Lyle smiled back at him. “You’re right. That’s why Heidi’s the perfect woman to teach others how to cook.”
Normally, Heidi would have blushed at the compliment, but this evening she felt so flustered, all she could manage was a quick, “Danki.”
She continued to pick at her food, only half listening to the conversation going on around her.
Everyone had finished eating, and Heidi was getting ready to clear the dishes, when a car pulled into the yard. Her mouth went dry. It was the same vehicle she’d seen parked across the road and again at the end of their driveway. When a short man with silver-gray hair got out and started walking toward them, her adrenaline spiked. Could it be him? Was this man Marsha and Randy’s grandfather?
With fists clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms, Heidi sat rigidly waiting for him to approach.
“Good evening, folks. I’m sorry to barge in like this unannounced, but I’d like to talk to you.” He walked up to Lyle and extended his hand. “I’m Gerald Olsen, and I understand that my grandchildren live with you.”
Heidi’s stomach clenched, and her mouth felt so dry she had trouble swallowing. This was like reliving the nightmare she’d had several weeks ago. Her precious foster children were about to be snatched away, and she was powerless to stop it from happening. I should have told Lyle about the phone message when he first got home. We could have prepared Randy and Marsha for this.
Gerald looked at each of the children who sat at the picnic table. Then his gaze came to rest on Marsha. “You have to be Judy’s daughter. Same color hair… same blue eyes.” He gestured toward Randy. “And you must be my son’s boy. You look so much like Fred when he was about your age.”
Randy and Marsha looked up at the stranger with fear in their eyes. If they’d ever met the man, they obviously didn’t recognize him.
Lyle’s eyes narrowed. “Is this some kind of a joke? We were told that the children had no living relatives.”
Gerald shook his head. “It’s not a joke. My son was their father. When he ran off and married his high school sweetheart, my wife, Maggie, and I lost all contact with them.” He paused and drew in a breath. “After Maggie died, I moved to Europe to pursue my desire to write.”
Heidi glanced at Velma, needing some support. Velma reached over and touched Heidi’s arm.
“I came back to the States a few months ago and decided to see if I could locate my son. When I hit a brick wall, I hired a detective, and he found out about the accident that killed Fred and Judy. He also found out they had a couple of kids and that they’d become wards of the state until an Amish couple took them in.” Gerald looked at Heidi, then turned his gaze on Lyle again. “I’m guessing that’d be you and your wife.”
With a pained expression, Lyle nodded. He, too, must be realizing what was about to happen. Heidi rose from the bench she sat upon and moved toward Gerald. “I listened to a phone message from our social worker this afternoon, saying that you wanted to see the children. But I had no idea it would be this soon or that you would come here without calling first.”
He nodded. “Yes, I’ve spoken to her. I had to go through quite an ordeal to prove who I was.”
“I can’t believe any social worker worth her salt would give out someone’s address and let you come here unannounced.” Hank eyed Gerald suspiciously. “Are you on the level?”
“I most certainly am.” He focused on Lyle. “And the social worker did not give me this address. I got it from the detective I hired.” Gerald stood with his arms folded, staring at the children with a look of longing.
Heidi’s hands fluttered as she spoke in an emotion-choked voice. “Please don’t take them from us, Mr. Olsen. My husband and I love Randy and Marsha so much, and we’re on the verge of adopting them.”
“You’re gonna adopt us?” Randy leaped off his bench and ran up to Heidi.
She gently patted his head. “Yes, we have been trying to do that but didn’t want to tell you until we got the word that it was about to become official.”
Marsha left her seat too, and darted up to Lyle. Looking up at him, her chin trembled. “We don’t know this man. Please, don’t let him take us.”
Before either Heidi or Lyle could say anything, Gerald spoke again. “You little ones have nothing to worry about. I’m not here to steal you away from people you obviously love.” Gerald tweaked Marsha’s nose. “And I can see they love you very much too. I just wanted to connect with my grandchildren, and if possible, have some sort of relationship with them.” He stopped talking and swallowed so hard, Heidi saw his Adam’s apple bob. “I won’t stand in the way of the adoption. I’m just happy my son’s children have found a good home and will be raised by nice people who will love them the way they deserve.”
Struggling to find the right words, Heidi took hold of the man’s hand and shook it. “Thank you, Mr. Olsen. Thank you, ever so much.”
Bobbing his head, Lyle moved over to stand beside them. “Why don’t you join us for dessert, Gerald? We’d like the opportunity to get acquainted, and I’m sure the children would too.”
Tears welled in the older man’s eyes. “I’d enjoy that very much.”
Heidi looked upward and prayed silently, Thank You, Lord, for answering my prayer.
Chapter 46
As Heidi set out the ingredients for her final cooking class, she felt like she was walking on air. The past week had been so exciting. She was anxious to share it with her young students and their parents this morning. Heidi would be teaching them to make surprise muffins, and what she had to share was most certainly a surprise. “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Heidi murmured.
“Is that from the Bible?” Velma asked, joining Heidi at the table, where she’d placed the children’s recipe cards.
“No, it’s not; although folks often quote it as though it’s a verse of scripture. Those words are actually from a hymn written in the nineteenth century by a man named William Cowper.” Heidi smiled. “We often pray for things and then are surprised when God answers in ways we never expected.”
“I know exactly what ya mean.” Velma nodded enthusiastically. “Never in a million years did I expect someone would give us a new car or that so many people, including you and Lyle, would be so generous toward us. The fire was terrible, but so many positive deeds have come about because of it. And did I tell you? When Hank came back from our place the other day, he handed me my grandma’s Bible. Said he found it lying on top of the chicken coop. How it got there I don’t know. Maybe one of the construction workers found it in the rubble.”
Heidi’s smile widened. “You are so right. See what I mean about the Lord working in mysterious ways? I was beside myself with worry after I got the phone message from Gail. My mind went in a totally different direction than how it turned out. I certainly didn’t expect Randy and Marsha’s grandpa to show up and say he was happy the children were with us. And I’m sure you were equally surprised when your grandma’s Bible was found.”
“Yes, most definitely.” Velma moved toward the window. “I hear a vehicle pulling in. Yep, it’s Darren’s rig. He just got out and he’s holdin’ a puppy, of all things.”
Heidi joined Velma at the window. Sure enough, Darren held a black-and-white ball of fluff.
“I wonder why he brought a dog with him today.” Velma grunted. “Thanks to Abner being here, you already have two mutts runnin’ around your place.”
“I’ll go out and talk to him. There must be a good reason he brought the dog.” Heidi opened the back door and stepped outside, then popped her head back in. “Velma, I hope you are going to join us today for class, since it’s the last one.”
“Yep, I’d love to.”
When Darren saw Heidi coming toward him with eyebrows squished together, he began to have second thoughts. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought the pup here today. She might not appreciate having another dog running around the place. If it weren’t so hot I’d leave the pup in my vehicle.
&nb
sp; Darren glanced over at Jeremy, who was kneeling on the ground, petting Heidi’s dog, Rusty. Then Velma’s black Lab showed up and pawed at Darren’s leg. The pup got all excited and tried to wiggle out of his arms. Oh, great. This probably was a mistake.
“Good morning, Darren.” Heidi tipped her head up to look at him. “Oh, how cute. Where did you get the puppy?”
As Heidi reached out to pet the dog’s head, Darren explained how he’d found the pup, and then added, “I brought her with me today, hoping Kassidy or one of the other kids might want to adopt her.” He looked at the other two dogs and shook his head. “But it wouldn’t be good to let her run loose in your yard during the class.”
“It could get a bit chaotic.” Heidi pointed to the barn. “Why don’t you put her in there for now? After class, you can bring the puppy out and see if anyone would like to take her home.”
“Good idea. If you’d like to lead the way, you can show me where in the barn I should put her.”
“Okay, but would you mind if I hold the puppy?”
“Course not.” Darren could see Heidi had a soft spot for the cockapoo. He laughed along with her when the puppy licked her face.
“You’re such a cute little thing. I wish I could keep you, but hopefully you will find a good home soon.” Heidi repositioned the puppy in her arms and looked toward Jeremy, who now had the Lab and the Brittany spaniel vying for his attention. “When you’ve had enough of their friendly greetings, you can go on up to the house,” she told him. “Randy, Marsha, and Peggy Ann are waiting inside.”
“Where’s Eddie? Will he be joining us today?” Jeremy asked.
“He went fishing with his dad early this morning.”
Jeremy looked up at Darren. “When are we goin’ fishing again, Dad? You can invite Becky and her mom if you want to.”
Darren grinned. It was good to see his son had accepted them. If things should work out and Ellen was to become his wife, he felt sure Jeremy would be okay with it now. Becky, too, for that matter. It was too soon to bring up the subject of marriage to Ellen, but he’d sure be thinking about it.
Once all her students had arrived and everyone sat around the kitchen table, Heidi explained that they would be making surprise muffins. The children were all ears as they listened to her directions. There seemed to be excitement in the air this morning. What surprised her most was Kassidy. Instead of the defiant look she usually had, the girl looked happy. I wonder what happened in the last two weeks to bring about this change.
“What about the muffins are a surprise?” Debbie wanted to know.
“We will be putting a small amount of jelly in the center of them before they’re baked,” Heidi explained. “And when someone, like your parents—who are sitting in the dining room again—eat a muffin, they’ll discover the little surprise.”
Marsha grinned and bounced on her chair. “I like surprises!”
“Who doesn’t?” Jeremy put in.
The other children nodded in agreement.
“I can’t wait to make these for my dad,” Kassidy said. “He loves most kinds of jelly, and will be surprised when he bites into a muffin.”
Heidi smiled. “Well, that’s good. After these muffins are baked, and we’re all eating our treat, I’ll share a surprise with you and your parents.”
“Bet I know what it is,” Randy spoke up.
Heidi put a finger to her lips. “Shh…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t say nothin’.”
“Anything,” she corrected, then patted his head. “Now, please get busy mixing your muffin batter.”
When the muffins were done and had cooled sufficiently, everyone went outside to the picnic table to enjoy the treat.
“This is sure tasty,” Denise commented after she’d taken her first bite. “Kassidy, you did a good job making your muffins.”
The girl fairly beamed. “Thanks, but keep eating. There’s a surprise inside.”
Denise took another bite and smiled. “Oh, yum. There’s strawberry jam inside.”
The other parents enjoyed their treats, too, and everyone agreed that the surprise muffins were a hit.
“Can I say something?” Darren spoke up.
Heidi nodded. “Of course.”
“I want you to know that both my son and I have enjoyed your classes. And even though I’ve neglected to say anything, the verses you included on the back of the recipe cards were an inspiration.”
“I agree with Darren,” Denise spoke up. “Those scriptures were most helpful.”
The other parents nodded their heads as well.
Heidi’s cheeks warmed. “Thank you. The idea came to me when I was preparing to teach my very first class, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” She tapped her spoon against her glass of iced tea. “And now, I would like to share my own surprise with all of you.”
All heads turned in her direction as she gathered Randy and Marsha to her side. Lyle was there, too, sitting next to Heidi. “My husband and I applied to adopt Marsha and Randy, and yesterday…” She paused and looked at Lyle. “Maybe you’d like to share our news.”
He shook his head. “That’s okay. You go ahead.”
Heidi placed her hands on the children’s shoulders. “Yesterday we signed the final papers, and the adoption became final. These two special children, whom we love dearly, are now officially Randy and Marsha Troyer.”
A round of applause went up, and Miranda shouted, “Congratulations! Such wonderful news.”
Randy and Marsha clapped the hardest and hugged their new parents.
Heidi noticed a few women wiping their eyes. The others congratulated them, as well, and when things settled down, Velma spoke up. “I think we should all get together sometime and have a real celebration.”
“I’m all for a little celebrating too,” a strange voice announced from behind.
Just as Heidi turned around to see who it was, she heard Velma’s sharp intake of air.
“Clem! Oh, Clem, what a surprise! I can’t believe you’re really here.”
Heidi’s mouth opened as she watched Velma and Peggy Ann rush over to the young man in uniform with outstretched arms.
Heidi glanced around at the others who sat at the picnic table. Ellen held her hand in front of her mouth, and Denise swiped at a tear running down her cheek. Miranda reached in her purse and offered the women a tissue, then she dabbed at her own eyes.
After the emotional greeting, Velma and Peggy Ann returned to the table, clinging to the soldier as if he might disappear.
“This is my oldest son, Clem,” Velma announced. “He’s in the army, and he told me he came here to be with us while he’s on leave.”
More clapping transpired and even some stomping of feet. Then Lyle stood up. “Please join us, Clem. Oh, and we have room if you’d like to stay here while you’re visiting your folks.”
“Thank you, sir. I would be most appreciative of that. I have a lot of catching up to do with my family.” Clem pulled his mother close and kissed her cheek.
Velma looked at Heidi and sniffed. “I can’t remember when I’ve been this happy.”
“I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we’re happy for you too.”
Everyone nodded in unison. Then Darren stood up. “I have a little surprise also. I’ll be right back.” He sprinted off toward the barn.
When Darren returned with a squirmy pup, he explained how he’d found her and asked if anyone wanted the dog.
“If it’s okay with my mom, I’d like to take the puppy.” Kassidy looked at her mother. “I promise to take good care of her.”
Denise smiled and nodded. “I think it would be good for you to have a pet.”
Kassidy reached for the pup. “Think I’m gonna call her Patches.”
“I like that name.” Becky moved closer to Kassidy. “Sorry about the fight we had. I lost my temper when you said mean things to Randy, but that was wrong.”
“I’m sorry too.” Kassidy lifted the pup. “Wanna
hold her?”
“Sure.” Becky took the puppy and stroked behind its ears. “She’s so soft.”
Heidi was surprised when Kassidy went over to Randy and apologized for making fun of his chickens.
“Kevin and I have something special to share that happened since we were last here too.” Debbie looked over at her mother. “Is it okay if I tell ’em?”
Miranda nodded.
“Our dad’s living with us again, and we all went on a picnic supper.”
“Yeah, even our dog Blondie came along,” Kevin added.
“That’s wonderful.” Heidi clasped her hands to her chest. It seemed that everyone had cause for celebration today. How thankful she was for the opportunity to teach cooking classes, where she’d met so many wonderful people. She didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was for certain: she would thank and praise God on a daily basis, for He had brought her and Lyle so many good things.
Tenderly, she hugged Marsha and Randy. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t their biological mother. Heidi loved these two children as if they’d always been hers. Someday she might teach another cooking class, but for now, she would simply enjoy being a mother—something she’d been wanting for a long time.
Epilogue
One year later
Heidi laid down the announcement they’d received in today’s mail on the table. Kendra and her husband, Brent, who’d gotten married last December, were expecting a baby this coming November. My namesake, little Heidi, will have a new brother or sister by Christmas.
Heidi smiled at her own sweet baby, nestled in her arms. One-month-old Laura had come to live with them a few weeks ago, and there was no chance of her being taken away. The adoption had been prearranged so that Heidi and Lyle would take the baby soon after she was born. Now they had three precious children to raise.
Randy had done well during his first year in school and looked forward to starting the second grade. Marsha seemed to enjoy Laura as much as Heidi did, for she hovered around the baby and sang her some silly songs.
Amish Cooking Class--The Celebration Page 31