“What’s so funny?” Dan said, entering the kitchen.
Mellie pressed her lips together.
“Nothing,” Beth said, her cheeks growing red.
“Why aren’t you out in the fields?” Mellie asked.
“I’m going.” He gazed at the two of them. “How come Ruthie seems so upset?”
An awkward silence followed his question. Finally, Mellie spoke. “I think she’s just getting used to living somewhere else. It has to be quite an adjustment for her, don’t you think? She’s lived her whole life at her parents’ place.”
Dan tilted his head to the side. “Never thought about it. I guess you’re right.” He squeezed Mellie’s shoulder and then went through the washroom and on outside.
Faith came into the house, her arms full of dirty clothes. “I’ve got it all,” she said. She paused and stared at Mellie and Beth. “What’s going on? You two look guilty.”
Mellie shook her head. “Nothing. Just adjusting to each other is all.”
It was mid-afternoon, and most of the clothes had been fed through the wringer. Faith was already hanging the first loads outside. Beth and Mellie were taking a five-minute break on the front porch.
“The clothes will dry fast in this heat,” Mellie said.
“Jah.”
Mellie looked at her sister. “You all right, Beth?”
Beth was staring ahead and the look in her eyes was concerning to Mellie.
“You look awfully worried.”
Beth blinked and brought her focus to Mellie. “Nee, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I want to apologize again for being so thoughtless this morning.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing. And I want to thank you for sticking up for me.”
Beth frowned. “Things would be a lot easier around here if there weren’t so many of us.”
“Eli will be leaving us soon as he gets married. That’ll be one less.” Mellie watched her sister. Was she about to reveal that she’d be leaving soon, too? To marry Caleb?
“True. But still…”
Mellie leaned forward. She braced herself. If Beth told her she would be marrying Caleb, Mellie wanted to make sure she had a pleasant expression on her face. But Beth said nothing more. She gazed again out into the yard, as if studying the willow tree that draped over the grass. Mellie frowned. Something was going on with Beth, and Beth obviously didn’t want anyone to know about it. Mellie wondered if Caleb knew what it was. She wondered if it would be wrong of her to ask him.
“We better get back at it,” Beth said, standing. “Ruthie will come hunting for us otherwise.”
Mellie stood with her, and together, they headed back inside and down to the basement. They heard the wringer washer churning before they were halfway down the steps. Beth paused and put her hand on Mellie’s arm.
“You’re a gut sister,” she said, and there were tears in her eyes.
Mellie’s heart lurched. Such endearing words were not common, and she couldn’t help but feel afraid when she heard them. Something was afoot, that was for sure and for certain.
Mellie didn’t have to wait long to find out what it was. When she awoke the next morning, Beth’s bed was empty. That was alarming in itself. With Mellie’s baking schedule, she was always the first one up and about. Mellie lay in bed for another minute, listening intently. Perhaps Beth was in the bathroom, getting dressed. Or maybe she wanted a head start on her chores for the day. She knew there was a massive pile of ironing to do after the loads of washing they’d done the day before.
But the house was quiet. Mellie sprang out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. It was empty. She ran back and got dressed quietly so as not to disturb Faith. She’d check for Beth in the barn and the chicken coop. Surely, her sister was out there. Mellie wondered at herself. Why was she assuming there was something wrong simply because Beth wasn’t in bed? There could be a million innocent reasons. But instinctively, Mellie knew there weren’t. Something was wrong.
Not wanting to awaken Ruthie, Mellie tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding each place on the steps that would creak her descent. Downstairs, the house was still shrouded mostly in dark. No one was about. She ran through the washroom and outdoors. The dew moistened her bare feet, but she hardly noticed. She ran across to the barn and flung open the door. Even in the shadows, she could see no one was there. She was about to run around to the coop, when she stopped short.
The pony cart was missing. She ran back to Missie’s stall. The horse was gone, too. Mellie backed up, her mind awhirl. Where in the world would Beth have gone with the pony cart at that hour? It made no sense at all. Unless…
Panic grabbed her throat. Had Beth and Caleb eloped? They were both baptized, so they could marry. But no! They would never do it in such a way. Never.
Or would they?
Was that why Beth had been acting so strangely the last few days? Had she known all this time what she was planning to do?
But Caleb wouldn’t have eloped. She knew this deep in her heart. Caleb loved the people and their ways too much. Eloping would be like a slap in the face. And Beth? No, she wouldn’t do it that way, either. Would she?
Mellie stood in the middle of the barn, not knowing what to do or whom to tell. Should she run and tell Mamm? Thing was, none of them liked to burden Mamm with their problems anymore. With her continual pain, she had too much to contend with as it was. Daadi? She could tell him. He would know what to do. She raced out of the barn and was halfway to the daadi haus, when she stopped. Dan. She could tell Dan. He was the eldest son. He should be informed.
Tears came to Mellie’s eyes. Why hadn’t Beth confided in her? When had they turned that invisible corner where they didn’t share their secrets anymore?
What would Beth want her to do right then?
Mellie’s shoulders drooped. If Beth left secretly, then she wouldn’t want Mellie running about screaming the news. She would have had a good reason for leaving. Mellie inhaled sharply. Maybe she should give Beth some time. She’d probably come rolling back into the drive any minute with a perfectly good reason for her absence.
Mellie walked back to the big house. She’d give her sister a couple more hours. In the meantime, she’d get her baking well underway. The sweet shop was to be open that day, and she hardly had a thing to sell.
In the kitchen, Mellie set out her baking pans, ingredients, measuring utensils, and rolling pin. She put on her apron and pulled out her largest bowl. She began scooping cups of flour into the sifter. She’d begin with cinnamon rolls since they were her best-selling item. Then she’d get some rolls rising and move on to the cookies. She debated whether to offer pies that day. She glanced at the clock. She wouldn’t have time before Ruthie invaded the kitchen and Mellie was pushed to the side.
A sudden thought struck her. Had Beth left because of Ruthie? Mellie frowned. Even if she had, where on earth would she go? They did have kin in Ohio. But there was no way Beth would be taking the pony cart all the way to Ohio.
Mellie continued measuring flour and then pushed her hands into the soft dough, kneading and pulling it as her mind kept churning. Every few minutes, she glanced out the kitchen window into the growing daylight, looking for any sign of Beth’s return. When she had the rolls put together and rising, she rinsed out the bowl and started in on the cookies. She decided on snickerdoodles as they seemed to be the most popular. If she had time, she would make some chocolate chunk cookies as well.
Her hands flew about her work without much conscious effort. She felt most at home in the kitchen, and she loved the quiet mornings. Glancing for the umpteenth time at the clock, she knew her time alone was about to end. She wondered if just once, Ruthie would arise late, and give her a bit more peace. Her brow crinkled, and she shook her head. She needed to put a stop to that kind of thinking. It wasn’t merciful or loving.
She pulled out the cookie sheets and prepared a bowl of sugar and cinnamon. Rolling small balls of dough between her palm
s, she plopped them into the sugar mixture and tossed them around. Once they were covered in sweetness she lined them onto the trays.
“Morning, Mellie.”
Mellie looked up to see Faith. “Hi, Faith.”
“I’m heading out to the barn to milk Hilda. Where’s Beth?”
Mellie’s hands went still. She inhaled deeply and shook her head. “I don’t know. The pony cart is gone.” She spoke in a low voice.
Faith frowned. “Gone? Where? The Feed and Supply isn’t even open this early.”
“I know.” Mellie wiped her hands on the dishrag. “I don’t know where she went.”
Faith strode to the window and gazed out. “It’s only just light out there. Where could she have gone?”
“I don’t know!”
“But this makes no sense.”
Mellie grasped Faith’s arm. “You don’t think she did something stupid, do you? You don’t think that she and Caleb—”
Faith’s eyes went huge. “Ran off? You think they ran off?” Her voice rose in pitch with each word.
“Shh!” Mellie warned. She leaned close. “I don’t know what to think.”
“When did she leave? I didn’t hear her go. Did you?”
“Nee. She sneaked out sometime before I woke up. I don’t know when.”
Faith exhaled. “What are Ruthie and Dan going to say?
“I don’t know. I was waiting before saying anything, hoping she’d come back.”
Faith pushed the edge of the curtain open a bit wider. “She still could.”
“Caleb might know.”
“You can hardly go rushing over there to ask now, can you?”
Mellie sighed. “Nee.”
“What should we do?”
Mellie bit the corner of her lip. What could they do? At such times, she wished they had cell phones. She could simply call Beth and ask her where she was. But that was impossible. Mellie had broached the subject of a cell phone with her parents when she’d opened the sweet shop. Dat was not in favor, so she’d dropped the subject. Although, she hadn’t completely forgotten it. With a cell phone, she could expand her business and supply other places with her baked goods.
She wondered at herself. Why in the world was she thinking of such things when her sister was missing?
“I’m going to the Glick’s.” Mellie made a sudden decision. She couldn’t stand around and wonder for another minute. “Will you bake the cookies for me? I won’t be long.”
“What are you planning to do? Pound on their front door and demand to speak to Caleb?”
Mellie paused. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I plan to do. I’ll figure it out.”
“But Mellie—”
Mellie didn’t wait to hear any more protests. She hurried out the side door and headed to the barn. She pulled the family’s old bike from behind a stack of boards and mounted it. She hadn’t ridden the bike for ages, but she wanted to make the trip to the Glick’s as quickly as possible. If she was lucky, she’d be back before Ruthie got up.
She curled her bare feet around the pedals and took off. The morning air was surprisingly brisk for summertime. She felt the dew in the air as it brushed over her face. The sparrows twittered in the trees as she passed, and their cheerful songs belied the worry in her heart. She was afraid, and she knew why.
She was afraid she’d find Caleb missing, too. And oh, how she wanted him to still be there. To not be already married to her sister.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and she blinked them away. It didn’t take any time at all to reach the Glick’s farm. She slowed and stopped out on the road. She dismounted and gazed at the house. Now what was she to do? She could hardly approach the family and ask outright if Caleb and Beth had run off together. As she stood observing the house, she realized the stupidity of her actions. She should have listened to Faith. What had she hoped for? That Caleb would be standing out on the road waiting for her?
She blew out her breath and decided to head back home. Standing there was not going to solve anything. She climbed back on the bike, and taking one last glance at the farm, a flash of blue caught her eye. She paused and craned her neck to the side of the barn. She nearly burst into tears when she saw Caleb walk around the building carrying a bucket.
He was there. He hadn’t run off. She got off the bike and tossed it to the ground. Without thinking, she flew over the wet grass toward the barn. Caleb glanced up. When their eyes met, his mouth opened in surprise. He dropped the bucket and hurried to her.
“Mellie! What are you doing here? What’s wrong? Is Beth all right?”
“Caleb!” She wanted to throw herself in his arms. She stopped short, completely flustered.
He took her hand and pulled her back by the side of the barn. “What is it?” he repeated, and she saw the fear in his eyes.
“I’m looking for Beth,” she said.
“Here? At this hour? What do you mean?”
“She’s gone. I thought that maybe you and she…” Mellie couldn’t finish her sentence, but she didn’t need to. It was obvious that Caleb got her meaning.
“Nee. Nee, Mellie.” His brow furrowed, and he quickly released her hand as if he’d just realized he was still holding it. “Tell me what happened.” He swallowed and looked at her intently.
“She was gone when I got up. The pony cart is missing.”
Caleb took a step back and exhaled. He ran his hand over his chin. He shook his head. Something about his expression told Mellie he knew something.
“Where is she, Caleb?” Her voice was pointed.
“I don’t know for sure.”
“You know something. I can see it on your face.”
“I don’t know anything for sure.”
“Caleb!” Mellie wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him.
“It’s just something she said the other night on the way home from the singing.”
“What?” she asked. “What did she say?”
Caleb looked down and scraped his boot over the dirt. “She talked about teaching.”
“She said something to me about teaching, too, the other day. But still…” Mellie looked at him.
“They need a schoolteacher over in the Meadow Lark district.”
“That’s a two-hour drive from here by van!”
“I know.”
“But she took the pony cart. Do you think she’s going there?”
Caleb gave her a blank look. “I don’t know.”
Mellie slumped. “I don’t understand. It would take all day in the cart. And it’d be dangerous, wouldn’t it? Taking the pony cart all that way?”
Caleb took off his hat and gripped the straw rim. “I don’t know, Mellie.”
“So what should we do?”
“What can we do?”
“Wait. That’s all we can do,” Mellie said the words slowly, hearing the finality in them.
“You’ll let me know.”
Mellie nodded. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Caleb,” she whispered. Her throat tightened. How could Beth do something like this? Was she so desperate that she couldn’t share her plan with anyone?
Caleb put his hat back on, shoving it low over his forehead. “I’ll talk to you later.” His eyes were pained.
“All right,” Mellie murmured. She turned and ran to the road, not looking back, not checking to see if he was watching her. She didn’t need to. She felt his eyes on her every move. But she knew he wasn’t thinking of her. He was thinking of her sister.
Chapter Six
Mellie leaned the bike against the barn wall and squared her shoulders. She needed to walk back into the kitchen as if nothing was amiss. Maybe no one was up yet but Faith, and they could have a moment together before the storm hit.
But it wasn’t to be. Mellie walked into the kitchen to face the open glares of both Dan and Ruthie.
“What’s this?” Dan asked. “Beth’s gone?”
Mellie’s gaze flew to Faith who made a help
less gesture and gave her a slight shake of her head.
Mellie sighed. “Evidently.”
“And you were off looking for her?” Dan asked.
Mellie’s gaze again darted to Faith, and she gave Faith a silent thank you with her eyes. So her sister hadn’t divulged her impulsive race over to the Glick’s.
“I was on the bike,” she said.
“Any sign of her?” Dan asked.
“Nee.”
“Where did the girl go?” asked Ruthie, her voice shrill. “We’ve got chores to do today. I can’t believe—”
“Ruthie!” Dan interrupted gruffly, giving her a stern look. “Will you stop with the chores? I’m worried about my sister!”
Ruthie’s lips clamped together in a scowl.
“You have no idea where she is? She told you nothing?” Dan asked.
“She told me nothing,” Mellie said. She wondered if she should mention the school teaching comment or not.
“I’m sorry,” Ruthie muttered. She straightened her back. “Of course, I’m concerned about Beth. It’s just that I’m aware of all to be done around here.”
Mellie glanced at her and had to give her grudging respect for at least an attempt at an apology.
Dan began pacing. “Does Mamm know anything?”
“We didn’t ask her,” Faith said. “You want me to go out there and ask?”
“Nee,” Dan answered. “Not yet.”
“I think we should just wait,” Mellie said. “She’s an adult, right? She must have her reasons.”
“Scaring her family half to death doesn’t sound like an adult to me,” Ruthie snapped, and then her features relaxed. “Sorry.”
“I think Mellie’s right,” Faith said. “Let’s just wait a bit and not panic.”
Eli ambled into the kitchen. “What’s going on?”
“Beth has taken the pony cart, and we don’t know where she went,” Faith said.
Eli’s eyebrows raised, and then he shrugged. “Is breakfast about ready?”
There was a long moment of stunned silence. Then, they all burst into laughter. Leave it to Eli to only be thinking about his stomach. But his comment served its purpose, and they all relaxed a bit, returning to the tasks at hand.
Amish Romance Box Set: Finding Home Page 5