Promise at Pebble Creek

by Lisa Jones Baker

  As he absorbed reality, his chest tightened. He tried to stay calm. He found it hard to believe that what had started as a good day had turned into a nightmare. As he sat very still with his seat belt fastened, he pressed his lips together in a tight, determined line.

  On both sides of him, tall stalks of corn hovered. For miles and miles, the same panorama ensued. And despite the urgent prayer Ben had sent to their Creator, a sense of helplessness swept up Marcus’s back, leaving a muscle spasm at the back of his neck.

  Lord, please give me faith. I know You are testing my strength, and I’m letting You down.

  “Ben, my entire life, I’ve felt the need to be in control. Especially when my parents passed in an accident, I yearned with everything I had to make things okay. But I realize that most everything’s out of my control.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  “It’s all about faith, isn’t it?”

  “Marcus, we can’t control everything around us. That’s impossible. But we can react. And we need to get to Hannah.”

  Marcus tapped the brakes to avoid a large pothole. As he did so, the tires briefly spun over loose gravel on the side, and Marcus focused on keeping the car on the blacktop.

  A second later, he was back in the middle of the narrow road, and from his peripheral vision, he glimpsed Ben wiping his forehead. “Things could get worse, you know.”

  Marcus nodded. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ll slow it down.”

  Ben stretched his legs and laid his palms on his thighs. “You know what?”

  In silence, Marcus offered a quick glance at Hannah’s brother before returning his attention to the road.

  “It doesn’t matter if we get there in ten minutes. Or in fifteen, Marcus. You know that, right?”

  Marcus didn’t have an answer. “What do you mean?”

  “We can’t save her because we’re not there. We just have to pray and hope for the best.”

  A stronger sense of realization hit Marcus until he finally relaxed his grip on the wheel and rested the back of his head against the cloth headrest. “You’re right, Ben. At this point, there’s nothing we can do but keep praying. All I can say is, I hope the police have the person who broke in. And I hope they got there in time.”

  Ben lowered the pitch of his voice to barely more than a whisper and a huge sense of urgency edged his tone as he begged the Lord to take the situation into His hands. “Amen.”

  Then he angled his left leg toward the driver’s seat. “Marcus, you know what you said about liking to be in control?” Marcus nodded. “Just know that you’re not failing at all. In fact, this could be a blessing.”

  Marcus immediately lifted a challenging brow, all the while keeping his eyes on the road. “You’ve got me there.”

  “What I mean is, maybe Christ presented this situation to us to build our faith and our trust in Him. Maybe we both needed a wake-up call, and this is it.”

  Marcus’s jaw dropped in surprise as he absorbed the words coming from a devout Amish man. But the more he contemplated Ben’s wisdom, the more what he’d said made sense.

  “God must have really been looking out for me when He sent me to you and Hannah.” He bit his lip with emotion before going on to explain, “I couldn’t agree with you more. In fact, I’m convinced that you’re right. God is bringing me closer to Him and teaching me to trust Him.”

  Ben smiled a little as he turned toward Marcus. “It works both ways, you know.”

  “What?”

  “I believe Gott sent you to us, Marcus. And He’s given me responsibility to help you along the way. There’s a Scripture I want to share with you.”

  He turned his attention back to the blacktop in front of him and relaxed his voice. “It’s from Joshua. It says something to the affect that Gott commands us to be strong and courageous, not to be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord our Gott will be with us, wherever we go. We’ll get through this, Marcus, my brother in Christ.”

  Marcus glimpsed the amused way in which Ben’s lips curved. “And something tells me that you want my sister safe as much as I do.” He cleared his throat. “You’re in love with Hannah.”

  Ben was absolutely right. But Marcus didn’t respond. In fact, the comment surprised him. He thought about the woman who sold him raspberry jelly 24-7. But the last thing he wanted was for anyone else to be aware of his strong feelings for the beautiful Amish girl. Especially someone within their close-knit family.

  He didn’t want Hannah in trouble with her people. And public awareness of his love for her would only hurt him in the end. Because he was sure he didn’t have the toughness to become Amish.

  And if he did, could he carry that faith through for years and years to come? If he joined the Amish church, it wasn’t a temporary thing. A trial run. It was a lifetime commitment. And that’s what it would take to marry Hannah Lapp.

  A sad, guilty lump formed in his throat. He tried to swallow. He couldn’t. Faith. Have faith.

  As long as my Lord and Savior has control of Hannah’s life, she’ll be okay. Then why does my gut feel like it’s been struck with something heavy? He strummed his pointer finger against the wheel to a nervous, uncertain beat.

  In front of him, he barely noticed the soybean and cornfields on both sides of the road. Automatically, he pulled over to allow another vehicle to come the opposite way. The narrow road was barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Right now, the warm air coming in through the open windows didn’t even provide him comfort.

  Next to him, in the passenger bucket seat, Ben didn’t say a word as they cruised the county road leading to Lapp Furniture, on the outskirts of Arthur. As Marcus eyed his coworker, he acknowledged that his friend had most likely never been faced with a situation like the current one.

  In fact, Marcus’s understanding was that theft and crime had never played a role in the area in which they lived. That was, until King’s Bakery was robbed. It seemed to be public knowledge that many in the area didn’t even bother to lock their doors at night. Of course, the burglary at King’s Bakery had most likely changed that.

  Marcus glanced over at Ben, who sat up straight in his seat. Hannah’s brother clutched both of his hands in his lap. From Marcus’s peripheral view, he glimpsed the worry lines that etched his friend’s mouth.

  Finally, Ben broke the silence. “She’s okay, Marcus. And soon, we’ll see so with our own eyes.”

  The softly spoken words offered Marcus just enough comfort for him to smile a little. Thoughtful seconds later, he responded with a nod. “I know. I’ll just feel better when we see for ourselves.”

  Marcus pulled his Ray Bans from the console and slid them over his nose. As he took in the country in front of him, he couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the fields of soybeans and corn. When he’d lived in Chicago, he’d never really paid attention to other parts of the state.

  “We’re almost there.” An odd combination of excitement and dread edged Ben’s voice as he turned a bit to Marcus. “Maemm always tells us to use logic when something’s bothering us.”

  The statement prompted Marcus to nod his approval. As he did so, he slowed his car to make room on the narrow blacktop for another oncoming car. As the two vehicles met, loose gravel crunched under the tires as Marcus moved off the road.

  Afterward, he stepped on the accelerator, and his heart pumped with a sense of relief as the furniture store came into view. “That’s good advice.”

  Ben cleared a knot from his throat and relaxed his palms on his thighs. “Well, let’s go with what we know. The store was robbed. And the police were called. Hannah was alone inside the shop.”

  “Do we know who called the police?”

  Ben offered a shrug of his shoulders. “No. But it could’ve been Hannah . . . that is, if she used the phone at the cash register.”

  A long silence ensued while Marcus tried to picture Hannah rushing to a phone and calling for help. A grin tugged at the corners of his lips.

  Irri
tation edged Ben’s voice. “What on earth are you smiling about?”

  Marcus realized that his expression might seem insensitive, but in fact, recalling Hannah’s interest in playing sleuth couldn’t stop him from nearly laughing.

  “It’s something I remembered.”

  Ben glanced at him to go on.

  “I’m not sure how much you know about your sister’s interests, but she’s tied up in this adventure book series.”

  “That’s what Maemm said.”

  Marcus offered a quick nod. “By no means am I making light of the seriousness of her predicament, but trust me . . . If there’s anyone who can outsmart a burglar, it’s your sister. I had told her I’d keep that information confidential, but I mentioned it because I thought it would help both of us to ease some of the tension.”

  The statement didn’t alter the concerned expression on Ben’s face. Afterward, the two sat in complete silence. The only sound was the smoothness of rubber meeting blacktop. And Marcus arched a doubtful brow as reality sank in.

  It doesn’t matter how clever Hannah is. She doesn’t own a weapon. He swallowed an emotional knot as he wondered if the police had caught whoever had broken in to Lapp Furniture. Most likely, whatever had been done was done. And unlike any story Hannah read for enjoyment, this ending wasn’t decided by a writer. The denouement could be good. Or bad.

  Chapter Twelve

  Inside the small bathroom at Lapp Furniture, Hannah continued to grip the Halon extinguisher. If the thief tried to break the door down, she’d spray him in the face.

  She automatically recalled a Scripture from the book of John. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

  “Thank you for helping me to remember that. Amen.”

  As Hannah swallowed an emotional knot, automatically, the brief conversation she’d had with the woman on the phone came to mind. Do not leave the bathroom until the police come to get you.

  Hannah had lost track of time; she didn’t know if five or thirty minutes had passed. She stood and went to touch the door handle and stopped.

  She said not to leave this room until the police come. Hannah stood very, very still as the sound of footsteps approached her.

  She put her ear to the door, struggling to hear anything she could. As she listened, she made out two different voices that appeared to be coming her way.

  Her heart picked up speed to an even more eager, anxious pace. Her fingers began to move the lock. No. I have to be sure it’s the police. But how will I know who’s on the other side?

  A strong voice sounded, and there were two knocks on the door. “Hannah Lapp? You’re safe, and you can come out now. It’s Officer Barrington. I’m happy to tell you that we’ve taken the thief into custody. He’s handcuffed and en route to the station. He confessed to robbing King’s Bakery.”

  As Hannah acknowledged that only the police would know her by name, a different voice came through what Hannah was sure was a radio. That was enough evidence for her that the police were indeed there.

  Expelling a breath, her fingers shook as she unlocked the door and stepped out. She didn’t let go of the Halon extinguisher. Suddenly, as she faced two uniformed officers, reality sank in, and tears of joy and relief dampened her eyes. She blinked to rid them of the sting. She didn’t know what had happened, but whatever it was, it was over. Thank You, Gott!

  Without thinking about what she was doing, she put down the fire extinguisher, grabbed the closest officer, and hugged him as tightly as she could. He was a tall, large man, so her arms didn’t quite make it all the way around his waist.

  The embrace didn’t last long. The officer took her at arm’s length and spoke in a deep, strong voice. “This was a scenario that could easily have gone awry. But we’ve got him, Hannah. And it was largely because of your phone call.” After a quick pause, he added, “That and the advice the 9-1-1 operator gave you.”

  He gave a quick shake of his head and whistled. “God must surely have been watching over you, because the guy in custody was armed.”

  Hannah drew in a deep breath.

  Another officer lifted a brow. “Of course, it looks like you were armed, too. But a fire extinguisher can’t match a gun. If you hadn’t gotten yourself in that bathroom . . .” He motioned to the opened door. “And locked the door that leads out into the store’s main area, we might not’ve been able to make it here to take him down before he got to you.”

  Suddenly, Hannah remembered the gunshot.

  Her eyes widened with fear as she met Officer Barrington’s gaze. “But the gunshot . . .”

  The police gave a firm nod. “What you heard was his gun. And Officer Williams, here . . .” He nodded with great appreciation to the uniformed officer standing next to him. “It just so happened that my friend, here, uh, used his martial arts skills to kick it out of his hand. That’s when it went off. Thankfully, no one got hurt.”

  Williams grinned. “Except the wall in the office. It’s gonna need some fixin’.”

  As Hannah took in what she’d just learned, two familiar voices made her turn to the front, where Ben and Marcus rushed inside.

  “Hannah!” The two men shouted. Hannah was quick to notice the obvious relief that edged both voices.

  “Ben! Marcus!”

  * * *

  The following evening, Hannah was mentally sifting through everything that had happened at the family furniture store and thanking Gott that she was here, in her home, pulling a fresh wheat loaf from the oven. As she breathed in the delicious-smelling aroma of yeast bread, Maemm’s voice made her turn.

  “Hannah . . .” After placing the hot tin on two cloth pads, Hannah turned. To her astonishment, Maemm’s eyes were moist. The wetness sparkled on her pupils like dew on a morning pumpkin blossom.

  When she continued, her voice cracked with emotion before she cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. It was obvious to Hannah that Maemm was trying her best to appear strong after surviving a sensitive situation that had tested them all. Hannah quickly acknowledged that her role model’s behavior was much different from her normal, composed, stern self.

  As Maemm came closer, a set of arms reached for Hannah’s shoulders. With great tenderness, Hannah enjoyed the comfort of her mother’s gentle, loving touch. She closed her eyes a moment to enjoy the welcome sensation that was a wonderful combination of love and reassurance.

  “This is the first time we’ve been alone since . . .” She stopped for a moment, appearing to maintain her strength and composure. “I guess you could say that I never, ever imagined that something like that could happen.”

  Hannah shook her head in dismay. “Me neither, Maemm.”

  “I’m grateful for this time alone to tell you how happy and relieved I am for everything you did to help the police catch the member of our community who tried to rob us.”

  For a moment, Hannah stood very still as she took in the significance of her mother’s statement. The member of our community. Surely it wasn’t someone who knows us . . . please, Lord.

  Hannah tried to find her voice, afraid to ask Maemm who had thrown their lives upside down. She stood with her mouth open, waiting for her mother to explain what she’d just said.

  Maemm had never openly given away her sentiments. Instead, she usually displayed a tough façade. Unemotional. But this evening, Hannah recognized that she regarded a very different woman. A mother who was obviously trying to engage in a very serious conversation with her daughter.

  “Maemm, do we know who tried to rob us?”

  A slow nod followed. “Not well, but it’s Nate Jenkins. . .”

  Hannah pressed her lips together thoughtfully.

  “He works part-time in the delivery department at our furniture store.”

  Hannah took a quick intake of breath. Her heart sank at the thought of someone trying to rob her family; what made it worse was that, apparently, this was a man w
ho’d been on the family’s payroll.

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “Neither could we, Hannah.”

  Hannah’s mind went to work as she tried to put together more of the pieces in her mental puzzle. “That would mean that he was aware of our safe and where it was.”

  Maemm nodded. “Not only that, but he didn’t know anyone was inside.” After a short pause, Maemm lifted her shoulders. “Think about it. It’s rare that you’re there doing the books. Your horse and buggy were at a place where others were parked. And I’m sure he thought he’d have free rein of the store.”

  After expelling a sigh, Maemm lifted her palms to the ceiling in a helpless gesture. “Honey, he was armed. And if he’d broken in before you got out of that room . . .”

  Maemm started to cry.

  Hannah took her mother in her arms and hugged her with everything she had. Because it only made her more fully aware how very close she’d come to facing much more danger than she’d actually confronted.

  As they embraced, Hannah closed her eyes in newfound joy. She’d always loved Maemm, but now she fully realized how much her mother loved her. And Hannah would never forget this precious moment in which she had bonded with the woman who’d given birth to her and raised her with ten brothers.

  “I love you, Maemm. So much.”

  “I love you, too, Hannah.” After a short intake of breath, she smiled a little. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  Hannah made sure the baking pan was on the hot pads she’d placed on the countertop before she embraced her maemm again. Hannah couldn’t help the joyful tears that slid down her cheeks.

  A long, emotional connection took place before Maemm finally broke the embrace and caught a tear with her hand. Then, she seemed to reclaim her composure and lifted her chin a notch.

  “You had us so worried.” Maemm motioned to the kitchen table, and Hannah took the seat opposite her role model.

  “It’s over. The thief is caught.”

  Maemm nodded agreement. “And to think it was a man right here in town.” She offered a sad shake of her head. “Someone no one suspected.”