Andrew looked at him. “I appreciate you coming, Peter. It was right nice of you.”
“Sure. I’ve been worried. We all have been.”
“No need. I’m doing better. Each day gets a little easier.”
“We all loved Grace,” Peter said awkwardly, and then regretted his choice of words. Amy was staring at him, and he saw the way her brow had furrowed. She knew that he didn’t really know Grace all that well.
“I’ll go on in and have that glass of lemonade,” Andrew said, nodding at Peter and going inside.
Amy looked up at Peter. “I’m glad you came,” she said softly.
Was she? Was she glad he came?
“Me, too,” he said. Say something, he told himself. Say something before it’s too late…
She was looking at him. He licked his lips. He loved her. He wanted to marry her. Maybe, she would be all right to move into his parents’ home for a while. They certainly wouldn’t be the first Amish newlyweds to do so.
“Can you walk me to the road and maybe a little beyond?” he asked.
She blinked, surprised, and looked down at Susie. “I can,” she said. “I’ll burp Susie and then take her in to her dat. Andrew might enjoy holding her a while. Or Beulah. Unless she’s already gone.”
But Andrew hadn’t seen Beulah leave, so she was surely still inside.
Amy pulled the bottle from the now sleeping baby and put her to her shoulder. He waited while Amy patted Susie on the back, and he heard the child burp.
“I’ll be right back,” she said in a near whisper.
* * *
Amy went inside, careful to keep the screen door from banging. Susie was asleep, and she didn’t want her to wake up and start crying—especially since she wanted Andrew to have some time with her. And if she was fussing, he’d fret.
Andrew looked up when she walked into the front room.
“Would you like to hold her for a bit?” Amy asked. “I, uh, well, I’m going to take a short walk.”
She felt her cheeks color as she said the words. She was embarrassed, and she wasn’t sure why. Did she not want Andrew to know she was walking with Peter? Andrew might guess they were courting, and she wouldn’t like it if he knew.
Of course, these things were kept private, but still, she was living in Andrew’s home. It wouldn’t be unusual if he were to find out.
Andrew gave her a strange look, but then he put on a smile. “Of course. Susie seems quite content right now. Should I put her in her cradle?”
“You can if you like. I just thought you’d enjoy holding her a while.”
He nodded, reaching out his arms. “Jah. That would be nice. Then I’ll be heading out to the fields again.” He suddenly looked flustered, as if realizing that he couldn’t just leave Susie in the house alone if Amy were out. “I mean. Uh, is Beulah still here? I didn’t see her.”
“I don’t know,” Amy said. “I can stay if you like.”
“Nee,” Andrew said quickly. “You go on. I’m fine.”
Amy hesitated. “I… I can be quick.”
Andrew shook his head. “I’m really in no hurry to get back out there. It’s awful hot. I’d rather be inside.”
Amy knew that wasn’t the truth. Andrew was trying to accommodate her. It was sweet of him, but it made her feel ill at ease, just the same. She patted Susie, who was now in his arms.
“I won’t be long,” she said again and slipped out of the room.
Peter was standing at the edge of the porch, waiting for her. He seemed jittery. Amy stifled a smile. His nervousness touched her heart.
“You ready?” he asked.
“I am,” she answered, and they headed down the stairs and across the yard. Peter walked closely by her side. Not close enough to touch, but close enough for her to feel how rattled he was. What was going on?
“You all right?” she asked.
He blinked and looked flustered. “Of course,” he answered. “I’m fine.”
But he didn’t sound fine.
“You seem nervous.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Is everything okay?”
“Jah. Fine.” He cleared his throat but didn’t say anything else.
They walked in silence for a while, and Amy realized that this was just what she needed. She started to relax and let the beauty of the fields and the trees full of chattering birds sink into her soul. The sky above was flawless, its blue stretching from horizon to horizon without a cloud in sight. The heat of the sun penetrated through her kapp, and she breathed deeply. These had been very hard days, and she hadn’t realized just how tense she’d been. This was the first feeling of relaxation she’d felt since Grace… Well, since Grace had died. She wanted to grab Peter’s hand and thank him for coming. Thank him for taking her on a walk.
“How are you doing there?” Peter asked, and his voice sounded strained. “At Andrew’s?”
“I’m doing fine. It makes me… It makes me feel close to Grace,” Amy said, her voice thickening with the tears that seemed to be ever close to the surface. But she didn’t want to talk about that—about Grace or the accident or the funeral. Any of it. She was enjoying herself. “And your family? Anything new?”
His nervousness seemed to kick up a notch. He stopped walking and faced her. “I… Well, there’s something I wanted to say…”
She stopped, too. “All right. What is it?”
He looked around and then grabbed her hand, pulling her under a stand of trees by the side of the road. The leaves and dry soil crunched under her feet. She smiled up at him. This vulnerable side of Peter made her feel so tender toward him. Whatever he wanted to say had to be very important to him. And then her breath caught.
Was this it? Had she been so tired that she hadn’t realized where he was headed? What he going to ask—
“Amy…?” he started.
“Jah?” She could hardly speak now; she was so overcome with anticipation.
“We’ve been seeing each other—courting now—for quite a while. I was waiting…” He coughed and cleared his throat. “I was waiting until I knew for sure more about my future…”
She gulped, not taking her eyes from his.
“But I don’t want to keep you waiting. Do you think… Do you… I mean, will you marry me?” He rushed on. “Not until wedding season, of course. A few months from now. But you do need to know that we’d have to stay with my family at first. I don’t have—”
Amy grabbed his other hand. “Jah,” she interrupted him. “Jah. I will marry you.” She didn’t even think about her answer—she’d waited to be asked for so long now.
A huge smile broke out across his face. “You will?”
She nodded. It had happened. He had finally declared himself. Her mind whirled and strangely she thought of Beulah and her smug expression that afternoon. What is wrong with him? she’d asked. What’s he waiting for? And I’m trying to help you…
Suddenly, Amy wondered whether Peter had come that afternoon with the intention of proposing, or whether Beulah’s not-so-subtle interference had influenced him. But then, what did it matter?
He’d asked.
Finally. He’d asked.
Peter put his arms around her and pulled her close. “Thank you, Amy. I’m right glad.” He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “We can make plans later, when it gets closer to the time.”
“All right.”
“Do you want to tell our folks now?”
Amy smiled at his excitement, but for some reason, she didn’t feel inclined to share the news just yet. “Let’s wait a bit, shall we?”
He grinned. “Sure. That’s fine. We can wait until right before we need to be published and then tell your dat.”
He leaned close then, and she felt his breath flutter over her cheeks. He kissed her cheek and then kissed her forehead. She pressed into him, feeling the tenderness of his touch.
“I love you, Amy,” he whispered.
“I love you, too,” she said. She’d waited to hear those
words from him for months, and now, she had. She pressed a hand to her chest and felt the rapid beating of her heart. So. This was it. She was now engaged. In a few short months, she would be Amy Raber instead of Amy Yoder.
“I’d better get you back,” he said. “And I know Dat and my brothers are likely wondering where I’m at.”
He grabbed her hand again and they started back. His nervousness was now completely gone. In its place was a giddiness that was almost palpable. Amy couldn’t help but smile at him.
“We’re going to have a gut life together, Amy.”
She nodded. “Jah. We are. A gut life.”
When they turned into Andrew’s drive, Amy wondered how Susie was doing. Was Andrew still holding her or had he put her down in her cradle? She hoped Susie was asleep and hadn’t woken up and started fussing.
At the base of the porch steps, Peter picked up his bicycle and straddled it. He smiled at Amy.
“I’ll see you later, then,” he said softly.
“Jah,” she answered. “I’ll see you later then.”
She watched him ride away. When he got to the end of the drive, he stopped and looked back at her. He gave her a wave and then pedaled off down the road. She waved back, even though he could no longer see her.
A gut life together, he’d said.
She smiled. Yes. He was right. They would have a good life together.
And with that thought, she turned and climbed the steps and went back into Andrew’s house.
The End
Continue Reading…
Thank you for reading Amy’s Story #1, Caring for Susie! Amy’s Story #2, Susie’s Mammi, is now ready for you! Here’s a peek for you:
The quilt twisted around Amy Yoder as she tossed and turned in bed. What was the matter with her? She’d just gotten engaged—finally. She should be lying there peacefully, dreaming about her future. But she wasn’t. Her mind was in turmoil.
Was it the grief? Was that what was troubling her? But her best friend Grace had been gone now for nearly a month. She should have adjusted by now. Amy forced herself to lie still, listening. Since Grace’s fall from the barn loft and her death, Amy and her sister Beulah had been staying with Andrew—Grace’s husband—and his newborn baby.
Someone had to stay. Someone had to take care of Andrew’s daughter. Amy sucked in a long breath, listening intently for any sound from the nursery. As far as Amy knew, Grace hadn’t gotten to see her daughter, not even for one split second. The doctors had taken little Susie in an emergency C-section, and then they had let Grace go.
Amy was glad to care for Susie. Indeed, Susie was like her own child now. Maybe soon, after she and Peter Raber got married, Amy would have her own child. That was the way of things, and Amish families usually didn’t tarry long in bringing babies into the family.
“Stop flopping about,” Beulah groaned from her side of the bed. “I can’t sleep a wink with you over there moving about like a frolicking colt.”
“Sorry,” Amy replied, trying to get comfortable. “Did you hear Susie cry?” she asked, raising herself onto her elbow.
“Augh,” Beulah groaned again. “I didn’t hear a thing. Go to sleep.”
“Nee,” Amy said, now sitting up in bed. “I’m sure I heard something.”
The dim light of the moon filtered through the window, and Amy saw Beulah bury her head under her pillow. With a sigh, Amy swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. She crept out of the room and across the hall to the nursery and listened at the door. Nothing. She heard nothing.
Beulah had been right. She turned to retreat back to their room when she heard a thin cry.
“A-ha,” Amy said, vindicated. “I knew I heard something.”
She pushed through the half-open door and padded across the room to the cradle. Susie was making loud sucking noises now. Amy reached into the cradle and picked her up, breathing in the sweet scent of baby.
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About the Author
I am blessed to live in part-time in Indiana, a state I share with many Amish communities, and part-time in Costa Rica. One of my favorite activities is exploring other cultures. My husband, Paul, and I have two grown children and five precious grandchildren. I love to hole up in our lake cabin and write. You’ll also often find me walking the shores by the sea. Happy Reading !
www.ticahousepublishing.com
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