The Restoration (18 page)

Maybe we can do that on New Year’s Day
, Elam thought as he left the phone shack and headed back to the house.
Because if I find another job, we’ll have even less time together.

As Leah set a few things out for supper, Adam stepped into the kitchen.

She smiled and gave him a hug. “You’re home early today. The girls are upstairs playing, and I don’t have supper ready yet, so I hope you’re not too hungry.”

“No, I’m not. In fact, the last thing on my mind right now is food.”

“What’s wrong? You look umgerennt.”

“I’m very upset. Cora came to the store today and gave me some shocking news.”

Leah tipped her head. “What’d she say?”

“Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you about it.” Adam took a seat, and after Leah poured him a cup of coffee, she joined him.

Leah listened intently as Adam told her what had transpired.

“According to Cora,” he added, “you knew about Jared.”

“I knew she had a son, but I’ve never met him.”

“How come you didn’t say anything to me about this?”

“You told me not to talk about her.” She hesitated. “Also, Cora asked me not to say anything about Jared. She wanted to be the one to tell you about him.”

Adam took a drink, and as he set his cup down, some coffee sloshed onto the table. “If I knew something that important about one of your siblings, I would have told you. I feel like you betrayed me, Leah.”

“You’re home already?” Linda squealed as the three girls bounded into the kitchen. “We were upstairs drawing pictures. Wanna see?”

Three pairs of eyes looked intently at Adam. “Not right now, girls. Leah and I are talking.”

The children must have sensed Adam was not in a good mood, for they hurried out of the kitchen.

“I shouldn’t have been so abrupt with them.” Adam rested his forehead in his hands. “I’ll apologize. I just wish you had told me Jared was Cora’s son, Leah.”

She left her seat. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she gently massaged him. “I wanted to tell you, Adam, and I almost did several times. But it wouldn’t have been right to go back on my word to Cora.”

“So Cora’s more important than me? Is that how it is?” Adam’s shoulder muscles tightened.

Leah winced, hearing the hurt in his voice. She didn’t like being the cause of it. “Of course not, Adam. You’re my husband, and I love you.”

“Then you should have told me about Jared, regardless of what Cora may have asked.”

“What more can I say, Adam, except I’m sorry?”

Adam pushed his chair away from the table. “I need to be alone right now.”

“What about supper? I’ll have it ready soon.”

“You can fix something for you and the girls, but I’m not hungry. Right now, I need to apologize to the girls.” Adam got up and quickly left the room.

Leah rubbed her forehead as she listened to Adam’s footsteps heading up the stairs.
Oh, dear, what have I done? Just when things were going along so well between me and Adam. Now I may have ruined everything.

C
ora sat quietly in front of the TV, struggling not to give in to self-pity. It was New Year’s Eve, and she was alone. Of course, it was her own fault, because she’d let Jared go over to Scott’s. Things had been strained between her and Jared since he’d found out about Adam. Cora hoped as time went by he would forgive her for not telling him sooner about her past. She needed to give Jared more time to let everything sink in.

“One more mistake to add to all the others I’ve made,” she murmured. “Am I ever going to be capable of making good decisions?”

Cora reached for her glass of eggnog and took a sip, letting its sweetness roll around on her tongue. At least she had one thing to look forward to—getting the money from the sale of her house. But what good would it do if her relationships with her sons remained as they were now?

Forcing her negative thoughts aside, Cora picked up the remote to change the TV channel, hoping for a weather report. What she found instead was a news bulletin telling about a car accident that had just occurred, involving two teenage boys. One boy had been pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The other was en route to the hospital. No other details were given, nor did the announcer give the boys’ names.

Those kids shouldn’t be out on New Year’s Eve
, Cora thought.

Seated on the passenger side of Elam’s buggy, Priscilla glanced over at him and smiled. Instead of giving up their New Year’s Eve plans entirely, Elam had agreed to pick Priscilla up this afternoon and drop her off at Elaine’s to help with the dinner. He’d return for her later this evening, after everyone had gone and Priscilla had helped Elaine clean up. Priscilla looked forward to the ride home with Elam and planned to invite him inside to usher in the new year. Mom and Dad would go to bed early, which would give Priscilla and Elam more time alone.

“I have a surprise for you.” Elam touched Priscilla’s arm, breaking into her musings.

“What is it?”

He gave her a teasing glance. “You’ll have to wait till later, when I pick you up.”

Priscilla relaxed against the seat, tapping her foot to the rhythmic beat of the horse’s hooves. Goose bumps erupted on her arms as a chill coursed through her body. Was it the cold night air or anticipation of Elam’s surprise?
I wonder if Elam’s planning to propose to me. Wouldn’t that be a great way to start off the new year?

“This is the last dinner I have scheduled until Valentine’s Day,” Elaine told Priscilla as they worked together getting the tables set before the guests arrived.

“Is there a chance one of the tour groups in the area might call to schedule something before then?” Priscilla placed the last of the glasses on the table.

Elaine shrugged. “I suppose it’s possible, but most tourists don’t visit until spring.”

“What will you do to make money between now and then?”

“I’ll be okay; I have enough money saved up.” Elaine smiled. “And I’ll use the time to work on my cookbook.”

“Don’t forget I’m available to help, and Leah said she’d be willing to work on the cookbook, too.”

“She did offer, but between her reflexology treatments and taking care of the girls, I doubt she’d have much free time right now.” Elaine moved toward the kitchen. “Guess we’d better check on the food. I don’t want anything to burn.”

Priscilla followed Elaine into the adjoining room. “Is there anything else you’d like me to put on the tables right now?”

“Not till closer to when the people arrive. Then we can set out the salad dressings and some of your homemade jelly.”

“Okay. What would you like me to do now then?”

Elaine lifted the lid on the potatoes and poked them with a fork. “As soon as these are done, you can mash them. Then we’ll keep them warm on the stove. In the meantime, why don’t you sit and relax? I’ll join you as soon as I’m sure all the food’s okay.”

“Should I pour us some coffee?”

“That’d be nice. We’ll probably need the caffeine in order to keep up with everything tonight.” Elaine chuckled.

Priscilla got out two mugs and filled them with coffee. She placed them on the kitchen table, along with cream and sugar, then took a seat. “Elam will be coming by to pick me up later this evening, and we’ll usher in the new year at my place.”

“I thought you were getting together with him tomorrow.”

“We are, but Elam wanted to see me tonight, too. He said he has a surprise for me.”

Elaine joined her and blew on her coffee before taking a sip. “Do you know what it could be?”

“I’m hoping it’s a marriage proposal.” Priscilla’s fingers curved around the bottom of her cup, enjoying the warmth.

“For your sake, I hope so, too. You’ve wanted that for some time.” Elaine sighed. “Speaking of marriage, I’ve been considering Ben’s proposal.”

“What have you decided?”

“I’m not getting any younger, and I would like to have children.”

“I sense some hesitation. Do you still have feelings for Jonah? Is that why you haven’t responded to Ben’s proposal?”

Elaine dropped her gaze. “Jah. I often wonder how things would be for me now, if I hadn’t pushed Jonah away when Grandma became ill.” She sighed deeply. “Sara might still be alive today and married to someone else.”

Priscilla left her seat and slipped her arm around Elaine’s waist. “You shouldn’t think of the what-ifs. It will drive you crazy. You need to think of your own happiness. Don’t settle for someone you really don’t love.”

“But if I don’t marry Ben, I may not find someone else or have any kinner. Having a family is important to me.”

“I understand, because I want children, too. But how can you be sure there’s no hope of you and Jonah forming a relationship again?”

Elaine shrugged her shoulders. “He’s shown no interest in me and probably won’t. Jonah still loves Sara. When I saw him out walking on Christmas Day, he said he will never get married again.”

“God has things under control, so wait for His answer. Whether things should ever work out for you and Jonah or not, my advice is don’t marry Ben unless you are sure you love him.”

“I won’t.” Elaine moved over to the stove. “I hear some vehicles pulling in, so we’d better get going.”

“How come you’re sitting in the dark?”

Jonah jumped at sound of his mother’s voice. He’d been sitting in the kitchen by himself since Mom went upstairs to put his children to bed.

“Sorry if I startled you.” Mom turned on the gas lamp overhead.

Jonah blinked against the invading light. “It’s okay. I was just sitting here thinking.”

Mom took a seat across from him. “About what?”

“About my life… the kinner…” Jonah pulled his fingers through the ends of his thick, curly hair. “I don’t think I can do this, Mom.”

“Do what?”

“Raise them without a mother.”

“Do you want to get married again?”

Jonah shook his head. “I’ve given up on love and marriage, but Mark and the baby need a stable environment, which I can’t give them.”

“Their environment is not unstable, Jonah. The kinner have you, me, and your daed. They also have Sara’s parents—although it’s too bad they don’t live closer.”

Jonah moved over to the stove. The coffeepot was still warm, so he poured himself a cup. “I can’t give Martha Jean and Mark what they need. Would you mind if they moved in with you and Dad? That would save you from having to come over here every day. I’d come visit them, of course,” he quickly added.