He slipped the handle of his rod into the holder his brother had made. It was then he discovered that actually reeling it in wasn’t as difficult as he had feared. When he had all the line cranked in, he pulled the rod from the holder and flipped another cast.
This wasn’t so bad. Maybe he should have brought some bait. He’d only reeled in a few feet when he felt his hook snag and hang up. He yanked, and it moved a few feet but it wouldn’t come free. What was he snagged on?
Chapter Four
Roman discovered just how hard it was to crank his rod with something on the other end. It wasn’t a fish, just deadweight. Suddenly, it gave a little more. He half hoped the line would break, but it held. Whatever snagged his hook was being pulled across the bottom of the lake. When he finally managed to wrestle it in, he stared at his prize in amazement. It was someone’s fishing pole.
When he stepped down to the water’s edge, he noticed a half-eaten apple bobbing at the shoreline. There were fresh footprints in the mud at the edge of the water, too. He’d stumbled upon someone’s fishing spot, and they hadn’t been gone more than an hour or two.
It was easy to tell that the pole hadn’t been in the water long, either. There wasn’t a speck of rust on the beautiful spinning reel. The rod and handle were smooth and free of slime.
Whoever had lost the nice tackle had done so recently. Had Carl been fishing before Roman showed up? Was this his pole? It wasn’t a run-of-the-mill fishing pole. This was an expensive piece of equipment. Far better than the one Roman owned.
He’d found it. Should he keep it?
He carried his prize to a fallen tree and sat down. It didn’t seem right to keep such a high-priced rod and reel. How had it come to be in the lake? Maybe the unfortunate angler had hooked a fish big enough to pull his unattended gear into the water. Whatever happened, Roman was sure the unknown fisherman regretted the loss. He certainly would.
He debated what to do. If he left it here, would the owner return to fish at this spot, or would another angler chance upon it?
He decided on a course of action. From his pocket, he pulled the pencil and small notebook he normally carried to jot down wood measurements. Keeping it handy was a habit.
He wrote: Fished this nice pole from the lake. Take it if it’s yours or you know who owns it.
That should suffice. He left the pole leaning against the log and weighted his note down with a stone. If the owner returned, it would be here for him. He’d done the right thing. He would check back later in the week. If the rod was still here, then the good Lord wanted him to have it.
Gathering up his old pole, Roman tucked it under his arm and headed for home, content that he’d be able to enjoy an evening of fishing with his brother in the future without embarrassment. At least one thing in his life was looking up. Hopefully, his new job would be just as easy to master.
* * *
Joann followed her sister-in-law and her nieces into the home of Eli Imhoff on Sunday morning. She took her place among the unmarried women on the long wooden benches arranged in two rows down the length of the living room. Her cousin, Sally Yoder, sat down beside her.
Sally was a pretty girl with bright red hair, fair skin and a dusting of freckles across her nose. While many thought she was too forward and outspoken, Joann considered her a dear friend. She often wished she could be more like her outgoing cousin. Just behind Sally came Sarah and Levi with Levi’s younger sister, Grace. Sarah sat up front with the married women. Grace took a seat on the other side of Joann. Levi crossed the aisle to sit with the men.
Joann’s eyes were drawn to the benches near the back on the men’s side where the single men and boys sat. She didn’t see Roman.
“Are you looking for someone?” Grace asked.
Joann quickly faced the front of the room. “No one special.”
“Is Ben Lapp back there?” Sally asked with studied indifference. She picked up a songbook and opened it.
Joann wasn’t fooled. Sally was head over heels for the handsome young farmer. Ben was the only one who didn’t seem to know it.
Joann glanced back and saw where Ben was sitting just as Roman came in and took a seat. Their eyes met, and she quickly looked forward again. She whispered to Sally, “Ben is here.”
“Is he looking at me?”
“How should I know?”
“Check and see if he’s looking this way.”
Joann glanced back. Ben wasn’t looking their way, but Roman was. Joann quickly faced forward and opened her songbook.
Sally nudged her with her elbow. “Well? Is he?”
“No.”
“Oh.” Disappointed, Sally snapped her book closed. After a moment, she leaned close to Joann. “Is he looking now?”
“I’m not going to keep twisting my head around like a curious turkey. If he’s looking, he’s looking. If he isn’t, he isn’t.”
“Fine. What’s wrong with you today?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just upset because I may lose my job.”
“Why? What happened?” Grace asked.
“Otis wants his nephew to take over my position.”
Sally gave up trying to see what Ben was doing. “Which nephew?”
“Roman Weaver.”
Grace shot her a puzzled look. “What does Roman know about the printing business?”
“Whatever I can teach him in two weeks. After that, I go back to my old job at the bookstore. Oh, I’m the cleaning lady now, too.”
“That’s not fair,” Sally declared. “You do a wonderful job for the paper. My mother says the Family Hour magazine has been much more interesting since you started working for Otis.”
Joann sighed. “I love the job, but what can I do?”
“Quit,” Sally stated as if that solved everything. “Tell Otis he can train his own help and clean his own floors.”
“You know I can’t do that. I need whatever work I can get.”
Esta Bowman came in with her family. Grace nodded slightly to acknowledge her. Esta moved forward to sit on a bench several rows in front of Sally. The two women had been cool toward each other for months.
According to gossip, Esta had tried to come between Grace and her come-calling friend, Henry Zook. Happily, she had failed. Grace confided to Sally that she and Henry would marry in the fall. Although Amish betrothals were normally kept secret, Sally shared the news with Sarah and Joann. Joann hadn’t told anyone else.
Grace whispered to her. “Esta has been at it again. Everyone knows she’s walking out with Roman Weaver, but according to her sister, she’s just doing it to make Faron Martin jealous. Two weeks ago, Henry saw her kissing Ben Lapp.”
“Ben wouldn’t do that,” Sally snapped.
Grace waved aside Sally’s objection. “I think she was only trying to make Faron notice her. Anyway, it worked. She left the barn party last Saturday with Faron, and I saw them kissing. I noticed he drove his courting buggy today. Mark my words, she’ll ride home with him this evening and not with Roman.”
Joann discovered she wanted to hear more about Roman’s romantic attachment, but she knew church wasn’t the place to engage in gossip. She softly reminded