Ties That Bind (23 page)

A
bram paced the driveway, looking for signs of Ariana. Where was she this late at night? He heard a rustling from the pasture behind him and turned. How many times over the last hour had he thought he heard someone walking toward him only to discover it was a deer, a raccoon, or some other nocturnal creature?

He'd already gone to the places he could think of to look for her—the café, the swimming hole at the creek, and the room above the carriage house. All were sanctuaries where he could find his twin. She didn't use those places often, because her real sanctuary was the kitchen, where she could bake and talk to loved ones as she fed them. Strange girl, really.

A cow mooed softly, making the evening seem as if it should have its usual rhythm and peace. The front door of the house opened. Emanuel stepped outside, fully clothed, including his straw hat. Salome followed behind, carrying a fussy Katie Ann. Emanuel headed to the barn, and since it was after eleven at night, Abram was sure his brother-in-law intended to hitch a carriage to a horse to search for Ariana.

Salome came toward Abram. “Still no sign of her?”

Abram shook his head. It was a rather annoying question. Obviously there was no sign of her or he wouldn't be standing here on the lookout. “What did you two talk about on that carriage ride?”

Salome shrugged. “Silly sister stuff.”

Just how stupid did Salome think he was? “So what you would like me to believe is that, soon after Rudy arrived, she left him here to help Susie keep your children while she took you and the baby for a long buggy ride and she did so in order to discuss nothing more than silly sister stuff?”

“It doesn't matter what we talked about.”

“Of course not.”

He'd made good overtime money today, but right now he wished he'd gotten home sooner, at least early enough to know what was going on.

Salome swayed Katie Ann, patting her back. “Sometimes Ariana gets too upset over things that aren't her business.”

“That's part of how we know she cares so much. And since when are you none of her business?”

Ariana didn't argue over silly things. She tried to let people do as they thought best unless she feared they were entering a situation they couldn't turn back from.

“Of course you disagree with me.” Salome jiggled the baby. “You two have been thick as thieves since the day you were born.”

Salome had been thirteen when they were born, so her recollections of their first months and years were pretty clear.

“So she drove you and Katie Ann back home, put the horse and carriage away, and took off on foot?”

“I guess. Once I got out of the rig, I didn't hang around to see what she did.”

“And you didn't ask.”

“Heavens, Abram, she's twenty years old. Most Amish girls her age are engaged or married by now. I didn't think I needed to baby-sit her. She was miffed and went for a walk. She's gone for long walks for a decade. What's the big deal?”

“It's late and she's alone. When we don't go together, she always leaves me a note.”

“Always?”

He nodded.

“I didn't know that.”

He could fill a library with all Salome didn't know about Ariana. But he wouldn't say that out loud. Salome's selfishness had his temper boiling. He had little doubt that whatever the argument was about, Salome was at fault.

Emanuel drove the courting buggy out of the barn and toward them. Without the usual sides and top of an everyday carriage, it would be easy to see out.

Maybe Abram needed to go with them and search for her again along the roads. Emanuel hopped out and helped Salome climb in with the baby in her arms and then turned to him. “I think you should stay here and wait for her. We will drive the roads, looking for her while getting Katie Ann to sleep.” Emanuel nodded at him and then got in as if his words settled the matter.

Abram felt too antsy to stay put, but Emanuel's plan had a bit of wisdom. Ariana was more likely to return home on her own, coming through a back field, than to be found walking down the road. If Abram was here when she arrived, he could finally get some straight answers.

Driving the last few miles of the three-hour trip from the college, Quill's body ached from the stress. It was a type of weariness he hadn't experienced before.

He took a deep breath. “We're only ten minutes from where we stored your horse and carriage.” The statement was actually a question. Were they up to changing clothes and getting into their carriage, or did they need him to drive more while the three of them talked? An hour ago he had pulled into a place where they could have changed into their Amish clothes, but between her sobs Lovina had assured him she was in no shape to get out of the car. Isaac had spoken up, saying they would wait and change right before getting into the buggy.

Quill looked in his rearview mirror. Isaac caught his eye and gave a nod while trying to comfort Lovina. The tension and grief inside the car were miserable, and he could use a break. But even if he hadn't witnessed firsthand Lovina and Isaac's emotional upheaval, he wouldn't be free of his own inner turmoil involving this nightmare.

Fear over Ariana's future wouldn't retreat for even a moment. He knew her—how she thought, how she felt—and losing all DNA connection to the people she'd grown up with could undo her.

When he looked in her eyes now, compared to five years ago, he no longer saw childhood tagging along behind her, nipping at her heels. He saw full-fledged adulthood. And she had an untapped strength buried inside her, didn't she?

Dear God, let that be true.

He'd dealt with a lot of situations over the last seven years. The pressure began when he was only eighteen and took on the fight his Daed began, but that paled in comparison to what was happening now. He was unprepared in every way, and he didn't know how to comfort or guide Lovina or Isaac. What could he say?

Lovina's sobs had quieted now, and Isaac held her, his voice wavering as he spoke words of comfort that he clearly didn't fully believe.

Now what?
Since Quill had made the decision to leave with Frieda, he'd always known what to do. His decisions weren't easy, nor were they always right in everyone's eyes, including his own, but he'd known what had to be done. Each step. Every time.

Quill readjusted the rearview mirror so he could see them better. “I think you should let this situation with Ariana sit for now. She has seventeen days to finish earning the money for the café. If she can have that victory first, it'll help her cope with the news.” But the news would still unravel her world. All Quill could do was help her attain one dream before she walked into a living nightmare…and hope that made her capable of keeping her feet under her.

Isaac reached across the back of the seat and patted Quill's shoulder. “Denki.” His voice was raspy. “I agree, but how can she possibly earn that kind of money between now and then?”

It seemed that Isaac no longer viewed Quill as a traitor, which would help, because they needed to work together.

“She needs to have a benefit.”

“A benefit?” Isaac repeated. “Between now and the first of October?”

Isaac's questions and his tone seemed to indicate that Ariana hadn't talked to her parents about the idea, but he didn't sound as if he was against it.

Quill squeezed the steering wheel. “I've put a lot of things into motion behind the scenes—things that can't be connected to me, for her sake. All of it will fall into place if she'll simply get the ball rolling to have a benefit.” He glanced in the rearview mirror.

Isaac's smile said it all—he was truly grateful. “I don't know what to say.”

“You're okay with the plan?”

Isaac had to know it could ruffle feathers. The Amish had three categories for their people's behavior: acceptable, frowned upon, and forbidden. Anything frowned upon could easily cause people to put up obstacles.

“We are if Ariana is.” Isaac lifted Lovina's chin. “Right?”

Lovina wiped at her tears and nodded. “It would mean a lot to her if she could buy it.”

“Good.” Quill nodded. “Then, aside from Ariana, the only potential problem is how the people and ministers react to the idea. She doesn't have time to get bogged down in church politics and moral disapproval.”

Isaac stared into the rearview mirror, his eyes locked on Quill's. “I…might be able to intervene on her behalf.”

That was a pretty bold statement for Isaac. Quill only knew him as someone who supported the ministers, never as a man who asked them to reconsider their stand. “You're willing to try?” He glanced away from the rearview mirror, checking the road.

“Ya. But winning against hundreds of years of tradition isn't easy.”

“True.” Quill ran his fingers along the steering wheel, his mind churning. The ministers weren't bad people. They simply tended to think in the negative first, especially when the topic was a young woman establishing a new business. They worried over how inappropriate or selfish something might look or what model they were allowing. Quill needed to offer Isaac ways to present the positive sides and benefits.

While pondering that, he topped a hill and noticed a yellow glow in the distance. Focusing on it, he realized the light was coming from the windows of the community phone shanty. At nearly midnight? Was someone inside, or had a lamp accidentally been left burning?

He jolted when the phone that almost never received incoming calls began to vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket. The screen showed the community phone number, and a half-dozen possible scenarios crossed his mind.

His first goal was to protect Lovina and Isaac's privacy, so rather than pull up to the phone shanty, he immediately veered to the side of the road and parked under a huge oak. He turned off the engine, hoping to get out of the car and take the call before it disconnected. “I need to answer this.” He opened the door to the car. “I'll be right back.”