Winter of Wishes (25 page)

Saturday morning Andy slowed down to peer out the car window at a two-story building
on the outskirts of Willow Ridge. It had housed a hair salon years ago, and most recently
had been a floral and gift shop, but neither business had done well in a predominantly
Plain area. So now it stood empty, beckoning him.

On impulse he pulled into the lot and jotted down the number on the faded for-sale
sign propped in its big window. He’d been thrumming with a sense of hopeful anticipation
all week—the feeling that his meeting with Rhoda, Tom Hostetler, Miriam, and Ben would
open the portal to the major life change he’d been searching for. This vacant storefront
would require a lot of renovation, but he didn’t want to overlook any potential piece
of the puzzle he sensed was his future.

With God, all things are possible
. Jesus’s words from the story of the rich young ruler had become his mantra lately,
and as the Sweet Seasons Bakery Café came into sight, Andy’s pulse accelerated. The
thought of seeing Rhoda again made him happy. The sparkling winter sky reminded him
of her eyes. As he pulled into the parking lot, he grinned at the horse-drawn buggy
tied to the café’s railing. If all went well today, that would soon be
his
mode of transportation . . . even if he had no idea how to hitch up a horse.

When the door burst open and Rhoda rushed out, coatless, her excitement swept him
away. “Andy, it’s so
gut
to see ya!” she exclaimed as she grabbed him in a tight hug. “I sweetened everybody
up with a pan of rhubarb cobbler to go with our coffee.”

Andy’s breath caught in his throat as she kissed his cheek, his lips—right there in
the parking lot, where her mother and Preacher Tom could see them through the window.
He savored the clean scent of her . . . the open affection he had craved for so long.
“
Denki
, Rhoda,” he murmured. “Let’s get you inside before you freeze.”

“Puh! You’re my sunshine, Andy. I’ve been waitin’ ever so long for this day.” She
glanced toward the car then. “Didn’t you bring your
mamm
and the kids?”

“Mom’s under the weather with a cold. And while Taylor, Brett, and I have talked about
what it would mean to become Amish,” he replied quietly, “the decision is mine to
make. Once God and I are on board with this commitment, they’ll be quick to adjust—and
Mom will stay with her own Methodist beliefs.”

Rhoda’s smile softened. “I’m thinkin’ your priorities are in the right order, talkin’
things out with adults today.”

As she led him inside, Andy again prayed that he was doing the right thing. What if
he couldn’t hack being Amish? What if he was too dependent upon the conveniences and
gadgets he’d used all his life? And if he jumped through all the hoops toward membership,
for the months—maybe years—that might require, and these Plain folks found him unworthy
. . . what would he do then?

And yet, as he saw the friendly, familiar people around Miriam’s table with their
mugs of coffee, and that pan of crisp that made the room smell sweetly divine, Andy
dared to believe that the life he’d dreamed of would fall into place.

“
Gut
mornin’ to ya, Andy,” Miriam chirped. She began to spoon large portions of the cobbler
into bowls. “And
denki
for bein’ yet another excuse to celebrate the holidays with Rhoda’s bakin’ and Preacher
Tom’s homemade ice cream.”

“
Denki
for talking with me today,” Andy replied as he nodded to Ben and Tom. “With your
wedding coming up next week—”

“And we hope ya can join us for that,” Ben insisted as he stood to shake Andy’s hand.

“Won’t be like you’re the only English person there, either,” Rhoda chimed in. “My
sister Rebecca’s comin’; and her
dat
; and Derek Shotwell, the banker; and Sheila, our driver. You and the kids and your
mamm
could see how we do things then, ain’t so?”

Not even here for a minute, and he’d been invited to Miriam and Ben’s wedding. Andy
sat down in the chair beside Rhoda’s. “I’m flabbergasted that you would include us,
and—and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“
Gut
way to meet a lot of the locals, too,” Preacher Tom remarked as he placed generous
scoops of vanilla ice cream on the warm cobbler. “And an introduction to sittin’ through
our church services, gettin’ your backside accustomed to a hard wooden bench.”

As he accepted the first bowl of cobbler from the minister, Andy chuckled. “
Jah
, I have a lot to learn. If I offend you by trying out the little phrases I’ve heard
Rhoda say, that’s not my intent.”

“Rhoda’s a fine teacher. After the way ya talked to me about becomin’ one of us,”
Tom said in a rolling German accent, “I want to give ya every chance to succeed at
it. We’re feelin’ a lot freer about this because Hiram’s taken himself out of the
picture, ya see. He’s sayin’ God commanded him to start up a new colony. And nobody
at this table’s inclined to go with him.”

Andy paused with a spoonful of cobbler halfway to his mouth. Was it his place to reveal
what he’d overheard in the hospital? Or were these folks, in their subtle way, inquiring
if he had more information? “How are the twins doing?” he asked cautiously.

“Oh, Joey and Josh were holdin’ up chicken drumsticks at dinner yesterday, talkin’
about physical therapy,” Miriam said. She looked him directly in the eye, her expression
intense. “Myself, I’m havin’ a hard time swallowin’ Hiram’s change of heart. How on
God’s
gut
earth did an English doctor talk him into lettin’ the boys stay in the hospital all
those days and then get therapy, too?”

Andy admired Miriam’s direct question. He set down his spoon. “I overheard an interesting
phone call at the hospital that Friday night after the wreck, when I was working my
shift,” he began quietly. “Your bishop—”

“Not anymore,” Tom murmured.

“—was on the phone with the real estate agent who ran into the boys’ horse. Hiram
insisted that Mr. Hammond would pay all of the twins’ medical expenses—”

“There ya have it,” Miriam muttered.

“—and that he would also compensate for the dead horse and whatever else Hiram demanded,
in exchange for not pressing charges,” Andy continued. “Hammond is a representative
in the state legislature. He doesn’t want it to get out that two boys nearly died
because he lost control of his car while talking on his cell phone.”

Tom’s face fell. “This sounds even worse than I’d imagined.” The preacher looked at
Miriam and Ben. “Yesterday when Hiram was offerin’ ya tickets to this new promised
land, did he let on where it was?”

“Nope. He said he’d give all the details at the next preachin’ service,” Rhoda replied
soberly.

“Oh, no he’s not.” Tom shook his head slowly, disbelief mingling with a sad understanding.
“There’s but one thing to do now. Andy, correct me if I’m jumpin’ to the wrong conclusion.
Do ya suppose Hiram’s gettin’ his tract of land from this Realtor fella as part of
the deal?”

Andy smiled ruefully. “That was my first thought. If you’d like me to find out more—”

“I don’t wanna hear another thing,” the preacher declared as he held up his hands.
“I’m sorry this has got in the way of our real topic for this morning’s meeting, but
I appreciate your bein’ up-front with us, Andy. I believe you’ve entered our lives
for a
gut
purpose—not that our Rhoda isn’t a fine reason to come to Willow Ridge, of course.”

The faces around the table relaxed. Rhoda nudged him with her elbow. “See there, Andy?
They’re comin’ around to our way of thinkin’.”

As she took a huge bite of her cobbler, which oozed with melted ice cream, her girlish
grin tickled something inside him. But there was no getting around the realities he
faced. “I hope you’ll all be willing to help me with the requirements Preacher Tom
has told me about. I understand it might take a couple years—or even more—to be accepted
by your members. I have a lot to learn . . . a lifetime of English thinking to overcome,”
he said quietly. “I’ve put my house up for sale, because after some serious talks
with my kids, they’re willing to give this a shot. They love you that much, Rhoda.”

Her cheeks turned as pink as her cobbler. “They’re mighty special. And ya know I’ll
help them—and you—with learnin’ the
Dietsch
language or anything else ya need.”

“We’ll all give ya a hand, Andy,” Ben reassured him. “Once folks get to know ya, and
understand that you’re sincere about changin’ your life for Rhoda, you’ll find out
how we Amish go out of our way to help each other.”

“Which brings up the other major question I have.” Andy’s thoughts were racing as
fast as his pulse. This conversation affirmed all the hopes and dreams he’d known
these past several weeks, with the exception of one. “I believe my nursing skills
are a valuable asset to this community, and a gift from God—”

“
Jah
, I’ve always thought so, too,” Miriam said, nodding.

“—so I’m wondering how I can set myself up to make a living . . .” Another idea popped
into his mind out of nowhere—or had it been waiting for him at the side of the road
all along? He paused to consider it. “What if I were to set up a small clinic? I haven’t
looked inside, but that building a few blocks down the blacktop might work—”

The door in the kitchen swung open and Rebecca burst in with snowflakes shimmering
in her wake. “Mamma, I just got your phone message, so—oops, sorry!” she added as
she came into the dining area. “I’m interrupting something.”

“Nah, honey-bug, you’re just in time for some of your sister’s warm cobbler with Tom’s
ice cream,” Miriam replied as she jumped up to hug her daughter. “Always
gut
to see ya, Rebecca. Mercy, but your cheeks have the pertiest roses in them today.”

Andy smiled at the way this daughter in tight jeans and a red plaid jacket seemed
so at home here among these Plain folks. It was another testimony to the Lantz family’s
unlimited love that they had accepted Rebecca, knowing she had no inclination to become
Amish.

“I wanted to tell ya that the Knepp girls are stayin’ in the apartment with Rhoda
until they figure out where else to land,” Miriam continued in a more serious voice.
“Ira and Luke are over at Hiram’s now, loadin’ up the last of their clothes and what-not,
along with Jerusalem’s goats.”

Rebecca’s jaw dropped. “Holy cow, what did I miss at dinner yesterday? You can’t tell
me Hiram’s letting all four of them move out.”

Ben laughed. “If you’d seen Aunt Jerusalem walkin’ away from that table, tellin’ Hiram
he could clean it all up after he finished eatin’, you’d see why he’s not likely to
give those gals much trouble. It’s a long, complicated story and we’ll tell ya the
rest later,” he added as he pulled a chair out for her.

“
Jah
, Hiram’s probably sweet talkin’ them today, askin’ them to stay and take care of
his kids,” Miriam added with a wry smile.

Rebecca’s eyes were wide as she took this in. “So where are
you
living now, Mamma?”

“Thanks to this fine fella,” Miriam said as she grabbed Ben’s hand, “there’s a perty
new bedroom set already moved into our new house. The Brenneman boys finished it a
few days ago, ya know. Got it all swept up and ready, so I’m bunkin’ there.”

Andy watched Rhoda go to the kitchen for another bowl and spoon. Despite all the shifting
around that must have happened on very short notice, her eyes were twinkling and she
didn’t seem the least bit put out about having two unexpected roommates. This was
something like the TV soap operas his mom watched, and he felt honored that these
folks would discuss their crisis with him in their midst.

A grin twitched on Rebecca’s lips as she sat down. “Bunkin’ there by yourself, Mamma?”

Her mother blushed and waved her off while Ben laughed out loud. “
Jah
, she is, for a few days, anyway. I’m stayin’ out of her way while she decides where-all
she wants to put everything,” he replied. “Then, when my family shows up for the wedding,
the place’ll be packed—like a Hooley hotel! But the bottom line is, ya have a place
to stay with us, Rebecca. Whenever ya want to move in.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t—you’ll be newlyweds! You’ll want your privacy and—”

Ben gazed directly at Rebecca while Rhoda stood beside her, spooning up a huge bowl
of dessert. Andy went warm inside. This was how the Lantzes and the Hooleys worked
things out. Always room for one more . . . or a whole family.

“Trust me, Rebecca. Your
mamm
and I had Micah and his brothers build the
dawdi haus
on the farthest end away from our bedroom,” Ben assured her with a wink. “Ya have
your own outside door, too, so ya can come and go as ya please. It’s got a bedroom,
a bath, a sittin’ room, and a little kitchen. We’re tickled ya want to be here in
Willow Ridge with us, honey-girl. After the wedding, it’s not like anybody else will
be stayin’ there anytime soon.”

The expression on Rebecca’s face mirrored the way Andy was feeling as he watched these
family dynamics in action. What wondrous love was this, that everyone accommodated
each other’s needs? He knew that Amish families often had three generations under
one roof, and this conversation was another reason for him to hope that these generous,
compassionate people would consider him worthy of Rhoda.

“Well, I can’t thank you enough,” Rebecca murmured. Then she turned to smile at Andy.
“But I butted right in to whatever you were talking about. I’ll feed my face now and
be quiet!”

Rhoda giggled on the other side of him, scraping her bowl with her spoon. “Andy was
just sayin’ how, with his new nursin’ degree, he might wanna open a clinic here in
Willow Ridge.”