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admired in the shop in town, but he knew several quilts would be made for her as soon as they announced their engagement. He thought about the basket of bath salts, lotions, and powders she’d liked in the fancy gift shop, but would her father think that gift too frivolous from a man with serious intentions? He’d probably buy a cardigan sweater, something to keep her warm this winter—his usual gift of choice.
    As the sun dipped below the horizon, he clucked to the horse to pick up the pace. At this rate it would be fully dark by the time he got home. He hadn’t brought along battery-powered lamps for the back window, and his buggy had only red reflectors. Light snow began to fall as he spotted another buggy approaching the stop sign ahead from a gravel side road. He slowed his horse, though he had the right of way. Something about the horse and buggy even in the dim light made the hair on his neck stand on end. After another moment he recognized the driver pulling hard on the reins. His initial suspicion was correct—Sarah Beachy was turning from the gravel lane onto the township road.
    Sarah. What on earth is she doing out here? His mind clouded for a moment as he tried to remember who lived down there. Then he remembered Albert Sidley, a tall, thin fellow who seldom smiled or socialized within the Amish community.
    Why would Sarah be visiting another single man in the district? Was this why she was dragging her feet and wouldn’t allow him to announce their engagement?



F IVE

     
    C al! Cal, you in there?”
    The incessant pounding grew louder, until Cal opened one eye and then the other. He had been dreaming that he was pounding in a dowel while straddling a barn beam. The season was summer; the sun felt hot on the back of his neck, and down below boys scurried to-and-fro delivering materials and hauling off debris. His father worked only a few yards away, securing the other end of the beam.
    But the pounding wasn’t from his hammer, and he wasn’t in Fredericksburg, Ohio. Cal Beachy bolted upright and glanced around. He’d dozed off on his plaid couch in front of the TV. The game show of contestants trying to answer questions for great sums of money had lulled him to sleep. He hadn’t known a single answer since he’d started watching the program. His mouth felt parched, his back was stiff, and if the apartment grew any colder, he could unplug the refrigerator.
    “I’m not goin’ away, so you might as well answer the door,” a voice hollered.
    “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” He rose and walked with more stiffness than normal for a twenty-four-year-old. When he opened the door, his friend Pete Taylor stood glaring at him.
    Without waiting to be invited in, Pete stepped past him into the apartment. “Man, it’s freezing in here. Is your radiator on the fritz?” He headed toward the living room’s heat source and began banging on the iron pipes.
    “Easy there before you bust something,” Cal warned. “I have it turned down.” He raised the thermostat one notch.
    Pete rubbed his hands together and took a perusing scan of the room. “Man, this place is a dump. Whatever you’re paying in rent, it’s too much.”
    Cal peered around too, trying to view it objectively. “It’s not so bad. I got the couch and chair for free. People moving away set them on the tree lawn.”
    “No kidding.” Pete’s tone didn’t reflect much astonishment.
    “And the TV was only thirty bucks. The bed and mattress were left behind by the previous tenants, same with the potted plants and the kitchen table.” Cal strolled around the room stuffing empty soda cans, fast-food wrappers, and pizza boxes into a trash bag. He felt ashamed of his untidiness. When he glanced back, his friend was staring at him.
    “You are joking, I hope. Tell me you’re not sleeping on a mattress somebody didn’t think worthy enough to take with them.”
    Cal shrugged. “I bought a new mattress pad, sheets, and pillows. That blanket is