She closed her eyes. “You are very bossy.”
He fought back a smile. “And you are very stubborn.”
“So I have been told,” she whispered before her head lolled to the side, and he knew she was asleep again.
She didn’t rouse when he laid her on the bed. He stepped back and thrust his hands in his pockets. Her daughters crept in behind him. Lucy tugged on the hem of his coat. “Mama sick?”
Willa looked small and vulnerable lying beneath the thick quilt. He wanted to see her standing strong with that stubborn chin jutting out. He nodded. “Ja, I think she is very sick.”
Megan squeezed past him, grasped her mother’s hand and tugged on it. “Mama get up.”
His mother scowled at him and leaned down to reassure Megan, slipping her arm around the child’s shoulders. “Your mamm just needs to rest. Kumm, we must let her sleep. You are all going to stay with us for a few days. Won’t that be nice?”
“Feed cows again?” Lucy asked.
“Ja. Tomorrow John will let you feed all the animals again. Now it’s time to make our own supper. Go into the kitchen. I’ll be there in a minute. You may each have a cookie from the plate that is on the counter.”
The girls reluctantly left the bedroom. John followed his mother down the hall. “You sound positively delighted to have this family of strangers stay on for days.”
“I am.”
“Well, I’m not. I haven’t been able to get a single piece of work done today.”
She stopped and turned to face him. “You have done nothing but work yourself half to death for the past four years.”
“You speak as if that is a poor thing.”
“Work is all well and good, but you’ve forgotten how to have a little fun now and again.”
“I know how to have fun.” His mother was being ridiculous.
“What was the last thing you did simply for the fun of it?” She stared at him with her arms crossed.
“I enjoy my work. It is fun to me.”
“You can’t think of anything, can you?”
He shook his finger at her. “If they do stay another day, you will keep the chatterboxes occupied while I get caught up on my work. A forge is no place for such wild kinder.”
“They aren’t wild.”
“Maybell will disagree with you.”
“I will keep them. All you had to do was ask.” She smiled sweetly, and he saw exactly how tomorrow was going to turn out. It would be a repeat of today.
“The first thing on my list will be repairing their buggy so they can leave.”
“If Gott wishes them to go, they will go. If He wishes them to stay, they will stay.” His mother turned away and walked into the kitchen.
Chapter Four
Willa stretched her stiff and aching muscles, then snuggled down beneath the warm quilt again, reluctant to open her eyes. If only she could stay asleep for a few more minutes. Just a few more.
“You’re awake, I see.”
The familiar voice put an end to Willa’s wishful thinking. She turned her head and found John’s mother sitting in a rocker beside the bed. There was daylight pouring through the window. “What time is it?”
Pushing to her feet, Vera patted Willa’s shoulder. “Time to eat something. I’ll be back in a minute with your tray. I hope you like strong tea. I never could drink coffee while I was pregnant.”
“You don’t need to coddle me,” Willa said, but Vera was already out the door.
Willa sat up in bed and pushed her hair back from her face. Her chest ached from coughing and her throat was scratchy, but she didn’t intend to stay in bed another day as much as she wished she could.
“This is not coddling. It’s plain common sense,” Vera said as she returned with a tray of tea and cinnamon toast. “The more you rest, the sooner you will be well enough to travel. Perhaps tomorrow.”
When Vera finished propping pillows behind Willa, she placed the tray on her lap.
Willa smiled her thanks. “A good night’s sleep has done wonders for me. I won’t trouble you any longer.”
“Eat and then we shall see.”
“Where are my daughters?” Willa looked past Vera to the empty hall. She wasn’t used to having the girls out of her sight. She couldn’t rest easy until she saw them.
“They are helping my son John with the chores. I believe they are gathering the eggs and feeding the chickens.”
Willa bit her lower lip. “I’m not sure they will be much help.”
Vera chuckled. “I’m sure you are right, but John needs a lesson in patience. Kinder are often the best teachers of that virtue.”
“I don’t want them to annoy him.”
Vera moved to the window to look out. “I hope they will. My son has become a stuffy fellow. It will do him good to see the world through the eyes of little ones for a change.”
Willa moved the food tray aside. The last thing she wanted was to cause John trouble. He’d been more than kind. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us, but I must be going. I still have a long way to travel. Has John had a chance to repair my buggy?”
Willa stood. The room spun wildly. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her head as Vera steadied her.
“Sit before you fall down.”
“It will pass. I stood up too quickly, that’s all.”
“Nee, this is your babe’s way of saying you need more rest. Back in bed and don’t try getting up again unless John or I am close by. I don’t want to have to pick you up off the floor.”
Willa’s legs trembled, forcing her to sit on the side of the bed. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t going anywhere until she had regained more of her strength. She meekly allowed Vera to tuck her in again. When the dizziness subsided, Willa opened her eyes to find Vera watching her with a worried expression. It had been a long time since anyone had worried over her.
“I’m fine now. Truly I am.”
“You will drink your tea and eat your toast, and not another word about leaving. Is that understood?”
“It is,” Willa answered, feeling like a scolded child. Vera Miller was clearly used to giving orders and being obeyed.
“Goot. Rest today and tomorrow you will feel much better.”
After Vera left the room, Willa sipped the tea and nibbled on the toast as she took stock of her situation. She couldn’t leave today, and it wouldn’t do her any good to argue. She shuddered to think what could have happened yesterday when her horse was trotting unguided along the roads. They were safe for now. The children were being fed and looked after, something she couldn’t do herself.
Leaning back against the headboard, she drew a deep breath, pleased that it didn’t trigger a coughing fit. The tea was soothing, and it was making her sleepy.
Another day’s rest would see her stronger, but she couldn’t stay longer than that. Time was growing short. She had to learn if her great-aunt or her cousins would take her and the children in. Her baby was due in less than two months. She had to have a safe place for the girls and her babe before she gave birth. Nothing mattered but protecting them, even from herself.
* * *
“How is she?” John asked his mother when he came in. His two terrors followed right behind him. He hoped Willa Lapp was able to travel. Keeping an eye on her two energetic children was exhausting. How did women do it? Between answering their endless questions and keeping them out of harm’s way, he was ready to cart them all to Hope Springs himself.
“Willa is resting at the moment, but she is in no shape to travel. She stood at the side of the bed and almost fainted.”
He stifled a groan. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He wanted her to be on her way, but he could hardly push a sick woman out the door. “Then the ki
nder must stay with you the rest of the day. I have work to do and I cannot have them underfoot. They court disaster at every turn.”
His mother frowned at him. “That’s a harsh thing to say about such darlings.”
“Johnjohn’s mad,” Lucy told her.
John pointed at her. “This one almost tumbled out of the hayloft door. I barely caught her in time. Megan dropped the basket of eggs and broke half of them. And someone left the henhouse door open. I spent the last hour hunting down and catching our chickens.”
His mother actually smiled, making him feel foolish for allowing two children to get the better of him. “I wondered what was taking so long. Accidents happen. It’s not as if they are going out of their way to annoy you, but I will keep them with me for the rest of the day. Does that make you happy?”
“It does. Very, very happy.”
“Kumm and redd-up, girls.”
Megan cocked her head to the side. “What’s redd-up?”
“It means to clean up. I can’t believe John let you get so dirty.”
His mouth dropped open. “I let them? I don’t know how I could stop them. They crawl under and over and into everything.”
“Never mind. A little dirt washes off easily enough. Shall we go in and see your mamm? She’s been missing you.”
“I miss Mama. Need a hug.” Megan followed his mother to the kitchen sink and allowed her to wipe her dirty hands and face.
Lucy stood beside him, looking up with sad eyes. “Johnjohn mad at me?”
He blew out a cleansing breath. “Nee, I’m not mad at you. Go wash your face.”
She smiled brightly. “Okeydokey.”
When she wasn’t being a bother, she had an engaging way about her. He watched as his mother led them down the hall to the guest room. He had plenty of work waiting but found himself following them instead. He wanted to see for himself that Willa couldn’t travel. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to keep her abed just to annoy him.
From the doorway he saw Willa propped up in bed. She had her eyes closed, and it looked as though she were sleeping. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes and bright spots of color in her cheeks. Was she still running a fever? Guilt replaced his annoyance. She did look ill.
Her eyes opened as her daughters climbed onto the bed with her. The transformation on her face was amazing. He had seldom seen such radiant joy. It was as if the sun had come out after a fierce storm.
She stretched out her arms and pulled the girls to her sides. “This is what I need to make me feel better. Lovebug hugs.”
She gave her affection so freely. He wasn’t used to seeing that. Most Amish women were very reserved. Public displays of affection were frowned upon.
Willa caught sight of him. “I hope they haven’t been troubling you, John.”
“Not a bit.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, unsure why he didn’t tell her the truth.
“They can be a handful. Two handfuls.” She kissed each child on the head. “I see you have your kapps on. That’s good.”
“Where yours?” Megan asked.
Willa brushed a strand of her hair back from her face and looked around. “I’m not sure. Where is my dignity?”
Her tousled curls caught the sunlight shining in and glowed with a warm light that made him want to stretch his hand out and touch them. It wasn’t proper for a man to see a woman with her head uncovered. A woman’s hair was her crowning glory, meant to be seen only by God and by her husband.
“Here it is,” John said, picking up the covering where it had fallen to the floor. He handed it to her, looking away in embarrassment as she finger combed her hair and settled the kapp on her head. He shoved his hands in his pockets again.
“Johnjohn’s mad at me,” Lucy said with a pout and a mournful look in his direction.
“He is? What did you do?” Willa asked.
Lucy cupped a hand to her mother’s ear and whispered loudly. “I let the chickies go bye-bye. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, dear. I’m sure John has forgiven you. You won’t do it again, will you?”
Lucy solemnly shook her head. “Megan broked the eggs.”
“On accident.” Megan glared at him.
Willa clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, John, I’m sorry. You have had your hands full.”
He shrugged. “They didn’t mean any harm.”
“Of course they didn’t,” his mother said as she slipped past him with a sly grin on her face.
“Rest up,” he said to Willa, backing away. “Your horse is fine, and I’ll have your buggy fixed in no time.”
“Thank you, John. Girls, why don’t you stay with me for a little while?”
“Play games?” Megan asked with a bright smile. “Hide-and-seek?”
“Not today. Lucy, there is a book in my backpack on the floor by the window. Will you bring it here, please?”
“I’ll get it,” John said, quickly crossing the floor. He grasped the backpack by the strap and laid it on the bed beside her.
“Thank you, John. Lucy, you pick the first story. Megan, you can pick the second one. Okay?”
The girls nodded. Lucy peered into the bag and pulled out a tattered children’s book. “This one.”
“The story about the kitten who lost her mittens. We like this one, don’t we?”
Lucy nodded vigorously. “We saw kitties. They runned away.”
“Sometimes it takes a while for kittens to learn to like a new person. If you are kind to them, they will soon warm up to you.”
“Bad man scared them,” Megan said.
John was shocked to see fear widen Willa’s eyes. “What bad man? Did you see him?” she demanded.
Megan pointed to John. “Him.”
Willa visibly relaxed. “John isn’t a bad man. He’s a nice fellow.”
Megan frowned. “Nice?”
“Very nice.” Willa glanced at him and quickly looked away.
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought she might be blushing.
Megan didn’t look as if she believed her mother.
John pondered Willa’s reaction to Megan’s words as he walked back to the kitchen. His mother was busy mixing something in a bowl. He checked the stove and found there was still coffee in the pot. He poured himself a cup and leaned his hip against the counter. “Has Willa told you much about herself?”
“Nee, and I haven’t asked. Why?”
“Something Megan said. She said the bad man scared the kittens. She meant me, but I saw fear on Willa’s face.”
His mother stopped stirring. “What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she is running away from someone.”
She started stirring again. “I don’t like to think that, but I reckon it’s possible.”
“Yesterday she said someone was trying to take her babies away.”
“She had a high fever, John. She might have been out of her head.”
“Maybe, but her fear was real.” He took a sip of coffee and grimaced. It was cold.
“What can we do about it?” his mother asked.
He walked to the sink and poured out his cup. “I’m going to fix her buggy so she can leave. We don’t need outsider problems.”
“I will see what I can find out. If she is in trouble, we must help her.”
“If she is in trouble, she must take it with her when she leaves,” he insisted. She and her children had disrupted his life enough.
“I don’t know how I raised such a hard-hearted man. Your wife would have wanted to help this poor woman.”
He cringed inwardly. “Katie’s gone.”
“So is your father, but you and I are here until Gott calls us home. What we do with the rest of our lives is important. Hiding in you
r smithy isn’t the way God wants you to live. You are young. You still have time to find love, a wife, a family, if only you would open your heart.”
“I tried it your way, remember? It didn’t work out.”
“Your father and I pressured you to court Rebecca, I admit as much. That was a mistake on our part. It was too soon for you, but because Rebecca loved another is no reason for you to give up on finding happiness.”
“I’m happy enough. I don’t need a wife. I had one and God took her from me. What I need is to get back to work.” He stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Five
Willa cupped her hands over her belly as her baby kicked hard enough to make her wince. “Please don’t be in a hurry to arrive,” she whispered. “If you give me enough time, I promise to make sure you are safe. I love you so much already.”
She looked up to see Vera standing in the doorway. “Is everything all right? I thought I heard the front door slam.”
“My son gets tired of my prodding ways and balks like a stubborn mule at times. At least when he does, I know he is paying attention to my ramblings.”
“Is he upset because we are here?”
Vera dismissed her suggestion with a wave of her hand. “All things in the world are by the will of Gott. You are here because He wishes it. My son will come to that conclusion in time.”
Willa smoothed a wrinkle from the cover over her lap. She needed to believe God would protect her, but doubts crept in when she was alone. “I want to believe in His great goodness, but sometimes I wonder how He can allow such sadness in the world.”
“His ways are beyond our understanding. His plan is too large for us to see more than a tiny portion of it, but He has a plan for us all.”
“Mama, more story.” Lucy pushed the book toward Willa.
“In a minute, darling.”
Vera sat on the edge of the bed. “I happen to have a box of toys in my bedroom across the hall. It’s a big brown wooden box under the window. Would you girls like to look for something to play with? I’m sure I have a doll for each of you in there.”
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