The Gift Page 5

“It’s called a ‘chain tool,’ and it’s used to push the pin out of the chain so you can take out links to make it the right length. I took a look at your bike before I came inside, and it appears that the chain has stretched. That’s why it’s loose.”

  Leah stared at the small metal tool with a curious expression. “Are you sure this will work on my chain?”

  “Course it will. If you know what you’re doing, that is. Since there aren’t any common tools you would find in my store that can do a decent job of removing and reinserting chain pins, you really do need this tool.”

  “Oh, okay.” Leah hesitated, glancing at the chain tool then back at Adam. “Umm… I’m really not sure how to use this.”

  “Figured as much. Want me to do it for you?” he asked.

  “I appreciate the offer, but you have a store to run, and I noticed a delivery truck out back when I entered the parking lot, so you’ll probably be busy with that.”

  “It’s not a problem.” Adam looked at Ben. “Since there are no customers in the store at the moment, would you open the back door and help the driver bring in those bags of seed? The dolly is inside the door, and you can just stack them anywhere in the back room. I’ll get to them as soon as I help Leah.”

  Ben nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

  Adam followed Leah out the door. While he knelt next to her bike, Leah stood off to one side, watching. “I’ve done this a good many times,” he said, looking up at her. “My daed owned a bike shop when I was a boy, so I’ve had lots of practice fixing chains and a whole lot of other things related to bikes. Fact is, I’ve repaired my own bike chain several times.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Really? I didn’t know you owned a bike. I’ve never seen you riding one.”

  “Jah, well, there are a lot of things about me you don’t know.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Ich hab’s im rick,” Priscilla complained to her mother as they pulled weeds from their garden. Mom straightened, rubbing an area on her lower back. “I can understand why you have a backache. My back’s about to give out, too.” She gestured to the wicker chairs sitting under the gazebo Dad had built a few years ago. “Let’s take a break. I’ll go get us some lemonade, and we can sit out there in the shade and rest awhile before we finish up for the day.”

  Priscilla smiled. “That sounds good to me, only why don’t you sit and let me get the lemonade?”

  “That’s okay,” Mom said. “I need to go inside anyhow. While we’ve been weeding, I thought of a few things I want to put on the grocery list. If I don’t do it now, I’ll probably get busy doing something else and forget.” She frowned. “I’ve been kind of forgetful lately.”

  “That’s fine, Mom, but if you need me for anything, just give a holler.”

  Watching her mother go toward the house, holding her lower back as she walked, Priscilla sauntered around the yard for a bit, hoping to get the kinks out of her own back. All that bending, stooping, and pulling of weeds had really done a number on her this morning. She glanced at the small store connected to their home, where she and Mom sold homemade jelly and several kinds of home-canned fruits. It was closed today. Otherwise, she would have been working there instead of in the garden. Priscilla helped her mother process all of their fruits, vegetables, and berries, which she found somewhat rewarding, but weeding was not one of her favorite things to do. Mom’s either, for that matter, but it needed to be done.

  Priscilla looked up at the house, thinking about how Mom had said she’d been forgetful lately. She hoped it was just a case of having too much to do, and that Mom wouldn’t end up with dementia someday, like what Elaine’s grandma had gone through. It had saddened Priscilla to watch her good friend deal with the heartache of losing her grandma to such a horrible disease. Priscilla, as well as Leah, had offered Elaine their support. Priscilla knew if she were ever faced with an adversity that her two best friends would be there for her, too.

  Rubbing at the knot in her lower back, Priscilla glanced toward the road and was surprised to see Leah pedaling up the driveway.

  “I was just thinking about you,” Priscilla said when Leah rode up.

  Leah grinned. “I hope they were good thoughts.”

  “Of course. I was thinking how fortunate I am to have good friends like you and Elaine, and how we’ve always been there for one another.”

  “That’s true, and I feel blessed because of it.” Leah climbed off her bike and set the kickstand. “I’m on my way home from the health food store and decided to stop here and ask for a cold drink of water.” She fanned her face with one hand while holding up her Thermos with the other. “All the ice cubes melted, and what little tea I have left is now warm. When I left home, I didn’t realize it was going to be such a hot day. After all I’ve been through, I’m drenched with perspiration.”

  Priscilla felt concern. “What do you mean, all you’ve ‘been through’? Did something happen on the way to or from the health food store?”

  “It was on the way. My bicycle chain became loose, so I stopped by Adam Beachy’s hardware store to see if I could find something to fix it, and then…” Leah paused and blotted her damp forehead with her dress sleeve. “Whew, the air is so humid today. My clothes are actually sticking to me.”

  Priscilla motioned to the wicker chairs under the shade of the gazebo. “Take a seat. I’ll run in the house and get you something cold to drink. You look miserable, and I’m worried that you may have been in the sun too long.”

  “Danki,” Leah said. “I really do need to rest awhile. When you come back, I’ll tell you what happened after I got to Adam’s store.”

  “‘Here you go; I brought lemonade, and it’s nice and cold,” Priscilla said when she returned from the house carrying two glasses.

  “Danki.” Leah took a big drink then held the cool glass against her hot cheek. “This is so refreshing. It’s just what I needed right now.”

  “I know what you mean.” Priscilla took the seat beside Leah and drank from her own glass. “Mom and I have spent most of our morning weeding, and it didn’t take long till we were both hot and sweaty; not to mention that our backs are hurting.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. By the way, where is your mamm?”

  “She’s in the house, adding things to her grocery list.”

  “I have a couple appointments early this afternoon, but I’m free around four o’clock, if you’d like to come by for a foot treatment and neck massage. You can bring your mamm along, and I’ll work on her, too.”

  “That sounds nice, and if Mom doesn’t have anything important she needs to do, we both may take you up on that offer.” Priscilla sipped her drink and set her glass on the wicker table between them. “Before you leave, I’ll refill your Thermos with cold water and lots of ice cubes. That way you’ll have something to drink on your trip home.”

  “That’d be great. Danki.”

  “So tell me now; what happened at Adam’s store this morning?”

  Leah fiddled with the ties on her head covering, remembering how flustered she’d felt when Adam fell beside her on the porch.

  “Your cheeks are bright red.” Priscilla’s voice was edged with concern. “Maybe you need to drink more lemonade.”

  Leah shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Just thinking about what happened is all.”

  “Please tell me. I’m anxious to hear.”

  Leah recounted the events, from when the teenage boy rushed out the door and knocked her to the porch to when Adam had nearly fallen on top of her.

  Priscilla giggled. “I’m sure it wasn’t funny, but I can just picture you and Adam lying there beside each other.”

  “You’re right, falling wasn’t funny, but if you’d seen the look on Adam’s face, you would have laughed.” Leah suppressed a giggle. “I seem to be falling a lot lately whenever Adam’s around.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw him at Rockome Garden Foods the other day and managed to slip in some honey that got on the floor wh
en he dropped a jar of the stuff.”

  “Oh no! Maybe it’s a sign that you’re meant to stick together.” Priscilla snickered.

  Leah shook her head. “No way! Adam’s not my type, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual.”

  “I didn’t think Elam was my type when he first seemed interested in me, but look at us now—we’re courting.”

  “That’s different. You’ve known Elam since we were kinner, and he was your friend before he asked if he could court you.” Leah took another drink. The tangy, cool lemonade felt good on her parched throat. “Adam and I don’t even like each other, so there’s no chance of him ever courting me.”

  “Who let this mutt in my store?” Adam asked Ben. A bedraggled-looking black Lab was sniffing around the garden rakes.

  Ben shrugged his broad shoulders. “Beats me. I didn’t even notice him till now.”

  Adam inhaled a long breath. “Well, he needs to go out. No dogs are allowed in here, unless they’re service animals.” He pointed at the Lab. “And that mangy critter definitely doesn’t qualify!”

  “Want me to get him out?”

  “No, I’ll take care of it.” Adam opened the front door, pointed at the dog, and hollered, “Go on outside where you belong!”

  The dog looked up at Adam as if he had no idea what he wanted.

  Adam wasn’t keen on touching the dirty animal, so he grabbed a broom and shooed the dog out the door, quickly shutting it behind him. Hopefully, by the time the next customer came in, the dog would have gone back to wherever it came from. In the meantime, Adam had a box of paintbrushes to unpack, as well as the bags of birdseed to unwrap and stock on the shelves. He decided to work on the seed bags first. The bags weighed from ten pounds all the way up to fifty pounds, so that would keep him busy for a while.

  “I’ll be in the back room if you need me,” he called to Ben.

  “No problem. I’ll take care of any customers who come in,” Ben responded.

  Adam finally got the bags off the pallets and used the dolly to wheel them out to the shelves. First he put the smaller bags on the higher shelves, then the forty-and fifty-pound bags went on the lower shelves. In the same aisle, opposite the seed, were various-sized bird feeders, along with boxes of suet cakes.

  After several trips, Adam brought out the last two fifty-pound bags of seeds. His shoulders had started hurting. I wonder if Leah could help my shoulders. Pausing, Adam thumped his head. Now what made me think that?

  Making sure there was room for the last bag, Adam picked it up and felt his fingers poke through the middle of the bag. As if watching it in slow motion, he saw the birdseed pour out, spreading all over the floor.

  “Oh, great! What more could go wrong today?” Adam moaned as he inspected the almost-empty bag. Apparently there’d been a tear in the bag, which his fingers had made bigger when he’d lifted it. “Now how did I not see that before?” He looked down at the seed-covered floor, slowly shaking his head.

  “Do you need some help here?” Ben offered, joining Adam in the aisle.

  Adam looked at him and rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll go get a container, and we can put the seed in there.” Ben left quickly. When he returned, he held a garbage can, two brooms, and two dustpans. As they worked together to clean up the mess, Adam decided to question Ben.

  “I don’t know if you realized what happened a little bit ago, but we had a shoplifter in the store. That’s who I was chasing when I ran out the door and bumped into Leah Mast.”

  “No, I didn’t realize that.” Ben’s dark eyebrows squished together. “Guess I must have been busy with a customer at the time.”

  “Did you notice a teen enter the store before that? He had on a denim jacket and a baseball cap. Oh, and he had red hair, which he wore in a ponytail.”

  “I was up at the front of the store, but I didn’t see anyone like that come in.” Ben scratched his head with a quizzical look. “Course, I may have been helping a customer and just didn’t notice the boy. What are you going to do about this, Adam? Will you call the sheriff?”

  “Think I’ll wait on that.” Adam shoveled another dustpan full of seed and poured it into the can. “He only took some garden gloves and two hand shovels, so I’m really not out that much.”

  “Okay, whatever you think is best,” Ben responded with a shrug.

  “Would you mind finishing this up while I take care of the paintbrushes that need to be put out?” Adam asked.

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Adam headed to the back of the store, tore open the box, and had begun sorting the paintbrushes but had to stop. “Guess I overdid it with all those seed bags,” he mumbled, rolling his shoulders, hoping to get the kinks out. “Well, this isn’t going to get done by itself.” Reaching inside the box, he stopped again when he heard a whimper. Standing a few feet away was that same black Lab.

  “You again? What are you doing back in here, boy? Are you lost or just looking for trouble?”

  The scraggly-looking dog walked timidly over and pawed at Adam’s pant leg. It looked as if the mutt had something in his mouth. At Adam’s command, the Lab dropped it and backed up when Adam’s voice grew stern. “I don’t know what you want, but whatever it is, you won’t find it here.” Adam opened the back door this time and practically pushed the dog outside. “Go home!”

  With his tail between his legs, the Lab slunk off, but before Adam saw which direction the dog took, he quickly shut the door. I wonder how that hund got in here again.

  Massaging his shoulder, Adam walked back toward the box of supplies but stopped short when he kicked something with his shoe. Bending down to pick up the article, he realized it was a pair of garden gloves, still packaged together and unopened. It looked to be the same type, or perhaps even one of the pairs the shoplifting kid had snatched earlier today. But that couldn’t be—he’d seen the boy run out the door with the gloves. Could he have dropped one of them as he was running away, and had the dog picked it up? Adam would probably never know the answer to that, and right now, it didn’t seem that important.

  Scratching his head, Adam groaned. If the rest of this day didn’t turn out any better than the first part had, tomorrow he might decide to let Ben run the store by himself and stay home in bed.

  Of course, Adam told himself, that’s really not an option.

  CHAPTER 9

  How are you doing today?” Leah asked when Margaret entered the basement for another foot treatment.

  “I’ve recovered from my reaction to the walnuts, but since I never got a foot treatment that day, my back is still hurting.” Margaret reached around and touched a spot on her lower back. “Seems like the older I get, the more aches and pains I seem to have. Even when I do the simplest chores, some part of my body ends up hurting.”

  “Well, have a seat in my chair, and I’ll see what I can do to ease some of that.” Leah motioned to the recliner.

  Margaret did as Leah told her. “When I was walking up to your house, I noticed all the hummingbird feeders you have. I paused a few minutes to watch them flitter around. Now that was kind of fun.”

  “They are fun to watch.” Leah took a seat on the stool in front of Margaret. “We have so many hummers this year that I’ve had to add a few extra feeders to accommodate them all.”

  “I’ve only seen a couple at our place,” Margaret said as Leah applied lotion to her left foot. “I don’t have any feeders out, but they seem to like our honeysuckle bush.”

  Leah nodded. “Several bushes and flowering plants attract the hummers, but with so many coming into our yard, keeping the feeders filled seems to work best.”

  “That makes sense,” Margaret agreed.

  “Isn’t it amazing how watching something that simple can help a person relax and forget all their troubles, even if only for a few minutes?”

  “Jah. My husband often says it’s a shame more people don’t take the time to stop and look at a pretty sunset or observe God’s creatures that are here for our enjo
yment.”

  Leah smiled. “He’s right about that. A lot of times the beauty God’s given us goes unnoticed.”

  “It’s good to know you’re not one of those people,” Margaret said. “The world would be a lot better place if folks just slowed down and uncomplicated life a bit.”

  “It could certainly be good therapy. I know it is for me.”

  As Leah began working, she found several sore spots on Margaret’s left foot. Moving to the right foot, she uncovered more tender areas, which she pressure-pointed and massaged. “The areas I worked on that were so tender are related to your back,” Leah explained, “so I’m hoping I was able to open the pathways and offer you some relief.”

  When Leah finished, Margaret put her shoes on and stood. Walking around the room for a bit, she smiled and said, “Danki, Leah. My back feels much better than it did when I first got here.”

  Leah smiled. “I’m glad it helped, but you may want to take it easy for the rest of the day, and if your back begins to hurt again, be sure to ice it for a while.”

  Margaret placed some money in the jar and gave Leah a hug. “What you do here in this room is a good thing, and I hope you won’t ever quit, because you’ve helped many people.”

  Leah was pleased to hear that. It was a reminder that she was using the ability God had given her to help others, and that was reward enough. Too bad people like Adam didn’t appreciate or believe in reflexology.

  Well, to each his own, Leah thought after Margaret said good-bye and went upstairs. I don’t know why I’m thinking about Adam right now, because I certainly don’t need his approval.

  Leah glanced at her appointment book and realized that she didn’t have anyone else scheduled for the rest of the day. Maybe this would be a good time to sit outside, enjoy the sunshine, and get a little reading done. She’d started a new novel set in the Old West the other day but had only read the first two chapters. Most days she was too busy to read, and by the time she went to bed at night, Leah was so tired she couldn’t keep her eyes open.