What in all the world?” Martha planted her hands on her hips and stared at the quilt where they’d left the picnic basket. “Where did our lunch run off to?”
Ruth squinted. “It sure couldn’t have walked off by itself.”
“Maybe some animal came along and took it,” Anna said, looking up at Martha with a frown.
“More than likely it was some human playing a trick on us,” Ruth said with a shake of her head.
“You don’t suppose Martin did this, do you?”
Ruth looked at Martha as if she’d gone daffy. “Martin?”
“He snuck up on you in the woods, so what’s to say he didn’t hide the picnic basket, too?”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t have done something like that.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do, that’s all.”
“You said you’re only beginning to know him, so I doubt you’d be able to tell what he’s capable of doing.”
Ruth’s eyebrows drew together. “It’s not like I just met Martin. I’ve known him since we were kinner.”
“We’ve known Luke that long, too, yet you seem to think he’s capable of doing all sorts of terrible things.”
Ruth motioned toward Anna, who had taken a seat on the quilt. “Let’s not argue about this, okay?”
Martha nodded. “You’re right. We should be looking for that picnic basket, not trying to figure out who took it.” She glanced around. “Which direction should we look first?”
Ruth shrugged. “Makes no difference to me. I’m getting hungry and I want to eat.”
“Me, too,” Anna said in a whiny voice.
“Then let’s get busy looking. We can start on this side of the pond, and if we don’t find it here, we’ll walk around to the other side.” Martha reached for the little girl’s hand, pulling her gently to her feet.
They broke through a clump of bushes, rounded the bend, and had only gone a short distance when Martha spotted the wicker basket sitting near a pile of men’s clothes not far from the water. “There it is!” she and Ruth shouted at the same time.
Martha dropped to her knees and opened the basket lid. Nothing remained except a bunch of empty wrappers and a half-full jug of lemonade. “This makes me so mad,” she muttered.
“Look there!” Ruth pointed to the pond. Several young English men floated in inner tubes. “I’ll bet they’re the ones who took our picnic basket.”
Martha shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and squinted. “I think one of those fellows was with Luke when we saw him talking to some Englishers outside the market several months back. Do you remember?”
Ruth shrugged. “Can’t say for sure since they’re so far away, but they’re obviously the ones who took our food, so I think we should teach them a lesson.”
“What kind of lesson?”
“One that’s going to leave those fellows with some sore feet on their trip home and probably feeling pretty chilly if the wind picks up.” Ruth bent down, grabbed the shirts and shoes, and turned toward the woods.
Martha reached for Anna’s hand and followed. They stumbled through a tangle of bushes, past a grove of spindly trees, and went deeper into the forest. As Ruth scurried along, she hung the shoes and shirts on various branches, hiding some under shrubs and inside a hollow log. “That ought to teach them not to take what doesn’t belong to them.” Her forehead wrinkled as she shook her head. “If they’re the ones responsible for the terrible things that have happened at our place lately, then maybe this will make ‘em think twice about that, too.”
Martha stood, too dumbfounded to say a word. This act of retaliation wasn’t like her normally placid sister. It wasn’t the Amish way, either, and it wasn’t a good example to be setting for Anna. “Do you think you should have done that, sister?”
Ruth folded her arms and gave one quick nod.
“If those English fellows are behind the break-ins and other things that have been done at our place, they may decide to do something worse in order to get even.”
Ruth shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to put their clothes back, but if you want to, I won’t stop you.”
Martha looked overhead at a black and white sneaker flopping in the breeze and shook her head. “I say we take our picnic basket and hightail it out of here before those fellows get out of the water.”
“Sure seems quiet around here with everyone gone for the day, doesn’t it?” Judith asked Roman, who sat in the wicker chair beside her on their front porch.
He nodded. “Jah. Quiet and peaceful.”
“I hope Anna has a good time with the girls.”
“I’m sure she will.”
“Haven’t seen anything of Grace or Cleon, so I’m hoping they’re enjoying their day together, too.” She reached for his hand. “I’m enjoying my time spent with you, as well, husband.”
He smiled. “Same here.”
“Things have been so crazy around here for the last couple of months. It’s nice to finally have some peace.”
“Let’s hope it stays peaceful.” Roman’s eyebrows drew together. “We still don’t know who’s responsible for the attacks, but I keep praying that whoever’s behind it will realize what they did was wrong and that it won’t happen again.”
Judith nodded. “I wish I knew why we seem to be the only ones under attack. It’s as if someone has deliberately singled us out.”
“I agree, and I’m fairly sure it’s someone who wants to get even with me.”
“You? But what could you have done that would make someone angry enough to do such horrible things to our property?”
Roman’s forehead wrinkled. “Let’s see now. Steven Bates could be trying to make me pay for ruining his wife’s birthday present. Or Luke could be getting even because I fired him.”
“Grace still thinks that reporter fellow might be trying to get even with her for breaking up with him and marrying his friend.”
“I doubt he’d be carrying a grudge that long.” He tugged his earlobe. “It could even be that land developer who seemed so determined to get me to sell off our land.”
“He did seem determined, but I guess he must have taken no for an answer, because he hasn’t been around.”
“I heard he’s bought some land up near Kidron, so maybe he’s given up trying to buy our place.”
“Could be that no one has a grudge against us at all. Maybe it was just some wild kids stirring up trouble, like you thought in the beginning. Say, isn’t that Cleon walking up our driveway from the main road?”
Roman squinted and stared across the yard. “I believe it is.”
“Wonder where he’s coming from and why Grace isn’t with him.”
“Could be she’s takin’ a nap, and he decided to go for a walk.”
Judith wrinkled her forehead. “It’s strange we didn’t see him leave his house.”
“Maybe he left before we came outside.”
“But we’ve been here for some time.”
Roman patted her arm. “Is it really so important?”
“I thought one of the reasons the girls took Anna on a picnic was so Grace and Cleon could spend time together. They can’t do that if she’s in the house sleeping and he’s taking a walk by himself.”
As Cleon came to the end of the driveway, he turned toward their home. When he reached the porch steps, he stepped up and nodded at Roman. “I … uh … need to speak with you about something.”
“Jah, sure. What’s is it?”
Cleon looked over at Judith and shuffled his feet.
“I think I’ll go inside and get a jug of iced tea while you menfolk talk,” she said, grasping the arms of the chair and rising to her feet. “Would either of you like some?”
“Nothing for me,” Cleon was quick to say.
Roman shook his head. “Not right now; maybe later.”
She disappeared into the house. Guess if Cleon had wanted me to hear what he had to say, he would have invited me to stay.
“Have a seat,” Roman said, motioning to the chair Judith had been sitting in.
Cleon sat down and cleared his throat. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’ve been wanting to get my beekeeping business going again, and my brother Ivan’s offered to loan me some money. So I was wondering if it would be okay with you if I took a few days off from work to see about buying some bees, boxes, and other supplies from a fellow who lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, not far from where I grew up.”
“I’d thought maybe since you’d come to work for me that you’d decided to quit the bee business.”
“I’ll keep working for you as long as you want me to, but I enjoyed what I was doing with the bees, and I could use the extra money now that we have a boppli on the way. Since Ivan will probably be helping me part-time, maybe I can tend to the bees when I’m not working for you.”
Roman’s eyes narrowed. “Workin’ two jobs won’t give you much time to spend at home with your wife and kinner.”
“Taking care of the bees isn’t a full-time job, so I’ll be around home enough, I expect.”
“What’s Grace think about this?”
“She … uh … doesn’t know yet.”
Roman rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I guess it’ll be all right if you’re gone a few days, but I hope you’ll be back by Friday. It’s Grace’s birthday, you know, and she’d be mighty disappointed if you weren’t there to help celebrate.”
Cleon clamped his lips together. He didn’t want to appear like a thoughtless husband, but he needed to get those bee boxes and other supplies before someone else got to them. “I can’t promise I’ll be back by Friday, but I’ll try.”
After Cleon left for his folks’ place, Grace rested awhile. Then she decided to spend some time reading her Bible. She’d been negligent about doing her devotions every day and knew that getting into God’s Word might help her depression.
Curling up on the sofa, she opened the Bible to Isaiah chapter 50. When she read verse 7, words of scripture seemed to jump right off the page. “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”
Tears coursed down Grace’s cheeks, and she sniffed. She needed to rely on God to help her as she set her face like a flint. She had done some wrong things, but she no longer needed to be ashamed of them, because she’d asked God for forgiveness. Even though Cleon hadn’t forgiven her, God had, and for that she felt grateful.
When the back door opened and clicked shut, Grace dried her eyes and sat up. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me,” Cleon said as he stepped into the living room.
“Did you have a nice visit with your folks?”
He nodded. “Didn’t visit with ‘em long, though. Spent most of my time talking with Ivan about the possibility of getting some more bees, boxes, and other supplies.”
“I see.”
Cleon took a seat in the rocking chair across from her. “When I got back, I spoke with your daed about letting me have a few days off.”
She tipped her head. “How come?”
“I read an ad in The Budget from some fellow who lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He’s got a bunch of bee things for sale at a pretty good price, so I want to see about buying them.”
“When would you be leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Grace moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. She didn’t want Cleon to think she was trying to tell him what to do, and she wasn’t going to mention that she wanted him home to celebrate her birthday. Cleon knew when her birthday was. If he didn’t remember this year or didn’t want to spend it with her, then she wouldn’t bring up the subject. “I—I guess if you feel you need to go, then that’s what you should do.”
He nodded and stood. “Think I’ll walk over to the Larsons’ and see if Ray can give me a ride to Dover in the morning so I can catch the bus to Pennsylvania.”
Grace stared at him. He finally shrugged and left the room.
She released a sigh that turned into a strangled sob. Dear Lord, please give me the strength to endure my husband’s rejection.