Free A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard

Molly. She was apparently pregnant before they tied the knot, but she didn’t tell him that part. Somewhere along the line, she got cancer.”
    “Oh, my.” Andy thought about this, stopping at the end of the Riehl lane. “Now that Will is widowed—with two babies who supposedly aren’t his—I wonder if he’ll try to rekindle his romance with Loretta? You’re doing a fine job of recalling these details, by the way,” Andy added. “But let’s not get into this complicated relationship story while we’re here, all right? I just want to be sure the babies are healthy and that the Riehls are handling the situation. It must be a major adjustment to suddenly have two babies in the house.”
    “Edith was a saint,” Asa murmured. “She heard the babies crying and came to see about them while Will and I were arguing. And she informed us that the babies’ needs were far more important than our loud, upsetting talk—and then she agreed to take them in until Will could bury his wife and deal with Molly’s family. No questions asked. I was amazed.”
    Andy smiled as he gazed toward the Riehls’ tidy white house. “I don’t know this family well because they’ve only lived here a month or so, but I like what you’re telling me,” he said. “The twins are in gut hands—and I’ve heard that Lydia Zook has organized the women, taking donations of baby clothes and equipment and such.”
    Asa was once again astonished at the immediate, unconditional generosity the people of Willow Ridge had displayed. When the front door opened and a young woman stepped onto the porch carrying a basket in each hand, his pulse lurched. It was Edith, and behind her came another young woman with baby bottles. “We’ve arrived in time for lunch,” he said with a chuckle.
    “A picnic on the porch, by the looks of it,” Andy remarked. He returned the other Riehl girl’s wave and bright smile. “Shall we make our visit?”
    Asa was already walking down the lane, his eyes on Edith as she set the baskets down and settled in the porch swing. Behind the house he saw laundry flapping in the gentle breeze and recognized his own turquoise shirt among a number of gray ones, and dresses in shades of blue, green, and purple. Once again he admired Edith. She’d washed his clothing without any concern that it didn’t fit in with the darker shirts and pants—though some neighbor ladies would notice that and wonder what was going on. He felt a puppy-dog eagerness as he got closer to the house.
    “ Gut morning, ladies!” Andy called out as they approached the porch. “At first glance, it appears all is well with you and the twins.”
    Edith grinned. “It’s going a lot better now that Nazareth’s brought us fresh goat milk.”
    “ Jah , they’re slurping it down,” her sister chimed in. “They’re so much happier; we’re guessing the store-bought formula was upsetting their tummies and making them fussy.”
    “Nazareth’s told us to dilute the milk with distilled water, about one part water to two parts milk,” Edith said to the nurse. “Are we doing it right?”
    Leitner nodded as he observed the babies in their baskets, waving their little arms and legs. “That’s the ratio I’ve heard other Plain ladies speak of. I can check on that when I get back to the clinic and let you know if I find anything different.”
    Asa had been happy to let Andy initiate the conversation; at this moment he couldn’t have talked if he wanted to. What a picture Edith made, sitting in the white wooden swing with a baby cradled in her arm as she held its bottle. She seemed determined not to meet his gaze, yet the pretty roses in her cheeks suggested she was aware of his presence . . . and trying not to let on that she was glad to see him. Or at least he wanted to believe that.
    “Asa, you’re looking much better than you did when Rosalyn and I caught a glimpse of you in the clinic yesterday. I’m Loretta, by the way,” she added. She was