The Amish Bride (39 page)

Penny tapped her horn.

Impulsively, I reached out to hug him. He allowed me to and even gently hugged me back.

When we reached the bakery, Pierre welcomed us warmly. My plan was to bake my cakes, roll the fondant, and make the marzipan birds today. I would assemble everything tomorrow. On Monday Pierre would grade the cakes.

I started with mixing up my batter, and then as the cake was baking, I whipped up the filling from the fresh raspberries I’d brought from Rosalee’s berry patch.

When that was done, I began molding the birds.

Pierre peered over my shoulder.

“Shoo,” I said.

“Sassy, are we?”

“Yes, as a matter-of-fact, we are.” I glared at him.

“Settle down, Ella. If we are going to work together, we had better find some peaceful ground.” He was eyeing my raspberry filling as he spoke. “And besides,” he said. “I have another proposition for you.”

“Shouldn’t you wait until you can fulfill the first one before adding another?”

“
Non
. They actually go together.” He turned away from me. “Do you think your cousin—the one who owns the bakery—would let me carry some of her delicious things? Those sticky buns, perhaps.”

“How do you know about the sticky buns?”

“Oh, I snuck in there one day. But you weren’t working.” A grin crept across his face.

“It’s a little far for distribution.”

“I know. I distribute out to Nappanee. It would not be a problem for the company I use to swing by.”

I couldn’t help but smile. That would open up all sorts of distribution possibilities.

“I’ll talk to Rosalee,” I said. “Thanks for asking.”

I watched Pierre get ready to leave for the day. I really could work with him until things settled down back home…I caught that train of thought and then I frowned. Why was I trying to kid myself? I wouldn’t be waiting for things to “settle down.” I would be waiting for Freddy to die.

Pierre disappeared, although I didn’t think he’d left. The restaurant was gearing up for the dinner rush, and Elizabeth and her cooks were busy in the kitchen, adjacent to the classroom. We could hear pans banging and an occasional shout through the wall. I liked the energy of it, and for the first time wondered about taking Elizabeth’s class. Maybe I could work for Pierre and fit her classes in too. Maybe I could open up a café when I returned to Lancaster.

A few minutes later I heard Elizabeth’s voice in the classroom. I looked over at her and noted she had a concerned look on her face just as I realized that Luke was behind her. Trailing him was Pierre.

I stepped around the table, sure something had happened to Rosalee. “What’s wrong?”

“Your cousin called,” Luke said.

“Is it my father?” He was probably dead, and I wondered why they thought it was worth all this trouble to let me know. Didn’t they realize I didn’t care?

Luke shook his head. “Your brother. He’s been in an accident.”

I grasped the edge of the table, feeling as if I might fall.

Luke spoke quickly. “He’s in the intensive care unit.”

“What happened?”

“He was hit by a car.”

I dropped the sculpting tool and it clattered to the floor. “I need to go home.”

“
Ya
.” Luke’s voice was low and calm. He didn’t have to say any more. I knew Zed was badly hurt.

“Ella, Ella.” Pierre was at my side. “What about your final? Could you wait a couple of days? You know how these things go. In hospital one day, out the next.”

Zed was my baby brother. I didn’t care about my final.

“I have to go,” I said.

“What about the cake?” Pierre took my elbow.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What about your grade?” His voice was lower now, but not like Luke’s.

“We can freeze her cake,” Elizabeth said, shooting Pierre an exasperated look. “It’s her baby brother, for goodness’ sake. You sacrificed your family for your career, but that’s not how Ella was raised.”

I looked away from Pierre’s pouty face as he said, “But you will return. Right?”

“I’ll take you back to Nappanee,” Penny offered.

“I hired a driver,” Luke said. “And Rosalee packed a bag. I brought it with me. You can catch the bus from here.”

I was overcome with gratitude for Luke and Rosalee as I followed him out the door, leaving Pierre staring at my cake.

On the way to the bus station, Luke told me Zed had been hit a couple of hours ago. He’d just gotten off the public bus at the stop close to home
and had darted across the highway. I could just imagine it. My brilliant brother forgetting to look both ways.

In no time we reached the bus station and Luke pulled my bag from the trunk.

“Thank you,” I said, taking it from him. “You’ve helped me so much.”

But he wasn’t leaving. He asked the driver to wait.

When we reached the counter, I took out my purse to pay and at the same time Luke handed me an envelope of money.

“I can cover it,” I said.

“This is from Rosalee and me.” He pushed the envelope toward me. “Just in case you need a little extra.”

I thanked him, touched by their concern.

The next bus boarded in twenty minutes, but I wouldn’t arrive in Lancaster until the afternoon of the next day.

After I paid for my ticket, I told Luke he should leave.

“Nah, I’ll wait.”

It wasn’t until I sat down that I remembered the baby. “Oh, Luke,” I said. “What if Rosalee does something with the painting?” I didn’t think she would, but the thought made me gasp.

He nodded to my bag. I unzipped it quickly. On top, still wrapped in paper, was the baby. Underneath it was Sarah’s book, and then the cookie tin with the matching game.

“Thank you,” I whispered to him.

“Rosalee took the call. As soon as she told me, I raced to the house and grabbed these things before she packed your bag.”

My eyes welled up at the thought of Luke watching out for me, and then a tear escaped at the thought of Zed being hit by a car.

“It will be all right,” Luke said.

I nodded, but I could only hope he was right.

“Could we pray?” he asked.

I nodded again and we bowed our heads in silence. I tried to recite the Lord’s Prayer, and yet again I got stuck on “Thy will be done.”

Your will
, I prayed, breathing in deeply. God gave us the gift of life. It was His will for Zed to live. He might decide to allow differently—and I might have to accept that. But right now I was going to ask for my brother to live.

“Please, Lord.”

Luke reached for my hand, and I realized I’d spoken out loud. “Be with Ella,” he prayed softly. “Heal Zed. Heal her family.”

I jerked my hand away, not sure if I was reacting to the intimacy of the moment or Luke’s praying out loud or his request for healing in my family, meaning with my father. A moment later the call for my bus came over the loudspeakers.

Luke didn’t respond to me. He simply grabbed my bag and led the way to the door.

“Leave a message on Rosalee’s phone,” he said. “Let us know how you are.” He paused. “And when you’re coming back.”

I nodded, took my bag, and thanked him sincerely.

B
y the time we reached Toledo I was famished. I bought a sandwich and a couple of bottles of water and climbed back on the bus to eat. Ahead of me, a woman chatted on her cell.

It dawned on me that I should have bought a prepaid one. I could call Mom at least, and she could get ahold of me. I hurried off the bus and searched the station but didn’t see any for sale. Perhaps in Cleveland I’d be able to buy one.

As the bus pulled back onto the highway, despair overcame me.
Think about something happy,
I chided myself. Ezra. I would think about him.

Luke told me he would call Mom and tell her what time my bus was arriving. Ezra would be the perfect candidate to pick me up. Of course, he wouldn’t be on his motorcycle because he wasn’t driving it anymore, but he could hire a driver. And we could go straight to the hospital.

Somewhere in the middle of Ohio I fell asleep, not waking until we reached Cleveland. The bus depot there didn’t have any prepaid phones for sale either, and I resigned myself to not being in contact with anyone until I reached Lancaster. I slept more, in fits through the night, trying to stay comfortable in my seat, thankful Rosalee had packed my cape. It
worked well as a blanket. When the sun rose, I made my way to the lavatory and brushed my teeth, washed my face, brushed my hair, and then repositioned my head covering. With nothing to read, I stared out the window. As we stopped over and over, I was sure I could have made better time in a buggy. As we neared Lancaster, my heart began to race. Finally, we reached the station.

After stepping down from the bus, I scanned the sidewalk but didn’t see anyone. It wasn’t far to the hospital—if no one had come to get me, I would walk. I gathered my things and disembarked, looking around and hoping Ezra was close by. He wasn’t. Only the muggy late-July afternoon greeted me. I folded my cape over my bag and pointed myself in the direction of the hospital. Feeling exhausted, lonely, dejected, and worried sick, I pressed on.

I was three blocks from the hospital when I heard my name. I turned. There were several people on the sidewalk, none of whom I recognized.

“Ella!” Someone was shouting my name, louder now. My heart raced. It was Ezra. He dodged around a woman carrying a large shopping bag, holding his straw hat atop his head as he ran. I stepped toward him and he swooped me up in a hug, my bag bouncing against him. I stayed in his arms for a long moment, taking in his scent, his strength, his intensity.

As he put me down, I stammered, “I didn’t think anyone was going to meet me.”

“Of course I’d be here,” he answered. Under his hat, his hair was still cut in the traditional Amish style. “Your bus was early, but I figured you would start toward the hospital.” He took my hand and pulled me back the way he came. “And Lexie’s here too.”

“She is?”

He pulled me around a man and a little girl. As we passed, the father lifted his daughter up onto his shoulders.

“She flew in this morning,” Ezra said. “She’s going to help your mom with her practice so she’ll have more time to be with Zed.” He led me around the corner to where Lexie was double-parked. A look of relief flooded her face as she saw us.

Ezra took my bag, flung it on the backseat, and jumped in after it. I climbed into the front and was engulfed in a quick hug from my cousin.

“Finally,” she said. Her blond hair was in a knot on top of her head and her eyes were as kind as ever. “That must have been the longest day of your life. And without your cell. We were all worried sick.”

“How’s Zed?”

“Alive,” Ezra said grimly.

Lexie shot him a look in the rearview mirror. “He’s in pretty bad shape, sweetie. In fact, he’s in a coma.”

I gasped. Luke hadn’t said anything about a coma.

“He was pretty banged up.”

“How’s his head?”

“Well, he definitely hit it pretty hard.” Lexie concentrated on her turn onto Duke Street for a moment. “And he has a broken arm. Plus cracked ribs.”

I winced. “What do the doctors say?”

“To wait and see,” she answered, meeting my eyes with a brief glance.

“He’s that bad?” My words came out in a wail.

She took my hand and squeezed it.

Mom was at Zed’s side when I followed Lexie into his cubicle in the intensive care unit. She stood and hugged me, harder than she ever had in her life.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Mom said, and when she pulled away, she ran a finger under her eye, corralling a tear that had escaped.

She looked as if she hadn’t slept—but worse. There were plenty of times she didn’t sleep for more than a day because of her job. The way she looked now was ten times scarier than any of those. Her face was ashen, and dark half circles had formed under her eyes.