She stared up at him with a pinched expression. “I’ve just been lying here, thinking.”
“About what?”
“About the appointment I had with the doctor earlier this week.” Her eyelids fluttered. “What if this pain I’ve been having is something serious? What if—”
“Didn’t you tell me the doctor said he didn’t think it was serious?”
She nodded. “He thinks I’ve got irritable bowel syndrome, and that a change in my diet and some medication might help. Of course, he’ll know more after I have some tests run and he gets the results.”
Herman took a seat in the chair across from her. “We’ll just have to pray it’s nothing serious.”
“Humph! A lot of good prayer has ever done me.”
Herman was about to respond, when Peter stepped into the room. “Papa, are you coming back to the barn? I think Bossy’s about to deliver her calf.”
“I’d better go, Catherine,” Herman said, rising to his feet. “We can talk more about this later.”
Chapter 20
When Allison pulled her horse and buggy into the Swartzes’ driveway on Monday morning, she was surprised to see so many empty animal cages stacked along the side of the barn. From what she’d heard about Melinda’s animal shelter, she figured all the cages would be full.
She spotted Melinda coming out of the house and waved to her.
Melinda hurried out to meet Allison, just as Allison hitched the horse to the hitching rail.
“Wie geht’s?” Allison asked.
“I’m doing well. How about you?”
“Real good.” Allison smiled. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I think I may be staying in Webster County longer than originally planned.”
“That’s wunderbaar.” Melinda led the way as Allison took her horse to the corral. “How much longer will you be staying?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe indefinitely if my daed agrees to it.”
“It would be nice if you could stay, but won’t you miss your family back home?”
“I will miss my papa and my brothers, and of course my friend Sally Mast. But I’ve got family here, too, and I’ve made several new friends. I was really homesick when I first came here, but now I want to stay.” Allison smiled. “Besides, I can go home for visits, and maybe Papa and my brothers can come visit here, too.”
Melinda gave Allison a knowing look. “Does this decision to stay have anything to do with Aaron Zook?”
Allison’s face heated up as she stared at the toes of her sneakers. “Jah.”
“I thought so.” Melinda squeezed Allison’s shoulder. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
“I do care for Aaron,” Allison admitted, “but—but I’m not sure—”
Before Allison could finish her sentence, a ball of white fur darted in front of her and raced for the barn.
“There goes my cat, Snow,” Melinda said with a laugh. “She’s either after a mouse or is trying to get away from some other critter.”
“Have you had the cat long, or is she one of your newer pets?”
“Oh, I’ve had Snow since my nineteenth birthday. She’s kept things livened up for me ever since.” Melinda motioned to the barn. “She’s got a litter of kittens that are little characters, too.”
Allison’s interest was piqued. “Can I see them?”
“Jah, sure.” Melinda led the way to the barn.
When Allison stepped inside, she spotted several kittens sleeping in a pile of straw. “They’re so cute,” she said, kneeling next to them.
Melinda dropped down beside her. “Would you like one?”
“You mean it?”
“Of course. I need to find good homes for them, and I’m guessing by the look on your face that you might like to have one.”
“I’ve never had a pet before, and if Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben don’t object, I’d love to have a kitten.” Allison picked a gray and white one out of the litter and held it against her chest.
“I can’t believe you’ve never had a pet of your own!”
“We’ve had a few barn cats to keep the mice down, but Aunt Catherine wouldn’t allow me or my brothers to make pets out of them.”
Melinda frowned. “That’s a shame. I make pets out of almost any animal that comes into my care.” She rose to her feet. “Speaking of which, would you like me to show you the rest of my menagerie?”
Allison nodded. That was, after all, why she’d come to see Melinda.
Herman fiddled with the edge of his straw hat as he waited for Catherine’s doctor to give them the results of her tests. The solemn expression on the doctor’s face indicated the news wasn’t good.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Catherine,” Dr. Rawlings said, placing both hands on his desk, “but the results of your tests reveal that you have colon cancer, and it appears to be spreading.”
Herman drew in a sharp breath, but Catherine just sat with a stoic expression.
“There are a couple of treatment options,” the doctor said. “I’d like to go over them with you now.”
“How long have I got to live?” Catherine’s blunt question jolted Herman to the core.
“That all depends on how well your body responds to the treatment plan,” Dr. Rawlings replied. “We’ll want to start with surgery, and then add chemo, and maybe—”
“Can you guarantee that surgery, chemo, or anything else you have on that list of yours will make me well again?”
He shook his head. “There are no guarantees, but—”
“Then forget about the treatment plan.”
The doctor blinked a couple of times. “What?”
“If there are no guarantees, then I’m not putting myself through any kind of treatment that will probably make me feel worse than I do now.”
Herman placed his hand on Catherine’s arm. “Think about what you’re saying. Without treatment, you’ll die.”
“Humph! Seems to me like I’m going to die anyway.”
“But if the treatment will extend your life, then—”
“If is a little word, and it sounds like my chances are little or none.” Catherine compressed her lips, the way she always did when she was trying to make a point. “It’s my life, and I’ll live and die the way I choose.”
“You should listen to your brother,” the doctor put in. “I’m sure he’s got your best interest at heart.”
“Puh!” She waved a hand. “The only thing he’s thinking about is who’s going to look after his house and cook his meals once I’m dead and gone.”
Herman’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not true, Catherine.”
Dr. Rawlings looked at her steadily. “I’d like you to give serious consideration to what I’ve said.”
She stalked out of the room.
“I’ll talk to her,” Herman said to the doctor. “See if I can’t make her listen to reason.”
The doctor nodded. “If your sister changes her mind, have her call my office for another appointment.”
By the time Herman left the doctor’s office, Catherine was already heading down the hall. “Wait up!” he called. “We need to talk about this.”
She whirled around, her eyes flashing and her lips set in a determined line. “You’re not going to talk me into going under the knife or taking any kind of treatment.”
“But, Catherine. . .”
She shook her head vigorously. “And whatever you do, I don’t want you telling Allison about this or bringing her home early on account of me. Is that clear?”
“I won’t say anything now,” he promised, “but if the time comes that I feel she’s needed, I’ll bring her home.”
“She won’t be needed.” Catherine turned and rushed out the door.
“I’m glad we’re finally getting to do this,” Katie said as Allison climbed down from her uncle’s buggy.
“Me, too. I love ripe, juicy strawberries, and Aunt Mary said if I bring enough home she’ll teac
h me to make a strawberry pie.”
“I’m sure there’ll be plenty for that.” Katie pointed to the garden, where clusters of fat strawberries grew in abundance. “I was surprised to see you drive in alone. I figured Aaron and Joseph would stop by your aunt and uncle’s place on the way over and give you a ride.”
Allison shook her head. “When I saw Aaron on Sunday, I told him I would drive myself, since I knew he’d be working at the harness shop until suppertime and Joseph would be doing the same at the Christmas tree farm.” She glanced at the road in front of the Eshes’ place. “I hope they get here soon.”
Katie nodded and her cheeks turned pink. “I always look forward to spending time with Joseph, and I hope—” Her voice trailed off.
“What do you hope?”
“Oh, nothing.” Katie shielded her eyes from the evening sun filtering through the trees. “We don’t have to wait until the fellows arrive to start picking. I can run into the house and get some containers right now.”
“That’s fine with me,” Allison replied. “The sooner I get started, the more berries I’ll have to take home to Aunt Mary.”
Katie nodded and hurried off.
Allison strolled around the edge of the garden, breathing in the pungent aroma of dill weed and feasting her eyes on the colorful vegetables growing among a few scattered weeds. All kinds of produce would soon be ready for harvest—long skinny pole beans, leafy green carrot tops, an abundance of plump tomatoes, and several kinds of squash.
She bent down and plucked a fat, red berry off the vine, then popped it into her mouth. “Umm. . .this is wunderbaar.” She swished the juice around on her tongue, savoring the succulent sweetness and allowing it to trickle down her throat.
When Allison heard the screen door slam shut, she glanced up at the house. Katie stepped onto the back porch, holding two plastic containers. When she reached the berry patch, she handed one to Allison. “I see someone’s been sampling the goods already; there’s berry juice on your chin.”
Allison rubbed the spot Katie had pointed to and laughed. “I’m guilty.”
“Shall we start picking?”
“Sure.” Allison knelt at the end of the first row, and Katie took the next row over.
“Maybe we can get our containers filled before Aaron and Joseph show up,” Katie said.
Allison plucked off several berries and placed them in her container, being careful not to crush any. “Guess what?” she asked.
“What?”
“I went to visit Melinda Swartz Monday morning, and she gave me one of her cat’s kittens.”
“That was nice. I take it your aunt and uncle were okay with you bringing it home?”
Allison nodded. “They didn’t have a problem with it at all.”
“What’d you name the kitten?” Katie asked.
“Since it followed me around the whole time I was visiting Melinda, I decided to call it Shadow.”
Katie smiled. “That sounds like an appropriate name.”
They worked in silence for a time; then Allison said, “I haven’t seen your cousin James lately. He wasn’t at church last week, and he didn’t come to help tear down Uncle Ben’s barn on Saturday.” James had been on Allison’s mind ever since she’d made things right with God. He seemed angry and brash, thinking only of himself. Since God could change anyone’s heart, and she knew it wasn’t His will that any should perish, she hoped James might find the same peace in his heart as she’d found by accepting Jesus as her Savior.
“James doesn’t care much for church these days, and he doesn’t worry about helping anyone.” Katie wrinkled her nose. “He probably drove that fancy car of his to Springfield for the day so he could have some fun.”
“Maybe James is away on a trip or something. That might be why he hasn’t been around.”
“Could be. You never know what that fellow might be up to. It makes me sick to say this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t decide to jump the fence.”
“You mean, ‘go English’?”
Katie nodded.
Allison looked up when she heard horse’s hooves clomping against the pavement. She hoped it was Aaron and Joseph. Sure enough, Aaron’s buggy slowed. They were just turning up the driveway.
“They’re here!” Katie scrambled to her feet and rushed over to the hitching rail near her father’s barn. Allison followed, her heart hammering with excitement. She hoped what she felt for Aaron wasn’t just a silly crush. She hoped she hadn’t misinterpreted his feelings for her.
“Sorry we’re late,” Aaron apologized as he and Joseph jumped down from the buggy. “Paul and I had a harness that needed to be fixed while the customer waited, and that made us late for supper.”
“It’s okay. You’re here now.” Katie gave Joseph a deepdimpled smile.
“Would you rather I hitch my horse to the rail or put him in the corral?” Aaron asked her.
“Whatever you want is fine. My daed’s still out in the fields with my brother Elam, so none of the workhorses are in the corral yet.”
“We’ll meet you in the garden when we get the horse unhitched,” Joseph said.
Aaron waved his brother aside. “You go on ahead. I don’t need any help.”
“Let’s go then.” Joseph reached for Katie’s hand, and Allison followed as the happy couple hurried toward the berry patch.
Soon Katie and Joseph were on their knees together, and Allison returned to the spot where she’d been working. Rhythmically, she picked one berry after another, but her thoughts were on Aaron. She glanced up every once in a while, wondering what was taking him so long.
Several minutes later, Aaron finally showed up. His straw hat was tipped way back on his head, and his face was red and sweaty.
“What happened?” she asked as he knelt beside her. “You look like you’ve been running.”
“Something spooked my horse, and he pulled away from me. I had to chase him down before I could get him into the corral.”
Since the barn was out of sight of the garden, Allison hadn’t heard or seen the incident, but she imagined it must have looked pretty funny. She held back the laughter bubbling in her throat and pointed to her half-full bucket of berries. “You can help fill mine if you want. When it’s full, we can get another container for you to take home.”
“Sounds good.” Aaron wiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve and started picking.
During the next hour, they cleaned out most of the ripe berries. When they were done, they sat in wicker chairs on the back porch, drinking cold milk and eating the brownies Katie’s mother had made.
As the sun began to set, Allison stood and smoothed the wrinkles in her dress. “Guess I’d better be going. Uncle Ben and Aunt Mary will worry if I’m out after dark.”
Aaron jumped up. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t I drive you home in your buggy, and Joseph can take our rig?”
“How will you get home once you’ve dropped me off?” she questioned.
Aaron rubbed the bridge of his nose as he contemplated the problem.
“I know how we can make it work,” Joseph spoke up. “I’ll stay and visit with Katie awhile, and that’ll give you a chance to take Allison home. When I’m ready to head out, I’ll swing by the Kings’ place and pick you up.”
“That’s fine by me.” Aaron glanced at Allison. “Are you okay with it?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
The breeze hitting Allison’s face as they traveled in the buggy helped her cool off, but when Aaron guided the horse to a wide spot alongside the road and slipped his arm across her shoulders, her face heated up.
He grinned at her. “I hope you don’t mind that I stopped, but it’s hard to talk with the wind in our faces and the horse snorting the way he does. It’s not very romantic, either.”
Allison smiled. “I don’t mind stopping.”
“I really enjoy being with you,” Aaron said, leaning closer. He smelled good, like ripe strawberries and fresh wind.
She opened her mouth to reply, but his lips touched hers before she could get a word out. The kiss was gentle yet firm, and Allison slipped her hands around Aaron’s neck as she leaned into him, enjoying the pleasant moment they shared.
The clomp-clomp of horse’s hooves, followed by a horn honking, broke the spell, and she reluctantly pulled away. “I think a buggy and a car must be coming.”
Aaron nodded and reached for her hand. “Just sit tight and let ’em pass.”
As the two vehicles drew closer, Allison’s mouth dropped open. The horse was trotting fast in one lane, and the car, going the same way, sped along in the other lane.
“That car is attempting to pass, but the mupsich fellow in the buggy is trying to race him,” Aaron said with a shake of his head.
Allison sat, too stunned to say a word. She could hardly believe the buggy driver would try to keep up with a car. It really did make him look stupid.
“I should have known. That’s James Esh in his fancy rig,” Aaron mumbled. “He hasn’t got a lick of sense.”
The buggy raced past them so quickly, Allison felt a chilly breeze. Suddenly, the horse whinnied, reared up, and swerved into the side of the car.
Chapter 21
Allison gasped as she watched James’s buggy careen into the car, bounce away, swerve back and forth, and finally flip over on its side. The panicked horse broke free and tore off down the road, and James flew out of the buggy, landing in the ditch.
The car screeched to a stop, the Englisher jumped out, and Allison and Aaron hopped down from the buggy. “I didn’t hit that fellow on purpose,” the middle-aged man said in a trembling voice. “He was trying to keep me from passing and kept swerving all over the road.” He raked shaky fingers through his thinning brown hair and winced as his gaze came to rest on James, who lay motionless in a twisted position.
From where Allison stood, she couldn’t see the extent of James’s injuries. As the man and Aaron rushed over to him, she could only stand, too dazed to move. She saw the English man bend down and touch the side of James’s neck; then he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Aaron’s lips moved, but she wasn’t able to make out his words.
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