Excerpt from A Plain Widow
Jonathan Mast hesitated before knocking on the widow’s door. He’d helped with the framing of the new barn, but now the structure part was finished. Although Jonathan planned to return sometime during the week to help finish the barn, it seemed a good time to tell Molly Ebersol that he would be happy to plant her crops. Since he recently had bought a small farm nearby, it would be doable. It had to be difficult for her with a small child to cope with a farm, and he’d learned just today that she was in the family way. It wouldn’t be good for her to have extra stress and to worry about money.
Sadness filled him at the memory of her tortured face. He was the firefighter who had held her back from rushing into the burning barn. Once he convinced her that he’d find her husband, she finally had stood still. As soon as he left her side and entered the barn, he had located her husband. After he’d quickly dragged Caleb Ebersol from the barn, Molly had rushed to her dead husband.
It’d been such a tragic fire. Not only a death of an Amish man, but all the livestock had perished too. Briefly, he thought how the week before the fire, he’d talked to Caleb about buying a draft horse from him. When he moved to the area, Jonathan heard excellent things about the horse farm.
As he raised his hand to knock on the door, Molly opened it. “Ach, hi,” he murmured.
Giving him a startled look, she gave him a little smile. “Danki for your work on my barn. I’m on my way to look at it now. Is there something you need?”
Noticing how beautiful Molly looked with her bright blue eyes and auburn hair, he was speechless for a moment. “I wanted to tell you that if you need anyone to plant your crops this spring, I’ll be happy to.”
Molly gave him a focused glance without answering him. She must be trying to figure out who I am. I doubt she remembers me from the night of the fire, he thought. “I’m Jonathan Mast. I live just a couple of miles from here. I recently moved here and bought a farm.”
A pained expression crossed her face and she said, “You are the firefighter who stopped me from entering the barn.”
“Ya, I am. I’m sorry about your husband.”
“I still can’t believe he’s gone. If only he hadn’t gone back to get the horses. Danki for going inside the barn to try and save him.”
“I wish I could’ve saved him. It was awful what happened.” He didn’t want to say it was God’s will, because he didn’t feel that was the best thing to say. She probably had heard this a lot from everyone. He was close enough that he could breathe in the sweet scent of her hair. He moved away from the door, so she’d have room to step down to walk to the barn.
“I’m sure you’re anxious to get home after a long day here. You can walk with me to your buggy while I go look at the barn.”
“I’m not in a hurry to get home. I was just moving out of your way so you can take a closer look at what was done today.”
After they stepped off the porch, he said, “I was here a week before the night of the fire. I came to look at your husband’s horses. He had such fine horses for sale. I was planning on buying a Belgian draft horse from him.”
She stopped walking and stared at him. Why did he mention the horses? She didn’t need a reminder of how all the horses died in the fire.
“Did you already pay him for the horse? I’ll give you your money back.”
“I hadn’t given him any money. We shook hands on our deal. I planned on returning with the money.”
She paused for a moment. “That’s right. Caleb mentioned someone was going to buy a horse from him. It must have been you.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. Caleb loved horses and was just getting his horse farm off to a gut start. He looked forward to when Isaac would be big enough to go to the horse auctions with him. He hoped our son would want to be involved in the horse business too.”
“I’m sorry someone started the fire. If there is anything at all I can do, please let me know.”
As Molly resumed walking, she said, “Danki. I’ll talk to my grandpa about you helping with the crops. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help. Won’t you be busy, though, with your own farm?”
“I only have a small farm. I didn’t want too many acres because I work for a construction company. I enjoy working for them and building homes from the ground up. It’s a gut place to work because I’m not the only Amish man. Our employer even has a van to pick us up.”
She frowned. “I hate for you to have to take time off your job to plant my crops.”
“It’ll be fine with my boss. We do have some days off, depending on the weather and other things that might delay a house getting started. The foundation might not get started when expected, things like that.”
He could tell Molly was in the family way, but didn’t feel like he should ask when the baby was due. It seemed unfair that she had a little son plus a baby on the way, and no husband in the picture. Although she had family close by, he didn’t want Molly to feel like she had to sell the farm right away. He recalled how when his older sister, Clara, lost her husband, she hadn’t wanted to move back home. Keeping the farm for the first two years was important to her as a widow and a mother to three kinner, and by the time, she met her second husband, it was time for her to move on.
Now that they were by the barn, he grinned. “Well, what do you think? Are you going to fire me and the other men?”
“Nee. It looks perfect. I won’t need to fire you.”
“That’s a relief because I’d hate for my construction owner to hear I got fired. He might decide I’m not good enough for his company.”
She gave him a little smile and he realized how when Molly smiled, she was even more beautiful.
Sadness filled him at the memory of her tortured face. He was the firefighter who had held her back from rushing into the burning barn. Once he convinced her that he’d find her husband, she finally had stood still. As soon as he left her side and entered the barn, he had located her husband. After he’d quickly dragged Caleb Ebersol from the barn, Molly had rushed to her dead husband.
It’d been such a tragic fire. Not only a death of an Amish man, but all the livestock had perished too. Briefly, he thought how the week before the fire, he’d talked to Caleb about buying a draft horse from him. When he moved to the area, Jonathan heard excellent things about the horse farm.
As he raised his hand to knock on the door, Molly opened it. “Ach, hi,” he murmured.
Giving him a startled look, she gave him a little smile. “Danki for your work on my barn. I’m on my way to look at it now. Is there something you need?”
Noticing how beautiful Molly looked with her bright blue eyes and auburn hair, he was speechless for a moment. “I wanted to tell you that if you need anyone to plant your crops this spring, I’ll be happy to.”
Molly gave him a focused glance without answering him. She must be trying to figure out who I am. I doubt she remembers me from the night of the fire, he thought. “I’m Jonathan Mast. I live just a couple of miles from here. I recently moved here and bought a farm.”
A pained expression crossed her face and she said, “You are the firefighter who stopped me from entering the barn.”
“Ya, I am. I’m sorry about your husband.”
“I still can’t believe he’s gone. If only he hadn’t gone back to get the horses. Danki for going inside the barn to try and save him.”
“I wish I could’ve saved him. It was awful what happened.” He didn’t want to say it was God’s will, because he didn’t feel that was the best thing to say. She probably had heard this a lot from everyone. He was close enough that he could breathe in the sweet scent of her hair. He moved away from the door, so she’d have room to step down to walk to the barn.
“I’m sure you’re anxious to get home after a long day here. You can walk with me to your buggy while I go look at the barn.”
“I’m not in a hurry to get home. I was just moving out of your way so you can take a closer look at what was done today.”
After they stepped off the porch, he said, “I was here a week before the night of the fire. I came to look at your husband’s horses. He had such fine horses for sale. I was planning on buying a Belgian draft horse from him.”
She stopped walking and stared at him. Why did he mention the horses? She didn’t need a reminder of how all the horses died in the fire.
“Did you already pay him for the horse? I’ll give you your money back.”
“I hadn’t given him any money. We shook hands on our deal. I planned on returning with the money.”
She paused for a moment. “That’s right. Caleb mentioned someone was going to buy a horse from him. It must have been you.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. Caleb loved horses and was just getting his horse farm off to a gut start. He looked forward to when Isaac would be big enough to go to the horse auctions with him. He hoped our son would want to be involved in the horse business too.”
“I’m sorry someone started the fire. If there is anything at all I can do, please let me know.”
As Molly resumed walking, she said, “Danki. I’ll talk to my grandpa about you helping with the crops. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help. Won’t you be busy, though, with your own farm?”
“I only have a small farm. I didn’t want too many acres because I work for a construction company. I enjoy working for them and building homes from the ground up. It’s a gut place to work because I’m not the only Amish man. Our employer even has a van to pick us up.”
She frowned. “I hate for you to have to take time off your job to plant my crops.”
“It’ll be fine with my boss. We do have some days off, depending on the weather and other things that might delay a house getting started. The foundation might not get started when expected, things like that.”
He could tell Molly was in the family way, but didn’t feel like he should ask when the baby was due. It seemed unfair that she had a little son plus a baby on the way, and no husband in the picture. Although she had family close by, he didn’t want Molly to feel like she had to sell the farm right away. He recalled how when his older sister, Clara, lost her husband, she hadn’t wanted to move back home. Keeping the farm for the first two years was important to her as a widow and a mother to three kinner, and by the time, she met her second husband, it was time for her to move on.
Now that they were by the barn, he grinned. “Well, what do you think? Are you going to fire me and the other men?”
“Nee. It looks perfect. I won’t need to fire you.”
“That’s a relief because I’d hate for my construction owner to hear I got fired. He might decide I’m not good enough for his company.”
She gave him a little smile and he realized how when Molly smiled, she was even more beautiful.