Anna's Healing (42 page)

“She said that?”

“
Ya
, and she also said she knew there's more than this.”

“This?”

“This life. There's something after it. There's heaven.”

“Karen told you that?”

“She did.” Anna pulled her knees up under her dress and encircled them with her arms.

“We've never actually prayed together. You know? Except when we went to church—mostly on holidays like Easter and Christmas. Seemed life always kept us too busy. But Karen… she's always been one to read the Bible.”

“You should talk to her, Spence. While you can. Make your peace with her passing. Tell her how much you love her, and that you're ready to let her go. I read somewhere that folks need to hear that.” Peggy brushed at her own tears, and then she heaved herself to a standing position.

“Where are you going?”

“To take this girl home.”

Spencer shook his head and stood as well. “I brought her here. I'll take care of it.”

Anna hopped to her feet. Could she believe what they were saying? Were they actually going to take her home?

Peggy opened a coat closet and removed her purse from the top shelf. “I have a feeling you wouldn't get far with as much surveillance as they have now. Cameras are on every road. An older white male and an Amish girl are going to get pulled over immediately. You'd be in jail faster than I can snap my fingers. I expect they know the direction you went and have sent out an alert to all agencies.”

“But—”

“I'll do this, Spence. Let me do it—for you and for Karen.”

Spencer studied the floor, which Anna supposed was his way of agreeing.

“Come on, honey.” Peggy motioned Anna toward the front door.

As they were hurrying to the white car, Spencer's head popped out of the motor home. “Do you even know where you're going?”

“I have your cell phone, and I've already looked up the route. The phone is fully charged, and my gas tank is full.”

Anna had reached the passenger side and opened the door. Peggy
touched the handle on the driver's door, but she didn't open it. Instead she turned to give Spencer one last piece of advice. “Go and sit with Karen. Stop trying to fix this and tell her how you feel. She already knows, but it will make her happy to hear it.”

She ducked into the car, put the key in the ignition, and turned it. The engine roared to life.

“Ready, honey?”

“
Ya
. I am.”

“Good. Let's get you home.”

CHAPTER 64

T
he ride back to Oklahoma was a completely different experience than the ride down to Texas. Anna realized she must have been in shock before. She'd noticed very little. This time she read the many signs they passed.

Leaving Texas—Drive Friendly, The Texas Way

Red River

Welcome to Oklahoma, Discover the Excellence

McAlester, Exit Here

Eufaula Lake, Next Exit

Muskogee

She must have seen the same signs in reverse on the way down, but they hadn't registered in her mind. Now she craned her neck to see dark hills barely illuminated by the car's headlights. She was surprised to see so much traffic in the middle of the night, much of it truckers but some families too. They stopped at an all-night gas station.

“Let me get the key to the restroom. If you go inside, I have a feeling we'll be detained here for the evening.”

Anna nodded in agreement. For some reason she trusted Peggy. Perhaps it was the firm, honest way she'd spoken to her brother, or it could have been the fact that she'd offered to make the drive to Cody's Creek. They all knew that she was putting herself directly in the police's path. She had sacrificed herself for Spencer so that he could spend a few precious final moments with Karen.

Anna was moved by that love and sacrifice.

It had never occurred to her what other families were going through, how much they cared for, hurt for, and prayed for one another. She'd been pretty consumed by the drama of her own life—for the past year because of the accident, but even before that. When she'd first moved to Oklahoma, her biggest problems had been boredom and a general sense of aimlessness. They had seemed huge issues to the girl she used to be. But she saw now that life was precious, and each day was a gift.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted to live the life she'd been given, and it didn't matter anymore whether it was in a wheelchair or not. What mattered was who she spent her time with.

Peggy kept the radio turned low to a station that played country music. Anna recognized some of the tunes from shopping in town. Often stores had such music playing over the speakers. She even recognized one singer—George something. His voice was low and smooth and helped to calm her jitters. The lyrics filled the car—something about how he saw God today.

That idea bounced around in Anna's mind. What the singer said made sense. God was all around them. You could see Him in the colors as the sun sought the horizon over the hilltops. You could hear Him in the lyrics of a song. You could experience Him in the love that others shared. Love like that of Peggy for Spencer, Peggy and Spencer for Karen, and Karen for the two of them.

“Pull over,” Anna said.

“I thought you said I need to turn left at the next stop sign.”

“Pull over.” Anna had been giving Peggy turn-by-turn instructions as they had entered the outskirts of Cody's Creek. Now she directed her to a graveled spot on the side of the road, under a tall oak tree.

“Is something wrong? Do you need out of the car?”

“I do need out of the car, but nothing's wrong.” She turned and studied Peggy. It felt as if she'd known the woman much longer than she had. In Peggy's eyes, she saw the dawn of understanding.

“I don't mind taking you in, right up to the police barricade. It's
what I planned to do. Spence is going to have to turn himself in eventually unless I can convince them I'm the one who did it, and then—”

“I think there's another way.”

As Anna explained her plan, Peggy shook her head, causing her curls to bounce back and forth. When Anna had finished, she reached out a hand and squeezed her arm. “You don't have to do this.”

“It's not a hardship for me. My uncle's place is a little over a mile from here. It's an easy walk.”

“Coming from a girl who was in a wheelchair last week.”

“All the more reason to enjoy walking down a country road as the sun comes up.”

Peggy looked out the front window and tapped her fingers against the wheel. “Why would you do this after we've disrupted your life? After we scared you half to death, and don't deny you were scared. I saw your expression the minute you walked into the motor home. Your eyes darting here and there looking for an escape hatch.”

Anna laughed. Now that she'd made up her mind, she knew her plan was the right thing to do. “I was scared, but that was before I knew you or Karen. And even Spencer is not all that dangerous. His love for his wife made him do things he wouldn't normally do.”

“He's never listened to reason where Karen was concerned.”

“But he listened to you.” Anna opened the door and got out of the car.

To her surprise, Peggy wrestled herself out from behind the steering wheel and walked over to her. The big woman enfolded her in a hug. Anna inhaled the scent of the shampoo she used. Peggy had already sacrificed a lot for Spencer's wife, and she'd been willing to sacrifice a lot more. The depth of folks' love sometimes amazed Anna. She stepped back and waved her toward the car.

“Better get going. I'll give you fifteen minutes before I start walking. That should give you plenty of time to reach the interstate.”

“Thank you.”

“Please tell Spencer I'll be praying for him and Karen.”

Peggy nodded, wiped at her eyes, and then climbed into the car.
It took her three tries to turn the vehicle around on the small country road. Anna stood staring at red taillights. She sat on a tree stump and gradually became aware of the freshness of the morning air, the sound of the breeze through the cornstalks behind her, and the call of one bird to another.

When she was sure fifteen minutes had passed, she stood and began to walk home.

CHAPTER 65

J
acob had already taken care of the animals in the barn. He was checking on the horses in the far pasture when he looked up and saw a small form walking down the road. As he watched, his pulse beat faster and his hands began to sweat. He forgot about the apple he was feeding to the horse. He dropped it on the ground and walked toward the fence.

Now he could see that it was a woman. He could make out the dress and apron and
kapp
as she drew closer. The woman was definitely dressed in Sunday clothes, not workday clothes. The same clothes Anna had been wearing the last time he'd seen her. He began to run toward her, hoping and praying but afraid to believe, and then she raised her hand in a wave.

His Anna, waving at him as if it were any summer morning.

As if his life hadn't just changed, again.

He ran faster. The fence didn't stop him. When he reached it, he scrambled over the top. To the left, over the hill and out of sight, were the long line of cars and spectators. To the right was Anna.

He scooped her up in his arms, twirling her around, and holding on to her as tightly as he dared. She was laughing, and that sound was sweet indeed. She was okay, and she was home.

“Let me down, Jacob. You're going to hurt your back.”

“With you? I could carry you home or anywhere else you want to go.” He set her on the ground, and gently framed her face with his
hands. “Oh, Anna. I was afraid I'd never see you again. I was afraid I hadn't told you often enough—”

“Told me what?” The familiar teasing look was in her eyes, but that didn't stop him.

“That I love you. I love you and I adore you and I want you here with me.”

Anna reached up and covered his hands with hers. “Jacob, I am here.”

“And you're safe?”

“I am. Can't you see? I'm fine.” She cocked her head to the side. “Did you just tell me that you
loved
me?”

“
Ya
. I suppose I did.”

She pulled his hands away from her face, but she didn't let go. “On a country road, before the sun has properly come up?”

“Best time for admitting such a thing.”

She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I happen to feel the same way, and you're right—I can't think of a better way to begin our day.”

Finally Jacob did what he'd dreamt of doing. He pulled her closer and kissed her on the lips. He had loved Anna for so long, and imagined this moment so many times, that he was surprised to find the reality of it was even better than the anticipation.

As the sun pierced the horizon, bathing them in its glow, he remembered—suddenly—the horror of the last twelve hours. Pulling her toward some large rocks along the side of the road, he sat down and she sat beside him, their mood suddenly quite serious.

“Chloe and I were so frightened. Your
mamm
, she said not to worry. She said
Mammi
was right and that God had a plan for you. But I was so scared, Anna.”

“I was scared too, at first.”

“What happened?”

“It's a long story.”

Jacob glanced around. “I'm in no hurry.”

But now Anna was worrying her thumbnail. “And I want to tell you all of it, but first there's something I need to do.”

“What is it? Anything you need. I'll help you.”

“Walk with me?”

He nodded. They stood and made their way down the road, approaching the line of spectators. He could have helped Anna over the fence back where he'd first seen her. She'd have been able to go up to the house undetected. But somehow, he knew the thing she needed to do involved going through the front barricade.

The crowd was beginning to move about. Some people had slept in their cars. That still made no sense to Jacob. What were they waiting for? Why were they still here? Others had pitched tents and slept in those. Still others were arriving. Apparently they'd found lodging in town or maybe even in Tulsa. He'd heard the officers say that folks were making the daily trek from area hotels. He'd heard them say that perhaps when the money ran out, the crowds would thin and then the spotlight would be off Anna. In their opinion, it was all a waiting game.

But they didn't have to wait any longer. They suddenly realized that Anna was the girl walking past their cars.

“It's her. She's back!”

“Where has she been?”

“Why is she walking?”