Amish Brides

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  “Sit down. It’s almost time for breakfast, Reba.” Mamm turned back to the stove, cracking two more eggs into the skillet.

  Reba’s father stomped down the stairs, followed closely by Henry, second to the youngest of the Schmucker children.

  “Wow. What happened to you?” Henry asked. “Are you sick?”

  Reba slid into her place at the table. “No, I’m not sick. Why would anything be wrong?”

  Henry shook his head. “That dress.”

  “What’s wrong with my dress?” She immediately regretted that question.

  “It just doesn’t look like you,” Henry added.

  “I’ll say,” Abner put in.

  “Boys.” It was a church Sunday, and Dat was not in the mood for any shenanigans. Mamm had finished cooking and sat down in her own place at the table. Everyone bowed their heads for prayer. A few moments later they lifted their heads and began to eat breakfast.

  Reba shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She couldn’t say that the material of the dress was actually itchy, but it seemed to rub her skin all wrong. Which was ridiculous. It wasn’t made out of anything different than any of her other dresses, so why did she feel so conspicuous? The whole point was to wear something less noticeable.

  “What time did Abel say he was coming again?” Mamm asked.

  “He said he’d be here about seven,” Reba answered.

  Henry and Abner started elbowing each other in the ribs.

  “What’s that for?” Reba asked. Another question she would come to regret.

  “That’s why you’re wearing such an ugly dress. You want to impress a boy.”

  Reba sniffed. “Abel Weaver is hardly a boy, and we are only friends.”

  Abner and Henry snickered.

  “Boys,” Dat said. He didn’t bother to look at them as he spoke.

  She had endured such ribbing her entire life. If it wasn’t the older brothers, it was the younger ones.

  A knock sounded on the door, and Reba was on her feet in an instant. “I’ll get it.” She waited only long enough for Dat to nod before she hustled over to the door. She paused, brushed her hands over her dress and apron once more, then wrenched open the door. As expected, handsome-with-dastardly-dimples Abel Weaver stood on the other side.

  “Good morning,” he said, with a quick nod. She thought she saw a flash of shock chase across his expression, then it was gone, in its place a look of quiet acceptance. Had it really been there at all?

  “Hi,” she said. “We’re just finishing breakfast, would you like something?”

  Abel stepped into the house and took his hat from his head, twirling it in his hands as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “No. But danki. I’ve already eaten.”

  “I shouldn’t be much longer,” Reba said. “Would you like to wait in the living room?”

  Abel gave a quick smile of relief. “That would be great. Thanks.”

  She escorted him to the couch, then hustled back to the dining area to finish her breakfast. She had been toying with the idea of changing her dress before going to church. Maybe everybody was right and the color was too somber for her. Or maybe she was just trying to be something she wasn’t. But Abel was here and now she was stuck wearing it for the rest of the day. She looked down at herself before sliding back into her seat. It wasn’t so bad.

  Was it?

  * * *

  Church in a new district was always an adventure. A person never knew exactly what they were going to get. But it was also nice to hear someone else preach. Sometimes it was easier to pay attention to the sermon if he wasn’t accustomed to the man speaking, or distracted by the people around him. And though the bishop was a fine preacher, Abel did find himself distracted. But not in the way he would have anticipated.

  He cut his gaze toward the other side of the room, where the women sat. Just a couple of rows up and two spaces in sat Reba Schmucker, and in a plain gray dress that he would never have imagined she owned. Or maybe he had read her wrong. Could it be that she wasn’t the person he thought she was? He shook his head. He really didn’t know. But bossy Reba in her loud clothing might not be the only Reba there was.

  Not that it mattered to him. They were just friends. And that was exactly the way he wanted it.

  * * *

  “Can you believe she rode to church with him?”

  “Can you believe he rode to church with her?”

  Reba ducked around the corner of the house, out of sight from the women on the porch. She wanted to believe that they were talking about someone else, but she knew. They were talking about her and Abel.

  “And that dress,” the first woman continued. Reba wasn’t positive, but she thought it was Mae Ellen Bontranger. They had run around together years ago. But Mae Ellen had changed once she got married. “Who does she think she’s fooling in that?”

  “Him?”

  The pair started to laugh, and Reba recognized the second woman to be Fran Allgyer. Both were married, doing well, and looking down their noses at those who weren’t.

  So Reba wasn’t married. So she had no prospects. That didn’t mean she wasn’t doing well. She had three beautiful nieces, a loving family, and a wonderful new friend in Abel Weaver. That should be enough for anyone.

  She cleared her throat and ran her hands down her front. Chin up, she stepped around the corner. If they wanted to talk about her, let them say it to her face.

  “Reba!” Fran exclaimed. “There you are.” She implied that she had been searching for Reba instead of lounging about on the porch and gossiping about her.

  “Here I am.”

  “That man you came with, is he a friend of the family?” Mae Ellen asked.

  Reba forced a smile. “Something like that. He’s helping Jess get his house ready for the wedding.”

  “He’s handsome, jah?” Fran asked.

  Reba gave a small shrug. “I suppose.” If you like sweet smiles with even sweeter dimples. Not that she was going to tell Fran and Mae Ellen that.

  “Is there a romance brewing?” Mae Ellen asked.

  Like Reba would tell her if there were. “No.”

  Fran gave a small pout. “Too bad.”

  Definitely.

  “Reba!” She turned as Abel waved. “Time to go.”

  Reba gave Fran and Mae Ellen a flash of a smile. “My ride.” She jerked a thumb over one shoulder, then made her way across the yard to Abel’s side. She did so as gracefully as she could, considering the boot on her ankle. Funny how they wanted to talk about Abel, but no one had asked her about her broken bones.

  Let them think what they would. If they thought Abel was available, they might try to set him up with their sisters, cousins, and friends. She knew from their trip yesterday that he was not ready to be bombarded with single women. Letting them believe that she and Abel might have a budding romance would save him the trouble of fending them off himself. It was the least she could do, really.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked as she drew closer. He grinned, and she nearly tripped over her own feet. Handsome really wasn’t the word.

  “When you are.”

  He nodded. “Your parents invited me over for the afternoon. I hope you don’t mind.”

  She smiled in return. “Of course not. But don’t feel obligated to come if you would rather spend time with your cousins.”

  “Just between you and me? Your mamm makes much better pie than my cousin.”

  * * *

  She wasn’t going to get overly excited, just because he was coming over for the afternoon. Just because he was sitting next to her. Just because they had allowed themselves to become friends.

  “Can we stop by Jess’s on the way?” Abel asked. “I want to check on a couple of things.”

  “Jah, sure,” she said. “But no working, right?”

  “Right.”

  * * *

  Constance hopped down from the buggy and looked up just as another carriage came down the drive. The sun was shinin
g behind it and it was hard to see, but the carriage shifted and the driver came into clear view.

  “Hope, look.” She tugged on her sister’s arm and nodded toward the approaching buggy.

  “Is that Reba and Abel?”

  “Jah.” Constance couldn’t stop her smile. Maybe they had been successful after all. It had been a lot harder trying to get Reba and Abel together than it had their father and Bernice.

  “Do you think . . . ?”

  “What’s going on?” Lilly Ruth climbed down from the buggy and shaded her eyes.

  “Here comes Reba and Abel.” Constance couldn’t keep the ring of pride from her words. She would add her slip to her evening prayers. But she couldn’t have asked for a better response. Reba and Abel going to church together was fantastic, but them going visiting after church? It was almost more than she could have hoped for. And now that she had the two of them together . . .

  “What are you thinking?” Hope asked.

  Constance gave a small shrug. “Nothing. Just, isn’t it great to have the two of them here . . . together?”

  Hope shook her head. “We promised not to meddle.”

  Constance grinned, the plan already forming in her head. “We’re not meddling. We’re matchmaking, and that’s something entirely different.”

  Chapter 6

  “Reba, did you know we have some new puppies in the barn?” Lilly Ruth sidled up next to her, her fingers trailing in the strings of Reba’s prayer kapp.

  “I didn’t.”

  Jess and Abel had gone out to go over the list of chores that needed to be finished. Since Jess was headed to an auction tomorrow, he wouldn’t be around when Abel started to work. She supposed that technically what they were doing this afternoon wasn’t work, but it pushed the boundaries for sure.

  “Will you go out to the barn with me to look at them?”

  “Sure.” Reba set the seed catalog to one side and stood. “Where are your sisters?”

  Lilly Ruth shrugged and pulled on her arm. “I don’t know. But I want to see the puppies, and Dat said I couldn’t go out there by myself.”

  Reba frowned and nearly dug in her heels. Jess wouldn’t let Lilly Ruth go to the barn? She had grown up toddling into the barn. Something was up, but Reba pushed her questions aside and allowed herself to be tugged to the door.

  “Dat said we could keep one.” Lilly Ruth skipped ahead a bit once she realized that Reba wasn’t going back on her word to visit the puppies.

  “That’s good.”

  “Jah,” Lilly Ruth said. “We can’t decide which one, though. Dat said to give it some time. They’re too small now to have gotten their personalities. Once their eyes are open, they’ll have that and we can decide then.”

  Reba wasn’t entirely sure that was what Jess had told his daughters, but it was close enough for her to understand.

  “In here.” Lilly Ruth led the way, only slowing down when she stepped foot into the barn.

  Reba ducked in behind her. She could hear the tiny grunts of the pups before they ever got to the stall. “Which dog is that?” she asked.

  Lilly Ruth shrugged. “She’s a stray. Just came up a couple of days ago.”

  Which would explain why Reba was just now hearing about the puppies.

  “They’re in here.”

  Reba turned at the sound of Constance’s voice. Her oldest niece tugged on Abel’s hand, dragging him through the barn.

  He stumbled a bit when he saw Reba standing there. “Hi,” he said.

  She gave a small wave in return.

  “Aren’t they sweet?” Constance asked.

  “They are fine pups,” Abel dutifully replied.

  “Dat will let you have one. I know he will,” Lilly Ruth said.

  “When they’re ready to go,” Constance added. “Hi, Aenti Reba.”

  “Seems to be a busy place,” Abel commented, lowering his voice so only Reba could hear him.

  “Jah. It does,” Reba returned.

  “Did you hear that?” Constance asked. She looked at each one of them in turn.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” Abel said, his brows merging to make one handsome frown.

  “I did.” Lilly Ruth gave an exaggerated nod. “Dat’s calling us.”

  “But—” Reba started. Yet, surprise, the girls weren’t listening.

  “We better go see what he needs,” Constance said.

  “Bye.” Lilly Ruth waved and took off out the barn door, Constance right on her heels.

  Reba watched them go with a shake of her head.

  “I think we’ve been set up,” Abel said, with a chuckle.

  She flashed him a grim smile. “I know we have.”

  * * *

  Abel looked down at the wriggling black and white puppies, then up to the woman standing next to him. “You’re pretty calm about it.”

  “That’s all you can be where Constance, Hope, and Lilly Ruth are concerned. They’re just trying to help.”

  He murmured something unintelligible, but it seemed to satisfy her.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know this must be uncomfortable for you.”

  “It’s all right,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”

  She nodded. “If you’re finished here.”

  They walked out of the barn together as a buggy pulled into the drive.

  “Busy place,” Abel murmured.

  “That’s Bernice.”

  The bride returns.

  They waited as she got out of the buggy. Abel could understand how Jess had fallen for her. Bernice Yoder was a beautiful and poised woman.

  “Bernice!” Constance, Hope, and Lilly Ruth rushed out of the house in a flurry of color. They surrounded her, jumping up and down in excitement.

  “Are you staying?” Constance asked.

  “For a bit.” Bernice shifted her attention to Reba. For a moment he thought Bernice drew back in shock, but it happened so fast that he knew he was mistaken. “Hi.”

  “I’m glad you’re back,” Reba said.

  Bernice smiled, and her whole face lit up. “Me, too.” She turned to Abel. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Bernice Yoder.”

  “Abel Weaver. I’m helping Jess get the house ready for the wedding.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  “I hate to rush off,” Abel said. “But I need to get Reba home.”

  One slim, dark brow shot upward as Bernice centered her attention on Reba. “Oh?”

  As he turned, he thought he saw Reba shake her head. But he must’ve been mistaken about that, too.

  “Abel went with us to church today,” Reba said. Her words seemed stilted. “I only rode with him to make sure he didn’t get lost.”

  Bernice nodded. “Oh, I see.”

  Somehow he didn’t think she meant those words. Or perhaps her tone indicated something more. He looked back to Reba. But she only stared at him, eyes wide and innocent.

  “Surely you can stay a bit longer.” Bernice turned to each one of them. “I thought we might have a piece of pie.” She smiled. “Get to know each other better.”

  “I’m always up for pie,” Abel said. He looked to Reba. “Do you need to get home?”

  She clasped her hands in front of her and opened her mouth to speak. It took her so long to find the words he wondered if she was trying to find a nice way to turn down Bernice’s offer. “No,” she finally said. “That sounds nice.”

  * * *

  “Do you have a dress I can borrow?” Reba latched onto Bernice the moment they got out of Jess and Abel’s sight.

  “Perhaps something like you’re wearing?” Bernice folded her arms and leaned her back end against the kitchen counter. “Would you like to explain to me what’s going on here?”

  Reba shook her head. “Don’t get all teachery on me. Do you have a dress or not?”

  “Nope. It doesn’t work like that,” Bernice said. “Tell me what’s going on, then I’ll see if I have a dress.”

  A hundred different wa
ys to explain why she needed her dress ran through Reba’s mind all at once. But they were slippery thoughts and slid away before she could grab ahold of one. That left her standing with only the truth to share. “I like him.”

  Wow. That didn’t hurt nearly as bad as she thought it was going to. But the next part might. “He’s such a nice man. And he’s been hurt before.”

  “So you’re pretending to be something that you’re not?” Bernice asked. “How’s that a good idea?”

  “That’s not it at all. I’m just trying to be what everyone expects from an Amish woman. That’s not wrong, right? I mean, we have these rules in place for a reason.”

  Bernice shook her head. “I’m not buying it for a minute. You have hated those rules your whole life. In fact, I think you’ve probably broken every rule in the Ordnung.”

  “Not true.” It was so far from the truth it was laughable. So she wore her dresses a little bright and sometimes she didn’t twist her hair. And jah, she would like to cut her prayer kapp strings completely off. What good were they anyway? But were those rules really that important? She didn’t think so. But someone like Abel . . . he would.

  “Maybe I just want to wear dresses that aren’t so bright.”

  Bernice seemed to think about it a moment. “Okay. So you don’t want to wear a bright dress. I can understand that.”

  “So you have a dress I can borrow?”

  “Come by the house tomorrow, and I’ll see what I can find.”

  Reba shook her head. “I’ll stop by tonight, okay?”

  Bernice laughed. “You have got it bad.”

  * * *

  Just friends, Reba reminded herself as they drove home. She and Abel were just friends. But their friendship was young, still budding. And she didn’t want him to think that his new friend was a troublemaker. That was the only reason she wanted to borrow a dress from Bernice. That, and she was certain the gray one she had on now was about to cut her circulation off. Underneath her arms was the worst spot. It hadn’t been so bad sitting at the table during breakfast, but spending all day in the small garment was about to take its toll.

  “Abel?” she started as they swayed with the stride of the horse.

  “Hmmm?”