Natalie hastily finished her second sandwich and stood up, looking at Betsy with mixed emotions as the little girl giggled in recognition of the twins and Stevie. “Well, there’s no point in me hanging around here when you folks are obviously better at—”
“Wait.” Leah stepped into the pantry and grabbed the wad of bills stashed in her coffee can. “I want you to have this, Natalie. It’s not all that much, but maybe it’ll help you get groceries and a place to stay.”
The young woman appeared too flustered to count the money—or to meet Leah’s gaze again. “Thank you,” she whispered before hurrying toward the door. “I’m such a mess, I don’t deserve your kindness.”
Moments later the car’s engine churned, and Natalie backed the noisy vehicle down the lane and onto the county road. Leah closed her eyes and embraced little Betsy, feeling her cup of joy and blessings was ready to overflow. Jude would be ecstatic when he came home from the sale and learned what had happened.
“So how much did you give her?” Alice demanded.
Adeline let out a grunt of disapproval. “Knowing Natalie, she’s headed toward the pool hall to impress the guys with her money—”
“Or to blow it all on beer,” Alice said in a disgusted tone.
Leah thought carefully about her response as she gazed at her daughters, neatly dressed in their crisp kapps and matching lavender cape dresses. “I suppose there might’ve been three or four hundred dollars in my can from selling eggs and that last batch of chickens,” she replied softly. “I felt it was the least I could do to help that poor girl. Your dat and I would’ve given every dollar we had to save you two from a fate similar to Natalie’s, you know.”
Adeline’s and Alice’s mouths clapped shut as Leah’s words sank in.
“Jah, I was mighty concerned that things had gotten way out of hand,” Mama said as she cleared Natalie’s plate from the table. “I was so relieved to hear that you finally realized those English boys were more trouble than you might’ve been able to get yourselves out of.”
After a moment, Adeline sighed. “You know, Natalie said something when she came for Betsy last month,” she mused softly. She gazed steadfastly at Leah. “She told us that after she’d watched Leah come to the pool hall to take Alice and me home, she could see that you loved us enough to look after us—even if we didn’t want to believe that at the time.”
“Even though we treated you terribly and called you names, you stuck by us,” Alice chimed in with a quavery smile. “You gave us the tough love we needed, Leah. We’re really sorry for the way we acted—”
“And really glad you didn’t give up on us,” Adeline added with a nod.
Leah was speechless. Tears of gratitude stung her eyes as she looked from one twin’s face to the other. Betsy seemed to sense it was a special moment, too. She patted Leah’s damp cheeks with her hands and said, “Mah-mah! Mah-mah!”
Everyone chuckled and cooed at the baby, bursting the balloon of airless tension that had held them all suspended.
“Betsy knows who loves her,” Mama said as she reached for the baby. “I think she’s every bit as glad to be amongst us again as we are to have her.”
Leah nodded, blinking back tears as she released Betsy. “Natalie has given us the greatest gift of all,” she murmured. “It took a lot of gumption to come back here and admit she couldn’t raise her child—and to give up the baby whose love she needed so badly when she took her away last month. Natalie’s made the ultimate sacrifice, and we’ll forever owe her our prayers and gratitude.”
Stevie tugged at Leah’s apron. “Can I sit on the couch with Betsy and give her that other bottle?”
Smoothing his thick hair, Leah smiled at the boy who was beaming up at her. “That’s a fine idea, and a gut place for her to be when she nods off—maybe before she’s finished the bottle,” she added.
It made a sweet picture when Stevie settled on the couch with Betsy in his lap, her head resting on a pillow as she drank more slowly from her second bottle. Leah pulled the curtains against the bright sunshine, and within minutes the baby was breathing deeply, slipping into sleep.
We can’t thank you enough, God, for the surprise You’ve given us—the precious lamb You’ve returned to our home, for keeps this time, Leah prayed as she gazed at Betsy. Like Natalie, we don’t deserve Your grace and gifts, but we’re forever grateful that You stand by us despite our shortcomings.
Chapter 27
On Saturday morning, Jude savored some extra time in bed with Betsy cradled in one arm as he held Leah against him. A warm breeze stirred the curtains, allowing quick glimpses of the pale, predawn light—and casting a glow on the white bassinet that had resumed its place in the corner.
He sighed languidly. “It feels like the perfect morning,” he whispered as he kissed Leah’s soft forehead. “Betsy is back. You’re not throwing up anymore—and you’re starting to show. I wish we could just stop time so this moment would last forever.”
Leah chuckled, snuggling closer. “You forgot the part about the scent of Mama’s cinnamon rolls drifting upstairs,” she said, “but otherwise, you got it just right. Our life is perfect, Jude. Just like
