Read Online The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall - Free Book Online Page A

across his forehead. “You’re still sweating.”
    He held her gaze. “I’ll be okay. I just need to rest.”
    “Please.” Deborah gently squeezed his arm. “I need you to go to the hospital to be sure of what’s going on. Not tomorrow or later in the week. Right now.”
    He slowly reached for her face and cradled her cheeks in the palms of his rough hands. “Okay. But don’t let the young ones slip off while we’re gone. You keep them close to home. Away from that drunken thief. And lock the doors.” His raspy breathing came in shallow spurts, and his hands trembled. “Once I get to the hospital, those doctors’ll want to keep me at least one night. They always do.”
    Deborah placed her hands over his. “Mahlon will stay and help Ephraim get ready for the auction. And Ada will fill in for Becca. The community can do the auction on schedule even without you giving out instructions left and right.”
    Daed gave a nod.
    Becca stepped forward. “Kumm.” She took Daed’s arm and helped him into the house.
    “He’ll be okay.” Mahlon came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s probably another incident that’s easily fixed. You remember last year when he’d taken in too much salt and had a fluid overload.”
    “He never had any pain with that.”
    “No, but anyone with his kind of heart condition has times when his medication needs to be adjusted. We know that from past experiences. I’m sure it’s something the doctors can solve.”

    “He kept saying that he saw a woman coming out of the Swarey home and that she’d stolen things from them and was drunk. I didn’t see anyone. Then he started mumbling about a ghost and Mamm having loved her and maybe he’d been wrong, like Pontius Pilate.” She swallowed, trying to hold in her emotions. “I couldn’t do anything to help him.”
    “He’ll be fine, Deb.” He moved in front of her. “You did everything right.” Mahlon’s deep, soft voice strengthened her. “You used the power of his love for you to get him to do what’s needed.”
    She moved to a lawn chair and sat. “I… I just don’t know if I can handle losing him.”
    “Deb.” His back stiffened, and frustration flickered in his eyes. “Don’t do this. He’ll be fine. And of course you can deal with whatever happens. What other choice do you have—to fall apart? That only makes everyone else need to carry you.”
    Fear for her Daed took a step back as offense lurched forward. But she knew where he was coming from and why, so she took a breath and gained control of herself “You’re right. I didn’t mean… It’s just that sometimes life is so scary, and about the time you can deal with one thing, something else happens.”
    He dipped his head for a moment before he looked her in the eye. “I know. But there’s a difference between being concerned for someone and taking on all the anxiety of their what-ifs. You pull so hard for everyone to win, for everyone to be healthy and safe. Just… don’t…
    He sounded as if he had more to say. It seemed to her that she deserved an apology, not a lecture, so she waited. A car horn blasted, and she knew the driver had arrived to take Daed to the hospital.

Thunder rumbled, waking Cara. Her head spun with pain, and she wished she had a smoke and a cup of coffee to ease the effects of her lack of both. Darkness surrounded her, but what little sky she could see through the missing parts of the roof indicated the sun’s rays were just below the horizon. The ragged canvas shed placed over her and Lori didn’t keep the chill out. Puppies covered a good bit of Lori, so in spite of the dirt and grime, she was at least warm.
    Odors from the hay, the dirt floor, and the aging barn drifted through the air. She saw herself as a young girl swinging on a rope from a loft and dropping into a mound of hay. Could she have been in this barn before?
    The mama dog raised her head and laid it on Cara’s leg. She patted her,