Plain Peace (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) (36 page)

“What’s wrong?”

The two women jumped at the sound of her voice. “Nothing,” Marianne said quickly, exchanging a glance with Carley.

“Everything’s fine,” Carley told Lucy. “You’ll just have to wait a bit longer for the surprise, that’s all.”

The two women were clearly in on a secret they didn’t want to share. And that was okay. A few months ago Lucy would never have been invited to an Amish wedding, much less been welcome at the home of a bishop. She felt honored just to be here. But she didn’t know what to think about this surprise. What kind of surprise could Carley have planned for both Lucy and Noah?

Whatever it was, Carley and Marianne sure were excited about it.

Anna waited at the bottom of the stairs while everyone assembled in the living room and beyond. Some Amish houses had panels that could be opened up to create one large room, but her grandparents’ house wasn’t like that, so they’d set up benches in the downstairs bedroom and even on the porch. Later those same benches would transform into tables for the wedding meal.

She didn’t notice her future in-laws walk up until they were right beside her. Cora looked beautiful, practically shining with happiness.
Mammi
had said that pregnancy does that to a woman—it makes her radiant. Anna loved that idea, and she couldn’t wait to have a child of her own.

John Hostetler was actually smiling, and as he leaned over and kissed Anna on the cheek, she silently thanked God for the healing powers that were surely working in that home. “We are so happy to have you joining our family,” he said. “May today be a blessed day. Today and always.”

Anna thanked him, then watched them walk away together. Her people weren’t big on public affection, especially the older ones, so she found it particularly touching to see John latch onto Cora’s hand.

Anna watched them walk up to Jacob in the crowd. He looked up, they locked eyes, and he broke out that smile that always made her stomach swirl. She couldn’t believe that this kind, responsible,
gorgeous
man would be her husband soon.

And as she looked around the room, she thought about all
the changes they’d all gone through the past few months.
Mammi
had finally stood up to her grandfather after years of hiding things from him. They’d almost lost
Mammi
when her diabetes got so bad. Her grandmother had become friends with an unlikely
Englisch
woman they’d all grown to care about. Jacob’s family was on the mend. And two weeks earlier Anna and Jacob had both been baptized, confirming their choice to live by the
Ordnung
in this peaceful community.

Even
Daadi
was making some changes. Though still strict, he was listening more and even softening his rules—a little. In return, people in the community were beginning to recognize what a loving and faithful leader he could be. And Sarah Jane Miller had made a recent visit to their house, saying she’d heard a nasty rumor that
Daadi
had practically killed her stepmother, Lizzie. “All rubbish,” she’d said, adding that she would set those in the community straight.

“It’s time.” Emma had come up behind her. She locked her arm in Anna’s. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Anna forced herself to peel her eyes away from her future husband. She walked with Emma to the front row of benches.

“I’m so happy for you,” Emma whispered as they took their seats.

Anna took a deep breath. “I can’t believe this day is finally here.” She reached into the pocket of her white apron and rubbed the flattened dime between her fingers. It didn’t have any magical powers, but it would always be a treasured keepsake.

The wish she’d made before leaving it on the railroad track that day had been fulfilled so beautifully.

But what about Jacob? Had his wish come true as well?

After the ceremony and the meal, Noah walked toward the barn, where he knew the men had gathered to tell jokes and sometimes smoke cigars. He missed those times. He’d felt uncomfortable about attending this wedding, since Bishop Byler had been the one to enforce his shunning and had almost caused his practice to go belly-up.

Noah was actually surprised that the bishop had allowed him in his home. But Lucy had told Carley that the bishop was going to be making some changes, and that one of them involved Noah.

He’d no sooner had the thought when he heard the bishop’s deep voice behind him. “I was hoping I would find time to talk to you.”

Noah turned to the tall, stooped man. “What about?”

“I want you to know that I will be making announcements to our congregation at the next worship service. Some of our people are letting their health go because they don’t want to go to any other doctor besides you.” He paused, stroking his gray beard. “Including
mei fraa
. So I will be allowing our community to seek your services.” He looked toward his house and rolled his eyes. “And it looks like other changes will be in order as well. My wife has seen to that.” One side of his mouth crooked up a bit before he walked away.

Carley came running up to him, her beautiful face glowing with excitement.

“The bishop just talked to me, so I know the surprise.” Noah kissed her on the cheek. “He’s going to let the people in his district come back to the clinic.”

“Oh, we suspected that.” She grinned. “But that’s not the surprise.” Noah recalled that the surprise was for Lucy too. He couldn’t imagine what his wife had up her sleeve.

“There’s your surprise.” Carley pointed to her left, and Noah grabbed his chest. “I can’t believe this.” He started walking toward the figure crossing the yard, speeding up as he got closer.

“Samuel!” He threw his arms around his brother and held on. Finally, he eased away and turned to his sister-in-law. “Lillian, it’s so good to see you. What a wonderful surprise this is.” Noah turned to Carley and pointed a finger at her. “Sneaky, sneaky. When did you all plan this?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to Samuel. “And where are Anna and Elizabeth?”

Lillian spoke up. “We left them with our dear friends, Martha and Arnold. The girls love staying there and, well, Samuel and I are thinking of this as a vacation.” Lillian giggled, and Noah couldn’t help but think of the day she arrived in Paradise so many years ago, a young girl without a clue about the Amish—or herself. She’d made a remarkable transformation and was a wonderful wife to Samuel, stepmother to David, and mother to Elizabeth and Anna, and even grandmother to David and Emily’s twins.

“We made plans last month when we heard about the wedding,” Samuel added. “Since we’ve known the Bylers all our lives, this was also a
gut
excuse to come see all of you too. We were supposed to be here for the wedding, of course, but our flight was delayed.”

“I’m just glad you’re here. It’s a wonderful surprise.” Noah hugged Samuel again, but as he looked over his brother’s shoulder, tears filled his eyes. He edged slowly toward his nephew as memories of the time they’d both spent in the hospital filled his mind.

“How’s that kidney of mine working?” He grabbed David and pulled him into his arms.

“Great,
Onkel
Noah. Just great.” Samuel’s son stepped back, and Noah looked him up and down, remembering the boy he’d watched grow up, the fifteen-year-old who had received Noah’s kidney. Then Noah spotted Emily. It had to be her. She was pushing a stroller with twins. How had so much time had gone by?

His two sisters walked up, and Mary Ellen and Rebecca were both grinning from ear to ear. Noah could barely see someone behind them, and when his sisters separated, he saw Katie Ann. Her face shone as she walked up to him and gave him a hug.

“We’re all together. This is just
wunderbaar!”

The word from Noah’s childhood came to him naturally, and he smiled at the comfort of it. But then he spotted Lucy standing off to the side, her eyes wide, staring at Katie Ann.

And he couldn’t help but wonder how
wunderbaar
she felt at that moment.

This is the big surprise?

Lucy stared at the Stoltzfus clan, thinking about Ivan. She didn’t dare approach them. Noah and Carley might have accepted her, but she felt sure the others didn’t, and she surely couldn’t face Katie Ann.

Lucy had felt so good about herself lately. But seeing Katie Ann reminded her of who she was, who she’d always be. A woman who’d had an affair with a married man. Who’d borne a child out of wedlock. The woman her mother told her daily that she was.

Glancing around, she scanned the area looking for Benjamin,
whom she’d last seen with Cora and Marianne. She wanted more than anything just to find him and go home. But she had come with Noah, Carley, and Jenna, so she was stuck here until they were ready to leave.

She was looking all around when she noticed Katie Ann walking toward her. Lucy automatically changed course to avoid her. But then Katie Ann called her name.

Lucy sighed. She owed it to the woman to stop and listen, though talking could never change what had happened. Lucy had already apologized several times, but apologies could only go so far. And neither of them would ever completely know why Ivan had done what he did. Or who he truly loved.

Lucy had always wondered if the house she lived in had really been meant for Katie Ann and Ivan, if they’d planned to reconcile. The house was completely different from what Lucy and Ivan had discussed, almost as if he had built it for someone else.

Katie Ann had told Lucy she’d never had any intention of reconciling with Ivan. But Lucy would always wonder if that had been on Ivan’s mind when he died.
Part of my penance, to have to always wonder
.

“Hello, Lucy.”

Katie Ann was as beautiful as ever, even with her plain clothes and no makeup. “Hi, Katie Ann.” Lucy could hardly look her in the eye.

“How have you been?”

Lucy swallowed hard as she wondered what the point of this was. Did Katie Ann want her to apologize again? Did she want to tell her what a horrible person she was? Lucy could handle that. She’d had lots of practice. “I’m fine. How have you been?”

“
Gut, gut
. Eli and I stay very busy with Jonas, Eli’s children, and all our grandchildren. We really love living in Colorado.”

“That’s good.” Lucy felt that scarlet
A
burning on her chest. She wished Katie Ann would just walk away. But no, things were about to get worse. Ivan’s two sisters, Mary Ellen and Rebecca, were walking toward them, and so was Lillian, Samuel’s wife. She recalled the way those women used to look at her when they’d run into her somewhere with Ivan. Or even without Ivan.

For a brief moment, she had to remind herself that the Amish were pacifists. This was not going to be like a playground fight, and there would be no pulling of hair or anything like that. Still, it was their job as Katie Ann’s relatives to put Lucy in her place. Again. She waited.

But they all greeted her with a smile. So did another woman who walked up to join them. “Lucy, do you know our friend, Sadie?”

Lucy shook her head. “Nice to meet you.”

Then another woman walked up. Lucy felt like she was standing in quicksand. And they were all going to watch her sink.

“This is my mother, Sarah Jane,” Lillian said. “Since you are part of the family, I thought it would be
gut
for you to meet everyone.”