The SILENCE of WINTER (9 page)

Jonah thought about the friendship he and Meredith had developed when they’d worked at a restaurant in the small community of Pine-craft, in Sarasota, Florida. Meredith had been seventeen then, and he’d been eighteen. They’d quickly become friends and after returning to their homes, had stayed in touch through letters, until Meredith wrote and said she was being courted by Luke Stoltzfus and that they were planning to be married. Jonah had been disappointed at first but consoled himself with the thought that Meredith deserved to be happy. He’d been hoping she might be the girl for him but had learned to accept it as God’s will when she’d fallen in love with someone else.

Meredith was slowly bringing some normalcy back into her life. At least, she was trying. She was most anxious to get things ready for the baby, which would probably keep her busy until the birth. She looked forward to her family coming over for supper this evening. It would be nice to take a break and spend time visiting with her parents and siblings—not to mention having someone to cook for other than herself. Grandma Smucker was coming, too, so they’d all be together like it had been before she and Luke got married.

Meredith was anxious to tell her family about her plan to start making head coverings. Except for the short time Dorine had been there, Meredith had been busy working around the house all morning and into the afternoon. As soon as the weather warmed, she planned to till the garden and uncover her flower beds. She would find a place to plant the bulbs Mom said she had for her. Several daffodils and tulips would add some color to her flower beds. She would also need to trim all the shrubs around the house, the way Dad had taught her to do several years ago, when she would walk around the yard helping him with spring cleanup. Those memories were probably why, to this day, she enjoyed working in the yard and around the house.

Thankfully she’d had no problems with her house except for a piece of siding that had blown off during one of the recent windy, snowy days. Dad said he would take care of that for her when they came over this evening.

Meredith planned to fix a big pot of sloppy joes for the meal, and she’d made a macaroni salad as well as a potato salad to go with it. Mom was bringing a chocolate cake—Dad’s favorite—and Grandma was bringing some of Meredith’s favorite ginger cookies.

Earlier, Meredith had browned the ground beef and sautéed the onions and green peppers, so all that was needed was to add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, a little mustard, ketchup, and a jar of mild chili sauce. She’d decided to prepare that in an hour or so, giving it plenty of time to simmer before supper. Until then, she thought she’d at least get a start on painting the baby’s room.

She had to get the ladder from the barn and carry it upstairs, and in hindsight, she wished she had asked Dad to help her with that the last time he was here.

Well, it was only this one project, and she had consoled herself with the fact that she would get some exercise carrying the ladder up those steps. It was still early in her pregnancy, and she wasn’t even showing yet, so it would be easier to do these things now, rather than when she was big and clumsy.

Meredith took her time carrying the ladder from the barn and across the yard. She had to put the ladder down a few times—first to close the barn door, and then again when she was on the porch, so she could open the back door and get the ladder inside.

“I could sure use an extra pair of hands right now,” she muttered, dragging the ladder into the house.

Next was the chore of getting the ladder up the stairs, and while maneuvering it, a sharp pain streaked across her middle just as she reached the top step. It startled her, and she had to stop for a minute and catch her breath. Meredith leaned against the wall, holding her stomach until the spasm finally subsided. Slowly, she made her way to the spare room and carefully set the ladder in the corner where she wanted to begin painting.

Standing back, she tried to visualize how the room would look once it had a new coat of paint on the walls and ceiling. Meredith knew the now-drab room would transform after the color had been changed. She couldn’t wait to get started.

It wasn’t a real big room, so Meredith was sure she could tackle the project herself. She’d decided on a light tan color, which would be good for either a boy or a girl. And since this room was right next to Meredith’s, it would be convenient for her to check on the baby.

While thinking about putting the baby’s crib in her room for the first couple of weeks, she bent down to open the can of paint she’d purchased at the hardware store the day before. She’d just gotten the lid pried loose when another pain shot through her stomach. Deciding that the painting could wait for now and realizing that she was in need of a break, she headed back downstairs.

Guess I overdid it carrying that heavy ladder in by myself,
she silently scolded herself.

Before sitting down to rest, she went to the kitchen and made some tea. Then she got out the kettle for simmering the sauce for the sloppy joes.

Another pain struck. She winced and stood motionless until it subsided.

Forgetting about the kettle she needed, she walked slowly to the living room to relax in her rocker with her cup of tea. She wouldn’t let her brain think about what her body was warning her of right now.
I hope this goes away before my family comes over this evening. They worry about me enough as it is.

A few minutes later, Meredith heard a knock on the door, and she slowly got up.

I wonder who that could be.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Jonah Miller standing on the porch. She hadn’t seen him in several years, but he looked much as she remembered him from before—same curly black hair, dark brown eyes, and a small cleft in the middle of his chin. Except for being a little older, Jonah had hardly changed at all.

“Wie geht’s?” Jonah asked, shifting from one foot to the other and leaning his hand on the door frame.

“Oh, Jonah, it’s so good to see you.” Meredith opened the door wider for him to enter. “I heard you were moving to Bird-in-Hand,” she said, without answering his question.

Jonah gave a slow nod. “Got here yesterday, and I wanted to stop by and say how sorry I was to hear about your husband.” He paused, and Meredith could see the sympathy he felt for her in his eyes. “If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

“Danki, I appreciate you coming over.” Meredith really wasn’t up to company right now, and she was about to say so, when another cramp came—this one much worse than the last. “Oh!” she gasped, doubling over from the pain. “I think I need to see a doctor right away.”

With no hesitation, Jonah scooped Meredith into his arms and placed her on the sofa. Putting one of the small decorative pillows behind her head, he calmly told her, “I’m going out to the phone shack to call 911. Don’t move or try to get up. Just lie here and rest. I’ll be right back.”

Trembling and fighting waves of nausea, Meredith drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Dear Lord,
she silently prayed, rubbing her hand over her still-flat stomach,
please don’t let me lose this baby. It’s all I have left of Luke.

New York Times
bestselling author, Wanda E. Brunstetter became fascinated with the Amish way of life when she first visited her husband’s Mennonite relatives living in Pennsylvania. Wanda and her husband, Richard, live in Washington State but take every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the States, where they have several Amish friends. Wanda and her husband have two grown children and six grandchildren. In her spare time, Wanda enjoys photography, ventrilquism, gardening, beachcombing, stamping, and having fun with her family.

Visit Wanda’s website at
www.wandabrunstetter.com
, and feel free to e-mail her at
[email protected]
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T
HE SAGA CONTINUES IN

    
The
H
OPE
of
S
PRING

C
OMING
A
PRIL
2013!