A Wedding for Julia Read Free Page B

which was what Caleb had smelled. His stomach growled as he set the box on the counter next to the pot—beef vegetable if he wasn’t mistaken. No doubt all of the vegetables had been grown by Julia, but where was she?
    He turned around and Ada handed him an envelope with the money for her groceries. She didn’t need to ask the amount because it was always the same.
    “How are you feeling?”
    “ Gut! ” Ada’s left hand clutched the cane, but she raised her right to illustrate her point. “I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.”
    Caleb recognized the words from the book of Psalms. Since delivering to the Beechys, he’d become quite acquainted with King David’s words. Somehow it didn’t bother him quite the way that listening to Samuel Gingerich did. When Ada quoted from the Bible, it was as if she were sprinkling salt on a meal. She was seasoning the day.
    “ Gut to hear, Ada.” He moved to his right and glanced into the breakfast area. From where he stood, he could even see a portion of the sitting room, enough to know there was no sign of Julia in the house. Disappointment swelled through him, but he pushed it down. He couldn’t expect her to wait around on the grocery man.
    “I guess I should be going on to my last stop.”
    “Your last stop is your freind Aaron. Surely he can wait.” Ada walked over to the pitcher on the counter. “Thirsty?”
    “ Nein .”
    She poured a glass of water anyway. “I wonder if you could take this out to Julia.”
    Caleb tried not to respond to her words, but he wasn’t very successful. By the time Ada handed him the glass, he’d forgotten about the stew and was ready to dash outside. Julia was home. He’d be able to see her. Suddenly delivering Aaron’s groceries slipped from his mind.
    “She’s been working in the garden for some time, and she might be thirsty.”
    “I’d be happy to.” Caleb wanted to hurry back out the front, but he didn’t because Ada insisted on accompanying him to the door. He’d never realized how slowly she walked with the cane. He could have lapped the house in the time it took them to walk back through the sewing room.
    Ada patted his arm and thanked him again.
    “You know your way out, Caleb. I believe I’ll stay here by the window.”
    “All right. You have a gut day, Ada.” Caleb was nearly out the front door when he remembered to ask, “Same order next time?”
    “ Ya . Same things.” Ada waved her hand as she settled in the rocker near the window. She didn’t reach for her quilting, though, and why would she? Her hands were knotted so badly it was a wonder she could turn the pages of the worn Bible she picked up from the table next to her chair.
    Caleb knew the garden was around the back of the house, but he was surprised Julia had been out there for so long. There was little to do in the fall except harvesting the vegetables that were late to produce. Most of her harvest had been canned already.
    Coming around the corner of the house, Caleb stopped abruptly in his tracks. Julia was sitting on the far side of the garden, facing the house. She had her knees drawn up under her dress and her arms wrapped around her knees. Even from where he stood, he could tell she was upset. From where he stood, he could tell she wanted to be alone.
    But he was clueless as to what he should do because it was obvious she had already seen him.
    Julia stared at him a moment—a moment when neither of them moved. Sweat trickled down his back as he held the glass of water and felt like a complete fool, but then she raised her hand and waved him over.
    He couldn’t have stopped the grin on his face if he wanted to, and he didn’t want to. She was upset about something, but maybe he could help—that’s what friends did, right? And they were friends, or at least acquaintances. Making his way around her garden, he joined her on the slope.
    Together they stared at the house. After a few moments, he remembered the glass of water he