“Becca has been nothing but proper while she’s been here in my house. And Sam’s schoolwork has greatly improved because of her efforts. She has been very generous with her time,” Jesse said.
Oh, bless him for defending her. Becca was beyond grateful but feared it wouldn’t help. Not this time. The bishop was a kind, nonjudgmental man but he was still the leader of their Gmay. The situation was bad enough that it could cause her to lose her teaching recommendation and she’d never be given another assignment again.
“I’m sorry, Bishop Yoder. I meant no harm. You see, I was playing hide-and-seek with Sam. I thought Jesse was him and I bumped into him and...” Her words trailed off. She was babbling and making no sense. What good would it do to try and explain? She knew how it looked and it wasn’t good.
The silence was deafening as the bishop studied both her and Jesse for several long, torturous moments. The church elder’s steely gray eyes were unblinking as he considered her. She waited with bated breath, not daring to say another word that might make matters worse.
“I trust this will never happen again,” the bishop finally said.
Becca shook her head and quickly reassured him. “Ne, I won’t come here alone again. In fact, Sam and I were finished for the night. School is almost out and... I was just leaving.”
“Gut. Your lessons here are finished. You can tutor Sam at school from now on.”
Though the bishop spoke gently, his words were an order, not a request.
She nodded and he watched as she hurried to the kitchen, gathered up her things and fled out the back door.
Jesse watched her go, his expression pensive. She knew how serious the situation was. It was no laughing matter. If the bishop thought there was any impropriety, both she and Jesse could find themselves shunned for any number of weeks deemed appropriate by the church elders.
As she hopped into her buggy and directed the horse down the lane, she glanced over and saw Sam standing on the back porch watching her. She lifted a hand to wave at him but he didn’t respond. And as she drove home, three things troubled her mind. First, she worried that Sam hadn’t fully forgiven her for seeming to usurp his mother’s place. And it was beyond mortifying to her that the child might think she was making a play for his father. Because she wasn’t. Not at all.
Second, she feared her teaching recommendation might now be in jeopardy. And she needed that to secure another position in the fall.
And third, she hoped she hadn’t just created a huge problem for Jesse. After all, she was a young, unmarried woman and innocent to the world. But Jesse was a father and a widower and the bishop might hold him to a higher standard. She didn’t want him to get into trouble because of her. Because she loved them, all she wanted was for him and Sam to be happy.
Maybe it was a good thing the school year was almost over and she’d be leaving town. It was for the best. Wasn’t it? So, why did the thought of never seeing Jesse and Sam again make her feel even worse?
Except for Church Sunday and a few glimpses on the playground when he was dropping Sam off and picking him up from school, Jesse didn’t see Becca again for two weeks. Two long weeks of worrying about her. He’d wrestled with the idea of going over to her cousin’s farm to speak with her but knew that could only make matters worse. And what would he say to her? That he loved her but couldn’t offer her any promises because of his devotion to his dead wife? Not to mention Sam, who was still missing his mother and sisters too.
And now, the end-of-year program was here. It was the last day of school. After today, Jesse wouldn’t see Becca again. He’d been told that she was leaving in a couple of days. Returning to her familye in Ohio until she could find another teaching position.
Jesse parked his horse and buggy in the main schoolyard, then helped Sam hop down. Other parents were arriving with their kids and they greeted him. He waved, thinking how they had welcomed him and Sam into their community. The men had taken him with them to the livestock auctions and he now had four beautiful draft horses and another milk cow. They’d been kind to him and he felt almost relaxed around them now.
With his head down, Sam walked silently beside him as they entered the schoolhouse. While Sam went to sit at his desk, Jesse stood at the back of the room with the other parents. The bishop was there and gave him a friendly nod, not showing any sign that he was upset with him in the least. Becca stood beside her desk, rifling through some papers. Because he knew her well, the heightened color in her face told him she was slightly flustered. But to everyone else, she looked completely composed and in control.
She set the papers aside on her desk and stood up straight, her hands folded in front of her, a genuine smile on her face. “Guder mariye, scholars.”
“Guder mariye,” the children responded in unison.
Becca looked at the parents. Her gaze clashed then locked with his. In that brief moment of time, he saw what he thought was a painful longing in her eyes. But then it was gone and he thought he must have imagined it.
“Guder mariye, parents,” she said.
As a group, the adults in the room responded in kind, each one looking delighted to be here. After all, this was
