Her Brother's Keeper (22 page)

Thirteen

I
'm sorry it took me so long to call you. My battery went dead, and I had to get to town. There's a coffee shop that Hannah and I go to sometimes, and we get a muffin and charge our phones.” Charlotte snuggled into the covers on her bed.

“Do all the Amish people have phones?” Ryan asked.

“Pretty much. I guess they can't bypass all technology. Hannah told me about a few people who absolutely will not own a cell phone. They have these little shacks that are like phone booths. They call them shanties, and several families will share one. Hannah said some of the phones are still rotary dial.”

“I can barely hear you. Where are you?”

“I'm in my room. I have the fan on high, but I'm still trying to be quiet because I don't know if Jacob is asleep. He stays up late sometimes. He was standing outside my
door last time I was talking to you. And now I'm worried how much he might have heard.”

“Did he say anything?”

“No. Not to me. And he isn't acting any differently, but it was just odd.”

“How are your hands?”

“Better. They look awful but feel better. Lena put something on them, some concoction she makes out of goat milk. It smells weird, but it helps with the pain. And she told me I won't have scars if I keep them covered and alternate between applying Vaseline and her goat stuff. I asked her if I should let them dry out and scab, and you should have seen the look on her face. She said absolutely not, that a cut or scrape should never be allowed to dry out. She said that's what causes a scar.”

Ryan grunted. “Wow. And we were taught to let a wound go uncovered so it will scab.”

“I know. The things you learn in Amish Country.” She chuckled. “But I'm doing what she said, and it's already looking better.”

“Did you decide when you're coming home?”

“I haven't even looked at flights. I know I need to start thinking about that. But, guess what? Apparently I am the owner of Ethan's little house here in Paradise, Pennsylvania.” She filled him in on her conversation with Hannah this afternoon, talking as softly as she could. “So, I was thinking about maybe fixing up the place. After I tell them all the truth, of course.”

“Then you'll put it on the market?”

“Yeah. I briefly thought about keeping it, fixing it up, and having my own little vacation spot, but considering what happened there . . . I think I should just sell it.” Charlotte fluffed her pillow, shined her flashlight on the far wall, and wished there was a way she could get her sheets to smell like this at home, cottony fresh. But there wasn't the luxury of a clothesline at her apartment complex. She breathed in the freshness and wished she could bottle the aroma and take it home with her.

“I really thought you'd be home by now, but since you're not . . . I have to be in Harrisburg on Monday for a meeting. It's a short trip, and I need to get back to Houston, but there's this cute little Amish girl I was hoping to take to dinner.”

Charlotte sat taller. “You're kidding me.” She brought a hand to her chest. Ryan traveled quite a bit for work. He was contracted by the Department of Homeland Security and oversaw the installation of security equipment in government buildings.

“Nope. I Googled it, and it looks like you're about an hour from Harrisburg. Early dinner?”

“Yes, yes.” Charlotte didn't realize until that moment how much she wanted to see Ryan. They'd had several long phone conversations and their friendship had grown more personal since she'd come to Paradise. “I would love that.”

She jumped out of bed when she heard a noise. “Hang
on. Either a very confused bird just slammed into my window—at night—or . . .” She peered out her window. “There's someone down there.”

“Probably the boyfriend wanting you to come out and play.” Ryan laughed.

“Ha, ha,” Charlotte said sarcastically and strained to get a better look. “It's Jacob,” she said as a small rock tapped against her window again. “No idea why he's throwing rocks at my window instead of coming in like a normal person. I better go see what he wants. I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I can't wait to see you.”

Charlotte smiled at the tenderness in his voice, then borrowed a line from one of her favorite movies. “Ditto.”

She walked to the corner of her room where several dresses were hanging on a rack. She pulled off her nightgown, threw on a dark-green dress, and tiptoed downstairs. The moment she opened the door, the cool night air hit her. She slipped her feet into Amos's big boots, then clunked her way down the porch steps, shining the flashlight in front of her.

“Jacob!” she said in a loud whisper. “Lucky for you that you didn't break a window. What are you doing?”

“Sorry. This is positioned in exactly the right spot based on the coordinates I have, and I wanted you to come see.”

“So, you couldn't have come in the house and gotten me?”

He rubbed his hands together, grinning. “Where's your sense of adventure?”

“Upstairs tucked in bed about to go to sleep.” She was relieved that he was acting like nothing happened, so she had to assume that he hadn't overheard anything.

“Look.” He pointed up, then eased his eye away from the small hole he was looking through. “You can see Mars and Saturn.”

Charlotte had always wanted a telescope, even as a kid. She squeezed one eye shut and peered through the hole, then stood and looked at Jacob. “I see sky. Darkness. That's it.”

Jacob gently pushed her to the side. “This thing is so sensitive. If you even barely touch it with your face, it moves.” He adjusted some dials on the side while Charlotte waited.

“There.” He backed away and pointed to the telescope. “Look again, but don't touch it, even with an eyelash.”

Charlotte grinned and handed him her flashlight this time. There was a small amount of light coming from a propane lamp in the yard, but otherwise, it was a clear night sky filled with stars. She got as close as she could, careful not to touch the eyepiece.

“Do you see them? They're both to the right of Antares, which is a star, it's red.”

Charlotte kept looking through the hole. “I know what Antares is.” She let out a small gasp. “I see them, both of them.” She stared in amazement for a few more seconds before she stood straight. “Wow, that is pretty cool.”

Jacob smiled. “I thought you'd like to see that. You're the only one in the family who would appreciate it.”

Charlotte felt a warm glow flow through her.
I am part of this family.
“Thank you for showing me. It was worth the trip out of bed. Can I look again?” She heard her voice crack slightly and hoped Jacob didn't notice.

“Ya
, sure.”

He didn't seem to, so Charlotte took another look.

“There was only one other person around here who cared anything about astronomy, and it was Ethan, Hannah's boyfriend.”

Charlotte visibly bumped the telescope. “Oops. Sorry.” She stood up and stepped away, almost falling down as she tripped in Amos's big boots.

Jacob adjusted the dials, then announced that he had the planets in focus again. Charlotte appreciated the viewing, but twice was enough. “Were you close to Ethan?”

Jacob had wet hair from his shower and was dressed in black sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Except for his cropped bangs, he looked like any other teenager. He rubbed his nose, sighed, and said, “
Ya
, in the beginning. But not toward the end. It turned out he wasn't a very
gut
guy.”

“Oh? Why do you say that? Your mother seems to have loved him as much as Hannah.” This must have something to do with Edna Glick.

“That's because they didn't know him, not the real Ethan.”

Charlotte's heart was racing. “Why do you say that?” she asked again.

Jacob shrugged. “What does it matter? You didn't
even know him.” Jacob pulled the lens from the telescope and put it in a bag that was hanging from one side. “We'll be able to see Venus in October, if you're still here.”

Charlotte didn't care about the planetary movements at the moment. “Now, you've got my curiosity up about Ethan. Hannah doesn't seem like she'd fall in love with someone, and plan to marry him, if he wasn't a good—
gut
—guy.”

“I didn't find out about him until right before he died. I would have told Hannah what I thought, but after he passed, I just didn't see the good in saying anything. It would have only hurt her more than she was already hurting.” He paused, and even in the dim light, Charlotte could see him scowling. “You're not going to tell her, are you?”

“Tell her what? I don't know anything. I'm just . . . uh, guessing—he must have cheated on her.”

Jacob didn't respond but started to roll the telescope through the grass and toward the porch. “Only reason I called you out here is because I can't get this thing up the stairs by myself.” He snickered as they got to the steps.

“That's probably true.” She lifted one side while Jacob picked up the other side, and they carried it up the four steps.

“Try not to let the door slam on the way back in, like you did on the way out. I'm sure you woke up
Mamm
and
Daed
.”

Charlotte thought for a few moments, knowing she needed some insurance. “I guess I wouldn't be very good at
sneaking
out of the house late at night.”

Jacob got close to her ear and spoke softly. “I guess you wouldn't . . .
Mary
.”

Then he grinned and turned toward the stairs. Once he was out of sight, Charlotte let out the breath she was holding.
He knows.

Hannah was glad to see Mary in time for breakfast. She missed more breakfasts than she made it in time for. She'd decided that it just wasn't in Mary's nature to be an early riser. They obviously didn't start their days as early in Texas. Maybe her cousin's motivation to get up early today had something to do with teaching her how to bake bread. Hannah had never seen a person eat as much bread as Mary, except for maybe Jacob. She noticed that her mother hadn't eaten much these past few days.

After
Daed
and Jacob left and the dishes were washed, Mary sat down and helped herself to another piece of buttered bread, and
Mamm
sat down and lathered up her hands with her goat-milk lotion.

Hannah tossed the dish towel over her shoulder and leaned against the counter. “
Mamm
, are you all right? You aren't eating much.”

Her mother massaged the lotion up her arms almost to her elbows. “
Ya, ya.
I'm fine. I've just been a little sick to my stomach the past few days. If it's not better soon, I'll visit the doctor.”

Hannah's mother rarely went to the doctor. She'd even used a midwife to deliver both Hannah and Jacob, right here in the house. Thinking back, she couldn't think of a time when her mother had ever been sick with more than a cold that she'd say was just allergies.

“You were at the doctor recently. Was everything okay then?”

Mamm
nodded. “
Ya, ya
. I had to have some tests run.” She smiled as she winked at Hannah. “I'm getting old, and that's what happens when you get old.”

“Nee
, you're not old,
Mamm
.” Hannah studied her mother's face. It was ashen, and for the first time, Hannah noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

“Well, you don't look well.” Hannah sat down at the kitchen table.

Mary stood and pressed her hand against
Mamm
's forehead. “No fever,” she said with bread still in her mouth.

“Nee
, I don't feel feverish, and I don't really feel all that bad. I'm just a bit sick to my stomach, especially in the mornings.” She lifted herself from the chair. “Hannah, can you feed the goats for me and take care of the milking? I think I need to lie down for a while.”