that had ultimately ended with her beloved cousin dead was punishment enough for anyone.
And Matt? What about Matt?
He was so very attached to Geoff. Lars was not athletic, and having been raised Amish, he had not learned the contact sports like basketball and football that Matt found fascinating. But Geoff had taken Matt under his wing the minute he recognized a gift in their son despite his small stature. Geoff had patiently worked with Matt after school and on weekends. He even allowed Matt to be on the sidelines during the games that Geoff coached. And she couldn’t begin to count the times that she had seen her son and her brother-in-law exchange a high five while seated in front of the small television in Geoff’s den watching a game together.
Tessa had usually been there as well, Emma thought now. Matt had grudgingly admired his cousin’s grasp of the finer points of the various sports.
“She’s not bad for a girl,” he had muttered.
Emma waited for the light and then pedaled across the nearly deserted highway to the hospital. She parked the bike near the valet parking station and ran inside. The lights had been dimmed in the lobby area—past visiting hours, Emma realized. She followed the maze of corridors to the bank of elevators that would take her to Sadie’s floor, and as soon as she arrived, she saw a uniformed woman chatting with staff at the nurse’s station. With relief she realized that the uniform was different from the one worn by Lieutenant Benson. The patches on the woman’s shirt identified her as part of the hospital’s security staff.
She hurried past, wanting nothing more than to have some time with Lars and the children without the presence of others. She felt such a need to gather them into her arms and hold on for a very long time. She wanted to lie next to Lars and pretend this day had never happened. She wanted to feel his strength and know as she had known from the day she met him that everything would be all right, that he would make it all right.
But she shook off such feelings as she passed the small waiting area and saw that it was filled with neighbors and fellow members of their congregation. The first person to come forward was Olive Crowder. Olive was not a hugger, but as she came to meet Emma, she stretched out her arms, and Emma gladly accepted the rare invitation to walk into their circle.
“How’s Sadie?” she asked.
“Sleeping,” Olive told her. “Lars got both of the children to lie down, and when I checked on them a few minutes ago, they were both sleeping.”
“Das ist gut,” Emma murmured. “Und Lars?”
Olive glanced back at Lars, who was surrounded by a cluster of men, including Hester’s father, Arlen Detlef, who was also their senior pastor. The men were all frowning as if someone had raised a weighty question that needed special consideration. Arlen was stroking his thick white beard.
As she worked her way through the crowded room to Lars, Emma paused to accept the condolences of the other women and thank them for coming. They had brought food—a beautiful cake, a fruit pie, and at least three perfectly formed loaves of bread. The thought of eating anything made her physically ill, so she turned her gaze back to Lars.
“Guten abend,” she murmured as she squeezed past several of the men to take her place beside her husband. She was unsure of her role here. Was she expected to play hostess and offer food as she had at Jeannie’s house? A foreign house to these people, in that it was not plain in its furnishings, and its other occupants were anything but plain in their dress.
Except Tessa.
It was true that Tessa had not exactly dressed in the conservative small green, blue, or gray prints that Emma had Sadie wear, and she certainly did not use a prayer covering of any sort. Her fiery red hair—so like her mother’s in color—was worn straight down, not pulled up in a bun. But even in her modern dress, she had preferred quieter styles
And Matt? What about Matt?
He was so very attached to Geoff. Lars was not athletic, and having been raised Amish, he had not learned the contact sports like basketball and football that Matt found fascinating. But Geoff had taken Matt under his wing the minute he recognized a gift in their son despite his small stature. Geoff had patiently worked with Matt after school and on weekends. He even allowed Matt to be on the sidelines during the games that Geoff coached. And she couldn’t begin to count the times that she had seen her son and her brother-in-law exchange a high five while seated in front of the small television in Geoff’s den watching a game together.
Tessa had usually been there as well, Emma thought now. Matt had grudgingly admired his cousin’s grasp of the finer points of the various sports.
“She’s not bad for a girl,” he had muttered.
Emma waited for the light and then pedaled across the nearly deserted highway to the hospital. She parked the bike near the valet parking station and ran inside. The lights had been dimmed in the lobby area—past visiting hours, Emma realized. She followed the maze of corridors to the bank of elevators that would take her to Sadie’s floor, and as soon as she arrived, she saw a uniformed woman chatting with staff at the nurse’s station. With relief she realized that the uniform was different from the one worn by Lieutenant Benson. The patches on the woman’s shirt identified her as part of the hospital’s security staff.
She hurried past, wanting nothing more than to have some time with Lars and the children without the presence of others. She felt such a need to gather them into her arms and hold on for a very long time. She wanted to lie next to Lars and pretend this day had never happened. She wanted to feel his strength and know as she had known from the day she met him that everything would be all right, that he would make it all right.
But she shook off such feelings as she passed the small waiting area and saw that it was filled with neighbors and fellow members of their congregation. The first person to come forward was Olive Crowder. Olive was not a hugger, but as she came to meet Emma, she stretched out her arms, and Emma gladly accepted the rare invitation to walk into their circle.
“How’s Sadie?” she asked.
“Sleeping,” Olive told her. “Lars got both of the children to lie down, and when I checked on them a few minutes ago, they were both sleeping.”
“Das ist gut,” Emma murmured. “Und Lars?”
Olive glanced back at Lars, who was surrounded by a cluster of men, including Hester’s father, Arlen Detlef, who was also their senior pastor. The men were all frowning as if someone had raised a weighty question that needed special consideration. Arlen was stroking his thick white beard.
As she worked her way through the crowded room to Lars, Emma paused to accept the condolences of the other women and thank them for coming. They had brought food—a beautiful cake, a fruit pie, and at least three perfectly formed loaves of bread. The thought of eating anything made her physically ill, so she turned her gaze back to Lars.
“Guten abend,” she murmured as she squeezed past several of the men to take her place beside her husband. She was unsure of her role here. Was she expected to play hostess and offer food as she had at Jeannie’s house? A foreign house to these people, in that it was not plain in its furnishings, and its other occupants were anything but plain in their dress.
Except Tessa.
It was true that Tessa had not exactly dressed in the conservative small green, blue, or gray prints that Emma had Sadie wear, and she certainly did not use a prayer covering of any sort. Her fiery red hair—so like her mother’s in color—was worn straight down, not pulled up in a bun. But even in her modern dress, she had preferred quieter styles
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