A Sister's Hope (7 page)

As Luke continued sanding, he thought about John and how easy he was to work for compared to Roman. He did wonder, though, why John made most of the deliveries himself. After all, Luke had a driver’s license.

Maybe John doesn’t trust me as much as I thought. He does know about those cabinets that fell off Roman’s wagon a few years back when I was making a delivery to Steven Bates. Maybe he’s afraid something like that will happen while I’m working for him.
Luke grimaced. He wondered if anyone trusted him these days.

The bell above the shop door jingled, and Luke looked up. His heart skipped a beat as Martha stepped into the room.

“Wie geht’s?” he asked with a smile.

“I’m doing okay.” She glanced around the room. “Where’s Flo? I didn’t see her outside anywhere.”

“John had some deliveries to make, and he took the dog along.” Luke shook his head. “When you first sold Flo to John, I thought the poor critter would never quit howling, but it didn’t take the dog long to warm up to John. Now she’s his constant companion.”

“As nice as John is, I’m surprised he doesn’t have a wife and houseful of kids by now.”

“Maybe he hasn’t met the right woman yet.”

“That could be.” Martha moved closer to Luke. “We missed you at Sadie and Toby’s wedding last Thursday.”

“I had to work that day,” he said with a shrug. “How’d the wedding go?”

“It went fine, but I’m sure Toby was disappointed that you weren’t there.”

“John has a lot of work going right now, and I didn’t think I could ask him for the day off.” Luke gave the table a few solid swipes. “Besides, I don’t think Toby really missed me.”

“Why do you say that? You and Toby have been friends since you were little.”

“Lately, I’ve begun to think Toby has it in for me.”

Martha’s forehead wrinkled. “You really think that?”

Luke nodded. “You heard the way he was goading me at the pizza place a few weeks ago. It’s like he’s got an axe to grind or something. Toby’s always been very competitive, and whenever I’ve done anything better than him, he’s gotten jealous.”

Martha leaned against a workbench. “So you think Toby’s trying to make you look bad?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him. Toby’s gone tattling to his daed more than once in the last few years about something I said or did that he didn’t like. If nothing else, I think he’s hoping I’ll get in trouble with my folks.” Luke dropped the sandpaper to the floor and stood. “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Toby’s connected to the attacks in some way and is trying to make it look like I’m the one responsible.”

“Do you think Toby’s capable of doing something so terrible?”

“I’m not sure, but I do know Toby likes to rattle me, and we can’t rule anyone out until we know for sure that they’re not involved.”

“I agree.” Martha moved away from the workbench and took a step closer to Luke. “Which is why I’ve made a list of suspects.”

Luke’s interest was piqued. “You’ve made a list already?”

“Jah. I started working on the list after we had pizza together.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and stared at the floor. “I added to it after what happened on Thursday.”

“What happened on Thursday?”

“You haven’t heard?”

He shook his head. “Since yesterday was an off-Sunday from church, I haven’t seen anyone who would have told me what’s been going on.”

Martha frowned. “When we got home from Sadie and Toby’s wedding Thursday evening, we discovered someone had egged our house and put a headless scarecrow on the front porch with a note pinned to it.”

Luke’s eyebrows pulled together. “What’d the note say?”

“It said: I
T’S NOT OVER YET
. B
E PREPARED FOR MORE
.” Martha’s frown deepened as she slowly shook her head. “Mom’s been on edge ever since. These attacks have gone on way too long. I don’t know how much more any of us can take.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you find out who’s responsible,” Luke said.

Martha’s face relaxed. “I’m relieved to know where you were last Thursday. If my daed suggests you had anything to do with last Thursday’s vandalism, I can tell him you were here working for John all day.”

Luke grimaced. “Is that why you came here today? To check up on me and see where I was during the wedding? Did you think I’d stayed away from the wedding so I could sneak over to your place and vandalize it? Is that what you thought?”

Martha dropped her gaze to the floor. “I didn’t really think that, but I needed to be sure.”

He sighed. “I guess everyone’s a suspect until proven otherwise, huh?”

“Jah.” She reached into the black handbag draped over her shoulder and pulled out a writing tablet. “If you really want to help, how about reading my list of suspects and telling me what you think?”

Luke nodded. “I’d be happy to take a look, but if my name’s on the list, I’ll have to scratch it off right away!”

As Ruth moved about Abe’s kitchen, trying to get breakfast on the table for his family, a feeling of weariness washed over her like a drenching rain. Although she tried to act as if nothing was bothering her when she arrived at Abe’s house each morning to help get his children ready for school, she’d felt drained ever since she and her family had gotten home from Sadie and Toby’s wedding last Thursday and discovered the vandalism. Each attack reminded her of the tragic event that had taken Martin’s life nearly a year ago. Despite her love for Abe and his children, she wasn’t sure she would ever completely get over Martin’s death.

Ruth shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Thanksgiving
was only a few days away, and despite the things that had been going on at her folks’ place, she really did have a lot to be thankful for.

“Are you feeling all right, Ruth?” Abe asked as he joined her in front of the stove.

“I. . .I’m fine. Just feeling kind of drained this morning.”

“Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?”

“I slept okay.” Ruth sighed as she stirred the eggs around in the pan.

A shadow of worry crossed his face. “Are you still fretting over what happened at your folks’ place?”

Ruth nodded as her throat constricted.

Abe touched Ruth’s arm, and she shivered when his warm breath tickled her neck. “I’ll be glad when we’re married. Then you won’t have to worry about being vandalized or threatened anymore.”

“That’s what Martin said before I married him, and look what happened.”

Abe’s fingers closed gently around her arm. “There are no certainties in this life, Ruth, but we must trust the Lord.”

“Jah, I know, and I’m trying to do that, but whenever another attack occurs, my faith begins to waver.” Ruth glanced over her shoulder and spotted Esta and Owen staring at her. Abe’s family had been through a lot in the last few years, too—first losing Alma when she was struck by lightning and then losing young Willis when he drowned in the pond. “Maybe we should talk about this later,” she said, keeping her voice low.

Abe nodded. “You’re right. We’ll continue this discussion after the kinner have gone to school.”

Ruth was tempted to remind Abe that he needed to go to work as soon as he’d finished breakfast, but she figured Ivan would probably open the harness shop if Abe wasn’t there right away.

“Papa, I can’t wait ’til you marry Ruth,” Esta spoke up from her place at the table.

“I’m looking forward to our wedding day, too.” Abe gave Ruth’s arm a gentle squeeze; then he returned to his seat at the table.

“After you’re married, we can all start calling Ruth
Mama
,” Esta
said with an enthusiastic nod.

Josh, Owen, and even Abe’s youngest child, two-and-a-half-year-old Molly, nodded, but Gideon, who’d just turned thirteen, sat staring at his empty plate. Was he unhappy about Ruth marrying his dad, or did the boy have something else on his mind? Ruth was on the verge of asking but changed her mind. If something was bothering Gideon, Abe would deal with it. She wasn’t in any frame of mind to deal with anything right now. It had taken all her energy just to show up for work today.

How am I going to handle things once Abe and I are married?
Ruth wondered.
Am I really ready to become Abe’s wife and mother to his five children?
She drew in a deep breath and tried to focus on the job at hand. She wished she felt free to tell Abe how she felt, but she didn’t want him to know the conflicting emotions swirling in her mind. He might not understand her doubts and take them to mean she didn’t want to marry him.
I wish Aunt Rosemary were here. She’s so easy to talk to and seems to understand me better than anyone.

No one in Ruth’s family had heard anything from Rosemary for the last few weeks, and Ruth had begun to worry that her aunt might not arrive in time for the wedding in January. She gripped the spatula as a feeling of trepidation crept up her spine.
If I don’t get some problems resolved in my mind, I’m not sure I can go through with the wedding.

A
re you getting tired, Ken? I’d be happy to drive for a while if you are,” Rosemary said as she leaned over the backseat in her son’s minivan and touched his shoulder.

Ken shook his wavy blond head. “I’m fine, Mom.” He nodded at his wife sleeping in the seat beside him. “Sharon’s the one who’s tired.”

Rosemary smiled. Her daughter-in-law had fallen asleep soon after they’d left their hotel this morning. Five days of traveling had taken its toll on all of them. She was glad Ken and Sharon had been able to take vacation time from their jobs at the bank in Boise. It would have been a long, lonely trip to Ohio if Rosemary had made it on her own. It had been much more pleasant riding in Ken’s minivan and having her own car towed behind the moving van she’d hired to move her things. She looked forward to introducing her son and his wife to her Amish family, and she was glad they would be able to share Thanksgiving dinner together.

“We should be in Holmes County by late afternoon,” Ken announced. “Do you want to go straight to the house you’ve bought, or do you want to see your brother and his family first?”

“Let’s drop by my house to see if the moving van’s arrived with my furniture and car, and then we can drive over to Roman’s place.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Rosemary leaned back in her seat and tried to relax as memories from the past crowded her mind. She’d only been eighteen when she’d
left home to try out the English way of life. Then she’d met fun-loving, charismatic Bob, and it had been love at first sight. They’d gotten married soon after and moved to Boise, Idaho. Rosemary had written a letter to her folks, letting them know where she was, but had never gotten a response. She’d written several more letters, but there was no reply. Finally, deciding that her family wanted nothing to do with her, Rosemary had quit writing. It wasn’t until shortly before Bob’s death that he’d confessed to intercepting those letters and throwing them away so she would have no contact with her Amish family.

Rosemary had always known Bob was the controlling type, but she’d never dreamed he would do anything that would sever the ties with her family in Ohio. It had taken Rosemary several months after Bob’s death to come to grips with what he’d done. Once she’d been able to forgive him, she’d made a trip to Ohio in the hope of being reconciled to her family.

Rosemary was anxious to see Roman and his family again and hoped nothing had changed between them while she’d been in Boise getting ready to move to Holmes County permanently. She only wished she’d been able to talk Ken and Sharon into moving there, too. But they both had good jobs at the bank in Boise and didn’t want to relocate. Since children were not in their immediate plans, they’d become committed to their careers.

Rosemary leaned closer to Ken. “Are you sure you’re okay with the idea of me moving to Ohio? I still feel bad about leaving you and Sharon.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I want you to be happy. If moving back to your birthplace does that, then you have my blessing.”

Rosemary touched his shoulder. “Thank you, Ken. It means a lot to know I have your support.”

“Of course,” he added with a chuckle, “that doesn’t mean I understand your desire to leave the modern world behind and live among the Plain people.”