The Healing Read online

  He shook his head. “There’s a lot to be done here, and the sooner I get it finished, the sooner you can open your bed-and-breakfast.”

  “Okay.” Bonnie figured he wasn’t going to change his mind, so she bent down, scooped up a clump of snow, and formed it into a ball. “Come on, kids, let’s get that snowman started!”

  Yip! Yip! Cody raced around the yard, running circles around the children. Then he leaped up and grabbed the edge of Marla’s scarf.

  “Hey! Come back with that!” Marla dashed after the dog, waving her hands, and Leon did the same.

  Woof! Woof! Woof! Cody circled the yard a few times, dragging the scarf through the snow.

  Bonnie clapped her hands and shouted, “Cody, drop that scarf!”

  When the dog didn’t listen, she joined Marla and Leon in the chase. She knew they’d all be exhausted by the end of this day.

  As Esther’s horse and buggy approached Titus’s house, she was filled with a sense of excitement. Since Samuel paid his children so little attention, she’d decided to see if the kids wanted to help her build a snowman today. That was something she hadn’t done in several years, so it should be fun for her as well.

  When Esther pulled into Titus’s yard, she spotted him out by the barn. He waved and then secured her horse, Ginger, to the hitching rail.

  “What brings you by here this morning?” he asked when she climbed down from the buggy.

  “I came to see if Samuel’s kinner would like to help me make a snowman.”

  “That’s too bad, because they’re not here right now.”

  “Where’d they go?”

  “Samuel took ‘em over to Bonnie Taylor’s. They’re gonna make a snowman over there.”

  “Oh, I see.” Esther couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She’d really been looking forward to spending time with the children today.

  “Say, I have an idea,” Titus said. “Why don’t you go over to the Taylor place and join them? Do you know where the house is located?”

  She nodded. “Margaret Taylor used to come into our store sometimes, and when her husband, Andy, was ill, I made a delivery to their house a few times.”

  “Well, good. You’ll know how to get there then.”

  “I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Esther felt a bit awkward and tried to hide her disappointment.

  Titus shook his head. “I’m sure Bonnie wouldn’t mind, and I know the kinner would be glad to see you.”

  “I’d be glad to see them, too.”

  “So if you’re going, would you mind taking Penny’s mittens? She forgot them this morning.”

  “I’d be happy to take them to her.” Esther was glad for a legitimate excuse to show up at Bonnie’s. That way it wouldn’t look like she was trying to interrupt the fun Bonnie had planned for the kids.

  When Esther arrived at the Taylor place sometime later, she spotted Samuel’s children out in the snowy front yard. Marla and Jared were rolling a good-sized snowball, although the little guy seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help. Leon and Penny, with the help of a young woman with curly blond hair peeking out from under her stocking cap, rolled another.

  “Hello,” Esther said as she approached the group. “It looks like you have a good start on a snowman.”

  The kids stopped rolling their snowballs long enough to tell Esther hello, and the woman held out her mittened hand. “I’m Bonnie Taylor. Are you one of my neighbors?”

  “I’m Esther Beiler,” she said as she shook Bonnie’s hand. “My folks used to own the general store in the area, and your grandparents shopped there sometimes.” She gestured to the children. “I’ve been watching Samuel’s kids while he’s working for you, and when I stopped by there this morning, Titus said Samuel had brought the kids over here.”

  “That’s right.” Bonnie offered her a friendly smile. “We’re building a snowman.”

  Esther held up the mittens she’d brought along. “Titus gave me these and said they were Penny’s.”

  “It was nice of you to bring them by,” Bonnie said. “When they got here, and Penny realized she’d left her mittens at home, I gave her a pair of mine, but as you can see, they’re much too big for her small hands.”

  Esther handed the mittens to Penny, and the child smiled appreciatively.

  “Where’s your daed?” Esther asked.

  Penny pointed to the house. “He’s in there, workin’.”

  “Oh, I see. I figured he’d be out here helping you build the snowman.”

  “Nope,” Leon chimed in. “Our daadi’s always workin’ now.”

  “Workin’ or sleepin’,” Marla interjected. “He hardly talks to us anymore, and when he does, he usually yells.”

  Esther glanced at Bonnie and noticed the concern showing in her dark brown eyes. Was she worried about Samuel, too?

  “I tried to talk him into playing in the snow with us, but he insisted on working today,” Bonnie said.

  “That’s ‘cause he don’t like bein’ with us no more,” Leon said with a tone of sadness in his voice.

  Esther’s heart clenched, and Bonnie gave the boy’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’m sure that’s not the case. I think your daddy just likes to keep busy.”

  Leon silently started rolling his snowball again.

  “Would you like to join us?” Bonnie asked Esther. “I think Marla and Jared could use some help.”

  “I’d be glad to help out.” Esther felt an immediate connection with Bonnie and hoped she would have the chance to get to know her better.

  As they worked on the snowman, Bonnie told Esther about her plans to open a bed-and-breakfast. “Of course,” she added, “once the place is ready to go, I’m not sure what I’ll do about fixing my guests their breakfast.” She wrinkled her nose. “I get by in the kitchen, but I’m definitely not the world’s best cook, and I don’t think my guests would be satisfied with cold cereal and toast every morning.”

  “Last year I taught my friend, Suzanne, how to cook, and she’s doing real well on her own. I’d be happy to give you some pointers as well.”

  Bonnie smiled. “That’d be great.”

  “Whenever you’re ready, just let me know. I could come over some Saturday or in the evenings after I’m done watching Samuel’s kids.”

  “When you mentioned that your folks had a store in the area, I thought you might be working there.”

  Esther shook her head. “They sold the store not long ago and moved to Pennsylvania to help my brother, because he has MS and can’t manage on his own anymore.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I know a young woman in Oregon who has MS, and she’s really struggling with it.”

  “Dan’s doctor bills are mounting up already, so besides the fact that I enjoy being with Samuel’s children, some of the money I earn watching them will be sent to my brother to help with his medical expenses.”

  “Doesn’t he have any health insurance?”

  “No. We Amish don’t believe in buying health insurance. We take care of our own.”

  “Oh, I see. I guess there’s a lot about the Amish I don’t know. Maybe while you’re teaching me to improve my cooking skills, you can enlighten me about the Amish who live in this community. After all, if we’re going to be neighbors, it would be helpful if I understood the people living around me.”

  Esther smiled. “I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.”

  “I appreciate that, and I’ll be happy to pay you for helping me learn my way around the kitchen.” Bonnie stopped rolling her snowball and let the kids take over. “In fact, once the B&B is up and running, would you be interested in coming to work for me here?”

  “That’s a tempting offer, but if Samuel finds another job after he’s done working for you, I’ll probably still be watching his children.”

  “Maybe you could come over here in the late afternoons or early evenings to clean the guest rooms and help with the preparation of the food I’ll be serving my guests for breakfast the next day.”r />
  “I’m sure I could manage, but I’ll have to get permission from my folks first,” Esther replied. “Some Amish families in our church district don’t approve of their daughters working in English people’s homes. And even if they do say it’s okay for me to work for you, I won’t be allowed to listen to the radio or watch any TV.”

  “That’s fine,” Bonnie said. “I don’t watch much TV myself.”

  Esther smiled. “While I’m waiting for Mom and Dad’s answer, if there’s anything you need my help with right away, I could probably do that.”

  “Actually, there is. I’m still going through my grandparents’ things, so you could help me with that, as well as some of the cleaning I still haven’t done.”

  “That sounds good to me.” Esther felt sure God had provided more work for her, and she looked forward to calling Mom and Dad and hopefully beginning a second job soon.

  She smiled to herself. All those concerns in the beginning—wondering what she would do after her parents left and how she would earn money—were now being lifted because everything seemed to be working out well.

  CHAPTER 11

  Esther was relieved when she received permission from her folks to work for Bonnie, with only a caution about not using anything in the house for worldly pleasures. Esther didn’t think she’d have a problem with that because she was content to do without modern things.

  So for the next two weeks, Esther went over to Bonnie’s every day after Samuel got home from work. She enjoyed spending time with Bonnie, as she was doing now, and was impressed at how quickly they had become friends. Not that Bonnie would replace Esther’s friendship with Suzanne—she was sure nothing could ever come between them.

  Esther glanced at Bonnie, who stood at the kitchen counter kneading bread dough. “You’re doing well, but be careful not to work the dough too much,” she said. “My mother taught me when the dough feels elastic and quits sticking to your fingers, then it’s ready and time to let rise.”

  Bonnie smiled. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you teaching me how to do this. It’ll be so nice to offer my B&B guests homemade bread every morning.”

  “In the spring, when the rhubarb in your grandma’s garden patch ripens, maybe we can make some rhubarb jam.”

  “I remember Grandma serving that on toast when I was a girl and came here to visit. It was so good.” Bonnie smacked her lips. “She made strawberry-rhubarb pie, too.”

  “Then there must be some strawberry plants hidden under all that snow in the garden.”

  Bonnie nodded. “I believe there are.”

  The rumble of a vehicle interrupted their conversation. “It’s Allen,” Bonnie said, peering out the window. She smiled. “I’m so thankful he introduced me to Samuel.”

  The smile on Bonnie’s face when she mentioned Samuel’s name made Esther wonder if Bonnie might have a personal interest in him.

  Surely not, she told herself as Bonnie went to the door to let Allen in. Bonnie’s English and Samuel’s Amish, so I’m sure she wouldn’t be romantically interested in him. She probably just appreciates all the work he’s doing for her. I shouldn’t let my imagination get carried away like I sometimes did when I was a child.

  “Sorry it’s taken me so long to get over here,” Allen said when Bonnie opened the door. “I got busy all of a sudden with work I hadn’t expected.”

  “It’s okay,” Bonnie said. “Nothing I’ve needed you to do has been critical, and Samuel’s been a big help to me in so many ways.”

  “Hi, Esther,” Allen said when he and Bonnie entered the kitchen. “I wondered if that was your buggy I saw parked outside.”

  Esther smiled. “I came over to help Bonnie do some baking.”

  “I’m not much of a baker,” Bonnie said, “so I appreciate Esther’s lessons.”

  Allen sniffed the air. “I can tell. Is that fresh bread I smell right now?”

  “Yes, it sure is.” Bonnie motioned to the loaf of bread she’d already baked. “If you’re still here when it’s cooled, maybe you’d like a piece.”

  “That’d be nice. There’s nothing quite like eating fresh bread.” Allen looked over at Esther and said, “I’ve had some of the good-tasting breads and cookies you taught Suzanne to make, so I’m sure that whatever you and Bonnie make will be real good, too.” He grinned and gave her a wink. “I must say, though, there’s no better smell wafting through a house than bread baking in the oven.”

  Esther’s face heated. Was Allen flirting with her? Of course not, silly. There goes my wild imagination again.

  Samuel stepped into Titus’s phone shanty with a feeling of dread. He’d received a voice mail from Mama Fannie a few days ago asking him to call at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, when she would be in the phone shed. Since he knew Mama Fannie had disapproved of him moving to Kentucky, he figured he might be in for a lecture on how foolish he’d been for leaving Pennsylvania.

  “Guess I may as well get this over with,” he mumbled as he dialed the number.

  “Hi, Mama Fannie. It’s me, Samuel,” he said when she answered her phone.

  “It’s good to hear from you. How are you and the kinner doing?”

  “Okay.”

  “I talked to Zach the other day, and he said you’ve been working for an English woman in the area.”

  “That’s right. Her name’s Bonnie Taylor, and she’s planning to open a bed-and-breakfast in the spring.”

  There was a pause, and then Mama Fannie said, “How old is she?”

  “Beats me. I’ve never asked.”

  “You must have some idea how old she is. Is she older than me?”

  “I’d say she’s probably in her late twenties or early thirties.”

  “Is she married?”

  “Nope.” Samuel put his hand to his forehead. He already knew where this conversation was headed.

  Another pause. “Do you think it’s a good idea for you to be alone with her all day?”

  Samuel felt his defenses rise. “You have nothing to worry about, Mama Fannie. Bonnie’s a nice woman, and most of the time she’s not even around when I’m working. She’s often out shopping or working in some other part of the house.”

  “Can’t you take one of the kinner with you when you’re over there? That way no one can say anything about you being alone with a woman.”

  “As you know, my two older ones are in school all day, and I’m not about to bring the younger ones to work with me.” Samuel grunted. “They’d only get in the way.”

  “But don’t you think—”

  “I hate to cut this short, but there are some things I need to get done yet today, so I’d better go,” Samuel said, cutting her off in mid-sentence.

  “Oh. I see.”

  Samuel knew from the tone of her voice that he’d hurt her feelings, so he quickly added, “It’s been good talking to you, Mama Fannie. Tell Dad and the rest of the family I said hello.”

  “Okay. Tell your kinner I said hello, too. Oh, and tell Marla I’ll be mailing her birthday card out to her soon.”

  “I will. Bye.” Samuel quickly hung up the phone. If Mama Fannie was going to badger him about working for Bonnie, he might make fewer calls home. He knew her intentions were good, but sometimes she didn’t know when to quit. He didn’t remember her being this way when he was young and figured it might have something to do with her age. Their bishop said once that the older a person got, the more they worried about things.

  Paradise, Pennsylvania

  When Timothy arrived home after helping Zach and his crew paint the inside of a grocery store, he was disappointed that he didn’t find Hannah in the kitchen. He was tired and hungry and hoped she’d have supper waiting for him. Painting all day was hard work, but the money he earned paid the bills and kept him busy during the winter months when he wasn’t able to farm.

  He was about to head down the hall to see if she was in the living room when he spotted a note on the kitchen table. It was from Hannah and said that she’d take
n Mindy and gone to her folks’ house to help her mother clean and do some baking. She also said there was a container of vegetable soup in the refrigerator that Timothy could heat for his supper.

  He frowned. It seemed like Hannah’s mother was more important than him. But then that was really nothing new. Hannah was tied to her mother’s apron strings and thought she had to be over there nearly every day. When Hannah wasn’t at her folks’, her mother was over at their place. It was getting old, and Timothy was tired of it.

  He draped his jacket over the back of a chair and took a kettle and a bowl out of the cupboard. He’d just started heating the soup when the back door opened and his mother entered the house.

  “I’m surprised to see you, Mom. What are you doing here at this time of the day?” he asked.

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Is that any way to greet your mamm?”

  “Sorry. I just figured you’d be at home having supper right now.”

  “We already ate, and when your daed fell asleep in his recliner, I decided to come over here and talk to you about something.” She glanced at the single bowl he’d set on the table. “Where’s the rest of your family? It looks like you’re planning to eat alone.”

  He nodded. “Hannah and Mindy are at her folks’ house.”

  Mom’s lips compressed. “Again? She seems to go there a lot.”

  Timothy merely shrugged and said, “What’d you want to talk to me about?”

  “Not what, but whom. Samuel, to be exact.”

  “What about him?”

  “Did you know that he’s been working for an English woman who’s planning to open a bed-and-breakfast this spring?”

  “Jah, I heard about that. From what Samuel said, Bonnie Taylor’s a very nice woman.”

  “Well when I spoke with Samuel on the phone earlier today, I told him that I didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be alone with this woman, and he got defensive.”

  “Can you blame him, Mom?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Timothy could see by his mother’s pinched expression that he’d hurt her feelings. “I just think you to need to remember that your boys are grown men now, and we have the right to make our own choices—even if what we decide doesn’t go along with your thinking.”