Sarah's Gift (Pleasant Valley 4) by Marta Perry

Author:Marta Perry
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2010-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The work frolic and grocery shower at the home of Eli and Dora Schmidt was in full swing by the time Sarah arrived on Saturday. She’d hoped to convince Aunt Emma to come, feeling the outing would do her good, but without success.

Handing the buggy over to one of the young boys who was responsible for taking care of them, Sarah carried her heavy grocery bags into the kitchen.

The room was filled with an assortment of women and children, the women talking as they scrubbed down cabinets, the children either clinging to their skirts or playing with a box of blocks in the corner.

Sarah felt instantly at home. The grocery shower was an institution, held whenever one of the Leit suffered from financial problems. Each new arrival would bring bags filled with groceries, until the family had enough to carry them through the crisis.

Eli had broken his arm while trying to repair his barn roof right after Dora had given birth, so a work frolic was a fine way to clean Dora’s house, finish the repairs Eli had been making to his barn, and enjoy being together, all at the same time.

Ruth, Dora’s oldest daughter, relieved Sarah of the bags, greeting her with a warm smile. “Denke, Sarah. It is so gut of you.”

“This is from my aunt, also. Two loaves of her applesauce bread are on the top.”

“That is so kind of her. And of you.” Dora slipped away from the knot of women to embrace Sarah. “How is she? I have been praying for her.”

Was it her imagination, or did the chatter quiet now, as if everyone wanted to hear her answer?

“She is doing a little better now. I’ll tell her you asked about her. Now tell me how that beautiful baby is doing.”

It wasn’t that she wanted to hide the truth, but given the way talk went around the Amish community, she didn’t want to say anything that might be blown out of proportion by busy tongues.

“Ach, she’s a gut baby, chust like all the rest. She eats, she sleeps, she wets.” Dora beamed. “She is sleeping now, but she’ll be up for a feeding before long, so you can see her then. You’re staying, aren’t you?”

“Ja, just put me to work.” Sarah handed Ruth her coat and bonnet.

“Komm, join us.” Leah Glick lifted a stack of plates down from a cabinet shelf. “We can use an extra pair of hands.”

“For sure.” Anna added her voice to her sister’s. “At least we get to work inside, not out in the cold.” She nodded toward the kitchen window.

A group of men clustered around the barn. It didn’t take a second glance for Sarah to recognize Aaron’s tall figure on a ladder. She looked away again quickly.

She hadn’t talked with Aaron since that difficult moment when she’d refused his demand that she not accept Molly as a patient. If he had his way, it would probably be a long time before she spoke to him again.

“If Eli hadn’t

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