Chapter 18
Perry waited at the end of Daisy’s driveway at ten o’clock sharp Saturday morning after agreeing last night that he didn’t
need to pull his buggy into the Hershbergers’ drive when he picked her up. Daisy had offered to come over like she normally
did, but for some reason picking her up seemed the right thing to do, even though this wasn’t a date. He also wasn’t as nervous
as he expected to be. Part of that was due to his interactions with her this week. They had been comfortable and relaxed,
as if they’d known each other a long time. He was still going to set his mother straight on their relationship next week and
apologize for giving her and his family the wrong idea. Today, however, he was going to enjoy himself—or at least try, considering
his low tolerance for crowds. Having Daisy by his side would help.
Howard offered to spend the day with Ferman, and none of the Hershbergers had batted an eye at Perry taking Daisy to a family
gathering. He assumed they all knew about her mother’s dating request, and even if they didn’t, he was glad they didn’t have
to explain the situation to them.
Their front door opened and he watched Daisy making her way down the drive, her feet light and movements graceful. She was wearing a butter-yellow dress with a navy cardigan over it, her kapp strings dancing on her shoulders as she moved. Adorable. Finally, he could mentally acknowledge her appeal without his emotions spiraling.
When she reached the end of the driveway, he heard the phone ring. She paused and held up one finger to Perry before dashing
off and answering it. She stayed inside for a few minutes, and then exited and walked to his buggy, a slight frown on her
face.
“Everything all right?” he asked as she climbed inside.
“ Ya . I guess.”
She didn’t sound convincing, and he wasn’t convinced. He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he wanted to question
her further but refused to pry. They were friends, and he had to respect her privacy.
Just as he started to pick up the reins, she said, “That was Maynard.”
“Oh.” He hid a frown. He’d managed to keep that guy out of his mind the past several days, and Daisy hadn’t brought him up
or asked for more relationship help, thank the Lord. “How, uh, is he?”
She smoothed her dress. “Okay. I guess. I haven’t talked to him this week.”
Seriously? “This the first you’ve heard from him?”
“ Nee .” She glanced down, her hands becoming still. “I got a letter from him on Wednesday. He’s also called every day.”
Envy wound around Perry’s gut and he tried to check himself. Other than what happened last Sunday afternoon, she hadn’t given
him an inkling that she considered Perry anything else but a friend, and he did the same. He should be happy Maynard was finally
paying attention to her. “Do you want to stay and talk to him?”
She turned, and Perry was shocked at the bewilderment in her hazel eyes. “Not really. I’ve gone this long without talking to him.” She looked back at her lap. “And I haven’t read his letter.”
Huh. He sat back in his seat, unsure what to think. “Are you mad at him?” he finally asked.
“ Nee . I just don’t want to talk to him.” Daisy glanced at Perry again. “Is that bad?”
He didn’t know. She’d been so eager to get his attention a few days ago, and now she wasn’t interested. Strange. Or maybe
there was another reason she was avoiding him.
“We should geh .”
“Daisy—”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Suddenly Lady appeared. Perry couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t seen her for a couple of days. “Welcome back,” he said, holding
out his finger for her to land on.
“Lady?” Daisy asked, her eyes brightening.
“ Ya .” He moved his hand toward Daisy, and Lady flitted to her shoulder. Daisy’s smile practically glowed, her troubled expression
vanishing. “Think she wants to come with us?”
“We’ll find out.” He tapped the reins on his horse’s flanks, and they were off. As expected, so was Lady, who flew away before
he finished passing the Hershberger house. He caught Daisy’s downcast expression before she turned to look at the landscape,
just like she did when they came home from church.
More than once this week, she’d mentioned the pretty scenery in Marigold, and she was excited to go to nearby Barton with Grace next Wednesday to do some shopping. During their conversations this week—some brief, others longer like on Thursday and Friday nights—she didn’t mention Dover or her parents. Mostly they talked about Marigold, his job, and... butterflies. She was full of questions, and he’d been happy to answer every single one. In detail.
For the next half hour they drove in silence, something Perry didn’t mind. He savored it, because soon enough they would be
bombarded by his noisy, lovable family. He was curious about what she was thinking, almost sure it had to be Maynard, but
he wouldn’t push her.
They were nearing his parents’ house when she eventually spoke. “Do you think Ferman is up to something?”
He turned left, barely guiding his horse. Not only did the gelding know his way around Marigold, but he also knew how to get
to Birch Creek. “Now that you mention it, I was wondering myself.”
Daisy turned around and faced him. “Has he been nosy with you?”
“ Ya . But I don’t take the bait.” He glanced at her. “I just figured he was making conversation. What I have noticed is that he’s
moving just fine. I even caught him walking to the bathroom without his cane. And in the mornings, he doesn’t need my help
to get dressed anymore.”
“Interesting.” She tapped her chin. “Lately he hasn’t said a word about going home.”
“I noticed that too.”
“What do you think’s going on?”
Perry slowed the buggy, giving them a few extra minutes before the upcoming chaos. “I think he’s lonely, Daisy. He won’t admit
it, though. I’ve urged him to call his son.”
Daisy gasped. “He has a son?”
“ Ya . Junior. He’s married to Polly Ann.”
“So that’s who she is. He mentioned her once. But he never said a word to me about Junior.”
“Junior and his wife used to live with him. They moved away several months ago. Ferman’s refused to call him, so I dropped the subject.”
“Maybe we should call him.”
Perry shook his head. “I don’t think Ferman would appreciate that.”
Daisy didn’t say anything for a moment, then asked, “Aren’t you ready to get your house back?”
He paused, unsure if he should tell her the truth—the longer Ferman stayed with him, the more he didn’t mind him being there.
Sure, he didn’t have the privacy he’d become accustomed to while living by himself. He also hadn’t realized how nice it was
to have someone around, even someone as stubborn, talkative, and yes, nosy as Ferman Eash. He was also smart, unintentionally
funny, and from his frequent mentions of Lovina, he’d had a long, happy marriage. “I imagine it might be hard going back to
an empty house.”
“Oh, I’m sure. He talks about Lovina a lot. He misses her very much.”
His parents’ house came into view. “I should probably tell him he’s welcome to stay as long as he wants,” Perry said.
“But that means you’ll be stuck on the couch.”
“That’s fine. It’s not a bad place to sleep.”
“You’re a kind, generous mann , Perry.”
He almost blushed at her compliment. When it came to kindness, she had him beat.
They drove past a huge field, one of the Bontragers’ pastures. His older nieces and nephews were playing volleyball on the
adjacent grass court, the same one he and his siblings used when they were kids—and adults, admittedly. He glanced at Daisy.
“Almost there. Are you ready to meet the crew?”
Her smile was like warm sunshine. “I can’t wait.”
***
For the next several hours, Daisy thoroughly enjoyed herself. She’d fail miserably if anyone asked her to name all the Bontragers
and related family members, but she would always remember how open and friendly they all were. If any of them knew that she
and Perry were an “item,” no one let on, not even Miriam. And while visiting with the women, oohing and aahing over the young
babies and little grandchildren—and in Phoebe’s case, her grandchildren—then playing a game of volleyball with rotating members of the family, she kept one eye and ear out for Perry.
At first he seemed at ease with everyone, playing volleyball with the adults and teens and then baseball with the younger
children. When it came time for lunch, he sat with Owen and Ezra—or was that Devon? She had no idea, but he was smiling and
laughing as he ate his meal. That made Daisy smile too.
There was only one hiccup, and that was when Miriam pointed out Nelson and Ella’s daughter, Neva. Which made her think of
Maynard’s mother, and that made her think of Maynard again. Young Neva Bontrager was nothing like Neva Miller, but for a little
while she couldn’t get Maynard, or his phone call this morning, off her mind.
She almost didn’t answer the phone, thinking it was him. She’d avoided his calls this past week. But it might be for one of
her relatives, so she picked up the receiver. “Hi,” she said, peeking out the window at Perry waiting for her in his buggy.
“Finally.” Maynard’s normally mild voice held a trace of irritation. “I didn’t think you’d ever answer the phone.”
“I’ve been—” She almost said busy, and that would be the truth. She rose early every day to go to Perry’s, and on Tuesday she started making the men breakfast in the morning, plus packing Perry’s lunch—something he didn’t ask her to do and up until Thursday had insisted she shouldn’t. But she wanted to, just like she wanted to make him and Ferman hearty, home-cooked suppers. Ferman needed the nutrition, and she enjoyed seeing Perry enthusiastically dig into the meals she prepared.
“You’ve been what?” Maynard asked.
“Otherwise disposed.”
“What does that mean?”
Daisy looked out the window again. “Someone’s waiting for me, Maynard.”
“Who? Where are you going?”
She startled. He’d never been this forceful before. Or interested. “A... friend. We’re going to a party.” Then it dawned on her. “Aren’t you at work?”
“ Ya , but I took a break. Are you ignoring me?”
“Of course not. I would never ignore you, Maynard.” She winced at the fib.
“Then why haven’t you called me back? Did you read my letter?”
This conversation was sounding eerily familiar. It was also making her feel bad. “I’m sorry,” she said. They did need to talk,
but she couldn’t keep Perry waiting. “I’ll call you back tonight.”
He paused. “All right. I have to geh back to work anyway.”
No surprise there. “Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
They hung up, and as Daisy headed to the buggy, the truth hit her—regardless of her promise, she wasn’t eager to talk to Maynard tonight and she didn’t know why. Not only did that bother her, it scared her a little too. She used to yearn for him to pay attention to her. Now that he was, she wasn’t sure what to do. It didn’t seem... normal.
Then one of the wives who wasn’t Margaret invited her to play a round of bag toss with her, and she did that after lunch.
When she finished the game, she saw that Perry had disappeared. She was glancing around the huge Bontrager compound when Miriam
came up to her.
“Looking for Perry?” she asked.
“ Ya . Do you know where he is?”
“Probably in the back pasture. He tends to geh there when he wants to be alone. I never thought he’d be mei most introverted kinner ,” she said. “Zeb was always the quiet one, and Owen always had a book in his hand. The rest are more social. When Perry was
in his late teens, he started spending more time alone.” She rested her hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “I’m so glad he has you
for a friend .” She gave her a knowing smile and walked away.
Uh-oh. For a while Daisy had been able to forget about their pretense, but now it had smacked her in the face. Ugh. She didn’t
want to upset Miriam or anyone else, or for them to think badly of her. She dragged her feet a little as she went to see Perry.
Sure enough, she found him in the pasture, staring at several horses grazing the grass. She paused a few feet from him, his
expression unreadable on his handsome profile. Maybe she should just leave him be. He would come back to the group when he
was ready.
He turned around, his dark brows lifting. “Oh, hey. I didn’t know you were here.”
She moved a few steps closer. “Can I join you?”
“Sure.” He rested his forearms on the white fence.
Daisy tried not to stare at his sinewy muscles, but it was difficult when she was so close to him. She moved a few steps away. That didn’t help, and she forced herself to look at the horses instead. Over the past few days, their dynamic had changed, and it felt like they were friends. Not in the Miriam sense, of course, but she believed there was genuine friendship between them. Still, she couldn’t ignore his gorgeousness, and eventually she wouldn’t notice it anymore. Right now, though, she was noticing aplenty.
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“Your mamm told me where you were.” She drew in a breath. “She also thanked me for being your friend .”
“Great.” He grimaced.
“I don’t want her to be mad at me,” Daisy said in a small voice. “I really like your familye .”
“She won’t be. They won’t be.” He put one elbow up on the fence and faced her. “I’ll take all the responsibility. It’s my
fault we’re in this position.”
“That isn’t fair.” He didn’t have to be that gallant. “I agreed to it.”
“ Ya , but...” He held her gaze. “Let me handle them, okay?”
She couldn’t look away. All she could do was nod.
He turned toward the pasture again. “You don’t have to stay here.”
“I don’t mind.” And she didn’t. She breathed in the fresh timothy grass and saw several types of wildflowers bordering the
pasture fence. A few butterflies flitted around, and she smiled. Now she knew why he’d spent so much time out here growing
up.
“I can only take so much,” he said, his voice so low she barely heard him. “I love my familye , but...”
“They are a lot.”
His left eyebrow raised again. “You think so too?”
“ Nee . But I understand why you do.”
“I don’t. A huge familye is all I’ve known. When I was little, it didn’t bother me. There was always someone to play with. And fight with, of course. But as I grew older, something changed. I guess that something was me.”
She moved closer to him. “We can geh back to Marigold if you want. I’m sure we made our point.”
“Aren’t you’re having a gut time?”
“ Ya , but I won’t if it’s at your expense.”
His mesmerizing blue eyes locked with hers. Then he mumbled something that sounded like “What an idiot,” but she wasn’t sure and she didn’t want to ask. She would do anything not to break this moment. The warm sensation humming
through her was different than anything she had experienced before. She wasn’t just attracted to him. She felt connected .
He stepped away, a muscle jerking in his cheek. “Why don’t you want to talk to Maynard?”
Her heart dipped. Why was he bringing that up now? She supposed she did owe him an explanation, considering he was the one
who had the idea of playing hard to get. It definitely worked. “I guess because I don’t have much to say.”
“Do you...” He grasped the top of the fence with both hands. “Do you still love him?”
“ Ya .” The word automatically flew out of her mouth, like a mechanical response. “I just don’t think the phone is a gut form of communication for us. We need to talk face-to-face.” Yes, that was it. Hadn’t she believed that all along? She insisted
that they needed to be in the same proximity when they had “the talk,” and apparently also when they just... talked.
A car whizzed by, making the tall grass and flower border sway. “Are you going to tell him about our pact?”
She hadn’t thought about that. “Should I?”
“It’s not gut to have secrets.”
Even with his reassurances about shouldering the blame for their agreement, she was filled with guilt over their slight deception.
“You’re right. I’ll tell him when I geh back to Dover.”
Neither of them moved or spoke, but she couldn’t help glancing at his profile. His jaw seemed set in stone, and it was covered
with a faint five o’clock shadow. Maynard was far from her thoughts as she wondered what it would be like to touch Perry’s
strong, whiskered chin, and that brought on even more guilt. She moved farther away from him. “I’m ready to geh back to Marigold.”
“Okay,” he said without hesitation, as if he’d been thinking the same thing.
They said their goodbyes to his family, climbed into the buggy, and headed back home, neither of them saying a word. For the
first time, she didn’t enjoy the scenery, and the stunning sunset was lost on her as she tried to drum up some enthusiasm
for her return phone call to Maynard. She still didn’t know what they were going to talk about. The weather? His job? Perry? No, she couldn’t mention him to Maynard, even though they were only friends. That was another face-to-face conversation.
But telling him they shouldn’t talk for the next month was extreme. What if he forgets about me?
What does it matter?
The notion shocked her. Of course it mattered if he forgot about her. How could she think such a thing?
To her surprise they were almost at Perry’s house. When he stopped the buggy, she started to get out.
“Daisy?”
His deep voice stopped her. She turned around. “ Ya ?”
“Don’t leave.”