Hannah smiled faintly, her eyes telling him she appreciated his attempt at humor. Glad someone did. Gabe heaved a sigh, recalling his own heartache when she never showed, when his attempts to find her failed, when, despondent, he went home, and his little brother died soon after.
“So where does that leave us?” Needing something to do when he wanted to jump up and plead his case, Gabe reached down to wipe moisture, residue of some snow on the sidewalk, from his shoes. Ears tuned to her, he could hear Hannah quietly breathing. Say something. I love you. But I can’t make this relationship work on my own. He closed his eyes. And I don’t know if I can handle having my heart broken again.
He snorted ruefully. Maybe there was something about this chair’s effect on people. Opening his eyes, Gabe pushed up from it to find Hannah standing silently on the other side of the counter. Eyes wet with tears, her hands were pressed to her mouth.
“Your sister’s back now, isn’t she? So am I. For the moment. Do you think maybe there’s a reason that God has given us this second chance?” Shaking his head, Gabe started for the back door, the silence ringing behind him.
Chapter Twelve
Hannah stopped the sewing machine’s wheel and her feet paused on the treadle at the angry rattle against the windows. She glanced out at the snow gusting down the street. All afternoon the wind had been battering the windows as if it was trying to blow through the glass.
Frowning, she clipped off her thread. Her daed had warned her about the weather. Even cautioned that maybe she shouldn’t go to work today. But since Barb had left the store in her care while she was out of town, Hannah didn’t want to close it in her employer’s absence.
She was thankful she’d left Daisy back at the farm. The trip home over unplowed country roads would’ve worn the old mare out. The topic of conversation of the few customers she’d had since noon had been the deteriorating weather and the concern they hadn’t seen the worst of it yet. Hannah frowned at the snow, blowing so hard the bank’s sign across the street was barely visible. A glance at the wall clock revealed it to be an hour to closing. Even Barb would agree it was reasonable to shut the shop for the day.
The window rattled again. As she pushed her chair back from the sewing machine, Hannah bit her lower lip. She needed to call the Thompsons and arrange for a ride home. Hopefully the Englisch drivers were willing to go out in these conditions.
She glanced up at the ceiling. She’d heard Gabe come in a short while ago. They hadn’t spoken in the past two days she’d been at work, although she’d thought about what he’d said...and that she hadn’t responded. Even though he’d frequently stated that much was lost for want of asking, given the current circumstances, asking him for anything was something Hannah couldn’t do.
She stared unseeing at the fabric lined up under the sewing machine’s presser foot. Due to some rumblings in the community about an Englischer’s—Gabe’s—alleged involvement in Aaron Raber’s absence, the auction was at a standstill. The naysayers had been quick to speak out, which had suppressed the support of others. It was no surprise who the naysayers’ leader was. Even though Gabe’s work had saved Bishop Weaver’s life, the man’s wife surreptitiously campaigned to quash the fundraising event.
Hannah didn’t know how or whether to proceed. What if it was Gott’s will that it be ended?
No auction meant no job for Gabe.
His leaving would remove temptation, so she could focus on what she should be doing. Who she should be intending to marry. Still, the knowledge that in less than two weeks she might never see him again gnawed at Hannah’s stomach and made her eyes sting.
There was a brief lull in the wind. Hannah lifted her head at the creak of the building’s stairs. A moment later, the back door opened and Gabe poked his head into the shop.
“I didn’t see Daisy out back.” At another big gust, he looked beyond Hannah to the window. “It’s getting pretty rough out there. How are you getting home?”
Hannah couldn’t prevent the catch in her breath at the sight of him. She barely managed to keep her face composed. “Ah, I was going to call the Thompsons to hire them for a ride.”
“Their car might have a rough time in these conditions. I’ll give you a ride home.”
Stepping the rest of the way into the shop, Gabe kept his attention on the windblown street. Was he intentionally avoiding her? He had reason to, after the way they’d last parted. Although she nodded solemnly, Hannah’s pulse accelerated.
“It’s supposed to get worse.” Gabe finally looked in Hannah’s direction. “How long do you need to stay?”
Hannah sprang up from her chair. “I can be ready to go in a few minutes.”
“I’ll go grab my gear, then head out to warm up the truck. Meet you in back?”
“Ja.” Hannah dashed for the front of the store to grab her cloak and bonnet from their peg and lock the door. Quickly addressing other tasks to close the store for the night, she locked up the shop’s back door and headed out.
The alley door was like a live thing, trying to jerk out of her hands. Once outside, Hannah gasped to reclaim some air before the wind whisked it all away. She hopped down the path Gabe had made through the knee-deep snow to reach the truck’s passenger door and climb in.
Directing some heat vents toward her with one hand, Gabe hooked a thumb toward the back seat with the other. “There’s a blanket and an extra coat in back.” He returned his hands to the steering wheel and, moments later, they were heading out of the alley. The wipers barely kept pace with the constant bombardment of white.
Hannah twisted to retrieve the lap-size blanket from the back seat. It could be that Gabe’s curtness was due to the dangerous conditions of the trip. Maybe it was just her remorse, but his demeanor seemed almost as chilly as the weather.
“It’s worse in the country,” he murmured as he leaned forward to peer through the windshield. “I’m glad you didn’t drive Daisy today. This weather is nothing to mess around with. How’d you get in?”
“I caught a ride in with a neighbor.” Hannah was just relieved they were talking. She didn’t care what the subject was.
By the time she’d tucked the blanket around her legs, they’d reached the edge of town. Once the protection of the buildings was gone, the truck shuddered under the onslaught of the buffeting winds.
Hands never leaving the wheel, Gabe darted another glance at her. “Buckle up.”
Doing as he directed, Hannah kept her eyes on the white world beyond the windshield. She didn’t know how Gabe even knew where the road was, but somehow he kept on it. They crept down the highway leading out of town at a speed her mare Daisy could’ve outpaced. Even so, Hannah gasped softly every time she felt the truck shift abruptly on the road’s treacherous surface. Numerous times she glanced over to Gabe, taking comfort in his focused profile and capable hands on the wheel.
They both jumped when Gabe’s pager went off. Finding his way into the nearest driveway, Gabe put the truck in Park and contacted the dispatcher. Following their succinct conversation, he turned to Hannah with a frown.
“I have to respond to a call. I don’t have time to take you home beforehand.”
“That’s...that’s all right. You do what you need to do.”
With a terse nod, Gabe carefully backed onto the road. Hannah caught her breath and braced a hand against the dashboard when Gabe gently braked and the truck continued to slide backward. She waited until he had their forward motion under control before speaking.
“Accident?”
“Yeah. Fortunately just a little farther up the road.” They crept along until Hannah could make out dark shapes against the otherwise uninterrupted white world outside, one car tipped in the ditch on both sides of the road. Putting on his hazard lights in addition to the flashing blue on the dash, Gabe parked at a 45 degree angle on the road to try to block the scene.
Leaving the engine running, Gabe’s eyes were riveted on the cars as he grabbed his jump bag. “I might need your help.” He glanced at Hannah, his green eyes grave. “For now, stay put.”
Easing the driver’s door open, he and the wind battled for control of it. Gabe won, but in the short skirmish, frigid air swirled through the cab. Hannah gasped at its vicious bite. She watched anxiously through the window as Gabe fought his way to the car on his side of the road.
When he stepped away from the road’s shoulder, he sank to his knees in the snow. With a few lunging strides, he reached the driver’s door of the partially buried vehicle. Clearing the snow away, he wedged it open and leaned in.
Fixated on the vehicle, Hannah’s eyes widened. Even under these conditions, she recognized the older model car that’d been idling at the end of her lane that night. Heart clenching, she automatically looked around for Socks before remembering she’d left the collie at home today. Hands clasped to her chest, she stared at where Gabe was barely visible in the open driver’s door. She caught her breath when he reappeared out of its depths and motioned for her before disappearing again.
Hannah hesitated as she recalled her fear as the car in the ditch had idled at the end of her lane, her anguish when Socks was missing, presumably taken by this man. A moment later, grimacing with trepidation, she pushed open the truck’s door. Driving snow stung her face, and the wind whipped her cloak as she worked her way to the ditch. The tracks where Gabe had made his way down were already drifting over. Taking a step, Hannah gasped as wet and cold gripped the thick stockings on her leg.
Gabe ducked back out of the car when she reached him. He scanned her face. “You doing okay?” he shouted above the wind. Hannah didn’t know if she was nodding or shaking, but Gabe took it as an affirmative. “I’m so sorry to get you into this, but I need to get his bleeding stopped and check the occupants of the other car. Can you keep pressure on this?”
Ducking with him out of the wind, into the cavity of the car’s interior, Hannah saw a man—the man who she’d seen on the street—slumped in the front seat. He was bleeding from the face and head. With a gloved hand, Gabe had a wad of gauze pressed against the man’s forehead. Using his free hand, Gabe pulled another medical glove from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Here, put this on. Then I need you to take my place. Ready?” In the cramped situation, they managed to switch positions. “Head wounds bleed a lot. It’s not as bad as it looks, but we still have to get it stopped. I’ll check the other car and be back as soon as I can. Local police should be here soon and maybe can relieve you.” He met her eyes. “You going to be okay with this?”
“Ja.” Hannah nodded. As the cold seeped into her feet through her sensible black shoes, she reminded herself that she’d saved a life with Gabe’s help a few days ago. She could do this, too.
“You’re amazing.” Touching her shoulder, Gabe gave her a smile before ducking out of the car’s interior.
Even in the frigid surrounding, his parting actions warmed her. Her heart rate steadied with the knowledge of his confidence and support. Turning her focus to the man in front of her, Hannah’s brows furrowed as she scrutinized his face. Under the rivulets of blood that tracked down it, the man’s skin, instead of being pale with cold, was flushed. Tentatively, she held the backs of her ungloved fingers to an unbloodied space on the man’s opposite cheek. Heat radiated into her cold hand. The man was burning up.
When his eyes suddenly fluttered open, Hannah jerked her hand back from his cheek. Only an arm’s length apart, she could see some lucidity drifted into their depths.
One corner of the man’s lips twitched slightly. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “About your dog.”
With the wind buffeting the outside of the car, Hannah wasn’t sure she heard correctly. Or if he was even fully coherent. “Hang on. Help is here. We’ll get you taken care of.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I...” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “I took care of the dogs when I took them. I tried to find good homes for them. I just needed money to pay for the painkillers...the drugs. Drugs that have...wrecked my life. I’m sorry. So, so sorry.” His eyes drifted closed again.
Memories of the sleepless night, the panic and angst of Socks’s disappearance flooded Hannah. She never wanted to relive that night. And Socks had only returned because she’d chewed through a rope to escape. Hannah could’ve lost her forever. “Hello? You probably need to stay awake. Hello?”
The man’s eyelids slowly lifted again. He regarded her with dull eyes.
Hannah forgot the wind and the cold as she looked into them. They were filled with obvious pain. Pain that wasn’t just physical.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Hannah swallowed as she reflected upon the fear and anguish this man had caused her. She wasn’t sure what else she could do for his physical aches, but she knew what she had to do for the other. For both of them.
Opening her eyes to meet his listless ones, Hannah whispered, “I forgive you.”
The man’s eyes widened. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and his shoulders sagged further against the seat as his eyes drifted shut again. While still flushed, he looked...peaceful. Surprisingly, it was a peace she shared.
Hannah’s hand was cramped with cold. Glancing through the windshield, she was surprised to see flashing red-and-blue lights against the snow. Her relief knew no bounds when she could make out Gabe, bent almost double against the wind, cross the road toward her. She gasped when he slipped at the edge of the ditch, sliding down its length before regaining his feet. One side of him was caked in white when he ducked beside her to lean into the car.
“How’re we doing?” With a glance at Hannah, he took over applying pressure. Gently lifting the gauze, he checked the wound. “The good news is the bleeding stopped.” He ran his eyes over the man, lingering on a grubby bandage on the man’s ungloved hand. “Mr. Weathers, did you ever see your doctor about your dog bite?”
The man’s head weakly wobbled back and forth on the headrest.
“Looks like it’s gotten infected. You’ve got a fever and, I imagine, feel pretty lousy. There’s an ambulance en route. I can’t make you go to the hospital, but you’re very sick, Mr. Weathers.”
The man’s cracked lips barely moved in his whisper. “I’ll go. I was heading for the doctor, but got stuck in the lane. When I gunned it to get out, I shot onto the road and hit something. Are they all right?”
“Yes, sir, they’re going to be fine. Getting a ride back into town with the officer.”
Hannah could hear the faint sound of a siren. So apparently could the man. His eyes popped open and fixed on her.
“Take care of the puppies.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hannah’s brow creased. Was he talking about Socks? About dogs he’d taken, in general? Was he simply delirious with fever? Frowning, she caught Gabe’s eye. He shook his head, apparently not understanding what the man meant, either.
“There’s two. A friend of mine had them. Their momma died and he couldn’t handle them. They’re in the kitchen. I’ve been taking care of them. But...” The man was quiet for a moment as Gabe addressed the wound on his head. “I’m going to be away for a while. I...I need help. It’s...it’s time I got help.”
Impulsively, Hannah grasped the man’s grubby hand, startled again at the heat of it against her cold fingers. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the puppies. You just get better.” She felt the subtle pressure as the man gently squeezed back.
“Thank you,” he sighed, his hand dropping open as if the action was too much for him.
Through the windshield, Hannah caught sight of movement as people in reflective gear descended the ditch. Ducking out of the car’s interior to give them room, she stumbled a few feet away through the drifts, blinking against the sting of the snow on her face. She thought she heard Gabe yell something about the tru
ck before the wind whipped his words away. Grasping handfuls of dead grass that barely topped the snow, she pulled herself out of the ditch. Gabe’s truck was now among a trio of light-pulsing vehicles. Hannah was glad to see an ambulance was one of them.
Slipping across the slick pavement, she reached the truck and battled the passenger door open to climb inside. She almost wept with relief at the warmth of the cab and break from the incessant wind. When Gabe opened the driver’s door to a flurry of flakes and a blast of cold air a few minutes later, Hannah still had her fingers tucked against the blasting heat vent.
“You doing okay?” Gabe stashed his ever-present black bag behind the seat before giving her a quick survey.
Hannah nodded toward where her legs were tucked under the dash. “I can finally feel my feet again.”
Gabe frowned. “I’m sorry about that. You aren’t dressed for this. I shouldn’t have called you out to help.”
“Nee. I’m glad you did. I—” she ducked her head “—I’m glad you trust me to do so. I’m sorry about the other day...”
Stripping off a glove, Gabe reached for her hand. “Hannah, I don’t give up easily.”
Lifting his hand, Hannah touched the back of it against her cheek. Though not extremely warm, it was a compelling contact against her chilly skin. Gabe’s presence in her life was like that. It added a warmth, a vibrancy, that didn’t otherwise exist for her. “I’m glad about that, too.”
She returned their clasped hands to her lap. “I need to get the puppies.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Gabe grinned at her before turning his attention to the two other vehicles maneuvering to turn around on the highway. Their flashing lights dimmed in the growing dusk and blowing snow as they pulled away. His smile faded. “The deputy said to get back into town as soon as possible. They’re stretched thin and having trouble getting around themselves.” He looked at Hannah, his expression solemn. “They’re closing down the highway. I don’t know that I’ll be able to get you home, especially if the country roads are worse than this.”
Her Forbidden Amish Love Page 13
