Building Trust Page 2

  Grace’s mother cleared her throat. “How was your day, Vernon?”

  “Fine.” He tore off part of a slice of bread and crammed it into his mouth.

  Grace exchanged a look with Joel. He saw confusion in her eyes. He was confused himself. Vernon seemed downright unfriendly.

  “Daed,” she said, her tone cautious. “I’m sure yer wondering why Joel joined us for supper tonight.”

  “Nee. I’m not.”

  That stung, and now Joel knew he hadn’t been imagining it. Grace looked stricken, and Patience and Charity seemed to shrink in their chairs.

  “Well,” Grace said, her voice strained. “He’s here because we have an announcement.”

  “Announcement?” He scowled at Grace. “What kind of announcement?”

  “We’re getting married.” Joel reached for Grace’s hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. He had no idea why her father was acting like this, but she didn’t have to face him alone. “I want to marry your daughter.”

  Vernon’s hands slammed on the table. “I won’t allow it.” Before anyone could speak, he shoved away from the table and jumped up from his chair.

  “Vernon, your supper—”

  “Lost mei appetite.” He stormed out of the kitchen.

  Joel flinched when he heard the front door slam. He looked at Grace. Her lower lip was trembling.

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why is he so angry?”

  Mamm held out her hands as she looked at Vernon’s empty chair. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this.”

  Joel tightened his hold on Grace’s hand. He’d had no idea how her family would take the news of their engagement, but he hadn’t expected this. From the shocked expressions on the faces of Grace and her sisters, he could see they hadn’t either.

  “I should geh talk to him.” Grace pulled her hand out of Joel’s and started to get up from the table.

  “Nee.” He put his hand on her shoulder, stilling her movements. “I’ll speak to him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Joel nodded. He didn’t like seeing Grace upset. What was Vernon’s problem, anyway? He turned to Grace’s mom. “Excuse me,” he said, rising from his chair. He paused. “The meal is delicious, Ruby.”

  Grace’s mother nodded, her expression solemn, and Joel left to find Vernon. He checked the barn, a place Joel often went when he was upset or needed to think. Sometimes the physical exertion of cleaning out the barn cleared his head. Vernon wasn’t there, though. He looked around the backyard, his gaze pausing at the place where he had asked Grace to marry him. He’d been so happy and full of hope last night. Now he was filled with dread and uncertainty.

  He stopped, calming himself. Surely Vernon was a reasonable man. When Joel found him, he would explain how much he loved Grace, how he would take good care of her the rest of his life. Vernon wouldn’t have to worry about his daughter. She would be loved and cherished. What father wouldn’t want that?

  Yes, he could reason with Vernon. If he could find him.

  The door to a medium-size shed was ajar, and he hurried to it. He paused, unsure if he should knock on the open door or walk in. He decided to enter the shed and see if Vernon was actually there. He stifled a sigh of relief when he saw the man there, staring at one of the walls. The building was filled with tools of his trade—shingles, roofing tools, a couple ladders, and a few tool belts. Joel took a deep breath.

  “Vernon,” he said, the last syllable coming out in a squeak. So much for showing confidence. He cleared his throat. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Vernon kept his back to him, long enough for Joel to wonder if he would ever turn around. Finally, he did. “I’m not interested in talking to you.”

  His words almost made Joel take a step back. “What?” he asked, wondering if he’d heard wrong.

  “I’m not interested in talking to you,” Grace’s father repeated, moving toward Joel. His lips were pressed in a line so tight, they were turning white. His face, tanned and weathered from years spent on rooftops during all seasons, was twisted with anger. “And yer not marrying mei dochder.”

  It was as if he’d thrust a knife into Joel’s heart. “But—”

  Vernon moved in front of him until only inches separated them. “Get off mei property.”

  Joel’s mouth dropped open. There was no doubting Vernon’s hostility. But why was he so angry?

  “What?”

  “Leave.” Vernon pushed past Joel. “And don’t come back.”

  Joel turned, his mouth still agape. His thoughts were whirring. What had he done to make Vernon so angry? They couldn’t get married without her father’s blessing. Well, they could, but Joel wouldn’t be the cause of strife in their family. His shoulders dropped. What were he and Grace going to do?

  Grace paced back and forth on the front porch. She’d never seen her father so angry before. It didn’t make sense. His reaction to Joel was irrational, not to mention inhospitable and very un-Amish. Daed was normally a calm, friendly man who often liked to have people over, even if he wasn’t the most talkative person. Her fists clenched as she waited for him and Joel to come back. Her father had been rude, and he owed Joel an apology.

  When neither of them returned, she stopped pacing and clasped her hands together. Their absence wasn’t a good sign. Finally, her father came around from the back of the house. Surely Joel wasn’t far behind, having made sure everything was all right. But when she saw the fury on her father’s face, she knew nothing had been worked out.

  “Daed?” She flew down the porch steps and met him at the bottom. “Where’s Joel?”

  “Far away from here, if he knows what’s gut for him.” Daed blew past her and started up the porch steps.

  “Daed!” Grace stiffened. “Why are you so angry?”

  He spun around and looked down at her. Then he blew out a breath. “Don’t even think about marrying that mann. Joel King isn’t welcome here, or anywhere near mei familye.”

  “Daed—”

  “Mei word is final!” His face turned a deep shade of red, then he turned and stormed inside.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. She’d been so excited for tonight’s supper, taking extra care not only to make Joel’s favorite foods, but also to make sure they had been perfectly prepared. It just so happened that both he and her father loved pot roast. She was sure they would have other things in common and expected the evening to go smoothly. But from the moment her father had seen Joel, something had been off. No, not off. Something was very, very wrong.

  “Gracie?”

  She turned to see Joel approaching. She hurled herself into his arms, not caring about her father’s warning or if anyone saw them together. She buried her face in his shirt.

  “I don’t know what happened,” she said.

  “Me either.”

  She felt his hand stroke her back, and it calmed her nerves. She lifted her head and looked at him. “Were you able to talk to him?”

  Joel shook his head. “He’s angry with me, that’s for sure.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “Nee. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure it out, but I can’t.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “But I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  “Daed said you weren’t welcome here.” She sniffed.

  “I know. He told me.” Joel gathered her close and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything stop us from getting married. Whatever the problem is between yer vatter and me, I’ll solve it.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  His arms tightened around her, and she breathed in deeply. She trusted him. She loved him, and if he said he would fix everything, she believed him. Because if he didn’t . . . she didn’t know what she would do.

  CHAPTER 2

  Vernon Miller, what in the world is wrong with you?”

  Vernon turned around, flinching at his wife’s sharp tone. He loved Ruby,
but her angry, shrill voice cut into his ears. They were in their bedroom, and he’d known he would eventually face her wrath tonight. And he did, as soon as she shut the bedroom door.

  Not that he didn’t deserve it. He’d handled tonight badly, and he knew it. He’d been aware of it even while he couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t stem the blaze of rage rising in him. Even now anger pounded in his ears and made his chest squeeze. Joel King. Of all the men in Middlefield—of all the men in the world—his Grace had to fall for him. Did she have any idea what kind of man he was? She couldn’t, or she wouldn’t be with him. Of course, he probably had her fooled. He was devious that way.

  “Vernon? Did you hear me?”

  The whole state of Ohio heard you. He glanced at his hands. They were balled into tight fists. He closed his eyes and prayed for calm. He wasn’t like this. He wasn’t rude. He wasn’t impulsive. And he didn’t hurt the people he loved. But he could tell by the pain on Grace’s face as he’d left her outside that he’d hurt her deeply. But it’s justified. I’ll do anything to protect my girls.

  He felt Ruby’s hand on his shoulder. “Vern. Talk to me.”

  One thing about his wife—and there were many, many amazing things, which was why he’d fallen in love with her practically at first sight—was her level head. He turned, mollified by her calmer tone. But even as he faced her, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about him. It had taken Vernon a long time to forgive and even longer to forget. Yet all of that disappeared as soon as he saw Joel in his house. He sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped.

  Ruby sat next to him. “What happened to you tonight?”

  He ran his hand over his head, feeling the thinning hair on top. He was nearing fifty and showing it. His knees ached when he climbed the ladder, his back cramped when he bent over roof shingles, and his arms strained as he nailed the shingles to the tar paper. He’d weathered blistering temperatures, unexpected downpours, frigid blasts of wind. He’d known what it was like to start over, to worry about feeding a family of six, to have his dreams dashed. And it all paled to the anger and pain he felt right now.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Well, you need to. Because I’m expecting an explanation.”

  Vernon turned to her. He owed her an explanation. But no matter how he tried to frame the words in his head, they were clouded by rage. He popped up from the bed. “I said not tonight.”

  “Vernon—”

  He opened the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  He stopped. “To sleep on the couch.”

  She got up to stand beside him and shut the door. “You’ll do nee such thing.” She ducked underneath his arm and leaned her back against the door, looking at him. He was only a couple inches taller, which meant she could look him in the eye. And what he saw in her soft, gray gaze nearly undid him. “It’s all right,” she said, touching his cheek. She brushed her fingers over his beard. “You don’t have to say anything tonight.”

  He slumped with relief.

  She held his face in her hands. “But you’ll have to fix this tomorrow. Grace is beside herself, and you owe Joel an apology.”

  Vernon’s body tensed again. “Nee, I don’t.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. “All right. I won’t argue with you.”

  Her kind words made most of his ire dissipate. He gathered her in his arms. “Danki,” he said in her ear. “Danki for not pushing this.”

  Lying in bed later that night, a single shaft of moonlight coming through the window and his beautiful wife fast asleep beside him, Vernon stared at the ceiling. He didn’t imagine anything being different in the morning, but Ruby was right. He had to explain himself to Grace. He wasn’t sure how to do it without dredging up the past, or how he would handle her tears when he told her, under no circumstances and over his dead body, would she marry Joel King.

  Joel had tossed and turned all night, trying to figure out what he should do. This morning when he woke up he hit his knees, praying that last night had been a big misunderstanding and that today he would be welcomed into the Miller family with open arms. Right now, he would be fine with plain acceptance.

  He spent the day working with his uncle in their clear-cutting lumber business. Today’s job was short—they were finishing up five acres in Ashtabula County. He was back home by noon. After taking a well-needed shower, he put on fresh clothes and headed for Schlabach’s Grocery, where Grace and her sister Patience worked.

  When he walked into the store, he was glad to see there weren’t many customers. Patience was behind the counter, writing what looked like a list on a narrow white tablet.

  “Is Grace around?” Joel asked, approaching the counter. He touched his collar, realizing he was about to tug at it, then dropped his hands.

  “She’s in the back of the store,” Patience said. “Our boss is out for the day and she’s doing some accounting for him.”

  “Think it would be okay to geh back there?”

  Patience nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. “She’ll be happy to see you.”

  At least her sister was accepting. Joel nodded and walked to the back of the store. He knocked on the door.

  “Just a minute,” Grace’s sweet voice sounded from the other side. When the door opened, her blue eyes lit up. “Joel.” She practically pulled him inside the office and shut the door. When she hugged him, he couldn’t help but grin. Suddenly his future wife had forgotten her shyness about public affection, since anyone could open the door and walk into the office at any time.

  “I was going to come see you after work,” she said.

  “We finished the job early.” He touched her face. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”

  “Thank goodness. I was worried you would take mei daed seriously.”

  “I do, but not about this.”

  She nodded and leaned against the desk. “He’s being unreasonable. I didn’t even see him today. He was up before everyone else and left for work extra early. I can tell Mamm is confused too.”

  “Does she know why he’s angry?”

  Grace shook her head. “She has nee idea. She tried talking to him last night, but he wasn’t having it.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’ll try talking to him again,” Joel said.

  “Maybe you should wait a few days.” Grace bit her bottom lip. “He might cool down by then.”

  “And he might get angry at me all over again.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to wait, Grace. I want us to get married as soon as possible, and right now the only thing standing in our way is yer daed. I went ahead and called mei parents last night. I know I shouldn’t have used the phone. Onkle Abner won’t be too happy about that. But I couldn’t wait until the next time I go back home.”

  “What did yer parents say?”

  Lines of worry appeared at the corner of her eyes. He brushed his finger against one of them, wishing he could soothe them away. “They said it was about time.”

  “Yer only twenty-five.” Her features relaxed a bit.

  “Ya, but they didn’t think I’d ever find someone to put up with me.” He chuckled, but sobered right after. “Seriously, they were happy for us. And I’m sure yer daed will be too, once we clear up whatever is going on.”

  Grace finally smiled, which made Joel feel better. And optimistic. “How about I hang out around here and drive you home after you finish work? Then I can try to talk to yer daed again.”

  “I won’t be finished for another hour or so,” she said, her brow furrowing. “I don’t want you to be bored.”

  “I won’t be.” How could he, when he was near Grace? But while he was here, he should find something to do. “Do you have any stocking or cleaning that needs to be done?”

  “I know Mr. Furlong has been talking about cleaning out the storage shed in the back. He keeps putting it off. I’m sure he’ll be glad for you to do it.”

  Perfect. He still had some
nervous energy left, especially since he hadn’t worked eight hours in the woods today. Also, now that he knew he’d be talking to Vernon again in a couple hours, he felt jumpier than usual. “It will be clean as a whistle by the time I get done.”

  Grace giggled. “I’m sure it will be.”

  Glad to see his fiancée smiling, he set off for the storage shed. He was finishing up sweeping the floor when Grace walked in after she clocked out. She looked around the shed and whistled. “Yer right. It is clean.”

  Joel hung the broom on the contraption on the wall that held cleaning supplies. “There wasn’t that much to do.”

  “Ya, there was. This place was a mess.”

  It wasn’t anymore. This was where the extra groceries were stored, and they had been put in there willy-nilly. Joel had organized them, making room for more supplies and groceries if necessary. He dusted and swept, even shaking out the old mat in front of the door for wiping muddy feet. Yet even after all that physical work, he felt his palms grow damp as he and Grace drove to her house. As much as he wanted to get to the bottom of the problem with Vernon, he wasn’t looking forward to seeing him.

  He turned into the driveway, and Grace directed him to the barn, where he hitched his buggy to the post out front. He attached the feed bag he kept in his buggy to Lady’s muzzle, and the mare started munching right away.

  “Ready?” he said to Grace, trying to keep his nerves steady.

  She patted the horse’s flanks. Lady was oblivious to the tension, happily eating her feed. “Ya,” Grace said, giving her one last pat. “Let’s geh talk to Daed.”

  They held hands on the way to the house, a united front. Grace opened the door. Charity was curled up on the couch, reading a book. When she saw Grace and Joel, she set down the book and jumped up. “Yer back,” she said to him.

  “Of course.” He mustered a smile. “Won’t let a bad evening keep me away from here.”

  “Gut.” Charity grinned, her smile sweet and winsome, but it couldn’t hold a candle to Grace’s.

  “Is Daed home?”