by Mary Davis
She wrapped her arms around her protruding belly. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll protect you. Gott, please make the rain stop. And please, have someone come by and notice I’m here. Eli would be nice to send meine way.”
But what were the chances he would happen to be out in the rain and happen to find her at the bottom of a ditch?
None.
Chapter Twelve
Eli swung his hammer down again and again on the red-hot piece of iron. This would be a rattle for Rainbow Girl’s baby. He thought a lot about Rainbow Girl lately.
With the addition finished, he’d feared not seeing her, but he had been surprised she’d insisted upon working together on his business website and orders three days a week. He’d hoped for one day a week, tried for two, but she’d said they needed to meet at least three days a week or his online orders would suffer.
He was fortunate indeed. Her assistance allowed him to focus on making items to sell. He shook his head. He had to admit he’d been more focused on Rainbow Girl lately than his ironwork.
Eli dunked the rattle into his pail of water and set it aside to cool, then put out his forge fire. Though he usually liked working on cool, rainy days, and it wasn’t one of his scheduled times, he wanted to see Rainbow Girl. Only to get her opinion on the marketability of his latest creation. Once she had taken photographs of it, he would give it to her as a gift. He also wanted to fine-tune some of his product descriptions and check on more orders. She kept trying to get him to buy a computer so he could manage all this himself, but he preferred to have her do it. Not only was that easier and gave him more time to create, but he got to spend time with her.
He hitched Dutch to a small open-air buggy with a cloth top. He didn’t want to get drenched before he arrived, but he also didn’t want to be closed in.
Once at the bishop’s, he parked in front. He would wait until he knew if it would be all right to visit before unhitching Dutch and putting him in the barn. He bound up the steps and knocked.
Bishop Bontrager opened the door. “Eli, come in, come in.”
Eli stepped inside. “I came to see Dorcas. About meine website.” He didn’t want the bishop to think there was anything more to his visit than that. Because there wasn’t.
“She’s not here. Went to Noah and Kathleen’s to do something with a computer for the doctor.” He glanced at the clock on the coffee maker. “I thought she would’ve returned by now. Said she wouldn’t be gone long.”
Eli’s insides twisted. “Do you think she’s all right?”
“I’m sure she is, but it wouldn’t hurt to call. Our telephone’s in the barn.”
“I’ll call. You stay here.” Eli could move faster alone, and the old man didn’t need to be out in the rain. He ran to the barn and found the community’s typed directory in a wooden wall pocket by the phone. The doctor’s number had been handwritten on the front. He dialed.
Noah answered.
“Dorcas Bontrager came to work on the doctor’s computer. Is she still there?”
“Ne. She left a few hours ago. Is something wrong?”
Eli’s insides wrenched harder into a painful knot. “I don’t think so. Did she say if she planned to go anywhere from your place besides home?”
Noah made Eli wait while he asked the doctor. “Ne. Kathleen understood she was heading home. She left before the rain had gotten harder. Is she not there?”
“Ne. But I’m sure she’s fine. She probably stopped to visit a neighbor. Danki.” But Eli had a bad feeling. Rainbow Girl didn’t socialize with others in the community except to work on their websites. Their people were still wary of her. Had she run away from the community again? Or had something happened to her? Either way, he needed to find her. He returned to the dawdy haus. “She’s not there. She left hours ago. I’m going out to look for her.”
The bishop headed out the door with him. “I’ll send Andrew and Matthew in search of her as well, and have Leah call the neighbors.”
Eli nodded as he climbed in his buggy. “I’ll retrace the direct route between here and the doctor’s. Have them check the alternate routes.” He drove away at a faster clip than normal.
He arrived at the doctor’s with no sight of her, here or on the road. Dr. Kathleen had been on the phone, calling neighbor after neighbor since he’d telephoned. No one knew Rainbow Girl’s whereabouts.
That likely meant she’d gone to town since no one had seen her. Had she left them again? Left him. Though he wanted to go find her, he didn’t want to know for sure that she’d left. He wanted to return to his forge and forget all about her. Pound the baby rattle into a lump. How would he figure out his website and manage his orders? He needed her. He would find her.
But when he pulled out onto the road, he headed back the way he’d come at a more normal pace this time. He didn’t want to return without her, but he couldn’t make himself head toward town and her face-to-face rejection.
About a third of the way, something in the road caught his attention. He stopped, got out in the rain and picked it up. A horseshoe. One he had fashioned. Had this come off Nelly? If so, Rainbow Girl had been heading home rather than into town. His spirits lifted, then crashed again. So where was she?
Shaking off the rain, he climbed back into his buggy and drove at a faster pace. Maybe she had arrived at the bishop’s, and he’d somehow missed her.
About another mile down the road, he noticed a draft horse and buggy under some trees at the edge of a field. Not just any horse. Nelly. Maybe she had driven the horse there to wait out the storm. He hurried to the clump of trees. He jumped from his rig and opened the door of hers. Rainbow Girl wasn’t inside, but her pack sat on the floor.
He scanned the vicinity. No Rainbow Girl. “Rainbow? Dori!” The nearest Amish haus wasn’t even in sight. He knew which direction, but did she?
He lifted Nelly’s front hoof that she held cocked. The shoe was missing. He unhitched the horse and secured her to a tree. “I’ll return for you.” He climbed aboard his buggy, intending to drive to the nearest haus. Instead, he headed back to where he’d found the horseshoe. He got out and looked up the road and down. Where would she have gone? Rain pelted him and ran off his hat. Was she out in this?
“Rainbow!” He listened. “Dori!” He didn’t know what to call her.
If Nelly threw a shoe here and ended up a mile away, where had Rainbow Girl gone? He pulled the reins out in front of Dutch, turned him and walked down the side of the road.
She had been headed in this direction. Nelly’s shoe had come off—for some reason. Something must have happened, because he’d checked her shoes not that long ago. One wouldn’t have simply fallen off. Had she spooked?
“Rainbow! Dori!”
He heard a muffled voice and stopped the horse. “Rainbow?”
“I’m here.”
The voice came from up ahead.
“Where?” He couldn’t see her on either side of the road.
“The ditch.”
He leaned over and saw her twenty-five yards up the road. He jogged, bringing the horse with him. Taking the tether weight from the floor of the buggy, he secured Dutch. It wouldn’t do him any gut to have his horse wander off or spook and bolt.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
Waterlogged and mud caked, she stood at the bottom of a ten-foot or so incline, staring up at him, with one hand on the muddy side of the embankment, the other on her stomach. “Wet and cold mostly. Other than that, I’m fine.”
Was she really? Or merely telling him what he wanted to hear? “Is the baby all right?”
She sucked in a breath. “Ja. It’s been kicking me. Gave me a real wallop at the sound of your voice.”
That idea made him smile. Certainly the baby didn’t know his voice, did it? “I’ll get you two out of there.” He moved closer to the edge.
She he
ld up her hand. “What are you doing?”
“I’m coming down for you.”
“Ne! It’s too slippery to climb up. Why do you think I’m still down here? We don’t want to both be stuck.”
Just because she couldn’t climb out, didn’t mean he couldn’t. “I can’t reach you.” Even prone on the ground, he doubted he could. Why hadn’t he thought to bring a rope? Because he never imagined she’d be at the bottom of a deep ditch and he’d need one.
“Go get help.”
Leave her? That didn’t sit well with him. “I can’t leave you down there.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise to still be here when you return.”
He would not abandon her. He would think of something else. “To your left a few feet, I can see a fallen tree branch. Do you think you can reach it?”
She looked. “I think so.”
“Point one end of it up the bank for me to reach.”
She turned and leaned for it, then sucked in a breath.
“What’s wrong?” She wasn’t going into labor, was she? She was a little over seven months pregnant. “Is it the baby?”
She shook her head. “I hurt meine ankle when I slid down here. I’ll be fine.” She grabbed a twig of the bigger branch and pulled the whole thing toward her.
Hopefully, it would be large enough and strong enough to use to pull her up. He needn’t have worried. As she pulled the branch and maneuvered one end up the bank, it kept coming. Grunting and groaning, she eventually hoisted the thick end far enough for him to grab. “Let go of it.” When she did, he pulled it all the way up.
“What about me? I thought you were going to hold it so I could climb up it.”
“I am, but there are too many offshoots. I’m going to break off some of the smaller ones to make it easier to hold on to.” Using his boot and leaning the branch against the buggy, he stomped off branch after branch but left a larger one near the base. He fed that end down the hill. “Put your arm between the larger branch and the one that shoots off from it.”
“Why?”
“In case your hands slip, you won’t fall.” Her wet, muddy hands were small compared to his and not as strong. She also had to be tired from her ordeal.
“What if your hands slip?”
“They won’t.” He wouldn’t let them. “Hold on and climb with your feet. I’ll do most of the work.”
She got into position as he’d instructed.
“Gott, please let her hold on tight and don’t let the branch break.” Hand over hand he hauled up the hunk of wood and Rainbow Girl along with it.
Halfway, her feet slipped from under her.
The branch slid a few inches in his grip, and he sucked in a breath. That definitely tore some flesh. “Are you all right?”
“Ja. Don’t let go.”
“I won’t.”
She got her feet back under her. “That seems to be the same place I kept slipping on meine own. You were right about having the offshoot under meine arm.”
He’d been glad for it, as well. Gott had supplied what they needed. He hauled the branch up faster this time. He wanted to get her to safety as quickly as possible. When she was nearly at the top, his next reach latched onto her wrist, then her other wrist. He hefted her forward and into his arms. She was safe.
Her arms wrapped around him. “Danki. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of there.”
“You’re safe.” He searched her face to see if she was truly all right. He wiped rain and mud from it, then caressed her cheek.
As though some invisible force pushed him forward, he leaned closer. He pressed his lips to hers. Soft and sweet. Or had she kissed him? He couldn’t tell. All he knew was he never wanted to let her go.
But he must and did. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Only meine ankle.” She held her foot out. A gash cut into her flesh.
He lifted her into his arms, and she sucked in a breath. “What is it?”
“Meine hip hurts too.”
“What happened to your hip?”
“Nelly spooked and lost a shoe. I stopped to check her. When she bolted, the rear wheel clipped meine hip. It’s only a bump. I’ll be fine.”
He leaned forward to set her in his buggy.
Her grip tightened around his neck, and her tone was alarmed. “What are you doing?”
“Setting you in the buggy.”
“You can’t. I’m all muddy.”
“I’m aware of that.” He was muddy now too from holding her. “I can easily clean the buggy. Now, let go of me so I can look at your injury.” Not that he really wanted her to release him.
With a heavy sigh, she freed him.
He set her on the seat and assessed her ankle. “This doesn’t look too deep, but it bled and is full of mud. I’m taking you back to the doctor.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can clean it and put a bandage on it when I get home. It’ll be fine.”
“This could get infected.” He rounded the buggy and climbed in.
“It’ll heal. We need to find Nelly.”
“She’s fine, which is more than I can say for you.” He turned Dutch around and headed for the clinic. “Think of the baby. Are you sure it’s all right?”
“The baby’s fine. Nelly threw a shoe somewhere around here. Maybe we can find it.”
Amazing. She’d just been through a harrowing experience, and she was thinking of the horse. He pushed the horseshoe on the floor of the buggy with his boot. “Found it. That’s why I was walking Dutch rather than driving, and the reason I could hear you when you called back to me.”
“That was lucky.”
“That was Gott.”
During the whole drive, he could think of nothing but Rainbow Girl’s well-being, the baby and...that kiss.
He shouldn’t have done it but longed to do it again.
* * *
Dripping wet, Dori hooked her arms around Eli’s neck as he carried her into the clinic. She didn’t need him to carry her, but she liked being in his arms. She couldn’t believe they’d kissed. It had sort of been a mutual meeting in the middle. Nice and sweet, but she knew he hadn’t meant to do it. A gut Amish wouldn’t kiss someone until they were at least engaged. Most didn’t kiss until the wedding day.
Dr. Kathleen rushed over. “You found her. Bring her in here and set her on the table.” She motioned toward one of the back rooms.
Dori swung her legs. “Don’t you dare put me on that clean white sheet.” She didn’t want to get it all muddy. The black buggy seat had been bad enough.
“Would you stop worrying about a little dirt? You are more important than getting something dirty.”
But someone would have to clean it up. “I can stand. Please let me.”
The doctor gave him a nod, and he finally relented. “She has a cut on her ankle, and her hip’s bruised. And make sure the baby’s all right. She fell into a ditch.”
Dori liked that he cared enough to not leave anything to chance.
Dr. Kathleen removed a washcloth and two towels from a chest of drawers. “I’ll check her thoroughly. There are a lot of people out searching for her. Would you make a few calls and spread the message that she’s been found and is well?”
He turned to leave but stopped at the doctor’s voice. “In a lower cupboard in the kitchen are some extra towels to dry off with.”
“Danki, Dr. Kathleen.” Then he left.
The doctor set the towels on the dresser next to a plain white ceramic pitcher and basin. “I didn’t think we needed him hovering. It’s gut if he has something to do.” She poured water from a pitcher into the basin. “Your ankle seems to have stopped bleeding, so if you’re all right to stand, you can wash up here. I’ll get you something clean to wear.”
Dori limped to where she co
uld wash off some of the mud. Her thin knit pants, soggy and muddy, clung to her legs. “Danki.”
The doctor opened a cabinet door behind Dori and closed it. “There are dry clothes on the table. If you’re all right alone for a few moments, I’ll retrieve more water. What you have will get dirty fast.”
“I appreciate that. I’m fine.” Once alone, she washed her face and hands, and did her best to get the mud from her arms.
Dr. Kathleen returned and swapped out a clean basin and pitcher and took away the dirty ones.
After washing up as best as she could, Dori removed her clothes and put them in a muddy pile near the door. She unfolded the clothes the doctor had left for her. A lavender cape dress. Of course. What else would an Amish woman have to offer? Dori didn’t relish putting it on, but it was better than her filthy, sodden clothes. She never imagined wearing one of these again, but the dry dress felt gut against her cold, damp skin.
The doctor knocked on the door. “May I come in?”
“Ja.”
Dr. Kathleen entered with a smile. “Wunderbar. If you’ll sit on the exam table, I’ll see how you and the little one are doing.”
Dori hopped up with her legs dangling over the edge. “I didn’t actually fall into the ditch. I slid down the embankment on meine backside.”
“Then the baby should be fine, but let’s check to make sure.” The doctor put her stethoscope on Dori’s belly. “The heartbeat sounds strong.” She pressed on various places on Dori’s stomach. “Any pain?”
Dori shook her head.
After Dr. Kathleen seemed satisfied that the baby had escaped unscathed, she moved on to cleaning the cut on Dori’s ankle and stitching it up. “Eli was very concerned about you.”
She had noticed. “He seemed as relieved to have me out of the ditch as I was to be out. And he kept asking about the baby.”
“I think he cares for you both.”
“Not likely. The prodigal child and all, returning from the big, bad world. He needs me to manage his website. Nothing more.” But that kiss did make her wonder.