A whirlwind of activity began for Lillian the day after the banns were published. Invitations had to be sent as soon as possible so that far-flung relatives and friends could make travel arrangements. She sat with her mother at the kitchen and looked at the stack of envelopes waiting to be addressed.
“I’m glad we don’t have a huge family,” Lillian said, picking up the first envelope. There were only a few cousins and her great-uncle in Wisconsin. She didn’t expect many of them to come, but she hoped they would.
Lillian tucked an invitation inside the envelope and licked it. “Do you think Uncle Arthur will come?”
“If he is well, I’m sure of it,” her mother said. “He was always fond of you and I think he wants to make up for the time he lost with us. God was good to give him this second chance.”
Lillian smiled. God was indeed good. He’d given her this chance at a lifetime of love with a man who was her best friend. To think she had almost thrown it all away out of pride!
After filling out the first set of invitations, her mother pointed to a group of envelopes already bundled together. “Who are those invitations for?”
“I am sending one to each of the children at school. Timothy and I want to make sure all of them were included.”
“Has Timothy given you his list?”
“He brought it over last night.” Lillian concentrated on the card in her hand, hoping her mother wouldn’t notice the blush heating her cheeks. She and Timothy had spent a long, happy evening exchanging kisses and talking about their plans for the future.
“Are you inviting the Englisch nurse and her brother?”
“Of course. Their intervention and charity made a huge difference to this community.”
The pile of invitations was just the start of Lillian’s duties. Her days were soon filled with sewing her wedding dress, cleaning, cooking and preparations for the big day. She was thankful she didn’t have the added burden of teaching on top of it all. She chose a deep blue material for her wedding gown. She would be married in it and buried in it, as was the custom of her people.
The one thing she didn’t like about all the activity was that she saw little of Timothy except at school. The board had happily given her back her job, but she and Timothy rarely found time to be alone for more than a few stolen moments.
The day before the wedding, her married friends and members of the church arrived to prepare the wedding feast and the house for the bridal party. A generous meal would be served following the wedding, but the celebration would continue until evening, when a second meal would be needed for all the guests who remained.
When the day finally arrived, Lillian was up at four thirty in the morning. Anticipation filled her stomach with butterflies. By noon, she would be Timothy’s wife. Closing her eyes, she whispered a grateful prayer thanking God for this wondrous gift.
She went to the window to see the stars shining over a winter wonderland scene. Fresh snow coated everything. Timothy would be up by now. What was he feeling? If she married Timothy, he would never have sons and daughters of his own. What if he came to regret this decision?
* * *
Timothy stood at the window of his room gazing out at the bare winter trees silhouetted against the new-fallen snow. Was Lillian up? Was she experiencing the same kind of jitters? Was he doing the right thing? Marriage was forever.
She would be his forever.
He drew a deep cleansing breath. Forever with Lillian wouldn’t be enough time to show her how much he loved her.
A tap on the door made Timothy glance that way. It was Luke. “It’s time. Noah has the buggy here for you, and the others are ready.”
Timothy and Lillian had asked Rebecca and Samuel along with Emma and Luke to be members of the bridal party. Noah was acting as hostler, the driver for the group who would all be traveling to Lillian’s house together.
Timothy took another deep breath, and his nervousness vanished. With God’s help, he would be a good husband. He would provide for her and cherish her all the days of his life. What had he done to deserve such happiness?
He walked downstairs to see his brothers and his father waiting for him. Samuel gave him a lopsided grin. “Noah wanted me to give you a message.”
“What is it?”
“He said he picked the fastest horse in case you change your mind and want to head in another direction.”
Their mother bustled into the room. “Nonsense. Timothy is too smart to leave a woman like Lillian waiting at the altar.”
“He takes after his mother,” Isaac said, patting his wife’s plump cheek. She batted his hand away and blushed.
Timothy turned to his oldest brother. “What do you think, Samuel?”
“My advice is to go through with it. When you have found the right woman, being married is wunderbar.”
“Good answer,” Rebecca said, coming into the room from the kitchen with their infant son in her arms. She rose on tiptoe and kissed Samuel. The light in their eyes told Timothy they were still crazy about each other after almost two years. He wanted Lillian to smile at him the way Rebecca and Samuel were smiling at each other, as if they shared some profound understanding.
“I don’t know why we are all standing around. I want to get hitched.” Timothy opened the door and went out into the clear, cold morning air.
Chapter Twenty
Timothy was waiting for Lillian at the foot of the stairs when she came down. He looked incredibly handsome in his new black suit and bow tie. Her husband-to-be smiled and held out his hand. “Are you ready?”
She grasped his fingers tightly. “I am. Are you? Now is the time to change your mind.”
“Nee, you are stuck with me, woman.”
Her heart turned over with joy. “Goot, for I am so happy I’m surprised I’m not floating on air.”
He squeezed her fingers. “I will keep you grounded. I will be your anchor.”
She gazed into his eyes. “We’re going to be all right, aren’t we?”
“Ja, we are going to be fine.”
“We will never have children. I know having sons was important to you.”
He smiled at her tenderly. “We will have thirty or forty children for nine months out of the year. That’s enough. And if it isn’t, we will adopt ten or twelve. There are children who need parents everywhere. God will show us our path. Whatever life brings, we can face it together.”
“You are wonderful and wise.” She laid a hand on his cheek.
“I don’t know about the wise part, but I am wonderful.”
“Demut, Timothy. Try to be humble for a change.”
“Okay. I am a simple man grateful for God’s gifts and you are wonderful.”
She grinned. “Much better.”
They weren’t alone for long. A few minutes after seven o’clock, the guests began to arrive. The pocket doors between the rooms had been pushed open, and the benches were being set up by her brother and her father.
Together, Lillian and Timothy greeted the early guests as they came in. The ceremony wouldn’t take place until nine. Timothy was happy to see Brandon, his wife and children and Debra walk through the door. These outsiders had been instrumental in getting the families of Bowmans Crossing back on their feet. The two people he hadn’t expected were Mr. and Mrs. Hanson.
He shook Mr. Hanson’s hand. “It’s good to see you looking well.”
“My wife tells me I need to be more neighborly. Reckon this is as good a place to start as any.”
“We are delighted you could come,” Lillian said, giving them a beaming smile.
She motioned to Susan Yoder. “Would you sit by these people and translate for them?”
“Sure. Come this way. I’ll seat you in the back where we have some soft chairs.”
At
a quarter till, the wedding party took their places on the benches at the front of the room where the ceremony would be held. Lillian, Rebecca and Emma sat on one side of the room, Timothy with Samuel and Luke sat on the other.
Their forgeher, four married couples from their church group, escorted the guests to places on one of the long wooden benches. When the bishop entered the room, he motioned for Lillian and Timothy to come with him as the congregation began singing.
It was customary for the bishop to counsel the couple before the ceremony. Lillian and Timothy listened intently to his instructions, but Lillian was too excited to take in much.
When the bishop was finished, she and Timothy returned to where the guests were seated and took their places on the front benches. The singing continued, punctuated by sermons from the ministers, including her father, for almost three hours. Lillian tried to keep her mind on what was being said, but mostly she thought about the coming days and nights when she would become a true wife to Timothy.
Standing in front of Timothy, the bishop asked, “Do you believe, brother, that God has provided this woman as a marriage partner for you?”
“I do believe it.” Timothy smiled at her, and her heart beat faster.
The bishop then turned to her. “Do you believe, sister, that God has provided this man as a marriage partner for you?”
“I do.”
“Timothy, do you also promise Lillian that you will care for her in sickness or bodily weakness as befits a Christian husband? Do you promise you will love, forgive and be patient with her until God separates you by death?”
“I do so promise,” Timothy answered solemnly.
The bishop asked Lillian the same questions. She focused on Timothy. He was waiting for her answer, too. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “I promise.”
The bishop took her hand, placed it in Timothy’s hand and covered their fingers with his own. “The God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob be with you. May He bestow His blessings richly upon you through Jesus Christ, amen.”
And with that prayer, they were made husband and wife. Love and happiness spilled out of her heart and flooded her body as she gazed at Timothy. Her overwhelming love was reflected in his eyes and the wonderful smile on his face.
A final prayer ended the ceremony, and the festivities began. The women of the congregation began preparing the wedding meal in the kitchen as the men arranged the tables in a U shape around the walls of the living room. Lillian went upstairs to change out of her wedding dress.
The eck, the honored corner table, was quickly set up for the wedding party in the corner of the room facing the front door. When everything was ready, she and Timothy took their places.
* * *
He was married. Timothy found it hard to wrap his mind around the fact. He took his place with his groomsmen seated to his right. Lillian was ushered in and took her seat at his left-hand side. It symbolized the place she would occupy in his buggy and in his life. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy red and her eyes sparkled with happiness. There would be a long day of celebration and feasting, but tonight would come, and she would be his alone. Could he make her happy? He would try his best. He reached over and squeezed her hand. She gave him a shy smile in return.
After a very long day, the wedding guests had all gone home at last. Lillian sat at the kitchen table and waited for Timothy to join her. He had gone out to say goodbye to his brothers and see them on their way. The outside door opened and he walked in. Joy rushed through her at the sight of his handsome face.
“Wife, would you care to join me for a short walk this evening? It’s a nice night out.”
“A walk sounds lovely, my husband.”
“Have I told you today how much I love you?” He crossed the room and took her hand, pulling her to her feet and into his arms.
She melted against him, loving the way he made her feel. “You may have mentioned it. I’m not sure.”
“Lillian Bowman, I love you. Today, tomorrow, for the rest of eternity. I love you.”
Would she ever tire of those words? Never. “I love you, too. What did I do to deserve such happiness?”
“I ask myself the same question. I reckon only God knows the answer.”
“He has truly blessed us.” She rose on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her closer and kissed her until her head was spinning and she was breathless. Pulling away, he took a deep breath. “Maybe that walk can wait.”
Sliding her arms around his neck, she snuggled against him. “Yes, my husband. I’ve waited to be in your arms for long enough. Kiss me again.”
He smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I will always do what the teacher tells me.”
* * * * *
If you enjoyed HIS AMISH TEACHER, look for
the other books in the AMISH BACHELORS series:
AN AMISH HARVEST
and
AN AMISH NOEL.
Keep reading for an excerpt from HER SINGLE DAD HERO by Arlene James.
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Dear Reader,
I hope you have enjoyed this new story in the Amish Bachelors series. The Bowman brothers have all been fun to write about. I have used my four brothers as inspiration for many of their quirks and conversations.
The story of the arsonist in this book was inspired by true events. In 1993 the grandson of an Amish bishop was arrested and charged with setting fires to multiple Amish farms in one night. As with my story, the damage was too costly for the Amish community to absorb. After a newspaper article detailed their struggles, donations poured in for them to the point that they had to return some money.
People are basically good, be they Amish or English. As Lillian said, every man has good and bad within him.
Blessing to all,
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Her Single Dad Hero
by Arlene James
Chapter One
The sprawling old house creaked and groaned in the afternoon heat. Its cedar siding expanded with reluctant moans, while the steep, gleaming metal roof snapped impatiently beneath the relentless July sun. Such was summer in south central Oklahoma.
Having grown up here on Straight Arrow Ranch, Ann Jollett Billings found the heat of mid-July no surprise. She was used to worse, frankly, and better, having spent the past six years in Dallas, Texas, being a manager in the finest hotel that city had to offer. Despite the opulence of her usual surroundings, however, what Ann now found difficult to bear was not the utilitarian inconveniences of her childhood home but the silence.
She couldn’t recall the last time that she’d had more than a few quiet hours to herself, let alone two whole days. Managing a hotel meant being on call virtually around the clock; managing a ranch, not so much, even apparently during the “busy season.” At least her brother had claimed this to be the busy season before he had taken off to Tulsa with his new wife and adorable baby girl to settle personal business and put his condo on the market, leaving Ann in charge of the family ranch during his absence. She’d taken the time to fully computerize their bookkeeping, which would allow Rex to track everything online. Their sister, Meredith, a nurse, had left the afternoon after Rex, on Sunday, to take their father, Wes, to Oklahoma City for his second chemotherapy treatment. The house had been as silent as a tomb ever since.
So who was pushing a chair across the kitchen floor? That noise, Ann suddenly realized, could not be anything else.
“Oh, Lord,” she prayed softly, “please don’t let this be happening. Not here. Not now.”
Rising from the battered old desk in her father’s study, Ann crept to the door that led into the foyer and listened. The screeching stopped, but other sounds ensued. She was definitely not alone in the house. Her imagination, fueled by her years in Dallas, conjured numerous scenarios, none of them innocent. Reason told her that theft was a rare thing around the small town of War Bonnet, Oklahoma, which lay five miles or so away. Rarer still in the outlying rural surrounds, but perhaps one of the employees of the custom cutter hired to install the new feed bins and harvest the oat and sorghum crops had assumed that, with Wes and Rex gone, the house would be empty and, therefore, easy pickings.
His Amish Teacher Page 18