Are you all right?” Velma’s heart pounded as she reached across the seat and touched her daughter’s arm.
“I—I think so. My neck kinda hurts, though. How about you, Mama? Are you okay?” Bobbie Sue’s voice trembled as she sat slumped in her seat.
“I’m not sure.” Velma swiped at the wetness on her forehead, certain that it was bleeding. She found a lump there, but no blood, just perspiration.
Quickly, Velma turned in her seat to see if her two younger ones had been injured. “Are either of you hurt?”
Wide eyed, and with her chin trembling, Peggy Ann shook her head.
“I’m okay too,” Eddie said.
Velma heaved a sigh of relief. Then the door on her side of the car opened, and a pretty woman with blond hair looked in. “Are any of you hurt?”
Velma shook her head. “There’s a small lump on my forehead from where I hit the steering wheel, and my oldest daughter said her neck hurts a bit, but my kids in the back are okay too. Thank goodness those safety seats kept them secure.”
“I’ve called 911, so help should be here soon.” The color of the woman’s brown eyes deepened. “The man in the vehicle you hit passed out and it wouldn’t be wise to try and move him until the paramedics get here and can determine his injuries.”
Velma sucked in a deep breath. If the man died it would be her fault, for she had plowed through the intersection without stopping at the light. Thank goodness she’d paid the car insurance premium on time this month.
“It’s going to be okay. My name is Ellen Blackburn, and I’m a nurse. I’ll stay with you until help arrives.” The woman’s voice was calm, and she spoke with reassurance. The way the sun shone on her blond hair, it almost appeared as if she were an angel. Not that Velma had ever seen an angel. Truth was, she’d never been a religious person and could only imagine what one looked like.
“Wonder what Papa’s gonna say when he finds out what happened.” Bobbie Sue’s forehead wrinkled as she looked over at Velma.
“He won’t be thrilled, that’s for sure.” Velma moved in the seat, trying to loosen the tight belt that held her in. “This ancient car is our only transportation, other than your dad’s semitruck, and I’m sure ole Bessie will need a lot of repair—if she can be fixed at all.”
“There’s a lot of smoke coming up out there.” Her daughter pointed toward the rising fog.
She glanced in the direction of the moving cloud. “Actually, that isn’t smoke; it’s the radiator steaming. It probably has a crack in it from the accident.” Velma groaned and shook her head.
“That’s another reason for me to get a new job, and soon.” Bobbie Sue popped a stick of gum in her mouth. “We’re gonna need more money to afford another car.”
“I hope the other driver will be okay. It was stupid of me to have driven through that stoplight.” Velma’s eyes teared up.
“Mama, it was only an accident. You didn’t do it on purpose.” Bobbie Sue patted her arm.
“I know what you are saying, but I’m worried about the other driver and wish there was something I could do. I wonder what other folks do in situations like this. All we can do is sit here and wait to hear how they’re doing.”
“Maybe they pray.”
Velma rested her hands against the steering wheel. Although she rarely prayed, Velma sent up a quick plea on the other person’s behalf.
“I feel bad for you, having to listen to Papa blow a gasket ’cause you wrecked the car,” Eddie spoke up.
Velma groaned. She could only imagine.
Ellen felt relief when the paramedics arrived. She directed them to the passenger in the smaller vehicle first, since he seemed to be hurt the worst. Two of the medics headed in that direction, while a third man went over to see about the passengers in the older-looking car. Two patrol cars arrived a few minutes later, and Ellen waited in her car until they were ready to talk to her.
“What’s going on, Mom?” Becky’s eyes were wide with fear. “Are the people in those vehicles hurt bad?”
“I don’t know, Becky, but now that help is here, they will be looked after and taken to the hospital if necessary.”
Becky blinked rapidly, then squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “I’m glad our car wasn’t hit.”
“Same here.” Ellen patted her daughter’s arm. “God was watching over us—that’s for sure.”
When Ellen saw one of the officers approach, she stepped out of her car.
“I’m assuming you must have witnessed the accident?” he asked. She nodded.
“Would you mind giving me your statement?”
“No, I don’t mind at all, but could you tell me how the people involved are doing? Were any of them seriously injured?”
“Other than a couple bumps and bruises the women and children in the one car seem to be okay, but the guy driving the van is still unconscious. He’s being taken to the nearest hospital.”
Ellen sent up a silent prayer, asking God to be with the injured man, as well as those in the older vehicle.
“Kassidy, would you please set the table? It’s almost time for supper.” Denise took the meat loaf out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove. When no response came, Denise turned to see what her daughter was doing. Kassidy sat in the chair at the roll-top desk across the room, doing something on her cell phone.
“Please put that phone away and do as I asked.”
Kassidy looked up and wrinkled her nose. “I’m in the middle of something, Mom. Can’t you set the table yourself?”
Tapping her foot, Denise took a deep breath. Apparently her daughter had not read the verse Heidi wrote on the back of her recipe card about children obeying their parents. If she had, she’d chosen to ignore it.
Denise marched across the room and snatched the phone out of Kassidy’s hands. “I want you to set the table—now!”
Kassidy gripped the sides of her head, as if to cover her ears. “You don’t have to yell. I’m sitting right here.”
Denise’s jaw clenched as she shook her finger. “Don’t you talk to me like that, young lady. When I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it with no back talk or rude comments.” She set the cell phone on the counter. “If you cooperate, you can have it back tomorrow morning.”
Kassidy’s mouth fell open. “But, Mom, I—”
“No arguments or you won’t get it back tomorrow either.” Denise turned toward the hallway door. “I’m going to let your father know supper is ready. By the time I get back, you’d better have the table set.”
When Denise entered the living room, she found her husband in his recliner, watching TV.
“Supper’s ready, Greg. But before we go in to eat, I want to talk to you about our daughter.”
“Can’t it wait? I had a long day in court, and I’m too tired to deal with any problems Kassidy may have.”
Denise rolled her shoulders in an effort to relieve some of the tension. “You’re not the only one who’s had a long day. I showed five houses to the pickiest couple I’ve ever met, and then I came home, made supper, and had to deal with our spoiled daughter.”
He picked up the remote and turned off the TV. “Whose fault is it that Kassidy’s spoiled? You’re the one who’s always buying her things.”
“This isn’t about things. It’s about her disrespectful attitude and refusal to obey when I ask her to do even a simple chore.”
“Guess it’s something you need to work on then.” He pulled the lever on his chair and sat up.
Denise moved closer to him. “I’ve been thinking about this over the past week, and you know what the biggest problem is, Greg?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, she said, “You and I have been putting our careers first. We’re both too busy for our daughter, so she acts out to get attention. It’s time we call a halt to her temper tantrums and self-centered ways.”
“What brought this on all of a sudden? We’ve never had this discussion before.”
“Going to the cooking class last week with Kassidy got me thinking. She acted like a spoiled child, embarrassing me to no end. Truthfully, that’s exactly what she is.”
He stood, shoving his hands into his pants’ pockets. “Our jobs keep us busy, and if it weren’t for our jobs, we wouldn’t be able to give Kassidy all the nice things she’s come to expect and appreciate.”
“You’re right. She does expect them, but I’m not sure our daughter appreciates anything we do for her.” Denise massaged the bridge of her nose. “Maybe we need to work less and spend more quality time with Kassidy. Except for the obsession with her phone, it’s apparent all this stuff we give her means nothing.”
Greg tipped his head, looking at her through half-closed eyes. “If you want to cut back on your workload and spend more time with our daughter, that’s up to you, but I’m not in a position to do that right now.” He moved down the hall toward the kitchen, leaving Denise alone, shaking her head.
I can’t do this by myself, Greg. If we want Kassidy to grow into a mature young woman who respects her elders and doesn’t respond negatively when she can’t have her way, it’s going to take both of us giving her more of our time and attention. Her chest tightened. I just hope you realize that before it’s too late.
Humming one of the songs they frequently sang at family gatherings, Heidi checked on the baked beans in the oven. The fried chicken cooled on a large platter, while Lyle was outside tending the grill. When shopping, Heidi had also purchased some early fresh corn on the cob. Lyle smothered the ears with butter, wrapped them in foil, and heated them on the hot coals.
Heidi’s mouth watered as the smell of seasoned chicken reached her nostrils. “Yum. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into that meat.” Whether hot or cold, fried chicken was a perfect picnic choice for their supper.
With the scent of grilling smoke wafting through the open window, she could hear the children’s laughter and Rusty’s excited barking. Heidi breathed in a contented sigh. When she’d gotten home a few hours ago, she was pleased to hear what a good time Lyle and the children had together. Randy was eager to share with Heidi how he and Marsha helped Lyle in the barn. Marsha bobbed her head as Randy explained how fun it was to clean the cat’s dishes and fill them with fresh water and food. Lyle also piqued their enthusiasm with his plan of purchasing some chickens. The kids seemed excited when they learned their responsibility would be to help collect eggs once the hens started laying. But first Lyle had to ask Eli about building a chicken coop for them, as well as a sturdy fenced enclosure. It would not only keep the chickens in, but help to protect them from predators.
Heidi had to admit, getting some chickens was a good idea, and having farm-fresh eggs to collect every day was a bonus. It would also teach the children responsibility.
Randy and Marsha had been with them six months and were settling in more comfortably. Even Randy’s negative attitude had turned more positive, and Marsha was talking more. Here at the Troyer residence, it was starting to feel like they were a real family. Heidi hoped the children might someday open up more about their parents—especially Randy, since he was older and had more memories of his mom and dad. Marsha was still pretty young and probably didn’t remember as much. In time, the memory of her folks would fade. But Heidi would not push the children to talk about their past until they were ready.
Heidi thought about the photo albums tucked away in her and Lyle’s bedroom closet, which they’d received when Randy and Marsha came to live with them. They belonged to the children’s parents, Fred and Judy. All the other belongings from the Olsen household had been auctioned off after they’d passed away. But social services felt these photo memories were important to keep with the children. Heidi and Lyle agreed. Those pictures were part of the children’s life, and the only tangible things they had left of their parents. When the time was right, Heidi planned to go through the albums with the children so they could talk about the photos.
When the agency had given Heidi the albums, they had looked pretty worn. Heidi could only assume they’d been looked at many times throughout the years. Along with the family album, inside the box was their parents’ wedding album and the children’s baby albums. Heidi had scanned through the baby books, consisting of details from the children’s birth to one year of age, before putting them in the closet.
As she pulled the casserole dish of baked beans out of the oven and put it on the counter, Heidi heard the crunch of tires on gravel as a vehicle pulled into the driveway. Glancing out the window, she saw a minivan park, and was surprised when one of the students from her second cooking class got out of the passenger’s side.
“Oh my, it’s Allie Garrett.” Heidi wiped her hands on her apron and quickly covered the beans and chicken with foil. She hadn’t heard from or seen Allie since early December, when their final class ended.
When Heidi stepped out to the porch, a man in a police uniform was getting out of the driver’s side. Heidi assumed it was Allie’s husband, Steve, and was glad for the opportunity to finally meet him.
Allie and Steve wore big smiles as they walked up to Lyle standing by the grill. After they introduced themselves and shook his hand, Allie ran over to greet Heidi as she approached.
“Oh, Heidi, it’s so good to see you.” Allie reached out for a hug. “I picked my husband up from work, and we’re heading to Millersburg to eat and do some shopping at Hershbergers’ Farm and Bakery.” Allie looked over at Steve. “We were going right through Walnut Creek, and I told Steve it would be a shame if we didn’t stop. The kids are at church camp for a few days. Otherwise, they’d be with us.”
“I’m so glad you came by.” Heidi draped her arm around Allie’s shoulder as they walked over to join their husbands.
“Heidi, this is my husband, Steve.” Allie’s eyes shone brightly as she looked at him. “And Steve, this is Heidi—the best cook in Holmes County.”
“So nice to meet you, Steve.” Heidi shook his hand. Steve’s was a gentle, but firm handshake.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Heidi. I’m enjoying being Allie’s taste tester every time she makes a new dish.” Steve patted his stomach. “If I’m not careful, though, it’s going to show.”
“Tell me about it.” Lyle thumped his own belly. “It’s a good thing this farm and the auctions I oversee keep me active. Otherwise, I’d have to buy bigger clothes.”
Everyone laughed.
Allie scanned the yard. “How are things going with the children?”
“Very well.” Heidi smiled, and Lyle nodded. “They’re around here somewhere, playing with the dog. When Rusty and those two get together they’re inseparable.”
At that moment, their dog came bounding from the other side of the house, wagging his tail as he approached the visitors, with Randy and Marsha following.
“Here they are now.” Heidi pointed.
When the children got closer and spotted the Garretts, their laughter and giggling halted, and Randy stopped in his tracks. Marsha took one look at Steve, held out her arms, and shouted, “Daddy!”