Shelter in the Storm Page 13

  If he ever did.

  “I’m sorry,” Naomi whispered. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  Rhoda attempted a smile. “It’s all right, Naomi. I’m sorry, too. I know I’ve not been very good company for you and Miriam. I’ve even thought perhaps I should stop coming over every day. Miriam and Joseph have enough troubles of their own to deal with. But selfishly, I just couldn’t.” A sparkle of tears glittered in the shop’s bright lights. “I felt I’d lose my mind if I stayed home, and I just couldn’t face working in the bakery with Mamm and Daed.”

  Naomi shifted Sarah into the crook of her right arm and used her left to give Rhoda a warm hug. “Don’t be silly. We want you with us, Miriam and I.” She started to mention Joseph, too, but then held back. Perhaps that wouldn’t be wise, given the circumstances. “This is a hard time, ja? But it will end, and in the meantime you have friends and family to love you and pray for you. Gott has not left you, Rhoda, and neither will we.”

  Rhoda drew a shaky breath and nodded. “I know. Daed says the same. That’s the best comfort I have, at least for now.” Her glance strayed to Sarah, happily snuggled in the circle of Naomi’s arm. The baby was fascinated with her tiny fist, clenching it and unclenching it in front of her own wide blue eyes. The ghost of a smile flickered across Rhoda’s lips. When she spoke again, her voice was stronger. “Why don’t you let me mind Sarah while you look at the dress fabric?”

  Naomi started to protest, but the yearning in Rhoda’s eyes stopped her. Babies were wonderful gut company for hurting folks. During her illness, when her older brothers would bring her little nieces and nephews to see her, she’d always felt uplifted, no matter how dark the day had seemed beforehand.

  So instead of arguing, she nodded. “That would be real helpful. I’m not used to juggling a boppli while shopping, and she does get a bit heavy sometimes.”

  When Naomi transferred the infant into the other woman’s arms, Rhoda’s faint smile bloomed into a real one. “That’s because she’s getting so big already. Aren’t you, sweet girl?” When Rhoda glanced at Naomi, the smile she’d beamed at Sarah stayed in place. “Shoo, now. Go look at your fabric. We’ll be fine. And Naomi?” Rhoda added as Naomi rose to her feet. “Denki for being so kind to me.”

  “Du bisht welcome.” Naomi gave the other woman’s shoulder a gentle pat.

  As she walked across the tiny store to the bolts of dress fabric angled on the back wall, Naomi’s feet barely touched the polished oaken floorboards. This outing idea had been risky, but it had turned into a rousing success, for Rhoda and Miriam both. She could hardly wait to see Joseph’s face when he found out.

  When she reached the selection of fabric, she forced herself to focus and studied the bolts thoughtfully. In spite of her protests, Joseph had insisted on paying her a small wage, and she could easily afford the material for a new dress. She trailed a gentle hand along the smooth fabric, moving past the girlish lavender and plum shades to the more somber, matronly colors.

  She generally preferred lighter shades, but maybe this time she should choose something a bit darker. Miriam and Rhoda were wearing black, of course. They were in mourning for Elijah and Levonia and would be wearing no other color for at least a year.

  The black dresses Naomi had worn after her own mother’s death were back in Kentucky. Lately, though, she’d felt uncomfortable tripping around the house in her light-colored dresses. She didn’t want her friends to think she was unfeeling.

  Maybe this brown would be a good compromise. She fingered the fabric. It seemed to be a nice, sturdy cloth, too, and it would last for years.

  Normally that would be a positive, but she had to admit, the thought of wearing such a muddy color for so long didn’t exactly thrill her heart. Still, showing sympathy for the Hochstedlers’ feelings was more important than indulging her own tastes.

  “Don’t buy that.” Katie halted beside her. She was on her way to the counter, several swatches of material in her fingers. “This one would suit you much better.” She indicated a deep plum shade. “It’ll put some color back into your cheeks.”

  That light tickle of fear touched the back of Naomi’s neck again. When she’d first come to Johns Mill, Katie had exclaimed delightedly over how wonderful Naomi’s color had become since her operation. Today not only was Katie calling her pale again, but there had been that odd sinking spell in the kitchen earlier.

  Surely there couldn’t be some sort of problem with her heart? At her last appointment, her doctors had assured her everything looked fine, and she wasn’t scheduled for another checkup with her cardiologist for months.

  Katie bent closer, lowering her voice, “I wasn’t sure to start with, but you were right. This trip to town was a wonderful idea. Miriam’s perked right up, and she’s had a lovely time choosing her fabric.”

  Naomi glanced at Miriam, who was telling Mary Yoder, the store owner, how much fabric she wanted of the various swatches she’d brought to the counter. Naomi pushed her private worries firmly to the back of her mind. “That’s an answer to prayer, for sure.”

  “Since she’s doing so well, what do you think about popping into Miller’s and having a piece of pie before going home? It’s only a couple of doors down from here.”

  Naomi shook her head. “I don’t know, Katie. Miriam’s doing real well, ja, but maybe it’s best not to try too much on this first trip.”

  “Oh.” Katie’s face fell. “I’m sorry. I’ve already mentioned the idea to Miriam. At first she looked a little naerfich, but then she said a piece of apple-raisin pie sounded real gut.”

  “Well.” Naomi looked at Miriam, still smiling and chatting with the plump store owner. Miriam did seem to be doing fine, and if she wanted to go to Miller’s, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. “All right. We’ll head that way as soon as we finish settling up with Mary.” Naomi hesitated, glancing between the brown and plum dress goods. Impulsively, she lifted the bolt of deep plum cloth off its brackets and headed for the checkout counter.

  “That’s a smart choice.” Her cousin approved. “Good for a maidel or a married woman, either one, ain’t so?” Katie asked the loaded question with a teasingly lifted eyebrow, and Naomi laughed.

  “I’ve no reason to worry about that.” She didn’t, and there was absolutely no reason for her mind to jump in Joseph’s direction at the suggestion, either. “I just don’t want to be wearing bright clothes around folks who are grieving.”

  “I see.” Katie nodded easily, but Naomi thought she saw a flicker of doubt in her cousin’s eyes. “Well, this’ll do just as well for that, and it’ll rosy those cheeks of yours back up, too.”

  She hoped Katie was right, and a change of dress colors was all that was needed to bring some pink back into her cheeks. In any case, she wouldn’t allow herself to worry about her health until it was time to follow up with her cardiologist. Right now, she was living the life she’d always dreamed about, and she wasn’t going to let silly fears—or even sillier hopes—spoil it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After leaving the store, the women paused to stow their fabric in the box secured on the back of the Hochstedler buggy. Then Katie and Miriam led the way toward Miller’s Café, walking arm-in-arm.

  Katie chattered about the new quilt she was planning. Miriam was quieter, and her eyes darted nervously toward the road, but as near as Naomi could tell, she seemed to be doing all right.

  Rhoda walked beside Naomi, Sarah cuddled against her left shoulder. Naomi had hoped the boppli would be a distraction for Miriam, but now it was Rhoda who seemed oblivious to everything but the baby. Her face had lost its tense, worried expression as she murmured softly into Sarah’s tiny, shell pink ear. Naomi smiled to herself as they walked along the sidewalk.

  Joseph was going to be so pleased when he heard about all this. She could hardly wait to tell him.

  Sporting simple cream curtains and a hand-painted
sign, Miller’s Café was as Plain and wholesome as its young owners, Ellen and Micah Miller. The tiny restaurant offered a limited menu: sandwiches, soups, and desserts, ordered at the counter, deli-style. The food wasn’t fancy, but it was all made from scratch and delicious. The café was a popular spot for Plain folk and local Englischers as well.

  As the women entered, the comforting aromas of freshly baked bread and roasting meat wafted over them. Although it was barely eleven o’clock, the lunch rush had already started, and a line of customers snaked halfway down the store. Miriam shrank back at the sight of all the people, and Naomi bit her lip.

  There was no way she could ask Joseph’s sister to wait in this lengthy line, brushing elbows with so many strangers. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea, after all.

  “The line is a bit long, ain’t so?” Naomi remarked. “Rhoda, why don’t you and Miriam take Sarah and go sit at that booth in the corner? Katie and I will get pie for all of us and meet you there in a few minutes. All right?”

  “No pie for me, denki, but I would like a glass of milk, if you’d be kind enough to get it for me.” Rhoda juggled Sarah, trying to reach the little cloth bag she had looped over her elbow, but Naomi waved her off.

  “Don’t worry about paying now. You and I can settle up later. Go get that table before somebody else does, and we’ll be there soon.”

  Naomi waited until Rhoda, Miriam, and Sarah were safely seated in the secluded booth. Then she and Katie joined the fast-moving line of customers headed to place their orders at the counter.

  “Poor Rhoda.” Katie sent a sympathetic glance toward the corner where their friends were seated. “She’s having such a hard time with all this, and who can blame her? I can only imagine how I’d have felt if Aaron had left me so soon after our marriage.”

  “Ja, it’s been very difficult for her.” Naomi checked the prices posted on the chalkboard above the counter and busied herself pulling bills out of her bag. She felt certain that Rhoda’s refusal of pie had more to do with her budget than her appetite, so she counted out enough to purchase a slice for Rhoda as well.

  “Everybody wonders what’s going to happen,” Katie was saying. “Folks are split right down the middle over it. Half of them say that Caleb is sure to come back when his grief settles down a little. The rest think this was bound to happen sooner or later because Caleb’s always been so schtubbich. They say he only joined the church because Rhoda made him, and that he never meant to stay. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know. What kind of pie are you going to get?” Naomi asked desperately. She’d noticed a couple of nearby Englischers giving them curious glances and whispering. Katie was as sweet as a ripe strawberry and she had a big, kind heart, but she truly did love to talk—sometimes a little too much. Naomi didn’t want to gossip about the Hochstedler problems at all, but particularly not in this crowded café, where anybody might overhear.

  “I always get sweet potato pie. It’s my favorite. What does Joseph say? Does he think Caleb will come home?”

  “He hasn’t said.” Clearly her cousin wasn’t going to let go of this subject easily, so Naomi added, “Let’s not talk about this, all right, Katie? Rhoda wasn’t sure about coming along today because she knows everybody’s gossiping about Caleb. She’s suffering enough without her friends picking over her troubles behind her back, ain’t so?”

  “Oh!” Katie’s cheeks flushed a mottled red. “Ja. Of course you’re right. I’m sorry, Naomi, my tongue runs away with me sometimes.” They were almost at the counter now, and Katie glanced at the bills in Naomi’s hand. “Are you buying Rhoda some pie?”

  “I was planning to.” Unwilling to share Rhoda’s confession about her money troubles, Naomi added, “I always think I don’t want pie until I see everybody else eating theirs. I thought I’d get her a piece just in case. If she really doesn’t want it, I can always wrap it up and take it along home to Joseph.”

  “Let me buy it.” Katie flashed a knowing look at Naomi, and Naomi realized her excuse hadn’t been necessary. Of course Katie understood Rhoda’s financial situation perfectly. Everybody in their district did. “I will tell her it’s a thank-you for looking after the baby for me today. I love Sarah to pieces, and I love being her mamm, but now and then it’s so nice to be able to think about something else for just a little while, you know?”

  Naomi nodded, but of course, she didn’t know, not really. She could imagine, though, what a sweet blessing it must be to have such a darling baby. Not to mention a handsome husband who looked at you with his heart in his eyes, like Aaron did whenever his Katie bounced into a room.

  “Naomi?”

  Naomi blinked as Katie jostled her elbow. They were at the front of the line and Ellen Miller was waiting, pen in hand.

  “Oh, I’m sorry! I was woolgathering.”

  She and Katie quickly placed their orders, paid, and collected their laden trays. As they neared the corner booth, Naomi’s smile faded, and her heartbeat quickened. Rhoda sat at the table jogging Sarah on her lap, but Miriam was nowhere in sight.

  Naomi picked up her pace, hurrying toward the table so quickly that Rhoda’s milk sloshed out of the glass onto the paper lining the plastic tray. “Where’s Miriam?”

  “She went to the washroom,” Rhoda replied without looking up from Sarah’s face. “I offered to go with her, but she said she was fine to go by herself, so I let her. That’s all right, isn’t it?”

  Relief washed over Naomi. “Ja, that’s fine. That’s very good.” She glanced in the direction of the wooden door leading to the restroom area, willing her hammering heart to slow back down. Miriam was fine.

  She and Katie busied themselves setting out the various pieces of pie and drinks, then Katie settled down with Sarah on her lap. As Katie and Rhoda argued good-naturedly about Katie’s gift of pie in exchange for Rhoda’s babysitting, Naomi’s eyes kept drifting back to the closed door. Miriam hadn’t yet reappeared.

  “Oh!” Rhoda jumped up from the booth, bumping the table and making all the plates and forks rattle. Sarah made a startled wail of protest, but for once, Katie ignored her baby, staring over Naomi’s head, her eyes wide.

  Naomi stiffened. She turned her head, already suspecting who she’d see behind her. Sure enough, Caleb stood there, looking grim and uneasy.

  “Can we talk, Rhoda?” he asked quietly.

  Rhoda didn’t seem able to speak. She nodded.

  “Not here.” For the first time, Caleb spared a brief glance for Naomi and Katie. “Let’s go outside, ja?”

  Rhoda swallowed, her gaze fastened hungrily on her husband’s face. She gave another stiff nod and started for the door, Caleb following close behind.

  As soon as the café door shut behind them, Katie turned to Naomi, vibrating with excitement. “Is sell naett ebbes!” she exclaimed over Sarah’s escalating wails. “Caleb has come back! This is wonderful gut news!”

  “Ja,” Naomi agreed, “wonderful gut.” But her mind skipped back to the look on Caleb’s face, to that muscle she’d seen twitching in his set jaw.

  She hoped Caleb’s return meant good news for Rhoda; she truly did. But somehow, she wondered.

  She glanced apprehensively at Katie’s eager expression. Plainly, her kossin was gearing up to talk this whole thing to death. Naomi snatched her napkin from her lap and placed it beside her untasted pie.

  “I’ll run to the washroom and check on Miriam while you settle Sarah,” she said as she rose to her feet. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Without waiting for Katie’s answer, Naomi hurried across the café. Just as she opened the door to the restroom area, a booming female voice echoed down the narrow hallway.

  “What do you think you’re doing, young man? Leave that poor girl alone! I mean it, now—get!”

  Suddenly an Englisch man pushed roughly through the doorway, making Naomi stagger backward. He s
trode through the café, head down, stuffing a cell phone into his shirt pocket.

  Naomi rushed into the tiled corridor leading to the restrooms. “Miriam?”

  “She’s back here, honey—and you’d better come quick!”

  Naomi rounded the corner where the door to the ladies’ room was located. Miriam was huddled in a terrified knot on the floor, her face buried in her hands, her black bonnet sliding off the back of her head. The middle-aged Englisch woman kneeling beside her looked up as Naomi ran toward them.

  “I’m not sure what happened,” she said, pitching her voice to be heard over Miriam’s frantic gasps. “When I came out of the bathroom, that man had her cornered, taking pictures of her. He had her by the arm, the poor little thing, so she couldn’t get away. No wonder she got scared. Made me so mad! I whapped him good with my pocketbook so he’d turn her loose.”

  Naomi dropped to the floor, putting her arms around Miriam, who was struggling to pull air into her panicked body. Indignation burned hot in Naomi’s stomach, and she understood Caleb Hochstedler a good deal better than she had before.

  “It’s all right, Miriam. He’s gone, and I’m here. You’re safe.”

  “You got some more friends out there that can help you, honey? I’ll go get ’em if you want.” The plump Englisch woman hoisted herself to her feet with some difficulty. “Just tell me where they are.”

  “Yes, please. My friend’s in the corner booth to the right. She has a baby with her. Thank you, Miss—”

  “Mona. I’m Mona Carter. Here.” She opened her bulky purse and rummaged, finally offering a lavender business card. “I sell real estate, so that’s got all my contact information on it. If you need me to tell the police what happened, you just let me know. In fact, I’ll call them myself right now, if you want me to!”

  “Nee,” Miriam choked out. “No police! I can’t—please. I just want to go home. Please, Naomi.”