Chapter 16
Dear Maynard,
Hi. How are you? I am fine. I am having a good time in Marigold. It is fun here. There are a lot of things to do. I like doing
them. My cousin is fine. My aunt and uncle are also fine. Tomorrow it will be sunny and windy. The grass is very green—
Daisy tossed the pen down. Talk about boring. She was putting herself to sleep. “I’ve never been gut at writing,” she admitted.
Perry leaned over and scanned the few words she had written. Ferman was still asleep, and after Perry had given her the paper
and pen from one of the kitchen drawers, they sat next to each other at the table, and she went to work.
He pushed the letter back to her, his mouth slightly downturned. “It’s kind of...”
“Uninspiring?”
“I was going to say bland, but let’s geh with that.”
She sighed. “I know you suggested things to write about, but I don’t know how to say them.”
He was looking at her, and she could tell he was deep in thought. Then he took the paper and pen and started writing.
Dear Maynard,
Daisy scooted closer to him.
I’m having the best time in Marigold! Hanging out with Grace has been amazing. I met her boyfriend, Kyle. He’s really cute!
“Hey.” Daisy grabbed the pen and scratched out the last line. “I never said he was cute.”
“Maynard doesn’t know that.” He took the pen from her and continued:
But he’s not the only mann I’ve met. There’s one guy I’ve been spending a lot of time with. His name is Ferman. He’s—
“If you say ‘cute,’ I’m going to bop you.”
Perry wagged his index finger at her. “No more editorializing.”
—an older gentleman who has a bad hip and I’m taking care of him. He tells the best stories! I could listen to him for hours!
She was prepared to seize the pen from him again, but she didn’t have to. As he continued writing, he was somehow making her time in Marigold sound more exciting than it actually was. It wasn’t exactly what he was saying, but the words and tone he was using, along with lots of exclamation points. He even added Lady in the mix, although she noticed he didn’t say anything about his butterfly room. Or himself. Time to correct that.
“My turn.” Daisy took the pen and started writing.
I haven’t told you the best part! Grace has a neighbor named Perry. He’s—
Her pen remained poised over the paper.
“He’s what?” Perry leaned in close.
Mmm, he smelled good, like fresh air and cedar soap. He was also making her lose her train of thought. What was she about
to write? Smart? Handsome? Ravishing?
Goodness, she couldn’t write that. Not to Maynard. Although that might make him green-eyed.
Ravish—
Quickly she scratched out the word, hoping Perry hadn’t seen it. She also obliterated the word he’s and wrote:
I’m helping him solve his lady problems.
Perry face-palmed.
“What?” She looked at the sentence. “It’s true.”
“You don’t have to put it that way.” He reached for the pen.
She raised it above her head and grinned.
He chuckled and tried again.
“Ha!” She held the pen as high as she could.
“You do realize,” he said, leaning forward with a smile, “that my arm is longer than yours.”
“Maybe so, but are you faster than me?” Giggling, she popped up from the chair and darted toward the door. She’d barely made
it two steps before he grabbed her around the waist, making her squeal with delight.
He pulled her down onto his lap... and they both froze.
Daisy’s chest rose and fell as she realized she was touching his bicep. Unable to resist, she applied light pressure against
him with her fingertips.
His hand tightened at the side of her hip, his eyes turning smoky blue.
“Perry?” she whispered, feeling strangely lightheaded. Then his hand slid to her other hip, making her breath catch. Oh my.
He promptly deposited her back on the chair, then shot up from his seat, tossing the letter in front of her. “You can finish
it now.”
“But...”
His back was already to her, and he was almost in the kitchen. Granted that wasn’t far, but he seemed eager to get away. From me.
“Perry,” she said, her voice sounding small. “Did I do something wrong?”
***
Perry gripped the counter, a muscle twitching in his jaw. No, she hadn’t done anything wrong. This was his fault and he marveled
at how quickly a little fun and games had turned into something else. Something that had felt good. Oh so good. And that was the problem.
His problem. Not Daisy’s.
He blanked his expression and turned around. “ Nee . Everything’s fine. I just needed...” He grabbed a glass out of the cabinet, nearly fumbling it out of his hand before filling it with water and draining it dry. “A drink.” He set it on the counter with a loud clink .
“Oh.”
“Ferman will be getting up soon,” he said, opening the pantry. “I’m sure he’ll be hungry.”
“I can help.”
“ Nee— ”
“I think you’re mad at me.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m not mad.”
“You’re acting strange, though.”
He was, and he needed to stop. She was so naive that he knew she wouldn’t understand what had just happened between them,
even if he could explain it to her. He wasn’t sure that was possible since he was so bemused himself. All he knew was, in
that moment, when he had experienced her feather-light touch on his arm and felt how perfect she fit on his lap, he realized
it wouldn’t have taken much for him to draw her close and—
Get it together! The best way to do that was to pretend everything was normal. “You should finish your letter and send it to Maynard ASAP.”
There. Mentioning Maynard a few times would cool him off.
“ Ya ,” she said, her eyes turning bright. “I have to recopy it, of course. He knows my handwriting.”
Perry nodded. Maynard. This was about—ugh—him. “You can do that here if you want.” Good. He was sounding more like himself.
More in control.
“I should make Ferman some supper first,” she said.
“I’ve got it handled, Daisy. Geh finish Maynard’s letter.”
The gleam in her eyes disappeared. “All right. But I’ll be back early in the morning.” She went to the table and picked up the pad of paper, tearing off a sheet.
“Keep the pad,” he said, nosing into the pantry again, not just for Ferman’s benefit but to keep his sanity.
“Are you sure?”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “ Ya , Daisy. I’m sure.” He opened his eyes and shuffled cans about.
“Okay. Tell Ferman gute nacht , and that I’ll see him tomorrow.”
Perry moved a can of baked beans to the side. “Will do.”
When she finally left, he slouched against the pantry door. Hopefully she had an inkling about how to handle Maynard, at least
in the short term. Which meant Perry had fulfilled his part of the pact. Time for everything to go back to status quo.
“Did ya run her off?”
Perry jumped at the sound of Ferman’s voice. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Sneak up on me.” He nearly slammed the pantry door and stalked out of the kitchen. The pad and pen were still on the table,
but the letter was gone.
“ Bu , how could I sneak up on anyone using this?” Ferman held up his cane. “I thought I heard you and Daisy out here.”
Perry stilled, then slowly turned around. “What did you hear?”
“Voices.” Ferman hobbled toward him. “Loud voices. Couldn’t make out what you were saying, though.” He leaned on the cane,
his expression surly as usual. By the barely perceptible lift of one gray bushy eyebrow and the glint of nosiness in his eyes,
it was clear he was snooping for info.
Perry swiped the pad and pen off the table. “She was writing a letter to... folks back home.”
“Ah.” Ferman lowered himself onto one of the wooden chairs. “Bet there’s some homesickness settling in there. She’s probably missing her beau too.”
He spun around. “What?”
“Oh, I’m sure a maedel as pretty and kind as Daisy would have a mann back home.”
“Doesn’t matter if she does,” Perry muttered, going back into the kitchen. “You hungry?”
“Famished.”
Perry grabbed a jar from the pantry and banged it on the counter. “Peanut butter and jelly it is.”
***
Ferman lowered himself onto the chair at the table, wincing a little. Although his hip was aching, the rest had done him good,
and the pain was tolerable. While Perry rattled about in the kitchen, slamming cabinet doors and banging drawers as he made
their supper, Ferman digested what he’d recently witnessed after waking up to use the facilities.
Perry and Daisy didn’t hear him stirring about, and soon it became clear why. He’d heard Daisy say something about Perry and
“lady problems,” and when he poked his head around the corner to investigate, he saw them sitting next to each other at the
table. Perry’s back was to him, but he saw Daisy’s flirty smile and sparkling eyes. Ferman almost laughed out loud when they
started chasing each other around the table like a couple of kinner . It was good to see Perry happy and relaxed, and it was no surprise that Daisy could make him feel that way.
But he couldn’t keep ignoring nature’s call, so he hobbled to the bathroom. When he came back out, Daisy was gone, and Perry was in an unpleasant mood. Ferman wondered what happened in those few minutes to cause such a swift change in his attitude.
Still, he was firmly convinced that Perry Bontrager had finally, finally realized what a gem Daisy was. That was clear from Perry’s reaction when Ferman had brought up the possibility of her having
a boyfriend back in Dover. He didn’t know whether she did or not, but he couldn’t believe a lovely maedel like her wasn’t the apple of a few young men’s eyes.
Perry plopped a paper plate and a glass of water in front of him. Ferman almost chuckled at the sad state of the peanut butter
and jelly sandwich. The top piece of bread was only half covered with peanut butter, and cherry jam oozed onto the plate.
A few chips were scattered next to the PB&J, and one of them was partly stuck into the side of the sandwich. Clearly the boy
was distracted. And smitten.
“Aren’t you having supper?” Ferman asked, plucking the chip out of the sandwich.
“Not hungry,” Perry mumbled. “Need anything else?”
Ferman paused. He should just let Perry be, but his meddlesomeness wouldn’t let him. “Have a seat.” He gestured to the chair
across from him.
Perry’s expression turned wary. “Why?”
“It’s time we have a chat. About you and Daisy.”
Crossing his arms, Perry said, “There is nee me and Daisy.”
“There could be, though. She seems to have taken a shine to you—”
“She has a boyfriend.”
Ferman’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“You heard me.”
Impossible. Although Ferman was sure Daisy had plenty of male interest in Dover, he couldn’t fathom her liking any one of them. Not from the way she’d looked at Perry. That had been clear as a cloudless summer sky. And when they were running around the table, he’d caught the same enchanted expression on Perry’s face. “Are you sure?”
Perry’s withering scowl gave him his answer. He walked away. Seconds later, the door to the room across from Perry’s bedroom
slammed shut.
Ferman flinched at the sound. He didn’t pin Daisy as the fickle type, and he never would have guessed she’d cheat on anyone.
But Perry seemed absolutely sure she had a beau, and he wasn’t happy about it. That also brought up more questions. If Daisy
was taken, why were they flirting with each other? And why was Perry involved in her letter writing anyway?
He finished his supper, keeping his distaste of peanut butter and jelly to himself, not wanting to incur Perry’s wrath. The
man did go to the trouble of making him something to eat, and Ferman was hungry. Then he stood and tottered over to the chair,
his steps slower than they’d been at church this morning but miles better than a few days ago. He was definitely improving,
and he could probably go home tomorrow, despite Margaret not wanting him to be alone. She didn’t fully know how well he was
doing, and if he kept using the cane, even though he didn’t want to, he would be okay at his house.
But he wasn’t ready to leave. Not after today’s development. He couldn’t accept that Daisy was in love with another man after
seeing her and Perry together earlier. And if she was, then she had a problem on her hands. A big one.
“Ferman... stay out of this.” Lovina’s firm words echoed in his mind. “Sorry, lieb ,” he whispered, picking up one of the puzzle books and pencil. He had two big soft spots in his heart for Daisy and Perry,
and he didn’t like the idea of either of them being unhappy. “I should... but I can’t.”
***
Daisy stood in front of the mailbox and stared at the little red flag on the side. It was still in the down position. She
glanced at the envelope in her hand, Maynard’s address written neatly on the front. She’d finished the letter last night,
or more accurately, copied down what she and Perry had written together so it was all in her own script. All she had to do
was mail it. What am I waiting for?
A wet blanket of a thought entered her mind. Would Maynard even have noticed it wasn’t her handwriting? Other than the first
letter she wrote to him, she couldn’t remember if she’d ever written anything else to him or in front of him. She never had
a reason to. As of their most recent conversation the other day, he hadn’t gotten her last letter yet. Maybe he still hadn’t.
It also wasn’t helpful that the entire time she was writing the letter, her thoughts were on Perry Bontrager. Last evening
had been the first time she’d seen him genuinely smile, and she’d nearly melted in her chair. And then he pulled her onto
his lap and—
She shook her head. They were just being playful, but in that moment her emotions shifted. When he set her aside, she wasn’t
just baffled. She was deeply disappointed.
And when she left, the guilt set in. She shouldn’t enjoy being with Perry as much as she did. Not when her heart was with
Maynard.
Daisy opened the mailbox and set the letter inside, then closed the lid and lifted the flag. She picked up her basket and
went to Perry’s, setting her muddled feelings and thoughts aside. Ferman was her primary concern, and even though he was improving,
he still needed someone there to make sure he didn’t fall and injure himself. This morning she asked Aenti Rosella if she could take a couple issues of The Budget for Ferman to read, and they were on top of her cross-stitch project.
A ripple of melancholy drifted over her. Soon her job as his caretaker would come to an end—perhaps in a day or two. He was
getting around better and seemed to be in less pain. Her heart squished a little. She would miss him. I’ll miss coming over here too. Once Ferman went home, there was no reason for her and Perry to interact with each other. They’d both fulfilled their parts
of the pact.
Perry’s horse and buggy were still in the driveway, and as she reached the front porch, he was coming out of the barn with
his leather sack of farrier tools.
She hesitated, feeling awkward. Then she brushed it off. Perry had said he wasn’t mad at her, and she should take him at his
word. “ Gute mariye ,” she said, putting on a bright smile as she walked toward him.
He set the bag on the floorboard behind the front seat. “Mornin’.”
“How’s Ferman?”
“Grouchy as ever.” He turned to her, and in the dim light of sunrise, she saw frustration on his face. “I don’t understand,”
he huffed. “He seemed better yesterday.”
Alarmed, she asked, “Has he had a setback?”
“I guess?” Rubbing his neck, he added, “He didn’t eat much, I had to help him to the chair, and he barely touched his medicine.
I wonder if I need to call Margaret again.”
“ Nee .” She spontaneously put her hand on his forearm. When he glanced at it, she quickly pulled away. She’d also done that at
church yesterday morning and had caught herself. Later she’d try to figure out why she kept touching him, but right now she
had to reassure Perry. “If he’s still in a bad way by tonight, you can let Margaret know. He could just be having an off day.”
“I hope so.” Perry climbed into the buggy. “I really thought he’d be well enough to geh back home. That’s what he wants.”
“Did he talk about leaving again this morning?”
“Come to think of it, nee . But he wasn’t talkative either.”
Hmm. That wasn’t normal for Ferman. Not recently anyway.
He grabbed the reins. “I’ve got a full day. I won’t be home until close to suppertime.”
“I’ll hold down the fort.”
A faint smile appeared on his face. “ Danki , Daisy. It’s easier for me to concentrate on work if I don’t have to worry about him.” He tapped the horse’s flanks with
the reins. “See you tonight.”
She waved as he left, relieved. She also hoped her assumption was true and Ferman wasn’t regressing. Fortunately, her conversation
with Perry wasn’t strange or awkward. It was as if yesterday afternoon had never happened.
When she opened the door, Ferman had a pencil in one hand and the sudoku book in the other, his brow furrowed in concentration.
“Hi, Ferman.” Daisy walked inside.
His head jerked up, the pencil and book hitting the floor. “Ugh,” he moaned, grabbing his hip. “It hurts.”
She stared at him for a moment, confused. “Your other hip hurts now?”
His eyes widened, and he put his hand back in his lap. “I’m in so much pain, I’m not sure of anything.”
“Then you need to take your medicine.” She set the basket on the couch and went to him. “Perry said you refused to.”
“I gotta ache in my stomach.” His lower lip poked out slightly. “Maybe I just need a little sodium bicarbonate.”
“Baking soda?”
“Yeah. Just a touch in a glass of water.” He placed both hands on his marginally protruding belly. At least he had the right body part this time.
“All right,” she said, heading for the kitchen. She glanced at him again, positive he’d looked just fine when she walked through
the door. But she wasn’t here to question her patient, even if he was being a little daffy. “Baking soda it is.”