Courting Her Prodigal Heart

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. You go on.”

Though Daniel seemed reluctant, he walked off.

When the bishop exited, Eli pushed away from the trunk.

Bishop Bontrager made eye contact and headed in his direction. “Why aren’t you eating?”

“Um... I didn’t know if you would need any more help.”

The old man’s eyes brightened. “I do have something. Let’s fill plates and take them back to meine haus and discuss what I have in mind.”

Back to where she was. This was a change from being dismissed a few minutes ago. The bishop wanted Eli to help him? An honor.

At the table laden with food, Eli loaded a plate for himself, then carried the second plate the bishop had filled. For Rainbow Girl, no doubt. He would get to eat lunch with her. His heart skipped a beat. Maybe figure out how the Amish girl he’d known could turn into the Englisher one who’d returned.

Before they reached the dawdy haus, Andrew Bontrager, the bishop’s son and Rainbow Girl’s vater, approached. “You’re feeding her in there? Is she too embarrassed to eat with everyone else?”

She did need to eat, and she couldn’t exactly blend in. No Amish liked to stand out from the others. But then, she wasn’t Amish. She had designed her appearance to draw attention to herself.

The bishop held up his hand. “Give her time. Our ways are a lot to get used to.”

Andrew scowled. “She was raised with our ways and threw them away. She knew exactly what it would be like returning in her state.” He strode away, shaking his head.

The old man sighed. “Dorcas isn’t the only one who needs a little time to adjust.” He opened the dawdy haus door and walked in.

If Rainbow Girl planned to stay for any length of time, everyone would need time to adjust. Eli followed and froze just inside. His breath caught.

Rainbow Girl lay curled up on one end of the sofa. Eyes closed. Even, slow breathing. Out of place in an Amish home. Though she gave an unreal feel to the room, his insides felt happy to see her here. He could almost see the sweet, pretty girl from his youth.

Bishop Bontrager put a finger to his lips, then pointed at the table and whispered, “Let’s sit.”

Eli set the two plates he held on to the table. A sound from across the room drew him around.

Rainbow Girl swung her legs off the couch and sat up.

His mouth reacted by pulling into a smile. He straightened it.

Bishop Bontrager waved her over. “I’m sorry we disturbed you, but since you’re up, come eat.”

“I learned to sleep light at the shelter.” She padded over in stocking feet, socks that were like gloves with a different color for each individual toe. She sat in one of the chairs.

The shelter?

The bishop looked at the one remaining chair, then at Eli. “Would you go to the big haus and bring another chair?”

Eli shook his head. “I’ll stand.”

“Are you sure?”

Nodding, Eli picked up his plate and leaned against the counter. If he left, she might disappear like a mirage. Something inside him needed her to stay.

Bishop Bontrager gave a nod and sat. “I’ll say a blessing for our food.”

Rainbow Girl’s fork, with a chunk of potato on it, hovered an inch from her open mouth. She set the utensil on her plate. After the bishop prayed, she picked up her fork once more. “I’ve missed really good potato salad.” She put the bite into her mouth.

Eli stared at Rainbow Girl’s lip. How could she eat with that piece of metal in her upper lip? His own lip twitched. The loop in the side of her nose made his itch, but he resisted the urge to scratch it.

He studied her to find some vestige of the girl she once was. What had happened to that girl he grew up with who bested him in math every time? Where had the girl gone who’d brought him a handicapped puppy? How had she turned into...this?

She didn’t stop eating until her plate had nothing left. Hungry, indeed. It had been gut that he bought her the larger sandwich yesterday.

Eli hurriedly took bites and swallowed the barely chewed food. “Bishop, what is it you need me to do?”

“Let’s finish our food first. It’ll be better to show you.” In other words, eat, no talking.

Eli ate without looking at her again so she wouldn’t realize he’d been paying more attention to her than his food.

When finished, the bishop pushed his plate away from him. “Now, Eli, about that project I have in mind.”

Project? That sounded big. Would it take away from Eli getting his business started?

The bishop stood and retrieved a measuring tape from a kitchen drawer. “Follow me.” He walked down the short hallway to the back door opposite the front one. Hooks hung on the walls leading to the exit. A bedroom door to the right and bathroom to the left.

Eli had actually helped build this little haus many years ago when the bishop had turned over his farm to Andrew. Eli glanced at Rainbow Girl, who shrugged. He supposed he should follow and headed down the hall. She trailed behind.

The bishop stopped at the end of the hall and indicated the door. “I want to extend this another eight to ten feet.” He opened the door and walked down the steps outside onto the grass and turned around. “Come.”

The rear of the dawdy haus faced away from the crowd of people eating and playing.

Eli stepped aside to let Rainbow Girl exit ahead of him. She did. In stocking feet.

He followed this time. “Why do you want a longer hallway out into the yard?”

The old man smiled like a little boy. “For the extra bedroom, of course.” He strode about ten feet straight out from the haus. “Move the door to here. I still want to get cross ventilation. No sense being impractical.”

Eli’s mind whirled. Building onto his dawdy haus seemed impractical. What could he possibly need another bedroom for? Maybe he’d heard wrong. “You...want to make...your bedroom bigger?” That didn’t make sense either.

“Ne. A bedroom for Dorcas.” He turned to the right and held out his hands to indicate the space.

So she planned to stay for quite some time. Or at least, the bishop thought she would stay long enough to need a room.

Rainbow Girl stepped forward. “You can’t do this. I’ll be fine on the couch.”

He waggled his hand at her. “Nonsense. The couch will never do.”

Rainbow Girl folded her arms. “I won’t let you.”

“Uf, it’s meine haus. I’ll do with it what I like.”

The bishop turned to Eli. “What do you say? Will you help me build it?”

“Why doesn’t she stay at the big haus?” That would be the easier option, and there would be plenty of room for her.

“Because she’s staying with me. Now, will you help?”

Rainbow Girl turned to Eli. “Tell him ne.” Apparently, she didn’t intend to stay.

Again, Eli wanted to say ne to doing something for the Englisher girl who had returned. Since she didn’t want the room—and he really had no other choice—he sided with the bishop. “Ja. I’ll help.” Then maybe he could find the girl she once was under her facade.

“Not only one room, but a smaller one across the hall, as well.” Bishop Bontrager spun around opposite the first room he’d indicated and thrust out his arms. “No sense wasting this space.”

“For what?”

The bishop waved his hand in the air. “No need to get into all that right now. I’d like to go into town tomorrow and purchase the lumber.”

This definitely meant Eli would need to put off making progress on his business. “What about your son? Won’t he help you?”

“Andrew is being stubborn.”

Rainbow Girl planted her hands on her hips. “Would you drop this? He won’t agree.”

Eli didn’t know if she was referring to him or her vater. It didn’t really matter. He had agreed, and the bishop could overrule his son, so, the addition would be built. “I can use meine vater’s wagon. What time shall I pick you up?”

Rainbow Girl rolled her eyes. “Don’t waste your time.”

The bishop turned to his enkelin. “It won’t be a waste.” He swung his gaze to Eli. “I’ll check with Andrew and see if he’ll allow us to use his wagon without a fuss. It’ll be more convenient.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow Girl threw her hands up and headed toward the doorway. “Men think they always know what’s best.” She disappeared inside, still muttering.

Eli frowned. But men did. Even with all that makeup, he could remember how cute she was when she got mad.

Bishop Bontrager clasped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll see the value of it in time.”

A part of Eli found a little pleasure in her being upset with him. She had rejected the community and her family, so she had no say in matters. Another part longed to mend this breach. It rankled to have her angry with him when he’d done nothing wrong, but it shouldn’t, and that rankled even more.

The bishop held out the tip of the measuring tape. “Take it down to that corner of the haus so we can figure out how much lumber to purchase.”

Eli wasn’t sure this was a gut idea, but he was the bishop, so Eli did as instructed.

Andrew Bontrager came around the corner. “What are you doing, Vater?”

“Eli is going to help me build another bedroom onto the haus.”

“What do you need a second bedroom for?”

“I think you know.”

Andrew pointed toward the dawdy haus’s back doorway. “For her?”

“Ja.”

Eli glanced toward the haus. Rainbow Girl stood there with her arms crossed. He hadn’t seen her return to the opening.

“Why bother? She’ll only leave again. Then all the time and materials and work will be for nothing.”

So Andrew didn’t believe she would stay. Did he want her to leave? Did Eli? Ne. He definitely wanted her to stay. Didn’t he?

The bishop held his hands out to his sides. “‘We should...be glad; for this thy brother—’ or sister in this case ‘—was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.’ Where is your forgiveness?”

“Forgiveness is for the repentant. Something she is not.” Andrew spun around and strode away.

Bishop Bontrager gazed toward his enkelin. “He’ll come around, Dorcas.”

“Why’s that? Because he didn’t inherit your stubborn streak?” She disappeared inside.