If he was a regular at the restaurant he had to be local. “Who is it? Do you know him? What is his name?”
“He’s no one I know. Believe it or not, he goes by the name of Christy.”
“Christy?” He relaxed a bit. Obviously, Martha had things a little mixed up. Most likely Christina was going for a little stroll or shopping trip with one of her girlfriends. “Martha, I’m thinking you got a little confused. Christy is definitely a girl’s name.”
“To be sure it is. But in this case, Christy is short for Christopher. He told Christina that he was named after an uncle, and that he had a cousin with the same name.”
“I think that’s odd.”
She shrugged. “I had a cousin that we all called ‘Red Jim’ because he had red hair. You know how these things go.” Scratching her head, she mused, “Come to think of it, I think Joe had a similar situation with some of his cousins.”
Aden was hardly paying any attention to Martha’s chatter. He was still trying to get his head around the fact that Christina was going to be spending time with another man. “Well, it just seems a bit rash, letting Christina be alone in the company of a boy no one knows.”
“I don’t think he’s a boy, dear. Christina said he looked to be just a year or two older. But I’m sure we’ll hear more about it later. I mean, I will. When I pick her up in an hour.”
She sounded a little aggrieved by the thought of waiting . . . which was all the opening he needed. “You know, there’s no reason for you to hang around town all this time. I’ll be happy to wait for her.”
“Aden, there’s no need. You are a busy man. I’m sure you’ve got a dozen things planned to take care of in order for you to move into your apartment here.”
“I’ll be able to get a lot of things done while I wait for Christina.”
When she looked as if she was about to argue some more, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Please let me do this. I like watching out for her.”
Her expression softened as she leaned into his brief hug. “I know you do, Aden. And just between you and me? I do believe she likes you looking out for her.” With a little shake of her head, she added, “I honestly don’t know what Christina is going to do when you leave us. Sometimes, I fear it’s going to break her heart.”
The lump in his throat had returned. “We’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Be careful in the weather.” She scurried down the street before he could say another word, which he was thankful for.
Christy was nice. He was friendly and had a lot of information about all sorts of topics. So far, in the fifteen minutes that they’d spent together, he’d told Christina about his produce company, the proper way to fertilize roses, and how destructive deer and rabbits can be.
She’d agreed with him on all sorts of things, mainly as a way to keep him talking.
Because she’d learned after five minutes that Christy Fisher was nothing like Aden Reese. It seemed finding the right man—correction, make that another right man besides Aden—was going to be a bit more difficult than she’d imagined it would be.
Now, as they traipsed up and down Main Street, bundled up against the westerly wind that Christy said was full of the smell of new snow, avoiding shoppers and brown and gray piles of old snow that littered the sides of the sidewalk, Christina wondered how much longer it would be until they’d walked a full hour.
“Now, I’ve tried a variety of organic fertilizers, though nothing works quite as well as chicken droppings on my prize rosebushes,” Christy intoned.
She winced. She knew enough about chickens to not be enamored of anything about them. She’d also cleaned enough coops to prefer not to hear anything about chicken poop and roses.
Feeling more weary by the minute, she glanced toward the Grabers’ store. Her mother was over there looking at fabric. Though it might be a bit rude, Christina decided it was time to tell a white lie and cut things short. “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid it’s time for me to go.”
“Why?”
“Well, my mamm is over at the Grabers’. I don’t want to keep her waiting. Especially if there’s snow coming, you know.”
Christy looked up at the sky. “When I said snow was on the way, I didn’t mean right this minute.” He frowned. “Let’s walk a little farther. I want to spend more time together.”
“That’s mighty sweet of you to say.”
“I’m not being sweet. I mean it. I want to get to know you better. Here I’ve been talking so much, I’ve hardly learned anything about you.”
“Um. Well . . .”
“Christina? There you are.”
She stilled. And almost smiled. She would know that voice anywhere. Turning, she saw Aden walking toward them with a forest-green wool scarf wrapped around his black coat’s collar.
“Hi, Aden. I didn’t know you were in town today.”
“I needed to look at my new apartment.” He smiled. “Actually Martha wanted to see it.”
“Mamm went over there? What did she say? Did it pass inspection?”
“Of course not.” He grinned at her.
Which, unfortunately, made her smile, too.
Before she remembered that she wasn’t going to smile at him so easily anymore. “Well, um, I was just going for a walk.”
“So I see.” Aden’s expression hardened.
Christy raised his brows. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Name’s Christopher Fisher.”
“Aden Reese.”
“And you are one of Christina’s friends?”
“I’m a little more than that.”
Christina inwardly winced. How did one describe Aden? “Aden lives with us. With my family. He’s almost like a brother.”
Christy relaxed. “Oh. A brother. That’s gut. For a minute there I thought you were a suitor.”
“I do live with Christina and her family, but I am nothing like her bruder. At all.”
Christy’s eyes widened. “Ah. I think I’m beginning to understand now.”
“I hope so,” Aden said as he reached out and clasped her elbow.
“Aden!”
“I’m sorry, but your walk was over, right?”
“Well . . .”
“Because I told your mamm that I’d take you home.” Before either she or Christy could reply to that, Aden continued. “So, we should probably get going. We don’t want anyone to worry.”
Christina wasn’t sure if she wanted to yell at Aden or laugh. “Christy, I’m sorry to cut our walk a little short.”
“Are you sure you want to leave with him? I mean, I could take you home.”
“I think not,” Aden said before she could reply. “Taking Christina home should be a job for family.”
“Or even almost family, it seems,” Christy said, his voice dry.
“Thank you for taking me on the walk,” she said softly before letting herself be dragged away by Aden.
The other man barely had time to raise a hand in farewell before Aden directed her down toward the livery.
When they’d walked half a block, she looked up at him. “Aden, you were mighty rude. What was that all about?”
“It was exactly as I said. I told Martha that I’d take you home.”
“And?”
“And I thought someone in your family should meet a man called Christy.”
“If you thought that way, you shouldn’t have come to get me. As we’ve discussed, you are not family.”
“I am definitely not your brother, but I know you well.”
“And?”
“And I care about you, that’s what.”
“Do you? Or are you just biding time until you and your English nurse become serious?”
“Janice has nothing to do with this.”
“Christy doesn’t, either.”
“Good.”
Christina sighed. Part of her was more than ready to ask him a hundred questions. To ask him for some explanations. To ask him why he’d been so possessive and rude
to Christy.
But instead she kept her silence. She was pretty sure that there was more to his story than he was prepared to tell her or she was prepared to hear.
Since Aden seemed just as content to keep his thoughts to himself, she imagined he was feeling the very same way.
chapter eighteen
For at least an hour, Judith had considered talking to her parents about everything that Bernie had told her. She’d actually thought about asking everyone in the family to come over and help her decide what to do. Though they might get excited and talk too much, they were also level-headed. Judith knew she would respect their opinions, especially Joshua’s.
Most likely, they would offer good advice as well.
But in the end, she decided against getting everyone involved. Just like with their decision about adoption and agreeing to being foster parents, she knew the right answers could only come from Ben and herself.
What they were going through was so difficult, so personal, she didn’t know if she had the strength to pretend she was braver and more hopeful than she was.
This was also a time to rely on the Lord’s wisdom as well. He had led her and Ben to finally admit their love for each other. Actually, He’d led all of them through some very difficult times, holding them securely, letting them lean on Him when it felt as if they couldn’t stand easily on their own two feet.
This felt like another time when the Lord was simply waiting for her to reach out to Him.
And so she prayed. She prayed and talked to God while holding a sleeping James.
Then, at last, she sat across from her husband and asked his advice with both an open mind and open heart.
“I was wondering when you were going to want to talk about things,” Ben said when she’d finally broached the subject.
“I’ve been praying. Trying to find the right words. And praying for two open ears, too,” she added with a wry smile.
Ben smiled gently. “Hearing that makes me feel better. I am mighty glad you have been praying so much.”
“Because you knew I needed His help?”
“Because I knew we needed all the help we could get. So, what do you think, mein lieb?”
Feeling suddenly free, as if nothing she said would be judged or discounted, she began to talk. “I’m not sure. One minute I feel like we need to visit Kendra at the prison. The next minute I’m too afraid.”
“What are you afraid of? Is it visiting a prison?”
“That’s part of it. Going to a women’s prison scares me. But that’s not what I keep thinking about.” Knowing she couldn’t keep her worst fears a secret anymore, she said, “So far, I’ve been able to pretend that James’s mom is just a stranger. A person who gave birth to him, but almost didn’t matter.” She winced. Even to her ears, her words sounded cruel.
“What I’m trying to say is that I’m afraid when we take James to see her, she’s going to realize she made a mistake and won’t want us. And I’ll realize that I really am only a temporary person in his life.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot of the same things. It was one thing when Bernie simply showed up with James. But now? Now we’re going to be reaching out to Kendra—and asking for her to trust us. I don’t want to say or do the wrong thing.”
“I have even wondered what’s going to happen if James doesn’t like us anymore. Even though I know it’s silly, I’m afraid he’ll remember her and we’ll seem like strangers to him.” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry. I know I sound selfish.”
Ben shook his head. “Nee, Judith. You sound honest. And that, I think, is how we need to be. I’m glad we’re talking about everything. Good or bad, it needs to be said.”
They continued their conversation, weighing options and fears and hopes all afternoon and long into the evening. They discussed their concerns as they were feeding and later bathing James.
And continued to discuss Bernie’s advice while cleaning the kitchen and cooking supper.
Finally, they pushed each other to make a decision when Judith was rocking James to sleep in her mother’s rocking chair. “It’s time,” Ben finally said. “We need to make a decision.”
“I know.”
“What do you want to do? Meet with the aunts or visit Kendra?”
With a glance over her shoulder at the oak clock that her parents had given them on their first wedding anniversary, she said, “You tell me what you think first. ”
Leaning forward, he braced his elbows on the table. “All right, here goes. Something tells me that we should pay a visit to Kendra first. Initially, I thought it would be easier to simply visit with Kendra’s sisters, but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.
She exhaled in relief. “I was thinking the same thing. After all, James is her baby. Even though she is in prison, she is still his mother. I don’t think that bond can ever be broken.”
“What Kendra wants should matter the most. And as much as it pains me to say it, Bernie did say the court would listen to Kendra’s wishes first. I just hope we make a good impression with her.”
“All we can be is ourselves, Judith,” Ben reminded her.
“But if Kendra doesn’t like us, she could ask her sisters to care for James.”
“If that happens, we’ll need to abide by that. We need to give all our doubts up to God, Judith.” Ben walked to her side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t forget, He knows what is best for the baby.”
“I know you are right.” She sighed as she rested her head against her side.
The decision had been made. They would pay Kendra a visit, be themselves, and hope for the best.
And everything else? It was in the Lord’s hands.
Aden wasn’t sure why, but grilled ham and cheese sandwiches always tasted better at one in the morning.
For most of his life he’d been an erratic sleeper. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fallen asleep in the evening and didn’t open his eyes until morning.
The only thing that really helped was a nighttime snack. When he was little, he’d become quite adept at sneaking out of his room, trundling down the hall, and snacking on an apple or a handful of cookies. If his parents ever suspected his nighttime wanderings, they never said.
Martha Kempf, on the other hand, had caught on right away. She’d followed him into the kitchen during his third foray into her pantry, practically scaring him out of his pants in the process.
But after learning that he was merely hungry and not upset, she’d taken to making sure he had all of his favorite midnight snacks on hand.
Sometime around his fourteenth year, he’d developed a passion for grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and the craving had stuck. Before long he’d become a master at creeping into the kitchen, lighting the small kerosene lamp that Martha always set out for him, and quickly and competently preparing his favorite treat.
There was a method to his madness. Both slices of bread had to be wheat. Brown mustard needed to coat one of them. Next he would put on two slices of white cheddar from Heini’s cheese shop—sliced thin, thank you very much. Last he added two slices of smoked ham. When everything was just so, he would melt butter in Martha’s favorite cast-iron pan, then cook his sandwich until it was crispy and perfectly toasted. Cutting the sandwich into fourths was his finishing touch.
Then he’d pour himself a tall glass of cold milk and dig in, enjoying the silence of the big house. Enjoying the opportunity to eat his treat completely by himself.
Joe had once tried to talk to him about his unusual habit. He’d even gone so far as to suggest that it wasn’t natural.
Aden agreed.
But still, at least two or three times a week, he awoke hungry. When he got older, and was mature enough to analyze it, Aden figured that maybe these late-night sandwich sessions were his way of gaining control in his life. He’d lived most of his life dealing with the consequences of everyone else’s actions. First, his parents had been too busy for him. Then they’
d died, leaving him feeling completely lost and alone.
Then he’d gone from being an only child to the adopted one in a family with five children.
And then, of course, there was the vivid memory of Christina falling through the ice. He still dreamed about it, even after all these years. He doubted he’d ever completely forget the panic he’d felt when he’d gazed into the dark water and couldn’t find her.
He thought about all of this as he walked down the hall just after one in the morning, his stomach and his head leading him to the kitchen. Just like always.
Until he realized the kerosene lantern was already lit.
Curious, Aden picked up his pace, only to come up short when he discovered who was already sitting at the kitchen table.
Christina looked up when he entered. “Ah. I was just sitting here, wondering if you were going to get up to cook tonight.”
“I was planning on it,” he murmured, surprised that she was acting as if her being up was a usual occurrence, which it definitely was not. “Why are you up? Are you sick?”
She shrugged. “I’m fine. Just couldn’t sleep.”
“So you decided to sit in here at the table?”
“Call me crazy, but I’d rather sit here in the light than next to Treva in the dark. There are only so many hours I can lay idly while listening to my sister snore.”
He grinned. “I dare you to tell Treva she snores.”
“I dare you!”
“No way. I value my life.”
They shared a smile. His insides warmed as he realized how much he was going to miss living in the same house as Christina. They’d always been able to tease and joke with each other.
He was about to tease her some more when he noticed the shadows under her eyes. And realized what had actually woke her. A slow, sinking feeling settled in his gut and held on tight. “Did you have another nightmare tonight?”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.
“Want to talk about it?”
“There’s no reason to. It was the same dream I always have.”
“The one about us skating?”
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