Читать книгу Finding Her Amish Love - Rebecca Kertz - Страница 14

Feeling guilty for deceiving her Amish friend, Emma followed Leah out of the back of the store and up a small incline to a white house. They entered through the kitchen. The room was spotless, with oak cabinets and a pie on the white kitchen countertop. She glanced at it briefly, then looked away and prayed that her stomach wouldn’t rumble from hunger.

“Have a seat.” Leah gestured toward a trestle table. It was large, rectangular and made of oak with six chairs. “How do you like your hot tea?”

Emma blushed. “I don’t know.”

The Amish woman studied her with surprise. “You never had hot tea?”

She shook her head. “I’ve had iced tea a couple of times.” Emma managed a smile. “I liked it sweet.”

Leah grinned. “Then you’ll want sugar in your hot tea.”

She watched silently as her friend filled the teakettle with water and set it on the stove. Emma felt like she should do something to help. She was never allowed to simply sit for a moment and be idle in the Turner household. “Can I help you?”

“Nay, I’ve got this.”

“I’m sorry to barge in on you.”

“I’m happy to see you, Jess. ’Tis been a long time.” Leah paused. “I was worried about you.”

Warmth rushed through Emma, overriding the guilt that had crept in hearing her false name on Leah’s lips. “You were?”

The woman nodded. “I knew something was wrong when we met. I wanted to help.”

“You did,” Emma whispered. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“Tell me what you’ve been doing since I last saw you.”

“When you found me, I’d run from my foster family.” Her throat tightened as Emma thought of her deceased parents. “I lost my parents when they were killed in a car accident.” She blinked against the tears that always came whenever she recalled that horrible time. “I was eleven. There was no family to care for me, so I was put into foster care. The Turners are the second family I’ve been placed with.” She shuddered and hugged herself. “They’re not nice people, so I’ve run away from them again.” She paused as Leah placed a cup of steaming tea before her.

“Be careful,” Leah warned. “’Tis very hot.”

Emma nodded. She added sugar and stirred it into her cup. She stared at the swirling liquid for a long time.

“Jess?”

“Yes, sorry.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to go back, but if they find me, I’ll have no choice.” She stopped. “A few days after I left the safety of your barn, I was picked up by the police in downtown Lancaster.” Embarrassment made her blush. “I was searching for food.”

“For food?”

“Yes, near a dumpster,” she murmured, ashamed. But she’d been hungry, and hunger had made her do things that she normally wouldn’t do. “The Turners filed a missing persons report.” Emma laughed harshly. “Once I was returned to them, my situation there got worse.” She didn’t want to confess about the abuse, and Leah didn’t need to know what she’d endured before she’d escaped. Leah’s ignorance would keep her friend safe from harm should Bryce Turner find Emma again. She gingerly took a sip of the hot tea. The warmth felt good in her throat. The taste was delicious, just sweet enough to make the brew go down easily. She felt stronger with that one sip.

“You ran away again,” Leah said. “Tell me about them.”

She looked up from her tea mug. “If it’s okay, I’d rather not.” She took another fortifying sip. “All I can tell you is that they don’t care about me. They are only interested in the money the state of Maryland pays them for my care.” She gestured at her clothes. “I was unhappy there. I had to leave, and I need to find a place to work and live until I turn eighteen, when I’ll be free from the foster care system.”

Leah frowned. “Jess—”

“Please, Leah,” Emma said. “I think it’s best if you don’t know.” Without thought, she rubbed her arms.

Frowning, Leah rose and skirted the table. “What’s wrong with your arms?”

Emma blushed and looked away. “Nothing.”

“I want to see your arms, Jess. If there is nothing wrong with them, you won’t mind if I take a look. There is something you’re not telling me.” Leah paused. “Please?”

She sighed. “If I show you, will you promise you won’t tell anyone?” Emma regarded Leah solemnly. “Not even Henry or Daniel?”

“I promise,” Leah said, although she looked extremely uncomfortable.

She stood and took off her jacket. Her long-sleeved T-shirt was thin, and Emma resisted the urge to put her jacket back on. Instead, she hesitated, then pulled up her right sleeve as high as the inside bend of her elbow. Her arm was covered with bruises, but the worst of them remained hidden near her shoulders. When she saw Leah’s changing expression, she knew she’d already shown her Amish friend too much.

Leah gasped. “Ach, nay, Jess. Who did this to you?”

“It doesn’t matter now. I’m not going back.”

“Your foster father did this?”

Emma nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Emma gazed at her, confused.

“For what was done to you.”

She smiled. “You’ve been very kind, and you’ve made a difference in my life from the first moment I met you.” Emma held her gaze. “You gave me food and the twenty dollars you left for me when I came back the next night.”

Leah arched an eyebrow. “What twenty dollars?” But there was warmth in her pretty blue eyes and a smile on her lips. Leah Yoder was genuinely beautiful inside and out.

Emma was relieved to be here with the young Amish woman. She’d never felt so safe since she’d been sent to live with the Turners. It was as if Leah was a true friend, and she definitely needed one. She thought of Daniel Lapp and the way he’d looked at her, as if she’d come to cause trouble for his cousin. But then his expression had changed as he’d watched her a little while later. As if he worried about her, despite his concern for his family. She was wrong. She shouldn’t have come back, bringing her problems to Leah. She just hoped for some advice, then she’d leave Leah in peace...and safety.

“How long is it before you turn eighteen?” Leah asked.

“Five weeks.”

“And you need a job,” the Amish woman said.

Emma nodded. “Yes.”

“And a place to live.” Leah looked thoughtful. “You also need a place where you can hide until you’re free of the foster care system.”

Looking away, Emma stood. “Yes. I’m not here to cause you trouble. You can imagine what my foster family is like. But you know the area well, so if you could point me in the right direction, I’ll get out of your hair.” Dread and sadness filled her as she stood. “I shouldn’t have come. You have your family to worry about.”

“Please sit down, Jessica.”

She blinked and obeyed.

“I have a solution to your problem.”

Hope flickered in her heart. “You do?”

“Henry and I need help. I’m going to hire you to work in the store. You can live with my parents, who have a spare room. I only ask that you help them with chores if they need it.” She paused. “Is that agreeable to you?”

Emma allowed the tears to fall. “Yes,” she whispered. “Very agreeable.” She inhaled sharply. “But I shouldn’t accept. If my foster father comes here looking for me...”

Leah covered Emma’s hands with her own. “I’m not worried about him. Besides, he won’t find out you’re here among us.” She smiled. “You’ll be a big help to me. Before long, I won’t be able to work for a while.” She patted her belly. “I’m having twins.”

“Twins!” Emma held her gaze. “You must be so happy about them.”

“I’m thrilled. I love Henry, and I already love our babies,” Leah said gently.

She grinned. “I’m happy for you, Leah. You deserve everything good life has to offer.”

“Danki.” Leah rose and went to the refrigerator. “Now before we do anything else, I’m feeding you, then you can take a shower.”

It sounded wonderful to her. She must have said it aloud because Leah laughed.

Emma hesitated. “May I wash my hands before I eat?”

Leah directed her to a small downstairs bathroom. Emma continued to fight tears as she washed her hands and face. Feeling overwhelmed and emotional, she experienced hope for the first time in a long time. Hope tinged with a feeling of concern for accepting her friend’s offer. There was no mirror in the room, but she could imagine how awful she must look after days on the road and having slept in the barn.

Emma managed to gain control of her emotions as she wolfed down the turkey sandwich Leah fixed for her. After she finished, she then ate the piece of an apple pie that Leah pressed on her.

“Come with me,” Leah said after Emma was done eating.

She followed Leah out of the kitchen, then upstairs to a bathroom with a shower. She glanced down at her dirty clothes and grimaced at the thought of putting them on again.

Leah turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature. “Wait here a moment.” She returned within minutes with clean clothes.

Emma eyed the royal blue Amish dress, and her throat tightened with emotion. “Leah, I can’t take your clothes.”

“Of course you can. Until we can get you several garments of your own.” To Emma’s surprise, Leah took her hand. “Jess, think about it. Hiding in plain sight, you can live among us freely. No one would suspect an Amish girl of being a runaway foster child.”

Emma hadn’t thought about that. “That does sound like a good plan.”

“Gut,” Leah said, pronouncing it with an accent. “Gut, not good. But don’t worry, I’ll teach you a few phrases that will make your place here convincing.”

“Thank you.”

“Danki,” Leah instructed.

“Danki,” Emma said, and the Amish woman beamed at her.

“When you’re done here, come downstairs. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Okay. Danki.”

“Ja, danki,” Leah corrected with a laugh.

Emma grinned at her before the woman closed the door, leaving her alone to ponder her new temporary life. She cleaned up and changed into the Amish clothes Leah had provided. She knew she wouldn’t have trouble fitting in. After all, she’d been raised in an Amish community until she was six years old. She knew how to speak high German, although she couldn’t let on. She’d have to allow the others to teach her a few words or they would suspect that she and her parents had left their Amish community for the English world and been shunned by their family and friends for their decision to leave.

“We need to come up with an Amish name for you,” Leah said. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “How about Emma? You can be my cousin Emma Stoltzfus from New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.”

“Emma?” she breathed, shocked by Leah’s choice.

Leah smiled. “Ja. What do you think?”

Emma smiled back. “I think it will be easy for me to answer to that name.”

“What’s taking them so long?” Daniel said. He’d brought a stranger into Leah’s life and home. He was worried, although Leah said she knew the girl.

“Knowing my wife,” Henry said, “she’s feeding Jess over a long conversation.”

“You’re not concerned?”

His cousin’s husband shook his head. “Nay, I know Leah. She has gut instincts. If she trusts the girl, then I do, too.”

“Maybe I should go up to the haus.” Daniel couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had come since the discovery of the girl in the barn.

“You’ll upset not only Jess but Leah as well. Do you want to upset your cousin?” Henry asked with a look of amusement.

Daniel couldn’t help a smile. Henry had hurt Daniel’s brother Isaac, who had been his best friend, and his cousin Leah had resented him because of it. Even though Henry and Isaac had become close again, Leah hadn’t liked or trusted Henry until she’d gotten to know the man’s true nature. After forgiving Henry, she’d fallen in love with him. Leah had never been happier as Henry’s wife. The fact that she would give birth soon added a new, higher level of happiness to the man on the other side of the counter.

“Are you hoping for a soohn or dochter?” Daniel asked.

“One of each or two of either,” Henry said with a smile. “As long as they are healthy.”

He laughed. “That will take time.”

Henry shook his head. “Nay. We’re having twins.”

“Twins!” Daniel grinned. “You’re in for it as a parent. You do know I have twin brothers, ja? I remember all the trouble they got into.”

“We’ll handle them,” the other man said with confidence. “You forget who their mother is.”

Daniel laughed. “I’m sure you’re right. Leah is one determined woman.”

“Praise be to Gott,” Henry breathed. “They’re back,” he said as if Daniel hadn’t heard a door open and shut in the back of the store.

He waited for Leah and Jess to appear.

Leah entered first. “I’d like you to meet someone. Her name is Emma.” She looked back. “Emma? Come in and meet my husband, Henry, and my cousin Daniel.”

Daniel frowned. What had happened to Jess? Had she left as he’d expected? Then Emma entered the room and he stared. It was Jess but not. The young woman standing before him was clean and wore a blue Amish dress, white cape and apron. Leah had rolled and pinned Jess’s hair in the Amish way. On her head, she wore a prayer kapp. Her hair was brown with golden streaks.

“Jess?”

“Emma,” the girl who now looked like a woman said. “My name is Emma.” She glanced at Leah, saw his cousin’s nod. “Emma Stoltzfus.”

“What?” Daniel looked to his cousin.

“Emma, my cousin from New Wilmington, has consented to be our new employee. She will be staying with my parents and helping them with chores.”

Henry locked gazes with his wife, then looked at “Emma.” “Welcome, Emma. We can use the help around here. Once you get settled in with my in-laws, we can discuss your work hours.”

Leah gazed at her husband approvingly before she captured Daniel’s attention with a look that pleaded to trust her. Daniel gave a little nod. “Will you take her to my eldre?” she asked him.

“Ja.” He turned to “Emma.” The girl looked different enough for him to almost believe that she was Emma, a totally different person from the one he’d found in the barn. Emma Stoltzfus was a young woman while Jess Morgan had been a bedraggled girl. “Are you ready to go?”

She nodded shyly. “Ja,” she replied.

Leah grinned. “Gut!”

Emma’s lips curved into a smile that stole his breath. “Danki.”

Daniel chuckled. “I’ll bring her back tomorrow morning. What time?”

“You don’t have to bring me,” Jess, alias Emma, said. “I can walk.”

“I’ll bring you.” Daniel kept his tone gentle. “’Tis too far for you to walk.” He turned to Leah. “Will you please reassure Emma that she can trust me?”

Leah appeared as if she were struggling. He saw Emma studying his cousin with concern until Leah laughed. “I wouldn’t send you with him if I didn’t trust him. He’s family.” She refocused her gaze on him. “Nine? Dat will be able to show her what to do for morning chores.”

Daniel nodded. “Nine o’clock, then.” He gestured for Emma to precede him, then followed her to his buggy. He hoped his cousin knew what she was doing. Emma looked like an Amish woman, but the fact remained that she was still an Englisher—a homeless Englisher who, up until a short time ago, looked as if she’d been on her own for a long while. He’d be keeping his eye on her. Leah might have good instincts, as Henry had suggested, but Leah was pregnant, and her outlook on life had softened with her impending motherhood.

He couldn’t let the strange feelings of protectiveness he started to feel for Emma stop him from observing her closely. Until she proved trustworthy, he’d be watching her like a hawk.