As fast as her little feet could go, Marsha ran up to Steve and wrapped her slender arms around his legs.
Steve and Allie looked at each other in bewilderment, while Heidi stood beside Lyle, too stunned to say anything. As Steve squatted down to be eye-level with Marsha, she looked him square in the face.
“Now what do we have here?” Steve touched the end of Marsha’s nose. “Aren’t you a cute little girl?”
As quick as she had been eager to greet Steve, Marsha was even faster to pull away. Sobbing, she turned and ran over to her brother, hiding her face in his chest.
Even at five years old, Randy was protective of his sister, so it didn’t surprise Heidi when he guided Marsha up to the porch, and they went inside the house together.
Heidi looked at Lyle, who appeared to be as bewildered as she was right now. “Allie and Steve, I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what just happened.”
“It’s okay.” Allie turned to Steve. “We’d better go.” Then giving Heidi another hug, she said, “I’ll catch up with you soon, Heidi, and I hope the children are okay.”
After the Garretts’ van pulled out, Lyle turned off the grill and joined Heidi on the porch. “I wonder what was going on with Marsha.” He reached under his hat and scratched the back of his head.
“I don’t know.” Heidi rubbed her hand down her cheek and rested it at her throat. “It’s not like Marsha to run up to a stranger like that. She’s normally pretty bashful. And did you hear her call Steve, ‘Daddy’?”
“Jah. It surprised me too. Maybe Steve resembles the children’s father.”
“We better go check on them.”
When they went into the house, Heidi heard whimpering coming from the living room. As they walked in, she saw Randy consoling Marsha, as he gently patted her back. “It’s okay Marsha. Don’t cry.” Even though Randy was trying to be the big brother, they both looked so small, huddled together on the couch.
Heidi went over and sat next to Marsha, then held out her arms. Marsha quickly climbed onto her lap and put her face against Heidi’s neck.
Lyle sat next to Randy. “Did something frighten you outside?” he asked.
“Kinda.” Randy kept his head down, lips quivering like a leaf in the wind.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lyle touched the boy’s arm.
Randy took a shuddering breath. “When I saw that man in a uniform, it made me think of my daddy. He wore a uniform at his job too.”
“What was your daddy’s job?” Heidi questioned.
“He worked at the shoppin’ mall.” Randy looked at Heidi with such seriousness in his eyes.
“You mean, like a security guard?” Lyle leaned closer to the boy.
“I… I think so, but I’m not sure. When we saw him standin’ there, my sister thought it was our daddy. Then she got scared when she heard his voice. That’s when she knew it wasn’t Daddy. Guess it was his clothes that made her think it was Daddy.” Randy sniffed. “Wish it had been. And I wish Mama was with him too.”
“I understand.” Heidi clasped both children’s hands. Tonight, before bed, she would get out the photo albums in their closet and share them with the children. This was definitely the right time.
“You know, sometimes we think we see someone we know, and it turns out being someone else,” Heidi continued.
Marsha sat up and looked at Heidi, rubbing her tearful eyes.
“I’ll bet there is someone out there who looks just like you.” Heidi smoothed the blond hair back that had come loose from Marsha’s ponytail. Then she kissed the little girl’s forehead.
“How about we go back outside and have that picnic now?” Lyle suggested. “The corn on the cob should be done, and I’ll bet Heidi has the chicken and beans ready too.”
“Yes, and after we’ve had some ice cream for dessert, I’ll share something special with you and your big brother.” Heidi smoothed the wrinkles in Marsha’s dress. Her heart ached for Randy and Marsha. This was the first time Randy had mentioned anything about where their dad had worked. He too had clearly been shaken seeing Steve in uniform. But children were resilient and could usually get over things faster than most adults. Hopefully, Randy and Marsha would find it easier to talk about their parents after looking at the pictures in the album, and their emptiness would slowly wane. Heidi would do everything in her power to make these children feel loved and to give them a sense of belonging.
It was a slow day at the fire station. “How are things going with you these days?” Darren’s friend Bruce asked as they hosed down one of the fire trucks at their station.
“Everything’s fine.” Darren moved to the front of the truck. “I took Jeremy to a cooking class a week and a half ago, and we’ll be going to class number two this coming Saturday.”
Bruce’s eyebrows lifted. “How come you’re taking a cooking class? As I recall, you get around the kitchen pretty well.”
Darren shook his head. “It’s not for me. Jeremy’s taking the class from an Amish woman, along with four other kids, plus the Amish woman’s two foster children.”
“If it’s for kids, then why are you going with Jeremy?”
Darren shrugged. “I wasn’t planning to at first, but the other parents stayed instead of dropping off their children, so I figured I would too. Also, it gives Jeremy and me something fun to do together.” He watched a volunteer fireman pull in for his shift. “I thought my son could learn something new with kids his age and have a good time.”
“Did you watch or take part in the cooking class?”
“Like many of the other parents, I was mostly a spectator, but there was a young single woman who did just about everything for her daughter.” Satisfied that the truck looked clean enough, Darren turned off the hose and put it away. “I ran into Ellen…”
“Ellen?” Bruce cocked his head to one side.
“Yeah, her name’s Ellen.” Darren shrugged his shoulders. “As I was saying, I ran into Ellen and her daughter, Becky, at a restaurant in Sugarcreek when Jeremy and I went for lunch after the first class. We ended up sharing a table with them and got to know each other a bit better. Found out we have a few things in common, which was kinda nice.”
Bruce looked at him through half-closed eyelids. “Is something going on between you and this woman? And if so, aren’t you moving a little fast?” He picked up a drying towel and began working.
Darren flapped his hand. “Nothing is going on, so get that notion out of your head. My heart belongs to Caroline, and I have no desire to begin a relationship with another woman. Besides, I barely know Ellen. Our kids will be together in this cooking class for a total of six weeks, and it’s nice to get to know the other parents.” He grabbed a towel and moved along, helping to dry the vehicle. “When we get the truck dried off, we’ll need to do some inventory. Oh, and I’m gonna fix a hearty casserole for the guys this evening.”
“Sounds good, since we’ll be here awhile on our shift.” Bruce stood back and studied his work. “Think this rig is ready to go.”
“If we get any calls, I’ll pop the casserole in the oven on low.” Darren finished drying a few streaks of water they’d missed.
Their conversation was interrupted when a call came in about a fire on the other side of town. Darren paused to send up a prayer, just as he did every time he went out on a call. Then, with all other thoughts pushed aside and his focus on the task at hand, Darren and the other men on duty gathered up their gear and headed out, all thoughts of the casserole forgotten.
Miranda, dressed for work, tapped her foot in annoyance. Trent was supposed to pick up the kids to take them out for pizza half an hour ago. She hoped he hadn’t forgotten.
Miranda clenched her fists. That man can be so undependable. She reached for the phone and punched in his cell number. If only Trent could put others first and try to be less self-absorbed.
A few seconds later, Trent answered. “Hey, hon, I was just gonna call you.”
Her jaw tightened. They’d been separated since the end of April. Why did he still call her “hon”? Did he think she’d be impressed with the endearment and welcome him home with open arms? Well, she’d be a lot more impressed if Trent would show up on time when he promised to take the kids somewhere.
“Where are you, Trent? You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. What happened—did you forget about your promise to take Kevin and Debbie out for pizza this evening?”
“I did not forget, and if you’d let me get in a word, I’ll explain why I’m not there.”
Holding the phone slightly away from her ear, Miranda moved away from the window and took a seat at the kitchen table. “Okay, what’s your excuse?”
“It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact. I’m locked out of my apartment, and the keys to my car are inside.”
She lifted her gaze toward the ceiling. “Are you kidding?”
“Wish I was, but I’m not. I would ask the apartment manager to let me in with his key, of course, but he’s out of town till tomorrow evening. Can’t you explain things to Kevin and Debbie? We’ll do pizza some other time.”
“It isn’t as simple as that. I got called in to work to fill in for someone who’s sick, and I need to leave soon. What am I supposed to do about the kids if you can’t drive over here to pick them up and spend the evening with them?” Miranda waited, but only heard silence at the other end. “And besides, what were you going to do, now that you’re locked out of your place?” she questioned.
“I’m not sure. Haven’t figured that out yet.” He groaned. “Guess I can call a locksmith, but it would be a while before he arrived, and I have to be here in person to meet him. Why don’t you call your sister, and see if she’ll watch the kids while you’re at work?”
Miranda grimaced. “Do I need to remind you that Kate lives in Akron? For goodness’ sake, Trent, it would take her at the very least, forty-five minutes to get here.”
“Okay, I get it, but if you need me to watch the kids this evening, you’ll have to drive over and get me.”
Her chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh. “I’ll call my boss and let her know I’ll be late, because I have to pick up my kids’ sitter.”
“Your kids’ sitter? Is that all I am, Miranda?” His voice grew louder. “Why not just tell her you’re picking up your husband so he can be with the children?”
“Let’s not get into an argument about this. The kids and I will be there soon to pick you up. Goodbye, Trent.”
“It’s sure nice to have you here, sis.” Ellen’s brother, Patrick, wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “Between your busy life as a nurse and mine as a doctor, we don’t get to visit each other often enough.”
She thumped his back. “You’re right, and I miss all of your teasing.”
Patrick grinned and squeezed Ellen’s hands before turning to Becky. “And how’s my favorite niece?”
Becky snickered. “I’m your only niece, Uncle Patrick. Your brother has two boys, remember?”
Patrick slapped his forehead. “Oh, of course. How could I have forgotten something so important?” He winked, then gestured toward the hall leading to the upstairs. “Glad you’re here. We were wondering what was holding you up.” He gestured to Becky. “Your cousins are upstairs. Why don’t you go on up and say hello? Or would you rather I called them down here?”
“I’ll go up.” Becky grinned shyly and headed upstairs.
“Where’s Gwen?” Ellen asked her brother.
“She’s taking a shower. Since we weren’t sure what time you’d get in, we decided to take you out for supper, rather than cooking something here. I hope you’re okay with that.”
Ellen smiled. “Going out to eat is fine with me.”
Patrick moved toward the living room. “Let’s sit and visit while we wait for Gwen.”
Ellen followed and took a seat on the couch, while he seated himself in a leather recliner.
“How was the drive here?” Patrick asked, reaching down for the lever to put the footrest up.
“Well, before getting too far from Berlin, we witnessed an accident.” Ellen grabbed a throw pillow and wrapped her arms around it. “We would have been here sooner, but being a nurse, I couldn’t leave.”
“How bad was it?”
“It could have been a whole lot worse.” Ellen explained the details. “So while Becky waited in the car, I called 911, and checked on the people involved. We stayed until the authorities came and took my statement. Fortunately, the rest of the way here was uneventful.”
“Glad to hear that. It was good of you to stop and help out.” Patrick smiled. “Your daughter’s grown a bit since I last saw her. Pretty soon she’ll be a teenager, going out on dates and keeping her mom awake at night, trying not worry.”
Ellen grunted. “Don’t remind me. I’m not looking forward to any of that.”
He brushed her comment aside. “You’ve done a good job raising her. I doubt you’ll have anything to worry about.”
“I’m doing the best I can.” Ellen sat silently for several seconds. “When I first adopted Becky, I never dreamed there would be so many challenges in being a single parent.”
“You’re right, but then any parent, single or not, faces challenges when they are raising their—”
Ellen heard a gasp, and she and Patrick both turned their heads toward the archway. There stood Becky, her mouth gaping open. Ellen briefly closed her eyes. Oh no, what have I done? It’s too late to take back my words.
Becky came into the living room and stood right in front of Ellen. “Adopted? I’m adopted?” Her shrill voice reverberated throughout the room. “How come you never told me this? Does everyone know except me?” Tears pooled in Becky’s eyes as she scrutinized Ellen.
Ellen swallowed hard. She could hardly look at her daughter. What am I going to tell her? How do I explain why I kept her adoption a secret all this time? I took a chance speaking to Patrick about it with Becky in the house. This was not how I planned for her to find out.