The Healing Read online

  “I assume since you knew Samuel’s brother when you were a child, you must have grown up in Pennsylvania,” Bonnie said, taking a seat across from him.

  Allen shook his head. “I grew up in Washington State. So did Zach.”

  She tipped her head in question.

  “It’s a long story, but to give you the shortened version, Zach was kidnapped when he was a year old, and the man who took him lived in Washington. Zach grew up thinking his name was Jimmy, and that Jim and Linda Scott were his parents.”

  Bonnie’s eyes widened. “That’s terrible! No one in their right mind would steal a baby from his family. How did Zach end up back in Pennsylvania?”

  Allen added a marshmallow to his hot chocolate and stirred it around. “After Linda died from cancer, the truth came out, so Jimmy, who was twenty-one at the time, went to Pennsylvania in search of his real family.”

  “Did he find them right away?”

  “Nope. He didn’t even know their names, so he had no idea where to look. I believe it was God’s divine intervention that brought the pieces of the puzzle together for Zach. In the end, the bishop in their church district identified him by a birthmark on his neck.”

  Bonnie leaned back in her chair. “That’s the most incredible story I’ve ever heard! Someone should write a book or make a movie about it.”

  “Yeah, it probably would make a good story.” Allen’s forehead wrinkled. “I missed Zach after he moved to Pennsylvania, but I knew he was where God wanted him to be, and he seems very content to be Amish.”

  “You’ve mentioned God twice now. Do you have a personal relationship with Him?”

  He nodded. “I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was a boy, and Zach did, too.”

  “So do you have a church home?”

  “Yeah. I attend a great Bible-preaching church in Hopkinsville. How about you? Have you found a church to attend since you moved here?”

  She nodded. “I’ve been going to the church my grandma attended in Fairview. The people there are nice, and I enjoy the sermons, as well as the music.”

  “Have you gone to church most of your life?” he questioned.

  “No, not really. My mother took me a few times when she was still alive, but it wasn’t until I was seventeen that I found the Lord,” Bonnie said. “I went to church with a friend of mine, and when the pastor talked about the need to seek God’s forgiveness for our sins, it was as though he was speaking directly to me, because I felt so terribly guilty.”

  He leaned forward and stared at her intently. “I know we’ve all sinned and need God’s forgiveness, but I can’t imagine that a woman as nice as you would have anything to feel terribly guilty about.”

  She dropped her gaze to the table, unable to share the details of her shameful past with him. Instead, she changed the subject. “After my mother died, my dad became bitter and angry. I was worried at first that he was going to drink himself to death and I’d become an orphan, but then he got control of his drinking and became a workaholic instead.” She lifted her gaze and picked up her mug. “Dad and I had never been very close, but after he started working long hours at the bank he manages, we drifted even further apart.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she blinked to keep them from falling onto her cheeks. “To make things worse, he’s had a grudge against his parents for many years, so when Grandma died, he wouldn’t even come here with me to attend her funeral.”

  “Sounds like what your dad needs is the Lord.”

  She nodded. “I’ve been praying for that since I accepted Christ, but Dad’s so stubborn and thinks he can do everything in his own strength. He won’t even go to church, much less talk with me about spiritual things.”

  “Well, don’t give up praying,” Allen said. “In 2 Peter 3:9, God’s Word tells us that it’s not His will that any should perish, so maybe God will bring someone into your dad’s life or cause something to happen that will open his eyes and give him peace.”

  Yes, Bonnie thought, and I hope that someday God will give me a sense of peace.

  Samuel’s eyes snapped open, and he glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was almost midnight. Apparently he’d dozed off. He looked over at Titus, sprawled out on the sofa with his eyes closed. He’d obviously fallen asleep, too.

  I wish we’d hear something from the sheriff, Samuel thought. I wish God would answer my prayers.

  Tap! Tap! Tap!

  Someone was at the front door. What if it was the sheriff and he’d brought bad news?

  Samuel rose to his feet and hurried to the door. Good or bad, he had to know.

  When he opened it, relief flooded his soul. There stood the sheriff with a tired and very guilty-looking Leon at his side.

  “Oh, thank the Lord!” Samuel scooped the boy into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Where was he? Where’d you find my son?” he asked the sheriff.

  Before the sheriff could respond, Titus woke up and joined them. “Praises to God, our prayers have been answered!” He put his hand on Leon’s head. “I’m going out to the phone shanty and leave another message for the family in Pennsylvania, letting them know you’ve been found.” He slipped past them and hurried out the door.

  Samuel turned to the sheriff and asked again, “Where’d you find my son?”

  “Inside Walmart. One of the employees found him in the men’s room about an hour ago,” the sheriff replied. “The man called me, and I went there right away. After questioning the boy, his story was pretty much the same as what the man who’d picked him up in his car earlier today told me.”

  “What were you doing at Walmart?” Samuel asked as he seated Leon on the sofa.

  The boy dropped his gaze to the floor. “I—I was hungerich and vergelschdere. Figured I could find somethin’ to eat in the store. When I got there, I had to go to the bathroom.”

  “Well, if you were hungry and scared, you should have told someone you were lost and needed to go home. What possessed you to run off like that?” Samuel’s voice shook with all the emotion he felt.

  Leon’s chin trembled. “I—I thought you didn’t love me no more. I was gonna head on back to Pennsylvania.”

  “Pennsylvania’s a long ways off, and you would have gotten lost for sure. You should have known better than to try something like that, and you ought to know I still love you.”

  Leon’s eyes filled with tears that quickly spilled onto his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Daadi. You’re always hollerin’, and after you gave me a bletsching this mornin’, I figured you’d be better off without me around.” He sniffed and leaned his head against Samuel. “I’m sorry for spoutin’ off and callin’ you a schtinker. Guess I deserved to be punished.”

  Guilt as heavy as a load of hay weighed in on Samuel. “I’m the one who should be sorry, son.” Choking with emotion, he pulled Leon into his arms. “I’ve been hurting so much since your mamm died, and because of my grief, I haven’t been a good daed to you, Jared, or your sisters. With God’s help, I promise to do better from now on.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Has there been any word on Leon?” Suzanne asked when she arrived at Titus’s house on Sunday morning and found him standing on the porch, looking out into the yard.

  “Jah. An employee at the Walmart in Hopkinsville found Leon in the men’s room last night.”

  “That’s sure good news. What was he doing there, anyway?”

  Titus gave Suzanne the details on Leon’s adventure, and ended by saying, “It was close to midnight when the sheriff brought him home.”

  “I’m sure Samuel was very relieved.”

  “We all were.” Titus shuffled his feet a few times. “There’s something I need to say to you, and I think I’d better say it before we go to church this morning.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m sorry for the disagreement we had yesterday. You were right. I’ve been neglecting you lately, and I’ll try to do better from now on.” Titus took a step toward her. “Am I forgiven?”

  Suzanne nodded. �
��I’m sorry for my part in the argument as well. I should be more understanding of Samuel’s situation, because I know he is relying on you and really has no other place to go right now.”

  “What do you think about me hiring a driver so we can go to Ryan’s Steakhouse in Hopkinsville for supper one evening?”

  “That’d be nice. When did you want to go?”

  “How about this coming Saturday? We can go in a little early and do some shopping and then eat supper around five.”

  “What about Samuel and the kinner? If we’re having supper at the steakhouse, who’ll fix their supper at home?”

  “Samuel’s planning to take them to the pond near my place this Saturday so they can do some fishing and have a picnic supper.”

  “Won’t he expect you to fix the food for their picnic?” she asked.

  “Nope. Samuel said he’s gonna ask Esther to fix the meal.”

  “Oh. Well he won’t be sorry about that, because Esther’s a wonderful good cook. If it weren’t for her teaching me how to cook, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you this fall.”

  His forehead wrinkled as he stared at her with a look of confusion. “Is the only reason you said yes to my proposal because you know how to cook?”

  She swatted his arm playfully. “Of course not, silly. I said yes because I love you and want to be your wife, but if I hadn’t learned to cook, I wouldn’t make a good wife, and you deserve to be fed well after we’re married.”

  Titus moved closer and put his arms around her waist. “I’d marry you even if you didn’t know how to boil water and I had to do all the cooking myself.”

  Since no one else was outside and could witness their display of affection, Suzanne melted into his embrace, thankful that everything was all right between them again.

  Paradise, Pennsylvania

  “Our prayers have been answered,” Abraham said when he entered the kitchen where Fannie stood at the stove, stirring a kettle of oatmeal.

  She whirled around. “Was there a message about Leon?”

  A wide smile stretched across his bearded face. “Titus left a message saying the boy’s been found and is back with Samuel again.”

  Fannie crossed both hands over her chest and looked upward with gratitude. “Thank You, Lord!”

  “It’s not good that he ran away, but it’s a relief to know he wasn’t kidnapped.” Abraham slowly shook his head. “I’d never want anyone to go through the misery I went through after Zach was stolen. There were times when the pain was almost unbearable. I always wondered where he was and whether he was okay or not. Until he came home to us, I was never completely at peace.”

  Fannie gave Abraham a hug. “I know what a terrible time that was for you. I, too, am relieved that Leon’s been found.” She pulled back slightly. “Where was he, anyway?”

  Abraham told Fannie everything Titus had said. “I’m sure the boy was pretty scared out there on his own.”

  Fannie clucked her tongue. “Things must be really bad between Samuel and Leon if he was so upset that he decided to run away.”

  Abraham’s face sobered. “Titus said Leon had been trying to come here.”

  “What?” Fannie’s mouth opened wide. “How did he think he was going to get here?”

  Abraham shrugged his broad shoulders. “From what Titus said, Leon had Samuel’s wallet, and I believe he thought he could either catch a bus or hire a driver to bring him here.”

  Fannie sank into a seat at the table. “I think Samuel ought to move back to Pennsylvania so we can help with the kinner like we did before.”

  “That’s not the answer, Fannie. What the kinner need is Samuel’s attention. Those kids suffered a great loss when their mamm died, and they need their daed now more than ever.” Abraham joined her at the table. “From what Titus said in a previous phone conversation, Samuel’s been so immersed in his own pain that he hasn’t paid much attention to the needs of his kinner. He even blamed Suzanne and her friend Esther when Penny got hurt on the sled awhile back.”

  “Which is exactly why he needs to be living closer to us—so he can be sure they’re getting the proper attention.”

  “He’ll be fine, Fannie. This thing with Leon really gave him a scare, and Titus said that Samuel’s planning to spend more time with the kinner from now on. Fact is, he’s taking them fishing and on a picnic this Saturday.”

  “That’s good, but it’s just one day of fun. The kinner need someone with them all the time—someone who’ll give them every bit of the love that they need.”

  “They have Esther to care for them,” he reminded.

  Fannie brushed his words aside. “That’s not the same as having someone in their family with them. Besides, if Esther’s doing such a good job, then why’d Leon run away?”

  “I told you before. He was upset with Samuel, and Esther wasn’t even watching the kinner that day; Titus was in charge of them.”

  Before Fannie could comment, the back door opened and Timothy entered the kitchen. “Since it’s our in-between Sunday and there’s no church in our district today, Hannah and I thought we’d visit at her brother’s church,” he said, looking at Abraham. “Just wondered if you and Mom would like to go with us.”

  “Not today,” Abraham said. “Your mamm and I didn’t get much sleep last night on account of Samuel’s Leon.”

  Timothy’s eyebrows drew together. “What’s wrong with Leon? Is he sick?”

  “He went missing yesterday,” Abraham replied. “We left a message on your voice mail last evening. Didn’t you get it?”

  Timothy scratched his head. “I haven’t checked for messages since yesterday morning.” He took the cup of coffee Fannie offered him. “Danki, Mom.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “So tell me about Leon. Is he still missing?”

  Abraham shook his head. “Thank the good Lord, Leon is back where he belongs, and I think things are going to be better between him and his daed from now on.”

  “Well, I think we ought to plan another trip to Kentucky soon, even though our grandson is home safe and sound,” Fannie said. “I want to see for myself if things are any better.”

  Abraham shook his head. “Timothy and I are too busy planting the fields for me to go anywhere right now.”

  “But you were all set to go when you first heard Leon was missing.”

  “That was different. It was an emergency.”

  She frowned. “If you won’t go to Kentucky now, then how are we supposed to help Samuel with the kinner?”

  “We can pray for them.” Abraham gave Fannie’s arm a gentle pat.

  Pembroke, Kentucky

  Anxious to know if there had been any word on Leon, Esther decided to stop by Titus’s place before going to church. She figured if Leon hadn’t been found, everyone would be in a state of grief—especially Samuel, who she knew blamed himself for Leon’s disappearance. If only there was something she could do to make Samuel and the children feel better, but she realized that no one in Samuel’s family would ever feel better until Leon had been found.

  Esther stepped onto Titus’s porch, and was about to knock, when the door opened and Samuel appeared.

  “Esther, I—I didn’t know you were here.” His face turned red, and he looked a bit befuddled.

  “I came by on my way to church to see if there’s been any word on Leon.”

  Samuel smiled widely. It was the first time Esther had seen him smile like that—at least when he’d been looking at her. “The sheriff brought Leon home last night.”

  Esther appreciated the way Samuel’s appearance changed when he allowed himself to smile. “Where was he?” she asked.

  “At Walmart.” Samuel gave Esther the details of Leon’s disappearance. “I’m ever so thankful my boy’s okay. Don’t know what I’d do if I lost another member of my family right now.”

  Esther reached out her hand to offer comfort, but when he stepped back, she quickly pulled it away. “I’m glad Leon’s okay,” she murmured.


  He gave a slow nod. “Me, too.”

  “Will you be going to church today?” she asked.

  “Jah. Wouldn’t feel right about staying home. Especially after God answered my prayers and brought Leon home.”

  She smiled. “I understand. It was an answer to all our prayers.”

  “The whole ordeal left me pretty shook up, and it’s made me realize that I need to spend more time with my kinner.” Samuel folded his arms and leaned against the door. “I’ve decided to take the kinner on a picnic supper at the pond this Saturday, and while we’re there we’ll do a little fishing.”

  “That sounds like fun. I’m sure you will all enjoy the day.”

  Samuel shifted his weight slightly. “Say, I … uh … was wondering. I’m not much of a cook, so would you be willing to fix us something we could take along to eat?”

  “You want me to make your picnic supper?”

  “Jah, if you don’t mind.”

  “I’d be happy to do that, Samuel.” Esther smiled. She figured if Samuel was asking her to fix the food for the picnic supper, he probably meant for her to go along. She hoped so, anyway, because a picnic with Samuel and his children would certainly be fun.

  CHAPTER 27

  On Saturday afternoon, Esther arrived at Titus’s house, filled with anticipation. She’d fixed a nice picnic supper for Samuel and his children—fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, dill pickles, and carrot sticks. For dessert she’d made a pan of brownies and two dozen of her favorite boyfriend cookies. Knowing how much Samuel’s children yearned to spend time with him, she figured they were probably looking forward to today even more than she was.

  Esther reached into the back of her buggy to get the box of food she’d prepared just as Titus stepped out of the barn.

  “Need some help?” he asked.

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  He sniffed the box. “Whatever’s in here sure smells gut.”