The Christmas Cradle by Charlotte Hubbard Read Free Book Online Page A

dark, too. They’d probably been asleep for a while, and so had Lena.
    Ten minutes later Josiah had hitched Dolly to his rig and was rolling down the dark road without a backward glance. He’d be back in Bloomfield by midnight.

Chapter Four
    â€œDon’t know how to tell ya this, so I’ll say it straight out,” Miriam murmured as Lena entered the kitchen. “Josiah’s clothes are gone.”
    Lena nipped her lip. She gazed out the back window, toward the barn where his rig had been parked.
    â€œBen told me he and Josiah had words last night. He’s guessin’ your fella’s either gone to Higher Ground or back to Bloomfield.”
    Considering how Josiah usually reacted to criticism, this came as no surprise. As Lena assessed how she felt about his leaving, however, her eyes remained dry. She hugged her unborn baby. “Josiah’s gotten gut at gut -bye. He’s like a bee, flitting from flower to flower. Doesn’t like to be tied down.”
    â€œI’m sorry you’re feelin’ his stinger again,” Miriam remarked. “But you’ve got a place to stay as long as ya need one. You and the baby will be just fine, and you’ll eventually figure out what God’s got in mind for ya. He always has a plan.”
    â€œI’m counting on that,” Lena said with a sigh. “It seems every time I make my own plans, someone changes them for me. What can I do to help you, Miriam?”
    The lines around Miriam’s chocolate brown eyes crinkled. “We don’t have church today, so Ben and I figure to read a bit and spend a quiet morning. Rebecca, Rhoda, Andy, and his kids’ll be here for dinner, along with Rachel, Micah, and their new baby—and Ben’s brothers’ll join us, too, along with Nora and her daughter, Millie. Our whole family will be together, except for Ben’s two aunts bein’ in Cedar Creek for the weekend.”
    Lena smiled sadly, missing her family back home. “I feel honored that you’re including me—”
    â€œDon’t get down on yourself just because Josiah’s judgment took a turn for the worse.” Miriam came over to grasp Lena’s shoulders. “Everybody hits bottom now and again. It’s how we bounce back that determines how high—and how far—we’ll go once we’re headed in the right direction.”
    A smile eased over Lena’s face, which was a huge improvement over the way she usually fell apart when Josiah left her. “Keep reminding me of that. These past couple of days with you folks has already improved my outlook.”
    â€œGlad to hear it.” Miriam opened the cabinet where she kept the dishes. “Wonder if Rebecca’s joinin’ us for breakfast? She never says so, knowin’ I’d like her to be in church, but I suspect she catches up on her Web site design business on Sundays.” She chuckled as though this secret about her English daughter tickled her. “What with helpin’ Andy Leitner at his clinic and waitin’ tables during the breakfast shift, I don’t know how that girl keeps up with her computer work. She’s brought us a lot of new business by designin’ Web sites for the café and the Schrocks’ quilt shop, and now the mill and Nora’s consignment store, too.”
    Lena’s eyebrows rose as she set the table. “Your bishop’s agreeable to online advertising? Josiah and Savilla would be in big trouble if the church leaders in Bloomfield found out they had a Web site.”
    â€œOh, we couldn’t be online without Rebecca bein’ English,” Miriam replied. “And because Willow Ridge is just a wee spot in the road, Bishop Tom knows our shops wouldn’t support us without tourists findin’ us. Tom put his foot down, though, when we discovered that Hiram Knepp had a fancy Web site with his full-face picture on it.”
    â€œOh, my. He