Free A Home for Hannah by Patricia Davids Page B

I’m still stuffed from breakfast.”
    “Are you sure? Because if you’re not hungry, I am.”
    “Help yourself. Is Hannah’s bottle warm enough?”
    Laying his lunch aside, he checked the milk. “I think it’s good. Don’t babies drink formula at room temperature? My sister never heated up her baby’s bottle.”
    “I’ve tried, but Hannah seems to like it better if it’s warm. Otherwise, she gets fussy and doesn’t eat as much.” Miriam positioned the baby in her arms and gave her the bottle. It was exactly what Hannah wanted. The only sounds she made were contented sucking noises.
    Katie said, “I was just telling Miriam that she should come to your cousin’s wedding. I know Amber would be delighted to see her there.”
    Miriam shook her head. “I would feel funny showing up without an invitation.”
    Nick took a bite of his sandwich and mumbled around his full mouth. “I’ve got you covered.”
    He leaned to the side and pulled an envelope out of his hip pocket and held it out to her.
    Miriam’s hands were full. “What is it?”
    Grinning, he said, “Your invitation to the wedding. I asked Amber to invite you. There will be plenty of room in the church, and it’s not like there’s going to be any shortage of food at the dinner afterward. Half our family is Amish. Believe me, there will be food.” He laid the envelope beside her and took another bite of his sandwich.
    “See, now there is no reason not to come,” Katie said with a bright smile.
    Miriam still wasn’t sure it would be a good idea. It was one thing to work with him as they tried to locate Hannah’s mother. It was another thing to spend time with him at a social occasion. She opened her mouth to decline but ended up saying, “I’ll think about it.”
    Katie got to her feet. “I see the elders have finished eating. I must go and help Elam feed the children. It was nice talking with you, Miriam. I will pray that Hannah’s mother comes for her soon.”
    As Katie walked away, Nick said, “You know, she may not be coming back. The letter could have been a ruse. We may never learn who she is.”
    “I know that.”
    “Are you prepared to accept it?”
    Miriam gazed at the baby in her arms. “I won’t have any choice in the matter, will I?”
    “I guess not, but you do have a choice to attend a fun-filled wedding or to stay home and mope about not having fun.”
    “What makes you think I would mope?”
    The teasing grin left his face. His eyes grew serious. “It would mean a lot to Amber, and to me, if you come. Will you?”
    “I said I’ll think about it.” It was the best that she could so until she figured out how she felt about spending more time with Nick.

Chapter Six
     
    H annah was crying at the top of her lungs. The dog was whining and pawing at Miriam and the kettle was whistling madly. With only four hours of sleep out of the past twenty-four, Miriam reached the end of her rope at ten o’clock Monday morning. As she struggled to get an irate baby into a clean sleeper for the third time in as many feedings, she shouted at the dog, “Bella, stop it! Mother, will you please take the kettle off the fire.”
    Her mother had gone to her room to read and seemed oblivious to the pandemonium in the kitchen. Miriam finally got Hannah’s flailing fist through the sleeve and quickly tied the front of the outfit closed. She lifted the baby to her shoulder to calm her. Nudging Bella aside with her knee, Miriam reached for clean burp rag. She threw it over her shoulder, but before she could switch Hannah to that side she felt something warm and wet running down her back.
    Miriam closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “You did not just throw up on me.”
    From the doorway, a man’s amused voice said, “Oh, yes, she did.”
    Great. Why did Nick have to show up when she was too tired to keep up her defenses? “Don’t you knock?”
    “I did. Several times.”
    He crossed the kitchen and pulled the kettle from the heat. The