“Snow angels!” Lena cried.
“Lena! You came out. Do you have Matthew in that bundle somewhere?” Lena must have held a pile of at least three blankets in her arms. The boppli must be buried in the middle somewhere.
“I do. I’m only going to stay out for a minute, but I wanted to show Matthew his first snow. And I wanted to see a snowman. Where is our snowman?”
“Would you settle for two nearly frozen snow girls?”
“I guess they will do.”
“Look at our snow angels, Mamm!” Mary tugged at Lena’s cloak.
“I see. Such a lot of them.”
“I think they had more fun rolling around in the snow rather than making the angel pattern.” Becky nodded toward the large area of disturbed snow.
“Someone is going to have a frozen tongue, and a frozen belly, too, if she keeps eating snow.” Lena grabbed Eliza’s hand before she could stuff another fistful of snow into her mouth.
“Are you ready to go inside to get warm?” Becky’s fingers were growing numb despite her heavy gloves.
“We didn’t make a snowman,” Mary wailed.
“You made snow angels instead.” Lena pointed at the evidence.
Becky’s heart melted at Mary’s sad face with her lower lip drooping and quivering. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s make a teeny, tiny snowman. The snow is so powdery, it’s hard to get it to clump together. Maybe tomorrow we can make a bigger one.”
“Okay.” Mary perked up a bit.
“Okay,” Eliza echoed.
“Unfortunately, the snow doesn’t seem to be letting up.” Lena hugged the cocooned boppli closer.
“Will you watch, Mamm?” Mary asked.
Lena nodded. “If you’re quick about it.”
“Let’s get to work. We don’t want little Matthew to freeze.” Becky bent to form a large snowball. She let Mary and Eliza pack snow around its base while she constructed the next two layers. “Quick like a bunny, see if you can find two sticks for arms.”
“I think the sticks are already buried. I’ll snap a little branch from the old oak tree.” Lena plodded through the snow a ways to grab a low branch. She shifted the bundled boppli to the crook of one arm. With the other hand she broke off the very end of the branch. “Here, Mary. Take this to Becky.”
Becky broke the branch and poked the mismatched sticks into the lopsided snowman. “Perfect! Now let’s get some cocoa and cookies!” That is, if she could coax her fingers to bend enough to hold a cup.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Becky hurried downstairs and through the cold house the next morning to stoke the fires in the living room and kitchen stoves. She stirred the ashes around and added small pieces of wood until she got both fires going well enough to toss in larger logs. She stood against the kitchen stove briskly rubbing her hands up and down her arms until the stove could dispel the chill in the room and in her body. She’d filled the kettle with water first thing, so it should start to heat on the stove soon. A nice hot cup of tea would go a long way toward warming her up.
It was still too dark for her to see much out the kitchen window, so she couldn’t tell if snow was still falling or how high it had piled up during the night. The wind had increased to a howl shortly after midnight, making enough noise to awaken her and to frighten Mary.
The little girl had jumped from her bed and padded down the hall whimpering. Becky had called to her and let her snuggle in bed with her for the rest of the night. She hoped that wasn’t going to be the beginning of a bad habit she’d have to break. She’d carried Mary back to her own bed before heading downstairs.
Before the teakettle could begin shrieking, she slid it off the burner. She finally felt sufficiently warm to detach herself from the stove long enough to plop a tea bag into a mug and pour steaming water over it. She stirred in a spoonful of sugar, discarded the tea bag, and returned to her station next to the stove. A few sips of hot tea should do the trick. She’d start some oatmeal and kaffi for Lena as soon as she felt brave enough to remove her hands from the hot mug. The temperature must have plummeted during the night for the house to have grown so cold.
After a few minutes, the stove began cranking out heat, and the sips of tea warmed her from the inside. Becky measured out enough kaffi for Lena’s two cups and enough oatmeal for four. There was nothing like oatmeal to stick to the ribs on a frosty morning. She’d scramble some eggs and put slices of bread in the oven for toast, too. First, though, she wanted to try to examine the world outside the window.
Becky tore a paper towel off the roll and wiped the moisture from the window over the kitchen sink. She hadn’t heard the wind in several hours, so maybe the snowstorm was over. The sky had gone from black to gray, and a few streaks of purple and pink now crisscrossed the darkness. Becky gasped.
There must be at least a foot of snow blanketing the yard. Some areas had higher piles where the wind had blown snow into drifts. From what she could tell in the predawn grayness, it looked like only random flakes fell from the sky now. It was still too dark to be certain. She’d probably be shoveling for a long time just to get to the horses. She’d better try to consume a large bowl of oatmeal for all the energy that would require.
“You’re up early. Couldn’t you sleep?”
Becky turned from the window and watched Lena hurry across the room to stand beside the stove.
“Ach! I was going to have your kaffi ready and oatmeal cooking before you got up. I had little feet kicking me, so I gave up on sleep.”
“Not the boppli?”
“Nee. Mary. She got scared during the night with the wind whistling and howling. I let her sleep with me.”
“You should have told her to kumm into my room. You need your rest.”
“It’s all right. I didn’t mind. I called her into my room when I heard her get up so she wouldn’t bother you.”
“We’re a fine pair, aren’t we? Each of us tries to protect the other.”
“That’s what freinden do, ain’t so?”
“I suppose we do.” Lena stepped closer to the window.
“You might not want to look out there.”
“Why not?”
“You wanted spring. It definitely does not look like spring.”
Lena leaned over the sink to peer out the window. “There must be a foot of snow out there!”
“That’s what I thought.” Becky stirred the oats in the pot of water. “Maybe I’d better make extra so I’ll have lots of energy.”
“You aren’t shoveling all that!”
“I have to get to the horses and chickens.”
“The men will be by to help out. We just might have to wait awhile until they can dig themselves out.”
“I can start after breakfast.”
“You will do nothing of the sort.”
“Aren’t you the bossy one?”
“Well, someone has to make sure you take care of yourself.”
“We’ll see,” Becky mumbled as she pulled eggs out of the refrigerator. “Scrambled or fried?”
“Scrambled. Maybe then Eliza will eat more of them.”
“Is that Matthew I hear?”
Lena groaned. “I fed him before I brought him downstairs. I thought if I tucked him into the cradle near the living room stove he would at least sleep for an hour. He must be going through a growth spurt.”
“I’ll pour you a cup of kaffi as soon as it’s ready.”
“Maybe I should cut out all caffeine. I didn’t think he would get enough from my measly cup or two to bother him.”
“Would you like some raspberry tea instead?”
“I’d really like my kaffi, but I’ll take the tea.” Lena hurried to the living room before the infant could let out a shriek.
Mary ran into the kitchen, pulling Eliza along with her. “Did you see the snow?” Her brown eyes were huge and shining with excitement.
“Snow?” Eliza echoed her big schweschder.
“There certainly is a lot of it, isn�
�t there?” Becky dunked a tea bag in a mug of hot water for Lena.
“Can we play in it?”
“You might get lost in it. Then I wouldn’t see you until spring.”
“You’re silly. I wouldn’t get lost.”
“Let’s see if the sun shines later to warm things up a bit. And I have to shovel out to the animals.”
“I heard that!” Lena called. “You will not shovel to the animals. They are fine for now.”
Becky wrinkled her nose but didn’t let the girls see her. “Are you fine for now or are you hungry?” She looked at first one girl and then the other.
“Hungry!” they squealed together.
“Somehow I thought that would be your answer.” She stirred the oatmeal again and moved the pan aside to begin scrambling eggs. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”
Ugh! Eggs! Why did the smell of eggs have to bother her stomach today when she needed to eat a hearty breakfast? She stirred the eggs around in the pan with one hand and clutched her belly with the other. It didn’t seem to matter that she’d only sipped raspberry tea so far this morning. Her stomach was not happy.
Quickly she moved the pan off the burner and raced from the room. “Be right back,” she mumbled to Mary and Eliza. She hoped she could slip into the bathroom and make it back to the kitchen before Lena knew anything was amiss.
After splashing her face with icy water, Becky felt she could return to the kitchen. She intermittently held her breath or took only shallow gasps as she finished scrambling the eggs and scooping them onto three plates. There was no use in putting any on her plate. She pulled the bread from the oven and added a slice to each plate. Toast should not offend her stomach. At least she hoped it wouldn’t. She arranged extra slices on a separate plate. Becky enlisted Mary’s help to carry butter and jam to the table while she filled bowls with oatmeal and poured cups of orange juice.
At the conclusion of the silent prayer, Becky raised a spoonful of oatmeal topped with cinnamon and brown sugar to her lips. She swallowed the first bite and followed it with a sip of tea. The spoon clattered against the side of the bowl, when she had intended to rest it in the oatmeal easily. Maybe she should try the toast instead.
“Are you all right?” Lena stopped the forkful of eggs on its way to her mouth to study Becky’s face.
“Sure.”
“You look a little green.”
Mary giggled. “She’s not green, Mamm.”
Lena smiled. “It’s just an expression. It means someone looks a little sick.”
“I’m fine.” Becky picked off a crunchy edge of her bread and popped it into her mouth. She willed it to stay down where it belonged. She forced a pleasant expression as she chewed.
“What’s wrong with your oatmeal?”
“H-hot. I’ll let it cool a bit.”
“Funny. Mine wasn’t that hot.”
“Maybe my tongue was already sensitive from the hot tea.”
“Hmmm.” Lena spread strawberry jam on Eliza’s toast and helped Mary, who wanted to do things for herself but ended up with her jam on the table.
“Maybe you should take a nap, since someone kept you awake.” Lena stared at Mary and chucked her under the chin.
“I’m fine, really.” Becky forced down another bite of toast. She’d give the oatmeal another try in a minute, since the toast hadn’t threatened to misbehave. She stopped chewing for a minute and cocked her head. “What is that noise? It’s a scraping sound. It can’t be the wind.” A quick glance at the window showed her the snow-laden trees were motionless.
Lena jumped up to look out a different window. “It’s Bishop Menno and his oldest son,” she called. “They’re shoveling near the barn.”
“We didn’t hear them approach.”
“They have the sleigh and stopped near the barn.” Lena plopped back onto her chair and spooned a few bites of oatmeal into Eliza’s mouth before the little girl could start scooping the thick, gloppy mess up with her hands. She looked at Becky’s full bowl. “You can relax and eat now. I told you the men would be by to shovel.”
“I should help them. I can at least start on the back steps.”
“You can at least try to eat something besides bread crumbs before you get dizzy and faint.”
“I don’t think that will happen.” To appease Lena, Becky lifted a big spoonful of oatmeal to her lips and made a great show of eating it. To her horror, her stomach immediately revolted. She bolted from the table, mumbling, “Excuse me,” as she raced from the room.
“Do you still want to tell me you’re fine?” Lena’s eyes followed Becky’s slow, guarded approach as she returned to the table.
“I don’t understand it. I was doing so much better. Then for some reason, the smell of eggs this morning set me off.”
“I did that with Mary, but it was the smell of fried chicken that sent me running from the room. We ate a lot more beef than usual during that time.” Lena chuckled before her face took on a faraway look.
Becky slid onto her chair and lifted her tea to her lips with trembling hands.
“Do you think you can manage some more toast, at least a few bites?” Lena spooned more oatmeal into Eliza and then wiped her sticky face with the wet paper towel she’d brought to the table for just that purpose.
Becky nodded. Before she could pick up the now-cold toast smeared with strawberry jam, the sound of bells jingled loud enough to be heard through the closed windows. “I’ll check this time. You finish.” Becky hopped up to peek out the kitchen window after she’d wiped away the moisture.
“Who’s at the back of the house?” Lena called as a spoon clanked to the table. “Ach, Eliza! You’re done!”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Becky heard Lena set Eliza on the floor and then the patter of little feet across the kitchen to where she stood with eyes still riveted to the window. “It’s Atlee,” she murmured. “H-he’s brought his sleigh and a shovel.” Becky reached down to lift Eliza to her hip. The little girl had been standing with her arms raised, patiently waiting to be picked up. “Let’s peek out the door,” she whispered so only Eliza would hear her. She didn’t need Lena starting on her matchmaker kick again.
She snatched a knit shawl off the hook and wrapped it around herself and Eliza the best she could with one hand. “Shhh!” She pressed a finger to her lips as they tiptoed toward the back door. Becky could feel cold air seeping in around the edges of the door before she even opened it. She pulled the shawl tighter around Eliza and cuddled her closer. She clicked the lock and turned the doorknob. The first tug on the door produced no results. “Maybe it’s frozen shut.” She took a deep breath and yanked with all her might.
With a yelp, Becky tried to step back and steady herself. Eliza’s weight on one hip had thrown her off balance, and the unexpected person right in her face gave her a start.
“I’ve got you.”
Strong arms reached out to hold her and keep her from crashing to the floor with Eliza.
“I’m sorry, Becky. I was getting ready to poke my head inside to let you and Lena know I was here. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I was getting ready to call out to you.” She gave a nervous little laugh that ended in a shiver.
“Ach! I’m letting cold air in.”
Becky didn’t tell him she shivered from his touch, not the cold. His hands still clasped her upper arms, and she was standing much too close to him. She scooted back a few baby steps so Atlee could fit all the way inside and close the door behind him. Her heart still thundered in her ears, and her breathing came in quick, shallow pants. Becky knew her reaction wasn’t entirely due to being startled.
Atlee moved his hands from Becky’s arms to encircle the lump that was Eliza. “Why, there’s a little girl under that shawl!” Atlee raised Eliza so high she could almost touch the ceiling. Her squeals brought Mary running.
“My turn!” Mary cried.
“Okay. Then I have to get busy.” Atlee set Eliza on her feet and li
fted Mary high in the air.
“Would you like a cup of kaffi?” Becky rubbed her arms. She felt extra cold without Eliza’s little body next to her and without Atlee’s hands on her arms.
“I’ll wait until after I shovel. Menno and his son are starting at the barn. They’ll take care of the animals and work their way toward the house. I’ll start here at the back door and work out toward them.”
“As soon as I get ready, I’ll be out to help.”
“Nee you won’t.” Lena stood in the doorway. “I’ve been telling her shoveling is not for her, but she hasn’t wanted to listen to me. Maybe she’ll heed your advice.” Lena ushered her girls back to the warm kitchen.
“I was planning to help at least a little bit. I can shovel the steps and close to the house.”
“I can handle that just fine, Becky. You go ahead with what you need to do inside.”
“I’m not an invalid. I would be out there working if you and Menno hadn’t showed up.”
“But we did show up. We can make pretty quick work of the job.”
“Another person would make the job go even faster.”
“Not if I’m worrying constantly about whether or not you and the boppli are all right.” His gaze momentarily strayed to her midsection.
Becky felt heat rise in her cheeks and dropped her eyes to the floor. She was touched that Atlee showed concern for her and her little one. He was so considerate that way. She mentally shrugged off the tender emotion. Anyone would show the same consideration for a woman in her delicate condition, wouldn’t they? A touch on her arm drew her eyes upward.
“Do you think you’d be up to a sleigh ride later?”
Becky started to squeal with delight like one of Lena’s girls but held herself in check. What would people think if they saw her out with Atlee? There would most likely be others taking advantage of the opportunity to haul out their sleighs. Amish neighbors wouldn’t need to wait for the Englisch snowplows to clear the roads. They would be out and about.
The Reconciliation Page 23
