Amish White Christmas Pie (9 page)

“Can I be excused?” Carrie asked, looking at Megan.

Megan nodded. “But when your sister is done, you’ll need to see that she gets her hands and face washed.”

“All right, Mommy.” Carrie picked up her dishes, placed them in the sink, and scampered out of the room. A few minutes later, Kim did the same.

Megan turned to Frank. “I think we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“About the mood you’ve been in all day.”

He stared at her. “How would you know what kind of mood I’ve been in? I’ve been at work most of the day.”

“That’s true, but you were in a depressed state this morning, and ever since you came home from work, you’ve been in a sour mood.”

He shrugged.

“If you’d talk about it, you might feel better.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

Megan touched his arm. “Yes there is, Frank. I’m pretty sure you’re still fretting about your son’s birthday. Don’t you care how your gloomy moods affect me and the girls? Don’t you care how it affects you?”

“I can’t help it, Megan. Losing my first wife when she got hit by a car was hard enough to deal with, but at least that was no fault of mine.” He pressed his fingers against the side of his head. “Losing Will nearly a year later isn’t something I can forget, because that was my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault, and I’m not saying you should forget about it. I’m just saying you can’t let it consume your thoughts. It’s not fair to any of us.”

“I know, and I’ll try to do better.”

“You’ve told me a few things about having to leave your son behind, but there are so many details I don’t know. I think it might help if you talk about it. Maybe sharing the details will help heal some of your emotional wounds.”

Frank’s fingers grazed the back of his wavy red hair. “If I knew where Will was and had the assurance that he was okay, I could quit brooding about the past.”

“Maybe you should look for him.”

“I’ve tried that, and where did it get me?” He grunted. “I wish I’d never gone to Regina and Mark’s house with Will. I wish I’d never read that letter Patty received from Regina Stoltzfus.”

“Didn’t you tell me that Patty’s folks used to live near Regina and that Patty’s mother had written to Regina?”

“That’s true, and after Patty’s mother died, Regina started writing to Patty. In one of her letters, she told Patty that she was welcome to visit anytime. She also said if there was anything they could do for her, she shouldn’t hesitate to ask.”

“I didn’t realize that. Some of the things you’ve told me have been rather sketchy.”

“I didn’t think you’d be interested in a blow-by-blow account of things.”

“But I am interested, Frank. Please continue with your story.”

He drew in a deep breath and sighed. “While Will and I were driving through Lancaster County a few days before Christmas, I decided to stop at Mark and Regina Stoltzfus’s place to say hello. When I explained who I was and told them about Patty’s death, they invited me and Will into their home to spend Christmas.” Frank paused and took a drink of water. “I was amazed at how kind Mark and Regina were to us and how they lavished Will with so much attention. Then on Christmas night after Will went to bed, I made a regrettable decision.”

“What was that?”

“I spoke with Regina and Mark, asking if they would keep Will until I could find a job that would keep me closer to home. Since both of Patty’s parents were dead and I’d cut myself off from my family after I left home, I had no one to leave Will with.” He grunted. “Not that I’d have left him with anyone in my dysfunctional family.”

Megan opened her mouth to comment, but he rushed on.

“When Mark and Regina agreed to the arrangement, I left a note for Regina to read to Will, explaining things and saying that I’d return as soon as I could. Little did I know that two days later I would be involved in a terrible accident. As you know, the injuries I sustained in that accident put me in the hospital and kept me from returning for my boy for almost two years. If I’d known I couldn’t get back to Will within a short time, I never would have left him with Regina and Mark.”

“But if you’d taken Will with you, you still might have had the accident, and Will could have been seriously injured, or worse,” Megan said.

“You’re right, but even so, I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that once I was well enough to return to Lancaster County, I discovered Mark and Regina Stoltzfus had moved and taken my boy.”

“There must have been a good reason for them moving, Frank. What I don’t understand is why they didn’t leave word with a neighbor or someone who could tell you where they’d moved.”

“It’s never made any sense to me either. The only conclusion I could come to is that Mark and Regina moved on purpose so they could raise Will as their son. So they’d never have to see me again.”

Megan gasped. “Do you really think that’s why they moved?”

He nodded. “What other reason would there be for them not leaving word so I could find Will when I returned?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“When I went back to their farm and discovered someone else was living there, neither the English couple who’d bought the farm nor any of the neighbors knew where Mark and Regina had moved.”

“I can only imagine how defeated you must have felt.” Megan gave Frank’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’m still amazed that you were able to rise above your circumstances and establish your own trucking business.”

“That didn’t happen overnight, Megan. I spent a couple of years wallowing in self-pity, barely able to hold on to my job.”

“But you did finally make something of yourself, and that’s what counts.”

He clasped her hand. “Meeting you changed my life. If you hadn’t been working at that truck stop where I stopped to eat supper, I’d probably still be trying to drown my sorrows. You gave me the strength to go on. You gave me the courage to start up my own business.” He leaned his head on her shoulder. “I promise I’ll try to be in a better mood this holiday season—for you and for the girls.”

“Did you enjoy your birthday party?” Karen asked as she and Will headed toward her place in his buggy.

He nodded. “I don’t know how you and Mama Regina pulled it off, but it sure was a surprise.”

“We women have our ways,” she said with a giggle.

“I especially liked the pocket watch you gave me. That was thoughtful.”

“I know you lost your old pocket watch not long ago, and since I don’t want you to be late for our wedding, I figured I’d better buy you a new one.”

He reached across the seat and took hold of her hand. “Speaking of the wedding, are you sure you don’t mind us living at my folks’ place after we’re married?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. Since you help your daed with the dairy cows and sometimes help your mamm in the health food store, it’ll be easier for you to keep doing that with us living close by.”

“That’s true, and since my folks’ bedroom is downstairs, we’ll have the whole upstairs to ourselves. It’ll almost be like having a place of our own.”

She smiled. They rode in companionable silence the rest of the way home, and Karen enjoyed the familiar
clippety-clop
of the horse’s hooves against the pavement as the buggy rocked gently from side to side. She loved being with Will like this and was pleased that he was in such a pleasant mood. The things that had been bothering him last week were obviously no longer on his mind.

Karen rested her head on Will’s shoulder and closed her eyes, sending up a silent prayer.
Dear Lord, thank You for the fun evening Will and I shared with our friends. Help us remember to talk about our feelings when we’re upset or concerned about something. And help me be the kind of wife Will needs. Amen
.

When Will turned the horse and buggy up the lane leading to Karen’s house, she lifted her head from his shoulder and sighed. “I wish our evening didn’t have to end so soon, and—”

Will stopped the horse, pulled Karen close, and halted her words with a kiss so sweet she felt as if she could melt right into his arms.

“I’ve been waiting all evening to do that,” he whispered against her ear.

“I’ve been hoping you would.”

He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. “I wish December would hurry up and get here. I can hardly wait to make you my wife.”

“And I can’t wait for you to be my husband. Happy birthday, Will.”

A
s Frank headed down the road in one of his delivery trucks toward East Earl, Pennsylvania, he thought about the business he’d established ten years ago. Things had gone well for him in that regard. He had several drivers but was shorthanded this week because a couple of men were sick. That meant Frank had to make some runs himself. But that was okay; he rather enjoyed being behind the wheel of a semi, although he wouldn’t want to drive full-time anymore.

Frank clicked on the radio and sang along with the country-western song blaring through the speakers. It was one of his all-time favorites—“On the Road Again.”

His thoughts turned to the discussion he’d had with Megan a few nights ago. He had promised her that he’d be in a good mood during the holidays. He hoped he could keep that promise. In order to do it, however, he would need to focus on Megan and the girls and not allow himself to think about the son he’d left with Regina and Mark Stoltzfus.

By the time Frank had turned onto the highway leading to East Earl, he’d convinced himself that he could put his thoughts about Will on hold throughout the holidays and stay in a pleasant mood for his family.

He’d only gone a few miles when he spotted a buggy tipped on its side along the shoulder of the road. The horse that had been pulling the buggy lay on its side, too, and it wasn’t moving. A car parked in front of the buggy had a dent in one fender.

Frank pulled over and reached for his cell phone. He was about to call 911 when he heard sirens in the distance. Apparently someone had already called for help.

Frank hopped out of his truck and raced across the street. “Is anyone hurt?” he called to the middle-aged man standing beside the car.

“I’m fine. The Amish man who was driving the buggy went to one of the nearby farms for help. He was shaken up a bit, and he’s got some bumps and bruises, but I think he’ll be okay.” The man pointed first to the buggy and then to the horse. “I’m afraid the buggy will require some work, but that poor animal’s not so lucky.”

Frank slowly shook his head. “That’s a shame.”

The man nodded. “I feel really bad about hitting the horse and buggy, but I didn’t see the buggy going down the hill until it was too late.”

The sirens grew closer, and Frank glanced at his watch. “I’ve got a delivery to make, so unless you need my help, I’d better be on my way.”

“No problem. Help will be here soon.”

Frank sprinted across the street and climbed into his truck. As he pulled onto the road, his forehead beaded with sweat. Every time he saw an Amish buggy, he thought of Will and wondered how he was doing. Was he still living with Regina and Mark? Did they live somewhere in Pennsylvania, or had they moved to another state? Had Will joined the Amish church? Could he be married by now? These questions haunted Frank no matter how hard he tried to push them out of his mind. Regrettably they were questions he’d probably never have answers for.