A Simple Autumn: A Seasons of Lancaster Novel (33 page)

Jonah rubbed the back of his neck. “Those were dark days, but Gott has healed our
family. The sorrow has faded, and Gott has eased our pain. Simon has come back to
us with his love for the horses and plenty of words now. I was just talking to Teacher
Emma about him, and she’s seen a lot of progress.”

“Gott heals in amazing ways.” Annie’s blue eyes sparkled with hope.

“It’s true. We still miss our parents, of course, but now we’re all beginning to remember
more of the good things. When I’m walking around on our farm, I still feel my father
there. It’s as if Dat is just around the corner of the barn or leaning on the fence
by the beech trees. And when I hear the birds chirping or see them circling the fields,
I think of Dat listening to the birdsong that made him smile.”

“Your dat was a wonderful man. He was always singing as he walked around the farm,
and he used to tease me about my red lips, saying that I must have just eaten my way
through a bowl of berries.”

Jonah felt a smile tug at his mouth. “That sounds like Dat.”

“And your mamm …” She looked toward the kitchen to be sure Lovina wasn’t listening.
“Don’t tell Mamm, but Esther was the one who taught me how to make a good, flaky piecrust.
And do you remember how she used to braid it on top? Such a nice touch. She could
put a pie together, one-two-three, as if it was no trouble at all.”

“I thought there was something familiar about your shoofly pie,” he said, warmed by
the memory of Mamm standing at the kitchen counter, pushing her rolling pin over dough.
He still missed her. He missed them both. But he would not question Gott’s will.

“Denki, Jonah.” She pressed her hands to her heart, her voice earnest. “Thank you
for sharing your story with me. Denki for staying with us now.”

“No need to thank me.” It was a man’s duty to help in a situation like this, no matter
what his feelings for Annie were.

No matter that he still loved her.

“You’ve been a pillar of strength through this terrible storm.” Tears glimmered in
her eyes, that blue of a soaring summer sky. “There’s no one else I would rather have
here, helping us, than you, Jonah.”

He felt a twinge of satisfaction. So Annie cared for him in some way; she loved him
like a brother. It was not what he’d planned, but a starving man had to take any crumb
thrown his way.

He took her hand, so smooth against his rough, big paws. “Even in the darkest night,
Gott won’t leave you without a light.”

She nodded, swiping at a tear.

Then, without warning, she pulled away her hand, reached up, and hugged him.

The breath froze in his lungs at the feel of her small, soft body clinging to his
big, square frame.

A second later, his arms wrapped around her. Only a fool would refuse such a soft
embrace. He held her close, wondering if she could feel the love burning inside him.
Surely the thumping of his heart pounded through the wall of his chest.

A gentle sigh whispered from her throat as she relaxed in his arms, and he wished
he could be with her always. He prayed to Gott that she would give up her plans to
go to New York and stay here in Halfway.

Stay here with me
.

He could not protect her from every sorrow, but he could stand by her side, her pillar
of strength.

Jonah kept the fire going through the night, and Lovina brought blankets for the three
of them to keep warm as they waited in the front room. Lovina settled into her favorite
rocking chair, and he and Annie were at opposite ends of the sofa.

Once, when Jonah went back to the couch after tending the fire, Annie stirred. A sigh
escaped her lips, and he paused, not wanting to disturb her. He watched as she shifted
onto her side, curled her legs onto the couch, and rubbed her nose.

After all these weeks of seeing her nearly every day, Annie was still a wonder to
him … a beautiful mystery he longed to unravel, one day at a time. What a blessing
it would be to be able to sleep beside her like this every night of his life, to hear
her sigh in her sleep, to feel her soft warm body beside his in bed.

He sat on the edge of the couch and pressed his face into his palms.

Father Gott, why do I keep wanting the one thing that will not be?

Try as he had to temper his love for Annie, his feelings for her never changed.

But she had come to appreciate his steady support. Maybe that was as good as it would
get.

He drew in a deep breath, finishing his prayer by asking for Aaron Stoltzfus’s safe
return. That was why he was here now; Aaron’s safety was what truly mattered.

Watch over him, Father
, he prayed.

Jonah was adding a log to the fire in the murky gray of breaking dawn when two white
lights came down the lane.

A car.

He reached over and touched Annie’s shoulder. “I think your dat’s home.”

Her eyes opened slowly, then she jerked upright. “What?”

“Lovina?” He went to the window. “There’s a car coming.”

“Oh, glory be to Gott!” Lovina rose abruptly, dropping the blanket onto the rocking
chair to join Jonah at the window. “Aaron must have hired a driver to bring him home.”

There was a flurry of excitement as Jonah lit a lantern, Annie gathered up the blankets
and Lovina fairly flew out the front door wearing only socks on her feet. She ran
down the path, mindless of the wet stones.

“Aaron? Is that you?” Lovina called.

As Jonah stepped out the door behind her, he noticed that the car was a small SUV.
The driver’s door opened, and an Englisher man climbed out of the car. Jonah squinted,
recognizing Doc Trueherz, from Paradise.

“It’s Henry Trueherz, Lovina.” The older man slammed the door of the Jeep and jogged
up the path to the house.

“The doctor?” Annie said from behind them. She pressed a hand against Jonah’s back,
trying to peer around him. “Is Dat with him?”

“He’s alone.” Lovina’s voice was cold as the damp morning air. “Doctor, do you have
news of my husband?”

“I do.” Dr. Trueherz paused on the top step, his eyes earnest as he faced Lovina.
“Aaron is in the hospital in Lancaster County. He’s had a heart attack.”

“Oh, my dear Aaron!” Lovina gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

“I know. It’s hard news to hear, but he’s hanging in there.” The doctor patted Lovina’s
shoulder. “Can we step inside, out of the cold?”

“Of course.”

As everyone moved inside, Jonah caught the look of panic in Annie’s eyes. He wanted
to reassure her, to be her pillar, but in the close space of the front room with the
doctor and Annie’s mother here, he could only stand by, his hands at his sides.

Lovina was plucking her wet socks off even as she rattled out questions for the doctor.

“I got a call late last night from an associate at the hospital in Lancaster. Aaron
is there in the cardiac ward. He suffered the heart attack during the storm yesterday.
Fortunately, he managed to make it to a merchant he knows in Paradise, who got him
to the hospital.”

“A heart attack!” Lovina winced. “Aaron hasn’t been feeling well at all lately. He
never complained, but I noticed he was slowing down. We all noticed. I asked him to
go see you, get a checkup, but he said he was just tired. And it’s hard to get enough
sleep when there’s a farm to take care of.”

“Will he be all right?” Jonah asked.

“I’m optimistic but cautious,” Dr. Trueherz said. “He’s not out of the woods yet.
It looks like he’s going to need a coronary bypass—a major surgery. But we can’t do
that until he’s stabilized. I’ll let the
cardiac specialist fill you in on the details. Right now, I imagine you want to see
him at the hospital.”

“I was just thinking that,” Lovina said. “We’ve got to get to Lancaster. I’ll run
to the shanty and call a car service.”

“No need.” Doc Trueherz stopped her. “I’m happy to give you a ride. But I have a four-passenger
limit, and no children. I know you’ll want to bring the whole family, but I have a
Jeep with no car seats.” Doc Trueherz had worked with Plain folks long enough to know
that when an Amish person was in the hospital, the entire family usually went to visit
and provide support.

“Denki, Doctor,” Lovina said, turning to Annie. “Who should go? Look at me, I can’t
even think straight. If Levi stays with Jonah, maybe we can go to town and—”

“No, Mamm,” Annie interrupted her. “Jonah’s going to have his hands full taking care
of our farm.”

Lovina pressed a hand to her cheek. “That’s right. Will you mind the farm while we’re
gone, Jonah?”

He nodded. “Whatever it takes. I’ll get my brothers to come lend a hand if I need
it.”

“Denki,” Lovina said. “But what of Levi? He needs a car seat.”

“I’ll stay with him, Mamm,” Annie said. “You go, and I’ll arrange for a car this afternoon
so that Levi and I can come. I’ll finish the baking and drop it off at the tea shop,
too. And that way Levi won’t have as much time to get fidgety in the waiting room.”

“If you don’t mind,” Lovina said. “I just want as much of the family as possible at
the hospital.”

“Maybe you can pick up the others in town,” Jonah suggested.

“That’s a good idea. Dr. Trueherz, can we stop in Halfway to pick up the rest of the
family?” Lovina asked. “Our other two daughters and son-in-law Daniel will want to
come, too.”

He adjusted his glasses. “Fine with me. We’ve got to swing through town on the way.”

“God bless you,” Lovina said, slipping her coat on. “The thought of Aaron all alone
in that hospital is too much to bear. I have to go now.”

“Mamm?” Annie grasped her mother’s shoulder as she headed for the door. “Don’t forget
your shoes.”

Lovina looked down and threw up her hands. “Look at me!” she cried. “Going off to
the city hospital with bare feet!”

Annie ran to Lovina’s bedroom for socks and Sunday shoes, and Jonah suggested she
bring money, so that the family could purchase food from the hospital cafeteria.

Five minutes later, Lovina was sitting in the passenger seat of Henry Trueherz’s Jeep,
trying to reach Daniel’s harness shop on the doctor’s cell phone.

Jonah and Annie watched from the front window as the Jeep pulled away.

“How will you ever manage?” Annie asked.

“I’ve been farming all my life. The work will get done. But I might need your help
lifting a few bales into the hayloft.”

“Don’t tease me. There’s a lot I can do to help you. I can milk the cows, and tend
the sheep and horses.”

“I know that.” He had worked side by side with her these past few weeks. Annie was
a capable worker. A strong woman, despite her small size. “But you’ve got the hardest
job of all.” When she lifted her eyes to his, he saw the storm of emotion threatening
to overcome her. “You’ve got to keep those two boys upstairs out of trouble.”

She shrugged. “They’re easy enough to handle. But the farm … and Dat. Jonah, I’m so
worried about him. Did you hear what the doctor said? He couldn’t even assure us that
Dat would be fine. He needs a surgery.”

Jonah nodded. “But Aaron’s in good hands. Henry Trueherz is a fine doctor. He saved
our Susie’s life. He might not be the one
doing the surgery, but I know he’ll make sure they take good care of your dat.”

Annie bit her lower lip as tears welled in her eyes. “It’s too much. It’s just too
much.” Her sob tugged at his composure, and he took her into his arms, as if he had
consoled her a hundred times before. As if holding Annie in his arms was the most
natural thing in the world.

How easily his arms folded around her, and the way she fit against him … She was a
perfect fit. They were like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Only Annie couldn’t see
that. He’d spent a lifetime trying to open her eyes, but she couldn’t see that the
one thing she was missing in her life was right here in front of her.

I
n the unusual quiet of the kitchen Annie slid an applesauce cake into the oven and
checked the clock to see when she would need to take it out. Humming a church song,
she quickly rinsed the bowl and rotary hand mixer.