Setting aside her concerns about Jude’s children, Leah stepped into the wedding wagon—but not very far, because the compact, overheated work area was already full of neighbor ladies. “Denki so much to all of you for your help on my big day!” Leah called out above their chatter.
“Happy to help!” Jerusalem Gingerich replied with a wave. As Bishop Vernon’s second wife, she’d talked to Leah about how her life would be different after she married a man who’d survived a previous mate—with womanly insight Bishops Jeremiah and Vernon didn’t have. A mischievous smile lit Jerusalem’s face as she snatched a few cookies from a tray another neighbor lady was filling. “If anybody needs a snack, I’m guessing it’s the bride. How’re you holding up, Leah?”
“Much better now that the ceremony’s behind us,” Leah admitted as she accepted the cookies. “And jah, the toast I had for breakfast is long gone.”
“We’ll be ready to serve around one-fifteen, I’m guessing,” Elva’s sister, Bernice, put in. “We made the chicken and stuffing casserole yesterday, and enough of the hot dishes are ready for the first sitting. We’re just waiting for the tables to get set up.”
“I’ll let Jude know,” Leah said as she turned toward the door. “We wouldn’t want him to be so caught up in gossiping with the men in the barn that he’s late to his own wedding dinner.”
Laughter followed her out the door of the wedding wagon as she stepped to the ground with the cookies cradled in her hands. As she crossed to the barn, Leah gave thanks for the bright December sunshine and the way the coppery-brown leaves on the pin oak trees shimmered in the breeze. It struck her then that she was making one of her final trips to the barn she’d known all her life, and that after Jude helped her move her livestock to his place, only Flo, Mama’s buggy mare, would remain here.
Was it her imagination, or did the barn need a coat of paint and perhaps a new roof? Most days Leah didn’t pay much attention to the buildings, but in the midday sun on her last day at the Otto farm, she became aware that Mama might be facing some extensive maintenance in the near future—repairs Leah should’ve seen to after Dat had passed away.
No time like the present, while you’ve got a bunch of men in the barn.
When Leah stepped through the open barn door, the conversation stopped. Probably a dozen older men, including Bishop Vernon, sat companionably around a portable wood-burning fire pit as Jude circulated among them. Her new husband smiled brightly at her. “Do I see cookies, Leah?” he teased as he started toward her.
“Jah—and I’ll share them,” she added quickly, her gaze taking in the men, “but I’ve just noticed some work that’ll need doing on this barn. I’m hoping you fellows can help Mama out with whatever painting and roofing you think needs—”
“Day late and a dollar short!” cried one of the guests she didn’t know.
“Jah, you’ve gotta be faster to ask for help,” the man beside him chimed in.
Leah blinked. Why were all these men gazing at her as though she were the punch line of a joke she’d missed out on? Four or five of them didn’t live near Morning Star, but surely the local men wouldn’t refuse to at least look at the barn—and even if they weren’t able to do the work themselves, they could recommend someone.
“But—but I’d be happy to pay,” Leah stammered, wondering why so many little thorns seemed to be popping up on her wedding day. To make matters worse, Jude was chuckling as he reached her side and plucked a peanut butter cookie from her hands.
Bishop Vernon rose from his chair, his blue eyes twinkling. “What they mean to say, dear Leah, is that your husband asked us, not two minutes ago, about making the repairs you’ve just mentioned—as well as a few others around the place,” he said kindly. “We’ve got you and Lenore covered. A crew of us will be here on Saturday morning.”
Leah’s mouth dropped open. “I—well, denki,” she mumbled. “I had no idea—”
“Jah, that Jude, he’s full of surprises,” teased the first man who’d spoken. “I’m his uncle, Tobias Shetler, from Bowling Green, by the way. We met earlier this morning, but you were looking a little distracted by new-bride anxiety.”
“And I’m Tobias’s older brother, Nate,” the man beside him said with a little wave. “As time goes by, you’ll see that Jude’s usually one step ahead of everyone else, when it comes to getting things done. Maybe that’s why he can talk so fast and fancy at his auctions.”
Good-natured laughter filled the cleared area of the barn. When Leah gazed into Jude’s sparkling dark eyes, she fell in love with him all over again. She brushed a cookie crumb from his ebony beard, aware of the little spark she ignited when she touched him. “You’re a blessing, Jude,” she said softly. “Just for you, I got our dinner moved up to one-fifteen.”
“You’re a miracle worker, Leah, and I’ll love you forever,” he said, bussing her temple with a loud kiss.
“Hey, save that for later!” one of the men called out.
“Jah, get a room, why don’t you?” another one teased.
Leah laughed, greeting each of the men in Jude’s family who’d come from a distance. It was so easy to share in
