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He stood. “I’ll get the coffee for Josiah and Nancy. You can go ahead if you’d like.”
She shook her head. “Nay I’ll wait for you,” she said, surprising him. “You may need help with the coffee.”
Jacob paid for the drinks for Josiah and Nancy, and on impulse, he purchased two large chocolate-chip cookies. He tucked them under the coffee fixings in the center of the cardboard cup holder. He was back with Annie in less than a minute. There’d been no one in line at the register. “I grabbed sugar and cream for the coffee,” he told her. She inclined her head.
He silently rode with her on the elevator up to the surgical floor. The doors opened and Jacob waited for Annie to precede him. To his surprise, she suddenly stopped and turned to him. “What are we going to do, Jacob? How will we make do, when Dat can’t work?”
Jacob considered the woman before him, noting the concern in her expression. “I can help out in the shop, and our community will be there for you, too.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have enough experience. You could do more harm than good.”
“I’m not a boy, Annie. I can do the job.” There was a charged moment as awareness of her sprung up inside him. Jacob shook it off. “If I don’t do it, who will?”
“I don’t know.” She seemed to think about it. “I’ll have to ask Dat.”
She had grabbed his hat from the table, where he’d set it down when he’d gone for the coffee for her brother and Nancy. Now she fingered the brim nervously.
“We are friends, aren’t we, Annie?” he asked. “I remember seeing you in the open shop doorway when we were kinner, watching me with your dat.”
She hesitated, then smiled slightly. “I was sure you would burn yourself with the hot metal, but you never did.”
“Not that you ever saw.” He remembered her as a young girl, the first girl he’d ever liked.
Her expression turned serious. “Jacob, it’s nice of you to offer your help, but we can’t accept it.”
“But if Joe agrees?” he said softly.
“Then I guess the decision will be made.” She continued down the hall toward the surgical waiting room.
Jacob fell into step beside her. He studied her bent head, admiring the beauty of her profile. She looked pale and tense, and he didn’t seem to be able to help. He saw Josiah leave the waiting room up ahead and approach.
“How’s Dat?” Annie asked.
“No word yet from the doctor.” Josiah nodded his thanks as Jacob handed him a cup of coffee. He declined sugar and cream and grabbed the other cup for Nancy.
Inside the waiting room, Jacob set down the cardboard cup holder, accepted his hat back from Annie and then took a seat near her. They waited in silence. He retrieved and handed her the wrapped cookies. “For when you’re hungry.”
Annie’s eyes locked with his. She opened her mouth to say something but then nodded silently instead. Jacob found that he couldn’t look away.
“Are those cookies?” Josiah asked, capturing Annie’s attention.
“Ja, Jacob bought them.” Annie handed him one, and Josiah beamed.
“Gut thinking, Jacob,” Josiah said before he unwrapped the treat and broke it in half. He handed a piece to Nancy and then took a bite of his own.
Jacob smiled. He was pleased to see Josiah enjoying it, even more pleased to note that Annie had kept one for herself.
It wasn’t long before there was a light commotion right outside the waiting room. Soon, others within their Amish community arrived, having received word of Joe’s accident. As the newcomers entered the room, he got up and moved away to give Josiah and Annie the time to be comforted by their friends. Among the new arrivals were his parents—Katie and Samuel Lapp—Josie and William Mast and Mae and Amos King. Annie and Josiah rose, and their friends immediately surrounded them.
William Mast took off his hat, held it against his chest. “How’s Joe?” he asked Jacob.
Jacob acknowledged the older man. “He’s still in surgery.”
“Any idea how long?” the older bearded man asked. When Jacob explained it could be another half hour or more, William left to stand near his wife, Josie, who was comforting Annie.
Josie moved aside, and Jacob’s mother stepped in to give Annie a hug. She spoke briefly to her and Josiah before she moved back to allow others to talk with the Zook siblings.
His mam turned and saw him standing outside the group. She approached. “How bad?”
“Bad enough.” Jacob was conscious of Annie across the room. He glanced over briefly to see how she was faring, before he turned back to his mother.
“Isaac stopped by the house to tell us,” Mam told him. “You never know what can happen.” She touched his arm. “What was he doing on the roof?”
“Trying to repair a leak.”
“Why didn’t he ask for help? Joe knows your dat or one of you boys would have done the work.”
“Perhaps he wanted to do it himself.” Jacob held out his coffee toward her. “Would you like a sip?” After his mother declined, he drank from the cup, grimaced, then walked toward a trash can and dropped the remainder inside. “Good choice,” he told her with a grin.
“Jed would have come, but he’s working construction today and there was no way to reach him.” Mam glanced briefly toward the Zook siblings. “Sarah stayed at the house with Hannah. And Noah—”
Jacob nodded. He knew exactly why Noah hadn’t come. He was worried about leaving his wife, Rachel, who had lost their baby a month before her due date. Even now, months later, while she appeared strong to the outside world, Noah continually fretted about her.
The double doors leading to the surgical area swung open and Dr. Moss, dressed in green medical scrubs, stepped out and approached Annie and Josiah.
Jacob worried about Annie as she moved to stand next to her brother so Dr. Moss could inform them of the outcome of her father’s surgery. Nancy King stood on Josiah’s other side. He saw Josiah reach out to clasp hands with both women. Dr. Moss spoke at length, but from where he was, Jacob couldn’t hear. He stepped closer.
“The surgery went well,” the doctor said. “Your father is in recovery now. You’ll be able to go back and see him for a few minutes, but don’t be alarmed if he doesn’t respond. It will take him a while to come out of the anesthesia...”
Jacob saw Mae King slip an arm around Annie, watched as Annie leaned into the older woman for a moment’s comfort before she straightened. Her eyes narrowed as she looked about. Her glance slid over him without pausing before it moved on.
They’ll take care of her, he thought as he studied the group who were doing their best to be there for Joe’s children. Annie didn’t need him now. It was time for him to leave, to see what needed to be done at the Zook farm while Annie and Josiah stayed close to their father.
“I’m going to head back,” he told his parents as his father joined them.
His mother studied him, gave him a slight smile. “We’ll stay for a while.”
“You have a ride?” his father asked.
“Bob Whittier.” Jacob glanced at the clock, noted the time. “He should be here soon.”
Samuel nodded. “Are you going home?”
“Nay,” Jacob said. “I thought I’d go to the Zooks’ farm first.”
* * *
Rick Martin pulled into the Zook barnyard late that afternoon to drop off Annie and Josiah. He promised to return the next morning to take them back to the hospital. After Rick had left, Josiah sighed and ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I’ll check on the animals.”
Annie watched him walk away. “Are you hungry?” she called. “I can fix us something.”
He stopped and turned. “Ja,” he admitted. “Anything will do.”
As her brother walked to the barn, Annie headed toward the farmhouse. She froze in her tracks. Millie, she thought with alarm. Where was Millie? In all the commotion, she’d forgotten to put her dog back into the house before leaving for the hospital.
“Josiah!” she called. “Please watch for Millie. She got out of the house earlier.”
Josiah scowled but agreed. “She’ll come back eventually.”
Annie opened the screen door and the inside door swung open. It didn’t surprise her that she hadn’t locked it after she’d grabbed her purse. Her one thought had been to get to her father.
She entered the house and wandered into the gathering room. Annie stiffened at what she saw. All of the laundry was stacked, neatly folded, inside the laundry basket. She experienced a chill. Someone had been here. But a burglar wouldn’t fold laundry, she thought.
She heard a short bark and was startled when Millie scurried into the room, wagging her tail happily. Annie bent down to rub her beloved pet’s fur. “How did you get in here?”
“Annie,” a deep voice said.
She gasped and spun toward the man who’d entered from the direction of the kitchen. “Jacob?” She rose to her feet, stared at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Sorry.” His golden eyes studied her with concern. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I stopped by to look for Millie and found her. I suddenly remembered her running about before we left.”
“You shouldn’t have come.” She peered up at him with caution. “You folded the laundry.” Why would he fold laundry? The men in her Amish community didn’t fold laundry! It was an unheard of thing for any man to help with women’s work. “Why?”
He shrugged. “You didn’t get the chance, so I thought I’d finish it for you.” He flashed a brief glance at the clothes before refocusing on her.
Her spine tingled. “I could have done it.”
His lips curved with amusement. “I don’t doubt it.”
Millie licked her leg, demanding her attention. “You found Millie.”
“I found her chasing a cat through the fields.” He traced the edge of his suspenders with his fingers. “The door was open, so I brought her in.”
Watching, Annie wondered why her heart suddenly began to beat faster. “I forgot to lock the door.”
“Not to worry. No one disturbed the house.” Jacob was suddenly there beside her.
Overwhelmed by his nearness, she stepped back. “No one but you,” she accused.
She heard him sigh. “You look like you’re about to collapse,” he said quietly. “Come. You’ve had a terrible day. Sit and I’ll make you some hot tea.”
She sat down. “I can make my own tea.”
“Ja, I’m sure you can.” He narrowed his eyes at her from above. “But I’d like to make you a cup. Is that a problem?”
Feeling foolish, Annie shook her head. Reaction to Dat’s accident took over and suddenly cold she started to shake. She looked at him, but she couldn’t seem to focus. She felt warmth override the chill and realized that Jacob had grabbed the quilt from her father’s favorite chair and gently placed it around her shoulders. With mixed feelings, she watched him leave the room. He wasn’t gone long.
“Here you go.” Jacob held her hot tea. The sofa cushion dipped beneath her as he sat beside her. He extended the cup, and when she didn’t immediately respond, gently placed it within her hands, his strong fingers cradling hers until she became overly conscious of his touch.
She realized what he was doing, and she jerked back. “I’ve got it,” she said, relieved that he’d let go and that she hadn’t spilled any. He stood, and Annie felt the heat from the mug. She raised the rim to her lips.
“Careful!” he warned. “It’s hot.” He seemed upset as his golden eyes regarded her apologetically. “I shouldn’t have let it boil.”
“It’s fine, Jacob,” she said irritably. “If the water isn’t hot, it’s not a gut cup of tea.” Annie took a tentative drink. The steaming brew was sweet. She felt revived after several slow, tiny sips. She looked up at him. “Danki,” she said when she felt more like herself again.
Jacob gave her a slow smile that did odd things to her insides. She fought back those feelings. He studied her a long moment until he was apparently satisfied with what he saw. “Did you see your vadder?” His voice was soft as he moved the laundry basket from the sofa to the floor and sat down.
Taken aback by her reaction to him, Annie fought to stay calm. “Ja, we saw him. Once he was in his hospital room. When he finally woke up, he told us he was tired and wanted us to go home.” She drew a deep breath. “Jacob, I’m fine, You don’t have to stay—”
He nodded. “Where’s Josiah?”
“In the barn.”
“I took care of the animals earlier,” he said.
The front door slammed. “Annie,” Josiah called out, “the animals have been fed and watered—”
Annie met his gaze as her brother entered the room and stopped abruptly. “Jacob took care of them.”
Jacob rose to his feet. He and Josiah stared at one another a long moment, and Annie remembered suddenly that Nancy King, the girl Jacob had fancied and lost, was currently her brother’s sweetheart.
“I appreciate what you did for Dat.” Josiah extended his hand.
She watched the interaction between the two men and then saw Jacob smile. They shook hands and stepped back.
“I should go,” Jacob said. Annie watched him grab his hat off a wall hook. “You both need your rest.” He hesitated. “I made sandwiches. I put them in the refrigerator.”
Annie blinked, shocked. “You made yourself at home.”
He raised an eyebrow at her tone. “Nay. I simply fixed a meal for friends in need.” He jammed his hat on his head. He gave a nod to her brother. “Josiah.”
“Jacob.” Josiah inclined his head.
As Jacob headed outside, Annie felt as if she’d been too mean-spirited toward him, and it didn’t set well with her. It wasn’t the way of her community or the Lord—and it wasn’t like her to behave this way, either.
Annie followed him, stopping to stand in the open doorway as he descended the porch steps. “Gut day to you, Jacob Lapp,” she called out to him.
He paused and turned. “Rest well, Annie Zook,” he replied and then he walked away, without glancing back.
Annie felt awful as she watched him leave. Contrary to her behavior, she had appreciated having Jacob nearby. His quiet strength and presence had soothed her during the crisis with her dat. She reminded herself that he was her childhood friend, and she shouldn’t worry about spending time with him. He wasn’t Jed, and he wasn’t in the position to break her heart.
Chapter Three (#ulink_938ed82a-ae12-5f96-bf87-537a614f9a4a)
“Aren’t you done with that family?”
Jacob buttoned his light blue shirt without glancing toward his twin brother. “Which family?”
“The Zooks.” The mattress springs squeaked as Eli sat and kicked against the bed’s wooden frame.
