A Simple Vow

by Charlotte Hubbard

  “You’d best head to the Grill N Skillet so you can greet your guests,” Nora suggested. “After a long morning of church and your ceremony, everyone’s ready to devour the food Josiah and Savilla have cooked up.”

  “Denki for providing our wedding meal—and for your idea to have it in the café,” Ira said. “I got so hungry from the aroma of grilled meats coming through the windows, I almost couldn’t stay through the entire wedding!”

  Nora chuckled. “You’d probably have had hot dogs and peanut-butter sandwiches for your meal if I had done the cooking,” she teased.

  Luke laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders. “Everyone knows your talents lie outside the kitchen, Nora-girl—and nobody cares,” he insisted as he gazed into her eyes. “We’re happy to let Josiah and his sister do the cooking today, and glad the new café’s big enough to seat so many people. We’ll see you two in a bit.”

  “Don’t go gobblin’ down all that roasted pig before I have a chance at some of it,” Bishop Tom Hostetler teased as the newlyweds stepped outside. “I almost cut the sermon short when the breeze smelled like it came straight from Josiah’s smokers.”

  Nora laughed with him and all the other folks who’d gathered around. “I heard a few stomachs rumbling during the service,” she remarked. “Fill your plate as many times as you want and enjoy the rest of our big day, Tom. I—I can’t thank you enough for the way you’ve guided Millie and Ira and the rest of our family.”

  “Not to mention how you spearheaded the rebuilding of the restaurant and quilt shop,” Luke joined in. “Thanks to you, Willow Ridge is moving forward and growing with more young families and flourishing businesses.”

  The bishop waved them off with a modest smile. “We all pulled together—and you Hooleys are the backbone of our new prosperity here,” he insisted. “Can’t help but feelin’ a fresh sense of hope and happiness. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for.”

  “Jah, we do, Bishop,” Nora murmured as the people around her nodded in agreement.

  “Is it true, what we’ve heard?” a young woman in the crowd piped up. “Dat’s cousin Reuben said the other restaurant exploded on Christmas Eve—and that the fire was set on purpose.”

  When Nora glanced around to see who’d asked that question, she spotted Loretta and Rosalyn Riehl standing beside their dat, peering at her from behind a cluster of other folks. The Riehls had moved into Reuben’s house just last month, so they were the newest residents of Willow Ridge. “That’s the way it happened—”

  “And it’s a long story, best told when folks aren’t waitin’ to partake of Ira and Millie’s wedding feast,” Bishop Tom interrupted with a purposeful smile. “We’re glad you Riehls are here to celebrate with us as we focus on our future—and pleased that you, Cornelius, have taken your cousin’s place as our district’s deacon, too.”

  Cornelius, a barrel-chested man who stood head and shoulders above the crowd, pressed his lips together in a tight smile. “You folks have made us feel very welcome,” he murmured. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m heading home to look into my youngest daughter’s latest predicament.”

  Nora’s eyes widened as Cornelius slipped between the other folks and out the door, seemingly set on some grim mission. “May we bring you over a plate?” she called after him.

  As the middle-aged deacon put on his hat and strode toward the county highway, his two daughters shook their heads. “Dat doesn’t spend much time at weddings since our mamm passed on,” Rosalyn explained. “And Edith did get herself into quite a pickle this morning.”

  “Jah, we were ready to walk over here for church,” Loretta continued, “when we found her with a baby in each arm, telling us a mighty peculiar story about how their dat had dropped them off because their mamm had died—”

  “And meanwhile he was accusing another fellow of being the babies’ father,” Rosalyn added in an embarrassed whisper. “So it seems we’re to look after these two helpless wee ones until their dat returns.”

  “If he does—whichever man it is,” Loretta added with an exasperated shrug. “It’s another one of those long stories best left for another time.”

  “Oh, my,” Nora murmured as the folks around her began to whisper among themselves. “I was wondering why I didn’t see Edith sitting with you. She was so excited about helping at the wedding dinner.”

  “The little twins’ dinner—and dirty diapers—were a more immediate concern,” Loretta replied wryly. “We can’t fault Edith for her soft heart, but we’re wondering if she’s gotten herself into the middle of a messy situation. I’m sure Dat’s going to ask her some hard questions, and maybe insist that she return the babies to Will—the fellow who brought them here.”

  “It doesn’t help that Will was once engaged to Loretta, or that Dat made them break it off,” Rosalyn explained, smiling ruefully at her sister.

  “Sounds like a matter we need to hold up in prayer, for all of you Riehls and those babies, too,” Bishop Tom remarked. “The ladies here in town will help with clothes and supplies, so don’t hesitate to let us know what ya need.”

  Tom and the Riehl sisters made their way outside. The other guests, eager to get to the Grill N Skillet, congratulated Nora and Luke in a steady stream that soon cleared the house. As her husband closed the door and clasped her hand, leading her to the café, Nora chuckled. “Seems there’s more to our new neighbors than meets the eye,” she said. “The Riehl sisters are such nice girls—and they’ve mentioned that they make several different craft items, which I’d like to sell in my store. Apparently that Will fellow trusts them to look after his little twins.”

  “He’s probably so overwhelmed by the prospect of caring for them that he doesn’t know what else to do,” Luke replied. “If you had twins and then passed on, I’d be—well, I’m not sure I’d survive, Nora. You’re everything to me.”

  “Oh, Luke.” Nora stopped in the middle of the road to caress the brown beard he’d been growing since they’d married five months ago. The hitch in his voice had tugged hard at her heartstrings. “I’m healthy as a horse, and I plan to be pestering you for a long, long time. All right?”

  “I sure hope so.” A grin lit up his handsome face, and he kissed her quickly. “Although I’m enjoying this extended visit with our family, I’m looking forward to when the relatives head back to Pennsylvania so we have the house to ourselves again. Hear what I’m saying?”

  Nora felt heat prickle her cheeks as she smiled up at him. “Loud and clear, Mr. Hooley.”

  * * *

  From her upstairs bedroom, Edith heard the front door close, followed by her father’s footsteps crossing the hardwood floor and then ascending the stairs. She quickly dropped the two dirty diapers into an old enamelware pot and put the lid on it, knowing Dat would object to the smell . . . just as the babies’ fussing would bother him—now, and when he went to bed in the room adjacent to hers. She’d figured Dat would return early from the wedding. He’d had all morning to plan his sermon while Bishop Tom and Preacher Ben Hooley had been delivering theirs during the church service.

  “Shhh,” Edith whispered. She lifted little Louisa to soothe her, swaying from side to side. “Let’s be very quiet, very calm. We’ll pray for Dat’s patience and compassion and—”

  “Edith.”

  Despite the tightening in her stomach, Edith turned toward the doorway and put on a bright smile. “How was the wedding, Dat? Were there lots of folks from—”

  “Tell me again how you came to be responsible for these two babies,” he said sternly. “And then tell me how you intend to resolve this situation you’ve gotten us into.”

  Sighing nervously, Edith sat down on her bed so she could quiet Leroy, who was lying on a towel. Dat hadn’t raised his voice, but he habitually spoke in a tone that conveyed his authority—a tone that had always made her squirm, as the startled twins were doing.

  “I—I heard a baby crying when I was waiting for you and Loretta and Rosalyn to come downstairs,” Edith
began. “When I spotted two fellows having an argument behind the rig the ruckus was coming from, I just had to go and see—”

  “And why was their conversation your concern, Daughter?” Dat asked. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

  “Jah, and—like you’ve told me a dozen times—I used up my nine lives ages ago,” Edith replied, hoping to soften her father with humor. “But it was the wee one’s welfare I was concerned about, rather than the men’s talk. I wondered if the mother was too ill to comfort the crying child—and when I looked into the buggy, I saw two babies. They were upset by the men’s argumentative talk, no doubt,” she added, hoping he would catch the hint.

  Her father crossed his arms, filling the doorway with his broad-shouldered form as his disapproval sucked the air from the room. With his thick graying hair and beard, he reminded Edith of an Old Testament prophet about to foretell her doom. He scowled as Leroy began to cry, which inspired Louisa to join in.

  “How are we to get any sleep? Or concentrate on our work?” Dat asked above their rising wails. “Edith, you are to return these babies to their mother at once!”

  “But I tried to tell you—their mamm is dead!” Edith blurted. “Will brought the twins here until he could get through her funeral and—”

  “This is Will Gingerich we’re talking about, correct?”

  “Jah, and he’d accused the other fellow of—”

  “We cannot have Will coming around here on the pretense of seeing his children,” Dat stated. “If he’s got no wife to raise them now, he’ll try to entice Loretta into marriage again. And that matter shall remain a closed book.”

  Edith scooped Leroy into her arms and stood up so she could rock both crying babies. She was feeling as upset as they were, sensing that no matter what answers she gave her father, they would fall short. “No,” she said in a lowered voice. “Will knew it would be better not to see Loretta—”

  “He could never carry on an ordinary conversation with me,” Dat said, exhaling his disgust. “Tucked his tail between his legs like a whipped dog—and if his wife bore another fellow’s kids, then Will obviously wasn’t man enough to control her. Maybe not man enough in the marriage bed, either—”

  “Dat, really!” Edith gasped as her face went hot with embarrassment.

  “—so no matter how you look at it, Gingerich has nothing to offer any of you girls,” her father continued in a rising voice. “I hope you don’t believe that other fellow’s promise that he’ll get to the bottom of this, any more than you believe that Will figures to claim these babies. It’s our Christian duty to return these children to their family. They’re not your responsibility, Edith.”

  Turning quickly to hide her tears, Edith swayed faster as she clasped the twins to her shoulders. Dat made a valid point, but his harshness made her heart shrivel in sympathy for the twins. Her head was starting to pound with their strident cries. She could barely think, much less refute her father’s claims.

  “I know how you always side with the underdog— how your heart opens wide any time you’re around little children,” Dat murmured as he approached her. “But I’m watching out for your best interests, Daughter. You entered into this agreement without considering the long-term consequences. What man will marry you if you’re saddled with twins who aren’t even yours? You’ll be stuck at home forever, doomed to be a maidel—and a single mother—while all your friends find happy lives with suitable husbands.”

  Who would marry me anyway? Edith thought sorrowfully. I’d be a liar if I didn’t tell a potential husband that I’m unable to bear his children . . . because Dat didn’t take me to the doctor soon enough. If only my appendix hadn’t burst. If only the infection hadn’t attacked my female organs...

  Edith bit her lip against a sob. It wasn’t right to dredge up her past resentment—not after she’d forgiven her father years ago, at Mamm’s insistence. Dat was standing close enough behind her that she could feel the disapproval radiating from his body as he awaited her compliance. She dared not mention the vow she’d made to that strikingly handsome stranger.

  Promise me that you’ll mother these kids—and that you’ll hear me out when I return, all right? His voice still echoed in her mind, mysterious and compelling.

  Asa Detweiler had no idea how desperately Edith longed to be a mother—or that she’d agreed to care for these twins to satisfy her own selfish desires. She’d believed him to be sincere and compassionate, but she dared not mention that to her father, either. Cornelius Riehl had lost a large part of his heart and soul when Mamm passed away, but that didn’t mean he’d lowered his expectations for his three daughters. If anything, he held them to higher standards now that Mamm wasn’t around to buffer his gruffness, his moods.

  “You know how it’ll be, Edith,” Dat said softly. “Every day you allow these babies to stay will make it that much harder for you to give them up. They belong with their family. Surely Will’s wife’s mother will wonder where her grandchildren have gone—”

  “She’s not speaking to him!” Edith blurted, knowing it was the wrong thing to say. “She was there when Molly passed from cancer, breathing another man’s name. The shock of it sent Molly’s grandmother to the hospital with a heart attack, so the whole family’s in an uproar. I can’t just—”

  “Once again, we see that Will has alienated those who might’ve helped him in his time of need,” her father pointed out. “Any man worth his salt would look after these helpless babies rather than dumping them on someone else. But he knew you’d relieve him of his parental responsibilities, didn’t he? Knew you were too kindhearted for your own gut.”

  “Is it really such a sin, being kindhearted?” Edith protested. “Had we three girls been little when Mamm passed, you would’ve found another wife—”

  “That’s a lie, and you know it!” he blustered, grasping her shoulders. “Your mother was the only woman in this world for me. Don’t you dare presume to understand the depth of my love—and my grief—for her!”

  Edith swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I—”

  “I’m leaving this room because I can’t stand the racket—or the smell—any longer,” he muttered beneath the babies’ wailing. “Find a way to quiet them. When your sisters get home, we’re packing up these detestable dirty diapers and supplies, and we’re returning the whole kit and caboodle to Gingerich. I don’t want to hear another word to the contrary.”

  Edith held her breath until her father’s heavy footfalls had gone down the hallway and stairs. As she burst into tears, she held the babies tenderly, still swaying with them, wondering how they would survive without a stand-in mother to care for them. Will was caught up in his own troubles, understandably wounded by his wife’s final words—by her betrayal of his trust—not to mention being overwhelmed by the cancer that had claimed her when she should’ve been experiencing the joy of motherhood.

  She had to convince Rosalyn and Loretta to help her with the twins while they sought wisdom and aid from the women of Willow Ridge. If the three of them put their heads together, surely they could find a way to change Dat’s attitude. Surely they could keep the twins quiet enough that Dat could work on his clocks undisturbed in his basement workshop during the day and sleep uninterrupted at night.

  “That’s a tall order,” Edith murmured as she gently laid the babies on the towel she’d spread across her bed. She tenderly smoothed their mussed brown hair. “You’ve got to help me with this, understand? We’ll go downstairs for your bottles, but you’ve got to stop crying.”

  As she stroked their cheeks, Louisa and Leroy gradually got quieter, hiccuping and sucking in short breaths. They seemed small for their age, their expressive faces puckered with concern as they gazed up at her.

  Lord, if I’ve ever needed Your help, it’s now, Edith prayed as she gazed at them. Bring me a sign, a solution. Anything to soften Dat’s closed, lonely heart.

  Chapter Three

  Luke Hooley gazed around the crowded Grill N Skillet dining room with a
sense of great satisfaction. While it was traditional for an Old Order wedding feast to be held at the home of the bride’s parents, he and Nora had insisted on hosting the event at Willow Ridge’s recently rebuilt and expanded café because it would be a real treat for their friends and family. Josiah Witmer had roasted two hogs, beef briskets, and countless chicken quarters, which he was serving along with the side dishes his sister Savilla had created.

  As Luke slipped behind the steam table to chat with Josiah, his stomach rumbled. “You two have outdone yourselves,” Luke remarked as the young man set out fresh pans of steaming mashed potatoes and creamed celery. “Everyone’s raving about your grilled meats, and the way you’ve offered the traditional wedding foods along with your specialties.”

  Josiah flashed a wide smile. “Can’t have pulled pork without some baked beans and slaw, ain’t so? But Savilla was right—folks are gobbling up the wedding ‘roast’ she made with chicken and stuffing, too. I suspect we’ll run out of the creamed celery before the second sitting of guests makes it through the line.”

  “We’ll have plenty of other food, though,” Savilla assured Luke. Her dark eyes sparkled as she set down a bowl of chunky homemade applesauce. “I was astounded when I saw how many different kinds of pies Naomi and the other gals made for us. And Miriam’s wedding cake is the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

  Luke glanced toward the eck—the raised table in the far corner, where the wedding party sat—and had to agree that the tiered cake his sister-in-law had made was even grander than the one she’d baked for his and Nora’s wedding last winter. His brother Ben’s wife was out of the restaurant business now, raising their baby daughter Bethlehem, but she still enjoyed sharing her baking skills whenever she had the chance. Miriam’s former partner Naomi Brenneman kept the Grill N Skillet’s kitchen organized and running smoothly during the daily lunch and supper shifts, which had allowed the Witmers to expand into some catering, as well.