His Promise Read online

“It is fun.” As Dorma moved some pieces around again, a small frown appeared in the middle of her forehead. “I don’t remember the last time I did a puzzle. I used to enjoy them.”

  “We can work on them as often as you’d like. I’ll bring another one over in a few days.”

  Dorma set the two pieces she was manipulating down on the table. “You’ll come back again?” She seemed confused.

  “Of course I will. I promised I would.” When Dorma still looked doubtful, Grace said, “I enjoy being with you.” Then Grace smiled. It occurred to her that she wasn’t exaggerating. Visiting Dorma had brightened her day. She’d been so depressed and upset about the conversation with her mother, and she didn’t know how to come to terms with it—well, besides knowing that she was right and her mother was wrong.

  “I like being with you, too, Grace,” Dorma said.

  She’d remembered her name! Swallowing back a wave of emotion, Grace picked up another couple of pieces. “Let’s try and get a few more of these pesky pieces together before it’s time for me to leave and for you to take a break.”

  Following her lead, Dorma rearranged her glasses, then turned to Grace in alarm when her doorbell rang.

  “It’s all right. I’ll get it,” she soothed. “You stay here and keep working.” Quickly walking to the door, she peeked through the little hole in the door . . . then smiled broadly. “John Michael is here!”

  Dorma frowned. “I don’t know John Michael.”

  “I think you might remember him when you see his face,” she murmured as she opened the door. And stood there smiling. “Hi.”

  “Hi, back,” he said. “This is a nice surprise.”

  “I guess great minds think alike.”

  “I guess so.” He walked in, looked like he wanted to add something more private, but he strode over to see Dorma first. “Hi, Miss Schultz. Do you remember that I said I was going to come by again real soon?”

  Looking tense and agitated, she shook her head.

  “That’s okay if you don’t remember,” he said patiently. “I remember you. I’m going to take off my coat and stay for a while. Okay?”

  Dorma stared at him for a long moment before turning back to Grace.

  “He’s a friend,” Grace said.

  Dorma frowned before slowly returning her attention back to the puzzle, but it was obvious that John Michael’s arrival had set her off. She seemed more agitated and ill at ease.

  Hoping to soften the moment, Grace picked up her mug. “We’ve been drinking cinnamon tea,” she informed him. “Would you like some?”

  “Nee. Danke.”

  She laughed at his expression. “You’re not a fan of flavored teas?”

  “I don’t know if I am or not. Only that I know I don’t want to try cinnamon tea.” He made a face. “I’ll get some water instead.”

  “I can help you get it.”

  “Nee. You sit down. I didn’t come over here to be waited on.” After he got himself a glass of water, he joined them at the square table. “Dorma, last time I was here, I told you that the deputy and I were going to do a little bit of searching for your relatives. We located one of your nieces, Martha. Does that ring a bell?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Martha likes spaghetti.”

  John Michael smiled. “That may be true, but she likes you, too. Unfortunately, she lives in Michigan now. That’s pretty far away. She did mention that you have some other relatives who live closer.” He pulled out a small notebook. “A Benjamin and a Samuel. Do you—”

  “Nee!”

  “What?”

  “I don’t like them.” She got to her feet and started moving backward, stopping only when her back got to the wall. “They canna come here.”

  Alarmed, Grace ran to her side. “John, she’s trembling.”

  He stepped forward, then froze. It was obvious that John Michael didn’t know how to make things better instead of worse. After a moment, he held up his hands in surrender. “They won’t come here. They’re not anywhere close,” he continued slowly. “I’m sorry I brought up their names.”

  But John Michael’s efforts were in vain. Instead of looking comforted, Dorma closed her eyes and hugged herself tightly. “Nee, nee, nee,” she whispered.

  Becoming even more alarmed, Grace met John’s gaze. “What now?” she mouthed.

  “I don’t know,” he whispered back. “But I don’t think she can live here much longer by herself.”

  Nodding back at him, Grace feared he was right.

  Slowly approaching Dorma, Grace softened her voice as much as she could. “You need to rest. I made your bed, remember? Let me help you get settled.”

  Opening her eyes, Dorma stared at her before finally nodding.

  “I’ll be right back,” Grace whispered to John Michael as she wrapped a comforting arm around Dorma’s shoulders and escorted her to her bedroom.

  Luckily, Dorma seemed ready to lie down and didn’t protest when Grace helped her take off her shoes and get settled. “You found my keepsake box,” she murmured.

  “I did. It’s so pretty, Dorma.”

  Grace had discovered the rather large wooden box when she was changing the bed’s sheets. It was made of cherrywood and surprisingly heavy. When she’d peeked inside and noticed that it was filled with letters, Grace decided to place it on Dorma’s bedside table.

  “I have a special box for my favorite things, too,” she murmured, but realized that the older lady had already fallen fast asleep.

  When she returned to the kitchen area, Grace noticed that John had already cleared the table of their mugs, neatly washed everything, and set them on the countertop.

  “Is she all right?” he asked.

  “I think so. She’s already fast asleep.”

  “That’s good. No doubt she needs her rest.”

  Thinking about Dorma’s panic attack and the neglected house—and her fragile state of mind—she stared at John Michael. “What are we going to do? She mustn’t stay here much longer by herself.”

  “I fear you are right. If we don’t do something soon, she’s going to hurt herself.” Reaching for her hand, he squeezed it gently. “Try not to worry. Several people are looking for her relatives. Someone will turn up.”

  Grace nodded, but she had a bad feeling about Dorma’s future. Someone had to help this woman who used to help them so many years ago.

  She just hoped John Michael could find that person very soon.

  Chapter 21

  “Tell me about Benjamin and Samuel,” Grace said as they walked back to the Lees’ house. Bundled up in her black cloak and bonnet, wearing her red mittens and scarf, she strolled side-by-side with John on the black asphalt road, a majority of which was now snow-free.

  John Michael braced himself. He wasn’t surprised that she brought up the two men who had put Dorma into such a state, but he wished he had better news to share with her.

  “They’re Dorma’s younger bruder’s sons. Her nephews. And from what Deputy Beck has been able to discern, they couldn’t be more disreputable if they tried.”

  “It’s obvious she can’t stay with them, even if they are her own kin. She was afraid just hearing their names.”

  Sharing her opinion, he nodded. “I completely agree. From what I understand, they’re not functioning like themselves. One of them, or maybe both now, has a drug problem. They have police records, too.”

  “They’ve been arrested?”

  “Yep. And served some jail time for aggravated robbery. From what Deputy Beck pieced together, it looks like they hit Dorma’s house two or three years ago.”

  Her eyes widened, then she seemed to come to terms with what she was hearing. Watching that naiveté slowly fade was hard for him to watch. He hated that this December Grace seemed to be coming face-to-face with more than her fair share of hardships and pain. He stayed silent while she processed it. Though the news was unpleasant, it was also the reality of the situation. If Grace really wanted to help Dorma, then she needed to know t
he truth.

  At last she spoke. “Those nephews . . . are they Amish?”

  “They were raised Amish, but they jumped the fence.”

  “How old are they? Do you know?”

  Feeling grim, he replied, “They’re young but old enough to know better. Seventeen and eighteen.”

  “I don’t think there’s any age where what they’re doing is all right.” She frowned. “If they were raised in our faith, I don’t understand how they came to sink so low.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve learned that you can never know what happens in each person’s private house, Grace. Maybe something happened there. Or maybe they just ran wild. That happens, too.”

  “I suppose,” she said as they paused at the intersection in the road.

  While they crossed, he tried to give her as much information as he could. “Deputy Beck said the brothers left their parents soon after eighth grade. They haven’t done much of anything but descend into an awful downward spiral.” He cleared his throat. “But I do have a little bit of good news to share.”

  “What is that?”

  “They were recently seen in one of the motels near Mammoth Cave. Deputy Beck is going to try to speak with them, maybe even take them in for questioning.”

  She looked even more disturbed. “John Michael, we both saw the state that Miss Dorma was in. Why did you even mention those boys? If you knew they were so bad, you should’ve kept your news to yourself. All it did was upset her.”

  It wasn’t like he hadn’t felt badly the minute he witnessed Dorma’s reaction. “I didn’t mean to bring them up to frighten her. I really was just trying to mention a couple of family names, trying to help her connect again. Obviously, it backfired. But that said, I’m not visiting her only out of compassion. I’m there because I was asked to keep tabs on her. It’s part of my job.” He hoped she understood.

  “What did that niece say? Maybe she can help rein them in.”

  “Beck spoke to her. But any help from her is a no-go. She and her husband have their hands full with their own lives up in Michigan. And according to Beck, they’re a little worried about Dorma—though not enough to actually help her much.” He hated to be the bearer of bad news and hated even more to see Grace’s reaction to it. Slowly, he continued. “After a little more digging, I learned that some of the relatives feel that she kept money from them after the sale of the family’s ranch. They are blaming her for Samuel and Benjamin’s problems.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense!”

  She looked so affronted, John Michael almost smiled. “Grace, it happens sometimes. Deputy Beck said the niece has convinced herself that if Dorma had given more money to the rest of the family, the boys wouldn’t have left home so early and taken this downward path.”

  Grace stopped in her tracks. “That’s awful. It doesn’t make a lick of sense, either.”

  “I agree.” He hated how upset she looked. “Hey, try not to worry. The important thing is that we’re all going through the proper channels. We can’t move Dorma without making sure that there is no one else who can help.”

  “I don’t like how doing the right thing feels so wrong.”

  “I don’t like it either, but we’ve got to abide by the laws,” he said as he moved closer to her when a buggy drove by.

  Putting her head down, she nodded. “I understand.”

  “Hey. This might not help make you feel better, but there is a silver lining.”

  “What could that be?”

  “If we hadn’t gone to Bill’s, neither of us would’ve seen Miss Schultz there. All of this would’ve still been going on, but no one would’ve been helping her.”

  She stared at him in surprise. “I had forgotten that all of us were there the same day.” She shook her head. “What were the chances?”

  “I don’t think it was coincidence, Grace.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe that, either.” Looking more sure of herself, she added, “The Lord really has been looking out for Dorma.”

  “I think so. Just as He’s been looking out for both of us, too.”

  “He did bring you to me at the perfect time that other day,” she said with a smile. “If you hadn’t appeared when you did, the Lees’ kitchen could’ve really been damaged.”

  “Maybe Jesus wasn’t as worried about the Lees’ kitchen as He was about you.”

  “You and Jesus have helped me so much.”

  “See? There you go. I’ve helped you . . . like you’ve helped me.”

  “Hmm, I don’t think that’s exactly right. Because of you? I’m taken care of. And so is Dorma. For the life of me, I can’t imagine how I’ve helped your life, though. I seem to have only brought you more problems than you know what to do with.”

  “I wouldn’t agree.”

  “Oh? You can see some benefit?”

  As far as he was concerned, everything in his life had gotten better when he’d spied her in the woods. He’d felt hope again. He’d found a purpose again. Some of the bitterness and sense of being out of sync with most everyone and everything had faded. In its place was a new goal—and a deep yearning for her.

  Suddenly, he completely understood why he had never felt like Beth was the one for him. He understood why he’d been so uncomfortable about his feelings for Grace.

  It wasn’t that he shouldn’t have fallen in love with Grace, it was that his love for her was so strong, nothing was going to be able to stand in its way.

  “I guess maybe you don’t,” Grace said.

  “Hmm?” He’d been so busy realizing that he’d fallen in love, he’d forgotten their conversation.

  “I asked if you saw any benefit of the two of us coming together,” she said. “By your silence, I’m guessing you haven’t found a thing.”

  He yearned to tell her exactly how he was feeling but he couldn’t risk losing her. “Nee, Grace. The opposite has been true. I haven’t found only one benefit from being in your company. I’ve discovered almost too many benefits to count.”

  Chapter 22

  The call had come at exactly ten in the morning and Grace picked up the phone with no small amount of trepidation. Snooze’s owners were nice people, but she was having an increasingly difficult time thinking of entertaining anecdotes about their unsocial dachshund or glossing over the other things that had been going on around the house.

  But she was a professional, so she persevered. “Jah, Mrs. Lee. Snooze is just fine,” Grace said into the phone, hoping she sounded soothing and calm. “I know he misses you, but he seems to be doing well, all things considered.”

  “All things considered,” Cindy Lee repeated, a new note of panic lacing her tone. “Grace, do you think Snooze knows it’s Christmas and that we left him? Do you think he feels abandoned?”

  Grace personally thought that Snooze didn’t worry about much besides eating, sleeping, and going for a short walk in the sweater of his choice. Since that wouldn’t make his owner feel very wanted, she hedged her response. “I think Snooze, ah, enjoys gazing at the beautiful tree.” At least he did until John Michael had cautioned her against turning on the lights!

  “I worked on those bone ornaments all year just for him.”

  “They are beautiful, Cindy. Truly works of art.”

  “Thank you. I enjoyed making them.” Her voice brightened. “I could make one for you, if you’d like.”

  Grace bit back a chuckle. “Since we Amish don’t have trees, I’m afraid that would be a waste of time. I’m surely enjoying yours, though,” she added in a rush. Just in case she sounded ungrateful.

  “What does Snooze do all day?”

  “He sleeps a lot, of course.”

  “What else?” Cindy asked eagerly.

  What else? Gazing at the lump under the blanket, Grace attempted to think of a nice way of describing the dachshund’s daily activities. “He enjoys our daily walks outside,” she said, glad for that. “He really enjoys wearing his sweaters.”

  “Which one seems
to be his favorite?”

  “He seems to like them all. Yesterday, he wore a jaunty red one.”

  Mrs. Lee chuckled. “I’m sorry. Parker just reminded me that I treat our Snooze like a child. Of course to you he is just a dog.”

  Since he actually was just a dog, Grace wasn’t sure how to respond, but she said, “You are welcome to ask all the questions you would like. I know you love him.”

  “You do understand!”

  “I do. Pets are part of the family.” Having run out of things to say about the dachshund, she brightened her voice. “Do you have any questions about the house or anything?”

  “No. Other than I hope you are staying warm. I can’t believe how much snow you’ve been getting.”

  “I’m fine, thank you. Doing well.”

  “Okay . . . Oh! Parker says I need get off the phone and leave you in peace. We’ll be back on either Christmas Day or the day after.”

  “Either is fine. Enjoy your vacation.”

  “Thank you, Grace. Good-bye!”

  Just as she hung up, Snooze popped his head out of the blankets and barked. Surprised, Grace watched as he vaulted off the couch and ran to the door, barking wildly.

  “I suppose I should be thankful that you waited until your mom got off the phone, Snooze,” she murmured . . . right before she walked to the door to look out. “What do you hear? More squirrels chattering?”

  But instead of squirrels, she saw Sheriff Brewer stepping out of his cruiser. He was talking on his radio and looking around the outside of the house.

  And just like that, her body tensed and all thoughts of decorated dog bones, sweaters, and squirrels fled. She reached for the door handle, thinking to go out to meet Sheriff Brewer, but when he began pacing on the drive as he talked on the phone, she decided to wait. Snooze had snuck in front of her feet and was looking through the long window on the side of the door, too. Every couple of seconds he gave a half-hearted bark.

  “Some guard dog you are, Snooze,” she murmured.

  After a couple more minutes passed, the sheriff at last approached the door.

  She gathered Snooze in her arms and opened it before he could knock. “Sheriff Brewer, this is a surprise.”