“Naomi!”
She glanced up and saw Jacob pulling up in the buggy with an animated Mary Katherine sitting beside him. Naomi had never been so glad to see Mary Katherine as at that moment.
“I’m so glad you’re back!” Mary Katherine cried, climbing down quickly and flinging her arms around Naomi. “I missed you so much!”
Jacob got out of the buggy and gave Naomi a big hug. “Nice to have you back.”
He acknowledged John with a nod, then gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you later.”
Mary Katherine watched him leave, then turned to John. “Guder mariye.”
“Guder mariye,” he said. “Naomi, we have to—”
“Get to work,” Mary Katherine said breezily. “I’m afraid we got a little behind with Naomi and Grandmother gone.”
She turned to Naomi. “So, are you ready to get back to work?” she asked Naomi, wrapping a companionable arm around her waist and leading her toward the front door of the shop.
“But—” John began.
“Time to open,” Mary Katherine called over her shoulder.
Once inside, Naomi looked out the window and saw John standing there scowling, his hands on his hips.
“That was really rude of you,” Naomi said under her breath, smiling and waving to John.
He hesitated for a moment and then when he saw she wasn’t coming back outside, he began walking away. Naomi breathed a sigh of relief.
“I just wish you were engaged to a man like Jacob.”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “When are you going to come down from your honeymoon?”
Mary Katherine smiled dreamily. “I hope I never do.”
They went inside and put their things away. Naomi wanted to throw the flowers John had given her into the trash but that didn’t seem fair to the poor flowers.
The blooms hadn’t done anything wrong and deserved to be appreciated for their beauty. Instead, she found a vase, filled it with water, and arranged the hothouse roses in it.
She’d never liked red roses. But John never seemed to remember that. She sighed as she set them on the table and walked back out into the shop.
Mary Katherine hugged her grandmother and then went to stand at the front counter.
Local customers streamed in all morning, welcoming Leah and Naomi back. Fellow Amish wanted to know about their vacation. What was Florida really like? How was the weather? What had they done?
“I always wanted to go to Florida,” Katie Stotzfus said, oohing and aahing over the photos Nick had taken.
“You should go.” Leah told them about walking outside to pick an orange for breakfast, about playing shuffleboard in the middle of January, and about the sugar-white sand on the beach the day Nick carried her down to sit on a quilt and gaze at the ocean.
It was so good to see her grandmother in a totally different mood from the almost depressed one she’d worn before the trip. At noon, with the last of the morning rush out the door and the Monday quilting circle gone home for lunch, Naomi locked the door and turned the sign on it around to “Back at 1 p.m.” Then they gathered in the back room for lunch.
Leah gave a happy sigh as she sat in a chair and put her injured foot up on another.
“I’m happy to be back, but that was a busy morning,” she said.
“I brought cold fried chicken,” Mary Katherine told them, taking it from the refrigerator and placing it on the table. “I made potato salad and baked beans too.”
“That’s a lot of trouble on top of running the shop while we were gone,” Naomi told her as she set the table with plates and forks.
Mary Katherine shook her head. “I just doubled the recipe for supper last night. And Jacob helped. I think he really enjoys cooking.”
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he convinced other men in the community to do so?” Anna said.
“He told me Chris, Hannah’s husband, cooks because he learned how before he became Amish,” Mary Katherine told them.
She opened up the containers of potato salad and beans and put serving spoons in them. “He and Chris actually swapped recipes when Chris and Hannah stopped by. Can you believe it?”
“I can just imagine what the bishop would think of that,” Naomi muttered.
Anna clapped her hand to her mouth. “We forgot to tell them.”
“Forgot to tell us what?” Leah asked, the chicken leg she’d just chosen suspended on the way to her mouth.
“The bishop came down with a nasty case of pneumonia a few days after you left,” Anna told her. “He’s still not doing well.”
“I’ll stop by his house and talk to his wife on the way home,” Leah said.
She placed the chicken on her plate and helped herself to potato salad and beans, then passed them on to Naomi.
“You’re going to go by his house?” Anna asked. “Really?”
“We’ve had our differences recently, but still, he’s served our community faithfully.”
Naomi listened to the conversation at the table. She couldn’t help feeling relieved that she wouldn’t have to accompany her grandmother to the bishop’s house, especially after the way their last conversation. She was still upset that he’d thought he should make comments about what goods they offered in the shop when he didn’t do that with what men sold in their stores. He wanted only traditional crafts and that was contrary to Leah encouraging new, creative crafts by her three granddaughters.
However, Naomi would have preferred visiting him over having to talk to John after work.
What a sad state of affairs to think that way, she thought. Right now, she just wanted to go home and hide under the covers—and the day was only half over.
She wished she could have the kind of forgiving attitude her grandmother had about the bishop. If she did, maybe then she could have a better attitude than she did about John. All she wanted was to break off the relationship she had with him. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she was so tired of him turning everything around on her when it was actually him hurting her.
When she realized that the room had gotten quiet, that Leah was staring at her, she realized she was absently rubbing at her forearm, which still ached from where John had hurt her when he unexpectedly visited her in Florida. She shook her head in a silent message to her grandmother that she didn’t want to talk about it and placed her hand on her lap.
They heard the shop door open and then close. Hannah walked in, her key in her hand, her husband, Chris, at her side.
She bent and hugged Leah. “So glad to see you!”
“I’m glad to be back,” Leah said.
Hannah turned to Naomi and hugged her too. “Are you glad to be back? Did you have a good time?”
Naomi nodded. Well, that was mostly true, she thought. She’d had a wonderful adventure in Florida and she was glad to be back and happy to see everyone.
Except John.
Chris pulled out a chair and helped Hannah into it, then stood beside her, his hand a silent gesture of support.
She patted his hand. “Why don’t you go find something to do for an hour while I teach the class?”
“We talked about this.”
He met her gaze and an unspoken message moved between them. Neither backed off.
“Hannah, we have some juice if you’d like it,” Naomi suggested.
She glanced at the coffeepot sitting atop the stove. Her bottom lip jutted out. “I want coffee.”
“I know, I know,” Naomi soothed. “But it won’t be much longer.”
Hannah rubbed her protruding abdomen. “I can’t drink coffee even after the baby comes. I’ll be nursing.”
Naomi turned to Chris. “Can I get you something to drink?”
He gave his wife a sidelong look. “I’ll have whatever she’s having.”
Hannah’s pout vanished. “You don’t have to do that.” She looked at the other women. “He said he wouldn’t drink coffee since I can’t have it.”
Chris reddened. “No big deal.”
>
Anna reached over and gave his forearm a squeeze. “That’s really sweet of you, Chris.”
“Long as I don’t have to give birth,” he muttered.
He stuck around after the women cleaned up the remains of lunch, sipping a cup of decaffeinated tea like Hannah.
The ladies taking Hannah’s quilting class began arriving. Naomi knew most of them, but one woman was new—a police officer who wore her uniform. She thought she’d seen her before.
Chris greeted her when she walked into the back room looking for coffee. “Kate, how’s everything?”
“Good,” she said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “You coming to the wedding next month?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. Can’t wait to see you put a ball and chain on my old friend Malcolm.”
“Ha-ha,” she said, rolling her eyes. “There’s that guy humor about marriage.” She glared at him. “I’m getting enough of it at the station, thanks. And if I hear anything said about me being here for a quilting lesson, I’ll know who to go after.”
Chris held up his hands. “What happens in Stitches in Time stays in Stitches in Time,” he said, grinning.
Naomi jerked her head to look at him when he said it, but he wasn’t directing his comment to her. It reminded her of what Nick had said about what happened in Florida stayed in Florida. But no one was looking at her. There was no deeper meaning.
“So are you here for a quilting lesson?” Kate asked Chris.
“Me? No.”
“I’ve heard some men quilt.”
“Well, I do my part cooking, when most of the men around here don’t. That’s all the girlie stuff I’ll do.” He winked at Naomi to show he was joking, that he was enjoying teasing Kate.
Naomi rolled up her sleeves and plunged her hands into the dishwater. Sometimes they had the time to clean up right after lunch and sometimes it had to wait until they closed the shop. It all depended on how busy the shop was.
Chris brought his cup over and handed it to her. Then he frowned. “That’s quite a bruise you’ve got.”
She glanced at it and nodded.
“How’d you get it?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Probably bumped it.”
Chris reached out and took her forearm. He peered at it. “Don’t think so. Looks like somebody grabbed you—you can see separate finger marks.”
Naomi pulled her arm away from him and pushed her hands back into the soapsuds. “It’s nothing.”
“Naomi—”
Glancing over her shoulder, she shook her head. “I’m taking care of it.”
“How?”
Sighing, she leaned her elbows on the edge of the sink and met his concerned gaze—so concerned that he deserved to know.
“I’m breaking up with John, if you must know,” she said quietly.
“Good. Mary Katherine has told me she’s been uncomfortable around him for some time. But she didn’t suspect that he’d hurt you.”
He picked up a dish towel and began drying the dishes that were draining in a rack.
It did her heart good to see how easily he shifted into helping mode. It wasn’t easy to run a farm, and yet he obviously helped Mary Katherine inside the home, just as she tried when she could to help outside with his chores. And his help would be needed so much when she delivered their second child.
“When are you doing it?”
“Today. Right after work.”
“Where?”
“What do you mean where? Are you going to check up on me?”
Her breath hitched and she heard the edge in her voice. Then she felt contrite. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little tense about it.”
“If you’re afraid he’s going to get angry and hurt you—”
She bit her lip and finally nodded. “I’d be stupid if I didn’t think it could happen.”
Chris threw down the dish towel and walked over to close the door. “You know I used to be in the military. C’mere, I’m going to show you a little self-defense. Just in case.”
Naomi dried her hands on the towel and walked over to him.
The door opened.
“Oh, my!” Hannah cried out.
Chris pulled his arm from around Naomi’s neck. “It’s not what you think! I can explain!”
Hannah was jostled aside by Kate, who raised her gun and held it pointed at Chris.
“What’s going on?”
“Easy, Kate, easy,” Chris said, holding up his hands.
“He’s just showing me some self-defense moves,” Naomi rushed to tell them. “Really, everything’s okay.”
Kate lowered her gun and holstered it. “Any reason for you to need self-defense lessons?” she asked Naomi.
Naomi saw the woman’s sharp eyes take in the bruise on her forearm as she started rolling down her sleeves.
Hannah wavered on her feet and Chris reached out and grabbed her. “Dizzy,” she said as he lowered her into a chair. “I’m okay,” she said as he bent over her. “Just a little too much excitement.”
“Now you know how I felt when your brother found me in your hayloft,” he said, patting her back. “Let me get you some water.”
He straightened and turned to Kate. “Was it necessary to flash your gun? You knew it was just Naomi and me back here.”
“The shop has a back door just like most of them do. I didn’t know what I’d find when your wife cried out.”
Mary Katherine and Anna filled the doorway, their eyes wide.
“What’s going on?” Leah called behind them.
Kate sighed. “I’ll go out and explain,” she said, glancing back briefly at Chris. “You stay with Hannah and take care of her. No delivering early again,” she told Hannah sternly. “That was a little too much excitement for me, helping Malcolm deliver your last kid.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Hannah said with a faint smile as she rubbed her abdomen.
Anna followed Kate, eager to find out what had happened. Mary Katherine hesitated, then, when Naomi nodded, left them.
Chris straightened. “I’m going to see if our driver is here.”
“Self-defense?” said Hannah, studying Naomi. “What’s going on?”
When Naomi didn’t answer, Hannah’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh no, is John hurting you? Is that why Chris was teaching you self-defense?”
She got to her feet awkwardly and winced, but shook her head when Naomi tried to help her. Naomi went to the door to watch to make sure that Hannah made it safely to Chris’s side. They held a whispered conversation she couldn’t hear.
Hannah glanced back at Naomi, looked doubtful, but then left the shop.
Kate approached. “Naomi? I’d like to talk to you.”
Naomi moved about in a daze the rest of the day.
She helped customers, rang up sales, swept the floor, and gave the shelves one last straightening.
Mary Katherine watched her, looking worried. Anna tried asking questions a couple of times, but after a stern look from their grandmother she subsided.
“Should I lock up now?” Naomi asked as she glanced at the clock.
Her grandmother nodded and gathered the day’s receipts. “Naomi, I’d like you to help me with the deposit.”
“But Mary Katherine and I’ve been doing it,” Anna protested.
“Then all the more reason Naomi should be helping now,” Leah said calmly. “If you could finish taking care of those mail orders, I would appreciate it, Anna.”
Anna didn’t look happy about it but she did as she was asked.
“Grossmudder, I just don’t think I can talk about it anymore,” Naomi said as she sat down at the table in the back room.
Leah gave her a gentle smile. “I know.” She set the receipts aside and grasped Naomi’s hand in hers. “I’m not going to tell you what you need to do. You know. And I believe you’ll do it.”
The tears came then, surprising Naomi. “Oh, Grossmudder, I loved him.”
“I know. You still love him.
”
Naomi nodded, sobbing now. She reached for a tissue in her pocket.
“If you didn’t, you could have walked away easily. You have a generous heart. A forgiving one. But that’s not enough sometimes.”
“I don’t know what happened. He changed.”
“Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. He may have always been like this but he just knew how to hide it from you.” She was silent for a moment, looking at Naomi with damp eyes. “Let’s pray.”
They sat there, hands clasped, and prayed, and then her grandmother took a fresh tissue from a little pack she carried in her pocket and wiped Naomi’s eyes.
“Why don’t you go wash your face and then we’ll take you by the restaurant on our way home.”
Naomi nodded. She got up, then bent down and hugged her grandmother. “Thank you.”
Leah patted her cheek.
Nick parked a short distance from the restaurant and walked around to open her door. Naomi pretended that she was meeting John for a welcome-home dinner, but her cousins were so quiet she didn’t think she was fooling anyone.
“I’ll be back in an hour and I’ll wait outside for you,” Nick told her quietly. He slid a cell phone into her hand. “Put this in your purse.”
“I can’t take your phone.”
“It’s an extra one I keep for emergencies. Take it so you can call me if you need me sooner.”
Naomi tucked it into her purse, then waved to her grandmother and her cousins. “Okay, have a good night, everyone. See you tomorrow.”
She walked into the restaurant, trying not to drag her feet. The sooner she got it over with, the sooner she’d be home.
The hostess led Naomi to John’s table. He was already there, drumming his fingers impatiently. “You’re late.”
She wasn’t, but what was the point of arguing?
A waitress came with menus and John ordered supper, but when Naomi only ordered coffee, his eyebrows went up. “Did you eat before you came here tonight?”
“Of course not. There wasn’t time after we closed the shop.”
She stared down at the cup of coffee when it arrived, wishing she could figure out what to say.
“Did you enjoy your vacation?” he asked abruptly as he waited for his food.
“It was very nice.”
The Heart's Journey: Stitches in Time Series #2 Page 15
