“I cannot go against Adam’s wishes,” Leah said. “It would cause dissension between us.”
Cora sat, mulling things over. “What about my daughter? Does Mary live in this area, too?”
Leah clasped Cora’s hand. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Mary and her husband were killed in an accident several months ago.”
Cora covered her mouth to hold back the sob rising in her throat. “Oh, no! That just can’t be. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I wanted to make things right with my children.” As reality sunk in, Cora let her tears spill, while Leah sat quietly, gently patting her back.
“Oh, Leah, it’s too late to make amends with my daughter. I’d hoped that someday I would see both of my children again so I could apologize to them.”
Heartfelt sympathy showed on Leah’s face, and Cora thought she saw tears in Leah’s eyes. “It was hard for Adam to accept Mary’s death, but I think having her girls to raise has been a comfort to him in many ways,” Leah said.
Cora gripped the armrests on the chair as this new information penetrated her brain. “Are Adam’s nieces the girls you’ve been caring for?”
Leah bobbed her head. “And I’ll be more involved in their care after Adam and I are married.”
Cora drew in a sharp breath. “Those little girls are my grandchildren.” Pausing, she let out a whispered sigh. “I have granddaughters.” Looking up at Leah through blurry vision, she said tearfully, “I’d like the chance to get to know them.”
“Leah, Elaine’s here to see you!” Leah’s mother hollered from the top of the basement stairs.
“I’ll be up soon. Tell her to wait for me in the living room,” Leah called in response. She looked at Cora. “I’m sorry, but I need to go now. My friend probably came by to talk about last-minute details for the wedding.”
“I understand, and I surely won’t keep you.” Cora rose to her feet. “Before I go home, can I ask a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Would you at least put in a good word for me with Adam? Ask if he’d be willing to meet with me—or, at the very least, allow me to visit my granddaughters?”
“I’ll try,” Leah said, “but you’ll need to accept whatever Adam decides.”
I’m not sure I can do that, Cora thought. If Leah couldn’t get through to Adam, then Cora would decide what to do next. One thing was for sure: she wouldn’t be moving back to Chicago now. Her place was here—with her son and granddaughters. Now Jared would get to know his stepbrother.
Elaine had been waiting in the living room for twenty minutes before Leah showed up, and when she did, she appeared to be quite upset.
“What’s wrong, Leah?” Elaine asked. “Have you received some bad news?”
Groaning, Leah flopped onto the couch next to Elaine. “I have, in fact.”
“What is it?” Elaine clasped Leah’s arm. “Has someone you know been injured or taken sick?”
Leah shook her head. “Remember the talk we had about Adam’s mother leaving when he was a boy?”
“Jah.”
“Well, that woman who was here getting a foot treatment is Adam’s mother, and she wants me to set something up so she and Adam can meet.”
Elaine’s eyes widened. “What did you tell her?”
“Said I’d see what I could do but made no promises.” Leah folded her arms in front of her chest, rocking slowly back and forth. “I’m the reason Cora made the request. I stupidly blurted out that the man I will be marrying is Adam Beachy.” She sniffed. “Worse than that, I broke my promise to Adam by telling his mother about him and the girls.”
“Are you going to tell him what happened?”
Leah nodded. “And I’d better do it before this day is over, because if I don’t talk to him about it now, Cora may decide to seek Adam out on her own. That could make things even worse.”
“I’ll pray for you, and for Adam, too.”
“We surely do need some extra prayers.”
Elaine picked up the cardboard box she’d placed on the coffee table when she’d first arrived. “I doubt this will make you feel any better, but I made you a pre-wedding gift.”
“What is it?” Leah asked, taking the box from Elaine.
“Open it and see.”
Elaine held her breath as Leah opened the lid and removed the rock.
“Oh, how beautiful! It looks like a ruby-throated hummingbird.”
Elaine smiled. “When I found that rock the other day among my collection and realized it resembled a hummer, I knew I had to paint it for you.”
Leah set the rock down and gave Elaine a hug. “Danki. Your timing was perfect. I miss the hummingbirds when they leave for the south. Now I’ll have this cute little rock to look at all year long. This special gift has brightened my day.”
Elaine was on the verge of telling Leah about Ben’s marriage proposal but thought better of it. Leah has enough on her mind right now, and it wouldn’t be fair to ask her to help me decide whether I should marry Ben. Besides, that’s something I need to decide for myself, after I’ve prayed about it. If I agree to marry Ben, then I’ll tell Leah.
As Cora drove down the road, her hands shook so badly she could hardly steer. It was completely dark, and the tears she tried holding back blurred her vision. Adam, her son, lived right here in Arthur. Oh, how she had missed him all these years, but thinking there was no chance of her ever seeing him again, she’d kept it all bottled up inside. And to have found out about Mary…
“Oh my sweet daughter, how can you be gone?” Cora cried out as more tears spilled down her cheeks. “I wanted so badly to make things right with you. Please forgive me, Mary. I’m so sorry I put you and your brother through all that.” Cora continued to sob, hoping against hope that somehow Mary could hear her pleas.
Even though she wasn’t far from home, Cora was so upset she had to pull over, unable to go on any farther. Sobs came over and over from deep within. It was hard to breathe. She turned the car off and screamed out more pain. Sounding like a wounded animal, her throat constricted and started to hurt, but she didn’t care as she howled even louder. Leaning her head against the window, she cried, “Oh, what have I done?” Her punishment had come, and she deserved it. “I was wrong to think of only myself. How could I have thought being a nurse was so important that I heartlessly left my husband and two small children like that?”
Cora let her forehead fall against the steering wheel and grieved over the fact that she would never see Mary again. She’d never get to meet the man her daughter had married or have the chance to make things right with her. Life could be so cruel, and she had no one to blame but herself.
Slowly, her sobs subsided, but the hiccups that followed remained. Fishing into her purse for a tissue, Cora wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She jumped when she heard someone knocking on her car window. When Cora saw the sheriff standing outside with a flashlight, she rolled the window down.
“You all right, ma’am?” he asked, leaning in to look at her.
“Yes, yes… hic… I’m fine,” she stammered. “I’m on my way home and needed to pull over for a bit. Hic! Hic!”
“Well, if you have to pull over again, remember to put your blinkers on. It’s dark out, and you don’t want someone to accidentally hit you.”
“Thank you, Officer. I’ll remember that.”
Relieved that her hiccups had finally subsided, Cora watched in the rearview mirror as the sheriff got back in his vehicle and pulled away. Sighing, she turned on the ignition and headed for home.
When she walked into her home sometime later, she was greeted by Jared, who stood with his hands on his hips. “Where you been all this time?” he demanded. “I’m hungry!”
“Then you’d better fix yourself a sandwich,” Cora mumbled on the way to her room. “I have a headache, and I’m going to bed.” She fled past Jared straight to her room, not wanting him to see her puffy eyes. There was no way Cora could discuss with Jared all that she’d just learned. Not
tonight anyway. She had too much information to digest. Somehow, Cora had to come to grips with the knowledge that her daughter had died, her son lived here in Arthur, and she had three granddaughters. To top that off, Leah would soon be married to Cora’s son and, technically, would be her daughter-in-law.
Cora undressed, slipped a nightgown over her head, and climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin, as if to wrap herself in a safe cocoon. “Sleep is what I need,” she whimpered. “Maybe things will make more sense in the morning and I can figure out what I need to do.”
Adam had just finished tucking the girls into bed, when he heard a knock on the back door. He made sure the girls’ doors were shut then went quickly down the stairs.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Leah on the porch, her black outer bonnet slightly askew.
“Leah, what are you doing here at this time of night? Is everything all right?”
“I need to talk to you,” she said breathlessly.
Concerned for her welfare, he opened the door wider and invited her in. “Let’s go into the kitchen.”
Once they were seated at the kitchen table, Adam said, “You look umgerennt.”
“You’re right. I’m very upset.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Cora came to see me for another foot treatment earlier this evening, and I… I accidentally mentioned your name.”
Adam’s head fell back. He felt like he’d been kicked by a mule. “You told her about me?” He could hardly believe Leah would betray him like that.
Tears gathered in Leah’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t mean to blurt it out. We were having a casual conversation, and she asked me about the wedding. It was just a slip of the tongue.”
Adam sucked in air between his teeth. Why did this woman have to come here now? She’ll ruin everything.
“Adam.” Leah touched his arm. “She asked about Mary, too. I had to tell her. I had no choice.”
“I bet that was a jolt to hear. Serves her right!” He thumped his knuckles on the edge of the table. “I suppose she wants to see me now?”
Leah gave a quick nod. “And the girls, too. She’s anxious to meet her granddaughters.”
His back muscles tightened. “You told her about them? Leah, how could you?”
“I didn’t mean to, Adam. It just slipped out. Besides, she sort of figured that out for herself.”
Adam’s hand came down hard on the table. “It’ll be a snowy day in sunny Florida before I allow her to see those girls!” His lips compressed. “You’d better talk her into leaving Arthur, Leah, because if she comes anywhere near me or the girls, I’ll do just like my daed after that woman left us. I’ll pack up our things and move so far from here that she’ll never find us!”
CHAPTER 39
I’m tired. It’s too early to get up,” Jared complained when Cora prompted him to get out of bed Thursday morning.
“You’ve got school today. Did you forget?” She gestured to his clothes piled up on the floor. “And when you get home, I expect you to get this messy room cleaned. You weren’t born in a barn, Jared, and I’m getting tired of reminding you to pick up after yourself.”
Jared moaned, rolling to the edge of his bed. “Okay, I’ll do it later today. Maybe after I get back from Scott’s.”
Cora frowned. “I don’t recall giving you permission to go over there after school.”
“Yeah, Mom, you did. Said it last night, remember?”
Truth was, Cora had been so tired and stressed out last night, that she barely remembered fixing supper or going to bed. She was sure she hadn’t given Jared permission to go anywhere after school. Ever since her visit with Leah Monday evening, when she had learned that Leah was going to marry Cora’s own son, she’d been in a fog, trying to decide what to do. She didn’t know how she’d made it through work the past couple of days after learning all that, but somehow she had managed to act in a professional manner. That’s exactly what it had been: an act. All she’d been able to think about was Adam and poor Mary. Every time Cora had gone into the waiting room to get the next patient, she half expected one of the Amish men waiting there would be Adam. But if Leah had said anything to him, wouldn’t Adam have made an attempt to see her by now?
Yesterday, when Cora got home from work, she’d made a decision. She was going to Leah and Adam’s wedding, even though she hadn’t received an invitation. Cora knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, but as soon as she’d gotten out of bed this morning, she’d called her boss at the clinic and said she was sick. She’d thought about taking Jared to the wedding but didn’t want him missing any time from school. Besides, Cora still hadn’t told him about Adam. She figured that could wait until she’d spoken to Adam and made things right. It would be a shock for Jared to find out he had a half brother.
“Mom, did you hear what I said?” Jared asked, scattering Cora’s thoughts.
She jerked her head. “Uh, yes, son, I heard you.”
“So can I go over to Scott’s after school?”
“I guess it would be okay. But stay out of trouble. Do you understand?”
He nodded.
“Good. Now get dressed, and pick up some of your clothes before you eat breakfast.” Cora hurried from the room. She’d wait until Jared left for school before she drove over to Leah’s. She felt sure that was where the wedding would take place.
Leah’s stomach tightened as she took a seat across from her groom, inside her brother’s oversized shop. She’d seen Adam on Tuesday, and again yesterday, when she’d gone to his house to care for the girls, but not a word had been said about Cora. Perhaps Adam had calmed down now that he’d had a few days to think things over. And maybe, if the Lord answered Leah’s prayers, at some point Adam would agree to see Cora. She felt sure that his comment about moving if Cora tried to see him had been spoken out of anger and frustration. Surely he wouldn’t give up his home and business and uproot the girls now that they were getting settled and used to living here in Arthur.
And what about me? Leah wondered. Would Adam expect me to leave my folks and the only home I’ve ever known and move someplace else so that he could run from his past? Adam’s relationship with his mother—or the lack of it—was eating him up, and Leah felt powerless to do anything about it.
She closed her eyes and offered a brief prayer. Heavenly Father, please soften Adam’s heart and heal the pain that’s been there for so many years. Help me to be the helpmate he needs, and, if possible, let healing occur between Adam and his mother.
Opening her eyes and glancing at her soon-to-be husband, Leah couldn’t help but notice the perspiration that had gathered on his forehead. Was he as nervous as she was? Could he be having second thoughts about making her his wife? What would she do if he ran out of Nathan’s shop?
Get a hold of yourself, and stop thinking such negative thoughts. Leah licked her dry lips and fought the urge to pick at a hangnail on her thumb. If she had noticed it before she’d left home this morning, she would have trimmed it off with nail clippers. But if she started pulling on it now, she’d draw attention to herself, and that would be embarrassing.
Pulling her gaze from Adam, she glanced at her two witnesses sitting beside her. Elaine seemed focused on the sermon being preached by one of their ministers, but Priscilla kept her focus on Elam, sitting directly across from her.
I wonder if she’s wishing they were getting married today. The couple had been courting for quite a while, and Leah was still surprised Elam hadn’t asked Priscilla to marry him by now.
Maybe he’s waiting till he has enough money saved up, Leah thought. Or perhaps, for some reason, he’s afraid of marriage.
Leah looked at Ben and noticed that he couldn’t take his eyes off Elaine. Now there’s someone who’s obviously in love. I wonder if Elaine realizes the way Ben feels about her. If it’s this apparent to me, I would think it would be to her, as well.
She looked at Adam again. If anyone had a reason to fea
r marriage, it was him. She couldn’t imagine how it must have been for Adam’s father when Cora walked out on her family. It must have been heart-wrenching, not to mention humiliating. She wondered what other people in Adam’s Pennsylvania community must have thought. Would there have been some who believed Adam’s dad was to blame—that he may have done something to drive Cora away? Or had most folks blamed Cora, thinking she was a terrible person for what she’d done, especially leaving her two small children? Adam certainly believed that. But unless he could forgive his mother, he would never truly be at peace.
As the service progressed, Adam felt himself beginning to relax. He’d come here feeling exceptionally nervous, fearful that something might happen to ruin the wedding. His eyes kept darting toward the door, hoping a particular person didn’t unexpectedly show up, although he was certain that he wouldn’t recognize her. It had been three days since Leah had admitted telling his mother who he was. Much to his relief, Cora had not gone to see Leah again or tried to contact him. Maybe she’d given up and decided to leave Arthur. That would be the sensible thing to do, because there was no hope of her having a relationship with him or the girls. All Adam wanted was the chance to begin a new life and, with Leah’s help, raise Mary and Amos’s girls the best way he could.
When Cora arrived at Leah’s home, she knew immediately that the wedding was not taking place there because no buggies were parked in the field and there was no sign of a bench wagon or anything else to indicate that a wedding was being held.
Cora tapped the steering wheel. Let me think. Where might the wedding be held?
Unsure of where to go or what to do, Cora turned her car around and headed back down the driveway. The only thing she could think to do was drive around the area and see if she could locate the home where the wedding was being held. Surely it couldn’t be that hard to spot. She just had to find the right road.
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