Leah watched a heavyset, dark-haired young woman in jeans and a sweatshirt climb out of the driver’s side. She vaguely wondered where she might’ve seen the girl before. Perhaps she needed directions, or was looking for one of the Amish shops that were scattered along the back roads . . . except her face was set in a purposeful expression edged with youthful uncertainty. When the visitor walked toward the front porch, Leah went to answer the door.
As she stepped into the open doorway, the back of Leah’s neck prickled. Did she feel apprehensive because English folks didn’t usually come to the door? Or because Jude wasn’t home? Or was it the stranger’s direct gaze that made Leah feel like a target about to be shot at?
“I’m Betsy’s mother. I came to take her home.”
Leah clutched the doorframe, momentarily forgetting how to form words. “I—I beg your pardon?” she finally managed.
The young woman cleared her throat, pointing to the porch floor. “I left my baby here last month,” she said in a tight voice, “and now I want her back. It was a—a big mistake to leave her here.”
Wishing desperately for Jude’s assistance, Leah fought to focus her racing thoughts. “I don’t have any idea who you are,” she stalled. “Why should I just let you take Betsy—”
“Hey, there’s a car out front!” one of the twins called from the kitchen.
The sound of footsteps coming from the kitchen—the grasp of Stevie’s hand as he hurried up beside her—gave Leah a surge of courage.
“Who’re you?” Stevie piped up. About that time the twins were peering out the door from behind him and Leah.
“Natalie? What’re you doing here?” Adeline asked, exchanging a wary glance with her sister.
Alice took a step back. “Hey, if this involves something—or somebody—at the pool hall, we don’t want to talk about it.”
The pool hall. Leah suddenly wondered if this was the young woman who’d been flirting with the fellows the day she’d found the twins there—the girl who’d gotten her tank top yanked down over her shoulders.
“How many times do I have to say it?” Natalie demanded. “I came here to take Betsy home, so—”
“Come inside so we can talk about this,” Leah interrupted nervously. “I need a lot more information before I even think about giving up a—a member of our family!”
“Jah, and I’m not letting the cookies burn while we listen to this ridiculous conversation,” Adeline muttered as she and Alice strode back toward the kitchen.
Stevie followed his sisters, glancing warily over his shoulder at the young woman who came inside behind Leah. Natalie can’t be much older than the twins, Leah fretted. How can I even think of letting her take our Betsy away?
While Adeline pulled two sheets of cookies from the oven, Alice stood beside the swing with her arms crossed tightly. Betsy babbled at her, but the girl was too intent on studying Natalie to coo at the baby. “So let me guess,” Alice said sharply. “You dumped Betsy on our porch last month because you wanted Nick or Alex to date you.”
“And a baby got in your way,” Adeline added in a scornful tone.
Stevie turned his attention from the hot pans of cookies to glare at their guest. “Is that any way to treat a poor little baby?” he demanded hotly. “I’m thinkin’ we love Betsy a whole lot more than you do.”
You took the words out of my mouth, Stevie. Leah was at a loss—feeling sick to her stomach—because she saw how Natalie’s gaze was fixed on Betsy as the baby swayed back and forth in her swing. Betsy had filled out a lot, and in her sunny yellow dress and airy curls of light brown, she resembled a doll baby, pink and perfect—a far cry from the condition she’d been in when Leah had found her in a basket on the porch a month ago.
“I—I brought Betsy here because I knew you’d take care of her,” Natalie said in a halting voice. Once again, she held Leah’s gaze, beseeching her. “When you came to the pool hall that day to take Alice and Adeline home, I could see that you loved them enough to look after them, so I—I figured Betsy would be in good hands here.”
“Jah, she is in gut hands here,” Alice retorted. “She has a real family now.”
Adeline frowned as she removed cookies from the pans with a metal spatula. “Why should we even think about letting you have her back, Natalie? Betsy’s our sister now. We’ve made plans to adopt her—because her mother didn’t want her,” she added with a purposeful glare.
Natalie took a few tentative steps toward the swing, swallowing hard. “My family’s been pretty tough on me for getting into this mess—they’re Mennonites, and they’re mad because I don’t want to join the church. But—but I want to take care of Betsy now. She’ll love me even if nobody else does, so I—I’ve got to have her back. Please! It’s only right— it’s only fair,” she insisted tearfully, “because now I realize what a mistake it was to abandon her.”
“Mah-mah-mah!” Betsy chirped as the swing stopped moving.
“See there!” Natalie said ecstatically. “She remembers me! She knows I’m her mother and she’s happy to see me!”
Leah knew better . . . but she also knew what she had to do, even if letting go of Betsy sliced her like a knife. God had surely guided Natalie to bring Betsy to their home last month, but He’d also brought the young mother to her senses—even if she seemed woefully incapable of giving Betsy a stable
