Читать книгу Hidden In Amish Country - Dana Lynn R. - Страница 16

Once the decision to allow Sadie to stay was made, there was no going back. But Ben could not allow an unmarried woman to remain in his house with only himself. Even if she remained hidden and no one else in the town was aware that there was an Englisch woman in his house, Nathaniel would know. Ben would not scandalize his young son by teaching him that it was okay to ignore the rules when they were not convenient.

And at the moment, the rules were the epitome of inconvenient. Still, rules were there for a reason. They helped to keep one out of temptation and close to Gott.

“You look very serious, Ben.”

He hadn’t realized that she had been observing him while he pondered the unique dilemma he found himself in.

He smiled at her, trying to ease the concern in her eyes. “Jah, I am trying to solve a problem.”

“May I help?”

He could feel his smile wanting to change into a sarcastic smirk and kept his face still with effort. What would she say if he told her that she was the problem he was trying to solve? No doubt she would not be amused. Nee, he wouldn’t be cruel. It was plain that she was feeling guilty about the situation she had put his family in. Not that he was blaming her. No one would choose to have someone chasing them. And she had to be going out of her mind worrying about her brother, the one solid connection she had at the moment.

“Listen, I need to go and talk with a neighbor. Could you stay here with Nathaniel for a few minutes? I will be back soon.”

She nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.”

Ben passed her and headed out the door. Without thinking about it, he placed a comforting arm on her shoulder as he passed. He should have left without touching her. A jolt of electricity shocked him. She jumped, obviously having felt the same thing. Not gut.

Averting his gaze, he pretended that he hadn’t felt the spark that shimmered between them, although he was fairly sure that his ears were turning red. Ben jammed his hat on his head and strode out, never looking back. He did not want to see the look on her face right now.

Jogging across the street to Caleb’s house, he rapped sharply on the wooden door frame. Then he grimaced. It was not polite to pound on someone’s door, but he was so rattled he was hardly thinking.

He could hear footsteps approaching, then the entrance was opened. Lovina looked surprised to see him.

“Ben? Is Nathaniel gut?”

“Jah.” He nodded at the kind-hearted woman. Lovina was only a year or two older than his own twenty-six years, but she seemed older. He could hear the chorus of young voices inside her house. She and Caleb had four kinner. She also had a widowed aunt living with her. “I was wondering if I might speak with you and Caleb. And Ruth.”

Her eyes widened at the mention of her aunt. He didn’t know Ruth that well, so it probably appeared to be a strange request. To his relief, she didn’t argue or ask questions. “Jah, please come in.”

He stepped inside as she left the room to gather her husband and her aunt. When the three returned, Ben cleared his throat. He had not planned what he would say, and the words seemed to stick in his throat. Finally, he drew in a deep breath and plunged into the story.

“Caleb, you remember that Englisch woman who crashed into the tree.” It wasn’t a question, for he didn’t believe either of them would ever forget it. He would probably hear the sound of her car crunching against the tree in his nightmares.

“Jah, I remember well.”

“Her name is Sadie. She is the sister of a friend I had met through my work. She has lost her memory, and her brother is not at home right now. I have been asked to look after her, at least, until he returns.” He decided not to mention the true nature of Kurt’s disappearance. “I told her I’d help, but—”

“Ack,” Ruth broke in. “It is not proper for you to have a woman in your home without a chaperone.”

Relieved that she understood the situation, Ben sighed. “Jah, but I believe I should help.”

Ruth turned to her niece. “Lovina, I will be moving in to the Mast haus for a few days.” She raised an eyebrow at Ben. He felt like a schoolchild being scolded. “You have a place for me to sleep?”

“Jah, I have a spare room for you.” He’d have slept in the barn, if necessary. Thankfully, that would not be needed.

“Gut. I will come over soon. You should not be in the haus alone with her.”

“Denke, Ruth. I was in a bind.”

The stern lines of her face softened. “Gott wants us to be charitable, Ben. He also wants us to guard ourselves.”

He understood the warning and flushed.

Thanking his neighbors again, he left and rushed back to the house. The moment he entered, he saw that Sadie had cleaned up the lunch dishes and had started to sweep the kitchen. He appreciated it.

“Denke for cleaning up, Sadie.” He glanced around the room. “Where did Nathaniel go?”

“He asked if he could go to his room for some quiet time. I told him that was fine. I figured you wouldn’t want him to leave the house while you were gone. Not with all that’s happened.”

“You were right.”

She narrowed her gaze slightly. “So? Have you solved your problem?”

He nodded. “I believe that I have.”

She pulled the broom close to herself, holding on to it with both hands, and waited. She was a good listener, he decided, at least, when she wasn’t feeling terrified.

“My neighbor’s widowed aunt is coming to stay with us,” he announced. “That way, both our reputations are protected.”

Her eyes widened. He could see the alarm in the stiffness of her posture. Raising his hands, he made a calming gesture. “I was vague in the details, but we can’t stay here together like this. It wouldn’t be proper.”

Tilting her head, she frowned at him. “We weren’t doing anything wrong.”

“Maybe not,” he acknowledged, “but it is the Plain way. Ruth will be here soon.”

She opened her mouth, no doubt to ask another question, but the question was never voiced. Knuckles knocking against the screen door ended the conversation.

“Ben! I’m here!” Ruth’s voice boomed through the door. Ben glanced at his companion, choking back a laugh at the amused expression on her face.

“Door’s open, Ruth,” he responded. The older woman entered the house, her sharp eyes zeroing in on the two people standing next to each other in the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to read the reprimand in her stare. Ben found himself backing away from Sadie without even thinking about it. Then he flushed. They hadn’t been standing that close, and Sadie was still holding onto the broom.

“You’re Sadie, ain’t so?” the older woman demanded, inspecting the Englisch woman.

“That’s right.” Sadie inspected her right back, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. Apparently, she wasn’t offended by Ruth’s gruff ways.

“I’m sorry that you were in an accident,” Ruth murmured, her eyes touching on the bandage adorning Sadie’s temple. “Are you in any pain?”

“Not much. My head did ache yesterday, but today it feels a lot better.”

Ben was relieved to know that her condition was improving. Ruth quickly got herself settled into one of the spare rooms on the second floor. He showed Sadie to the room across from that. Ben discreetly moved some of his own belongings from his bedroom to the bedroom on the first floor near the kitchen. It wouldn’t do to have his room so close to their guest. Ruth gave him an approving nod as she observed his actions. It was all as it should be.

Nathaniel, of course, was thrilled to have so many people in their house. It was quite the adventure for him. Ruth was known for her skill at baking, and before they sat down for dinner the house was already filled with the aromas of cookies and a fresh pot of hearty stew. Sadie had pitched in and assisted her, and he noted that she was familiar with baking and cooking. It was interesting how the memory worked, that she could still manage to perform tasks that she had forgotten she had ever learned, but she couldn’t recall basic information about herself.

The remainder of the day and evening went past in a blur. That night, as he lay in bed, Ben considered all the events of the day. Who was after her? Just as important as that question, what had happened to Kurt? Ben fell into a restless doze after eleven. The following morning he awoke to the crowing of the rooster, feeling as if he had not slept more than a few minutes. All he wanted to do was turn over and sleep for another hour.

With a sigh, he threw back his covers. Lack of rest was irrelevant. Chores still needed to be done. The animals needed to be fed and he had a job to do. Customers who depended on him. Crushing the wish to stay in bed longer, he rose and dressed quickly in the dark, then headed out to begin the day’s work. By the time he returned from the barn, the rest of the household was awake, breakfast was on the table and strong black coffee was on the cookstove.

The next two days passed without incident. Sadie didn’t say anything, but he knew that she never relaxed her guard. She peered out the window multiple times a day. He also noted that whenever she went outside, her eyes were constantly moving.

“Sadie,” he said gently on the third day, “I will not let you come to harm.” He immediately felt like a hypocrite. How could he promise such a thing? He hadn’t even been aware enough to see that his Lydia had been terminally ill, yet here he was telling this strange woman that he would save her from an unknown danger.

Nee, not him. “Gott knows what the danger is. He can protect you.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t respond for a moment. Then she sighed. “If only I knew that Kurt was okay.”

He found her concern for her brother touching, and interesting, considering he was a virtual stranger to her. “Have you remembered anything, say?”

She shook her head with a grimace. “Not a thing. Although some things seem so familiar to me.”

“Jah? Give me an example.”

They were in his workshop. She moved over to stand near where he was sanding the top of a large square table. He made the mistake of looking up at her once. The way her brown hair was warmed by the sun streaming in the window made his heartbeat bump. Flushing, he forced his eyes back down to his work and kept them there.

“An example,” she mused, reminding him of their conversation. “Well, for one thing, I love to bake with Ruth. And it’s not like I’m learning. When we made dinner last night, I found myself handing her ingredients before she asked for them. I knew what the next steps were.”

He frowned, recalling the meal the night before. It was a recipe that Ruth and Sadie had put together without any written instructions. It was also, he remembered, a traditional Amish recipe. Yet she had assisted as if she had been making it her whole life.

“I wonder where you learned to make the dumplings. It’s not a recipe most Englischers would know.”

“I have no idea.”

Ben continued to consider the information long after she returned to the house. He imagined that Nathaniel had probably met her at the door. Several times in the past few days, he had stopped just to listen to the sound of Nathaniel’s laughter. His son sure did enjoy having the attention of a woman. They both did. Best not get too comfortable