Henry grinned as he recalled Leah’s reaction to his comment about her and Mary Bontrager. Isaac and he had never discussed Leah’s friendship with Mary. He knew because he’d seen them together often enough when he’d attended church service or Visiting Sunday gatherings. Isaac and he had talked about Henry’s secret desire for his future, and Isaac had mentioned that Mary Hershberger Bontrager’s husband, Ethan, made cabinets for a living. His friend had suggested that Henry talk with Ethan about the business. Henry had planned to visit Ethan the next day, but then his father’s recent heart attack had changed everything. He’d visited Dat in the hospital, where his parents had made him promise to run the store. Henry had agreed. Being a dutiful son was the least he could do for the parents who’d raised and loved him.
Unable to be or do what he wanted didn’t mean he couldn’t make the best out of a difficult situation. He’d keep the store open. And I’ll convince Leah to forgive me. He smiled as he looked forward to the challenge.
Her family was relieved to see Leah as she steered the wagon into the yard and parked it near the barn. They were all outside, as if hoping that the buggy sound they’d heard was her. She climbed down from the vehicle and faced them.
“Leah!” Mam said as she hurried forward, quickly followed by Ellie and Charlie. “I was worried that you’d been caught in the storm.” Her eyes widened as she took in Leah’s appearance—the damp state of her clothes, her missing prayer kapp and wet hair.
“Ja, I was caught at first but managed to find shelter.” Leah smiled to reassure her and her sisters as she watched her father descend the front porch and approach more slowly. He looked more concerned than her mother. “As you can see, I’m fine.” She met her father’s gaze as he drew close. “Dat.”
“Leah.” He studied her as if gauging whether or not she was all right, then he seemed to let go of his worry. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“I am, too, Dat.” She moved toward the house and everyone fell into step with her. “I’m hungry, though. ’Tis been a long time since lunch.”
“Supper is nearly ready,” her mother said, moving ahead, apparently eager to get the meal on the table.
“We’re having fried chicken,” Charlie added with delight. She hurried to help her mother.
Leah turned to Ellie. “Were you caught in it?” she asked her sister.
“Nay. Got home just in the nick of time.” Ellie eyed her carefully. “’Twas a bad one.”
“Ja,” she agreed.
“Ellie, you should help your mudder.”
“Ja, Dat.” Leah watched her sister run into the house. She turned toward her father.
“Dochter,” he said.
“Ja?”
“Was it awful?”
She knew what he meant. He was asking how well she’d coped with her fear. He was the only one who knew of her phobia. He was the one who’d found her during a raging storm curled up in a ball in an open field, sobbing with terror as thunder crashed overhead and lightning flashed while it threatened to strike her. He’d picked her up and carried her to safety. Despite the fact they were walking through the storm to the nearest shelter in their barn, she’d felt safe and secure within his arms. She was three years old at the time. Her mother hadn’t been home. Mam and her older sister, Nell, were at her grandparents’ house. As young as she’d been, Leah had begged her father that no one learn of what happened. Her father had agreed readily. Her mother was with Meg, and he hadn’t wanted to upset her. And so they’d both kept the knowledge—and Leah’s subsequent fear of thunderstorms—to themselves. As far as she knew, she hid her fear well and her family still didn’t know.
“Nay,” she said and realized that she spoke the truth. “I did gut.” Despite her initial terror, she’d weathered the storm better than usual—because of Henry Yoder. She felt worse than ever before for treating him badly.
Her father’s expression cleared. “That’s wonderful, Leah.” His smile reached his eyes. “Let’s go eat supper.”
Surrounded by her parents and sisters at the dinner table, Leah felt the stress of being caught in the storm and her time spent with Henry dissipate. She smiled as she listened idly to her youngest sister Charlotte’s conversation with Ellie.
“Visiting Day is at Aunt Katie and Uncle Samuel’s,” Charlie said. “Can we bring chowchow and apple pie?”
Ellie arched her eyebrows. “Why chowchow? I’m sure Aunt Katie has plenty.”
Charlie frowned. “Who says she’ll serve hers?” Then softly, as if voicing her thoughts, she murmured too quietly for the others to hear, except for Leah who sat next to her, “I want to bring something I made by myself.”
Leah shot her a look and noted the wistfulness in Charlie’s expression. She smiled in Ellie’s direction. “I think it’s a great idea for us to bring chowchow. The last batch was the best I’ve ever tasted.” She could feel Charlie’s gratitude in the release of tension in her sister’s shoulders. “I’m sure Aunt Katie only brings hers out if no one else thinks to bring some.”
“That’s true,” her mother said with a smile. “So, we’ll bring chowchow, and I’ll make the apple pie and some sweet-and-vinegar green beans. Any other ideas?”
“I’ll make potato salad,” Leah offered.
Ellie grinned. “I’ll make a cake.”
“I’ll help you with the cake,” Charlie offered, clearly happy that everyone had agreed that they should bring a bowl of her sweet-and-sour chowchow, a pickled mixture of the remainder of last summer’s garden vegetables, a favorite among the members of their Amish community.
The next morning Leah worked to make German potato salad while Ellie and Charlie gathered the ingredients to make a cake and her mother rolled dough for an apple pie. She loved these times when the women in her family were all together in the kitchen, but she missed having her married sisters, Nell and Meg, with them.
As she carefully drained the hot water off the potatoes, Leah found her thoughts drifting to Henry and his kindness to her during yesterday’s thunderstorm. The last thing she’d wanted to do was spend time with him, but he’d made it bearable. She’d found herself softening when he’d wrapped a quilt around her shoulders. Leah frowned. She didn’t want to think of Henry. It bothered her that she’d been unable to get him out of her thoughts since she’d left the store.
Forcing Henry from her mind, she concentrated on enjoying the time with her mother and sisters while she made her potato salad and found happiness in the company of her family.
* * *
Sunday morning Leah got ready to spend Visiting Day at her Lapp relatives. Once she’d put aside thoughts of the storm—and Henry—the day spent with her mother and sisters baking and cooking was wonderful. Amish women weren’t allowed to cook or do any work on Sundays, so it was important to make sure everything was done by Saturday afternoon. Leah had made two large bowls of German potato salad, a family favorite. Ellie and Charlie had baked two cakes, one chocolate and one carrot. Mam had baked the apple pie and made traditional sweet-and-sour green beans with sugar, vinegar and chopped pieces of cooked bacon. The green beans fixed this way were delicious cold as well as hot, so it was the perfect side dish to any Sunday meal.
Since