A Sister's Secret (32 page)

“Are you gonna look for Mama so we can eat?”

Cleon’s mind snapped back to the present. “Uh, I’ll see if she’s outside.” He headed for the back door, but it opened. Grace stepped in. Her face looked ashen, and her eyes were red and swollen. Had she been crying because of him, or had something else happened?

He stepped aside. “What’s wrong? Have you been crying?”

“I—I can’t talk about it right now.” She glanced over at Anna and grimaced. “I’ll deal with it after breakfast.”

Cleon shrugged. If she didn’t want to talk about what was bothering her, he couldn’t do much about it. He took a seat at the table.

Anna looked up at her mother. “I’m hungry.”

Grace nodded and hurried to the stove. “I’ll have some breakfast on the table real soon.”

“Can we go see Rose after we’re done eating?”

Grace shook her head.

“You said I could have the puppy.” Anna thrust out her lower lip. “I wanna see her now.”

“You need to eat breakfast. We can talk about Rose after you’ve finished your scrambled eggs.”

“I wanna see her now.”

“Your mamm said after breakfast,” Cleon said before Grace could respond. “Now quit whining and sit there quietly until breakfast is served.”

Grace glared at Cleon. “There’s no need to be yelling at her.”

“I wasn’t yelling.”

“Yes, you were.” Anna pointed at Cleon. “Your face is red, too.”

A muscle on the side of Cleon’s cheek pulsated. He debated whether he should say anything more and finally decided that if Grace chose to ignore the child’s sassy attitude, then she could deal with it, not him.

Anna hopped off her chair and raced for the back door.

“Where are you going?” Grace called to her daughter’s retreating form.

“To see Rose.”

“No! You can’t see her now.” By the time Grace started across the room, Anna had already opened the door. “Come back here, Anna!” She reached out and grabbed the child’s arm, pulling her back into the house.

“I wanna see Rose!” Anna screamed as she tried to pry her mother’s hands off her arm.

Grace’s shoulders trembled, but she kept Anna in her grip. Cleon wondered if he should step in and attempt to calm the child or if it would be best to let Grace handle things.

“Anna, listen to me now.” Grace knelt down and wrapped her arms around the child, holding her firmly until she finally calmed down. “Rose is dead. Your Aunt Martha found her that way this morning.”

Anna stiffened. She pulled away sharply. “Rose can’t be dead!”

“I’m sorry, Anna. Maybe Aunt Martha will give you another puppy when Flo has some.” Grace reached out to wipe the tears from Anna’s face, but the child jerked open the door and bolted out of the house.

Grace rushed after her. Cleon sat too stunned to move.

Chapter 36

The next few days were difficult. Anna mourned the loss of her puppy, and Grace tried to deal with the emotions swirling around in her heart like a windmill going at full speed. Her relationship with Anna had taken a step back. Her relationship with Cleon was strained and formal. Concern for her family’s safety weighed on her heavily.

If they could only learn who was responsible for the attacks and make them stop. If they could just go back to the way the things were before their world had been turned upside down.

As Grace finished the breakfast dishes, she stared out the kitchen window at the tree branches swaying in the wind. Cleon had gone to work in Dad’s shop, and Anna was upstairs in her room. Thinking it might help the child get her mind off the loss of her puppy, Grace had suggested that they go to the Wengerds’ today so Anna could play with her friend Esta, but Anna hadn’t wanted to go.

The quiet and solitude of the house would have been a welcome respite on most days, but this morning, Grace felt as if she were suffocating. She wanted to rush outside and scream out her fears. Instead, she grabbed a scouring pad and scrubbed the frying pan clean. “I need to keep busy. If I keep my hands and mind occupied, I won’t have time to think about the troubles I’m facing.”

When the back door creaked open, Grace turned to see who had come in. Her mother held a gray and white kitten in her hands. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“My stomach’s settled down some, but that’s about all.”

“Things are no better with Anna’s grief over the puppy?”

Grace shook her head. “She’s not even interested in visiting her friend Esta today.”

“I’m sorry.” Mom nodded at the squirming kitten. “Martha offered Anna another puppy, but she refused, so I thought maybe I might interest her in one of Callie’s kittens.”

“Martha shouldn’t be giving her pups away, anyhow. She’ll never get her business going if she doesn’t start bringing in some money.” Grace glanced at the door leading to the hallway. “Anna’s upstairs in her room. You can offer her the kitten, but I doubt she’ll take it.”

“It’s worth a try.” Mom started toward the door but paused. “Your daed says Cleon’s working out well in his shop.”

“That’s good.” Grace went back to washing the dishes, figuring her mother would head upstairs to see Anna, but Mom moved over to stand beside her at the sink.

“Your sullen expression tells me there might be something else bothering you besides Anna grieving for her puppy. Are things any better between you and Cleon?”

The lump in Grace’s throat refused to let her say a word. She could only shake her head and shed a few more salty tears.

Mom placed the kitten on the floor and gathered Grace into her arms. “Is there anything I can do?”

Grace swallowed a couple of times, hoping to push the lump down. “I don’t think there’s much anyone can do. Cleon doesn’t trust me anymore. We’re still sleeping in separate bedrooms.”

“But he knows about the boppli, right?”

“Jah.”

“And that makes no difference?”

“I guess not. Dad told him the news before I had a chance to say anything, and now Cleon thinks I was trying to keep my pregnancy a secret from him.” She inhaled deeply. “I think, more than anything, Cleon’s upset that I was married before. I believe the thought of me having had a child with another man is too much for him to bear.”

“Puh!”
Mom waved a hand. “That’s just plain lecherich. We know many widows who have married again, and their new husbands don’t sleep in separate rooms or act is if the wife has done something wrong because she used to be married.”

Grace dried her hands on a towel that had been lying on the counter. “If I’d been married to an Amish man who had died, Cleon would probably be okay with it. I think what troubles him most is that I was once married to an Englisher.”

“Has Cleon said he feels prejudiced toward your deceased English husband?”

“Well, no ... not in so many words, but from some of the things he’s said, I’ve gotten that impression.” Grace dropped her gaze to the floor. “He seems to have trouble with forgiveness.”

“Then he needs to read his Bible more and start putting into practice the things he hears in church.” Mom nodded toward the back door. “Truth be told, your daed has the same problem concerning his sister. Since it’s a touchy subject with him, I try to be understanding and don’t question his feelings.” She patted Grace’s arm. “My advice is to put your relationship with Cleon in God’s hands.”

“I’ll try to be a better wife. Maybe if Cleon sees how much I love him, he’ll find it in his heart to forgive me.”

“I’ll be praying that he does.” Mom bent to retrieve the kitten. “Guess I’ll head upstairs now and see what Anna thinks about this
siess
little ball of fur.”

Grace smiled despite her frustrations. “It is pretty sweet, and I hope she likes it.”

***

“Sure am glad I hired you. You’ve been a big help to me the last few days.”

Cleon looked up from his job of sanding a straight-backed chair and smiled at his father-in-law, who stood nearby hammering nails into a set of cabinets. “I appreciate the job.”

“I know it’s selfish of me,” Roman said, “but I wouldn’t mind if you decided to forget about beekeeping and stayed right here working for me. I have no sons, so I’ll need to pass on the business to someone, and you’re a lot more dependable than my last employee.”

“I wonder how things are working out for Luke at his new job. Have you heard any complaints from John?” Cleon asked, making no comment about his interest in taking over the woodworking shop someday. He was taking one day at a time, and even if he didn’t rely solely on selling honey, he still wanted to do it on a part-time basis.

Roman pursed his lips. “John came by the other day and said he was pleased with Luke’s work, but I’m guessin’ he won’t be for long—not once that lazy fellow starts showing up late for work.” He shrugged. “But then I guess it’s not my place to judge.”

Cleon recoiled, feeling like he’d been stung by one of his bees. Had that remark been directed at him? Did Grace’s dad know Cleon hadn’t forgiven Grace? Was this Roman’s subtle way of trying to make him feel guilty?

Cleon pushed the sandpaper a little harder against the unyielding arm of the chair and grimaced.
Roman doesn’t understand the way I feel. He’s not the one who wishes he could leave Holmes County and never look back.

***

Ruth smiled when she saw her youngest sister enter the bakeshop. “I didn’t know you were coming to town today,” she said as Martha stepped up to the counter.

“I got a ride from Donna Larson into Sugarcreek this morning so I could stop by
The Budget
and run another ad for Heidi’s remaining pups, since I’ve decided not to keep any. Then we drove to Berlin.”

“I’m sorry you lost that little pup the other day.”

Martha frowned. “Sure wish I knew how it happened and whether or not it was an accident.”

Ruth leaned on the counter. “Who would want to hurt an innocent puppy?”

“It’s hard to say, but if whoever did this is the same person who made the other attacks at our place, then I’d have to say they must be a bit ab im kopp.”

“You’re right, they must be off in the head, and I hope it’s no one we know.”

Martha glanced around the room, and her voice lowered to a whisper. “Are you thinking of Luke?”

Ruth nodded. “Dad said those sunglasses Mom found near her clothesline belonged to him.”

“How does he know that?”

“Luke came by his shop the other day, looking for his glasses.”

Martha shrugged. “So the sunglasses were Luke’s. That doesn’t prove he had anything to do with cutting the line. He may have dropped his glasses when he was heading for his buggy.”

“Jah, maybe so.” Ruth didn’t want to think the worst of Luke, but he’d acted so strangely the last few months of their courtship. Dad had mentioned that Luke had said and done some things at the shop he didn’t care for and that he’d put Luke in his place a couple of times. She supposed Luke could be nursing a grudge, but to try and get even—going so far as to kill one of Heidi’s pups? It was too much to fathom.

“Are you still going to that young people’s fellowship with Martin on Saturday?” Martha asked.

Ruth’s mouth dropped open. “I’m not going with Martin. He just asked if I planned to go and said he hoped to see me there.”

“What’d you tell him?”

“That I thought it sounded like fun and I’d try to be there.”

“What was his response to that?”

“He said he was glad and would look forward to seeing me on Saturday.”

Martha snickered. “Sounds like a date to me.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Whatever you say.” Martha winked at Ruth. “Martin’s kind of shy, but he’s also pretty cute. You’d better make sure you’re playing on his side of the volleyball net.”

“Go on with you now,” Ruth said with a wave of her hand. “And you’d better plan on going with me, because you spend way too much time at home with those dogs of yours. You need to get out more and have some fun.”

Martha wrinkled her nose. “Caring for my hund seems like fun to me.”

“That might be, but you need to be with people your age.” Ruth smiled. “Speaking of which, I was thinking that since this Sunday will be an off-Sunday from preaching, the two of us could go to the pond for a picnic.”

“That’s a fine idea. Maybe we could take Anna along, too. She’s been so sad since her puppy died. She wouldn’t even accept the kitten Mom offered her. Maybe a day at the pond will help lighten her mood.” Ruth smiled. “It might be good for Grace and Cleon to have some time alone, too.”

“Sounds good to me. We can go to the young people’s gathering on Saturday evening and spend Sunday afternoon at the pond. By Monday morning, maybe we’ll all feel a little better than we have here of late.”

Chapter 37

“How was the young people’s gathering you girls went to last night?” Roman asked, nodding at his two daughters who sat to the left of him at the kitchen table.

“It was all right,” Martha said, reaching for a piece of toast.