A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard Read Free Book Online Page A

“That’s very generous of you, Asa. Take care, and I’ll see you when I can.”
    When the door banged, the front room suddenly felt very empty. Asa went to the door and watched Edith break into a jog as she headed down the blacktop road. Had he said something offensive? Upset her enough that she was running away from him? Or was his face messed up from landing so hard after Midnight threw him?
    Asa wandered into the half bath tucked under the Hooleys’ stairway and looked in the mirror. One side of his face sported a huge purple bruise, and he was supposed to put ointment and a Band-Aid on his red forehead wound. He hadn’t combed his hair after his shower, and his five-o’clock shadow bristled along his jawline. Luke’s apple-green shirt was hanging lopsided at the collar because Asa had buttoned it wrong. And where had that grease spot come from?
    Asa sighed. He should probably phone home to say he’d be detained in Willow Ridge for a while, yet he suddenly lacked the energy to make the call. “You’re a mess, Detweiler,” he muttered as he ambled back to the kitchen.
    And that was true before Miss Riehl came calling and made you realize how many pieces are missing from this puzzling situation .
    * * *
    When Edith entered the back kitchen door, voices in the front room told her they had company. She stashed the sack with the formula and Asa’s clothes in the pantry, hoping her absence hadn’t become too noticeable. Putting on a bright smile, she went to greet their guests.
    What a sight it was to see Bishop Tom and Vernon Gingerich, the white-haired bishop from Cedar Creek, standing on either side of Dat near the fireplace while their wives, Nazareth and Jerusalem, sat on the couch holding the babies. Loretta and Rosalyn gazed at Edith as though to ask what had taken her so long, while Dat appeared as edgy as a cat trapped between two curious—but well-intentioned—dogs.
    “Bless her, Lydia Zook let me into the market so we’d have enough formula for tomorrow,” Edith said as she went to stand behind the sofa. “And she’s asking ladies from around town to bring any baby things they can spare for us, as well. What a relief that is!”
    “ Jah , I can imagine it’s been a scramble, figuring out how to care for these precious wee ones,” Nazareth said as she lifted pink-shirted Louisa to her shoulder.
    “And it’s an act of true Christian charity, taking them in without a moment’s notice, too,” Bishop Tom remarked.
    When Leroy began to fuss, Jerusalem stood up to walk with him. “What with our little goats living next door, giving such gut milk—”
    “Why, we could provide all the food you’ll need for these little angels!” Nazareth chimed in as she stood up to sway with the baby she held. “At six months, they’re old enough to tolerate goat milk, and it’s so much better for them than formula.”
    Vernon’s blue eyes twinkled as he considered this. “I can recall several babies in our family who thrived on fresh goat milk when their mamms couldn’t feed them,” he said as he smiled at Dat. “Seems God knew exactly where to bring these little souls who’re so dependent upon the charity of strangers. It’s a blessed mission you’ve taken on, Deacon Cornelius. You’re an inspiration to us all.”
    Edith and her sisters bit back grins. With two bishops declaring Dat the epitome of unconditional love, there was no way he could take the babies back to Roseville now—or at least not until they had a stable home to go to.
    Dat murmured something about Edith and her sisters being the ones who’d taken charge of the twins. Then he gazed intently at Vernon. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to be related to the Will Gingerich who brought us these angels , would you?” he asked. “He lives just outside of Roseville—and is apparently caught up in a rather unsavory situation, because as his wife was dying she named another man as the babies’ father.”
    Nazareth and Jerusalem sucked in