Her Brother's Keeper (24 page)

Hannah shook her head. “
Nee
, I . . .”

Mary huffed. “Go talk to him, Hannah. I'll keep an eye on the bread.”

Hannah blushed. “
Ya
, okay.”

Charlotte watched Hannah and Isaac from the window in the kitchen, wishing she would be around to see how things panned out for the two of them, but in her heart, she knew they'd end up together. Such news would have infuriated her five weeks ago, but now it just warmed her heart.

She picked up one of the Amish newspapers and
started scanning it. It read like a series of letters from various Amish communities in different states, updating about marriages, births, deaths, and other stuff that Charlotte didn't find very interesting. She could faintly hear her phone ringing upstairs. Normally, she left the ringer off, but she'd been waiting for a call from Ryan to firm up their dinner plans and had meant to put the phone in her apron pocket. She bolted up the stairs, but by the time she got to her bedroom, the phone wasn't ringing so she called him back.

He was already in town and had done the legwork of finding a place to eat, so they set a time. Charlotte was wondering what she would wear, but when she glanced at the rack on her wall, she chuckled. Her choices were blue, maroon, or pine green with her lovely black apron. Shoes—the usual black loafers. But after they hung up, she rummaged through the bottom of her suitcase until she found her bag of makeup that she hadn't taken out the entire time she'd been there. At least she could put some makeup on in the car on the way to the restaurant. And if she curled her hair before she stuffed it underneath her prayer covering, she could let the waves fall freely.

As she sorted things out, she became more and more excited to see Ryan again. She couldn't help but be optimistic that something more than friendship was blooming.

Hannah told Isaac what Mary said. “She knows so many things from her time in the
Englisch
world, so maybe it is your
daed
's medications that are causing him problems. I hope you don't mind me telling her.”

“Nee
, I don't mind. I thought about mentioning it to her, but she always seems to have so much on her mind. I finally talked to my
aenti
, the one who visited from up near Pittsburgh, and she has been spending more time with us, so that helps us some.
Mamm
thinks we are making too much of things.”

“I hope your father is feeling better soon.” Hannah walked alongside Isaac to his buggy as he carried the last rocker. “Please tell her I said hello and to let me know if there is anything she needs.”

Isaac nodded as he strapped the rocking chair onto the small flatbed trailer.

“Mary is talking about leaving. I'm sure you'll miss her.” Hannah wasn't sure why she kept testing the waters, but she needed to be certain that she wasn't interfering in a possible relationship between them, even though they'd both said they were only friends. And Hannah was pretty sure she and Isaac had shared a special moment on Saturday.

“Mary is a
gut
person.” Isaac positioned the rocker, checked the strap, then turned to Hannah. “She has a
gut
heart.”

Hannah avoided his eyes. “
Ya
, she does.”

She jumped when Isaac gently cupped her chin. “But
she's not the one I've been interested in, Hannah. But I wasn't sure if you were ready to date again. I wasn't sure if I was ready. But Mary is actually the one who talked to me about this.” He lowered his hand. “If I can get things figured out with
mei
parents, would you be interested in spending more time together?”

For the first time in a few days, Ethan's face flashed in her mind's eye, and the familiar grief bubbled, but only for a few moments. Ethan would want her to be happy. She nodded, but then they both heard a scream and immediately started running toward the back of the house.

Mary was barefoot, didn't have her
kapp
on, and was dangling from a rope that was hanging out her window. Even though they rushed, they didn't get to her before she slid down and landed on her rear end.

“Fire!” She was breathless as she pointed. “Fire. There's a fire. I smell smoke.”

Isaac took off around the corner. Hannah looked at Mary's hands, blood seeping through the white bandages. Rope burn must have reopened her wounds. “Mary, did you remember to take the bread from the oven?”

“Oh no.” Mary flinched as Hannah took a handkerchief from her pocket and double-wrapped Mary's right hand—the one bleeding through the gauze. “The smoke is probably the burning bread. Come on.” Hannah helped Mary to her feet, and they both scurried around to the front of the house. Everything must have been okay since the hose was still outside, but she could see
smoke billowing from all the kitchen windows. Isaac walked out carrying what was left of the bread—two crispy, smoldering blobs.

“Are you okay?” he asked Mary.

“Not really.” She cringed as she lifted her bloody hands, then raised an eyebrow, before turning to Hannah. “I hope your mom has plenty of that goat goop because at this rate, I'm going to need a steady supply.”

“Let's get you doctored up,” Hannah said as she glanced at Isaac.

“I got it, I got it. I panicked and thought there was a fire. Is everything okay inside?”

“Everything but the bread.” Isaac set the two loaves on the porch and looped his thumbs beneath his suspenders.

Mary stomped her foot and grumbled under her breath as she marched across the yard, waving a hand in front of her face as smoke floated out of the kitchen window.

“It wonders me what would make her slide down a rope like that.” Isaac shook his head.

Hannah told him about how Mary had been trapped by a fire before. “I better go get the kitchen aired out and tend to her.”

She turned around twice on her way to the house, and both times, Isaac was smiling and watching her. For the first time in a long time, she saw happiness in her future.

An hour later, Charlotte and Hannah were still trying to get the smoky smell out of the house. They had every battery-operated fan they owned blowing toward a window.

“It wonders me if we're ever going to get this smell out of here.” Hannah lit several candles and placed them around the kitchen.

“Scentsies,” Charlotte said without thinking.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Never mind.” The plug-in air fresheners that melted wax cubes needed electricity. “Potpourri.” She glanced at Hannah, who frowned. “It's a mixture of dried flower petals and spices.”

“Ya
, I've heard of that. I will make some.”

“Or just buy a bag at the Dollar Store,” Charlotte said, shrugging.

“Well, that would be a very
Englisch
thing to do.” She grinned and they both looked toward the door when they heard footsteps.

Charlotte leapt to her feet. “It was my fault,” she said to Lena when she walked into the kitchen. “I was supposed to be keeping an eye on the bread, and I went upstairs, and . . .”

“It is a small thing, Mary. I'm going to rest. Hannah, maybe make chicken salad for lunch. And don't forget to leave the chopped eggs on the side since Mary doesn't like them.” She waved over her shoulder as she headed toward her bedroom.

“Mamm
, wait.” Hannah walked to where her mother
was standing. “What did the doctor say? Are you with child?”

Lena shook her head, barely smiling. “
Nee
, no baby. I'm just a little sick, and I need to rest.” She closed her bedroom door behind her.

“Well, that's
gut
news. I know a
boppli
would have been a blessing, but I would have worried about
Mamm
having one at her age.”

Charlotte waited until the bedroom door shut before she spoke. “There are two loaves of burnt bread on the porch, and the whole downstairs is still smoky . . .” She paused, tipping her head to one side. “But your mother sure didn't have much reaction about it. She must really feel bad.”

“I know,” Hannah said softly as both she and Charlotte stared toward the bedroom door. Then Charlotte had a horrible, selfish thought.
No bread today.

“I guess I need to get cleaned up and call a driver. I'm meeting my friend for supper tonight.”

“Ach
, I remember.” Hannah sighed as she folded her hands in front of her. “Your friend is going to think we've treated you badly.” She nodded at Charlotte's hands. “Where are you meeting him?”

“In Lancaster. I think that's about twenty minutes by car from here, right? And he will take a cab from Harrisburg.”

“Harrisburg is a bit farther, maybe forty minutes. What restaurant?”

“Um . . . I have it written down upstairs. Blue something. Blue . . .”

Hannah gasped. “You're not meeting him at Blue Pacific, are you?”

“Yes.” Charlotte smiled. “That's it. What's wrong with Blue Pacific?”

Hannah stepped closer and touched Charlotte on the arm. “You mustn't eat there.”

“Oh no. Is it bad?” Charlotte tried to straighten her hands a little bit more beneath the bandages, but cringed and hoped Lena had more miracle goop in the fridge.

Hannah brought her hand to her side, raised her chin a bit, and stood taller. “Well, it is said to be one of the finest restaurants in Lancaster County, but you still don't want to eat there.”

Charlotte narrowed her eyebrows. “Why not? Because it's expensive?”

“I don't know about that, but what I do know is . . . they don't cook much of their food.” She shriveled her face up as her eyes grew wide.

“Raw food? Oh, you mean they serve sushi?”

“Nee
, they serve
raw
fish!”

Despite the fact that her hands burned, she laughed. “I'm really going to miss you, sweet Hannah. Sushi is a type of raw fish that's considered a delicacy in the English world. It'll be fine, I promise.”

Hannah was still scowling. “Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you.”

Charlotte went upstairs to get ready. She had so much more to tell Ryan, and she'd sensed that there might be more to this date than just a friendly dinner. She was eager to find out.

Fifteen