Arms of Mercy Page 8

  “What did you say?” he blurted.

  She crinkled her nose as though she’d taken a whiff of something odd. “Just nau? I didn’t say anything.”

  “Nay, to Zach. What was your answer?”

  She stared at him a moment, then fiddled with a loose thread on her bag. “We didn’t see eye to eye on me going to Florida.” Her voice barely rose above a whisper. “I’ll only be gone four months, and I had already promised mei cousin I would help in her bakery, so . . .”

  “And you and Zach didn’t work something out?”

  Catherine shrugged. “We’ll see what happens in May.”

  The hopeful, singsong ring in her tone and her overstretched smile didn’t fool him. Her voice trembled and she’d forced her smile, the quiver at the corners of her mouth betraying her.

  Knowing Zach, he’d pressured her to choose between Florida and him. In the past his friend second-guessed all his major decisions, even having buyer’s remorse when he purchased a buggy horse at a very good deal. He hadn’t been around Zach much over the last few days, but he doubted his friend had changed. Some sort of retraction probably immediately followed his proposal.

  Four months wasn’t that long to wait, and if Zach truly loved her, he wouldn’t let time and distance stand in his way. Elijah glanced around the room, half expecting Zach to show up.

  Elijah stood. “I need to stretch mei legs. Do you mind watching mei duffel bag?”

  “I don’t mind, but mei bus is leaving shortly.”

  “I’ll be back.” He needed a little fresh air to clear his head and put his emotions in check. She’d been part of his past—part of his heart. Had he not gotten the letter from Edwina’s folks, he and Catherine would be married and probably trying to figure out how to keep food on the table for a houseful of kids.

  He stepped outside and pulled in a deep breath, but when the frigid air reached the depth of his lungs, they spasmed. He coughed, then took in another cleansing breath before turning to go back inside. As he entered the lobby again, a call for boarding sounded over the speakers. Elijah checked his ticket.

  “That’s me,” she said. She dragged her suitcase and his duffel bag to meet him. “I have to go.”

  His gaze locked on Catherine. She appeared strong, confident, eager to begin her journey—too independent for her own good.

  She handed him his bag. “I’ll see you—well, I guess I don’t know when I’ll see you again.” Catherine’s words ran together. “Take care, Elijah. I wish you well.”

  Focused on reading her expression, he almost missed the second overhead call for boarding. As she turned and headed toward the sliding glass doors, which led to the loading area, he hurried to her side. He unzipped his duffel bag and shoved his ticket inside, then reached for the handle on her traveling case. “Let me take this for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said, eyes blinking back tears.

  Choked up, good sign. Elijah smiled and kept walking. He stopped behind another passenger in line with his bags.

  “Elijah, the sign says you cannot be in this area without a ticket.” Catherine pointed to the notice posted on a dangling overhead sign.

  “I have a ticket.” He leaned closer. “I told you I wanted to stretch mei legs before getting on the bus.” He handed her case to the uniformed man standing beside the bus’s underneath storage compartment.

  “Ticket, please.” The man held out his hand.

  Catherine gave him her ticket. The employee tore off a section, fastened it to her case, then gave her back the ticket.

  “Give this to the driver,” the attendant said, then turned and bellowed, “Next.”

  Catherine moved out of the way of the other travelers. Glancing toward the line of people getting on the bus, trepidation filled her gaze.

  “Do you want to change your mind about leaving?” Elijah held his breath. The last thing he wanted was for her to second-guess her trip—her decision to leave.

  “Nay,” she replied, still staring at the boarding passengers.

  “Then the apprehension you’re feeling must be from nett knowing how to tell me goodbye, jah?”

  She whirled to face him. “Elijah—” An overhead announcement calling for final boarding blared over her words.

  “The seats are going to be taken if we keep talking.” He motioned to the disappearing line.

  “I have to go.” She hurried to join the other passengers.

  Elijah fell into line behind her. “You’ll want to pick a window seat.”

  “I appreciate you walking me to the bus, but you should go back inside.”

  He lowered his duffel bag to the ground, unzipped it, then removed a ticket. “I hope you don’t mind a traveling companion, Cat.”

  Her mouth dropped open.

  He motioned with a nod to the person ahead of her climbing the bus steps. “Do you have your ticket ready?”

  “You’re going to Florida?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why are you going to Florida?” She handed her ticket to the driver, who stamped it and handed it back.

  “To visit mei cousin Toby.” He gave the man his ticket. “At least I hope he still lives in Florida.”

  She stopped midway up the steps and glanced over her shoulder at him. “What’s the real reason?”

  Elijah smiled. “We have two full days to talk about that.”

  Chapter 10

  Catherine chose an empty row in the middle of the bus and took the seat next to the window, nervous excitement feeding her veins. She placed her handbag on the floor at her feet, then pressed the wrinkles out of her dress with jittery hands.

  Elijah shoved his duffel bag into an overhead compartment, then sat beside her. “You nervous?”

  “A little. I’ve never been on a bus before.”

  “Trust me, sitting for hours on end will get old quick.”

  At least the cushioned seat was comfy, unlike the hard buggy bench. “It all seems unreal.” Leaving town, sitting next to Elijah. “Did you tell anyone you were going to Florida?”

  He shook his head. “You worried about Zach finding out?”

  Zach had his chance to stop her before she boarded the bus.

  The overhead speaker crackled to life. “On behalf of Budget Bus, I’d like to welcome you aboard,” the driver mumbled into the handheld microphone. “I need to get a few things out of the way before we begin our journey. In case of emergency there is an exit located to my right and at the back of the bus.” The man pointed to the designated areas.

  A young child fussed in the seat ahead of them, making it hard for Catherine to concentrate on the emergency evacuation instructions given by the driver.

  Fear must have shown in Catherine’s expression, because Elijah reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He smiled. “I promise.”

  Much as the warmth comforted her, she quickly slipped her hand out from his. “We both know you’re nett gut at keeping promises.”

  His expression sobered. “Are you incapable of extending even a little mercy?”

  “The driver’s still speaking.” She turned her attention to the short, pudgy man speaking over the loudspeaker but didn’t hear a word he said.

  Guilt niggled at her conscience as the words of the Lord’s Prayer came to mind. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us . . .” She couldn’t hold his empty promise to her against him forever. Besides, he only meant to try to ease her fears about traveling by taking her hand. His gesture was sweet, protective, exactly how she remembered him being years ago. Lord, help me see him through Your eyes.

  The driver concluded his speech, then took his place behind the wheel. As the gears ground and the bus moved forward, she watched the terminal fade in the distance. A few miles down the road, she settled back in the seat. This would be a very long, very agonizing trip if she and Elijah didn’t clear the air once and for all.

  She dre
w in a deep breath, let it out slowly, then turned to him. “Can we talk?”

  “Sure.”

  The wide smile he flashed set her back a little. “I . . . I shouldn’t have said what I did. You were just trying to be nice when you promised not to let anything happen to me, and that means a lot, because truthfully I am a bit frightened. I’d like to call a truce over our . . . past issues.” She extended her hand, and he accepted it with a firm grasp that reached her core and instilled a measure of trust and safety.

  “Truce it is.”

  He held her hand longer than necessary to seal their agreement, but she forgot about pulling her hand free when his mesmerizing blue-gray eyes caught and captured hers.

  “I hope over these next few days you’ll see me differently,” he said.

  See him through God’s eyes. That had been her prayer. Catherine’s throat dried. His gaze was too familiar, and so were the nervous tremors that rippled through her unchecked. Get ahold of yourself.

  “Danki.” She let go of his hand. “I feel much . . . safer nau. Nett as . . . afraid.” Oh, Lord, I’m sputtering like a fool. Elijah’s always had this effect on me.

  “I’m glad you feel safe.” He sat up straighter and stretched his neck to look around the bus. “I’ve read that buses tend to draw a lot of transient people. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of these passengers have criminal records.”

  Catherine leaned forward and looked up and down the aisles— until a man with a straggly beard and a bandanna wrapped around his forehead eyed her back. She slumped in her chair, scooting closer to the window.

  Elijah relaxed, stretching out his legs under the seat ahead of him. “I can’t believe Zach didn’t insist on escorting you to Florida. This isn’t the place for a woman traveling alone.”

  She ignored his edgy tone. “Zach has a new client. A furniture store owner wants to sell his grandfather clocks, and apparently the man owns more than one store, so it should mean increased revenue for his business.” She recited almost verbatim the information Zach had told her.

  “Hmm . . .”

  “What do you mean by ‘hmm’?”

  He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Seems odd to me that he would value money above his future fraa’s—your—safety.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You’re implying he’s greedy.”

  “Either that or his priorities are skewed. But that’s for you to decide. You’re the one who wants to marry him.” He slouched down, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when we make our first stop.”

  “Okay.” She leaned her forehead against the cold window and watched the snowy landscape pass in a blur while replaying the conversation she had with Zach on the sleigh ride. “We can get married.” Even today his choice of words made her cringe. She had waited so long for him to ask, and when he did, it was so matter-of-fact that it left her more confused than ever.

  His response replayed in her mind. “First I rejected you, and nau you’re rejecting me? This was your idea. You’re the one who was desperate to get married. If you want to marry me, then I forbid you to go to Florida.”

  A sour taste rose to the back of her throat the more she rehashed the snippets of their conversation. Walking away from a marriage proposal—the possibility of never having a husband, a home, and a family of her own—was the hardest and yet easiest decision she’d ever made. Zach was the wrong man for her, or maybe she was just the wrong woman for him. Either way, God had given her wisdom to see the truth and the courage to walk away.

  Catherine reached down, picked up her tote bag, and removed a ball of yarn and crochet hook. Living in Florida, she wouldn’t need scarves and mittens, but she could get started on next year’s Christmas gifts for her two nieces and nephew. Hopefully one day Julie would forgive her for not coming back to Posen.

  Elijah opened his eyes as the bus slowed to turn off the road. The sign over the worn building read Buck’s Truck Stop and Restaurant. Home-Cooked Food. He had closed his eyes to avoid saying more than he should about Zach and ended up falling asleep. Now his neck was kinked. He rolled his right shoulder, then his left.

  Catherine stopped working on her yarn project. “Are you okay?”

  “Just stiff.” He repeated the stretches without much relief. “I’ll be better once I get outside to walk around.”

  “I’d better put this away if we’re getting off the bus.” She picked up her tote bag and tucked her handiwork inside.

  The overhead speaker squawked. “This route will resume in twenty minutes, folks. Please have your tickets with you for reboarding. We will leave at ten o’clock.”

  Someone’s purse bumped Elijah’s shoulder as people stood in the aisle waiting for the driver to open the door. He leaned toward Catherine. “We’d better wait until the crowd clears so we don’t get trampled in the stampede.”

  She followed a few passengers with her gaze, then turned her attention back to him. “People do seem eager to get off the bus.”

  “It’ll clear in another minute or two.” He settled his shoulders against the seat and yawned.

  “Do you want to stay on the bus and sleep longer?”

  “Nay, I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.” Elijah wasn’t about to let her get off the bus alone at a truck stop. Places like this weren’t safe for someone as trusting and naive as Catherine.

  “How late did the get-together last for your grandmother?”

  “It ended sometime around nine, but I stayed up late talking with mei relatives. Mei parents want mei grandmother to move in with them in Metz. Their place is only a few miles away, but Mammi is resistant. It seems the older she gets, the more stubborn in her ways she becomes.” He shrugged. “It’ll be a challenge to get her to change her mind. According to her, she took her first breath in that haus and plans to take her last breath in it as well.”

  “That does make for a difficult decision. On one hand it makes sense why your mammi is attached to her home, and on the other I’m surprised she’s lived alone for this many years.”

  “Things were working out fine with mei aenti watching over her, but Aenti Agnes is in her late seventies, and it’s getting more difficult for her to cross the pasture dividing their hauses. Besides, she has her hands full since Onkle Silas had a stroke. As it is, the neighbors do most of the grocery shopping and errands and make the necessary arrangements with a nearby Englisch driver to take them to their doctors’ appointments.” He stood when the aisle cleared, and motioned for Catherine to go in front of him.

  Once outside, Catherine resumed their conversation as they followed the other travelers meandering toward the building. “Maybe you should consider moving back to Posen. Your mammi’s farm is large enough to train horses like you always said you wanted to do.”

  He opened the door. “Maybe I will.”

  Chapter 11

  The first stop lasted long enough to use the restroom, purchase a bottle of water, and line back up to board the bus. A sweet aroma filled Catherine’s senses as she wandered across the parking lot alongside Elijah. “Do you smell that?”

  Elijah curled his lip. “Gas station hot dogs? I’d rather nett.”

  “You don’t smell lilacs?” She tilted her head up slightly and drew in a deep breath. Springtime. Her mind was playing tricks. They hadn’t even crossed the state line. Besides, lilac bushes never bloomed in January in Michigan.

  Elijah sniffed. “Nay.” He chuckled. “All I smell are diesel fumes.” He motioned to a group of women a few feet ahead of them. “You’re probably catching a whiff of their perfume.”

  Working at the restaurant, she’d smelled lilac perfume and powder before, but this scent didn’t carry the underlying hint of rubbing alcohol as many perfumes did. The wind shifted directions, and the same scent carried on the breeze.

  “Do you have your ticket ready?” Elijah pulled his from his jacket pocket.

  Catherine rummaged around her needlework to find hers in the tote
bag, which doubled as her handbag for the trip. “Found it.” She lined up behind Elijah, showed the driver her ticket, then boarded the bus.

  Elijah stopped at their row and motioned for her to go first.

  She hesitated. “Would you like to sit by the window this time?”

  “Nay, I’ll take the aisle.”

  It wasn’t until Catherine had sat and the bus was in motion that she recalled smelling lilacs the day she’d fallen by the side of the road. The scent had been strong then too. An image of the red-haired man’s gold-flecked eyes flashed in her mind.

  Elijah leaned closer. “Is something wrong? Did you forget something?”

  “Nay, it’s nett that.” She leaned forward and, sitting on the edge of her seat, arched her body so she could see the passengers seated behind, across, and in front of them. Her gaze stopped on a passenger a few rows ahead, but when he turned enough for her to study his profile, she realized it wasn’t the same man.

  “What’s wrong, Cat?”

  “I, ah . . .” Another man with pierced eyebrows and a fire-breathing dragon tattooed down his neck eyed her hard. She withered against the seat cushion, her breathing ragged.

  Elijah shifted his body so his shoulder blocked the other passengers’ view of her. “Tell me why you’re trembling.”

  Catherine glanced at her shaky hands, then palm-pressed a fold in her dress. After she’d fallen on the ice last Sunday, she hadn’t thought any more of the elderly man who had stopped to help or how he had placed his hands over her ears and they had stopped ringing. She clearly recalled how they were talking about a sparrow she’d seen perched on a fence post when the man disappeared as mysteriously as he’d arrived.

  Catherine touched the back of her head where the lump had been. “Do you believe in angels?”

  “Do you”—he glanced over his shoulder—“see one . . . nau?” Turning back to her, his brows pinched together as concern etched his face. “Do you, Cat?”

  “Never mind.” Leave it to Elijah to answer a question with a question. She played like it didn’t matter and redirected her attention out the window. She’d fallen, hit her head hard enough to black out, and upon opening her eyes, a stranger was peering down at her. She had no logical reason to believe he was an angel. “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”