The Healing Read online

  “That’s good news about the job,” Zach said. “Finding work during the winter months is sometimes hard to do.”

  “Bonnie said she’ll have work for me in the spring, too. She wants the outside of the house painted and also any necessary repairs that will need to be done. Plus, there’s an old guest house on the property she wants me to fix up. Your friend, Allen, will do some of the carpentry work when he’s able to fit it into his schedule, and one of the electricians he knows will do all the electrical work.”

  “When does she plan to open the B&B?”

  “Hopefully by late spring, but not until all the repairs and remodeling have been done. The place is pretty run down right now and needs a lot of work, so it could take longer than planned, I suppose.”

  Woof! Woof! Samuel’s black Lab bounded in through the open door and flopped a wet, snowy paw on Samuel’s knee, obviously wanting his attention.

  “Get down, Lucky,” he grumbled. “Guess that’s what I get for not shutting the door.”

  “What’s up with the dog?” Zach asked.

  “He’s just making a nuisance of himself, like usual.” Automatically, Samuel scratched behind the dog’s ears as Lucky leaned in closer for more. Lucky used to love it whenever Elsie petted him. He’d been her dog from the time he was a pup, and it had been comical to watch the mutt follow her all over the place.

  “How are the kids adjusting to the move?” Zach asked. “Do they like it there?”

  “I guess they’re okay with it.” Truth was, Samuel hadn’t bothered to ask any of them if they liked their new home or not. Even if they didn’t like it that much, they were kids, and kids adjusted to things easier than adults. They seemed to have adjusted to their mother’s absence, because they rarely mentioned her name. But then of course, Samuel didn’t talk about Elsie either. It was better that way. Better to deal with the agony of losing her in silence.

  “Guess I’d better let you go,” Zach said. “It’s probably cold out there in the phone shed.”

  “They call ‘em shanties here, and you’re right. It is pretty cold.”

  “I’ll let the rest of the family know about your new job,” Zach said.

  “Okay. Talk to you later then.”

  Samuel hung up the phone, but before he could stand, Lucky whimpered and flopped his other paw on Samuel’s knee. Samuel knew the dog missed Elsie and wanted more of his attention, but he didn’t feel like it right now. He just wanted to get into the house, where it was warm. So he pushed Lucky away, stepped out of the shanty, and sloshed his way through the snow. These days even their family pet seemed like a nuisance—and at times like now, he was the biggest nuisance of all.

  When Samuel entered the house and stepped into the living room, he halted. Esther was seated in the rocking chair, with Jared asleep in her arms. A wisp of Esther’s dark hair had escaped her head covering and lay across her slightly pink cheek. She looked so content holding Jared like that.

  A lump formed in his throat. Seeing Esther with Jared made him think of Elsie, and how she used to rock Jared to sleep each night. It didn’t seem right that someone else should be holding his little boy. It didn’t seem right that Elsie wasn’t here to care for him and the other children.

  Samuel took a step, and the floor creaked beneath his feet.

  Suddenly, Esther’s eyes snapped open. “Oh, you’re home!” She glanced at the battery-operated clock on the far wall. “I—I didn’t realize it was getting so late.”

  “Guess you wouldn’t, since you’ve been sleeping.”

  “I must have dozed off after Jared fell asleep in my arms.” Esther looked down at the rosy-cheeked boy and smiled. “He’s sure a cute little guy.”

  Samuel just removed his hat and jacket and draped them over a chair.

  “How’d it go today?” Esther asked.

  “Fine. I’ll be going over there every day until the work’s all done. Can you keep watchin’ the kids for me? I’ll pay you a fair wage of course.”

  “I’d be happy to watch them. I enjoyed myself today, and I think the kinner and I got along quite well.”

  “Where’s Penny?” he asked, glancing around the room.

  “She’s in her bedroom with Buttons.”

  Barely looking at Esther, Samuel scratched the side of his head. “Buttons?”

  “One of Titus’s cats has a mark on its head that looks like a black button.”

  Samuel raised his eyebrows, as irritation set in. “I hope that cat’s not on the bed, because Penny knows her mamm doesn’t approve of pets on the furniture. I—I mean, when Elsie was alive, she didn’t approve.” Embarrassed and angry, Samuel whirled around and headed down the hall toward the room Penny shared with Marla.

  Seeing the angry look on Samuel’s face, Esther was afraid Penny might be in trouble with her father. She wished there was something she could do to intercede on the child’s behalf.

  It’s probably best if I don’t say anything, she decided. Samuel might not appreciate my interference with the discipline of his children.

  A few minutes later, Penny appeared, red-faced and sniffling as she carried Buttons to the front door and put him outside.

  “Would you like a cookie?” Esther asked after Penny had closed the door.

  Penny nodded soberly. “Okay.”

  Esther rose from her seat and placed Jared on the sofa. Taking Penny’s hand, she went to the kitchen.

  Penny took a seat at the table while Esther got out the cookie jar. She’d just placed two cookies on a napkin in front of Penny when Samuel stepped into the room.

  “What’s goin’ on?” he questioned.

  “I’m giving Penny a little snack.” Esther motioned to the cookies. “Would you like some?”

  He frowned as he shook his head. “She shouldn’t be eating anything now either. We’ll be having supper soon, and too many cookies will spoil her appetite.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you’d be starting supper so soon. Your two oldest children aren’t home from school yet.”

  Samuel slapped the side of his head. “Oh, great! I forgot about picking them up. I should have asked Bonnie if she’d mind stopping by the schoolhouse before she dropped me off here.” He looked at Esther, then dropped his gaze, the way he’d done when she’d first met him. “Can you stay awhile longer—while I go get the kinner?”

  “Certainly.”

  Samuel started for the door, but turned back around and pointed his finger at Penny. “No cookies for you! You need to learn to follow the rules.”

  Esther flinched as the door slammed behind Samuel. If she hadn’t known that he was still grieving for his wife, she’d have thought he wasn’t a nice man. Hopefully after he’d worked through his grief, he would be kinder to his children, although since the kids were grieving, too, Esther thought Samuel should be more tolerant and kind. But she chose to keep her opinion to herself.

  Bonnie stared out the kitchen window in awe. The shadows from the fence outlining her grandparents’ property made incredible patterns on the glistening snow in the front yard. It made her wish she was a child again and could go outside and romp in the snow. She remembered when she and her parents had come here for Christmas one year, and she and Grandpa had made a snowman together. It had been so much fun. But then it was always more fun to do something like that when you had someone to share it with. She wished her dad, who had always seemed to be working when she was a child, had spent more time with her.

  I suppose I could go outside and make my own snowman, she thought, but it’s so cold out there now, and I really should fix something for supper. When Samuel comes tomorrow, maybe I’ll suggest that he bring his children over here on Saturday. We can all build a snowman, and afterward I’ll fix them hot chocolate with marshmallows. That’s what Bonnie’s grandma had fixed her and Grandpa when they’d come in from the snow, and it had added to the special memory of the day.

  Bonnie turned away from the window, opened the pantry door, and took out a jar of spaghet
ti sauce and a package of angel-hair noodles. She’d just placed them on the cupboard, when she heard a dog barking in the backyard.

  She opened the door to see what was going on, and a shaggy-looking, brown-and-white terrier of sorts bounded onto the porch. She’d never seen a dog quite like him before and figured he was probably a mixed breed.

  “Shoo! Go on now!” Bonnie waved her hand, took a step forward, and tripped on a loose board.

  “Oh!” She grabbed the handle of the screen door just in time to keep from falling on her face. Here was another job that couldn’t wait until spring. She’d ask Samuel to fix it first thing tomorrow morning.

  Bonnie turned her gaze on the dog again. It had plopped down on the porch and was lying there with its nose between its paws and a forlorn look in its cocoa-colored eyes. The poor thing looked unkempt and underfed. Could it be a stray someone had abandoned? Or maybe it had gotten away from its owner and become lost. Bonnie didn’t want to take the dog in—especially if it belonged to someone else. Besides, she already had a stray cat to feed.

  She stepped back into the house and shut the door, certain that the dog would get tired of lying there and hopefully would go back to wherever he’d come from.

  Bonnie opened the jar of spaghetti sauce and got it heating on the stove; then she took out a kettle to cook the noodles in and set it in the sink. When she turned on the faucet to fill the kettle with water, she heard the dog again.

  Woof! Woof! Woof! The loud barking was followed by scratching at the door.

  With an exasperated groan, and determined to send the dog on its way, Bonnie turned off the water and opened the back door. When she stepped onto the porch, being careful to avoid the loose board, the dog leaped up and put both paws on her knees.

  She looked down at her jeans and grimaced. They were wet!

  She leaned over, picked up the dog, and tromped down the steps. Then she set him in the snow. “Go home!” she said, pointing to the road.

  The dog just sat there, looking up at her with such forlorn-looking eyes. With his tail swishing against the snow, he stayed put, watching as if patiently waiting for Bonnie to change her mind.

  Bonnie tried again. “Go home!” She clapped her hands and stomped her feet a few times—partly to get the dog moving, and partly to keep herself warm. She’d been foolish to come out here without a jacket.

  Despite more coaxing, clapping, and pointing to the road, the dog wouldn’t budge.

  “Suit yourself,” she said with a shake of her head. “If you want to sit out here in the cold snow, that’s up to you.” With all there was to do around the house, as much as she’d like to, she couldn’t let herself get attached to a dog, because dogs needed a lot of care.

  Bonnie turned and hurried back into the warmth of the house. When she stepped into the kitchen, she let out a shriek. Water was all over the kitchen floor!

  “Now how could that have happened?” she fumed, instantly forgetting about her four-legged visitor. “I know I turned off the water before I went outside.”

  It didn’t take long for Bonnie to realize that there was water seeping out from under the sink. “Ugh!” She slipped off her shoes and socks, and then waded through the water in her bare feet. When she opened the cupboard door beneath the sink and leaned over, she knew immediately what the problem was. A rusty-looking pipe had sprung a leak. “That’s just great,” she said with a moan.

  Bonnie reached in and closed the shut-off valve, thankful that it wasn’t stuck, because she had no idea where any of Grandpa’s tools might be. Even if she had known where they were, she wasn’t sure she’d know how to use them. Since she wouldn’t be able to use the kitchen sink until the pipe was repaired, she’d have to use the sink in the bathroom. Now that was convenient!

  Once the water was off, she sloshed her way back across the wet room, grabbed a mop from the utility porch, and started sopping up the water. This was just one more thing she’d have to ask Samuel to do. At this rate, she would never get the place ready to open as a bed-and-breakfast this spring.

  She groaned. “I wonder what else will go wrong.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Samuel shook the reins and clucked to his horse to get him moving quickly down the road. He was on his way to Bonnie’s with the kids, and they’d all been chattering away like a bunch of magpies ever since they left Titus’s place. They were obviously excited about going to Bonnie’s, but Samuel couldn’t help feeling irritated by their exuberance. It was as if they didn’t miss their mother anymore. Could they have forgotten her so quickly?

  I wonder why I let Bonnie talk me into bringing the kids over today, he thought with regret. The last thing I want to do is build a snowman. Think I’ll just let the kids play in the snow while I do some work on Bonnie’s place.

  Samuel thought about some of the things he’d done there this past week. He’d put a new pipe under her kitchen sink, repaired several loose spindles on the banister leading upstairs, stripped some wallpaper in the kitchen and then painted the walls, replaced all the loose boards on the porch, and hauled some boxes up to the attic for Bonnie. The house was old, and it seemed like there was no end to the work that needed to be done. He figured he might not to have to look for any outside paint jobs until late spring or early summer because he’d probably be working for Bonnie that long.

  “Daadi, Leon keeps pokin’ me!” Penny shouted, bringing Samuel’s thoughts to a halt. “Would ya make him stop?”

  “Knock it off, Leon,” Samuel called over his shoulder, “or you won’t be making a snowman when we get to Bonnie’s. You’ll be in the house, workin’ with me.”

  “But she started it,” the boy complained. “She’s hoggin’ the seat.”

  “Huh-uh. He’s the one hoggin’ the seat,” Penny retorted.

  Samuel gritted his teeth. He didn’t have the patience to deal with this right now. If only Elsie were here, she’d know what to do to quiet the kids and make them stop arguing.

  “Stop pinchin’ me!” Penny’s piercing squeal sounded like a baby pig that had been cheated out of its mother’s milk.

  “I didn’t pinch ya,” Leon countered. “Jared’s the one who pinched you, and that’s the truth.”

  All was silent for a few seconds; then Jared started to cry. Samuel figured Penny had probably pinched him.

  “If you three don’t stop it, you’re gonna be in trouble,” Marla, who sat in the front of the buggy beside Samuel, said in her most grown-up voice.

  “Ya can’t tell us what to do, Marla.” Leon said.

  “Daadi, Leon just leaned over the seat and poked my shoulder,” Marla tattled.

  “Knock it off!” Samuel hollered at the top of his lungs. “If I hear one more peep out of any of you, I’ll turn this horse and buggy around and head back to Titus’s place. Is that clear?”

  Except for a few sniffles, all was quiet.

  I’m starting to sound like an angry, mean man, Samuel thought as he clenched the reins tighter. But these petty little issues between the kids are really getting on my nerves.

  Bonnie glanced out the kitchen window, wondering if Samuel and his children would be here soon. She looked forward to meeting them and hoped they were looking forward to making a snowman today.

  She thought this would be a good chance for Samuel to relax and have a good time. He seemed so sullen and kept to himself much of the time. With the exception of discussing the repairs that needed to be done, they’d had very little conversation.

  A whimper pulled Bonnie’s thoughts aside and she looked down. The stray terrier she’d found earlier in the week cocked his head and looked up at her pathetically. She’d asked around the neighborhood and hadn’t been able to find the dog’s owner, so she’d finally weakened and taken him in. After all, she couldn’t leave the poor pooch outside in the cold, nor could she stand the thought of the dog going hungry. She’d ended up giving him a bath and trimming his matted hair. The little fellow was really quite cute once all that dirt was gone. She�
��d even named the mutt Cody, which she certainly wouldn’t have done if she hadn’t decided to keep him.

  “What’s the matter, Cody?” Bonnie asked, reaching down to pet the dog’s silky head. “Do you want to go out, or are you just looking for some attention?”

  Cody whimpered and nuzzled her hand.

  Bonnie continued to pet the dog a few more minutes; then she went to the front door to see if he wanted to go out. When she opened it, she caught sight of Samuel’s horse and buggy heading up the driveway.

  Woof! Woof! Cody raced out to greet them.

  Bonnie grabbed her coat and stocking cap, slipped into her boots and gloves, and hurried outside. As soon as Samuel pulled the horse up to the hitching rail, his four children clambered out of the buggy and started frolicking in the snow. Bonnie waited on the porch until Samuel and the children walked up to the house.

  “This is Marla, Penny, Leon, and Jared,” Samuel said, motioning to each of the children.

  Bonnie smiled. “My name’s Bonnie Taylor, and I’m glad you could come over to play in the snow today.”

  The children stared up at her without saying a word.

  Samuel nudged the oldest girl. “Say hello to Bonnie.”

  “Hello,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. The other children echoed her greeting.

  “It’s nice to meet you, and now I’m wondering—is everyone ready to help me make a snowman?” Bonnie asked.

  All heads nodded. All except for Samuel’s, that is. He was staring at the front of the house where the paint was peeling in several places.

  “You’re going to help us build the snowman, aren’t you?” Bonnie stepped up to Samuel.

  He shook his head. “Thought I’d get some more work done inside while you and the kids are out here playing in the snow.”

  “Are you sure you want to work today? You’ve worked hard all week, and I think you should take the day off.”