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Belleville, Pennsylvania

I T WAS TIME TO START supper, but Elsie Petersheim wasn’t in the mood to cook anything.

A first glance at the calendar this morning had reminded Elsie that today was Rosa’s birthday.

It had been a little over two years since her and Mahlon’s eldest daughter had disappeared, and Elsie’s heart still ached.

Not knowing whether Rosa was alive or dead had plagued Elsie every single day since she’d first realized her daughter had gone missing after attending a young people’s gathering with her boyfriend, Ephraim Peight.

So much had happened since then, including the fact that in a week and a half, Ephraim would marry Rosa’s best friend, Ada Detweiler.

If Rosa knew about the wedding, I wonder what she would think, Elsie pondered as she stared out the kitchen window at a female cardinal eating from the new feeder her daughter Tena had recently hung on a shepherd’s hook.

Would Rosa be happy for the betrothed couple, or would she be upset, believing Ada had stolen her boyfriend?

Elsie sucked in her bottom lip as she rubbed her chin. Guess it really doesn’t matter now, does it? Rosa is obviously not coming home, or she would have been here by now. She looked away from the window and sighed. Or at the very least, we would have heard something from her.

Elsie had known for some time before her daughter’s disappearance that she was unsettled and did not wish to join their Amish church, of which Mahlon was the bishop.

Whether it was due to Rosa’s wild streak or her desire to go against her father’s wishes, Elsie could never be sure.

She just knew that Rosa had a mind of her own and had been more headstrong and defiant than their other four children.

The oldest, Norman, was now happily married to Salina, and had been living in her parents’ home temporarily.

The only ones left at this house were Susan, Tena, and Alvin.

Although neither Susan nor Tena had boyfriends right now, Elsie figured it was just a matter of time before the girls would be married and making homes of their own.

Alvin, the youngest, was still in school, so at least he wouldn’t be moving out anytime soon, and for that, Elsie was thankful.

She was in no hurry to be an empty nester, and if Elsie had her way, she would keep all her children and future grandchildren living close by so she could see them as often as possible.

“What are you doing, Mom?” Susan asked when she and Tena entered the kitchen.

“Not much,” Elsie replied. “I came here to start supper, but now I can’t figure out what to fix, and it doesn’t help that I’m not in the mood to cook.”

“You look mied , so why don’t you go relax in the living room and let us do all the cooking?” Tena suggested.

“You’re right,” Elsie agreed. “I am tired, so I will take you up on that offer.” Forcing a smile she didn’t really feel, Elsie ambled into the living room and sank to the couch.

At least here she could close her eyes for a bit and enjoy the warmth of the fireplace.

Soon Alvin and Mahlon would be in from doing their chores, and they would all gather at the table for supper.

“Wow, Eileen! I’ve never been to this part of Pennsylvania before.” Anthony looked over at her as she sat straight as a board in the passenger seat of his sporty sedan. “The countryside is so beautiful. I can’t believe you would leave all of this to move to a big, noisy city like New York.”

“I needed a change.”

He gave a nod. “Yeah, who doesn’t?”

“You seem to be pretty satisfied cooking at your parents’ restaurant.” She was glad for the topic change. It helped take her mind off a more pressing matter.

“I do enjoy wearing my chef’s apron whenever Pop lets me do the job I was hired there for.”

The bitterness in Anthony’s tone was obvious, and Eileen could relate to the way he felt. To her way of thinking, working for one’s parent was not ideal, even in the best of circumstances. That’s how it had once been for her, at least.

Eileen bit down on her lower lip until she tasted a hint of blood. When we get to my folks’ house and I introduce Anthony as my husband, I wonder if we’ll be welcomed, or will the door be slammed shut in our faces?

She licked the moisture off her lips and swallowed hard. “Before we arrive at my parents’ home, I need to tell you a few things.”

He bumped shoulders with her. “I figured you’d get around to that.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. Thought you’d want to fill me in a bit about your family so it would appear as if I know you real well and you’d previously told me about your relationship with them.

” He thumped the steering wheel with one hand while keeping his other hand firmly in place.

“Let’s start with this—do you have any siblings? ”

“Um … yes … two brothers and …”

“Oh, hey! Would you look at that gorgeous sunset?” Anthony pointed to the west. “Looks like it could’ve come straight out of a magazine cover.”

“Yeah, we get some nice ones here in the Big Valley. Sunrises from the east too.”

“Big Valley?” He glanced at her and tipped his head to one side.

“I’ll explain it another time. Right now, I really do need to fill you in on a few important details concerning me and my family.”

They passed a horse pulling a carriage with blinking lights on the back, and Anthony let out a whistle. “Was that a horse and buggy? Are we in Lancaster County where all the Amish people live?”

“No, this is Mifflin County, and Amish people, as well as other Plain groups, live here.”

“Interesting.”

“Yes, and as a matter of fact—”

The car swerved suddenly and Anthony hollered, “Oh, wow, that was close! I almost hit a dog!”

She looked out the front window and squinted. “That looks like my little brother’s mutt, and that driveway up ahead leads to my parents’ place.”

Anthony made a sharp right and drove up the wide gravel path, stopping in front of a rustic-looking two-story white house. “I don’t see any cars or a garage either,” he commented. “Maybe no one’s at home.”

Eileen was on the verge of commenting when the dog Anthony had almost hit dashed into the yard, barking frantically. Oh great, now he’s gonna alert the whole house.

Before she could say anything to Anthony, he jumped out of the car and came around to open the door for her.

She was barely on her feet when he stepped onto the front porch and knocked on the door.

On trembling legs, she joined him there, leaving no more time to explain anything about the family who lived here.

A few awkward moments passed, and then the door swung open. A slender middle-aged woman with strands of graying hair peeking out from under the sides of her white, heart-shaped head covering stood looking at them with wide eyes and quivering lips. “Rosa? Is … is it really you?”