Lorie's Heart (4 page)

The younger woman was thin, with dark hair and deep red lipstick. She looked like the newsperson Lorie had seen one time on the television displayed at Walmart.

“Hi,” Luke said, flashing the pair his most charming smile. “My friend here is looking for some information.”

The dark-haired woman returned his smile with a dazzling one of her own and looked at each of them in turn. Surprise flashed in her eyes. Lorie supposed they were an odd-looking couple, she in her Plain mourning attire and Luke dressed like every other
Englisch
man in town. “I'll do what I can.”

He motioned for Lorie to join him at the desk. “Where's the license?”

She handed it to him, then studied the scuffed toes of her shoes. It was better than trying to meet the confused looks of the two women.

“Do either of you ladies know Henry Kauffman?”

They shook their heads, and Lorie's hopes splintered into a hundred pieces.

Luke tapped the plastic license on the counter and then showed it to the ladies. “This man,” he said.

“That's Henry Mathis,” the brunette said after a careful look at the license. “But I haven't seen him in a while. Why do you ask?” She looked from Luke to Lorie and back again. “Is he in trouble?”

“Actually, he passed away a few weeks ago.”

The words stabbed at Lorie's heart. She lifted her gaze to look at the women behind the desk. “He was my father.”

“Oh, my,” the blond-haired woman said. “I'm so sorry for your loss.”

“
Danki.
” Lorie nodded her head, hating the tickling sensation of her prayer
kapp
strings against her bare neck. Or maybe her emotions were so raw she couldn't take any more sensations.

Her father had come here. These women knew him as Henry Mathis, not Kauffman. Her knees started to tremble. “Why?” she whispered, her words directed at no one in particular.

“Are you all right?” Luke laid his hand on top of hers.

“
Jah.
No. I don't know.” She shook her head. “Why did he come here, Luke?” She focused all of her attention on him. He was the one steady and familiar thing in her world at that moment, and she couldn't take her gaze from him and remain upright.

“You say you're his daughter?” the blonde asked.

“How could you not know why he came here?” The brunette searched their faces.

Lorie took a shuddering breath, trying to calm her nerves and set her thoughts back to rights. “It seems my father kept some secrets.” She did her best to keep her voice steady, but it trembled even more than her knees. “No one . . . no one in my family knew that my father came here. At least not until now.
Danki
. . . thank you for your time.” She turned on her heel and started for the door. She couldn't stand there any longer. She had to go somewhere and get her swirling thoughts in order before they exploded inside her head.

She heard Luke's uneven footsteps behind her, the clink of his cane as it met with the waxed tiles of the foyer. Their voices sounded behind her, but she kept walking, kept going toward the door.

“Miss?”

Her steps remained steady though her heart pounded.

“Miss?”

“Lorie.” Luke caught her arm and halted her escape. “The ladies at the desk want to talk to you again.”

“
Nay,
” she whispered.

“I know it's a lot to take in, but just hear them out, okay?”

His sea-colored eyes were so earnest, she stilled. She had waited for this moment for so long, too long to let it slip away. But all of the advice she had received in the days since her father died knocked around inside her head, while her need for answers filled her heart. “Okay.” Her chin bobbed in consent, and she allowed him to lead her back to the two ladies and the circular desk.

They shared a look as she and Luke approached. Then the blond-haired lady stood, smoothing the wrinkles from her lap as if she was as nervous as Lorie was.

“Your father,” she started, quickly glancing at Luke as if he could confirm this as truth, “he came here to visit his mother.”

“His mother?” Lorie repeated.

“Betty Mathis.” The brunette nodded.

Her father had a mother? That would make her Lorie's grandmother. She had a grandmother? She tried to remember anything her father had told her about his parents. Only that they “were gone.”

“Can I see her?”

The women exchanged another look.

“It's not exactly allowed,” the blonde said. “Not without proper identification.”

Luke drummed his fingers against the desk and flashed the pair of them a charming smile. At least it took the sting from his words. “She's Amish, you know. It's not like she has a driver's license.”

Like being Plain had stopped her father.

“I'm Luke,” he said, like it made a difference. “And she's Lorie.”

The women exchanged another look.

“I'm Carol,” the blond woman said.

“Amber.” The dark-haired woman stood and flashed them another smile. “Follow me.”

Lorie's breathing turned shallow as she and Luke followed the woman down the carpeted hallway. The place was clean, brightly lit, and smelled like pine cleaner and cinnamon.

Not a bad place to be, but confusing to Lorie all the same. Why would her father keep his mother here? Why didn't she live with the family in Wells Landing? But she knew the answer. Because her newly discovered grandmother was
Englisch.

“So everyone who lives here is older?” Lorie asked Luke as they followed the brunette.

Luke shrugged. “Some of them could be people like . . . like James Riehl.”

“Elam's father?”

Luke nodded.

James had been kicked in the head by one of his milk cows a couple of years back. The injury had left him with the mind of a child. He could function fairly well on his own, but Lorie knew that his family felt the need to make sure he had supervision in case he had a dizzy spell or a memory lapse.

“Did my grandmother get kicked in the head by a milk cow?”

Amber gave her a patient smile. It was a look Lorie was used to seeing as it was a favorite of the
Englisch
to bestow upon their Plain neighbors. “Not exactly. But she does suffer from some dementia and possible early stages of Alzheimer's.”

“I don't know what that means.” She looked to Luke for answers. Oh, how she wished Jonah had come with her today. She needed his steady and quiet strength. But she was grateful Luke was there. He had a knowledge of the
Englisch
that neither she nor Jonah possessed. Yet it seemed this one was out of his range of knowledge.

He shrugged, then turned to the woman for the answer.

“She has trouble remembering things. Sometimes she even thinks it's a different time.”

“Like time to go to bed when it's time for breakfast?” Lorie asked.

“Like it's 1972 when it's . . . not.”

“Is this a good idea?” A frown of worry puckered Luke's normally smooth brow. He was as easygoing as anyone could be and his concern was almost as unnerving as the surprises she'd faced the last few weeks.

Amber smiled. “All our tenants love having visitors. Just don't bring up your father unless she does. And don't tell her about his passing. I'll inform the therapist who comes in once a week. He can work with her on accepting that, okay?”

“
Jah.
Yes.” Lorie nodded, doubts flooding her. Emily had tried to warn her. Jonah, too. Was this worth all the risk?

Before she could decide, the woman knocked on the door in front of them.

“Come in,” a sweet voice called out.

Amber opened the door and peeked inside. “Miss Betty, you have visitors. Are you up for company?”

“Company?” the sweet voice asked.

She pushed the door open a little farther and stepped back so they could enter the room.

Lorie's mouth went dry, and her palms grew sweaty as she eased inside.

“Hello, dear. Come sit down. Would you like for me to have Pearl bring us some iced tea?”

“Now, Miss Betty,” Amber said, stepping into the room. “Pearl no longer works for you.”

“Oh, that's right.” Betty Mathis patted her cap of soft white curls. “I had forgotten.”

“No worries, Miss Betty. This is Lorie . . .”

“Kauffman,” Lorie said.

Amber gave her an approving nod as if she had given a false name in order to protect her grandmother's delicate mind. But it was the only name Lorie had ever known.

“And this is Luke . . .”

“Lambright,” he supplied.

“My, what an interesting name.” Miss Betty set her knitting off to one side. “I'm so glad you came to visit today. Won't you sit down?”

Lorie cautiously inched into the room and perched on the edge of a wooden rocking chair. To say the situation was awkward was a pitiful attempt to describe it, but Lorie could tell that even Luke was a bit uncomfortable. Neither one of them had expected to find a long-lost grandmother tucked away in an
Englisch
retirement home. Yet here they were.

Luke came farther into the room and took up a place in the stuffed armchair, while Amber hovered by the door. She seemed as if she didn't know whether she should stay or go. Lorie supposed it wasn't every day she found herself in this place, related strangers meeting for the first time. Or maybe her presence was to protect Miss Betty. The thought warmed her. Her father might have left his mother here, but he had placed her with people who obviously cared a great deal about the people in their care.

“You can take off your hat, dear,” Miss Betty said with a quick nod toward Lorie's prayer
kapp.

Lorie's hand flew to her head to protect the sacred garment. “Oh, no.” She shook her head.

A small frown puckered Miss Betty's brow, then she smoothed it away with a smile. “I don't get many visitors,” she said. “Would you like some cookies? I don't know where that Pearl has gotten off to.” The frown returned. “Really, dear, it's not very ladylike to wear a hat inside.”

Lorie looked to Luke who shrugged. Had this woman ever seen an Amish person? Or maybe this was one of those memory problems Amber had told them about. “It's a prayer
kapp,
” Lorie explained. “Not a hat and I'm not allowed to take it off until I go to bed at night.” That wasn't entirely true, but explaining the many rules that directed how to wear a
kapp
and when, Lorie figured this was as good an explanation as any.

“Well, I've never heard of such a thing.” Two bright spots of pink rose to her wrinkled cheeks.

“I'm Amish, you see.” It was a terrible explanation but it was the only one she could give.

“Amish?” Miss Betty frowned again. “How can this be? Pearl didn't say anything about that.” She turned accusing eyes toward the doorway where Amber still stood. “There you are, Pearl. Why didn't you tell me this girl here is Amish?”

“I'm sorry.” Amber gave her an indulgent smile. “It must have slipped my mind.”

“We can't have this,” Miss Betty fretted. “This will never do.” Then tears filled her eyes. “How can you be Amish? How?”

“Okay, visit over.” Amber motioned them to get out of the room.

Lorie gladly stood and hurried on stiff legs toward the hallway. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Betty.” But she wasn't sure the woman could hear her, sobbing as she was.

Luke followed her out into the hall.

“She's not always this bad. In fact, most days are pretty good for her. I'm sorry.”

Luke muttered something that sounded like, “That's all right.”

“Can you find your way back to the front desk?” Amber asked.

They nodded.

Amber smiled, then ducked back into the room. As they turned to leave, Lorie heard her soothing voice promising that everything was going to be all right.

Lorie stopped and leaned against the wall. The entire situation was bizarre, heartbreaking, and she was having trouble taking it all in. She had just met her grandmother, a woman she hadn't known existed before today. Did Betty Mathis know about her? How would she ever know? Her head thunked against the wall.

“Are you okay?”

She closed her eyes. “It's just a lot, you know?”

“Yeah.” She felt him draw nearer, then his warm hand on her shoulder.

What would her father say to her now?
Time to buck up, baby girl. Life goes on. Meet each day ready for the wonders it holds.
Except she hadn't been ready for this. Not at all.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and straightened her spine. “I'm
allrecht
now.”

The look on Luke's face was doubtful, but he didn't contradict her. He merely gave a small nod and together they continued toward the front desk.

Carol spotted them and stood, her mouth pulled into a small wince. “It didn't go well?”

“No,” Luke said.

“It's not uncommon for family members to have trouble dealing with a loved one's memory loss.”

But that wasn't the problem. Something about her being Amish had upset Betty. Maybe since her son had left her here and gone to live among the Plain people, she blamed them for her being alone.

“Listen,” Carol started. “I know today didn't go well, but don't let it scare you off from ever coming back. Henry was her only visitor with the exception of the volunteers.”

“He was?” she asked, even though she knew it to be true. Who else would visit her? Her father was an only child. Or at least that's what he told her.

“Maybe you should give her a couple of days, maybe even a week, and try again. I hate to see you find her only to never see her again.”

“I'll think about it,” Lorie said, but how could she come back? She lived miles away, and she couldn't get a driver every week without raising suspicions all over Wells Landing. “
Danki
for letting me see her. I hope we didn't cause too much trouble.”

Carol gave her a kindly smile. “It was no trouble at all.”

“Lorie?”

She turned at the sound of her name. Zach, the
Englisch bu
from the auction, walked toward her, surprise and something that looked like joy lighting his expression. “Hi.”

She dropped her gaze to her feet. This day was turning out to be even more than she expected.

She could feel Luke's questioning eyes on her as Zach approached. But he wasn't the only one. Carol and Amber watched with undisguised curiosity as he drew near.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, coming to a stop just in front of her.

She lifted her gaze to his and felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. His eyes were just so beautiful.

“Do you know someone living here?” Confusion puckered his brow.

“Sort of.”

“I never expected to see you again.” His voice rose in what she thought was excitement. But her thoughts were spinning so she couldn't focus on more than one at a time.

“I need to go,” she whispered. She couldn't stay there a minute longer, not even for sky-blue eyes and a smile like the sun.

Zach glanced from her to Luke, then back again. His confusion so apparent. As if it hadn't been before. “Oh, okay. Well, maybe I'll see you around.”

“
Jah,
” she murmured.

“You want to tell me what that was all about?” Luke asked as they continued out into the warm Oklahoma sunshine.

She could feel Zach's eyes on them as they left. He must have stood there in the hallway and watched until they disappeared out the door.

“It's nothing,” Lorie said.

“Uh-huh.”

“What?”

Luke shook his head. “You want to get something to eat?”

Her thoughts were tumbling over each other, every one pushing to be the one she settled on. Her father, her grandmother, Zach . . . “What? No. Sure. I mean, I guess.”

Luke chuckled at her indecision and unlocked the car doors. “Food it is.”

Half an hour later Lorie found herself seated in a booth in a pizza restaurant staring at Luke across the table. “I just don't understand how he could keep that from me.” She punched down the ice in her soda and took another drink, but so far she hadn't been able to touch the loaded pizza in front of them.

“Maybe he was trying to protect her. You saw how confused she was when she saw us.”

“I guess.” Lorie picked off a piece of bell pepper and popped it into her mouth.

“Or maybe he was trying to keep you safe?”

“Me? What would he need to protect me from?”

“I dunno.”

“I think you've been watching too many
Englisch
spy movies.”

Luke quirked a brow in her direction. “And how would you know if you haven't been watching them yourself?”

“
Mamm
wants me to go to baptism classes.”

“I thought they weren't being held until next year.”

“She wants me to go to Bishop Treger's district so I can join this year.”

“Oh.” The one word spoke in bulk. “She must really be ready for you to join.”

“
Jah.
I suppose.”

“How do you feel about that?”

Lorie shrugged one shoulder. “I don't know how I feel. I've been so confused since
Dat
died and now this.” She stared out the window next to them, but no answers waited in the parking lot or beyond.

“Are you thinking about not joining at all?”

“I'm not sure how
Mamm
would take that.” She snorted, then sat back in her seat. “Who am I trying to fool? She would be devastated and angry.” And a bunch of other negative emotions. So many that Lorie couldn't think of them all in one sitting.

“So go to the classes.”

Lorie nodded.

“And you and Jonah?” Luke fished.

“He wants me to join, of course,” she said, snagging another topping off her otherwise untouched slice.

“Have y'all been getting along better?”

“I suppose.” His frown of consternation appeared in her mind. “He didn't want me to come today.”

“I suppose not.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, anytime you start poking around in the
Englisch
world Plain folks get a bit upset.”

“
Jah.
”