they thought of him.
“You need to give this some serious thought,” Aunt Verna continued. “If you don’t do as your daed said, then none of you will get your inheritance.”
“Oh, really? Who’s gonna get it then? You? Old Henry?” Joel’s voice rose even louder. “Or maybe all Dad’s money will go to those horses no one wants to sell.” Joel stomped across the room, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out the door.
If Dad thought he was going to make me knuckle under and do whatever he said in order to get my share of his money, he was sorely mistaken. I’m gonna get what’s coming to me, but it won’t be the way he planned.
C HAPTER 7
T hursday morning of the following week, Doris sat at her kitchen table with Brian, drinking coffee while they waited for Arlene to arrive. Elsie had gone to Dad’s house again, but this time she and Aunt Verna would be going through more magazines, catalogs, and newspapers in case they held money. Once they were done for the day, Elsie planned to do some Christmas shopping at a few stores in Charm and would take Aunt Verna along.
Doris added some cream and sugar to her coffee, swirling it together with her spoon, then leaned back in her chair. “Arlene said she’d be bringing some of her homemade cinnamon rolls with extra cream cheese frosting.”
“That would be nice.” Brian smacked his lips before sipping some coffee.
She stared out the window at the birdhouse that was once in her dad’s tree house. The last few months had been depressing. It was hard losing Dad, and now trying to get through the loss of her baby.
I don’t feel like celebrating Christmas this year, much less buying any presents,
Doris thought.
Brian and I were so happy about my pregnancy. I wish we could skip Christmas and start the new year.
She swallowed some coffee and winced when it burned her throat.
“Are you all right, Doris?” Brian touched her arm. “Does your leg hurt this morning?”
“It’s not my leg. It’s my throat. I added a little cream to my coffee, thinking it would cool off a bit, but the coffee was still quite hot when I swallowed it.”
“Would you like a glass of cold water?” He started to rise from his chair.
“No, I’m okay.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I don’t want you to be late for work, so if you’d like to go now, I’ll be fine until Arlene gets here.”
He shook his head. “It’s not that late. I can wait awhile longer.”
Sighing, Doris drummed her fingers on the table. She wished she could clean her own house, or even go back to work so she could help with the hospital bills that would need to be paid. She had so much time to sit and think. Feeling melancholy wasn’t making things better for them.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Jah. I’ve been thinking more about the stipulations of Dad’s will. We have my hospital bill to pay, so we could sure use some extra money.”
“True.”
“It’s not likely any of us will get our inheritance. What are the chances of Joel completing a selfless act?” Her forehead tightened as she frowned. “I can’t imagine what our daed was thinking when he put that clause in his will.”
Brian clasped Doris’s hand. “I don’t know, either, but I do know if we put our trust in the Lord, He will provide for our needs.”
Akron
Joel pounded his truck’s steering wheel in frustration. He’d taken time off from his job to contact a lawyer about Dad’s will, only to learn that his chances of contesting it were slim to none. Since the document had been notarized, with two witnesses present, it would be next to impossible to prove his father was incompetent when he’d made out the will. As far as the stipulation went, the lawyer said Joel’s dad had been within his legal rights to disperse his assets as he saw fit. “Besides,” he’d added before Joel left his office, “the Amish are inclined to do things a bit differently than we would.”
“Yeah, well my dad liked to do
“You need to give this some serious thought,” Aunt Verna continued. “If you don’t do as your daed said, then none of you will get your inheritance.”
“Oh, really? Who’s gonna get it then? You? Old Henry?” Joel’s voice rose even louder. “Or maybe all Dad’s money will go to those horses no one wants to sell.” Joel stomped across the room, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out the door.
If Dad thought he was going to make me knuckle under and do whatever he said in order to get my share of his money, he was sorely mistaken. I’m gonna get what’s coming to me, but it won’t be the way he planned.
C HAPTER 7
T hursday morning of the following week, Doris sat at her kitchen table with Brian, drinking coffee while they waited for Arlene to arrive. Elsie had gone to Dad’s house again, but this time she and Aunt Verna would be going through more magazines, catalogs, and newspapers in case they held money. Once they were done for the day, Elsie planned to do some Christmas shopping at a few stores in Charm and would take Aunt Verna along.
Doris added some cream and sugar to her coffee, swirling it together with her spoon, then leaned back in her chair. “Arlene said she’d be bringing some of her homemade cinnamon rolls with extra cream cheese frosting.”
“That would be nice.” Brian smacked his lips before sipping some coffee.
She stared out the window at the birdhouse that was once in her dad’s tree house. The last few months had been depressing. It was hard losing Dad, and now trying to get through the loss of her baby.
I don’t feel like celebrating Christmas this year, much less buying any presents,
Doris thought.
Brian and I were so happy about my pregnancy. I wish we could skip Christmas and start the new year.
She swallowed some coffee and winced when it burned her throat.
“Are you all right, Doris?” Brian touched her arm. “Does your leg hurt this morning?”
“It’s not my leg. It’s my throat. I added a little cream to my coffee, thinking it would cool off a bit, but the coffee was still quite hot when I swallowed it.”
“Would you like a glass of cold water?” He started to rise from his chair.
“No, I’m okay.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I don’t want you to be late for work, so if you’d like to go now, I’ll be fine until Arlene gets here.”
He shook his head. “It’s not that late. I can wait awhile longer.”
Sighing, Doris drummed her fingers on the table. She wished she could clean her own house, or even go back to work so she could help with the hospital bills that would need to be paid. She had so much time to sit and think. Feeling melancholy wasn’t making things better for them.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Jah. I’ve been thinking more about the stipulations of Dad’s will. We have my hospital bill to pay, so we could sure use some extra money.”
“True.”
“It’s not likely any of us will get our inheritance. What are the chances of Joel completing a selfless act?” Her forehead tightened as she frowned. “I can’t imagine what our daed was thinking when he put that clause in his will.”
Brian clasped Doris’s hand. “I don’t know, either, but I do know if we put our trust in the Lord, He will provide for our needs.”
Akron
Joel pounded his truck’s steering wheel in frustration. He’d taken time off from his job to contact a lawyer about Dad’s will, only to learn that his chances of contesting it were slim to none. Since the document had been notarized, with two witnesses present, it would be next to impossible to prove his father was incompetent when he’d made out the will. As far as the stipulation went, the lawyer said Joel’s dad had been within his legal rights to disperse his assets as he saw fit. “Besides,” he’d added before Joel left his office, “the Amish are inclined to do things a bit differently than we would.”
“Yeah, well my dad liked to do
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