His dat said to the auctioneer, “This is my son. He has a gift for fixing things.”
Adam glanced sideways at his father. “What seems to be the problem?”
The auctioneer said, “We are trying to make the most money we can for this family. A working machine brings more money than a broken one.”
“I will see what I can do.” Removing the cover, Adam got to work. Within a few minutes he had the gas motor chugging away and the saw buzzing.
Delighted, the auctioneer asked, “How much do I owe you for the repair?”
Adam shook his head. “Nothing. It is my gift to the family. I was hoping to buy this, but now it may bring more than I can afford.”
He started to turn away, but his father stopped him by grasping his arm. “You did a good thing for this family.”
Adam smiled at his father. “From the time I was little I was taught to think of others first. I wasn’t a very good student, but I had a good teacher.”
His father smiled. “Maybe you weren’t as bad a pupil as I thought.”
Chapter Eighteen
Emma stepped eagerly out of the buggy when she arrived back at the Yoder farm. The auction was still in full swing. She looked about for Adam, but didn’t see him in the crowds of Amish and English bargain hunters. The sunshine was warm enough to start turning the snow to slush, but no one seemed to mind.
She looked at her mother. “What would you like to see first?”
Adjusting her bonnet, Naomi said, “It should be time for the quilt auction. I will go and see what my quilt fetches. I might have to bid up the price if it goes low.”
“Careful, or you’ll be stuck buying back your own work.”
“What are you going to do?”
Emma glanced around. “I think I’ll go look at some of the tools.”
Naomi patted her daughter’s cheek. “I pray you find the perfect thing to mend your heart there.”
Emma smiled broadly. “I believe I may.”
The women parted and Emma set out to find Adam. There was much she wanted to say to him, but mostly, she wanted to be near him. To hear his deep voice and happy laughter. He had brought sunshine into her life after a long, dark winter.
Suddenly, she caught sight of his cousins. Susan and Lydia walked ahead of her into the large barn. Perhaps they knew where Adam had gone. Hurrying to catch up with them, she paused inside to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer light, then spotted them looking at a collection of lanterns.
Walking that way, she had almost reached them when she heard Susan say, “Look. There is Onkel Daniel and he’s talking to Adam.”
A thrill danced through Emma at the sound of Adam’s name. She tried to see where the women were looking.
Lydia said with a smirk, “I can’t believe it. All he had to do was tell his dat he’s dating Emma Wadler and that smoothed things over?”
Susan crossed her arms. “Guess it was a goot plan. Onkel Daniel wants him to marry and settle down.”
“Do you think he will actually marry her? Can you see them together for a lifetime? He’s so handsome and she’s so plain.”
Susan picked up a lantern to study it. “She does own her own business, and Adam doesn’t have two cents to rub together. No…you’re right. Why would he settle for her?”
As the women walked on, Emma stayed rooted to the spot. The question echoed through Emma’s shocked mind. Why would Adam, a man who could have any woman, settle for her? Why would he?
The answer was as clear as the sky outside. He wouldn’t.
Chapter Nineteen
Adam was so happy he was humming as he climbed up to Emma’s loft. She was there before him, holding the kittens piled in her lap. “Guder mariye, Emma. How are the little ones?”
“The smallest one won’t eat. I think he is sick. The vet told me they would likely die. I should have listened to him and let him put them to sleep without suffering.”
Her tone was so sad it almost broke his heart. She wouldn’t even look at him. He sat down beside her. “Nee, do not say that. You have given them days of love and care. Do not give up now. We will take him to the vet and see if there is medicine to make him better.”
She looked at him then, her eyes empty and red-rimmed as if she’d been crying. “Some things can’t be fixed, Adam. Don’t you have work to do?”
“I thought I would help you with the kittens first.”
“I don’t need help.”
He took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. “Emma, what’s wrong?”
She pulled away and replaced the kittens in the box. “Nothing is wrong. I got my hopes up and that was my fault. I’m a foolish old maid, but not so foolish that I can’t learn from my mistakes.”
Something wasn’t right. She wasn’t talking about the kittens. “It isn’t foolish to hope, Emma. I have hopes and dreams, too. I dream about finding a woman to share my life, about raising a family together and making a home filled with love and faith.”
Would she understand what he was trying to tell her?
“Good luck with that, Adam.” She scrambled to her feet, put the box under her arm and descended the ladder.
Confused and worried, he watched her leave the barn. What did he do now? Maybe he was rushing her.
Rising to his feet, he dusted the straw off his trousers. Patience was what he needed. He would show her how important she had become to him in little ways and wait for her affection to grow.
Leaving the barn, he walked through the garden gate to the inn. The morning sun gleamed off the snow on the roof and the long icicles decorating the edges. They were pretty, but they were proof that
