well.” Noah smiled. “I was heading to work and decided to stop and see if you’ve finished that birdhouse I want to give Melinda for her birthday.”
Gabe nodded. “I finished it yesterday. It’s right over there,” he said, motioning to the shelf across from him.
Noah turned, and in a few strides, his long legs took him to the other side of the room, where he lifted the birdhouse from the shelf. “This is real nice,” he said. “You did a fine job making it. I’m sure Melinda will be pleased.”
Gabe’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “I hope so. And I hope she’ll like what I made for her, too.”
“What might that be? Or is it a geheemnis ?”
“It’s not a secret I’d keep from you—just from Melinda until Saturday night.” Gabe opened the cabinet door behind him and withdrew a small cardboard box. He reached inside and pulled out Melinda’s present. “I carved this little deer and glued it to a chunk of wood, thinking maybe she could use it as a doorstop.”
“I’m sure whatever my daughter does with the deer, it will be one of her most treasured gifts since it came from you.” Noah couldn’t help but smile when he saw how red Gabe’s face had become. It was obvious the young man was in love with Melinda. “Looks like you’re doing a good job with those,” Noah said, pointing to the cabinets Gabe had been sanding when he’d entered the shop.
“One of our English neighbors ordered them a few weeks ago, and Pap gave me the job of finishing them up.”
“Speaking of your daed, where is he this morning?”
“Still up at the house. Mom wanted him to go over the checkbook with her. I guess she found a mistake when the statement came from the bank in yesterday’s mail.” Gabe nodded toward the door. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon if you’d like to wait around and say hello.”
“I’d like to, but if I don’t head out now, I’ll be late for work.” Noah moved over to the desk near the front door. “If you’ll get my bill, I’ll settle up with you and be on my way.”
Gabe nodded and scurried over to the desk.
A few minutes later, with the bill paid and the birdhouse tucked inside a cardboard box, Noah headed for the door. “I’ll look forward to seeing you and your folks at Melinda’s party on Saturday evening.”
“We’ll be there right on time.”
Noah chuckled under his breath as he headed for his buggy. Oh to be young again and so much in love. He figured it wouldn’t be much longer until Gabe and Melinda would be announcing their intentions to get married.
As Gabe resumed sanding the cabinets, he thought about Melinda’s upcoming birthday and hoped the week would go by quickly. He was eager to give Melinda the little fawn, which had turned out pretty well.
“From the way you’re swiping that sandpaper across the cabinet tops, there might not be anything left by the time you’re done. I’d have to say your thoughts must be on something other than work this morning,” Pap said, stepping up beside Gabe.
“I was thinking about this coming Saturday night.”
“Looking forward to Melinda’s birthday party, I imagine.” Pap’s blue eyes twinkled when he grinned at Gabe.
“Jah.”
“It was nice of her folks to include your mamm and me in the invitation.”
“We’ve known their family a long time, so I guess it’s only natural that they’d want all three of us to be there.”
“Probably would have asked your sisters to come if they were still living at home,” Pap added.
Gabe nodded, wondering if his dad knew he and Melinda were courting. He hadn’t actually told his folks he was courting Melinda and planned to ask her to marry him, but he knew Pap was no dummy. Gabe figured his dad had probably put two and two together by now.
“Sure hope this nice weather holds out so we can have the party outside,” Gabe commented.
Pap raked his fingers through the ends of his full brown
Gabe nodded. “I finished it yesterday. It’s right over there,” he said, motioning to the shelf across from him.
Noah turned, and in a few strides, his long legs took him to the other side of the room, where he lifted the birdhouse from the shelf. “This is real nice,” he said. “You did a fine job making it. I’m sure Melinda will be pleased.”
Gabe’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “I hope so. And I hope she’ll like what I made for her, too.”
“What might that be? Or is it a geheemnis ?”
“It’s not a secret I’d keep from you—just from Melinda until Saturday night.” Gabe opened the cabinet door behind him and withdrew a small cardboard box. He reached inside and pulled out Melinda’s present. “I carved this little deer and glued it to a chunk of wood, thinking maybe she could use it as a doorstop.”
“I’m sure whatever my daughter does with the deer, it will be one of her most treasured gifts since it came from you.” Noah couldn’t help but smile when he saw how red Gabe’s face had become. It was obvious the young man was in love with Melinda. “Looks like you’re doing a good job with those,” Noah said, pointing to the cabinets Gabe had been sanding when he’d entered the shop.
“One of our English neighbors ordered them a few weeks ago, and Pap gave me the job of finishing them up.”
“Speaking of your daed, where is he this morning?”
“Still up at the house. Mom wanted him to go over the checkbook with her. I guess she found a mistake when the statement came from the bank in yesterday’s mail.” Gabe nodded toward the door. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon if you’d like to wait around and say hello.”
“I’d like to, but if I don’t head out now, I’ll be late for work.” Noah moved over to the desk near the front door. “If you’ll get my bill, I’ll settle up with you and be on my way.”
Gabe nodded and scurried over to the desk.
A few minutes later, with the bill paid and the birdhouse tucked inside a cardboard box, Noah headed for the door. “I’ll look forward to seeing you and your folks at Melinda’s party on Saturday evening.”
“We’ll be there right on time.”
Noah chuckled under his breath as he headed for his buggy. Oh to be young again and so much in love. He figured it wouldn’t be much longer until Gabe and Melinda would be announcing their intentions to get married.
As Gabe resumed sanding the cabinets, he thought about Melinda’s upcoming birthday and hoped the week would go by quickly. He was eager to give Melinda the little fawn, which had turned out pretty well.
“From the way you’re swiping that sandpaper across the cabinet tops, there might not be anything left by the time you’re done. I’d have to say your thoughts must be on something other than work this morning,” Pap said, stepping up beside Gabe.
“I was thinking about this coming Saturday night.”
“Looking forward to Melinda’s birthday party, I imagine.” Pap’s blue eyes twinkled when he grinned at Gabe.
“Jah.”
“It was nice of her folks to include your mamm and me in the invitation.”
“We’ve known their family a long time, so I guess it’s only natural that they’d want all three of us to be there.”
“Probably would have asked your sisters to come if they were still living at home,” Pap added.
Gabe nodded, wondering if his dad knew he and Melinda were courting. He hadn’t actually told his folks he was courting Melinda and planned to ask her to marry him, but he knew Pap was no dummy. Gabe figured his dad had probably put two and two together by now.
“Sure hope this nice weather holds out so we can have the party outside,” Gabe commented.
Pap raked his fingers through the ends of his full brown
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