by Sarah Price
Sadie felt light-headed and faint. She could clearly envision the majestic buck she’d had the privilege of watching just two weeks ago. Another wave of nausea washed over her, and she knew that the color had all but drained from her face.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said in a hushed voice, “I need some fresh air.” She didn’t wait for anyone to say anything before she quickly slipped away.
Outside, Sadie stood on the front stoop, leaning against the beadboard of the house. She shut her eyes and took deep breaths, willing herself not to cry over the buck. Surely it had to be the same one. And her heart broke even further at the thought that it might have trusted the presence of John Rabor, because she had caused it no harm when she had observed it.
Oh, the cruelty of man, she thought bitterly. When there was so much food readily available, why did men like John Rabor insist on killing such beautiful creatures? There wasn’t an abundance of deer in the area and now, to her dismay, there was one less.
“We meet again,” a voice whispered behind her.
Startled, Sadie turned around and saw Frederick standing in the open doorway. The color rose to her cheeks and she took a small step backward. “You frightened me.”
He pressed his hand against his chest. “For that, I apologize. I didn’t intend to catch you off guard.” But no sooner had the words left his lips than she noticed a little sparkle in his eyes that told her otherwise.
“I wasn’t aware that you knew Belle or Adam Hershberger.” At first, Sadie hadn’t thought that Frederick would be attending the service and ceremony, as he lived outside their district. But over three hundred people had filled the small house, so she hadn’t been that surprised to see him across the room earlier. Secretly, she’d wished that he might talk with her. And now, her wish had been answered. He looked most attractive in his Sunday best, and she was certain that Drusilla would feel the same. Frederick gave a little shrug of his shoulder. “Anna Rose mentioned there was a wedding today. I’ve met Belle’s daed once or twice, and when I stopped in to visit him last week, he invited me. He tried to sell my own daed a grill that he made.”
“Did he buy it?”
“The grill?” Frederick shook his head. “Nee, he did not. We already have one, although it’s not as fancy as what Melvin created.”
Sadie knew that had been part of the problem with Melvin Beiler. No one wanted to buy his inventions, not just because they already owned similar devices but because most Amish people avoided fancy things. That was one of the reasons Melvin hadn’t been able to keep up with the mortgage payments and Belle had been forced to marry Adam.
She sighed and glanced around the room, looking for Belle.
“I’d like to ask you a question, Sadie.”
She returned her attention to Frederick, wondering what he could possibly want to ask her.
He leaned down and lowered his voice. “I’ve concluded that this is a most unconventional wedding.”
Though Sadie couldn’t agree more, her curiosity was piqued. “That’s not really a question,” she observed, “but I am curious as to why you would say that.”
His eyes sparkled. “The groom left, and the bride remains.”
She was glad he hadn’t brought up the fact that Belle hardly knew Adam and wasn’t in love with him. “So what’s your question then?”
“Because it is an unconventional wedding, I thought I, too, would do something out of the ordinary.”
“Oh?”
With a very serious expression, he nodded. “Indeed.”
“And what is that?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“I would like your permission to take you home, and, from the looks of things, perhaps sooner rather than later.”
He had, once again, caught her off guard.
Most weddings went on for hours, well into the evening. However, she suspected that this would not be the case today. While the tables seemed plentiful—Sadie couldn’t help but wonder where all the food had come from—there was a heaviness in the air that suffocated the typical joy of most wedding celebrations.
“Why sooner rather than later?” she heard herself ask, realizing too late that she hadn’t answered his question.
He gestured toward where Belle sat alone at the eck table; the place beside her, where her groom was supposed to sit, remained empty. She also noticed that the young unmarried adults, who were supposed to be partnered up, were not following custom. No one was certain what to do or how to behave.
It was, indeed, unconventional.
“I imagine once everyone is finished eating, they will quietly leave,” Frederick said in a soft voice. “So, I thought we might go up and say a kind word to Belle, then slip out the back door. No one would be the wiser and . . .” His voice trailed off, his sentence unfinished.
“And what?” Sadie asked.
He took a deep breath and studied her face, his gaze soft and gentle. “To be truthful, I would not have come except that I wanted to see you again. So, given the current mood in the room, I’d much prefer taking a nice, leisurely buggy ride rather than staying here among so many morose people on what should’ve been a day of enormous joy.”
His words touched her. It was true that the guests seemed to be milling about, uncertain of what traditions to follow when so many had already been broken. But the food looked wonderful and Sadie had intended to offer her help cleaning up.
“I haven’t eaten yet,” she said. “Have you?”
Frederick’s lips twitched, and he smiled in a secretive sort of way. “I have not,” he admitted. “But Anna Rose made two plates and put them in a basket for us. We can have a picnic.”
Sadie caught her breath. Us? Had he been so convinced that she would agree to sneak out with him? And yet, one look at those sparkling blue eyes convinced Sadie that there was no possible response but to say yes. Frederick might be clever and shrewd, but he was not at all malicious. Of that, she was sure and certain. No, he was being a perfect gentleman and his intentions seemed pure.
“A picnic sounds like a fine way to spend the rest of the afternoon,” Sadie said with a lighthearted feeling she hadn’t experienced in a great while.
Chapter Ten
Sadie felt wonderfully carefree as Frederick helped her step into his buggy. Sure enough, as she glanced around, she caught sight of a wicker basket and a red plaid blanket sitting on the back seat. Clearly Frederick had planned this excursion, and that thought alone made her feel warm inside, despite the cool weather.
He climbed into the other side of the buggy and sat beside her. “Ready?” he asked as he released the foot brake and reached for the reins.
Nodding, Sadie leaned back against the seat, feeling the buggy jolt forward. The wheels crunched over the gravel driveway, and when they turned onto the road, there was a creaking noise as one of them hit the rub iron, the piece of metal on the side of the buggy that helped keep it from overturning.
“So . . .” Frederick started. but didn’t finish the sentence.
“So?”
“So where is a nice place to go sit a spell? As you know, I’m not very familiar with Echo Creek. This part, anyway.”
Sadie pursed her lips and thought about it for a bit. The only place she could think of was the swimming hole on the edge of town. The creek that fed it was the same one that meandered behind town and led to her own father’s farm.
She pointed toward a narrow dirt lane. “Turn there if you can, but be careful. I’ve never seen a buggy travel on the track before.”
Frederick leaned forward as if assessing the lane. “Looks wide enough. Is there a turnaround?”
“Ja, near the swimming hole.”
“Perfect,” he said cheerfully. “Once again, we shall head toward the water.”
The buggy rolled down the lane and, except for a few small rocks in the path, it barely jostled at all. Upon reaching the clearing, Frederick pulled back on the reins and pressed the foot brake.
Without being asked, Sadie cli
mbed out and held the horse by the bridle until Frederick could secure the tether to the low branch of a nearby tree.
“There!” He wiped his hands on his pants as he finished up. “This is a wunderbarr spot, Sadie Whitaker. Do you come here often?”
“Nee, not often. It’s too far from my own haus. But sometimes Belle, Ella, and I come here in the summer when we visit Ella. Her haus is just on the other side of the road.”
“It does get rather busy during the autumn on a farm, doesn’t it?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around. His eyes fell upon a large flat rock. “Ah, there’s the perfect spot. Let me fetch the basket and blanket.”
She watched as he jogged back to the buggy, half of his body disappearing through the open door. When he reemerged, he had the blanket over his arm and was carrying the basket with his other hand.
Eyeing him suspiciously, Sadie couldn’t help but ask, “Do you always come prepared to picnic?”
Laughing, he walked past her and set down the basket on the flat part of the rock. Sadie joined him, and then they each took one end of the blanket and spread it out on the ground. “Nee, I do not, Sadie. Except when I’m hopeful of meeting up with a particular young woman.”
“Does that happen often?”
“This is the first time.”
Sadie didn’t know how to react to his words. She looked over at the water, feeling flustered, nervous, and happy all at once.
Frederick knelt on the blanket and lifted the lid of the wicker basket. “Let’s see what Anna Rose packed in here for us.”
“I feel a little guilty for not having stayed at the wedding reception,” Sadie confessed. “Poor Belle.”
At her words, Frederick looked up at her. “Why poor Belle?”
His question startled her. Hadn’t he been present when Adam left right after the ceremony? Perhaps he had arrived after the bishop had ordained the marriage with his final blessing? But then she remembered that he had been the one who had pointed out that the wedding was rather unusual. “Unconventional” had been his exact word.
“Why, you know that her new husband left just moments after the ceremony ended!”
He took a deep breath. “I suppose I don’t blame him.”
Sadie gasped.
“Now hear me out,” Frederick said quickly, raising his hand as if to stop her from judging him and his words. “From what little I know about him, Adam Hershberger has not been treated kindly by the good people of Echo Creek. I suppose he could have opted for a small, private wedding, but it appears that he did not. I’d imagine that was because of your friend, Belle. Doesn’t every young woman want to have a large wedding with her family and friends around her? And”—he paused as he lifted a plate from the basket—“from the looks of it, Adam provided quite a feast.”
When Frederick set down the plate, Sadie was surprised by the variety of food that Anna Rose had packed for them: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, fresh biscuits, green beans, and sliced ham.
“It seems to me,” Frederick continued, “that Belle’s new husband went to great lengths to take care of his new wife, even if he chose to not stay and enjoy the wedding feast. Mayhaps he simply didn’t want to be the focus of whispered discussions.”
Sadie hadn’t thought of it that way. “You certainly are looking at both sides of the question.”
While she had never been one to participate in the spreading of rumors, she knew that she had not stopped others from doing so. She said a silent prayer to God, asking him to forgive her for not having stood up to the wagging tongues of people in Echo Creek.
And then she said a silent prayer thanking God for having put Frederick into her life. He had just taught her a very valuable lesson. Surely, she had needed that reminder.
While she was focused on her thoughts Frederick continued unpacking their little feast. “Mmm, apple pie for dessert.”
Sadie froze. “Oh no!”
He paused. “Something wrong?”
“I’m allergic to apples.”
Quickly, he slid the plate of pie back into the basket. “So. No apple pie for us today.”
“I’m not that allergic that you can’t enjoy it.”
He gave a little shrug. “How could I possibly enjoy something, knowing it’s harmful to you? That would take away the joy in it for me.”
She laughed. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
After they bowed their heads for a silent prayer of thanks, they began eating their fried chicken and biscuits.
“How long have you known Adam?” Sadie asked before taking a bite of chicken.
“I don’t really.”
Startled by his response, Sadie coughed and had to take a sip of water to clear her throat.
“You okay?”
She nodded and set down the bottle of water. “You showed up at his wedding without ever having met him?” Such an idea surprised her.
Frederick shook his head from side to side. “Well, maybe that’s not true entirely.”
“So you do know him?”
“I suppose you could say that. I met Adam several times at the livestock auction in Liberty Falls. He seemed like a congenial fellow.”
Sadie gawked at him. “You met Adam at an auction? Why, I heard he was so reclusive he never left his farm but a few times a year to get supplies in town.”
“Ja.” He reached for a spoonful of his mashed potatoes. “I sat next to him at the last auction. Daed and I were looking for a new bull for our herd. Seems that Adam was, too.” He took a bite of mashed potatoes and a forkful of carrots. “We got to talking and all. Once you get past the scars on his face, he’s a right gut fellow.” He paused. “In an odd sort of way.”
Sadie was more than curious. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it seems to me that Jesus taught us quite a bit about not judging people. We’re all his children, ja?”
She nodded.
“And while Adam might not be comfortable to look at on the outside, there are many attractive people who wear their ugliness on the inside.” He took a deep breath. “We’re all sinners, Sadie.” He held up his hand in an exaggerated way. “Ja, even you and me, shocking as that might be to consider.”
She laughed.
“In my short life, I’ve learned that outer appearances mean nothing. It’s what’s in here”—he placed his hand over his heart—“that matters the most.”
For a split second, Sadie thought about Rachel. For so many years, Sadie had thought she was a beautiful woman. But when she began noticing how much time Rachel spent caring for her appearance, and harboring jealousy toward others for their youthfulness, Sadie realized that her stepmother cared more about her looks than about what bloomed in her heart. Now, with Rachel being so erratic and moody of late, Sadie realized that what her stepmother carried in her heart did not match the reflection that intrigued her so much in the mirror.
“Is it possible,” Sadie began to ask slowly, “for a person to mask their true self for a long time?”
Frederick picked up a drumstick. “I sure reckon so. Why! Look at all the people in the Bible who did just that. Judas Iscariot is a perfect example. He walked with Jesus, but he was still quick to betray him for bits of silver.”
“Thirty pieces.”
His eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Sadie tried not to smile at the surprised expression that covered his face. “Thirty pieces of silver.” And then she quoted from the Book of Matthew:
“Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.”
Frederick chuckled. “My, my. A woman after my own heart. Not only does she sing like a beautiful little songbird, she knows her Scripture, too.”
She sat up straighter.
Frederick narrowed his eyes in a mischievous sort of way. “Did you kn
ow that Joseph was sold to Egypt as a slave for twenty pieces of silver?”
Sadie hid her smile. “And did you know that Eve sold mankind for one bite of an apple?”
“Ah!” Frederick slapped his hand on his knee. “Got you on that one.”
“How so?”
Frederick cleared his throat dramatically before he, too, began quoting Scripture:
“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”’”
Laughing, Sadie covered her mouth. “Ach! You’re right. It never said an apple. Why, it could have been any fruit, couldn’t it?”
He took another bite of his chicken. “How do you know so much about the Bible?”
She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “How do you know so much about the Bible?”
He shrugged. “I enjoy reading Scripture in my spare time. And, when I was younger, my maem and I always played a game repeating Bible verses to each other.” He paused and looked at Sadie. “I think my maem will like you very much.”
Will. He hadn’t said “would” like you but “will” like you. Did he intend to introduce her to his parents? She could hardly imagine how that would be possible, as they lived too far away to make a one-day trip.
Feeling shy upon this statement, Sadie focused on her plate. However, she found that she no longer had much of an appetite. She didn’t want to make any presumptions about Frederick Keim and his intentions, but she couldn’t help imagining becoming his fraa. Oh, how much she enjoyed his company! She’d never imagined feeling this way, at least not with any of the other young men she knew from Echo Creek.
But she didn’t know much about the rituals of courting and wasn’t sure how everything worked. Without having siblings and with Rachel’s limited experience, Sadie felt as if she were drowning in a sea of uncertainty. Most of her friends, being a bit younger, hadn’t really courted, either, so Sadie couldn’t even turn to them for guidance.