LUCY’S CHRISTMAS SUNBEAM
by Anne Blackburne
CHAPTER ONE
Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
Lucy Beiler paused to listen carefully, hoping for a clue as to where her baby sister, Mildred, was hiding. She’d been solely responsible for Millie’s care since their mother died giving birth to the child on Christmas Day nearly three years before. And while she loved the tiny little girl, a special gift from Gott delivered into her hands even as their maem was delivered into Gott’s, at times Millie’s love of games tested her patience.
A peek behind the couch revealed nothing but dust bunnies and a small stuffed pig. Stretching, she nabbed the toy by one scruffy ear. “Millie! Look who I found! Pinky Pig was hiding behind the couch.”
She heard a small cry of “Pinky!” coming from the kitchen. “Come on, liebling, we need to go to the hardware store so I can caulk the shower.”
She grinned at the sound of a giggle coming from under the kitchen table.
She peeked beneath the hem of the sage-green tablecloth.“Gotcha!”
Millie burst into giggles, her slightly tip-tilted eyes sparkling with mischief as she regarded her older sister from above chubby little hands pressed over her mouth in an attempt to contain her mirth.
“Found me!” the child signed and then chuckled.
“Ja! So now you have to be a gut girl and get ready to go out with me, okay?” Lucy used both signed and spoken language when addressing her sister, because she wanted Millie to learn to speak as well as sign.
Lucy reached down and tickled Millie on her round tummy.
Millie giggled and signed. “Okay, Lucy.”
“Can you say it?”
“Okay!”
Lucy scooped the mite up in a big hug. “You’re so smart! Come now. We’ll need sweaters.” The late September days were turning cool in central Pennsylvania, where she and Millie lived in the dawdi haus on the farm where Lucy had grown up.
She popped a pink hoodie over her sister’s head, lifting her braids out and straightening her little prayer kapp.
She smiled into her sister’s open, loving face, her heart melting a little bit at how much she loved the child, who was more like a daughter than a sister.
“Ice cream?” Millie signed with a winning smile.
“First, the caulk. We’ll see about ice cream.”
“Okay!” she yelled.
“Okay!” Lucy answered.
She strapped her schwester into her car seat in the buggy she’d inherited from their maem. Not all Amish used the contraptions, but she wasn’t about to take chances with Millie’s safety. She could be quite impulsive, and Lucy wanted to be certain the child couldn’t fall out of the moving buggy.
As she pulled onto the back road and pointed the horse toward Bird-in-Hand, she thought about what else she should do while she was in town.
I could use some more pink yarn for Millie’s Christmas sweater. It’ll be here before I know it! And maybe some candlewicks. I want to try making up some nice candles for my other sisters. She smiled at the thought. She enjoyed making simple gifts for the people she loved.
Half an hour later they were exploring Fisher’s Hardware in Bird-in-Hand.
“Now, where do they hide the caulk?” she muttered as she made her way down the aisles in the store.
“Caulk!” Millie shouted.
Turning around the end of an aisle, Lucy heard a startled exclamation and realized she’d run into a man who’d been coming the other direction.
She watched helplessly as he stumbled against the cart, shoving it into a display of stacked paint cans.
“Millie!”
The stranger twisted his body between the cart and the toppling cans of paint, wincing as heavy one-gallon cans bounced off his shoulders and back.
Between their efforts the cart was righted.
They stared at each other, momentarily speechless, the man’s feet planted squarely in a spreading pool of white primer.
They spoke simultaneously.
“I’m so sorry! I’ll pay for the spilled paint! And maybe new boots.” Lucy flushed as she stared at the handsome Amish man whose boots were probably going to be ruined.
“Ach, I’m sorry! I should have been watching where I was going! Is your little girl oll recht?”
They stared at each other for another beat before once again speaking at the same time.
“No, no, it was my fault!” he insisted. “No need to pay for anything. I’m just glad your daughter wasn’t hurt.”
“She’s fine, but what about you?”
After a few seconds the corner of the man’s mouth tilted up, and an amused snort escaped him.
Lucy’s mouth dropped open, but then the ridiculousness of the situation hit her, and she covered her mouth as giggles escaped her.
Then they were both laughing right out loud.
“Oh my, I haven’t laughed like that in ages!” Lucy wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.
The stranger grinned. “Me neither. I’m just glad you’re both okay.”
Millie looked from one to the other and grinned. “Ice cream!” she signed, causing Lucy to chuckle again. “My schwester wants ice cream.”
“Schwester? She’s not your daughter?”
“Well, she’s like a daughter to me. I’ve raised her since our maem died when she was born. I’m Lucy Beiler. You’re sure you won’t be in trouble for this mess? I really do think I should pay for the open cans.”
He shook his head firmly. “Nee. It’s obvious now that the display wasn’t safe.”
A store employee hurried up to them, his eyes widening as he took in the scene. “Ach! What happened?”
“Just a little mishap, and some paint cans fell,” the man, whose name Lucy still didn’t know, told his coworker. “Would you please clean it up for me while I take these ladies back to the soda fountain for ice cream?”
“Ja, of course. I’m just glad nobody got hurt. Someone told me paint cans were hitting you in the head!”
The first man shrugged. “I may have a few bruises, but it’s nothing more than I deserve. Denki, Jacob.”
Jacob left, presumably to gather cleaning materials. The first man looked down at his boots with a regretful air and then bent down and untied them before stepping out of them and taking big steps away from the spilled paint.
“Let’s get ice cream!”
Lucy unstrapped Millie from the cart, which was also standing in the spreading pool of paint, and soon they were sitting at the soda fountain at the back of the store.
A young Amish woman hurried over to them, glancing at Amos’ feet as she slipped behind the counter. “Amos! Where are your shoes? And who are your friends?”
“Hi, Rebekkah. This is Lucy Beiler and her little sister, Millie. We met in the paint section when I clumsily upset the endcap display of primer. My boots didn’t make it. We need ice cream to recover from our trauma.”
She grinned at him and smiled at Millie. “What kind of ice cream do you want, lieb?”
Millie looked at Lucy with big eyes and signed, “Chocolate.”
Lucy kissed her sister’s head. “Sure, Millie.” She smiled at Rebekkah. “Chocolate soft serve for Millie. And I’d like a strawberry shake.”
“Coming right up. And your usual, boss.” She got busy scooping ice cream as Lucy turned to regard the stranger on the stool beside her.
“Boss?”
He quirked an eyebrow and grinned back at her. “Ja, didn’t I tell you? I’m Amos Fisher. My family owns Fisher’s Hardware.
That’s how I know I won’t get into trouble for spilling the paint. Well, as long as my dat doesn’t find out.”
•
Amos accepted his root beer float from Rebekkah and watched as Lucy Beiler settled her young sister in her lap and tucked a napkin into the neck of her pink hoodie before handing her a spoon. The little girl tucked into the small dish of ice cream, and her sister smiled as she took her first taste of her milkshake. “Yum!”
“Rebekkah makes them right.” He took a big sip of his float before sighing with satisfaction. “I’ve always loved these, ever since I was a kid and it was my grossmammi behind this counter. She always gave me extra cherries. Hey, Rebekkah, where are my extra cherries?”
“I forgot what a big kid you are, boss.” Rebekkah pulled a jar from a small fridge behind the counter. “Move your glass over here so we don’t get cherry juice all over the counter.”
Grinning like a kid, he complied, and Rebekkah dumped several cherries and quite a bit of juice into his glass.
“Perfect.”
They finished their treats in companionable silence. When they were done, Amos glanced at Millie and chuckled.
“There’s as much chocolate on her face and the napkin as in her tummy, I’ll bet.”
“Oh, ja. Hence the napkin.”
Rebekkah handed her a dampened paper towel, and Lucy cleaned her sister’s face and hands before removing the makeshift bib. Amazingly, there was no chocolate on her pink hoodie.
“She’s adorable. And I like her pink piggy. How old is she?”
“My sister or the pig?” Lucy’s dark brown eyes twinkled mischievously, and Amos fought to catch his breath. Lucy was
quietly stunning, with her chocolate eyes and hair to match, tucked up into her heart-shaped prayer kapp. He struggled to remember the question.
“I figure your sister is the elder of the two?”
“Ja, but not by much. Millie will be three on Christmas Day. The pig was a gift from our sister-in-law, Neva.”
He frowned, trying to remember the various Beiler siblings. “Neva is married to Mose, ja?”
Lucy nodded. “They’re much older than I am. Mose is fortytwo. He and Neva have six kinner, and they live in the big house on our farm. Millie and I live in the dawdi haus.”
“I don’t know him well, although I do know several of your siblings—the ones who live in Shipshewana, Indiana. I just moved back from there a few months ago, when my older bruder, Sam, died.”
Lucy paused to think for a moment. “Ach, ja. Sam Fisher was your bruder. I knew him from services.”
He nodded. “He took over the store from our parents years ago, but he recently died of cancer. I came home to run the business when he got too sick.”
“I know how hard it is to lose someone close. My parents died within a year of each other. My daed in a farming accident and then my maem when Millie was born. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s Gott’s wille.”
“Ja, and that is a comfort. But I’m still sorry for your loss. Like I said, I know how hard it is.”
He smiled at her. “Denki, Lucy. I appreciate it.”
“But you grew up here, ja? It wonders me that I don’t remember you.”
“I’m considerably older than you. I’m twenty-eight. When I turned eighteen, right after I was baptized, I moved to
Shipshewana and started learning the carpentry trade. To be honest, while I loved Sam, we got along better with a little distance. I didn’t want to work for him. We would have banged heads about everything. So I accepted an invitation from a cousin there, and I’ve been there ever since.”
“That explains it. I’m twenty-one. You would only have been in school for about a year after I got there, and you certainly wouldn’t have had time for a little girl only six years old!”
He laughed. “I think I remember you, though. Long brown braids and big brown eyes. And I seem to recall you liked to catch bugs. The teacher didn’t appreciate your scientific curiosity, as I remember.”
“That was me! Poor Amber Coblentz! She hated bugs, and I was always taking one inside to show her. I still like bugs, but now my audience consists of Millie, who also thinks they’re very cool.”
“Lucky you!”
“Ja, and lucky Amber too. She married a shopkeeper from Ohio. I ran into her at a wedding a couple years ago. They live in his hometown above their dry goods store—fewer bugs than on the farm!”
Millie tugged on Lucy’s bonnet string and signed, “Down.”
Lucy sighed. “I think we’ve pushed our luck far enough when it comes to this little girl’s patience for sitting still.”
He offered her a hand down from the stool. She accepted, her eyes shyly meeting his, and she blushed.
Amos was surprised to feel a little tingle in his hand as Lucy briefly held it while she climbed down from the stool. Not only had he enjoyed his time with the lovely young woman and her adorable sister, but he was finding that he wished they could spend more time together.
What are you thinking, man? You just got back after being away
for years. You’re not looking for an entanglement right now!
But Amos didn’t feel like listening to his subconscious. “It was very gut getting to know you a bit, Lucy. And you too, Millie,” he told the little girl who was gazing at everything they passed with wide eyes. “I hope to run into you both again soon. Except maybe not literally next time.”
Lucy laughed, appreciating his twinkling hazel eyes and the way his sandy-brown hair, just a bit too long, brushed the collar of his green-and-white-striped Fisher’s Hardware shirt.
“Well, maybe I’ll see you at services? I attend here in Bird-in-Hand.”
He considered the idea. “I’ve been attending services in Lancaster with my cousins. Maybe I’ll check out the services here. Is this a church Sunday coming up?”
“Ja, we’re meeting at my neighbor’s place, just a mile or so from my home.” She gave him the address and then, saying goodbye, started toward the door.
Millie tugged her hand, and she looked down at the child. “What is it, lieb? You’ve still got Pinky.”
Millie signed, “Fix shower.”
Lucy slapped her forehead. “Oh, ja! Denki, Millie. I almost forgot what we came here for in the first place!”
“You mean, it wasn’t to spill paint and eat ice cream? I’m crushed.”
“Ha ha. Those were definitely bonuses, but we actually came here to buy caulk so I can make the shower usable in the dawdi haus. It’s leaking into the basement now.”
“Well then, follow me.” He led her to the plumbing section, pulled a tube of caulk from the shelf, and held it out to her. “I believe this is what you need.”
She looked at the label. “That looks like what Mose told me to buy. Denki.”
“I strive for excellent customer service.”
“Well, you’ve achieved it today. The ice cream didn’t hurt.” She grinned at him, revealing a set of dimples and strong, even teeth. Uh-oh, she just sparkles. I’m in trouble. “Come on, I’ll check you out so you can go caulk your shower.” He led her to the checkout and indicated to the woman standing there that he’d take care of the sale. “Go ahead and take a break, Melba. I’ll keep an eye on things for a bit.”
She looked with open curiosity at Lucy and Millie, then winked at him and turned toward the back of the store. “Okay, boss, see you in fifteen minutes!”
“Did she just wink at me?”
“Ja, she did,” Lucy confirmed. “You ate ice cream with an unmarried Amish woman. You are in big trouble now.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Does anything ruffle your feathers?”
“When you’re a single woman raising a child, you need to develop a thick skin.”
His smile slipped. “You don’t mean people think Millie is your daughter?”
“You did.”
He frowned. “Huh. I did. But I also assumed you were married.” He stared at her for a few beats, then blurted out, “You’re not, are you? Married?”
She shook her head. “Nee. Single woman raising a child, remember?”
“Ach, ja.” He felt himself blushing a bit. “And people have judged you?”
She shrugged. “Some people assume I’m an unmarried mother.
And even among people who know the situation, there are those who think it isn’t proper for a young, single woman to be raising a child alone.”
He rang up her purchase and bagged it, but when she reached for it, he drew it back. “I’ll carry this heavy package out to your buggy. Just part of the service!”
“Really? You’d do the same for anyone, hmm?”
He grinned. “Ja, of course! Ah, here comes Melba, back from her break already. I’m going to walk out with the Beilers. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time!” She winked again.
He stared at her, then turned and followed Lucy and Millie out of the store. “Did she wink at me again?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Amos shook his head in mock sorrow. “I can see I’m going to have to have a talk with her about respecting her boss. Sure, she may have changed my diapers when I was a boppli, but that doesn’t mean she can just be winking at me left and right!”
Lucy strapped Millie into her car seat and then climbed up into the buggy. Taking the reins in her hands, she looked at Amos. “Are you sure? She seems to think she can.”
He handed her the small bag containing the tube of caulk and was about to ask if he could see her again when a man’s voice interrupted them. Amos saw Lucy’s face at the sound of the voice, and the alarm on it raised his hackles.
He turned and saw a young Amish man and woman standing together next to an old buggy. The woman looked uncomfortable, and she put her hand on her mann’s arm, as if urging him away. The man, a burly fellow with a brown beard showing a couple of years’ growth, and an unpleasant look in his eye, shook off his wife’s hand.
“Aren’t you going to answer me, Lucy? Or are you too gut for me now?”
“Come on, Johnny, let’s go inside. I need to get those jars and get back home.”
“I’ll go when I’m ready.” The man didn’t even look at his wife, who glanced uncertainly between him, Lucy, and Amos before putting her head down and hurrying into the store.
“Is there a problem here?” Amos asked cautiously, keeping himself between the obviously angry man and Lucy’s buggy.
“What business is it of yours?”
Raising his eyebrows at the man’s surly attitude, Amos crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m Amos Fisher. This is my store. Everything that happens here is my business.”
“Well, ain’t you fancy? Lucy, you’re keeping company with fancy Amish folk now?”
Lucy bit her lip and glanced back to check on Millie, who was busy with her piggy.
“Johnny, you made it perfectly clear last time I saw you that you had nothing else to say to me.”
He laughed, an ugly sound, and spat on the parking lot by Amos’ feet. “I just wondered how you and the kid are getting on. Is she still alive? Or did you give everything up for nothing?”
At Lucy’s gasp, Amos decided he’d had enough. “I don’t know who you are, but you need to do your shopping and then leave.”
The man eyed Amos speculatively and spat again. “I’m John Zook, Lucy’s ex-fiancé.”
Lucy sat up straight and glared at the man. “For the record, we were never engaged. In case you’ve forgotten how it was, we courted for almost a year, but when I told you I’d be raising my schwester, you said you weren’t interested in that, and dropped
me like a hot brick and married someone else. I have nothing to say to you.”
Zook sneered at Lucy and spat again. Amos realized he was chewing tobacco, a habit he considered disgusting.
“It’s your fault I married that mouse. You should have given the brat to one of your married kin, not tried to raise it yourself! You had no business ruining my plans! After all the time I invested in you too. You’re an ungrateful, selfish woman, Lucy Beiler. And you look haggard. No wonder you’re en alt maedel.”
Amos stepped forward and took the man’s arm, turning him toward his buggy and marching him over to it.
“That’s it. You leave now. We’ll find your wife a ride home.”
“Hey!” Zook sputtered, “Take your hands off me!”
“Get into the buggy. Now.”
The two men faced off, Lucy’s pale face watching from inside the buggy, where Amos knew she stayed to protect Millie.
“I’ll show you what happens when you push John Zook around.” But at that moment, a police siren squawked, two short blats, and a Lancaster County sheriff’s cruiser pulled up next to the buggies.
“Great, I’ll be hearing from the bishop about this, for sure and certain,” Amos muttered, stepping back from Zook, who turned to face the deputy.
“Everything okay here, folks?” the young deputy asked. “Oh, Amos, I didn’t realize you were part of this. We got a call about a possible fight in your parking lot.” He eyed John Zook. “Why am I not surprised to find you where there’s trouble, Mr. Zook?”
Zook’s face turned beet red above his beard, and Amos watched him attempt to gain control over his anger. He could tell by the way the deputy shifted away cautiously that this wasn’t the first time he’d interacted with Zook.
“I wasn’t doing anything, just catching up with an old friend,” Zook spat, looking up at Lucy in the buggy. The deputy followed his gaze and saw Lucy sitting, white-faced, in the vehicle.
“Ma’am,” he nodded politely. “We got a call that this man was harassing you. Do you want to file a complaint?”
Lucy lifted her chin and gave a decisive shake of her head. “No, denki. He was unpleasant, but I just want him to leave me alone.”
The deputy nodded slowly. “What about you, Amos? He looked like he was getting ready to swing at you when I pulled in.”
Amos briefly considered having Zook hauled off to jail but decided it would be more trouble than the satisfaction would be worth. And it wasn’t the Amish way. Regretfully, he shook his head. “Nee, Tom, denki. I doubt he will be a problem again, because he is no longer welcome in my store.”
At that moment, Mrs. Zook came hurrying out of the store, a bag clutched in her arms. Taking in the scene, she looked horrified. “John! What’s going on? Why is an Englisch policeman here? Are you in trouble again?”
“Get in the buggy, fraa,” Zook snarled at his downtrodden wife. “We’re going home.”
Amos felt sorry for the woman, who clambered into the buggy and sat staring straight ahead, making eye contact with no one.
Zook spat on the pavement again. “I don’t want to shop in your store anyway. Your selection is no gut!” He climbed into his buggy and jerked his gelding’s head roughly around. The horse snorted in protest, and he yelled at it, driving it out of the parking lot and into the street without another word.
“He’s a troublemaker, Amos. Watch out for him,” the deputy said. Then, nodding again to Lucy, he climbed back into his cruiser and drove away.
“He is a druvvel-machah, but I doubt he’ll trouble me again,” Amos said, walking back to Lucy. “You were engaged to him?”
“Nee! Well, almost. I’ll. . .I’ll tell you about it another time, okay? I’m not going to be able to talk calmly right now, and I need to get Millie home. I’m sorry I brought trouble to your place of business, though.”
“You didn’t make him show up here.”
“Nee. I haven’t seen him since he dumped me and left the district. I heard he’d found a fraa in a neighboring one, and assumed he was living and working there. I’ve never seen her before. Oh, this is so upsetting!” She covered her face, and Amos realized she was crying.
“Hey! No need for tears! The guy didn’t hurt anyone.”
“But it’s so embarrassing!”
“Why should you be embarrassed? You didn’t do anything. He’s the one who should be embarrassed. And his wife, unfortunately.”
“But everyone will hear of this! They’ll talk about us. I hate that.”
Amos started to say nobody would find out from him, but he followed Lucy’s eyes and saw that they had a small audience of English and Amish standing outside the store, watching.
“Oh bother,” he muttered. “Okay, show’s over, folks, everyone go about your business, please.”
“Just making sure you didn’t need help, Amos,” Melba called from where she stood, halfway out the open doorway of the shop. The others nodded, and Amos realized they weren’t snooping as much as having his back.
“Denki, we’re fine. I’ll be in soon.” He turned back to Lucy, his face serious. “Lucy, I am very sorry all that happened, but none of it was your fault. I want you to know, I really enjoyed my time with you and Millie. I would like to spend more time with
you both. If I come to services here Sunday, will you sit with me afterward, during lunch?”
Lucy brushed tears from her eyes and looked at him as if trying to figure out whether he was sincere. He smiled reassuringly, and after a moment a soft smile flitted across her lips. He sent up a quick prayer that she would say yes. After a few moments, she nodded, putting him out of his misery.
“Ja, Amos, I believe Millie and I would both enjoy that.”
Amos’ grin split his face. “Really? That’s wonderful gut! So, I’ll see you in a few days.” He stepped back from her buggy. “Keep an eye open for Zook. If you see him anywhere near you, I want to know, okay?”
“I don’t think he’ll be a problem. It’s been almost three years, and this is the first time I’ve seen him. But, if I do, I’ll tell you.”
She smiled tentatively again, then gently turned her horse toward the road.
Watching the compelling pair drive away, Amos offered up a prayer.
You know I haven’t been looking for romance, Vader. I’m still not sure I’m ready for anything like that. But, I guess I’m plenty old enough to think about finding a fraa and settling down. Please, keep Lucy and Millie from harm, Vader. I guess I’ll just wait and see what You have in mind for us. Your will be done.
He watched Lucy drive away toward her farm and smiled wryly. My brieder will have a gut laugh at my expense, after all the girls I ducked in Shipshewana! I guess Gott does work in mysterious ways!
CHAPTER TWO
That should hold us for the week.” Neva Beiler washed her hands to remove flour and dough while Lucy slid the last four loaves of bread into the oven.
“Ja, even with your hungry hoard eating it almost faster than we can bake it!” Lucy laughed as she walked to the door between the living room and kitchen in her brother and sister-in-law’s home.
Her nieces Emma, eighteen, and Linda, sixteen, were playing on the floor with Millie. They had spread plastic animals across the rug and built pens for them with wooden blocks.
Emma gave her a thumbs-up. Lucy smiled and nodded and withdrew into the kitchen.
“Have some kaffi.” Neva set a couple of mugs on the table, then sank into one of the kitchen chairs with a deep sigh. “Ah, a gut day’s work. And doesn’t it smell heavenly in here?”
Lucy nodded, inhaling the scents of coffee and fresh, hot bread. “Ja, I love baking day.”
Lucy had joined Neva in baking for their two households shortly after Millie’s birth. Having taken on the responsibility of raising a child on her own—let alone a disabled child— she’d
found she often didn’t have time for everyday chores.
Neva had suggested simplifying things by combining household chores such as baking and washing, and Lucy had readily agreed.
“It’s a lot more enjoyable since you and our little sunbeam started coming over to spend it with us!”
Lucy smiled at her sister-in-law, whom she loved as dearly as any of her sisters. “Honestly, Neva, I don’t know how I’d have managed otherwise. Your kinner are so gut with her! And since I spend a lot of time alone with a little child, it’s very nice to come here and be with adults.”
“Well, we love having you both here. Now, grab the tin of cookies. The girls will be ready for a snack soon enough.”
Lucy grabbed the cookie tin from the counter. They had filled it that morning. They’d also made enough bread for both households for a week.
She stirred some cream into her coffee and took a small sip, her mind on the incident at the hardware store the day before.
I’m going to see what Neva thinks about the whole thing. She always has gut advice, and she won’t blab my business to everyone in the family.
“You look like your thoughts are too heavy for your neck,” Neva observed, choosing a couple of cookies from the tin.
Lucy sighed again. “There is something I’d like to run past you, if you don’t mind?”
Lucy explained about her trip to Fisher’s Hardware and how much she’d enjoyed meeting Amos. She related the mishap with the paint cans, which caused both women to laugh.
“It sounds as if he’s a very nice man. Will he come to services Sunday, do you think?”
Lucy shrugged. “I’m hoping he will.” She smiled shyly, and Neva grinned back.
“Well, it’s about time you showed some interest in a nice, eligible man! You haven’t looked at anyone since that no-good Johnny Zook walked away just when you needed him most. Good riddance.”
“It’s not as if any eligible man has really looked at me. Men my age seem to think twice about taking on a fraa who comes with a child, especially one who needs so much medical care.”
Neva wrinkled her nose. “Puh, I knew the right man, a man who can see past his own nose, would eventually come around and see what a jewel you are. The fact that it’s taken three years is probably gut. You’ve had time to really learn how to care for Millie’s needs. You’ve figured out the English medical system, and that child is simply thriving! You are an excellent mother and an excellent catch.”
Lucy’s mouth had dropped open somewhere in the middle of Neva’s impassioned speech, and she simply stared at her sisterin-law, humbled and amazed she had such a high opinion of her.
“Well, close your mouth before a fly gets in!” Neva smiled and drank some coffee. “Why are you surprised that I think you’re doing a gut job? Don’t you think your bruder and I would have said something if we didn’t think so?”
Lucy considered. Mose and Neva are both straight-talking people you could trust to tell you the truth. I guess they would have said something a long time ago if they didn’t think I was doing a gut job with Millie. After all, Millie is Mose’s little schwester too!
She smiled at Neva warmly. “Denki, Neva. I know you’d have said something. But thinking I’m doing okay is a far cry from all those nice things you just said!”
Neva shrugged and pushed up from the table to gather together dishes for a snack for Millie and her two babysitters. “I guess I didn’t think you needed to hear it before. So, now you
