Chapter 2
It had been hard to simply stand there while he watched the ambulance speed away with its lights flashing and the sirens blaring.
Kyle wasn’t sure why. He didn’t know Daisy Lapp and he wasn’t responsible for her. All that had happened was that the Lord had put him in the right place at the right time.
He was glad of that.
The fact was, he had a lot of faults, but he also had a strength, and that was that he was the type of person to take care of things.
He always had been. From the time his little sister, Sarah, had been born, he’d looked out for her.
When the doctors had determined that a terrible year of constant ear infections had damaged her hearing so badly in one ear that she was never going to be able to hear in it, he’d been her greatest protector.
He’d been the same way in school, too. If someone needed help, he’d offer to try. If someone had been teased or bullied, he’d try to put a stop to it.
So he was thankful that he’d been able to help Daisy this morning. But that didn’t mean he should care about her. They were strangers.
Plus, she hadn’t been all that sweet. She was nothing like his sister, Sarah. Or Mary, his ex-girlfriend. Well, Mary had been sweet until she’d cheated on him.
That was beside the point. What was important was that he’d already done everything that he should for Daisy. He’d fulfilled his responsibilities.
But even though that was the case, Kyle had still promised that he’d take her bicycle to her farm and let her family know about the accident.
He couldn’t believe she lived on the farm right next to the Millers. It was just about the only farm he knew besides the one he was working on.
A truck slowed down beside him. “Do you need a ride, son? Looks like your bike is a little worse for wear.”
“Thanks, but I’m almost there. The woman riding it was in an accident.”
“She gonna be okay?”
“I hope so. Thanks for asking.”
“All righty then. Good luck.”
Kyle nodded his thanks as he continued his journey.
Thirty minutes later, when he was about halfway up the Lapps’ driveway, the front door opened. It was a guy about his age with dark hair, blue eyes like Daisy’s, and a dark expression. “Where did you get that bicycle? Also, what happened to it?”
Taken aback by his tone, Kyle held up a hand. “Hey, I’m only trying to help. This is Daisy’s. I’m returning it for her.”
“Why? What happened?”
Briefly, Kyle relayed the story about her accident and that the EMTs had thought she needed to get checked out at the hospital.
By the time he finished, a couple in their late forties and what looked like another brother had stepped outside. All of them looked crushed. “We just got a call from the police. We need to go to County Hospital.”
“Are you sure she was conscious?” the first guy asked.
“I’m sure. Though I’m no doctor, I don’t think her life was in danger. She’s just injured.”
“Jah. Okay.” The guy’s expression eased but he still looked like he was at a loss for words.
“I knew she shouldn’t have gotten that bike,” the woman said. “I couldn’t tell her no, though. She was so brokenhearted.”
The guy with the glower placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Mamm, it wouldn’t have mattered if you had given her ten reasons not to get the bicycle. No one can tell Daisy no when she’s determined to do something, and she wanted that electric bike bad.”
“That’s true.”
Feeling like an interloper, Kyle cleared his throat. “If you all would tell me where you’d like this, I’ll wheel it over and then get out of your way.”
“Nee, wait.”
Kyle stopped mid-step.
“Listen, please forgive us. I’m sorry,” the daed said. “Where are my manners? I’m Jed Lapp, this is my frau, Esther. Obviously, we’re Daisy’s parents. And these two are her brothers, Lukas and Ben.”
Both men had Daisy’s blue eyes. Beyond that, it looked as if both men resembled their father while Daisy was a younger version of their mother.
Kyle could see their resemblance to each other, but it wasn’t readily apparent, mainly because one was obviously Amish and one was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and sneakers. He was definitely English.
“I’m Kyle Hostetler. Pleased to meet you.”
“Good to meet you, too,” Ben, the English brother said. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you visiting?”
“Nee, I just moved here a couple of weeks ago.”
“What part of town?”
“This part.” He grinned. “I got a job with Ruthie and Mervin Miller. I’m helping them with their farm.”
Within a few seconds, a new tension appeared.
Lukas was the first to speak. “Do you mean the Millers next door?”
“Jah.” Kyle was still feeling as if something was wrong. Well, wrong besides the fact that Daisy had just been taken to the hospital. “Do you know Mervin and Ruthie?”
“Only slightly,” Esther said. “As you know, they’ve only recently moved here.”
“Jah. From Millersburg.”
“Is that where you’re from, too?” Ben asked.
“It was at one time. I was friends with the Millers’ son Aaron, growing up. My family moved to Kentucky when I was twelve and I’ve lived there since.”
“Whereabouts in Kentucky?”
“Northern. Around Elizabethtown.”
“Ah,” said Jed.
Esther clapped her hands together. “Here you’ve been so kind to bring Daisy’s bicycle and we’ve been keeping you out in this heat. Where are my manners? It’s warm outside and you not only took care of our girl but walked her bicycle all the way here. Would you like some water?”
“Danke, but I’m good. I’ll get out of your way so you can get to the hospital.”
“Oh. Okay, gut.” Just as he was about to leave, he added, “For what it’s worth, she spoke to me for a few minutes before the ambulance arrived.
” He grinned. “She didn’t like the fact that I wouldn’t unfasten her helmet.
No matter that I explained we needed to be careful of her head and her neck, and that I was only following the 911 operator’s advice. ”
Lukas shook his head. “That don’t surprise me one bit. She’s a bit stubborn.”
Ben chuckled. “She wouldn’t be Daisy if she didn’t try to argue about something.”
Kyle didn’t know what to say about that so he raised a hand. “I’ll be praying for her. I hope she recovers quickly.”
“Thank you,” Jed said. “I hope so, too. We’re beholden to you for doing so much for a stranger.”
“Well, we’re not strangers anymore. Even though I was rattled and she was hurt, I thought she was nice.” And pretty.
“Daisy is nice,” Esther murmured. “Sometimes to a fault, I fear. I’ll be sure to let her know how much you did for her.”
“No need for that. But, if you wouldn’t mind, maybe you could let her know that I’ll try to stop by in a few days. Just to say hello. Granted, of course, that she is up to seeing visitors.”
“We would like that very much. Thank you again for helping my daughter, and also for bringing us the news and the bicycle,” Esther added.
“Of course.”
Ben strode forward to take the bike. “Hey, let me have a phone number. I’ll give you a call as soon as we get some news at the hospital.”
“Danke.” After giving him a number, Kyle added, “That’s the Millers’ kitchen phone. They’re New Order.”
“Gotcha. Thanks again.”
After waving his goodbye again, Kyle turned around and headed back to the Millers’.
He’d been planning to go out to breakfast and maybe stop at the library or something.
Now, though, his mind was on Daisy, her accident and the strange vibe that had been emanating from the Lapp family.
For some reason, he thought they weren’t too thrilled about the Millers, but that sure didn’t make sense.
Mervin and Ruthie were two of the nicest people he’d ever met.
Making an impulsive decision, he decided to ask them about the Lapps as soon as he got back.
That is, if they hadn’t messed up something else around the farm.