Going Home (30 page)

“I’m sorry for the interruption,” Barbara said to Faith once she’d gotten her boys calmed down and sent them inside to get a piece of cake. “Now what was that you were saying?”

“I’ve been planning to leave Webster County ever since I brought Melinda here.”

Barbara’s heart began to pound. “You’re going to leave again?”

“Oh, no. I had planned to go back on the road and leave Melinda with my folks so she would be raised in a stable home and not have to be hauled around the country while I entertained.” Faith shook her head. “But I changed my mind—or I should say that God changed it for me.”

“What happened?” Barbara questioned. “Why did you change your mind?”

“I heard Melinda talking to Susie about growing up to be an entertainer someday, and I realized that I didn’t want that for my girl. I knew in my heart, and have known it for some time, that what I really wanted was here all the time—my family and friends.”

“Oh, Faith, I’m so glad to hear that.” Barbara wrapped her arms around Faith and gave her a squeeze. “Jah, I truly am.”

Faith touched her chest. “I’ve changed, Barbara. God’s changed me from the inside out, and for the first time, being in church today seemed so right to me. I’ve finally come to realize how much I need my family—and most of all, how much I need God.”

S
ince his mother’s bout with the flu had gone on for several days and had affected her blood sugar, Noah had gone straight home after work to cook, clean, and help his father with some of the outside chores. But Mom was doing better today, and since it was Saturday and Noah didn’t have to work at the tree farm, he decided to head over to the Stutzmans’ and have a talk with Faith while Mom took an afternoon nap. Pop was visiting his friend Vernon, the buggy maker, so it would be the perfect time for Noah to slip away. He’d been praying about things and had decided that, before Faith left Webster County, he needed to be honest with her about the way he felt. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

As Noah hitched his horse to one of their open buggies and climbed into the driver’s seat, he prayed for the right words to say to Faith and for God’s will to be done.

Noah directed the horse down the driveway and drew in a deep breath. It was a fine winter afternoon, and even though the air was frosty and several inches of snow covered the ground, the sky was blue and clear.

Noah glanced at the cake sitting on the seat beside him. He remembered the conversation he’d heard Faith and Barbara having after church last Sunday and hoped with all his heart that he would find Faith at home and that they would be given the chance to talk in private. The words he had in his heart were for her ears alone.

Faith couldn’t believe she and Melinda had the whole house to themselves. Her folks had gone to Seymour for the day, and they’d taken Grace Ann, Esther, and Susie with them. John and Brian were over at their friend Andy’s house, so it was a good opportunity for Faith to work on her baking skills.

She’d thought Melinda might enjoy helping her make a lemon sponge cake, but the child had acted sleepy after eating their noon meal and had gone to the living room to take a nap on the sofa.

“It’s probably just as well,” Faith murmured as she got out the ingredients. Melinda had stayed up later than usual last night, and Faith figured a nap would do the child more good than playing in dusty flour and lemon juice.

If the cake turned out well, Faith planned to give it to Noah. He had given her so many special treats over the last few months;
it was the least she could do to reciprocate. He’d been kind in other ways, too—helping out when it was needed and sharing God’s Word with her on several occasions.

Faith was sure those scripture verses had taken root in her soul, but it wasn’t until the day she’d discovered Melinda yodeling in the barn that she’d really given her heart to Jesus.

As Faith mixed the cake, she smiled at the remembrance of telling her folks she had changed her mind about leaving and how they’d responded. Everything was better at home now, but she still had some unfinished business with Noah.

Faith halted her thoughts and focused on putting the cake together, but when it was ready to bake, she discovered that the oven wasn’t hot enough. During the summer months, the Stutzmans used their propane-operated stove, but in the wintertime, Mama insisted on the wood-burning stove because it gave off more heat that circulated throughout much of the house.

Faith slipped the cake pan onto the oven rack and opened the firebox door. Then she grabbed two pieces of wood from the wood box and tossed them in. One of the burning logs inside the stove rolled out and landed on the floor.

Faith gasped as she watched the braided throw rug ignite and flames shoot out in every direction. She’d never dealt with a situation like this and wasn’t sure what to do. She ran to the sink, filled a jug with water, and flung it on the burning rug. Then she opened the back door and kicked the rug with the hunk of wood outside. By this time, the room was filled with smoke.

“Melinda!” Faith shouted. She rushed into the living room,
scooped Melinda off the sofa, and bounded out the door into the frosty afternoon air.

By this time, Melinda was wide awake. “Mama, what’s going on? Why are we outside with no coats?”

Faith seated her daughter on a bench at the picnic table and drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“I caught the rug in the kitchen on fire, and I need to get the smoke out of the room. You stay here, and I’ll be right back.”

“Mama, where are you going?”

“Just stay put!”

When Noah pulled into the Stutzmans’ driveway, his heart gave a lurch. Melinda sat at the picnic table with her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. What was Faith thinking, letting her daughter play out in the cold with no coat?

He grabbed the lemon sponge cake, hopped down from the buggy, and was heading for Melinda when he noticed a chunk of smoldering wood and what looked like the remains of a throw rug lying in the snow several feet from the house.

Melinda jumped up and raced over to Noah. “It’s good you’re here. I’m worried about Mama.”

Noah’s heart began to pound, and then he saw it—smoke drifting out the back door of the Stutzmans’ home. “Where is everyone, Melinda? Where’s the rest of your family?”

“Everyone except for me and Mama are gone today.” The child pointed toward the house, her lower lip quivering like a
leaf blowing in the breeze. “Mama’s in there.”

The reality of what the smoldering log and burned throw rug meant caused Noah to shudder. “Stay here, Melinda.” He handed her the cake. “I’m going inside to help your mamm.”

Noah took the steps two at a time, and when he bounded into the smoke-filled kitchen, he was thankful he saw no flames. “Faith! Where are you?”

Through the haze of smoke, Noah noticed a moving shadow, and he reached for it. What he got was a wet towel slapped against his arm. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“Noah, is that you?” Faith stepped through the stifling haze, waving the towel in front of her.

Relieved to see that Faith was all right and with barely a thought for what he was doing, Noah grabbed her around the waist. “Are you okay? What happened in here?”

Faith coughed several times. “I was trying to bake, and the oven wasn’t hot enough. When I opened the firebox, a log rolled out and caught the rug on fire.” She leaned on him as though she needed support.

Noah’s heart clenched at the thought of what could have happened if Faith hadn’t thought quickly enough. The whole house might have burned to the ground, the way Pop’s barn had when it was struck by lightning.

“Melinda told me that you’re the only ones at home today,” he said, stroking Faith’s trembling shoulders.

She coughed again and pulled slowly away, leaving him with a sense of disappointment. “That’s right, and I was trying to bake you a lemon sponge cake.” Her voice quavered, and she gasped.
“Oh, no! My cake! It must be burned to a crisp.”

She jerked the oven door open and withdrew the cake. Even in the smoky room, Noah could see it was ruined.

Faith groaned and set the blackened dessert on the counter. “I can’t believe what a mess I’ve made of things. It seems I can never do anything right.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s the thought that counts. Besides, I brought you a lemon sponge cake I made this morning. I left it outside with Melinda.” Now it was Noah’s turn to cough. Between the firebox being left open and the burned cake, the smoke was dense, and he was worried about Faith breathing in the fumes. “We need to get this room cleared out. Let’s open some windows and head outside.”

Soon they had the doors and windows open, and Noah took Melinda and Faith to the barn, where it was warmer. He noticed Faith’s eyes brimming with tears and wondered if it was from the acrid smoke or because she was upset over the frightening incident.
Probably a little of both
, he decided.

Relief flooded his soul as he stared down at Faith, sitting beside her daughter on a bale of straw with a horse blanket draped over their shoulders. His chest rose and fell in a deep sigh as he fought the temptation to kiss her.

From the look of desire Faith saw in Noah’s dark eyes, she was fairly certain he wanted to kiss her. She leaned forward slightly, inviting him to do so, but to her disappointment, he moved
away. Had she misread his intentions? This was the man she had come to love. She could hardly bear the thought that he might not love her in return.

“Mama, I’m warmed up now. Can I play with the kittens?” Melinda asked, pulling Faith’s thoughts aside.

Faith nodded. “Jah, sure, go ahead.”

Melinda scampered off toward the pile of hay across the room where a mother cat and five fluffy kittens were sleeping.

Faith looked up at Noah and rubbed her hands briskly over her arms as she tried to calm her racing heart. “I could have burned the house down today, but the Lord was watching out for me—for all of us really.”

“I believe you’re right about that, but I’m surprised to hear you say so.”

“I’m not an unbeliever, Noah,” she murmured. “I recently asked God to forgive my sins, and I believe He will strengthen my faith as time goes on.”

A slow smile spread across Noah’s face. “Really, Faith?”

She nodded.

“That’s
wunderbaar
.” His smile faded.

“What’s wrong?”

“I heard you were planning to leave Webster County, and the reason I came here was to try and talk you out of going.”

“I’m not leaving,” she said with a catch in her voice.

“But I heard you tell Barbara you were.”

She nodded soberly. “I was, until God changed my mind.”

“I’ve suspected for some time that you were thinking about going, but I was afraid if I said too much or pushed too hard it
might drive you further from God—and me.”

Faith dropped her gaze to the floor. “From the beginning, I’d planned to leave Melinda with my folks and head back on the road again.”

“You were gonna leave me here?”

Faith spun around at the sound of her daughter’s voice. She hadn’t realized Melinda had returned. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t wanted Melinda to know.

She swept the child into her arms. “I’m so sorry. I thought it would be best for you, but God kept causing things to happen so I’d have to stay put.”