And to make matters worse, Isabel chose that very moment to walk into the dining area. She stopped short and stared at them both.
“Ach, Isabel,” Annie said, scrambling to continue setting the table. Her face was red, and she looked as if she’d gotten caught stealing cookies. “We’ve almost got the table ready.”
Sarah wanted to swallow her tongue. What was wrong with her? Spouting off every other second like the devil himself controlled her mouth. It wasn’t Annie’s fault that she was in this position. Nor was it Isabel’s. And the fact that Isabel had heard them squabbling would only serve to make her dislike Sarah more.
“Sorry, Isabel,” Sarah muttered. She fled into the washroom and grabbed her cape from the peg. “I’ll be back soon,” she said with a pointed look at Annie.
Annie nodded, putting on a forced smile. Isabel said nothing; she simply turned on her heel and marched back into the kitchen.
Sarah hated to admit it, but it was too cold for comfort outside. Even for her. The air bit at her, and she wondered if her breath would make icicles if she stood still enough. But she didn’t stand still. Eric was waiting for her call, and she wasn’t about to disappoint him. The fact that it was still light was a bit problematic. In the daytime, it would be much easier for someone to spot her in the shanty. Well, she simply couldn’t worry about that now. She’d memorized Isabel’s street address off the steel mailbox perched at the end of the drive, so she was ready to talk to Eric.
Eric would have no trouble finding her and could wait for her on the street. Still, she wondered how she could make it down the drive without being seen. Especially if she was lugging her suitcase.
Simply another thing she couldn’t worry about right then. As she rounded the bend, she stopped cold. Someone was in the shanty. Now what was she to do? She glanced around quickly and saw a small stand of pine trees bordering an open field. She was surprised to see the pines there, as usually they were only in the woods. She smiled. There were pine trees at Powter’s Point where she used to rendezvous with Eric.
She shook herself. No time for reminiscing now. If the man in the shanty turned even slightly to his right, he’d see her. She scurried off the road and into the trees. She backed up against one of the pines and tried to avoid getting poked by the short stubby branches near the base of the tree. Easing herself forward a bit, she had a clear view of the shanty and the man.
He gestured with his right hand and then hung up the phone. He didn’t leave the shanty immediately; instead, he leaned against the side window as if catching his breath. Sarah wondered what his call was about. She knew that calls were only sanctioned if they were business or emergency related. Which one was it for this man?
The fact that he didn’t scurry off made Sarah think it was a business call. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. It was colder standing still. Would he never leave? She cupped her hands around her mouth and blew into them, trying to warm her fingers. Why hadn’t she snatched her mittens for the walk?
The man was leaving. She watched him amble down the street as if he had all the time in the world. Well, she didn’t. The minute he was out of sight, she scrambled from her hiding place and ran to the shanty. Once inside, she took a deep breath and pressed Eric’s number into the phone. He answered before the first ring was complete.
“Is it you?”
“It’s me.”
“I thought so. Hang on…” Just like the day before, she heard shuffling and a door slam.
“I have the address,” she said. “You ready?”
“Yeah. What is it?”
She gave him the address.
“I can come tomorrow to get you. About how long does it take?”
“Three or four hours. I’m not sure. I wasn’t exactly paying attention when the van brought us here.”
“No worries. I’ll stick the address in my phone GPS. What time can you be ready?”
Sarah’s mind swirled. She was really going to go through with this. But what choice did she have? Otherwise, her baby would be stolen from her.
“I think ten in the morning would be good. I’ll make sure Annie is busy helping Isabel with the chores. I’ll be packed.”
“Sarah?”
“Jah?”
“I can’t wait to see you.”
Her heart warmed, and she closed her eyes. He loved her. Eric loved her, so everything would be all right. She didn’t have to worry. He would take care of her.
“Me, too,” she whispered back.
“Tomorrow, then?”
“Tomorrow.”
Sarah hung up, and like the farmer before her, she didn’t leave the shanty right away. She stood very still, staring through the window to the vast acres of farmland stretched out before her. Stubby cornstalks from the last harvest made short spiky rows across the land. Soon, they’d be lumps beneath the snow, but not yet.
Sarah placed both hands over her stomach and gazed down. “He’s coming for us, little one. Everything’s going to be fine.” Her voice sounded strangely hollow inside the shanty.
As if she didn’t believe what she was saying.
Chapter Three
“You’re back,” Annie greeted her. “Ach, you look cold. Would you like some tea?”
Sarah worked to keep her teeth from chattering. “That’d be right nice.”
Annie took her cape from her shoulders. “You’re freezing, Sarah. You shouldn’t have gone out.” She pulled the kitchen rocker closer to the warming stove. “Sit down, here. We’ll get you warmed up in a minute.”
Sarah let Annie fuss over her and gladly sank into the rocker by the stove. The dry heat from the fire enveloped her, and she immediately began to feel better.
“The water’s hot, so I’ll have the tea for you real quick.” Annie bustled about the kitchen, grabbing a mug and stretching to reach the tea from a shelf to the side of the sink.
Sarah watched her as the heat from the stove sank deep within. Annie was a good sister. She always had been, if the truth were told.
Sarah would miss her. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of not seeing her older sister anymore. And surely, she wouldn’t. Dat would see to that. Sarah would be dead to them, for sure and for certain. Annie brought over the steaming mug and held it out to Sarah.
Sarah reached for it, but instead took hold of Annie’s wrist. Annie gave her a puzzled look. “You all right, our Sarah?”
Sarah nodded, suddenly embarrassed. What was she thinking, grabbing onto Annie like that? She let go of Annie’s wrist and took the mug. “Of course, I’m all right. I just wanted to say thank you…” Sarah’s voice caught, and she couldn’t continue for the tears clogging her throat.
Annie bent close and looked into Sarah’s eyes. “You’re welcome. You’re always welcome.”
Sarah blinked and coughed. Her emotions were out of control. If she wasn’t more careful, Annie would know something was up. She put her hands around the mug and took a sip of tea. The liquid burned through her, and Sarah was glad. She needed to get control of herself.
But the yearning remained, nearly smothering her with its intensity. Sarah was missing her sister already, and she hadn’t even left. Annie was right there, not two feet away. Stay focused, Sarah scolded herself. Stay focused. You have to do this. You have to do this for the baby. Your baby.
Annie sank down onto a kitchen chair and folded her hands in her lap. Sarah felt her watchful eye even though she kept her own eyes downcast. If she looked up at Annie, she might be tempted to blurt out her escape plan, and that wouldn’t do.
No, that wouldn’t do at all.
Sarah decided not to pack the rest of her things that day. It could wait till morning. If Annie stopped by her room and found it bare, she’d wonder for sure. With grim determination, Sarah made it through the rest of the day, acting as normally as possible. More than once, she felt Annie watching her as she helped with food preparations, but Sarah resisted the urge to stare back.
She even managed to j
oin Annie’s and Isabel’s chatter about topics that held absolutely no interest to her. Who cared what the Farmer’s Almanac said about the coming winter? And who cared about what happened to Farmer Gotshack’s goats?
By bedtime, Sarah was exhausted from the pretense of it all. The only thing she could think about was sleep and Eric. Even the baby didn’t consume any of her thoughts, except when she noticed a tightness around her stomach. At first, she wondered whether she was getting ill. But then, she realized that it had to be the baby growing. She smiled with wonder at the thought, and then promptly began thinking about Eric and his charming smile and warm eyes.
She pulled the quilt up tight below her chin and drifted off to sleep, thrilled with the thought of seeing him the next morning.
"Please come," Annie urged Sarah. "It will be a nice outing.”
“It’s just to the local grocery,” Sarah said. “I don’t want to go.”
Fact was, if Annie and Isabel and the girls took the wagon into town, she would have the perfect chance to leave with Eric unseen.
“We’ll bundle up well,” Annie said. “The girls want you to go.”
Sarah glanced at the large clock hanging above the sink. There was no way she’d be back by ten if she went with them.
“I’m a bit tired. I think I’d rather rest.”
Annie immediately looked concerned. “I’ll stay home with you then.”
Sarah’s eyes widened in alarm. “Nee. Annie, I’d feel bad if you stayed back on account of me. I won’t even be by myself. Cousin Andrew is right outside.”
Annie bit the side of her lip. “True.”
“Go on, then. Have yourself a gut time. Quit fretting about me for once.”
Annie grinned at her. “All right. I will.”
Annie rushed off to bundle up, and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be perfect. She couldn’t have asked for a better situation.
She waved all of them off at nine-thirty. As soon as the pony led the wagon out of sight, she flew up the stairs. She yanked her suitcase from under the bed and flipped it open. Within minutes, she had all of her things tucked inside. She took the suitcase downstairs and set it next to the front door. Eric should show up in a little over twenty minutes, but she hardly thought it appropriate to stand out on the road to wait.
She giggled at the sight she would make. Amish girl stands on road, suitcase at her feet, waiting for Englisch boyfriend to pick her up.
She pulled back the curtains of the large front room window and gazed across the lawn. If she positioned herself just right, she would be able to spot Eric’s car from where she stood. She leaned against the window frame. Everything truly was going perfectly.
She heard the side door slam and jerked her gaze toward the kitchen. Cousin Andrew? What was he doing inside? She looked at her suitcase, sitting right in front of the door, and panicked. She kicked it hard and it spun across the floor. Another kick sent it behind the couch.
“Hey Sarah. You didn’t go?” Andrew asked, entering the room.
“Nee. Nee, I didn’t.” Sarah could feel the heat on her face and knew that her cheeks would be red.
Andrew didn’t seem to notice. “Came in for something to eat.” He looked at her with a sheepish grin. “Didn’t rightly know anyone was home.”
Sarah put on a smile. “I see. So, you’re sneaking food then?”
Andrew laughed. “You caught me. Don’t think I tucked far enough into those eggs this morning.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell,” Sarah joked. If you won’t tell on me, she thought.
“Are you needing something to do?”
“Nee. I have some chores I’ll be getting to.”
Andrew nodded and headed for the cupboard. Sarah scuttled for the dusting rag in case he came back to check on her. But in minutes, the side door slammed again, and he was gone. She dropped the rag onto the back of the couch and exhaled loudly. She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes now.
And who knew if he’d be precisely on time?
Eric hadn’t seen her often in her Amish garb, but she didn’t dare change into her Englisch clothes. She thought of them tucked beneath her Amish clothes in the suitcase. It was bad enough that she was lugging a suitcase with her, but standing at the end of Isobel’s drive in Englisch clothes would alert any Amish passer-by. She wasn’t pleased about not changing, for she saw no reason to continue reminding Eric of how different they were. And nothing screamed different louder than her cape dress, her kapp, and her clunky black shoes. But there was nothing to be done about it.
Her hands shook as she fastened her cape around her neck. She pulled on her mittens and picked up her suitcase. She crept out the front door, glancing toward the barn. She paused on the top step, listening. She couldn’t hear anything. Maybe Andrew wasn’t in the barn at all. She stepped cautiously down the steps, her gaze still fixed toward the barn and the chicken coop. Still nothing. So far, so good.
When her feet hit the gravel drive, she ran, racing down the path to the road. Once on the road, she paused to gasp for breath. Then she slipped to stand by the side of the largest tree she could find, positioning herself so that if Andrew emerged from either the barn or the house, he wouldn’t be able to see her. She lay her suitcase flat on the ground. If a buggy came by, perhaps it wouldn’t be noticed. She would simply smile and nod, and no one would be the wiser.
It was colder than she’d thought, and her cheeks stung with it. The air was dry on her eyes and she kept blinking, searching down the road for any sign of Eric’s black car. Minutes went by and still no sign of him. She began to despair. Had he changed his mind? Was he not coming for her after all?
She shifted her weight back and forth, straining for a glimpse of him. Her heart was pounding now and even in the cold, she was covered with a thin layer of sweat. Hurry up, Eric. Hurry. Hurry. In the distance, she saw the square black shape of a buggy coming her way. The horses were ambling, though, not trotting so it would take a while before they reached her. She glanced around. Perhaps she should duck behind the tree when they drew near. But if she did, and if Andrew happened to look toward the road, he’d spot her.
Her chest tightened. Eric, where are you? Just when her nerves were ready to burst, she heard the hum of a motorcar coming near. She brightened, standing on tiptoe to look, although it didn’t give her a better view.
Around the bend came a black car, and Sarah’s relief was so strong, she nearly went down to her knees. Instead, she grabbed up her suitcase and stepped onto the road. The car pulled up next to her, and she opened the back door to throw in her suitcase, and then climbed into the passenger seat.
“Go!” she cried. “Just go!”
Eric pressed on the gas, and they sped away. He swerved close to the shoulder of the road when they raced past the buggy. Sarah averted her face, so whoever was in the buggy wouldn’t see her. Not that they’d know who she was anyway, but still, she knew how tongues would wag.
After the initial burst, Eric slowed the car to a more reasonable speed, and Sarah finally turned to him. She took in his boyish good looks, and the way his black hair curled at the base of his neck, and his fine nose and structured chin. She let herself relax in his handsome presence.
He glanced over at her, his gray eyes excited. “So cool! That was like a getaway scene in a movie! You okay?”
She took a deep breath. “I am now.”
He smiled and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “No one saw you leave?”
“Nee. I mean, no. Annie went to the market.”
He nodded. “Grab the papers from the floor.”
Sarah saw a small stack of papers on the floor by her feet. She snatched them up. “What are they?”
“Just look.”
She did, and her eyes went huge. “Marriage license application?”
“Did you know you can get it off the Internet?”
“So this is all we need?” Her stomach turned somersaults as she looked at the document.
> “Unfortunately, no. We still have to go to the clerk’s office. I’m glad you’re in Amish clothes.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because I’m thinking they might be more sympathetic about you not having an ID.”
“What do you mean?”
“To prove you’re eighteen.”
“But I’m not eighteen.”
Eric smiled. “They won’t know that.” He squinted at her before turning his attention back to the road. “You look eighteen.”
“This isn’t going to work.”
“But it is. You’ll see.”
Sarah pressed her hands over her stomach. It had to work. She prayed Eric was right. Then she stopped herself. How could she expect God to listen to such a prayer? How could she expect God to bless their union at all?
Her lips trembled, and she clenched her teeth. All her worrying about God and what He thought was in the past now. She couldn’t fret about such things. She loved Eric, and he loved her. They belonged together. It was as simple as that.
“You’re feeling okay. Not sick or anything?” Eric asked.
“I’m okay,” she answered, even though right then, nausea was climbing up her throat. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the pregnancy or sheer nerves.
“You can lay back and rest, if you want. It’s gonna take a while to get back to Indiana.”
“Can’t we just get married here?”
“Nope. It’s gonna be tricky enough to pull it off at home.”
“But you just said it would work. You just—” Sarah’s alarm mounted.
Eric patted her hand. “Relax, would you? It’ll be fine. But we gotta do it in Indiana.”
She leaned back into the seat and willed herself to calm down. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard and wondered when Annie would be back and realize she was gone.
She and Eric had to be married before her parents found out she’d run away.
But then, what would they do anyway? Go to the police? She seriously doubted it. No one in her community involved the police in anything if they could help it. A pang of sadness pricked her heart. In her mind’s eye, she saw the look of disappointment that would be on her parents’ faces when they found out what she’d done. But would it be disappointment or anger? Or grief?
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