The Christmas Cradle (27 page)

“Because I want to be near you, Mamma,” Rebecca said with a sparkle in her blue eyes. “And because I love it here in Willow Ridge.”

Miriam's heart swelled and she blinked back tears. It was such a blessing that her English-raised daughter wanted to live near her Amish family, even though they all understood that Rebecca had no intention of joining the Old Order.

“Matter of fact, Rebecca has mentioned that she'd like to build a home here,” Bob replied, “so it's just a matter of finding a plot of ground—”

“You could live on Lantz Lane, just down from our house—right, Mamma?” Rachel blurted out.

“She could build here on our land,” Ben insisted.

“Or we've got room at our place, behind the clinic!” Rhoda chimed in. “Andy would be
gut
with that because you'd be close by for runnin' the reception desk.”

“So there you have it!” Bob quipped as he grinned at Rebecca. “Pick your plot, honey. We'll start your house when you've decided on your floor plan.”

As the kitchen rang with clapping and congratulations, Rebecca wiped her eyes. Miriam went to stand behind Rebecca's chair, putting her arms around her shoulders. “We've come a long way since ya showed up in the Sweet Seasons with your spiky black hair and metal jewelry,” she murmured. “I'm grateful to God that all the details have worked out this way. It's everything a mother could want, havin' all her girls here together
fer gut
and forever.”

“
Fer gut
and forever!” Rhoda echoed, grabbing her sisters' hands.

“
Jah
, that's how it is in our family,” Rachel agreed. “We're tied pretty tight.”

Derek smiled at everyone as he rose from his chair. “Can't argue with that—and I'm glad we've settled so many important matters during this discussion. We should let you folks get on with your day.”

“Does my heart good to know you can all move forward now, without any more threats or intimidation,” Bob added as he, too, stood up.

“We can't thank ya enough for all you fellas do for us,” Miriam said as the men put on their coats. “I have a real
gut
feelin' about the future of Willow Ridge.”

Everyone watched out the window until Derek and Bob had gone down the lane to the road. Then they all grabbed one another, laughing and hugging and talking all at once. As their chatter filled the kitchen, even the two babies began to squeal and squawk.

Ben chuckled at their ruckus and gently scooped Bethlehem from her cradle while Miriam eased Amelia from her basket. When he walked into the front room, Miriam and the rest of them followed him to the picture window.

It didn't hurt so badly now, seeing the burned-out remains of their buildings. Miriam was buzzing like an excited bee even though she would no longer be involved in the day-to-day business of the Sweet Seasons. “There's the Witmers and Lena, lookin' at the ashes,” she murmured. “Josiah's got to be wonderin' about a lot of things—most especially about whether he can support his family now. I say we bring them in here and tell them what's what.”

Rebecca bussed Miriam's cheek. “I'll be right back, Mamma. I don't want to miss the looks on their faces when you break the news.”

Josiah sighed glumly. He wanted to believe Ben's sermon about how, when it seemed God had turned His back, it was time to follow Him, but this devastation sucked all positive thoughts from his mind. Hiram Knepp had wiped him out with a wave of that fire-starting wand. Everyone at the lunch had asked if he and Savilla would be cooking again soon, but he hadn't had an answer to give them.

“I wish I could believe that we'll be using those boxes of utensils Homer brought us,” he said to his sister. “But the money I've kept back from selling Mammi's house won't touch the replacement cost of the cookers and other stuff we lost in the fire because we'll need to live on it until Miriam and Naomi get a new building built.
If
they do.”

“Why would Miriam invest so much money in a café where she won't be working anymore?” Savilla asked sadly. “She's ready to stay home with Bethlehem.”

“Even if you two catered from the new house and I kept baking cookies,” Lena joined in, “it would take us months and months to save up enough money for a café.”

“It would take
years
,” Josiah insisted. “And I refuse to rely on the Hooleys' goodwill for that long. Maybe we should sell the new farm—except we need a roof over our heads, too. I don't know. I just don't know.”

When he couldn't bear to look at the sooty ruins of the Sweet Seasons any longer, Josiah turned away. He saw one of Miriam's triplets approaching them and wondered why she would be waving so cheerfully.

“Hello there, you three!” she called out. “We've got a fresh pot of coffee and some of Lena's cookies over home—not to mention some tasty morsels of conversation to share with you.”

“We ate while Nora and the other gals were cleaning up,” Josiah replied. “But I appreciate—”

“No, you don't understand. We
need
you to come talk to us.”

Josiah realized then that it was Rebecca standing before them with an impetuous grin on her face—when dressed alike, the triplets were impossible to tell apart, except now Rachel had a baby and Rhoda was expecting one. He'd never been around an English woman who sometimes wore Plain clothing—but then, Miriam and her girls defied a lot of Amish ways. And Rebecca wasn't one to mince words when it came to doing business in Willow Ridge.

“All right,” he said. “We need to get Isaiah in out of the cold anyway.”

Josiah grabbed the handle of the baby's basket and started across the county highway with the three young women. He could feel people watching them from the Hooleys' window, but he didn't have the heart to wave at them.

When he entered the kitchen and saw the expectant faces around the table, however, Josiah paused. Not only were Miriam, Ben, and Rebecca's sisters smiling at him, but Naomi and Mary Schrock were as well. Even little Amelia grinned at him from her mother's arms. How was it possible that everyone except Miriam had spent the morning at Hiram's funeral yet they radiated a sense of hope?

That's
joy
on their faces, and they're struggling to keep it under control
. What did that mean?

Josiah set Isaiah's basket on the table. “Coffee smells
gut
,” he remarked as he and the girls removed their wraps.

Naomi, Mary, and Miriam grinned at one another. “Not as
gut
as your grilled meats are gonna smell,” Miriam hinted as she filled three more mugs. “
If
ya want to keep cookin' here, that is.”

Josiah's heartbeat sped up. “What do you mean? I'd like nothing better than to be serving meals like we were doing before Hiram—”

“We can leave him out of the picture now,” Ben reminded him.

“If ya had your way about it, how would ya set up a new café?” Naomi asked as her smile came out to shine like the sun. “Homer's got fellas comin' to clear away the rubble and my boys are gonna put up a new building—and Ben's relocatin' his smithy to this side of the road, which'll give us space for a bigger dinin' room and more parkin'. If that's what we want.”

Josiah dropped into a chair, afraid to believe what he was hearing. He held Naomi's gaze over the top of his mug as he fortified himself with hot coffee. He'd worked alongside Naomi long enough to recognize the mischievous sparkle in her brown eyes—and to know she wouldn't lead him astray with promises she couldn't keep. “What do you mean,
if that's what we want?
” he whispered.

Naomi giggled, grabbing Miriam's hand. “This gal says we're gonna rebuild—but she's out of the bakin' business. I sure can't manage a restaurant all by myself. Without you and Savilla cookin', there's no point in goin' forward with a new building.”

Glancing at Lena and his wide-eyed sister, Josiah asked the question that burned in his mind. “How's this going to happen? We don't believe in Santa Claus—”

“No, but English folks sometimes deliver gifts, and in this case it's Bob Oliveri's insurance money,” Miriam clarified. Her smile rivaled the way snow glistened in sunshine. “Rebecca's
dat
owned the Sweet Seasons building—bought it back when Hiram was tryin' to finagle it away from me.”

“But we can leave him out of the picture now,” Ben repeated with a smile. “Bishop Tom's also promised us help from our district's Amish Aid fund. Here's your chance to have whatever sort of appliances ya want, and whatever size café will work for ya. After the way folks had to wait in line last time, I think ya should expand, Josiah.”

Grabbing Lena's hand, Josiah gaped at the others around the table. “So we could serve our suppers every night?”

Naomi's eyebrows rose. “I don't think we can muster up enough help to serve three meals every day—but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if we didn't get up in the middle of the night to cook breakfast. Miriam's the early bird, not me.”

“Most of the single fellas who've been eatin' breakfast are married now—or gettin' that way—so they could eat their eggs at home,” Miriam pointed out. “Why not go with lunch and supper?”

“I think you'd draw a good crowd even on weeknights,” Rebecca said earnestly. “The only other option around here is carryout pizza. When word gets out that you're serving supper, folks will make the drive to eat your great food—and I'll help you get the word out, of course.”

Josiah's pulse was pounding so hard, he could barely think. “So we could be more like a grill—without a bar, of course,” he added quickly. “To save on serving help, maybe we should only have buffet tables. We could give the place a little different look—”

“Anything ya want,” Naomi said with a nod. “As long as we've got dependable gas stoves and plenty of storage and counter space, I'll be happy. You can give the place a new name, even,” she added gleefully. “We want you and Savilla and Lena to be so tickled and busy that you'll never leave us.”

Josiah stared at the cookie crumbs on the tabletop. Not long ago Ben had insisted on a written business agreement and now Naomi was giving them complete control of the dining room. Lena returned his dumbfounded gaze. “Ten minutes ago we didn't think we could support our family with our cooking again and now you're telling me—”

“With God—and Miriam and Naomi helpin' Him—all things are possible,” Ben said happily. “That's how it works in our town, Josiah. And if ya say
jah
, Willow Ridge will be your town, too.”

When Lena and Savilla grabbed his hands, Josiah got caught up in their merriment. “
Jah!
” he exclaimed. “We'll do it! If Miriam and Naomi are for us, who can be against us?”

“I like what I'm hearin'.” Ben reached across the table to shake their hands. “Congratulations, you three. This is just the beginning—a fresh start for our families and for Willow Ridge, too.”

 

 

On New Year's Eve, the night sky was a velvet canopy accented with diamond stars. As Ben gazed around the peaceful panorama of snowy hillsides gleaming in the moonlight, dotted with lamplit windows in the homes of folks he knew and loved, he gave thanks to God. Yesterday all evidence of the fire had been cleared away and the foundation for his new smithy had been poured. The Brennemans had finalized the floor plan for Willow Ridge Quilts and the Grill N Skillet Café, nearly doubling the Schrocks' display area and the restaurant's dining space. Everyone in town was ecstatic to hear that these places would soon be back in business—and they all planned to attend Josiah and Lena's wedding tomorrow.

Ben set aside his thoughts of other folks, however, as he flipped a switch outside his barn door. Tomorrow was also his and Miriam's first anniversary, and he didn't want other festivities to overshadow his commemoration of the most important day of his life. He stepped inside the house, smiling at the sight that greeted him. Miriam wore her coat and bonnet, as he'd asked her to. She was rocking a bundled-up Bethlehem in the cradle he'd made as she sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem” in her clear, sweet voice. She smiled at him, her face alight with love.

“Sorry I interrupted your singin', honey-girl,” Ben murmured.

“Oh, there's more where that came from,” she replied pertly. “Your daughter and I are wonderin' about this surprise you've got for us. We love your
dat
's surprises, don't we, honey-bug?” she said as she kissed the baby's face.

When Bethlehem patted her mother's cheeks with her tiny hands, Ben's heart overflowed. What a blessing it was to behold mother and child, a dream come true since he'd dared to pray for it last year at this time. “Come on out,” he said in a voice tight with emotion. “It's a beautiful evening. I—I hope ya won't be disappointed by this anniversary gift I—”

“And when have ya ever disappointed me, Ben?” Miriam insisted. Lifting the bundled baby to her shoulder, she preceded him out the back door, humming the carol she'd been singing.

Her voice soothed him, healing the emotional wounds of the past week as nothing else could. Ben steered Miriam toward the barn and then stopped about ten feet from the door. “Look up,” he whispered.

Miriam sucked in her breath. “Oh—it's the star from the pageant! Shinin' just for us.” She continued gazing upward, sighing happily. “Isn't that just the prettiest sight? Doesn't matter that it's a balloon with gold glitter, it's the true meaning that counts.”

Ben heard joy in her voice and felt grateful that his wife could be so pleased with such a small gift. “We missed out on the pageant last week so I asked Rebecca to leave us the spotlight and the star—” He paused, hoping his words came out right. “I wanted to tell ya that your love makes me feel all peaceful and sparkly, like that star, Miriam. You're the bright spot in my life and I love ya, honey-girl. Happy anniversary tomorrow.”

“Aw, Bennie, and what would I do without
you?
” she whispered with a hitch in her voice. “I love ya right back.
Fer gut
and forever.”

When she tipped her head, Ben kissed her for a glorious long while. With Josiah and Lena living with them, he'd missed some opportunities to show his affection as freely as he'd liked to. He would truly be celebrating the kids' wedding day—and their move to their own home—tomorrow.

He stood gazing upward with his wife, basking in the glow of this special moment. They had so many reasons to be happy and hopeful in the New Year. Ben felt as though they were standing on the threshold of a new dream, and for that, too, he was grateful to God.

“It's like Vernon said in his sermon when he and Tom baptized Josiah and Lena on Sunday,” he murmured. “Wise men still follow His star.”

Miriam leaned into him, her arm around his waist. “I'll be followin' you, too, Bennie-bug,” she said with a contented sigh. “We can't always see very far down the road ahead, but as long as you're by my side, we'll be where we're meant to be—children in God's big, blessed family. And that's all I need to know.”