An Amish Harvest. Patricia Davids

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       Chapter Two

      Samuel cringed. He hated people seeing him this way. Was this another gawker like the last girl who had come to help? All Gemma Yoder could do was sob at the sight of his bandages and burned peeling skin. She’d been worse than no help at all. Thankfully, his mother had quickly sent her packing.

      “It’s Rebecca Miller,” his mother said. He could tell she wasn’t pleased.

      He heard them move closer. He knew the name even if he didn’t know the woman well. “Walter Miller’s widow?”

      “Ja. Walter was my husband.” The tone of her voice changed slightly. Samuel sensed the loss beneath her words. Why would she visit him? They barely knew each other. She wasn’t one of his mother’s friends. It was common for Amish neighbors to help each other, but she didn’t live close by.

      “Thank you for coming, but as I said, I’m not up to company.”

      “I can see that. Why are you still in bed?”

      “He’s in bed because he was badly burned. I’m sure my husband told you that,” his mother chided. “Samuel, your father has hired Rebecca to help us for the next few weeks.”

      No wonder she was upset. He had overheard her telling his father that she didn’t need or want someone to help with his care after the last woman left. His father rarely went against his wife’s wishes. Why this time? Samuel rubbed his back against the pillow still trying to ease that itch. “I’m glad you will have help in the store.”

      He caught a whiff of a fresh scent that reminded him of spring flowers. Amish women didn’t wear perfume, so perhaps it was the shampoo she used. His sense of smell had become more acute since the accident. Whatever it was, he liked the delicate fragrance, but he didn’t like visitors.

      “Lean forward.” When she spoke, she was close beside him.

      “Why?”

      “Because I said so.”

      That was bossy. He did as she said and was immediately rewarded by her fingers scratching the exact spot that had been driving him crazy. How did she know?

      “I’m not familiar with what it takes to run a store, but I do know how to care for sick people. You should be up and out of bed unless you want to end up with pneumonia on top of everything else. Anna, you know this. Why are you letting him be so lazy?”

      Her mild scolding annoyed him. “I’m not steady on my feet. Mother knows that.”

      “Ah, the explosion addled your brain,” Rebecca said as if discovering something important.

      “My brain is fine. It’s my eyes and my hands that were injured. I can’t catch myself if I start to fall.”

      “Rebecca, Samuel needs constant care. He will be up when he’s ready.” He felt his mother smooth the covers over his feet and tuck them in.

      “He won’t ever be ready if you coddle him, Anna.”

      “She isn’t coddling me,” he snapped. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t use his hands. He needed help with everything. Couldn’t she see that for herself?

      “Then you should move downstairs so your mother doesn’t have to run up here every time you call. You aren’t trying to make things more difficult for her, are you?”

      “He’s not making things difficult for me,” his mother said quickly. “I don’t know why my husband thinks I need help. I’m managing fine.”

      “Hello? Is anyone about? Anna, is the store open?” a woman’s voice called from downstairs.

      “Ja, we are open. Just a moment,” his mother answered.

      “Go on, Anna. I can manage here. Samuel, do you need your mother to do anything for you before she leaves?” Rebecca’s voice was so sweet he could almost hear the honey dripping from her tongue.”

      “Nee, I don’t need anything at the moment,” he said through clenched teeth. If she was trying to be annoying, she was doing a fine job.

      “Excellent. You see, Anna, Samuel and I will rub along well together. Don’t keep your customer waiting. I’ll sit with him until you come back. He and I need to get better acquainted, anyway.”

      * * *

      Rebecca hadn’t expected it to hit her so hard.

      Stepping through Samuel’s doorway was like stepping back in time. All her previous patients had been elderly folks or new mothers. Not since her husband’s death had she taken care of a grown man in the prime of his life. Memories flooded her mind pulling her spirit low. Day after day, she had watched Walter grow weaker and less interested in what went on around him and more dependent on her. She willingly became his crutch, not realizing the damage she caused until it was too late.

      Rebecca struggled to hide her dismay at the sight of Samuel. She had forgotten how much he resembled Walter. They were of the same height. They had the same broad shoulders and straight golden brown hair cut in the familiar Amish bowl hairstyle. Could she do this? Could she be a better nurse to Samuel than she had been to her dear Walter?

      God had placed this challenge in her path. It was a test СКАЧАТЬ