LITMIR.BIZ

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she went into a back room where she found a gas-powered freezer along with washer and dryer. She checked over each appliance, pleased to find them in better condition.

      The baby continued to wail as Sarah descended the stairs, the sound growing louder as she approached. Ellie came out of the back room.

      “I’m sorry,” the girl apologized. “I can’t get him to stop.”

      “May I hold him?” Ellie asked gently, softening her gaze.

      “Ja, danki.” Sarah handed her the child.

      The baby instantly quieted in her arms. “What’s your soohn’s name?”

      The girl shook her head. “He’s not my son. He’s my nephew. I’ve been watching him for my bruder while he works.” She eyed the baby helplessly. “Ethan,” she murmured sadly. “His name is Ethan.”

      “I see.” Gazing into the baby’s bright blue eyes, Ellie smiled. “Do you have a clean diaper?”

      “Ja, but I don’t think it will help. I just changed him.”

      “Has he eaten?”

      Sarah glanced at her wristwatch. “’Tis not time.”

      “Babies know when they are hungry. Do you have milk for him?” The girl nodded. “Will you make up a bottle?” Sarah proceeded to fix it. “Where’s his mother? She busy, too?” Ellie asked, curious.

      “She’s dead. She died right after she gave Ethan life.”

      “I’m sorry,” Ellie said with genuine sympathy, although she believed that the woman was in a better place. God would have taken her into His house and made her happy that she’d sacrificed her life for her son’s.

      Sarah approached with the bottle and reached for the boy.

      “May I feed him?” Ellie watched her closely. “Why don’t you wash up,” she suggested softly after Sarah nodded. “Do you have fresh garments?”

       “Ja.”

      “Go, then, and take a few moments for yourself. You deserve it. I’ll watch Ethan for a while until you feel better.”

      “Danki,” Sarah murmured shyly before she headed upstairs.

      Ellie heard the slam of a door. “Sarah?” a man’s voice boomed. “How’s Ethan?”

      He entered the room and froze when he saw her. She released a startled breath as she recognized him. The baby’s father was Reuben Miller, her sister Meg’s former sweetheart, the one who’d lost control of his buggy one rainy night and sent Meg into the cold, dark depths of a creek.

      “Ellie?” he said unhappily. “Ellie Stoltzfus?”

      “Reuben,” she greeted, acknowledging that she knew him.

      “What are you doing here?”

      “I’m cleaning house.”

      He scowled. “Why?”

      She raised her chin. “Because the place needs it, and—”

      “And?” he prompted.

      She stared at him. He was sweaty and disheveled but still an attractive man. He had removed his straw hat and his blond hair was matted. Golden hair a shade darker than the hair on his head ran along his jaw, the beard proclaiming him as having married. But it was his eyes that drew her attention the most. They were a beautiful shade of blue, like the light blue of a bright sunny summer sky. His features were strong and symmetrical. She suffered a fluttering like butterflies in her belly. Reuben Miller was an extremely handsome man.

      “Ellie?”

      “Bishop John told me to come.”

      “I didn’t ask for someone to clean for me.”

      He clearly didn’t want her here. She saw his face change as he realized that she was holding his child. Reuben approached and extended his arms.

      Clutching the baby closer, she resisted his unspoken request and stepped back. “I won’t hurt him.”

      He sighed. “I know you won’t.” The man closed his eyes, looking tired beyond measure, and Ellie felt a deep welling of sympathy for him.

      With a soft murmur for Ethan, she gave Reuben his son, then turned for her cleaning supplies with the intent to continue on to the next room. To her surprise and relief, the baby snuggled against his father’s chest without a whimper.

      “Ellie?” Reuben said when she headed toward the gathering room beyond the kitchen.

      “Ja?” She faced him.

      “I don’t need you here.”

      She flushed with anger. “I’m not here for you, Reuben. I’m here for Sarah and Ethan.” After a brief pause, she added, “If you have a problem with me, talk with the bishop.” Ignoring him, she began sweeping the floors in the other room, hoping he would stay away and not give her grief.

      The ensuing silence in the house unsettled her. Reuben hadn’t followed to harass her, and his absence after their mild altercation worried her. She returned to the kitchen for a peek, and what she saw made her heart pause before it started to pump harder. Reuben leaned against the counter cradling his son as he fed the baby his bottle. She experienced an odd sensation in her chest as she watched man and child together. Suddenly, Reuben looked up as if sensing her presence. They locked gazes, and she lurched back a few steps, eager to escape the odd intimacy of witnessing a tender moment between a father and his son.

      “Ellie!” Sarah bounced down the stairs and stopped abruptly when she saw her brother. “Reuben, you’re home! How was work? Did your crew get the job done? Will you have time to work on the haus tomorrow?”

      Expecting him to scold his sister, Ellie was shocked to see his face soften with indulgence as he smiled at Sarah. Reuben chuckled, and the sound rippled along her back from her nape to her lower spine. “In answer to your questions—ja, I’m home. Gut, work was gut. Ja, we got the job done. And as to your last question, most definitely ja.” He’d held up a finger with each yes, the last of which caused Sarah to squeal with pleasure.

      “You’ve met Ellie,” Sarah said with a smile.

      “We’re acquainted,” Ellie confessed, meeting the girl’s light blue eyes. She transferred her attention to Sarah’s brother. “I didn’t know you’d married. It must have been soon after...” She bit her lip, her voice trailing off before she could mention his breakup with Meg.

      “I met Susanna not long after,” he began. “We married six months later.” He studied his son. “We were happy until...”

      “’Tis oll recht, Reuben,” his sister said softly. “I know how hard this is for you, but I’m here to help for as long as I’m able.”

      His smile for Sarah was soft and filled with affection. “I know you wish to be with our family in Ohio. I appreciate that you’re here for now. I’ll find someone to take care of Ethan so you can go home.”

      “I don’t mind being here, bruder.”

      “I know you don’t.” Sorrow settled on the man’s features, touching something deep inside Ellie. “But you’re too young for this worry.”

      Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, Ellie turned away. “I’ll finish the gathering room and return tomorrow to do the bedrooms and baths.”

      “Ellie—”

      “Don’t say you don’t need me to clean for you, Reuben, because from the look of this place, you most certainly do.”

      She caught a quick glimpse of anguish on his features as he turned away. Her gaze once again moved about the room. Was he concerned with money?

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