Amish Brides of Willow Creek 1-4 Omnibus

by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Staring at herself in the mirror above the sink, she watched the color drain from her face. Shame washed over her as if a storm cloud hovered over her head, pouring down heavy rain. How could she ever make up for what she’d done to Benjamin? It was no wonder he wanted nothing to do with her. She had done absolutely nothing to deserve his kindness, but yet he’d given it to her freely.

  Just outside the door, she could hear pans rattling in the kitchen. Benjamin had returned from his conversation with her father. How was she going to face him after what she’d heard? She could barely face herself. Her own reflection disgusted her. She’d become so out of control, she barely recognized herself anymore. She’d always been way too reckless, according to Levinia, but this was too much, even for her. There was nothing else she could do but commit herself to learning, no matter how hard it was. She owed everyone that much—her parents and Benjamin, but most of all, herself.

  Benjamin watched Bethany exit the bathroom, her red-rimmed eyes indicating she must have heard her father’s threat to relieve him of his employment. Was it possible she felt remorse for putting him in such a predicament? He hoped it was so, but he wouldn’t be so quick to trust her. If he wasn’t so enamored with her, he’d have walked away and let her suffer the consequences of her mistakes on her own. He didn’t need this hassle. He had a family bakery where he could go work, and he’d be appreciated there.

  Gazing at Bethany as she busied herself dusting the tops of the whoopie pies with powdered sugar, he wondered if she would ever really learn her lesson. It seemed she had made the decision to do what was needed, but only time would tell. If she was unwilling to learn what was needed to run her own bakery, he certainly wouldn’t think she would ever be able to run a home or raise children. No, it would seem she was not the one for him, but he hoped she would make some sort of progress that would change his mind about her.

  Bethany crossed the room with the tray of whoopie pies and set them in front of Benjamin. He picked one up and hesitated before tasting it. Seeing his distrust, Bethany picked one up and stuffed it in her mouth, biting off more than she could chew.

  She raised an eyebrow when it touched her palate. “Mmm, this is actually gut!”

  Crumbs sprayed from her lips, and she giggled.

  Benjamin took a small bite, and as the taste registered, he took a larger bite.

  He nodded and smiled.

  Bethany swallowed the treat, smiling back at Benjamin. “I’m sorry,” she said, humbly.

  CHAPTER 21

  “I have to run into town to pick up some supplies,” Benjamin said. “Are you sure you can handle this by yourself?”

  “Of course I can,” she assured him.

  Famous last words, he thought to himself.

  Benjamin hesitated before leaving the kitchen, making note that all she had to do was to pull the bread out of the oven, and she’d done it with perfect timing all week. He had to admit, she had improved. Her skills were still nowhere near what she needed to run the place on her own, but he was certain by the time winter was over she would be ready for any season. In the meantime, they still had Christmas to get through, and he knew it could pose a challenge for her.

  Bethany sensed his hesitation. “Go! Levinia will be along shortly, so if I have any trouble, she can advise me.”

  “I’ll be back before closing time,” he promised. “Don’t forget the bread. You remember I’m taking most of that to the Fisher’s. They have all those kinner to feed, and they could use the bread.”

  “They will get their bread,” she reassured him. “Now go. We need those supplies to start practicing on the Christmas treats. I’m very excited about that.”

  Benjamin smiled warmly. “It’s gut to see you so eager to make this work. You had me worried only a few days ago.”

  She cringed at the mention of her bad behavior. She wished he’d stop bringing it up, but she supposed it would be a while before he trusted her. She couldn’t blame him for that.

  “I won’t be long,” he repeated as he grabbed his hat from the peg by the door.

  With his navy, wool coat buttoned up, she couldn’t help but reflect on the first time he’d picked her up in his buggy. She’d been so cold, and he’d sheltered her in his arms. He’d protected her the same way he’d protected her from her father’s anger over the mistakes she’d made regarding the bakery. Was it possible he still cared for her? His smile offered possibility, even if his words did not. He hadn’t even made another attempt at kissing her—just as he’d promised. He’d kept things strictly business between them. Now that his kisses were missing in her life, she craved them more than ever.

  Bethany listened to the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves until they became too faint to detect. He’d actually left her in charge of her own bakery for the first time since they’d opened.

  Suddenly, she felt nervous and pressured. What was she to do? Glancing at the timer, she noted it was nearly time to take the bread out of the oven. She looked around, deciding she would get a head start on cleaning the kitchen, since they’d only had one customer all day, and she didn’t anticipate seeing anyone this late. She figured she had enough time to get the mop water ready. The entire floor was in need of a good sweeping and mopping.

  By the time Benjamin would return, she would have the entire kitchen cleaned and ready to close down after the inventory was put away. The bread would be perfect, and he would be proud of her. Certainly, that would turn his head toward her.

  She stepped into the small utility room and turned on the water in the mop sink on the floor. As she reached for the cleaner, the wooden mop handle fell away from the wall where it had been propped, and hit her in the head.

  Anger mixed with pain as she felt the knot already forming on her scalp.

  Benjamin had promised to put up hooks for the broom and mop so they weren’t always in the way. He’d also promised to replace the knob that had fallen off the door so it could be opened without the use of a screwdriver, but it was still propped open with an empty bucket, just as it had been all week. He expected perfection from her regarding the bakery, but yet he’d slacked off his promises because he was always too busy hovering over her.

  If he’d mind his own business, he’d have gotten these little things taken care of. But he thinks he needs to watch over me like I’m not capable of taking care of my own bakery. I’ve learned enough to handle it by myself, but he’s never going to trust me!

  Her anger getting the better of her, Bethany picked up the mop and flung it behind her out of the door of the utility room. She heard it make contact with the bucket propped against the door. As she turned around to see where it landed, the door swung around and slammed shut.

  She was trapped!

  CHAPTER 22

  Panic welled up in Bethany as she realized the door had slammed shut and she was alone in the bakery.

  “Stay calm,” she said aloud.

  It was too late for that. She knew that even if she screamed, no one would hear her. She was already shaking so much that she couldn’t think straight. Looking around, she searched for something she could use to pry open the door, but there was nothing.

  It would be more than an hour before Benjamin would return, and her only hope of being rescued would be if Levinia were to show up as promised.

  Bethany slid to the floor and began to cry. She’d messed everything up, and now she’d trapped herself because of her short temper. A sudden thought forced her up from the floor, panic suffocating her.

  What if Benjamin’s trip into town took longer than he anticipated and he went home afterward instead of returning to the bakery? She’d be trapped in here all night. Bethany shook almost uncontrollably as she frantically searched the tiny room for anything that would help her get the door open.

  All she found was a wooden paint stick, and that would never help her.

  Glancing up at the tiny window above her head, Bethany wondered if she’d be able to get any more than her head through the ope
ning. She upturned the mop –bucket and dumped the water out of it. Then, she set it upside down below the window so she could stand on it and test it.

  Once she was eye-level with the window, she realized she would be hard-pressed to fit her head through, much less the rest of her.

  Suddenly, Bethany sensed something was wrong.

  She sniffed the air.

  That’s smoke! Something is on fire—mei bread!

  Bethany coughed.

  The smoke was getting thicker!

  Dear Gott, please don’t let me die in here!

  Bethany choked back tears. There was no time to waste crying. She had to get out of the bakery somehow.

  Bethany coughed again.

  She pulled in a ragged breath, choking on the smoky air.

  How was she going to get out?

  Panic took over her as she imagined joining her mother in the great beyond, and she wasn’t ready for that yet. She wanted to marry Benjamin, and have lots of kinner. She wanted another chance to make up for all the things she’d said and done to hurt Benjamin. She loved him, and now she might never get a chance to tell him.

  Bethany sank to the floor, dizziness taking over.

  Please Gott, don’t let me die in here.

  She leaned into the wall, feeling defeated, when a broom handle swung down and hit her in the head. She rested her hand on it only for a moment before she jumped up from the floor and jabbed at the small window with the end of the broom handle until she broke a hole in the glass. Using the wooden handle, she traced the outline of the window to remove the rest of the glass from the frame.

  Bethany climbed back up onto the mop-bucket with shaky legs. She breathed in the fresh, crisp air from outside. Several breaths, until she no longer coughed when she drew in deeply. Snow blew in making her shiver, but at least she was alive—for now.

  “Help!” she cried weakly.

  Poking her head out the tiny opening, Bethany could see the empty parking lot behind the store. Her gaze followed the long path to her father’s house, and her heart nearly skipped a beat when she spotted the man in the yard near the barn.

  “Help, Daed, help,” she screamed with all her strength.

  The force of her plea made her cough. But she was determined to yell as much as it took to get her father’s attention. For the next several minutes she yelled and coughed repeatedly, until finally, her father turned his head.

  “O-ver here,” she screamed. “Help! Fire!”

  Relief washed over her as she watched her father sprint down the road toward her. Tears forced their way up through her throat.

  He was going to rescue her.

  She would not die today.

  “Hurry!” she cried. “I’m stuck in here and it’s getting harder to breathe.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Her father hollered as he rounded the building quickly. She could hear from the jingling of the bell on the door that he’d entered through the front.

  A knock to the utility room door startled her, but filled her with hope as she jumped from the bucket and rushed to the door.

  “Bethany…”

  She could hear her father coughing. “I need to open the back door and find something to get you out of there. I’ll be right back.”

  She waited for what seemed like half an hour before he returned with tools to open the door.

  When the door burst open, Bethany flung herself into her father’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re here. Danki for getting me out of there.”

  “Let’s get you outside and into some fresh air.”

  He guided her out the back door and sat her on a tree stump they used to tie their buggies up to. She watched him run back into the kitchen and pull open the ovens.

  Mei bread!

  Her father dropped six bread pans one-by-one into the deep, stainless steel sink, and then walked back out to where he’d left Bethany.

  “Where is Benjamin?” he asked gruffly.

  Bethany coughed. “He went into town to get supplies.”

  “He left you here alone?”

  “Jah.”

  “Well, then I suppose I’ll be letting him go.”

  “You mean you’re going to fire him?” Bethany shrieked.

  “Jah,” her father replied firmly. “He’s fired.”

  CHAPTER 23

  “Bethany, go up to the haus, and stop arguing with me. This is for me to take care of, not you.”

  Her father was being unfair and unreasonable. It was her fault the bread burned—not Benjamin’s. If she couldn’t keep her father from firing Benjamin, she would never have a chance with him. He would leave, and she would probably never see him again, and that was not something she could live with.

  “But Daed,” she attempted a second time.

  “Not another word from you, dochder,” he warned.

  Bethany turned on her heel and marched up the lane intending to pack her things and go back to the B&B. She would rather go back begging Jessup King for her old job than to have to live under her father’s authority for another minute. With Benjamin getting fired, she would surely be losing the bakery. That would leave her with no means of support, and no means to move out of her father’s house. Her father didn’t trust her, and with good reason. Her reputation for learning the business was not what it should be.

  She reflected on her short career at her mother’s bakery, realizing she’d made every mistake she possibly could have—right down to losing the man she loved. How would she ever recover from it?

  Looking back over her shoulder, tears welled up in her throat as she watched Benjamin pull his buggy into the parking area of the bakery. She wanted to run to him, to warn him before her father had a chance to ruin everything. She’d hurt him, and there would be no taking it back. There would be no forgiveness for her from Benjamin, she was sure of it. And she would certainly never get another chance to kiss him—much less to marry him.

  By this time, Bethany was bawling uncontrollably. Her life was in shambles, and she was doomed to live with her newlywed father and his bride for the rest of her life. She would become a lonely spinster and would never know the love of a man or the satisfaction of blessing him with children. While her father had been fortunate to find love a second time in his life, she was doomed to never experience it.

  Gott, please help me to find a way out of this mess I’ve created. Forgive me for hurting Benjamin and for being so rebellious. Please, Gott, put forgiveness in his heart for me.

  Bethany meant every word. For the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to think of someone other than herself. She only hoped it wasn’t too late for it to matter.

  ****

  Bethany cast her line to the middle of Willow Creek and stared into the clear depth. Ice had formed along the edges of the creek bank, and snow had built up in drifts from the recent wind storm they’d had. She shivered a little, but mostly, she was numb. It was more of a state of mind than physical. Fishing was the only thing she knew to do to take her mind off Benjamin being fired. Knowing it was unlikely she would catch anything, she stared into the water and let her mind go blank. She was helpless in every way.

  Anger filled her heart, leaving very little room for understanding toward her father. She had tried so hard to make it work, and now she was about to lose everything that was dear to her—including her father. She didn’t believe she would ever be able to forgive him for firing Benjamin. And although the blame rested on her shoulders, she couldn’t let go of the way her father was treating an innocent man.

  “I thought I’d find you down here,” Benjamin’s familiar baritone startled her.

  She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard him approach. If she hadn’t had her feet firmly planted in the deep snow, she might have ended up in the middle of the creek with her line. Turning around, she looked him in the eye, guilt causing her to avert her gaze immediately.

  “I’m sorry,” she offered without looking at him. “I tried to stop mei father f
rom firing you, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  “It’s probably for the best,” he said soberly. “You didn’t want to learn to bake any more than your vadder wanted to give you the bakery.”

  “That’s not true,” she shot back. “I admit I let my anger get the best of me in the beginning, but I’ve been working this last week so hard to get everything right. Now because I accidentally locked myself in the utility room, mei father fired you and has taken the bakery away from me.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about losing the bakery,” he told her. “Your vadder seemed pretty determined to get someone to teach you properly—someone other than me.”

  “There is no one better to teach me than you! No one I’d rather teach me than you.” Bethany cried.

  Benjamin looked her in the eye, noting the sincerity there. For the first time since they’d started working together, he could see the change in her, and it was a good change. A change that put hope in his heart for their friendship that he’d hoped could blossom into more.

  “I’m afraid it’s too late to change your vadder’s mind. I wish you the best of luck with your bakery, and I pray that it’s everything you hoped it would be.”

  His tone was genuine—even now, after all she’d done to hurt him. She didn’t want him to leave, but it was too late. Too much had happened. Too many ill-spoken words had come from her mouth like fiery darts aimed at his heart.

  Now, it was her heart that was broken.

  CHAPTER 24

  “I came to you for help, Levinia, I didn’t come to hear a lecture,” Bethany complained.

  “You have brought this all on yourself, dear schweschder. If you had learned what you needed to learn while you were young instead of always running off with Libby, you would already have the skills needed to run that bakery.”

  Bethany kicked at the snow-drift, spraying snow up in her face from the sudden shift in the wind. She sputtered and swiped at her cold, wet cheeks, anger making her tantrum worse.