Читать книгу Amish Rescue - Debby Giusti - Страница 17

FIVE

Sarah appreciated the bath Rebecca drew while the men worked outdoors. The fragrance of the sweet-smelling soap she provided filled the air like a spring bouquet. Sarah stepped from the tub feeling rejuvenated and grateful as she slipped into the Amish dress Rebecca had provided.

“With a clean body, you must also have fresh clothes,” Rebecca stated as she instructed Sarah on how to pin the fabric and then adjust the apron around her waist.

“What about the bonnet?” Sarah asked.

“It is a prayer kapp. Amish women cover their heads when they pray.”

“But you wear it all the time?”

“This is true. We are always ready to pray when our head is covered.”

“I pray but perhaps not often enough,” Sarah admitted.

“The kapp will remind you to do so.”

Sarah thought of being in the closet as a child. The smoke had seeped under the door, making her even more afraid. God hadn’t saved her even though Sarah had prayed. Thankfully, Miriam had come to her rescue.

“Did you ever pray for something that didn’t come about so that you felt God refused your prayer?” Sarah asked.

“Gott does not refuse prayer, but sometimes that which we desire is not according to His will.” Rebecca sighed. “I told you that Joachim and I had a younger brother named Eli, who died in a buggy accident. My mamm prayed for him to live.”

“I’m so sorry about your brother.”

“As I mentioned earlier, it was Gott’s will.” Rebecca smiled ruefully. “This is what my mamm believes.”

“And your father?”

Rebecca’s face clouded. “My father does not blame Gott.” She hesitated as if weighing whether to say something else, then shrugging, she added, “He blames Joachim.”

Before Sarah could question her further, Rebecca picked up the white bonnet from where she had placed it on the dresser and handed it to Sarah. Earlier, she had pulled her towel-dried hair into a bun, and she now placed the bonnet on her head.

Rebecca stood back and nodded her approval. “You look like an Amish woman. Victor will not recognize you if he returns to talk to Joachim.”

Sarah’s stomach roiled thinking again of the hateful man who had held her against her will for too long. How could his mother, who seemed sweet and unassuming, birth a baby who would grow to be so vicious?

What had caused Victor to turn out so bad? She shook her head at the issues within families. Sarah’s oldest sister, Hannah, had left three years ago. Sarah had pleaded for her to stay, but Hannah said she had to leave. Sarah hadn’t understood her reasoning or why Hannah had never contacted them again.

When she begged her mother to reach out to Hannah and ask her to return home, her mother had shoved the request aside, just as she ignored anything that didn’t suit her. Sarah never understood how she could turn her back on her own child. Although too many times her mother had turned her back on Miriam and Sarah. At least Sarah had always had Miriam, but where was she now and would the two women ever be reunited?

* * *

The rain returned. Fat drops pounded the barnyard, and thunder rumbled overhead. Joachim and Levi hurried to finish the chores.

Glancing at the upstairs window, Joachim thought of when he had first seen Sarah. Had it been only a few hours since their eyes had connected at the Thomin home?

He followed Levi into the barn. The two men spoke little as they worked, but the silence was comfortable, and the physical labor relaxed the tension in Joachim’s shoulders. Some of his earlier concern about Sarah evaporated, and instead of confusion, he felt a sense of purpose and right order.

“Your father is a gut farmer, but he is getting old,” Levi confided as he paused for a moment to wipe his brow.

“Datt planned for Eli and me to work the land with him,” Joachim admitted. “Now he needs to find help. You are good to aid him, Levi.”

“I help only when he is not in town. He is too proud to take on another person the rest of the time.”

Joachim nodded. “Yah, he is proud.”

“He will be glad to see you.”

“You are good to give me comfort by your hopeful words, but I do not think my datt will welcome me home.”

Levi narrowed his gaze. “You come asking forgiveness, yah?”

“I do, but my father and I must both bridge the divide between us. I will walk halfway. I hope he will walk halfway, as well.”

“Sometimes the son must walk farther, especially if the father believes he is right.”

Joachim pondered Levi’s words while he added feed to the troughs and watched the horses eat the newly offered grain.

Levi might think his father would be open to Joachim coming home, but what if his homecoming brought back too many memories of what had happened? Maybe when he faced his father again, Joachim would discover that he had been foolish to think reconciliation was possible.

Once the horses were fed, the two men rolled up their sleeves and washed their hands and arms at the water pump, and then ran to the house as lightning split the sky.

Joachim opened the door and hurried into the kitchen ahead of Levi.

Rebecca stood at the stove, holding a pie that she had just pulled from the oven.

“The storm comes again,” he said as he crossed the kitchen to the towel hanging on a hook.

He dried his hands, then glanced up as Rebecca turned to face him. His heart lurched in his chest, sending a new wave of confusion over him. He stared openmouthed at the Amish woman.

Not Rebecca. The face he saw beneath the white kapp made his breath catch in his throat.

Sarah.

“Rebecca provided the clothes.” Sarah’s hand wrapped through the fabric of the skirt. “Your sister said Victor would not recognize me like this.”

“My sister is right.” Joachim struggled to find his voice. “I did not recognize you at first glance.”

“You think I look like Rebecca?”

Her blue eyes reached into his heart. She was beautiful. Not because she was in the Amish dress or because her hair was pulled into a bun but because some of the pain she had worn earlier had eased. The lines that tugged at her face had lifted, and the open honesty of her gaze hit him anew.

“Joachim, you haven’t answered me,” she said, her eyes filled with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong and you do not look like Rebecca, but I am surprised to see you as an Amish woman.”

“Am I offending you?”

He shook his head. “You could never offend me.”

Levi hurried inside and stopped by the door to wipe his feet. Bewilderment washed over his face as he glanced first at Sarah and then at Rebecca, who stepped back into the kitchen.

“You are both staring as if you have never seen a woman in an Amish dress,” Rebecca said with a laugh.

Levi pointed to the stove. “I was wondering if you could spare a cup of coffee and a slice of pie for a hungry man.”

“Yah, of course.” Rebecca’s cheeks glowed with a hint of embarrassment. “But I have ham and cheese on the table, along with fresh baked bread. You need to eat something substantial before you have your pie.”

Levi smiled as he accepted the cup of coffee she offered. “You know what I need even before I do.”

The twinkle in her eyes warmed Joachim’s heart. Rebecca’s interest in the young man was more than evident, and Levi seemed taken with her, as well. Joachim was happy for his schweschder and hoped Levi would start the courting process soon. Perhaps Joachim could chaperone and take them for rides in the country. He would occupy his mind with thoughts of pretty Sarah in her blue dress and white apron while Rebecca and Levi chatted with each other.

If only Sarah was wearing the Amish dress as a woman of their faith instead of as an Englischer who needed to hide her identity and had nothing else to wear.

Joachim and Sarah sipped coffee as Levi ate the lunch Rebecca had provided. Although Sarah said little, her eyes took in the conversation he and Levi had about the farm and what could be done if his datt were open to accepting help to make the fields more productive.

“The Amish Market in Willkommen is a fine place to sell produce and baked goods,” Levi shared. “My uncle goes twice a week as do many of the other Amish farmers. The Englisch come from as far away as Atlanta. They buy handcrafted items, too—including woodwork. You could do well in this area, Joachim, if you opened a shop in town.”

He shook his head and laughed. “I am a carpenter, Levi, not a store clerk.”

“Yet you charge for your labor when you go house to house. How different would that be from selling chairs and tables and lawn furniture to walk-in customers?”

Although Levi had a point, Joachim saw only the folly in his comment. Once his father returned home and Joachim had a chance to talk to his parents, he doubted they would want him to remain at home. In fact, Rebecca would probably be chastised for allowing Joachim to stay in the house while their parents were out of town. There would be no point in Joachim staying in the area and opening a shop if he was shunned by his family.

Suddenly, his mood dampened, and the coffee tasted bitter in his mouth.

“You will have pie?” Sarah asked as she and Rebecca cleared the table once Levi had eaten.

Joachim nodded. “Only a small slice. There is much yet to be done. The fences need repair. The barn, as well. Tomorrow I will go to Victor’s house. Today, I will work here.”

“I’m sure your father will appreciate your help.”

If only that would be so, yet Joachim suspected his datt would be hard-pressed to appreciate anything his son did.

Sarah accepted a small piece of pie from Rebecca and carried it to table.

“Denki,” Joachim said as he took the plate from her.

She glanced at Levi. “I’m sure you would like pie.”

“Yah, but a much larger slice than Joachim,” the younger man said with a grin. He glanced at Joachim. “I must work for my father this afternoon, and tomorrow is the barn raising. Did Rebecca tell you?”

Joachim shook his head.

“The Byler barn burned,” Levi continued. “Samuel had wood delivered, and he has asked us to arrive in the morning. We could use your help, Joachim.”

“Of course. Samuel is a gut man. If he needs help, I will be there.”

As Joachim and Levi ate the pie, Rebecca wrapped cheesecloth around a second pie and tied the edges together. “I baked extra for your mamm. Tell her thank-you for the onions she sent yesterday. They were sweet and will keep in the root cellar.”

Levi smiled. “She will like to hear that her gift was well received.”

“Yah, of course, it was.”

“She always asks about you, Rebecca. You should come to visit.”

“Perhaps when Mamm and Datt return.”

“They will not be gone much longer?” Joachim posed.

“Only a few more days,” Rebecca responded. “But, Levi, I will see your mamm tomorrow at the barn raising. She will be there, yah?”

“Probably not. Her arthritis is bad, especially when it rains.”

Levi bid Joachim and Sarah farewell and accepted the pie from Rebecca. She walked outside with him, and the couple stood talking on the porch.

Joachim glanced at Sarah. She rinsed dishes in a bucket of water at the sink. “You will be all right here in the house with Rebecca if I am working in the barn?” he asked.

“Of course, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“I was not worried.”

“Then you were concerned.”

“Perhaps,” he said with a shrug. “I know you were frightened when Victor drove onto the property earlier.”

“You should tell him to stay off your land.”

“Yah, this I could do. But that is not how a good neighbor acts.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Is it necessary to be a good neighbor to a man who is so hateful?”

“If I want him to think I have nothing against him.” Before he could explain what he meant, the back door opened and Rebecca returned to the kitchen.

“I am interrupting something?” she asked.

“No,” Sarah insisted. “But I am tired and would like to rest.”

Joachim peered through the window at the darkening sky. “Black clouds roll overhead. The storm may turn the day to night. Perhaps you will need a candle in your room.”

Sarah’s face tightened. She shook her head. “There’s still plenty of daylight. Besides, I don’t like candles.”

Joachim didn’t understand her comment, nor did he understand the fear that returned to her face and the way she clasped her hands together. Something about candles had set her off, but what? And why?

“Perhaps the oil lamp would be better,” Rebecca offered.

“I’ll be fine,” Sarah insisted. “The room has a window. I will awake before nightfall, if I can even sleep.”

Sarah grabbed her skirts and hurried upstairs. Her footfalls echoed in the house and made Joachim’s heart ache.

He had to let her go, but he wondered what the Englischer was hiding. Sarah feared Victor, but there was something else she feared.