Bertha's Resolve: Love's Journey in Sugarcreek, Book 4

by Serena B. Miller

  It was one of the successes Bertha often thought about when she was feeling down and needed to remind herself that she had done some good—that she had lived a life that mattered.

  Several of the children she helped raise and educate got higher educations and became school teachers. Three of the girls managed to get nursing degrees. One little boy who was so skinny and sick when he arrived that he almost didn’t survive, turned out to be quite brilliant. He now worked as a doctor in the slums of Port au Prince—a brave man and highly revered. Bertha remembered walking the floor with him in her arms night after night, willing him to live, praying that he would make it.

  Bertha received many letters over the years from the children for whom she had cared, and she treasured each one. Still, she often regretted not having had the resources to accomplish more.

  While Bertha bathed before her dinner, Rosa took Anna to the beach again. Bertha appreciated the fact that Rosa was giving her the privacy and time she needed to prepare for an evening she was dreading.

  She was also grateful for Rosa’s large bathtub. Warm water was comforting, and she needed comfort right now. Seldom had she ever experienced so many emotions at once as tonight. Gratitude to Rosa for finding a doctor for Anna. Irritation with Rosa for inadvertently bringing her together with a man she had hoped never to see again.

  The Mennonite/Amish community in Florida was not all that large. It had probably been inevitable that she would run into him or someone who knew him, but it was unfortunate it had to be his daughter, and that his daughter would feel compelled to invite her to dinner.

  Bertha had a headache, which was rare to her. No doubt, it was from all the stress of the day. As she lay in the warm water, she felt it begin to ease up. She wished the water could rid her of her heartache as quickly.

  Eventually, Bertha finished her bath and began to dress. Her heavy black socks and black tennis shoes that she usually wore seemed absurd in the Floridian heat. Rosa had loaned her a pair of tan-colored flip-flops to wear. She slipped those on now.

  She didn’t think she would need a purse unless it would be to hold a handkerchief. A handkerchief might be necessary, though. Although she hoped not, there was a chance she might be in tears before the evening was over. She did not like tissues—they tended to disintegrate.

  Her dress did have a side pocket. She pulled a clean hanky out of the dresser, folded it, and put it in the pocket. Then she went into Anna’s room. Anna had a great affection for things that smelled good. She loved any kind of perfume with the scent of flowers. For Anna’s sake, Bertha was grateful that scented bath oils and soaps and perfumes were not forbidden in their particular Old Order Amish sect.

  Apart from being clean, Bertha rarely cared if she smelled good. But tonight—oh, it was an old woman’s sheer foolishness!—she went into Anna’s room and put a tiny dab of orange blossom perfume behind her ears and on her wrists. It was the perfume that Rachel had gotten Anna for Christmas this year. Just a tiny bit.

  Then she changed her mind. What was she doing? This was ridiculous! She was an old woman! It irritated her that she was acting like a nervous teenager about to go on a first date. She went into the bathroom and scrubbed the perfume off with soap and water, then she prayed that God would keep her from making a complete fool of herself tonight.

  Chapter 52

  Alex was on the computer again. Calvin was grateful Alex had finally gotten around to getting Wi-Fi put in. Still, it seemed like whenever Alex wasn’t sleeping or watching some stupid TV program or trying to cook something inedible, he was almost always on the computer.

  It was annoying because they only owned one, and Calvin liked to play games on it. It soothed his nerves after a hard day at school—and being the new kid at school, he needed his nerves soothed rather badly most school days.

  “You about done?” Calvin asked, dumping his school bag on the couch.

  “Sure. Just looking for a job,” Alex glanced up from the computer.

  “Do you have to do that now?” Calvin allowed some of his irritation to show. “I want to play a game.”

  “It’s all yours.” Alex clicked out of the site he was on and stood up. “You can have it. I’ll go start supper.”

  Calvin’s stomach twisted into a knot when he heard this. Was Alex going to try to cook again? This did not bode well.

  “What are we having?” Calvin climbed into the chair.

  “Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”

  Calvin glanced up at Alex in surprise. “Really?”

  “I bought some microwave dinners today for our supper.” Alex shrugged. “I figured I couldn’t mess that up too bad.”

  “Well, okay. I guess.” Calvin tried to force some enthusiasm into his voice, but it came out flat.

  Alex gave a little sigh and then squatted down where he could look Calvin straight in the eyes.

  “Look, buddy,” Alex said. “I know living with me hasn’t been a lot of fun.”

  “It’s been okay.” Calvin shrugged.

  “I…went through something right before you came to live with me. I haven’t been dealing with it well. I’m sorry. I’m trying to do better.”

  Calvin didn’t know what to say. Alex seemed to be actually looking at him instead of walking around in a fog. He squirmed a little, uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure he liked Alex paying attention to him. But if Alex was going to apologize, he guessed he probably should as well.

  “I’m sorry, too,” Calvin said.

  “For what?” Alex acted surprised. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “You had to take me in after Grandma died,” Calvin said. “I know you didn’t want to.”

  Calvin was surprised to see Alex’s facial expression crumble at his words.

  “Is that what you really think?” Alex said.

  “Yeah,” Calvin said. “I guess so.”

  Alex scrubbed his face with both hands and stood up. “That’s it. No TV dinners tonight and no more of you playing videogames while I sleep.”

  “Did I say something wrong?” Calvin asked, worried. “I didn’t mean to. Honest. Please don’t get rid of me. I’ll be good.”

  “What are you talking about—get rid of you?”

  Calvin kept silent. He was afraid to answer. He didn’t want to make Alex mad.

  “Is that what you’ve been thinking?” Alex’s voice rose. “That I would get rid of you if you weren’t good enough? Oh, you poor kid!”

  Calvin was astonished when Alex plucked him up off the chair like he weighed nothing and gave him the biggest hug. Calvin was small for his age, but he hadn’t been picked up and hugged like that since he was in kindergarten. Grandma hadn’t been real strong. For a moment, he resisted, then he realized how badly he’d needed a hug and allowed Alex to hold him for a few moments before he squirmed to signal he wanted to get down.

  When he was back on his feet, he glanced up and saw that Alex’s eyes were all red and watery.

  “For your information,” Alex said. “I’ll fight anyone who tries to take you away from me. Got it?”

  Calvin hadn’t expected Alex to say something like that. He felt a choking sensation in the back of his throat and knew he was about to cry, too. He didn’t want to act like some sort of crybaby in front of Alex, so he swallowed the tears, wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve, and said, “Got it.”

  “Good. Now—let’s forget frozen TV dinners tonight. There’s a place in town called Joe’s Home Plate. Want to try it out?”

  Calvin nodded.

  “Then go get your coat on.”

  “Okay.”

  Alex looked him over before they went out the door. “Where are your hat and gloves?”

  “I lost them.”

  “I don’t remember purchasing that coat.”

  “Some church gave a bunch of new coats to the teachers at my school to give to needy kids.”

  “They thought you were needy?” Alex looked like he had been struck. “They thought I couldn
’t afford to buy you a decent coat?”

  “I don’t know what they thought.”

  Alex looked down at the sodden tennis shoes. “Where are your boots?”

  “I outgrew them before Christmas.”

  “And you didn’t say anything?”

  Calvin shrugged. “I didn’t want to make you mad.”

  “I just lost my appetite,” Alex opened the door. “Before we eat, we’re going shopping. This is not acceptable. A kid needs decent clothes. Especially when he’s the new kid in school. Where has my mind been?”

  Chapter 53

  Rachel didn’t mind helping out at Joe’s Home Plate. Having been raised Amish, one of the first things she had learned was how to work. In fact, not working felt odd to her unless she was just enjoying being with her children.

  Ever since Joe and his brother, Darren, had opened the restaurant, she had jumped in whenever she could. She’d done everything from clearing tables to taking out the trash, to cleaning the grill, to flipping burgers.

  Now that she had little Holly, though, she was limited in the jobs she could do while carrying the baby. Once again, she had her tiny daughter nestled in the stretchy wrap, and Rachel loved having her there. This left Rachel’s hands free to do the more manageable jobs, one of which was to work behind the cash register.

  It was seven o’clock on a Friday night, and Joe’s Home Plate was filled with patrons, mostly locals. The receipts would be good tonight. There were already several hundred dollars in cash Darren would need to take to the night deposit at the U.S. Bank down the street after they locked up.

  Standing behind the counter, she could also keep an eye on Bobby, who was coloring with Calvin, the little boy who had stolen one of Lydia’s pies. From what she could see, the child had also managed to steal Lydia’s heart. Most children would have had no interest in a woman of her aunt’s age, but Calvin followed her around like a puppy, eager to help.

  She’d heard Calvin slip up a few times and call Lydia “grandma.” It didn’t take a psychiatrist to figure out that Lydia had become a grandma substitute to a heart-hungry little boy. From what Rachel had seen, Lydia didn’t mind one bit.

  Rachel suspected that having Calvin drop in after school every afternoon was a great comfort to her aunt, and vice-versa. Last night when Rachel had stopped by, Calvin was doing his homework at the Inn’s kitchen table while Lydia oversaw it. There was, of course, a small plate of cookies on the table. Lydia had been too engrossed in the child to spend much time with her.

  The only issue she saw about this arrangement was that she had no idea how long Alex and Calvin would be sticking around. She had the feeling that Calvin’s guardian was somewhat rootless and aimless at the moment.

  He did seem to be a perfectly decent man, though, albeit a tad overwhelmed by being thrust into the role of guardian. Calvin was looking better tonight than the last time she saw him, though. He was wearing new jeans that were long enough for him, and he had on brand new, boot-type shoes instead of those old tennis shoes with the raggedy shoestrings he’d been wearing.

  He looked much happier, too, and so did his guardian. In fact, they seemed to be genuinely enjoying having dinner together.

  The baby began to squirm, and Rachel was about to go warm up one of Holly’s bottles when a man came through the door whom she did not recognize.

  He didn’t strike her as a tourist or a local, and she immediately felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. He seemed jittery. A baseball hat was pulled low over his eyes. He came to stand in front of the cash register, but he didn’t look her in the eyes when she greeted him.

  Instead, in a low voice, he said words that made her blood run cold.

  “I have a gun. Put all your cash in a paper bag. Hand it over. Pretend I’m picking up a to-go order. Now!”

  She placed a hand protectively over the baby while she quickly took stock. He was wearing a plain wool jacket with deep pockets. Both of his hands were thrust deep into those pockets. There could be a gun in there, or a knife, or nothing. He might be bluffing. Or not. She had a strong feeling that he was not bluffing.

  Had she not been encumbered with an infant, she would have immediately gone over the counter at him. She would have the element of surprise and enough know-how to subdue him.

  But with little Holly nestled against her, she was virtually helpless. Joe and Darren were both working in the kitchen with no line of sight to where she was standing. Two high school girls were waiting on customers. All the locals were chatting and enjoying their meals. They were decent, everyday people who probably wouldn’t notice something was wrong. Nor would any of them have the skills to help her without getting themselves hurt.

  She was not armed. Nor did she have a weapon beneath the counter. Joe and Darren had decided against it because, in a crowded restaurant, the chances of an accidental gunshot would be a greater danger than a thief. Besides, this was Sugarcreek. It was a good place filled with decent people. The chances of being robbed were small—until it happened.

  There was also no silent alarm button to push. No way to alert anyone to what was happening. Joe had meant to take care of that small detail, but they had been so busy, he hadn’t quite gotten around to it.

  Furious, but frightened for her family, her patrons, and herself, she pulled a white to-go bag from beneath the counter, opened the register, and placed a stack of ones inside the bag.

  “Larger bills, first,” the man shifted his weight from one leg to another and glanced around. “Hurry.”

  It was infuriating to know that some stranger was stealing the money from all their hard work, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

  She reached for another stack of twenties when she felt eyes from across the room. Glancing up, she saw that Alex was staring at her. He was frowning, and one of his eyebrows was cocked.

  The look of understanding in Alex’s eyes gave her a jolt. He’d seen what was happening and understood the ramifications. She quickly lowered her eyes before the thief could see the hope there.

  Alex quietly rose from the table. One moment he had been supervising Bobby and Calvin’s play. The next moment he was leaning against the counter, next to the stranger.

  “Excuse me,” Alex said. “I need to pay. My cousin isn’t feeling well, and I need to get him home.”

  Rachel glanced at Calvin, who appeared to be fine.

  “I was here first,” the stranger said. “Go back to your table and wait your turn.”

  Rachel knew it would be hard for anyone to miss what was happening. She had a paper bag in her hand stuffed with bills, and the cash drawer was open and empty.

  “I don’t think I’m going to do that,” Alex said. “Does he have a gun, Rachel?”

  “I’m pretty sure,” Rachel said.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Before the stranger could react, he was face down on the floor with Alex holding both of his wrists behind his back. The man was wiry, young, and strong, and he fought hard to throw Alex off.

  “A little help here?” Alex said, calmly.

  She rushed out from behind the counter, knelt, and helped subdue him.

  “Bring me the diaper bag,” she said to Bobby, who was watching wide-eyed.

  He ran into the kitchen and brought it back to her. Rachel reached in and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

  “Wait. You carry handcuffs in Holly’s diaper bag?” Darren wiped his hands on a dishtowel as he followed Bobby out of the kitchen.

  She didn’t bother answering him. Instead, she snapped the cuffs on the thief’s wrists, and then she and Alex pulled him to his feet.

  Rachel patted the guy down and stopped. “I’ve found something.”

  Gingerly, she reached into the man’s right coat pocket and lifted out a loaded Ruger 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

  “He wasn’t bluffing,” she said, as she laid the lethal weapon on the counter.

  The struggling wanna-be thief let loose with a string of
words Rachel sincerely hoped would not make it into Bobby’s vocabulary.

  “Watch your mouth,” Alex said. “There are children here!”

  The man lapsed into a simmering silence.

  One of the patrons had already called the police. The station was less than two blocks away. Ed, lights flashing, siren wailing, screeched to a stop in front of the restaurant. It had taken him approximately two minutes to arrive.

  He burst through the door. “Everyone okay?”

  Various customers nodded their heads.

  “What about you?” Ed glanced at Rachel.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Is that his weapon?” Ed nodded at the handgun, laying on the counter.

  “It is.”

  “Who are you?” Ed asked Alex.

  “He’s a customer,” Rachel said. “And a neighbor.”

  As Ed took over, Rachel went to a nearby booth and sat down before her legs could give out. The more she thought about what had just transpired, the weaker her knees felt. The man was armed! Her children had been within a few feet of a man holding a loaded weapon with intent to harm!

  “You’re trembling, sweetheart.” Joe wrapped his arms around her and the baby. “Are you and Holly okay?”

  “I’ve faced a lot of criminals,” Rachel said. “But I never thought I would have to do so holding my child. I was so angry, Joe, and so helpless. Then Alex stepped in.”

  “I think he and Calvin will be getting some meals on the house for a while,” Joe said.

  “Most definitely.”

  Then she saw Bobby standing near watching her, fear and concern written all over his little face.

  “Come here, son,” she said.

  He went to her, and she pulled him into an embrace. He was shaking.

  “Everything is fine, Bobby,” she said. “There is no reason for you to worry. Your little sister didn’t even wake up.”

  How she wished their son had not seen what had just happened! Bobby had already dealt with more trauma than adults had to endure. His mother’s death, the paparazzi following him and his father everywhere afterward, and the kidnapping last year. Now, this. He had seen too much.