[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey Read online

  Mom doesn’t understand that I need to get away from everything that reminds me of Phoebe, Titus thought. Even though Phoebe will be in California, if I’d stayed in Pennsylvania I’d see her family, so it would be hard not to think about her. It’s better if I make a clean break and start life over here where there are no reminders of the past.

  Titus’s stomach growled. He opened his eyes and reached into his backpack, fumbling around for a candy bar. In the process of looking for it, he discovered a note that Phoebe had written him some time ago—when he thought she still loved him.

  His stomach tightened. How was he ever going to get her out of his system? He couldn’t stop thinking about her, and seeing her love note only made her rejection hurt all the more. He crumpled the note and pushed it into Allen’s litter bag.

  The truck door opened, and Allen climbed in. “All set!”

  “I didn’t realize you were done pumping the gas.”

  “Yep. Ready to meet the man who’ll hopefully be your new boss?”

  “Uh … guess I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “A little. I’ve never been this far from home, and starting a new job in a new place is kind of scary,” Titus admitted.

  Allen nodded. “I’ll give you some advice my dad gave me when I left home: ‘Those who fear the future are likely to fumble the present.’ “

  Titus groaned. “I sure don’t wanna do that.”

  “Just do your best and try to keep a positive attitude, and I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

  “I hope so.”

  Allen drove out of Hopkinsville and turned left on Highway 68. After they’d gone a few miles, he pointed up ahead. “There’s the Jefferson Davis Monument. It’s just a couple of roads over to your right.”

  Titus whistled. “Wow, that building is sure tall!”

  “You’ll have to go inside the monument sometime and take a look at the view from up there.”

  “Think I just might.”

  “What else would you like to do for fun?” Allen asked.

  Titus turned his hands palms up. “Don’t really know yet. Maybe some fishing if there’s a nearby lake or pond. Oh, and I also like to ride horseback, so hopefully there are some good trails for riding.”

  “There are several ponds in the area, and I’m sure you can find lots of places to ride your horse. This community doesn’t get near as much traffic as Lancaster County, so you can go most anywhere on your horse if you’ve a mind to.”

  Titus smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  When they reached Pembroke-Fairview Road, Allen turned right. They drove a mile or so, and then he turned onto a dirt road. Titus noticed a sign by the driveway: YODER’S WOODSHOP.

  As they continued up the lane, a large white farmhouse came into view. To the left of the house was the woodshop, with another sign above the door. To the right was a huge flower garden with some plants that were just coming into bloom.

  As they drew closer, Titus saw a young, auburn-haired woman bent over one of the plants. He took a deep breath, trying to still the pounding of his heart. He couldn’t see her face, but from the back, she looked like Phoebe.

  Suzanne lifted her head and turned when she heard a vehicle rumble up the driveway. Seeing the sign on the truck, she realized it was Allen Walters. The truck came to a stop, and both doors opened. Allen got out, and so did a young Amish man with dark brown hair whom she’d never seen before.

  Grandpa stepped out of the woodshop just then and joined them on the lawn. Curious to know who their visitor was, Suzanne left the garden and hurried into the yard.

  “This is Titus Fisher, the young man from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I called you about,” Allen told Grandpa.

  “Glad to meet you.” Grandpa shook Titus’s hand. Then he looked over at Suzanne and said, “Titus is going to help out in my shop, and if things work out, he’ll be hired full-time.”

  That bit of news didn’t set well with Suzanne, but she forced a smile and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Titus.”

  “Same here,” he mumbled, staring at Suzanne in a peculiar sort of way. It was almost a look of disgust.

  “Titus will be staying in the old trailer I bought awhile back,” Allen said.

  “Oh, you mean the one Vernon Smucker used to own?” Grandpa asked.

  Allen nodded.

  “It was sad when the poor man died, because he’d never married and has no family that any of us know about. That old trailer has been sitting empty for quite a spell.” Grandpa looked at Allen and slowly shook his head. “I’m surprised you bought the place. Haven’t been inside it for a long time, but from what I remember, it was pretty run-down, even when Vernon lived there.”

  “I bought it as an investment,” Allen said. “Figured since there are no homes for rent in the area right now, it’d be a good place for Titus to live.”

  Grandpa shrugged; then he looked over at Allen’s truck and motioned to the horse trailer behind it. “Looks like you’ve brought a horse with you, huh?”

  Allen nodded. “It belongs to Titus.”

  “I didn’t want to leave Lightning behind,” Titus explained.

  “Didn’t you bring a buggy for the horse to pull?” Grandpa asked.

  Titus shook his head. “Figured I could ride Lightning to and from work every day.”

  “That’s okay for now,” Grandpa said, “but once winter comes, you’ll need a buggy.”

  “I’ll get one before then.” Titus glanced at Suzanne, and a blotch of red erupted on his cheeks. He cleared his throat and quickly looked away.

  Is there something about me he doesn’t like? Suzanne wondered.

  Just then, Esther Beiler came up the driveway on her scooter.

  When Esther joined them, Suzanne introduced her to Titus and then added, “This is Titus Fisher. He’s from Pennsylvania, and will be working in Grandpa’s shop.” Suzanne nearly choked on the words. It should be her working for Grandpa, not some stranger who wouldn’t even make eye contact with her.

  Esther smiled politely, and her milk-chocolate brown eyes shone brightly in the sunlight as she shook Titus’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Titus returned the smile and looked directly at Esther when he spoke. Apparently he found her more favorable to look at than Suzanne. Esther was an attractive young woman—dark brown hair, vivid blue eyes, and a dimpled smile that turned many men’s heads. Suzanne felt plain compared to Esther.

  “Where in Pennsylvania did you live?” Esther asked.

  “Lancaster County, in Paradise. My oldest sister and her husband own a general store there, and several others in my family have businesses there, too.”

  “My folks lived in Strasburg when I was a baby, but Dad moved our family here before I started school,” Esther said.

  “Could be my folks and your folks know some of the same people,” Titus said.

  The sun-dappled leaves of the trees overhead cast a shadow across Esther’s pretty face as she nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “You all can get better acquainted some other time.” Allen motioned to the woodshop. “Right now, I think we ought to head in there and meet Suzanne’s brother Nelson.”

  Titus gave Esther another quick smile. “It was nice meeting you.” Then he glanced at Suzanne, looked away, and mumbled, “Uh—you, too.”

  As the men walked away, and the women headed for the porch, Esther whispered, “Titus seems nice, and he’s sure goodlooking, wouldn’t you say?”

  Suzanne shrugged. “I suppose so, but he acted kind of odd and would barely look at me.”

  Esther giggled. “Maybe he saw that smudge of dirt on the end of your naas.”

  Suzanne groaned and swiped her finger over her nose. “So that’s what it was. Before you came, I was working in the garden. Guess I must have touched my naas with my dirty finger.”

  They sat on the porch swing, and Esther glanced at the woodshop
. “I hope Titus likes it here enough to stay. We could use more available young men in our area.”

  “How do you know he’s available?”

  “You didn’t see a beard on his face, did you?”

  “No, but that only proves he’s not married. It doesn’t mean he’s not courting someone in Pennsylvania. He could even have plans to be married.”

  “Are you going to ask?”

  Suzanne pushed her feet against the porch to get the swing moving. “No way! If you want to know, you should ask.”

  Esther grinned, revealing the two deep dimples in her cheeks. “I might, if the opportunity comes up.”

  “How about now? Why don’t you go to the woodshop and see what you can find out?”

  Esther halted the swing. “Ach, I couldn’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’d think I was too bold. Besides, he and Allen are talking business with your grandpa and Nelson right now.”

  “So how are you going to find out what you want to know?”

  “I’ll ask, but just not in front of anyone.” Esther’s elbow bumped Suzanne’s arm. “Are you interested in him at all?”

  “Of course not. I don’t even know him.”

  “Then you wouldn’t mind if I took an interest in him?”

  “Not at all. I’m sure he’d be more interested in you than he would me, anyway.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  Suzanne held up her index finger. “For one thing, you can cook and I can’t.”

  Esther lifted her gaze toward the porch ceiling. “That’s nobody’s fault but your own. You’re twenty-two years old, and you should have learned to cook by now. If you don’t learn soon, you may never find a man.”

  “I’ve tried cooking a few things, but Mom has no patience with me in the kitchen. Whenever I mess up she gets frustrated and ends up doing it herself. Why, just last week I tried making some bread.” Suzanne groaned. “The crust was so hard, I thought I might have to cut it with a saw.”

  Esther snickered. “I know you’re exaggerating, but if you want to learn how to cook, I’d be happy to teach you.”

  “Thanks anyway, but there are lots of other things I’d rather be doing. Besides, I’m not interested in finding a man right now.”

  “Do you think you ever will be?”

  Suzanne shrugged. “Maybe someday … if I can find one who cooks.”

  CHAPTER 4

  What did you think of the Yoders?” Allen asked Titus as they headed down the road in his truck again.

  “They seem nice enough. I think Nelson and I will get along fine, and hopefully Isaac will be pleased with my work and hire me full-time.”

  “What’d you think of Nelson’s sister Suzanne?”

  “I … uh … can’t really say. Didn’t talk to her long enough to form an opinion.” Titus turned toward the window and spotted several horses grazing in the pasture of an Amish farm. I came here to forget about Phoebe and start a new life, and what did I find? A woman who looks so much like Phoebe she could be her sister!

  Since Isaac’s woodshop was on the same piece of property as the Yoders’ home, he’d probably see a lot of Suzanne. Every time he saw her, he’d think of Phoebe, who’d be sitting on some sandy beach in California with nothing on her mind but sunning herself and having lots of fun.

  Sure wish I hadn’t wasted all those years waiting for her, he thought with regret. Should have listened to Mom and Dad when they said Phoebe was too young and immature for me. I can’t believe I was dumb enough to believe she’d be ready to join the church and marry me when she turned eighteen. She was probably leading me on so I wouldn’t court anyone else.

  “Here we are. This is the trailer I was telling you about,” Allen said, breaking into Titus’s disconcerting thoughts.

  Titus stared out the truck window in disbelief. The dilapidated, single-wide trailer had metal siding that was dented in places. Fake-looking shutters hung lopsided at the filthy windows, one of which was obviously cracked. The steps leading to the front door looked slanted, the screen door hung by only one hinge, and the porch sagged like an empty sack of potatoes. If the outside of the trailer was any indication of what the place looked like inside, Titus knew he’d be in for a lot of work to make it habitable.

  As though sensing Titus’s reservations, Allen offered him a reassuring smile. “Sorry about the condition of the place. Guess the outside needs a little more work than I’d thought. Let’s go inside and take a look. Hopefully it’s not so bad.” He opened the truck door and stepped out. Titus did the same.

  As they walked through the tall grass, a crow swooped down from the pine tree overhead, flapping its wings and screeching as though Titus were an intruder. At the moment, that’s what he felt like.

  “Watch out for that hole,” Allen said as Titus stepped onto the porch.

  Too late—Titus’s foot slipped into the crevice, knocking him off balance. He grabbed the handle on the screen door to keep from falling over and pulled the door right off the hinge.

  Oomph!—he landed on his backside with the screen door on top of him.

  Allen picked up the screen and slung it into the yard. “Are you okay?”

  Titus clambered to his feet, feeling like a complete fool. “I’m fine. Just never expected that to happen. Guess I should have though; I’m always doing something stupid to embarrass myself.”

  Allen studied him, then shrugged and opened the front door. “You might want to use the back door until we can get some work done to the porch,” he said.

  Titus stepped inside and halted. “Ugh! What’s that disgusting odor?”

  Allen’s nose twitched like a rabbit’s. “It smells musty in here. I think once we get some windows open and the place airs out, it should be okay.”

  Oh Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Titus silently moaned. Maybe I should have listened to Mom and stayed in Pennsylvania. Maybe I’m not capable of making any right decisions.

  Paradise, Pennsylvania

  As Phoebe tossed a few clothes into her suitcase, she thought about Titus and wished he’d been more understanding about her going to California. If he hadn’t already joined the church, she was sure he’d have been willing to go with her. Maybe she could get him to change his mind.

  Tap. Tap. Tap. “Phoebe, are you in there?”

  “Jah, Mom. Come in.”

  When Phoebe’s mother entered the room, she stopped short and stared at Phoebe’s suitcase lying on the bed. “I—I was hoping you’d change your mind about going.”

  Phoebe shook her head. “I’ll be leaving this evening after Darlene gets off work.”

  Mom pursed her lips, and her pale blue eyes narrowed. “If that young woman runs off to California, I doubt her job at the restaurant in Bird-in-Hand will be waiting for her when she gets back, and you might not have a job cleaning house for our neighbors either.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’ll both find other jobs.” Phoebe shrugged. “If we come back, that is.”

  Mom sank onto the edge of Phoebe’s bed. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of staying in California permanently. I thought you were just going for a short time—to see what it’s like on the West Coast.”

  “I might stay there if I like it.” And even if I don’t. Anything to get away from you and Dad always telling me what to do.

  “I guess that means you have no plans to join the Amish church?”

  “I don’t know yet. I need more time to think about it. I want to enjoy some of the things the English world has to offer. I want to see the Pacific Ocean and walk on the beach.”

  A few wisps of Mom’s faded auburn hair, now streaked with some gray, peeked out from under her covering as she lowered her head. “You’ve been to a couple of New Jersey beaches with your friends. I don’t understand why you think you need to go clear across the country to walk on the beach.”

  “It’s different in California. Darlene’s been there once, and she said I would like it.”
/>   Mom folded her arms and met Phoebe’s gaze. “What about Titus? He’s been waiting for you all these years, you know.”

  Phoebe grunted. “Like you care about that. You and Dad have never liked Titus.”

  “It’s not that we don’t like him. We just knew you were too young to think about courtship when he first took an interest in you. Once you turned eighteen, we had no objections to him courting you.”