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The last weeks at home truly helped Miriam to feel better. Not one time did she get called away for a birth or an energy healing. The only pregnancy written in her book was her own. In a few months, she would have a little boppli in her arms.
Anna’s little Abby and Emma were quickly growing. She enjoyed helping her sister-in-law care for the children, but they could be a handful at times.
This afternoon, the boppli and their mother were all napping, and Miriam was cooking. Making pie crust filled her with happiness. The aroma of the lard mixed with flour and the actual crumbling it together with her hands gave her deep satisfaction. As a youngster, her crusts were as hard as soapstone, but over the years, and with lots of practice, they became tender and flaky.
So far, she had two chickens roasting and two apple pies cooling. Now, only to finish these crusts and bake them off to use tomorrow for cream pies. The rich fragrance from her cooking filled the room and dropped her back into memories of her mamm and mammi cooking when she was young. Coming home from school, food smells welcomed her and wrapped the feelings of home around her body. As a grown woman, she experienced these same feelings. Soon, her child would have memories such as hers.
Levi and his brother, Wayne tramped into the back porch. “You two had better take off your boots before coming into the kitchen. I will not have you leaving mud and such all over my freshly mopped kitchen.
“Ok, we hear you,” Levi called out to her. Then she heard him muttering something to his brother.
The men hung their winter jackets on hooks, they came into the kitchen in their stocking feet.
“Go warm yourselves by the fire while I’m finishing supper. I will bring you kaffe while you wait. Go along.”
Levi smiled at her and wrapped his cold arms around her and nuzzled her neck with his cold cheeks. “Levi! Stop,” Miriam laughed at his antics. “You are freezing me.” Then he kissed her with his cold lips. “You are so bad.” Her words were half-jest.
“But I am warmer now,” he said and again, kissed her lightly on the lips before going into the front room to join his brother who had found his way to a recliner near the fire.
Miriam shuddered as the thrill of love passed through her. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve such love from her husband. They found each other as an older couple, not in their late teens or early twenties like so many of the Amish did. She had felt like she would be an old maid when she reached thirty, then a couple of years later, Levi came into her life. Suddenly, they were creating a family.
She filled the mugs with kaffe and took down the remaining chocolate chip cookies she made yesterday placing it all on a tray, she then headed toward the men.
“The new standard-bred horse will be here next week. We will have time to get the information around at the meeting. Then we can see just who we shake out of the bushes as our thieves,” Levi said to Wayne, “I would like to get past all this and have those horse thieves locked up.”
Miriam stood in the doorway, listening to the conversation. She knew better than to do this. Her father always said if you eavesdropped, you might not like what you hear. In this case, he was undoubtedly right. Miriam did not want Levi involved in trying to catch these criminals. It sounded dangerous to her.
Yes, she knew it was the Amish way to handle problems in their own districts, but sometimes you needed law enforcement as they were trained in this sort of thing. She was glad Asher knew what they were up to, but still hearing their plans made her worry.
Taking a deep breath and sticking on a big smile on her face, Miriam walked into the room with her tray. She set the tray on the table between the chairs where the men were kicked back, enjoying the warmth of the fire.
“I’ll tell you when supper is on the table.”
“Are Anna and the girls taking a nap?” Wayne asked her as he took the mug full of kaffe and blew across the top of it to help cool it.
“They are, so try to be quiet. The boppli need rest. It has been a busy day with wash again. Those two go through more diapers!”
“It is a good thing we added more lines in the basement to hold them. Can you imagine how many we will need when our boppli comes?” Levi spouted.
Miriam shook her head and said, “At least he will arrive in the summer so we can hang them all out.” With that, she went back into the kitchen. Hopefully, Levi did not notice his conversation with Wayne upset her, but it sure did. Why did her husband have to try to solve all the problems in the district? Please keep Levi safe, dear Lord. We have so much to live for. Thank you for blessing us with this little one I keep close to my heart and bless this boppli with both a mother and father.
***
Later that night, Miriam changed into a soft pink flannel nightgown and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing out her long hair while waiting for Levi to finish his shower. He took one every night before going to bed. Levi told her from their first night together that he would never drag hay and horse hair to their bed. Thankfully, he was true to his word.
Levi came into the bedroom. His hair was nearly dry from the brisk towel drying he always gave it. His body smelled of a masculine scent from the soap Miriam bought him at Ruby’s store. One of the district ladies, Rachel Schwartz, made it with goat's milk and various essential oils. It smelled so good. Miriam had her own favorite, and soon she would be able to buy her own kinner their own made especially for little ones. The woman also made boppli clothing which smelled rich in the oils.
“I thought you would be fast asleep.” Levi’s gentle laughter filled the room. Pulling back the heavy covers topped with a quilt worked-up in shades of blue, he crawled into bed.
Miriam pulled her hair over her shoulder and quickly braided it before slipping into bed beside her husband.
She wanted to talk to him about his involvement in hunting down these horse thieves. How did she even begin? Taking a deep breath, she tried to open up to him, but nothing came out. She tried again with the same results.
Levi rolled over and propped his head on his hand and looked at her. “Is there something you want to say, dear?” he asked softly.
Miriam nodded, and a tear ran down beside her ear. Levi wiped it away and kissed where the trail had been. “You can tell me anything, you know.”
Miriam nodded and began again. “I do not want you involved in catching the horse thieves, Levi. It scares me. What if something happened to you?”
Instead of becoming upset, he laughed at her. “Do not worry your pretty little head about this. I have it covered. Between Wayne, the bishop, Ash, and myself, we have a plan. A good one.”
Miriam pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned back on the sturdy headboard. “This plan, it still has to do with this new stud horse you have coming in?”
Levi was quiet for a moment, and then he asked her, “Why are you worried?” Miriam’s face pulled into a frown.
“It became real to me when I heard you and Wayne talking earlier.”
“I am sorry this happened. You do not need the stress, but our plan will work. I know it will, then all this will be over.”