The Amish Nanny's Sweetheart

“My brother was always hungry for a snack, no matter how soon it was after a meal. I thought you might be the same way.”

Eli laid his head on her shoulder, watching the strange man in their home.

“I’ll never turn down a cookie.” Guy reached for one, then stopped with his hand hovering over the plate. “Why is he staring at me?”

Judith shifted Eli on her lap. “Probably because we’re speaking English. He doesn’t understand what we’re saying.” She held a cookie in front of the little boy. “Gleischt du Cookie?”

Guy laughed as Eli put the cookie in his mouth. “I guess I don’t need Dutch lessons, after all. I know you just asked him if he wanted that cookie.”

Eli held the bitten cookie toward Guy. “Cookie?”

“I’ll get my own, thank you.” Guy held a cookie up and looked at Eli. “Cookie.”

Judith frowned at Guy. “You should only speak Deitsch during your lessons.”

He winked at her. “Then how will Eli ever learn how to speak English?”

She had to smile back at his brown eyes twinkling in the lamplight. She pushed the book toward him.

“I thought we could use this to learn some of the names of common objects...”

He halted her speech with a raised hand. “I’m not going to do this if you’re going to talk like a schoolteacher.”

“All right. No schoolteacher talk.” She opened the book in front of her and Guy scooted his chair closer to her. So close that she could feel the warmth of his forearm resting on the table between them. She tightened her left arm around Eli.

The first page had a drawing of a boy holding an apple. “I know what that says,” Guy said. “Apple. The word sounds the same in both Dutch and English.”

“You’re right, Appel sounds the same. But what does the whole sentence say?”

Guy stared at the words with a frown. “I don’t know.”

Judith read the words. “Der Buh gleicht der Appel. Er esst der Appel.”

“Wait. You’re going too fast.”

“I thought you said you could read it.” Judith grinned as his face grew red, then she regretted it. She squeezed his arm as she leaned toward him. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh at you.”

He regarded her with those brown eyes. “I don’t like to be teased, but I know you didn’t mean any harm.” He looked down at her hand, still resting on his shirtsleeve. “I do like the way you apologize, though.”

The twinkle was back.

“Cookie?” Eli asked, looking up at her.

“Ne. No more cookies.”

Eli pointed at the book. “Appel?”

“He’s got it right,” Guy said. “He’s a smart kid.”

“Er ist schmaert.”

“That’s what I said.”

“So say it in Deitsch. Er ist schmaert.”

Guy repeated after her, then pointed at the book again. “Read this again, slowly, and I’ll try to catch it this time.”

Judith read the sentences again, one word at a time, and Guy repeated each word after her.

“Now, what does it mean?” he asked.

“It means, ‘The boy likes the apple. He eats the apple.’” Eli relaxed against her, his eyes heavy. “I’m going to take him up to bed. You practice those sentences while I’m gone.”

By the time Judith returned, Guy had turned to the next page, where the picture showed the same boy petting a cat.

“Don’t get too far ahead, now.”

“But I’m smart, just like Eli. I can read this one, too.”

Judith sat in her chair, leaning back with her arms folded, doubting that he could read any of it. “Go ahead. Let me hear you.”

Guy recited a few words, but the only one she recognized was “cat.” She shook her head, trying to keep a stern look on her face.

“Sorry, that wasn’t right. Let’s go back to the first page.”

They worked together until Guy could read the sentences with the correct pronunciation, and then she had him recite the different verb forms until the cookies and milk were gone.

Guy ran his fingers through his hair. “Can we stop now? I feel like I’m back in school.”

“In a way, you are. It isn’t easy learning a new language. I remember my first days at school when we could only speak English. I had older sisters and brothers who spoke it a little at home, but I was still lost.” Judith closed the book. “That’s enough for tonight, though.” She looked at him. “Do you think you learned anything?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll be saying ‘I like apples, you like apples, he likes apples’ in my dreams.” Then he caught her gaze with his. “But yes, I learned something.”

Judith shifted in her seat. He was staring into her eyes. “What did you learn?”

“Amish girls can be awfully pretty.”

Her face burned, remembering that Matthew was in the next room, reading a magazine, and could hear every word. “I’m sure you noticed that before. There are a lot of pretty girls around here.”

“Not as pretty as you.”

“You’re flirting with me.”

Guy leaned his chin in his hand, elbow propped on the table. “Of course.”

“But you came over for your Deitsch lesson, not to flirt.”

“The lesson is over now, isn’t it?”