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Gabe would consult his sketch and assign an area of the farm, and before he could thank the stranger—no, before he could thank the neighbor —Miriam would have filled his Thermos with hot kaffi and sent him on his way.
And though he couldn’t abide the thought of eating, though he’d had nothing since the cheese biscuit nearly twelve hours before, he was grateful something delicious was baking in his oven. The men working deserved to be fed.
Noah appeared in the doorway between the mudroom and the kitchen, but he didn’t walk into the room. Beside him was Pepper, who barked once, and another man whom Gabe couldn’t place. In fact, he was sure he’d never seen him before.
In his twenties, clean shaven, and with a pleasant smile, Gabe noticed that he made eye contact with Miriam before reaching down and settling the dog with a single hand gesture.
“We’re ready to go out with him,” Noah said. “Gabe, this is Aden Schmucker. He lives a couple of districts over. His parents own the farm next to mine, and he happened to be there visiting this weekend.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“ Ya . Of course.”
Miriam stepped forward. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a slight blush to her cheeks, but it could have been the heat from working in the kitchen. “Aden’s one of the best hunters in these parts. He helped to train Pepper when we first bought him.”
“He’s a gut dog,” Aden said. “It was a gut idea to use him to look for your little girl.”
Gabe nodded but didn’t add anything. There were dynamics at work here he didn’t understand, and truthfully he didn’t care. All he cared about was finding Grace.
“Do you have something he can get her scent off of?” Aden asked.
Gabe glanced toward Miriam. She pulled Grace’s mitten out of the pocket of her apron.
“Has your daughter worn this recently?” Aden asked.
“ Ya ,” Gabe said. “She has. I found it on the floor in the mudroom. I think she dropped it as she went out.”
Aden squatted down beside the dog and spoke to him softly. Gabe couldn’t make out exactly what he said, but after a moment Aden placed the mitten in front of Pepper and spoke two short commands.
Pepper began to walk around the mudroom, his nose to the ground. When he reached the back door, he barked once.
“All right. Let’s go.” Aden pulled on his gloves and Noah wrapped his scarf more tightly around his neck.
Opening the door, they both stepped out into the night, the wind pulling away any words they might have shared.
Gabe stood there watching them go, feeling helpless and hopeless. Wanting to believe and afraid to believe.
“It’s going to be all right, Gabe. They’ll bring Grace back to you.” Miriam placed her hand softly on his back. He remembered when he had opened his front door and she had fallen through it.
He remembered the feel of her in his arms.
All he wanted right now was Grace back in his house, but it helped to know that the woman standing beside him also cared about his daughter. She understood what it was to watch Grace struggle each day in her unique way, struggle and overcome. Maybe those daily battles would give her the strength to survive until someone found her.
He stood there longer than he should have, connected to her by their feelings for Grace. The others were helping because it was the right thing to do, but he and Miriam were the two who knew Grace, who understood her even if they had come to different conclusions about what was best for her future.
He thought of apologizing, but he knew that it wasn’t the right time.
So instead he pulled in a deep breath and asked for more kaffi.
Miriam didn’t think her feelings could become any more jumbled. She was so worried about Grace that one more drop of kaffi would send her stomach into somersaults. Every time she looked at Gabe, it was as if she experienced his sorrows with him. Plainly his heart was breaking with each moment that passed. The man had been
Gabe would consult his sketch and assign an area of the farm, and before he could thank the stranger—no, before he could thank the neighbor —Miriam would have filled his Thermos with hot kaffi and sent him on his way.
And though he couldn’t abide the thought of eating, though he’d had nothing since the cheese biscuit nearly twelve hours before, he was grateful something delicious was baking in his oven. The men working deserved to be fed.
Noah appeared in the doorway between the mudroom and the kitchen, but he didn’t walk into the room. Beside him was Pepper, who barked once, and another man whom Gabe couldn’t place. In fact, he was sure he’d never seen him before.
In his twenties, clean shaven, and with a pleasant smile, Gabe noticed that he made eye contact with Miriam before reaching down and settling the dog with a single hand gesture.
“We’re ready to go out with him,” Noah said. “Gabe, this is Aden Schmucker. He lives a couple of districts over. His parents own the farm next to mine, and he happened to be there visiting this weekend.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“ Ya . Of course.”
Miriam stepped forward. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a slight blush to her cheeks, but it could have been the heat from working in the kitchen. “Aden’s one of the best hunters in these parts. He helped to train Pepper when we first bought him.”
“He’s a gut dog,” Aden said. “It was a gut idea to use him to look for your little girl.”
Gabe nodded but didn’t add anything. There were dynamics at work here he didn’t understand, and truthfully he didn’t care. All he cared about was finding Grace.
“Do you have something he can get her scent off of?” Aden asked.
Gabe glanced toward Miriam. She pulled Grace’s mitten out of the pocket of her apron.
“Has your daughter worn this recently?” Aden asked.
“ Ya ,” Gabe said. “She has. I found it on the floor in the mudroom. I think she dropped it as she went out.”
Aden squatted down beside the dog and spoke to him softly. Gabe couldn’t make out exactly what he said, but after a moment Aden placed the mitten in front of Pepper and spoke two short commands.
Pepper began to walk around the mudroom, his nose to the ground. When he reached the back door, he barked once.
“All right. Let’s go.” Aden pulled on his gloves and Noah wrapped his scarf more tightly around his neck.
Opening the door, they both stepped out into the night, the wind pulling away any words they might have shared.
Gabe stood there watching them go, feeling helpless and hopeless. Wanting to believe and afraid to believe.
“It’s going to be all right, Gabe. They’ll bring Grace back to you.” Miriam placed her hand softly on his back. He remembered when he had opened his front door and she had fallen through it.
He remembered the feel of her in his arms.
All he wanted right now was Grace back in his house, but it helped to know that the woman standing beside him also cared about his daughter. She understood what it was to watch Grace struggle each day in her unique way, struggle and overcome. Maybe those daily battles would give her the strength to survive until someone found her.
He stood there longer than he should have, connected to her by their feelings for Grace. The others were helping because it was the right thing to do, but he and Miriam were the two who knew Grace, who understood her even if they had come to different conclusions about what was best for her future.
He thought of apologizing, but he knew that it wasn’t the right time.
So instead he pulled in a deep breath and asked for more kaffi.
Miriam didn’t think her feelings could become any more jumbled. She was so worried about Grace that one more drop of kaffi would send her stomach into somersaults. Every time she looked at Gabe, it was as if she experienced his sorrows with him. Plainly his heart was breaking with each moment that passed. The man had been
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