Part 8 (1/2)
”Likewise. And I'm sorry you're stuck teaching the other two this summer, but don't worry, I'll help you deal with them whenever necessary.”
Charlotte laughed. ”Thanks for the offer of help. I'm sure we'll all get along just fine.”
Introductions were shared all around; then Kendra said, ”Charlotte, why don't you take the kids on out to the schoolroom? We'll come check in after a little bit.”
”All right.” The kids and their new teacher walked out the door, trailing the sounds of laughter and chatting behind them.
”Is she old enough to be a teacher? She looks more like a high school student to me.” Susan watched them long after they'd left the room.
”Well, you know”-Kendra folded her arms-”Amish schools only go through eighth grade, and their teachers are unmarried young women, often teenagers.”
”Yes, but we agreed-”
”I'm kidding, Susan.” Kendra put her hand on Susan's arm. ”She graduated undergrad from Stanford, magna c.u.m laude, to be exact. And she just earned her master's degree in education from Vanderbilt.”
”Okay.” Susan still looked doubtfully out the door. ”Where is the schoolroom?”
”It's a small building way on the backside of the property. After you two get the lunch dishes all cleaned up, I'll walk you out there. Come find me when you're ready.” She pushed open the back door and then turned. ”I'll likely be down near the barn with Gary and the new wagon. If I'm not there, Gary will know where to find me.” The screen door slammed shut behind her.
”I guess producers don't have to worry about whether or not the Amish thing would be to help clean up, now, do they?” Julie piled the plates together and carried them toward the large farmhouse sink. ”I have to admit, I'm missing my dishwasher.”
”And front-loading clothes washer.” Susan sighed.
”And the cleaning ladies that come in every other week. Yes, especially them.”
They both laughed then as Susan started the water running into the sink. ”Didn't you think that teacher seemed a bit more like a party girl than a teacher? I think we're going to need to keep a close eye on their educational experience this summer.”
Susan always kept a close eye on Angie's educational experience. Still, Julie wished she would ease up, just for the summer. ”She seemed sweet to me.”
”All the more reason to keep a close eye on her.”
Oh boy.
Chapter 15.
Two large brown horses stood in the paddock, their eyelids drooping in the morning sun. Several goats on the other side of the barn brayed at each other and ate at whatever was in their little trough. There were no people to be seen or heard anywhere in the vicinity. Susan stuck her head in the barn door. ”Kendra? Gary?”
”n.o.body here but us chickens.” The reply came from behind her. She spun around and saw Gary mending a fence on the other side of the hen coop. He smiled and started toward them. ”Some way I can a.s.sist you ladies?” His blue eyes glinted bright in the sun, perfectly contrasted with his gray hair.
”We were supposed to meet up with Kendra and go out to the schoolroom after we cleaned up the lunch dishes. Have you seen her?”
”They had some sort of mechanical issue and she got called away. I'm not sure when they'll be back.”
”Oh.” Susan thought about the young girl currently in charge of her daughter's education and decided she didn't want to wait for Kendra's return. ”Do you happen to know where the schoolroom is?”
He nodded. ”Sure do.” He looked toward Susan with sort of a dare on his face. ”But I don't think it'd be right to tell you-”
”She's my daughter, and I want to know where she is.” Who did this handyman think he was? ”Tell us where they are, right now.”
”You didn't let me finish.” Gary grinned a slow, easy smile, apparently unfazed by Susan's obvious irritation. ”I said it wouldn't be right to tell you where they are, when I could show you. I've got a horse that needs some exercise, and the new wagon needs some breaking in. Now, if you ladies are up for a little adventure, come on down this way.”
”Oh.” Susan felt her face flush warm. ”Sorry, I . . .”
”No need to apologize. Truth is, I've been itching for an excuse to hook one of these things up ever since they arrived.”
They headed behind the barn where a gleaming black Amish-style buggy waited.
”This is smaller than I thought it would be. How will the whole family fit in this thing?” Susan walked around the vehicle, checking every detail.
”We got two. There's one back in the storage barn that is family-sized, with a couple of rows of seats. This one is for smaller crowds.” He made short work of hitching up the horse. ”Okay, ladies, in you go.” He held up a hand to help Susan into the carriage. She took it and climbed in. Julie followed.
Gary came around and got in the other side. ”Okay, we're about to see what this baby has under the hood.” He clucked at the large brown horse, who launched into a leisurely walk. ”Hmm. Not a lot, apparently.”
Both Julie and Susan laughed. They started moving in the direction of Brian's observatory, then turned right at the top of the hill. From there, it became apparent that several dirt roads crisscrossed the property. Trees dotted the landscape, until they grew dense near the creek just over to the left. ”This is such an amazing place,” Susan said, in spite of herself.
”Yes, it is.” Gary spoke the words in an almost reverent tone.
”It's interesting, though, that the farmhouse is built in the valley between two hills. In California, we would put the house right on top of the tallest hill for a better view.”
He nodded. ”True enough. This place was originally built over a hundred years ago. Likely the owners were thinking more about protection from the elements than a nice view.”
”I suppose so.”
”And it works well for our purposes. No one can see the buildings from the road, so it's nice and private.”
They continued along for a moment, hearing only the muted clomps of the horses' hooves against the dirt road and the singing of the birds off in the distance. Gary held out the reins to Susan. ”It's time for you to start your first driving lesson.”
Susan kept her hands firmly planted at her side. ”I don't think-”
”You'll be just fine. Now take the reins, and I'll tell you everything you need to know.”
Susan finally lifted her hands in the general direction of the reins, still perfectly certain that she was not up to this. She grasped the reins, and Gary kept his own hands over hers for just a few seconds. ”Pull here to turn right.” He made a light pull on the rein and the horse started to veer off the road. ”And here, to go left.” He steered the horse back on course.
He released his grip but remained close beside her. Susan could feel his shoulder brus.h.i.+ng against hers. In spite of the fact that she tried to concentrate on keeping the horse moving the right direction, she was all too aware of his closeness. It was ridiculous. They were in a tight s.p.a.ce, that's all. It was ridiculous that she would even notice such a thing.
As the buggy reached a hilltop and started down, the small schoolhouse came into sight. It looked exactly like Julie had always pictured a one-room schoolhouse. White, rather plain, almost like an old church without the steeple. It was surrounded entirely by towering trees, as though they'd grown there solely to protect the school one day.
”How cute. Gary, do you know if this place was already on this property? I can't imagine that it was, but it looks so authentic.”
”You are correct on both counts. It wasn't here, but the producers wanted a schoolhouse that looked legitimate. They found this one abandoned in town not far from here, moved it, restored it just enough that it doesn't fall in, but not so much that it looks brand-new. The schoolhouse doesn't have electricity; that's why they set it in the middle of those trees. Hopefully the shade will help keep it cool.”
”I wonder how many trees they had to take out to make it fit,” Julie said.
”None.” Gary's answer was quick, but then he shrugged. ”At least that's the way I understand it. There was a perfect spot right here, but obviously the opening isn't wide enough to bring that thing in. So . . . it was dismantled, brought in here piece by piece, then rea.s.sembled. Tell you the truth, I think they did a nice job.”
”Me too.” Julie leaned forward to get a better look at the place. ”It's so picturesque.”