“Leah,” he greeted softly. “May I have a word?”
“I’m cleaning up.”
“I’ll take care of this,” Ellie offered as she grabbed the plates Leah held. She hurried away before Leah could object.
Leah shifted uncomfortably as she watched her sister stride away. She arched an eyebrow as she turned toward Henry. “Do you need me for something?”
His lips curved in a smile that stole her breath. “It’s not what I need. It’s about what I may be able to do for you.” He paused. “Walk with me?” When she hesitated, he added softly, “Please?”
When he asked so nicely, how could she resist him? She nodded and fell into step beside him. Thoughts of an apology hovered in her mind.
They started toward the fields beyond the barn. Leah didn’t look back, afraid to discover that others might be watching them. She experienced a tingling at her nape as they strolled some distance away from the gathering. She stopped, unwilling to go any farther.
“What do you want, Henry?”
He halted and turned her to face him. “I want to help you with your craft shop.”
She gasped. “What? Who told you about it?”
“Isaac,” he said calmly. “One of your sisters told him.”
A ball of hurt fisted inside her chest. “Ellie.”
Henry nodded. “Don’t be angry with either one of them. It came out accidentally when Isaac and Ellie were talking. Isaac mentioned it because he thought I could help you. I know what it takes to run a store—about inventory, purchasing, merchandise displays, bookkeeping...”
Leah knew she should be angry, but for some reason something in Henry’s expression softened something inside of her. “I’m not ready to open a store just yet.”
“Will you think about it when you do? Me helping you?”
“That’s nice of you, Henry, but—”
“You don’t trust me enough.”
Leah shook her head because, for some reason, she trusted him in this. “’Tis not that. I don’t have enough capital to look for a place yet.”
“I understand.” But something in his blue eyes had dimmed. He turned as if to head back toward the main yard.
She felt the uncontrollable urge to stop him. She grabbed his arm to halt him. “I’m telling the truth, Henry. I’ll be happy to accept your help when the time is right.”
Henry grinned, and Leah reeled back under the bright warmth in his eyes. “Gut. I’ll be pleased to help you. And if you need assistance looking for a place when the time is right, I’m your man.”
Leah felt her face heat. I’m your man. She had a sudden mental image of him working with her, smiling at her, making her feel special. She glanced away. “We should get back.” She started to walk and he fell into step with her.
“Danki,” he murmured as they entered the barnyard.
She met his gaze. “For what?”
“For trusting me enough to accept my help,” he whispered. Then, as if he’d sensed her unease, he left her, and she watched as he hurried toward the dessert table.
Shaken, Leah knew a strange yearning in her heart, one she didn’t recognize. Still, she managed a smile as she rejoined her sisters where they sat drinking iced tea and sharing desserts.
Monday morning Leah exited the house in good spirits. Ellie had been hired to houseclean for a new client who owned a huge five-bedroom residence. Because of the amount of work involved, her sister had requested her help. Leah was more than willing to work with Ellie. She’d put away the money for her shop. Since turning eighteen, she was allowed to keep all of her work earnings. Which was why she made it a point to help her parents as much as she could around the house and farm. It was her turn to feed the animals this morning, and she was happy to do it.
Her thoughts on the day ahead, she descended the porch steps and started forward, then halted abruptly. Her heart began to hammer hard as she stared at the man who stood several feet from her. “What are you doing here, Henry?”
He approached, and as he drew closer, she backed away until she was up against the bottom rung of the stairs. “Aren’t you happy to see me?” A tiny smile curved up the corners of his mouth.
She sniffed, determined to keep him from realizing that she was glad to see him. “What do you think?”
His smile disappeared. “Contrary to what you might believe, I’m not stalking you.”
She blushed. “I didn’t say you were.”
He folded his arms as he studied her. He wore a green shirt, navy tri-blend pants with black suspenders. A black-banded straw hat rested on his head, but he’d tipped back the wide brim. Beneath it, his sky blue eyes looked sapphire. “I’m here to help your father.”
Leah blinked, tried to stay calm. “With what?”
Henry sighed heavily. “He wants to install a cabinet in one section of the barn to store things.”
She gazed at him with suspicion. “My cousin invited you to Visiting Day, where my father just happened to ask you to install a cabinet for him, and all within four days of Friday’s thunderstorm?”
He shrugged as if he didn’t care whether or not she believed him. As if he was telling the truth. She frowned.
Her father came out of the house behind him. “Henry!” he exclaimed, and Leah immediately slipped past Henry before she looked back to watch the interaction between the two men. “Glad you could make it.”
Leah experienced a burning in her stomach. Her dat seemed genuinely pleased to see him. The hot sensation intensified. Henry had told the truth. Why did she continually misjudge him?
Ashamed, she turned away, headed toward the barn to feed the animals. She started to hurry as it occurred to her that Henry and her father would be along soon. She fed all of the horses first, ensuring that each had fresh water and a bucket of feed. Later in the day, she’d return for their third feeding. Her sister Charlie would do the second one midday. She then went on to feed their dairy cows, bull, goats and sheep. She was outside with their hens and rooster when she heard voices from within the barn. When she was done throwing down chicken feed, she reluctantly returned to the outbuilding to put away the bucket. Their two cows needed to be milked, but she’d ask Charlie to do that for her. She had no desire to stay inside the barn as long as she had to share it with Henry Yoder.
Leah froze in the act of putting away the feed bucket. What was wrong with her? One minute she felt bad about the way she’d treated Henry, then in the next she was going out of her way to avoid him. She drew a cleansing breath. She wasn’t going to run. She’d milk the cows before getting ready for work with Ellie. She wasn’t going to let Henry’s presence make her run scared.
Leah found the milk pails and went to Bessie first. Dragging over a stool, she sat down to milk her. The steady, rhythmic sound of milk against metal soothed her, and she became immersed in the farm chore. Once Bessie was milked, she moved on to Annabelle. The cow wasn’t as cooperative as Bessie. The animal shifted restlessly and tried to kick her. She backed away before she was struck by the cow’s hoof.
“Nay, you don’t, you ornery critter!” She turned to get fresh hay and groaned when she saw Henry Yoder, who watched her with amusement.
“Having