A Sister's Test (42 page)

“Do you think Abe’s going to be all right?” Grace asked, turning to face Ruth. “I saw him talking with Dad during the meal, and he’d hardly eaten a thing.”

Ruth sighed. “Abe’s been through a lot. First losing Alma, having his sister move back home, breaking his leg, and then Willis dying. I feel sometimes like I’ve been put through a series of dreadful tests, but it seems I’m not alone in that regard.”

Mom nodded. “You’re right. Troubles come to all, but that’s when we need to grab hold of God’s hand and hang on tight. It’s the only way we can get through the trials life brings our way.” She smiled as she released a sigh. “One thing I’ve learned over the years is that trials can lead us to greater blessings and help us look forward to heaven.”

“If Alma were still alive, she would be able to help Abe through this difficult time. It has to be so hard for him to raise his kinner alone and then be faced with something as horrible as losing one of them,” Grace put in.

Ruth thought about her impromptu suggestion that Abe marry her, and she cringed.
What must he think of me for being so brazen? Should I say something—apologize for making such a bold implication?
She drew in a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time. It would be better to wait until Abe wasn’t grieving so much. For now, the best thing she could do was take good care of his children.

“That was one of the saddest funerals I’ve ever been to,” Martha commented from her seat at the back of her father’s buggy. “Sure don’t know how Gideon’s going to deal with the loss of his brother.”

“Gideon?” Dad said sharply. “What about Abe? Didn’t you see how much he was hurting? He barely said two words today, and I couldn’t get him to eat a thing.”

“Abe and his family will miss little Willis, but Ruth will be there for the kinner. And you’ll be there for Abe, same as you were when Alma died.” Mom reached across the seat and patted Dad’s arm.

He nodded. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t help him if he won’t talk to me.”

“Give him time. He’s still in shock over losing Willis.”

“It was good to see so many of our English neighbors at the funeral, wasn’t it?” Martha asked.

“Jah, and your aunt Rosemary, too,” Dad said.

Martha smiled. She was glad Dad and his sister had patched things up.

“I had thought the Larsons might be there today,” Mom said. “But I guess Donna had a headache, and Ray had some kind of appointment in town.”

Dad shrugged. “Not all from our Amish community were there, either. That’s just the way of it sometimes.”

Martha thought about Luke, since he’d been one who hadn’t attended the funeral. For that matter, he hadn’t been at Martin’s funeral or Alma’s, either. Was it possible that he had an aversion to funerals? Or did he think it was best to stay away since he was still going through rumschpringe and hadn’t joined the church? Luke had told Martha once that his parents and the church leaders were after him to settle down and make a decision about getting baptized and joining the Amish church. Martha didn’t understand why he kept putting it off. She’d joined the church soon after her sixteenth birthday and had no regrets. She couldn’t help but wonder if Luke planned to leave the Amish faith. But if that were true, why hadn’t he already? What was he waiting for?

“Ach! Someone’s horses are out,” Mom shouted as they rounded the bend near their home and found several horses trotting down the road.

“Those animals are mine!” Dad halted the horse and handed the reins to Mom.

“What are you going to do?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“I’m getting out so I can round up the horses.”

“Without a rope?”

“There’s one here in the back,” Martha said. “Want me to help you, Dad?”

“Jah, that’d be good,” he said as he climbed down from the driver’s seat.

Martha grabbed the rope and stepped out, too, while Mom headed their buggy up the driveway.

The next several minutes were chaotic as Martha and her father raced up and down the road, chasing the horses. Dad finally caught one and started up the driveway. “Maybe the others will follow,” he called to Martha.

She waved her hands and blocked one of the mares from going the opposite way. She finally got the animal to follow the gelding Dad was leading. After that, the other four horses trotted in behind, and Martha took up the rear in case one of them tried to head back toward the road.

By the time they got to the barn, Martha was out of breath. When she heard Mom holler, her knees almost buckled.

“What’s wrong, Judith?” Dad called.

Mom stood trembling on the grass. She pointed across the yard where more than a dozen chickens lay dead. “Someone’s been here while we were gone, Roman. Look what they’ve done!”

“Go inside and wait there,” Dad called to Mom. He looked over at Martha with a panicked expression. “We’ve got to get the horses put away first thing.”

Martha glanced back at her mother. The poor woman was screaming and waving her hands. “Wh–what about Mom? Can’t you see how upset she is over the chickens?”

“She’ll be all right. Your mother’s a strong woman.” Dad cupped one hand around his mouth while hanging on to the rope with the other hand. “Judith, go into the house and wait for us there!”

Martha wasn’t so sure about her mother’s strength. Each attack they’d suffered seemed to make Mom more jittery than the one before.

“Martha, schnell!” Dad shouted. “We need to get the horses into the corral!”

Martha sent up a prayer on her mother’s behalf and herded two horses through the corral gate while Dad got the other four.

When they were safely inside and the gate had been locked, Dad released a deep moan. “The horses didn’t open that gate themselves. Someone did it on purpose.”

I
n the weeks that followed, Ruth tried to reach out to Abe, but he didn’t respond. He seemed to have pulled into a shell, and the friendship they’d previously established seemed all but gone. Was it because Abe was grieving the loss of his son, or had Ruth’s bold suggestion of marriage caused the distance he’d put between them? She still hadn’t felt led to ask.

Then there was the situation at home. Mom had been a ball of nerves ever since they’d returned home from Willis’s funeral and found their horses running free and dead chickens lying on the lawn. This time Dad had phoned Sheriff Osborn, but when one of the sheriff’s deputies came out to look things over, Dad was told that there was no evidence linking anyone to the attack and that nothing could be done. Dad kept saying that they needed to keep trusting the Lord and that in time God would punish the offender.

I know it’s wrong to seek revenge, but I hope whoever’s responsible for killing Martin and doing such terrible things to my family is caught and brought to justice,
Ruth thought as she stood at the gas stove, stirring a pot of soup for Abe’s lunch.

She moved from the stove over to the window. Abe’s older children had gone to school this morning, and Molly and Owen were playing in the living room, so the yard was empty and quiet. Abe, though still hobbling on crutches, had gone back to work in the harness shop. Ruth had tried to talk him out of it, knowing he couldn’t do much with his leg still in a cast and him barely able to function because of his grief. But Abe said there was too much work for Ivan to do alone
and that he needed to support his family.

Ruth knew from a few things she’d overheard Abe say to her father that Abe was not only missing Willis but also battling a sense of bitterness toward Gideon for not watching his brother. To Ruth, Abe had said none of those things. He seemed to be avoiding her. Whenever they were in the same room, he only spoke if she asked him a question.

Ruth sighed and glanced at the clock on the far wall.
If only I could turn the hands on that clock back to a more joyful time—when my family wasn’t under attack; when Alma, Martin, and Willis were still alive; when the future looked bright and hopeful. Would I do things differently if I were given a second chance?

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision.
If only people would learn to make the most of each precious moment. No one knows when a tragedy might occur or a loved one will be snatched away.

A loud crash, followed by a child’s wail, jolted Ruth’s thoughts back to the present. She dashed into the living room and discovered that the potted plant that had been sitting on a table near the window had fallen to the floor. Broken pieces of the clay pot, dirt, and chunks of green foliage lay on the floor. Molly sat in the middle of it all, sobbing her heart out. Owen stood off to one side, pointing at the plant and shaking his head.

Knowing the first order of business was to get the children out of the room so she could clean up the mess, Ruth bent over to pick up Molly. Just as she reached for the child, a painful spasm gripped her back. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the floor.

“Ach! Owen, run out to the harness shop and get Ivan,” she panted. “I don’t think I can get up.”

Rosemary stepped into Roman’s shop and spotted him sitting at his desk with his lunch pail before him. “Looks like I got here at the right time,” she said with a smile. “At least I’m not disturbing your work today.”

“Nope, you’re sure not. Cleon went home to have lunch with Grace, and I’m eating in peace and quiet,” Roman said around a mouthful of
sandwich. He nodded to the wooden stool near his desk. “I’ve still got plenty in my lunch box if you’d like to join me.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve already had lunch. I will sit a few minutes, though.” Rosemary scooted the wooden stool over to his desk and took a seat.

“Is there something on your mind,” he asked, “or is this just a friendly visit?”

“A little of both.”

He tipped his head and gave her a questioning look.

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Actually, I came to say good-bye.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You’re going back to Idaho?”

She nodded. “Ken’s found a buyer for my house, so I need to go home and finalize the sale. Then I’ll have boxes to pack for my return trip here.”

He looked relieved. “You’ll be moving here permanently, then?”

“Yes. The little house I’ve been renting from the Larsons has an option to buy, and I think it will fit my needs. Once I’ve filled the place with my own things, it will seem more like a real home to me.”

“What about your son? Is he in agreement with you moving here?”

“I have Ken’s stamp of approval.” Rosemary smiled. “In fact, he and his wife plan to use some of their vacation time to help me move. It will give them a chance to meet all of you.”

“That would be nice. I’d like to get to know my nephew and his wife.”

Roman took a drink from his thermos. “How long do you think it will be before you get moved?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. A couple of months, maybe.”

“That’s not so long.”

She reached across the desk and touched his arm. “I’m sorry for all the pain I put my family through when I was gone all those years.”

He shook his head. “Apologies have already been said. No need to say ’em again. What counts is the now, not the past.”

“You’re right, and I plan to make the most of whatever time I have left on this earth.”