Sarah's Orphans

by Vannetta Chapman

  “Ya. Received the call this morning that they accepted my offer. The real estate agent has power of attorney, so the deal should close quickly.”

  “And they’re allowing you to work there before the sale is finalized?”

  “What’s the harm? The worst I could do is improve something. If the sale didn’t go through—and it will—then the family has received a few days of free labor.”

  Paul seemed to be enjoying dropping such momentous news on her, or maybe he was just happy about the farm he’d purchased.

  Mateo and Mia finished their meal, so Sarah told them they could go into the living room, sit on the couch, and read or draw.

  “I hope to move in by this weekend,” he added, studying his now empty plate.

  “We’ll be glad to have you as a neighbor.” Andy poured another glass of milk and reached for the peanut butter bars.

  They had neighbors on the other side of their property and to the back—though one family was Englisch and the other an elderly Amish couple who would probably sell soon. Still, it wasn’t as if they were alone.

  But none of that was her most pressing concern. She leaned forward and waited until Paul met her gaze. “You said you know Spanish? Can you talk to Mateo?”

  “I already have.” Paul drummed his fingers against the table. “Guess I got caught up in farm details, which is why I came over to begin with. Can’t tell you how relieved I am, Andy, that you’re willing to look at the tractor.”

  “I’m not promising we can fix it.”

  “But we’ll give it a try.” Henry looked pleased at the thought.

  “Henry can fix most things,” Andy explained. “My bruder is good with mechanical problems.”

  Paul accepted a peanut butter bar when Henry passed the plate his way. “I also wanted to see if it would be possible for me to hire Henry for the spring planting.”

  “Henry will be busy here,” Sarah said.

  “There’s plenty of Henry to go around,” Andy assured her. “It’s an effort some days to find enough work for him, which is why he’s working at the restaurant in town.”

  “I’d rather be working on a tractor—or even farming. Anything beats asking folks if they want their whoopie pie to go.”

  “I can keep you busy two days a week,” Paul said. “Let me close on the place, and then I’ll see what I can afford to pay.”

  “Sounds gut to me. I won’t turn in my apron at the Dutch Pantry until I hear from you.” Henry grinned and moseyed off to the living room.

  Sarah heard him collapse on the couch where Mateo and Mia were sitting. Leaning back in her chair, she could just see the three of them. Henry had his eyes closed. Mia was talking to the doll she’d found in Sarah’s room, and Mateo was drawing on a sheet of paper.

  “Our farm simply isn’t that big,” Andy added, returning to the subject of hiring Henry out. “I’d rather have Henry at home than in town, and it will be gut for him to earn a little extra money. I predict a wunderbaar partnership between the two of us.”

  Paul appeared satisfied with the arrangement.

  Great. Her brother and the man who set her teeth on edge were best buddies now.

  Sarah shook her head to clear it. “I can’t believe we’re talking about farming and tractors while I have two abandoned children in my living room. Paul, what did you learn when you spoke to them?”

  “Apparently they arrived in town a little over a week ago. They’d hitched a ride from someone because they had no money for a bus ticket.”

  “Where were they going?” Andy asked.

  “He didn’t know. He only knew that they were dropped off here. The mother’s name is Elisa Lopez.”

  Sarah dropped her hands to her lap. She could feel a tremor start in one of her hands and creep all the way up her arm. Why was she upset? It would be a good thing if they found the children’s mother. But what kind of mother abandoned her children?

  A mother like her own.

  She bit back the thought and continued to question Paul.

  “Why did she leave them? When is she coming back? Did she know that Mia was sick, that Mia could have died of pneumonia in that barn?”

  Paul held up both hands in a surrender gesture. “I’m not a translator, Sarah.”

  Had he ever used her name before? She closed her eyes and ignored the shiver dancing down her spine. She was tired. The last few days had been stressful.

  “But you’re sure…about their mother?”

  “Ya. The boy was told to wait with his sister.”

  Sarah was stunned. She was feeling a hundred things at once and tears pricked her eyes, which was embarrassing. Why would she be crying? This was good news! The children’s mother was alive and well, or had been a week ago.

  “How old are they?” Andy asked.

  “The boy is eight. The girl just turned three.” Paul drained his mug of milk and added, “He couldn’t tell me anything about his father.”

  “That’s all we need to know.” Andy pushed back from the table. “Henry will go into town and fetch the sheriff. This is officially not our problem.”

  “How can you say that?”

  Andy had stood and was walking toward the back door. Now he turned to face her, and Sarah could see the puzzlement on his face. Things were that simple for him.

  “These children were in an abandoned building, Andy. At least when our mother left, we were in a home.”

  “The authorities will take care of them.”

  “Will they? So they’ll shuffle Mateo and Mia to another home? Or to several other homes because no one wants to keep them for very long? Or even to separate homes because no one wants two children?” She fought to lower her voice, afraid they would hear, afraid she would hurt them more than they already had been. “This is what we’re supposed to do, as Christians, as gut neighbors. Didn’t you listen at all to the sermon yesterday?”

  “That does not mean that we’re to jump in the middle of every problem we see!” Andy shook his head and glanced at Paul, who was obviously trying to stay out of this family argument. “We don’t know anything about keeping orphans. You find someone who can advise us, and I will listen. But they need to be here by this afternoon. I can stall a few hours, but that’s all. Before the afternoon is over I have to send Henry to town to alert the authorities.”

  Sarah tried to still her emotions, to make her expression a blank slate. She failed miserably. Turning away, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and hurried into the sitting room.

  “Time to go back to work, Henry. But…where is Mia?”

  Henry had apparently fallen asleep.

  Mateo was sitting beside him on the couch, thumbing through a primer reading book.

  And Mia?

  Mia was nowhere to be seen.

  CHAPTER 25

  Your schweschder becomes attached quickly.”

  “Ya. She has a big heart. Maybe too big.”

  “Cute kids.”

  “They are, but in case you haven’t noticed, I already have a houseful of those.”

  Paul laughed, at ease with Andy in the same way he had been with his own brothers. Women? They were a different matter entirely. Why would Sarah cry because two children she’d known less than twenty-four hours still had a mother?

  “I wish I could help you today,” Andy said. “But I need to get my own tractor running.”

  “Not a problem. Technically, I don’t own the tractor or the place yet.”

  They had reached the door to the barn, and Andy had stopped to study him. “It’s a big thing you’re taking on. Fisher’s place was never in what you’d call good shape.”

  “And it’s been empty since he died. Ya, I know.”

  “Will you be staying in the house?”

  “I doubt it. The place is likely to fall down around me as I sleep.”

  They stepped into the barn. Paul had ducked his head in earlier, but now he took a moment to study the work area, storage bins, clean tables, and supplies for their horse.


  “You only have the one gelding?”

  “Ya, and he’s getting on up there in age. Don’t mention that to Sarah…you’d think the horse is another child.”

  “Easy to grow attached to a buggy horse.”

  “It is. We also have a donkey to keep the gelding company. We once tried goats on the place, but…” Andy hesitated, and then he apparently decided to be honest. “My dat had a gambling problem, among other things. The goats were doing well, but he lost them in a wager.”

  Paul let out a long, low whistle. Compared to Andy and Sarah’s family, his family of seven brothers was calm and predictable. “You’ve had a lot to deal with.”

  “Yes, we have, but maybe things will turn around now.” Instead of elaborating, he walked over to his tractor, which had recently been disassembled.

  “How did you ever get used to driving tractors?”

  Andy’s laugh was full and unrestrained. “I was raised with tractors. It’s the Amish who move into Cody’s Creek from somewhere else who have to get used to the mechanical beasts.”

  They spent the next half hour talking tractors, crops, and Oklahoma weather. At some point Henry appeared and slipped under the tractor, asking Andy for various tools and generally making a lot of noise.

  “Does he know what he’s doing?”

  “He does, and it’s my bruder you’ll want working on your antique. I’m the farmer in the family. He’s the mechanic.”

  Paul was surprised to find himself whistling as he walked back toward his place, or at least it would be his place soon. He only whistled when he felt no pressure, had no worries. He definitely would feel the stress as soon as he had a barn to renovate, a tractor to fix, and a crop to plant. But he wasn’t worried. Maybe that was because he was outside again, doing what he’d been born to do.

  The sun crept behind a cloud and a cold wind swept across the fields, causing him to fasten his jacket. It was good to be outside, even when he would prefer a warmer spring day. Those days would come soon enough.

  He puttered around in the barn for two more hours. Then he hitched his brother’s mare to the buggy and turned toward the dry goods store. He’d opted to take the buggy, in case Rebecca or Joseph needed the tractor. As he drove back toward town, he admitted to himself that he was more comfortable with a horse and buggy. The clip-clop of the mare’s hooves, the gentle rocking of the buggy, the feel of the leather seat and even the small battery heater—it all made for a pleasant and soothing experience. He waved a hand to a tractor that passed him, a teenage Amish boy driving. The kid looked happy as a clam. Paul tried to imagine himself contentedly wrestling the rusty machine in his barn down the two-lane, but failed.

  The store was empty of customers, which was pretty common at that time of day. Things picked up again around three and stayed that way until close. Paul had suggested that Rebecca close the shop during the middle of the day. She’d laughed and asked, “What would I do? Take a nap?”

  Which didn’t sound like such a bad idea to Paul. He’d soon be working from before daylight until past sunset. With that thought in mind, he headed toward the upstairs apartment, but Rebecca caught him before he made it through the storeroom.

  “I’m putting labels on our new shipment. Come and help me and tell me all about your morning.”

  “Where’s Joseph?”

  “Placing an order for more books. Anything you want?”

  “Not unless there’s something on how to restore a homestead in three easy steps.”

  “Haven’t heard of that title, but I’ll keep my eyes open.”

  It was while he was applying stickers to gardening tools that he told her about Andy and Henry. “They both agreed to help with the tractor and repairs around the place.”

  “Did you see Sarah?”

  “Ya, she was there too.” Paul stopped and scratched at the nape of his neck, remembering the scene he’d walked in on. “Her and two orphans.”

  “Orphans?”

  “Mateo and Mia.”

  Rebecca put down her labeler and placed both of her hands on her hips. “Are you telling me that Sarah Yoder has two orphaned children at her house? And you didn’t think to tell me this first?”

  “I suppose I could have led with that.”

  “Indeed you could have.” Rebecca was taking off her apron and pulling on a shawl she kept near the register.

  “There’s no use going out there.”

  “Of course there is. She might need help.”

  “Nein. Andy told her that he was sending Henry to town to alert the police. They’re probably gone by now.”

  Rebecca dropped her purse on the counter and sank back onto the work stool. “Tell me everything, Paul. From the beginning.”

  Ten minutes later she was gone, mumbling that if she hurried she just might get there in time. Paul was looking out the front window as she pulled the tractor out onto the street, and the funny thing was…she turned in the opposite direction of the Yoder place.

  CHAPTER 26

  Mateo didn’t know what to think about the group of people staring at him. There was a sheriff, whose name was Bynum. Mateo could remember that because the man wore a name tag. There was also a social worker. In his experience, that was never a good thing. When he was younger, a social worker had taken him away from his mother. He didn’t want to be taken away from Sarah or Mia.

  Sarah sat on the couch, between him and Mia. They were squeezed together tightly because Andy was also in the room, as was someone Sarah had called Bishop Levi. He wasn’t sure what a bishop was, but the old guy seemed nice enough. Plus, he chewed bubble gum.

  Mateo was pretty sure that bad guys didn’t chew gum. Mateo would have felt better if Isaac was in the room with him, but the three youngest boys had been sent to the barn to finish their chores. Probably Sarah didn’t want everyone in the room. Things were confusing enough.

  “The Department of Human Services has a specific protocol for this,” the social worker said.

  Mateo suddenly remembered that his name was Tommy. Though his skin was white like Sarah’s, he dressed differently. He dressed normal, but in the last twenty-four hours Mateo had sort of become used to long dresses, dark pants, and suspenders.

  “We have a very good foster care system here in Oklahoma. We will relocate Mateo and Mia with a Bridge family.”

  “But why can’t they stay here?” Sarah asked. “They’re already settled.”

  “After less than twenty-four hours?” Tommy’s eyebrow arched up over his thick black glasses. “I appreciate that you’ve bonded with the children quickly, Miss Yoder, but this is the very situation we have Bridge families for—to provide a safe passage from less than optimal conditions to reunification with their birth parents.”

  Mateo only understood about half those words. He wanted to answer, but his English wasn’t very good. What if he made things worse?

  “We wouldn’t want the children to be placed in two different homes,” Andy said.

  “Neither would I. We’ll do our best—”

  “Where will you take them? To Tulsa? How could living in the city be better than living here?”

  “As I said before, we have a specific process, and it works. I can promise you that both Mateo and Mia will be well cared for.”

  Mia crawled into Sarah’s lap at this point, putting her head on Sarah’s shoulder and staring at Mateo. He didn’t know what to do. He thought they should stay here, close to where their mother had left them. Besides, he liked it here. He liked being with another boy his age and having food to eat.

  Sarah was brushing at her eyes. Was she crying? Did she care about them so much?

  Mateo realized he had to say something. He might not have another chance because the man named Tommy was already standing up and speaking with the police officer.

  “We want to stay with Sarah.”

  His voice came out smaller than he expected, but that didn’t stop him. “Please,” he added.

  Everyone was star
ing at him now.

  Sarah was the first to react. “You speak English?”

  “Un poquito.”

  “He said that he understands a little.” Tommy squatted down in front of him. “Can you tell us where your mom is, Mateo?”

  “No. She said…she said she would be back…en poco tiempo.” He tried to think the last three words in English, but they wouldn’t come.

  “Is this the first time your mom has left you alone?”

  Mateo shook his head. He didn’t want to say anything bad about his mom, but he didn’t think he should lie either.

  And though he’d fought hard against giving in to the feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty, his eyes filled with tears. He allowed himself to be pulled into Sarah’s arms.

  “It’s okay, Mateo. We’re going to work this out. It’s going to be fine.”

  He heard Tommy sigh and sit back down. “It’s plain the children have bonded with you, and I’d like to leave them here. I can’t, though. I don’t have the authority to make a decision like that. Maybe if we had a Bridge parent close by…”

  “I’m a Bridge parent.”

  Mateo raised up his head.

  It was the bishop who had spoken. Now he was blowing a bubble with his gum. He popped it and tapped his cane against the floor.

  “Mary Beth and I went through the training years ago.”

  “I never knew that.” Andy had been looking pretty miserable. But now, when Mateo peeked at him, he saw that Sarah’s big brother was smiling. Surely that was a good sign.

  “It’s not something we put in the Budget.” The bishop laughed. “Check your system. Levi and Mary Beth Troyer.”

  “And you’d be willing to take these two children on a temporary basis?”

  “Of course. They will be close to Sarah, and she can visit until we work this out or the mother is found.”

  It wasn’t the answer that Mateo wanted, but Sarah seemed to trust this man, and Andy was definitely smiling.

  He squatted in front of the little boy. “Levi is our bishop, Mateo. He’s a gut man, and his wife cooks even better than Sarah.”

  “But we want to stay here.”

  “I know you do, and I would let you if it was possible. Sometimes we have to accept Gotte’s wille, ya?”