by Lenora Worth
“You’re asking me to hand over my child?” Raesha said, shaking her head. “Did your lawyers tell you to do this?”
“No,” Theodore replied. “Drew asked us. We’re trying to avoid lawyers.”
They wanted to take Dinah to see Drew. No, that would put trauma in Dinah’s mind and confuse her. No.
Raesha glanced back, probably concerned about Daniel. Josie and Dinah were hidden from sight and the hum of the work machines drowned out Dinah’s chatters.
Josie didn’t stop to think. She whirled and went back out the way she’d come and then took off walking as fast as she could.
She went past the grossmammi haus and hurried to the main house. After gathering food and clothing, she left by the front door, careful to stay out of sight, Dinah giggling as if they were on a grand adventure.
She had to keep Dinah away from Drew’s parents. If they took Dinah all the way to Kentucky, she might not ever see her daughter again.
“Go walk,” Dinah said, squirming to get down.
“It’s all right,” Josie said on a winded whisper. “I have to hold you, sweetheart.”
“Walk,” Dinah said on a stern demand.
They made it to the road, but she stayed near the tree line, darting from tree to tree so no one would notice them. When she reached the drive to the Fisher place, Josie stopped.
Where should she take Dinah?
* * *
The men were finishing for the day when Tobias heard someone shouting.
He turned to find Raesha rushing across the footbridge, her arms waving in the air.
“Josiah,” he called, pointing.
All of the men stopped what they were doing and hurried from the copse of trees they’d been harvesting to run back toward the Fisher house.
“What’s wrong?” Josiah asked as he grabbed Raesha by her arms.
“The Beningtons came again. They want to take Dinah to Kentucky to be with Drew until...until he passes. I told them I’d have to talk to you and I was worried about Josie.”
“Where is she?”
Raesha gulped a breath. “I don’t know. Drew’s parents came around to the hat shop and we talked for a while. Then Daniel woke, and I brought him home and went to check on Josie. Naomi said she had gone to get Dinah up and had not returned.”
Josiah’s eyes filled with fear and concern. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t find Josie and Dinah,” Raesha said. “They are gone.”
Tobias glanced around. They’d all been so occupied with getting these trees down they hadn’t noticed anything unusual going on at the Bawell place or back at the house here. But his instincts kicked in.
Looking toward his house off in the distance, he turned to Raesha. “Gone?”
Raesha’s eyes watered, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know. The Beningtons finally left, but they said they’d be back. Do you think they had someone take Dinah while they were talking to me? Maybe Josie went after them somehow?”
Josiah took Raesha into his arms. “We will find them.”
Tobias tugged at his hat and searched the countryside. “Surely they wouldn’t do that. Did they have a court order to take Dinah?”
Raesha shook her head. “They only wanted to know if we’d allow it and I said no. But I did tell them we would discuss this. We can’t let them take her without one of us with her, if we agree to this at all.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Josiah said. “Go back and stay with Daniel and Naomi. We will search for Dinah and Josie. I’ll call Nathan, too. He’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Tobias turned to the other men. “We need to call it a day.”
Abram nodded. “We’ll help you look for the bobbeli. But we should hurry. The sun will go down soon.”
“And Josie,” Tobias replied. “I’m going to find her. I have a feeling that wherever Josie is, Dinah will be with her.”
* * *
“Walk,” Dinah said, her bare feet pattering on the wooden floor.
“We did walk,” Josie replied, wishing she’d thought this through a little better. “But we need to get out of here, don’t we?”
She’d panicked, no doubt. The first panic attack she’d had in a long time. But the thought of those people taking Dinah away had made all of Josie’s rational thoughts go right out of her frazzled mind. She’d done what she had to do.
She’d removed Dinah from the situation.
Only once she had Dinah, they didn’t have time to grab anything much to travel with. So she’d come here, where she’d wait until dark, and then they’d sneak out. She’d only had time to grab some snack food and a change of clothes for Dinah.
Josie sank down against the wall. “Dinah, I’ve made a big mistake.”
Dinah turned and slanted her head. Then she ran into Josie’s arms. “Walk?”
“No more walk,” Josie said. “We have to wait until dark. We have to stay here and then we walk—somewhere.”
“Go,” Dinah said, heading toward the closed door. “Go home.”
Josie’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know where home is anymore.”
She looked around her and let the tears flow. Dinah saw her crying and toddled back to her.
Her big eyes wide, the little girl’s chubby fingers wiped Josie’s face. “Boo-boo.”
“A big boo-boo,” Josie said, the tears falling freely now. Taking Dinah into her arms, she said, “You know I love you. So much.”
“So muk,” Dinah echoed, her fingers warm against Josie’s face. Then Dinah kissed her with a big smack. “No boo-boo.”
Josie wrapped her arms around her daughter, every fiber of her mother’s heart wanting to protect this child from all the ugliness of the world out there. “Safe, Dinah,” she whispered. “I have to keep you safe.”
And the only way to do that was to take Dinah back home, where she had people to protect her.
Wiping her eyes, Josie heaved a breath and stood. Then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Someone had figured out where they were.
Josie held Dinah and realized there was no way out anyway.
Tobias opened the door to the room that used to be Josie’s bedroom, the same room where she’d brought her baby once before.
“I had a feeling,” he said, a tired smile moving over his face. “Everyone scattered, searching for you two, but I just knew you’d come here first.”
Josie tried to speak. Dinah looked at her and then at Tobias. “JoJo cry.”
Tobias rushed across the room and held them both close, his own eyes wet with tears. “JoJo is safe now, Dinah. And so are you.”
* * *
Two days later, Josie and Tobias sat with the Beningtons at their home in Kentucky. Josie remembered the large paneled den with the big fireplace. Today the room was cool with air-conditioning, and a big square swimming pool shimmered blue just beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows and doors covering one wall.
A hospital bed had been placed in the corner, near a full bathroom. And in that bed lay Drew Benington.
She looked back from the beautiful gardens and stared at Drew. “You’ve seen her,” she said, referring to Dinah. “We have to go back home tomorrow.”
Drew nodded, barely able to speak, his eyes on the little girl sitting on a plush floral rug, playing with a teddy bear her grandparents had given her.
“She is so beautiful, Josie.”
Tobias stared at his friend and then gave Josie a reassuring look. “She is in good hands, Drew. She is well loved.”
Drew nodded, his once thick blond hair gone, his once healthy physique now shriveled. “I need you both to forgive me. I am so sorry. So very sorry. I’m not asking because I’m dying. I’m telling you this for Dinah’s sake. Take care of her, and... I want you both to be happy.”
They had decided they could tolerate this visit only by forgiving Drew. He had confessed, he had asked for forgiveness and he was dying. What more could he suffer?
Facing the man who had assaulted her had been the most difficult thing Josie had ever done, but with Tobias by her side, she was at peace. At last.
They sat for a while longer, and then, after leaving Drew sleeping, they moved to the front hallway with his parents.
“We can never thank you enough,” Pamela said. “We understand how difficult this has been, but once he saw her picture, he wanted to see her.”
Josie refrained from what she wanted to say. “Dinah won’t remember much about this, but this was the only way I could find peace, the same peace Drew is seeking. I forgive your son for what he did. I love my child, and my brother and Raesha love her dearly, too.”
Tobias held Dinah and stood with Josie. “I love this one, too,” he said, smiling at Dinah. “And I pray you will respect the terms Alisha came up with for us.”
“We will abide by the terms,” Theodore said. “We promised Drew we would.”
They would get to visit Dinah several times a year, but Dinah would never know they were her paternal grandparents.
They’d offered money to help, which Josiah and Raesha had turned down.
“If you ever need anything,” Theodore said again.
“Denke,” Josie replied, “but you have given us the only thing we need. Dinah is ours and that now includes both of you. We are thankful that we were able to work things out.”
Pamela kissed Dinah and then hugged Josie. “We will never forget what you’ve given to us, either.”
They hurried to the sleek SUV and got Dinah tucked into the car seat between them in the back. As the vehicle pulled out of the circular driveway of the big brick house, Josie took one last look before she turned and smiled at Tobias.
“It’s over,” he said, his eyes full of love and hope. “Now we can start our new life together.”
* * *
Drew died a week later.
Tobias came and told them on Sunday.
“Walk with me,” he said to Josie after they’d all sat silent with their prayers.
She didn’t hesitate. He guided her toward the house. Already it had changed. He’d built two rocking chairs and placed them on the front porch. Then he’d added a swing in her favorite corner spot with the view. Jewel had helped him pick out colorful potted plants for the porch.
He took Josie to the swing. “Will you sit with me?”
She laughed. “Ja, of course.”
Tobias took her hand. “Josie, I love you and I want to marry you. Before you answer, I need to know one thing.”
Her heart couldn’t take much more. Had she done something wrong again? “What?”
“Will you be able to live here with me? Because if you cannot, I will sell this place and find us another house. Abram says there is a big farm for sale near his place.”
Josie put a finger to his lips, her heart full of love.
“Tobias, I spent about four hours in this house last week with Dinah. She prattled and played while I worried. But I prayed, too. I prayed so hard, and I thought of you and me and how long it’s taken us to find each other again.” Heaving a deep breath, she said, “I could see it all so clearly sitting in the room I used to sleep in. The soul of a house is only as good as the people who live there. I lived in this house and grew up in this house, but I lost my soul when my parents died.”
“So you don’t want to be here?”
She looked at the man she loved and held back tears. “I didn’t want to be here back then, but wherever you are, that is my home. I will marry you and I will make this our home. It will be full of love and children, and we have Dinah right across the way. It is enough. More than enough. This will be a fine home, and... I think my mamm will know I am safe here now. With you.”
“Will I be enough?” he asked, his arms pulling her close.
“Always,” she whispered, kissing his face with feathery little smacks. “More than enough. I love you. I’ll always love you.”
Tobias kissed her, and then he guided her to the front door. After opening it, he lifted her in his arms and took her inside.
“Wilkum home, Josie.”
Josie smiled and kissed him again. Then she looked around and saw clusters of sunflowers in various vases all over the big living room. “How?”
Tobias laughed. “Jewel knows a lot of people who know how to get sunflowers shipped out early.”
Josie touched her hand to his jaw. “I love Jewel. And I love you.”
Tobias kissed her, and then together they lit the lamps and toured their new home while the setting sun shot rays of creamy-golden light through the windows, the kind of light that banished the darkness forever and washed their newfound love in the sweet grace of God.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Amish Newcomer by Patrice Lewis.
Dear Reader,
This was a very emotional book to write. Josie had a tough life all of her life, so she made some bad choices. But she had a heart grounded in love and hope. Coming back to Campton Creek was the hardest thing she’d ever done, but with the love and support of her neighbors who had become her family, she found a place where she felt safe.
Tobias only wanted to start fresh and, hopefully, find the woman who’d left him and find out why she’d done so. He took a leap of faith and came to Campton Creek to start a new life and find Josie again. A horrible act forced them apart, but the love of family and the grace of God brought them back together and taught them the true meaning of forgiveness.
I hope this story brought you some hope and that it might have helped you in your own suffering. I fell in love with Campton Creek and all of the characters who showed up there. I hope you did, too. I’m working on a suspense set there now. But this book will stay in my heart for a long time to come.
Until next time,
May the angels watch over you. Always,
Lenora Worth
The Amish Newcomer
by Patrice Lewis
Chapter One
Leah Porte clutched her suitcase and climbed out of the dusty Subaru in front of a white farmhouse several miles outside the tiny hamlet of Pikeville, Ohio. The moment she closed the car door, the driver sped off in a cloud of dust and disappeared over a low hill, taking with it her last link to anything familiar.
Silence reigned.
Rustling cornfields bordered the large house on two sides. One by one, children gathered on the wide front porch and stared at her. Six children in all, three boys and three girls. She expected them to pepper her with questions, but they were silent, watching her with large blue eyes.
She put her suitcase down, wondering how odd she looked in her beige slacks and print blouse. The children were dressed more or less the same, the boys in black trousers and black suspenders, the girls in plain dresses with white bonnets of some sort. Only their bold colors on shirts or dresses—dark blue, green, purple, burgundy, pale blue—distinguished one child’s garments from another’s.
The middle daughter caught her eye. At first Leah thought she was a young child, but the mature features quickly confirmed she was just short, a little person, in fact. The young woman nodded and gave her a hint of a smile, her own eyes lingering on the angry red scar on Leah’s right cheek.
“Well.” Edith, the children’s mother, spoke into the lengthening silence. Large with pregnancy, she appeared comfortable in her white k
app and loose blue dress. “The first thing to do with you is get you out of your Englischer clothes and into something Plain. The sooner you look Amish, the faster you’ll fit in.” Leah heard the cadence of a second language in the older woman’s voice.
“I—I can’t thank you enough for taking me in.” Leah fiddled with a button on her blouse. “I’ve never been in a witness protection program before. This whole experience has been bewildering.”
“You’ll have time to tell us about it later.” Edith tugged her apron straight. “But for now let’s get you dressed. Amos, please carry her suitcase upstairs.”
One of the middle children, a boy around ten, snagged her suitcase and went clattering into the house. Edith followed, gesturing to Leah.
As expected, the home was simple and sparsely furnished, but airy and bright. Leah followed Edith up a narrow flight of stairs with no pictures on the walls and no adornment besides the banister.
“We have two guest rooms.” Edith puffed a little as she climbed the stairs. “I’m certain sure we’ll be filling them with kinner soon enough. My next boppli is due in almost three months, but for now you’ll have the room to yourself.”
A corridor ran the length of the upstairs, with numerous open doors on either side. The young boy turned in to a doorway, dropped the suitcase and stepped out of the room. Edith led the way in and Leah followed.
The colorful quilt, glowing in a patch of sunlight, caught her eye. Beyond that, the room was plain to the point of austere, with a serviceable pine dresser, a bedside table with a kerosene lamp, and a comfortable-looking rocking chair. The only wall adornment was a pine board with hooks that a variety of garments hung from.
“Since we weren’t sure what size you were, we borrowed a couple dresses from my schweschder as well as my oldest dochder.” Edith turned and looked Leah over. “My Sarah is about your height, so we’ll start with her dress.” Removing a forest-green garment from the hook, Edith held it in front of Leah. “Ja, I think this will fit.”
