Love Rekindled

by Serena B. Miller

  He scribbled his signature on the divorce papers, put them in an envelope, stuck a stamp on it and carried it out to the mailbox. The mailman could take it tomorrow when he came. There. It was finished. He wasn’t certain about what came next, but he thought he’d probably have to meet with Cassie and some lawyer to finish things. Since it appeared that there was nothing for them to fight over, the whole thing should be relatively quick and easy.

  He walked back to the house, sat down on his porch steps and stared at the mailbox and its red flag standing straight up. It shouldn’t be that easy to dissolve a marriage. At least, it shouldn’t be that easy to dissolve his and Cassie’s. They had truly loved each other at one time. Truth be told, he still did love her, even though he was angry at her for causing this mess. If only she had agreed to move here with him, had agreed to even try living here. He had lived the life she wanted. He’d been miserable, but he had loved her enough to at least try. Wasn’t it only fair that she give him the same courtesy?

  Office hours were over and he was hungry. He fixed a bowl of instant oatmeal for supper and didn’t eat it. Fixed a cup of coffee and poured it down the sink. Turned on the TV and stared at the screen, his eyes and mind registering absolutely nothing he was watching.

  Finally, he walked out to the mailbox, pulled out the envelope, brought it back into the house and fed it to the shredder beside his desk.

  Even though he was still angry with her about whatever it was that had happened, or not happened, with Bradley—if Cassie wanted a divorce from him, he wasn’t going to make it easy for her. He would not allow her to do it in such a bloodless, emotionless way. Their relationship meant more to him than that. She was going to have to fight him for it.

  Part of him wanted to drive to Columbus again to have it out with her once and for all. Face to face. He wanted to hear her tell him that she no longer loved him. Wanted to look into her eyes and see for himself if it was true. He could be there, have it out with her, and be back within five or six hours.

  Except for one thing. He had promised to head over to David Yost’s this evening and help him keep vigil over a favorite broodmare that was ready to foal. The mare was acting more nervous than with her other two colts. David had sunk a lot of money into the stud fee; more than he could afford to lose. This new colt could make or break his chances of the first-rate horse farm he was trying to build. Of course, there was no guarantee that the mare would foal tonight. Or even this week, for all he knew. David just said he had a gut feeling she was getting close.

  A thought struck. Why did he have to go to Cassie? Why did he have to abandon his patients to go seek her out? She was the one who wanted the divorce. It wouldn’t hurt her to come here to him.

  He decided to call and tell her that, if she wanted the divorce, she’d have to come and deal with him face-to-face. As far as he was concerned, she could come hang out at the barn with him and David tonight if she was so anxious to get this over with.

  When he called her cell phone, he was annoyed that it went straight to her voicemail. He didn’t want to leave a message. He wanted to talk to her. It was rare, but sometimes she did leave her cell phone behind in her car or at the apartment. When she was too engrossed in a project, she could become a little absentminded about matters like cell phones and car keys.

  He glanced at his watch. It was only four-thirty. Cassie’s firm didn’t close their doors until six. They didn’t even close their doors for some of the national holidays—like New Year’s Day. Other law firms might be more lenient, but it did not pay to have a hangover the morning after New Year’s Eve if one worked for Blackwell, Hart & Cooper.

  Cassie would be at work. Cassie was always at work.

  Calls to her office were always answered by her shared assistant, Sophie, who would then transfer them to her. He did not have to look up the number as he still had it memorized.

  “Hello, you have reached the law offices of Blackwell, Hart & Cooper. This is Sophie. How may I direct your call?”

  “Michael Reynolds here,” he said. “Please put me through to my wife.”

  There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

  “Sophie?” he said. “Are you still there?”

  “I—I…” Sophie stuttered a little. “Excuse me, but how long has it been since you talked to Cassie?”

  He didn’t see how their marital issues could be any of her business. “Please just put me through to her.”

  More silence. What on earth had Cassie said to her assistant about him to make Sophie act so odd? Had she instructed Sophie not to allow him to speak to her? That really would be the last straw. He wasn’t some weird stalker. He was her husband.

  “Sophie?”

  “I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you this, but Cassie doesn’t work here anymore.”

  His mind swirled. What Sophie was saying did not compute.

  “I don’t understand,” he said. “Did she take a job with someone else?”

  “I don’t know,” Sophie said. “The only thing I know for sure is that I saw two security guards clear her office and walk her out to her car. She is no longer allowed access to the building.”

  He was stunned. “What happened?”

  “I can’t tell you,” Sophie said.

  “Is that because you don’t know or you can’t say?”

  “I don’t know what she did wrong…” Sophie, who Michael had never found to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, seemed to warm to the subject. The chance to gossip a bit was just too strong. “But I know one thing for sure, she won’t ever work for this company again.”

  “How do you know?”

  “That’s what Mr. Cooper said after your wife poured coffee all over the papers in her briefcase before the security guards escorted her out.”

  “Cassie did WHAT?”

  “I know!” Sophie said. “That’s how I felt too! I couldn’t believe it either. I’ve never seen any of the lawyers act like that before around here, or seen Mr. Cooper so angry.”

  Michael was shaken. He couldn’t begin to come up with a scenario in which Cassie would have been fired, let alone behaving like that at work. “You’ve been very helpful, Sophie. I’ll try to get hold of her at home.”

  Chapter 44

  As Rachel stood shivering in the corner of the cemetery, waiting for Lily’s body to be laid to rest, she found herself envious of the snowbirds—those retirees who spent spring, summer, and fall in Sugarcreek, but lived all winter in Florida.

  There was no sunshine today. She’d always thought that a burial was slightly easier to endure if there was sunshine, but the sky was depressingly gray and overcast, as though it too was weary of winter. She thought she detected the scent of more snow to come in the air and was grateful she’d worn warm leggings and a long-sleeved knit top beneath her Sugarcreek police uniform.

  The small, gravesite funeral being held for Lily was almost as sparse as the information Rachel had managed to gather on her. The coroner had contacted Smith Funeral Home in Sugarcreek, and they had taken over once Tony identified the body. There was a modest spray of pink roses and greenery resting on top. It looked pretty on the plain, white, casket.

  Lily liked flowers.

  Yes, she did. To the point that the poor girl had cut out pictures of flowers from magazines and glued them to the walls of her room.

  Because she had thought it would just be her, the funeral director, and the two workmen who were in charge of closing the grave, she had not planned on any sort of service. Then at the last minute, Joe had chosen to accompany her.

  However, in thinking there would be no need for any type of service, she had not counted on the compassion of the Amish. Somehow, they heard that the Christmas baby’s mother was going to be buried today. Black buggies began showing up. A couple, then more. By the time they stopped coming, fifteen buggies and nearly forty people had respectfully shown up in their black, Sunday-best, clothing.

  Keturah, Ivan, and Agnes were among
those who came. Agnes carried little Holly, and Ivan held two-month-old Rosie in his arms. John held the hands of the two boys. Clara clung to her grandmother’s hand. Reuben and Betty were there as well. For the first time, Rachel saw that Betty was pregnant. Everyone was heavily bundled against the cold.

  “We brought the baby,” Keturah whispered. We thought someday it would give little Holly comfort to know that she had attended her mother’s funeral.”

  “You’re right,” Rachel said. “I didn’t even think about that.”

  The weather was cold, but not quite as frigid as it had been. Some of the snow had melted. What with the buggies and vehicles, the cemetery was becoming a quagmire of earth and mud. Because neither she nor the funeral director had expected for there to be anyone else there, they had contacted no minister, and yet now there was a small crowd standing solemnly around the gravesite, waiting for something to happen.

  “Is anyone going to do something?” Joe whispered.

  “I didn’t think anyone would be here except us,” she whispered back. “I’ve got nothing.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll take care of it.” Joe turned to face the group. “Thank you for coming. I apologize for our lack of preparation. We did not expect anyone except us to be here, so there’s no service planned, but I’ve had something on my heart these past few days I would like to share if that’s okay.”

  He glanced at Rachel. She nodded encouragement.

  “The young mother’s name we are burying today was Lily. That’s all we know. Rachel thinks she may have run away from the home where she was living in order to protect her baby. For reasons we don’t understand, Lily chose to come to Sugarcreek early Christmas morning. Most of you know that Keturah Hochstetler saved the life of baby Holly here and took her home with her. Agnes has been caring for her ever since.”

  Joe reached out his arms for baby Holly. “May I?”

  “Of course.” Agnes handed the baby to him.

  Joe pulled the blanket away from the baby’s tiny sleeping face, and held her up in the crook of his arm in such a way that all the people could see her.

  “Another baby was born over two-thousand years ago while his mother was on a long journey. We all know the story of how there was no room for them at the inn. Mary had her baby inside a primitive stable. She did not have a midwife. It was just her and Joseph doing the best they could. It couldn’t have been all that comfortable, and definitely not at all sterile. Mary deserved better, and her baby deserved better. Just like Lily and her baby deserved better.”

  Joe kissed the baby on her forehead and handed her back to Agnes.

  “When I was a little boy, every time I heard this story, I wanted to go back in time and fix things. I wanted to give up my bed for Mary and the baby. I wanted my mother to fix them nourishing food. I knew that my father, who loved children, would have rocked the baby while Mary and Joseph got some rest.

  “But none of us can go back and help Mary and the baby Jesus. Nor can we do anything to take away the tragedy of this young mother’s death today. But there is a difference. Everything that can be done has been done. In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.’

  “This tiny baby—from the moment she drew her first breath, she was taken in, loved, fed, and protected…”

  At that moment, a car sped into the cemetery entrance, and a disheveled, rail-thin middle-aged woman jumped out. Rachel’s heart sank when she saw who it was.

  Gertie wore tight jeans with rips in the knees, a t-shirt that barely covered her navel, and a long, red coat that hung open. The coat had definitely seen better days, and so had Gertie.

  “I know you.” She pointed at Rachel. “I saw you sneaking around Tony’s house. I came to get his kid. Mabel said you’d be here.”

  Rachel couldn’t be sure, but she thought Gertie was either intoxicated or high on something. Before anyone could respond, Gertie caught sight of Holly. “Is that it? She reached her hands out. “Bring it here. I want my grandbaby!”

  Agnes backed away, clutching little Holly protectively.

  “No.” Ivan quickly stepped in front of Agnes. “Stop.” He was a tall man, and still powerfully built. Noah silently came to his father’s side; Reuben on the other. Together, they created a wall between Gertie and Agnes while John hurriedly got his three older children into the family buggy.

  “We have cared for this little one since the moment she was born,” Ivan gently told Gertie. “But we do not know you. We do not know what kind of a person you are. Maybe you are a good person. Maybe you are not. Until we know more, you may not take the baby. Not yet.”

  Rachel wanted to shout “Bravo!”

  With the exception of John and the children, the group of Amish had quietly closed in around Gertie and the Hochstetlers during this interchange. Rachel knew it was not meant as a threat. They were simply curious about this odd-looking woman who had suddenly appeared in their midst, and they were also worried about Ivan as he tried to guard the baby. A girl had come with Gertie whom Rachel suspected might be Tony’s sister. She stood on the fringes of the crowd, her shoulders hunched. Gertie glanced around. She suddenly seemed intimidated by the presence of so many black-clad Amish people standing so close to her and began to push through the crowd.

  “I’m not finished with you,” she threatened, as she went toward her car. “My lawyer will sue the pants off of all of you for this. Come on, Tonya!”

  Everyone was silent as Gertie climbed into the passenger seat, and then they watched them leave, the daughter driving.

  “That woman should never have the care of a child,” Keturah said.

  “And yet,” Rachel said. “Right now, she is the one with the most legitimate claim.”

  Keturah glanced at Agnes as she stroked the baby’s soft cheek. “Have you not been wanting to go to Florida to visit your sister for some time now?”

  Rachel realized what Keturah was saying.

  “Not yet, Keturah,” she said. “Gertie doesn’t have custody yet. Until then, let’s keep the baby here.”

  Chapter 45

  “My new mare isn’t feeling so good, Doc.” It was David Yost again, and his voice coming over the phone was shaking. “I was just out to the barn, and I need for you to come take a look at her.”

  Michael had planned to go to the cemetery with Keturah and Ivan but, from the sound of the man’s voice, this might have to take priority.

  “What are you seeing?” Michael asked.

  “Her temp is a hundred and four. She’s started coughing, and there’s a discharge from her eyes and nose. I think it might be the horse flu.”

  Equine Influenza. Highly contagious. Sometimes the younger horses and the older ones didn’t recover… and David had that new foal he thought might come any minute.

  “Is this the mare you went down to Lexington to pick up a few days before Christmas?”

  “Yes. She’s a pretty thing. Seemed healthy enough when I picked her up.”

  “Horse flu has an incubation period of ten days,” Michael said.

  “I know.” Misery laced his words. “She must have had it before she got here. Now all my horses will be exposed.”

  “How is your brood mare?”

  “Getting that look in her eye that she might drop that foal any minute. I cleaned out her stall and put down fresh bedding this morning. I’ve got everything ready.”

  “I’ll be over as soon as I can,” Michael said. “Tell Jenny to make a pot of coffee. We’re both going to need it before this day is over.”

  “Thanks, doc,” David said. “We’ll make some sandwiches too.”

  As puzzled as Michael was about what he’d just learned about Cassie, his first responsibility was to David Yost and those horses. This was exactly the kind of situation that had compelled him to come back to Sugarcreek and take over this practice. That new foal and the sick mare represented nearl
y every dime David had. Keeping those two animals and the rest of the stock alive and well could make the difference between David’s dream of running a horse farm succeeding, or failing.

  If this was equine influenza, and he wasn’t able to stop it at David’s farm, there could be an outbreak in the whole area. This was Amish country, and there were hundreds, if not thousands of horses. Unlike non-Amish people’s automobiles, Amish horses were not insured. The loss of a well-trained standard-bred buggy horse was a great loss, the Belgian and Percheron draft horses an even greater one.

  It really was a life or death situation. Trying to figure out what Cassie was up to would just have to wait.

  Word got out quickly that a case of equine influenza had been confirmed in David Yost’s newest purchase from Lexington. Michael was swamped for the next few days going from farm to farm, listening to massive chests for pneumonia, and reassuring nervous farmers.

  He did call Cassie several times in-between farm visits. He got little sleep but left several messages on her two answering machines. She did not call him back.

  This worried him. If she was no longer going into work, was there anyone who would pay attention to whether or not she was okay? Apparently, Bradley wouldn’t be checking on her, not if what Sophie had told him was true. It wasn’t as though Cassie had any girlfriends who would stop in. That wasn’t the kind of life Cassie lived. Nor did she have a mother or sister to check on her.

  With all his heart, Michael knew that his work was important, and he truly loved every minute of it, but the satisfaction in helping the animals and farmers of the Sugarcreek area was marred by wondering if Cassie was okay, and wondering what had happened to make her walk away from the law firm that had been part of the reason for the destruction of their marriage.

  Chapter 46

  “Rachel?” Noah Hochstetler’s voice was nervous. “Daett told me to call and ask you to come quick. A social worker and that woman who says she’s Holly’s grandmother are at our house.”