Plain Pursuit (5 page)

4

CARLEY AWOKE TO HER CELL PHONE ALARM CHIRPING AT seven o’clock. She grabbed it from the nightstand, silenced it, and noticed only one bar of battery power left. She’d need to remember to charge it in the car later. She was already exhausted from her travels. Functioning on so little sleep was going to be a challenge.

As she stretched beneath the cotton sheet, she realized she’d kicked the quilt to the bottom of the bed during the night. She sat up to fetch it, blinking her eyes into focus and surveying her small room. Simple but nice—and spotless. A two-tiered nightstand stood beside the bed with a lantern, Bible, and box of tissue on top. An oak chest with four drawers rested against the far wall, and a wooden rocker sat in the corner. Unlike the plain furniture downstairs, the chest had discreet carvings etched along the top and bottom. A small mirror was suspended by a silver chain on the wall to her left. And a thick, dark green blind was partially drawn over the window, which she had opened the night before. Otherwise, the walls were bare.

The focal point in the room was the large white vase on the chest filled with vibrant blossoms, presumably from Lillian’s flower beds in the front yard. She wondered if Lillian had gone to extra effort, if perhaps Lillian had been nervous for Carley to see her new look and way of life.

She tucked the quilt around her waist, afraid that if she lay down again she’d fall back asleep. Studying the intricate designs and bold colors, she was reminded of the quilt her mother used to wrap up in on cold nights. Her grandmother had made the quilt, and this one shared similar colors and designs.

She ran her hand along the stitching, the hearts bursting with red, yellow, and blue flowers. Leafy greenery joined the emblems together in a fabulous pattern.

“I miss you, Mom,” she sighed.

As if hearing her, a cow offered acknowledgment in the distance. A breeze blew through the open window and swirled around the room—the smell of freshly cut grass commingled with a hint of manure. Delicate rays of light were streaming onto the wood-plank floor as the sun began its ascent.

Her surroundings invoked a sense of calm—a feeling she hadn’t had in a long time.

Rustling noises from downstairs brought her out of her musing, along with the aroma of cooking bacon. She edged out of bed and grabbed her red suitcase from the corner, pulling out a pair of white tennis shoes, blue jeans, and a pink T-shirt. Forgoing her normal makeup routine, she was ready in about ten minutes.

“Good morning,” she announced downstairs, entering the kitchen.

“
Guder mariye
to you.” Lillian continued to stir the eggs as she motioned to her right. “There’s hot coffee or there’s milk and juice in the refrigerator. Help yourself to anything.”

Carley made her way toward the coffee and noticed Lillian was dressed almost exactly the same as the day before, the only difference being a deep purple dress instead of a blue one. Her hair was tucked neatly beneath the white cap on her head, and black socks were pushed down toward her black shoes. And despite the events of the night before, Lillian glowed.

“Where’s Samuel?” Carley added some milk to her coffee. “And how’s David this morning?”

“Samuel went to work in the fields about an hour ago. I made him a little breakfast early when I heard him get up. He’s a hard worker. I had doubts he would sleep until seven this morning. And David is still sleeping, so I’ll take him some breakfast upstairs in a little while. I imagine he needs the rest.”

“But Samuel didn’t get to sleep until almost four.”
Only two
and a half hours of sleep at most.

Lillian just twisted around and grinned.

Carley watched her shuffle back and forth between the stove and refrigerator, putting jellies on the table in between stirring the eggs. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Nope. Almost done. Anna’s sleeping too. This will give us some time to talk.” She scooped eggs onto a plate in front of Carley and then took a seat across from her at the table and pushed the bacon and biscuits over. “I ate earlier with Samuel,” she said affectionately.

Carley looked at the food lined across the table in front of her. “Lillian, you shouldn’t have made all this for me. I don’t want you to treat me as a guest. I could have eaten a bowl of cereal or something.”

Grinning, Lillian shushed her. “Carley, I’m so glad you’re here.” Sincerity rang in her tone.

“Me too.” Carley swiped rhubarb jam onto a homemade biscuit. “Thank you for letting me come and for agreeing to let me do a story about the Amish lifestyle.” She studied her friend. “Lillian, you look so happy.”

“I am.” Lillian rested her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands. “I have an amazing life, and I’m so blessed. God showed me the way. I wasn’t listening at first. But once I turned my life over to Him, things began to change for me. And everything just keeps getting better.”

It was odd to hear Lillian speak of God. It was an area they had never covered during their friendship, and Carley wasn’t sure how to respond. As a confirmed Catholic, she’d done the church thing until she was out of high school. But then there was college, work, and a ton of other reasons why it didn’t fit into her schedule. She thought about it from time to time. But even when she attended church, something was always amiss. It was a ritual she’d tired of and become too busy for.

Maybe that was why God had punished her—for turning away from Him.

She’d begged Him to spare her mother’s life. No deal. She’d pleaded with Him to heal her own body. Again, no deal.

Talking about God wasn’t a conversation she was comfortable with. She changed the subject. “So is Dr. Reynolds your family doctor?”

“He’s a natural doctor. In our district, we tend to seek out natural doctors prior to utilizing conventional medicine.”

Carley nodded, helping herself to another biscuit.

“I’m so sorry about your mother, Carley. I wanted to travel to the funeral, but I was very pregnant at the time. Samuel was worried for me to go.”

“And he should have been. It wouldn’t have been good to travel that far from home so far into your pregnancy.”

“And are you doing okay?” Lillian knew Carley had suffered some serious injuries.

“Yeah, I’m doing well,” Carley lied. The red Chevy came blazing through her mind, then her mom’s face, the wooden spike impaling Carley’s stomach—

She took a deep breath.

“Are you all right?” Lillian leaned toward her.

“I guess things have been a little rough. I really miss Mom.” She drew in another breath and fought the knot building in her throat.

“I can’t even imagine, Carley. I’m so sorry.” Lillian sat up a little straighter. “
Ach
, I hear Anna. I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later Lillian returned holding Anna, with David trailing behind her.

“David, how are you this morning?”

“I’m all right.” He winced. “
Mei
chin hurts though.”

“Just going to take some time to heal,” Lillian said. She placed Anna in the high chair and began to prepare a plate of breakfast for David.

Carley leaned toward Anna, taking in the aroma of lotion and baby powder.
So precious.

“On Wednesdays
mei Englisch
friend, Barbie Beiler, picks me up and takes me to the farmers’ market in the town of Bird-in-Hand. I can take the buggy, but I always purchase so many things. I like spending the day with her, so she takes me in her car. She’ll be here in about thirty minutes. You’ll like her.” Lillian paused, giving Carley a sympathetic look. “You look pooped, Carley. If you’d rather not go with us, you’re welcome to stay here and enjoy some peace and quiet. I know you must be tired from your trip, plus very little sleep last night. It’s completely up to you.”

“So let me get this straight,” Carley began. “You can’t own a car, but you can ride in one? Even when it’s not an emergency like last night?”

“
Ya.
There are so many different types of cars. To own one would cause competitiveness and vanity. The bishops in most districts would never hear of owning a car, certainly not in an Old Order Amish district. But we are allowed to ride in cars.”

Carley suppressed a yawn. As much as she’d like to take a trip to town, jet lag was settling in. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I just hang around here today?”

“Absolutely not,” Lillian answered.

“And feel free to leave this precious bundle with me, if you want.” Carley reached over and stroked Anna’s soft skin. She’d forgo sleep to take care of little Anna.

Lillian’s face lit up with surprise. “I wouldn’t know how to act if I wasn’t carting Anna. It’s not too often I have an opportunity to go to market on my own.” She pondered the offer. “Are you sure? I mean, Anna would probably take a nap with you later this morning. And we won’t be gone too terribly long.”

“I would love to stay here with Anna, and you enjoy some time by yourself,” Carley assured her.

“Are you sure?”

“Quite sure. Me and Anna will just laze around this morning.”

“Deal.” Lillian sounded thrilled. “And David will be here too. But Samuel is expecting him back on the plow tomorrow, so I imagine he’ll catch up on his sleep today.”

Carley nodded. “It’ll be fine. You go and have a good time.”

Noah pulled out of the hospital parking lot, thankful his shift was finally over. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t stop thinking about Samuel and his family—and the reporter they were allowing into their lives when he was not welcome himself. Attractive, yes. But her presence in Samuel’s house brought on pangs of resentment, no matter how misdirected.

And Samuel’s allowing her to write about them? Incredible.

He deviated from his normal route home and headed down Lincoln Highway toward Paradise, knowing it was probably a mistake but compelled to do so just the same.

He could gather his thoughts on the way to Samuel’s place.

Prior to yesterday, it had been sixteen years since he had seen Samuel, who seemed to have it all now. A beautiful wife. Beautiful children.

But Noah knew it all came with a price. Losing his first wife to cancer had to have been quite a blow. He recalled a letter from Mary Ellen about Samuel’s wife’s death. The letter hadn’t arrived in time for Noah to attend the funeral.

As bitterness crept in, Noah wondered if moving back to Lancaster County two months ago had been a mistake. And yet, ignoring his internal warnings, he turned right off of Lincoln Highway and onto Black Horse Road.

A nap was exactly what Carley needed. Curled up with Anna on the couch in the den, they both slept for over an hour, only stirring when Anna voiced her hunger.

Carley fed Anna some peas, carrots, and applesauce that Lillian had prepared before she left. Then she lifted Anna’s bottle from the bowl of hot water on the counter and squirted a tiny amount of the white liquid on her finger to check the temperature. “Perfect,” she whispered to Anna, offering her the bottle.

David was still upstairs. Carley headed to the front porch and took a seat in one of the wooden rockers. It felt good to go barefoot, her toes free to wriggle as she pushed against the porch floor until the rocker began to glide. She could see Samuel far off in the pasture, four mules pulling him and a plow across a flat surface.
Amazing that with all the modern technology, it’s still done
this way.

Closing her eyes and resting her head against the back of the rocker, she breathed in the fresh country air. “It’s peaceful here, Anna,” she whispered. “And beautiful—just like you.” She leaned forward and kissed the baby on her forehead.

In addition to the picturesque scenery, Carley liked the way things smelled here. Inside Lillian’s house, the pleasant aroma of freshly baked cookies and bread lingered. Outside, the smell of freshly cut grass and mowed fields brought on a sense of tranquillity. It was all very simple.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and a light breeze sailed across the porch. Carley felt like she could sit here forever.

She lifted her head to the sound of car tires rolling against the dirt driveway. As the white car neared, she sat up a little straighter and strained to see who was driving.