to be hard,” Susan said, gently squeezing his arm. “But you’re remembering
a few more things all the time, like just now when you remembered getting on a bus.”
She paused. “You had to be going somewhere, Luke, because you were found badly beaten
in the Philadelphia bus station.”
He lifted his head and offered her a weak smile. “I wonder what I did to make someone
mad enough to beat me up.”
“Maybe you didn’t do anything,” Susan said in a reassuring tone. “It might have been
some maniac who just liked to push people around.” Her expression sobered. “Or maybe
the person responsible for your injuries needed money, and when you said no, he beat
you up and took your wallet. Remember, there was no wallet or any identification found
on you, Luke.”
He shook his head forcibly. “No, I don’t remember. If I did, I wouldn’t be here right
now, trying to put the pieces of my life together.” Frustration welled in Luke’s chest,
and he fought to keep his emotions in check.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said. “I guess I didn’t word things quite
right. What I meant to say was, remember what I told you the police said to those
they spoke to at the hospital when they brought you in?”
“Yeah, I know what you told me, but it’s not the same as me actually remembering what
happened in that bus station.”
“Luke, I have an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you think it might help you remember if we went to the bus station where you were
found?” she suggested.
“I don’t know. Guess it’s worth a try.”
“All right then, we’ll take a ride over there on my next day off.”
Sometimes Luke couldn’t get over how sweet and accommodating Susan was. He was falling
harder for her all the time and wished he could express his feelings. But that would
have to wait until he knew for sure who he was and what had transpired in his past.
CHAPTER 8
Ronks
W hen Meredith looked at the kitchen calendar on the second Monday of March, she couldn’t
believe it. In just three days, she and Jonah would be married.
A few weeks ago, Jonah had taken Meredith to see a farm he hoped to buy. He’d put
money down on the place, and if all went well, the deal would close the day before
their wedding. Jonah had put away sizeable savings from working in Ohio and then with
his Dad. He’d wanted to use the money toward buying a place when the time came for
him to marry. With Jonah’s job, plus the rent money they would receive from Meredith’s
house, they should be able to live quite comfortably. Everything seemed to be falling
into place, and she was almost sure that marrying Jonah was the right thing to do.
Why then, did she feel a sense of apprehension this morning?
Staring out the window, as her breath steamed the glass, Meredith looked beyond the
yard and into the fields. She pictured the day a little over a year ago when she and
Luke had been eating breakfast and talking about the business offer Luke had gotten
from his uncle in Indiana.
Meredith sighed, resting her forehead against the cool window, as she remembered how
her suspicions had been true of being pregnant with her and Luke’s firstborn. With
the window still fogged over from her warm breath, she drew a happy face with her
finger. She had been blessed in so many aspects of her life. Looking up, she said
a brief prayer of thanks for the time, however short, that she’d had with Luke, and
now their most precious gift, little Levi.
“Guder mariye,”
Mom said, entering the kitchen. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Good morning,” Meredith replied, turning away from the window. “I slept okay. How
about you?”
“With your daed’s snoring and the incessant howling of the wind, I didn’t sleep so
well,” Mom admitted.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Mom yawned. “It’s okay; I’ll catch a catnap this afternoon and be good as
a few more things all the time, like just now when you remembered getting on a bus.”
She paused. “You had to be going somewhere, Luke, because you were found badly beaten
in the Philadelphia bus station.”
He lifted his head and offered her a weak smile. “I wonder what I did to make someone
mad enough to beat me up.”
“Maybe you didn’t do anything,” Susan said in a reassuring tone. “It might have been
some maniac who just liked to push people around.” Her expression sobered. “Or maybe
the person responsible for your injuries needed money, and when you said no, he beat
you up and took your wallet. Remember, there was no wallet or any identification found
on you, Luke.”
He shook his head forcibly. “No, I don’t remember. If I did, I wouldn’t be here right
now, trying to put the pieces of my life together.” Frustration welled in Luke’s chest,
and he fought to keep his emotions in check.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said. “I guess I didn’t word things quite
right. What I meant to say was, remember what I told you the police said to those
they spoke to at the hospital when they brought you in?”
“Yeah, I know what you told me, but it’s not the same as me actually remembering what
happened in that bus station.”
“Luke, I have an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you think it might help you remember if we went to the bus station where you were
found?” she suggested.
“I don’t know. Guess it’s worth a try.”
“All right then, we’ll take a ride over there on my next day off.”
Sometimes Luke couldn’t get over how sweet and accommodating Susan was. He was falling
harder for her all the time and wished he could express his feelings. But that would
have to wait until he knew for sure who he was and what had transpired in his past.
CHAPTER 8
Ronks
W hen Meredith looked at the kitchen calendar on the second Monday of March, she couldn’t
believe it. In just three days, she and Jonah would be married.
A few weeks ago, Jonah had taken Meredith to see a farm he hoped to buy. He’d put
money down on the place, and if all went well, the deal would close the day before
their wedding. Jonah had put away sizeable savings from working in Ohio and then with
his Dad. He’d wanted to use the money toward buying a place when the time came for
him to marry. With Jonah’s job, plus the rent money they would receive from Meredith’s
house, they should be able to live quite comfortably. Everything seemed to be falling
into place, and she was almost sure that marrying Jonah was the right thing to do.
Why then, did she feel a sense of apprehension this morning?
Staring out the window, as her breath steamed the glass, Meredith looked beyond the
yard and into the fields. She pictured the day a little over a year ago when she and
Luke had been eating breakfast and talking about the business offer Luke had gotten
from his uncle in Indiana.
Meredith sighed, resting her forehead against the cool window, as she remembered how
her suspicions had been true of being pregnant with her and Luke’s firstborn. With
the window still fogged over from her warm breath, she drew a happy face with her
finger. She had been blessed in so many aspects of her life. Looking up, she said
a brief prayer of thanks for the time, however short, that she’d had with Luke, and
now their most precious gift, little Levi.
“Guder mariye,”
Mom said, entering the kitchen. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Good morning,” Meredith replied, turning away from the window. “I slept okay. How
about you?”
“With your daed’s snoring and the incessant howling of the wind, I didn’t sleep so
well,” Mom admitted.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Mom yawned. “It’s okay; I’ll catch a catnap this afternoon and be good as
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