A Place of Peace (25 page)

“What are you doing here?” Miriam asked, hugging her back.

“We wanted to surprise you.” Lilly hugged her when Hannah stepped back. “We didn’t want you to ride home alone. Everyone’s at the house waiting for you. We’re so excited you’re here.”

“Lilly!” Hannah scolded. “That was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Sorry.” Lilly shrugged. “I couldn’t wait to tell her.”

“Tell me what?” Miriam looked between her sisters while Hannah glared and Lilly grinned.

“You’ll see.” Lilly took the handle of the suitcase and dragged it toward the door. “Our driver is waiting. Let’s get you home.”

Miriam smiled to herself while following them to the car. She already felt like a part of the family, and it warmed her soul.

Lilly loaded the suitcase, and Miriam greeted the
English
driver.

“How’s
Daed?”
Miriam asked as they climbed into the van.

“Doing gut,” Hannah said, slipping on her safety belt. “It looks like he may come home in a few weeks. The rehabilitation is going much better than the doctors had predicted. He’s already feeding himself.”

“
Wunderbaar
!” Miriam snapped her safety belt. “I can’t wait to see him.”

“He’s asked about you,” Lilly chimed in. “He’ll be
froh
to see you. We told him you were coming back.”

“What have I missed since I left?” Miriam asked, sinking back into the seat and yawning.

Hannah gave all the family news and then Lilly chimed in with community tidbits, rambling on about families in the surrounding area.

When they pulled up to their father’s house, Miriam was surprised to find the first floor ablaze with lights. “Who’s home?” Miriam asked, climbing from the van.

“You’ll see.” Lilly’s grin was wide while she pulled the suitcase from the trunk.

Hannah paid the driver. “I figured you knew since Little Sister can’t keep her mouth shut.”

“I can’t help being excited.” Lilly started toward the house with the suitcase wheels crunching over the rocks behind her. “It’s great to have the whole family back together.”

Miriam trailed Lilly toward the porch. She climbed the stairs and entered the kitchen, where she found Edna, Gerald, Hannah’s husband, Aaron, their children, and a few neighbors waiting. Sweet aromas of desserts emanated from the sea of plates cluttering the counter.

“Willkumm heemet!
“ they all yelled.

“Danki,”
Miriam said, tears spilling from her eyes. “It’s so
gut
to be home.”

Miriam walked next to Lilly down the hallway in the rehabilitation center the following afternoon. Her heart thumped in her chest when they reached Abraham’s door.

“What if he’s not happy to see me?” she whispered to Lilly. “What if he changed his mind about my moving back here?”

Lilly rolled her eyes and waved off the comment. “He’s asked about you every time I came to visit the few days while you were gone. He’s
froh
you’re moving back. Trust me.”

Lilly stepped into the room and greeted Abraham while Miriam stayed in the doorway. Lilly stepped over to the recliner where he sat and kissed his cheek.

His gaze met Miriam’s, and his brown eyes brightened. “Mama-miriam!” He gestured for her to come in.
“K-k-k-kumm!”

Miriam smiled and crossed the room, silently analyzing her father. His pale skin and tired eyes caused him to resemble a man of seventy-five, rather than his real age of fifty-eight years old. His genuine smile touched her heart.

“How are you?” she asked, taking his cold hand in hers. “You look
gut.”

“Wa-want … t-t-to go … h-h-home.” He glanced at Lilly as if awaiting permission. “Food ish ba-ba-ba,” he said. His speech was slow and words were still garbled. He paused often as if trying to think of the word he wanted to say.

Miriam suppressed a bark of laughter. Although it was heartbreaking to hear his speech, his dislike of the food made her smile and gave her hope that he would recover quickly.

Lilly sank onto his bed, which creaked in response. “I told you,
Daed,
you’ll come home in a few weeks. The time will pass quickly since you’ll be busy with your therapy. The doctors say you’re doing
gut,
but you have to finish your treatment.”

“I’ll have a chocolate cake waiting for you when you get home,” Miriam promised. “I remember
Grossmammi’s
recipe, your favorite.”

“Sa-sa-sit.” Abraham gestured toward the chair beside him. He then reached out as if trying to form the words he longed to say to her.

Miriam lowered herself into the chair and patted his hand. “Don’t get yourself all worked up. I’ll do the talking.”

He nodded.

“I bet
Daed
wants to know what you’ve been doing,” Lilly said.

“I went back to Indiana last week,” Miriam said. “I took care of my affairs in Indiana and even sold my car.”

He patted her hand and gave a proud smile.

Miriam took a deep breath. “I’m meeting with the bishop starting next week. I’m going to be baptized and join the church.”

Her father gasped and his eyes filled with tears.
“Mamm
w-w-would be
f-f-froh,”
he whispered slowly, working hard to speak each word.

Miriam bit her lip, hoping she wouldn’t cry.
“Danki.”
Anxious to keep the conversation going with her father, she then gave the details of her visit with Abby as well as her trip to her old job. She told him about packing up her belongings and taking the train home, adding how excited she was to meet her sisters in the station.

“Ab-by back too?” he asked, his expression hopeful.

“Unfortunately, no.” Miriam shook her head. “I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. She seems to like her life in Indiana.”

“Ab-by de-de-vorce, ya?” Abraham asked.

Miriam nodded. “Her husband left her for his secretary.”

“I know we’re not supposed to judge others, but Abby doesn’t deserve that,” Lilly said, folding her arms in front of her chest. “No one does.”

“I agree.” Miriam nodded. “She deserves much better.”

“What’s keeping her in Indiana?” Lilly asked.

Miriam shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure. Maybe someday she’ll have a change of heart.”

“Mr. Lapp,” a nurse asked from the doorway. “Are you ready for your physical therapy?”

Lilly stood and kissed Abraham’s cheek. “We’ll let you do your therapy. We’ll come and see you tomorrow.”

“Bye,
Daed.”
Miriam kissed his cheek.

“D-d-d-danki.”
He squeezed her hands.

Miriam nodded to the nurse on her way out into the hallway. She and Lilly walked in silence out to the parking lot, where they climbed into the van owned by their
English
driver, Kimberly Johnson. Kimberly was an
Englisher
who worked full-time as a driver for the Amish. During the ride home, Lilly explained their father’s prognosis to Kimberly, sharing how much better he’d looked that day than he had earlier in the week.

When they arrived home, Miriam and Lilly walked side-by-side back to the cabin.

Miriam glanced up at the cloudless sky and breathed in the sweet smell of the fresh-cut hay. The warm sun kissed her cheeks, and she smiled. “The Lord has blessed us with a
schee
day,” she said, smoothing her apron. “It’s so
gut
to be home.”

“Daed
is thrilled you’re back home,” Lilly said. “I am too. I missed you.” She climbed the porch steps, sank onto the swing, and patted the seat next to her. “Sit.”

Miriam sat next to her. “I missed you too,
Schweschder.”

“I’m sorry I was so horrible to you.” Lilly frowned. “You didn’t deserve it. You were always so
gut
and true. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me.”

“I could never hate you, Lilly.” Miriam touched her hand. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you liked Zach?”

Lilly stared across the field. “It was pride. I was so jealous of you, and I know that’s a sin. I just couldn’t help it.”

“Why?” Miriam shook her head with disbelief. “Why would you be jealous of me?”

“Because you had two men after you, and I had none.” Lilly slumped in the seat. “Men never noticed me.”

“That’s simply not true.” Miriam faced her sister. “Lilly, you’re beautiful, and you’re smart. You’re also talented. You’ve made the most beautiful quilts I’ve ever seen. You sell yourself short. Besides that, you had men after you. I can think of three who wanted to take you home from singings, but you wouldn’t give them the time of day.”

“I didn’t want any of them. I only wanted one man, and I still only want one.”

“So go after him, Lilly. You’re beautiful, and he’ll notice you. Just try.”

Lilly shook her head. “I’ve tried with Zach. I spoke to him at singings years ago, and he would just smile and walk away. I tried at church services too, but it’s like I’m invisible. He’s the only man I’ve ever been interested in, but he looks right through me. It’s a lost cause. I was jealous, and that’s why I did what I did. I’m so sorry, Miriam. I truly am. I wish I could take it all back and fix it for you and Timothy. You deserve to be happy.”

“You should’ve told me, Lilly, and maybe I could’ve helped you with Zach.” Miriam contemplated the thought for a brief moment. While she had considered pursuing Zach herself, she knew that she didn’t love him. He was a dear friend, but not the man she longed to have as a life mate. However, she wanted to see her sister happy. Maybe, just maybe, both Zach and Lilly could be life mates, and it would bring Miriam joy to see her sister and her dear friend happy together.

Miriam sat up straight and grinned. “I still can help you. I could set you and Zach up. Maybe you can come to supper one night, and I’ll invite Zach too.”

Lilly shook her head. “Don’t be silly. I’m a grown woman. I should take care of these things myself.”

“It’s no bother at all. I love to cook. I can invite him over one night, and you can come too.” Miriam patted Lilly’s hand. “You name the night.”

Lilly shook her head. “You don’t need to go to such trouble.”

Miriam snapped her fingers as a thought hit her. “Lilly, you and Zach would be perfect together!”

Looking intrigued, her sister raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Miriam grabbed Lilly’s hand and shook it with excitement. “You both love novels!”

“He likes to read?” Lilly’s eyes rounded. “I didn’t know that.”

“Why didn’t I think of this before? You’ll have so much to talk about.” Miriam squeezed Lilly’s hand. “Yes, you must let me cook dinner for you both.”

Lilly hesitated and then shook her head. “It’s not necessary.” She stood. “I better get back home. I have two quilts I need to finish for Naomi. I’ll see you later on.” She gave Miriam a quick hug. “Have a good afternoon and kiss
Aenti
for me.”

“See you later.” Miriam watched her sister lope across the field and smiled. Despite her sister’s hesitation, she was going to see to it that Lilly got her chance with Zach.

No one should be alone.

T
imothy climbed the stairs to the bakery and nodded at
English
customers who greeted him. Stepping through the doorway, the sweet smell of pastries filled his nostrils, causing his stomach to growl. He weaved through the sea of tourists to the counter and smiled at his niece.

Lizzie mirrored his smile. “Hi,
Onkel
Timothy.”

He leaned on the counter.
“Gude mariye. Wie geht’s?”

“It’s been crazy busy all day.” She shook her head. “Ruthie and I are having a hard time keeping the counter stocked. It’s like the tourists came out of the woodwork or somethin'. It’s a good thing Miriam came back to help us.”

His pulse leapt at the sound of her name. Without realizing it, Lizzie had answered the question that had been burning in his soul and caused him to make a mid-morning run to the bakery for “snacks for the workers.” Timothy had a feeling his father knew the truth from the way he’d grinned and told Timothy to go get the pastries.

He’d trekked the mile to the bakery on foot since their
English
driver had taken Luke on a supply run. Somehow the walk in the boiling heat hadn’t bothered Timothy one bit, since he was hoping to see Miriam.

Let Miriam go! It’s time to move on.

Timothy ignored the thoughts and glanced past the counter toward the kitchen. “Is your
grossmammi
back there?”

“
Ya.
” Lizzie nodded toward the doorway leading to the kitchen. “She’s baking.”

While a tourist stepped forward to ask Lizzie a question, Timothy slipped behind the counter and into the kitchen, where his sisters rushed around working on various baked goods, and his mother barked orders for more sand tart cookies.

His heart thumped against his ribcage when he spotted Miriam alone in the corner standing over a crumbly peach pie. Crossing the kitchen, his stomach growled with anticipation of the delicious pie.

Engrossed in her work, Miriam kept her eyes on her creation while standing at the island counter in the center of the work area. Her tongue stuck out from between her teeth, evidence she was concentrating.

She was the picture of beauty with long wisps of dark hair that had fallen from her
kapp
framing her perfect pixie face. Her lips were a shade of deep rose, and her high cheekbones were pink from the heat of the kitchen. She’d never looked more radiant, and he wished he could freeze the moment in time.

A smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “You were kind to make that pie for me.”

Her eyes met his, and she sucked in a breath, cupping a hand to her chest. “Timothy!” She grabbed a rag and wiped her hands. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.” Grinning, he leaned on the counter. “I’m sorry for startling you. I should’ve announced myself, but you were so deep in thought I couldn’t help but watch you.”

Her cheeks blushed a deeper red.

She’s so schee.

“Is that pie for me? You know it’s my favorite.” He breathed in the scent of the sweet peaches. “It smells
appeditlich.”