A Simple Prayer

by Amy Clipston

  Aaron decided he needed a break from working on his father’s house Friday afternoon. Instead of going to his family’s farm, he drove through Paradise, taking in the familiar landmarks and wondering what life could’ve been like if he’d stayed.

  As he was driving past a farm, he spotted a sign for homemade Lancaster County souvenirs, and he slowed the truck to a stop by the side of the road. He’d wanted to pick up something special for Zac and his family as a thank-you for all he’d done to keep the business going while he was gone. Not only was Zac running the business in his absence, but he was also forwarding Aaron’s mail so he could keep up with his bills while he was out of town.

  A small building beside the house on the property had a sign that read “Homemade Country Gifts.”

  Aaron stepped into the store and looked around at the candles, dolls, quilts, knickknacks, and wood carvings. He picked up a small quilt and wondered if Zac’s wife would like something like that to put in her guest bedroom.

  “May I help you?”

  Aaron turned and found an Amish man around his age smiling at him. Aaron’s eyes widened when he recognized the face of one of his good friends from youth group. “Peter?”

  “Ya?” Peter Lantz’s eyes narrowed in question, and then he laughed. “Aaron Ebersol? Is that you?”

  “Yes, it is.” Aaron put the quilt back on the stand and shook his friend’s hand. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Too long!” Peter smacked Aaron’s arm. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been doing all right. I just got back in town a few weeks ago. Saul Beiler called to tell me my mamm had suffered a stroke, so I came home to see her.”

  Peter’s expression transformed to one of sympathy. “I was so sorry to hear about your mamm. How is she?”

  “She’s doing better, danki. She’s working with both a physical and a speech therapist and getting stronger, but the progress has been slow.” Aaron gestured around the store. “This is amazing. How long have you had it?”

  “Three years,” Peter said. “This was my fraa’s dream. I told her we’d give it a try, and it’s been really successful.” He pointed toward a back room. “Come and sit, and we’ll get caught up. I have some sodas back there. I want to hear about your life.”

  Aaron followed Peter into a small office, and they sat down on stools. Peter gave him a can of soda, and Aaron told him about his business.

  “So do you have kinner?” Aaron asked.

  “Ya, I do.” Peter placed his can on the desk behind him. “I have two and one on the way.”

  “Wow. Three kinner. Did you marry someone from our youth group?” Aaron took a long drink.

  Peter’s smile was back. “Ya, I did actually. Do you remember Susannah Dienner? She’s a couple of years younger than we are.”

  “Let me think. Susannah.” Aaron let the name roll around in his mind while he thought back to their youth group friends. “She was blonde, right? Her father owned a shoe business.”

  “That’s right.” Peter folded his hands in his lap. “We got to talking one night when I was about eighteen, and we’ve been together ever since.” He gestured toward Aaron with his hand. “So how about you? Do you have a family in Missouri?”

  “No, I don’t have a family.” Aaron shook his head, still holding the cool soda can. “I stay busy with our company.”

  “I always wondered what happened to you and the rest of the guys who left,” Peter said. “I wondered if you would ever come back.”

  “I thought I was making the right decision leaving the community after I burned down the bishop’s barn. Everything seemed to be falling apart, so when a few of the guys planned to leave, I followed them.”

  “You went because of the barn?” Peter looked incredulous as Aaron nodded. “You didn’t need to go. Elmer forgave all of us for what happened that night. You weren’t the only one who came forward.”

  “What do you mean?” Aaron asked.

  “Merv and I went to see the bishop and gave him all our names. We all apologized, and we told him everything. We told him how we’d been sneaking around and drinking in whatever barns we could get into. The bishop and everyone forgave us. But you had already gone. We all cleaned up our acts after that. We stopped drinking and started working and putting money away for our futures. We all helped rebuild the barn too. The whole community came together, and other church districts pitched in to help us.”

  Peter chuckled. “We were just stupid kids back then, but you didn’t have to run away. Nothing was that bad.”

  Aaron nodded slowly. “I’m beginning to see that.”

  “After I joined the church, I started dating Susannah. Our parents helped us buy this place.” Peter stood. “Let me show you around.”

  Aaron followed Peter out of the store and into the large farmhouse. They found Susannah in the kitchen, where a boy and a girl toddled around.

  “Susannah,” Peter began, “do you remember Aaron Ebersol? He’s visiting from Missouri.”

  “Aaron.” Susannah smiled as she walked over from the stove. He noticed she had a little belly protruding from underneath her black apron and blue dress. “It’s gut to see you again.”

  “Danki. It’s nice to see you too.” He shook her hand and then looked down at the children as they shyly held on to her apron. “Hi there.”

  “This is Levina and Peter Junior,” Susannah said with a smile. “They’re four and two.”

  Aaron looked down at them. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Are you back for good?” Susannah asked.

  “No, I’m only visiting. Mei mamm had a stroke, so I came back to see her and do what I can to help out the family,” Aaron explained.

  “Oh, I’m sorry about your mamm. I hope you decide to stay for a while,” Susannah said. “I know everyone will be froh to see you again.”

  “I appreciate that. It’s great visiting everyone. It’s like taking a trip down memory lane.” Aaron nodded toward the children. “You have a lovely family.”

  “Danki.” Peter motioned toward the back door. “I didn’t mean to hold you up. Did you want to look around the store?”

  “That would be great.” Aaron nodded at Susannah. “It was nice seeing you.”

  Aaron and Peter walked back outside, and Aaron looked toward the row of barns. “You have a large piece of land here.”

  “Ya, Susannah’s family owned all of it, and they gave us twenty acres. I grow corn, beans, and a few other crops too.” He pointed beyond the barn. “Susannah’s parents live back there. She also has a few other relatives around us. It’s nice to have family so close.”

  Aaron considered again how lonely his life had been for the past seventeen years. “I imagine it is nice to have family nearby.”

  They walked into the store.

  “What are you looking for today?” Peter asked.

  “I was hoping to find some gifts for my business partner. He’s keeping the company running while I’m here, and I thought I’d do something nice for him.” Aaron browsed a display with wood signs and plaques. “What are your biggest sellers?”

  “Most tourists are looking for dolls and quilts. Does your friend have a family?” Peter asked.

  “Ya, he does. His wife would probably love a quilt.” Aaron walked over to look at them again.

  Thirty minutes later, Aaron left the store with two bags containing a quilt, a doll, two wooden garden signs, and a few knickknacks. He climbed into his truck and looked at the house. He contemplated everything his friend Peter had—a loving wife, adorable children, a beautiful farm, and a successful store. He thought about what Peter said, about how it hadn’t been necessary for Aaron to run away after the barn burned down.

  Aaron couldn’t help but wonder over and over what would’ve happened if he’d stayed. Would he have gotten his life together and then met and married someone special? Would he have built a home and a business here in Paradise?

  When he started thinking about the bed-and-break
fast, he decided to go there.

  He parked behind the house and went in through the kitchen, hoping Linda was there. Finding the kitchen empty, he climbed the stairs up to his room. His phone was sitting on the dresser where he’d left it the night before. When he found no waiting voice mail messages or texts, he stuck the phone into his pocket and looked out the window, past the barn. He was surprised to see a pasture with a pond beyond it. He’d never noticed the pond at the back of the property.

  Aaron went back to the kitchen and found Linda carrying a mop from the laundry room. His heart warmed as he enjoyed the view of her pretty face. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Linda leaned the mop against the wall and smoothed her hands over her apron. “I thought you’d be working at your parents’ haus today.”

  “I decided to take the afternoon off. Why are you still here this late?”

  “Two couples are arriving tomorrow, so I thought I would do a few extra chores before I left. I don’t want to leave all the work for Trey or tempt Hannah to do too much.”

  An idea popped into his mind. “Do you have your coat?”

  Her brow furrowed in question. “Ya. Why?”

  “Will you put it on?” he asked.

  “I have to mop.”

  “The mopping can wait. Get your coat.”

  Linda hesitated and then smiled. “Okay.” She disappeared into the laundry room and returned with her coat on. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he said with a smile.

  Linda followed Aaron out the back door and down the deck stairs. The cold air caused her bad leg to stiffen, and she felt herself limp slightly as they walked side by side.

  “Are we going for a ride? I can’t leave the bed-and-breakfast without telling Hannah where I’m going. She thinks I’m going to finish the cleaning I planned to do.”

  “We’re not leaving the property.”

  Linda realized now that they were heading toward the barn. She gazed up at his smile and wondered what he had up his sleeve. The afternoon sun gave his curls a deeper, golden hue and caused his eyes to twinkle. He looked even more handsome than usual as they walked right past the barn. He stood close to her, and their hands brushed, sending her heart thudding against her rib cage.

  “Did you know there’s a pond back here?” he asked as they rounded the fence by the pasture.

  The grass was a dull brown, and the trees were bare. Winter was still in full swing, and the farmland beyond the bed-and-breakfast looked sad and lonely without the colors and life that spring would bring in a couple of months. Though it had snowed a couple of times since Aaron arrived, the daytime temperatures had stayed warm enough for the snow to melt rather quickly.

  “Ya, Hannah told me about the pond. She likes to go back there and sit in the spring.”

  “It’s February,” Aaron said with a smile. “Spring is coming soon.”

  “Not soon enough.” She shivered in the cool breeze and hugged her coat closer to her body. Her leg continued to feel stiff, and it made her self-conscious. She hoped he didn’t notice her limp.

  “Oh, this was a bad idea.” His smiled faded as he stopped walking. “We should go back in the house before you get too cold.”

  “No, no.” She shook her head. “This is an adventure, and I need more adventure in my life.”

  He laughed, and the sound was music to her ears. “This isn’t much of an adventure. I just want to see the pond.”

  “So let’s go see the pond.” They reached the end of the pasture and came to the icy pond, sparkling in the bright sunlight like stars in a dark night sky.

  Aaron pointed toward the bench. “Want to sit for a minute? I promise we won’t be out here long enough to freeze.”

  “Ya, let’s sit.” She moved to the bench, and they sat beside each other. The wooden seat was cold under her bottom, but she didn’t mind. His leg brushed hers, and she again felt her pulse skip with delight. “It’s schee out here.”

  “It is.” He smiled at her. “Do you like to ice skate?”

  “I’ve never tried.”

  “What?” He turned to face her, his expression held disbelief. “You’ve never been ice skating?”

  She shook her head and gnawed her lower lip as embarrassment overtook her. She’d never had the opportunity to ice skate, but she also never thought she would be able to because of her leg injury. She’d watched her cousin Raymond and his family skate once, but she’d never even attempted to join them.

  “We have to go.” He snapped his fingers. “There was a rink in Lancaster. If it’s still there, I’ll take you sometime.”

  “No, no.” She shook her head. “I don’t think—”

  “Yes, we have to. I’ll teach you how.” His eyes were hopeful, and she didn’t want to extinguish their radiance.

  “Okay,” she said softly, hoping he’d forget the promise and not make her tell him that she couldn’t skate. She didn’t want him to know she had a disability. She knew she could never be more than his friend, but she didn’t want to risk losing his precious friendship. Sometimes pity chased people away.

  “Great.” He turned back toward the pond. “I saw Peter Lantz today. I just happened to stop by his farm when I saw the sign for a gift shop. I was surprised when I found him running the store.”

  “Oh, ya,” she said. “Susannah opened that store a few years ago. It does a gut business. I bet he was excited to see you.”

  “Ya, he was. We talked for a while. I saw Susannah and met his kinner.”

  While Aaron shared the details about seeing his friend again, Linda enjoyed watching him and listening to his cheerful, comforting voice. Despite the cold breeze and the even colder bench, she wanted the moment to last forever so she could imagine what it would be like to be married to a kind, handsome man like Aaron Ebersol.

  TWELVE

  Linda filled one side of the sink with hot, soapy water for washing and the other side with plain hot water for rinsing. She placed the breakfast dishes into the frothy water and began to scrub them before rinsing them in the plain water. She heard a knock.

  “Someone’s at the door!” Onkel Reuben yelled from his bedroom.

  “I’ll get it.” Linda grabbed a dish towel and wiped her hands as she limped toward the door. She swung it open and found Aaron standing on the porch, holding up a red heart-shaped box. “Aaron?” she asked, and her posture immediately straightened at the sight of him.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day!” He held out the box.

  Linda stared at the box with her eyes wide in surprise.

  “Take it.” He grinned at her. “It’s candy. For you.”

  “Aaron, I-I . . .” She stammered while staring up at him. She had to be dreaming. She took the box of candy and looked up at his adorable grin. “Danki.”

  “Gern gschehne, but that’s not all.” He jammed his thumb toward the truck. “We want to take you ice skating today for Valentine’s.”

  “We?” She craned her neck to see the truck behind him, humming in the driveway.

  “My bruderskinner are coming with us.”

  “Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Who’s at the door?” Reuben appeared behind her and scowled at Aaron.

  “Onkel Reuben, this is my friend Aaron Ebersol,” Linda said, introducing them. “You remember. I told you he was visiting from Missouri.”

  “Hi, Reuben.” Aaron held out his hand.

  “You’re Jonas and Ruth’s son.” Reuben peered at Aaron over his half-glasses and gave his hand a halfhearted shake. “You left a long time ago. Why are you back now?”

  “I told you he came back to see his mutter. She had a stroke,” Linda said as her cheeks heated with embarrassment and frustration. Why didn’t her uncle ever listen to her?

  “That’s right. I want to take Linda ice skating,” Aaron said. “My nieces and nephews are coming with us too.”

  Reuben looked at Linda. “Don’t you have chores to do today?”

  “I can do them whe
n I get home.” Linda held her breath with anticipation, hoping Reuben would let her go without a fuss. She suddenly realized she wanted to go with Aaron, even if she couldn’t skate. She wasn’t worried about her disability humiliating her or holding her back. In fact, she would go anywhere with him.

  “I promise I’ll have her back at a decent time,” Aaron said, his expression pleading with Reuben to say yes. “You name the hour, and I will have her home on time.” Linda could tell that, even though she was a grown woman, Aaron knew her uncle expected to grant his permission.

  Reuben gave him a curt nod. “Fine. No later than two.”

  “Danki.” Linda smiled at her uncle despite his sour expression, and he disappeared back into the house.

  She turned to Aaron, who was beaming. “I just need to grab my coat and purse.”

  “You don’t need your purse,” Aaron said.

  Linda looked down at the dish towel in her hand. “Well, I would like to get rid of this.”

  Aaron chuckled. “That’s a good idea. We’ll be waiting in the truck.”

  Linda hurried into the house and tossed the dish towel and pretty box of chocolates onto the kitchen counter. She then rushed to the bathroom, where she checked her appearance. She examined her face and then pinched her cheeks, hoping to give herself a little more color. She knew it was vain to worry about her appearance, but she wanted to look her best for this outing.

  Is this a date?

  She quickly pushed that thought away. Of course, it wasn’t a date. She lived in the community, and he kept his permanent residence in Missouri. Why was she torturing herself with such wild notions of any romance blooming between them? They were from two different worlds. She hurried out to the front of the house, where Reuben now sat in his favorite chair, reading the paper.

  “I’ll see you later.” She grabbed her coat and pulled it on.

  “Be careful,” Reuben said without looking up.

  She paused for a moment, wondering why he would caution her to be careful. Then she rushed out the door to Aaron’s pickup truck, still purring in the driveway. As she approached the passenger side, she saw his niece Katie sitting in the middle of the front seat.