For a moment, Ellen’s thoughts dwelled on Isaac Lapp. She wasn’t alarmed that she’d thought of him; after all, this was his home.
Katie’s door opened immediately after Mam knocked. Ellen felt her heart skip a bit as she caught a quick glance at the man who stood there. Isaac. The image of Isaac flittered away and she realized that it wasn’t Isaac waiting patiently for them to enter. It was Joseph, the youngest brother. He was the spitting image of his older brother until she looked closer and saw the difference in eye color and the shape of his mouth. Joseph had younger, less mature features. Still, he was a handsome boy and would one day become an extremely attractive man.
“Hallo, Joseph,” she greeted after Mam had gone in first.
“Ellen.” He nodded. “My mudder and the others are in the gathering room.” He glanced down at the food in her arms and finally smiled. “You’ve brought lemon cake.”
“Ja.” She stepped past him and waited while he closed the door. “You like lemon chiffon cake.”
“Ja.” His smile became a grin. “Looking forward to midday meal today.” He stared at her cake plate. “I can take that for you.”
“Oll recht.” She handed him the cake plate and Joseph disappeared into the back kitchen area. She heard someone coming down the steps from upstairs and looked up, expecting to see Katie or Hannah, her daughter. She froze. It was Isaac.
“Hallo, Ellen,” he greeted as he approached. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her face. “Your forehead’s turned a light shade of purple. Is it sore?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
She sighed. “A little.”
“How is your cheek? Can you smile yet without grimacing?” he teased. “Or does it still hurt?”
“What are you doing here, Isaac?” she said stiffly. She wasn’t in the mood for his teasing or his questions about her health. “I thought you’d be working.”
“Disappointed?”
She stared at him, wishing he would leave.
“I’m going to work soon. We’ve been waiting for the plumber to finish. Matt’s picking Daniel and me up on his way to the job site.” He glanced toward the staircase. “Daniel! Matt’s going to be here any minute.”
“Don’t let me keep you,” Ellen said tartly, and Isaac looked at her with an odd little smile.
“Ellen?” Mam called as she reappeared, peeking her head from a doorway. “We’re ready to start. You’ll want to get a good seat.”
“Coming!” She turned back to Isaac. “Have a gut day at work, Isaac,” she said, trying to be more polite.
Joseph returned from the kitchen. “I hid the cake in the back room,” he confided with a grin.
“Gut thinking, Joseph,” Ellen said with a chuckle. Isaac arched an eyebrow in question. “Lemon chiffon cake,” she explained. “Apparently, it’s your bruder’s favorite. He’s protecting his fair share.”
Eager to escape, she left him to join her mother in the gathering room, where Katie Lapp and several other women were seated around the quilting rack. She didn’t know how long it would be before Matt Rhoades picked up Isaac and Daniel. Ellen tried not to think about Isaac at all as she greeted the other ladies in the room.
“Over here, Ellen.” Katie gestured toward a seat between her and Mam. “I’m glad you’ve come.”
“I enjoy quilting.”
Mae King, who lived across the road, sat directly in front of her. On either side of Mae were her married daughters, Charlotte Peachy, who’d married their deacon, and Nancy Zook, who’d married Annie’s brother Josiah. Ellen was pleased to see these young women, who were always pleasant and fun. She was disappointed that Elizabeth and her mother weren’t here. She’d hoped to have a few private words with her friend about their outing on Saturday. She didn’t know if Elizabeth’s parents had agreed to let her friend go.
The six of them chatted for a while, and Katie offered them iced or hot tea. Ellen chose the iced tea, as the gleaming iced tea pitcher sitting on the table looked inviting as well as refreshing, and since it was a glorious day and the windows were open, it seemed the best choice.
“We saw Annie on our way over,” she told Katie. “Coming out of Whittier’s. Said she was going home to drop off EJ and Susanna and then she’d be here.”
“Miriam offered to watch them,” Katie said. “I wish they’d all come. Hannah is here to care for them—and Joseph.”
Ellen felt her face turn red. “I’m glad you said that. I’m afraid I may have overstepped when I suggested the same thing.” She felt relieved as she saw pleasure come to Katie’s expression. “I thought that Daniel would be here. I didn’t think of Joseph.”
“He’s certainly a grown-up young man,” Mam commented. “How old is he now?”
“Eleven.”
Ellen shook her head in wonder. Would he continue to look exactly like Isaac when he got older?
Elizabeth and her mother arrived to join the quilting bee gathering, and moments later Miriam Zook came with Annie and her two children.
“You’ve brought them,” Katie gushed. “Gut.”
“I didn’t think about Hannah and Daniel,” Annie admitted. “And I wanted to spend the day with my mudder, too.”
Miriam glanced fondly at her daughter. “Are Hannah and Daniel here?”
“Hannah is,” Katie said. “And Joseph. I don’t think he’ll mind watching EJ.” She got up and left the room, then returned with her daughter and son.
“EJ!” Joseph exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with pleasure. “Would you like to go out and play?” He shot a look to his sister-in-law, who nodded. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go see the animals in the barn.”
Hannah was more than happy to stay with Susanna. She spread a quilt on the floor not far from the women and sat, setting the baby next to her.
Conversation started to buzz as the women threaded their needles and got to work.
“Alta’s not here?” Elizabeth’s mother asked.
“She’s not coming today,” Miriam said. Alta Hershberger, the resident busybody, was her sister-in-law, although Alta’s husband, Miriam’s younger brother John, had passed on when their two daughters were nine and ten. “She said she needed to go to market with Mary.”
Annie glanced at her mother with raised eyebrows but didn’t comment.
The women stitched for a couple hours before Katie stood. “Let’s eat.”
Mae King and Miriam got up to help their hostess with the food. Ellen started to rise to join them, but Katie waved her to her seat. “Sit. We’ll manage.”
The work on the quilt was progressing nicely. The stitches were neat and even. Ellen knew the women hoped to get most of it done today.
Elizabeth’s mother rose with Mam and the two went into the kitchen to help the others. Ellen slid over to the seat next to Elizabeth.
“Are you allowed to go on Saturday?”
Elizabeth frowned. “Nay. Dat said I wasn’t ready.” She sighed dramatically. “What does he mean by that? I’m old enough.”
Ellen stifled her disappointment. She didn’t want to make her friend feel worse. “Maybe we can