Are you comfortable enough? Is there anything else I can do for you?” Mom’s wrinkled forehead and the concern in her voice let Ruth know how worried she was about her.
“I’ll be fine,” Ruth said as she tried to find a comfortable position on her bed. Even after several visits to the chiropractor, she was still experiencing back spasms. The doctor said she needed rest and couldn’t return to work until her back was better. Much to Ruth’s chagrin, Abe’s neighbor, Marlene Yoder, was helping in her absence. Marlene was an older woman whose children were grown and married, so she had the time. Ruth’s only concern was whether Marlene could keep up with Abe’s active children, especially the two youngest ones.
I miss Abe’s kinner so much. Ruth grimaced. I find myself missing Abe, too.
“You are in pain. I can see by the look on your face that you’re hurting.” Mom moved closer to the bed and stared down at Ruth.
“As long as I don’t move, I don’t hurt.” Ruth compressed her lips. “What hurts the most is not being able to care for Abe’s kinner.”
“You’ll return to your job once your back has healed.”
Ruth groaned. “I still can’t believe the way it went into a spasm just because I bent over wrong.”
“Dr. Bradley said it’s a fairly common occurrence—especially when someone’s had to deal with the kind of stress you’ve had.” Mom’s hand shook as she reached up to swipe at a wisp of hair that had worked its way loose from her bun. “I understand that, because all the attacks that have occurred around here have made me feel jittery as a June bug. They’ve affected my ability to sleep well, too.”
“I know, and now here you are taking care of me.” Ruth hated to be laid up like this. Seeing how tired her mother looked today made her feel guilty for being such a bother.
“I don’t mind.” Mom patted Ruth’s hand. “Martha’s been helping when she isn’t working for Irene or spending time caring for her dogs. Heidi’s going to have another batch of pups now, you know.”
“Jah, Martha told me.”
“I still wish she’d give up the notion of raising hundlin.”
“It’s what she enjoys, and we can’t fault her for that.” Ruth sighed. “I enjoy my job working for Abe, which makes it all the harder to be stuck here in bed.”
“You really miss his kinner, don’t you?”
“Jah.” Ruth almost said that she missed Abe, too, but she caught herself in time. No point giving Mom any hope that she and Abe might marry. He’d made it clear enough the day she’d mentioned marriage that he had no interest in her.
“Well,” Mom said as she moved away from the bed, “I’m going downstairs to start lunch. I’ll bring up a tray for you when it’s ready.”
“Danki. In the meantime, would you give me my Biwel? I’d like to read a few chapters.”
Mom picked up the Bible from the table by Ruth’s bed and handed it to her. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.” Ruth turned to the book of Ruth and read the account of how the biblical Ruth had made herself known to Boaz. “It may have worked for Ruth from the Bible, but it sure didn’t work for me,” she mumbled when she’d finished reading it. “Whatever possessed me to do something so bold? Is the strained relationship I now have with Abe just one more test I’m being faced with?”
Knowing that Job went through numerous tests, Ruth flipped to the book of Job. “‘But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold,’” she read from the twenty-third chapter.
She closed her eyes. Are the tests Abe and I have been faced with refining us, Lord? Will we someday come forth as gold?
Her eyes popped open. As soon as my back is better, I’m going to share that verse with Abe.
Abe entered the kitchen to join his two youngest children for lunch and was shocked to discover a mess. Several boxes of cereal were strewn on the floor, along with some smaller boxes of candy-coated gum. Molly and Owen sat in the middle of it, wearing blue smiles on their faces.
“Bloh,” Molly said, holding up both hands, which were also colored blue.
“Jah, blue hands, blue teeth, and blue lips.” Abe bit back a chuckle. It was comical to see how the children looked, but he had to wonder how they’d managed to make such a mess.
“Where’s Marlene?” he asked Owen.
The boy pointed to the door leading to the living room. “Schlofkopp.”
“Sleepyhead?” Abe repeated in English. Owen nodded.
Abe stepped into the living room and discovered Marlene stretched out on the sofa, fast asleep. He cleared his throat. No response.
He moved closer to the sofa and bent close to her ear. “Marlene, wake up!”
“Was is letz do?” The poor woman jumped up as though she’d been stung by a bee.
“What’s wrong here is that my two youngest kinner have been in the kitchen making a mess while you’ve been asleep.” Abe frowned. “And I’m hungry as a mule and there’s no lunch ready.”
Marlene clambered off the sofa. “Ach! I had no idea it was lunchtime already. I came in here to rest my eyes a minute. Guess I must have dozed off.”
“Aren’t you getting enough sleep?”
“I sleep well at night, but I’m not used to running after little ones all day. To tell you the truth, I’m feeling plumb tuckered out.” She sighed and pushed an errant strand of grayish-brown hair away from her face. “How soon do you think it’ll be before Ruth comes back to work?”
Abe grimaced. He wasn’t sure he wanted Ruth to continue working for him. He’d come to realize that not only did his offspring miss having Ruth around, but he did, as well. It wasn’t just the good job Ruth had done with the house and children that Abe missed, either. It was her smiling face, caring attitude, and gentle ways. Even so, he wondered if it might be better if Ruth didn’t come back once her back was healed. He had feelings for her, which she obviously didn’t return. He figured having her around so much would only complicate things. On the other hand, if she didn’t come back—
“Abe, did you hear what I asked about Ruth?”
Abe blinked. “Jah. Just don’t have an answer for that right now.”
Marlene shrugged and turned toward the kitchen. “I’d better tend to Molly and Owen. Then I’ll get something put together for your lunch.”
“Just worry about lunch,” Abe said, following her into the other room. “I’ll clean up the kinner.”
“I’m not sure who I’m most worried about—Mom or Ruth,” Grace said as she placed a sandwich on a plate and set it in front of Cleon. Since Anna was in school and the baby was asleep, Grace hoped she and Cleon would have a chance to visit without interruption.
He looked up at Grace, and his eyebrows drew together. “It won’t do any good to worry. I’m sure they’ll both be fine.”
Grace pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m not so certain about that.”
“What do you mean?”
“First off, Ruth’s back seems slow in healing, and she’s getting depressed lying around all day.”
“The doctor took X-rays and determined it was nothing more than a pulled muscle, right?”
She nodded.
“Then in time, she’ll heal.”
“I suppose, but Ruth’s been through enough already. I hate to see her go through more.” Grace grunted. “Now Mom’s busy caring for Ruth when she can barely take care of herself.” She grimaced. “Even though there haven’t been any more attacks since the horse and chicken incident, Mom’s been so naerfich. It’s hard not to worry or blame myself because—”
“Here you go again, feeling guilty because you think Gary Walker’s the one behind the attacks and you’re convinced he’s trying to get even with you for something that happened over six years ago.” Cleon shook his head. “It could be anyone, Grace. No one but the attacker is to blame.” He touched her hand. “Let’s pray,” he suggested, “and then we can talk while we eat if you have more to say on the subject.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
They bowed their heads, and Grace thanked God that things were better between Cleon and Anna. Then she petitioned the Lord to calm her mother’s fears, heal Ruth’s back, and protect her family from further attacks.