The Amish Wonders Collection

by Ruth Reid

  “Oh, she left.”

  Josiah bolted up from the chair. “When?”

  “A few minutes ago.” The woman shrugged. “I set her next appointment for a month from now.”

  Doctor Ethridge rose from his chair. “I need to see her before then. Didn’t you read my notation in her chart?” He turned to Josiah. “I wanted to talk with you about doing an ultrasound tomorrow.”

  “I’ll bring her. What time?”

  “What does the schedule look like tomorrow?” he asked the nurse.

  “First patient is at ten.”

  “Let’s add Lindie in before that.” He turned to Josiah. “Can you bring her in at nine?”

  Josiah nodded, his mind still swirling about Lindie having sharp pains that he hadn’t known about. Perhaps they occurred during the night and she hadn’t wanted to wake him.

  The nurse led the way down the hall. “I’ll give you the papers explaining the test and how she needs to prepare for it.”

  “Josiah,” Doctor Ethridge said. “I’ll take your blood samples when you come in tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” He hurried toward the door. Over the years he’d given blood routinely and it always came back fine. Even when he had a cold last winter and coughed so much he barely slept or kept food down. He couldn’t concern himself with the tests now. His mind was on why Lindie had left the office. He hoped she hadn’t panicked when she didn’t find him waiting in the lobby.

  Lindie shivered in the corner of the buggy bench. She hadn’t stopped shaking since the nurse instructed her to shed her clothing and put on a paper gown for the exam. Mortified, she pulled her cape tighter, wishing she could disappear under the covering completely.

  The buggy door opened and Josiah poked his head inside. “Why did you leave without me?” His smile faded and he climbed inside. Only instead of grabbing the reins and releasing the brake, he slid across the bench closer to her. He cocked his head sideways. “You weren’t worried about nett finding me in the lobby, were you?”

  “Nay,” was all Lindie managed before she choked. She blinked to clear her blurry vision.

  He pulled her into his arms and pressed her hard against his chest. “Please try nett to worry about the boppli.”

  His woodsy cedar scent washed over her, and her heart rate ratcheted into a gallop. Images of that night swirled in her head. Pinned down by the man, her screams suffocated. Lindie panted and pressed her forearms against his chest, struggling to break the circle of his embrace.

  “Lindie?” he whispered against her ear before pulling away from her. “I know this has all been very stressful. You’ve had so many changes to adjust to—pregnancy, marriage—I guess what I’m trying to say is: we’re in this together. You and me . . . and Hannah. And the new boppli. We’re a family.”

  She stared at him skeptically. There wasn’t a kinder man than Josiah Plank, but they were far from the traditional Amish family. He had wanted their marriage to be in name only, and she wasn’t complaining. Although hesitant at first, she’d begun to trust the boundaries of their arrangement, a miracle since she’d vowed never to trust any man.

  Josiah scooted to the driver’s side of the bench. “Do you feel up to going into the general store? They sell art supplies and we could pick up a set of those colored pencils that you wanted to give to Hannah.”

  She cracked a smile. “Jah, I would like that.”

  He released the buggy brake. “The store is only a few blocks down.” He clicked his tongue, and Molly perked her ears and lurched forward.

  The steady, almost musical clip-clopping of the mare’s hooves against the pavement eased Lindie’s frayed nerves. Things could be much worse. Josiah could be overbearing, even demanding, with his authority over her. He certainly was better to Hannah than Lindie’s own father had been. Her father had forbidden her to spend time drawing foolish pictures, whereas Josiah was making the effort to encourage his daughter to develop her God-given gift.

  Josiah parked the buggy behind the building. Buying special pencils was a waste of time and money. Girls needed to learn to cook and sew, not create fancy artwork. But this was for Lindie as much as Hannah. She seemed to think his daughter had a special gift. Why hadn’t he recognized it?

  He opened the shop’s door, then followed Lindie inside.

  She scanned the room, eyes wide and mouth agape. “Don’t you just love that smell?”

  He sniffed. “Turpentine?”

  “Jah.” She tilted her head up, a smile stretched wide across her face.

  “Don’t inhale too much. It can’t be gut for the boppli.”

  She drifted down the aisle and stopped in front of a large selection of paintbrushes. Certainly not meant for painting barns, these brushes had fine bristles. He tried not to stare at Lindie, but he couldn’t get over how large her eyes grew when she inspected the different types.

  He reached for one and ran his finger over what felt like a tuft of hair. “What do you use this one for?”

  “That’s a filbert. It’s probably the most popular.” She picked up one shaped like a fan. “This one is nice for painting grasses or brush in a landscape. The round brushes are gut too, and so are the flat and angled ones.” She returned the brush to the shelf.

  Lindie left the paint section and strolled down a few rows before stopping in front of some sketch pads and pencils. She looked at several sets before selecting one. “I think Hannah will like this set.”

  “Does she need any special paper?”

  Her eyes brightened. “Jah, if it isn’t too much.”

  He would pay a high premium to keep the smile on Lindie’s face. “Pick out what you think she would like.”

  Lindie surveyed the selection and handed him a pad. “She’s going to be thrilled.”

  He picked up another pad and set of pencils. “I think you need your own supplies.”

  She blushed. “It isn’t necessary to—”

  “Jah, it is.” He turned toward the front of the store. “Nau let’s pay for these so we can eat lunch.” He expected her to say she wasn’t hungry, but she didn’t. Josiah paid the cashier, then stole a sidelong glance at Lindie while he waited for his change. Focused on her rosy complexion, he barely heard the cashier count back his money. He thanked the cashier and grabbed the bagful of art supplies. “Nau let’s eat.”

  Lindie paused on the threshold and pointed to the silver bell that dangled by a string over the door. “We need a bell like that at home to warn us when Hannah leaves the house.”

  “That’s a gut idea. We can stop at the hardware store on the way home.” He studied the way the bell was mounted, then followed Lindie outside. The temperature had dropped several degrees as cloud cover now blocked the sun. It would snow before nightfall. She shivered beside him, and without thinking he placed his arm around her shoulder.

  “Do you feel like walking? The restaurant is only a couple of blocks down.”

  “I feel fine.” She faced him and smiled. “Denki again for the art supplies.”

  Anything for you, he caught himself from saying. Her eyes danced with joy. He lowered his arm from around her shoulders and cleared his throat. “I’m looking forward to seeing your drawings.”

  “I haven’t drawn anything in years.” Her smile faded.

  “Why?”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t have much time to pursue it, I suppose. I spent all my free time sewing to stock mei hope chest.”

  He wasn’t sure which was causing her sudden sadness, the lack of time to draw or something about her hope chest preparations. This time alone with her was too wonderful to spoil by asking.

  He motioned to the diner ahead. “I don’t see many cars. It must nett be too busy.” Once they entered the restaurant, he let her pick the table.

  Lindie fiddled with her paper place mat as they sat in a corner booth.

  Something about her childlike fidgeting stirred him. Was she nervous?

  When the drinks arrived, she swirled the ice cubes
in her glass. “We lived so far out of town, I can only remember going to a restaurant once,” she said as though needing to explain her behavior.

  “The food here is pretty gut. I hope you like it.” She hadn’t ordered much. A cup of potato soup and half of a BLT sandwich wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy his hunger. He decided on the open-faced beef sandwich platter with extra mashed potatoes.

  She sipped her soda, then set the glass on the table. “Margaret and I made homemade root beer for Eli’s birthday last year.” She trailed a drip of condensation down the glass.

  “Maybe you could make some for us.”

  She nodded. “I’ll write home for the list of ingredients.”

  Home. Would she ever feel Michigan was her home? He pushed the thought aside.

  “I want you to give Hannah the art supplies as a gift from you.”

  “Don’t you think it would mean more from her father?”

  He shook his head. “I think it might help the two of you bond.”

  “I hope you’re right. I don’t sign many words correctly. And I’m slow.” She shrugged. “Hannah tends to brush me off.”

  “I’ll talk with her about that.”

  “Nay.” She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “Please don’t.” She looked down and her eyes widened as she jerked her hand free. “I . . . uh . . . I’m trying to improve my speed without messing up the words,” she said in one long breath.

  “You can practice with me.”

  “Okay.” Her blue eyes twinkled as she searched briefly out the window. She turned back to him and signed.

  He grinned.

  “I did it wrong, didn’t I?”

  “Nett if you need to shower and shave.”

  She frowned. “I meant to say the snow needs to be shoveled.”

  Josiah signed it correctly, then repeated it more slowly so she could study the hand movements. “That’s gut,” he said when she followed all the right gestures. They continued signing. He used hand movements with every response. Then he signed, “You are the most beautiful creature God has created,” working his hands as quickly as he could.

  She crinkled her eyebrows. “What did you say?”

  “I’m nett telling.” He grinned.

  “That’s nett fair. Do it again.”

  He repeated the statement, only faster.

  “You’re going too fast.”

  He shook his head. “You’ll have to figure it out.”

  She was in the middle of objecting when the server arrived with their meals. Without prodding, she finished all her food. Maybe it helped that in between bites they practiced more words. He shared silly stories of when he first started signing, and watching her laugh, he didn’t want the meal to end.

  “We’ll have to do this again on our next . . . outing.” Date. There probably wasn’t another man whose hands turned clammy on a date with his wife. Josiah shoved his gloves on as they walked to the front door.

  Once outside, Lindie tilted her face to the sky and stuck her tongue out to catch the falling snowflakes. She whirled about playfully. “It feels a little disorienting, catching snowflakes, jah?”

  He’d become disoriented all right, but it had nothing to do with snow.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lindie struggled to restrain her smile. She didn’t want the buggy ride home to end. Her insides fluttered when his leg brushed against hers under the blanket they shared.

  “Are you warm enough?” he asked.

  “Jah, are you?”

  He nodded. “I had a very nice time today. We need to go into town together more often.”

  Lindie smiled. “I did too.”

  She peered out the window. In the short time they had been driving, about an inch of snow had collected on the ground. Even Molly’s brown fur looked sprinkled with flour. “It’s snowing hard.”

  “This is just the start.”

  “We don’t always have a white Christmas in Ohio.” She remembered when the temperature was in the sixties one year. Of course, that was unusual.

  “That’s a couple weeks away. We’ll probably be snowed in by then.”

  “I thought I would make a list of baking supplies.” She had wanted to do it earlier but he’d rushed her off after breakfast.

  “What supplies do you need?”

  “I thought I would make a couple pies and I usually bake several types of cookies during Christmastime.”

  “Sounds gut. Mei stomach is already growling.”

  She nudged his side. “You just ate.”

  “Nett cookies or pie.” He smiled. “We can get whatever you need tomorrow.”

  “Denki. And denki for the tea. I meant to tell you last nacht, but I got . . . sidetracked.”

  He grinned. “I would have made you a cup to drink in the tub, but I didn’t think you would appreciate the effort.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Josiah!”

  He chuckled.

  Lindie enjoyed hearing him laugh. Simon had indicated Josiah’s stress was from marrying her and she didn’t want to be the cause any longer.

  Josiah veered Molly into the drive and stopped next to the house.

  “Is there anything in particular you want me to cook for supper?”

  “Yummasetti sounds gut. It’s one of Simon’s favorite dishes too.” He climbed off the bench and walked around to her side of the buggy.

  “Then that’s what I’ll make.” Lindie accepted his hand.

  “It looks like I need to put some salt on these steps.” He placed his arm around her waist and helped her to the door. Returning to the buggy, he asked, “If Hannah is out in the barn, do you want me to send her inside?”

  “Jah.” Lindie couldn’t wait to see Hannah’s reaction to her gift. Perhaps if she hurried with supper, she and Hannah would have time to sketch.

  Lindie stomped the snow off her shoes before entering the house. Once inside, she set the art supplies on the floor, then kicked off her wet shoes. Her stockings were drenched and her toes tingled. She considered soaking her feet in a pan of warm water. Instead, she changed her stockings and put on a pair of wool socks. Afterward, she added a few logs to the stove, then took the art supplies into the kitchen.

  The door opened and closed a few minutes later. Hannah stepped around the corner. She eyed the bag on the table, then looked at Lindie and signed, “Is that for me?”

  “Yes.” Lindie pulled the chair out from the table, motioned for Hannah to sit, then sat beside her and reached into the bag.

  Hannah stared at the box of colored pencils. Finally, she lifted her eyes to Lindie. “Thank you,” she signed with exaggerated hand signals.

  “From your daed too.” She wished Josiah wasn’t out in the barn. He would be pleased with his daughter’s reaction. Her hands were even trembling as she opened the box.

  Josiah unhitched the horse from the buggy and then led the mare inside the barn.

  Simon ambled across the straw-covered wooden floor. He stopped in front of the half wall separating the stalls. “Is this a gut time to talk?”

  “Sure.” Josiah wondered when his father-in-law would bring up Josiah’s plan to start timbering again.

  Simon leaned against the gate. “Hannah helping with breakfast this morning was a big step forward, jah?”

  “I hope it’s a start,” Josiah said, loosening the girth strap.

  “Sohn, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to talk with you about . . .”

  Josiah stopped fussing with the equipment as he noticed Simon kicking at some loose hay on the floor. “What is it?”

  “Just because you’ve kumm to an agreement, it doesn’t make an arranged marriage easy. In many ways they are a gut bit tougher.”

  Josiah hadn’t told a soul and never planned to do so either. He faced Simon. “Our agreement is that obvious?”

  “I’ve seen it before.”

  Josiah teetered between relief and embarrassment that his father-in-law had figured it out. Either
way, he didn’t want to discuss this. He worked his way around to the backside of the mare and over to her other side.

  “You’ll have several obstacles to overcome . . . but you can make it work.”

  Detecting sadness in Simon’s tone, Josiah leaned his forehead against Molly’s neck. He had to say something.

  “I want you to know . . .” Josiah’s dry throat made it difficult to speak. He swallowed. “I’ll always love Caroline. I won’t let anyone take your dochder’s place in mei heart.”

  His brows lifted. “And you’ve told Lindie that?”

  “Jah. I was truthful. She knew right from the start that what I needed was someone to care for Hannah.” His feelings toward Lindie had betrayed him lately, but he could rein them in if he worked harder on it.

  Simon’s forehead creased. “Then you’ve misunderstood what God commands. You should’ve spoken with the bishop before entering into the marriage covenant.”

  Josiah’s stomach wrenched as if he’d been kicked. What he thought would please his father-in-law had produced the opposite effect.

  “Lindie is a young woman. She will want to have children.”

  “But how do I love—”

  Simon’s hand shot up. “In the Bible, Jacob didn’t love Leah. She was older and considered undesirable for a wife. But he didn’t mistreat her and he gave her offspring.”

  Something rose up in Josiah to defend Lindie. None of this had anything to do with her not being desirable. That was far from the truth. But children? Simon knew nothing of her pregnancy. Otherwise he would realize it was enough for Josiah to accept her unborn child as his own.

  Simon clapped his shoulder. “I had to pray about how I was treating Lindie. I realized it wasn’t God’s will for me to nett accept your fraa. You need to pray also. Your marriage isn’t too hard for God, but it does require you taking your place of authority as head of the haus.”

  Josiah’s mind reeled.

  “I think you’ve already made that decision, though.”

  “What do you mean?” Josiah’s voice quivered.

  “I know the decision to cut down trees again wasn’t easy to make. But you’re ready to move forward. I see that.”