Amish White Christmas Pie (26 page)

“What are you doing?” Dad asked when Karen entered the barn.

“I’m getting my horse so I can go over to see Will.”

“But it’s dark outside.”

“I’ve driven in the dark plenty of times, and I’ve always been fine with our battery-operated lights.”

His forehead wrinkled. “But it’s been snowing most of the day, and the roads might be bad.”

“I saw a snowplow out on the main road when I left the store this afternoon, so I’m sure the roads will be clear enough. Besides, the Stoltzfuses’ place isn’t that far away.”

“Even so, I don’t see why you have to go there this evening.

Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

She pursed her lips. “Didn’t Mom tell you about that notice in
The Budget
and Will’s reaction to it?”

“Jah, she mentioned it.”

“Will was pretty upset, and we didn’t get a chance to discuss things thoroughly enough, so I’d really like to talk to him before this day is over.”

Dad massaged the bridge of his nose the way he always did whenever he was contemplating something. Finally he nodded. “Jah, okay. I’ll help you get Ginger hitched to a buggy, and you can be on your way.”

A short time later, Karen was headed down the road with her horse and buggy. Even though most of the snow had been plowed, Dad had been right—there were some slippery spots. She would have to be careful.

Karen held the reins tightly and clucked to the horse. “Easy, Ginger. Not too fast now, girl.”

Things went along fine for the first mile or so. Then suddenly Ginger lost her footing, slipped on the ice, and nearly went down. The buggy rocked back and forth as it slid across the icy pavement.

Karen’s heart hammered in her chest, and she clutched the reins so tightly that her fingers went numb.
I should have listened to Dad and waited until tomorrow to see Will. Maybe I’d better turn around and go home
.

As Karen tried to get Ginger to turn, the buggy wheels spun. She’d obviously hit another patch of ice! Ginger lurched to the right, pulling the buggy into a thick clump of snow and ice along the edge of the road.

Karen snapped the reins, hoping the horse could pull the buggy free, but the wheels only spun. Ginger whinnied as her hooves slipped on the ice. Karen was afraid if she kept pushing the mare, Ginger might collapse.

She grabbed her flashlight and climbed out of the buggy. “Guess we’d better walk home and get some help,” she said as she unhitched Ginger. No way was she was going to leave the horse alone with the buggy. It wouldn’t be safe.

“I’m heading out to see Karen now,” Will called to Regina as he donned his jacket and zipple cap.

Regina glanced out the kitchen window. “Do you think that’s a good idea? It’s beginning to snow again, and the roads might be bad.”

“I’ll take it slow and easy.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“I’d really like to speak with Karen tonight, and the roads might be even worse by tomorrow.”

“Are you going to discuss your response to that notice in
The Budget
?”

He nodded. “That, and a few other things.”

“Have you changed your mind about contacting your daed?”

Will’s eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head.

Regina nibbled on the inside of her cheek. Should she say anything more or drop the subject?
I’d probably better keep quiet about it for now
, she decided.
He’d be very upset if he knew about the phone call I made this morning
.

“I won’t be gone long,” Will said as he stepped out the door.

Regina stood at the window and watched until Will’s horse and buggy left the yard; then she went to the living room where Mark sat reading one of his dairy farming magazines. “I’m going out to the phone shed to make a call.”

“Jah, okay,” he mumbled without looking up from the magazine. Regina figured he hadn’t even heard what she’d said. Well, she wouldn’t be gone long; he probably wouldn’t miss her.

She hurried to the utility room, grabbed her heavy woolen shawl and a flashlight, and went out the back door.

Frank had just stepped into the house when the telephone rang. He headed to the kitchen to answer it, but it stopped ringing. Then he heard Megan talking to someone. When he stepped into the room, she held the phone out to him as she covered the mouthpiece with her other hand. “It’s Regina Stoltzfus,” she whispered. “She wants to talk to you about that notice I put in
The Budget
.”

Frank’s mouth went dry as he took the phone from Megan. “Hello.”

“Hello, Frank. This is Regina Stoltzfus. I wanted you to know that we saw the notice you placed in
The Budget
.”

“You…you did?”

“Yes, and that’s the reason I’m calling.”

“The notice was actually my wife’s idea.”

“I know. I spoke with her when I called earlier today.”

Frank looked over at Megan and covered the receiver with his hand. “Why didn’t you call and let me know Regina had phoned here earlier today?”

Megan motioned to the counter across the room. “You left your cell phone at home, and when I tried calling your office number, your secretary said you would be out for the rest of the day.”

“I had some errands to run, and I also made one quick delivery.” Frank put the receiver back to his ear. “Where do you live now, Regina? When I went back to your place in Lancaster County, I discovered you had moved.”

“Yes, we did, but not until you’d been gone nearly a year.”

“So where’d you move to?”

“We live just outside of Middlebury, Indiana.”

“What made you move there?”

“We bought a dairy farm, which Mark owns, and I run a health food store.”

“Does Will still live with you?”

“Yes, he does.”

A sense of relief flooded Frank’s soul. “May I speak with him, please?”

“Uh…Will’s not at home right now, and he doesn’t know I’ve made this call.”

“You didn’t tell him about the notice in the paper?”

“He knows, but—”

“If he knows, then why didn’t he call me himself?”

“After all this time without any word from you, I don’t think Will quite knows what to say.”

Frank swallowed hard. He didn’t know what he would say to Will either, but he knew lots of things needed to be said.

“When I spoke with your wife this morning, I learned that you not only remarried after you left Will with us, but you now have two little girls.”

“That’s true.”

“I’m wondering something, Frank.”

“What’s that?”

“Could you help me understand the reason you never came back to get Will like you promised you would? Could you explain why you’ve waited until now to try to contact him?”

He swiped his tongue across his bottom lip. “It’s a complicated story, and I’d prefer to wait and talk to Will about that, rather than him hearing it secondhand.”

“I see.” There was a long pause.

“Are you still there, Regina?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Will you let Will know I called and ask him to phone me tomorrow?”

“I’ll speak with him about it, but I can’t promise that he’ll call you.”

“But I’ve got to talk to him. Please, can’t you make him understand that?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Okay, but before you hang up, could you give me your phone—”

“Good-bye, Frank.”
Click
.

Frank hung up the phone and sank into a chair at the table.

“I take it you didn’t get to speak with Will,” Megan said, touching Frank’s shoulder.

“No, and I didn’t even get Regina’s phone number. She hung up before I could ask.”

“I didn’t get it when I talked with her earlier today either.”

Frank grunted. “Want to know the worst part?”

“What’s that?”

“Will didn’t know Regina was planning to call me. She made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to talk to me. He probably hates me for leaving him the way I did.”

Megan took a seat beside him and reached for his hands. “Let’s pray about this and leave everything with God.”

Frank nodded. Praying and leaving things in God’s hands was a new concept for him, but he knew it was the right thing—the only thing—he could do.

As Will headed down the road in his buggy, he thought about the things he should say to Karen. He hoped she wasn’t mad because he’d run out on her. He wanted to explain that he’d been upset and needed to be alone. He wanted her to understand the way he felt about his dad trying to contact him after all these years.

Will was halfway to the Yoders’ when he spotted a buggy that appeared to be stuck in a pile of snow along the edge of the road.

He pulled over, grabbed his flashlight, and went to investigate. No horse was hitched to the buggy, and no driver was inside either. But he recognized the quilt lying on the front seat and knew it was Karen’s. He figured her rig had probably slid into the snow and gotten stuck. Karen must have unhitched her horse and headed for home.

Will climbed back into his buggy and continued toward the Yoders’. He’d only gone a short distance when he spotted Karen walking along the edge of the road, leading her horse.

He pulled up behind her and climbed down from his rig.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I hit a patch of ice, and then my buggy slid into a mound of snow and got stuck. When I couldn’t get it out, I decided to unhitch my horse and walk home to get help.” She shivered. “Guess I should have listened to my daed when he warned me that the roads could be icy.”

Will motioned to his buggy. “Hop in, and I’ll tie your horse to the back of my rig. Then we’ll go back and see if we can get your buggy pulled out of that mound of snow.”

Karen nodded and handed Ginger’s lead rope to Will. Then she climbed into his buggy while he hooked Ginger to the back of his rig.