The Amish Quiltmaker's Unconventional Niece by Jennifer Beckstrand

Author:Jennifer Beckstrand [Beckstrand, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Ach, Esther, he is the most beautiful buplie in the whole world. I love his hair.” Mattie bent down and gave little Levi Junior a kiss on the top of his head. His dark, sticky-uppy hair tickled her nose.

Esther eased herself into a chair at the table and played with Levi Junior’s feet while Mattie held him and watched Caleb try to do the puzzle by himself. Esther cooed and clicked her tongue at her baby, even though Junior was fast asleep in Mattie’s arms. “He has more hair than Winnie had at one year old. I hope it turns out curly like Levi’s. I love Levi’s hair.”

Three weeks ago, Esther had given birth to an eight-pound baby boy the day after the disastrous Meet the Candidates meeting. Mattie had woken up that morning planning to mope all day when Uncle Levi had rushed out of the bedroom and told her that Esther was in labor and could she please watch Winnie while Levi took Esther to the hospital. There was no moping after that. Levi Junior had been born at eight that evening, and Esther had come home the next morning. Since the Amish didn’t have health insurance, they paid all their medical bills with cash. Long hospital stays were out of the question.

“I don’t think that goes there,” Esther said, pointing to the puzzle where Caleb had been trying for the last minute to fit a blue piece into a green tree.

Caleb didn’t seem troubled in the least that he was failing miserably with the puzzle. He glanced at Esther. “Ach, I’m not real gute at puzzles, but I for sure like doing them here with all of you and seeing the buplie. He looks gute in your arms, Mattie.” Caleb smiled at Mattie as if she were the nicest girl in the whole world.

Caleb was a sweet boy. He really was. He was always willing to help with the dishes or die kinner or any odd jobs Esther needed him to do around the house. But Mattie couldn’t figure out why he kept coming over. The campaign had been dead for three weeks, and there was a new baby in the house. Aunt Esther didn’t need Caleb to distract Mattie anymore. He had fulfilled his duty to his schwester-in-law, and Esther might even believe Mattie’s failure was Caleb’s doing. He would probably be her favorite relative forevermore. He had nothing left to prove. So why was he sitting at Esther’s table doing a puzzle he couldn’t even do? Why wasn’t he out having real fun with boys and girls his own age? There was no way a seventeen-year-old boy was that interested in Esther’s new buplie.

“Did you notice there was a tiny bit of snow in the mountains this morning?” he said.

“It looks like powdered sugar on top of a cake.” Esther had a baby thermometer tucked behind her ear and a burp rag slung over her shoulder.

Mattie sighed inwardly while she stroked Junior’s head and did her best not to think about that brown puzzle piece Caleb was trying to fit into the sky.

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