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heart.
    “I hope so.” The words came out perhaps too fervently. “We’re adding two birthing rooms to Aunt Emma’s house, so that anyone who wants to give birth there instead of at home can do so.”
    “That’s gut, that is,” Rachel said. “I was afraid Emma had given up on that plan. Who is doing the carpentry work for you?”
    “Aaron Miller and his brother have agreed to finish it.” Sarah had already spotted Aaron’s tall figure among the men, looking even more severe than usual in his Sunday black.
    “He is?” Rachel sounded faintly surprised. “He’ll do a fine job for you, that’s certain sure,” she added quickly. She glanced across the group of young women assembling for worship as if looking for other possible clients for the midwife practice.
    “Mary Esch is expecting,” Leah said, her voice soft. “But she is going to Dr. Mitchell, I hear.”
    “My aunt mentioned that there is a new doctor in town. In our practice in Ohio, we had a wonderful-gut relationship with a local doctor. He referred women to us who wanted a midwife for the birth, and we sent patients to him when we felt they needed special care. Perhaps I should go and talk to Dr. Mitchell.”
    Leah and Rachel exchanged glances that seemed to contain a wealth of meaning. “Maybe that’s not such a gut idea,” Rachel said.
    “Why is that?”
    Anna prodded Rachel. “Go on, tell her. She ought to know.”
    “Whatever it is, I think you should tell me.” Sarah forced a smile.
    “Ach, Anna is such a blabbermaul.” Rachel elbowed her friend affectionately. “I hope it’s not so bad as I’ve heard, but I wouldn’t want you to get caught in an awkward situation.”
    “Tell her,” Anna insisted. “If I were Sarah, I’d want to know.”
    “It’s just that I’ve talked to a few women who are going to Dr. Mitchell for their babies.” Rachel looked unhappy at being pushed into delivering bad news. “They said that Dr. Mitchell is very outspoken on the subject of midwives. He thinks they’re not qualified to deliver babies.”
    The women had begun to file into the barn for worship, so Rachel couldn’t say more if she wanted to. And Sarah didn’t think she wanted to hear any more.
    Her stomach churned as she followed Rachel through the wide doors into the barn, where several kerosene heaters had been set up to take the chill from the air.
    It wasn’t unheard-of to meet people who felt that way about midwives. Even doctors. She had probably been fortunate in her previous practice to have Dr. O’Neill’s generous support.
    The doctor’s opinion needn’t be a problem, she assured herself as she sat between Rachel and Anna on one of the backless benches that were taken from house to house for worship. Dr. Mitchell could go his way, and they would go theirs.
    If he would let them.
    The thought intruded and did not want to go away. The last thing she and Aunt Emma needed when they were trying to expand their practice was the enmity of the local doctor.
     
    Three hours later, Sarah emerged into the chilly air, blinking in the bright sunlight. She pulled her long black coat closer, feeling a little adrift, as she so often did after worship.
    It was a fault to feel this way. She could remember a time when meeting with her church family to worship together was unalloyed joy.
    But that was before the grief of her childlessness had grown like a chasm between her and Levi. When the love she’d been so sure was strong enough for a lifetime had grown cold with his disappointment. She had prayed, at first humbly, sure God would answer, and then with growing desperation.
    Was that wrong? The church’s teachings said that a believer should accept whatever happened as God’s will. But women in the Bible like Sarah and Hannah had prayed endlessly for a child, and their prayers had been granted.
    Her thoughts began to circle, and they always did on this subject, and she tried to push it to the back of her mind. She’d be far better