A Daughter's Dream
Page 21
It was unexpected, too. They’d had plans. Just yesterday he’d asked if she would be willing for him to spend an hour with her. She’d smiled and nodded.
Every other time, she would be outside on the front porch with two Mason jars of iced tea or lemonade, waiting for him.
But Amelia was nowhere in sight. In addition, the front door was open. Only their ratty-looking screen door was preventing Oscar from getting out.
Rebecca’s normally lazy pup was staring at him in a pitiful way when he walked up the brick walkway in the front of the house. He whined and pawed at the screen. “Hey, boy,” he murmured. “What’s going on here?”
Oscar gazed up at him with sad eyes and whined some more.
Simon was growing more concerned by the minute.
“Amelia?” he called out as he trotted up the steps.
She didn’t answer.
Opening the screen door, he let Oscar waddle through, then followed him down the steps.
Immediately Oscar did his business. Then, with a little grunt, he trotted toward the barn as quickly as his stocky legs could take him.
His heart in his throat, Simon followed on his heels.
“Amelia?” he called out again.
At last, he heard a gasp, followed by a small cry.
He picked up his pace, dust flying up around his thick work boots. “Amelia, where are ya?”
“I’m . . . I’m in the barn.”
Her voice didn’t sound right. Running now, he followed the pup inside, then froze at the sight before him.
Amelia was sitting on the dirt floor of the barn crying. Her light pink dress was wrinkled and dusty. Her usually carefully pressed white kapp was smudged with dirt.
Even in the dim light he could see that her cheeks were deathly pale, her nose and eyes were red from crying, and she was holding one hand awkwardly in the other.
After crossing the small space in two strong strides, he knelt by her side. “Amelia, what happened?” He didn’t even bother with asking if she was all right. She so obviously wasn’t.
She hiccuped. “There was a snake in Princess’s stall.” She waved her hand. “It . . . it bit my hand.”
Simon was barely able to push aside his panic as he reached for her hand. Only the experiences of his past allowed him to control the panic that he was feeling. “Are you sure? Was it a rattler? How long ago did this happen?”
“An hour ago. Maybe a little longer? I’m not sure,” she said, answering his last question first. Gazing at her hand that was now firmly held in his own, she visibly gathered herself together. “It was a rat snake, I think. Nothing poisonous, at least, I’m fairly sure about that. But, Simon, it still hurts terribly.”
Feeling marginally better, Simon forced his body to relax. If a copperhead or rattler had bitten her, she would likely be much worse off.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel for her. Snake bites, venomous or not, were scary experiences. “I reckon it does.” Turning her hand, he searched for the puncture wounds. They were located at the bottom of her palm, less than an inch from her wrist. The affected area was slightly swollen and red. Most of the skin around it looked angry. Even if the snake hadn’t been poisonous, he knew the bite should probably be checked out.
“Let’s get you on the porch. Once you get settled, I’ll hitch up Stormy to the buggy. We’ll run over to the emergency clinic.”
When she looked up at him with a fierce expression, he braced himself for an argument. Amy was proud, and she hated for people to coddle her. Furthermore, she seemed to be under the misconception that she didn’t do enough to garner any concessions.
Ever since her father’s death in the fire at the mill and Lukas had taken over the day-to-day operations, she’d seemed intent to do everything at home without complaint or help.
Even though Lukas’s new wife, Darla, helped and so did Rebecca, a few hours every now and then didn’t make up for the fact that it was Amelia alone who tended the animals, cared for the garden, cleaned the house, did the laundry, and cooked supper every single day.
But to his surprise, instead of arguing, Amelia nodded.
Unable to help himself, he brushed her cheek with the side of his thumb. “I’m glad you understand,” he said gently. “Now, give me your hand and I’ll help you up.”
But when she tried to move, she winced, then cried out.
He froze. “What’s wrong?”
Averting her face, she started crying again. Quiet, thick tears that cascaded down her cheeks and broke his heart.
Concerned, he crouched by her side. And promptly forgot all his intentions of treating her in a calm, friendly way. Sidling closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Amy, honey? Talk to me, jah?”
After taking a fortifying breath, she nodded. “Something else happened, Simon. Princess got scared of the snake and she kicked my shin. It hurts something awful. E-even worse than my hand. I don’t know if I can put any weight on it.”
With effort, he refrained from reacting. The last thing she needed was for him to either get upset about her injuries or say what was at the center of his mind—that he’d known it hadn’t been safe for her to be alone on the farm for hours at a time, day after day.
But of course, casting blame wouldn’t help her feel better. “Which leg did she kick?”
Awkwardly, she pointed to the one stretched out. “That one.”
The hem of her dress was resting about mid-calf. He lifted the fabric to her knee. Not seeing anything from that angle, he started to turn her calf when she cried out.
Growing alarmed, he moved to her other side so he could see the full extent of the injury. A large—very large—black and blue mark decorated her leg. It was also extremely swollen and slightly misshapen.
He would bet money that the bone was broken. Visions of her sitting in pain while on the floor of the dusty barn cut him deeply.
Once again, he ached to corner Lukas, Rebecca, and the missing Levi and give them a piece of his mind. Yes, Amelia was an adult, but she had been given too few choices. While the three of them spent their days how they wanted to, Amelia was stuck at home alone day after day.
He’d told Lukas more than once that he worried that something would happen to Amelia and she would be alone and helpless.
He wasn’t exactly happy to be proven right.
But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was taking care of Amelia and getting her help as soon as possible.
“Change of plans,” he said as he pulled out his cell phone. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
The skin around her mouth whitened. “Do ya really think that is necessary?”
“I’m afraid so. I think your leg is broken.”
After staring at him for a few seconds, she sighed. “I’m afraid it is, too,” she whispered. “I tried to get up but I couldn’t put any weight on it.”
After pausing for a moment to give thanks that the bishop had allowed him to purchase a cell phone for work, he dialed 911. He’d deal with the consequences of using the phone for a nonrelated work reason at a later date.
He had to walk out the barn door to get a signal, but God was good. In no time at all, he was connected to the emergency operator, explained Amelia’s situation, and relayed her address. Once he was assured they were on their way, he turned to her. “What do you want me to tell Lukas?”
“Don’t call him yet.”
“Amelia, he ain’t going to be happy to find out you didn’t let him know about your accident. I bet he could get here before the ambulance leaves.”
She shook her head again. “Nee. If you call the mill, it’s going to send Luke and Rebecca into a dither. They’ll come running over and take charge. I’m not ready for that yet.”
Everything inside him disagreed with her. “They are going to worry.”
&n
bsp; “I know. But canna you contact them after we get to the hospital? That’s not too long to wait.”
Though he still didn’t feel right about it, he didn’t argue. She was in pain and she was also his weakness. He hated to refuse her anything. “The ambulance will be here soon. What do you need from the house?”
Relief filled her blue eyes. “Danke, Simon. All I need is my purse. It’s on the kitchen counter.”
“I’ll be right back. You sit tight.” Then he went to put a pouting Princess in one of the empty horse stalls and Oscar back in the house.
Unable to help himself, Simon wrote Lukas and Rebecca a brief note. He’d just finished it when he heard the sirens.
After grabbing her purse, he rushed back to her side. When she gazed up at him, her pretty eyes shining with unshed tears, he attempted to smile. “As you can tell, the ambulance is almost here. They’ll take you to the hospital and give you something for your pain.”
She still looked agitated. “Simon, I’m afraid,” she admitted. Looking ashamed, she whispered, “The . . . The hospital brings back many bad memories.”
“I know it does.” He’d been in the same hospital waiting room when she’d learned that each of her parents had died.
“Would you go with me?”
“Of course.” He almost groaned. Was she truly that oblivious to his feelings for her? “I’m not going to leave your side, Amelia. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
Her bottom lip trembled as she attempted to smile. “Danke.”
“Never thank me for something like this. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
She smiled as she pushed back some stray strands of her white-gold blond hair from her face. Only Amelia could look beautiful at a time like this.
He smiled at her again before walking out the barn door and waving to the ambulance approaching.
“She’s in here!” he called out when one man and one woman opened the doors to the vehicle.
As he watched them get out a stretcher, Simon realized that he had now made his choice. He was done thinking of other people. He was done biding his time.
“Are you a relative?” the man asked.
“Boyfriend,” he replied. Not even caring that it wasn’t technically the truth.
As far as he was concerned, she would be his girl soon enough. He wasn’t going to have it be any other way.
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Also by Shelley Shepard Gray
SISTERS OF THE HEART SERIES
Hidden • Wanted • Forgiven • Grace
SEASONS OF SUGARCREEK SERIES
Winter’s Awakening • Spring’s Renewal
Autumn’s Promise • Christmas in Sugarcreek
FAMILIES OF HONOR SERIES
The Caregiver • The Protector • The Survivor
A Christmas for Katie (novella)
THE SECRETS OF CRITTENDEN COUNTY SERIES
Missing • The Search • Found • Peace
THE DAYS OF REDEMPTION SERIES
Daybreak • Ray of Light • Eventide • Snowfall
RETURN TO SUGARCREEK SERIES
Hopeful • Thankful • Joyful
AMISH BRIDES OF PINECRAFT SERIES
The Promise of Palm Grove • The Proposal at Siesta Key
A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn
A Wish on Gardenia Street (novella)
A Christmas Bride in Pinecraft
THE CHARMED AMISH LIFE SERIES
A Son’s Vow
OTHER BOOKS
Redemption
Credits
Cover photograph and design by Laura Klynstra
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
A DAUGHTER’S DREAM. Copyright © 2016 by Shelley Shepard Gray. Excerpt from A Sister’s Wish © 2016 by Shelley Shepard Gray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Illustrated map copyright © 2015 by Laura Hartman Maestro
ISBN 978-0-06-233781-8
EPub Edition MAY 2016 ISBN: 9780062337825
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