Breath of Spring (12 page)

Annie Mae stopped dead still, clutching Timmy on one hip and Sara on the other. Josh and Joey were still clinging to her as though frightened for their lives while she processed what she’d just heard. The young woman in front of her was dressed in a bright flowery dress made from a Plain pattern, still gripping the handle of the paddle as she stared at Annie Mae. She didn’t look any more than nineteen . . . so if she was calling herself the kids’ new
mamm
. . .

“Dat didn’t say a lot of things to a lot of people when he started up this town,” Annie Mae muttered. “So I’ll just take these kids off your hands, and we’ll all of us be a whole lot happier. Come on, boys. Walk with me now.”

She turned on her heel to start for the road and stopped.

The car was gone. The kids and this
girl
in the flowery dress had been caterwauling so loudly, Annie Mae hadn’t heard Yonnie drive off.

And doesn’t that just figure?
she fretted as she looked up and down the street. Not another soul seemed to be around any of the new houses, and she saw no vehicles, either.
I’ve gotten myself into another pickle, Lord, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do . . . so I guess we’ll just keep walkin’ ’til we figure it out. Sure wish I had a cell phone.

“Hiram’s not here to—you can’t just take off with his kids!” the girl behind them cried.

“Watch me!” Annie Mae called over her shoulder. As she steered the five-year-old twins toward the road, she wished there was a feasible way to take along the kids’ clothing, to fetch their coats—to get them back to Willow Ridge before everyone caught colds. The snow had soaked through her shoes, and she felt Sara and Timmy shivering against her as they buried their faces against her shoulders.

But Annie Mae marched on down the street. She figured someone would call Dat if she used a phone in one of the stores to contact Miriam . . . if she could get the kids out to the county highway, surely a kind stranger would stop and give them a ride....

Oh, but I’ll give Yonnie a piece of my mind for drivin’ off, leavin’ us to fend for ourselves!
she stewed as she hiked along.

Then she realized her visit to Higher Ground had just granted her fondest wish and answered her most fervent prayers: despite Yonnie’s attempts to get her into bed, he’d made this long-awaited reunion a reality. Annie Mae sensed she’d pay for aggravating him this afternoon—just as Dat wouldn’t let her get away with hauling off the wee ones. But what else could she do, after seeing how that young woman treated them?

“Annie Mae, I’m c-cold!” Josh piped up.

“
Jah,
how’re we gettin’ back home?” Joey chimed in. “Why’d that guy in the blue car drive away?”

Her heart throbbed painfully as she watched her little brothers hug themselves to keep warm. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. What if they took sick because of her impetuous escape plan? If she went back to pack their clothes, surely that
girl
would have a phone she could use, and wouldn’t fuss about getting rid of these kids she couldn’t control....

“Do ya wanna go back to the house, just long enough to fetch your things?” Annie Mae asked as they trudged on down the hill.

“
No!
” came the immediate reply, from all four kids. Timmy began to wail and Sara grabbed her more tightly around the neck.

“Delilah’s
mean
to us!” Josh declared.

“
Jah,
she is! And with Dat gone so much, she’s always screechin’ at us, too,” Joey went on. “And when Dat’s not around, she doesn’t fix us dinner or let us get into the fridge for anything, neither.”

“And we gotta eat cold cereal and store-bought bread coz she don’t hardly know how to cook!”

Annie Mae’s eyes widened as she trudged toward the county road.
Delilah’s her name, is it? There’s a biblical connection there,
she mused
.
But this wasn’t the time to get caught up in Dat’s love life
.
She would’ve concluded that young Delilah was merely his housekeeper, as Nazareth and Jerusalem Hooley had once been, except she’d called herself the kids’ new
mamm
. . . which might explain why Dat had trimmed his beard and hair and dyed them black.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
How often had she heard that adage as a child, from her own dear mother? Annie Mae set aside her memories and musings to focus on the road they were approaching. Her first priority was to find a ride back to Willow Ridge—

The
clip-clop! clip-clop!
of hooves behind them made Annie Mae turn and then gawk in disbelief at the big blue wagon rumbling toward them. “Adam!” she gasped. “Oh my God, ya must’ve—come on, kids! Stand to the side of the road while he pulls up for us.”

“Adam Wagler!” Joey called out, while Josh waved both hands wildly above his head. “’Member
us?
”

Could this day get any crazier? Relief washed over Annie Mae as she stepped in front of the twins to keep them from rushing toward Adam’s remodeling wagon. As she gazed at Adam’s intense expression, she couldn’t recall the boy next door ever looking so powerful . . . so passionate about a purpose. And he was focused on
her
.

Forget that nonsense. He’s only concerned about the kids, and gettin’ us out of Higher Ground. Just doin’ an old friend a big favor
.

As Adam pulled his Belgian to a halt and hopped down to the road, Joey and Josh rushed at him. The stunned look on his face was priceless as he gripped their shoulders. “What’s this all about?” he teased. “Do you miss me, or do you just want a ride in my big ole wagon?”

“
Jah,
it’s real
gut
to see ya!” Joey gushed.

“So how come you’re here?” his twin piped up. “Are you gonna live in Higher Ground, too?”

“Nope, that’ll never happen,” Adam replied as he glanced over their heads at Annie Mae. “Let’s load you guys into the back where it’s warmer. We can wrap you in some of my drop cloths.”

“And how about you, Sara?” Annie Mae asked the little girl, who still clung to her shoulder. “Do you want to get in back with Joey and Josh? Or stay with me?”

“Joey and Josh!” Timmy blurted, reaching toward the brothers who were following Adam around to the back of his wagon.

Moments later the three boys were seated on the floor of the enclosed vehicle, delighting in the adventure of being wrapped in clean but paint-splotched lengths of heavy fabric. “You guys sit real still while we’re moving, so you don’t fall over my buckets and tools. No monkey business,” Adam instructed as he pulled out a large towel. “I’ve got to shut the door, so it’ll be kind of dark. But you’re big brave boys, ain’t so?”

“
Jah,
we’re
gut,
Adam!” Josh declared.

“This’ll be a really fun ride!” Joey said as he slung his arm around Timmy’s shoulders.

“Okay, then. We’ll see you when we get to Willow Ridge.” Adam quickly fastened the latch that held the doors shut. Then he winked at Annie Mae, as though he had the boys and this situation effortlessly under control.

Annie Mae’s heart rose into her throat. She sprang forward and hugged Adam hard with her free arm. He embraced her and Sara as though it were the most natural, common thing, and for a few moments they held each other with the toddler between them. Annie Mae closed her eyes, soaking up the strength and assurance she felt in Adam’s strong arms, until they both exhaled self-consciously and stepped apart.

“Can’t thank ya enough for hangin’ around here,” she admitted. “I should’ve left Yonnie’s place with ya instead of—but we’ll save all that for later,” she said, glancing down at her little sister.

“Well, if you’d’ve left with me, we wouldn’t have found the kids.” Adam smiled ruefully as he tucked the towel around Sara. “I’m guessing that whole situation with the gal in the flowery dress is another story that can wait.”

“You’re not gonna believe—well, for now please take us to Miriam and Ben’s so we can figure out what comes next,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ve learned more than I care to know today. I probably leaped when I should’ve looked, far as the kids are concerned, but—well, I just
couldn’t
leave them here.”

“Their faces are saying you did exactly the right thing, Annie Mae,” Adam replied as they walked to the front of the wagon. When he opened his arms, she handed Sara to him while she climbed inside.

When had she ever felt so grateful for someone being here when she needed him most? Yonnie’s betrayal was already stinging, and once again Annie Mae had more questions than answers about her
dat
and what was going on in Higher Ground. Yet as Adam handed up her sister and then climbed into his wagon, Annie Mae sensed this day was finally headed in the right direction

She hugged Sara tight as the wagon lurched forward. “
Denki
again and again, Adam,” she said in a tight voice. “Mighty nice of ya to watch out for me—for all of us.”

What’s going on here?
Adam focused on the road, aware of the gently falling snow but far more aware of the shock waves radiating all over his body. Sure, Annie Mae was upset and she would’ve been grateful to
anybody
who could take her and the kids to safety. Yet in the moment they’d come together behind his wagon—even with her sister between them—something had flared. Something more than her gratitude and his relief.

Don’t get tangled up in it,
he reminded himself, as the litany of reasons for not dating any girl ran through his mind again.

But as Adam stole a glance across the seat, his heart thrummed steadily. With Sara cradled in her lap, half asleep and breathing deeply in total trust and comfort, Annie Mae suddenly seemed like the perfect woman to be sitting next to him, as his own beloved wife. He recalled watching Matthias and Sadie together and envying the closeness they shared—an inexplicable bond that made them so much more as a couple than the sum of their single selves. Which was why his brother was so very lost without her.

Back away slowly. Don’t hurt her feelings,
Adam’s inner voice warned.
She’s snatched Hiram’s kids, so she’s begging for trouble. And why do you think you could take on four little ones when you can’t even fathom being responsible for their sister?

Even so, as Annie Mae sat with her head resting on Sara’s, her eyes closed and her long lashes curving down on her flawless cheek, she seemed like the antidote to all the doubts and fears that had plagued him since his
mamm
’s tragic death. Such
love
softened her face. Adam truly believed that God had sent him on the detour through Higher Ground, and had raised his eyes to the window of Yonnie’s apartment, and had then told him to stick around after he’d confronted Stoltzfus. So why was it so far-fetched that God had an ulterior motive for bringing him to Annie Mae’s rescue?

The preachers warn us against reading too much into situations that fall together so perfectly
.
While everything that happens is God’s will, sometimes our interpretations stretch the truth in whatever direction we want it to go.

But when he stopped in the driveway of Ben and Miriam Hooley’s house, and the boys scrambled through the couple’s door without knocking, Adam couldn’t deny that something was at work on a very high level.

“Oh my stars, would ya lookie here!” a familiar female voice cried.

“Joey and Josh and Timmy! You’re a sight for these sore old eyes!” another gal in the house called out.

When Adam and Annie Mae stepped inside, it seemed that quite a gathering was under way: Nazareth and Jerusalem Hooley were hugging the Knepp twins fiercely as Ben gleefully tossed Timmy into the air. Nellie, Rebecca, and Rhoda rushed away from the pots they’d been stirring at the stove, to take their turns at fussing over the Knepp boys. Miriam, too, was exclaiming over the kids, and when she saw Adam and Annie Mae, she hurried over.

“What’s
this
about?” she asked as she gripped their hands excitedly. “When I saw Yonnie’s car pullin’ out this afternoon, I wasn’t expectin’ to see the whole rest of the Knepp family comin’ back to visit!”

Annie Mae handed Sara over to Miriam so she could remove her coat. “It’s quite a story, and I’m not sure just how it all came together.” Her words tumbled out in a rush. “But at just the moment when Yonnie left me hangin’ without so much as a clothespin, Adam came along, and—oh, Miriam, I don’t know what to make of it!”

Annie Mae gripped Miriam’s hand, as though to anchor herself for the waves she was about to make. “When we went past Dat’s new house in Higher Ground, some girl named Delilah was chasin’ the kids outside with a paddle! I just had to bring them back with me, and—and I have no idea what to do next.”

Miriam’s eyes widened like the plates on her table. The kitchen went totally silent. Ben and his aunts looked up from embracing the little boys, and then Adam realized that even Bishop Tom was here, his bearded face alight with wary surprise. All of them were gazing raptly at him and Annie Mae, as though frozen in a moment of utter amazement.

Adam wasn’t sure whether to take off his coat or to slip quietly out the door. With this many folks gathered around, Annie Mae and her siblings would surely get the care they needed—

“
I
think our next move will be washin’ these faces and hands,” Nellie suggested as she took Sara from Miriam’s arms. “You boys come on back to the bathroom, to scrub up for supper.”

“Fine idea,” Rebecca chimed in as she steered the twins and Timmy toward the hall.

As the kids were heading toward the other end of the house, the adults gathered around Adam and Annie Mae. “So what’s this about ya bein’ in Higher Ground?” Jerusalem asked in a low voice. “I can’t think ya went to see your
dat
.”

When Annie Mae looked at Adam, he saw her hesitation . . . her fear and embarrassment about what had happened in Yonnie’s apartment. He returned her gaze, silently assuring her that he’d support however much of her tale she wanted to tell.

“That’s a long story,” Annie Mae hedged. “The more important part is that Delilah said she was the kids’ new
mamm
—”

The Hooley sisters sucked in their breath, while Ben and Bishop Tom’s eyes narrowed.

“—yet she was chasin’ them out of the house into the snow, sayin’ what stupid, mean little brats they were. When they rushed at me, I just couldn’t let them go back to that—well, she’s hardly any older than I am!” Annie Mae continued in a strained voice. “And the kids say she feeds them cold cereal and store-bought bread, mostly—and they
refused
to go back into that house. So I’ve been thankin’ God that Adam was drivin’ by after Yonnie took off without us. And here we are.”

Adam grasped her hand. Annie Mae looked so brave, yet so vulnerable. Her trembling prompted him to be strong for her—and for the kids who would return from the bathroom any minute now.

“So where was Hiram?” Bishop Tom asked. His brow furrowed as he read between the lines of Annie Mae’s story.

“Delilah said he wasn’t home,” Annie Mae replied. “And she didn’t put up the least bit of fight when I said I was takin’ the kids—even though, when I said I was their sister, she . . . well, it seems Dat hasn’t mentioned me or Nellie bein’ part of his family.”

Adam enveloped Annie Mae’s trembling hand between both of his. The way Hiram had written off his two older daughters incensed him. She’d been dealing with much more than he’d suspected while he was driving her back to Willow Ridge.

“I’m so sorry ya had to go through that.” Miriam slung an arm around Annie Mae and sighed. “Truth be told, we saw in
The Budget
that a Delilah Knepp was the scribe for Higher Ground—”

“But we figured she might be a Knepp cousin from over past Morning Star,” Ben chimed in. He shook his head sadly as he looked at the others. “Sounds like Hiram didn’t waste any time hitchin’ up. But Joey and Josh have been known to stretch the truth now and again, so maybe—”

“Anybody can see they’ve lost weight, and they’re none too clean, either,” Nazareth put in. She glanced toward the hallway to be sure the kids weren’t coming back. “Sounds like Hiram might’ve reeled in a new wife without tellin’ her much about the kids until she’d said
jah
to marryin’ him.”

“No point in speculatin’ about all of that,” Bishop Tom pointed out. “We’ve got four children to look after—”

“And this is all my fault. Every bit of it.” Annie Mae hung her head, closing her eyes against another wave of pain. “If I’d stayed with Dat—gone to Higher Ground with him like a
gut
daughter’s supposed to—”

“Don’t believe that for a minute,” Adam stated firmly. He placed his hand on her back until she looked at him. “Your
dat
made his choices, and unfortunately they’ve not been
gut
ones.”

“
Jah,
” Miriam insisted as she gazed at the folks around them, “that’s like sayin’ it’s all
my
fault the kids are in a bad way, because I didn’t marry him. Don’t go layin’ this burden on yourself, child.”

Ben, too, reached forward to gently grasp Annie Mae’s arm. “None of the rest of us went with him, either, honey-girl,” he reminded her. “The important thing is that ya saw the problem and got your sibs back amongst folks who’ll take proper care of them. Ya did the right thing.”

Everyone in their tight circle nodded emphatically, yet tears dribbled down Annie Mae’s cheeks. “But when Dat gets back, he’ll—and they don’t have any clothes, or—”

As Bishop Tom stepped into their huddle, Adam could see the gears whirling in the bishop’s mind. “I’m thinkin’ the Zooks surely must have some pants, shirts, and dresses from when their youngest kids were this size.”

“We could stop over there after supper and find out,” Ben said.

“Fine idea,” Tom agreed with an emphatic nod. “We can see how Henry’s handlin’ the fact that he’s a preacher now—and this’ll be his first call to become Christ’s hands here on Earth.”

Annie Mae followed the men’s conversation as she swiped at her tears. “So . . . Miriam, this means I’d better quit waitin’ tables to take care of the kids, what with Nellie goin’ to school every day.”

“
Ach,
but I’d be
so
happy to look after the boys and Sara again,” Jerusalem cut in. “Leastaways, until I move to Cedar Creek with Vernon.”

“Ya can’t have any more time with them than
I
get, Sister!” Nazareth blurted. She smiled warmly at Annie Mae. “Seems to me you’ve been doin’ real
gut
for yourself, workin’ and settin’ by some money—”

“So, what if the kids stay at
my
place?” Bishop Tom’s face lit up as these new solutions took shape. “Adam’s just finished paintin’, and the rooms’re all cleaned out, so that means you two Hooley sisters could move back to my farm, too—to look after the kids and me, as well. Sounds like a dream come true!”

Jerusalem clapped her hands while Nazareth beamed at the bishop. “That surely sounds cozier than bunkin’ above Luke and Ira’s mill,” she replied. “Much as we love the nephews, comin’ back to your place would be a big improvement—”

“And we’d be right there to tend our goats, too!” Jerusalem pointed out.

Bishop Tom looked like a fellow who’d just solved all the problems of the world as he smiled at Annie Mae. “We’ve got lots of cleared-out guest rooms now, if you and Nellie want to be there with the kids. I think it’s real important for all you brothers and sisters to be together.”

Adam let out the breath he’d been holding during this rapid-fire exchange of ideas. Just that fast, on the spur of an unexpected moment, this circle of friends had accommodated the six Knepps—had rearranged their lives to help a family in need.
This
was what Adam missed . . . the homey aromas of supper on the stove, along with the chorus of voices and the smiles that filled this home to the rafters with love and goodwill. It seemed almost too good to be true—at least, considering the way things had worked out in his own life. “I should head home,” he murmured. “Matthias will be wondering—”

“Get your brother and bring him back here for supper,” Miriam insisted. “Always room here for you Waglers—and how could we not repay ya for takin’ care of our Annie Mae and the kids today?”

“
Jah,
” Ben agreed, “you’re the man who turned the page so the Knepps can start a whole new chapter.”

“I was just passing through Higher Ground out of curiosity,” Adam insisted, “after I’d delivered Tom’s boxes to the Mennonites’ missionary center—”

“Puh!” the bishop teased. “Humility’s a
gut
thing, Adam, but—your
concern
for Annie Mae aside—there’s no wrong in takin’ credit for doin’ what needed to be done.”

Before Adam could protest that idea or Tom’s hint about his feelings for Annie Mae, she stood square in front of him. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders, too, meeting his gaze head-on. “I was upset when ya barged into Yonnie’s apartment,” she murmured. “But ya had him figured right. And if ya hadn’t stuck around Higher Ground until I got outta there, the kids would still be walkin’ in the snow with no coats on, and I’d be a basket case tryin’ to get them home.
Denki
again for bein’ way smarter and more responsible than I was, Adam. You’re a
gut
man, ya know it?”

Adam couldn’t breathe, much less find the words to respond. Annie Mae’s blue eyes were gazing straight into his soul. But what did she see, really? She had
no idea
how her words terrified him even as they made him feel . . . respected. Cherished.
Loved
. And that was the scary part—not to mention that the Hooleys and Bishop Tom had witnessed her words. And now they were watching for his reaction, awaiting his response.

Adam cleared his throat. Annie Mae still had a grip on his shoulders, and she would not be denied as she kept gazing at him. He hoped whatever words came out of his mouth wouldn’t sound totally incoherent or ridiculous. “I—I was watching out for myself, mostly,” he admitted. “Couldn’t have handled my conscience if I’d driven away from Yonnie’s place and then later found out he’d—well—”

“I won’t be seein’ him ever again.” Annie Mae’s smile wobbled, but her words rang with unwavering commitment. “Even if he wasn’t workin’ for Dat, he’s gotten too big for his English britches and—well, he’s up to no
gut
in ways I don’t even want to think about.”

“Praise be to God,” the bishop murmured. “If you’ve seen the light about that Stoltzfus fella, Annie Mae, my day’s been made.”

“Amen to that,” Ben echoed.

Adam’s heart was racing, but this was no time to delve into what Annie Mae’s words might mean for
him
. From the hallway came the thundering of young feet.

“Let’s
eat!
” one of the twins crowed.

“Rebecca says we’re havin’ creamed chicken and homemade rolls!” his look-alike chimed in. “And macaroni and goat cheese—with bacon!”