Sadie cleared away Mamm’s and Marta’s dishes, including Marta’s uneaten soup, while Beatrice brought them coffee.
“Ach, this kaffi is too strong.” Marta seemed to have a complaint for everything, but I knew she’d led a sheltered life. If anything, I was too worldly. I offered her hot water to dilute the coffee, along with cream and sugar, but she declined.
“Ruth appreciates your visits, Evie,” Mamm told me.
“Everyone in the county’s talking about how Amos keeps repeating your name,” Marta said.
I wanted to plug my ears. “He’s in a half-dream state and doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
“Even so, don’t you think it’s strange he’s so fixated on you and not that Englisch girl who moved in? She must be Jake’s doing.”
“How about some dessert?” I wanted to change the subject.
Mamm smiled, but Marta said, “Nee, we’ll find something across the road.” She stood and spoke to Mamm. “Come on. Let’s go see what our husbands are doing. We should be giving the other women a break.”
As I helped Mamm to her feet, Beatrice spoke in my ear. “If you wish to escort them across the road, go ahead. My best guess is we’ll be slow the rest of the afternoon. And I have two young ladies to do the cleanup.”
Marta frowned. “Aren’t you her boss?” she said to me when Beatrice was out of earshot. “You should be telling her what to do.”
“First I want to see your cabin,” Mamm said. “The inside this time.”
“Yah, I wish to see it too.” I figured Marta wanted to see if I’d made my bed. I wondered if I had.
On the way out, I paused to ask Beatrice, “Do you want me to let the dogs out?”
“No, thanks. Stephen said he would.”
I led Mamm and Marta to my cabin, unlocked the door, and was pleased to see I’d remembered to make the bed and wipe the counters clean.
“Why, this is very nice.” Mamm circumnavigated the room.
“No electricity?” Marta inspected the lamps.
“The woman who lived here before me was Amish. All appliances were installed according to the Ordnung.”
“No telephone either?”
“Nee.” I heard annoyance in my voice.
“Still, it looks fancy.”
“Not to me.” Mamm came to my rescue. “Evie’s quilt complements this room perfectly. I’m so glad. I’m happy for you, dearest dochder.”
On our way out of the cabin, the three dogs barked and yipped from inside the main house.
“Ach, I don’t know how you can tolerate that racket.” Marta cringed with drama for my sake, I supposed.
“They’re guarding the house in the owners’ absence.”
Marta’s hands clamped on her hips. “Apparently, you’re not afraid of anything. Going off on your own. Living in this cabin all by yourself.”
If she only knew the fears I still harbored. But I was overcoming them one by one. Besides, she didn’t mind my leaving until she decided I should help with a new business.
We left the cabin. Hearing the banging of hammers and saw blades gripping into lumber, I steered them toward the barn raising, and we crossed the road.
“They’ve come a long way so quickly.” Mamm scanned the industrious men, installing siding while others roofed. “Where’s your dat, Evie? I hope not atop a ladder or on the roof.”
I made a conscious effort not to look for Jake or Stephen among the laborers so Marta wouldn’t catch me gawking at them. And so they wouldn’t see me and wave.
“There he is.” Mamm finally located Dat—not on a roof or ladder, praise the Lord.
“We should have been helping the women instead of sitting in the café being waited on,” Marta said.
“Nee, I enjoyed the café.” Mamm linked her arm in mine. “And I’m delighted with Eva’s accomplishments.”
Minutes later, she and Marta traipsed off to assist the other women clean up and prepare more coffee. Was I turning paranoid, or did all the women’s heads rotate my way? Most likely Mamm had mentioned me.
“Eva?” I cringed when I recognized Wayne’s voice. The women’s attention still was directed at me, as well as half of the men’s.
I composed my features and turned to Wayne. “Is this a good time to talk?” he asked.
“Ach, with everyone watching?”
“It’s here or down at the station.”
A flock of cackling starlings landed in a nearby tree. I hoped they’d distracted the women, but I noticed they were still watching me. Their heads tipped together as they spoke.
“Is there a problem?” I asked Wayne.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ralph woke up ornery and ready for a fight. He claims you lured him into the café, which I find hard to believe. And yet he has his rights. Did you have a witness?”
“No, other than a dog.”
“On top of that, he wants to sue you and Jake for slander. He said he was nowhere near this barn the night it burned.”
“But his brother’s wife said he wasn’t home.”
“Well, we’re not sure they’re legally married, and Bill changed his story too. He says Ralph told him he was going to a friend’s to play poker that night. Those games can be all-nighters.”
“But none of that is true.”
“At this point, it’s your word against theirs, unless the arson investigator found any traces of Ralph’s tobacco or whiskey bottle. We won’t have his report for a few days yet. To make matters worse, Bill called animal control and launched a complaint against the Yoders’ dog.”
“But Heath was protecting us.”
“Still, we can’t have vicious dogs running loose.”
“He’s not vicious.”
“Bill said the dog bit him on the arm last week. Apparently, Stephen witnessed that attack. I doubt he’d lie under oath. Plus, Bill said he tackled him.”
“Bill Hastings pointed a shotgun at Stephen and threatened to use it.”
“Hey, you don’t have to convince me. Stephen has an excellent reputation. Can’t say the same for Jake. Bill says he’s planning to sue Jake if he continues to accuse Ralph of starting the fire. Those Hastings brothers stick together.”
“I was there…” No use talking about it now with an audience. “I’d
