His Amish Teacher

by Patricia Davids

  Lillian tipped her head. “Thank you for that.”

  “I was also hoping to hire someone local to care for the field. By that, I mean plant the ground cover, cultivate, fertilize, monitor growth stages and that type of thing. Any suggestions?”

  The project would be something Timothy would enjoy, but she wanted to offer the job to her brother first. They could use the extra income. “I’ll ask around.”

  “Thank you. I considered running an ad in the local paper, but Debra told me it helps to have someone the Amish trust intercede for a non-Amish person like myself.”

  “She is right. Many Amish view outsiders with suspicion. Because we seldom involve the law in our troubles, outsiders have been known to take advantage of us.

  “Speaking of the law, have they found out who set the fires?” Debra asked.

  Lillian shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “I hope they catch him. I’d like to wring the hoodlum’s neck for putting my sister and all your children in danger.”

  “We have forgiven him,” Lillian said. “None of us bears him ill will. We pray that he repents, for God is the ultimate judge of a man’s soul. Someday he will meet God face-to-face and answer for his sins.”

  Brandon shrugged. “That is gracious of you, but I’m a man who likes to see justice done in this world as well as the next.”

  Debra began limping toward the school. “Don’t let his bloodthirsty talk fool you. He may growl like a bear, but he’s a kitten on the inside.”

  Brandon followed her. “I am not a kitten.”

  “Yes, you are,” she called over her shoulder. “A spitting, fuzzy, fierce kitten.”

  “You got the fierce part right.”

  Lillian smiled at their banter. “Does your field manager have to be Amish? We have a few non-Amish farmers in the area who might be interested in working for you.”

  Brandon turned toward her with a sheepish grin on his face. “They wouldn’t have to be Amish, but I wanted to see firsthand some of your Amish farming practices. Your friend Timothy got me to thinking about the advantages of horse drawn equipment. For one thing, soil compaction would be almost nil from the horses compared to tractors that can weigh in excess of a ton.”

  “That reminds me,” Debra said. “I want to stop at that gift shop before we head home today. I have a friend expecting a new baby and one who just bought her first home. I wanted to get them something unique.”

  “Ana Bowman has some pretty baby quilts you might like. Timothy’s brother Luke makes some interesting yard art. Did you notice the gourd bird feeders in the oak tree at the turn off?”

  “I did. I also noticed the honor system payment box. Does it work? Do people put in the right amount or do gourds disappear without being paid for?”

  “I have never heard Ana complain that she is being cheated.”

  Lillian followed the pair inside and waited until Debra had recovered the data she needed. As they left the building, Brandon popped open the trunk of his car. “I have a little gift for your sister.”

  He pulled out an aluminum folding step stool. “Is it all right if I give this to her? I don’t want to break any rules. This has wheels under the suction cups on the legs. It makes it easy to move from room to room instead of having to carry a step stool and it’s still safe.”

  Touched by his gesture, Lillian accepted on her sister’s behalf. “This is a lovely, practical gift. I’m sure she will enjoy it. Now I can put her to work dusting the tall places she hadn’t been able to reach.”

  “Little people must adapt to the world. The world rarely adapts to us. I get a newsletter from our national association. It often reviews new devices, offers tips and gives little people a place to tell their stories. It is free. I can sign you up to get a copy if you’d like.”

  “I will discuss it with my parents. If they don’t object, that would be great. I’ll let you know.”

  After waving goodbye to the friendly couple, Lillian walked the two miles to her home, stopping at their neighbor Granny Weaver’s to pick up Amanda. As she suspected, Amanda was delighted with her gift. She rolled it from place to place in the kitchen and down the hall to the linen closet to get clean sheets for her bed.

  Lillian decided to fix a quick supper of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Jeremiah came in just as she was heating the skillet. Amanda pushed her stepladder over to him. “Look what I have. It has wheels, but when I step on it, it stops rolling.”

  Jeremiah watched as she demonstrated, then looked at Lillian. “Where did this come from?”

  “From Brandon Merrick, the little person professor I told you about.”

  “Why is he giving our sister gifts?”

  Lillian buttered the slice of bread in her hand and slipped the first sandwich in the hot skillet. “Because he is a nice fellow and he likes Amanda.”

  “The Englisch usually have a motive behind their gift giving. You’ll see. He will want something from us.”

  She wished her brother wasn’t so cynical. “He has leased Mr. Hanson’s field for a test plot.”

  “What’s he growing?”

  “A new variety of corn. He’s looking for someone to farm the ground and monitor the crop and he is hoping to hire an Amish fellow.”

  “Why one of us? So he can pay us pennies for our labor?”

  “Not all Englisch are evil. There is good in every man. Brandon is interested in learning about Amish farming practices. Are you interested in the job or not? We could use the money.”

  “I’m not interested in entertaining some professor with our backward ways. We don’t need money that badly.”

  She bit her lip to keep from arguing. Jeremiah wasn’t open to reason on the subject of the Englisch. “Did you go through the mail today? I was hoping we’d get a letter from Mamm.”

  “I left it on the desk in the other room. Mamm says Uncle Albert wants Daed to work with him again.”

  She turned away from the stove. “Is he considering it?”

  “He is.”

  “But that would mean moving the family back to Wisconsin.”

  “You and Amanda. I would stay here and keep running Daed’s business.”

  “I don’t want to go back. I have a job. I’m needed here.”

  Amanda pushed her step stool up beside Lillian. “I don’t want to go back, either. Granny Weaver makes me wunderbar cookies.”

  Jeremiah frowned at her. “You don’t want to stay here without Mamm and Daed, do you?”

  “Nee.” Amanda’s lower lip began to quiver. “I want them to come home.”

  Lillian hugged her. “They will. I’ll read Mamm’s letter, but first let us have our supper.”

  After the meal, Lillian put Amanda to bed and sat down with her mother’s letter. It was full of news about the community and about Uncle Albert’s improving health. In the very last paragraph, she mentioned Uncle Albert’s wish to have Daed working alongside him again and mentioned that they were considering it and praying about it.

  Lillian folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. So her father really was considering moving the family back to Wisconsin. Would her parents allow her to remain with Jeremiah? Would she want to stay without Amanda?

  Could she leave Timothy again? Her heart sank at the prospect.

  * * *

  On Wednesday, Hannah came home from school with a note for Timothy. Lillian wanted him to meet with Brandon Merrick on Friday after school. The note didn’t say why.

  Since he was on call for the fire department on Friday, he used the telephone in the community call box to let Walter know where he would be if they got called out, and then he walked to the school with jaunty steps. Any excuse to see Lillian was a good one.

  Brandon and Debra were both sitting in students’ desks at
the front of the classroom facing Lillian’s desk when he entered the building.

  “Good afternoon,” Timothy said, removing his hat. “You wanted to see me?”

  Lillian gestured for him to join them. “Brandon has a proposal for you, and then I want your opinion about something else.”

  “I have plenty of opinions.” He strolled to the front of the classroom, but chose not to try and fit into one the student desks. Instead, he pulled a folding chair from the rack in one corner of the room and sat down beside Brandon.

  Brandon quickly explained his proposal, the type of information he would need collected and the fee he was authorized to pay. It seemed like a fair offer. Timothy had been dying to know what type of corn Brandon was developing. He would have taken the job for less.

  “I accept.” The two men shook hands.

  Timothy looked at Lillian. “What proposal do you have for me, Lillian?”

  “Not for you, for Brandon, but I want to know what you think of it.”

  Timothy marveled at the eagerness filling Lillian’s eyes. She leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “Brandon, how would you feel about sharing your knowledge with my students? A guest speaker of sorts. The children could follow the progress of your crop, learn to compute the cost of fertilizer for each acre, identity weeds and insects and decide on the best treatments for each issue. We can do all this in a classroom setting, of course, but to have the hands-on experience in the field would be invaluable.”

  “Me, teaching Amish kids? Would that be allowed?” His expression showed his doubts.

  Her gaze swung to Timothy. “What do you think? Would the school board approve a special guest lecturer? I think they will if I can show how much my scholars stand to gain by working with Mr. Merrick.”

  “He’s talking about genetics, Lillian. Are you sure your church elders will allow that?” Debra voiced her doubts.

  Lillian wasn’t deterred. If anything, Timothy watched her grow more determined.

  “We understand the benefits of good husbandry in our livestock. Leaning to raise a better corn crop is no different than learning to breed a better milk cow. Understanding the natural world and using that knowledge to our advantage isn’t against the church’s teachings. Timothy, what do you think?” She pinned her gaze on his again.

  He hated to crush her eagerness. “I think the idea has merit, but I’m not a parent or a member of the school board. How I feel doesn’t carry much weight. I can see one problem. Silas will be against it.”

  She sat back and crossed her arms. “I expect you are right about that.”

  Brandon glanced between the two of them. “Who is Silas?”

  “The school board president. He doesn’t care for outsiders.”

  “He’s president for the rest of this year,” Timothy added.

  Lillian nodded. “That’s true.”

  “His time on the board will be up in May. If he says no, you can wait until you have a new president and present your idea again.” It wasn’t much, but it was the best he could offer.

  “Why don’t you run for the office?” Debra suggested.

  “I have no children. Only the fathers or grandfathers of our children are allowed to hold a school board office.”

  “Are you saying that women aren’t allowed to be on the school board?” Debra looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

  “Don’t get on your high horse, sis,” Brandon cautioned. “We’re visitors to this community.”

  She settled back and crossed her arms. “Scratch everything I ever said about wanting to be Amish.”

  Timothy met Debra’s eyes. “More can be done behind the scenes at home than can be done at the meeting, at least according to my mother. My brother Joshua is on the board. I’ll put your idea to him, Lillian. We’ll see what he thinks of it. If he favors it, you have a chance.”

  “Goot. If I can get the board to agree, will you share your time and talent with us, Brandon?” Lillian asked with a sweet smile that would have made Timothy agree to almost anything.

  Brandon nodded. “When is the next school board meeting?”

  Lillian glanced at the clock on the wall. “In about two hours.”

  The pager on his hip started beeping. He read the message and looked up to find everyone staring at him. “It’s not another fire,” he said quickly. “It’s a call for a medical emergency, but I have to go.”

  He put his chair back and headed out the door to wait at the roadside for his ride. Lillian came out and stood with him. “I wish you could be at the meeting. I’d feel better knowing there was one person who understands why I want to do this.”

  He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away her worry, but he knew he shouldn’t. A friend would not act that way. “You’ll make them see the value in your idea.”

  “I hope so.”

  “And if they say no, you can bring it up next year.”

  She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “I may not be here next year.”

  His heart skipped a beat. “Why do you say that?”

  “Daed is thinking of moving the family back to Wisconsin.”

  “You can’t go back. You have a job here. The children need you.”

  “My family needs me, too.”

  He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him, but she kept her gaze down. Crooking a finger beneath her chin, he gently forced her to look at him. “Lillian, I don’t want you to go. Say you will stay.”

  He held his breath as he waited for her reply.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I want to stay,” Lillian said softly.

  “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that,” Timothy’s smile lit up his face.

  His relief drove home how unfair the situation was. She could never be the woman he needed, yet she didn’t want a life without him. She needed his friendship, his humor, his understanding. Perhaps she was being selfish, but she couldn’t help it. She was lonely.

  The arrival of Walter put an end to the conversation. Timothy took a step back. “I’ve got to go.”

  Lillian laid a hand on his arm. “Be careful.”

  He patted her hand. “I will. I’ll be praying for the success of your proposal, since I can’t be there in person.” He smiled and took off at a run toward his friend’s truck and they drove off.

  Brandon and Debra came out of the school. Lillian walked to their car with them. “Thank you again for agreeing to speak to my students.”

  Brandon nodded. “I’ll be interested in how this turns out. Expect me back a week from Saturday. I want to do some soil tests before Timothy starts planting.”

  After they drove away, Lillian found herself with some unwelcome time on her hands. She got out a broom and began to sweep the floor, but the mundane task didn’t take her mind off Timothy. How much longer could she keep her growing feelings for him hidden? Each time they were together, it became harder to pretend what she felt was friendship and not love.

  She stopped sweeping as the realization hit her. She was falling in love with Timothy Bowman and she had no idea what to do about it.

  Maybe a move back to Wisconsin was the answer. Except she had told Timothy the truth. She wanted to stay in Bowmans Crossing. She wanted to teach school and watch all her wonderful children grow up and someday teach their children. And she wanted to be near Timothy. Perhaps if he married someday and she knew he was happy, then she would be able to leave.

  When the board finally arrived, she noticed there were more parents in attendance than usual, but the meeting itself that was basically the same as every other school board meeting she had attended since she started teaching at Ryder Hill School. The main difference this time was that Silas Mast stood up and thanked everyone for the help in repairing the school. T
he meeting was nearing the end when he asked if she had any requests. The monthly school board meeting was when she received her salary. She had been hoping for a raise this year, but she knew it wasn’t likely. What she really needed was another teacher to help carry the load. Forty-two students were a lot to manage.

  Lillian took a deep breath. “We are in need of new writing textbooks for the third-grade class. Ours are falling apart. I don’t know how many times I can continue to glue them back together. And I have a new program I would like the board’s permission to implement.”

  “Go on,” Silas said.

  “Brandon Merrick is the brother of the Englisch nurse who did our health exams and who stayed with us the day of the fire. He’s a professor of agriculture at Central University. His specialty is genetic research and development of seed corn. He has a great deal of information he is willing to share about the process of producing hybrid seed corn. He has been able to lease Mr. Hanson’s farm ground for a test plot. It is his hope, and mine, that he be allowed to teach the older children how to produce a hybrid seed crop by having them help with the record-keeping, detasseling and harvesting of his field. He is willing to share his knowledge for free and will even pay the children for their labor.”

  Silas frowned. “It sounds as if this project would have you and the children spend an unseemly amount of time with an outsider. I don’t believe we need the Englisch instructing our children on how to grow crops when their parents and grandparents have been doing it for generations. Does this man make his living farming?”

  “Nee, he does not. He is a teacher and researcher.”

  “Then he can’t know our way of doing things. I grow corn as my father taught me. Corn needs clover, and clover needs corn. That will be good enough for my sons.”

  “But why do we plant clover one year and corn the next? Because clover replenishes the nitrogen in the soil. This is science being applied to practical matters to improve our way of life, not to detract from it. Brandon will only be at the school a few times each month.”

  A murmur of dissatisfaction went through the crowd. Silas shook his head. “Nee, I have said all I wish to say on the subject. Now, for our last bit of business, that of hiring another teacher. We haven’t found anyone willing to take on the job in this district. We will keep looking. I understand that you currently have more students than most teachers, but perhaps you can have some of the older children help you with the younger ones.”