Gabriel's Bride (29 page)

Trust in the Lord
, her aunt would have said. Rachel wanted to trust that everything was going to turn out just fine. But what if she had forced her hand and not trusted in what God wanted for her. What if she had gone against His wishes and stayed in Oklahoma instead of moving to Ohio? What if—

“What do you think, Rachel?”

“
Jah
?” She looked from Annie to Mary Elizabeth and back again. “What do I think about what?”

“What do you think about Lizzie coming to stay here for a while?”

“Just to help with the baby,” Mary Elizabeth added quickly. “Unless you need to me stay . . .” Her statement should have included “please don’t” for it hung in the air unsaid like a lingering wisp of smoke.

Rachel stiffened her spine. She had to trust the Lord, despite her doubts. “I . . .” She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that on account of me.”

“I’m not. I just . . . I mean, we don’t have very much room, and Annie could use the help.” She gave her an expectant look. “Right, Annie?”

Rachel felt those exotic lavender eyes scan her face. “There’s something different about you today.”

“Pshaw,” Rachel said a little too loudly. Baby Michelle jumped, then snuggled back into her blanket, her pink cherub mouth working in her sleep.

Annie looked from one to the other. “What’s going on here?”

Rachel shook her head. “Nothing.”

Mary Elizabeth nodded in agreement. “Nothing at all.”

“Uh-huh.” Annie continued to study them, no doubt looking for a crack in the façade. “I could use some help. But I don’t want to take you away from your father. You know, he blames me for you leaving.”

Mary Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m sorry, Annie.”

“He had to blame someone, why not me?”

“I could stay and help,” Rachel offered. “Maybe should have offered before now.”

“No, it’s not that,” Mary Elizabeth protested. “I didn’t mean to take your bed last night.”

“It’s
allrecht
,” Rachel said, but she could feel Annie’s inquisitive gaze on her.

“If she slept in your bed, where did you sleep?”

“If you must know, I slept on the couch.” Heat rose into her cheeks as she said the words. They were true. Mostly.

“I see.” But her words sounded even more suspicious. “It’s up to you, Lizzie. You can stay if you want. I’ll deal with your father if he has a problem. It’ll be good to have help and to be able to catch up.” She turned to Rachel. “And you need to stay home. Samuel doesn’t need so many upheavals.”

But Rachel had the feeling that Samuel had nothing to do with the sparkling look in Annie’s eyes.

Simon grabbed the grasshopper and carefully placed him in the shoe box with the others. It’d do no
gut
if he accidentally tore the insect’s legs and it couldn’t jump. He spied another and chased after it, aware that someone had turned their buggy down the dirt lane that led to their
haus
.

He shaded his eyes and looked toward the road. Rachel was home . . . and without Mary Elizabeth.

Simon wanted to sit down in the grass and cry. His sister had barely made it back before Rachel had convinced her to leave again. His only hope was that his
dat
would be so upset that Mary Elizabeth had been carted off to his
onkel’s
house that he would go and get her himself. Simon wasn’t supposed to know, but he’d heard his
dat
talking to his
grossdaadi
about his
Englisch
aenti.
His
dat
wouldn’t want Mary Elizabeth anywhere near Annie. He thought she was a bad influence.

Simon wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but if it was bad, he was certain that Rachel was worse.

He remembered his father’s strange reactions that morning. How no one hardly spoke at the breakfast table, and none of the adults seemed to look at each other. Something strange was going on and he couldn’t trust anybody to do like they should. Everyone was acting
kshpassich
. He’d have to take care of this himself.

He plucked up another grasshopper and deposited it in the shoebox.

Poor Mary Elizabeth. She was sad this morning. No doubt because Rachel had come to take her place. Matthew didn’t seem to care. He just kept saying that it was their father’s business, and Simon should stay out of it.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t stand by and let Rachel chase off his sister and his mother’s memory.

He scooped up another grasshopper for his growing collection. A few more in the box, and he would make his move.

17

R
uth stood and looked around the table. “I have an announcement to make.”

Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. Everyone else seemed to feel the same for a quick hush fell over the family. It had been two days since her night with Gabriel. Two days of walking around on eggshells and pretending her heart wasn’t breaking in two. Now this . . .

“I know we gathered here to celebrate Mary Elizabeth’s return. But, well, since everyone’s together I need to talk to you.” All eyes on her, she took a deep breath. “I found another lump.”

Katie Rose gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth as Zane Carson pulled her close, his natural reaction showing that instead of being born into the Amish, he had converted.

Annie stilled from bouncing the fussy Baby Michelle who, as if sensing the importance of the moment, quieted as well.

Abram half rose from his chair as he reached across the table toward his wife. “Perhaps the
kinder
should go outside.”

Ruth closed her eyes and shook her head. “I wasn’t going to say anything. I wasn’t going to do anything, but Rachel—” Those green eyes met hers and filled with tears. “Annie, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help bring Baby Michelle into the world. I’d gone into Tulsa for a doctor’s appointment. He ran some tests. I got the results back today.”

“And?” Gideon asked the question that was on everybody’s lips.

“It is benign.” Ruth exhaled as if she had been holding her breath the entire time.

In fact, everyone breathed a heavy sigh of relief and thanks. At the far end of the table, Noni, Abram’s beloved mother, bowed her head and prayed.

“That’s
gut
. That’s
gut
.” Abram made his way around the table to take his wife’s hands into his own. “Why were you not going to tell us?”

“I prayed about it day and night, but I knew I couldn’t go through that kind of treatment again. Rachel convinced me that we needed to know regardless of the outcome.”

Abram’s gaze swung to her. “Thank you, Rachel Fisher. You have done us a great service.”

She shook her head, unable to speak through her tears. She had done nothing but pester Ruth into going to the doctor. Now she was so incredibly thankful that she had.

“Come, we’ll have a special Bible reading then pie,
jah
?”

Ruth laughed through her tears. “
Jah
, that would be
gut
.”

As if one unit, the family rose from the table and gathered around the rocking chair in the living room. Abram started to read.

Und der Friede Gottes regiere in euren Herzen, zu welchem ihr auch berufen seid in einem Leibe; und seid dankbar! Lasset das Wort Christi unter euch reichlich wohnen in aller Weisheit; lehret und vermahnet euch selbst mit Psalmen und Lobgesängen und geistlichen lieblichen Liedern und singt dem HERRN in eurem Herzen. Und alles, was ihr tut mit Worten oder mit Werken, das tut alles in dem Namen des HERRN Jesu, und danket Gott und dem Vater durch ihn.

Colossians chapter 3. One of her favorite passages.

And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching you and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

As Rachel looked around the room at the faces there, this family who had taken her in, her husband who had pledged himself to her without love or bitterness, she was thankful. So thankful that she could be a part of something so grand.

Aemen
.

Rachel slipped into the kitchen and behind Ruth as she sliced the pie. “I’m so glad you went to the doctor.”

Her mother-in-law turned and gave her a hug. “So am I.” She patted Rachel’s hand and went back to slicing. “How are things with you and Gabriel?”

She would have given about anything she owned to stop the blush creeping into her cheeks. The heat alone was enough to singe the edges of the pie Ruth cut. “I think the
buwe
are getting used to me.” She kept her head down, her eyes on the task of getting down plates.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Rachel sighed. “I know.”

Ruth raised one expressive brow.

“He still loves Rebecca.”

Ruth nodded. “He may at that, but my Gabriel is a smart man.”

Rachel sighed. “It has been my experience that brains don’t often become involved in matters of the heart.”

Ruth shot her a cryptic smile. “You might be surprised.”

Rachel wished she had some of Ruth’s positive opinion. Gabriel loved Rebecca. He had all but called their night together a mistake. She was glad he hadn’t. For sure and for certain that would have broken her heart clean in two.

Ruth led the way out of the kitchen, carrying the sliced-up dessert on a large tray. “Time for pie.”

Samuel scrambled down from Mary Elizabeth’s lap and ran to the table. “Come on. Time for pie.”

His sister laughed as he motioned for her to follow him. Other than their visit to see Baby Michelle, it was the first smile Rachel had seen from her.

Before this week, Rachel had never spent much time with Mary Elizabeth. They had lived in separate districts, though she had the occasion to run across the young girl from time to time. Clover Ridge wasn’t Lancaster. There were only about six hundred in their settlement. The times she had been around Mary Elizabeth Fisher, she had seen a bright girl, charming and sweet, full of energy and smiles. This Mary Elizabeth was vastly different: withdrawn, somber, not at all the
maedel
she remembered.

Mary Elizabeth acted as if she didn’t belong. Rachel had hoped her spending time at her
onkel’s
house with Annie and the baby would bring a sparkle back into her smile, but so far her plan was failing.

Maybe a new dress was in order. Mary Elizabeth had lost weight while she’d been out with the
Englisch
, and her
fracks
all hung loose on her frame. At least she had taken to wearing a dress again along with a prayer
kapp
and apron. But how could she feel that she was truly the girl who had left if the clothes she wore back then were too big for her now?

Rachel knew just the fabric too. She had been planning on making new shirts for Matthew and Gabriel. But that could wait. She had found a better use for the fabric. Tomorrow after morning chores, she’d send for Mary Elizabeth and perhaps then she could put a smile back on her face.