“Outside to see if I can find Gary.”
“Not without me.” Martha caught up to Grace at the door and pushed it open. “If you do catch up to that curious reporter, you shouldn’t be alone with him.”
Grace offered her sister a grateful smile. “I appreciate your concern.”
As Martha followed Grace down the porch steps, her thoughts raced like a runaway horse. What if her sister was right and the reporter was responsible for the break-ins and other attacks? If they couldn’t report it to the sheriff or prove that he’d done it, how would they ever make him stop?
“There’s no sign of his car.” Grace pointed to the driveway. “Guess that means he’s already gone.”
“Maybe so, but let’s look out by the road, in case he parked his car somewhere nearby,” Martha suggested.
“Jah, okay.”
They hurried down the driveway, and when they approached the mailbox by the road, they saw him standing across the street with a camera pointed at them. Grace turned her head, but Martha marched boldly across the street until she stood face-to-face with Gary. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Just taking a few pictures to go with the article I’m planning to write.” He turned the camera toward her, but she put her hand in front of the lens.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Gary’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open. Apparently, he wasn’t used to hearing an Amish woman speak so boldly.
Grace joined them. “Wh–what are you doing here, Gary?”
“I’m back in the area again, hoping to do another story or two.” He nodded at Grace. “I came by to see if there have been any more attacks at your place.”
Martha planted both hands on her hips and stared up at him. “Did you mess with the gauge on our mother’s pressure cooker?”
“Of course not. Why do you ask?”
“It blew up minutes after you left our house. Since you were alone in the kitchen—”
He held up his hand. “I hope you’re not insinuating that I had anything to do with it.”
“My daughter was in the kitchen when the cooker blew.” Grace took a step closer to him.
His eyebrows furrowed. “Your daughter? That little girl with the whiny mouth is yours?”
Grace nodded. “My secret’s out now, so you have nothing to hold over me anymore.”
He scratched the back of his head. “What secret are you talking about?”
Martha stepped between them. “Anna. She’s talking about Anna.”
“Huh?” Gary looked at Grace, over at Martha, then back at Grace again. “You two are talking in circles. I have no idea what secret you’re referring to.”
“The one about me being married to Wade and giving birth to his daughter.”
“I never knew you and Wade had a kid.”
“You said you knew he’d married me.”
“Yeah, I knew that much.”
“After I broke up with you and started dating Wade, you said you would get even with me.”
He shrugged. “Guys say and do a lot of things when they’re trying to keep a woman.”
“It seems odd that we never had any attacks until you showed up in Holmes County,” Martha put in. “And since you’ve been asking all sorts of questions and pestering Grace to have coffee with you and all, you’re our prime suspect.”
Gary leaned his head back and howled. “Prime suspect? Who do you think you are—the Nancy Drew of the Amish?”
“Who?”
“Never mind.” Gary turned to face Grace again. “You and your little sister are acting paranoid. You have no proof that I’m anything other than a reporter trying to do his job.” He pointed to his camera. “Do you honestly think I would be stupid enough to jeopardize my chance to sell a dynamic piece to some big publication?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off. “As I said, I’m back in the area to do a few more stories on the Amish, and I might do a couple articles about some of the events happening in the area. So whether you like it or not, I’ll be sticking around Holmes County for as long as I want.”
Grace’s face paled, and her whole body trembled. Martha didn’t think it was doing either of them any good to continue arguing with the Englisher, so she took hold of her sister’s arm and steered her toward the house. “Let’s go, Grace.”
“Say, Gracie. Did you and that Amish man ever get married?” Gary called after her.
She gave a quick nod.
Martha glanced over her shoulder as Gary headed for his car parked on the shoulder of the road. She felt certain of one thing: If he was responsible for the things that had happened to them, God would deal with him in His time.
Chapter 26
For the next several days, Grace made every effort to spend more time with Anna. They’d baked cookies together and taken them over to the Wengerds’ place so Anna could play with Esta while Grace and Alma visited awhile. The next morning, Anna helped Grace feed and water the chickens in the henhouse. At the moment, Grace was sitting in one of the wicker chairs on the back porch, watching her daughter romp around in the yard with Heidi’s rambunctious pups.
Anna seemed to be accepting her new life better these days—accepting Grace better, too.
“Thank You, God,” Grace murmured as she took a sip of tea from the mug she held. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Bless my husband, Lord, and bring him home soon.
“Are you sleepin’?”
Grace startled at the sound of her father’s deep voice, and she turned to face him. “I was watching Anna play with Heidi’s pups.”
Dad took a seat in the chair beside her and set his cup of coffee on the small table between them. “Watching with your eyes closed, huh?”
Grace smiled. “Actually, I was talking to God.”
“Ah, now that’s a good thing. I’ve been doing a lot of that myself here of late.”
“Because of the attacks on our family?”
He shrugged. “There’ve been no more for some time. I’m sure that trouble is over.”
“What about the pressure cooker exploding the other day?”
“That was an accident, plain and simple.”
“An accident?” Grace could hardly believe her ears.
“The gauge must have been faulty, or maybe the valve was broken.”
“You replaced the gauge with a new one, so I don’t see how it could have been faulty.”
“Maybe it happened because your mamm left the cooker on the stove too long and it overheated.”
She touched his arm. “I’m sure that wasn’t an accident, and neither were the other things that have happened to us.”
“I know you believe the reporter had something to do with it, but I’m equally sure he didn’t. The things that were done before were most likely done by some rowdy English fellows who’ve probably been the cause of a few other destructive things that have been done in our area.”
“I still think Gary might be the one responsible, but since I have no proof, I guess there’s not much I can do about it.” She released a weary sigh. “I’m just glad no one was hurt when the pressure cooker blew up. It would break my heart if something happened to Anna.”
“God was watching over your mamm as well as your dochder; there’s no doubt about that.” He smiled, but a muscle in his cheek quivered, letting her know he was more concerned than he was letting on. “It’s silly of us to think it could be this person or that. It’s just speculation on all our parts.”
“That’s true, but—”
“Only God knows the truth, and He will handle things in His way, His time. You’ll see.” He leaned back in his chair and took a drink of his coffee.
Grace mentally scolded herself for being overly suspicious of Gary, but she shuddered to think what could have happened to Anna if she’d been sitting on the other side of the table. The child could have been cut by the broken glass or burned by the hot steam that shot from the pressure cooker when it explod
ed. Thank You, God, for watching out for my little girl.
Dad motioned in the direction of Cleon and Grace’s new home. “Since Cleon’s brothers have been coming over to help me work on your place the last couple of weeks, I believe we’ll have it ready for you to move in by the time Cleon gets home.”
She stared at the silhouette of the two-story structure sitting near the back of her folk’s property—the place she had hoped would be her and Cleon’s happy home. “I appreciate all the work you’ve done on the house, and when it’s done, Anna and I will move in, but I’m not sure about Cleon.”
Dad frowned. “What do you mean? It’s Cleon’s home, too, and I’m sure when he returns from his business trip, he’ll be glad to find the house has been finished.”
Grace nibbled on her lower lip as she contemplated the best way to voice her thoughts. “I’m … uh … not sure Cleon will ever return home. His last letter let me know how hurt he still is, and he said something that made me think he might decide to leave the Amish faith and go English.”
“What did he say?”
“That he’s still feeling confused and wonders if maybe he’s meant to do something else with his life besides what he’d planned.”
“He could have been referring to the honey business. Maybe he’s having trouble lining up customers and is thinking about doing some other kind of work.” Dad pointed in the direction of his shop. “Cleon’s carpentry skills are pretty good. Maybe he would consider coming to work for me.”
“You already have Luke working for you, Dad, and I don’t think you have enough work right now to keep three men busy, do you?”
He shrugged. “Never know what the future holds.”
Grace wrapped her arms around her stomach as she was hit by a sudden wave of nausea. She’d been feeling a little dizzy lately and kind of weak but figured it was because she hadn’t been eating much since Cleon left. Then again, it might be caused by stress or a touch of the flu.
Dad placed his hand on her shoulder. “Try not to worry so much. Just pray and leave the situation in God’s hands.”
Grace squeezed her eyes shut and willed her stomach to settle down. It was easy enough for Dad not to worry; it wasn’t his mate who’d gone off to Pennsylvania.
“Say, aren’t you one of those Amish fellows?”
Cleon turned to the middle-aged English man who shared his seat on the bus and nodded. “Jah, I’m Amish.”
“I thought so by the way you’re dressed. And from the looks of that beard you’ve got going, I’d say you might be newly married.”
Cleon scrubbed a hand down the side of his face. “Jah, I’m married.”
“Me, too. Been with the same woman for close to twenty years. We’ve got three great kids—two boys and a girl. How about you?”
“I’ve only been married a couple of months.” Cleon chose not to mention Anna. She was Grace’s child, not his. Truth was, he and Grace might never have any children.
“Where you from?”
“I live in Ohio, between Berlin and Charm.”
“Holmes County, right?”
“Jah.”
“I heard that’s the largest Amish settlement in the United States.”
Cleon nodded.
“So what are you doing in Pennsylvania?”
“I’ve had business here.”
The man studied Cleon intently. “Do you farm for a living?”
Cleon shook his head. “I raise bees for honey, and we also use the wax to make candles.”
“Ah, I see. Were you trying to set up some new accounts, then?”
“Jah.”
“I’m in sales, too. I sell life insurance.” The man stuck out his hand. “My name’s Lew Carter, and I work for—”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got no use for life insurance.”
The man looked stunned. “If you’ve got a family, then you ought to make some provision for them in case something were to happen to you.”
“The Amish don’t buy any kind of insurance. We take care of our own.” Cleon turned away from the man and stared out the window at the passing scenery. Maybe it was time to finish up his business here and face his responsibilities at home.
Chapter 27
Church was good today, jah?” Mom asked as she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Grace. They were riding home in their buggy with Dad, Mom, and Martha sitting in front, and Grace, Ruth, and Anna in the backseat.
Grace nodded in response to her mother’s question. The truth was she’d barely heard a word that had been said during any of the sermons today. She’d been fighting waves of nausea.
“It was hard for me to see Luke at church today,” Ruth whispered to Grace.
“I can imagine. Did he say anything to you after the service?”
“He never looked my way.” Ruth sighed. “It’s probably for the best since he wants to be so close-mouthed and not share things with me.”
“Luke was late to work again on Friday; did I mention that?” Dad asked.
Ruth looked stunned, but it was no surprise to Grace that Dad had overheard their conversation. Mom often teased him about being able to hear a piece of sawdust fall if he was listening for it.
“Did he say why he was late?” The question came from Martha.
“Made some excuse about having an errand to run after he left home and it taking longer than he expected.”
“Did you believe him?” Ruth asked.
Dad shrugged. “Not sure what I believe where Luke’s concerned. He’s got a mind of his own, that’s for sure. I think he actually believes he knows more than me about working with wood.”
“I’m sure Luke’s just trying to share his ideas,” Martha put in.
Martha’s defense of Luke made Grace wonder if her sister might have more than a passing interest in Ruth’s ex-boyfriend.
“When Luke finally showed up for work on Friday, I smelled smoke on his clothes.” Dad shook his head. “Sure hope he’s not messing with cigarettes during his rumschpringe.”
“Did you question him about it?” Mom asked.
“Nope. Didn’t think it was my place to be askin’.”
Ruth’s cheeks turned pink, and she cleared her throat a couple of times. “I … uh … think it’s possible he’s doing a lot of things he shouldn’t be.”
“How do you know that?” Dad asked.
“Well, he’s got a—” She fell silent. “Never mind. It’s not my place to be saying.”
Dad gave the reins a quick snap to get the horse moving faster, as the animal had slowed considerably on the last hill. “Well, whatever Luke’s up to during his rumschpringe, my main concern is his work habits. I made up my mind last week that if he was late to work again I would fire him, and I should have done that on Friday morning.”
“Why didn’t you, Roman?”
Dad reached over and patted Mom’s arm. “Figured you would tell me I ought to give the man one more chance.”
She chuckled. “You know me well.”
Grace leaned against the seat and tried to relax. She and Anna would be moving into their new house tomorrow morning, but it would be without Cleon. She shivered. All this waiting and wondering if he would ever come home was enough to make her a nervous wreck. No wonder her stomach felt upset much of the time. If it weren’t for Anna, she would be utterly miserable.
She reached over and took her daughter’s hand, and the child smiled at her. Thank You, God. Thank You for giving my daughter back to me.
“Do we have to go?” Anna asked as Grace placed a stack of linens into a box she would be taking over to their new home. “I like it here.”
Grace smiled and nodded. “I know you do, but at the new house, you’ll have your own room. Won’t that be nice?”
The child stuck out her lower lip. “But I’ll miss Aunt Martha.”
“She won’t be far away. She’ll come over to see us, and we’ll go see her and the rest of the family, too.”
Anna’s forehead
wrinkled. “Poppy never comes to see me like he promised.”
“That’s because he lives far away, and he’s still not feeling well, Anna.” Grace gently squeezed the child’s arm. “He writes you letters, though.”
Anna stared at the hardwood floor. “I miss him.”
“I know.” Grace drew Anna into her arms, but the child just stood, unmoving. One step forward and one back. If there was only something she could do to put a smile on her little girl’s face this morning.
Grace’s gaze came to rest on her cedar chest. The faceless doll! Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner?
She hurried across the room, flipped open the lid, and dug into the contents of the cedar chest until she located the doll. “Look what I’ve found, Anna.”
“What’s that?” The child’s eyes opened wide, and Grace was pleased that she’d captured her interest.
“It’s the doll I made for you when you were a baby.”
Anna’s forehead wrinkled as she pursed her lips. “It’s got no mouth.” She touched the side of her nose. “No nose.” She pointed to one of her eyes. “No eyes.” She shook her head. “She ain’t no doll.”
Grace resisted the temptation to correct her daughter’s English. Instead, she got down on her knees beside Anna and cradled the doll in her arms. “It’s hard for me to explain, but Amish people make their dolls without faces.”
“How come?”
“It has to do with a verse from the Bible that talks about not making any graven images.”
Anna tipped her head and squinted. Obviously, she had no idea what Grace was talking about.
“It’s fun to pretend, don’t you think, Anna?”
The child nodded. “Last Sunday after church, me, Esta, and some of the other kids took turns pretending to be a horse pulling a buggy along the road.”
“Then let’s pretend this doll has a face.” She looked up at her daughter to get her reaction, but Anna’s expression didn’t change.
Grace tried again. “Let’s start by naming the doll.”
Still no response.
“How about if we call her Sarah?”
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