Little Wild Flower, Amish Romance/Amish Fiction/Christian Romance

by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  “Matthew is gonna ask to court Deborah,” I said, continuing to giggle.

  “I think he’s going to,” Deborah corrected me.

  The four of us hugged and squealed a little. Elijah, Benjamin, David, and Matthew, who were all standing together, looked over at us. I knew by the looks on their faces they were probably wondering what had caused us to be so giddy. We didn’t care what anyone thought—we just continued to laugh, enjoying our time with each other.

  NINE

  A TIME TO NEST

  Time spent at my soon-to-be residence helped to fill the time that I would have to wait before my wedding. My mother took me shopping in town to buy the material I needed to make curtains for the house. We also purchased some beautiful material to make my wedding dress. Deborah Yoder and Miriam Miller would stand up with me. Alongside of them would be Matthew Beiler and Jonathan Zook, Elijah’s cousin.

  My mother was busy once again with Naomi, holding a quilting bee for me. We used some of the leftover swatches from my birthday dress and my bridesmaid dress to give the quilt more of a sentimental value. There was only one small piece of the material from the first dress that she made for me, so we put it in the very center of the quilt.

  It seemed almost unreal to me that I would be married soon. Elijah was busy working the land that his father had given him. His furniture-making business that he was trying to establish, and his normal daily chores, kept us from having too much time alone in our house. He spent a lot of time in the barn that was still unfinished, while I put the finishing touches on the inside of the house. Nadine and my friends helped me with the curtains and the braided rugs that would serve for warmth against the coldness of the wooden floors in winter.

  The house was nearly furnished, except for the dishes, and linens we counted on getting as wedding gifts. We had a few dishes in the house—mismatched pieces from a few of my mother’s and Naomi’s old sets, but we would need a full service if we were ever to be able to entertain family and friends.

  Elijah was expecting a few heads of cattle from his papa, while my mother offered to give me most of her chickens. She never did seem to get used to them—said she didn’t want them for anything other than egging, but I’d grown quite fond of them over the past few years. My father and Mitchell did the butchering, while Nadine and I blanched and plucked them. My mother didn’t have the stomach for it, and it wasn’t one of my favorite chores either, even though I’d been doing it for as long as we had lived on the farm. Elijah assured me that he would take care of all the butchering of the livestock once we got married and that was cool with me.

  ****

  By the end of September, Nadine and I had finished the canning of all the fruit, jams and vegetables with my mother and Naomi. Between the two family gardens and what Nadine had from her first vegetable garden, we had enough to split between the four households. I was grateful, yet surprised, when they gave me an even share of the canned foods. My mother said it was for the help I gave; said she couldn’t have done her fair share if it hadn’t been for me taking a turn at diverting baby Sammy’s attention away from the heat of the kitchen.

  At the end of our final canning day, I took my filled Mason jars over to my own house to store them in the pantry. With food in the pantry, the house was nearly ready for its occupants. In another few weeks, the livestock and chickens would bring the noises of a busy farm to our place. The barn already housed Eli, and my mums were blooming just outside the front porch, making it look like home.

  ****

  October brought many changes and new beginnings for all of us. Rebekah was due to have her baby any time, and Mitchell was frantic. The two “visited” quite often. In fact, they were at our house and the Zook’s more often than they were home. Rebekah and my mother would often sit by the fire in the cold evenings and sip cocoa while having long talks. Rebekah spent a lot of time admiring Sammy, and watching my mother closely while she cared for him. Rebekah’s twin sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, were already a year old; not needing the same constant care and gentleness that baby Sammy still required.

  “I haven’t said anything to Mitchell, but I’m a little scared to take care of an infant on my own,” Rebekah admitted to my mother nervously. “Oh, I’ve been there for Mam and everything, but I’ve never had to be the sole caregiver before. When we delivered the twins, I was shaking in my shoes,” she admitted further.

  “You’ll do fine. We all do. We’re all first time mothers at one time in our lives. You’ll make mistakes and you’ll learn from them—that is that,” my mother assured her.

  “Well one thing’s for sure, I’m gut at washing diapers,” she laughed.

  “You’re going to be a natural, you’ll see,” my mother encouraged her.

  “I want a girl. I mean, I’ll be happy with whatever God decides to bless me with, but I’m hoping for a girl.”

  The smile didn’t leave Rebekah’s face as she ran her hand gently along her swelled abdomen. When she spoke of her baby, her expression confirmed her love for the child and anticipation of the impending birth.

  While my mother busied herself putting Sammy to sleep, I offered to get Rebekah a glass of milk. No sooner had I started pouring the milk, than Rebekah’s call from the other room startled me.

  “Jane, come here, quickly! Feel her, she’s kicking!”

  I walked swiftly to where she was sitting and placed my hand where she directed me. We both laughed while the baby poked and hiccupped. Elijah entered the room, and we straightened up momentarily, then, burst out laughing again.

  “What is so funny?” he asked, looking down at his clothing to check for possible reasons for our laughter.

  “It ain’t you, silly,” I said, laughing at him. “Your sister’s baby has the hiccups.”

  “I don’t see how that could be funny. The poor little guy probably has a stomach ache by now, and you two are laughing,” he said sternly.

  “Elijah, your niece has stopped hiccupping and seems to be settled down now, so stop worrying about her,” Rebekah said in the same tone Elijah used.

  Elijah patted her shoulder. “I’m just kidding with you, Rebekah. I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers.”

  He gave his sister an apologetic kiss on her forehead, then turned to me.

  “Jane, could we take a ride over to the new house? I’ve got the buggy waiting out front.”

  Elijah seemed almost impatient, so I kissed my sister-in-law and gave her a strong hug so I could leave with her brother.

  “Rebekah, I enjoyed the talk,” I said.

  I turned before walking out the door, and gave her a small wave of my hand.

  Elijah took the long, scenic lane toward our soon-to-be home, allowing Eli to travel at a slow trot. The wind blew gently, playing with the curls along the sides of my cheeks. I pushed back my hair to admire the array of colors that clothed the trees along the path. The sun had descended just enough to add a chill to the air, causing me to pull my shawl tightly around me.

  We reached the house before the wind picked up its pace, adding more crispness to the evening sunset. The colors that streamed across the sky now resembled the leaves that decorated the trees.

  Elijah put Eli in the barn to protect him against the gusts of wind that threatened to bring rain. I went inside to start a fire in the fireplace so we could stay warm. By the time the fire was crackling, I had made us cocoa when Elijah came in from the barn.

  “It’s starting to drizzle, “Elijah said as he snuggled up behind me.

  He placed his chilled hands on my neck, causing me to jump and spill a little of the cocoa on the floor. “I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up,” he said.

  “You're right you will,” I said with a smirk.

  He took the dishtowel and wiped the small spill before I could protest his choice of cleaning tool. I decided not to voice my slight unhappiness with him for using a clean dishtowel on the floor. It could be washed, so it wasn’t such a big problem as to bicker over it. My mother had told
me that it was best if I learned to pick my battles when dealing with a husband or children. I made up my mind to do just that because I knew I could sometimes be a bit more particular about things than most everyone else seemed to be.

  I put the dirty dish towel away while Elijah pulled the quilts from the cedar chest in the hall. He placed them in front of the fireplace along with a few overstuffed pillows from the sofa. I set the mugs of cocoa on the brick step in front of the fireplace before sitting next to Elijah.

  The flickering light from the fire illuminated the room with a warmhearted glow, giving me the feeling I was home. The two of us sat for hours by the fire, catching up on some time that we had missed with each other due to our busyness with the wedding plans. Being the day before our birthdays, and only four days before the wedding, we had had little time together lately. It was nice to have a break from the hectic schedule that we were keeping. After a while, I began to get sleepy. With the warmth from the fire and the gentleness of Elijah’s arms around me, I didn’t fight it, but succumbed to the sleep that claimed me. When I awoke some time later, the mantle clock read 10:30pm.

  I rolled closer to Elijah, cuddling up under his outstretched arm that had held my head while I slept. I traced the lines of his tanned face with my finger, willing him to wake up. He stirred slightly, then, smiled as he drew me closer.

  “What time is it?” he asked sleepily.

  “It’s 10:30. We should probably get home,” I said reluctantly.

  The rain drummed heavily on the tin roof, making me shiver.

  “I’ll go. You stay by the fire. I’ll come back for you in the morning. I’ll go over and tell your papa you’ll be staying here so he won’t worry. No sense in both of us getting soaked,” he said firmly.

  I agreed. I had no intention of getting wet while riding in the partially open buggy. I knew he would only take the horse to save time, causing him to get even more soaked. I felt sorry for him, but we both knew it wasn’t proper for him to remain in the house with me overnight without a chaperone.

  After he left, I rested upon the sofa nearest the fire, not wanting to sleep in the master bedroom until the night of our wedding. Sleep overcame me quickly, for the day’s choring had worn me out.

  The rising sun seeped in through the tall windows that framed the French doors. I hadn’t yet taken the time to dress them in anything but sheer curtains, so the light flowed in freely. When I roused from my deep slumber, the sun was warming me to the point that I threw off the blanket. The smell of fresh coffee reached my senses and I sat up quickly, feeling a little disoriented from sleeping in an unfamiliar place.

  I craned my neck to see into the kitchen, so I could learn who was in there making the coffee. It was Elijah, just as I’d hoped. His very presence had stirred me from my sleep, and he began whistling when he saw that I was awake.

  “Happy birthday, my little wild flower,” he called to me from the kitchen.

  “It’s not—is it?”

  I nearly panicked at the thought of forgetting that it was our birthday.

  “Oh my, it is,” I corrected myself, trying to wake up. “Happy birthday, Elijah. How in the world could I have forgotten such an important thing?”

  “You have had a lot on your mind with getting the house ready and wedding preparations. I understand,” he offered in comfort.

  “But I didn’t get you anything. I’m so sorry,”

  He hugged me and smiled. “I have all I need right here in my arms,” he claimed.

  “At least let me get the coffee. Don’t you have work to do this morning?”

  I sat up, intending to bring in the pot of coffee, but began to smooth some of the wrinkles in my long skirt instead.

  “Papa gave me the day off. It’s my birthday, and the birthday of my little wild flower,” he said, smiling. “He could hardly expect that I’d get much work done on such an important day. I took care of the early morning chores already, so I’m yours for the entire day, if you’ll have me.”

  I cuddled in close to keep warm against the cool morning breeze that had pushed its way in through the open fireplace flue. The fire had not been tended to since the night before and only a few embers remained.

  A knock at the side door startled us both. The door opened before I got up to answer it and in walked a breathless Rachel Zook.

  “Elijah, come quick. Rebekah is having her baby. Mam needs you to get Doctor Beiler,” Rachel managed in-between heavy breathing.

  “Why doesn’t she want the midwife?” Elijah asked as he threw on his jacket.

  “Mam says the baby’s breech.”

  After Elijah was out the door, she explained that she had run all the way down the path, and was struggling to speak and breathe at the same time. Elijah left Eli hitched to the buggy, which he intended to take me home in, and rode away on our new horse, Banjo, as quickly as the horse would take him. I put on a fresh pan of milk for cocoa, hoping that Rachel would have time to catch her breath before we made the trek back toward the Zook farm. The rain had turned to sleet, and we knew it would be a rough ride up the hill if it iced over.

  We went straight to Mitchell’s new house, where the couple had moved only one month before, to check on Rebekah. My mother informed me that she was still in the mid-stages of labor, but in a great deal of pain because of the baby’s position. I knew that Elijah had worked Banjo to get to Dr. Beiler quickly because he was desperately needed.

  When the sound of the horse’s hooves passed through my ears, I hurried out to greet Elijah. The doctor went into the house to tend to Rebekah, while Elijah tended to both our horses and Dr. Beiler’s horse. I wrapped my shawl around me to guard against the early morning air that had turned quite frigid. The rain and sleet had finally ceased, but the October storm left icy patches along the partially frozen ground.

  “I suppose this means we won’t be resuming our birthday celebration until later,” Elijah said soberly.

  “Of course not, silly. We are about to have a new niece!” I said excitedly.

  “What if it turns out to be a farmer?” Elijah joked.

  I poked his ribs in fun, while trying to convince him that it wouldn’t happen that way. Rebekah had her heart set on having a daughter, and I thought it would be nice to hope along with her.

  The morning turned to afternoon, and before long, the wind pushed heavier storm clouds along the sky. As the day wore on, the air turned colder, and the sun made itself scarce. With the clouds, came a dry dusting of snow, just light enough to dance in circles along the ground, orchestrated by the wind.

  Elijah and I went in the house periodically to warm ourselves. It wasn’t easy listening to Rebekah cry, but I knew that each cry would bring her long-awaited baby closer to being born. Nadine and Hannah stayed in the large kitchen of their home to tidy up and keep a constant flow of fresh tea and coffee for everyone that waited. Elijah and I had started walking up to the main house when Hannah suddenly opened the door to alert us that the waiting was finally over.

  I knew all was well when the bright smiles of the family’s faces gave away the much-awaited news. I breathed easier when I saw the beautiful baby girl, whom they named Bethany Nicole. Rebekah and Mitchell seemed like natural parents as they took turns holding her. I admired the gentleness that my brother displayed with his new daughter. He was a man who was truly in love with his family—it could be seen clearly though the glint in his eyes.

  After the long day of waiting for Bethany to be born, I only wanted a hot bath and a fresh dress. I asked Elijah to meet me at our new house at six o’clock. I had decided to make him dinner as a birthday gift, since it was too cold to picnic by the creek. I hurried home to ready myself, while he tended to the evening milking with his papa. I wanted to have plenty of time to get to my new house to prepare dinner before Elijah arrived.

  For my birthday, my mother gave me the antique Dutch-Boy salt-and-pepper shakers that had belonged to her mother. She also presented me with a new teapot, which I placed on the
gas stove in the kitchen that would soon be mine. I arranged the salt-and-pepper shakers on the counter along with the aluminum containers for flour, sugar, coffee and tea. Nadine and Hannah had pulled together to get me some fresh tea from Forks General Store in town. My father and Abraham supplied us with a fresh supply of hay for the barn to go along with the new milking cow, which they had brought over the day before.

  I admired the things my mother gave to me, knowing how tough it was for her to part with her Dutch-Boy collection. She knew how much I had admired them since I was a tiny girl, and now they were mine to keep. I had always admired the matching cookie jar also and I hoped, perhaps, that she would give it to me on another occasion.

  Someday, I might be able to pass them on to a daughter of my own.

  That thought caused me to blush, and I hurried to prepare the special birthday dinner for my soon-to-be husband.