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more Martha, and no more talk of acting like an Englisher. Verstehen mir? ”
    Leah chewed her lip and dipped her chin. Her eyes filled with tears as she fled the shop.
    She instantly regretted the humiliation she’d inflicted on herself and Daet. What have I done?
    In the kitchen, Ada and Maem were canning the last of the freezer cherries as preserves. The moist heat from the kettles and woodstove made the kitchen nearly unbearable, but the women worked on.
    “Just in time.” Maem wiped her brow, smiling now that the hard task was nearly over. “Can you stir this while I work with Ada on the rings? We have another few hours to go, and then we’ll be finished for another year.”
    Leah picked up a long metal spoon, its end coated with cherry juice, and slowly stirred the bottom of the pot where the cherries tended to stick. She’d have to say something to Maem about going back to the shop.
    “ Daet wants me to come out in an hour.”
    “Why?”
    She cleared her throat. “He … wants to talk with me.”
    Maem squinted. “And?”
    “I … said something I shouldn’t.”
    Maem groaned. She turned back to her work. “Will you never learn? I’m going with you.”
    Leah spent the next hour helping Maem and Ada, but she knew there would be a price to pay for her sassy comments. Ada cut her eyes back and forth from the pot to Leah, trying to get her sister’s attention. What happened? she mouthed when Maem ’s back was turned, but Leah shook her head.
    At last, they heard Jacob’s buggy pull out of the barnyard. They worked a few minutes more, and then Maem put down the kitchen towel and motioned for Leah to follow her.
    “Ada, please wipe down those jars before you add them to the cooling table, and if you don’t hear one ping as they seal, put it aside so I can check it.”
    When they approached the shop, Leah could hear Daet working the lathe; the sharp whir of the spinning machine filled the air inside the wood shop. Leah watched the curls of wood fall to the floor in a pile of rejected shavings. Like me.
    He glanced up as they entered, finished trimming the piece of cherry with the sharp blades, and then shut off the switch to the gas-powered machine that sat outside. He walked slowly to stand beside Maem , but frustration lined his face.
    Her parents looked at her steadily for a second before Maem sat on the high stool behind the counter. Daet motioned Leah to the chair usually reserved for customers as he leaned above her at the edge of the desk. Instead of meeting his eyes, Leah studied the wood shavings that clung to the bottom of his dark pants.
    “What you said today in front of Jacob Yoder tells me Martha Mast is no true friend to you.”
    She cocked her head and drew her eyebrows together. “But Daet— ”
    He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t tell you such things. She wouldn’t try to entice you into the sinful world she’s playing around with. Satan has gotten a grip on her and Abe Troyer, that’s for sure. A true friend wouldn’t try to seduce you to the ways of the world. And you’re listening to her. Maem and I mean to put a stop to this.”
    He shifted uncomfortably as he fixed his gaze on her. “I’ve tried to tell you Martha is close to being disciplined, but you haven’t listened. Now I insist you don’t see her anymore. Not one more time. Do you hear me? If you keep on this way, I will beat the rebellion out of you, if I have to.”
    Leah’s eyes widened, startled. Daet had never promised that kind of punishment before. Would he really beat her? He had used his belt on occasion when his kids were younger, but he hadn’t swatted even Benny in the last couple of years. Leah rubbed her sweaty hands on her dress. She could feel her whole body shaking.
    Daet glanced at Maem , and she nodded agreement. He pulled at his beard, his voice softening. “You have to see, Leah, Martha’s rumspringen is much more serious than the others’. They drink and