Shredded palm fronds and broken tree branches littered the big fenced-in yard. Leviticus turned back toward the house. Roof tiles and tar paper added to the debris near the rambling dwelling he’d grown up in. There was a lot of work to be done and not many community hands available to help, thanks to the widespread damage around town.

He stepped inside the kitchen door, nodded at Verity, who was busy working at the end of the counter, and then smiled at his father, who was eating at the breakfast table.

“Gut mariye, Leviticus. Did you sleep well?”

“Mariye, Daed.” He knew he was breaking one of his mamm’s cardinal rules when he slathered his hands with dish soap and rinsed them in the sink meant only for washing dishes, subconsciously hoping she’d appear and scold him one more time for misbehaving. “I slept well enough, I guess.” He dismissed the night terrors he’d endured that had woken him with muffled screams. Verity and his father didn’t need to know about the remnants of PTSD that still haunted him night and day.

Verity gave him a disapproving glance for abusing the sink but went about her business, cutting fresh fruit into chunks. She didn’t say a word of greeting. There were dark circles under her eyes. Had Naomi kept her up crying? The first weeks he’d cared for Naomi, he’d had his own share of sleepless nights. Google called the problem a mix-up of days and nights. He’d called exhaustion a miserable way to live.

Perhaps Naomi missed her mother. He thought of Julie, wondered how she was feeling now that the boppli was gone from her life forever. She’d had six months to bond with her own flesh and blood, even though the nanny seemed in charge of Naomi the day he’d been around. He’d never seen Julie pick up Naomi once or feed her, and she’d said no goodbyes to her when they’d left.

Leviticus grabbed a cereal bowl out of the cupboard and took a spoon from the freshly washed dishes on the drain board and then pulled out a chair and sat close to his hard-of-hearing father. He grimaced as he poured cereal from the plastic container and noticed moon-shaped, colored rainbows coated in sugar.

Verity stepped beside him carrying a cutting board of fruit. “You sure you don’t want oatmeal?”

He shook his head. “Nee. This will do fine.”

She put some of the fruit on his father’s hot cereal. Leviticus’s head lifted in surprise when Albert dug into the tan gooey mush with all the gusto of a small boy. Some things had seriously changed around the grove. When his mother was alive, his father had his oatmeal with brown sugar and lots of butter, but that was how she’d made it for her husband and his father never complained or asked for anything different.

Leviticus ate a crunchy bite of the sickeningly sweet cereal and held back a groan of disgust. A sugar rush was just what he didn’t need, but he wasn’t going to be a bother to Verity. She had enough to do; besides, she was rushing around like she was in a hurry. “Where’s everyone?” He ate another bite of cereal, determined to make it through at least half the bowl.

Verity flipped over a perfectly fried egg. “Solomon left for the grove over an hour ago, and Clara’s still sleeping. Solomon said she had a rough night of it. The boppli kept her up with all its movements.”

His thoughts went back to Julie. He’d left for his six-month tour in Afghanistan right after she’d learned she was pregnant. While he was gone, he’d missed out on her strange cravings, the sight of her belly growing round with his child. He’d been cheated out of Naomi’s first few months of life, too. He could thank his injuries and lengthy hospital stay for that.

Forget Julie. Naomi was home among family now. That was all that mattered.

Albert tipped his coffee mug and drained the last drops of his dark brew. “I thought we’d take the ATV out and inspect the grove’s damage for ourselves. Solomon says it’s extensive, but until I see it for myself I can’t come up with a plan for how to fix it.”

Verity cleared her throat and finished drying her hands as she spoke. “Solomon called Otto before he left. Seems the packing plant was flattened by the high winds. No one’s sure if they’ll be rebuilding it anytime soon.”

Albert shoved back his chair and rose. “I’m certain-sure Thomas will do the right thing. He’ll put the building up again with the help of the community.” He edged toward the sink and put his bowl among the other dishes needing to be washed. “Amish and Englisch alike depend on him.”

His shoulders dropped, his head shaking. “I don’t know what we’ll do if he chooses to close the business for gut.” Staring into space, he tugged at his beard, using the kitchen counter as support.

Verity dusted down her apron and adjusted the cleaning scarf on her head. “Otto’s going to see how many men he can gather but warned he might not find enough to make much of a difference. There’s a lot of damage done to the houses in the district. Everyone’s busy caring for their own familye needs first. Some Plain folk have hired Englisch laborers.”

Her concern for Albert showed in the dark circles under her eyes, the way her shoulders sloped from the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Had she considered what would happen to her job if the grove closed? Who would be her mainstay if it did?

Albert grinned. “Don’t underestimate that ole bishop’s ability to gather a crowd. He can still be a persuasive man when the need arises.” Albert used the sturdy kitchen table as a crutch as he maneuvered back to his chair. “You send Otto along to me when he gets here, Leviticus. We’ll head out to the grove as soon as he comes.”

Leviticus quickly finished the last spoonful of cereal he could stomach and rose, his eyes on Verity. “You’ll have time to see to Naomi’s needs?”

She dished up a bowl of oatmeal for herself and sat on the far side of the table across from his daed. “Ya, she’ll be sleeping for a while yet. She took her bottle without a fuss at six and went straight back to sleep.”

“I noticed you found the duffel bag of baby clothes I left by your bedroom door yesterday.”

She poured milk over her oatmeal, added a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar and then tossed a handful of blueberries over the top. “I did. Danki.” She returned his gaze. “I hope the rain holds off. She’ll need the cloth diapers I have dried. I’ve used up most all the disposable ones you had in the diaper bag, and the spare store-bought ones I had left over from Faith.”

“Speaking of Faith, when’s the kind coming home?” Albert poured himself a half-cup of coffee and splashed in milk.

“Mamm said she’d bring her back this morning, but I figure I’ll see them later in the day.” Verity smiled Albert’s way. “Today’s cherry vanilla day at Olaf’s Creamery. It’s Faith’s favorite flavor. Mamm’s sure to get her a scoop before leaving town.” Verity’s smile brightened. “Mamm’s got a half-dozen grandkids and another on the way, but you’d think Faith was her only kinskind the way she spoils her.”

Leviticus watched Verity’s eyes light up as she spoke about her daughter, saw the worried lines vanish from her face. She was the old Verity in that moment. The girl he’d once loved and never deserved.

“Does your little girl like bopplis?” Would Verity have enough energy to see to two active kinner after the difficult night with Naomi?

Verity sent a rare, genuine smile his way. “Faith loves kinner of any age. In fact, she’s always asking when I’m going to get her a baby schweschder.”

Albert guffawed into his tall mug as he slurped down the last of his coffee. “You’ve got to lower your standards and marry again for that to happen.” His teasing expression was a welcomed sight, but he became serious once more. “No kind should grow up alone.”

Rising, her hands on her hips, Verity looked poised to react negatively to Albert’s words, but the sounds of several ATVs and an Englischer van pulling to a stop on the graveled driveway outside stymied her words.

Leviticus glanced out the window. Otto and Mose Fischer piled out of a black van and headed toward the house. Several men, some he didn’t recognize, followed close behind. Solomon got off his ATV and walked over to the bishop. He jerked his head toward the house, his face pinched, no doubt still fuming. Was his bruder informing Otto of his homecoming? The aging bishop looked toward the back door and nodded, his steps lively as he approached. Mose trailed not far behind. There would be questions asked. Hard ones. He prayed he’d have the right answers for the man of God.

Albert slid out of his chair, his hand reaching for the door. He slipped outside just as the thump of their boots sounded on the porch. Pulling his gaze away from the window, Leviticus put his water glass in the sink and braced himself. As a young man, he’d gotten along with Mose Fischer, the bishop’s son, just fine. But Otto, the local New Order bishop? Not so much. They’d had their run-ins, and Leviticus knew he would have been shunned if he’d been a member of the church during his restless time.

But he was different now, willing to accept the Amish way of life. With Gott’s help, he’d figure out what the Plain life meant for him.

* * *

The slam of the front door and sounds of muffled laughter sent Verity skittering past Leviticus, down the long hall that led to the great room, her bare feet slapping against the wooden slats of the floor as she hurried along. Faith was home, and she needed to tell the little girl about Leviticus’s arrival and the boppli he had brought with him.

Her gaze sought out Faith. Dribbles of strawberry ice cream marked the skirt of her dochder’s pale pink dress. Verity smiled her welcome to her mamm, but her eyes were drawn back to her Faith. “I see someone got ice cream.”

In her childish version of Pennsylvania Dutch, Faith exclaimed, “The ice cream was so gut. Grossmammi let me have two scoops.” Verity kneeled, and Faith hugged her mamm round the neck, almost pulling Verity down with her excitement.

Verity accepted a shower of kisses from Faith while removing her slipping cape and outer kapp. “You must have been a special gut girl to get such a treat.”

Faith’s head bobbed up and down with enthusiasm, her messy bun at the base of her head bouncing, ready to fall without the support of her everyday kapp to keep it secured. “Grossmammi said I was so gut that we could go see the new puppies at Chicken John’s after Thanksgiving. They’re too little to touch just yet.” Faith’s big brown eyes grew wide with excitement and anticipation. “Can we go see them soon?” Verity’s heart melted with love for her dochder, but she shot her mamm a frustrated glance. When would she have time to care for a small dog underfoot?

Verity’s mamm laughed at Verity’s serious expression and silent warning. “It’s just to look, Verity. It’s not like I promised Faith she could have one.”

“Maybe your grossmammi and I should talk about your visit to Chicken Joe’s while you go change your dress.” Verity tucked Faith’s lightweight winter cape and kapp under her arm, searched for and found her dochder’s white everyday kapp hanging from her small fingers. She quickly tidied Faith’s bun but didn’t attempt to replace the head covering. “There. Now, scoot. Change your dress. And mind you don’t run...” Verity’s last words became a whisper of frustration as Faith took off in a flash of pink down the hall, headed, no doubt, to the kitchen to find Albert.

Verity turned to her mother. “A puppy, Mamm? Seriously? That’s the last thing I need right now. I’ll have to be the one who tells her she can’t have it. Not you.”

“She doesn’t ask for much, Verity.”

Verity dropped her head, wishing she could relax her hold on life and enjoy it like she had when Mark was alive. “Leviticus has returned home, much to our surprise. I’d best go catch Faith before she starts giving him the third degree. You know how she is with strangers.” Her trembling hands sought refuge in her apron pocket as she hurried off. Her mother was right. Faith didn’t ask for much. Just love and a small fuzzy puppy.

Chapter Four

Waiting for his father to return to the house, Leviticus glanced toward the arch of the kitchen door as a petite, barefoot little girl ran into the room, her hair a cluster of wild ginger curls escaping from her bun, much like her mamm’s hair often did. Her big brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window. The kind stopped abruptly and gave him a look of surprise and awe.

“Are you my new daed?” The child’s gaze penetrated every fiber of his being, into his very soul. A sprinkling of honey-colored freckles disappeared when she scrunched up her nose and grinned impishly, exposing two missing bottom teeth. “I told Gott I wanted a blond-haired daed. He got that part right, but you’ve got blue eyes. I wanted a daed with brown eyes, like me.” Her crinkled brow and piercing gaze suggested disappointment, but her smile returned quick enough.

Leviticus couldn’t help but laugh out loud as the mixed emotions flashed across her face. He knew an imp when he saw one, and Faith Schrock was that and more. “I apologize. I do have blue eyes, but that’s okay, because I’m sure Gott’s still debating on who’s to be your new daed.”

“Nee, he sent me you. He just got the eye color wrong.” Bareheaded, the child wore a traditional pink Amish dress and apron, but her miniature kapp hung from her delicate fingertips.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing that kapp on your head?”

“Nee, my grossmammi said it could stay off. She got tired of pinning it back on this morning.” Her grin grew into a full-blown smile. “Do you think I’m hopeless?”

“No, I think you’re adorable.”

Her grin widened. “Did you bring my boppli with you?” Faith moved forward one step and then another, her hands busy situating a cloth doll under the crook of her arm.

“I’m assuming you asked Gott for a boppli, too?”

“Not a baby. A boppli schweschder. One like Beatrice has. She won’t let me hold hers.” Her bottom lip poked out in a pout. “She said I might break her, but I wouldn’t.”

Verity and a woman he recognized as her mamm, Miriam, came into the room. Verity reached for Faith’s hand and pulled her to her side. Her troubled gaze pierced him. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you. My dochder is a real blabbermaul. She doesn’t understand it’s not okay to speak to strangers.”

Faith buried her face in her mother’s skirt for a moment and then laughed as she sprang forward, exposing her toothless grin again. “He’s not a stranger, Mamm. Gott sent him to me. He’s my new daed.”

Verity flushed red. She knelt and spoke quietly, the smile she had for her dochder staying firmly in place. “A week ago you said Gott sent the garbage man to be your new daed. I’m confused. Which is it going to be?”

“Him,” Faith declared with all the conviction a small child could muster and pointed Leviticus’s way.

Emotions tore through him. What kind of father would he make if he was this kind’s daed? One day Naomi would be just like Verity’s little girl. Full of life and silly questions. He’d have to step up. Find a way to be all Naomi needed him to be.

Longing tugged at his heart, and for a moment, he allowed himself to imagine parenting two delightful little girls with Verity. When they were teens, Verity had said she wanted a house full of children. Back then, he’d had everything a young man could want. They could have become a happy familye. But rebellion and grief had pushed him away and left him the shell of the man he was. Verity had been better off with the man she’d married, this Mark she spoke of in such high regard.

He took in a deep breath, watching the girl. He couldn’t encourage her childish dreams. Gott would have to rebuild him if he was to be all he could be. Gott grant me wisdom. Show me the way.

* * *

Verity smiled at her daughter, her thoughts on Leviticus. Some might have missed the momentary flash of alarm that crossed Leviticus’s face, but Verity hadn’t. She had no intention of pursuing him as she had when she was young.

Kinner had a knack for coming up with the most ridiculous ideas. If he didn’t understand that yet, he would soon, now that he had a dochder of his own to raise. Verity squeezed her eyes shut for several seconds, gathering her thoughts, tempering her annoyance.

She concentrated on Faith, who was smiling bright and impatiently waiting for her mamm’s response. “Nee, I’m sorry, my lieb. Leviticus can’t be your daed. Not today, or any other day. He already has a familye. He has a precious dochder named Naomi to raise.”

Faith’s face crumpled, prepared to cry. “But why can’t I be his dochder, too?” She pulled away from her mother and jerked round to face Leviticus, her small hands placed on her slim hips. “Right? Your boppli can be my schweschder. We can be a familye just as I prayed?”

Leviticus approached the child slowly, his gaze touching on Verity and then back to Faith. His words were spoken soft and easy to the child as he kneeled in front of her. No doubt his words were said for Faith’s benefit and hers. “I’m just starting to learn what it is to be a daed, Faith. I’m not very good at dealing with little ones yet. It would probably be best if you prayed some more. Ask Gott for someone with a bit more experience with kinner. You shouldn’t have any problem finding your mamm a husband since she’s so pretty.”

The back door opened, the squeaky hinges heralding Otto Fischer’s entrance.

“Leviticus?”

Verity took Faith’s hand and hurried out of the kitchen. Leviticus had opened the floodgates of retribution on his own head. Let him deal with it alone.

* * *

Disturbed by Faith’s comments, Leviticus tried to gather his thoughts as he stood with a nod directed toward the old man making his way around his father. A senior citizen now, the old bishop still moved with purpose and authority, like some of the generals Leviticus had served under. Otto always had a way of carrying himself with dignity, but without any of the pomp and ceremony used by the four-star generals. If he lived to be a hundred, Leviticus would never know the kind of veneration Otto and the officers had earned.

He recalled being a bu of ten and being called into Otto’s study for stealing candy from Old Dog Troyer’s five-and-dime store. He felt the same ripple of trepidation curl his stomach now as the Amish bishop’s piercing blue-eyed gaze turned on him, hard and steely. A bad case of nerves had his hands shaking. More than anything, he didn’t want to be sent away, back to the Englisch world.

Otto muttered something to Albert and Mose on the porch, and then quietly shut the door, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

Otto spoke, his accent still heavy with the same Pennsylvania Dutch inflection his father and many of the old ones used. “It is gut to see you, soh. I’d feared you were lost to us when you walked away.” Otto pulled out a kitchen chair with a gnarled arthritic hand and motioned Leviticus over with a wave.

Habit almost had him saluting and clicking his heels together at attention. His respect for the man was that strong now that he’d matured into an adult. He lowered himself into a chair. “Gott taught me hard lessons and brought me home with my tail between my legs.”

“Perhaps you were in the pigsty, bruised and battered for a time, but not harmed beyond repair. Ain’t so? It is gut you came back when you did. Your daed grows frail and needs you more than ever. This grove needs you, too. Solomon is one man. He can only do so much.” Otto tugged at his beard, gave Leviticus’s Englisch clothes a thorough once-over. The man’s hairy brows rose with disapproval. “Is it your intention to join the church and be baptized right away, or will you continue to fight the will of Gott and make your familye grieve further?”

The restrictions of military life had brought about much needed changes in Leviticus, but still, making the choice to be a Plain man wasn’t coming easy to him. He was making the choice mainly for Naomi, he told himself, but deep inside he knew better.

He understood the need for rules and uniformity better now, but he still didn’t like the feeling of being boxed in and held to guidelines he didn’t always agree with. No doubt, he would find it hard to live by the community’s strict Ordnung, but he could endure anything for his dochder. She’d need a stable familye, people to love her, and this tiny community could provide all that. “Yes. I realize the Amish way of life is best for me.”

Otto’s hand stilled on his beard. His eyes narrowed. “I’m told you have a dochder, but I see no fraa at your side.”

“That’s right.” His mouth went dry, but he managed to hold Otto’s piercing gaze. He had repented to God for his relationship with Julie but refused to be ashamed of Naomi’s existence.

“And is there a plan in motion? Someone you have in mind to marry, see to your dochder’s needs? Children can be a heavy burden for a mann with no fraa, no matter how much they love their kinner.” Otto settled back in his chair, not giving Leviticus a chance to answer his questions before he started speaking again. “It makes me wonder if an arranged marriage would be the best solution. There will be several eligible women coming to the community during the winter season. Perhaps you’ve considered this yourself and have already thought of someone suitable?”

Leviticus worked his jaw, not sure what to say. He had assumed Verity would continue to see to Naomi while he worked with his father and brother in the grove. “Verity—”

“Ya, this is a gut plan. Verity will make a fine fraa for you. She is a broad-minded woman with spirit. And her dochder needs a daed.” Otto nodded, a half smile curving his lips. “Verity was a gut fraa to Mark Schrock, and she will be faithful to you, too. Albert is already used to her ways, and content to have her around. You’ve made a gut choice.” Otto nodded vigorously. “Wasn’t there a time of walking about for you and Verity? An engagement, even? Perhaps bans were read in church?”

Alarms went off in Leviticus’s head. Sure, he needed a babysitter or full-time nanny, but a fraa? He wasn’t prepared to court anyone just yet. Not the way he was, and especially not Verity. It was apparent she still held a grudge against him for leaving her all those years ago. And who could blame her? He rose and shoved his trembling hands in his jeans pockets. “We did court for a time, but—”

“There’s no need to be troubled about the lack of remaining emotional attachment, if that’s what’s concerning you. Love will return, given time. Once you’re schooled, become a member of the church and are baptized, we can set the wedding date for December or sooner. With an immediate engagement, Verity’s family will have no need to be concerned about her reputation.”

“Her reputation? But Verity and I haven’t picked up where we left off.” His heart raced, almost thumping out of his chest. Things were moving too fast. He needed time to think, time to consider what would work for all involved. Certainly not this foolishness. What would Verity say?

Otto watched his every move and gesture, reading into it what he would. It was the man’s nature to scrutinize people. He spoke firmly, his look fierce. “You can’t expect Verity to live in this haus with you, a single mann, and not be touched by local gossip. She must stay. Albert can’t do without her. Not with his health still so unpredictable. Nee, one of Verity’s unmarried bruders must come and live on the grove until the wedding.” Otto nodded, deep in thought. “Ya, this is all gut.”

The sound of an ATV motor’s revving brought Otto to his feet. He moved toward the back door. “Komm. We must go. We’ll discuss this later in the day, after we’ve surveyed the damage to the grove.” He clasped his hand on Leviticus’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sure, given time, Verity will agree to a quick marriage of convenience and all will be settled.”

Leviticus followed close behind Otto, his feet dragging and thoughts frantic. What would Verity think about this situation they found themselves in? Trapped in an Amish till-death-do-us-part trap. Thanks to my big mouth.

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