Amish Treasures of the Heart Read online

  “I was thinking I should talk to the young man myself,” Jake confided. “What do you think?”

  Isaac smirked. “I think that if my sister catches you, you’ll have an enemy on your hands.”

  “She’s a girl,” Jake said, chuckling. “What can she do?”

  Isaac shook his head. “You don’t want to find out!”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “I’ll take my chances with her being mad at me before I lose Ellie because she thinks I’m courting Rachel.”

  “You’re a brave mann,” Isaac said, slapping Jake on the shoulder. “Let’s finish up here so you won’t be late for your buggy ride with my sister! I hope you know what you’re doing; if not, I might be calling you brother-in-law soon!”

  Jake hoped Isaac was kidding, but on the off-chance that he wasn’t, he would have to come up with an alternate plan to get out of this mess he’d gotten himself into. He bid Isaac farewell, and thanked him, promising to see him later when he picked up Rachel for their buggy ride.

  *******

  Jake returned to Ellie’s farm after lunch, prepared to work with the skills he had learned from Isaac so far. Ellie was pulling weeds in her garden.

  “Well, it’s good to have you back.” Ellie said to him sarcastically.

  “I know I haven’t been working much lately, but I had a few things to take care of,” Jake said casually.

  “At Rachel’s haus?”

  “Yes, at your cousin’s house,” Jake replied cautiously, hoping to avoid the topic. He was eager to show Ellie his new skills, and show off how much he’d improved without having to admit he’d had help.

  Ellie bit at her bottom lip, worried there might be something going on between Jake and Rachel. She wanted to ask him outright why he was spending so much time over there, and if he intended to make it a regular habit, but she held her tongue. She tried not to worry about it and just concentrate on her work, but her mind was racing. Was it jealousy she was feeling? She had decided that she didn’t want to acknowledge her attraction to Jake, but she couldn’t help that her feelings were creeping up on her.

  Jake noticed the puzzled, somewhat concerned look on Ellie’s face, and the fact that she was pulling at the weeds a lot more violently than she had been even a few minutes ago. He worried he’d made her angry, and figured it was probably best if he gave her a little time to cool off before discussing the topic of Rachel again. He left her alone to strangle the weeds by herself, figuring it was best if he got to work. Maybe seeing his improvements would put her in a better mood.

  Jake had noticed when he’d driven up to the house that the fencing on the south side of the barn was in need of repair, and since he’d helped Isaac mend the fence at his farm, he felt confident he could remedy the problem. He went into the barn for the necessary tools, and set to work on the line of downed fence. Ellie watched him from her garden across the yard, and was impressed at his newfound skills. Where had he learned to mend fences? That stretch of fence had been in a state of disrepair for a while, and Angus had complained about the horses getting loose, but had not gotten around to fixing it.

  Ellie caught herself staring at Jake, smiling, and quickly turned away.

  Jake noticed she’d been staring, and couldn’t help but smile about it. He finally felt a sense of belonging, which he wanted just as much as he had wanted Ellie’s attention, and getting both made him feel more than satisfied. He couldn’t wait for Isaac to teach him everything he knew so he could truly feel worthy of Ellie.

  Chapter 5.

  Jake was loading up the wheelbarrow with bags of insecticide to spread in the fields when Ellie walked in with Coal from running some errands in town. She noticed what he was doing and got a little concerned. Did he know what he was doing?

  “Are you sure you know how to spread the insecticide, Jake? I know it seems easy, but it’s not something we’ve gone over.”

  “Angus had it here to be used, not to sit in the barn. He was probably getting ready to spread it two weeks ago when he left, but it slipped his mind with everything that happened. But don’t worry, I picked up the skill, you have nothing to worry about.” He shot her a reassuring smile.

  “Oh, at Rachel’s I’m guessing?”

  He chuckled inwardly at her jealous tone.

  “Something like that.” He replied as he wheeled the insecticide out of the barn. “I’ll come back for the spreader.”

  Ellie couldn’t help but feel extremely jealous that he had been spending so much time over at Rachel’s. She grabbed the handle of the spreader, wheeling it behind her as she followed him out of the barn.

  “You sure have been spending an awful lot of time there for the last few days, Jake. Is there anything I should know about?” she asked as nonchalantly as possible, though it was clear to Jake she was jealous. He decided to play with her a little, just to see how far her jealousy would go. Even though he knew it wasn’t right, he had to know if she really did have any feelings toward him.

  “Maybe, I’m not sure yet. I guess we’ll find out after my buggy ride tonight.” He said with a mischievous grin.

  Ellie planted her hands on her hips. “You asked Rachel to take a buggy ride with you?”

  “Nah, she asked me! Besides, it’s not our first buggy ride.”

  Ellie leered at him. “It’s not your first buggy ride with her? You do know what that means to an Amish girl, don’t you?”

  Jake shrugged and walked toward the cornfield. He didn’t really know what the significance of what the buggy ride was, and he suddenly worried if that was the meaning behind Isaac’s warning.

  Was it possible that taking the buggy rides established the courting ritual the Amish believed in? He made a mental note to look it up online as soon as he had the chance. The only thing he knew was that he was doing it to get Rachel to be courted by the one she wants—and that was not him. Troy had already seen them once, and he was hoping this second buggy ride would be his last. If the shy Troy would not get the hint after tonight, he intended to put a bug in his ear. He didn’t have time to waste with the childish games that Rachel expected from him, especially since he’d agreed to do it in exchange for a favor. And although it had managed to get a rise of jealousy out of Ellie, he didn’t want to take things so far that it would permanently ruin his chances with her by making her think he’s lost interest in her.

  Ellie left the spreader at the edge of the cornfield and walked away, and he could hear her sighing heavily. It was obvious she was jealous, and though it shouldn’t have, he just couldn’t help but let it ride for now. He knew it was wrong, but he finally felt he had gotten some emotion out of her. It seemed now that maybe she did have feelings for him, and this made Jake happy. He decided that he would clear things up in a day or so once her anger had calmed.

  Ellie stomped back into the barn, furious that Jake was taking Rachel on a buggy ride and not her. She reprimanded herself for being so hesitant to tell him her real feelings, but she worried it was too late now. Perhaps if she’d been more outgoing and had asked Jake before Rachel had, he would have realized her attraction to him.

  “Hello Ellie, how are you doing today?” Jackson said with a polite tip of his hat.

  Had he been there the whole time to witness her little fit? She lowered her gaze a bit, feeling a little embarrassed.

  “Hello Jackson. I’m doing well, thank you.” she replied, trying to keep her attention away from Jackson as she returned to brushing down Coal.

  “Say, I was wondering, would you maybe wanna go for a buggy ride with me sometime?” He had overheard what had just happened and was taking full advantage of Jake being out of the picture.

  Ellie thought for a second. Maybe this was a good opportunity to get Jake’s attention. Her jealousy over Rachel suddenly got the best of her, and she decided to accept Jackson’s offer. “I’d love to.” She said, not very convincingly. “How about tonight?

  She immediately felt regret saying this, she didn’t actually like Jackson, and certai
nly didn’t want to be alone in his company. But she really wanted the chance to spy on Jake and her cousin. She was so upset wondering if he could be courting Rachel, and if it was too late to put a stop to it.

  “Absolutely!” Jackson said with a huge grin. “Tonight it is! I heard there might be a meteor shower. In your open buggy, we could get a good look at it.”

  “M-hmm, that’s fine.” Ellie said, not even bothering to turn her attention from Coal to Jackson.

  Jackson was so pleased with himself; he headed to the field to rub it in Jake’s face. Even if Jake was courting Rachel, he knew he still had feelings for Ellie and Jackson was going to enjoy having the opportunity to boast.

  “Hey Curly, guess who I’m taking on a buggy ride tonight?” Jackson shouted as he walked toward Jake in the field.

  Jake was not amused, he didn’t care one bit for Jackson and he didn’t care about anything he was doing. He didn’t even dignify him with a response.

  “You give up already?” Jackson joked. “It’s Ellie! We’re going to watch tonight’s meteor shower; it should be pretty romantic.”

  Jake felt like his blood was about to boil over like a pan full of hot water. “How can you be taking Ellie on a buggy ride? She’d never agree to that.”

  “Oh, but she did, seems she’s moving on to better things. Seeing as you’re so busy with her cousin lately, she’s decided I’m the better man!” Jackson laughed to himself as he walked away with his head held high.

  “I don’t believe you,” Jake argued. “She doesn’t like anything about you!”

  A lewd smile crossed Jackson’s lips as he turned around and chuckled confidently.

  “After her buggy ride with me tonight, she’ll be so in love with me, she’ll forget all about you.”

  He couldn’t possibly be telling the truth, could he? Did Ellie think he was interested in Rachel? That was the only explanation as to why she would ever accept a buggy ride from someone who lacked any manners; someone so English, as she would put it. His head hurt just thinking about it. Had she only accepted because she was jealous of the time he’d spent with Rachel? Did her acceptance of Jackson’s offer of a buggy ride mean she was truly interested in Jackson?

  Had he completely messed up his chances?

  He felt sick.

  Jake walked over to the barn to ask Ellie himself if what Jackson was saying had any truth to it. He had to know one way or the other.

  He approached her, and she didn’t look up. She kept slicing in between the rows with the hoe with such force, he could tell his presence was causing her to fume.

  “Did you…?”

  “Yes, Jake,” she interrupted. “I did accept a buggy ride from Jackson. Is that a problem?”

  She was hoping he’d say yes and they could end this silly game they were playing.

  “No. Well, it’s just, he’s an Englisher. And an ill-mannered one at that. Why would you wanna go on a buggy ride with him?”

  “Why shouldn’t I? He isn’t all that bad; I think he’s kind of sweet.” Ellie said, mostly trying to convince herself.

  Jake couldn’t help but chuckle. “Are we talking about the same guy? You know, Jackson, the guy who’s a complete brute and gets his entertainment by bullying.”

  Ellie pursed her lips at his comment. Was she going to let him get away with discounting her decision that way? She wasn’t looking forward to the buggy ride at all, but she couldn’t admit that to him. What was worse, she knew what Jake was saying was right.

  He just looked at her and shook his head with disbelief that she would actually take a buggy ride with Jackson. What if she actually liked him and wasn’t just trying to make him jealous? He couldn’t get the thought out of his head, and he feared he had lost her.

  “Jake,” she said without looking at him. “I need you to till this section of the garden to make room for a large celery patch. I’ll also need you to go to town to get a couple of pounds of seeds.”

  “What do you need so much celery for?” Jake was confused.

  “It’s an Amish tradition.” Ellie stated with bitterness in her tone. “It’s for yours and Rachel’s wedding, of course.” She wasn’t being serious, but she was angry, and wanted to make him believe she didn’t care what happened between the two of them.

  Jake stepped back and gave Ellie a quizzical look. “What makes you think I’m marrying her?” he asked defensively.

  “Well aren’t you? That’s what courting leads to around here, Jake. Amish girls take buggy rides seriously.”

  “Well I’m only half Amish, and I won’t be taking it that seriously.”

  “I hardly think that excuse will get you out of a commitment with Rachel. A buggy ride is a buggy ride, and since this isn’t your first, you could already be engaged, so we better get that celery in the ground—especially since it’s already so late in the season!”

  Jake’s heart began to race as it dawned on him the meaning of what Isaac’s warning was about. He hadn’t intended to give anyone the impression that he’d be marrying Rachel, and he especially hoped Rachel would not think that. “I can assure you that I don’t intend to marry her.”

  “I would love to be there when you try to talk your way out of that one with my cousin!”

  Jake threw his hat down in the dirt, and scowled at Ellie. “What about Jackson? Aren’t you worried he will get the wrong impression about your buggy ride with him?”

  Ellie furrowed her brow. “Just what are you implying, Jake? Maybe it’s you who has the wrong idea about it and not Jackson!”

  “Come on, Ellie, you really expect me to believe you like that bully?”

  She threw down the garden tool and leered at him. “He isn’t a bully! He gets impatient with you because you can’t do anything right!”

  Jake’s expression fell, and Ellie wished she could take back the words she knew had hurt him, but there would be no taking back her careless words. She cared deeply for him, and now she’d destroyed everything.

  Jake walked away without another word, discouragement weighing heavily on his mind. He would finish the task he’d started, and then be on his way. There was no way he could get himself out of this situation, and no way to fix things with Ellie.

  It was over between them before it even began.

  Chapter 6.

  That night, Jackson arrived back at Ellie’s farm, and she thought he actually looked presentable. He cleaned up nicely, she had to give him that, but it was not enough to make up for his ill manners. Besides, he was no substitute for Jake. Maybe this buggy ride wouldn’t be so bad if Jake could see them; it might be the thing to get him so jealous he admitted his feelings for her. Thankfully, the buggy ride would be over before she knew it and she wouldn’t have to go on any other buggy rides with him again. She decided to just make the best of this, since she had brought it upon herself.

  Jackson helped her into the buggy and they were off. Ellie kept her eyes on the sky so she didn’t feel too much pressure to keep up a conversation. After all, what could they possibly have to talk about? This was awkward at best, and she wished she would not have agreed to such a foolish thing.

  The night sky was crystal clear and lit up brightly with a million dazzling stars. Jackson made a few attempts at conversation, but Ellie kept fairly quiet. She wanted to give him every reason to think she was rude and boring so he wouldn’t even bother asking for another date.

  After riding along for a mile or two, Ellie finally saw a shooting star. She smiled a bit at this, and made a wish that Jake’s buggy ride was going even worse than her own. She knew it wasn’t right, but she just couldn’t help herself.

  Jackson turned around shortly after, having had enough of the awkward silence, and he couldn’t wait to get Ellie back to her farm.

  Ellie’s gaze shifted from the sky to Jackson. “Where are you going? I thought we were going to sit in the park and watch the stars.”

  “This isn’t anything like I thought it was going to be, that’s all,” he grumbl
ed.

  She had to suppress a smile as she acted like she was disappointed, though she was happy he’d turned around. She didn’t dare say a word for fear he would change his mind and want to continue the date.

  When the two arrived back at the farm, Ellie noticed Jake sitting on the front porch swing. Shouldn’t he be with Rachel?

  Jackson grumbled that he would return in the morning to work, but neither Jake nor Ellie paid any attention to him. He didn’t even offer to unhitch Coal from the buggy, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was ask Jake why his evening with Rachel had ended so soon. So when Jackson got in his truck and spun his tires in the gravel, she was happier than ever to get rid of him. He reminded her too much of Angus, and she was not going to make the same mistake her mother had made by getting involved with a hot-tempered man.

  She walked up the porch steps and headed toward the swing to sit down next to Jake. “So how was your buggy ride with Rachel?”

  He wanted to tell her that Rachel had confided Ellie’s confession about her buggy ride with Jackson being only a ruse to make him jealous, but he would let her tell him herself.

  “I had no idea that taking a buggy ride would indicate you were courting. When I looked it up online, I suddenly understood your anger over the time I’d spent with Rachel. In my defense, she only asked me to make Troy Miller jealous.”

  Ellie sucked in her breath. “Troy Miller?” she practically squealed. “Did it work?”

  “I wasn’t intending to court her, and I never wanted to go on a buggy ride with her. I just wanted to make you think I was, though I’m not sure why now. I went over and had a talk with Troy after seeing Rachel, and they are on a buggy ride as we speak. The two of them dropped me off here so I could wait for you and talk to you.”

  Ellie backed away from Jake a little so she could look him in the eye. “How could you let me believe that? I only went on this buggy ride with Jackson because I thought you were courting Rachel!”