Free Miriam's Secret by Jerry S. Eicher

elderly woman believed in her and would help her. She gathered herself together as the car pulled into the Yoder driveway. The clock on the dash read a little after two. They weren’t too late, so Mamm shouldn’t be worried. At least they wouldn’t start off this conversation on the wrong foot.
    â€œThanks for coming in with me,” Miriam whispered on the walk toward the house.
    She felt guilty about her decision regarding the money. How could she deceive her parents like this? Each step felt like she waswalking in quicksand. Daett had been correct. Money was not a blessing. For now, she would simply wait and see why all this had fallen to her. She must encourage herself. Rose was right. Mr. Bland must have had his reasons for what he did.
    Mamm opened the front door for them with a surprised look on her face. “Is something wrong, Miriam?”
    Miriam couldn’t find her voice, but Rose answered for her. “We need to speak with you and Mr. Yoder, if you have time.”
    â€œSure.” Mamm looked puzzled even as she attempted to smile. “Please be seated on the couch.” Mamm hurried into the kitchen, and seconds later the washroom door slammed. Miriam glimpsed Shirley hurrying toward the barn, probably to fetch Daett.
    Mamm reappeared and seated herself in her rocker. “ Daett will be with us in a minute, I’m sure. May I get you something to drink, Rose?”
    â€œNo, thank you,” Rose said with a smile. “This won’t take too long once Mr. Yoder arrives.”
    â€œHe’ll be right in,” Mamm repeated, clearly nervous.
    â€œ Mamm , this is good news…I think,” Miriam said.
    Silence settled over the living room. Several minutes later Miriam saw her daett hurrying as fast as he could up the front steps. His awkward gait was more pronounced than usual. As he entered the room, Daett glanced from one face to the other.
    Rose stood and nodded to him. “I’m sorry to intrude on your afternoon, Mr. Yoder. My name is Rose, and I’m Amos Bland’s sister. Miriam and I thought it would best if we explained the current situation together.”
    Daett turned pale. “Situation? Has something bad happened? Is that why you’re late?” he asked Miriam.
    â€œEverything is okay, Daett ,” Miriam assured him.
    â€œYes, everything is okay.” Rose looked frustrated. “I’m sorryfor the confusion. I would have called ahead if you had phone service. I made arrangements to conduct some business after the funeral, and then Miriam and I came here right after that.”
    â€œBusiness?” Daett was puzzled now. “After the…?”
    â€œThere was something we needed to do,” Rose said. “Because Miriam was mentioned in my brother’s will, we met with his attorney, a Mr. Rosenberg. He wanted to meet Miriam before we talked about the specifics of my brother’s will. I apologize again if this has caused worry for you.”
    â€œMiriam was mentioned in Mr. Bland’s will?” This came from Mamm .
    â€œThat’s correct. My brother left Miriam his farm…and some other things, including everything needed to run the place. It’s the farm we’d like to tell you about.”
    Miriam tried to breathe evenly. Rose was handling the deception so well. It was almost as if the two million dollars didn’t exist.
    â€œAnd why did your brother do this?” Daett ’s eyes blazed.
    â€œWell, he was a very kindhearted and wealthy man,” Rose said. “And he thought very highly of Miriam. I suppose he wanted to show his gratitude for the kindness Miriam showed him the last three years of his life. Without Miriam’s help, Amos would probably have had to go to a retirement home instead of staying on his beloved farm. Miriam gave him excellent care.”
    Daett swallowed hard, as if overcome by what he heard.
    â€œThis was surely a wonderful gesture on your