Belle

by Sarah Price

  He hesitated before he said, “After all, we’ve a long day tomorrow.”

  “Ja, we do.”

  He stretched his arms. “And I sure am tired.” But the sparkle in his eyes told her otherwise. He took a step toward the door that led to the hallway, holding her hand as he led her out of the kitchen.

  She paused and glanced at the plates on the table. “Give me a minute, Adam. I sure do hate waking up to a messy kitchen.”

  “Such a good fraa.” Bending down, he planted a soft kiss on her lips before releasing her. “I’ll be waiting.”

  She tried to hide her smile as she watched him saunter down the hallway and head for the stairs. For a moment after he disappeared, she touched her fingers to her lips as if trying to recapture his sweet but chaste kiss. Oh, how things had changed! Not long ago, she never would have thought she’d long for his attentions. Now, she could hardly contain her joy.

  Finally, alone in the kitchen, Belle carried the plates over to the sink and quickly washed them. Rather than dry them, she merely set them on a towel. Then, rather than joining Adam, she hurried back to the bench where she had, just minutes before, sat talking with her husband. She knelt down and folded her hands, placing them on the bench as she pressed her forehead against them.

  Thank you, Lord, she prayed, for all of your blessings. Thank you for forgiving us our sins and for giving us the grace to forgive others. May you continue to bless me so that I may live the true virtues of a good Christian. I pray that I honor your name, Lord, by setting a good example in all of my behavior, demonstrating your love for us in how I love others. And may my love for my husband continue to grow and shine, helping him with his healing as he finds himself back in the fold of your loving arms.

  Silently, she added the Lord’s Prayer before she stood up. She reached for the kerosene lantern and blew out the flame. Cloaked in the increasing darkness, she glanced around the kitchen, pleased that she had made the effort to clean it so that, in the morning, when she and Adam came downstairs, they would be met with a tidy, orderly room and she could make him his breakfast before they went outside, together, to begin the morning chores.

  With a satisfied heart, she wandered down the dark hallway and ascended the stairs to join Adam in the bedroom they shared. Night would pass, and come dawn, a new day would present a fresh opportunity to rejoice in the love of God and all of his blessings. As for Belle, she knew she would never have enough mornings to thank God for the blessing of his love, as well as that of her husband.

  Epilogue

  Belle leaned against the hoe, assessing her morning’s work in the garden. Each of the rows was cleared of weeds, and tiny sprouts poked up from the small mounds of dirt. Had it only been three weeks earlier that Adam had helped her clear the patch of dirt from the previous years’ growth? He hadn’t wanted her to work so hard, given her current condition.

  Smiling, she rested one of her hands upon her rounded belly. In two months she would give Adam the one gift she knew he most wanted: a child. She didn’t care whether the baby was a boy or a girl. Deep down, she knew that Adam didn’t, either. The only thing they cared about was the health of the baby.

  “The little one moving around, then?”

  She turned around, not surprised to see Adam walking toward her, their dog, Shep, jogging at his side. He looked thoughtful, his hands behind his back as he approached her.

  Belle smiled and nodded her head. “Ja, I think I feel a foot right here.” She reached for one of his hands and pressed it against her side. “Do you feel that? It’s a heel.”

  Watching his face, Belle saw his eyes widen with delight. “The miracles of God never cease,” he said, leaving his hand on her dress.

  She leaned backward, pressing her back against his chest. “Just think, in two months, we’ll be parents to a beautiful baby boy or girl.”

  “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he remonstrated gently.

  Belle laughed. “Oh, Adam, this baby will be the most beautiful baby in the world, and you know it.”

  He managed to chuckle. “Ja, I reckon I do. To us, anyway.” Reaching up his free hand, he removed his hat and scratched at his ear. “You think all parents feel that way about their babies?”

  “For sure and certain.” She turned around so that his hand now rested on the small of her back. Staring into his face, the edge of his beard almost touching her forehead and tickling her skin, Belle sighed. “Isn’t it strange to think that less than a year ago, we didn’t even know each other existed?”

  Adam raised an eyebrow, plopping his hat back on his head so that he could wrap his other arm around her. “Oh, is that what you think?” He gave her a mischievous look. “I knew who you were, Belle Hershberger.”

  For a second, she thought he was teasing. But when she realized that he was not, she opened her mouth into a small O.

  “Ja, that’s right. I knew you lived on my maem’s family farm. In fact, whenever I went to town, I’d slow as I passed your haus. Sometimes I’d see you outside hanging up laundry or leading the cows in from the fields. And then there was that day—”

  “What day?” she demanded, interrupting him.

  He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Don’t you remember that day when you were walking home and I passed you in the buggy?”

  She gasped. “I do! You slowed down as you passed me.”

  He nodded his head. “And you smiled at me and waved.”

  “I did?”

  “Ja, you sure did.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “Mayhaps that was the moment I fell in love with you.” From behind his back, he withdrew his other hand. In his closed fist, he held three stems of beautiful, yellow sunflowers. He handed them to Belle.

  “Oh, Adam!” Her eyes widened in delight. “The patch of sunflowers behind the barn bloomed already?”

  He smiled at her. “I knew you’d like them.”

  “Why, they’re just beautiful.”

  “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”

  She blushed and lowered her gaze. “Best get them into some water, ja?” she said in a soft voice. “And fix you some food. It’s almost noon.”

  Adam reached out so that Belle could take his hand. Together, they left the garden and walked to the front porch, the sunflowers gently laid across Belle’s arm. As Adam and Belle disappeared inside the house, two cardinals, one male and the other female, flew overhead and headed beyond the barn. Together, they landed on the head of a giant sunflower, chirping sweetly to each other.

  Read on for a peek inside

  the next book in this series,

  Ella:

  An Amish Retelling of Cinderella

  Ella stared out the window, her forehead pressed against the glass, as she waited for her father’s buggy to pull through the open gate. She wore her favorite blue dress with her freshly washed black apron tied at the waist. In anticipation of meeting her future stepmother, she had even bleached and ironed her prayer kapp.

  It had been three years since her mother had passed away. During that time, Ella and her father had lived alone in the small white house in the center of Echo Creek, just down the road from the general store her father owned. And while Ella was perfectly content, she had known for a while that her father was lonely.

  Only a few days earlier, her father had sat her down for a serious talk. Ella had felt extremely grown up. She could remember when her parents had serious talks—talks that she was not allowed to hear. Sometimes those talks had been about the general store they ran in Echo Creek. Other times, it was about things related to the annual council meeting that was held each October.

  “Ella, it’s been a long time since your maem passed away,” her father had started. “And it’s well past the time that I remarry.”

  He looked uncomfortable as he spoke, tugging at his beard and avoiding her blue eyes. Ella wondered if this serious talk had anything to do with the serious talks her father had recently had with their church district’s bishop and deacon.<
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  After clearing his throat and tugging once again at his beard, he finally met her gaze. “I want you to understand, Ella, that no one will ever replace your maem. But you’ll be finishing school this year, and you need a new muder to help you learn things. Woman things.”

  Ella gave him a soft smile.

  “Cooking. Gardening. Canning. Sewing. I can’t teach you those things, even if I did have spare time from tending the store.”

  “It’s okay, Daed,” Ella said, sounding much older than her thirteen years.

  But he wasn’t finished.

  “Now, Bishop has introduced me to a woman from Liberty Falls.” His eyes darted away from hers. “A widow. Linda has two dochders just a little older than you. She’s agreed to join our family.”

  For a moment, Ella felt her heart sink. She had always suspected that her father would remarry. Most Amish men did. Yet, this news was surprising to her. After all, it was one thing to have a stepmother, but stepsisters, too?

  “I’ve invited them to visit this Sunday after worship. So that you can get to know them.”

  Ella blinked. “What are they like?” she asked. “My new schwesters?”

  Her father had merely stared at her with a blank expression. And that was when Ella had realized that the visit on Sunday was not just for her to get to know Linda and her daughters, but also for her father to do the same.

  Now as Ella waited for their arrival, she kept repeating the words her mother had told her just before she’d died: Be kind and good, no matter what happens, for God has a plan for you. While Ella didn’t quite fancy the idea of sharing her father and their home with three strangers, she certainly would follow her mother’s sage advice and make them feel welcome.

  She heard the sound of an approaching horse and buggy. Taking a deep breath, Ella moved away from the window and hurried to the front door. Be kind and good . . . She said a quick prayer for God to help guide her tongue, and then she stepped outside onto the porch to greet their visitors with a smile and wave.

  The front window of the buggy was open, and Ella saw her father wave back. The woman seated beside him, however, did not. Ella shielded her eyes from the bright September sun. She could barely make out the woman’s features. Perhaps Linda had waved and Ella hadn’t seen it? Or perhaps Linda was as nervous as Ella was?

  As her father stopped the horse in the driveway along the side of the house, Ella hurried down the porch steps and followed the gravel path toward them.

  Her father slid open the buggy door and bounded out, grinning at Ella with a look of joy on his face that she hadn’t seen in years.

  “Ella! Kum and meet your new muder.”

  Stepmother, Ella thought before her own mother’s words echoed in her head. With a forced smile and a determination to make her mother proud, Ella stepped forward as her father helped Linda down from the buggy.

  For a moment, Linda stood there with her back to Ella. She seemed to be more interested in watching her daughters climb over the folded-down seat than in meeting her soon-to-be stepdaughter.

  Her father didn’t appear to notice.

  “Hello, Linda,” Ella said, hating how small her voice sounded.

  When the woman turned around, Ella fought the urge to catch her breath.

  Linda was a tall woman; taller than Ella’s father. And she was robust in her build. Her dark, steely eyes stared at Ella, narrowing just a little as she studied the young woman standing before her. Her mouth pursed, and little lines creased her lips.

  “My goodness, John,” she said, her voice almost sounding like a cat purring. “You never mentioned that your dochder is so”—her eyes trailed Ella from head to foot—“pretty.”

  Ella’s father gave a nervous laugh. “I suppose I focus more on her inner beauty than the outer.”

  Ella blushed and stared at the ground.

  “Me first!”

  “No, Anna! I’m older!”

  “I’m closer, Drusilla!”

  Linda turned toward the buggy, her movement slow and fluid, as if it were calculated and not in response to her two daughters fighting in the back of the buggy. “Girls. Please,” she cooed. “Kum and meet your schwester.”

  The buggy jostled, and eventually two young girls emerged. They stood beside their mother, one on either side of her. Ella gave them a quick assessment and smiled.

  Neither Drusilla nor Anna returned the gesture.

  The first thing Ella observed was that both daughters had inherited their mother’s big bones. And while they weren’t necessarily obese, they were far too heavy for such a young age. Ella wondered if they ate poorly or simply didn’t work around their house.

  “I’m Ella,” she said at last, breaking the silence.

  “She has a prettier dress than I do,” said the shorter of the two girls.

  “Anna. Please.”

  “Is this going to be our new haus? It’s much smaller than where we live now,” complained the other girl.

  “Drusilla, mind your manners.”

  Ella glanced at her father, but he was tending to the horse.

  “Perhaps you’d like to kum inside?” Ella gestured toward the front door. “I’ve made some meadow tea and cookies.”

  Linda stared at her as she nudged her daughters toward the house. “Isn’t that sweet, girls? Your new sister has made cookies.”

  Anna glanced up at her mother. “She’s not our new schwester yet.”

  Linda gave a light laugh as if to mask her daughter’s impertinence. “Well, she will be in just a few weeks, so go along, girls. Get to know her and your new home.”

  Reluctantly, Anna and Drusilla walked past Ella and headed into the house. Ella was about to follow them when she felt a hand on her arm. Surprised, she turned around to face Linda.

  “They’re nervous,” she said in a soft voice. “Forgive their ill manners. A lot has happened in the past year . . . losing their daed, and now their haus.”

  Ella digested what Linda had just told her. For a moment, she put herself in Anna and Drusilla’s shoes. Oh, she knew the pain of losing a parent. Whether one year or three, the pain never lessened. She could truly empathize with how distressing all of this must be to Linda’s daughters.

  “I understand,” she said at last. “Truly I do. And I’ll do what I can to help make them feel welcome and at home.”

  Linda reached out to pat Ella’s cheek. “Not only pretty, but kind.”

  To Ella, her words and gesture sounded more patronizing than genuinely sincere. As soon as she thought that, she scolded herself, remembering that the loss of her husband and home must be impacting Linda just as much as her daughters.

  Regardless, as Ella hurried along the walkway toward the front door, there was one thing she knew for sure and certain. Her father had been correct when he had told her that no one would ever replace her mother. And even if someone might come close, Ella knew that “someone” would not be Linda, for her stepmother was everything that her mother was not.