Home to Stay by Loree Lough

Author:Loree Lough [Lough, Loree]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2020-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

It shouldn’t have surprised her to find Anki right where she’d left her, but it did.

“How did your meeting go?” Anki asked. “Will you be one of us soon?”

Willa let Frannie down to crawl around, smiling as she toddled from chair to chair on chubby, unsteady legs, and provided Anki with an abbreviated version of what she and the bishop had discussed. “It sounds like a major investment of time and work, but it’ll be worth it.”

“We can hope.”

What did that mean? Willa wondered. She noticed the novel beside Anki, right where she’d put it. “How did you enjoy the story?”

Anki picked up the book, glanced at its cover, at the back jacket, and put it down again. “I forgot it was there.”

That shouldn’t have surprised her, either, and yet ...

Without a radio or television to keep her occupied, how had the woman spent the past hour? Staring blankly into space, as usual. More than ever, Willa wanted to bring her to the clinic, give Emily a chance to see and hear for herself that things were not normal in the mind of Anki Hofman.

“What did Dan say about your hair?”

Another shrug, and then, “He said it will be easier to wash and quicker to dry.”

“He wasn’t angry, then?”

“I think he has tired of me. So much that he no longer cares enough to get angry.”

Something had to be done. Not tomorrow or next week, but now. And Willa knew that if she didn’t start things in motion, Anki would continue down this dangerous slope until something horrible happened.

“Let’s take a short drive, make the most of the sunshine while we can.”

She tidied the lap quilt and shrugged. “I would rather stay here.”

No doubt she meant it. Left to her own devices, only God knew how long Anki would sit there.

“Anki, get up. Get up right now.”

At least the woman had the good grace to look a bit shocked at her stern, maternal tone.

“I told you. I would rather—”

“If you don’t get up, right this minute, and come with me, I’ll have no choice but to ask Dan to help me get you into the truck.”

Anki rolled her eyes, and Willa knew the threat had fallen on deaf ears.

“Frannie,” she said, “tell Anki to get up so we can go bye-bye in the truck.”

The baby fast-crawled to the woman’s side, and leaning on the cushion beside her, said, “Up, Anki. Up! Bye-bye? Bye-bye!”

Just as she’d hoped, the child got through to her. Anki wasn’t happy about it, but she tossed aside the quilt and got to her feet.

Frannie clapped, and that, at least, inspired a tiny grin. Willa held out her hand. “C’mon, sweet girl. Let’s get Anki’s coat and cap, and we’ll all go bye-bye!”

Five minutes later, they sat in the clinic’s waiting room. Anki hadn’t said a word since leaving the house. She sat, sullen-faced and stiff-backed, staring at the rack of books above the toy box, where Frannie squealed as she tossed wooden cars, faceless dolls, and a small rocking horse over her shoulder.

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