A Heart Made New (12 page)

Luke’s eyes closed for a brief moment, then opened. “No, you couldn’t.”

“That’s all you have to say? You don’t think we have enough mouths to feed?” Leah stood, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “That I don’t have enough cooking and cleaning and washing to do?”

“Annie did the only thing she could. She offered help to a woman and child in need.”

Knowing Leah’s habits, Annie figured the confrontation would last about one minute. When Leah figured out Luke wouldn’t budge, she’d give in to his place of leadership in the house. “You don’t even know who she is.”

Luke backed away from the accusing finger his wife waved at him. “I don’t need to know.”

“Her…she’s with the man who robbed the bakery.”

“So she exercised poor judgment in her choices of company.”

“I’m sure she was in on planning the armed robbery.” Leah’s voice rose. She rubbed her stomach as if it hurt. “She could be a bad influence on the children.”

“We don’t know what she may or may not have done. It’s neither here nor there. She needs a place to stay, and the children have to learn to reject worldly ways. If they’re never exposed to these things, how will they learn?”

“You take everyone’s side except mine.”

Annie couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ll take care of her and Gracie. I won’t let them be a burden to you, Leah. I’m sorry I didn’t ask first, but her need was so great, I couldn’t bear it.”

“When will you take care of them? On the two days you’re not at the bakery? That leaves me with the other five. If only you could see the need in your own home as clearly.”

Leah brushed past her and left the room without a backward glance. Annie turned to Luke. “Charisma’s an adult. She can help out, and she will take care of her child. She can babysit the little twins.” She moved closer to her brother. “I’m sorry to add to your burden.”

“My shoulders are wide, but Leah is worn out. You need to help her more, as I said last night.”

“I will.”

Starting right now. She rushed to the kitchen. Charisma wasn’t in the room. She’d probably heard the argument and slipped out the back door. Annie longed to go look for her, but she didn’t dare. She stirred a pot of navy beans. Leah had forgotten to add the bacon. She pulled a slab from the refrigerator and set a skillet on the stove. “What did the bishop say about moving from wheat to cattle?”

Luke poured a tall glass of water and downed half of it before he answered. “He listened to everyone’s thoughts on it and said he would confer with the deacons. There’s a lot to consider.”

“It’s better to do that than lose the farms altogether, isn’t it?” She dumped pieces of chicken into a plastic bag of seasoned flour and began to shake it while the lard heated in a second skillet. “Or move to another state where things are cheaper?”

“Jah.” Luke bent over the sink and splashed cold water on his face, then straightened. “The bishop agrees with that. The question is how the change would affect our ability to take care of our folks. The older ones, the sick ones, those who cannot work. There is a cost for that.”

“I’m sorry if I’m making things more difficult for us by bringing Gracie and Charisma here.” She focused on laying the chicken in the hot grease without burning her fingers. “More mouths to feed.”

“We have enough. Smells like something’s burning.” His words were muffled through the towel he used to dry his face. “Cheese, I think.”

“What?”

“You’re the cook and you don’t smell it?” He jerked his head toward the oven. “Food burning.”

He was right. So caught up in the burdens of the day, she hadn’t
even noticed the faint scorched smell mingling with aromas of frying bacon and chicken. She rushed to the oven. Macaroni and cheese casserole. “It’s just a little singed around the edges.”

“Like me.” Luke chuckled, his features lighter for a brief second. “Don’t ever worry about showing charity, little schweschder. You did right to bring them here.”

The tight grip worry had on her throat eased a bit. “What about Leah?”

“She’s tired. She’ll be better in the morning.”

Annie appreciated her brother’s optimism, but she didn’t share it. Leah might put on a happy face for her husband, but she had seen the real Leah at work with the twins. “I don’t mean to speak out of place, but I think Leah is being too harsh with Lillie and Mary.”

Luke frowned. “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

“They’re good girls. Their life is hard without Mudder and Daed.”

“Their life is fine. They have me and Leah. And you.”

“Mary cries at night.”

“She needs to toughen up.” Luke adjusted his hat and started for the door. “I have neither the time nor the inclination for coddling. It does them no good in the long run. It’s time for you to get supper on the table.”

Annie wanted to groan. As a man, Luke didn’t understand the need for a soft touch, a bit of affection now and then. “They’re just little girls,” she whispered to his retreating back. He had two of his own.

Would Leah treat them the same way?

A
nnie slid the platter of fried chicken onto the table between Luke and Charisma’s plates. Gracie, seated on her mother’s lap, squealed and reached for it. “No.” Her expression uncertain, Charisma grabbed her daughter’s hand and pulled it back. “Wait until you’re served.” She squirmed in her chair, her gaze skipping from Luke to Annie. “Sorry, she’s not used to sitting at a table anymore.”

“Don’t worry. We’re used to little ones at the table.” Annie picked up Esther from the playpen, plopped her into a high chair, and strapped her in while Leah did the same with Martha.

“Yes, they have to learn. Better to start young,” Leah added. She marched toward the kitchen without looking at either of them. “Mary, Lillie, help me bring in the rest of the food.”

The older twins scurried after her, but not before Lillie sent Annie a
help-us
glance. Annie wished she could. She needed to make sure their guests were welcomed properly. Luke would never be rude, but Leah was proving to be a leaf of a different color. She had been increasingly agitated during the preparations of the food. Every question from Charisma seemed to send her deeper into a funk. Charisma couldn’t seem to comprehend the lack of a microwave oven, the lack of an electric can opener—which wasn’t needed since they ate nothing out of a can. Even the use of cloth napkins and placemats intrigued
her. And Leah seemed to have no patience or any ability to be kind to a guest.

Annie gave up trying to figure it out and put a bowl of fresh sliced peaches on the table. Gracie squirmed and tried to escape from Charisma’s grasp. Annie glanced at Luke. His face showed nothing. Leah bustled back into the room and slapped the slightly browned macaroni and cheese casserole on the table next to the chicken. Annie patted Gracie’s cheek. “I’m sorry we don’t have another high chair. It would make it easier for both of you.”

“That’s okay. She’s really too big for a high chair. She uses a booster seat…” Charisma’s voice trailed off. “We really haven’t had much in the way of furniture in a while.”

Leah’s disapproving
humph
did nothing for the conversation. Annie scurried around the table and sat between Mary and Lillie. Luke closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Annie did the same.

“I want chicken. I want KFC. I want KFC!” Gracie’s shrill voice broke the silence. “Hungry. Eat now!”

“Okay, okay! How about a drumstick?”

Annie raised her head just as Charisma grabbed a piece of chicken with her bare fingers.

“Amen.”

Luke packed plenty of irritation into one word.

Charisma dropped the drumstick back onto the platter. “Oh…oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

“We pray.” Luke held up his plate and Leah slid a huge chicken breast onto it. “Then we eat.”

Her face red, Charisma nodded so hard the silver hoops in her ears shook. “I…my grandma used to do that.”

“Where’s your grandma?” Annie passed Charisma a basket of hot rolls. “I mean, where’s home?”

Charisma stopped Gracie from dumping all the rolls on the plate they shared. “The last place I really lived was Baton Rouge.”

“You’re a long way from home.” Josiah scooped a pile of macaroni
and cheese on a plate and handed it to Luke. “What brings you to Kansas?”

“Besides robbing bakeries.” Mark slipped in the comment between bites on a drumstick. Mary and Lilly tittered.

“That’s enough. I’ll not have rude people at my table.” One look from Luke silenced them.

Red blotches stretching all the way from her forehead down her face to her long neck, Charisma smoothed Gracie’s matted curls. “It’s a long story.”

“And it’s none of our business.” Luke took a swallow of water. “Josiah, did you take care of those appointments at the shop this afternoon?”

Annie breathed. Luke was too kind a person to make a guest in his home uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he’d chosen Josiah for the spotlight instead. From the look on her brother’s face, he didn’t want to talk about work or anything else. He picked at the macaroni. “By the time I got there, Caleb had already taken care of them.”

“So what did you do instead? You were gone a while.”

Josiah pushed back his plate. “I cleaned up the shop and picked up some supplies.”

“You didn’t decide to do some visiting?”

Josiah’s face went red as a radish. Annie held her breath, waiting for him to smart off the way he used to do. His jaw clenched and he tossed his fork on his plate. “I helped Caleb. I came home.”

“Horsie, horsie!” Gracie clapped her hands. Her drumstick went flying and landed in Luke’s lap. “Chicken, I want chicken.”

With two fingers, Luke lifted the drumstick from his lap and laid it on his plate. “I think you’d better have a new piece.”

“I’m so sorry, so sorry!” Charisma held out her napkin. It was covered with cheese and grease. She snatched it back. “Let me get you a clean napkin.”

“It’s all right. I work in the fields. I reckon no one cares about a little grease on my pants.”

Silence reigned. Annie rushed to finish her food. Everyone else seemed to be doing the same. Anything to end this meal.

Leah stood first and grabbed a plate still half full of food. She stalked from the room without a word.

“I should help load the dishwasher.” Charisma stood and hoisted Gracie on her hip.

“You’re a guest.” Stifling a giggle at the look on Luke’s face, Annie hustled around the table and took Charisma’s plate from her. “You can keep me company while I wash, but no doing dishes.”

Charisma tagged along after her, Gracie whining about cookies the whole time. “I don’t want to be a drag on you.”

Annie shook her head. “What’s one more plate, a fork, a spoon?”

“Where’s the dishwasher? I can load it. It’s no trouble.”

This time Annie couldn’t help it. She laughed aloud. “You’re looking at it.”

Charisma didn’t laugh. She was looking over Annie’s shoulder, a troubled frown on her face. Annie turned. Leah was bent over the kitchen sink, retching.

“Leah, what’s the matter? Did something disagree with you?” Annie rushed to her side. “Do you need a seltzer?”

Leah raised her head. She tugged a washrag from the counter and wiped at her face. “I don’t think a seltzer will help. It’ll right itself in a few months—or more.”

The look on her face made Annie take a step forward. “You’re…oh, you’re…are you?”

Leah nodded. Then she shot from the room like a coyote was after her.

Another baby. Another blessing. Annie clung to that belief despite the knowledge that the Shirack house overflowed with that particular blessing at the moment. “
Wunderbar
,” she called after Leah. “Congratulations.”

Leah didn’t reply. She was long gone.

“She didn’t look too happy about it.” Charisma rubbed her belly. “I know that feeling.”

A
nnie rolled over, then sat up in bed, listening. The sound of someone pacing on the front porch floated through her open bedroom window. She had no idea how long she’d been asleep. Not long if the burning of her eyes meant anything.

“Shhhh, hush, honey, hush, you’re gonna wake everyone up!”

Charisma. Charisma and Gracie.

Annie slipped from her bed and grabbed a robe from the rack on the wall. She tiptoed down the stairs and eased the front door open. A cool breeze born of the dark night draped itself over her shoulders. She inhaled its relief from the heat of the day. And something else. The smell of tobacco. “Charisma?”

A cigarette dangling from her lips, Charisma turned and marched the length of the porch, sidestepping two hickory rockers. In the stark light of a nearly full moon she appeared to be in the middle of a wrestling match with Gracie, who was struggling to get down. “Stop it! You’re not getting down.” She let go of the girl with one hand so she could grab the cigarette. Her voice rose, then dropped. “You’ll wake up everyone in the house.”

“Having trouble getting her to sleep, I guess.”