen. “Thanks for keeping her company.”
“I just have to finish the dishes,” Daisy said, starting for the sink again. “Then I’ll be right over—”
He intercepted her. “I’ll do them. Geh be with yer familye .”
She smiled her thanks, and she and Grace left.
“I see you met Perry,” Grace said as they walked the short distance to her house. “He’s, uh, an unusual guy, isn’t he?”
“He seemed normal to me.”
“He’s not abnormal .” They made their way up the porch steps. “He’s just... I don’t know how to describe him. He likes to keep to himself.
I’m surprised he invited you inside.”
Daisy glanced at his still-open front door. “He didn’t exactly invite me in.”
“Oh?”
She threaded her arm through Grace’s. “It’s a long story.”