Thrilled to have his breakfast in bed, Timothy refused any help from Seth and deftly fed himself using his left hand, which pleased the nurses and doctor. As Timothy was eating, Tanner and Martha walked into the room and Tanner’s eyes lit up when he noticed the wallpaper. He carefully crawled atop the adjustable bed so Timothy could give him a “ride” on it, and while the boys played, Seth asked Martha how she got there.
“Fannie brought us. She’s waiting in the buggy lot. I think she’s afraid to kumme in.”
“She should be!” Seth sputtered.
“Seth, you’ve been through a hard night.” Martha pointed her index finger at him. “But this accident could have happened under anyone’s care. It could have happened if you were with the boys, or if I was or if Trina was. Instead of casting blame, you ought to be grateful the Lord watched over Timothy as He did.”
Seth swallowed. Martha was right, of course. “That’s very true, Groossmammi. And I am grateful. Especially for Trina and Ethan. And for your prayers, too, because I know they were as vital to Timothy’s well-being as the physical care he received here was.” To keep himself from tearing up, Seth teased, “I have to admit, though, I’m surprised you wanted to come anywhere near a hospital.”
“I could say the same to you!” Martha joked and they both cracked up. She continued, “Sometimes, our thoughts are irrational. They’re based on fear, not truth. This hospital—these doctors—played a role in Timothy’s healing, by Gott’s grace. It’s not right for me to be so mistrustful of them because some other doctor made a mistake in my past.”
Seth recognized Martha was no longer talking about hospitals, but about him and Trina—and Freeman and Kristine. “You’re right again,” he said, knuckling his eyelids.
“You ought to go home and get some sleep,” Martha directed. “I think Fannie would appreciate knowing you aren’t angry with her. Tanner and I will stay here and you can pick us up this afternoon. The nurse at the station said Timothy wouldn’t be discharged until four or five.”
Seth hesitated. “I don’t want to leave Timothy. He’s scheduled to get his cast on at two thirty.”
“Kumme back by two, then,” Martha said. “It’s time to exercise a little trust, Seth. I’ll be here and the doctors will take gut care of him if anything goes wrong. It won’t, but the Lord never minds if we pray about things that trouble us.”
On that note, Seth conceded. After bidding goodbye to the boys and assuring Timothy he’d return before he got his cast on, Seth headed to the special parking lot equipped with hitching posts for the area’s Amish population.
When he climbed into the buggy, Fannie burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Seth,” she cried.
Seth repeated his grandmother’s words. “It’s alright. It’s not your fault. Timothy’s accident could have happened while anyone was watching him.”
Fannie twisted to face him. “I know that,” she said with a sniff. “What I’m sorry about is that I can’t take care of the boys any longer. They’re just too rambunctious.”
Seth could barely respond he was so flabbergasted. “I understand,” he uttered and neither of them said anything else all the way to his home.
As she drove up the lane, Fannie said, “In a way, it’s a gut thing this happened. Not that Timothy’s suffering is gut, but the entire incident showed me our families won’t ever be compatible. I hoped once the Englischer wasn’t watching your kin any longer they’d take a liking to me, and if we worked at it, eventually our families would grow to understand and cooperate with each other. But my meed and I are just too different from you and your buwe.”
Seth simply nodded and thanked Fannie for bringing him home. He was so weary he went into the parlor and collapsed onto the sofa and covered his eyes with his hands. He’d made such a mess of things with Trina. Between that and all his pent-up tension over Timothy’s accident, Seth had never felt so low, and he allowed himself to shed a few more tears before pulling out a handkerchief and blowing his nose.
Then he stood up. Before catching a nap, he needed to milk the cow, otherwise her udders would become too full and she’d run the risk of infection. He lumbered to the stable as if his feet were made of lead and pulled the door open, his eyes adjusting to the light. What he saw was so unexpected at first he thought he imagined it.
* * *
Trina glanced toward the stable door. She had intended to finish milking Bossy before Seth arrived, but she hadn’t even started. Each time she held out an apple slice, trying to entice the cow to move toward the stanchion, Bossy lifted her head and stuck out her tongue to accept the treat. Trina was so afraid of being bitten she dropped the fruit on the ground. She was down to her last slice when Seth arrived.
Now that the worst of Timothy’s crisis was over, all of the comments Seth made to Trina the previous day came rushing back and she was immediately on guard. Dropping the last piece of apple to the ground, she muttered defensively, “I guess this is one more thing Englischers aren’t good at doing.” She tossed her chin in the air and tried to flounce around him, but he stepped into her path, blocking her exit. In her peripheral vision, she noted his nose and cheeks were red and raw, and his eyes were watery. He looked absolutely miserable.
“Denki, Trina,” he said.
Without looking at him she shrugged and said, “As you can see, I couldn’t even get her to kumme to the stanchion.”
“Well, denki for trying. And denki for saving Timothy from further harm—” Seth’s voice quivered and he swiped his hand across his eyes.
“I didn’t save him. Gott did. All I did was make a phone call—on a cell phone,” she pointed out.
“I’m so grateful you still had the phone.”
Was that his idea of an apology? If he still thought she’d intentionally held onto the phone, his gratitude was meaningless. “I’m glad I had it, too, but I didn’t keep it deliberately, no matter what you think.”
“I believe you and I’m sorry I ever doubted you. And I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I trust you more than anyone. I didn’t realize just how much I trusted you until...until Timothy’s accident. But I trust you with the most important thing in my life—my kinner. I trust you with my family, Trina.”
Now Trina gazed into his eyes. Not so she could read his expression, but so he would have to read hers. “I trusted you with the most important thing in my life, too, Seth. I trusted you with my heart.”
A tear escaped the corner of his eye and then another from his other eye. He pushed them away before soberly promising, “I know you did. And I’m so sorry I didn’t care for your heart as lovingly as you cared for my family. I will do anything to make it right. Please give me another chance to prove I’m trustworthy, Trina. Please don’t leave Willow Creek.”
Despite the seriousness of the moment, Trina snorted. “Ha! Do you really think I’d give up my plan to become Amish because of you?”
Seth looked taken aback.
“I cared about you—I still care—more than any man I’ve ever known, Seth. But I wasn’t becoming Amish because of you and I’m not going to leave the Amish because of you. I’m doing it because I think it’s the best way for me to live out my faith.”
Seth looked chagrined. “I don’t know whether to feel humbled or insulted by that,” he admitted, “but actually, I just feel happy because it means you’re going to stay here.”
“There’s something else you need to know. I was saying goodbye to my father at the diner. But first I wanted him to know I wasn’t holding a grudge and the door to a relationship with me would always be open. I didn’t want to wait until it was too late, the way my groossdaadi waited until it was too late to restore his relationship with my mamm. He waited until it was too late to tell her he loved her.”
His chin quivering noticeably, Seth asked, “If I told you now that I love you, would it be too late?”
Trina c
aught her breath, aching from the near promise in his words. “If you told me now, it wouldn’t be too late—but it would be inappropriate. I’m not Amish. Not yet.”
Seth’s eyes shone a pure pale blue. “Then I guess I’ll just have to wait until you are. And while I’m waiting, I’ll try to become the kind of trustworthy man you can love, too.”
* * *
To Seth’s delight, Trina grinned mischievously and stuck her hand out to shake his. “Deal,” she said.
Her skin was silky but her grasp was strong, just as on the first day he met her, when they were still strangers. “Stay right there,” he said. “I have something for you.”
He ran to his workshop behind the barn and returned with the picture frame, which he had wrapped in brown paper. After opening it, she sighed as she traced the etched sandpipers with her finger.
“It’s to replace the one I broke,” he said nervously, unsure of what she was thinking.
“It’s beautiful. So beautiful,” she murmured and hugged it to her chest. Then she looked at it again and sighed, “But photographs are forbidden.”
“I think in this case, it’s probably alright if you save the photo of you and your mother, as long as it’s not prominently displayed in your parlor or anything.”
“But, Seth, I gave that picture to my daed yesterday, along with the photos from Abe.”
“You did?” Seth was amazed and crushed at the same time. The very day he’d accused Trina of holding on to her Englisch life, she had already given up the most precious Englisch possession she owned.
“But maybe I can use it to frame a certificate listing the years of my mother’s birth and her passing?”
Displaying such certificates was an acceptable practice in the Amish community and Seth agreed, although he felt disappointed, too. “That’s a gut idea, but I really wanted to give you a special place to store your treasured photo.”
“I know you did and I appreciate it. But I’m already storing the image in a special place,” she said, placing her hand over her heart. “It’s right here, next to the love I have for other cherished people in my life.”
Seth nodded. She didn’t have to say anything more. He knew what she meant because he felt exactly the same way.
“I’d better start the milking,” he said. “I was going to get a couple hours of sleep and then head back to the hospital.”
“May I kumme, too?” Trina asked.
“Of course. I’ll even show you how to work the reins on the way, if you’d like.”
“Don’t I need a special license to drive a horse?”
Seth shook his head. “First of all, we don’t call it ‘driving’ a horse. But neh, you don’t need a special li—” Then he realized she was joking and he smiled until his insides throbbed from the sheer joy of having this Englischer as his neighbor.
Epilogue
Usually the convincement process in Willow Creek took at least three or four years, but in Trina’s case, she was baptized into the church the following spring, along with several Amish youth. Afterward, there was a special potluck dinner and then Seth took them all home in his buggy. Even though it wasn’t raining, he dropped Trina off right at her door before taking Martha and the boys home.
Timothy asked, “Will you watch us ride our bikes in the backyard, Daed?” The boys no longer needed training wheels but they were often reckless so Seth preferred they ride on the grass until they gained more control.
“Neh, your daed has to stable the horse and take care of a few other matters. I’ll watch you as long as you don’t do any of those narrish stunts,” Martha said. “Just because Trina bought you helmets to protect your heads doesn’t mean you can’t break your arm. We can’t have that happening again.”
She winked at Seth, who shot her a grateful look, knowing she could see his expression. Last year as a Mother’s Day present he’d given her the gift of cataract surgery. Although both he and his grandmother had worried about the procedure, Trina and Ethan encouraged them every step of the way. The surgery had been a success; Martha’s vision was restored, her headaches vanished and there was no slowing her down now.
There was no slowing Seth down today, either. He stabled his horse and raced next door to see Trina. The silver tabby American shorthair kitten the boys had given her as an honorary Mother’s Day gift the previous year had grown into a fourteen-pound cat, thanks in part to Timothy and Tanner constantly supplying it with cream. Named Tabitha by the boys, the cat lounged on the porch railing and flicked her tail as Seth climbed the steps. When she wanted to, Tabitha could be a really good mouser, but apparently, she didn’t want to at the moment. Either that, or she’d already completely rid Trina’s house of mice.
It seemed to take Trina an eon to open the door after Seth knocked. When she did, he beheld her luminous eyes and was momentarily lost in their beauty, unable to speak. But then language returned to him and he couldn’t express himself quickly enough, saying all of the things he’d been prohibited from saying until this moment.
“Trina, I love you. Wholeheartedly and unconditionally, with everything in me, I love you. Not only do I love you, I’m in love with you.”
“I’m in love with you, too, Seth,” she answered, her words tripping over his as if she, too, could no longer contain her emotion. “I always believed in romantic love as a concept, as something necessary for marriage. But until I met you, I never experienced the fullness of being in love. I never experienced—”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence because Seth pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. “You were right,” he said breathlessly when they pulled away.
Her eyes were shining. “About what?”
“That was worth the wait.” He drew her to him and kissed her again, this time softly and slowly, reluctantly parting only to say, “But I don’t ever want to wait that long again.”
She put her cheek against his and whispered into his ear, “Ach, the Amish are so impatient.” He could feel her face curling into a smile and he smiled, too.
“Does that mean it’s too soon for me to ask if you’ll marry me?”
“Neh, it’s not too soon. Of course I’ll marry you!”
They simultaneously tilted their heads and gracefully found each other’s lips a third time. Then Seth said, “The buwe will be thrilled once we’re married and you’re living with us. And selling your house should be easy, since you already know a gut realtor. Who knows, maybe an Englisch family will move in.”
“Actually, I was thinking if Martha wants to, she could have my house. It would be like living in a daadi haus. She’ll have independence and peace and quiet, yet we’ll be close enough to give her a hand if she needs it.”
“That would be wunderbaar. So, when do you want to get married?”
“Well, Amish wedding season is in the fall, so I’d say sometime in late November? Early December?”
“Since I was already married once, technically, we don’t have to wait until then. We could get married at any time. We could get married tomorrow, if you want to.”
Trina encircled him with her arms. “As much as I’d love that, I’d actually prefer a traditional Amish fall wedding.”
“Okay, if you insist,” Seth said with an exaggerated groan to make her laugh. Then he added, “But if you change your mind and want to get married earlier...”
Trina tapped his nose with her fingertip. “I’m not going to change my mind.”
“I know. You’re always true to your word. It’s one of the many things I love about you.” There was no longer anything prohibiting them from holding hands, so Seth interlaced his fingers with hers and gently tugged her out onto the porch. “Let’s stroll to the creek and on the way I’ll tell you some of the other things...”
* * *
If you liked this story, pick up these
previous books in Carrie Lighte’s
Amish Country Courtships series:
Amish Triplets for Christmas
Anna’s Forgotten Fiancé
An Amish Holiday Wedding
Minding the Amish Baby
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at
www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from His Wyoming Baby Blessing by Jill Kemerer.
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Dear Reader,
Some characters come to life more easily than others. Seth and Trina’s story seemed to flow from my imagination almost as quickly as I could type it. I empathized with Trina as she encountered a different culture and location, and I understood how Seth felt to be in the position of having a new neighbor move in next door. Both situations can be intimidating, awkward and stressful, but they can also provide opportunities for growth, learning and, yes, even love.
I often daydream about what it would be like to live as an Amish person. I admire so many aspects of the Amish lifestyle, especially their emphasis on faith, family and simplicity. (Not to mention their baking abilities!) But I don’t think I’d fare well without electricity and modern transportation. So, for now, I’ll keep learning about the Amish from books and from my travels.
Thank you for reading the Amish Country Courtships miniseries; there’s one more book to come and I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Blessings,
Carrie Lighte
Her New Amish Family Page 18