Redeeming Grace and the Prodigal Son Returns Read online

  Rebecca giggled.

  “Come back to the table, you two, before breakfast turns to ice,” Hannah called. “You say both calves were heifers, John?”

  He gave Grace a warm grin before turning back to the table. “Pretty calves, both of them. Big. A little tired, but they were both on their feet and nursing when I left the barn. Clarence is lucky. They’ll make a fine addition to his dairy herd if he decides not to sell them.”

  “Late in the year for calves,” Irwin said between mouthfuls of pancake.

  “Or early.” John took a chair. “Clarence didn’t intend for her to calve in November. He said Reuben’s bull broke down the fence between their farms and got into his pasture.”

  Grace was grateful that the conversation had turned to animals and away from her. She’d heard lots of talk about livestock around the rodeo, and she’d grown used to it. It was clear that John was dedicated to his work. He didn’t seem the least put out that he’d had to miss a night’s sleep in one of his client’s barns. Even on such a cold night.

  “I saw your lights as I was on the way home,” he was saying. “I hoped that if I threw myself on your mercy, you’d feed me. Yesterday morning, Uncle Albert insisted on making oatmeal from scratch. It was awful, as thick and gummy as paste. He thought it was wonderful, and there was no way I could get away from the table without eating a bowl the size of my head.”

  Susanna giggled. “The size of my head,” she echoed.

  “I can’t imagine what it would be this morning for breakfast,” John continued, glancing across the table at Grace and smiling with his eyes. “I was just hoping it wouldn’t be more oatmeal.”

  “Ya,” Irwin agreed. “Probably so.”

  “That or his French toast,” John replied. “And he always burns that. Says charcoal is good for the digestion.” Everyone, including Grace and John and the children, laughed at that.

  “It must be hard for the three of you,” Hannah said. “Three men with no woman to cook for you.”

  “It’s a heavy burden, I can tell you.” John grinned again. “I’d do the cooking, but the truth is, mine is worse than Uncle Albert’s.”

  As the meal continued, Grace tried to convince herself that John was just a friend who had stopped by unexpectedly, that she had no reason to think he was paying special attention to her. She tried to eat, but even the coffee seemed to have no taste at all. She forced herself to concentrate on finishing the single pancake she’d put on her plate before John had arrived.

  “Another reason for stopping by, besides starvation,” John went on. “The young man who cleans our kennels hasn’t come in to work for three days. He didn’t even call to let us know he had quit. We’re desperate for help. I was wondering if Irwin might like to come by after school for a few hours and maybe half a day on Saturdays? What do you think, Irwin?”

  “Me?” He looked up. “I don’t know, John. Are they big dogs?”

  “You like dogs,” John said. “Look how good you are with Jeremiah. You’d be cleaning cages, doing some grooming, helping with—”

  “Don’t know.” Irwin stared at his plate and pushed a piece of pancake into a pool of syrup. “I’ve got chores...and homework. Saturdays I’m pretty busy here on the farm.”

  “Nine dollars an hour to start,” John said. “And I could arrange for you to have a ride to the clinic. You wouldn’t have to—”

  “I could do it,” Grace interrupted.

  Everyone looked at her.

  She took a deep breath. “I used to work in a big kennel. I’m good with dogs. And...and I need a job.”

  John looked surprised. “It’s hard work, Grace. Dirty work.”

  She looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m not afraid of hard work. And I know dogs. I like them and they like me.” She glanced at Hannah. Unable to read her face, she looked back at John. “If you’ll give me a chance, I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Chapter Five

  “I’d have to talk to Uncle Albert,” John said. “But...I don’t think he cares who is hired, just so he and Sue aren’t doing the cleaning. She’s our new vet. Dr. Susan Noble. Just joined the practice in the spring. She’s the one who helped us get our small-animal business running.”

  A lump the size of her coffee cup knotted in Grace’s throat, but this was too good an opportunity to miss. This was a job she could do. Please, God, she prayed silently. Help me convince them that I’m the right person. If it’s Your will, she added hastily.

  She knew all too well that she’d often prayed for things that hadn’t come true—from praying that Joe would recover from his terrible accident, all the way to praying that her old Plymouth would make it to her destination. God didn’t always answer prayers, but she believed that He had His own good reasons. And it didn’t keep her from praying.

  “I...I’d do a good job. I know I would,” Grace heard herself say.

  John glanced at Hannah. “Is that something that your bishop would approve of?”

  “Cleaning the cages? Is that what you need?” Hannah turned to Irwin. “You’re sure it isn’t something you’d like to consider?”

  Irwin scooped up a forkful of pancake and jammed it in his mouth. “Got homework,” he muttered. “Don’t like strange dogs.”

  “Ya, we all know how dedicated you are to your education,” Hannah said without the hint of a smile. Rebecca twittered and Johanna hid her amusement behind her coffee cup.

  Susanna had no qualms about speaking her mind. “Ne,” she said. “Irwin hates school. He doesn’t do his homework unless Mam makes him.”

  Irwin washed the last of his breakfast down with milk, mumbled an excuse and fled, grabbing his coat and hat as he went out the door. Jeremiah scrambled after him, hot on his master’s heels.

  Hannah chuckled. “I think we can safely say that Irwin doesn’t want the job, John. Maybe you should consider Grace’s offer. I see no reason, because she’d be working for you and your grandfather and Albert, that Bishop Atlee should disapprove. Charley’s sister Mary still cleans house for you, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes,” John replied.

  “You’ll give me a chance?” Grace asked eagerly. “I have kennel experience. My foster mother bred all kinds of dogs and sold the puppies. I cleaned cages, fed and groomed dogs, delivered puppies and did basic medical care for five years.”

  “How many dogs did she have?” John asked.

  Grace shrugged. “It depended. Sometimes more than a hundred.” She met his gaze. “I suppose it was a puppy mill, but Mrs. Klinger took good care of her dogs. She had a vet that came out to the house regularly. She fed her dogs well, and their cages were always clean and dry.” I should know, she thought. I spent enough hours on my hands and knees scrubbing them.

  “Five years.” Hannah was watching Grace. Making her self-conscious. “How old were you?”

  Grace lowered her gaze to her cup of coffee, then looked up again. “Twelve when I went to live with Mrs. Klinger.”

  There were three other foster mothers and a group home before Mrs. Klinger, in the year after her mother died. After that, Sunny Acres Kennel didn’t seem so bad. Grace had had to work hard seven days a week, but as long as she kept up with her chores, behaved herself in church and didn’t fight with the other foster kids, Mrs. Klinger was nice enough to her.

  At least she’d gotten to stay in the same school longer than she ever had before. It wasn’t like when she lived with Trudie. With her mother, she missed a lot of school. Once, when Grace was eight, she’d gotten off the school bus to find their trailer empty and all their stuff gone. She’d sat on the step crying until long after dark before her mother came back for her.

  “It sounds as if you have the experience we need,” John said.

  Maybe more experience than I care to share or you’d want to hear about, Grace t
hought as she clasped her hands together under the table where no one would see. Her stomach clenched. She didn’t like deceiving good people, but if they knew her for what she really was, they’d show her and Dakota the door.

  John nodded. “Let me see what Uncle Albert thinks while Hannah checks with Bishop Atlee.”

  It was all Grace could do to not let out a sigh of relief that no one had asked why she’d ended her stint at Sunny Acres at age sixteen. What would they think of her if they knew she’d run away from the foster home? She’d had her reasons, good reasons, but quitting high school and living on her own hadn’t been easy. Many a night she’d slept in someone’s barn or went to sleep hungry. She’d never stolen anything and she’d never begged. Somehow, with God’s help, she’d survived. And she’d never quit going to church wherever and whenever she could. Somehow, sitting in the back of a church, no matter which denomination, had helped to fill the emptiness inside her.

  John looked at his watch. “Yikes. I have a surgery this morning. I’d best get back to the clinic.” He rose from his chair, taking one last swig of coffee. “Thanks for breakfast. Again.”

  “And thank you for the ham and the pork loin,” Hannah said with a smile. “You’re welcome to come to dinner when we cook it.”

  “I just might take you up on that.” He turned his attention to Grace again. “I promise to have an answer for you by Monday. If you’re certain you want the job.”

  Grace nodded. “Definitely. So long as Hannah...and the bishop approve.” She hoped that working in the same place as John Hartman wouldn’t be a mistake. He had a way of making her pulse race and her thoughts scatter every time he smiled at her. It was a pity he wasn’t Amish. If he had been...

  Grace glanced down at her plate and tried to keep from chuckling aloud. If John had been Plain, she’d have made no bones about setting her Kapp for him. Because the surest way to make certain her future was secure in this community was to find an Amish husband and tie the knot. If she married into the church and had a home of her own, then no one could ever say she and Dakota didn’t belong.

  * * *

  All the way back to the clinic, John thought of Grace and wondered if hiring her would be the right thing to do. He liked her, and that was the problem. If she didn’t work out and he had to let her go, it would be awkward, to say the least. But if she did a good job, it would be a relief to know that the cleaning was done properly by someone experienced and reliable.

  He wished he knew more about Grace. When Miriam had turned him down for Charley Byler, he’d been badly hurt, so much so that it had been over a year before he’d gone on a single date. Since then, he’d gone out with three different women, two members of his church. He’d enjoyed their company, but none had intrigued him the way Grace Yoder did. There was an air of mystery about her, and he had a feeling that she was someone special.

  He chuckled out loud. It had never occurred to him that he might find another potential mate in Hannah’s kitchen.

  Then he grew serious. What was wrong with him, thinking such things? After he struck out with Miriam, he’d vowed to never become involved with an Amish girl again. And while Grace wasn’t Amish yet, it was clear that it was her intention to join the community.

  How crazy would it be to risk the same disappointment? Ultimately, Miriam had chosen the Amish Charley over John, a Mennonite. When John had asked Miriam to marry him, he’d offered to convert to her faith if he could continue his veterinary practice. Considering everything, he now felt that would have been a huge mistake and he would have come to regret it. Thank goodness Miriam had realized that, even if he hadn’t, at the time.

  He’d been born and raised in the Mennonite Church, but he hadn’t taken his religion seriously after he’d left his mother’s home for college. Like a lot of young adults, he’d been tempted by the world. He was proud to say that he’d never drank alcohol or used illegal substances, but he hadn’t always made the best choices. He’d definitely spent too many Sunday mornings sleeping late instead of going to hear God’s word.

  But after Miriam had married Charley, John had realized how empty his life had become. He’d accepted Uncle Albert’s invitation to attend a worship service at Green Spring Mennonite, and he’d only missed Sunday services when veterinary emergencies prevented him from going. He’d started with the regular worship service and then found himself involved in volunteering. He’d put himself through college working as a carpenter, so repairing homes for seniors or helping to build a community hall was rewarding. He’d even participated in a church-sponsored trip to the Ozarks to construct a refuge for abused women.

  Returning to his faith hadn’t been dramatic or sudden. It had happened slowly, but the strength he gained from knowing that his life was moving in the right direction was vital to his well-being. He’d found peace and purpose. And now, he’d reached a point in his life where he wanted a wife and kids, if God blessed him so.

  John hoped he’d make a good husband and a good dad. He’d always liked kids, and he wanted a chance to be the kind of father he’d never had. It had been important for his own father to provide financial support, but it had come at the cost of spending time with his only son. John had always believed that his father loved him, but he’d never been able to bridge the emotional gap between them.

  Being a good veterinarian took long hours, but John intended that—if he did have kids—he’d make time to take them fishing, to read bedtime stories and to help with Little League, 4H and, most importantly, to worship with them. He promised himself that he’d remember to show affection and tell his children that he loved them, even if he had to insist on rules they didn’t understand.

  John hadn’t come to those conclusions by himself. What wisdom he had concerning the relationship between a father and his children he’d learned from Uncle Albert, the rock who’d always been there to listen to and guide him.

  John knew himself well enough to realize that he was sometimes too quick to form opinions. He’d known Grace Yoder only a few days, and he should have had the sense to be cautious. Yet, he couldn’t deny how he felt. The truth was, being in the same room with her made his pulse quicken and his spirits rise. It was too soon to tell if she was as attracted to him as he was to her.

  For all he knew, she might have a boyfriend or even be engaged. But he didn’t think so. Because she carried the Yoder last name, in spite of having a son, he guessed she was single. If only she didn’t have her heart set on becoming Amish... When he married, it would for a lifetime, and he didn’t want something as important as faith to strain the bonds of his and his wife’s union.

  He chuckled to himself as he pulled into the clinic parking lot and parked beside his uncle Albert’s pickup. He hadn’t even asked Grace to go to a movie with him, and already he was picturing her as his wife. He decided to talk to Uncle Albert tonight at supper about hiring her as the new kennel attendant. Grace needed a job, and the practice needed a dependable employee. It would be foolish not to hire her just because he was attracted to her.

  If Grace worked at the practice and he saw her every day, it wouldn’t take long before he’d find out if there was more to his attraction than her pretty face and cute figure. Instinct told him that Grace was as lonely as he was. From what he could gather, she’d had a difficult life, but didn’t feel sorry for herself or want sympathy. It was obvious that she was independent and possessed a keen mind, and she seemed to be an excellent mother. What he had to discover was whether she had a loving heart and a strong belief in God to go with those sparkling eyes.

  * * *

  “Hannah’s sure that she’s telling the truth?” Uncle Albert said as he removed a family-size aluminum container of lasagna from the oven.

  “Are you certain that’s been in long enough?” John’s grandfather asked. “Last time it was still frozen in the middle.”

  “I set the timer,” Uncl
e Albert said. “John, would you get those paper plates off the counter? And a roll of paper towels. I forgot napkins again.”

  “Nothing wrong with paper towels,” Gramps insisted. “Works just as well.” He poured cranberry juice into three tall glasses. “And get the cheese, will you, John? Parmesan, not the slices of Swiss.”

  John chuckled. “And I was thinking Swiss.” The few meals the three of them could share were always haphazard. And Gramps had a running joke about the cheese, even though John had been six and visiting for the weekend when he’d removed sliced Swiss from the refrigerator to go with canned spaghetti and meatballs Uncle Albert had heated.

  Gramps laughed, folded his newspaper and added it to the stack of magazines and journals that took up a large section of the dining room table. John passed forks around and took his seat. Uncle Albert offered a brief grace before returning to his questioning. “This young woman you’re talking about hiring... What did you say her name was?”

  “Grace,” John answered. “Grace Yoder. And I’m sure she’s who she says she is. She’s one of Jonas’s girls, all right. She looks a lot like her sisters—petite, like Miriam.”

  “And as pretty?” Gramps teased.

  John grinned. “Every bit as pretty. But that’s not why I think we should hire her. I like her and—”

  Gramps groaned. “Here we go again. What’s with you and those Yoder girls? Two years ago you were head over heels over Miriam Yoder. And now—”

  “Hannah’s a fine-looking woman,” Uncle Albert remarked as he scooped out lasagna onto the paper plates. “It’s no wonder she has attractive girls.”

  John hesitated, finding his uncle’s comment interesting. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Uncle Albert had a thing for Hannah Yoder. “What I was trying to say about Grace Yoder is that she has five years’ experience working in a kennel,” John said, trying to bring the conversation back around. “We’re desperate for help, and Melody is willing to swing by the Yoder farm and pick her up on her way to work.”