Winter of Wishes (29 page)

As folks all over the big room craned their necks to see Andy, Rhoda felt their gazes
on her, as well. She noticed a kitty-cat grin on Rebecca’s face. Had her sister had
something to do with this announcement?

“Andy hopes to set up his office down the road from here. And he wants to make house
calls in a special wagon stocked with the medicines and equipment he’ll need—which
will set him back a perty penny,” Ben pointed out. “We’ve set up a special clinic
account with our banker, Derek Shotwell. So if ya care to pitch in on this project,
he’s the man to see.”

Derek stood up to wave at everyone. He had obviously been in on this surprise, and
enjoyed playing a part in another venture with his Plain clients.

“We’re runnin’ an ad in
The Budget
to support the startup of Andy’s practice, too. If ya mention this to your friends
back home, we’re bettin’ Andy’ll find out just how generous and grateful the People
can be,” Mamma said. “He’s a
gut
man, and he loves my Rhoda.
Denki
for whatever ya care to share.”

When Rhoda could catch her breath again, she went to stand behind Ben and her mother.
As she wrapped her arms around their shoulders, she understood the meaning of
love
in a whole new way. “That was the nicest thing ya just did for us,” she said with
a hitch in her voice. “But ya didn’t have to—”

“Oh, honey-bug, the real joy comes in doin’ things because ya want to, not because
ya have to.” Mamma sat taller to kiss her cheek. “There’s more than enough love and
money in this room to share, ain’t so? It’ll be fun to see how much Derek collects
today, and how much gets sent to that account from folks readin’ about it in the paper,
too.”

When Rhoda sat down to her dinner again, something compelled her to break with their
traditional seating arrangement so she could spend this time with Andy and his family.
She was gathering up her napkin and utensils when Luke, seated beside her, patted
her arm.

“Who knew what would come from that kiss in the car?” he asked quietly. “I’m glad
it’s workin’ out for ya, Rhoda. Ya deserve to be as happy as your
mamm
.”

That was certainly something to aspire to! “
Denki
, Luke. The future’s lookin’ real bright, ain’t so?” Rhoda picked up her loaded plate,
determined to work on that happiness for the rest of this fine day.

As she approached the table to sit with them, Andy and Betty scooted apart to make
room for her. Luke had followed her from the
eck
with her folding chair . . . her cousins were waving at her, calling out their congratulations
as though this had turned into a celebration for her and Andy as much as for Mamma
and Ben. From the
eck
, Rachel was grinning at her, too—and wasn’t that the most wonderful affirmation of
all?

“This is . . . so exciting, Rhoda,” Andy’s mom said into her ear. “I can’t wait .
. . to see Andy’s clinic take off.”

As the people in the Brennemans’ huge shop finished eating, they came to shake Andy’s
hand and wish him well with his medical venture. It was almost as though Hiram’s leaving
had paved the way for a whole new beginning in Willow Ridge. Quite a line of neighbors
and Hooley men stood ready to speak with Andy, and then they were writing checks for
Derek Shotwell.

“Say—ya wanna come out and play in the snow with the rest of us? Gets kind of slow
in here when the adults start yackin’.” Levi Zook stepped around from behind his father
to flash a hopeful grin at Brett and Taylor. “My little sister Amelia’s gonna be out
there, too.”

“That’s right nice of ya to ask, Levi,” Rhoda remarked. “This is Brett and Taylor
Leitner from over in New Haven, and this,” she continued as she addressed Andy’s kids,
“is Levi Zook. His family runs the market down the way.”

The shine in their eyes made Rhoda’s heart dance. “Run along and play, kids. There’ll
be lots of snowball throwin’ and relays out there—but no hitchin’ up the sleigh for
any rides, ain’t so?” she asked in a purposeful voice.

Levi grinned sheepishly. “
Jah
, the sleigh’s stayin’ parked. Mamm told Jonah he was to be our watchdog today, on
account of how folks won’t want to shop at our store if Cyrus and I keep causin’ trouble.”

“Can we look at the sleighs and the horses, Rhoda?” Brett blurted.

He and his sister wore such hopeful expressions that Rhoda had to hug them. “
Jah
, go out and buddy up with the kids. They’ll show ya the barns and the orchard and
what-not. Take a
gut
look around. See if ya might like makin’ this neighborhood your new home.”

Off they went with Levi to fetch their coats, and their eagerness warmed Rhoda in
a way she hadn’t expected. She was watching them make their way through the crowd,
replying politely when other folks welcomed them, when a familiar voice spoke in front
of her.

“Rhoda, I’m mighty pleased with how this is all turnin’ out. Let’s start Andy’s instruction
as soon as we can.” Preacher Tom stood on the other side of the table, smiling. He
leaned closer so they could hear him above the noise of the crowd. “On our walk over
here to eat, I saw Hiram’s fancy black Cadillac rollin’ past. Sad to say, but he’s
drivin’ down the road to perdition, for sure and for certain. But for the rest of
us, it seems this New Year’s Day is a fine start for a wonderful-
gut
future, ain’t so?”

Rhoda’s heart swelled as she grabbed the hand Tom offered. Andy took the preacher’s
other hand as he slung an arm around her shoulders. “That’s the way I see it, too,
Tom,” she replied. “I’m real glad ya want to be a part of bringin’ us together.”

“I never in my life expected such an outpouring of money and love,” Andy chimed in.
“A lot of wishes are coming true today, because all things are possible with God.
And with Rhoda, of course.”

“Over here, I see a reception desk and a good place for the waiting area,” Andy said.
It was Saturday morning and he and Rebecca stood in the doorway of the building where
they hoped to set up shop. Micah Brenneman and Bob Oliveri had joined them for a look
around before they told the Realtor it was a go, and Rhoda was putting in her ideas,
as well.

“We can build in a workspace for you, too, so you can tend your website business when
we don’t have patients. We’ll have a private entry to the back hall, where you’d have
access to the elevator and your office space on the second level. We can have our
family entrance on that side, too.”

“And if this center wall gets extended and soundproofed, we can separate your living
area from the office,” Rebecca replied. “Will that work, Micah?”

“
Jah
, that makes better use of the space than dividin’ it by levels,” the carpenter affirmed.
“I’ll give ya a rough estimate of Adam Wagler’s remodelin’ price and finish out the
proposal I’ve been workin’ on. Is later this afternoon soon enough?”

Rebecca’s dad was walking along the walls, checking electrical outlets and ventilation
ducts. “I like your vision of how the space should be used,” he remarked. “It still
amazes me that Derek collected more than thirty-five grand at the wedding dinner.
But I’ve seen that sort of support in Amish communities before.”

Andy did some mental calculating. “That works out to several hundred dollars per family
that was there,” he said with a shake of his head. “Hard to believe those conservative
fellows would cough up that kind of cash, when they’d just met me.”

“It helped that a few members of Ben’s family and Miriam’s two brothers made sizeable
donations.” Bob flashed Andy a grin that crinkled the skin around his eyes. “It’ll
be fun to see how much more comes from folks who see Miriam’s ad in
The Budget
.”

“
Jah
, Micah’s family received more than eighty thousand dollars toward his
dat
’s hospital bills after he lost his legs,” Rhoda chimed in. “We Plain folks look out
for each other.”

“This new office will keep my daughter close to home, too,” Bob added. “I have Miriam
to thank for that, and for Tiffany’s entire transformation into Rebecca. All in all,
I’d encourage you to go ahead with it, Andy,” he continued in a businesslike voice.
“This is an even better investment than the Sweet Seasons—and we all know how that
place has put Willow Ridge on the map.”

Micah came across the room to hand Andy a business card. “Almost forgot about this
bein’ in my coat pocket,” he said. “A fella over in Cedar Creek makes a lot of specialty
buggies and carriages. Ya might wanna give him a ring about your house-callin’ wagon.”

Andy gazed at the simple card.
Graber’s Custom Carriages
, it said, and it gave a number for a James Graber. “This is fantastic, Micah,” he
replied. “I’m amazed at how much help is coming at me from so many directions, now
that I’ve declared my intentions.”

“They say your energy flows where your intention goes,” Rebecca remarked with a nod.
“I’ve seen that happen so many times in this little town, it’s made a believer of
me.”

The muscular carpenter flashed Andy a grin. “And if you’re makin’ Rhoda and Rebecca
happy, that means Rachel will be willin’ for me to work on your place while I’m also
fixin’ up our house. The three sisters are thicker than thieves, ya see. Please one
and ya please them all.”

“And upset just one of them . . .” Andy added in a teasing voice.

“
Jah
, we don’t wanna go there!” Micah laughed. “
Gut
luck with gettin’ all this business settled. I’ll call ya later with my figures.”

“I think I’ll head on home, too. Got some more packing to do before I move into my
condo,” Bob remarked. “Let me know your decision any time, and I’ll take care of the
details with Jennifer.”

After Rebecca hugged Andy and her sister, she followed her dad outside, which left
the two of them standing in the empty building. Andy put his arms around Rhoda. It
was a heart-pounding decision, a big leap of faith to have Bob Oliveri invest in a
building before he knew the clinic would be a success.

“Are you sure you can live this way, Rhoda?” he murmured. “It’ll take a lot of work
and imagination to turn this old building into a home.”

Rhoda hugged him hard. “Ah, but Micah’s got a way of transformin’ places, ain’t so?
Feels like this was all meant to be, Andy. I think ya should do it!”

What faith she had in him. And if the Lantz family stood with him, who could turn
against him? “All right, then. Let me grab Bob before he takes off.”

Andy loped out to the parking lot, where Bob and Rebecca stood beside the Realtor’s
SUV chatting through her open car window. He stopped next to them, grinning uncontrollably.
“Rhoda says we should just
do
it,” he announced. “I’ve been wanting to say that all along, so—”

“Good man!” Bob crowed. “Welcome to Willow Ridge, Andy. Jennifer and I will get right
on this.”

“Perfect,” Jennifer Bradley agreed. “I’ll lock up and get this process started.”

Rebecca rushed at him for a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she murmured happily.
“The pieces are falling into place now, for all of us.”

Welcome to Willow Ridge.
As the three cars pulled away a few moments later, Andy’s heart thudded with a feeling
of such rightness, such destiny. His life came into clearer focus than he’d known
since before Megan had walked away. He hugged Rhoda, who was laughing and crying at
the same time.

“I love ya, Andy,” she said with a hitch in her voice. “It’s been another happy, happy
day, ain’t so?”

His heart swelled and his throat tightened. He’d been afraid he’d jinx the situation
if he said that L word too soon, yet Rhoda had fearlessly stated her feelings. “I’m
just beginning to know the meaning of that word. To trust in it again,” he whispered.
“I can’t thank you enough for believing in me—for believing in us. And yeah, I love
you so much I can hardly breathe right now.”

She rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Oh, ya gotta keep breathin’, Andy. You’re drivin’
us home in the sleigh so we can tell Mamma and Rachel about this, ain’t so?”

Andy held her tight, closing his eyes with the sweetness of this triumphant moment.
It would take some getting used to, the way the Lantz women playfully conspired to
get their way. But it was such a welcome change from going it alone, uphill, bearing
the weight and responsibility for getting everything done for himself and his family.
Here in Willow Ridge, he felt as though everyone was already pulling for him. Guaranteeing
that he would succeed.

The way—his future—had opened like a beautiful door. Andy believed he could accomplish
anything if Rhoda stood beside him.

 

 

“OK, kids, check one more time to be sure ya got all the ornaments from the inside
branches,” Rhoda said. “Then ya can show me how this tree folds up. Never seen the
likes of that, ya know. We Amish don’t have Christmas trees—real or fake ones.”

“So how do you decorate, then?” Taylor asked. “Do you have a Nativity scene like ours?”

Rhoda smiled. What a treat, to be here with Betty and the kids on the last day of
their vacation before school started up again. They were asking good questions about
how their lives would be different once they moved to Willow Ridge, and she was pleased
to answer them. Andy was working a shift in the obstetrics ward, grateful that Preacher
Tom had given permission for her to be here while Andy worked and his family prepared
for their new life.

“We have a real simple set with just Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus that my
dat
’s grandpa carved,” she replied. “And we have a bigger Nativity scene that Mamma’s
family gave her when she married my
dat
. Otherwise, we put candles in the windows and fresh pine garlands on the mantels
of our fireplaces. For us, it’s all about the birth of Jesus the Savior.”

“No Santa Claus?” Brett asked. He was gazing wistfully at the two lighted figurines
dressed in red with sparkly white trim. “He’s really your parents, you know. But we
like to keep believing in him so we get more presents!”

Rhoda laughed and rumpled his silky hair. “And I understand that the real Saint Nicholas
was a
gut
man whose generosity improved a lot of lives. But nope,” she replied. “We give each
other simple gifts. Most of them we make ourselves.”

Brett considered this as he wrapped the cords around the plastic figures. As he placed
them in their big box, he said, “If we won’t be having electricity in our new house,
we can’t use our tree lights or these Santas anyway. Do . . . do you suppose we ought
to donate them to the Goodwill store in Morning Star? So some family without much
money can have them for next year?”

“That’s a fine . . . idea for all of this . . . stuff,” Betty answered from her seat
on the couch. “I kept out . . . the special ornaments from your . . . first Christmases,
but I think we can let . . . the rest of them go. Don’t you?”

It was a sobering thought for two kids who had grown up with so many English Christmas
traditions, so Rhoda let Brett and Taylor consider their responses without further
comment. She was taping a big box shut when the doorbell rang repeatedly.

“Open up! I know you’re in there!” a woman’s voice exclaimed. The door opened, and
with a gust of wind a tall, slender blonde walked in. She looked surprised to see
them all sitting right there in the front room.

But
surprise
didn’t nearly cover the looks on the kids’ faces, or the thundering of Rhoda’s heart
as this unannounced visitor took off her sunglasses.

“Mom?” Taylor rasped.

“Mommy!” Brett yelped as he bolted up from the floor.

As both children rushed into the woman’s arms, a sense of dread swallowed Rhoda whole.
She glanced at Betty, who looked as if she was having a nightmare. While nothing could
have prepared her for this situation, Rhoda was wishing Andy had told her more about
the circumstances of Megan’s leaving the family. Hadn’t he said she was living in
California now, remarried?

“So it’s true,” Megan said in an accusing voice. “Your dad has taken up with this—this
backwoods Amish girl, and she’s brainwashing you into joining their cult along with
him. Pack your bags, kids. You’re coming with me.”

Rhoda’s heart was pounding so hard she couldn’t reply. Small comfort that Taylor and
Brett backed out of their mother’s arms then, shaking their heads.

“It’s not that way, Mom,” Taylor declared in a strained voice. “Rhoda’s been taking
care of us, cleaning the house—”

“Which proves my point,” Megan said as she glared at Rhoda. “If your father is crazy
enough to consider joining the Amish church—marrying an uneducated woman who’s only
fit to cook and clean—he’s obviously lost his mind. Not to mention his ability to
look after you.”

“N-no, it’s . . . not like that,” Betty protested. “Andy and . . . Rhoda are—”

“And what’s happened to
you
?” Megan demanded. “If you’ve had a stroke, Betty, you’re no more able to care for
my children than Andy is. My God, this family has fallen apart since I left. Get packing,
kids.”

“But we need to call Dad—”

“Leave your father out of this. Thank God somebody warned me about this mess before
it was too late. And you”—Megan pointed at Rhoda—“get out of my house. Get
away
from my children.”

Rhoda swallowed hard. Never in her life had she been spoken to in such a tone, and
she didn’t know how to handle it. Betty, looking very worried and frail, had grabbed
her walker and was heading for the kitchen to escape this craziness, but somebody
had to take a stand. Somebody had to talk some sense into this woman, even if she
was the children’s mother.

Be with me, Lord, because if I ever needed Ya
—
if Andy ever needed Ya
—
it’s right this minute.

“Let’s think about this,” Rhoda said, gathering her courage. It wasn’t the Plain way
to get angry or argumentative, but she was the one in charge while Andy couldn’t defend
himself or his family. “The way I understand it, ya left these kids a couple years
ago without much thought for what might happen to them. So what’s put this bee in
your bonnet to show up
now
?”

“Do you hear the way she talks?” Megan grilled her children. “Surely you know better
than to believe what this unsophisticated—why, I bet they don’t even have indoor toilets
in Willow Ridge! Why would you want to live that way? And live without electricity
and your computer?”

Taylor’s eyes widened. “But, Mom, we’ve been to Rhoda’s house. They
do
have bathrooms. And Rhoda—”

“I’ve heard all I need to know about Rhoda—”

“And who told ya all this? Who got ya stirred up so you’d come and torment your kids
with stuff that’s not true?” Rhoda demanded. It was one thing not to fight with this
woman, but another matter altogether that Megan was telling such blatant lies.

Megan put her fist against her hip. “It doesn’t matter where I heard about you. It’s
easy to see that every word of the letter was true. So
leave
.
Now
, before I call the police. I will not have my children’s minds poisoned with your
religious tripe.”

Run to the gas station. Call Andy
. Bad enough that Taylor was starting to cry and Brett was gripping his sister’s hand,
looking terribly confused. She might have no say in what the mother of these poor
kids was about to do, but Andy certainly needed to know his ex-wife was planning to
steal them away. As Rhoda grabbed her black coat and bonnet from the front closet,
Taylor broke away from her mother to grab the back of Rhoda’s dress.