Meanwhile, Mamma tended the little shop, where it was a bit cooler, thanks to a large gas-powered fan Henry had hauled over.

While the days were long, Susie took time to answer Obie’s newsy letters when they came. She also went out with Del every couple weeks or so, which was about all either of them could manage during this busiest season of the year.

As September approached, Susie continued to be touched that Obie wrote to her so faithfully, offering an inside glimpse at his life in Sugar Valley. He even described some of the youth work frolics there, as well as the enormous corn maze at a nearby farm—though he made it clear he didn’t have a lot of time to engage in such activities. In October, he also wrote of driving two big work horses to pull a hay wagon one night, instead of participating with the group of die Youngie out for the hayride. Susie wondered why.

Yet there was one subject Obie never touched on: Del’s intentions. And she wondered if Obie would ever broach the topic. He must assume we’re getting serious by now, she decided.

The harvest season came around again, and Susie used Dat’s old wheelbarrow to transport large pumpkins and gourds from their garden to the farm stand out front. Britta had grown many chrysanthemum starters in pots in the daylight basement, then later brought them outdoors to grow larger in order to sell, too.

Twice in a single week, Del Petersheim dropped by to purchase a pumpkin and, the second time, a basketful of gourds for his mother. He invited Susie to go out with him and his friends Mervin and Cindy Jane—once to play Ping-Pong and, on another occasion, Dutch Blitz at the Gordonville home of Cindy Jane’s aunt. Susie was happy to accept, but the more time she spent with Del, the lonelier she felt around him. He was kind enough, but he didn’t understand her as well as Obie, and he didn’t share the kinds of things Obie would have known she liked to hear. Yet she recognized it was unfair to compare him to Obie.

Do I just need to give our friendship time to grow? she mused. How much longer should we continue to see each other?

In late November, as they rode home from yet another double date, Susie thanked Del politely for his attention to her and the fun outings they’d shared, saying she was going to step back from dating for a while. Fortunately, Del seemed to take it in stride, not asking any questions and telling her how much he’d appreciated getting to know her before relaying that Mervin and Cindy Jane were very close to being engaged.

Susie was glad for the kindhearted couple, but she couldn’t help wondering if she would ever meet someone who loved her enough to court . . . and eventually marry.