by Mary Alford
Willa came over to where he sat and put her arms around him. This was Mason. Her friend. She cared about him and she would do whatever possible to help him figure out the best course of action.
She leaned back and looked into his eyes. “We’ll find a way. Gott will help us.”
A hard look replaced the worry. He’d lost his faith. Her heart broke. She would have enough for both of them. “Gott will help,” she insisted, and touched his face. Willa wished she could do something more, but her ways were not his anymore.
As she continued to look into his eyes, something shifted, and her heart seemed to skip against her chest. Mason gently clasped her wrist, holding her there when she would have stepped back.
She struggled to get enough air into her lungs. The past and all her wishes were right there for him to see. She’d imagined this look on his face so many times, thought about what might have been had Mason loved her instead of Miriam. She’d hated that for a time, and she’d resented Miriam because of it.
“Mason.” She didn’t recognize her own voice. She should pull free. Move away. Bury those hopes once and for all...but she didn’t want to.
They continued to watch each other without saying a word. What was he thinking? She’d give anything to know.
“What are you doing?” A tiny voice intruded into the moment.
Both she and Mason jerked toward the innocent child watching them. Samantha stood in the kitchen entrance rubbing sleep from her eyes while she clutched Benny tight in the crook of her arm.
Mason let Willa go, and she quickly put space between them. He went over to the child and knelt in front of her. “We’re working on a phone. Hopefully, I can fix it so we can call for help.” He glanced at Willa before turning back to Samantha and asking, “Were you sleeping?”
The little girl nodded. “I heard something. It scared me.” Tears hovered in brown eyes that held a wisdom that could only be earned by walking through the trials of life. It went way beyond Samantha’s young years.
The gunshots from earlier. Had they triggered a flashback of watching her parents’ deaths? Willa’s heart hurt for this child who had suffered so much.
Mason gathered Samantha in his arms. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re safe here. I made you a promise not to let anything happen to you, and I plan to keep it.”
The little girl hiccuped out several sniffles and held on to Mason as if afraid he, too, would be taken from her life.
Gott, please give this innocent kinna Your peace.
Mason lifted the child up and sat down in the chair he’d vacated with Samantha clinging to him.
“Hey, dry those tears, sweetheart.” He looked up at Willa with a wounded expression, the love he had for little Samantha clear in the way he watched over her.
In the past, Mason always teased Willa about caring for every wounded animal she found, but he was the one who protected them whenever trouble came near. Or when one of his bruders tried to do something foolish.
Mason cleared his throat. “Are you hungry?”
The child sniffed a few more times before she pulled away and looked at him. She gave a tiny nod and Mason smiled. “Well, I’m sure Willa can fix you something special. And then maybe you can be my assistant as I work on the phone.”
Samantha forgot about her fears for a second and willingly agreed. “I want to fix the phone.” She was resting in the promise that Mason gave her.
“That’s good, because I can use these little fingers of yours to help me reach what I can’t with mine.” He held his hand against Samantha’s smaller one and she giggled.
Her forehead wrinkled. “You have big hands.”
“That’s because I’m all grown up and you’re still little. And I’m a guy.”
“My hands will be big like yours one day. I know they will,” the little girl announced proudly.
Mason chuckled and hugged her close. “Well, you’re going to have to grow a lot to fit into these big hands.” He tugged at her ponytail like he had the strings of both Miriam’s and Willa’s prayer kapps many years ago. Willa smiled at the memory.
Watching the closeness that existed between Mason and this precious child, she wondered about his life. Had he thought about marriage after what happened between him and Miriam? She knew truly little about his life now. Perhaps Mason had met someone special?
As kinner growing up in the small community of West Kootenai, she and Mason had shared their hopes and dreams for the future. Most Amish wished for marriage and a family. She and Mason had been no different. She just hadn’t realized those wishes would never be hers to claim.
He glanced up and caught her watching him. The questions in his eyes proved he’d seen things she didn’t want him to see. Willa turned away and let go of what she’d once hoped for. She thought she’d made peace with never having a husband or kinner of her own, yet the ache in her heart said differently. Mamm needed her. Willa never had a second thought about caring for the woman who had given up so much for her family.
“I think we could all use something to eat,” Willa said, and steadied herself to face Mason again. “I know it’s early, but you all must be hungry after what you’ve been through.”
A smile wiped the concern from Mason’s face. “Thank you. And yes, we are. It’s been a long time since any of us has eaten. Food would be great.” He reached for the phone and examined it while the little girl in his lap leaned over close and did the same. The homey picture had Willa turning away and trying not to feel sorry for herself. She led a gut life. She had her mamm and this beautiful farm her daed had worked so hard to build for the family. Gott had blessed her beyond what she deserved.
Once the threat facing Mason and Samantha passed, he would leave. Her life would return to normal. She would take each day that Gott gave her and be happy.
She watched Mason with Samantha and swallowed back regret. Not hers to have. Best not to look too long at what might have been. She must focus on the future and be grateful. Those foolish maede dreams were before her mother’s diagnosis. Before Willa got a glimpse into what her future could be.
SIX
He’d done everything he could think of and yet the phone still wouldn’t make a call. Old inadequacies returned full force to remind him that if he let Samantha down now it would mean her life.
Mason set the phone down, keeping up a brave front for the little girl in his lap. Samantha had enough to worry about. Testifying against the man who killed her parents wasn’t going to be easy. It would take all her strength.
“Sorry, kiddo, I don’t think there’s any fixing this one.”
Samantha’s solemn eyes skimmed his face. “That’s okay, Mr. Mason. You’ll find another way to get us help.” The confidence she had in him reminded him the clock was ticking.
Samantha hopped from his lap and went over to where Willa prepared a tray of food for her mother. The simple grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup she’d made for him and Samantha never tasted better. It recharged his energy level and made him feel almost human again. He’d taken food to Erik, but despite the need, his partner had only managed a few spoonfuls of the soup.
Mason sipped his strong black coffee and watched Willa with the little girl. The way she explained her mother’s disease in childlike terms for Samantha to understand reminded him of what he’d known for years. She was born to be a mother.
“Can I help?” Samantha asked with her little head tilted to one side in a gesture Mason knew well. Whenever curious, she’d look at Mason the same way.
More than anything, he wanted Samantha to have a bright future. That depended entirely on putting Bartelli away. The child deserved a simple life where she could be surrounded by people who loved her and made her feel safe. The young girl needed someone like Willa, who possessed a caring heart, to guide her into adulthood.
Willa’s expression softened as she explained how
she must assist her mother with the meal. “I can certainly use an extra set of hands, and I know Mamm would enjoy talking with you and Benny some more.”
Samantha’s eyes lit up and Mason smiled to himself. Beth had that effect on everyone. The child turned to him. “Can I, Mr. Mason?”
“Of course. Go with Willa. I’ll keep working on the phone.” It wasn’t the truth. There was nothing more he could think to do with the phone. But for however long they were here, and no matter what happened next, he wanted Samantha not to be afraid. If being with Beth and Willa gave her a sense of normalcy and safety, then so be it.
“Why do you call your mother Mamm,” Samantha asked when Willa handed her a napkin.
“That is our word for mother. And thank you for assisting me.” She smiled down at the child, whose eyes shone with excitement.
“I can carry those, too.” Samantha pointed to the silverware on the tray.
Willa handed them to her. “Yes, you can. Denki.”
The child grinned up at Mason, flashing a gap between her front teeth where she’d lost one of her baby ones while under his care.
“Look, Mr. Mason. I’m helping.”
He chuckled and nodded. “You sure are.”
It broke his heart to think of Samantha all alone in the world without any living relatives to take her in. For now, she’d become a ward of the state. Once the trial ended, she’d be put into the foster system. He couldn’t imagine her life then. Because of mistakes her father made, this precious child would be forced to pay the price.
“It will be oke,” Willa whispered as she passed him. Her hand pressed his uninjured shoulder. More than anything he wanted to believe her...but his heavy heart wouldn’t allow it. Doubts and fears for Samantha’s future ran deep. Worry over his partner warred with them. Sitting here and doing nothing wasn’t an option. The longer he waited, the higher the likelihood more of Bartelli’s people would arrive and increase the danger to this quiet community that had once been his home. As soon as Willa returned, he’d try again to get the buggy out. Everyone in the house was in danger. If he could get them into the buggy without being spotted, they stood a chance of escaping, but getting a disabled woman and a wounded man out before the enemy arrived wouldn’t be easy.
Mason picked up the phone again and removed the back once more, studying it closely. He and Samantha had tried taking the battery out and replacing it, without any change. Mason stared at the phone and sat back in his chair when he recalled something he’d gone through with his personal cell phone a few years back. The phone didn’t have service and so he’d been told to remove the SIM card and replace it to reconnect.
He carefully pulled the card out and studied it. It didn’t appear damaged. He blew it off and replaced it, then powered the phone up again. This time, it acted like it wanted to work, but the call still wouldn’t go through.
He rubbed a frustrated hand across his forehead and stared at the phone a second longer before the truth dawned. The service indicator flashed no signal here in the kitchen.
Jumping to his feet, he almost knocked the chair to the floor. Mason moved around the kitchen, but the service indicator didn’t change.
In the living room, he checked several spots without any service. In one corner, he almost had a bar. Mason attempted to make a call. It didn’t go through.
He tried the rest of the house but was met with the same result everywhere. Mason knocked on Beth’s door and stepped inside. All three females looked his way. Golden Boy apparently considered him a friend because the animal barely lifted its head.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Seeing Willa assisting Beth with her meal just about ripped his heart apart. Mason struggled to recover and held up the phone. “We fixed it, Samantha.”
The little girl’s eyes lit up. “We did?” She ran over to Mason and wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. “I knew you could do it, Mr. Mason.”
He lifted her into his arms and pointed to the service indicator. “See that.” He waited for her to spot it.
“I do.” Her blond ponytail swished her affirmation.
“Well, good, because that’s where we’ll see if we have enough service to make a call. Now, you keep your eyes on it and we’ll walk around the room. Let me know if it changes.”
“I will, Mr. Mason.” The little girl didn’t look away from the indicator.
Mason carried her around the room. As they reached the last shadowy corner, he realized there would be no service found inside the house.
Like it or not, he’d have to try outside. And if the mountains or the weather were blocking the signal? He didn’t want to think about that.
“There aren’t any bars.” Samantha’s expression fell.
“No, not here in the house, but maybe outside. I’ll go out and check.”
Willa set the spoon down and turned to him. “Let me. They recognized you earlier. They probably have photos of both you and Erik. They will be expecting to see me around the house.”
He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.” He didn’t like the idea of sending Willa out alone to do his job.
“I want to come, too,” Samantha announced.
As much as he loved the little girl, he couldn’t let her be in harm’s way.
He tugged at her ponytail. “Sorry, kiddo. You have to stay inside and watch out for Ms. Beth and Golden Boy.”
The little girl’s bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “But I want to help.”
Mason’s heart melted. “You are. You are going to keep Ms. Beth company and protect her. Why don’t you tell her one of the jokes you’ve told me and Erik?” Mason looked to Beth and winked. “As I recall, Ms. Beth loves jokes.”
Beth had been a jokester from way back and loved to play tricks on the kids. She would sneak up behind them and shout, “Boo,” or she would tell them a scary tale. He spent many an hour as a young man trying to get her back. That woman still existed in her failing body. The glint in her eyes now proved it.
“I do love jokes,” she told the little girl. “And I think you can tell some funny ones.”
Mason lowered the child to the floor. She went over to Beth’s bedside.
“Why did the chicken cross the road?”
Mason suppressed a chuckle as he stepped out into the hall with Willa. “She has a bunch of jokes just as corny as that one, but I love every one of them.”
Before Willa closed the door, she watched Samantha with her mother. “She is precious. I feel so terrible for her. Losing both parents in such a dreadful way, and now having to go through this.”
Ever since he’d read Samantha’s story, he’d been trying to understand how God could allow such a terrible thing to happen to that guiltless little girl. It wasn’t fair. Just like it wasn’t fair that He’d taken Chandler’s life before his friend ever had the chance to fall in love, get married and have a family of his own.
Barely sixteen and dead because he’d fallen through ice. Remembering that day, Mason could still feel the panic racing through his body like he was back there. He’d tried to get to his friend and save him, yet all of his efforts were in vain. Chandler had died along with a part of Mason’s youth that day. The young man with so much hope disappeared. In his place came one filled with anger.
Willa reached for her cloak on the peg near the front door. After everything that happened already, he didn’t want to put her life in jeopardy again. “Willa, I can’t let you do this. It’s too risky. You’ve seen what these men are capable of.”
She stubbornly shook her head. “That’s why I should be the one to try to find service. They don’t know their two partners are dead. They expect me to work around the farm. If they catch you by surprise...” She held out her hand and clutched his. “Please, let me do this, Mason. For you and Erik. For Samantha.”
* * *
“I’ll be watching from the window. If an
ything looks out of place, call out right away.”
Though she didn’t feel anywhere as confident as she wished, Willa nodded. “I will, don’t worry.” She tied on her traveling bonnet for added protection against the rain that didn’t appear ready to let up anytime soon.
Mason handed the phone to her. “This is what you’re looking for. The service indicator bar will rise if you pick up a signal. You’ll need at least one bar to make a call. Probably more.”
He held her gaze. “If we can’t get a signal, we won’t have a choice. We’ll have to evacuate everyone quickly.”
She clutched the phone tight in her gloved hands and waited until Mason wasn’t visible before she opened the door and slipped out.
The rain made it hard to see anything. This far north and close to the mountains, a day like this was common. The mountains had a way of gathering weather around them. While she loved living near them, at times they gave a sense of being isolated from the rest of the community. Just their farm and a handful of Englischer ranches.
With Mamm’s health issues, Willa wondered how long they would be able to hold on to the farm. Being so far away from the rest of the community made it difficult for the menfolk to get their animals here to help with the crops. Her neighbor Ethan Connors had planted this year, and she was grateful for everything he did for them. Still, she couldn’t expect him to do the work when he had plenty of his own.
Willa inhaled deeply and released it into the chilly morning. Stepping from the porch, she glanced over her shoulder to the window. The smallest of movements there made her smile. Having Mason watching nearby gave her a sense of safety.