The Buggy Shop
Amish Romance
Brenda Maxfield
Copyright © 2019 by Tica House Publishing LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Personal Word from the Author
Dearest Readers,
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Contents
Personal Word from the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
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About the Author
Chapter One
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear them from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
Beulah Yoder threw back her head and laughed. Uriah pulled on her arm and pinned her against the rough bark of the tree. He looked into her eyes and then leaned forward and kissed her.
“I love your laugh,” he murmured, his voice thick.
“I know you do,” she responded, still giggling. “Come on, I need to get home. I’m going to be in trouble.”
He snorted. “You’re always in trouble, so what does it matter?”
She regarded him. He was right, of course, but still… “Do you want me to get in trouble?” she asked. “You’re a bad influence on me.”
“Ever consider that maybe you’re the one who’s the bad influence?” He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek in a gentle caress.
She tilted her head. “Nee. But then, if you ask my sister Amy, she would say you and I are about even.”
“She wouldn’t. She can’t stand me.”
“That’s true.”
“And I never did a thing to her.”
“You didn’t have to. Your reputation does it all for you.”
He laughed outright. “Jah. There is that.” He backed away from her and walked over to his pony cart. “Come on, then. I’ll get you home and save you from trouble.”
Beulah glanced up at the sky through the trees. “I think we’re beyond that. What time is it, anyway? Must be close to ten.”
The summer darkness was settling over the trees and across the fields that stretched beyond them. Beulah was getting anxious now. Her parents hadn’t been too pleased with her of late and coming home at ten o’clock wasn’t going to help matters. But then she gazed at Uriah. She watched the easy way he climbed into his cart and saw the way his eyes burned when he looked at her. He was beautiful, and she adored him.
If she got in trouble, it’d be worth it.
“You coming?” he asked.
She laughed and ran over, climbing into the cart beside him.
“You never answered me, you know,” he said, glancing at her as he snapped the reins and they got underway.
“I know.”
“It’ll be fun, Beulah. And can’t you think of some excuse to tell your folks?”
“I don’t want to lie…”
“Why not? It won’t hurt anyone.”
Beulah shifted on the wooden bench. “I guess not, but…”
“It’s not the worst thing you’ve done.”
She was suddenly annoyed. “What are you talking about? I’m not some sort of criminal.”
He gave a sardonic laugh. “Never said you were. But I happen to know you’re not particularly big on following all the gazillion rules our district has.”
“Maybe not. But I’m not usually a liar, and I don’t like the idea. Lying is a lot different than not following the Ordnung to the letter.”
He pulled up on the reins, slowing down the cart, and faced her. “What’s with you tonight?” he asked. “I’m beginning to think you’re no fun.”
Her eyebrows raised. No fun? No one had ever accused her of that. She pressed her lips together, fully annoyed now.
He laughed and nudged her. “Loosen up, will you? All I want to know is if you’re coming to the concert with me. If you don’t, that’s fine. I’ll go with someone else.”
Her heart lurched. “Another girl?”
“I never said that.”
He didn’t not say it, either. This evening was turning sour, and Beulah actually wanted to go home now. But maybe she should have Uriah drop her at her sister’s house instead—then her parents wouldn’t know what time she got in. She could stay with Amy and Andrew and little Susie. Except then her parents wouldn’t know where she was, and that wouldn’t be good, either.
Uriah was still looking at her. “I was joking,” he said. “I only want to go with you. Say you’ll come, Beulah. You’ll like it.”
“I know I would like it. Remember, you had me listen to a few of their songs on the computer at the library.” She punched him playfully. “Another evidence of your wickedness. But seriously, I have no excuse to be gone so late at night.”
“Will your parents really be waiting up for you? They wouldn’t even know, would they?”
Not usually, they wouldn’t. But lately, they’d gotten suspicious of her every move—and merely because a new rumor was circulating about Uriah. This one wasn’t true, either. He hadn’t been racing around in an Englischer’s car. She would know it if he had. She and Uriah had been together for months and months, and he told her everything. Just like she told him everything—well, almost everything. Anyway, it didn’t matter if the rumor was true or not. Her parents had latched onto it and expressed their grave concern yet once again about how much time she was spending with Uriah.
The thing was, they shouldn’t even know about her time with him. Courting was kept secret, but Beulah had her sister to thank for blabbing. Amy had been stewing about Beulah’s association with Uriah from the beginning, and when Amy married Andrew, for some reason she felt obligated to share her worries with their mother. As a result, Beulah was being watched like a hawk circling its prey.
She gave a rueful smile. Not a very flattering image, but it was true. Fiona Yoder had been so vigilant that Beulah had to sneak away more often than not.
“I’m afraid my parents will be waiting up for me.” Beulah sighed. “I s’pose I could tell them I’ll be spending the night with Amy the night of the concert. The only thing is, if t
hey go visit Amy or she comes over, they’ll know it’s not true. And I can’t ask Amy to lie for me—she won’t do it.”
“Then sneak out.”
They rode on in silence as Beulah considered her options. She did want to go with Uriah. In truth, she wanted to spend all her time with him. But she didn’t want to lie to her parents. Maybe the best thing was to sneak out—that way she wouldn’t have to lie. She wouldn’t have to say a thing. She’d slip out undetected and slip back in much later. Her parents didn’t check on her during the night, so it could work.
“What time would we have to leave?”
“It starts at nine, so about eight-thirty.”
“Could we be late?”
Uriah scowled. “We’re getting a ride from Seth, so I don’t think so.”
“Seth Godwin? Your Englisch friend?”
“Of course. We can’t be taking a horse and buggy. And while we’re on the subject, it’d be best to dress in Englischer clothes. Otherwise, we’re going to be the laughing stock of everyone there.”
“We’re always the laughing stock. I’m used to it.”
He leaned close to her ear. “For me, then, Beulah. Wear something special for me.”
“I-I don’t have anything.”
He grinned. “You leave that up to me.”
She bit her lip but then broke into a smile. A concert. Fancy clothes. Sneaking out… It could be a right fun night.
Chapter Two
Beulah was good at pretending—that was what she’d been doing all evening. Pretending she wasn’t so excited, she could burst. Pretending it was just a normal Friday evening at home. Pretending she was actually interested in the jigsaw puzzle she was working on. She had wandered into the kitchen more than once under the pretense of getting a drink. Then she’d fetched a snack for her father, and later, took his dishes in to the sink. But what she was really interested in was checking the time on the clock hanging above the kitchen window.
Eight-twenty. She was supposed to be outside waiting for Uriah in ten minutes. She had no idea how she was going to pull it off. She always went to bed around nine.
“I’m tired tonight,” she said, stifling a yawn.
“I need you up early tomorrow,” Fiona said. “We’re picking beans. I’d like to get the first batch snapped and canned by afternoon.”
“Okay, Mamm.”
Fiona looked at Beulah. “You feeling all right?”
“Jah. Just sleepy.”
“Then go on up to bed,” her father said. He put aside his book and stretched. “Maybe we should all have an early night.”
Beulah wanted to give a cheer at his words, but she remained properly subdued.
“Gut idea, dear,” Fiona said, standing up. “Let’s all go to bed early. There’s plenty to do come tomorrow.”
Beulah put down the piece of jigsaw puzzle she was holding. “I can work on this again tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll help you,” her father offered.
Together, the three of them went upstairs, her mother carrying the lantern.
“Gut night,” Beulah said, yawning again.
“Gut night, daughter,” Thomas replied, and he and Fiona disappeared into their room.
Beulah hurried to hers. She perched on the edge of her bed, waiting. She knew both her parents would change into their bedclothes and then use the bathroom before settling in. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry, she thought, tapping her foot with impatience.
Within minutes, she heard their bedroom door open and the bathroom door shut. That would be her mother. She waited further, until she heard it repeated by her father. Then she went to use the bathroom, hoping they wouldn’t poke their heads out from their room to notice she hadn’t changed into her nightclothes.
She was a little louder than usual, wanting to ensure they heard her and assumed she’d gone on to bed. It had to be past eight-thirty by then, but it couldn’t be helped. Wait for me, Uriah.
After five more minutes, she slipped out of her room, closing her door behind her. Not that she always closed her door at night—she often left it open to get a nice cross breeze through the room. Especially during the height of summer. But she closed it this time, just in case either of her parents wandered about during the night.
Right then, she was glad she was the last child at home. Otherwise, she’d get caught for sure and for certain. Beulah knew exactly which steps creaked when they were trod upon, so she inched her way down the stairs carefully, stepping over the creaky steps. Once she was on the ground floor, it was easy to slip out the side door.
Darkness was just beginning to fall, but her parents’ window looked out over the back of the house, not the front. She was safe. She ran across the yard and down the drive, arriving breathless to see Uriah pacing beneath the stand of oak trees.
“I didn’t think you were coming,” he said in greeting.
“Sorry. I couldn’t get away sooner.”
“Seth is parked down the road a ways. Hurry up. He’s gonna be mad.”
Uriah grabbed her hand and pulled her down the road at a run. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which gave Beulah the feeling that she was with a stranger. She knew Uriah sometimes wore Englischer clothes, but she’d never seen him in them. It made her uneasy.
“I got clothes for you. You can change in the car.”
Beulah yanked him to a stop. “What? Change in the car?”
Uriah groaned. “We won’t look, okay?”
“I can’t… I can’t possibly change in the car!” Beulah was stunned that he would even suggest such a thing. Granted, she’d done a lot of daring things in her day, but change clothes in a car? Never.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “You can change in the restroom when we get there.”
“Whose clothes are they?”
“Seth’s sister’s I think.”
“What are they?”
“Come on,” Uriah said, pulling her along again. “We can talk in the car.”
When they arrived at the black sedan, Uriah opened the back door for her. “Get in. I’ll sit in the front.”
Beulah looked quickly around, grateful that no one else was on the street. She scrambled into the back seat. Seth turned around from the driver’s seat.
“Hey, Beulah,” he said. “There’s clothes in that sack.” He nodded toward a plastic grocery bag sitting next to her.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
“She won’t change in the car,” Uriah said, getting in and slamming the door. “She’ll change in the bathroom.”
Seth shrugged. “You’ll look funny going in,” he told her. “But suit yourself.”
Beulah nodded, digging into the bag beside her. There was a pair of jeans and a skimpy-looking blouse. “Will these fit me?”
“His sister is about your size. They might be a bit big, though,” Uriah said. He laughed. “Unless you want to squeeze in a shopping trip right now.”
Beulah smiled at him. “Nee. I’m fine.”
The concert was being held outside in a large baseball park on the edge of town. By the time they arrived, the dirt parking area was choked with cars. Seth grumbled as he drove slowly up and down the rows, looking for a spot. Finally, he found one at the very end. When they got out, Beulah heard the loudspeaker belching out the refreshment choices. The voice was met with whoops and hollers, and in general, a mass of noise.
Beulah blinked, holding the sack of Englischer clothes to her chest. The air around them was literally buzzing with excitement. She couldn’t help but grin at the sight of everyone bustling about her, hurrying toward the stadium. She ignored the gawkers staring at her and couldn’t wait to switch clothes.
But she’d been right to come. This was going to be amazing.
“There’s a bathroom right when we get inside,” Seth told her, nearly yelling over all the noise.
“Okay,” she answered.
They got to the gate and Seth produced three tickets. Once inside, Beulah saw the women’s bathroom and disappeared in
side. It was odd trying to change inside one of the bathroom stalls. Getting in and out of an Amish dress was not a quick process, especially since she’d forgotten to remove her apron before coming. But she managed, hoping that Uriah was waiting for her right outside. She put on the strange clothes, feeling ridiculous in pants. They were baggy on her, and she hoped they’d stay up. The top made her feel naked.
She nearly changed back into her own clothes, but if she took the time to do that, the concert would already be well under way. She stuffed her Amish clothes into the bag and emerged from the stall. Directly in front of her was a large mirror over the sink. She gaped at herself, hardly recognizing her own reflection. She realized that she was still wearing her kapp and hastily removed it, leaving her hair in the tight bun at the nape of her neck.
She ran outside and nearly collided with Uriah. His eyes widened.
“So. That’s what you look like in jeans,” he said with a smile. His eyes traveled up and down her body. “Not bad.” He looked at her hair and frowned. “Can’t you let it down?”
“Where’s Seth?” she asked, changing the subject.
At that moment, the strident sounds of a strumming guitar reached her ears. The concert was starting.
“That doesn’t sound like the same group we listened to,” she said, hanging onto Uriah’s arm as they pushed through the crowd.
“It isn’t,” he told her. “Concerts always start with other groups.”
That didn’t really make sense to her, but in truth, she didn’t really care. She was there. She was with Uriah. She’d managed to get out of her house without her parents knowing.
The Buggy Shop (Hollybrook Amish Romance) Page 1