She hadn’t been in New Covenant for more than a few days, but she would be sad to leave the friends she had made if she failed to please the school board. She gazed across the road and saw Willis shoeing a small black-and-white horse. It looked like Maddie would finally get to ride her pony. Willis looked up, smiled and gave a brief nod of acknowledgment in her direction before turning his attention to his task once more.
Of all the people she had met in New Covenant she suspected that Willis and his family would be the ones she would miss the most.
Eva went back inside the house. Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors as she crossed to her desk and picked up her favorite story. She sat down to read. Halfway through the first chapter she closed the book and laid it aside. The house was too quiet.
She crossed to the window that overlooked the street and opened it. She heard Willis calling his siblings in for supper. Harley and Otto were in a good-natured shoving match on the way to the door. Maddie walked behind, scolding them loudly as they ignored her. Willis admonished them to hurry. When they were all inside he shut the door, cutting off the sounds of his active family.
Eva slowly closed the window. She wouldn’t get a cat to keep her company. Cats were much too quiet.
Chapter Four
The following morning was cool with a drizzling rain that dampened Eva’s spirits. A restless night had weakened her resolve and left her wondering if she had made the right decision coming to Maine. Would she be able to provide the guidance and education the community expected her to deliver to their children? What if she wasn’t suited to the job? What then? As Samuel had pointed out, her employment was only guaranteed for one month at a time.
Would that be enough time to learn all she needed to know?
If she lost the position, she would have to ask her brother Gene for the funds to return. She didn’t want to go home with her tail tucked between her legs and admit her new adventure had turned out to be a folly just as her brother had predicted.
She had finished her second cup of coffee when a two-wheeled cart piled high with her promised furniture arrived. The driver hopped down with ease. His passenger, a large yellow lab-mixed-breed dog remained seated but watched her master’s every move. A gangly youth sat on the tailgate.
The driver tipped his head toward Eva. “Good morning. I’m Michael Shetler. You met my wife, Bethany, yesterday.”
“I did. And your new baby.”
Michael’s grin almost split his face. “Eli! He’s a mighty fine little fellow except for his insistence on getting fed at any hour of the day or night.” He gestured toward the back of the cart. “This is Bethany’s brother Ivan, and the dog is our Sadie. She’ll be at school most days because Bethany’s little sister Jenny will be one of your scholars. The two are seldom apart.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ivan. And you, Sadie.” The dog barked once.
“That means hello,” Ivan said, hopping off the wagon bed. “Where do you want this stuff?”
“I’ll show you.” She held open the door as they carried in a sideboard and had them place it in the sitting room against the wall across from the windows.
The door opened and Willis came in carrying a trunk on his shoulder. “Where?”
Her spirits rose at the sight of his smiling, soot-smudged face. She didn’t stop to consider why he had such an effect on her. “At the foot of the bed. Danki, Willis.”
She heard barking outside and saw Maddie playing tag with Sadie on the lawn. Willis stopped beside Eva. She grinned at him over her shoulder. “It appears Maddie has a new friend. Bubble may be jealous.”
Willis stepped up beside her. “Nope, Sadie is an old friend. The dog was the first to visit us when we arrived.”
Michael walked past them. “She likes to keep an eye on her flock. She might look like a lab, but she has shepherd in her somewhere. She visits all the children in the area at least once a day. Where do you want the bookcase?”
“A bookcase, how wonderful! Now I can get my books out of my suitcase. In the sitting room, please.” Eva rushed into her bedroom and pulled a suitcase out from beneath her bed. Willis saw her struggling with it and came to help.
His eyes widened when he picked it up. “What’s in here? Rocks?”
“A few of my books. The ones I didn’t want to be without.”
“Books about what?” He set it on the floor in front of the bookcase.
Eva unzipped the case, opened the lid and sank to the floor beside it. “About everything. My favorite books of poetry.” She clutched several thin volumes to her chest. “The devotionals I enjoy, some adventure stories, even a cookbook. You’re welcome to look through them if you want. You and the boys might enjoy reading some of them.”
Willis held up one hand. “Another time.”
“Where do you want the end table?” Ivan asked.
“Beside my rocker. This is very goot furniture. I assume it stays with the house for the next teacher?”
“I reckon so,” Michael said. “The horse and cart are yours to use for as long as you need. You will want to invest in a closed buggy before winter or make sure you have someone who can transport you to church and such when the weather gets bad. One of our newly arrived families, the Fishers, are wheelwrights and buggy makers. I’m sure they can fix you up with a small buggy at a reasonable price.”
“You’re welcome to use my closed buggy if the weather turns bad before you can get your own,” Willis said.
She
