the STRUGGLE (43 page)

“You’re welcome to work in the store if you want to,” Johnny said, “but I thought you liked staying at home.”

“I do, but now that Hannah’s going back to Kentucky, I’ll be alone and will need something meaningful to do.”

Johnny’s eyebrows shot up. “Hannah’s returning to Kentucky?”

“That’s right, Dad.” Hannah repeated the dream she’d had and told him about the decision she’d made to be reunited with her husband.

“Well all I’ve got to say is it’s about time you saw the light.” Johnny shook his head. “I never did think you should have left Timothy, and not telling him about the boppli wasn’t right, either.”

“Hannah doesn’t need any lectures this morning,” Sally was quick to say. “What she needs is our love and support.”

Johnny bobbed his head and smiled at Sally, obviously happy to hear her say that. “She definitely has my support, and I think I know a way she can head for Kentucky today.”

“How’s that, Dad?” Hannah asked.

“Abraham Fisher came by my store yesterday, right before closing time. He mentioned that he’d hired a driver to take him and Fannie to Kentucky to see Titus and Suzanne’s baby. He said he’d arranged it without Fannie knowing, and that he was going to surprise her with the news this morning. Guess the plan is for them to leave sometime this afternoon, and they’ll get to Titus’s place tomorrow.” He grinned at Hannah. “I’m sure their driver would have room for one more if you’d like to go along.”

Hannah’s eyes brightened. “I definitely would! It’s like this was meant to be.”

“Great! I’ll stop by Abraham’s place on my way to work and set it all up.” Johnny clapped his hands together. “Now I think we’d better have some breakfast so I can get going and you can pack.”

Pembroke, Kentucky

“This roof is even worse than I thought,” Timothy called to Samuel, who stood on the ground below picking up the shingles his brother had already thrown down to him.

Samuel cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “When Titus and Allen get here, one of ’em can go up there and help you!”

“Okay, whatever!” Timothy gave a quick wave and continued to almost frantically tear off more of the shingles.

Samuel was still worried about his brother. Timothy had been driving himself too hard. Truth was, he probably shouldn’t be working on the barn roof at all today. But the weather had been nicer than usual for this time of year, and Timothy had insisted on getting the roof done before bad weather set in. Samuel had suggested that Timothy rest awhile and let him take over the job of removing shingles, but Timothy wouldn’t hear of it. Samuel was afraid if Timothy didn’t slow down soon, he’d keel over from exhaustion. Maybe when Allen and Titus showed up, one of them could talk some sense into him.

As Hannah rode in Herb Nelson’s van, along with Fannie and Abraham, all she could think about was her dream. She’d shared the details of the dream with Fannie and Abraham and thanked them for allowing her to travel to Kentucky with them. Now, as they neared Pembroke, Hannah felt compelled to tell Fannie something she hadn’t shared with anyone yet.

“All this time, I’ve been blaming Timothy for Mindy’s accident, but I really think I’m the one to blame,” Hannah said.

Fannie’s eyes widened. “Wh–what do you mean?”

“When Mindy came into the kitchen that day, she held a dandelion in her little hand that she wanted to give me. But I sent her away—told her to go out of the room and play.” Hannah swallowed hard. Just thinking about it made her feel sad. “If I hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t have gone upstairs to her room, and if I’d kept her in the kitchen with me, she’d still be alive.”

Fannie reached across the seat and took Hannah’s hand. “It was an accident—perhaps one that could have been avoided—but if it was Mindy’s time to go, then she could have died some other way.”

Hannah nodded slowly. “One thing I do know is that Mindy’s happier in heaven than she ever could be here on earth, and the dream I had gave me a sense of peace about things.”

Fannie smiled. “I’m glad, and I’m also pleased that you’re going back to Timothy. I know he will be so happy to see you.”

“He’ll also be glad about the boppli you’re expecting, just as we are,” Abraham said from the front passenger’s seat.

Hannah looked down at her growing stomach. “I’m grateful God’s given us another chance to be happy, and I pray that we’ll do a good job raising this baby.”

“You’ll do fine, Hannah,” Fannie said. “I just wish we’d known about the boppli sooner.”

“I didn’t feel like I could tell anyone. I was afraid if Timothy found out, he’d insist that I go back to Kentucky. Until I had that dream about Mindy, I just wasn’t ready to go back. Now this van we’re riding in can’t seem to get me there fast enough.”

As they turned onto the road near her house, Hannah leaned toward their driver and said, “Would you mind dropping me off by the mailbox? Then I can walk up to the house and surprise Timothy. I’d like a few minutes alone with him before you all join us,” she added, looking at Fannie.

“I have a better idea,” Abraham said. “How about if after we drop you off, we head over to Suzanne and Titus’s place to see their new boppli? Then in a few hours, we’ll go over to your house and surprise Timothy, because he has no idea we’re coming.”

“That’ll be fine,” Hannah said with a nod. “After I’ve greeted Timothy and we spend some time together catching up, I plan to make him something special. It seems like ages ago now, but I’ve been wanting to bake Timothy a Kentucky chocolate chip pie. We can all have some when you come over later on.”

Abraham grinned. “Sounds good to me. Never have been known to turn down a piece of pie. Isn’t that right, Fannie?”

“Absolutely!” Fannie reached over the seat and gave his shoulder a pat.

When their driver pulled over by the mailbox a few minutes later, Hannah got out of the van, took her suitcase, and said, “I’ll see you in a few hours.” Then she turned and headed down the lane with a sense of confidence, letting her hand bounce between the boards on the fence. Her heart picked up speed as the path curved, taking her closer to the house. She could hardly wait to see Timothy.

Just as Hannah stepped into a clearing, she spotted a red-and-blue ambulance with its lights flashing. She tensed. Something terrible must have happened. Clutching her stomach, she let the suitcase drop to the ground. Her breath came hard as she ran the rest of the way.
Please, God, I pray that nothing’s happened to Timothy
.

When Hannah got closer to the house, she spotted Samuel, Titus, and Allen near the ambulance. “Wh–what happened?” she panted. “Where’s Timothy?”

“Hannah?” Titus looked stunned. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ll explain later. Please tell me what’s going on. Has someone been hurt? Is…is it Timothy?”

Samuel clasped Hannah’s shoulders. “Jah. Timothy was working on the barn roof, and he slipped and fell.”

Hannah swayed unsteadily, and Titus reached out to give her support. “Oh, dear Lord, no!” she cried, looking toward the sky. “Please, don’t take my husband from me now, too!”

C
HAPTER
54

W
ould you mind if I skip out on you for an hour or so while I run a few errands?” Bonnie asked Trisha as she finished putting some bread dough into two pans.

“Of course not. I’ve never minded when you run errands without me,” Trisha said.

“Well, since my dad will be arriving sometime later today, I don’t want you to worry that I might not make it back before he gets here. He’s driving instead of flying this time, so there’s no way I can be sure what time he’ll arrive. When I spoke to Dad on the phone last night, he said he thought it would probably be later this afternoon, so I’m sure I have plenty of time.”

Trisha put the loaves of bread in the oven and closed the door. “If for some reason you’re not, I’ll show him which of the guest rooms you have reserved for him.”

Bonnie smiled. “What would I ever do without you, Trisha?”

“You’d be fine. Just like you were before I showed up at your door last Christmas.”

“I was managing okay,” Bonnie said, “but things have gone even smoother since you started working here. I never thought anyone could cook better than Esther, but I think you’re a pro.”

Trisha’s face heated with embarrassment. “I appreciate the compliment, but the only reason I cook as well as I do is because I’ve had a few more years’ experience than Esther. For a young woman in her twenties, she’s not only a good cook, but a very capable wife and mother to Samuel’s four lively children.”

“That’s true, and I don’t know how she does it all.” Bonnie patted her protruding stomach. “When this little one makes his or her appearance, I hope I can be even half as good a mother as Esther is to those kids.”

“I’m sure you will be.”

Bonnie slipped into her jacket and grabbed her purse. “I’d better get going, or Dad will definitely be here before I get home.” She hugged Trisha and hurried out the door.

For the next two hours, Trisha kept busy cleaning the kitchen, mixing cookie dough, and answering the phone. She’d just taken a reservation from a couple who would be staying at the B&B in a few weeks when she heard a car pull into the yard. She figured it must be Bonnie but was surprised when she glanced out the kitchen window and saw Ken getting out of a black SUV. Her heart skipped a beat. Even in his late fifties, he was as handsome as he had been in his teens.

Now stop these silly schoolgirl thoughts
, she reprimanded herself.
I’m sure Ken doesn’t feel all giddy inside every time he sees me
.

Drawing in a deep breath to compose herself, Trisha wiped her hands on a paper towel and went to answer the door.

“It’s good to see you,” she said cheerfully when Ken entered the house. “How was your trip?”

“Long and tiring, but at least there were no problems along the way.”

“That’s good to hear. Bonnie’s out running errands at the moment, but I can show you to your room if you’d like to rest awhile,” Trisha offered.

He shook his head. “If I lie down, I’ll probably conk out and won’t wake up till tomorrow morning. Think I’ll just sit in the living room and wait for Bonnie to get home. I’m anxious to find out how she’s feeling.”

“She’s doing real well,” Trisha said. “Not much morning sickness and not as tired as I figured she’d be.”

“That’s because she comes from hardy stock,” he said with a chuckle.

Trisha laughed, too, and felt herself begin to relax. “Would you like a cup of coffee, Ken?”

“Sure, that’d be great.”

“I was just making some cookies when you pulled in,” she said. “If I put a batch in the oven now, you can have some of those to go with the coffee.”

He smacked his lips. “Sounds good. I’m always up for cookies.”

Ken followed Trisha into the kitchen, and after he’d taken a seat at the table, she handed him a cup of coffee.

“Why don’t you join me?” he asked. “The cookies can wait a few minutes, can’t they?”

“Sure.” Trisha was pleased that he wanted her to sit with him. “So when will you be starting your new job?” she asked after she’d poured herself some coffee.

“Monday morning. I’ll need to start looking for a house pretty soon, too, because I don’t want to take up a room here that Bonnie could be renting to a paying customer.”

“I’m sure Bonnie won’t mind you staying here for however long it takes to find a place.”

“That may be so, but I’m not going to take advantage of my daughter’s good nature.”

Trisha smiled. “Oh, I have something I’d like to show you.”

“What is it?”

Trisha went to the desk and removed a manila envelope from the bottom drawer. “Bonnie found this in the attic a few days ago. It’s full of pictures—some of you and me when we were teenagers.” She handed Ken the envelope and sat down across from him.

Ken pulled out the pictures and smiled. “We made a pretty cute couple, didn’t we?”

Trisha nodded, looking at the photos again. “We had a lot of fun together back then.”

“Have you ever wondered how things would have turned out if you’d married me instead of Dave?” he asked, surprising her.