Sarah's Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis Page B

Adam’s eye to no avail. He had created an enormous sandwich and was eating with complete concentration.
    Sarah smelled something fishy, despite the meatloaf filling. She ate half her sandwich trying to figure out the reason for his impromptu visit. He couldn’t know about her bus trip. She’d only recently decided to go.
    Conversation around the table centered on the upcoming school play. But at the first lull, Elizabeth asked, “No appetite, daughter? Everyone else appears to like my meatloaf.”
    “It’s delicious, but I’ll save the other half to finish later,” Sarah said, as Adam attacked a mound of macaroni salad like a man many days without a meal.
    When he’d finished, he looked Sarah in the eye. “How about walking me to my buggy? My mamm sent some cheese streusels, and I forgot to bring them in.”
    “First I must help with dishes,” she said, rising to her feet.
    “No,” Elizabeth commanded. “You go with Adam. Your sisters will clean up. Maybe he can talk some sense into you since I couldn’t.”
    Eli grunted—apparently the Beachy family reply of the day—and headed for the front room. Her sisters exchanged confused glances but kept silent. Sarah slipped on her cloak and followed Adam outside. Once they had reached his buggy she asked, “Did my mother invite you here today?”
    He turned his sky blue eyes toward her. “ Jah , she sent me a note. She’s very worried about you. She doesn’t understand your sudden urge to find your bruder , and I sure don’t, either. What’s going on with you?”
    She pulled her hands up into her sleeves. “I don’t know really. I just want to find Caleb and make sure he’s all right. Nobody has heard from him in a long time. That doesn’t mean all’s well and good in the English city.”
    Adam stepped up into his buggy and offered her his hand. When she’d settled next to him, he covered her knees with a wool blanket. “Okay, but this isn’t the best weather for traveling. Why don’t you wait until sometime next summer?”
    “I need to go now, Adam. You want us to get married and become a family, but I look at dear Mrs. Pratt and see such loneliness in her life since her kids moved away. It upsets me.”
    He scratched his jaw. “What does an English woman have to do with us?”
    “Plenty. I’ve noticed that same unhappiness in my mother’s face too whenever someone mentions Caleb’s name. She still misses him, especially this time of year.”
    “Not everybody born Amish stays that way. You know that. Caleb chose to leave, but again, I don’t see what that has to do with us getting hitched.” He reached for her hand under the lap robe.
    “ Kinner might be nothing but a source of heartache for a woman,” she murmured. “I have some thinking to do before I marry, Adam. I want to know why Caleb didn’t want to stay Amish. How could he so easily leave the people who loved him? He owns a car. He could come home for a visit, but he never has.” Sarah heard anger in her voice and didn’t like it. Why take my frustrations with Caleb out on Adam? He has every right to be curious about my plans .
    He rubbed the back of his neck. “All right, Sarah. I told your mother I’d try to talk you out of this, but I didn’t promise I would. Because you’re set on this idea, I won’t stop you, but I’m going along to make sure you get there and back safely.”
    Sarah pulled back her hand and turned on the seat. “Why would you do that? I’m leaving tomorrow, and you have to work.”
    “I’m coming because I care about you. Besides, I still have vacation time left.”
    She felt a disjointed uneasiness. She didn’t want Adam to accompany her. If Caleb agreed to talk, he certainly wouldn’t do so in front of someone who was a virtual stranger. Besides, once she had determined a course of action, she looked forward to going alone. “No, danki. I’ll be fine. You shouldn’t use up all your vacation days. Your daed will need your help with spring