The Promise of an Angel (A Heaven On Earth 1) (26 page)

Judith wanted to avoid that topic. The bright side, if she dared to think there was a bright side, was that she didn’t need a ride home. As she placed the pot of apple cider on the stove to warm and tossed in a few sticks of cinnamon, she overheard Clare say to Leah, one of her good friends, that she’d been baptized last month and hoped to marry soon.

“Do you think Andrew will ask you?” Leah asked.

Judith kept her back to them, stirring the cider, but made sure her metal spoon didn’t scrape the pot so she could hear Clare’s reply.

“I overheard my parents talking to his father,” Clare said. “They’ve all given their approval.”

Judith’s heart grew as heavy as a laundry basket full of wet towels.

Deborah tapped her shoulder and nodded toward the sitting room. Judith followed her friend out of the kitchen.

“You all right?” Deborah said. “You seemed upset by Clare’s comment.”

Judith swept the wrinkles from her apron. She couldn’t confess that she and Andrew had kissed. Not even to her closest friend. “I would think we would have met her before tonight, is all.”

Deborah lowered her voice. “Is
nett
all. You’ve fallen for him.”

“He’s a friend.” Judith brushed her arm as if her sleeve had balls of lint attached. She’d made the mistake of thinking her camaraderie with Andrew was something more than mere friendship. That he wasn’t pretending when he kissed her.

“
Nau
what I overheard after service makes sense.”

“What did you hear?”

Deborah looked over her shoulder. “I heard the bishop was upset when you and Andrew disappeared after the meal.”

“We met on the path to the river and talked.”

“I heard he forbade Andrew to spend time with you.”

Forbidden
. Judith swallowed. “That means he plans to shun him?”

Deborah shrugged. “I sure wouldn’t think he would shun his own son.”

“
Jah
, the church is first.” Judith saw how much David had changed, and he was only a deacon.
Ach, why did you have to befriend me, Andrew?

Her eyes welled and she wished she could hate him for stealing her heart. Andrew Lapp had intruded in her life. He’d sought her friendship. Judith sucked in a deep breath. He could have pretended that her lips didn’t touch his cheek and not responded with such a heart-melting kiss. Now his relationship with the church was in jeopardy.

“It shouldn’t be an issue,
nau
that Andrew is getting married.” Judith motioned to the kitchen. “I should finish preparing the cider.”

Being the hostess helped Judith to keep out of uncomfortable conversation. This night could not end quickly enough for her liking.

The front door opened then, and the men came back inside. Levi helped himself to a healthy portion of Clare’s rice pudding, while Andrew took a spoonful.

“I thought I should leave enough so that everyone could sample it,” he told Clare after she protested.

Judith ladled apple cider into coffee cups and passed them out before she fixed a plate of food for herself. She spooned some of Clare’s pudding onto her plate and scolded herself for thinking it was runny.

When everyone took a place at the table, Levi insisted that “Bishop Junior” lead them in prayer. Andrew’s jaw tightened, but he did as Levi asked. Judith didn’t pay attention to his words. Her thoughts drifted to how Levi wouldn’t be able to tease him once he’d married Clare and became eligible for a ministry role.

Once Andrew finished the prayer, he took his seat at the table and picked up his fork. Judith watched to see what he would eat first. When he chose her apple pie, her exhaled breath caused him to pause and gaze at her before getting the fork to his mouth.

Andrew chewed leisurely. If he was savoring the flavor or aware that Judith was waiting for a sign of his approval, he didn’t show it. She asked herself why it mattered. But she knew. All the women wanted their dish to be the best. A silent vying for a husband.

“
Gut
pie, Judith.” Levi lifted his fork in salute.

“
Denki
.”

Another man added that he liked the crust.

Andrew continued to eat.

Judith found herself mesmerized by the rhythmic movement of Andrew’s square jaw. She forced herself to redirect her focus and turned sideways in her chair toward Clare.

“Your rice pudding is very tasty.” Levi poured out compliments the same way he layered hotcakes with syrup—sweet, sticky, and oozing with charm.

Clare’s giggle became a muffled background to Judith’s thoughts. Levi’s flirting was predictable, and it didn’t even hurt. The bitterness, the envy, the anger of betrayal—they were gone. “Thank You, God,” Judith whispered under her breath.

Andrew scraped his fork across the plate to gather the last crumb. Judith caught him staring at the dollop of rice pudding shoved to the side. He readied his cup of cider in one hand and his fork in the other and gulped as she’d seen Samuel do a hundred times before he choked down turnip greens. Andrew shoved the bite into his mouth and chased down the pudding with a cup-draining drink of cider. His eyes closed.

Judith’s chair screeched against the wood floor as she moved away from the table. She filled a fresh cup of cider and brought it to Andrew. “Thirsty?” She exchanged cups with him and took the empty one to the sink. “There’s plenty of food. Andrew, would you like more rice pudding?”

Levi jumped up from the table with his empty plate. “I’ll eat another helping.”

Judith spooned a generous portion onto Levi’s plate. She shrugged at Andrew. “Sorry, you didn’t speak up fast enough.” She turned to Clare. “You’ll have to make him another batch.”

Clare looked across the table at Andrew and sighed. “Next Sunday, I will.” Clare’s trusting smile slapped Judith with guilt. Teasing Andrew was one thing, but she never intended to poke fun at Clare’s pudding.

She studied the other young woman’s high cheekbones, her straight white teeth, and even the daintiness of her earlobes. Judith touched her own ears. They flared out from her head and her lobes were fat. Bringing her hand down to her lap, she noticed the dirt embedded in the cracks of her knuckles. She glanced at Clare’s smooth hands, wondering if she ever worked in the garden. Her hands were not calloused from pulling weeds as Judith’s were.

Several people stood at once and began to make their exit. “
Denki
for hosting the singing,” they took turns saying.

Judith walked them to the front door and helped them with their coats.

Leah leaned toward Judith. “
Denki
for
nett
talking about . . .”

Judith arched her brows. “About what?”

“You know . . . the stranger. My
mamm
told me if you started talking about him, I had to leave.”

Judith swallowed. The lump in her throat continued to grow. “Please.” She cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Tell your
mamm
the topic didn’t come up.”

Leah nodded. “I hope you’ll be able to come to my
haus
for the next Sunday singing.”

Judith opened the door. “I hope so too.” She followed the guests out to the porch and waved as they climbed into their open-topped buggies. The lump growing in Judith’s throat swelled with a suffocating grip. Leah’s
mamm
might not want Judith to attend her daughter’s singing. The thought made her wish she had the safety of Andrew’s arms to comfort her.

Deborah came up beside Judith while Ben went to pull the buggy around. “This was a lot of fun. Maybe we can get together for sewing later this week.”

“
Jah
, that would be
gut
,” Judith replied, but her attention was on the porch where Andrew and Clare were talking with Timothy and Sadie.

“Watch over
mei
sister,” Timothy said.

Andrew nodded soberly.

Clare leaned toward Andrew. “I’m older, and he treats me as though I’m the
boppli
sister.”

Deborah tapped Judith’s arm. “Here’s Ben. I mustn’t keep him waiting,” she said and walked away.

Judith said good night to Timothy and Sadie, and as they headed for the buggy, she continued to the house. Clare chattered to both Andrew and now Levi, who had joined them on the porch. As Judith climbed the porch steps, Clare broke from her conversation and directed her attention to Judith.

“I had a
wundebaar
time,” Clare said.

Judith climbed the steps. “I’m glad Andrew brought you.”

“
Ach nay
, I forgot my dish.” She went back into the house, leaving Andrew and Levi on the porch with Judith.

Levi stepped forward. “Can I talk with you?” He placed his hand on her lower back and directed her off the porch.

Andrew followed. “Judith—”

“I’ll be fine.” She meant what she said. Now that she no longer held animosity toward Levi, she would no longer be influenced by his charm. So she hoped, anyway.

“I have to talk with you first.” Andrew reached for her arm and gave it a slight tug. “It’s important,” he said with an urgency she’d never heard.

Levi snorted. “Andrew, do you mind?” He motioned to the porch. “Your date is up there.”

Andrew crossed his arms, planted his feet, and glowered at Levi. At the depth of Andrew’s icy stare, bone marrow could freeze. “You talked with her all evening. Why don’t you go keep her company while Judith and I have a few words?”

Judith glanced at Levi. “I’ll only be a minute.” She turned to Andrew. “What’s so important?”

He guided her several feet until they were under the maple tree, and even the moonlight couldn’t be seen on his face. “Are you in love with him?”

“Andrew, such a personal question.”

“Don’t fall for his lies.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.” Despite her attempt to keep her voice calm, it quivered. She flinched when he touched her arm. She’d already caused him family strife, she couldn’t allow him to be seen touching her arm.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t have a chance to tell you about Clare. I tried to get here early.”

Judith turned when she heard Levi clear his throat. He and Clare walked up to Judith and Andrew.

“Your date is cold, Andrew,” Levi announced.

A chill ran down Judith’s back.

Levi placed his hand on her back. “You were finished talking, right?”

“Jah,”
Judith answered. She turned to Clare. “It was nice meeting you.”

Andrew scratched the back of his neck. He turned to Clare. “Are you ready?”

Clare nodded. A gust of cold air caused her to shiver, and she stepped closer to Andrew. “I think the ride home might get a little chilly.”

Andrew held out his hands, offering to carry her dish. Judith thought it strange he didn’t offer to shield Clare from the wind or rub her arms as he had done with her by the river.

Judith watched them walk toward Andrew’s open-top courting buggy. A pang of sadness at seeing Andrew help Clare into the buggy took Judith by surprise. Her prayer had been for Andrew to find courage to fall in love again. So why couldn’t she rejoice for him?

Levi cleared his throat.

She turned toward him. “What did you want to talk about?”

The wind sent a chill down her back. Levi reached his arm around her shoulder at the same time Andrew’s buggy drove past, and Judith noticed Clare sliding closer to Andrew. An unsettling thought passed her mind—only Andrew could provide the warmth Judith longed for, the type that penetrated the soul and kindled the heart. She sidestepped Levi’s arm. He was no substitute for Andrew, even if Andrew and she were only friends.

“We can sit on the porch,” Judith suggested, already walking away.

Levi followed. His playful nature had turned serious. “I treated you badly,” he said once they sat on the step.

Her hands were dry, her heartbeat steady; even her breathing hadn’t fluctuated. No longer would his long lashes or blue eyes cause her to stammer. She was free.

Levi reached for Judith’s hand. “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

Judith placed her other hand over his, gave it a gentle squeeze, and then pulled both of her hands free. “I forgive you.” The words came easily. In her heart, she had already forgiven him.

“I’m so ashamed.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them again, he cracked a smile. “I’ve repented of my sins, Judith. I’m turning my life around.”

“I’m happy for you, Levi.” Her words caught in her throat as she realized she was truly happy for him.

“I plan to be baptized. I really have changed.”

Judith smiled. “I believe you.” She was glad to see that he looked genuinely pleased about his decision to commit his life to God and join the church.

“There’s something else I need to ask.” He gazed up to the sky for a moment, then brought his focus to her and searched her eyes. “Will you ever find it in your heart to forget how badly I hurt you?”

“I already told you. I forgive you.”

“I want to marry you,” he blurted.

Judith’s breath caught in her throat. She’d waited for two years to court Levi. She’d dreamt of his proposal and longed to see their names published in church. She glanced in the direction of the garden, thinking of how she had planned to plant extra celery to serve at the wedding.

He shifted, then finally stood. “Judith . . .” His voice turned husky. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

Chapter Twenty-Three