A Promise of Hope (12 page)

14

G
lad to be home from the hospital, Sarah climbed the stairs, taking each with care due to her lingering aches and pains. She followed
Mamm
toward her room.

The twins’ cries echoed from downstairs where her sisters tended to them. She stopped and started toward the stairs.

“Sarah Rose!”
Mamm
chided. “Your sisters can handle the
kinner.
You need to get some rest.”

“But they’re crying…” Sarah bit her lip.

Mamm
gave a knowing smile. “Babies cry,
mei Liewe.
They will be fine. You need your rest. You just gave birth three days ago.”

Sighing, Sarah hobbled to her room. Stepping in, she glanced around at the familiarity of the room that had become hers since Peter died and she moved out of her house. She stopped in her tracks when something out of place caught her eye.

On the floor next to the cradle her father had made was the most exquisite cradle she’d ever seen. It was simple yet elegant, with a pattern engraved in the sides. It was stained a deep cherry color and sparkled in the low light of the lamp. A large red bow hung over the side.

Sarah gasped and crossed the room. She bent and touched it, and it rocked back and forth, scraping the wooden floor with a quiet whooshing sound.

“You kept your promise, Luke,” she whispered, running her finger over the slick wood and sniffing back tears.
“Danki.”

“It’s your Christmas gift from Luke,”
Mamm
said. “Actually, he said it was for you and the
zwillingbopplin.
He had intended to give it to you himself on Christmas, but the
kinner
had other plans. Since he’s at work today, he asked
Dat
to give it to you for him.”

“It’s perfect,” Sarah said, meeting
Mamm’s
gaze. “How
wunderbaar.”

“I think he loves those
kinner,
you know.”
Mamm
dropped Sarah’s bag onto a chair by the bed. “He said he’d come by to visit when you were ready to have company.”

“He can come any time.” Sarah crossed to the bed and lowered herself onto the side.

“You get some rest. The babies will be fine with your sisters and me.”

Sarah nodded. “Okay.”

“Call me if you need anything.”
Mamm
disappeared through the door, gently closing it behind her.

Rolling onto her side on the bed, Sarah closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Peter, the babies, cradles…and Luke.

Sarah yawned as she lounged on the sofa with Rachel in her arms. She hadn’t achieved much rest last night since the babies had their days and nights mixed up. Although
Mamm
had helped with the middle-of-the-night feedings, Sarah still found herself awake most of the night.

Sarah was thankful to have
Mamm’s
help during the night. And since the bakery was only open part-time during the winter, she was also grateful to have
Mamm
home to help along with her nieces most days.

It was hard to believe she’d been home a week with the twins. She’d expected to have a house full of visitors; however, only her sisters and a few of her friends from the church district had stopped by and brought food and gifts for the children.

If Sarah were honest with herself, she’d admit she was disappointed one guest in particular hadn’t stopped by at all, and that guest was Luke. She’d asked Timothy if he’d seen Luke, and her brother had explained Luke hadn’t missed a day of work.

While she was rocking Rachel back to sleep early this morning, she’d pondered the question of why Luke had been staying away. She couldn’t get the image of Luke at the hospital out of her mind—the way his brown eyes had filled with tears when he saw the children touched her deep in her soul. She wondered if his absence had anything to do with the emotion he’d displayed then. Was seeing the twins too difficult for him because they reminded him of his beloved cousin?

She hoped Luke wouldn’t stay away. For some reason she craved Luke’s presence even more now that the children were here. Was it because he was her only connection to Peter beyond the twins? Or did she miss his friendship? Her gut told her it was a combination of both. Sarah felt a connection to Luke that was unlike any other friendship she cherished.

A flurry of activity and a chorus of children’s voices sounded from the kitchen, announcing the arrival of visitors.

Mamm
entered the living room with a smile on her face. “You have a visitor. Or rather, you have visitors.”

“Send them in.” Sarah adjusted a sleeping Rachel on her shoulder and then ran her hand over her prayer
Kapp
to make sure she was presentable. She felt silly for fussing over her appearance. After all, she was a sleep-deprived woman who’d given birth less than two weeks ago.

She hoped Luke was among the visitors, but a quick glance at the clock on the mantle showed it was shortly after four and too early for Luke to arrive on a weekday.

Mamm
disappeared into the kitchen and a few moments later, Norman appeared in the doorway followed by his daughters.

“Norman.” Sarah smiled. “It’s so good to see you.”

He glanced down at Seth sleeping in the cradle and then back at Sarah, who turned slightly, angling Rachel toward them.

Norman smiled at the babies. “Beautiful,” he whispered. “Congratulations. God is good.”

“Ya,”
Sarah said, rubbing Rachel’s back. “He is.”

The girls stood over the cradle and cooed at the babies.

“Why don’t you two go back in the kitchen and have cookies with Nancy and Katie?” Norman asked. “Sarah and I are going to visit, and the babies are sleeping.”

The girls retreated to the kitchen.

“Please have a seat.” She gestured toward the chair with her free hand.

“Danki.”
Norman folded his stocky body into the sofa across from her. “How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted but happy.” She covered her mouth to shield a yawn. She then adjusted Rachel on her shoulder, which had started to ache.

“Are they sleeping well in the night?” he asked.

Sarah snorted with sarcasm. “No, not yet.
Mamm
says I slept through the night at three months. I’m hoping these two figure out their nights and days faster than that. If not, then I may pass out soon from exhaustion.”

Norman’s eyes trained on Seth, and a smile broke through his pleasant countenance. “How does it feel to be a
mamm?”

“It’s more
wunderbaar
than I ever imagined.” She ran a finger over Rachel’s soft cheek. “I stare down at my
kinner
and can’t believe they’re mine.”

“Blessings from God,” he whispered.

“Absolutely.” She shifted to the edge of the chair and gently placed Rachel into the cradle next to Seth. Sitting back in the chair, she sighed and rubbed her shoulder. “Little ones weigh more than you think.” Norman smiled.

They fell into an easy conversation, discussing everything from the weather to the children.

After an hour, he stood. “I reckon I should get back home and feed my own
kinner
before they start grumbling.”

Sarah walked with him to the kitchen. “I can whip up something to feed all of us.”

“No, no.” He touched her arm. “I wouldn’t want to do that to you. You have your hands full.”

“Don’t be silly.” She glanced at
Mamm,
who was sitting at the table talking with
Dat
and the children. “Do we have something we can throw together for supper for everyone?”

Mamm
stood and went to the refrigerator. “Of course we do. Let me see. I can make this stew quickly. It’s plenty for everyone.”

“No, I couldn’t impose.” Norman snatched his coat from the rack by the door and glanced at his daughters. “Get your wraps on. We’re heading back home.”

“Norman, don’t be silly.” Sarah touched his arm. “I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks. I’d be happy if you and the girls stayed.”

“Another night. I promise.” He glanced at his girls, who were ready at the door. “Say good-bye to everyone. We’ll see them very soon.” He said his farewells to her parents and then steered his girls out the door.

Sarah followed close behind, hugging her arms to her chest as the January wind sliced through her caped dress. She inhaled the chilly air, breathing in the aroma of wood fireplaces.

Norman directed his girls to the waiting buggy and then turned to Sarah. “You best get inside before you catch a cold.”

“Danki
for visiting,” she said through her chattering teeth.

“We’ll have dinner together very soon,” Norman said, his expression flickering with an intensity she’d never seen before. “I’d like to see you more often.”

Unsure of the meaning behind his words, Sarah was rendered speechless for a moment.

“Gut nacht.”
He paused for a moment and then touched her arm. “Take care of those
wunderbaar zwillingbopplin.”

Norman clattered down the porch steps and loaded the girls into the buggy. Sarah waved as they drove off toward the road.

The crunch of stones drew her gaze toward the path. Spotting Luke heading for the porch, she rushed down the stairs toward him.

“Why don’t you have a coat on, Sarah Rose?” he scolded, shaking his head in disapproval.

She stopped in her tracks and scowled. “And it’s nice to see you too.”

He gave a bark of laughter, and she grinned.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Angry with you.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Why haven’t you been by to see me and the
zwillingbopplin?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I feared you’d moved back to Ohio without any notice.”

His smile disappeared. “You think I’d leave without telling you?”

She shivered.

He nodded toward the house. “How about we take this disagreement inside?”

They climbed the porch steps side by side.

“Did you hear the news?” she asked. “Daniel is a father. Rebecca gave birth to their son, Daniel Jr., last night.”

“I did hear.” Luke’s smile was genuine. “Eli told me this morning.”

“I can’t wait to see my new nephew.” Sarah’s heart swelled with love. She knew Daniel and Rebecca were elated to welcome their first child into the world after fifteen years of marriage. It was a miracle.

Her thoughts turned to cradles, and she stopped short of the door.

Luke reached for the doorknob, and she blocked it. “Sarah Rose, you’re going to catch a cold or, worse yet, pneumonia.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that tonight,” she quipped.

He reached for the knob again, and she stopped him by taking his hand in hers. The warmth of his skin took her by surprise, and she pulled back.

“I need to tell you something in private,” she said, shivering again.

“Tell me quickly. I don’t want to see you back in the hospital.” His eyes were full of concern.

“The cradle you made is beautiful. It’s the most
wunderbaar
gift I’ve ever received, and I love it.
Danki.”
She looked into his eyes and for the first time since she’d met Luke, her stomach fluttered. She tamped down the feeling and turned toward the door.

“Wait.” He touched her shoulder, and she faced him. “I’m glad. I wanted to do something special for the
kinner
in memory of Peter. I’m very happy you like it.”

“It’s perfect. No, it’s better than perfect. It’s magnificent.”

He nodded, his eyes intense.

They stared at each other for a long moment and then he broke away and turned the doorknob.

Sarah stepped into the kitchen and took in the delicious scent of
Mamm’s
stew.

“Sarah Rose!”
Mamm
snapped. “What on earth were you doing out there without a coat? Did you forget it’s January?”

Sarah sighed, and Luke snickered.

“Luke!”
Mamm
stepped toward him. “You’re just in time for supper. Take off your coat and make yourself at home.”

“Danki.”
Luke hung his coat on a peg by the door and greeted
Dat
and Sarah’s nieces.

Sarah touched his arm. “Would you like to see the babies?” she whispered, noticing his warm scent.

“Are you kidding? I really only came to see them, not you.” His crooked grin was teasing.

She laughed and led him into the living room, where the babies were fast asleep in their cradles. She stood back while he squatted between the cradles and gazed between them. His smiled faded, and his expression turned to reverence.

For a moment, Sarah wondered if she should leave the room and give him privacy. When he reached for Seth and then pulled his hand back, she stepped over by him.

“You can touch them,” she whispered. “I promise they won’t break.”

He glanced at her in disbelief.

“Go ahead. Don’t be afraid. Touch them.”

Leaning down next to Luke, she lifted his hand to place it on Seth’s back. Liquid heat coursed through her veins at the touch, and for a split second, she couldn’t breathe. She pulled her hand back as if to stop the fire burning within her.

Again his eyes bored into hers, and they studied each other for a brief moment.

Standing, she folded her arms as if to guard her confused heart.

Luke glanced back at the babies and, placing his free hand on Rachel’s back, he caressed their backs simultaneously. His expression was filled with emotion, similar to the day in the hospital. His eyes glistened.

Feeling like a voyeur, she backed toward the door to the kitchen. “I’m going to go help
Mamm
with supper,” she whispered, gesturing toward the kitchen.

“Don’t go.” His eyes locked with hers.

She stopped and wracked her brain for something to break the protracted silence between them. “Why haven’t you visited until now?”

“I didn’t know if it was proper to come see you when you first got home.” His smile was back. “I’m new at this whole
boppli
thing.”