A Hope for Hannah (Hannah's Heart 2)

by Jerry S. Eicher

  “That’s what Hannah said,” Kathy said.

  “She’s already told you?” Jake shrugged his shoulders.

  Kathy said quickly, “I guess women get concerned sooner.”

  That seemed to satisfy Jake. “I think the hardware store may have some work soon, now that the snow is falling. At least that’s what the man said.”

  “Jake, have you ever thought of starting your own business?” Roy asked. Hannah’s heart sank. If her father gave Jake encouragement, it might be exactly the wrong thing. A move back to Indiana seemed a much better idea to her than a risky venture into self-employment.

  Jake’s smile broadened. Apparently he didn’t notice Hannah’s sudden frown. But Kathy did, and under the table, she gave her daughter a squeeze on the arm and then smiled sympathetically at her. Hannah knew her mother well. What she was telling her in her own way was that things work best if the man leads the way. It was a lesson Hannah had grown up with, but this was different, wasn’t it? Her mother’s eyes said no.

  “I was thinking of making furniture—” Jake said, “log cabin things and that sort of line. I think they would sell well here and maybe even across the country.”

  “You have talked to someone about this?” Roy asked.

  “The hardware man,” Jake said.

  Hannah looked at Jake in surprise. This was news to her.

  So were his next words. “He said he could give me a place to work from and a web presence too—maybe my own website. He said I could make the furniture—maybe on the side to start with—and then fulltime if things took off. I’d pay him part of my profits, of course.”

  “How much money would you need to start up?” Roy asked.

  “None, I think.” Jake seemed to be running the thought through his head. “Mr. Howard, from the hardware store, would supply the working space. Supplies shouldn’t be that expensive. We’d just start out slow, selling the things after I make them.”

  Hannah’s shock must have shown plain enough for even Jake to notice.

  “I’m sorry,” Jake managed. “I guess I never told you.”

  “I guess you didn’t,” Kathy said, for which Hannah was deeply grateful. At least someone other than Hannah was feeling a little irritated.

  “They were just thoughts and bits of conversations,” Jake said, waving his hands around. “Nothing for sure. I was waiting until I knew more about it. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.” He looked at Hannah.

  “That’s understandable,” Roy said in obvious support of Jake.

  “Is this Mr. Howard serious about this offer?” Kathy asked.

  “I think so,” Jake said. “Mr. Howard has high hopes, but he’s still thinking about it.”

  This also was news to Hannah, but she kept her composure. There would be time later to speak with Jake.

  “The factories are hiring in Indiana,” Roy said, unknowing of Hannah’s desire to move East. “The economy is pretty good for that line of work.”

  Jake showed no interest, his attention now on the casserole in front of him.

  “So, Dad, do you think Jake might be able to get a job?” Hannah said, trying to turn the conversation in that direction.

  “Hannah,” Kathy said, her voice mild in the rebuke.

  “Oh, I know Hannah wants to move East,” Jake volunteered and didn’t seem upset. “We’ve talked about it. Sometimes I don’t know what to do.”

  “Oh, really,” Roy said. “So you’re thinking of moving. I know it can be a toss-up at times—when you’re young, that is. Move here or move there. This job or that job. When you’re old like us, grandparents almost, it gets a little harder to think about moving.”

  “We have to do something,” Hannah spoke up again. “I just think moving back East now, before the baby is born, is the smart thing. You might even help us find a place. You probably know of a house for rent right now.”

  Her father nodded but said, “Simple choices can have long consequences. You’ll have to think about it.”

  “Mary and Laverne are getting married this fall,” Kathy announced.

  Hannah supposed her mother wanted to change the subject. The move was obviously something for her and Jake to discuss again later in private.

  “Well it’s about time,” Hannah said, following her mother’s lead. “They’ve been sweet on each other since school.”

  “Sometimes those take longer.” Kathy grinned. “I don’t know why.”

  “They all take time,” Roy agreed. “Some just take longer than others.”

  “I’m sure Mary would have asked you to be one of her bridesmaids. You’re married, of course, now,” Kathy said. “She’ll probably use her cousins.”

  “Do you think so?” Hannah felt honored even at the thought she might have been included. “I guess Mary and I were close.”

  “Who are Mary and Laverne?” Jake asked.

  “School friends,” Hannah said.

  Jake nodded and then turned toward the front window, hearing a buggy in the driveway.

  “It’s Betty,” Hannah said, excited and thrilled that her aunt and uncle would come over unannounced.

  “My, my,” Kathy said, rising from the table. “I wonder if they’ve had supper.”

  “Now, Mom, don’t you worry,” Hannah said quickly. “This is supposed to be my worry.”

  “I suppose so,” Kathy said and sat back down, plainly still worried.

  Jake opened the front door as Steve and Betty came in and exchanged warm greetings all around. Kathy and Betty got a little emotional as they gave each other a hug. They all found seats in the living room and launched into a conversation with Jake about the weather.

  “Have you had supper?” Hannah asked as soon she could get a word in edgewise.

  “Of course,” Betty assured her, wiping a stray tear off her cheek. “We just had to come over tonight. It gets lonely out here. It’s sure good to see family.”

  “It’s good to see you too,” Kathy said quickly.

  The evening passed much too quickly for Hannah. With Betty helping, the kitchen was cleaned up in no time, and the women rejoined the men in the living room. There were moments when she forgot the log walls of the cabin or the mountains outside with its grizzly threat. They were all just family again, Indiana family, safe and secure as they laughed and reveled in each other’s company.

  This was the way it’s meant to be, she told herself, glancing over at Jake more than once. He seemed to join in with no reservations, which thrilled her heart and fired her dreams. Jake was such a nice fit for her—and for her family. This was why they should all be together in Indiana. Of this she was certain.

  Finally Steve insisted that Betty and he must leave so he could get some sleep for work tomorrow. As they drove away, Roy and Kathy showed signs of tiredness, and Hannah was ready for bed too. She wondered if there was something more she could say about her desire to move but decided that perhaps enough had been said already. Surely Jake could see for himself how things would work out best.

  Besides, Hannah didn’t feel comfortable putting pressure on Jake. The matter was simply too important.

  Thirteen

  Hannah could tell Jake was irritated when the alarm went off earlier than normal, but she ignored him. She wanted to get up and into the kitchen before her mother awoke.

  Kathy could easily be awake already, with the strange country and all. If Hannah were to come into her own kitchen to find her mother already up, the coffee pot on, or some such thing, it would be just too much to bear.

  The kitchen was dark, though, as she stumbled around in her attempts to light the kerosene lamp. The flame flickered, casting its shadows on the rough log walls. Somehow everything seemed less lonesome this morning with her mother and father in the house. Hannah sighed deeply and let the delicious feeling soak in.

  Such feelings were childish, she told herself. I am no longer a little girl. I am a woman now. Yes, a woman. She thought of Jake asleep back in the bedroom and was reminded
of how it felt when he would snuggle up and put his arms around her. Oh, how it made her feel! Yes, she was grown now.

  “Good morning,” her mother said behind her.

  When Hannah jumped, Kathy laughed. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t sleep any longer. It must be the higher altitude or the time change or something.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Hannah said. “I think you’d be up anyway. Do you want some coffee? I was just thinking of heating the water.”

  “That would be great,” Kathy said, yawning and wrapping her housecoat tighter around herself. “It’s chilly up here too.”

  “Yes, I know. I think winter’s coming early,” Hannah said with wariness in her voice. The season had lost much of its friendliness. Indiana winters might also seem like a threat, but with a factory job for Jake and its steady income, snow would be more like a friend again.

  “You sound sad,” Kathy said. “Did you and Jake talk about moving last night?”

  “No,” Hannah said without further explanation.

  “It’s just as well. Maybe God wants you here.”

  “Maybe,” Hannah allowed, not really wanting to discuss the subject. “What do you want to do today?”

  “I don’t know,” Kathy said. “Maybe we could see your mountains up close. Can we go for a walk? I see your dirt road goes farther back.”

  “That’s where Mr. Brunson lives,” Hannah said. “We could walk up to his place, and I could introduce you.” Since he was coming for supper, an early introduction would be just the thing. A walk and a meeting of Mr. Brunson could be managed at the same time. “That’s what we’ll do,” Hannah decided.

  “What is that?”

  “Go for a walk up the road, see the mountains, and then you can meet Mr. Brunson before he comes for supper.”

  “That sounds fine,” Kathy said.

  Hannah started the fire in the stove as her mother moved on to another subject. “Sam and Annie are expecting too. But they also found a growth when she went to the doctor the first time.”

  “Oh no!” Hannah exclaimed.

  “It wasn’t breast cancer. Benign, they said. Still—” Kathy said and turned her face toward Hannah in the flickering light, “quite a scare for a young couple.”

  “Will she be okay, then?” Hannah asked, thinking how awful it would be to face something like that while carrying your first baby.

  “Doctors performed the surgery a few days later. The family’s trying to keep it secret now that it’s not cancerous. But that kind of news just gets out anyway.”

  Kathy got up to look for the coffee can and found it in the second cabinet she checked. Hannah wondered why she hadn’t simply asked, but then that was her mother. She was always so efficient, even in a strange kitchen.

  “So where is this Mr. Brunson from?” Kathy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Hannah confessed. “He was living there when we bought the place.”

  “Never has family visiting?”

  “Not that I’ve seen.”

  “Isn’t that strange?”

  “I don’t know. He’s an Englisher.” Hannah gave her most logical explanation. “That’s one reason I invited him for supper.”

  “Once that water’s hot, I’d like to see the outside with the sun coming up,” Kathy said.

  “The mountains block the view sometimes,” Hannah said. “It depends how cloudy it is.”

  “Is it cloudy this morning?”

  Hannah glanced out the kitchen window. “No, I don’t think so. We can step out and look.”

  “That kettle will take a while anyway,” Kathy said. “Let’s see what the sunrise is like.”

  They stepped outside with their coats on and looked toward the Cabinet Mountains. The air was brisk but not cold enough to spoil their enjoyment of the early morning. The first rays of sunlight reached for the sky over the tops of the mountains. A line of clouds that hadn’t been visible from the kitchen window hung low on the horizon.

  “Let’s get our coffee and come back,” Kathy said, her voice excited. “I’ve never seen the sun rise over the mountains before.”

  Hannah followed Kathy back inside and placed another stick of wood on the fire to hurry things along. With the extra heat, the kettle soon whistled merrily.

  “Sounds of home,” Kathy said as they waited.

  They measured coffee into the filter and let the steaming water run through and drip into their cups. Hannah gave her mother the sugar and spoon first and waited until she was done to stir her own.

  Back outside, the colors of the sunrise slowly grew. Hannah had watched sunrises in Montana before, but this one seemed to work extra hard to put on its best display. With the low clouds as the backdrop, the red, yellow, and orange streaks reached upward. Greens and blues soon appeared, each vying for dominance and producing new shades of brilliance every few seconds.

  Kathy reached out her arm for Hannah and pulled her close as they stood shoulder to shoulder. Never in her growing up years had Hannah felt this close to her mother. Was it because she was becoming more like her now that she was with child? Had they found a new common ground they could share?

  “I’m so glad you’re my mother,” Hannah whispered as the colors of the sunrise deepened even further above them.

  Kathy just pulled her tighter and said nothing.

  “For putting up with me,” Hannah’s voice caught.

  “You were always a joy.” Kathy’s voice came softly. “You’re a good daughter, and you have a good husband.”

  Hannah didn’t trust her voice at the moment. There was no sense in bawling like a little girl even though she felt like one.

  They stood there for long moments until the colors began to fade above them and the sunlight grew stronger.

  “We’d better go inside before you catch a cold,” Kathy finally said.

  Ever the mother, Hannah thought. She wanted very much to tell her mother how she wanted her to stay here forever and never leave again, but that was silly. Such moments could be cherished, but they could not last forever. Life moves on.

  In the kitchen again, the two women made the pancakes and placed them in the oven so they’d stay warm until the men got up. When eight o’clock came around with no signs or noises from the bedroom, they made eggs for themselves and ate together.

  Hannah smiled at her mom’s boldness. “The men can eat when they get around to it, I suppose.”

  “It’s our morning,” Kathy said.

  When her dad got up around nine, he found a seat in the living room and began a sleepy morning tease.

  “Why am I so neglected in my daughter’s house? No one cares one bit if an old man starves. I’ll soon be nothing but skin and bone.”

  Hannah smiled as her mom played along.

  “You have to fix your own breakfast today. We already ate ours.”

  “Ha. That’s what I thought,” Roy said in mock bitterness. “Women become useless in Montana, it seems.”

  “That’s an awful thing to say,” Kathy said, teasing him back. “You’re talking to your daughter, you know.”

  “I was talking about you,” Roy said.

  “That’s even worse,” Kathy retorted.

  Jake then emerged from the bedroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

  “No food services this morning,” Roy announced in his direction. “We men are on our own. It’s make do or starve.”

  Jake was up to the humor. “When we hunger, they too hunger sooner or later,” he said in warning.

  “That’s a man,” Roy said, chuckling. “You tell ’em!”

  “Oh, all right,” Kathy said, rolling her eyes but smiling. “The pancakes are made. Now we’ll fix your eggs. The rest you have to do yourself. Hannah and I have eaten already.”

  “They don’t like us. Just like that, we’re cast aside,” Roy said with a straight face, “after all these years.”

  Jake had to grin as he followed Roy into the kitchen. With the eggs ready in minutes, Kathy and Hannah left the rest
of the breakfast items on the table and the men alone to put things together for themselves. The two women retreated to the living room.

  “They don’t love us no more,” Roy said, his voice mournful as he piled pancakes on his plate. “At least the syrup is still sweet. But hey, maybe that too gets bitter in Montana.”

  “Watch yourself!” Kathy hollered from the living room. “I heard that.”

  All her life Hannah had enjoyed listening to her parents gently tease each other. It only made her all the more glad they were here now—and all the more wishful that it could be permanent. If she and Jake moved back to Indiana, they would have more times—lots more times—like this. She glanced at her mother who read her daughter’s look unmistakably. “We must cherish the time God gives us,” Kathy said. “It goes by soon enough.”

  The men finished breakfast and Kathy told them about the plan to walk to Mr. Brunson’s and then on up the mountain a ways.

  “Well, Jake,” Roy said, “they not only make us eat by ourselves, now we have to walk up the mountain too.”

  “Well, it is a nice walk,” Jake said.

  “Jake, don’t you know we men are supposed to stick together?” Roy looked hard at him. Jake only grinned and got his coat from the closet, apparently as ready as the women to get out of the house.

  Fourteen

  Hannah and Kathy led the way as they walked toward the mountains and Mr. Brunson’s house. Jake and Roy seemed to be deep into some discussion. From the snatches of conversation Hannah heard over her shoulder, it sounded like they were talking about Mr. Howard’s furniture-making offer. Her father sounded enthusiastic, which Hannah wasn’t sure she liked.

  Kathy kept gushing over the sight of the mountains, all the more so the closer they got.

  “I know I’ve seen them before,” her mother said. “Maybe it’s the view from here.”

  “It’s even better farther up,” Hannah said. “I’ve been there once with Jake after we purchased the cabin. I would imagine you can see them even better behind Mr. Brunson’s cabin. I’ve never been that far.”