Milk Maid in Heaven Read online

  “Good morning, Mitch,” Ethan said weakly, while trying to sit up in his bed.

  Mitch grabbed the extra pillows that had fallen to the floor. “Here, let me help you with that.”

  “Have you been here very long?” Ethan leaned against the propped pillows.

  “No. I’ve been catching up on my reading.” Mitch held up his newspaper. “There’s an interesting article in here about organic farming.”

  “I don’t worry about that stuff. Let’s cut the small talk and get down to business. The doc says I’m running out of time and we still have a few things to take care of.”

  In the hall, Emily’s chest tightened at her father’s words. When was she going to learn her lesson to stop eavesdropping on her father’s conversations with Mitch? She went to her room to ready herself for work, unable to deal with what was happening in the next room.

  Mitch pulled the chair closer to Ethan’s bedside. “What did you want to work on today?”

  “Well, I suppose since I’ve made my peace with my daughter, I’d like to make my peace with God.”

  Mitch was shocked.

  Had the seeds he planted in Ethan finally begun to grow?

  “I’d like to attend the church that Emily used to go to with her mother the day after tomorrow and I’d like you to go with us. I’ll have Gabe talk to the warden about allowing you to have Sunday off, if that will be okay with you.”

  Mitch was still in shock. “But sir, all I have to wear besides the jeans with the prison stamp on them would be the ragged pair of jeans I had on when I was arrested. I’m afraid I don’t have any church clothes.”

  “Nonsense! God doesn’t care what you look like—he just wants you to show up. So I’ve heard. Besides, I’ve got a suit that would fit you—we’re just about the same height.”

  “I appreciate it, Ethan. Thank you.”

  Ethan smiled. “Once again, I’m the one that should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the best day I’ve had in a lot of years with my daughter. She and I have had a few heart-to-heart talks since she’s been back home and I think we’re closer now than we’ve ever been.”

  “It isn’t anything I’ve done. God is the one to give credit to. If it weren’t for his grace and mercy, I wouldn’t be the man I am today.”

  “Does that mean you’ll go with us?” Ethan looked at Mitch with hopeful eyes.

  “Yes, Ethan. It would be an honor to attend church with you and Emily.”

  With Ethan’s assistance, Mitch selected a dark grey, tweed suit, a deep indigo, long sleeved dress shirt and a blue and gold paisley tie. Mitch was delighted that Ethan had a pair of new dress socks and once-worn dress shoes, with a belt to match. He left the room with the clothing in a large, handled shopping bag and went back to the dairy.

  “What’s in the bag, Mitch?” Emily stood ankle deep in manure in the milking parlor petting Ellie. She leaned over when he walked by, trying to peek in the bag.

  Mitch pulled the bag away from her, closing it at the top. “I don’t think so, Emily. It’s a secret and you will have to wait a few days to know what it is. Maybe if you’re lucky, your father might tell you.”

  Emily raised an eyebrow at him and allowed herself to smile mischievously. “My father, huh? He’s an easy target and a sucker to the whims of his only daughter. I’ll get it out of him.”

  “I don’t know, Emily. This one might be a tough one to crack.” Mitch laughed as he put his things in his locker in the office.

  When he exited the office, Emily had grabbed a small pail full of milk and was waiting outside the door.

  “I’ll pour this on you if you don’t let me in on your little secret.”

  “You wouldn’t want me to get sick, would you? I’m lactose intolerant, you know.” Mitch held out his hands in his defense.

  Emily laughed, holding the galvanized bucket higher in the air. “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m serious! I wouldn’t lie to you,” Mitch said, suppressing laughter.

  Emily moved the bucket toward him like she was ready to throw it. “If you’re telling the truth, then why are you laughing so hard?”

  “I don’t know. Do you suppose if cows could laugh, milk would come out their nose?”

  Emily laughed so hard she thought her sides were going to burst, and Mitch joined her.

  “You look so cute with that pail of milk in your hands, and the tough look on your face is enough to make anyone laugh.” Mitch grabbed the water hose used to hose down the floors. “If you’re so tough, do you think you can take me? Come on, I dare you. All you have is that little pail of milk.” He held up the hose toward her.

  Emily squealed with laughter as she took a step backward, dropping the pail of milk on the floor of the parlor. Mitch twisted the nozzle letting loose a stream of water that reached her before she could get away. Laughing, she lunged toward him and grabbed his hands, turning the water on him. Soaked, they both began to laugh heartily. Mitch grabbed her, letting the hose drop to the floor.

  The barn door slammed open as one of the prisoners entered. “What is going on in here?”

  Emily backed away from Mitch, pulling wet curls from her cheeks. Mitch stood out in the aisle of the parlor challenging the prisoner. “Get back to work and mind your own business.”

  He gave Mitch a dirty look. “At least now I know how you got the supervisor job. Just remember where you came from. You can’t fool any of us—no matter how easily you’ve wormed your way into the boss-man’s life.”

  Al stepped into the hall at that point, causing the prisoner to back off without a word from him or Mitch. Emily clung nervously to Mitch’s sleeve, cowering behind him until the prisoner left the building. Al walked out behind him, leaving Mitch and Emily alone in the parlor.

  “Do you see why I’m reluctant to stay on here?”

  He turned to Emily, holding her trembling form.

  She looked up into his deep, blue eyes. “That is the exact reason you must stay. You’re not like them and you need to show them that you won’t back down no matter how much pressure they put on you. I don’t know—maybe we should stop hiring prison workers. I’m not sure I feel completely safe with them around—no matter how many guards are here. I’m beginning to think my father was right for shielding me from all of this.”

  “Don’t you understand, Emily? Those men need this job. Without it, their self-esteem would be nothing. Not to mention the fact that they wouldn’t have any money for the things that the prison doesn’t provide for them. If you take jobs away from them, they will feel useless—it’s a way of giving them a chance to recover from their mistakes and keep morale up. Your father knew this. That is why he set up a prison work system at this dairy—for the sake of the men. Without this job and your father taking a chance on me, I might still be wallowing in self-pity and self hate. This job gave me something to be proud of. Right now they’re having trouble adjusting to being without your father’s supervision—give it some time.”

  “I’m sorry, Mitch. I guess I never thought of it that way. I guess my father’s hard work all these years wasn’t in vain after all.”

  Emily rested her head on Mitch’s shoulder.

  Mitch gave her a squeeze. “I don’t know about you, but I need a dry pair of cover-alls.”

  “I guess we are a little soaked.” Emily squeezed some water from her hair. “I’m going up to the house to change. I shouldn’t be long.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got plenty to do here. I’ve got injections to give, so I’ll be in the other buildings when you get back. Look for me if you need me.” Mitch winked at her before leaving the parlor.

  ****

  The following morning, when Mitch went to the barn to saddle up Red Thunder for his morning ride, Ethan was already busy saddling him with the assistance of one of the stable hands who had also saddled a large, white horse named Lightening.

  “I thought we might go for a ride together if that’s okay with y
ou,” Ethan said weakly.

  Mitch looked at the pale figure before him.

  “Are you sure you’re not over-doing it?”

  “I’m fine. I had some juice and toast this morning and I feel a bit stronger than I did yesterday.”

  Mitch nodded to Ethan, thinking that he didn’t look any stronger, but he would accommodate the old man in any way he could. He assisted Ethan onto Red Thunder and mounted Lightening himself; then they trotted off in the direction of the creek. As they drew in closer to the creek, Mitch noticed that Ethan was having trouble keeping his balance on Red Thunder’s back.

  “Do you want to stop, Ethan?”

  “I think I can make it to the creek.” He held out Red Thunder’s reigns to Mitch. “Take him and steer him for me, would ya Mitch?”

  Mitch accepted the reigns and the two walked steadily toward the creek. After grabbing some bottled water from the leather satchel on Red Thunder’s saddle and giving it to Ethan, he helped him dismount. Ethan drank the water slowly, pulling in deep breaths. It worried Mitch that such a simple task could drain his energy so easily. He helped his friend get situated on the edge of the creek bank, then, sat beside him.

  Ethan turned to look at Mitch. “Do you want to marry Emily?”

  “What?” Mitch was shocked to hear such a blunt question from Ethan. “I don’t know quite how to answer such a question.”

  “It’s quite simple, really. Just be honest, Son.”

  Mitch took in a deep breath. The thought of marrying Emily was an exhilarating feeling. But he still wondered if Emily could ever love him back. “I suppose I would like that—I’d be honored if she wanted to marry me.”

  “Well, if she will; I give you my blessing. I never thought I would be saying this to you, but you have proved yourself to me over and over again. You’re a good man, Mitch.” Ethan smiled sincerely.

  Mitch felt a sudden relief about Ethan’s acknowledgment, but he knew he had the hurdle of winning Emily’s heart to conquer. “That means a lot to me, Ethan. If God is willing, then we will be married some day.”

  “How can you be sure that God has a part in your life?” With sunken eyes that misted with tears, Ethan flashed Mitch a look of desire for some sort of guarantee.

  Mitch breathed a quick prayer asking for wisdom and guidance. “It’s as simple as knowing He created me. The bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that He even knows the number of hairs on our heads. A God that amazing would never be disinterested in our lives. Yes, good people suffer, but there are many reasons for that. It could be to make us strong, or to test our faith, or simply because we have un-confessed sin in our lives, and we’ve walked away from the instruction of our maker. I know God allowed me to go to prison to teach me a lesson and it ended up saving my life. No matter what my trials are, I know that God is right there with me, waiting for me to call out to Him.”

  “Does He answer you?”

  Mitch tried to choose his words carefully.

  “There are many ways that God answers me. Some time ago, I got an answer in the form of a double rainbow. Emily saw the same one and said it was an answer to her prayers too.”

  “Well, I haven’t seen any rainbows lately. How am I supposed to believe in a God that I’ve never seen?” Ethan tossed a twig into the creek and watched it wander down stream.

  Mitch’s eyes followed the twig until it was out of sight. It caused him to think of a good way to demonstrate the answer to Ethan. “Where did the twig go?”

  Ethan seemed to be annoyed by his question.

  “It went down around the curve of the creek.”

  “Is it still there, Ethan?”

  “The twig?”

  “Yes, Ethan. The twig—is it still there?”

  Ethan sighed heavily. “Of course it is. It’s probably in the next county by now!”

  “How do you know it’s still there?”

  “It just is—I just know.”

  “Are you sure?” Mitch asked, suppressing a smile.

  Ethan slammed his water bottle down on the ground.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Is there a point to this?”

  “My faith in God is like that twig. I can’t see Him, but I know He is there because I can sense His presence.”

  “I don’t have to sense the presence of the twig because I watched it go down stream myself.”

  “But since you can no longer see it, you have faith that it is still there.”

  “Yes, Mitch. I suppose I do have faith that it is still there.”

  Mitch let out the breath he’d been holding in, feeling as though he might be getting through to Ethan.

  “Do you believe that God created the earth and man?”

  “Well,” Ethan put his hand on his chin and scrunched up one side of his face. “I suppose I do. Daisy, Emily’s mother told me about that stuff so often that I think some of it may have sunk in.”

  “If you believe the basics about God, then the rest is easy. Faith will come in time through prayer.”

  Ethan scratched his head. “I know about being saved. My wife got saved about a year after we were married. She tried for a while to get me to accept it, but I was stubborn and I worried that I would have to be perfect. That wasn’t something I thought I could live up to.”

  “That’s what’s so great about accepting salvation. It’s also accepting that we don’t have to be perfect in order for God to love us. Jesus was made perfect for us—He was the Spotless Lamb—the Sacrifice. He died on the cross at Calvary so that we would be free from our past sins. Our slate is wiped clean when we ask Jesus into our hearts. Then God can be the center of our lives.”

  Ethan had tears in his eyes. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “It’s as easy as asking God to forgive you for your sins and accepting that Jesus is the Son of God who died so that those sins could be forgiven.”

  “But why did He have to die?”

  “He passed through death to become a Living Sacrifice so that we would have eternal life.”

  Ethan lifted his weak hands and Mitch took them in his own. “Will you pray with me so that I will have understanding of these things?”

  “Of course I will, friend.” Mitch closed his tear-moistened eyes and began to pray.

  ****

  Mitch ran into the milking parlor looking for Emily.

  “Gabe, where’s Emily?”

  “I think she said she was going down to the pond to feed the ducks. She seemed kind of upset.”

  “I think the news I have for her will change that. Thanks, Gabe.” Mitch nodded to him and ran from the office.

  From the top of the hill, Mitch could see Emily throwing feed to the eager ducks. They crowded around her, splashing in the water to get to the shore of the large pond. As he approached, the constant sputtering from their beaks became louder.

  “Emily.” Mitch called to her as he ran down the hill.

  She turned around and waved. The closer he got to her, the more she could see the joyful expression in his eyes and she ran to meet him. Mitch scooped her up in his arms and twirled her gracefully. He put her down and boldly kissed her on the cheek.

  Mitch pulled away from her, throwing his hands in the air. “I am the happiest man on earth right now—I just know I am!”

  “And how can you be sure of this, Mr. Rutherford?”

  Emily folded her arms and raised her eyebrows.

  “Because God is so good! I’ve thought for the longest time that getting out of prison was the only thing that could make me this happy. Now I can see just how wrong I was. Your father just accepted Christ as his personal Savior and I love you, Emily Stuart.” Mitch pulled her close and kissed the tears that fell onto her cheeks.

  Safe in Mitch’s arms, Emily wept softly while Mitch smiled; his face pointed toward the cloudless sky.

  ****

  Mitch rolled over in his steel bunk and looked at the calendar taped to the cinder block wall of his prison cell. He eyed the big red circle
drawn around the seventh of June—a Tuesday. With only eight full days left until his release, he was more eager than ever to leave the prison. For today, though, he would enjoy his Sunday at church with Ethan and Emily. He dropped down from his bunk with his stomach growling, deciding he would have some breakfast in the mess hall before his shower.

  ****

  Emily woke early, unable to sleep due to the excitement over taking her father to the church that she and her mother once attended. As she was putting on her robe, a knock at her door startled her. “Miss Emily, are you awake?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Manney.”

  “Your father would like to see you, dear.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Manney. Tell him I’ll be right there.”

  Emily rushed to brush her teeth, then, practically ran to her father’s room. When she opened the door, she found him standing before her mother’s oval mirror tying his favorite tie.

  “How do I look?” He stood proudly before the mirror toting a big smile.

  “You look wonderful, Daddy. But we don’t have to leave for another hour.”

  He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat in his chair, chuckling. “I guess I was so excited, I got up too early. I was worried I’d take too long to get ready. I move a little slower these days, you know.”

  Emily smiled. “Would you like to have some breakfast with me this morning?”

  “I think I’d like to have breakfast with my favorite daughter.”

  “I’m your only daughter, Daddy,” Emily said proudly.

  Ethan looked at her with misty eyes. “Even if you weren’t, it would be no contest.”

  ****

  Mitch felt awkward putting on Ethan’s nice clothing. He hadn’t worn anything other than cover-alls and prison-issued jeans for three years. As he peered into the stainless steel mirror to tie the tie, he said another prayer of thanks that he was attending church with Ethan and Emily, and for Ethan’s long-awaited acceptance of Christ. He didn’t know how Ethan managed to persuade the warden to let him have so many days off, let alone to attend a church off prison grounds, but he knew that God had His hand in it.