A Sister's Hope (27 page)

A
s Luke sped out of his parents’ driveway, his emotions dipped like a roller coaster. Why wouldn’t Pop believe him? Why hadn’t he been able to find out who was responsible for the attacks against the Hostettlers? Should he give up looking for clues? Should he sell his truck and join the church? Would it be better for all if he forgot about being Amish and became English?

He gripped the steering wheel until his fingers started to throb.
If I jump the fence and go English, I’ll have no chance with Martha.

By the time Luke arrived at John’s shop, he’d made a decision. He needed to continue trying to find out who was behind the Hostettler attacks, which would clear his name with Roman. Then, and only then, would he make the commitment to join the church.

When Luke entered the shop, John looked up from the paperwork he was doing and pointed to the clock sitting on his desk. “You’re half an hour late, Luke. Did another buggy wheel fall off?”

“Not this time. I drove my truck this morning.”

“Did it break down on the way here or what?”

“No. I had a disagreement with my folks.” Luke yanked the stocking cap off his head and tossed it on the closest workbench. “It was mostly with my dad, I guess.”

“That made you late to work?”

Luke nodded. “My dad wants me to sell my truck and join the Amish church. He said if I didn’t, I’d have to move out. So I left.”

John’s eyebrows lifted high on his forehead. “You mean you moved
out of your folks’ house?”

“That’s right.” Luke released a gusty sigh. “Guess I’ll have to sleep in my truck until I can find some place to live.”

John scrubbed a hand over his clean-shaven chin. “I suppose I could set up a cot for you in the back room. The sink and toilet would give you the basic necessities. I’ve also got a small microwave and a hot plate I could let you use.”

“You’d really do that for me?”

“You need somewhere to stay. I can’t have my best employee living out of his truck, now can I?”

“What do you mean, John? I’m your
only
employee.”

John chuckled. “That’s right, and since we’ve got a lot of work to do today, I think we’d better quit chewin’ the fat and get busy, don’t you?”

Luke nodded and grabbed a leather work apron from the nail near his workbench. “Thanks, John. Thanks for everything.”

As Martha headed for the barn, she spotted Ray Larson looking over at their place with his binoculars again. She had plenty of time this morning, so maybe she should find out what their neighbor found so interesting.

She hurried across the pasture separating their place from the Larsons’, and when she reached the other side, Ray trained his binoculars on her. “ ’Morning, Martha. What brings you over to our place?” he asked with a smile.

“I was heading to the barn to feed my dogs when I noticed you leaning over the fence with your binoculars. I wondered what you were looking at.”

He lowered the binoculars. “I was studying an unusual bird that flew toward your place. Haven’t seen one like it around here before, and I wanted to get a better look.”

“What did the bird look like?”

“It had an orange head and a black body.” Ray scratched the side of his head. “No, I think its head was more of a yellow color.”

Martha opened her mouth to comment, but Ray rushed on.

“I checked my bird identification book, and the closest I’ve been able to come to what I saw is the yellow-headed blackbird. But those birds are usually found in marshy areas, and I’ve never seen one around here.” He looked right at Martha. “You didn’t happen to see it, did you?”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t looking for birds this morning. I was focused on getting my dogs fed.”

“Speaking of your dogs, how’s the kennel business doing these days?”

“Not so well. I placed an ad in the paper, and there’s a sign out by the road, but so far, I haven’t sold any of Heidi’s or Polly’s puppies.” Martha thought about telling Ray about the incident with the English couple who’d come to look at puppies but decided it was best left unsaid. No point in giving Ray, who had a tendency toward gossip, something to spread around the neighborhood.

“That’s too bad,” Ray said with a shake of his head. “We’ve been real happy with the dog we bought from you. I would think anyone buying one of your pups would be satisfied, too.”

Martha sighed. “Guess I’ll have to keep trying.”

He smiled. “That’s right. I never did like a quitter.”

Martha turned toward home. “I’d better get to the barn and feed those dogs, or they’ll be yapping up a storm.”

“Tell your folks I said hello,” Ray called.

“I will,” Martha said with a farewell wave.

Sometime later, with the dogs fed and watered, Martha stepped out of the barn, relieved that she’d found no messes this morning and that all the dogs had been in their cages. She was about to head for the house, when a dark blue car came up the driveway. She didn’t recognize the vehicle or the middle-aged man with thinning brown hair who got out of the car. She walked up to him and was about to ask if he was looking for her father’s woodworking shop, when he spoke first.

“I’m here to see my granddaughter. Is she at home?”

Martha squinted.
Granddaughter?
She figured the man must be lost.
“What’s your granddaughter’s name? If she lives around here, I probably know her and can give you directions to her house.”

“Her name’s Anna, and she lives with her mother, Grace.”

Martha’s mouth fell open. “Are. . .are you Carl Davis?”

He nodded.

Martha knew Carl Davis was the father of Grace’s deceased English husband. He was the one who’d brought Anna to live with Grace almost two years ago. Martha hadn’t been home at the time, so she’d never met the man in person; Grace had told her and the rest of the family how Carl’s wife had died and that he’d been having health problems and had decided Anna would be better off with her mother.

“Is Anna here or not?”

Martha shook her head. “She’s in school today.”

“What time will she be home?”

“Later this afternoon.”

“What about Grace? Is she at home?”

Martha’s heart began to pound. Except for a few letters and some gifts Carl had sent to Anna, he’d never made any other contact or come to visit the child. Martha knew from what Grace had said that she was glad he hadn’t come around. It would have probably confused Anna, or maybe made her want to go back to live with the man she called “Poppy.” Grace had lost Anna once, after her husband’s death when his parents had taken Anna to live with them. Martha knew it would break her sister’s heart if she lost Anna a second time.

She shifted uneasily, not knowing how to respond to Carl’s question. It wouldn’t be right to lie, but if she told Carl where Grace lived and he went over there demanding to take Anna away, Grace would be devastated.

“Did you hear what I said? I’d like to see Grace,” Carl persisted.

Martha pointed to the driveway leading to Grace and Cleon’s house. “Grace and her husband live up there now.”

A look of relief spread over Carl’s face. “Thanks. I’ll leave my car parked here and walk up.”

Martha wished there was some way she could warn Grace that Carl was coming. Maybe she should walk with him to Grace’s house.
At least that way, she’d be there to offer Grace some support.

“I think I’ll walk along,” she said as Carl started up the driveway.

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Grace had just diapered Daniel and put him down for a nap when she heard the back door open and close. She knew it couldn’t be Anna, because she was at school. It wasn’t likely to be Cleon, either, since he and Dad had a backlog of orders right now and were hard at work in Dad’s shop in the barn.
It must be Mom or Martha.

“It’s me, Grace,” Martha called up the stairs. “Are you up there?”

“Jah, just putting Daniel down for his morning nap.”

A few minutes later, Martha entered the baby’s bedroom. A worried-looking frown creased her forehead.

“What’s the matter? You look upset.” Grace rushed to Martha’s side. “Please don’t tell me there’s been another attack.”

“No, but there’s someone downstairs, and I don’t think you’ll be too happy to see him.”

Grace’s mouth went dry and her palms grew sweaty. “Is it Gary Walker? Has he come back to Holmes County?”

Martha shook her head. “It’s Anna’s grandfather.”

Grace squinted. “Dad?”

“The other grandfather.”

“Carl Davis?”

“Jah. He pulled into our driveway as I was coming out of the barn, and he asked to see Anna.”

Grace’s legs wobbled, and she sank to the edge of her bed. “What did you tell him?”

“I said Anna wasn’t here, that she was in school.” Martha took a seat beside Grace. “Then he asked to see you, so I brought him up here.” She reached for Grace’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “He’s in the living room, waiting to speak with you.”

Fear gripped Grace like a vise, and she clutched her sister’s hand. “What does he want, Martha? Why, after all these months, has Carl come to Holmes County?”

“I don’t know. He only said he wanted to speak with you.”

Grace took a couple of deep breaths and tried to think. “What if he wants Anna back? What if he’s come to make trouble?” Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. “I couldn’t bear to lose my little girl again.”

Martha shook her head. “You’re not going to lose her. You need to go down there, listen to what the man has to say, and if it’s what you fear, then tell him in no uncertain terms that your daughter is staying with you.”

“When Carl first brought Anna back to me, I told him I would never give her up again.”

“Of course you won’t. You love Anna, and she’s happy here with you and Cleon.” Martha patted Grace’s arm. “Anna loves you. I’m sure she wouldn’t want to leave, even if Carl wanted her to.”

Grace drew in one more deep breath and rose to her feet. “I’d better see what he wants.”

“Do you want me to go with you or wait here with Daniel?” Martha asked.

“Daniel will be okay in his crib.” Grace managed a weak smile. “I’d like to have you with me for moral support.”

Martha nodded. “You’ve got it.”

When they entered the living room, Grace spotted Carl sitting on the sofa. He jumped up as soon he saw Grace and moved quickly across the room. “It’s nice to see you again,” he said, extending his hand.

Grace didn’t want to be rude, but it was all she could do to shake Carl’s hand. She motioned to the sofa. “Please, have a seat.”

He sat down, and Grace and Martha took seats in the chairs across from him.

“I’m surprised to see you.” Grace moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “I—I had no idea you were coming.”

“I wrote you a letter saying I was planning to come.”

Grace shook her head. “I’ve received no such letter.”

He shrugged. “It must have gotten lost in the mail.”

“How’s your health?” she asked, for want of anything better to say.
“Are you feeling better than the last time you were here?”

He nodded. “My doctor discovered that I had a yeast overgrowth throughout much of my body.”

“What was that caused from?” Martha asked, leaning slightly forward.

“I’ve had trouble with sinus infections most of my life,” Carl said. “Consequently, I’ve taken numerous courses of antibiotics, which not only killed the bad bacteria in my body but the good ones, as well. That’s how the yeast overgrowth began. But with proper diet and the right supplements, it’s under control. I’m feeling much better now.”

Grace was glad Carl’s health had improved, but she felt concern over why he’d come. “What are you doing in Holmes County?” she asked.

“I came to see Anna. I’ve missed my little girl something awful.”

“I missed her, too, when she was living with you and your wife and I had no idea how to find her.” Grace couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice, and she blinked several times against stinging tears.

“As I told you before, I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t right for us to keep Anna from you, but all that’s in the past, and it can’t be undone.

“I’m sure you’ve missed Anna,” Grace said, keeping her voice steady and low, “but I don’t want my daughter seeing you and getting confused about things.”