Sadie

by Sarah Price

  “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about my recent trip to Echo Creek.”

  “Oh,” she breathed at the sudden change of subject. “What news have you learned?”

  He took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. His brow furrowed, and he gave her a regretful look. “In town, I heard an earful, Sadie. It seems Echo Creek is ripe with gossipers. Why, that Linda Troyer could speak of little else.”

  That didn’t surprise Sadie at all. Linda knew everything that went on and enjoyed sharing it with anyone who might listen. Oftentimes, much of the town’s gossip could be traced back to Linda.

  “But one thing that I learned warmed my heart and, I trust, will warm yours, too.”

  “Oh? And what’s that?”

  Frederick sighed. “Apparently your daed is frightfully worried, Sadie.”

  It took her a minute to digest what he had just told her. While it made her happy to learn that her father cared enough to worry, she couldn’t help but wonder at the underlying reasons. Was it possible that her father had realized the mistake he had made? Or was he merely concerned for her welfare? “How so, Frederick?”

  “I don’t want to give you reason to fret, but he’s been unwell since your disappearance.”

  She took a short intake of air. Her father? Ill? “He’s . . . he’s going to be okay, ja?”

  Frederick nodded. “It’s nothing serious. According to Linda,” he said, a scowl crossing his brow, “he’s merely depressed. And apparently Rachel has been into the store, too.”

  “And how is she?”

  He gave a little shrug. “Linda didn’t say much more than that Rachel’s told people how worried she is for your safety.”

  Sadie wasn’t quite certain whether she believed that to be true.

  And then Frederick’s frown deepened. “But that John Rabor. He’s been spreading stories, Sadie.”

  When she heard that last bit, she felt her stomach tighten. She was almost too afraid to ask. “Stories? What kind of stories?”

  Solemnly, Frederick nodded. “Ja, stories, Sadie. Stories that he’s to marry you. I learned that from my cousin, Anna Rose, who heard it from Elizabeth.”

  Sadie gasped. “How would Elizabeth come to know such a thing?”

  “She’s a teacher, ja? On Saturdays, she meets with the older students who are no longer studying at school but at home or in jobs during their final two years. Sometimes, apparently, the teacher from our school comes to Echo Creek with her older students so that they can combine the effort for the school board.”

  Sadie hadn’t known that. When she had been fourteen and stopped attending school proper, her teacher had met with the older students on Saturdays to review their journals in order to meet the state’s guidelines, but they had never also met with students from the remote community where Frederick lived.

  “What does that have to do with John Rabor?”

  “Apparently the eldest Rabor boy—”

  “Owen?”

  “Ja, him.”

  Why wasn’t Sadie surprised that Owen had something to do with this?

  Frederick continued. “He told the other students that his daed was angry that his new fraa ran off. And the teacher spoke to John about Owen’s story. She told Elizabeth that he was outright furious because you refused to marry him after Jacob and Rachel promised him you would. Several other people have spread the same story in Echo Creek.”

  Sadie gasped. “I don’t believe it!” That was an outrageous thing for him to say. And it was almost more outrageous that anyone would choose to repeat it. “My daed would never promise such a thing.”

  “I don’t doubt you, but apparently John believes otherwise.”

  And that made Sadie feel sad. Regardless of what she thought of John Rabor, he was still a person, and people needed each other. It was more than apparent that John needed a wife to help raise his kinner and, because he was older, had thought that an arranged marriage would be the answer to his problems. Surely Rachel had intentionally misled him into believing that Sadie had agreed.

  Still, whatever Rachel had told John, Sadie knew what she had told him.

  She pressed her lips together defiantly. “I would never agree to marry him, or anyone else for that matter, for the sake of convenience!”

  Frederick stopped walking and faced her. There was a worried air about him. “So you say.”

  Sadie’s mouth opened. What was that supposed to mean? “I haven’t, Frederick. You must believe me.”

  “Nee, that’s not what I meant, Sadie.” He shuffled his feet as if he were nervous. “What I meant is that you say you wouldn’t marry for convenience. But what would it take for you to agree to marry someone?”

  Dumbfounded, Sadie gave him a blank look. Why would he ask such a question? “Well, I wouldn’t marry someone just to get married, that’s for sure and certain.”

  He swallowed, waiting expectantly for her to continue.

  “It would be for one and only one reason.”

  “And,” he said slowly, “what might that be?”

  “Because God led me to that man.”

  “I see.”

  Sadie wondered why he was behaving so evasively. “Why are you asking me this, Frederick?”

  He took a few steps away from her, stopped, and then turned around. His cheeks were pale and his eyes wide. “I ask you this, Sadie, because I have every intention of making you my fraa.”

  She caught her breath.

  “But I am fearful you will think that I ask because of the situation you are in and not for other reasons.”

  “What other reasons, Frederick?” she prodded him in a gentle tone.

  “Oh, Sadie, surely you must know that I love you.” Quickly, he closed the gap between them and reached for her hands. “And you must know that I have felt God’s presence in bringing us together. Why, if I hadn’t seen you at the stream and heard you singing to the little birds that morning, I might never have known you at all!”

  Under his steady gaze, she began to feel dizzy.

  “Surely you feel the same way? That God brought us together?”

  Slowly, she nodded. “I . . . I do, Frederick. I have felt so from the very beginning. I just didn’t want to presume that you felt the same.”

  He clutched her hands tight and pulled her toward his chest. “Oh, Sadie, your words are like music to my ears.”

  “Were you so uncertain?” It was an improbable thought that he hadn’t known how she felt. Yet she, too, had doubted how deep were his affections for her.

  “What matters, Sadie, is that now we each know how the other feels. And that you know I want you to marry me.” He bent down just enough so that they were at eye level with each other. “You will marry me, ja?”

  She felt giddy and her head spun. She savored the realization that everything she had been through had led to this moment with Frederick proposing to her in the middle of the forest. “Of course I will marry you,” she whispered, feeling as if she might cry with joy.

  Embracing her, Frederick kissed the side of her head. For a long moment, he held her, his arms wrapped protectively around her as they stood together in the quiet of the forest.

  Finally, he loosened his hold on her. “Sadie, I want you to know that we will get through this together. I’ll speak to your daed just as soon as I can. I have no doubt that our marriage will heal your relationship with your parents.”

  While her heart sang with joy that Frederick had made his intentions known, she still feared her parents’ reaction. After everything that had happened, was healing really possible between them? Frederick had heard that her father was distraught, true, but was Rachel? Or was she merely pretending to worry about Sadie in order to protect her own reputation?

  “Please be careful, Frederick.”

  He smiled. “Now Sadie, you must trust that people can change. Surely both your father and Rachel have seen the error of their ways. And God tells us to forgive, ja?”

  Despite her apprehe
nsion, she nodded. “He does, ja.”

  “And that is what we both shall do!” He let his hand slip down to take hers. Holding it, he started to walk again, this time back toward the cottage. “Now, let’s enjoy the rest of the day together. I must return home this evening and prepare to speak to your daed on my next trip to Echo Creek.”

  “When will that be, Frederick?”

  From inside the cottage, Stevie sneezed, and one of the brothers, most likely Gideon, snapped at him to take his medicine.

  “I did already!” Stevie replied, his voice nasally and hoarse.

  “Then take more!”

  Laughing, Frederick gestured toward the open door. “From the sounds of it, the sooner the better, for surely Stevie will need more allergy medicine within the next few days.”

  Together, they walked inside the house, Frederick joining his cousins near the fire while Sadie went about fulfilling her promise to make bread and cookies and pumpkin pie. While she worked, she realized that, for the first time, she would be cooking for Frederick. Her future husband. Reality struck her. He had truly asked her to marry him, for he loved her, just as she loved him. No matter what her current situation, her future looked bright, with the promise of a marriage based on tenderness and warmth, friendship and affection. Joy overcame her and she began to sing while she worked, unaware that the brothers and Frederick grew silent, listening to her song as they stared at her, complete adoration in their eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Such wunderbarr gut news,” Frederick called out as he approached the Grimm brothers’ house, a small bag in his hands.

  Two days had passed since his last visit and the day on which he’d proposed to her. Sadie hadn’t known that he had gone to Echo Creek that morning, for he hadn’t stopped at the cottage beforehand.

  Now, he practically jogged down the lane toward her. “I’ve spoken to your daed, Sadie!” He grinned as he set down his package and swept her into his arms, twirling her around. “And you’ll never imagine what has happened!”

  She laughed, her hands on his shoulders. His jubilant mood felt contagious and she smiled from ear to ear. Surely he had something fantastic to share with her.

  “Perhaps if you set me down, you could tell me when my head stops spinning.”

  Immediately, he stopped and gently released her, careful to keep hold of her in case she was dizzy. But the grin remained on his face.

  Once she steadied herself, Sadie took a step backward, too aware that the Grimm brothers had witnessed their display of affection. She ran her hands down the front of her dress, trying to adopt an air of propriety that Frederick had forgotten.

  “Now, come inside and tell us your news, then,” she said primly as she turned toward the cottage, ignoring the curious looks upon the Grimm brothers’ faces.

  Frederick couldn’t contain his excitement as he bent down to retrieve the package and then followed her inside the house, where the fire warmed the first-floor room, which smelled like yeasty fresh bread and nutty pecan pie. She had cooked both earlier and, despite the eagerness of the Grimm brothers, had refused to let them taste anything until suppertime.

  Frederick placed the package onto the counter.

  “I rode into town today,” he started.

  “Where’s your horse?” Ben asked.

  “I tied it to a tree near the road,” Frederick responded. “But that’s not important.”

  “Did you get more allergy medicine?” Gideon asked, a grumpy tone to his voice. “Stevie kept me up all night with his sniffling and sniveling.”

  Impatiently, Frederick gestured to the bag. “Ja, ja. It should be in there.” And then he returned his attention to Sadie. “After I went to the store, I stopped at your daed’s farm.”

  Sadie felt her heart beat faster. From the look of elation on his face, she could only presume that Frederick had good news to share. She held her breath, eager to hear.

  “I told him that I knew where you were and I had spoken to you.”

  Sadie gasped. “You did?” For a moment, she feared that Frederick had told her father where she was. But she remembered what he had said to her about trusting people. Surely she could trust Frederick above all others.

  He nodded. “Ja, I did.”

  “And what did he say?”

  Frederick moved over to the table and sat down. “I didn’t tell him where you were, Sadie. Just as I promised. But I shared with him that we had conversed.”

  She clutched her hands together and waited for Frederick to divulge the details of his meeting with her father.

  “Jacob was close to tears to learn that you are safe, Sadie,” Frederick continued. His expression softened as he spoke. “He was quite distressed and looked as if he truly has been suffering from your absence.”

  “Oh help,” she whispered. It had never been her intention to inflict pain upon anyone, especially her father. “How sorry I am to hear that.”

  Frederick bowed his head. “I felt the same way, Sadie.”

  “And Rachel? Was she there when you spoke to him?”

  “Nee, she wasn’t.” He leaned his elbow on the edge of the table, staring for a long moment into the fireplace. “At least not when I spoke to Jacob. She answered the door when I knocked and she looked none too pleased when I asked to speak with your daed in private.”

  That didn’t surprise Sadie, but it did worry her. “I wonder why.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not certain,” he confessed. “Mayhaps she thought something was amiss or that I was involved in your disappearance.”

  Sadie highly doubted that but remained silent on the matter, preferring to let Frederick continue his story.

  “Anyway, when Jacob and I spoke, we were outside in the dairy barn. When I told your daed that I knew where you were and that you were, indeed, safe, he wept.” Frederick paused, letting his words sink in. “He was overcome with joy and relief, Sadie, for I believe he suspected the worst.”

  She frowned. “The worst?”

  Frederick lifted his hand. “I don’t want to speculate what he thought, but I can assure you any good opinion he may have held of John Rabor has been lost.”

  “Oh?”

  Frederick exhaled slowly. “Apparently John never once looked for you and showed little concern about your well-being. Instead, he was more concerned about what people would think now that his intended bride had run away.”

  “‘Intended bride’ indeed!” she scoffed.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  Wanting to redirect Frederick to her most pressing concern, Sadie asked, “And what did you and my daed discuss?”

  Frederick sobered for a minute, a dark cloud passing over his face. “I told him about your lack of feelings for John Rabor and how pressured you felt. How your stepmother insisting that you help him was wrong and how when John took you for a buggy ride, you were upset at his assertion that you should marry him.” He lifted his eyes and looked directly into hers. “I explained to him that the way John treated you made you feel small, as well as how his expectation that you would marry him made you fearful that Rachel’s hand had been behind all of this. And that you were uneasy about Rachel’s reaction when she realized you would never marry such a man.”

  She felt a moment of panic. While nothing Frederick had told her father was untrue, it certainly wasn’t flattering to Rachel. “Oh, I hope she didn’t eavesdrop!”

  Frederick shook his head. “Nee, she did not. I made certain of that, Sadie. She was inside the haus. Jacob and I spoke for almost half an hour in the dairy barn. There was no way for her to overhear our conversation.”

  Feeling comforted by his words, Sadie returned to the next most important thing. “So what did my daed say?”

  Frederick hesitated, his eyes softening once again as he appeared to seek the right words to explain her father’s response. “He told me that he never intended you to marry John Rabor, Sadie.”

  Sadie almost interrupted him. Hadn’t her father been
insistent that she take that buggy ride with John? How could her father make such a claim?

  But Frederick read her mind and held up his hand to stop her from speaking. “Not at first, anyway. But Jacob confessed that Rachel was rather persuasive and finally convinced him that marrying John Rabor was in your best interest.”

  “She must have been very convincing,” Sadie quipped.

  Frederick chuckled. “I imagine so. Apparently, she insisted that marrying a widower was the perfect arrangement for you. That no one else in Echo Creek was interested in courting you.”

  Sadie caught her breath. How could her father have believed such a thing? And then it dawned on her that it was true, in a way. She hadn’t found anyone in Echo Creek to court. And her father hadn’t known about Frederick’s interest in her. Perhaps courting in such secrecy was not such a good idea for Amish youth after all.

  Frederick continued. “But Jacob understands now that Rachel manipulated him, trying to compare your situation to hers. He realizes now that your circumstances have nothing in common with what your stepmother’s were when he married her. Most importantly, your daed knows that not only is John Rabor not the right husband for you, but that someone much better than that old widower seeks your hand.”

  She blushed. “And . . . and what did he say to that?”

  “First and foremost, Sadie, he wants you to come home. And, of course, he wants you to be happy.” The serious expression on his face faded, replaced with joy once more. “He’s given his blessing, Sadie, for us to be married!”

  Upon hearing his words, her happiness was so great, she almost felt like crying out in gleeful celebration. How could she have doubted her father? All she had needed to do was to talk to him. If she only had had faith in his love for her and his righteousness. Perhaps she, too, was partially responsible for creating this terrible situation she had found herself in?

  However, behind her, there was a collective groan. She had forgotten that they were not alone, and from the sounds of it, Frederick’s good news was not met with the same level of joy by the others in the room.

  “But that means Sadie won’t stay here.” Ben’s disappointment was immediately echoed by the other Grimm brothers, all of them except for David.