A Baby for Hannah (13 page)

“This is
so
wonderful,” Miriam said, following with her suitcase. “And this is where Mom and Dad stayed when they visited last year. It’s exactly like Mom described it.”

“It was a great blessing that they were here over Jake’s ordination,” Hannah said. “None of us could have timed it any better.”

“A log bed! Oh, Hannah!” Miriam shrieked. “Did Jake make this?”

“
Jah,
a month or so ago.”

“So it wasn’t here when Mom and Dad visited?”

“No, we just had an old mattress frame then, since money was kind of tight.”

“I remember Mom saying that,” Miriam said, lifting her suitcase up on the bed. She turned and gave Hannah another hug. “I am so happy, Hannah. Happier than I’ve been in years. And to think my little sister had so much to do with it.”

“I’m glad,” Hannah said, returning the hug. “I’ll let you unpack while I start supper. Take as much time as you need.”

Hannah went into the kitchen and placed wood in the stove. It caught fire easily on the embers from the morning, the flame leaping to life, the smoke curling toward the back of the firebox and then up the chimney.

Supper would be simple tonight, even with Miriam here. There would be time later for more elaborate meal making. For tonight Miriam needed time to relax and get used to her surroundings after all the exuberance she was expending. Perhaps especially because of all the exuberance…

Starting work on a meat casserole, Hannah went out to the springhouse and, upon returning, found Miriam in the kitchen.

“Are you unpacked already?”

“Not quite,” Miriam said. “But I can’t stay cooped up in there while the sun is shining. I can finish unpacking after supper.”

“Then why don’t you go outside and look around? I can handle the supper preparations.”

“I have a better idea,” Miriam said. “Why don’t I help you get your casserole in the oven, and then we both can go outside. You can give me a guided tour.”

“I’m afraid there’s not much to give a tour of,” Hannah said with a laugh. “But it does sound like a good idea.”

“Decided then,” Miriam said, glancing at the recipe. Hannah showed her where the bowls were under the counter, and together they quickly finished the casserole.

“We’ll have to time the oven,” Hannah said, sliding the dish in. “What does the recipe say?”

“An hour and a half at three-fifty.”

“Then we have plenty of time,” Hannah said, shutting the oven door. “Come, we’ll start with the garden.”

“So you don’t have problems with deer?” Miriam asked as Hannah pointed out the sprouting rows of vegetables and corn.

“Not really,” Hannah said. “The deer stay mostly in the mountains. I guess they must have plenty of other things to eat. We did have a bear problem. Did Mom tell you about that?”

Miriam laughed. “They talked about it for months. That and this neighbor of yours who shot the grizzly. Mom and Dad seemed to think he was quite the decent man.”

“That’s Mr. Brunson. You’ll get to meet him while you’re here.”

“I think I’d rather meet this Dennis fellow you don’t want me to meet,” Miriam teased.

“If you do meet him, don’t ever say I didn’t warn you.”

“I won’t,” Miriam said as she bent over to pick a tiny flower from the edge of the pasture. “Now isn’t this cute?”

“It’s a purple geranium. I’ve noticed them in the pasture before.”

“Take a long sniff,” Miriam said, holding the flower up to Hannah’s face. “Isn’t that just the best perfume anyone could buy? I think I’ll rub my face with them on Sunday night when Dennis brings me here for our first date.”

“Don’t be silly,” Hannah said.

Both women glanced back toward the house at the sound of rattling buggy wheels.

“Is that Jake coming up the lane?” Miriam asked.

“That’s him!” Hannah said, a big smile spreading over her face.

“Oh my, he’s a minister now,” Miriam said with a shiver. “I haven’t seen him since he’s a minister. And here I was making plans to have my dates in a minister’s house. Maybe I’ll have to rethink that.”

“I think Jake approves of Dennis,” Hannah said, leading the way toward the barn. “At least a lot more than I do.”

“Then bless his shirt buttons,” Miriam said. “He’ll be a good minister then.”

“Stop your prattling and come tell Jake hello,” Hannah said.

As the two approached Jake, he spoke first as he pulled the horse to a stop by the barn. “Howdy! I see you’ve made it, Miriam. Has Hannah been keeping you entertained?”

“More than entertained I would say,” Miriam said. “She took me on a horseback ride at Betty’s place and showed me around your place. It’s so lovely here, and the countryside is absolutely awesome.”

“That’s
gut,
” Jake said, as Hannah helped him unhitch. “Is supper ready?”

“Almost,” Hannah said. “Are you hungry?”

“No more than normal,” Jake said with a laugh. “Let me get Joel into the barn and taken care of and I’ll explain.”

Hannah turned toward the house to see that Miriam had gone ahead of her and was already entering the kitchen door. When she arrived inside, Miriam had the casserole out on top of the stove, a slightly worried look on her face.

“Did we miss the time by that much?” Hannah asked. “Did I burn it to a crisp?”

Miriam shook her head, “I don’t think so. It might be browned a little extra, but nothing serious.” Her smile returned. “These woodstoves have got to be hard to regulate.”

“They are,” Hannah said. “But I usually succeed in not burning anything.”

“Well, your record is still intact, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“That’s
gut
because Jake wants supper early for some reason.”

“Then let’s get it on the table for him,” Miriam said, as the front door of the cabin opened.

“Hannah, may I talk with you for a minute?” Jake called from the living room.

“Go!” Miriam said, motioning with her hand. “I’ll get supper on the table.”

“I’ll be right back to help with the salad,” Hannah said over her shoulder. “The bread, butter, and jam are in the lower cupboard.”

Jake was sitting on the couch, his face deep in thought when she came up to him.

“Please sit down,” he said. “I have something to ask of you. Mr. Brunson stopped by today, and I told him you’d pay a visit to Mary Keim tonight.”

“Why?” Hannah asked, sitting down beside him.

“Because Mr. Brunson talked me into this. He wants to speak with Mary about their possible future relationship.”

“But Jake, you can’t do that. You know you can’t. It’s not fitting.”

He laughed nervously, “Perhaps I made this sound worse than what it is. Mr. Brunson seems to think he wants to join the Amish, but he’d like to speak with Mary first. To know her feelings…if she has any for him.”

“If any of this comes back to Bishop John—and it surely will—think of how it will sound. You giving an
Englisha
man permission to speak of marriage to one of our women. That will get you in so much trouble—more trouble than you’ve ever been in before.”

“But I promised Mr. Brunson.”

“I’m sorry, dear,” Hannah said, stroking his face. “But you have a very soft heart, and I think Mr. Brunson took advantage of you. Come, we have supper almost ready, and you can still eat early.”

“So you won’t go?” he asked, getting to his feet.

“I don’t think that would be for the best,” Hannah said. “Not for your sake, or my sake, or for the sake of the baby.”

“The baby,” he said, taking her gently in his arms. “I had forgotten about the baby.”

“We must think of him…or her. Your reputation—and mine and the baby’s—is at stake here.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he said, kissing her gently on top of the head.

Fourteen

Jake walked up the gravel lane toward Mr. Brunson’s place, squinting from the early morning sun in his eyes. The matter could have waited until Monday morning when Mr. Brunson came by the furniture shop, but he wanted it off his mind. He had promised the man something he couldn’t deliver, and he needed to make it right.

Hannah was correct in her objection. He did need to protect his family as much as possible from any fallout his actions might produce. And this could have been avoided if he had simply held his ground. He had no right to give Mr. Brunson access to Mary Keim. Bishop John would be the first one to tell him so. Thankfully Hannah had caught his mistake before it had borne any bitter fruit. She was a
gut
wife for him, and truly the kind of helpmeet the Scriptures spoke of.

He stroked his beard, quickening his pace. If he hurried he might be able to get into town this afternoon and work a few hours in the shop. Not that he had to, but it might settle his restless nerves. Bishop John had the main sermon tomorrow, and Mose would likely preach the beginning sermon, so he would have no responsibilities other than reading the Scriptures. Those could be read through this evening to make sure he knew how to pronounce the German words.

A lazy stream of smoke came out of Mr. Brunson’s chimney, so he must have lit a fire to take off the early morning chill. Hannah had their stove going around six, which was early for them on a Saturday morning, but she had wanted to surprise Miriam. The two had talked in the living room last night until long after he had gone to bed. They were both sleepy-eyed over breakfast, but it didn’t slow down their plans for the day. Something about a trip over to Betty’s and then a trek further back into the mountains on Betty’s horses.

Stepping up on the porch, Jake knocked, waiting for sounds of footsteps before he knocked again.

“Coming!” Mr. Brunson hollered from the back of the house.

“I didn’t get you up, did I?” Jake asked when the door opened.

“Nope,” Mr. Brunson said with a big smile on his face. “I see you couldn’t wait though. You had to come up with the good news this morning. So what did she say?”

“Ah,” Jake said, clearing his throat. “I have to make something right, Mr. Brunson. I shouldn’t have made that promise to you regarding Hannah visiting Mary.”

“Oh,” Mr. Brunson said, his face falling. “And why not?”

Jake cleared his throat again, “Hannah pointed out to me that it will make trouble for our family if I allow you to talk with Mary Keim. Bishop John won’t appreciate that at all. So I’m sorry, but Hannah didn’t go down last night.”

“I see,” Mr. Brunson said. “So Hannah told you she wouldn’t go?”

“
Jah,
” Jake said.

“Then I’ll have to think of some other way, young man,” Mr. Brunson said, slapping Jake gently on the shoulder. “We wouldn’t want the missus upset now, would we? When mama’s not happy, nobody’s happy.”

“It’s more than that,” Jake said. “Hannah was right. I shouldn’t have agreed to your request in the first place. I knew better.”

“Jake, you and Hannah are a fine young couple,” Mr. Brunson said. “I wouldn’t want to make any trouble for you, so there are no hard feelings on my part.”

“Thank you,” Jake said, turning to go. “You have a good weekend.”

“And you too,” Mr. Brunson said.

Jake was in the driveway before he heard the door close behind him. So what was Mr. Brunson going to do now? The situation hadn’t seemed to damage their friendship. Mr. Brunson hadn’t acted like he was overly upset, and the man was honest. Still, Jake knew he had done the right thing. Hannah and the baby came first, and he couldn’t intentionally do anything that might make life more difficult for them.

His church work already placed enough of a strain on Hannah, and it was nothing but the grace of God that he was married to a woman who could handle the pressure. How many young Amish women were asked to go through what she had already been through? Not many. And Hannah had stood up well through the unexpected ordination, the miscarriage, and now carrying their child again.

“It’s going to be a boy,” Hannah had whispered to him again last night when she had finally come to bed. She had been so sleepy and so happy, and he was part of the reason. She loved him.

Jake arrived at the cabin door, pausing on the porch to listen to the silence of the house. Hannah and Miriam must have already left for Betty’s house. He pushed open the door and called inside, “Are you still here, Hannah?”

He heard only silence. Walking out to the barn, he pushed open the door. The buggy Hannah drove and Mosey were missing, so the two had gone to Betty’s. That left him with the day on his hands and little to do. He would go to town and return before it was late. Hannah hadn’t packed a lunch, but it was Saturday, and he could splurge on a sandwich at the diner.

Catching Joel, he hitched him to the open buggy and drove out the graveled drive toward the main road. Turning toward Libby, he let the horse have its head. He had driven Joel each day this week and still he was full of energy. Hannah was afraid of him driving the horse on Sunday. Hanging onto the reins, Jake smiled. It was
gut
to be on the road on a Saturday morning, knowing that he was heading into town where he had work that needed to be done.

Not that long ago he had struggled to find a job and keep money in their checking account for bills. Hannah had carried that stress well. Now he could think of building her a new cabin—a larger one to fit their growing family. Of course that depended on the furniture business continuing to do well, which hinged on Mr. Brunson’s continued friendship.