He motioned toward the dining room. “I only see one man sitting at your table. Where’s that new husband of yours?”
Grace could hardly swallow around the lump in her throat. She would never admit to Gary that her husband cared more about starting up his beekeeping business than celebrating her birthday. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but my husband is away on business right now. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my family.”
“Sure, Gracie. Don’t let me stop you.” He snickered. “Oh, and happy birthday.”
“What’s wrong?” Ruth asked, taking Grace’s hand when she returned to the table. “Are you having a wave of nausea? Is that why you went back to the restroom?”
Grace shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Grace gave a quick nod.
“Anna said you were talking to a man in the hallway outside the restroom,” Mom put in. “Was it someone we know?”
Grace’s face paled as she shook her head. “Can’t we talk about this later?”
Their father nodded. “Grace is right. Let’s pray so we can eat.”
All heads bowed for silent prayer, and then everyone dug in. Everyone but Grace. She toyed with the piece of chicken on her plate.
“For one who was supposed to be hungry, you’re sure not eating much,” Dad said, reaching for another roll from the basket in the center of the table. “Are you feeling bad because Cleon couldn’t be here to help celebrate your birthday?”
Grace shrugged. “It would have been nice, but he’s got important business to tend to.”
“It’ll be good when he gets his bee boxes set up again,” Mom put in from across the table. “Nice for us to have some fresh honey again, too.”
“That’s for sure.” Dad lifted a drumstick off his plate and had just taken a bite, when he scrunched up his nose and released a moan.
“What’s wrong, Roman?” Mom’s eyebrows furrowed, and she reached over to touch his arm.
He opened his mouth, stuck two fingers inside, and withdrew a porcelain crown.
“Oh, no.” Mom clicked her tongue noisily. “Looks like you’ll be making a trip to the dentist tomorrow morning.”
“No, I won’t,” he said with a shake of his head. “You know how much I hate going to the dentist.”
“But, Dad, you can’t go around with the nub of your tooth exposed.” Ruth grimaced. “You’ll need to get that crown cemented on right away.”
“I’ve got some epoxy cement in my shop. Maybe I’ll use that.”
Martha’s mouth dropped open, and she looked at their father as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “You wouldn’t.”
He nodded. “Sure would. It’ll save me a chunk of money.”
Ruth couldn’t believe how stubborn her father could be at times. She glanced over at Grace, who had been unusually quiet all evening. Grace stared at her half-eaten food as if she didn’t care that Dad had lost a crown. Something was going on with Grace, and Ruth hoped it wasn’t anything serious.
Chapter 41
I don’t see why you felt the need to follow me out here,” Roman said to his wife as they stepped into his shop after they’d returned home from dinner.
“Because I know what you plan to do, and I’m hoping to talk you out of it. It’s just plain eefeldich to try and glue your crown back in place.” She frowned. “It won’t hold, you know.”
“It may seem silly to you, but I know what I’m doing, and this will save us some money.” Roman ignited one of the gas lamps.
Judith pulled out the chair at his desk and took a seat. “If you insist on doing this, then at least let me help so you don’t get it glued on crooked or put glue where it doesn’t belong.”
He shrugged and started toward his supplies. Most women worried too much, especially his wife.
“Grace seemed sad tonight, didn’t she?” Judith said.
“Guess she was missing Cleon,” he called over his shoulder.
“I still don’t see why he couldn’t have waited to make that trip until after her birthday.”
“I’m heading into the back room now, so can we talk about this later?”
“Jah, sure.”
Roman stepped into the room and turned on another gas lamp. When he opened his toolbox to retrieve the epoxy cement, several things were missing. “Now that’s sure strange.”
“What’s strange?”
Roman whirled around. Judith had followed him into the room. “Some things in this case are missing, including the epoxy cement.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “What all is missing?”
“A hammer, a couple of screwdrivers, a pair of pliers, and two tubes of cement.”
“Maybe you put them somewhere and forgot.”
“Don’t remember puttin’ them anywhere but here.”
She covered her mouth with one hand. “I hope someone hasn’t broken into your shop again. I’m getting so tired of these attacks.”
“If it is another attack, we just need to hold steady and keep trusting the Lord.” He looked around the room. “We don’t know if the missing tools really are part of an attack, and I don’t see anything else missing. The front door was locked when we came in, so it doesn’t seem as though anyone broke into the place while we were gone.”
“You think maybe Cleon borrowed the tools and forgot to tell you?”
Roman leaned against the workbench. “I suppose that’s possible. I’ll ask when he gets back.” He closed the lid on the toolbox and turned down the gas lamp. “Guess I’ll have to see the dentist whether I like it or not, because without that cement, I can’t glue my crown back on.”
Judith smiled. “At least one good thing came out of your supplies being gone.”
He grunted and touched his mouth. “Jah, right.”
As Cleon entered a café on the outskirts of Harrisburg, he noticed a small calendar sitting on the counter near the cash register. Oh, no, today was Grace’s birthday, and I didn’t even send her a card.
He seated himself at a booth near the window and reflected on his wife’s last birthday, when he’d been invited to her folks’ house for supper. They’d made homemade ice cream after the meal, and he and Grace had spent the rest of the evening sitting on the porch swing, talking about their future and holding hands. Cleon had hung around until almost midnight, wishing he could be with Grace forever. Things had sure turned out differently than he’d imagined they would.
He wondered what Grace had done to celebrate her birthday, and as he reached for the menu the waitress had placed on the table, a feeling of guilt swept over him like a raging waterfall. Even if he was Grace’s husband in name only, the least he could do was to acknowledge her birthday.
Cleon thought about a verse from Matthew 6 he had read in his hotel room: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” He still loved Grace, and he needed to forgive her. But if he couldn’t trust her, then how could he fully forgive and open his heart to her again?
Maybe I’ll buy her a gift before I head for home. At least that way she can’t say I didn’t care enough to do something for her birthday. And when she finds out that I’ve bought enough bees, boxes, and supplies to start my business again, maybe she’ll realize that I’m not going to shirk my duties, and that I plan to take care of her and the baby.
A lump formed in Cleon’s throat, and he swallowed a couple of times, trying to dislodge it. God had put Grace in his life for a reason. It wouldn’t be enough to give her a gift and let her know he didn’t plan to wriggle out of his duties to her and their unborn child. Grace’s secret wasn’t the problem. His unforgiving actions and refusal to trust her were keeping them apart.
Truth be told, he hadn’t given Grace a chance to tell him about the boppli and then had blamed her for not telling him the news. He had to give his hurts over to the Lord, for only God could break down the barriers Cleon had erected between him and his wife. He’d been running from what
he wanted the most. He and Grace belonged together. He needed not only to forgive Grace, but to seek Anna’s forgiveness, as well. Cleon resolved to do that as soon as he returned home.
As Grace and Anna headed for their house, Anna chattered about how Ruth had hid somebody’s clothes in the woods when they’d gone on a picnic the other day. Grace barely let the words sink in. She was still feeling flustered over her encounter with Gary, and she wasn’t looking forward to spending the rest of the night in an empty house, knowing Cleon wouldn’t be coming home. A lump formed in her throat. He hadn’t even bothered to give her a card, much less a gift.
“Look, Mama, somebody must have left you a birthday gift,” Anna said as they stepped onto the back porch.
Grace bent down and picked up a small package wrapped in plain brown paper. She wondered if it could be from Cleon. Maybe he’d bought it before he left for Pennsylvania and asked someone from his family to deliver it to Grace on her birthday.
“Open it! Open it!” Anna shouted, hopping up and down.
“Calm down. I’ll open it when we get inside.”
Grace pushed the door open and stepped into the kitchen. She placed the package on the table, turned on a gas lamp, and pulled out chairs for Anna and herself.
“Can I open it?” Anna asked.
“Jah, sure, go ahead.”
Anna ripped off the paper, pulled open the lid, and screeched with horror. “Dead mouse! Dead mouse!”
Thinking the child must be joking, Grace reached for the box and peered inside. “Ach! It is a dead maus!” She shuddered and tossed the package to the floor.
Anna started to sob, and Grace gathered the child into her arms. “It’s okay. I’m sure someone’s just playing a trick on Mama.”
As Grace sat rocking Anna back and forth, the bitter taste of bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed to push it down. Who could have done something so horrible? Who could hate her so much that they would want to ruin her birthday?
Her thoughts turned immediately to Gary. When she’d seen him at the restaurant tonight, she’d mentioned that it was her birthday. Could he have driven over here and put the dead mouse on her doorstep?
Chapter 42
When Grace awoke the following morning, she looked out the window. Large droplets of water splattered against the glass, and a streak of lightning zigzagged through the dreary sky. Her stomach twisted as she thought about the night before—missing Cleon, encountering Gary, finding the package with the dead mouse on her porch.
She moved back across the room and sank to the edge of her bed as a wave of nausea hit. Her head pounded, and her hands shook. Maybe yesterday’s doings had taken more of a toll on her than she’d realized. If only she could be free of the pain. If she could just let go of the past and release her fears to God. If she could keep her focus on the good times she and Cleon used to have, maybe she could find the strength to go on.
“For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”
“Thank You, Lord,” Grace whispered. “I needed the reminder that You’re here to help me.” She rose from the bed and, with a sense of renewed determination, left the room and headed downstairs to fix breakfast.
Anna sat at the kitchen table with a piece of paper and a pencil. Her faceless doll lay in her lap. It was good to see her taking an interest in things again.
“Good morning, daughter.” Grace bent to kiss Anna’s forehead. “What are you doing?”
“Me and Martha With No Face are drawin’ a picture for Poppy. We want him to come see us soon.”
Grace took a seat beside Anna. “You still miss your Grandpa Davis, don’t you?”
Anna nodded, and tears welled in her eyes.
“The last letter we had from your poppy said he’s feeling some better but isn’t up to traveling just yet.”
“Can we go see him?”
“I don’t think so, Anna.”
“How come?”
“We’re busy with things here.” Grace pressed her hand against her stomach. “And I’m not feeling well myself these days, so a long trip isn’t a good idea.”
Anna’s eyes opened wide. “Are you gonna die like Grandma Davis and my puppy?”
“No, dear one, I’m not sick; I’m pregnant.” Grace reached for Anna’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “That means in a few months you’ll have a little sister or brother to play with.”
The child’s mouth fell open. “You’re gonna have a boppli?”
Grace nodded and smiled. It pleased her to hear Anna speaking German-Dutch.
“A baby sister would be better’n havin’ a puppy,” Anna said with a grin. “Can I name her?”
“Don’t you think we’d better wait and see whether it’s a boy or a girl?”
Anna giggled. “Guess it would be kinda silly if a boy had a girl’s name, huh?”
“Jah. We’ll also have to wait and see what the baby’s daadi has to say about choosing a name.”
Anna’s eyebrows drew together. “Who’s the baby’s daddy gonna be?”
“Why, Cleon, of course. He’s my husband.”
Anna shook her head forcibly. “My daddy’s name was Wade. Poppy said so.”
“I used to be married to Wade, and he was your daadi. But now I’m married to Cleon. He’s the daadi of the boppli I’m carrying.” Grace placed Anna’s hand against her slightly protruding stomach.
“I don’t like Cleon. He don’t like me, neither.”
Grace sat dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond. She’d seen the way Cleon reacted to Anna—seeming to barely tolerate her. He wasn’t Anna’s father, but he was her stepfather, whether he liked it or not. Just because he was angry at Grace gave him no right to ignore Anna the way he did.
“I’m sure Cleon doesn’t dislike you, Anna,” she said, wrapping her arms around the child. “It’s going to take some time for the two of you to get better acquainted.”
Anna sat staring at the table.
Grace finally pushed her chair aside and stood. “What would you like for breakfast?”
No comment.
“How about pancakes and maple syrup?”
A little grunt escaped the child’s lips as she shrugged her slim shoulders.
“All right, then. Pancakes, it is.”
As Judith prepared breakfast for her family, she thought about the missing items in her husband’s toolbox. Could Roman have misplaced them, or was it possible that Cleon had borrowed some things and forgotten to mention it? She grimaced as she stared out the window. Rain rattled against the roof. Maybe someone had been in Roman’s shop and stolen the tools. But if that were so, how did they get in without breaking a window or tampering with the lock on the door?
Thunder clapped. Judith gasped. “Oh, how I dislike dunner and wedderleech. Haven’t liked it since I was a girl.”
Roman stepped up behind Judith and put his arms around her waist. “No need for you to fear. I’m here to protect you.”
She leaned against his chest and sighed. “I wish we were safe from all outside forces.”
“We need to trust God with every area of our lives—the weather included.”
“I wasn’t thinking about the weather. I was thinking about the attacks and wishing they would stop.”
“We can’t be sure those missing things from my toolbox were stolen, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Judith turned to face him. “Have you remembered where you put them?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure Cleon must have borrowed them.” Roman shrugged. “We’ll know soon enough, because I’m certain he’ll be home soon.”
“It isn’t good for him and Grace and to be apart like this. They’re newlyweds, and they shouldn’t be sleeping in separate bedrooms.”
“Give them time to work things out, and whatever you do, don’t meddle.”
“Jah, I know.” She nodded toward the window. “Sure hope this rai
n lets up. I’ve got some washing to do today, and I was counting on hanging the clothes outside on the line. I also need to go down to the phone shed to make that dental appointment for you.”
He shook his head. “You stay put in the house. I’ll make the call myself.”
She nodded as another clap of thunder rumbled, shaking the house. “Sure hope no one’s barn or house gets struck by lightning today.”
Grace spent the rest of her day cleaning, mending, and trying to keep Anna occupied. The rain hadn’t let up, and the child was anxious to go outside and play. At the moment, she was taking a nap, which gave Grace enough time to get some baking done. She’d just put two rhubarb pies in the oven when she heard footsteps on the porch, and the back door creaked open.
“You busy?” Martha asked as she stepped into the room, holding a black umbrella in her hands.
“Just put a couple of pies in the oven. Come on in. We can have a cup of tea.”
Martha placed the umbrella in the old metal milk can sitting near the back door, removed her lightweight shawl, and took a seat at the table.
“Sure is nasty weather we’re having,” Grace commented.
Martha nodded and glanced around the room. “Where’s Anna?”
“Upstairs taking a much-needed nap.”
“I’m glad she’s not about, because I don’t think it would be good for her to hear what I have to say.”
Chills ran up Grace’s spine as she took a seat across from her sister. “What’s wrong? Has something happened to another one of Heidi’s pups?”
Martha shook her head. “The dogs are fine, but I can’t say the same for poor Alma Wengerd.”
“Ach! What’s wrong with Alma?”
“She’s dead. Dad got the news when Bishop King dropped by his shop this morning.”
“What happened to Alma?”
“She’d gone out to feed the chickens, and when she didn’t come back to the house, Abe went looking. He found her on the ground a few feet from the chicken coop. She’d been struck by a bolt of lightning.”
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