“Yep.”
“One. Two. Three.” With the clothing tucked under her arm, she held the umbrella in one hand and Bailey’s hand in the other, then made a mad dash for the front door.
“Whew!” She glanced down at her jeans near her ankles. They were completely soaked. It was a good thing she’d thought to grab extra outfits for the two of them. It would take a while for her tennis shoes to dry, however.
She knocked on the door loudly so it would be heard over the pounding rain. Didn’t it ever let up? It seemed not.
No answer. She knocked again, harder this time.
“Mommy!” Bailey bounced.
“Okay, okay. I don’t think anyone’s home. I don’t feel right just going inside.”
“Maybe no one lives here anymore or they’re on vacation like us.” Bailey turned the knob, and the door opened. She rushed inside before Kayla could stop her.
“Bailey!”
“I have to go potty!”
Kayla gingerly stepped into the house and looked around. Indeed, it appeared empty. “Hello? Is anybody home?”
No answer.
“My daughter needs to use the restroom,” she called out, stepping further inside. “Hello!”
Silence answered back. No one was home.
“Okay, we’ll quickly find the bathroom, then we’ll leave.” She felt for a light switch but found none. Oh, yeah. Amish. No electricity.
A flash of lightning illuminated what appeared to be the living area, revealing sparse furniture covered in white sheets. It was as though the occupants had moved. But why would they leave the door unlocked?
“Where will we go?” Bailey’s frightened voice commanded her attention once again.
“I don’t know, baby. Maybe…let’s just find the bathroom so you don’t pee your pants.” She released a sigh of relief. If nobody was home, if the house was unoccupied, perhaps hunkering down here for an evening might be an option. But still, it wasn’t her home. And how would she feel if a stranger occupied her place of residence in her absence? Not that she currently had a place of residence.
She walked through the darkened home. Thankfully, it wasn’t pitch black. There should be a lantern somewhere, shouldn’t there be? Perhaps not, if the owners no longer occupied the place. She scolded herself for not thinking to grab the flashlight out of the glove compartment. Of course, she hadn’t expected to find an dark empty house. She’d run back out to get it if buckets of water weren’t dumping from the sky.
She felt her way into the main living area until her eyes adjusted. Another flash of lightning revealed a kitchen off to one side. As she walked further inside the home, a quick perusal indicated a bedroom stood off to the other side, along a short hallway that led to stairs. Perhaps the bathroom adjoined the bedroom. She peered inside the empty room. No, it didn’t appear to.
“I found it!” Bailey hollered.
A door slammed shut. Whew! At least now she didn’t have to worry about Bailey having an accident.
Once her eyes adjusted a little more, she spotted a lone lantern on a small table. Oh, good, a book of matches sat next to it. She quickly removed the hurricane glass, turned up the wick, then swiped a match to light it. A soft glow dispelled the darkness.
Fortunately, she’d come from a family of campers, so she was familiar with lighting lanterns, setting up tents, chopping wood, kindling a campfire, and other outdoor skills. Sadness filled her as she thought of Mom and Dad and all the wonderful times they’d spent camping. They’d passed away much too early. Did anyone survive cancer these days? It seemed not.
She briefly toured the lower level of the home with the lantern in hand, noting a few bedrooms. Two of them had lone beds in them, one covered by a quilt and the other with a plain comforter. Would the owners mind if she and Bailey occupied the rooms for a night? Since there seemed to be no one around to ask, she’d have to take a chance. What other choice did they have?
Thunder roared outside once again along with pounding rain. It appeared they wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Not with all the flash flood warnings and lightning strikes. It just wasn’t safe. Or smart.
Had Someone up above provided this shelter from the storm? It was possible, she supposed, but definitely not probable. The Man Upstairs didn’t care about her or Bailey, she’d been certain of that since she first discovered her pregnancy. And then she’d lost both parents.
No, it certainly wasn’t God. Finding this place had been pure luck, plain and simple.
CHAPTER TWO
Silas Miller dashed for the shelter of the barn. He hated to take Strider out in this weather, but he needed to check the Yoders’ gutters to make sure they were free of debris. It was times like this he was thankful his Amish community allowed enclosed buggies. The nearby Swiss Amish district, nicknamed the Swissies by local Plain folks, only utilized open-top carriages. He couldn’t imagine weathering this menacing storm with a simple umbrella as protection. At least he was protected from the elements.
He quickly harnessed Strider, moved him between the traces, making sure to guide them into their proper places, and then pulled the leather reins into the buggy’s cab. Fortunately, his horse loved the rain. Unfortunately, Strider did not love thunder and lightning.
Strider whinnied, excited to be leaving his barn stall, no doubt. He might have a change of mind once they got out onto the road and encountered a loud crash of thunder like the one several minutes ago. Maybe Der Herr would have mercy on poor Strider and hold off the lightning until they arrived at the Yoders’. He’d pray for that.
“Come on, boy. We won’t be out too long, but it’ll be enough to invigorate you.” He gave the lines a gentle shake, urging Strider to begin their three-mile journey.
It seemed like the rain had let up a tiny bit, but it still poured. He just hoped the driver of the car up ahead spotted him and slowed down. This road was quite narrow and, in some places, had no room to pull off to the side. He double checked to make sure his blinking lights were on. He pulled to the right as much as possible to allow the car to pass.
He sighed in relief once it did. Hopefully, no one else was crazy enough to be out in this weather. He wouldn’t be either, but he’d promised Dan Yoder that he’d look after his place after their family had moved back to Pennsylvania. Dan, the minister of their district, had talked about selling the place on more than one occasion, but for whatever reason, it had yet to go up for sale. And for that, Silas was happy. He’d dreamed about having his own acreage, complete with a large barn, and a small store in the front, since he’d been finished with school. The Yoders’ property would be the perfect place, but he was in no position finance-wise to buy it. Nowhere near, actually. But he had been saving his money. And praying that the house wouldn’t sell to anyone else.
As he neared the two-mile mark, he noticed something up ahead. Ach, the creek had swollen considerably.
“Do you think we can do it, Strider?”
The horse lifted his head as though in agreement.
“Okay, but we’ll have to be careful.”
He approached the water cautiously and urged Strider along. “Come on, boy. You can do this.” He slapped the reins a little firmer. “Let’s go!”
The horse waded through the water adequately, but the buggy weighed still him down. Silas encouraged the horse again and glanced out the side flap. The water reached the middle of his buggy’s wheel. If it were any higher, Strider wouldn’t be able to pull through.
Once they were safely past the creek, he exhaled in relief. It proved to be swifter than he’d surmised. Getting back home would be a chore if the creek rose any higher. As a matter of fact, maybe he’d use the Yoders’ phone shanty and leave a message on the line closest to his folks’ place. That way, if they worried about him, they’d check the answering machine before heading out into the foul weather in search of him. Staying overnight at the Yoders’ place would almost seem like a mini vacation. And he could dream of the future when he—Gott wil
ling—owned the place. He smiled at the thought. Jah, that was what he’d do.
He stopped at the phone shanty at the end of the lane when he’d driven in, and left a message. Hopefully, Mamm wouldn’t worry about him. Ten minutes later, he pulled into the drive. He led Strider to an empty stall in the barn, then filled a bucket with water and offered the horse some grain he kept stored in the corner.
He stood looking toward the house, waiting for a break in the rain. After a few minutes, he realized he might not get one. As a matter of fact, it was coming down even harder than when he’d pulled in. He was just glad he’d been able to arrive before the lightning struck. Now that Strider was securely in the barn, he’d settle in for the night. He’d have to wait until the rain died down a little bit to check the gutters.
He wished he’d thought to bring an umbrella. It certainly would have made his escape to the house a bit more pleasant. And dry.
Silas pushed the door open and immediately removed his boots. He paused for a moment, midstride as he walked through the living room. Had he heard something? It was difficult to determine above the rain pounding on the metal roof. He’d always loved the sound. How many nights had he fallen asleep to it?
He reached for the lantern on the table. Except it wasn’t there. He could have sworn that he’d left it in the same place he always did—not that he’d ever really swear. As he allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim interior, he noticed something peculiar. Faint light seeped from the bedroom door, which seemed to be cracked open. The hairs on his arms raised. Was someone inside the house?
His heart began pounding. Who could be here? Dan Yoder hadn’t said he was returning, so it must be an intruder. He quietly tiptoed toward the bedroom door, then put his ear to the crack. Sure enough, someone or something was in that bedroom.
All at once, he forced the door open and burst into the room. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah!” A woman, who stood in only her undergarments, quickly pulled the bed quilt around herself.
Jah, that had been a mistake. Too bad he’d realized it too late. His face burned. “I…I’m sorry…you just…uh, jah…I’ll…I’ll just go…out.” He turned around as quickly as he’d entered. Oh, man. What have I done?
Silas paced the living room, trying to determine his next course of action. Had he really just burst in on a woman while she was changing? Ach! Dummkopp.
A few moments later, the woman—fully dressed now—walked into the room. “I’m sorry that you…” She shook her head. “This is a little awkward.”
He nodded. Jah, it certainly was. He had no words.
“My daughter and I were out driving in the storm. She needed to use the facilities, so we stopped in here, thinking someone would be home. We’d only planned to use your restroom and then be on our way to search for a hotel, but they’d sent out flash flood warnings and my GPS lost its signal. And frankly, I don’t even know where we are.” She glanced toward one of the bedrooms. “My daughter is sleeping already. But we can leave if you’d like us to…uh, Mr. Yoder.”
“Oh, I’m not Dan Yoder. My name is Silas Miller. I live down the road a spell. I’m tending Yoder’s farm while he’s gone.”
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Unlikely Santa Page 16