A Sister's Hope (15 page)

Anna beamed. “Maybe next year, when I’m older, I’ll get to be an angel in the Christmas program.”

“Maybe you will.”

“Or maybe you’ll get to play the part of Mary,” Aunt Rosemary put in.

Anna’s eyes widened. “You think so?”

Aunt Rosemary nodded. “As well as you said that poem, I’m sure your teacher will consider you for a really good part.”

Anna’s smile stretched ear to ear as she reached for a biscuit and slathered it with butter.

Martha smiled, too. Aunt Rosemary had a special way with everyone in the family. It was a good thing she’d come back to Holmes County.

“Grace, why don’t you let Martha and me do the dishes?” Rosemary suggested when dinner was over and the women had begun to clear the table. “You worked hard preparing the meal, so I think you should go in the living room and enjoy being with your family before it’s time to put the children to bed.”

Grace hesitated but finally nodded. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, that does sound nice.”

“I don’t mind, do you?” Rosemary asked looking at Martha.

Martha shook her head. “Don’t mind at all.”

“Okay, danki.” Grace cleared the rest of the glasses from the table and headed for the living room.

Martha followed Rosemary over to the sink. “Can I ask your opinion on something?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve been wondering if I should give up on the idea of raising dogs and do something else.”

Rosemary smiled. “Are you thinking about getting married and raising a family instead of dogs?”

Martha’s face turned bright pink. “I’d need to find a man who was interested in marrying me first.”

“I wouldn’t think that would be a problem for someone as smart and pretty as you.”

Martha dropped the sponge into the pan of soapy water, and tiny bubbles rose to the ceiling. “I’ve never thought of myself as smart or pretty.”

“Then you’re not taking a close enough look.” Rosemary gave Martha’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Is there something you’d rather do than raise dogs?”

Martha shrugged. “I’ve thought about boarding dogs, but Dad hasn’t given his approval on that idea yet.” The color in her face deepened. “I’ve also considered grooming dogs, and the book Luke gave me says—” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “I mean—”

“Luke gave you a book on dog grooming?”

“Jah.”

“When was this?”

“Last night.” Martha’s voice lowered to a whisper. “He came over to our place after the folks were in bed and said he had something he wanted to give me for Christmas.”

“The book on dog grooming?”

Martha nodded as she sucked in her bottom lip. “Dad doesn’t want Luke to come around our place anymore, so he came over when he thought Mom and Dad would be asleep.

“I see.” Feeling the need to put Martha’s mind at ease, Rosemary said, “Your folks won’t hear about Luke’s visit from me.”

“Danki.”

“You know,” Rosemary said, “dog grooming might actually be something for you to consider.”

“Jah, I’m going to give it some serious thought, but I probably won’t do anything like that for some time. It would take awhile to learn everything, and it might take even longer to line up some customers.”

Rosemary picked up a dish towel and reached for the first plate, when a wave of nausea hit her. “Oh no,” she groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I might be coming down with the flu.” She raced out of the kitchen and headed straight for the bathroom.

Christmas Day dawned with snow lightly sprinkled on the ground and clinging to the trees like a dusting of powdered sugar.

Martha had just returned from Grace and Cleon’s place, where she’d gone to pick up her aunt. Since Aunt Rosemary had been so ill last night, Grace had insisted she sleep in their guest room. Thankfully, Aunt Rosemary was feeling a bit better, although she was still weak and shaky. Since Cleon’s parents were expecting Grace, Cleon, and the children for Christmas dinner, Martha had suggested she bring Aunt Rosemary home with her. Now she was upstairs resting in Grace’s old room. It wasn’t the Christmas they had planned, with dinner at Rosemary’s house, but at least none of them would have to be alone on Christmas Day.

As Martha scurried around the kitchen getting breakfast, she thought about Luke and the gift he’d given her. Since she didn’t want Mom and Dad to know he’d been here or that he’d given her a gift, she’d hidden the book in the bottom drawer of her dresser.

I hate sneaking around like this,
she thought ruefully.
I wish I felt free to tell Mom, Dad, and the rest of the family how much I care for Luke and that the two of us are working together to figure out who’s been attacking us.

“Do you need any help in here?” Ruth asked.

Martha whirled around. “Ach, Ruth, you scared me.”

“Didn’t you hear my slippers scuffling down the hall?”

“No, I was deep in thought.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing much—just Christmas and such.”

Ruth sighed and took a seat at the table. “With Dad and Mom just getting over the flu, and now Aunt Rosemary coming down with it, this isn’t much of a Christmas, is it?”

“It’s not the worst Christmas we’ve ever had.”

Ruth slowly shook her head. “No, it’s not. Last Christmas was the worst.”

When Martha saw the sorrowful look on her sister’s face, she wished she could take back what she’d said. She hurried across the room and took a seat beside Ruth. “I’m sorry, Ruth. My words were not the best choice, and—”

Ruth held up her hand. “No need to apologize. I can’t expect everyone to walk on eggshells because of me. I’m just a bit oversensitive right now.”

Martha gave Ruth’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I understand. It’s not easy to lose someone you love, and when their death occurs on a holiday, every time that holiday comes around, it’s a painful reminder of what you lost.”

Ruth leaned over and gave Martha a hug. “When did my little
schweschder
get to be so
schmaert
?”

Martha patted Ruth’s back and said, “I think maybe being around my two big sisters so much is what’s made me smart.”

When Ruth pulled back, tears clung to her eyelashes. “I think maybe being around Aunt Rosemary has made us all a little smarter, don’t you?”

“She does have some pretty good advice.” Martha glanced at the door leading to the hallway. “Not that Mom’s not schmaert; she’s taught us plenty of things. It’s just that Mom tends to be kind of emotional about certain things. I think maybe it clouds her judgment sometimes.”

Ruth tipped her head. “Are you thinking of anything in particular?”

“Not really. It’s just that whenever I try to talk to her about anything, she never sees things my way and starts getting all emotional.”

“You mean the way she gets when she thinks you spend too much time with your dogs?”

Martha nodded. “I don’t think either Mom or Dad understands why I keep trying to get my kennel business going, in spite of the setbacks I’ve had.”

“I would think Dad should understand. Look at the setbacks he’s had with his woodworking business, yet he keeps on going.”

“Speaking of going. . .” Martha rose from her chair. “We need to get breakfast going so you can get ready to spend Christmas Day at Abe’s.”

Ruth smiled. “I am looking forward to that. Thanks to Aunt Rosemary’s good counsel, I’m also looking forward to my wedding day in a few weeks.”

A
s Martha sat on a wooden bench inside Grace and Cleon’s house, watching Ruth and Abe say their vows, she was filled with mixed feelings. The look of contentment she saw on Ruth’s and Abe’s faces made her happy, but she couldn’t keep her jealousy at bay.
Will I ever know the kind of love my sisters share with their husbands?

Martha glanced across the room to where the men and boys sat. She spotted Luke sitting beside his cousin Raymond. At least he hadn’t missed Ruth’s wedding because of work. Although if Luke was going to miss any wedding, Ruth’s would be the one, since he and Ruth had dated for a while.

Martha watched Luke’s expression for any sign of jealousy over Ruth marrying Abe but couldn’t detect anything. Luke stared straight ahead with a placid look on his face.

At one time, Ruth had thought Luke might be the one attacking their family. She’d even believed it was Luke’s truck that had rammed their buggy last Christmas Eve. After Ruth had learned that, except for a quick trip to borrow something from a neighbor earlier in the day, Luke had been home that evening, she’d seemed to accept that he couldn’t have been responsible for Martin’s death. Ruth’s close relationship with Aunt Rosemary and falling in love with Abe had helped heal her broken heart and given her a sense of peace and purpose in life.

Martha glanced over her shoulder. Aunt Rosemary sat beside Cleon’s mother, Irene. Martha was glad Aunt Rosemary felt well
enough to be here today. She’d come down with a bad cold after her bout with the flu.

Aunt Rosemary gave her a smile and a nod. Martha smiled in return. Having Aunt Rosemary living nearby had not only been good for Ruth but also for everyone in the family. Dad seemed mellower when Aunt Rosemary was in the same room. Mom and Grace related well to her, too. Martha had discovered that she and her aunt had one important thing in common—they both wanted to find out who was behind the attacks that had been done to her family.

Rosemary was about to head for Roman’s place, where the wedding meal would be served, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned.

A tall Amish man with faded blond hair and piercing blue eyes gave her a slanted grin. “Well, if it isn’t my little sister who ‘yanked over.’ Roman said you’d come home.”

Rosemary had heard that the Amish who lived in Geauga County referred to Englishers as
Yankees
and that when an Amish person left the faith, it was said that he or she had
yanked over
. Her mouth went dry. The man who stood before her was none other than her brother who lived in Geauga County. “Walt? Is. . .is it really you?”

He nodded. “Came down for Ruth’s wedding.”

Rosemary wanted so badly to give her brother a hug, but she thought it might not be appreciated. So she smiled and said, “It’s good to see you again, Walt.”