virgin birth, and Reba was certain the infant Jesus had forced some poor animal to lose its dinner by sleeping in the trough.” Rebekah slipped her arm around Annie’s waist and walked with her back toward the house. “Jacob decided having you children build the nativity scene would help everyone understand the Christmas story a bit better.”
Annie waved to Jacob who was sitting on the porch, wrapped in blankets. “I’m glad he’s well enough to sit outside and watch. That’s nothing short of a miracle, Mamm .”
“Never doubt the Lord. He will take care of your dat , and he’ll take care of whatever’s bothering you too.”
Annie nodded and squeezed her mother’s hand, and her thoughts returned to Samuel.
Too often she found herself picturing his coal-black hair and haunting eyes—on rising each morning, while doing her chores, even as she slipped between the cold sheets each night. She did not have any trouble falling into a deep sleep, though. She’d discovered the key to forgetting Samuel’s caustic words and claiming a good night’s sleep.
All she needed to do was stay up as late as her mother each night and rise with Adam each morning. She dressed, thenprepared breakfast for her younger sisters so her mother would have a few moments to spend with her father.
By the time everyone left for work and school, she had been up three hours and was as wide-awake as the winter birds searching for food outside the window. Caring for her father was remarkably easy on her nursing skills—she’d never done a stint as a private nurse.
And it was remarkably hard on her patience.
As Samuel had predicted, there were many things her father grew less tolerant of the stronger he became.
“Annie, you checked my blood pressure not an hour ago. I can’t see as it would have gone up since you haven’t allowed me out of this bed.” Her father’s face took on the expression of their Englisch neighbor’s old bull—stubborn and ornery and looking for a fight.
“I explained to you last time, Samuel wants hourly notations so he can be sure the medication isn’t affecting you adversely.”
“There’s another thing I’d like to talk to him about. Why am I still taking the Englischer’s medicine? I don’t believe I need it. A kind could tell the infection has gone out of my leg.”
“In six days?” Annie snorted. “It’s better, ya , but not healed. As for your pestering, a child could see through it. You’re simply trying to find a way out to the barn.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You’d be likely to re-break one or both your legs, that’s what’s wrong.” Annie sank onto the hardwood chair beside her father’s bed and studied him. The stern approach she used with the children at the hospital was not working with her dat .
Samuel’s parting words of caution still rang sharply in her ears, and the memory did not improve her mood this morning one bit. Surely she could outwit a crotchety old Amish farmer and a crotchety young one combined.
Standing up, she moved to the window and looked out over the snow-covered fields, toward the barn where she knew David was working. “Reba told me she’d taken the new mare out for a run.”
“The girl does have a way with animals.”
“She’s using the old lead rope, though. I’m a bit afraid it might break on her.”
“I had Adam buy new rope.” Jacob’s bored and petulant voice took on new interest.
“ Ya , but did you show David how to properly weave the rope together into a lead halter?”
“ ’Course I did,” Jacob grumbled.
“I don’t mean to criticize him,” Annie turned back toward the bed. “He’s a fine young man—shows up for work on time every day, always has a pleasant word. Certainly isn’t his fault if he doesn’t know how to weave a lead rope.”
“I showed him how in this very room last week.”
“Mark my word, Blaze will break the old one. The thing really is in tatters.”
Jacob struggled to
Annie waved to Jacob who was sitting on the porch, wrapped in blankets. “I’m glad he’s well enough to sit outside and watch. That’s nothing short of a miracle, Mamm .”
“Never doubt the Lord. He will take care of your dat , and he’ll take care of whatever’s bothering you too.”
Annie nodded and squeezed her mother’s hand, and her thoughts returned to Samuel.
Too often she found herself picturing his coal-black hair and haunting eyes—on rising each morning, while doing her chores, even as she slipped between the cold sheets each night. She did not have any trouble falling into a deep sleep, though. She’d discovered the key to forgetting Samuel’s caustic words and claiming a good night’s sleep.
All she needed to do was stay up as late as her mother each night and rise with Adam each morning. She dressed, thenprepared breakfast for her younger sisters so her mother would have a few moments to spend with her father.
By the time everyone left for work and school, she had been up three hours and was as wide-awake as the winter birds searching for food outside the window. Caring for her father was remarkably easy on her nursing skills—she’d never done a stint as a private nurse.
And it was remarkably hard on her patience.
As Samuel had predicted, there were many things her father grew less tolerant of the stronger he became.
“Annie, you checked my blood pressure not an hour ago. I can’t see as it would have gone up since you haven’t allowed me out of this bed.” Her father’s face took on the expression of their Englisch neighbor’s old bull—stubborn and ornery and looking for a fight.
“I explained to you last time, Samuel wants hourly notations so he can be sure the medication isn’t affecting you adversely.”
“There’s another thing I’d like to talk to him about. Why am I still taking the Englischer’s medicine? I don’t believe I need it. A kind could tell the infection has gone out of my leg.”
“In six days?” Annie snorted. “It’s better, ya , but not healed. As for your pestering, a child could see through it. You’re simply trying to find a way out to the barn.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You’d be likely to re-break one or both your legs, that’s what’s wrong.” Annie sank onto the hardwood chair beside her father’s bed and studied him. The stern approach she used with the children at the hospital was not working with her dat .
Samuel’s parting words of caution still rang sharply in her ears, and the memory did not improve her mood this morning one bit. Surely she could outwit a crotchety old Amish farmer and a crotchety young one combined.
Standing up, she moved to the window and looked out over the snow-covered fields, toward the barn where she knew David was working. “Reba told me she’d taken the new mare out for a run.”
“The girl does have a way with animals.”
“She’s using the old lead rope, though. I’m a bit afraid it might break on her.”
“I had Adam buy new rope.” Jacob’s bored and petulant voice took on new interest.
“ Ya , but did you show David how to properly weave the rope together into a lead halter?”
“ ’Course I did,” Jacob grumbled.
“I don’t mean to criticize him,” Annie turned back toward the bed. “He’s a fine young man—shows up for work on time every day, always has a pleasant word. Certainly isn’t his fault if he doesn’t know how to weave a lead rope.”
“I showed him how in this very room last week.”
“Mark my word, Blaze will break the old one. The thing really is in tatters.”
Jacob struggled to
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