Amish Romance: Annie's Story: Three Book Box Set

by Brenda Maxfield

  Annie looked at the young girl and her hopeful face. “Sure. I’ll come.”

  She followed the child downstairs. She could write Amos back that evening when no one would be there to interrupt her.

  The following weeks went smoothly. Sarah felt well enough to be out of bed. She kept an almost normal schedule, except for a long nap in the morning and afternoon. Annie was surprised that she slept so frequently—Sarah had never been one to stay still long enough to rest.

  Annie herself yearned for a nap or two, but she didn’t dare lie down. Isabel would think they were both lazy ne’er-do-wells.

  The winter weather had slammed into Ohio with a vengeance. Isabel’s girls played in the snow when the temperature was thirty degrees or above. But when it dipped lower, especially into the teens, no one wanted to go out. Annie stayed inside as much as possible. She hated the cold, and it seemed to be affecting her even more lately.

  Secretly, she marked the days off the calendar she had stuffed into her top drawer. She had it figured out almost to the minute. In four more days, Amos would be arriving. Her heart fluttered just thinking about it.

  Sarah was showing now, and Isabel lent her the maternity dresses she had tucked away in her bottom drawer. They hung on Sarah, making her look a bit like a homeless waif, but it was either that or burst at the seams of her own dresses.

  Two days before Amos was to arrive, Aenti Ida came to check on Sarah. Annie took her upstairs and rapped gently on Sarah’s door.

  “Aenti’s here, Sarah.”

  Sarah came to the door and let the woman in.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Annie said. “Can I bring up some tea?”

  Aenti nodded and shed her cape, draping it across the end of the bed.

  “Annie, why don’t you stay?” Sarah said with a tremor in her voice.

  Annie looked at her sharply. Why was she so nervous? Was it because of the last time Aenti had come? Or was she concerned something was wrong again? Fear rumbled through her stomach, and she stepped back into the room and shut the door behind her. It wouldn’t do to have Isabel’s girls wandering in.

  “I’ll get you the tea afterwards, if that’s all right, Aenti.”

  “Jah, jah, jah. No worries, Annie girl.” She eyed Sarah, and her brows drew down into a frown. “You been doing too much around here?”

  “Nee. I’ve been resting a lot. More than I want to, anyway,” Sarah answered, sitting on the bed.

  “You let me be the judge of that,” the old woman replied.

  Annie stood back against the wall while the midwife checked Sarah over. She averted her eyes, not wanting Sarah to be embarrassed with an observer. Yet, she didn’t feel too obtrusive as Sarah was the one who’d asked her to stay.

  “Well,” Aenti said with a crooked smile. “You’re doing right fine, Sarah.”

  Annie blew out her breath, not even realizing she’d been holding it. She grinned at her sister and saw the relief on Sarah’s face. Then Aenti turned to her, her beady eyes sharp and assessing. Annie’s brows raised.

  “What is it?” she asked, feeling as if she was under a magnifying glass.

  “Your turn,” the woman said. She patted the edge of the bed. “Sit down.”

  “But why?” Annie asked, reluctantly moving toward the bed. “I’m not sick.”

  “Of course, you’re not sick. Sit down.” The woman’s voice brooked no argument, and Annie sat.

  “How far along are you?”

  Annie’s eyes went huge, and her breath stuck in her throat.

  Sarah squirmed off the bed and faced them both. “What?”

  “Not talking to you, Sarah. I’m talking to your sister.”

  Annie couldn’t breathe. She was suffocating. A heady feeling rushed through her, and she felt faint. She wobbled on the bed and grabbed at the quilt, trying to regain her balance.

  “What?” she finally choked out.

  “Simple question. How far along are you?”

  “But I’m not pregnant,” Annie said, her mind whirling. Desperately, she tried to remember the last time…

  “I’ve been a midwife for nigh on a thousand years,” Aenti said with a chuckle. “I can spot a pregnant woman from ten miles away. Knew it the last time I was here.”

  Annie clasped her throat. She couldn’t be pregnant. They’d tried for years. Years.

  “When was your last cycle?” Aenti said, enunciating each word as if Annie was a small child.

  “I-I don’t know,” Annie stammered. “It’s not regular. It’s never been regular…”

  “Lie down.”

  Annie’s eyes swam with tears. Was this happening? Was she—? She gave Sarah a frantic look and saw shock on her face as well.

  “Annie?” Sarah questioned.

  “Sarah, get a handkerchief for your sister.”

  Sarah stumbled to the dresser and pulled a square of cotton from her top drawer. She rushed to the bed and pressed it into Annie’s hand. Annie held it to her cheeks which were wet with tears. Her lips trembled, and she was hardly aware of Aenti’s movements her mind was spinning so fast.

  A boppli? She was pregnant? With child? How could it be? Had it finally happened? She sucked in a huge breath of air and suddenly remembered all the times over the last weeks when she hadn’t felt well. Time when she’d been dizzy and nauseous. She’d explained them away, thinking she was exhausted with worry over Sarah. And all that time … all that time, she’d been pregnant.

  Aenti straightened, joints along her back popping loudly in protest. She walked to the end of the bed and picked up her cape, arranging it over her arm. “You’re not as far along as your sister,” she said. “But I expect you’ll be birthing your babe about six weeks later.”

  Annie sat up, her eyes moist and her chest tight. “So … in the spring?”

  “In the spring. My best guess would make it around the end of May or early June. About June seventh, I’d say. And, my dear child, I’m rarely wrong.”

  With that, Aenti Ida strode from the room, leaving a gaping Annie in her wake. Sarah collapsed onto the bed beside her.

  “Annie! Annie!”

  Annie gulped and then began to laugh. She laughed, and her heart began to pound, and excitement and gratitude filled her until she thought she would burst with it all. She turned to Sarah and grabbed her arms.

  “I’m having a baby!” she cried. “Amos and me! It’s happening!”

  Two more days. Amos would be there in two more days! And then she could tell him the news. He would be over-the-moon excited. In fact, he might even dance with joy! The image was so ridiculous that Annie began laughing all over again. They were expecting a baby. Annie clasped her hands to her heart and sent up a rush of gratitude to God.

  Sarah was silent. Indeed, she sat unmoving. Annie looked at her, and her smile faded. Sarah had a stricken look on her face. And it wasn’t from joy—Annie could see that clearly.

  “Sarah?”

  Sarah gasped. “I’m happy for you, Annie,” she said, her voice breaking with a stifled sob. “Truly. You deserve it.”

  Annie grasped Sarah’s arms. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “What about my baby?” Sarah said. “What about mine?”

  Annie frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You won’t want my baby now. What am I to do?”

  Annie gawked at Sarah. “Of course, I want your baby! Amos and I will raise it like our own. It’s already arranged!”

  Sarah shook her head. “That was before you were having your own.”

  Annie got off the bed and dropped to her knees before Sarah, taking her hands and squeezing them. “Your baby is my own. I told you. We’ll just have two babies now instead of one.”

  Annie could hardly believe the words that were flowing from her own mouth. Two babies? She would have two babies? When for years, she’d ached and cried for one? Oh dear God, the blessings He gave.

  Sarah clung to Annie’s hands as if she were slipping off a tall cliff. �
��You’re sure? You’re sure you’ll still want it?”

  Annie looked into Sarah’s misty eyes. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life. And Amos will agree. You have no need to worry.”

  Sarah let go of Annie’s hand and wiped her cheeks with the backs of her palms. “Maybe I should write Eric. Maybe we should try again…”

  Alarm coursed through Annie. “Don’t. He hasn’t made any move to contact you. None. You have to let him go.” She stared at Sarah. “I thought you were forgetting about him. I thought you were getting over him.”

  Sarah sniffed and looked away toward the window. “I am,” she said softly. “But sometimes, sometimes, I still miss him. I want him.” Her voice broke.

  Annie bit her lip and scooted closer to Sarah. She put her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. I know you loved him. I know you did.”

  Sarah nodded. “I miss him.”

  Annie patted her back gently. “It’s going to be all right, Sarah. You’ll see.”

  Annie felt Sarah relax in her arms. She continued to hold her until she knew by her steady even breathing that she’d fallen asleep. She laid her over gently on the bed and covered her with the quilt. Then she tiptoed out of the room and into her own bedroom. She walked straight to the window and stared outside, unseeing. Her mind was numb with the knowledge. She placed her hands over her stomach and thought she felt a new swelling there. And then she realized that it was true. Of course, there was a new swelling there. A new life. A promise.

  She was with child.

  Chapter Four

  Annie waited just inside the front room window, staring outside. She couldn’t stand still. Her feet tapped and shuffled on the braided rug as she watched. Any minute, Amos would be arriving in the van. Any minute. Since receiving Amos’s last letter with the approximate time, she’d been beside herself with the countdown.

  “Not here yet?” Isabel asked, gazing at her from the dining room table.

  “Nee.”

  Isabel set down a stack of napkins and laughed. “You’re like one of my little girls,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so excited.”

  Annie gave a responding chuckle. “I’ve never been so excited.”

  “I’m happy for you, Annie,” Isabel said, her voice quiet. “Real happy.”

  Annie felt ready to burst. She fiddled with the curtains, keeping her eyes glued to the long drive.

  “Where’s Sarah?” Isabel asked.

  “Upstairs.”

  “I hear something coming,” Isabel cried.

  Annie’s heart fluttered. There is was! A white van! He was here. She dashed out to the porch and stood on the top step, bouncing with exhilaration. She hardly noticed the biting air or how her quick breaths puffed out in white steam.

  She could see two passengers in the van. Amos must have shared the ride and the cost with someone else. With a smooth turn, the driver pulled the van up to the porch. Annie flew down the steps and grabbed the door handle before Amos even had a chance to open it himself.

  “Amos!” she cried.

  His hazel eyes glistened with pleasure. “Ach, Annie! It’s freezing out here! Go on inside!”

  She stepped back, her face shining with delight. And then she noticed the other passenger, and her heart lurched.

  Joseph Yoder?

  What was he doing there? Had he come to see Sarah after all? And why would Amos have allowed it? Amos stepped out and put his hand on Annie’s back. He leaned close and kissed her cheek. But Annie couldn’t take her eyes off Joseph. She blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what to do. Why on earth had Amos let him come?

  Amos grabbed her hand and squeezed. She looked up at him, and he gave her a look, silently begging her to understand. She shook her head slightly.

  “Hello, Annie,” Joseph said as he climbed out of the van. “I imagine you’re surprised to see me.”

  Her gaze flickered as she gained control of herself. She put on a smile. “It’s nice to see you, Joseph.”

  Was that a lie? She wasn’t at all happy to see him there. Poor Sarah. What was she going to do?

  Amos turned to gather their bags, and Joseph stepped close to Annie. “Don’t be angry,” he said. There was a look of trepidation in his eyes. “I’m here to see Sarah.”

  Annie swallowed hard. “I assumed as much.”

  “Will she see me?”

  Annie glanced to the window upstairs. “I don’t know.”

  Amos paid the driver, and he left. The three of them went inside. Isabel was standing just inside the door, and her brows shot up when she saw Joseph. “Oh, we have another guest?”

  Amos stepped forward. “I hope it’s all right, Cousin Isabel. This is Joseph Yoder, a friend and neighbor from Hollybrook.”

  Isabel wiped her hands down her apron. “You’re right welcome,” she said to Joseph. She darted a glance at Annie then looked again at the men. “Can I get the two of you something to eat?”

  “That’d be nice,” Amos said. He put down their bags and grasped Annie’s hand.

  Annie blew out her breath. This wasn’t the meeting she had planned. She had planned to whisk Amos somewhere private and share with him the best news of their lives. Instead, she felt a brick weight in her stomach, thinking about Sarah resting upstairs, unaware of Joseph’s presence.

  “If you’ll excuse me for a minute,” she said. “I need to run upstairs.”

  Amos nodded, and Annie knew he was aware of the position he’d put them in. She turned and fled up the stairs. She hurried down the hall and burst into Sarah’s room. Sarah jerked from her lying position. “What is it?”

  “Joseph Yoder is here!”

  “What?”

  “Joseph is here, right downstairs.”

  Sarah’s eyes went as wide as serving bowls. She stumbled to her feet. “But why?”

  “I don’t know! He said he wants to see you.”

  “But why?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Amos privately to find out.”

  Sarah clutched her throat. “I can’t see him.” She threw her arms out. “Look at me! My stomach is bulging like a bag full of melons!”

  Annie paused and began to laugh.

  “What’s so funny? Annie! This isn’t funny!”

  Annie shook her head, unable to stop laughing. “Nee!” she eked out. “It’s not funny at all! But … melons?”

  Sarah stared at Annie, and then she began to smile. Within seconds, they were both giggling and carrying on as if they were at the county fair. Together, they sank back to the bed.

  “A bag of melons! Do you have more than one in there?” Annie choked out between laughs.

  “I figure at least three,” Sarah responded, patting her tummy like a proud peacock.

  And they were off again into a fit of giggles.

  “What—?” came Amos’s voice from the doorway.

  Both sisters clamped their mouths shut and wiped tears from their eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Amos asked.

  “Nothing,” Annie said, composed again.

  Sarah squeezed Annie’s arm. “I’ll leave you alone.” She got up to leave the room.

  “Are you going downstairs?” Annie asked. “Are you going to see him?”

  Sarah gave a heavy sigh. “He came all this way.”

  Amos blocked her passage. “There’s something you should know first,” he said.

  Sarah gazed up at him.

  “He knows.”

  Sarah’s face went bright red. “But … how?”

  “He came to me, and he’d already figured it out.”

  “So then, everyone in Hollybrook knows?”

  Amos hesitated. “Nee. Not everyone.”

  “But a lot?”

  Amos looked at the floor before raising his face again. His eyes were deep with compassion. “A few.”

  “Well, then. It’s just as I predicted. Dat’s plan was ridiculous from the start.”

&nbs
p; Amos moved aside, and Sarah walked around him. Before she went down the hallway, she hesitated and said, “Thank you for telling me. Annie, when you’re finished talking with Amos, will you join me? Even if Joseph is talking to me alone, I want you there. Okay?”

  “Amos and I can talk later,” Annie said, realizing that Sarah’s need superseded hers right then. “I can come down with you now.”

  Sarah shook her head. “No need. You talk first.” And she was gone.

  Amos came to her and took her in his arms. Annie snuggled against his shoulder only for a moment before she pulled away.

  “What is it, Annie?” Amos studied her and then began to smile. “You’re confusing me. Why do you look so happy? I thought you were mad about Joseph.”

  Annie grinned and pulled him down on the bed, where they sat together. “I have news.”

  His eyebrows raised.

  “We’re to have two babies.”

  He blanched. “Ach! But that’s wonderful. You mean our Sarah’s with twins?”

  Annie shook her head, her news so huge that it seemed to lodge in her throat. Amos continued to stare at her beaming face until the shock of comprehension spread over his.

  “You don’t mean—”

  She grabbed his hands. “I do! I’m with child!”

  His mouth dropped open, and then he pulled her into a tight hug. “Ah, Annie! Annie!” he said over and over again.

  She lay against his chest and felt his heart pounding rapidly. Tears filled her eyes as she joined in his joy. He drew away and looked into her eyes.

  “Praise Gott,” he said, his voice trembling with awe. “Praise Gott.”

  She nodded, tears now slipping down her cheeks. “We’ll have Sarah’s and ours now.”

  “When is it coming?”

  “The midwife says in early June. She seems quite certain.”

  Amos shook his head. “This is the best news I have ever heard. Ah, Annie, I’m so pleased for you. For us. For both of us.”

  “Me, too. I didn’t know. I didn’t even know. I thought I was just tired from all this Sarah business.”

  “When did you find out?”

  “Only a few days ago. I couldn’t wait until you got here to tell you.”