“Your mam...she is unwell?”
Taken off guard, Sarah flashed him a look. “She says she is fine.”
“But you don’t believe it.” His voice was soft.
Sarah sighed as she felt the warmth of his concern. “Nay. She has been tired and sick for weeks now.”
His expression filled with sympathy. “Is there anything I can do?”
His response surprised her. “I appreciate your kindness. Ja, there is something you can do...pray for her.”
“I shall keep her in my prayers,” Jed said quietly.
Sarah blinked back tears. “Danki.” She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. “I must go inside. Please...feel free to sit at our family table. I can introduce you first if you’d like.”
Jed suddenly grinned, and Sarah felt her face warm. “Go help inside. I can introduce myself.” He turned and headed toward the table.
Sarah stood a moment as she saw Jed speak with her father and brothers, watched as her father gestured for Jed to sit across from him. Her brothers shifted on the bench to make room for Jed, who then sat next to her eldest brother, Ervin. Relieved at how well her family appeared to receive him, Sarah headed toward the Miller farmhouse.
Sarah felt a lurch in her chest as she entered the house with thoughts of Jedidiah. Women filled Mary’s kitchen, working to unwrap food that had been prepared previously. She attempted to force Jed from her mind. “What can I do to help?” she asked as Mary set a casserole dish on the counter.
“You can start with those,” her mother said, gesturing toward platters of meat and bowls of salads. She uncovered a bowl of potato salad and moved to place it next to the casserole dish.
Mary gestured for her mother to sit. “Ruth Mast, don’t you overdo!” She smiled at Sarah’s mother. “We like having you here.”
Sarah was happy to see her mother take a seat. “I’ll be careful,” Mam said.
Pleased that her mother was able to join the day’s meal, Sarah made numerous trips outside as she carried platters of cold meat, bowls of homemade potato salad and coleslaw, and dried corn casserole to the food tables. She was glad that Mary refused to let her mother carry anything, happier yet to note that Ruth Mast didn’t object but remained seated in the kitchen until all of the food had been uncovered or unearthed from the gas refrigerator and brought outside. After the meal, they would take the leftovers inside and return to put out the desserts.
Men, women and children mingled, enjoying the food. Sarah set down the last dish on the food table. Where was Jed? She didn’t immediately see him at her family table. She searched the grounds until she found him standing by a tree not far from the table as if he was waiting for her. His eyes brightened as Jed watched her approach. He nodded as she drew closer.
“Hungry?” he asked.
Sarah inclined her head. “You?” His answer was a slow smile that did odd things to her insides.
The food was set up as a buffet for folks to fill their plates. Should I ask him what he wants to eat? she wondered. She needed to fix a plate for Mam. Then her thoughts centered on the brush of his hand on her arm, the touch of his arm against hers, as they walked side by side toward the buffet tables. Sarah felt her heart pumping hard and she had trouble concentrating as she followed behind Jed and they each filled plates. She was puzzled at first when she saw Jed fix a second plate, asking her opinion as he chose food. It was then that she realized that he was filling a plate for her mother. Touched by his thoughtfulness, she blinked back tears.
They went back to the table to find two seats vacant across from each other. When Jed set the plate before Mam, then took his seat, Sarah’s mother seemed as moved by Jed’s kindness as Sarah had been.
Sarah enjoyed the cold roast beef, dried-corn casserole and potato salad, while Jed, she noted, had chosen a slice of ham, sweetened green beans and a huge helping of macaroni salad. They looked at each other’s plates, saw the differences and chuckled.
“I like it all,” Jed said.
Sarah nodded, but she realized that he had chosen carefully for her mother. “I love those beans, but I get them whenever I want, since I made them using Mam’s recipe.”
Jed’s eyes flickered. “You bake and cook.”
Sarah nodded. “Ja, of course.” She didn’t want to tell him that she’d been doing all of the cooking these past few months, that Mam was too tired and feeling poorly to do much more than peel potatoes or snap the ends off store-bought fresh green beans. She saw that he’d guessed the truth by the way he studied her.
Everyone enjoyed the meal. Sarah was pleased to see how at ease Jed seemed in the company of her family, and she smiled and laughed as her father told stories of her twin brothers’ antics on their farm. For Sarah, the meal passed too quickly.
Chapter Three
“I’ll be going home tomorrow,” Jedidiah said to her family as they lingered over the remainder of their meal. “Arlin and I came to Spence’s Bazaar—the Sale, you call it?” Sarah nodded. “We had many things to sell—and we sold everything we had. My uncle is eager to head back to his family. He has five daughters, and he worries about them.”
Sarah silently wished he could stay longer.
“I understand that Arlin made Ruth’s new vegetable bin,” Daniel Mast said.
Jed paused in the act of eating potato salad. “Ja. Arlin works well with wood. Just like my vadder and my brother Noah.”
“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” her mother inquired.
“Six brothers and a little sister. My mam keeps busy but she enjoys all of us. Mam grew the vegetable plants Sarah purchased in her greenhouse.”
Sarah checked her mother’s reaction. She smiled as if she enjoyed hearing about Jed’s life in Pennsylvania. Sarah didn’t like the thought of him leaving.
“There is Arlin by the barn talking with Ned Troyer.” Jed flashed her a grin, and Sarah blushed.
“I’d better help bring out the desserts.” She stood and resisted the urge to straighten her bonnet.
“I’m eager for a slice of your pie, Sarah,” her dat said.
“Me, too.” Jed’s soft voice vibrated down her spine.
Sarah hesitated when Arlin stopped by to chat. Jed introduced Arlin to her family. “Mam likes the vegetable bin I bought for her,” she told Jed’s uncle with a smile. “Hers needed replacing, and yours is well made.”
Arlin looked pleased. “I hope it gives you many year’s of gut use.”
“I’m sure it will,” Mam said.
Soon, Arlin left to rejoin his cousin Pete at another table, and Sarah grabbed leftovers from the food table to carry inside. After the desserts were put out, she returned to her family...and Jed.
“Dessert!” Timothy exclaimed, climbing over the bench and running toward the food. Thomas jumped up and raced after him, eager to get there first.
Ervin stood and straddled the bench, watching his young brothers choose sweets from the dessert table. “Mam, Dat, want anything in particular?”
“I’d like to try one of Sally Troyer’s strawberry tarts,” her mam said.
Sarah started to rise. “I’ll get it.”
She shook her head. “Sit. Your brother will get it for me.” She flashed Ervin a smile.
Ervin rose and Toby followed. “I’m thinking of chocolate cake,” Toby said, and his older brother grinned.
Feeling