Wie geht’s?” Abe asked as he entered Roman’s woodworking shop on Friday morning and found Roman kneeling on the floor beside an old rocking chair.
“I’m doin’ okay. And you?”
“I was fine until Sue told me during lunch yesterday that our mamm broke her hip. Now Sue will have to return home to help out.”
Roman’s forehead wrinkled. “You’ve got a problem with your sister helping your mamm?”
“It’s not her caring for Mom that bothers me; it’s the fact that she’ll be moving back to Illinois, and I’ll be left without anyone to watch my kinner and keep up with the house.”
“Sounds like you’re going to need a maad.“
Abe nodded. “I need a maid, all right, and I came by to see if you think Ruth might be interested in the job.”
Roman’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t think so. Ruth’s been struggling with depression since Martin died.”
“I think her going to work is a great idea,” Cleon said from where he was sanding cabinets.
Roman looked at him with a dubious expression. “You do?”
Cleon nodded. “It’s been three months since Martin died, and Ruth will barely go anywhere or take part in anything the family does. I think it would be good for her to get involved in someone else’s life and do something useful. Might help take her mind off her own problems.”
“Cleon’s right,” Abe said as a feeling of hope welled in his chest. “I speak from experience when I say that it’s not good for a body to sit around and dwell on her pain. If Ruth came to work for me, she’d not only be helping us out, but it would give her something meaningful to do.” He smiled. “Besides, I know for a fact that my kinner think a lot of Ruth.”
Roman stood, yawned, and stretched his arms overhead. “You might be right about that.” He reached around to rub a spot on his lower back. “Ruth’s not only good with kinner, but she’s a fine cook and knows how to keep house real well. I’m sure she would do a good job for you.”
“Will you speak to her about the job?” Abe asked.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
Abe poked a finger under the side of his hat and scratched his head. “I figured she might respond better if you do the asking.”
“I doubt that.” Roman grunted. “I don’t have a lot of influence on any of my daughters these days.”
“I could ask her, but that might seem kind of odd,” Cleon said. “I agree with Roman; you should speak to Ruth yourself, Abe.”
“She’s up at the house with Judith. I think they were planning to bake some cookies.” Roman wiggled his eyebrows. “If you ask real nice, you might get a few.”
Abe nodded. “Jah, okay. I’ll head up there and see what Ruth has to say.”
“Could you please check on those cookies in the oven?” Mom asked, glancing over her shoulder at Ruth. “I need to use the necessary room.” She hurried from the kitchen before Ruth could respond.
With a weary sigh, Ruth opened the oven door and peered inside. The soft molasses cookies were rising nicely, but they weren’t quite brown enough. She figured they needed a few more minutes.
She reached for the teakettle at the back of stove, poured herself a cup of hot water, and added a tea bag. She was about to take a seat at the table when a knock sounded at the back door. Since Mom was still in the bathroom and Martha had gone to the barn some time ago, Ruth went to answer the door. She was pleased to find her aunt on the porch.
“I hope you’re not busy,” Aunt Rosemary said, “because I’d like to take you to lunch in Millersburg. Afterward, I thought it might be fun to go shopping at Wal-Mart.”
Ruth sucked in her breath. She hadn’t been anywhere other than church since Martin died. The thought of going out to lunch or shopping in a big store made her feel queasy. “I—I don’t know—”
“It’ll be good for you to get out of the house and do something fun.” Aunt Rosemary gave Ruth’s arm a gentle squeeze. “I need to buy a few things, and it would be nice to have someone along to keep me company.”
Ruth opened her mouth to respond, but Mom came out of the bathroom just then. “Who was at the door, Ruth?”
“It’s Aunt Rosemary.” Ruth stepped aside and motioned her aunt into the house.
“Oh, good. I’m glad you came back. Have you been to the woodworking shop to speak with Roman?”
Rosemary shook her head. “Not today. I came by to see if Ruth would like to go shopping and out to lunch with me.” She smiled at Ruth’s mother. “You’re welcome to join us if you like.”
“That’s nice of you,” Mom said, “but Grace is coming over soon, and we’d planned to do some sewing.” She slipped her arm around Ruth’s waist. “I think you should go. It would do you a world of good to get out of the house for a while.”
Ruth was on the verge of saying that she didn’t feel up to going when she caught a whiff of something burning. “Ach, the cookies!” She rushed into the kitchen, flipped the oven door open, and withdrew the cookie sheet. Every one of the cookies was overly dark and crispy around the edges.
“Are they ruined?” Mom asked as she and Aunt Rosemary stepped into the room.
Ruth nodded. “I’m afraid so. It’s a good thing the two batches we made earlier turned out okay.” She glanced over at her aunt. “Would you like to try one of the good ones?”
Aunt Rosemary shook her head. “The offer’s tempting, but I don’t want to spoil my appetite for lunch. Speaking of which, have you decided whether you’ll go to Millersburg with me?”
“She’ll go,” Mom said before Ruth could open her mouth. “And when you get back, maybe you’ll have a chance to talk to that glotzkeppich husband of mine.”
“Roman always was a stubborn one, even when he was a boy.” Aunt Rosemary shook her head. “I will try to speak with him again, but I’m not holding my breath that he’ll listen to anything I have to say.”
“I’ll be praying that he does. There’s been enough misunderstanding in this family.”
Ruth grimaced. She knew her mother was probably referring to the secret Grace had kept when she’d returned home after going English for a time. Ruth wasn’t sure whether Dad had ever come to grips with the knowledge that Grace had kept her previous marriage to an Englisher from him for some time.
“Well, now,” Aunt Rosemary said, touching Ruth’s arm, “should the two of us head for town?”
Ruth glanced at the charred cookies sitting on the counter. “I’ve still got a couple more batches to bake.”
“Never mind that,” Mom said with a shake of her head. “You run along with Rosemary, and I’ll finish the cookies.”
Ruth figured she wasn’t going to argue her way out of going, so she plucked her sweater and purse off the wall peg near the door and had just touched the doorknob when a knock sounded.
“Must be our day for company,” Mom said. “Open it, Ruth, and see who’s come calling.”
When Ruth opened the door, she was surprised to see Abe Wengerd standing on the porch holding his straw hat. “Guder mariye,” he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Mind if I come in a minute?”
“No, of course not.” Ruth opened the door wider. “If you came to see Dad, he’s working in his shop right now.”
“Been there already. It’s you I’m here to see.”
“Me?” Ruth couldn’t imagine what Abe would need to see her about.
“I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming to work for me.”
“In the harness shop?”
“No, no,” he said, looking a bit flustered. “I meant as a maad.”
“But you have Sue helping you with the household chores. Isn’t she able to handle things on her own?”
“She’ll be leaving on Monday—going back home to help our mamm, who recently fell and broke her hip.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mom said, stepping out of the kitchen. She nudged Ruth gently on the arm. “I think it would be a good idea for you to work as Abe’s maid.”
“No. I couldn’t do that,” Ruth said with a shake of her head.
“Why not?” The question came from Aunt Rosemary, who had stepped up behind Mom.
“Well, I …” Ruth’s face flushed with heat, and her hands began to shake. “I’m needed here, helping you.”
“Nonsense.” Mom draped her arm across Ruth’s shoulder. “I can get by with Martha’s help, just like I did when you first got married.”
Ruth flinched at the reminder. Ever since Aunt Rosemary had talked her down from the silo, she’d been trying not to think about Martin or the anger she felt toward the one who had killed him.
“I really think it would be good for you.” Aunt Rosemary moved to stand beside Ruth and leaned close to her ear. “Remember the things we talked about the other day?”
Ruth knew what Rosemary was referring to—things they’d discussed after they’d climbed down from the silo, things about Ruth making an effort to start living life again.
“I’ve seen how well you get along with my kinner,” Abe put in as if he thought Ruth needed a bit more persuasion. “And I’ll pay you a decent wage.”
Ruth didn’t care about the money. But it would be nice to be around Abe’s children. Besides, if she was gone all day, Mom wouldn’t be able to hover over her.
She nodded slowly. “All right. I can begin work on Monday morning.”
As Grace headed down the path toward her folks’ house, she spotted Ruth and an English woman, whom she guessed might be their aunt Rosemary, coming out the back door. She would have waved, but since she had a squirming baby in her arms, she didn’t think that was a good idea. By the time she got close enough to call out to them, they’d gotten into the car she’d seen parked in the driveway and pulled away.
“Was that Dad’s sister with Ruth?” Grace asked her mother when she entered the house a few minutes later.
Mom nodded as she opened the oven door and removed a sheet of plump, golden brown cookies. “Rosemary came by to see if Ruth wanted to go shopping and out to lunch.”
“And Ruth agreed to go?”
“She did.”
“I’m surprised. She hasn’t wanted to do much of anything since Martin died, not even visit with her family.”
“I know.” Mom set the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and nodded toward the table. “Have a seat, and I’ll fix you a glass of milk to go with a couple of these soft molasses cookies.”
“Sounds good to me.” Grace took a seat and placed Daniel in her lap.
“There’s an even bigger surprise,” Mom said, handing Grace a glass. “Ruth’s going to work for Abe as his maad.”
“I thought Abe’s sister was taking care of his house and kinner.”
“She was, but she’s going back to Illinois to help her mamm, who recently broke her hip.”
“That’s too bad.” Daniel hiccupped several times, and Grace rubbed the small of his back until the hiccups subsided. “How’d you talk Ruth into working for Abe?”
“I didn’t. Rosemary took care of that.” Mom poured milk into Grace’s glass, brought a plate of cookies to the table, and took a seat. “She seems to have some persuasion over Ruth that none of the rest of us has.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing she’s come back to Holmes County.”
“I was thinking that, too.” Mom held out her hands. “How about I hold the boppli while you eat those cookies?”
“Are you sure? Daniel’s cutting a tooth, and he’s been fussy all week.”
Mom clicked her tongue. “Have you forgotten that I raised three girls of my own? I do know a thing or two about fussy bopplin.”
“Guess you’ve got a point.” Grace handed the baby to her mother. “Has Aunt Rosemary tried to speak with Dad again?”
“Not yet, but she said she might try after she and Ruth get home from Millersburg.”
“I hope he’ll listen. Maybe there’s a good reason Aunt Rosemary never contacted any of her family.”
Mom nodded. “There are always two sides to every story. Your daed ought to be smart enough to listen to his sister.”
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation.
“Want me to get it?” Grace asked.
“That would be good since I’ve got my hands full of baby right now.”
Grace pushed her chair away from the table and hurried to the back door. She found Donna Larson on the porch holding an angel food cake.
“I was at the bakeshop in town early this morning,” Donna explained. “They had angel food cake on sale, so I bought two—one for me and one for your mother.” She peered around Grace. “Is she at home?”
“She’s in the kitchen. Would you like to come in and have some freshly baked molasses cookies and milk?”
“The cookies sound good, but I’d prefer coffee if you have any.”
“Mom probably has a pot on the stove. She usually keeps some warming for my dad.”
Donna followed Grace into the kitchen. “I brought you an angel food cake from the bakeshop in Berlin,” she said, smiling at Mom.
“That was nice of you,” Mom replied. “Why don’t you join us at the table?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Donna set the cake on the counter and took a seat. “That baby of yours is sure growing,” she said, smiling at Grace when she handed her a cup of coffee.
Grace nodded. “He seems to grow an inch every day.”
“How’s Ruth getting along? Is she dealing any better with the loss of her husband?”
“I think so,” Mom replied. “Abe Wengerd came by a while ago and asked if Ruth would come to work for him as his maid.”
“I thought his sister was helping.”
“She was, but she’ll be going home to care for her mother, who was injured recently.” Mom smiled. “Miracle of miracles, Ruth agreed to take Sue’s place as Abe’s maid.”
“Where is Ruth today?” Donna asked.
Mom explained about Aunt Rosemary and how she’d been gone for thirty-some years but had come back to Holmes County. She ended the story by saying, “Rosemary’s the one who convinced Ruth to agree to work for Abe. The two of them left a while ago to go shopping and out to lunch in Millersburg.”
“It’s good to hear Ruth’s getting out. I hope working for Abe will help with the pain of her loss.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for, too,” Mom said with a nod.
Donna blew on her coffee then took a sip. “How’s everything else around here? Have there been any more acts of vandalism?”
“Not since Ruth and Martin’s buggy was run off the road. We’re hoping things stay that way.” Mom bent her head and kissed Daniel’s cheek. “It’s not easy to spend your days and nights worrying that something bad might be just around the corner.”
Donna tapped her fingernails on the edge of the table. “If the attacks should start again and you and Roman decide you need to move someplace else, I hope you’ll let Ray and me know before you put the place on the market.” She smiled at Mom then at Grace. “We’d like to be given the first opportunity to buy your land.”
“Roman thinks moving would be the coward’s way out,” Mom replied. “He said it would be like giving in to the attacker. If the attacks should start up again, we’re hoping the sheriff will catch the criminal. In the meantime, we’ll keep trusting the Lord to keep us safe.”
Donna looked as though she was going to say something, but Martha burst into the room, interrupting their conversation. “You should see how well Bo and Polly are getting along. I think things will work out better with this dog.” She skipped across the floor but halted when she spotted Donna. “Sorry. I didn’t realize we had company.”
“I’m not really company,” Donna said with a wave of her hand. “I’m just your friendly neighbor who decided to drop by with an angel food cake because I know it’s one of your mother’s favorite desserts.”
Martha eyed the cake sitting across the room. “Looks real tasty.”
“There’s soft molasses cookies, freshly baked,” Mom said, motioning to the plate in the center of the table. “Pull up a chair and have a few. It’ll tide you over until lunch.”
Martha took a seat and plucked two cookies off the plate.
“Don’t you think you should wash your hands first?” Grace asked.
“I washed them at the pump outside before I came in.”
“Oh.”
Martha looked over at Grace, and her eyebrows pulled together. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, and the reason I didn’t say anything sooner is because I know how shaken up everyone’s been over Aunt Rosemary’s sudden appearance. I didn’t want to give you one more thing to worry about.”
“What is it, Martha?” Mom asked. “What’s happened that might make us worry?”
“When I was working at Irene’s the other day, she had an unexpected visitor.”
“Who was that?” Grace asked. “Gary Walker.”
Grace’s mouth dropped open. “But I thought he had left Holmes County and wasn’t coming back.”
“He said he’s been hired at the newspaper office in Millersburg and that he’s decided to move here permanently.”
Grace clutched the edge of the table as a sense of panic gripped her like a vise. If Gary was moving to Holmes County, then the attacks would surely begin again.