Amish Romance: Naomi's Story: THREE Story BOXED SET: Clean & Wholesome Amish Book Bundle

by Brenda Maxfield

  “Please be seated,” Naomi said. “These are my two children, Ben and Katy.” She turned to her children. “Ben and Katy, this is Mr. Scott and Mrs. Gladys.”

  Ben and Katy nodded and smiled.

  Scott and Gladys got situated, and Naomi directed them all in a silent prayer of thanks. When she cleared her throat, everyone looked up. Naomi was always surprised when new guests fell so easily into their Amish manner of saying grace. She knew most Englischers said grace out loud, something she’d never done before.

  “Start the creamed potatoes around, would you Ben?” she asked.

  The meal went well. As it turned out, Scott and Gladys were pleasant conversationalists. Ben had quite a time sharing his knowledge of frogs, once Scott caught on about how important frogs were to the lad.

  When everyone was finished eating, her guests went straight back to the daadi haus, and she sent Katy and Ben outside for a bit of playtime before bed. She yearned for the quiet of her kitchen to red everything up for the morning and to read Marvin’s letter. After the last dish was put away, and the breakfast meal was planned, she took the letter from the counter and sat down in the kitchen rocker to read it.

  Dear Naomi,

  I hope this finds you well. I’m going to come right to the point. As you know, I’ve never approved of you staying in Indiana after the accident. You belong back here with your family. I don’t think it’s right that you are depriving your two children of their kin.

  Naomi dropped the letter in her lap and looked out the kitchen window. She shouldn’t get so upset at her brother’s words; she’d read them often enough. How she wished he would stop pressuring her. Didn’t he know that she was trying to do the right thing for her children? Didn’t he know that she didn’t want to upset them with another huge change in their lives?

  She grabbed up the letter again, and her teeth clenched.

  I’ve decided to come out to fetch you myself, Naomi. By the time you get this letter, I’ll be on my way. I felt that I should at least give you a warning that I’m coming.

  A warning! Even he phrased it as a warning. She shook her head. Nothing good was going to come from this; she could feel it in her bones.

  The rest of the family is in agreement. So, I shall see you soon.

  Your brother,

  Marvin

  Naomi stuffed the letter back in the envelope and stood up. She looked about her, wondering what she could do. Marvin coming there? And he didn’t know about the Bed and Breakfast. She was sure he wouldn’t like it one bit. He wouldn’t approve of her running any type of business.

  She tossed the envelope back on the counter and rushed out the side door. Once outside, she stood, looking restlessly about her. Perhaps a short walk to the fields would help ease her frustration. She certainly couldn’t let the children see her upset.

  She strode across the yard and around back of the barn. She went to the edge of the field and stopped, gazing out upon all of Zachariah’s hard work. The corn had grown taller even in those last few days. Soon, it would be harvest time. And then the fields would be put to bed, and there would be no need for Zachariah to come around every day.

  “Naomi?”

  She whirled to face Zach. “Ach, I didn’t hear you.” She licked her lips and smoothed down her apron.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”

  He put down the hoe he was carrying and stepped closer. “What’s wrong?” he repeated.

  She turned back toward the field and watched the corn sway ever so slightly in the breeze. Dusk was creeping over the land, and she heard Ben and Katy hollering and laughing back by the tire swing. Zach stood close and gazed out over the fields with her.

  “The fields are beautiful,” she murmured. “Nearly ready for harvest.”

  “It’ll be a while yet,” Zach said, his quiet tone matching hers. “I love this time in the season. Things are ripening and growing fat with the summer sun.”

  She nodded, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Such poetic words, and she had never, even for a second, considered Zach a poetic man.

  “Naomi?” he said, turning to her. “What’s wrong?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I’ve heard from my brother.”

  “Jah?”

  “He’s coming.” She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly.

  “But that’s right nice for you, isn’t it? And for Ben and Katy?”

  “Nee.”

  His brow furrowed. “Why not?”

  “He wants us to move back to Pennsylvania. He’s been after me about it since the accident.”

  Zach inhaled sharply, and Naomi felt him go stiff beside her. “To Pennsylvania?”

  She nodded. Standing there, on the land that her father and husband had so desired, had worked so hard to acquire, made Naomi realize how much she wanted to stay. How could she desert their dream? How could she leave Isaac, whose body lay in the cemetery not so far down the road? And how could she leave her mother and father, who lay in that same cemetery? No, her life was there, in Hollybrook.

  Tears blurred her vision, and she made no move to stop them from falling.

  “Do you want to go back?” Zach asked.

  “This is my home.”

  Zach turned and squarely faced her. She looked into his eyes and even in the growing dusk, she could see how his gaze burned into hers. “You didn’t answer,” he said. “Do you want to go?”

  She shook her head. “Nee. I want to stay.”

  He raised his hand and touched her arm, and it was as if her skin came alive beneath his fingers. Electricity raced up her spine, and she barely stopped herself from jerking back with surprise. She looked down at his hand, his muscled, rough hand that worked from sun-up to sun-down.

  The tension between them thickened, and she swallowed and wondered what he could be thinking. And then he took his hand from her and lowered it to his side.

  “When’s he coming?”

  She shook her head and looked up at him. “I don’t know. It could be any day.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be here, out in the fields. If you need me…”

  She blinked rapidly and pinched her lips together. A yearning pressed into her chest, and she fought the urge to walk into his arms. Stunned and more than a little disturbed by her emotions, she stepped back.

  “Jah. Out in the fields,” she murmured.

  His gaze lingered on her for another long moment, and then he turned and left. He walked slowly away, his movements stiff and awkward, as if he didn’t want to go.

  Three

  “Uncle Marvin!” Ben hollered and threw open the front door. He rushed down the steps and nearly leapt into Marvin’s arms.

  Marvin stood outside the white van and grinned. He picked Ben up and gave him a huge bear hug. “Little man, you’re growing up right fine!”

  Naomi stood at the top of the porch and watched them. Marvin hadn’t changed in the year or so that she hadn’t seen him. He was still lanky and the corners of his brown eyes crinkled into a fistful of wrinkles. His dark beard, streaked with a bit of gray, was perhaps longer. He never saw the point of trimming it and just let it flow with its jagged length.

  Marvin put Ben down and tousled his hair. Then he looked up at Naomi and gave her a smile. Naomi thought she sensed hesitation there, before he strode up the steps to greet her.

  “Sister, it’s good to see you.” He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. “Where’s Katy?”

  Naomi craned her neck to gaze around toward the side of the house. “She was in the daadi haus doing some cleaning.” She looked at Ben. “Ben, go fetch your sister.”

  Ben ran off, and Naomi led Marvin inside. “Can I get you something? Are you hungry?”

  He set down his suitcase and regarded her. “Nee. The driver stopped a couple hours back, and we ate at a restaurant. I’m fine.”

  Naomi ran her hands over her dress and inhaled deeply. “Why not come
into the front room then and have a seat.”

  Marvin stretched a bit, his long arms reaching toward the ceiling. “I been sitting for what seems like a week in that van. Could do with a bit of a walk. I’d like to see the place.”

  “Of course,” Naomi said. Her heart was fluttering as she fought down her nervousness. She was being silly; it was only her brother, after all. “Shall we go back outside?”

  “Uncle Marvin!” Katy said. “You’re here!”

  Marvin opened his arms to her, and she rushed forward to give him a hug. “You’ve grown.” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her up and down. “One day soon you’ll be married with your own kinner.”

  Katy blushed. “I’m not yet twelve, you know.”

  Marvin laughed. “Still. You’re getting mighty big.”

  “We’re going to show Marvin the farm,” Naomi said. She stepped outside and started toward the barn, and the three of them followed her.

  “So, you were cleaning the daadi haus?” Marvin asked.

  “Jah, our last guests left this morning,” Katy said.

  Naomi stiffened. She hadn’t yet had time to tell Marvin about the Bed and Breakfast. Her jaw tightened. Truth be told, she could have written Marvin and the family and shared that news many times, but she’d always chosen to conveniently forget about it. She regretted that decision now.

  “Guests?”

  They were in the barn now, and Naomi nearly choked when she saw the old Byler’s Bed and Breakfast sign tossed to the side of the barn. Marvin must have noticed it at the exact same moment.

  “What’s this?” he asked, staring back at Naomi.

  “We got a Bed and Breakfast,” Ben chimed in. “That’s how we met Mr. Justin. He was our first guest. He’s nice. And the last two people were nice, too. ’Cept we hardly saw ’em. Only when it was time to eat.”

  Marvin bent down and picked up the crude sign. He turned to Naomi and stared holes through her.

  “Children,” Naomi said, averting her gaze. “Why don’t you take Marvin’s suitcase up to the spare room? Katy, you can start on supper.”

  “But, Mamm, he just got here,” complained Bed. “I ain’t even showed him where Mr. Zach and I find frogs.”

  “There’ll be plenty of time for that,” Naomi said. “Now, off with you.”

  Katy pulled on Ben’s arm and the two of them hurried off, leaving an expanse of awkward silence behind them. Naomi braced herself for what was to come.

  “What’s this about, Naomi?”

  “I’ve started a business,” she said, attempting to put on a professional-sounding tone.

  “I gathered that,” he said. His brown eyes grew dark, and he narrowed them to a near squint. “Why?”

  “Because I need the money.” Naomi raised her chin. “And before you get all upset, you should know the bishop has approved of it. I’ve spoken with him, and he is in favor.”

  The words raced from her mouth as she tried to cut off his objections before they began, but it didn’t work.

  “This farm needs to be sold. You need to come home.”

  She stiffened. “Nee. This is where I live now. This is where Mamm and Dat are buried! My husband is buried here. I can’t leave.”

  Marvin stepped toward her. “Ruth and I have spoken about it countless times. You belong at home.”

  “But this is home!”

  “You belong with your family. I’ve spoken with our bishop and the deacons, too. They agree. Everyone is waiting for your return.” His voice grew more insistent with each word.

  Naomi cringed. She knew he was going to push the issue … again. But she didn’t realize he’d start in on her from the very first moment he arrived.

  “Marvin, I appreciate your concern. Truly, I do.” She tried to smile. “But I can’t uproot the children again.”

  “Naomi, it’s hardly uprooting them to bring them back home. Back to their family.”

  She shook her head.

  “Dat’s gone and so is your husband. So, it falls to me to make this decision. I’m your elder brother. You know how this works.”

  She stepped back, wanting to run away—run away and hide while she still could.

  “Don’t look so upset,” he said. “This is for your good. This is for your children. They need to be raised with family.”

  “I’m their family,” she said, but even she knew how ridiculous that argument was.

  “And you’ll still be with them.” His brow furrowed. “Don’t fight me on this, Naomi. We all love you and want you to return.”

  Panic rumbled through her stomach. He had all the proper arguments on his side. She didn’t have anything else to say. Her fists tightened at her sides. She couldn’t leave Hollybrook. She just couldn’t. She’d grown to love the farm. Besides, she had a business now. She couldn’t simply desert it.

  She looked around the barn as if searching for an escape. Her eyes settled on the hoe that Zach often carried around as he puttered in her garden when he thought she didn’t notice. Zach.

  Could she leave Zach? Could she?

  “Naomi, I plan to take you and the children with me when I leave—”

  She tried to interrupt him, but he held up his hand.

  “It’s settled. I’ve arranged for a van to pick us up in a week. That’ll give us time to pack things up and list the farm to sell.”

  Naomi’s head spun, and she grabbed the doorframe of the barn and held on. She couldn’t fathom another change so soon. She couldn’t fathom her life being ripped from her again. No. She wouldn’t do it!

  Strength and stubbornness flowed through her, and she drew herself up to her full height. “Marvin, I won’t do it. I won’t.”

  His jaw clenched, and his face grew red. “It ain’t open to discussion, Naomi. I’ve said my piece, and that’s the way it’s going to be. I’ll speak with the local bishop if you wish. He’ll side with me.”

  Naomi’s bravado was short-lived. He was right. The bishop would side with Marvin. Perhaps some of the freer-thinking bishops might disagree, but from what she knew of Bishop Schrock, he wasn’t one of them. He’d see Marvin as her authority since both her father and her husband were dead.

  She turned on her heel and marched back to the house. She couldn’t bear the thought of telling Katy and Ben. Couldn’t bear it. Her eyes welled with tears, and she fought the nausea that rose in her throat. A movement to her right caught her attention. She saw Ben running out in the field toward Zachariah, no doubt to tell him that his uncle had arrived.

  Ben had grown fond of Zach. More than fond by the looks of things. Her son would be upset to have to leave him. Maybe Katy would be, too. Though she could be as sour as a hen in a rainstorm, Naomi had seen flickers of affection in Katy’s eyes for Zach.

  She hurried up the porch steps and yanked open the screen. She went into the kitchen to help Katy work on supper. The girl looked up when Naomi entered the room.

  “Where’s Uncle?” she asked.

  “I left him in the barn.” Naomi hauled out the big roasting pan from its place on the lower shelf. She plunked it on the counter. “Get the chicken out of the freezer.”

  “But Mamm, it’ll never thaw in time.”

  Naomi stared at Katy. “Get the chicken out of the freezer.”

  Katy’s eyes grew wide at Naomi’s curt tone. Without a word, she opened the freezer door and took out the freshly killed and plucked chicken that hadn’t been in the freezer more than four days. She carried it to the sink and placed it there. She turned to her mother.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Naomi snapped. “Not a thing. Isn’t it nice that Marvin is here to visit?”

  She couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her voice, and she was ashamed. She wasn’t acting in a seemly manner at all. And it wasn’t fair of her to burden Katy with her problems. Katy was only a child, after all. There had to be some way out of this. Some way.

  She sank to a kitchen chair, twisting a dish towel in her hands. S
he could go to Bishop Schrock herself and plead her case. Marvin would have to back down if the Bishop gave an opposite decree. Wouldn’t he? Naomi knew her brother well. Flexibility wasn’t part of his character. Even if Bishop Schrock sided with her, Marvin might still insist she leave. But he could hardly pull her kicking and screaming into the van, could he?

  Shame burned through Naomi. What was she thinking? God would be displeased with her behavior and her thoughts. A woman was to be submissive. Didn’t hundreds of sermons teach her so? She felt her cheeks go hot. What kind of example would she be setting for Katy if she acted with such rebellion? Why, that was how Englischers acted, wasn't it?

  The ticking of the large round clock over the window reverberated through the kitchen. Naomi saw Katy’s lower lip quiver as she turned away and put her attention on unwrapping the chicken. Naomi reached over and took her hand.

  “Ach, I’m sorry, Katy. Forgive my temper. Everything’s all right.” Her voice was soft and crooning.

  Katy’s shoulders relaxed, and she stepped close to lean into Naomi’s side. “It’s okay, Mamm.”

  “Shall we make a special supper for your uncle? I happen to know that shoo-fly pie is his favorite.”

  Katy’s expression perked up. “I’ll make the pie. Can I?”

  Naomi chuckled. “Why do you think I mentioned it, our Katy? You make the best pies in the district.”

  ****

  Marvin and Ben came in just before Naomi and Katy set the food on the table. Supper was often a lighter meal in the evening, but that day Naomi and Katy had pulled out all the stops. They served roasted chicken, new potatoes and gravy, green beans, thick slices of homemade bread, and pickles. The crowning glory, of course, was Katy’s shoo-fly pie.

  After the meal was eaten, Marvin leaned back in the chair and patted his belly. “I’d say that was as good as Ruth’s cooking.” He gave Katy a wink. “And the best pie I’ve ever tasted.”

  Katy blushed and looked at Naomi.

  “Marvin, this girl bakes circles around me,” Naomi said. She reached over and gave Katy’s hand a squeeze.