Ruth shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Thanksgiving was only a few days away, and despite the things that had been going on at her folks’ place, she really did have a lot to be thankful for.
“Are you feeling all right, Ruth?” Abe asked as he joined her in front of the stove.
“I. . .I’m fine. Just feeling kind of drained this morning.”
“Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?”
“I slept okay.” Ruth sighed as she stirred the eggs around in the pan.
A shadow of worry crossed his face. “Are you still fretting over what happened at your folks’ place?”
Ruth nodded as her throat constricted.
Abe touched Ruth’s arm, and she shivered when his warm breath tickled her neck. “I’ll be glad when we’re married. Then you won’t have to worry about being vandalized or threatened anymore.”
“That’s what Martin said before I married him, and look what happened.”
Abe’s fingers closed gently around her arm. “There are no certainties in this life, Ruth, but we must trust the Lord.”
“Jah, I know, and I’m trying to do that, but whenever another attack occurs, my faith begins to waver.” Ruth glanced over her shoulder and spotted Esta and Owen staring at her. Abe’s family had been through a lot in the last few years, too—first losing Alma when she was struck by lightning and then losing young Willis when he drowned in the pond. “Maybe we should talk about this later,” she said, keeping her voice low.
Abe nodded. “You’re right. We’ll continue this discussion after the kinner have gone to school.”
Ruth was tempted to remind Abe that he needed to go to work as soon as he’d finished breakfast, but she figured Ivan would probably open the harness shop if Abe wasn’t there right away.
“Papa, I can’t wait ’til you marry Ruth,” Esta spoke up from her place at the table.
“I’m looking forward to our wedding day, too.” Abe gave Ruth’s arm a gentle squeeze; then he returned to his seat at the table.
“After you’re married, we can all start calling Ruth Mama,” Esta said with an enthusiastic nod.
Josh, Owen, and even Abe’s youngest child, two-and-a-half-year-old Molly, nodded, but Gideon, who’d just turned thirteen, sat staring at his empty plate. Was he unhappy about Ruth marrying his dad, or did the boy have something else on his mind? Ruth was on the verge of asking but changed her mind. If something was bothering Gideon, Abe would deal with it. She wasn’t in any frame of mind to deal with anything right now. It had taken all her energy just to show up for work today.
How am I going to handle things once Abe and I are married? Ruth wondered. Am I really ready to become Abe’s wife and mother to his five children? She drew in a deep breath and tried to focus on the job at hand. She wished she felt free to tell Abe how she felt, but she didn’t want him to know the conflicting emotions swirling in her mind. He might not understand her doubts and take them to mean she didn’t want to marry him. I wish Aunt Rosemary were here. She’s so easy to talk to and seems to understand me better than anyone.
No one in Ruth’s family had heard anything from Rosemary for the last few weeks, and Ruth had begun to worry that her aunt might not arrive in time for the wedding in January. She gripped the spatula as a feeling of trepidation crept up her spine. If I don’t get some problems resolved in my mind, I’m not sure I can go through with the wedding.
Are you getting tired, Ken? I’d be happy to drive for a while if you are,” Rosemary said as she leaned over the backseat in her son’s minivan and touched his shoulder.
Ken shook his wavy blond head. “I’m fine, Mom.” He nodded at his wife sleeping in the seat beside him. “Sharon’s the one who’s tired.”
Rosemary smiled. Her daughter-in-law had fallen asleep soon after they’d left their hotel this morning. Five days of traveling had taken its toll on all of them. She was glad Ken and Sharon had been able to take vacation time from their jobs at the bank in Boise. It would have been a long, lonely trip to Ohio if Rosemary had made it on her own. It had been much more pleasant riding in Ken’s minivan and having her own car towed behind the moving van she’d hired to move her things. She looked forward to introducing her son and his wife to her Amish family, and she was glad they would be able to share Thanksgiving dinner together.
“We should be in Holmes County by late afternoon,” Ken announced. “Do you want to go straight to the house you’ve bought, or do you want to see your brother and his family first?”
“Let’s drop by my house to see if the moving van’s arrived with my furniture and car, and then we can drive over to Roman’s place.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Rosemary leaned back in her seat and tried to relax as memories from the past crowded her mind. She’d only been eighteen when she’d left home to try out the English way of life. Then she’d met fun-loving, charismatic Bob, and it had been love at first sight. They’d gotten married soon after and moved to Boise, Idaho. Rosemary had written a letter to her folks, letting them know where she was, but had never gotten a response. She’d written several more letters, but there was no reply. Finally, deciding that her family wanted nothing to do with her, Rosemary had quit writing. It wasn’t until shortly before Bob’s death that he’d confessed to intercepting those letters and throwing them away so she would have no contact with her Amish family.
Rosemary had always known Bob was the controlling type, but she’d never dreamed he would do anything that would sever the ties with her family in Ohio. It had taken Rosemary several months after Bob’s death to come to grips with what he’d done. Once she’d been able to forgive him, she’d made a trip to Ohio in the hope of being reconciled to her family.
Rosemary was anxious to see Roman and his family again and hoped nothing had changed between them while she’d been in Boise getting ready to move to Holmes County permanently. She only wished she’d been able to talk Ken and Sharon into moving there, too. But they both had good jobs at the bank in Boise and didn’t want to relocate. Since children were not in their immediate plans, they’d become committed to their careers.
Rosemary leaned closer to Ken. “Are you sure you’re okay with the idea of me moving to Ohio? I still feel bad about leaving you and Sharon.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I want you to be happy. If moving back to your birthplace does that, then you have my blessing.”
Rosemary touched his shoulder. “Thank you, Ken. It means a lot to know I have your support.”
“Of course,” he added with a chuckle, “that doesn’t mean I understand your desire to leave the modern world behind and live among the Plain people.”
She rapped the back of his head lightly with her knuckles. “I’m not leaving the modern world. I just feel the need to be near my Amish family. They’ve gone through some rough times lately, and I can’t offer my complete support if I’m living in Idaho.”
“I understand, Mom.” Ken remained silent for a time; then he glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “Are you thinking about becoming Amish again?”
Rosemary pursed her lips. She’d thought about it, but she’d been English too long and didn’t think she would feel comfortable wearing plain clothes and driving a horse and buggy again.
“Mom? Does your silence mean you’re considering joining the Amish faith?”
“Oh, I don’t think so. But I do plan to live a simpler life and keep my focus on God, family, and friends, not all the fancy, modern things the world has to offer.”
He shrugged. “You will come to visit us, I hope.”
“Of course, and I’d like you and Sharon to come visit me whenever you can, too.”
“We’ll make a trip to Ohio at least once a year,” he said.
Rosemary smiled. She was thankful for her son and glad he hadn’t turned out like his father.
Martha had just stepped out of the barn when she saw a minivan pulling into the yard. She didn’t recognize the driver, but when the back door of
the van opened and Aunt Rosemary stepped out, she knew the driver must be Aunt Rosemary’s son.
Martha sprinted across the yard and raced up to the car. “Aunt Rosemary! It’s so good to see you!”
Aunt Rosemary held her arms out and gave Martha a hug. “It’s good to see you, too, sweet girl.”
“We hadn’t heard from you in a while and didn’t know for sure when you’d be coming.”
Aunt Rosemary smiled. “We wanted to surprise you, and I thought it would be nice if we could celebrate Thanksgiving together.”
“I’m glad you’re here, and I know Mom and Dad will be, too.” Martha gave Aunt Rosemary another hug. “Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, and we saw lots of interesting sights along the way, which was one of the reasons I suggested we drive rather than fly.” Aunt Rosemary motioned to the young man with wavy blond hair, and the woman whose dark brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. “Martha, I’d like you to meet my son, Ken, and his wife, Sharon.” Smiling at the couple, she added, “This is my niece Martha. She’s Roman’s youngest daughter.”
Ken was the first to extend his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Martha.”
“Same here.” Martha shook Ken’s hand then turned to his wife. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Sharon smiled, although it appeared to be forced. Her gaze traveled slowly around the yard as though she was scrutinizing everything.
Aunt Rosemary gave Martha’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “How’s your kennel business doing?”
“Heidi had another batch of puppies a few weeks ago, and Polly just had a litter of seven pups.”
“I always wanted a dog when I was a boy, but my dad never let me.” Ken chuckled. “I’m making up for it now, though. Sharon and I own two dogs—a beautiful black Labrador retriever and a frisky cairn terrier.”
Martha glanced at the minivan. “Did you bring your dogs along?”
Ken shook his head. “We thought it would be an inconvenience, so we boarded them near our home.”
“I’d like to be able to board dogs someday,” Martha said wistfully, “but I’m not set up for that yet.”
“Are you still working for Irene Schrock, or are the dogs taking up all your time these days?” Aunt Rosemary asked.
“I work for Irene a few days a week. If I ever make enough money with the dogs, I’ll probably quit that job.” Martha pursed her lips. “Of course Irene would have to find someone to replace me. She’s so busy with the dinners she serves tourists these days that there’s too much work for her and Carolyn to do by themselves.”
“I’m sure she appreciates your help.” Aunt Rosemary motioned to the house. “Is the rest of the family at home? We stopped by Roman’s shop on the way up the driveway and discovered it was closed.”
“It’s getting close to supper, so Dad’s probably up at the house by now. Mom and Ruth were in the kitchen when I went out to the barn a short time ago.” Martha grimaced. “I’ll probably get a lecture for taking so long with the dogs and shirking my kitchen duties.”
Aunt Rosemary looked at her watch. “I hadn’t realized it was almost time for supper. Since we’re two hours behind you in Boise, I guess my time’s still off.”
“No problem. I’m sure the folks will insist on you eating supper with us.”
“That would be an imposition. I think we should drive back to Berlin and eat at one of the restaurants there.” Sharon’s dark eyes darted from Martha, to Ken, and back to Martha again. The young woman was clearly uncomfortable.
“There’s no need for that,” Martha said with a shake of her head. “Mom always fixes way more than the four of us can eat. Besides, we can visit while we share our meal.”
“Judith is a wonderful cook,” Aunt Rosemary said. “I think you and Ken will enjoy eating one of her delicious meals—not to mention getting the opportunity to know my brother and his family.”
Ken reached for his wife’s hand. “Let’s go inside and meet everyone, shall we?”
Martha slipped her hand in the crook of Aunt Rosemary’s arm. “I’ll make the introductions first, and then I’ll run up to Grace and Cleon’s place and see if they’d like to join us for supper.”
“Would you pass me the basket of biscuits, please?” Luke’s stomach rumbled as the savory aroma of freshly made stew and biscuits wafted up to his nose. He’d worked hard and felt hungrier than usual.
“I noticed that you didn’t get after that wood I asked you to chop this morning,” Mom said as she handed him the biscuits.
“I was running late and didn’t have time to do it before I left for work.”
Mom’s eyebrows pressed together. “Is that the truth, or are you giving me another one of your excuses for not getting things done around here?”
Luke shook his head. “It’s not an excuse.”
“From what I hear, you work hard enough for John Peterson, but around here you tend to slough off,” Mom said.
Luke grunted. “Are you saying I’m lazy?”
She slathered a biscuit with butter. “You’re not exactly lazy, but you sure don’t do what I ask these days. It seems you’ve always got something else on your mind other than what you’re supposed to be doing. You’ve been kind of moody lately, too. Don’t you agree, Elam?”
Luke glanced across the table to gauge his dad’s reaction, but Pop just sat there, dipping a biscuit up and down in his bowl of stew as though he hadn’t heard a word that had been said.
Mom leaned closer to Luke and looked him right in the eye. “I think you need to quit fooling around and make a decision about getting baptized and joining the church.”
Luke grunted and reached for another biscuit. “I will when I’m ready. In the meantime, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
Mom squinted at him. “A lot on your mind?”
“Jah.”
“What kind of things could be on your mind that would keep you from joining the church?”
“Just things, that’s all.”
“Maybe he’s got some woman on his mind,” Pop spoke up.
“A woman?” Mom nudged Pop with her elbow. “If he had a woman on his mind, he’d be more than ready to join the church.” She gave a little gasp as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Ach, Luke! Please don’t tell me you’ve found an English girlfriend and she’s the reason you haven’t joined the church.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open. “ ’Course not. I don’t have any girlfriend, much less one who’s English.” He hoped his mother didn’t press him on this, or he might end up admitting that he had more than a passing interest in Martha Hostettler.
“Whether you’ve got your eye on any particular woman or not, I think it’s past time for you to get baptized and join the church.”
Luke opened his mouth to argue the point, but Pop interceded with a raised hand. “And I think it’s time we drop this subject, don’t you, Betty?”
Mom gave Pop a quick nod, but Luke could see by the look on her face that she was none too happy about it. Fact was, if Pop hadn’t put a halt to the conversation, Mom probably would have pestered Luke all the way through supper.
Luke reached for his glass of milk. If the folks knew I had a truck hidden in the woods and had been hanging around with some rowdy English fellows, I’d probably be in for another lecture.
“Are we still going to Henry and Luann’s house for Thanksgiving?” Luke asked, deciding it was time for a change of subject.
Mom nodded. “Your big brother’s looking forward to having us, as well as your four other brothers and their families, over that day.”
“Henry’s not that much older than me,” Luke said with a frown. “How come you referred to him as my ‘big brother’?”
“It’s just a figure of speech,” Pop said before Mom could reply. “Why do you have to be so nitpicky all the time?”
“I wasn’t. I was just making a point.”
Mom laid a gentle hand on Luke’s arm. “Let’s not have any more fussing tonight, okay?”
Luke nodded. Tempers had flared and harsh words had been spoken at their supper table more in the last few months than in all of Luke’s twenty-two years. If only Mom and Pop would quit pestering him about joining the church. If they’d just let him live his life the way he thought best.
“Have you asked your boss about joining us for our Thanksgiving meal?” Mom asked.
Luke nodded. “I mentioned it to John this morning, but he said he’d made other plans. He’ll be out of town until Saturday, so his shop won’t be open again until then.”
Pop’s eyebrows arched upward. “He’s single, with no family in the area. What other plans could he have made?”
“I don’t know and didn’t ask.”
Pop grunted. “No wonder you don’t have an aldi. You never think of anyone but yourself.”
Luke gritted his teeth. Was Pop trying to start another argument by bringing up the fact that he didn’t have a girlfriend? “I didn’t press John for details because I didn’t think it was any of my business.”
“Even if John doesn’t have other plans for Thanksgiving, he might not feel comfortable with the idea of having dinner with people he doesn’t know,” Mom said.
Pop reached for his glass of water. “He knows Luke.”
“That’s true, but he doesn’t know us that well.”
Luke pushed his chair away from the table and stood. He’d had enough supper conversation.
“Where are you going?” Mom motioned to Luke’s half-eaten bowl of stew. “You haven’t finished your meal.”
“I’m full right up to here.” Luke touched his chin. “And I’ve got somewhere I need to go.”
Pop’s forehead creased. “And where might that be?”
“I’m going outside to take care of that wood Mom’s been after me to chop,” Luke said as he grabbed his stocking cap off the wall peg near the back door.
“That can wait until tomorrow,” Mom called.
Luke rushed out the door. Even though he was in no hurry to chop wood, it would be better than sitting at the table being nagged at throughout the whole meal.
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