Free Sarah's Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis Page B

time he brings up your wedding?”
    Anger flashed in Sarah eyes. “I see Rebekah has been gossiping about me.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
    Elizabeth knew she walked a narrow precipice. “I’m not forbidding your trip to Cleveland, Sarah. It’s your right, I suppose, but I am asking you to be practical. Cleveland isn’t like downtown Fredericksburg, where you can hike to one end and back during a church bathroom break. It’s huge with hundreds of thousands of people. Every big city has hidden dangers you know nothing about.”
    With agonizing slowness Sarah pulled several folded papers from her purse and set them on the bed. Elizabeth didn’t need to ask what they were. “Did you get those at the fancy inn where you work?”
    “ Jah. I’ve been studying the maps for two days. I’ve practically memorized them. I’m sure I can find my way to Caleb’s house. I’ve traced my path a hundred times.”
    “Your path?” Elizabeth felt every protective instinct in her body sharpen to full alert. “This is not the same thing as taking the back path to Josie’s around the abandoned mill. Cleveland is far away for an Amish gal with no car.”
    After selecting one of the papers, Sarah sat down next to her mother and placed the sheet between them. “Here’s where we are,” she said, pointing with a finger. “And here is Cleveland.” She tapped a spot on the map. “It’s sixty-six and one-half miles.” She spoke like a schoolteacher addressing her students.
    “Is that right?” Elizabeth took hold of Sarah’s chin and turned her face. “Are you going to walk those sixty-six and one-half miles in the middle of winter or hitch your horse to the buggy and pray for no blizzard?” She spoke without a hint of sarcasm. Somehow she needed to get through to her sweet, malleable child who had recently changed into a stubborn mule. “Those aren’t country roads with a buggy lane. They are crowded highways and interstate freeways where cars and trucks travel at high speed.”
    Sarah smiled patiently as though Elizabeth were the thickheaded one. “Of course not. I can’t drive a buggy to Cleveland, mamm. I know that. I plan to pay Mrs. Pratt for a ride to Canton, where I’ll catch a bus. They have a route straight to downtown Cleveland with only one short stop in Akron.” She patted Elizabeth’s arm.
    Elizabeth’s heart stopped pumping blood for a moment. Her daughter had given this matter serious thought. “And what will one skinny Amish girl do in downtown Cleveland alone?” She rose and started pacing in the small room.
    Sarah maintained her calm, cool composure. “Not to worry. I have several other maps, each more detailed than this one, and I’ve studied them as well. They have a good bus system besides a Rapid Transit train that stops close to Caleb’s address.” She patted the pile of clothes waiting for the suitcase. “I shall probably stay one night—two at the most—in case he wants to show me some sights. And I’ll be home in plenty of time for Christmas.”
    “This notion is really stuck in your head, isn’t it?” Elizabeth stopped pacing from the door to the window. “Have you given any thought to your bruder ’s reaction to you showing up on his doorstep after five years? What if he doesn’t want to talk to you? He might shut the door in your face.” She would pray for forgiveness for her unkindness tonight, but as a mother she was desperate.
    Sarah didn’t seem offended. “I’ve thought about that, but I decided that since he’s my brother, he’ll talk to me. I only want a short time with him. I don’t plan to move in or talk him into coming back to Wayne County. He might even be happy to see me. He always called me his bleed madchen. ”
    The Deutsch name for “bashful girl” brought back painful memories. Elizabeth could hear Caleb’s voice calling to his siblings as though it were yesterday. Caleb had been very fond of Sarah while growing up. Elizabeth steadied