by Jo Ann Brown
His dream was coming true.
So why wasn’t he excited?
He glanced again toward the Lambrights’ house. Maybe he wasn’t as thrilled as he’d expected because he didn’t have anyone special to share the news with. But how could he bring Hannah into his life when he could see the long, long days and nights of work ahead if Liam hired him? Time he wouldn’t be able to spend with her and her family. It wouldn’t be right.
Or so he’d thought. All of the sudden, he wasn’t too sure.
Of anything.
* * *
Daniel was halfway to Paradise Springs when he turned his buggy around and headed back toward Hannah’s house. Why was he making himself miserable? Hannah had said several times she wanted to be his friend, and shouldn’t he share his gut news with his gut friend? More than anyone else, she’d paid the price for his ambition. It seemed only right she should be the first one he told about the opportunity to make his dream come true.
Hoping he wasn’t trying to fool himself again, he rode through the thickening twilight which had come earlier with the rain. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed to be raining harder than it’d been earlier. Or maybe he was, like everyone else, tired of day after day of rain.
He heard the raised voices and Shelby’s crying as he reached the door of the Lambrights’ house. No, not raised voices. Just a single one even louder than the toddler’s frantic cries. A woman’s voice at a furious pitch. He opened the door and heard a hand slap hard against someone’s skin.
As he watched in disbelief, Hannah recoiled away from her great-grandmother. Hannah was trying to reason with her, but Grossmammi Ella’s eyes snapped with fury as the old woman raised her hand again. Beyond them, Shelby clung to a chair and her stuffed honeybee and sobbed.
Daniel stepped between Hannah and Grossmammi Ella who snarled at him to get out of the way so she could teach that horrible woman not to flirt with her husband. Gently he caught the elderly woman’s birdlike wrist and lowered her arm to her side. When she cried out and tried to break free, he held her easily.
“Now, now,” he said as if she were no older than Shelby, “you don’t want to do that, Grossmammi Ella. You don’t want to hurt Hannah.”
“I wouldn’t hurt Hannah,” the old woman retorted. “But Mima needs to get her own husband.”
“Mima?” he mouthed in Hannah’s direction.
She replied, “Later.” Out loud, she added, “Grossmammi Ella, let me get you a cup of chamomile tea. It’ll make you feel better, ain’t so?”
Daniel watched the old woman’s face and saw it alter from rage to bewilderment. He released her wrist but kept his hand beneath her elbow as he steered her toward the chair by the living room window. Draping a quilt over her knees, he sighed. Lost. The word burst into his mind. Grossmammi Ella was lost.
Picking up Shelby, he soothed her by making faces and playing peekaboo. He kept at it while Hannah made tea and took it to her great-grandmother. Not once did she look in his direction, but he could see she was blushing. Why? She couldn’t be embarrassed, could she, that he’d halted the old woman’s rampage?
She was, he realized, when she wouldn’t meet his eyes as she returned to the kitchen. He took her elbow, as he had Grossmammi Ella’s, and urged her to come with him out onto the front porch. She paused long enough to collect her coat and Shelby’s.
He closed the door behind them, so their voices wouldn’t reach into the house. While she pulled on her coat, he slipped Shelby’s arms into hers. He sat on the top step where the rain didn’t reach, bouncing the little girl on his knee. When Hannah perched beside him, he ached to put his arm around her shoulders. He resisted, not wanting to do anything to upset her more.
“Are you okay?” he asked as she stared at the rushing creek across the road.
“Ja. Danki for helping.”
“Does she get like this often?”
“Not often, but often enough.” Her smile appeared and fled in a heartbeat. “Usually I can calm her, but sometimes I can’t.”
He was about to answer, but paused when he realized the enormity of what she’d said. His voice cracked as he asked, “She’s hit you before?”
Not meeting his gaze, she nodded. “I know she doesn’t mean to hurt me. She gets mired in her memories.”
“She could hurt you badly.” He frowned. “She’d hit you the day you removed the bees from the bridge, hadn’t she? That’s why you kept your beekeeper’s hat on as long as you could. Why did you let me think you fell?”
Flinging out her hands, she said, “Because I knew you’d react like this.”
“Being angry that she hit you? Of course, I’m going to react like this.” He caught one of her hands as he turned her face toward him. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
“I was honest with you.”
“But you said—”
“I slipped on the wet grass and bumped against the bridge.” Tears glistened in her luminous eyes. “It happened, Daniel, as I said. I told you the truth, but not all of it.”
“The bruise was from your great-grandmother striking you.” He didn’t make it a question.
“Ja.”
He pretended to recoil when Shelby bopped him on the chin with Buzz-buzz, but he didn’t look away from Hannah. How could she be so calm? The Amish believed in nonresistance, he knew well, but that didn’t mean she had to endure her great-grandmother’s blows.
When he said as much, Hannah gave him a sad smile. “Daniel, you didn’t get upset when Shelby hit you just now with her toy, did you?”
“She’s not much more than a boppli. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“Grossmammi Ella is the same. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. So how can I get mad at Grossmammi Ella if I don’t get mad at Shelby?”
He opened his mouth to reply; then he realized he didn’t have anything to say. Hannah was right. With each passing day, her great-grandmother’s mind was wandering further and further into the past. The sudden shifts in mood from happy to furious and frustrated no longer startled him as much as they had at the beginning.
“But you can’t have her here with you if she’s going to hurt you and Shelby,” he said.
“She hasn’t raised her hand to Shelby.”
“Not yet.”
“She won’t. Each time she’s hit me, she’s believed I was someone else, someone who was trying to keep her from her beloved Earney. If she knew me, she never would have swung her hand. She’s scared of what she can’t remember and uncertain of what she can.”
“But if she thinks Shelby is someone else...”
“When she’s confused, she thinks Shelby is me. She’d never hurt a toddler.” She took his hand, startling him. “Daniel, she’s my family. Until Shelby came, she was my only family. I can’t turn my back on her because it’s not easy to take care of her. She took care of me during times when I’m sure I wasn’t easy to be around.”
“She never struck you, though.”
Putting her fingers to her cheek, she said, “Each time, the bruise heals. My heart wouldn’t heal if I put her into some sort of nursing home. I need you to understand.”
“I do understand,” he replied as he tried to imagine having to make that same choice for his mamm. “You should seek Reuben’s advice.”
“I have.” She met his gaze. “He urged me to do two things. One was to love my great-grandmother, even if I despise her condition. The other was to remember none of us is alone if we trust God is with us. Knowing that has gotten me through the toughest times so I can enjoy the happy ones. I know it won’t be long until she’s called home, and I don’t want to miss a minute we’ve got together.”
When tears fell down her cheeks, he tilted her head on his shoulder and held her without saying anything else. He didn’t want to let her go. Not e
ver.
He looked over her head toward the bridge where he’d been offered a chance to make his dreams come true. Could he be the man Hannah needed? Until he knew the answer, he mustn’t say anything else either.
Chapter Fourteen
When a knock came just as Hannah was about to turn off the propane light in the kitchen, she stiffened. Who was calling at this late hour?
Her wish that Daniel was at the door was absurd. There wasn’t any reason for him to come from the far side of Paradise Springs at this hour, but she missed him holding her as he had earlier when he comforted her.
It’d been a tough day. Her great-grandmother had been on edge until she went to bed right after supper. She hadn’t lost her temper again, but each time Shelby made a sound, the old woman flinched and glared in the kind’s direction.
Had Daniel been right? Would the time come when Grossmammi Ella was a danger to the toddler?
The thought added another layer of pain to Hannah’s headache that had plagued her since her great-grandmother struck her. She hoped a gut night’s sleep would ease the ache, and she would wake up feeling well.
But first she needed to see who was knocking. She didn’t want either Shelby or Grossmammi Ella to be routed up, because it might take a long time to get them back to sleep.
Opening the door, Hannah gasped when she saw Chief McMurray standing on her porch. Why was he there?
“May I come in?” he asked, his face giving no clue to his thoughts.
Her legs were stiff as she backed away to let him in. He took off his cap with its insignia. She wasn’t sure if she should offer to take it or not. She led the way into the living room and motioned for him to sit.
He did on the sofa and, as soon as she was perched on her great-grandmother’s favorite chair, he said, “There’s no way to say this gently. Hannah, your father and his wife were killed in a highway accident last night.”
“Oh...” She should feel something. Sorrow, regret, anger...something, but she’d become numb. Maybe her feelings had been burned away already after the horrible day. But it was her daed the chief of police was talking about. She should feel something.
“The state police in Nebraska contacted me.”
“My daed was in Nebraska?” She couldn’t guess why he’d been so far away.
“Yes, and the state police told me that there had been a sudden snow squall on the highway last night. A complete whiteout. A couple of big semis skidded and caused a chain reaction.”
“Was one of them my daed’s?” She’d guessed he was a truck driver from the multiple places he’d sent postcards from, but she’d never been sure.
“He wasn’t driving either of the ones that caused the accident, but your father’s rig was caught in it.” He leaned forward, and his kind gaze caught and held hers as he added, “Hannah, you need to know something important. The officer I spoke with said witnesses told him that your father swerved to miss a school bus and a couple of SUVs. If he hadn’t turned to avoid them, his truck wouldn’t have rolled as it did. But, by doing so, he saved those peoples’ lives.”
She knew Chief McMurray expected her to be proud of her daed, but the numbness smothered her. “Danki for coming to tell me,” she whispered.
“Is there someone I can contact for you?”
Daniel, her heart cried, but she said, “If you’ll let the bishop know, I’d appreciate it.”
“I will.” Coming to his feet, he added, “I’m sorry for your loss, Hannah.”
She thanked him again, but didn’t add she’d lost her daed over fifteen years before. What had been lost tonight was her dream of seeing him again and discovering why he’d abandoned her and Shelby. The chance to learn the truth was gone forever.
* * *
Daniel frowned when he walked toward Hannah’s house the next morning. It was the day the occupational therapist came to work with Shelby. The sessions with Keely were in the morning when the toddler was most alert and amiable to play “the games” the therapist had devised to help her.
But the road in front of the Lambrights’ house was empty. Keely’s black pickup wasn’t in the driveway either. Curiosity propelled him toward the house, not only to discover why the therapist hadn’t come but to learn how Hannah fared in the wake of yesterday’s uproar.
When the front door opened and Grossmammi Ella stood there, he was so startled that he mumbled his greeting.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as if he were a naughty kind.
He had no idea how to answer the old woman’s question. Was she in the present day or had her mind wandered again into the past? Had she tried to hit Hannah again?
“I come to work with Shelby and Keely at this time.”
Grossmammi Ella’s nose wrinkled. “That Englisch woman has many squirrelly ideas.” Her answer told him she was aware of what was currently going on.
“She’s trying to help Shelby.” He glanced around the room. “Where’s Shelby? Did she and Hannah go somewhere?” He couldn’t imagine anything that would compel Hannah to leave her great-grandmother alone.
As if he’d said that aloud, an elderly man strode in from the kitchen. He was almost bald and had a round, cheerful face. His clothes and thick black mustache identified him as an Englischer.
“Hi! I’m Barry Jones.”
Daniel introduced himself and glanced from the old man to Hannah’s great-grandmother. “So you’re here to keep Grossmammi Ella company?” he asked, not wanting to insult the elderly woman.
“Yep. We’ve been talking about how soon we can plant our gardens,” Barry replied. “Do you garden, young man?”
“No. I’m a carpenter.”
“The one working on our covered bridge?”
“Ja.” Hoping he didn’t seem rude, he asked, “Where are Hannah and Shelby?”
Instead of answering his question, Grossmammi Ella wagged a finger under his nose. “Why are you here? You should be with Hannah. She needs someone with her, and she wouldn’t let me go with her.”
“Where?”
“Into the village. She’s seeing some Englisch lawyer.” Grossmammi Ella’s mouth twisted with distaste. “Trust my foolish grandson to do something else stupid. Not only did he jump the fence and leave his daughter behind without a second thought, but he shared his business with an Englischer. That’s not our way.” She glanced at Barry, who shrugged at her words.
Daniel didn’t argue with the elderly woman either, though he knew many Amish folks sought out the help and advice of an attorney with business or family matters, especially with incorporation of businesses or probate issues.
“Hannah’s daed has contacted her?” he asked.
Barry answered after glancing at the old woman, who’d turned and walked toward her chair, “Isaac and his wife were killed in an accident in Nebraska. The police came to let the family know last night.” He glanced at Grossmammi Ella. “I’m not sure if she comprehends the news yet.”
Weight pressed onto Daniel’s chest, making it impossible to breathe. Hannah’s daed was dead? Suddenly he couldn’t think of anything other than finding Hannah and comforting her, but he somehow managed to ask, “Do you know which attorney she’s seeing?”
“Some peculiar Englisch name,” Grossmammi Ella said as she sat in her favorite chair. “How can I be expected to remember it?”
“Didn’t you say it was on the letter delivered to Hannah this morning, Ella?” asked her neighbor.
“Ja.” She frowned at Daniel. “I suppose you want to see it.”
“I’d like to, if you don’t mind.” He chafed at the delay. Hannah shouldn’t be alone after receiving such news.
She made a sniffing sound as if he’d made an impertinent reply. “It’s on the table in the kitchen.”
Daniel half-ran to get the white e
nvelope. He glanced at the return address and smiled when he saw the Marianelli and Loggins logo. Quentin Marianelli handled legal matters for many plain families around Paradise Springs. Daniel should have guessed Isaac Lambright had used his services.
“What are you waiting for?” Hannah’s great-grandmother asked. “She shouldn’t have gone alone. You should be there with her.”
Daniel agreed. He spun on his heel, crossed the room and yanked the door open. Calling a goodbye over his shoulder, he crossed the porch in a single step and then jumped onto the grass. His feet almost slid out from beneath him, but he regained his balance and climbed into his buggy that he’d left by the bridge. He shouted to the men working there to let them know he’d be back when he could. He didn’t wait for their response.
* * *
As soon as he arrived at the lawyer’s office in a pleasant house along Route 30 in the heart of Paradise Springs, Daniel saw Hannah sitting stiffly with Shelby on her lap. Her eyes widened as he entered, and he saw her relief she wasn’t alone. As she’d been too long because he’d walked away.
Taking a chair beside her, he said, “Your great-grandmother told me where you’d gone, and I thought you’d like some company.”
“Ja,” she said in a whisper.
He started to tell her how sorry he was about her daed, but a man in a dark suit came over to where they were sitting.
“Hannah Lambright?” When she nodded, he said, “I’m Quentin Marianelli. Thank you for coming today. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Danki,” she replied. “This is my little sister, Shelby, and Daniel Stoltzfus.”
The attorney greeted them before asking them to come with him to his office.
“Do you want me to come?” he asked when Hannah stood.
“Ja.” She didn’t add anything else.
He followed her and the lawyer down a short hall to an office dominated by a large desk and a wall of bookshelves. The attorney sat behind the desk and motioned for them to take the two chairs in front of it.
