Her vater narrowed his gaze at his own vater, the bishop of the whole community. “She has brought this on herself. I want no part of her.”
Mutter gasped again. “Andrew, you can’t mean that.”
“I do. And you are to have nothing to do with her either.”
The bishop put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “We must all forgive trespasses as the Vater in heaven forgives us.”
Her vater shot his hand out to the side, pointing at the floor. “Not this. If we forgive her, what does it say to all the other young people going on Rumspringa?”
The bishop straightened. “That we show grace and mercy as our Heavenly Vater shows grace and mercy to us.”
“Ne. It shows we condone their actions. Then every girl will return pregnant and every boy a vater-to-be.”
“Release the rock in your hand, Andrew.”
Her vater glared. “You might be able to forgive her, but I can’t.” He wheeled around and walked to the door. He stopped and turned. “Come, Leah.”
Dori’s mutter glanced between her daughter and her husband.
Dori gave Mutter a nod that she understood her mutter wasn’t abandoning her like Vater.
Her mutter gave her a weak smile and followed her husband out.
Dori blinked, freeing the tears pooled in her eyes. Then she turned to the bishop. “What do I do now? I thought my parents would allow me to come back. I have no place to live, no money and no job. I assumed I’d be shunned, but I’d at least have a roof over my head.”
“You have a roof.”
“I don’t want to be in my vater’s haus if he can’t tolerate my presence.”
“You’ll come and live under meine roof. I’m across the yard in the dawdy haus.”
This was a turnaround. She’d thought her grossvater, the bishop, would be the one to reject her and her vater to welcome her. “The dawdy haus isn’t big enough. It has only one bedroom.”
“We’ll manage. I’ll hear no arguing over the matter.”
“Danki.” She needed to know where she stood in the community. “Am I to be shunned?”
The bishop smiled. Or was that her grossvater smiling at her? “Did you join church before you left?”
“Ne.” But he knew that already.
“Then there are no grounds on which to shun you. You don’t fall under the Ordnung or church rules.” He smiled broadly. “So we can eat together.”
“Don’t you eat at the big haus with Vater, Mutter and the rest of the family?”
“I did. But now that you’re here, you can cook for the two of us.”
“Are you sure?” It was as though he was choosing to be cut off like one who was shunned.
“Let’s call it your rent for staying in meine home.”
“Danki. I appreciate this so much, but I have to ask. Why this change of heart? You never would have accepted me home before.”
“You aren’t the only one who did some growing up while you were gone. I’m an old man. I don’t want to spend what few years I have left at odds with meine family.”
“But you are at odds with your son because of me.”
“Andrew will come around. Given enough time.”
Would she be here long enough to see his change? And when she left again, it would confirm that he’d been right about her.
Eli Hochstetler had stared in wonder when Bishop Bontrager left the haus and then returned with his son Andrew Bontrager and his son’s wife, Leah. Why had the Bontragers gone back inside? Why would the bishop want them to meet Rainbow Girl? Unless...they knew her? But how could they? Who was she?
He thought hard and could come up with only one name. Dorcas?
Couldn’t be. But the twisting in the pit of his stomach and the leap of his heart said otherwise.
Rainbow Girl had seemed familiar, and now he knew why. She was Dorcas Bontrager, the sweet girl who had turned her back on her Amish life.
And him.
Anger boiled inside him. Why hadn’t she told him? Why had she returned? Was she here to stay?
Someone nudged him. “Did you invite that Englisher here to make a website for you?”
Eli turned to Daniel. “Ne. I had no idea she would show up.”
“Did you tell her you needed a website? Maybe she decided to see if she could persuade you. Englishers can be pushy that way. Thinking they know better than we do.”
“Don’t talk about her like that. I told her to go to her family.” Apparently, she’d taken his advice.
“I wonder why she came.”
Eli held his tongue.
“Are you coming to eat?”
“Not yet. You go on.”
Daniel walked away.
Soon, the door to the haus opened, and Andrew Bontrager stood in the threshold. Quickly, his wife joined him, and they left. Neither happy. One angry, the other on the verge of tears.
Where were the bishop and Rainbow Girl?
He longed to see her, to make sure it was indeed her—or that it wasn’t. Which did he want? Both. Neither. So he stood at the bottom of the steps, anticipating. Debating. Should he go inside?
Eli startled at the appearance of the bishop and Rainbow Girl in the doorway, and he stuttered out words. “B-Bishop Bontrager.”
The bishop’s eyes widened. “Ah, Eli. This is meine enkelin, Dorcas. And this is Eli Hochstetler. But you two already know each other.”
His gut twisted, and his heart leaped. He stared hard to find some glint of the Amish girl who’d once lived among them. “Dorcas?”
She spoke in Deutsch. “Ja. It’s me. I’m Dori now.”
Even after all this time, he’d still imagined her very Amish. Not...this. “Nice to see you. Again.”
Dorcas smiled a smile to rattle a man’s nerves. “Good to see you again too, Eli.”
Eli understood. The lilt of an accent he’d heard came from her Amish roots.
The bishop stepped forward and pointed to the other end of the porch. “Eli, would you get meine enkelin’s suitcases and take them to the dawdy haus?”
He glanced down at the stoop. “She’s staying?”
“Ja. Meine enkelin has come home.”
Dorcas’s expression said she wasn’t pleased about it.
Bishop Bontrager gave him a pointed look. “Will you bring them?”
Eli wanted to take them for the Amish girl who had left him behind but not for the outrageous Englisher who had returned in her place.
“I can get my own things.” Dorcas stepped in that direction.
“Of course, I’ll get them.” Eli bounded up the four steps in two strides. He gripped the two side handles and hoisted