CHAPTER
two

Earnest felt out of breath as he read from God’s Word. The annoying sensation so unsettled him that he paused for a moment. I have two daughters, he thought, turning the page. One I might never have met. . . .

Looking at Adeline now, he could clearly see Rosalind’s features, but Adeline bore an even stronger resemblance to his younger sister, Charlie. For a moment, he felt like a teenager, living at home with her again. Nearly everything about Adeline reminded him of the little sister he’d missed every day since her premature passing decades ago.

Like Charlie, Adeline was also thoroughly modern as she sat there fidgeting as he read. Perhaps she was too warm in her jeans, her shoulder-length hair like a curtain around her neck.

Has she had any kind of religious upbringing? he wondered later as they knelt for silent prayer at their seats. He happened to catch Adeline’s confused look as she got down on her knees along with the rest of the family.

When Earnest bowed for the prayer, he asked God for an extra measure of wisdom during Adeline’s short visit. He struggled to be as openhearted as Rhoda had been in inviting the young woman to remain as an overnight guest.

Almighty God, he prayed, bless my wife for her great kindness, portraying Thy constant grace and goodness to our family.

Following the Miller family gathering, Adeline politely excused herself and headed into the room where she was to sleep. She looked about at the meagerly furnished space, where a tall oak chest of drawers and double bed with its plain-looking headboard and footboard filled up most of the room. A lone chair sat near two open windows. Someone had brought a bath towel and washcloth and placed them on the chest at the foot of the bed. She was aware of the dark green shades, rolled high, as she moved closer to the windows and looked out at the Millers’ barn and windmill, quaint and picturesque in the falling dusk.

Sighing, Adeline shook her head. Mom never would have believed this, she thought, a lump in her throat.

She turned to sit on the bed and immediately noted the firmness of the mattress. At least it wasn’t a rope bed like she had once read about in a historical novel.

The words from the Bible reading rolled around in her head: “For without me ye can do nothing.” And although she tried to brush it off, the phrase continued its echo.

It seemed pretty pointless to someone who had been raised to believe that she could accomplish whatever she chose to do in life, if she worked hard enough. She could be as successful as her well-to-do grandfather Ellison and her mother and stepfather, William Pelham, too. They’d all achieved their goals without any help from God.

Getting up, Adeline went to her overnight bag and removed her sleep shorts and cami, wondering how long she might have to wait her turn for the only bathroom in the house. Is there a particular order for a family of seven? The idea of sharing with that many on a daily basis was incomprehensible. How do Rhoda and Sylvia survive? She smiled at that. It had to help that neither wore even a dash of makeup.

Poking her head out the bedroom door, she noticed Sylvia coming down the stairs wearing a long white cotton robe, a pale yellow nightgown draped over her arm. “Pss-t,” she called, motioning to Sylvia. “Should I take a number for my turn—”

“Nee, you’re next after Mamma,” Sylvia said immediately. “As soon as she’s out.”

“Are you sure?”

Sylvia gave her a quick smile. “Positive.”

“But weren’t you—”

“Honestly, I’m in no hurry.” Sylvia stood there, tilting her head as though trying to look into the spare room. “Are ya comfortable enough?”

Nodding, Adeline assured her she had everything she needed for the night.

“Well, just ask if you’re missin’ anything.” Sylvia paused as though she had more to say. Then she frowned. “This must be quite a day for ya,” she observed softly. “Finding out your father’s Amish an’ all.”

Adeline was surprised the other young woman was thinking that way. “Your family has been so generous to me, considering everything.”

“Well, I hope ya sleep soundly. I’m sure it was a long drive here.” With that, Sylvia hurried toward the kitchen and out of sight around the corner, where Adeline could hear her knocking on the bathroom door, saying something muffled to her mother.

She didn’t have to do that, Adeline thought, realizing that Sylvia had given up her spot next. All the same, Adeline yearned for the comforts of her former home with her parents. Even Adeline’s current apartment near Georgia Tech was luxurious compared to this old place.

Glancing at her watch, Adeline felt antsy but would never let on to Sylvia. My Amish half sister, she thought, dumbfounded again. This afternoon, when she’d pulled in past the Millers’ vegetable stand and parked her red Camaro convertible in their drive, she’d certainly had no idea what she would find.

Though she was still eager to return to her life in Georgia, she knew it was unlikely she would ever return here.

They’re all so nice, she thought. So welcoming.

It was very strange. She hadn’t even made her exit, and a part of her already felt a tinge of regret, as if missing out on a family she’d never known she had.

But they’re so . . . unusual, she reminded herself.

No matter, she thought. It’s not like they’re falling over themselves to get to know me, either.

She moved away from the doorway, not wanting to be seen looking out and checking for Rhoda to head to the stairs. While she waited, Adeline realized she had forgotten to bring along her phone charger.

Sighing, she noticed the Double Wedding Ring bed quilt, with its familiar-looking pattern and attractive blend of rich brown, cherry red, and bright purple juxtaposed with sunlight yellow, sapphire, then gray. Mom had one like this. Perfectly symmetrical, she mused and turned the quilt over to peer at the back, where a stitched pattern of hearts came into focus.

“Gorgeous,” she murmured, recalling the quilt her mother said she had received as a wedding gift, made by a relative Adeline did not know. She wished she had been more attentive when Mom first showed it to her, years ago. Adeline had come across the quilt again recently while sorting through her mother’s things with her younger brother, fourteen-year-old Liam, who’d naturally shown zero interest in the heirloom quilt.

Who has time to do such painstaking work? she wondered as she reexamined the beautiful quilt before her. Turning it over, she smoothed the quilt against the mattress, then stepped back to look at it on the neatly made bed. Tears sprang to her eyes—a familiar sight was the last thing Adeline had expected to find here.

———

When the knock came at the bedroom door, Adeline slipped into her lightweight robe and opened the door.

Rhoda Miller stood there in a long bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel. “The washroom’s all yours,” the woman said, then turned to leave.

“Wait,” Adeline said quickly. “May I ask you something?”

Rhoda faced her again. “Of course. What is it, dear?”

Dear? thought Adeline, surprised. She pointed. “This bed quilt is lovely. Did you make it?”

“Oh jah. Sylvia and I did several years ago, with help from my mother and her sisters.”

Adeline caught herself shaking her head as she admired it. “It’s—”

“Somethin’ wrong?” Rhoda asked.

“It’s a work of art. I mean . . . you’re gifted artists.”

Rhoda frowned. “It would be prideful to think of ourselves thataway.” She paused and pulled her robe tighter around her waist. “Our quilts are made with loving hands and intended to be used in a practical manner. With strong stitchin’ that lasts a long, long time.”

Adeline considered that. “What would it take to learn to stitch like this? To make a quilt, I mean.”

“Well, plenty-a practice.” Rhoda explained that tiny stitches didn’t just happen on the first try. Or the second or third. “It’s like anything, really,” she said. “Practice makes perfect.”

Adeline remained quiet, wondering if learning this art really was as simple as that.

“Would ya like to learn?” Rhoda’s smile spread across her pretty face.

Adeline was amazed at the offer. Surely such a process would take days, if not weeks. And I’m leaving tomorrow, she reminded herself. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t have time.”

“How long can ya stay?”

Adeline paused, feeling conflicted again. Does she mean it?

“Really, I don’t want to impose.”

Rhoda looked as if she could barely contain her laugh. “Oh my. But ya just got here.”

Adeline thought ahead to the reality of her situation and surprised herself by thinking out loud, “Well, I do have some time before classes start.”

The woman’s golden brown eyes lit up. “Gut. I was hopin’ ya might wanna stay awhile.”

She hoped? Adeline had not a clue what to say. Not when she had basically burst into her biological father’s life. She felt nervous suddenly, as if she had gotten in over her head.

Rhoda seemed to read her expression. “Just think it over, jah?” She smiled, then excused herself to go upstairs.

Gathering up her toiletry bag, Adeline walked toward the kitchen, where a gas lamp high over the table hissed and hummed. She shook her head at her impulsive questions and Rhoda’s swift invitation, then realized this might be an opportunity to get to know Earnest better.

And Rhoda and Sylvia, as well.