CHAPTER 1.
In the stillness of the night, Cherish pushed the barn door open, then leaned down and grabbed the flashlight. She jiggled the switch until it came on and used her free hand to wipe away the tears that had settled on her cheeks.
She had to call someone and tell them what happened. Someone had to stop Daniel Whitcombe from exposing her family’s secrets. He’d made them sound so much worse than they were. He said the exaggerations made him a good reporter, but Cherish knew they made him a liar. It meant he was awful.
The only person she could think of calling was Earl, her oldest brother.
Holding the flashlight high, she walked over to the phone and then fumbled through the address book until she found his number. With a quick prayer that her call would be answered, she dialed while her heart thumped hard inside her chest.
She took a deep breath when the ringing tones ended. She wasn’t someone to give up easily so she tried again. On the third call, she was relieved to hear her brother’s deep voice. She swallowed her tears. “Earl, it’s me.”
"Me… who?"
"Your youngest sister."
“Cherish? Is that you?”
“Jah.” She sniffed.
“Is everything okay?”
Pulling herself together the best she could, she said, “No one’s dead or anything. No one is sick.”
“Have you been crying?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you have time to listen?”
“Of course I’ve got time. Tell me what’s going on.”
She could tell by his voice he’d been asleep, but he didn’t make her feel bad by telling her so. After a deep breath, Cherish unburdened herself telling him about their recent English visitor and all about Daniel, the dreadful reporter, who pretended to be nice when he really wasn’t.
After that, she told him about the stories Daniel had threatened to expose. “And he said, if he doesn’t write them, Krystal most likely would. I think he could be right. She’s talked about writing a book about our family before. It’s the kind of thing she’d do. She’s selfish and doesn’t care about anyone except herself.”
“Do you want me to talk with the reporter?”
“That wouldn’t do any good. Thanks anyway, but he’d probably hang up on you.”
“I wasn’t thinking of talking to him by phone. I’ll go to his office and see him in person—talk to him face to face, man to man.”
Cherish gulped. “You’d come all the way from Ohio to do that?”
“I have been considering a visit. I’ll let you in on a little secret.”
Cherish felt better already. “I love secrets. What is it?” She pressed the phone’s receiver hard against her ear so she could better hear every word.
“I’ve met someone. I’ve asked her to marry me, and she’s agreed.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”
“And, you’re bringing her here to meet everyone?”
“I was weighing up the pros and cons of coming, and now your problem has tipped the scales in favor of doing it.”
“I’m so pleased that something good has come out of all the bad things that have happened to me. I’ll meet… I don’t even know her name.”
“Miriam.”
“That’s a pretty name. Tell me all about her. I want to know everything.”
“It’s late. Otherwise, I would. Try to get some sleep and I’ll sort your problems out when I get there.”
Cherish felt a whole lot better. “When are you coming?”
“I should get there in the next week or two. Don’t forget. Not a word to anyone. I’ll let Florence know when we’re coming.”
“I tell you what, Earl, tell Florence you’re bringing a surprise and tell her you’re not telling everyone what it is. They’ll have to wait. Everyone loves surprises and they’ll all be so happy to meet her.”
He chuckled. “Do you think so?”
“I know so. It’ll be the best surprise ever.”
“All right I’ll take your advice. Do you feel better now?”
“I do. Thanks for fixing everything.”
“I haven’t yet.”
“No, but you will. Daniel needs someone to talk some sense into him.” And it wouldn’t hurt that Earl stood tall, at six feet and four inches. He was enough to intimidate anyone into agreeing with what he said. “Thanks, Earl.”
“Good night, Cherish.”
“Good night, Earl, and please don’t tell Miriam anything about the stories and the reporter.”
“I have to. I tell her everything and she tells me everything. We don’t have secrets.”
Cherish sighed. “You tell her everything?”
“Yes.” He chuckled.
“Okay then, you can tell her.”
“I will.”
After Cherish hung up, she let out a deep breath. She looked down at Caramel, sitting beside her. “Earl will fix everything. I’m so glad I’ve got an older brother. Let’s go.” He stared up at her with his head tilted, as though he was trying to work out what she had said.
Cherish slipped out of the barn, and when she neared the house, she turned off the flashlight that she’d forgotten to leave in the barn. She set it by the front door so she’d remember to put it back in the morning.
Trying to further settle herself before bed, Cherish crept into the kitchen and lifted Timmy’s sheet that covered his cage. Caramel had gone to the living room to soak up the last of the heat from the fireplace.
Timmy’s head was tucked to one side under his wing feathers. He moved his head and looked at her. She reached her hand through his door and he stepped onto it. She took him out and put him on her shoulder. She often took him out of his cage but never when Mamm was around, or she’d probably threaten to give Timmy away.
He sat there for a moment, and then walked from one shoulder to the other. Then he flew to the top of her head and sat on her prayer kapp.
“Don’t do anything you shouldn’t while you’re up there,” Cherish told him.
She could feel him turning around and then he hopped back onto her shoulder and pecked at her loose prayer kapp strings. Then he flew to the table. Fearing he might fly around the house and then head upstairs, she got him and put him back in his cage. “I’ll let you out again soon, okay?”
He stepped off her hand onto one of his two perches and then she closed his door and covered his cage.
She left the kitchen and quietly walked up the stairs to her bed, hoping she’d sleep. When she was snuggled under the covers, Caramel jumped onto the end of her bed.
* * *
Morning came, and Cherish knew she’d only slept a little. She would’ve thought she hadn’t slept at all, but there were vaguely-remembered fragments of a dream.
All night, she’d tried to put the blackmailing Daniel Whitcombe out of her mind, but she couldn’t. If Earl wasn’t able to talk him out of his stupid idea, she’d need two stories to swap with him so he wouldn’t use the ones she’d begged him not to write. It was gut-wrenching to think what would happen to her family if he wrote those stories. Her mother would never recover. She was always going on about not bringing shame to the family, and Ada, her mother’s best friend, would say it was Cherish’s fault. Somehow, she got the blame for every bad thing that happened.
Not wanting everyone to complain about her sleeping in, she quickly changed into her day clothes, donned her kapp, and headed downstairs.
To her surprise, she found Wilma alone in the kitchen. Cherish slumped into a chair, disappointed that she hadn't lingered in bed for a few more moments.
Wilma looked down her nose at Cherish while she whisked eggs in a bowl. “What’s the matter with you this morning? Are you still sick?”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, you don’t look it. You’re worried about something. Anything I should know about?”
“Nee Mamm. I’m waking up. I didn’t sleep much.”
Her mother poured the eggs into a sizzling hot pan. “You must miss Krystal,” Mamm said loudly above the cooking noises.
“Not likely.”
With the worst timing in the world, Favor came into the kitchen. “You wouldn’t miss her, but I do.” Favor then sat opposite Cherish.
Knowing Favor would’ve heard her comment, Cherish said, “Sorry about what I said.”
“It’s fine.”
Their mother leaned over Favor and hugged her. “There, there. It’ll be all right when it’s better. She couldn’t go along pretending she was someone she wasn’t forever.”
“I know.”
“Your eggs will be ready in a minute.”
“Denke, Mamm.”
Wilma headed back to the stove. “Saturday and winter, and Florence still expects you girls to work outdoors in the orchard when I could do with your help in the house. We have the meeting here Sunday next and I’ll need everyone to get busy cleaning. You’ll have to do double the work when you can.”
“Don’t worry, Mamm. It’ll get done.”
Mamm glared at Cherish at the same time as she buttered the toast. “That’s all I ever hear from you. It’ll get done, don’t worry. But I do worry because I’m continually let down by you girls.”
Cherish and Favor looked at one another, but said nothing. It was awful that their own mother thought so poorly of them.
After a few more silent moments, Cherish had to say something. “Don’t you think Florence is getting meaner?”
“I do,” Mamm said.
“Nee, she’s not," said Favor. "She’s not mean at all.”
“She’s always bossing us about," complained Cherish. "She left, so should she have been allowed back? She walked out on us.”
“She’s got to boss us because she is the boss," persisted Favor. "She’s never been mean.”
“She is.” Cherish poked out her tongue at Favor, but she didn’t see it and neither did Mamm.
Favor looked over at their mother. “I’m surprised you agree with Cherish, Mamm.”
Wilma shrugged her shoulders. “I should’ve said she hasn’t changed.”
“Where is everyone?” Favor asked.
“Probably still asleep,” Cherish said as they heard a knock on the back door. “Who would that be?”
“It might be Florence,” Favor suggested. “I hope she didn’t hear what you said.”
Cherish was the first one to her feet and opened the back door to see Florence. She didn’t look upset, so she couldn’t have heard. “Oh please tell us we’re not late again today.”
Florence smiled. “You’re not late yet, but there’s still time.”
“What?”
“Time for you to be late.”
“Oh. That’s a joke, jah?”
“Not a good one if you didn’t get it. I came here early to talk with Wilma.”
Cherish stepped aside, allowing Florence to walk through the mud room into the kitchen.
“Oh, Florence, would you like some breakfast? Not all the girls are awake yet.”
“I’m a little early, but I do hope they’ll be awake and ready to start work soon.”
Cherish sat down again and watched her mother to see if she’d say anything to Florence about them working on a Saturday and at this time of year. She didn’t.
“Would you like some eggs for breakfast?” Mamm repeated to Florence.
“No thanks.”
“Some coffee, then?”
“Yes, please, but I’ll get it.” Florence stood.
“Nee. You sit down. I’ll get it while Favor’s eggs are cooking.”
“Oh, so you’re not cooking any for me?” Cherish asked.
“Yours and Favor’s, I meant.” Mamm poured a cup of steaming coffee from the pitcher and placed it on the table for Florence, who was now seated on the chair next to Favor.
“Thanks, Wilma.” After Florence took a sip, she said, “I have some news.”
Wilma spooned eggs onto a plate. “About the orchard?”
“No, it’s about Earl. He called me this morning.”
Wilma stopped. “He’s not ill, is he?”
“No, he’s coming for a visit.”
Wilma swallowed hard and then took two plates of eggs to the table, one for Favor and the other for Cherish. “Here to this haus?”
“He’s coming here to see all of us and he said to tell everyone he’s bringing a surprise.”
“For me?” Cherish asked, to cover up what she knew.
Hope and Bliss rushed into the kitchen. “Cherish, you would think that,” said Hope. “Hello, Florence. When’s Earl coming?”
“I don’t have an exact day. He said in a few days. When I tried to pin him down, he said it depends on the surprise.”
“I know what it is,” said Hope as she slid into a chair. “He’s bringing us a puppy and he has to wait until he’s old enough to be away from his mother.”
Florence laughed. “I don’t know about that. He wouldn’t do that unless he asked Wilma first.”
“I would hope so, anyway, and he didn’t, so we can safely hope and pray that it is not another animal,” Wilma said.
Levi walked into the room. “Morning all. What’s this I hear about another animal?”
