Beyond the Gray Mountains, page 18
“Ike—Isaiah Sommer, actually. My guess is that Uncle Ike would have put down the phone number for the Kootenai Kraft and Grocery, or maybe his friend Annie Johnson, as the contact information. A lot of people do.”
“I’m glad you called, Marianna, but I have to ask again—how are you doing?”
“Right now, I’m just trying to figure out what to do, and that’s why I called.”
“Let me know how I can help. Seriously, what do you need?” There was tenderness in Roy’s tone.
“A ride down to Ovando? I’d like to be close.”
“Good idea. You don’t have to ask twice. Can you be ready to leave in an hour?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then maybe your mother wants to come?”
Mem. Marianna hadn’t even told her yet. Annie had left quickly, and then Marianna had reached out to Roy. Now she had to go home and tell Mem that Dat was missing. Worse, at least one of the men was injured.
“I have five younger siblings, including a baby sister, but maybe we can find someone to step in and care for them. Yes, I do believe my mother will want to come.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be on my way up to West Kootenai soon. I’ll call Carrie. Might as well call the sheriff, too, and see what search and rescue efforts are being made. Don’t worry, Marianna, you’re not in this alone. Between the authorities and the news reports, we’ll get the help we need to find them.”
And Annie, Marianna wanted to add but didn’t. She had no idea how long it would take for search and rescue to get on board, but Annie she could trust.
“Thank you, Roy. I’ll make sure Mem and I are ready when you arrive. Do you need directions to our place?”
“Nah, Ben pointed it out last time I was up that way. He’s been talking about you for a while, you know. Nearly from the moment he met you.”
“That’s good to know. I’m glad that God brought us together.”
“You should be.” Roy chuckled softly. “I’ve never been a man of faith, but I love Ben, and I’m going to throw up some prayers that everyone makes it down from the mountains all right.”
Marianna smiled at that as she said goodbye. Then she handed the phone back to Jenny. Many times she’d heard Ben pray for Roy. It warmed her heart to know that Roy was now praying for Ben.
Jenny held up the phone. “I want you to take this so Roy can contact you. I’ll let Annie know you have my phone too.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s no problem, really. It’s just a flip phone, and I know you don’t know what that means, but it’s just for calls. You’re going to need it. I can be reached at the store and my house. Everyone’s number is in here. I’ll show you how to get them.” Jenny placed the cell phone into Marianna’s hand, and she nodded. “We’re all here for you, all of us.”
God has a plan in all this, Marianna told herself as she hurriedly walked home. He will bring good, not destruction, and maybe even lead others to faith. She needed that reminder. She couldn’t think of anything other than three men coming down from the mountain alive. None of the things she and Ben had been squabbling about not too many days ago seemed to matter now. Lord, just bring home Ben, Dat, and Uncle Ike. And protect them even now. I’m thankful You do, even when we don’t know where they are or what they’re facing.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Thursday, July 6, West Kootenai, Montana
Mem was in the garden pulling weeds when Marianna hurried around the house into the backyard. Ellie sat in the small, square patch of dirt that Dat had set up as a garden just for her. “Better to have her digging around in her own garden than yours,” he’d told Mem weeks ago when he’d tilled the gardens.
Today, Joy sat in a small playpen under the shade of one of the pine trees. Marianna attempted to slow her steps as she approached Mem. Yet from the way Mem’s head quickly lifted and her eyes widened with alarm, Marianna knew she hadn’t done a very good job concealing her worry.
Mem rose and wiped her hands on her garden apron. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Marianna paused before Mem. She grasped her hands behind her back. “Mem…”
“Marianna, what is it? Spit it out.”
Glancing at her sister, Marianna smiled. Ellie’s eyes were fixed on them both.
“Ellie, can you help me?” Marianna walked over and squatted in front of her four-year-old sister.
Ellie stood with an uncertain look on her face. “Ja.”
“Can you get me one of those cookies you and Mem made last night?”
“Ja.” Ellie nodded. Yet she still didn’t move.
Marianna reached forward and touched her arm. “You can get one for yourself, too, but wash your hands first.”
A tentative smile touched Ellie’s lips, and she hurried to the house. It was only then that Marianna turned back to Mem.
“Please, Marianna.” Mem gripped her hands in front of her. “What is going on?”
“Edgar saw a report on the news today. A horse and a pack mule showed up at the trailhead near Ovando—just where Ben, Dat, and Uncle Ike were going.”
Mem gasped. “And any sign of the men?”
“No, none.” Marianna folded her arms over her chest, unsure if she should tell Mem the rest of the news report.
“And they are sure those were Ike’s animals? Surely there are many outfitters in those mountains.”
Marianna grasped her mother’s hands. “Mem, it’s them. Annie confirmed it.”
“Ja, she would know.” Mem’s voice was flat.
“Annie is heading down to Ovando. She’s loading up her things.”
“She’s going into those mountains? Please tell me she’s not going alone.”
“She refused to take anyone with her. But she was an outfitter for many years. She knows those mountains. Annie believes taking someone else will just slow her down.”
“Are they sending others in to find them?” Mem’s desperate voice cracked with emotion.
“Annie said she’d call the authorities and report what she knows. She thinks it will take time for them to pull a search team together, and Annie doesn’t want to wait.”
As if Mem’s legs could no longer hold her up, Mem sank onto her knees, just as she’d been sitting when she’d been pulling weeds. She looked down into the new sprouts poking from the soft ground as if the answers she sought were there.
“Mem, there’s something more. The saddle—”
“Cookie, Mari, cookie.” Ellie ran from the house with clean hands that clutched three cookies.
Mem’s face lifted to her happy daughter, and she stretched out her hand. “Thank you, that looks delicious.”
“Mem…” Marianna felt she should not tell her mother about the blood on the saddle. Not yet. At least one of the three men was injured, and her heart ached to know that.
“Mem,” she repeated again. “I called Roy. I’m not sure if you remember, but he is Ben’s manager.” Seeing the blank look on her mother’s face, she guessed nothing was sinking in, but she had to try to explain. “Roy works with Ben’s music. He’s coming up here to pick me up. He’s going to take me down to Ovando. I’d like to be there…when they are found.” Or to hear any news. Emotion tightened her throat, and she refused to entertain that thought.
“Ja, of course.” Mem opened her arms and pulled Ellie into her lap, squeezing her close.
Confusion filled Ellie’s face. “Cookie?” She pointed to the cookie in Mem’s hand.
Mem nodded but didn’t take a breath, and from the look in her eyes, it appeared that Mem was sinking. Falling into the disbelief, the depression, the despair that had no doubt plagued her when she had lost her two daughters over two decades prior. It was as if Mem’s heart was held together by thin threads, and with one pull, they came out, allowing her broken heart to open and spill.
Marianna kneeled beside her mother, touching her hand again. “It may be hard to face all this at once, but Roy suggested you come too. We can ask Eve Peachy or someone to care for Joy. And maybe Deborah Shelter can help with the other kids.”
“No.” The word shot from Mem’s mouth. “These are my children. My children. They need me. They can’t lose me too.”
“Mem, but don’t you want to be close?”
“I can’t leave them home with all these worries…and the baby, she’s so young yet.”
Marianna nodded, knowing she’d be going down to Ovando alone. Mem was right. She needed to be with her family. Yet Marianna also didn’t want to leave Mem alone in her fragile state. Marianna’s mind raced. Eve Peachy could help with the baby, but Eve was just a young woman. She wouldn’t know what to do to handle Mem’s emotions or to offer advice. Also, Deborah had her own young daughter, and she helped to care for Kenzie. She didn’t have time to be an aid and a comfort to Mem.
A different name popped into her head. Millie Arnold. In her late seventies, Millie had faced a lot in her years. Millie had lost her husband in recent years. She’d also, no doubt, faced many hardships. Millie was also a no-nonsense type of person. For some reason, Marianna believed that was just what her mother needed at this moment, because no matter what news Mem got, she would have to hold herself together.
Knowing what she had to do, Marianna rose. Her mind raced as she tried to think how she could get ahold of Millie. Then she remembered that she had Jenny’s phone. Even though Mem still had a far-off look in her eyes, she was now nibbling on a cookie as Ellie chatted on her lap.
Marianna looked over at the playpen and saw that Joy had curled up with her favorite blanket and had fallen asleep. Her mind raced thinking of what she had to pack, but first, she needed to get ahold of Millie.
Marianna’s satchel was on the back porch where she’d left it. She took out the phone and clicked on the button that showed the contacts, just as Jenny had shown her. Then she found Millie’s name. Pushing it, she could soon hear a ringing from the other side of the line.
“Hello.”
“Oh, Millie, I’m so thankful you answered.” Shaky laughter spilled out.
“Marianna? Is that you? Whyever are you calling, darling?”
“Oh, it’s hard to say, but something has happened to Ben, Dat, and Uncle Ike. They went up into the mountains—”
“Oh no, oh no.” Millie’s voice sounded far off. “Please don’t tell me that it was their horse and mule that showed up on that trailhead today. I saw it on the news.”
“I’m afraid that it was. I am heading down to the area now, so I’m calling. I know you don’t know my mother that well—at least, not as well as you know me. But I’m heading down to Ovando, and I need someone to stay with Mem and the kids.”
“Me, of all people? Of course I’d be happy to, but I haven’t been around kids for many years.”
“It’s actually not the kids I’m worried about. It’s Mem. I saw something in her eyes that scared me—as if, facing something painful and familiar, she was going to get lost in it all. I’m almost afraid that this will crush her if…” Marianna paused, not wanting to finish.
“I see. I see.” Millie seemed to understand even without Marianna saying it. “Yes, of course. I’ll pack a bag and head right over.”
“Thank you, Millie.”
Marianna was just hanging up the phone when Mem came into the house with a sleeping Joy in her arms and Ellie trailing behind. Marianna hadn’t thought to ask where the boys were. Her guess was they were down the road playing with friends. She watched as Mem moved to the living room and set Joy in her cradle. Then Mem glanced up with intensity in her gaze.
“Did you change your mind? Did you want to go?” Marianna asked her.
“Ne. But I thought I’d need a way for you to get ahold of me.” Mem sighed. “We have a phone in the shed. Maybe there’s a way we can bring it into the house?”
“I have to tell you something.” Marianna motioned for Mem to follow her to her room. She opened the curtains so that more light would come in. Then she opened her closet, and there on the shelf was the telephone that Annie had wired in for her.
“What is that?” Mem pointed.
“It’s the telephone from the shed.”
Mem took a step back like it was a snake sitting on the shelf. “What is it doing here?”
“After what happened the other night with Evelyn and Kenzie—and with Dat being gone—I thought a phone in the house could be useful. If something happens, well, it’s easier to get help.”
Relief flooded Mem’s face. “And you’ll call if you hear any news?”
“Ja, Mem.” Marianna took a step closer. “I will call.”
Before Marianna processed what was happening, Mem opened her arms and pulled her into her embrace. Marianna felt her body stiffen, uncertain, and she knew why. Mem was always loving and caring but rarely physically affectionate with Marianna. For most of her life, Marianna had assumed it was because one girl could never replace two in Mem’s eyes. But it was only recently that Dat had confessed the truth. Marianna had been so treasured after the loss of her two sisters that Mem had hardly ever put her down as a baby. It became so obvious how spoiled Marianna was that people started to talk. And instead of allowing herself to be comforted by young Marianna, Mem had pushed her away.
Mem’s hug was warm and gentle, and Marianna sank into it. “It’s all right, Mem. Dat will be all right.”
A soft sniffle sounded in Marianna’s ear. “They’ll all be all right. They’re all coming home. God is with them. We must believe that, daughter. God is with them even now.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Thursday, July 6, Highway 83, Montana
Marianna had never ridden in a vehicle as excellent as Roy’s. More than that, it was odd to be alone with a man in a car, especially one who was not a driver for the Amish.
The interior smelled like leather and oranges, and she guessed the citrus scent was from some type of air freshener he had inside the car. She tried to relax as they drove down to Ovando. As they drove along the east side of Flathead Lake and down through the Swan Range, the view gave her something to focus on. The drive was beautiful, and after answering Roy’s questions about growing up in Indiana and farm life, she wasn’t sure what else they would talk about.
Roy had the satellite radio turned on, and they both turned and looked at each other when one of Ben’s songs came on. Tears filled her eyes as she heard Ben’s voice. Lord, please let him be all right. Let them all be okay.
Glancing over, Roy cast a compassionate smile. “They’re going to be okay,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “I have a feeling they will.”
Older, with hair graying at his temples, Roy was thin, fit, and had a strong confidence about him—just as she pictured Ben would be at his age. “I’ve always liked this song,” he said with a smile.
“Ja. I mean, yes, me too.”
His eyes were fixed on the road ahead, watching for the deer that loved to dart into the roadway. “Have you ever been to one of Ben’s concerts?”
She folded her hands on her lap. “Just local ones.”
Roy ran a hand down his clean-shaven chin. “I think you’d like it.”
Marianna shrugged. “Loud music and crowds, all those bright lights. I’m not so sure about that.”
Roy chuckled. “I think you’d be surprised.”
“Well, other than Indiana, Montana, and the train ride in between, I haven’t been to too many places.”
“It’s a part of Ben’s world, you know.” Roy’s tone grew serious. “I mean, he loves being in Montana, and even though the travel and all the interviews are hard at times, something changes when Ben steps upon that stage. He was meant to be a performer. Maybe you should know that part of him before the wedding.”
With one hand, Roy opened up a video on his cell phone and handed it to her. Marianna smiled to think what the bishop in Indiana would think of this—her watching a music video of Ben on an electronic device, driving in an SUV that no doubt cost more than Dat made in three years. Then again, this was the man she was to marry. Roy was right. Shouldn’t she know this part of Ben’s life?
The concert started, and Ben sang some of his older songs. Marianna found herself smiling and mouthing the words as he sang. Then the lighting changed, and Ben told the audience he was going to sing a song that many of them knew but didn’t give much mind to. With a joy-filled outstretching of his arms, Ben launched into a hymn that Marianna had sung a few times at church. Then her jaw dropped with amazement as many of the crowd started to sing along.
Marianna glanced over at Roy. “I didn’t realize… This is beautiful.”
“Yes, well, keep watching. It gets even better.”
As the song ended, one of the stagehands brought out a stool. Ben sat down on it, holding his guitar, reminding Marianna of his appearance when she first saw him play at the Kraft and Grocery.
“My grandma used to sing that song, but I didn’t think much of it growing up. Not until I found myself facing the lowest of lowest times when my best friend lost his life because of my negligence. Facing that, I didn’t know if I wanted to live. I saw that the path of music, women, and parties wasn’t leading anywhere good. That’s when I headed to Montana to get away and figure out where my life was heading. On a whim, I packed the Bible my grandma had given me, and I started reading it. God met me there, and He changed everything.”
Ben strummed as he talked, and Marianna listened as a hush came over the crowd. The camera scanned their faces, and Marianna saw many lowered heads. Others had tears in their eyes.
“Maybe you’re at the place where you’re wondering where your life is headed. Maybe you already know it’s headed where you don’t want it to go, and you know that things need to change. If you have a Bible, I’d suggest you start there. If you don’t have a Bible, I have some on my merch table. They’re free if you’d like one. I’ll also be around after the show if you need someone to talk to about what a relationship with God means.”
