Sam pointed toward the barn. No doubt Jesse was still working. It was just as well. Maybe she could finish Sam’s lessons and depart before Jesse came inside. Then they wouldn’t have to speak. They could forget the kiss ever happened and go on with their lives as usual.
“Ach, let’s get started then,” she urged.
As she pulled out a chair, she eyed the boy surreptitiously. He didn’t look at her as he placed his reading book, note paper and pencil on the table and promptly sat down to wait. Hmm. Was he avoiding her? Maybe he was more upset than she thought.
They went through their normal routine with one exception. Sam didn’t speak to her in his usual soft whisper. Not even once. And when they finished their studies, she slid her own books into her bag and looked at Sam, thinking what she could say to ease the tension between them.
“Sam, I hope you’re not upset with me. I’m so sorry if I’ve done anything to hurt your feelings. I know how much you love your mudder. And no one will ever take her place. She’ll always be your mudder. I just want to be your friend,” she said.
He peered at her with his big, round eyes before finally nodding. And though he didn’t speak, she knew his body language well enough to believe he’d accepted her apology. But oh! How desperately she wished he would smile again. He looked so gloomy that she wanted to cheer him up.
“I’ll tell you what. Before I leave, why don’t we play a game of hide-and-seek just for fun? Would you like that?” She hoped he agreed. She’d seen him playing with Andy at recess and thought he enjoyed the game. In dealing with children, she’d learned that if she could make them smile, they seemed to trust her more willingly. And that was her goal now. To win back his trust.
“All right, do you want to count and be the seeker, or would you rather hide first?” she asked.
He covered his eyes with his hands to indicate he’d like to be the seeker.
“Ach, the kitchen table can be our home base. Close your eyes and count to one hundred. And no peeking.” She laughed as he ducked his head over his arms. Because he didn’t make any sound, she wasn’t sure if he was counting but realized she had better get moving.
Hopping up from the table, she hurried into the living room and looked for a place to hide. She ended up crouching behind the sofa. Within moments, she heard him step over the threshold from the kitchen. She waited, holding her breath. When she thought he’d moved away from her, she bolted toward the kitchen...and ran smack-dab into Jesse’s chest.
“Oh!” she cried, looking up into his startled gaze.
“What are you doing?” he asked, seeming just as surprised as she was.
Beyond him, she saw Sam standing in the kitchen doorway. His eyes were round with confusion.
“I... I was playing hide-and-seek with Sam. I thought you were him coming to catch me,” Becca said.
She gazed at the damp hair that curled around Jesse’s face. He’d removed his straw hat and held it in one hand. As was his normal routine, he must have washed out in the barn. To catch herself, she’d lifted a hand to clasp his upper arm and felt his solid bicep beneath her palm. She caught his scent, a mixture of clean hay and horses. And then, thinking how odd the situation must seem to Jesse, she burst out laughing.
“Ahem!”
In unison, they both turned and got another shock. Bishop Yoder stood just inside the front door. His bushy eyebrows were drawn together in a deep frown and his piercing gaze was pinned on them. Recovering her senses, Becca released Jesse’s arm and stepped back fast, putting some distance between them. What must the bishop think, seeing them like this? She could only imagine. She blinked and felt her face flood with heat.
“I’m sorry to interrupt but I knocked twice. You didn’t seem to hear me, so I came inside,” the bishop said.
Jesse tossed his hat on the coffee table. Lifting a hand, he stepped over to greet the bishop.
“Ja, komm in. Komm in!” Jesse welcomed him with a smile but Becca could tell from his tensed shoulders that he was just as nervous as she was.
The bishop shut the front door and removed his black felt hat. He wore his frock coat, which indicated he was there on official church business. Becca couldn’t help wondering what that was and she hoped it wasn’t serious.
Looking straight at her, the bishop’s eyes were unblinking as he asked her a pointed question. “Miss Graber, what are you doing here?”
She almost groaned out loud. Instead, she swallowed hard, knowing how this must look. Why did Bishop Yoder have to walk in on them just now? Why couldn’t he have come earlier, when she was sitting primly at the kitchen table with Sam as they went over his studies? Why did he have to see her laughing and touching Jesse in a most improper way?
She opened her mouth to explain but no sound came out. She felt muddled and tongue-tied.
Jesse cleared his throat. “Miss Graber tutors Sam several afternoons each week, to help with his speaking problem.”
Bishop Yoder’s forehead crinkled as he thought this over. “I knew Miss Graber was tutoring Sam but I had no idea she was coming here to your home to do it. It isn’t proper for a young, single woman to be coming here like this.”
Oh, dear. The bishop didn’t need to enlarge on the issue. Becca knew what he was thinking. She was the schoolteacher and must set a good example for the Amish children under her tutelage. When she’d started tutoring Sam, she hadn’t thought that it might look bad for her to come here several afternoons each week.
