The Gift (42 page)

Cora was beside herself and barely remembered driving home. Her talk with Adam had gone all wrong, and now because of her, he and his family might move. What would she do then, after just finding him? Adam had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. She didn’t even get the chance to tell him about Jared. Maybe he wouldn’t have cared to know that he had a half brother. Would it be easier for her to move so that Adam and his family could remain here in Arthur? Cora didn’t feel right about him feeling forced to leave. At the same time, if she moved back to Chicago, she might never repair the damage she’d done to her son—if that was even possible.

Cora got out of the car and was fishing for her house key that had somehow disappeared to the bottom of her purse, when Jared flung open the front door and stepped outside.

“Jared, you startled me. I didn’t expect you’d be home yet. I thought you’d made plans with Scott after school.”

“I did, but Scott had a dental appointment. Said he forgot till his mom reminded him this morning.”

“Oh, I see.” Cora followed him into the house.
Should I tell him about Adam? Would it help anything if he knew he has a big brother?

Exhausted, she shuffled into the living room and flopped down on the couch. With all that had happened today, plus the decisions she needed to make, Cora couldn’t decide anything right now. If she moved back to Chicago, she’d never resolve things with Adam. If she stayed, it would most likely drive him away. She needed to take a few days to think about things and, yes, even pray.

Leah had started making supper and was getting ready to set the table, when Adam entered the house, red-faced and nostrils flaring.

“Adam, what’s wrong?” she asked, feeling concern.

He glanced around the room. “Where are the girls?”

“In the bathroom, washing up.”

“That’s good. I don’t want them to hear this.”

“Hear what, Adam?” Leah set the dishes down and moved toward him.

“On my way home from the hardware store, I stopped along the side of the road to check a wobbly wheel.” Adam paused and glanced toward the doorway leading to the hall where the bathroom was located. Leah figured he was worried that the girls might come into the kitchen. “While I was stopped, a car pulled up behind my buggy and a woman got out, asking if I needed any help.”

Leah waited as Adam paused again. He sank into a chair at the table. “She introduced herself and said she was my mother.”

Leah gulped. “Cora?”

“Jah.”

“Did anything get resolved between you?” Leah asked hopefully.

His lips curled slightly as he shook his head.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I was hoping once you two had—”

“I asked her to leave Douglas County, but she flatly refused.”

“That’s understandable, don’t you think? I mean, she wants to make things right between you, and I’m sure she’d like to get to know her granddaughters.”

Adam slammed his fist on the table. “That will never happen!”

“But don’t you think—”

“If Cora won’t move, then I’m going to put the store up for sale, and we’ll move to another part of the country.” The determined set of Adam’s jaw and the cold, flinty look in his eyes told Leah that he was serious. Thanksgiving was next week, and her parents, along with her brother Nathan and his family, would be coming for dinner. Then there was Christmas. Surely Adam wouldn’t think of uprooting everyone before the holidays. Leah knew it was imperative that either she get a hold of Cora and convince her to move, or figure out some way to get through to Adam. But that seemed impossible.

“I’m going out to the barn to feed the
katze
,” Sara told her mother.

Mom’s dark eyebrows furrowed. “Can’t that wait till Jonah comes up to the house? I’m sure he’d be willing to do it. Or your daed can feed the cats when he comes out of the bathroom.”

“Jonah will have enough to do feeding the horses, along with his other chores this evening.” Sara slipped into her sweater. “Besides, the fresh air will do me some good. I’ve been cooped up in this house since we brought the boppli home from the hospital.”

Mom turned from the stove, where she’d been stirring a kettle of stew, and nodded. “All right then, but don’t be too long. Supper will be ready soon, and when Jonah gets home, we can eat.”

Sara smiled and stepped out the back door. The air was a bit nippy this evening, but it felt refreshing. She walked halfway to the barn and paused, breathing in the odor of decaying leaves, mingled with wood smoke from the fire Dad had built in the fireplace before he’d gone to take a shower.

After several minutes, Sara moved on. When she entered the barn, she identified another aroma: horseflesh coupled with the scent of baled straw stacked against a wall. It felt good to be out here with the animals, even if she did feel a bit weak and shaky. But that was to be expected since she’d recently given birth.

Not seeing any of the cats, Sara picked up their metal dish and banged it a couple times with a small shovel. Then she poured some food into the dish and waited. A few seconds later, Fluffy, the mama cat, along with three of her six-week-old babies, darted across the barn and poked their heads into the dish.

That’s strange,
Sara thought.
Where is Fluffy’s other kitten?

No sooner had Sara thought the words, when she heard a faint,
meow
!

Sara looked up. There sat a little gray-and-white kitten in the loft overhead, looking down at her so pathetically.
Meow! Meow!

“What’s the matter, little guy?” Sara tipped her head back for a better look. “You found your way up there, so why can’t you find your way down?”

Meow! Meow!
The kitten continued to cry.

“Oh, all right, I’ll come up and get you.” There was no way Sara would chase a kitten all over the loft. If it wasn’t where she could easily reach it, then it would have to find its own way down.

Grasping the sides of the ladder, Sara made her way slowly up, while the kitten sat patiently waiting for her. “Now don’t you move. I’m almost there.”

She was nearly at the top, when her right leg gave out and she missed the next rung. It threw her off balance, and letting go with one hand, she tried to regain her balance. Just then, the kitten screeched, leaped onto Sara’s right shoulder, and dug its needlelike claws into her skin.

The room started to spin, and as an inky blackness moved in, Sara lost her grip on the ladder. Her last thought as she tumbled toward the floor was,
Dear Lord, take care of my family.

J
onah whistled as he made his way from the buggy shop to the house. It had been a long day, and he was anxious to see how Sara and the baby were doing. He looked forward to spending some time with Mark, too, and enjoying a pleasant evening visiting with his in-laws during supper. It was a comfort having Sara’s folks there to look after things while Jonah was working; although he knew his own parents would have continued that task if Rueben and Martha hadn’t come to see their new granddaughter.

Jonah looked forward to being with both sets of parents on Thanksgiving. His twin sister, Jean, and her family would be there as well. Jonah had always longed for a wife and children, and now that he had them, his life seemed complete. He loved Sara and their children with all his heart and would do anything for them.

When Jonah entered the house, he found Sara’s mother standing at the sink, washing a head of lettuce. “Guder
owed,
Jonah.” She turned and smiled at him.

“Good evening,” he responded. “How’s my fraa doing? Is she resting like the doctor told her to do?”

Martha motioned to the kitchen window. “Said she wanted some fresh air and insisted on going out to the barn to feed the katze.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Now that I think about it, it’s been quite a while.” Martha glanced at the clock on the wall near the stove. “She really should have been back by now unless she found something else to do out there in the barn.”

Jonah frowned. “Sara shouldn’t be doing anything in the barn. I’ll go out and see what she’s up to.” He turned and headed back outside.

When Jonah entered the barn, it was dark, so he called Sara’s name.

No response.

Could she have left the barn and gone into the house without Martha seeing her?

Jonah lit one of their gas lamps. Holding it up so he could see better, he moved across the barn. The mama cat was sitting on a bale of straw, and her kittens were grabbing at her tail. Below them sat the cat dish, but it was empty. Looking back at the cats, Jonah noticed that one of Fluffy’s kittens was missing. He walked over to the mama cat and stroked her head. “Where’s your other little one?” He smiled as the cat leaned in, purring, while rubbing her whiskers on the back of his hand.

When Jonah went farther into the barn, he heard a faint
meow.
“Where are you, kitty? Here, kitty kitty.”

As he looked around, he froze. Sara’s twisted body lay on the floor beneath the ladder leading to the loft. Wedged under her arm was the missing kitten. “Sara!” Jonah dropped to his knees in front of his wife, setting the lamp on the floor. “Sara! Sara, what happened? Can you hear me?”

When Jonah picked up Sara’s arm to hold her hand, the kitten took advantage and ran out. Her hand was like ice. He felt for a pulse, but his hands shook so badly he couldn’t find it. She was so still. He detected no movement or response from her whatsoever. She looked like a sleeping angel.

Jonah checked for any sign of breathing. Then he put his ear against her chest and held his breath, praying to hear the beating rhythm. Silence. He realized then that sweet Sara, his beloved wife, was gone.

Adam was getting ready to check on the horses when he heard a noise. Turning, he came face-to-face with Leah’s dad. “Alton! You startled me. Have you been here long?”

Alton shook his head. “Just got here. I was heading to the house till I saw light coming from the barn.”

“Jah, we just finished eating supper, and I’m checking on the horses.” Adam didn’t like the furrow of Alton’s brows. “Is something troubling you? Sure hope you didn’t come with bad news.”

Alton moved closer. “I came to ask you a question, and I’d appreciate it if you were up front with me.”

“Sure, Alton.” Adam nodded. “What did you want to know?”

“It’s about you and Leah.” Alton cleared his throat. “Are you two having marital problems? Is that why her things are not in your room?”

Adam winced. “Did she tell you that?”

“No, her mamm did.”

Adam was on the verge of asking how Dianna would know anything about his and Leah’s sleeping arrangements, when Alton spoke again.

“My wife was here earlier, helping Leah with the laundry. When she took some things into your room, she was surprised not to see any of Leah’s clothes there.”

Adam shifted his weight and leaned on the stall door, feeling the need for support. “Well, you see—”

“Dianna also said that you asked Leah to stop doing reflexology. Is that true?”

Adam nodded slowly.

“Is that the reason she moved her things out of your room?”

“Well, no, but—”

“Leah’s ability to help people through the use of reflexology is her gift. How could you take that from her, Adam?”