Her Amish Springtime Miracle by Winnie Griggs

Author:Winnie Griggs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2022-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Mike had felt a spotlight on him since he’d arrived this morning. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but he’d borne it with stoicism for his mother’s sake.

Of course everyone knew who he was—as Hannah had warned, word spread quickly in a small town. Especially juicy news like this, that a man everyone thought dead now walked among them.

There was an awkward moment when he came face-to-face with his uncle Barnabas, but the man smiled and clamped him on the back. “Wilkum home, Micah. I haven’t seen such a bright light in your mamm’s eyes since before her accident.”

Several cousins introduced themselves and more than one asked whether he planned to rejoin the community. He deflected the question with noncommittal responses and a change of subject.

Noah made sure he had the proper tools and suggested he work alongside him, at least at the outset. It was obvious most of these men had worked together many times before. There was a rhythm to their work, an unspoken understanding among them of what needed to be done and a willingness to tackle it with gusto. Very few orders were issued, yet the work got done.

From his vantage on the roof, Mike had a good view of everything around him—the work going on at ground level, the children playing in the yard, the same yard he’d played in twenty-two years earlier, the women providing refreshments and helping his mother get the inside of her house set to rights. The talk that was a mix of Pennsylvania Dutch and English spoken with the unique patterns of the Amish.

All around were the sounds and sights of his childhood.

The men ate their lunch in shifts. Since many of Leah’s dishes had been destroyed, they were eating on paper plates and drinking from plastic cups. Which was fine by Mike—it had the added advantage of making cleanup easier. While he sat on the front porch steps eating his lunch, he kept his eye out for Hannah. She was like a bluebird flitting from job to job, pausing to throw some sticks on the burn pile, comfort a fallen child, or take the empty paper plate from one of the workers and dispose of it. At one point he captured her gaze from across the yard and she shared a smile that seemed somehow intimate even though they were in the midst of a crowd.

It was midafternoon when the work was done and the folks began dispersing. Finally it was just him, his mother and the Eicher family.

Hannah eyed his mother in concern. “You look exhausted, and it’s been a long day. Why don’t you go back to our house with Martha and Daed? I’ll finish cleaning up and take your buggy home for you.”

“I need to feed—”

“I’ll take care of the goats and chickens,” Mike said, interrupting her protest.

“Jah, that’s a good idea,” Isaac said.

Leah hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Danke. I think I’d like to lie down for a while.”

“I’ll take Grace with us,” Martha added. “I’ll have her all cleaned up and fed by the time you join us.

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