Lovina’s insides quaked, and she feared she would have to use the sickness bag that Quill had brought her.

How could this be happening? Every part of her kept screaming, Nooooo!

And yet here she sat. Quill’s car was in Park, idling quietly and blowing cold air on her face as he crossed the road and went up the walkway to Brandi’s home.

She watched as he knocked on the door. Quill assured her that Skylar was at school right now and no one would be home except Brandi. Isaac hadn’t come. Ariana had needed his help repairing the front stoop at the café. The benefit was four days away, and as the time drew closer to tell Ariana the truth, Lovina found it almost impossible to breathe. Or sleep. Or eat.

Why had she pushed to dive quickly into the truth? She knew why. Fear for Skylar. She’d seemed so sad while singing that her dreams of dying were the best ones she’d ever had.

Quill stood on the porch, waiting for Brandi to open the door. He would talk with her by himself first, explaining the basics. If Brandi wanted to see Lovina, then Lovina would oblige her. But they were hoping not to overwhelm the poor mom. The news was enough to send anyone over the edge.

The door finally opened, and after a couple of minutes of the two talking, Quill went inside. Lovina rocked back and forth, cradling her aching stomach while willing herself not to throw up. Maybe she should have gone with Quill. Would that have been better or worse for Brandi? Who knew what was best in a crazy situation like this?

Minutes passed. About the time Lovina thought she couldn’t stand much more, the front door of the home opened again. Quill stepped out and gestured toward his car. Brandi stood there, her feet bare, wearing jeans and a baggy sweater. The woman didn’t look nearly as old as she had to be. Wasn’t she at least forty by now?

Brandi said something, and Quill paused, talking with her. She looked angry rather than shocked or scared. The two headed toward the vehicle. Should Lovina get out? Quill motioned for her to lower the window, but no matter what button she pushed, the window didn’t move. He opened the door, lowered the window, and eased the door almost shut again.

“Lovina, this is Brandi Nash. Brandi, this is Lovina Brenneman.”

Lovina couldn’t think of a thing to say, and maybe Brandi couldn’t either because she just kept looking at her.

Quill propped his hand on the door. “Brandi is having some difficulty believing that this might be true. I told her that there is an auction this Saturday and that it might help her to see Ariana as much as it helped you to see Skylar.”

“You’re not taking my daughter.” Brandi wrapped her open sweater around her as if holding on for dear life. “But Skylar and I had discussed driving to Amish country, so maybe we’ll—”

“No.” Lovina gasped, her heart racing. “Sorry. I mean, that’s not a good idea. You could come, you and…anyone else. But I’ve seen Skylar, and she’s a mirror image of my oldest daughter. She will stand out, and we haven’t told Ariana yet.”

“Look, you seem upset at the wacky idea you’ve conjured up about this baby swap twenty years ago, and I was just trying to be nice about it.” She tilted her head back, jaw set and looking offended. “It doesn’t matter who my daughter favors. She is mine, not yours! Are we clear on that?”

Lovina understood now why Quill had closed the door after he lowered the window. He wanted a barrier between this woman’s anger and Lovina. But she didn’t care if Brandi hit her. She had to get out of this vehicle and face her eye to eye. Lovina pushed against the door, giving Quill a look that said he needed to move. Quill released the door.

Her legs wobbled as she got her feet under her. “If the thought of the two babies being switched has never crossed your mind, I can’t imagine how crazy it sounds. While in labor I…I embroidered a pair of baby feet on the bottom of a pink blanket that the midwife wrapped my daughter in.”

Brandi’s rage seemed to slough off her face. “I…I have that blanket.” She looked from Quill to Lovina. “The blankets got mixed up. That’s all.”

“Maybe. But I no longer think so. If you saw how much my eldest daughter favors Skylar, you would have doubts too.”

“No!” Brandi jerked her head downward once, as if that settled the matter. “I will not listen to this crap!”

Quill rubbed the back of his neck. “A simple DNA test will settle the matter.”

“Are you people deaf? I won’t be a part of this. Skylar is my life!”

“My Ariana has white-blond hair like yours and beautiful green-blue eyes similar to yours—only more like polished emeralds.”

Brandi’s anger seemed to pause for a moment. Quill pulled out his cell phone, touched a few places on it, and held it up to Brandi.

Brandi stared at it, unmoving, and then she snatched the phone and held it closer to her face. “I’m…looking…at…” She glanced up, terror on her face. “She favors…my…” Brandi shoved the phone back at Quill. “How could something like this happen? How are you people so ill equipped that something like this could happen?” Her rant echoed off the nearby houses.

“I asked the midwife the same question, and I’m sure I sounded just as upset when I did. I’m furious and scared, and I wish I knew for sure what was the right thing to do.” Tears rolled down Lovina’s face.

“It’s not the same for you. Skylar is everything to me. I…I have only one child!”

“Now that we know what may be true, what choice do we have? To lie to our daughters for the rest of their lives?”

“I intend to protect my girl and keep her from people like you!”

When Lovina had first faced this possibility, she’d had some of the same thoughts and feelings, except she trusted that Ariana was strong enough to deal with the truth. “What about the young woman who is your child? I won’t lie to her for the rest of my days. I can’t do it. If you need time to adjust, we’ll give you more time.”

“What do you hope to gain by doing this?”

Lovina thought it best to keep those thoughts to herself. If Skylar had been raised in a manner that gave Lovina a sense of peace, would she be interested in uncovering the truth? She didn’t know. That scenario hadn’t been presented to her, and she hadn’t thought about it. But the truth being revealed could backfire on her whole family and the Nash family. “I’m not sure anyone gains, but God’s hand is in it, and He has revealed it for a reason. I believe that.”

“You dare blame God. I hate when people do that.” Brandi tightened her folded arms. “This is human error, hopefully yours, not the midwife’s.”

“I hope that too. But nothing short of DNA testing will confirm it.”

Brandi crossed her arms, staring at Lovina. “I’ll think about it.”

“But—”

“That’s fine for now,” Quill assured her. “Lovina, she needs time to think, just as you and Isaac did.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “This is my phone number. You can call me at any time. Lovina and Isaac plan to tell Ariana the truth next week, probably Monday or Tuesday. That gives you a week to adjust, but if that’s moving too fast and you feel you need another week or perhaps a little more, let us know.”

Brandi looked at the paper. “Is that what you said your name was?”

“Quill Schlabach. Yes, that’s what I said when I introduced myself at the door.”

“You’re the former Amish guy who asked to see my daughter’s driver’s license.”

“Yes, I explained that in the house. I’m sure you’re able to take in only so much information right now, but you can call me at any time. I needed to know her birth date as a way of verifying if our suspicions had any real foundation. After Ariana knows the truth, she and her mom will go in for DNA testing.”

“She could refuse, you know.”

“She could?” Lovina turned to Quill.

He half shrugged and half nodded. “As an adult, she has that right, but Ariana won’t go against what you and Isaac ask of her.” He angled his head, catching Brandi’s eye. “What about Skylar?”

“There is no way I’m upsetting her with this nonsense! I’ll simply have some blood work done during her routine pee-in-a-cup drug testing. I’ve done that before to check on her iron levels, so she won’t think a thing about it. That way when this all turns out to be fear-mongering lies, she’ll be left unscathed.”

“Drug testing?” Lovina couldn’t imagine why a beautiful young woman would need to be tested for drugs. Was she on medication of some type? Some of those required routine tests?

Brandi wagged her finger at Lovina. “Don’t you dare stand in front of my house with your backwoods religion, glaring in my face while you judge me!”

Lovina’s eyes burned with tears. The woman’s body language was so much like Ariana’s—little things, like the way she angled her head and bit one side of her lower lip when thinking and held her hand just so while pointing. Did that indicate genetic characteristics? Was that even possible? Or was her mind playing tricks on her because Ariana and Brandi favored each other?

Quill stepped between them. “If you have the right to receive those kinds of reports on your daughter, I can see how that plan would work for your family. And I think it’s a good one.”

It wouldn’t work for Ariana. She hadn’t been to the doctor in years. Besides that, Lovina wouldn’t trick her.

Brandi pointed at Quill. “You stay away from my daughter. I’ll have her tested tomorrow, and I’ll have the results back within a week or two. Then all this business will be cleared up, and after that if you ever come close to my Sky Blue again, you’ll be lucky if all I do is call the police or get a lawyer. Have I made myself clear?”

The hills of Kentucky were awash in a golden glow as the sun slid below the horizon. Quill’s fingertips barely touched the steering wheel of his car as he guided the vehicle onto the concrete driveway of his home. With the benefit in three days, he could’ve easily continued staying at the temp house in Pennsylvania. The rented trailer would have kept him near the current job site for Schlabach Home Builders and within two hours of the café. But he was drained, desperate for a night in his own bed, an evening to recharge. Part of what recharged him was long drives, so he never minded the seven-hour trip between Summer Grove and home. It gave him time to think and listen to the radio.

He pressed the button on the garage door opener. After he pulled in, he turned off his car, and then he heard Lexi barking. He’d told Dan he was coming home for the night, so he must’ve brought her by. Did Quill smell food? He almost had the house key in the lock when the door swung open.

“Hey.” Frieda smiled.

Quill suppressed a sigh. “Hi.” Lexi wriggled excitedly, knocking into Quill as he patted her. He didn’t need to ask Frieda how she got here. She either walked or one of his brothers or sisters-in-law drove her. “I was looking forward to downtime…without anyone visiting.” Quill didn’t sugarcoat how he felt. In reality they were distant cousins, but they were as close and as comfortable with each other as brother and sister. Unfortunately for both of them, she often needed companionship when he needed to be alone.

“I know, but I cooked to make up for wanting some time.” She shrugged, a small smile lifting her lips. “Dan said you were coming in, and I…I just needed to tell you something in person before you headed out again.” She stepped back.

He closed the front door. This remodeled rental home was about fifty years old, and once inside he could see the entire two-bedroom home—all nine hundred square feet of it. The fenced backyard for Lexi was twice this size.

Quill moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of Sprite. “Can’t it wait?”

“I only need fifteen minutes.”

Quill popped the tab on his drink and moved to his recliner. Dealing with the emotional upheaval surrounding Lovina, Isaac, and Brandi was draining. Knowing what was ahead for Ariana and Skylar was digging holes inside him. Watching her and Rudy interact as a couple falling in love was no picnic, but at least Rudy seemed to be a great guy. The part that had Quill wiped out was being around Ariana and having to act as if he knew nothing about what was ahead for her, and all the while her trust in him grew.

He pressed a button on the side of the electronic recliner and waited for the footrest and headrest to move into position. “If it’s heavy or something you need help with, don’t tell me.” He didn’t want to belabor a point, but he simply couldn’t take on anything else right now.

She scratched Lexi’s head. “It’s neither of those…and I made one of your favorite dishes.”

The food did smell great. “Sure. Go ahead.”

“I should’ve gone to your Mamm’s hospital room that day. You gave up years of your life to help me, and I couldn’t even do as you asked and go with you into that hospital to see Berta? What kind of friend is that?”

“You’re making progress. A year ago you wouldn’t have crossed the state line to reenter Pennsylvania, let alone gone to the hospital.” After a year of being in and out of the hospital and more than four years of seeing a psychologist, Frieda seemed to be doing particularly well these days.

“And Eli—what would he think about now?”

Quill’s Daed had been complex in his thinking, and yet he lived a simple life. Even his name, Eli, had several meanings: “high,” “ascended,” and “my God.” But Quill had thought of him only as a dad until he saw him stand up for Frieda. That’s when Quill saw him as Eli, a man who understood that defending the victim was worth angering every church leader. “My Daed would say you’re a survivor and cut yourself some slack.”

A timer on the stove went off. “That does sound like what Eli would say. But there’s more on my mind. What I just said isn’t even the main topic.” She held up an index finger. “Let me get the turkey pie out of the oven and turn the pretzels over. I’ll be right back.”

“Turkey pie and homemade pretzels? Mmm.”

While she went to the kitchen, he let his mind rewind back in time.

The Englisch called what Frieda’s dad had done to her “medical child abuse.” Some called it “Munchausen syndrome by proxy.” Her dad had poisoned her, deliberately causing her illness so he could get sympathy and attention.

She was one of seven children, and she lived with her family in Ohio until she was fifteen. That’s where the poisoning had taken place. When Eli learned what was happening, he went to Ohio to confront the church leaders face to face. Those men said it was God’s will that they keep the matter quiet. Eli called them hypocrites, saying the only thing they wanted to protect was the status of the Amish. He said they weren’t willing to face the shame of what Frieda’s dad had done, because they didn’t want it splattered across the news, nor did they want the Englisch investigating their lives and ways.

While trying to go through the proper Amish channels to get justice for Frieda, Eli brought her to Pennsylvania to live with them. Although the ministers in Pennsylvania tried to get to the truth and do right by Frieda, she lived in fear that they would unite with the leaders in Ohio and would force her to return home to live. Her fears had merit. Her church leaders reached out to the church leaders in Quill’s district, beseeching their help in controlling Eli. But Eli continued to stand his ground on Frieda’s behalf. Her church leaders had wanted to rehabilitate Frieda’s dad and do so in the Amish way—by a time-fixed shunning and by having him go to a rehabilitation house for the Amish and run by the Amish. That wasn’t acceptable to Eli. He feared for the other children in Frieda’s family, and what Frieda’s dad had done was punishable by Englisch law. Eli believed church matters should belong to the church—living by faith, obeying the Ordnung, adultery, drinking, and such. But if the matter fell under the laws of society, he believed the civil authorities should be made aware. When Eli couldn’t get satisfaction through the Amish channels, he took the matter to the police. Many Amish considered that an act of betrayal. And Frieda’s Daed disappeared.

Frieda was desperate to get away. Too fragile to go alone, she’d needed someone she trusted to take her. Someone who would see to it that she was hidden from the Amish and that she got the needed medical help. Eli had planned to take her away and get really good medical treatment for her, but he died from the stress of the situation.

Lexi tried to push her nose into his hand, and he shook free of his thoughts. Frieda had returned from the kitchen, and she stood near him, wringing her hands.

He lowered his recliner. “What’s the subject, Frieda?” He gestured to the chair beside him.

“Ariana.” She sat.

“You have my attention.”

“Imagine that.” She chuckled. “You’ve been gone a lot lately, and when you didn’t say much about why, I pestered Dan about it. He said you’re sticking close to Ariana for more reasons than helping her get the café. Is she okay?”

How was he supposed to answer that—yeah, for now? Instead, he took a sip of his drink.

Frieda glanced at the clock, perhaps timing the pretzels or the fifteen minutes he’d given her. “Whatever is going on, I want to help.”

“I appreciate that, but—”

“You’re probably asking yourself what I could possibly do, but I’ve been thinking and praying a lot since I realized something’s up with Ariana, and I’m ready to find my backbone and face her, to tell her the whole gut-wrenching, health-stealing, embarrassing mess that caused us to leave so suddenly five years ago.” She waited for his response.

This was surprising. She meant her words, and he was pleased to see she was taking another step in the right direction. Whether she could follow through was another matter. Her dad poisoning her while pretending to care about her health mortified Frieda beyond her ability to cope. Quill didn’t understand that part, but he didn’t have to. It was enough simply to accept her limits in dealing with the aftermath.

“I think it’s great you’re strong enough to want to share that with her.” He interlaced his fingers and leaned forward. “Maybe one day there will be the right time, but some very difficult things are waiting on the horizon for her, and if she knew that anyone Amish or any dad was capable of what your dad did, it might be too much for her.”

Lovina kept saying that Ariana’s faith would carry her through. But Ariana’s worldview came from inside a bubble. And faith wouldn’t stop the tsunami of reality that was heading for her.