Amish Homecoming

by Jo Ann Brown

  “Why would we go that way? Shep and I were coming to see if the calf had been born. As we crossed the field, we heard her mooing. Then we saw that awful coyote creature sneaking toward her. We tried to protect her, but it kept coming closer.”

  Ezra reached across the cow to put a hand on Mandy’s shoulder. “You did a gut job. You probably saved her life.”

  “But how did she get out here?” Leah asked, coming to her feet.

  “When I checked her before going to the store, she was very restless. Pacing in the stall. If she bumped the door just right, she might have been able to pop the latch. Once it opened, she went in search of the rest of the milk herd. Somehow she got turned around and came into this field.”

  His brothers encircled them and peppered them with questions. As soon as they heard about the coydog, Daniel and Micah ran back to the house. They might have a chance to kill it before it tried to attack another of the animals on the farm.

  Ezra sent Joshua to check that the rest of the herd in the pasture was unharmed, and Leah asked Jeremiah to let her parents know that Mandy and Shep had been found and were safe.

  As the two brothers went in opposite directions, Ezra handed the two flashlights to Leah. She gave one to Mandy as he gathered the newborn calf up in his arms. It squirmed and bawled until his gentle voice calmed it. Mamm Millich heaved herself to her feet, not wanting to be separated from her baby. When Ezra looked over his shoulder, Leah smiled and motioned for him to lead the way back to the barn. She and Mandy walked on either side of Mamm Millich, carefully guiding the cow across the field.

  An hour later, the excitement was over. Mamm Millich and her calf were back in the stall, where Ezra had wired the latch shut to avoid another escape. His youngest brothers had returned to report that, though they had seen paw prints, the darkness had prevented them from tracking the coydog. The herd was brought in as they would be every night until the coydog was no longer a threat.

  Mandy and Shep were declared heroes. Mandy enjoyed cookies and a glass of cold milk while Shep lapped from a bowl of milk in the barn. They admired the new calf, which was already steady on its feet and nursing greedily.

  “Auntie Leah?” asked Mandy as she wiped cookie crumbs off her apron. Shep hurried to eat them the second they hit the floor. “Why did you ask about me going back to Philadelphia tonight?”

  Leah glanced at Ezra. He gave her the special smile he reserved for her. The sight of it gave her the courage to say, “That is where we feared you were going when Mamm and Daed couldn’t find you.”

  “I left them a note. I told you, Leah, that I wouldn’t leave the farm without letting you know where I was going.”

  “Where did you put it?”

  “In the front room.”

  “They were busy preparing supper in the kitchen, and they probably never went into the front room.” Putting her arm around Mandy’s slender shoulders, she said, “They thought you were trying to get to Philadelphia because your grossmammi said you probably wouldn’t be going to Isabella’s party. She thought you were angry enough to run away.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I’ve seen what Daddy’s leaving did to you. I would never sneak away like that.”

  “But you want to go to Isabella’s party?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you want to stay there? You call Philadelphia home, and I know you’re finding life here strange.”

  “I don’t know, but I want to go back at least once to be certain.”

  Leah hugged her niece. “That’s fair. I will talk to your grandparents, and we’ll see about arranging for you to go to Isabella’s party. Once you come back here, we’ll talk, and you can decide if you want to go back or stay here.”

  “What if I want to leave later?”

  “We’ll take each day as it comes.”

  Ezra walked to them as he said, “‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ And we will be glad, Mandy, for each day you spend with us. But there is one day when you must be here.”

  “When?”

  Looking over the little girl’s head, he smiled at Leah. “The day when your aenti marries me.”

  As Mandy squealed with excitement and Shep twirled around with her, Leah stepped around them to stand face-to-face with Ezra. “You want to marry me?”

  “It’s what a man does when he loves a woman. Ich liebe dich, Leah. Can I dare to believe that, in spite of my foolishness for the past ten years, you might love me, too?”

  “Ja. Ich liebe dich.” She put her arms around his shoulders as he drew her to him.

  “Will you marry me?”

  In the moment before his lips found hers, she whispered a single word that she meant with all her heart. “Ja.”

  Epilogue

  “And this is Mamm Millich and Boppli Millich.” Mandy’s voice became more excited as she added, “They’re the cows I told you about. The ones Shep and I saved from the coyote.”

  “Wow!” Isabella Martinez stood on the bottom rail and leaned over the fence as Mandy did. The two girls were close to the same size. One wore plain clothing, and the other was dressed in jeans and a garish T-shirt with the logo of a band Leah had never heard of.

  Leah folded her arms on the top of the fence. “Did you tell Isabella that the cheese she tried earlier came from Mamm Millich’s milk?”

  “Really?” Isabella jumped down from the fence. “Mandy, you’re right. Everything about being on a farm is cool. I hope I can visit again.”

  “Whenever you wish,” Leah said with a smile.

  It was easy to smile now. After Mandy had gone to Isabella’s sleepover, she had returned to Paradise Springs, saying Philadelphia was too loud and dirty and there weren’t any cows or any of Grossmammi’s snitz pie or Esther’s cookies. She’d missed her family and Shep and the friends she’d made at school. She wanted to stay on the farm. At least for now, because, though she’d decided she didn’t want to be a nurse after being sickened by the sight of the blood after her grossdawdi fell in the front room, she now was talking about becoming a veterinarian. Leah guessed her niece’s career plans would change many times before she completed eighth grade.

  In addition, even though Daed had cranky days and sometimes refused to admit there was any way but his, he seemed resolved to savor every hour he had with his family. Leah had found herself laughing with him as they hadn’t for several years before she and Johnny left.

  “Ah, here are my favorite girls.” Ezra walked toward them, carrying an armload of sweet corn. “See what I found in the garden?”

  As Leah listened to the girls giggle in excitement, she smiled at Ezra. He was the main reason she found it easy to smile now. They planned to marry as soon as the harvest was over and the late fall wedding season began.

  He gave the corn to the girls and told them to take it home so Mamm could cook it for them for lunch. As they ran away, giggling, he held his hand out.

  Leah put hers in it. Neither of them spoke as they strolled after the girls. With him, she was truly home.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A FAMILY FOR THE SOLDIER by Carolyne Aarsen.

  Dear Reader,

  I am excited to write the Amish Hearts series. It is set in Lancaster County because I like to visit Amish country to stock up on pies—whoopie and shoofly. Going there gives me the feeling of coming home when I see the houses, barns and silos of the farms. I grew up on a farm outside a teeny town in northern New York. We spent summers barefoot helping in the garden. One of my first “outside” chores was feeding the chickens and collecting eggs. There still are local auctions to raise money for volunteer fire departments. I’m glad you chose to spend time with the Stoltzfus family—along with some of my special memories—in Paradise Spring
s.

  Stop in and visit me at joannbrownbooks.com. Look for my next book in the Amish Hearts series coming soon from Love Inspired.

  Wishing you many blessings,

  Jo Ann Brown

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

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  A Family for the Soldier

  by Carolyne Aarsen

  Chapter One

  The hospital room felt suddenly too small.

  Chloe clutched the chart of her patient, Ben Stillwater, as his twin brother, Grady, limped through the doorway of Ben’s room. In spite of the single crutch supporting him, Grady’s presence filled the space.

  He stood taller than she remembered. Broader across the shoulders. His eyes had taken on a flat look, though, all emotion leeched out of them; lines of weariness bracketed his mouth. It was as if his time serving in special ops in Afghanistan had shown him sights he wanted to forget.

  “Hello, Chloe,” he said. His chocolate-brown eyes, shaded by dark eyebrows, drew her in as his eyes shifted to her left hand. Chloe unconsciously flexed her fingers. Though her divorce from Jeremy had been finalized a mere four months ago, Chloe had removed her ring eight months before when she’d discovered Jeremy had been cheating on her.

  “A lot of things have happened since you went away from Little Horn,” she said, setting Ben’s chart aside, then covering his legs with a sheet. He looked so pale compared to his twin brother, who now joined her at the foot of the bed.

  She had come into Ben Stillwater’s hospital room hoping to do some physical therapy with him. But for the moment, all thoughts of her patient fled as the man who had once held her heart came to stand by her side.

  “I know. My cousin Eva getting married, among many other things,” he said.

  All of Little Horn had buzzed with the news of the injured vet’s return from Afghanistan two days ago, the day after the New Year had been rung in, the day of his cousin’s wedding.

  Eva Stillwater and Tyler Grainger had been engaged since Thanksgiving, but they had surprised everyone by announcing that they’d decided to get married as soon as her cousin Grady could come home.

  “I heard it was a lovely ceremony,” Chloe said. “I’m happy for them.”

  “Me, too. I think they wanted to start adoption procedures as soon as possible. That’s why she stepped up the date.” He held her gaze. “It’s good to see you again.”

  Chloe gave him a tight smile, disturbed at how easily old emotions had intruded. She’d known she would run into him eventually. She just wished she could have had some advance notice.

  So you could have put on some makeup? Do your hair?

  You’re a divorced woman and he’s a war vet with an unexpected child, she reminded herself. And you have other complications. Too tangled.

  Besides, she had promised herself when she discovered Jeremy’s cheating that no man would hold her heart again. No man would make her feel vulnerable.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone to spend time with your brother,” she said, moving past Grady only to come face-to-face with her stepsister.

  “Hello again, sister of mine,” Vanessa Vane said, tossing her red hair, her bright smile showing off thousands of dollars’ worth of dental work and a puzzling nervousness. Vanessa had never been one to show anything but overweening self-confidence.

  Last month she had waltzed into Little Horn, crashing the Lone Star Cowboy League’s annual Christmas party and laying claim to Cody, the baby who had been dropped off at the Stillwater ranch four months earlier. Vanessa had cried crocodile tears, telling anyone who would listen how badly she felt about abandoning Cody at that time. She should have owned up that Grady was the father and stayed around.

  But she was back now and wasn’t that great?

  For Chloe, not so much. Vanessa’s redheaded vivaciousness was a bright contrast to Chloe’s wavy brown hair and calm demeanor. And whenever Vanessa saw Chloe she liked to remind her of those differences, as well as the deficiencies of Chloe’s now-deceased father, Vanessa’s stepfather.

  “Hello, Vanessa. How’s Cody doing?” Chloe asked.

  Though Chloe had heard Grady and Vanessa were an item a year ago, seeing Cody, the physical evidence of their relationship, created a surprising and unwelcome heartache.

  “He’s great. Such a sweetie.” Vanessa smiled up at Grady, batting her eyelashes.

  Grady’s own eyes narrowed and he didn’t return her smile, which surprised Chloe. Vanessa’s expression grew taut as she looked from Grady to Chloe again, and her auburn hair glistened in the lights of the hospital room. “Isn’t my baby adorable?”

  “He is,” Chloe agreed, wishing she could be less inane. More sparkly and interesting.

  Like her sister.

  Every time Vanessa came into a room, eyes were drawn to her; men took a second look at her long red hair, slim figure and vivacious personality.

  “Can you give me any information about my brother, Chloe?” Grady’s resonant voice broke in over Vanessa’s prattling. His eyes, deep set and dark, held hers in a steady gaze, resurrecting old feelings she couldn’t allow. “Do you know when he’ll come out of it? Do you know if there will be any long-term damage?”

  “Don’t be silly, Grady,” Vanessa put in, walking past him to stand beside Ben’s bed. “Chloe can’t tell you anything about your brother. She’s only the physical therapist.”

  Chloe ignored Vanessa, unconsciously tucking back a strand of hair that had freed itself from her ponytail. “The only thing I can tell you is that he will experience some measure of muscle atrophy, given how long he’s been in a coma.” Chloe put on her professional voice, trying not to let Vanessa’s patronizing attitude get to her. “The range-of-motion exercises we perform on him will help maintain as much of his muscle tone as possible and at the same time prevent sensory deprivation.”

  “Ooh. Long words,” Vanessa said, the joking tone in her voice negated by her flinty look. “Still trying to impress Grady? I wouldn’t bother.”

  “Do you know anything about the coma?” Grady continued, obviously ignoring Vanessa. “At all?”

  Chloe heard the hurt and fear behind his questions. She guessed the bond identical twins often shared made him more anxious.

  “I only know what you know,” she said. “The fall from the horse was the root cause, but there have been no other internal injuries that we can ascertain, no brain injury. No hematomas.” She stopped herself there. As Vanessa had said, she wasn’t a doctor. “You’ll have to speak with his doctor to find out more.”

  “Thanks for that information at least,” Grady said, his smile holding a warmth that could still make her toes curl.

  “You’re welcome,” she said, trying to convey a more brisk and professional tone. “We hope and pray he will come out of it. That’s all we can do.”

  “I’ll take care of the hoping and leave the praying to those more capable.” The bitterness in Grady’s voice made Chloe wonder again about his war experiences overseas and what they had done to his once rock-solid faith.

  “How long are you back for?” Chloe asked, holding up her head, determined not to let the effect he had on her show.

  “For good. I got an honorable discharge from the army. I’m home.”

  She forced herself not to look at the crutch he leaned on to supp
ort himself.

  “We can all be so thankful Grady made it back from Afghanistan. And a hero to boot,” Vanessa said, the edges of her lips growing tighter, as if she had to work to maintain her vivacity.

  Each word she spoke felt like a tiny lash. Her stepsister had known Chloe had a crush on Grady when they were in high school. In fact, once Vanessa had discovered this, she’d made an all-out attempt to charm and captivate Grady just to spite her. Chloe, a tomboy at heart, had known she couldn’t compete with her glamorous stepsister, so she’d given up on that dream.

  Given that Vanessa claimed to be the mother of Grady’s supposed baby, Chloe could only reason Vanessa still held some attraction for him.

  “I still can’t get over how much Grady and Ben look alike.” Vanessa gave Chloe an arched look as she fiddled with the sheets draped over Ben’s body.

  “They do look similar,” Chloe murmured, trying to find an opportunity to make her escape while her stepsister chattered away.

  “Similar? They are like two peas in a pod,” Vanessa said, her narrowed gaze flicking from Ben to Grady. “If it weren’t for Ben being flat on his back, you’d never know the difference. And did you know that twins have identical DNA?” she asked, turning to the cards on the windowsill.

  And why did Vanessa think she needed to impart that particular piece of information?

  “I’ll leave you to visit with your brother,” Chloe said, taking another step toward the door.

  To her surprise and shock, Grady touched her arm, as if trying to make a connection. “It’s good to see you,” Grady said, lowering his voice. His eyes held hers.

  Unable to look away, Chloe felt her heart quicken. Then a faint queasiness gripped her. Vanessa called out again and she dismissed the emotion as quickly as it came.

  Vanessa claimed that Grady was the father of her child.

  And Chloe had enough problems of her own.