The Trespasser (Amish Country Brides)

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  “Guess what?” Sadie Ann said.

  Silas grinned. “You made my favorite meal?”

  “Nee.” She’d come close and pressed against him, then whispered in his ear, “Daed.”

  It had taken a couple of seconds for the word to register. He stepped back, her hands in his, and studied her face. She’d been glowing. “I’m going to be…you are…you are in the familye way?”

  She smiled and nodded.

  “Ach, this is the best news!” He bent down and kissed her, his hand resting on her flat stomach. “We have a little one in there right now.” He didn’t know if he’d been trying to convince himself of the fact or if he was just overwhelmed with awe. Perhaps it had been a little bit of both.

  He couldn’t help it when tears surfaced. A boppli. A testament to their love.

  A knock on the door from the main house snapped him out of his reverie. He realized he had tears in his eyes, even now. He quickly erased their existence, then opened the door.

  Paul stood on the other side, a goofy grin on his face. He waltzed in and closed the door behind him. “Alright, bruder.” He plopped down on Silas’s loveseat. “Spill it.”

  Silas shook his head. Apparently, his brother was not going to give up.

  “Come on. Every last detail.”

  “I’m not telling you anything,” Silas insisted.

  “Ach, so there is something to tell! I knew it.”

  “Nee, there’s nothing to tell.”

  “Right. That’s why a twenty-minute round-trip took you two hours.” His knowing eyes demanded truth. “I’m wondering what you did with the other hour and a half.”

  “I think your math’s a little off.”

  “My point is the same.” He crossed his arms firmly over his chest.

  Silas shrugged nonchalantly. “We talked.”

  Paul’s brow shot up. “Talked, huh? And that’s it?”

  “Nee. We prayed too. Kayla accepted Christ.” Perhaps shifting the conversation would get his brother’s thoughts going in a different direction.

  “Uh-huh. Did you kiss her?”

  It hadn’t worked.

  Heat crept up his neck. He wasn’t about to share his love life with his little brother. He attempted to keep a straight face. “This conversation is over.” He stood and walked to the door.

  “I knew it!”

  “You know nothing.”

  “If you didn’t kiss her, you would have just said so.”

  “Out. Now.” Silas insisted.

  Paul shook his head, not bothering to mask his huge grin. “Mei bruder’s in lieb with an Englischer.”

  Silas closed the door on his words.

  Jah, they were true. But it was still none of Paul’s business.

  He glanced around the room one more time before heading to bed. Jah, he was ready to make more gut memories—whether it be here in this dawdi haus or in a place of his own.

  ~

  As soon as Silas heard Kayla’s car pull into the driveway, he looked up at the clock on the shop wall. Close enough to lunchtime. He dropped the leather reins he’d been repairing and hurried toward the house.

  Apparently, Paul had been a step behind him. “What’s your hurry, bruder?”

  “Don’t you ever mind your own business?”

  “Lunch is my business.”

  “Mine too.”

  “Jah.” Paul chuckled. “And you coming to the house the minute she shows up has nothing to do with it?”

  “You’re here too.”

  “Jah, I want to watch the show.”

  Silas grunted.

  Paul opened the door and motioned Silas in. “After you, lover boy.”

  Silas felt like tackling his brother to the ground. Perhaps it would have been better just to stay in the barn.

  “Oh, good, you two are here,” Mamm said as they entered. “I was just about to send Martha out to fetch you.”

  “Is lunch ready?” Paul asked.

  “Jah. And Kayla and Bailey will be joining us today.” Martha locked eyes with Silas.

  Oh, no. Not her too.

  Silas and Paul stopped at the mudroom to wash their hands. Silas surveyed the room until his gaze landed on Kayla.

  “Jah. Kayla said she’d planned to go into town for shopping. I asked her to stop by to see if you and Mamm wanted to go along.” Silas dried his hands, then he and Paul moved to the table to sit down.

  “How thoughtful.” Silas didn’t miss the sarcasm in Paul’s voice.

  He elbowed his brother.

  Mamm looked to Kayla. “We could use a trip to the store.”

  “It’s no problem.” Kayla smiled. “I’m happy to have you come along if you’d like.”

  The ladies all took their seats as well and they bowed their heads for the silent prayer.

  Kayla took Bailey’s hand and encouraged her dochder to bow her head too. He wondered if Kayla ever prayed with the little one. Perhaps that was something Silas could incorporate into their lives.

  “Is Emily at school?” Bailey asked after the prayer was over.

  “Jah. She will be home about three. After we come back from grocery shopping,” Martha said.

  “Mommy, can I play with Emily when she gets home?”

  “May I,” Kayla corrected. “And that would be up to Mrs. Miller. She might have plans for Emily.”

  Mamm spoke up. “You may help Emily wash the eggs and gather laundry from the line.”

  “That sounds like fun.” Bailey smiled, then looked to Kayla. “Mommy, can I…may I stay here and help Mr. Silas instead of going shopping?”

  Paul’s arm deliberately rubbed Silas’s.

  Silas ignored him.

  “I don’t know, sweetheart.” She shared glances with Silas. “I’m sure Mr. Silas probably has a lot of work to do. It’s probably better if you just come with us.”

  “But I love Mr. Silas. I want him to be my daddy.”

  Silas began violently choking on his drink of water. Paul pounded his back. The diversion didn’t help the situation, though. Each of his family members stared at him in shock. Mamm didn’t look happy.

  “Bailey,” Kayla warned, shaking her head. “We can talk about that later.”

  “But Mr. Silas was kissing you, Mommy. That means you have to get married, right?”

  Silas closed his eyes for a moment. His heartbeat raced. Ach, this was not gut at all.

  “Oh, did he?” Paul’s amused voice asked. He turned to Silas and stared, the corner of his lips raised in a satisfied smirk.

  Ach.

  “Yep. For a lo-o-o-ong time.” Bailey volunteered.

  Paul’s finger poked into his side.

  “Bailey!” Kayla’s voice was clearly flustered. “That’s private. We don’t talk about those things. Especially not in front of other people.”

  Silas peeked at her. Jah, her face was probably just as pink as his own must be.

  “Okay, Mommy.” Bailey turned quiet. Silas half felt bad for her.

  “I’m sorry,” Kayla said. “She doesn’t seem to have a filter.”

  “Oh, no.” Paul chuckled. “She can talk as much as she wants.”

  Silas rammed his brother under the table with his knee, gritting his teeth together. Did he have any idea how much this conversation would upset Mamm?

  “Paul, nee,” their mother reprimanded. She speared Silas with a look that could kill.

  Ach, he would have some explaining to do. He’d likely be banned from ever seeing Kayla again.

  Although he respected his mother, that didn’t mean he’d honor her wishes. He was a grown man capable of making his own decisions.

  ~

  Kayla could have died. She really needed to have a talk with Bailey.

  She sighed. Of course, she couldn’t blame a five-year-old for their situation. No, that had been her own fault. If she had any idea that Bailey would have walked in while she and Silas had been kissing, she never would have initiated it.

  She wished she could
understand the exchange going on between Silas and his mother at the moment, but she guessed they spoke in another language for a reason. She was unsure whether they were obscuring the conversation from her or Bailey. Or perhaps both?

  His siblings seemed to be listening intently, but his brother wore an amused expression. Paul turned to her and winked.

  Kayla shook her head, then looked away. No doubt his brother was a mischievous sort. He apparently lived to tease his older brother. Poor Silas.

  She wished they could take a walk and talk about what had just happened, but the likelihood of that occurring now was slim. No, she guessed they would be watched like hawks from now on. No chance of discussing anything.

  If his mother hadn’t been worried before, she was definitely worried now. No doubt she thought Kayla would steal Silas away from his faith and cause him to be shunned. She hated causing turmoil for this family.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Kayla blew out a breath as the four females—herself, Bailey, Mrs. Miller, and Martha—headed toward the town of Madison. Martha spoke with Bailey in the backseat, answering her many questions and teaching her Amish words.

  Kayla glanced at Mrs. Miller in the passenger’s seat, sitting ramrod straight with a frown etched deep in her face. No doubt she was upset about the exchange at the lunch table. Kayla couldn’t blame her. Although she had nowhere near the experience of this older woman, she could imagine what it would be like if some strange boy waltzed in and swept Bailey off her feet in a few years. Kissing her after just having known him a few days.

  “What are your intentions toward my son?” Silas’s mother demanded. Kayla sensed the hostility in her voice.

  She kept her voice low, hoping Mrs. Miller would do the same. It was better if Bailey didn’t hear this conversation. Fortunately, she seemed wrapped up in her own conversation with Martha. “I…I don’t really have any intentions. I mean, Silas is a good friend, and I do care for him.”

  “He has had his heart broken. His wife died. I’m guessing he’s already told you of this?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “She was Amish.” She folded her hands in her lap. “You and Silas are not good together.”

  She frowned. “Why not?”

  “You are Englisch. You do not know our ways.”

  “But I could learn them.” She sighed. “I care deeply for your son. I’m willing to try to become Amish.”

  “Try? You do not know what you are saying. Englischers do not just become Amish.”

  Honestly, the woman’s words hurt. No, she didn’t know much about their faith and lifestyle, but wasn’t the fact that she’d said she’d be willing to learn enough? “What would it take?”

  His mother shook her head. “It will not work. You have a child out-of-wedlock. You would not even be permitted to marry mei sohn.”

  “Don’t the Amish believe in forgiveness? In second chances?”

  “If you cause Silas to jump the fence, you will ruin his life.”

  Wow. She got the feeling that his mother really didn’t like her. “Silas is an adult. I think he should be able to make up his own mind.”

  “Spoken like a true Englischer. The Amish do not just do whatever ‘feels’ right. Our people submit to our leaders. We follow the Ordnung. This will not change for you. Silas is a strong Amish man. You will not sway his loyalties.”

  If her words were true, she wouldn’t be this worried. “I don’t understand why you are so against me.”

  “You are trying to ruin my son’s life.”

  Is that what she truly thought?

  “No, I’m not.” Kayla felt like crying, but she wouldn’t.

  “Then leave him be. Love is not selfish. It does what is right for the other person.”

  “Silas said he thought that it was God’s will to care for me and Bailey.”

  “My son is not thinking correctly. No doubt his mind is ferhoodled. It is clear it is lust that leads him, not Gott.”

  The comment felt like a slap across the face, but Kayla tried not to let it faze her. “I assure you, Mrs. Miller, that I don’t mean Silas harm. I know you disagree with me, but I think Silas and I could have a good life together if given the opportunity.”

  “The leaders will not approve it.”

  She tried to empathize with Silas’s mother. But she found it really difficult, seeing as his mother was so dead-set against their relationship. Would she sway Silas? Would he change his mind about them? Kayla hoped not. Because she’d never met anyone like Silas—someone willing to meet her and Bailey’s needs even if it meant causing conflict amongst his family and community. Someone caring, selfless, kind, and a whole slew of other positive adjectives. And he was so very handsome. She wondered, though, if it was his looks or who he was that made him attractive to her. She guessed it was probably a mixture of the two.

  Mrs. Miller wasn’t about to dissuade her. Nee, if anything, she was even more determined to make their relationship work.

  ~

  “Nothing happened, huh?” Paul smirked, lightly pushing Silas’s shoulder from behind.

  Silas grunted.

  “So…not just kissing, but kissing for a lo-o-o-ong time?” Paul imitated Bailey. “Wow, brother, I didn’t even know you had it in you.” He laughed.

  Silas stopped in place, causing Paul to run into him. “Lay off, Paul. What happens between me and Kayla is our business. Not yours. Not Mamm’s. Nobody’s. Got it?”

  “What are you going to do, bruder? The woman is Englisch.”

  Silas turned around now. Tears burned the back of his eyes. “Do you think I don’t know that?”

  “Hey, calm down. I’m teasing.”

  “I love her. I want to marry her.” Saying the words somehow brought an ache to his heart.

  “What? You’ve known her for like two days. You better think that one through.”

  “I have. I’ve thought about it. Prayed about it. Searched the Scriptures. All I see is confirmation.”

  “How is that? Mamm’s about to pull her hair out.”

  “I don’t need Mamm’s approval.”

  “No. But you do need the leaders’. And good luck with that.”

  “I only need God’s approval.”

  “So…what? You’re just going to jump the fence? Turn your back on your family and the g’may? Leave your entire life because of this woman?”

  “Nee. Der Herr will make a way.”

  “How?”

  “I do not know yet.”

  “Silas, you have already been baptized into the church. You must marry an Amish woman.” Paul frowned. “Is…is she a widow?”

  “Nee. She’s never been married.”

  “You know that she will not be permitted to marry you. Even if they allow her to become part of the g’may, you cannot marry a woman who has conceived a boppli with no husband. You know it is not done here. They will not change the Ordnung for you.”

  Silas stared at his brother. “I can go to an Englisch judge and get married. Today.”

  “But you won’t. Right?”

  Silas shrugged.

  “Silas. Nee, you need to think about this.” Paul’s voice rattled with emotion. “Silas, please. Don’t leave your family.”

  Ach, he’d never seen his brother so riled up. He almost made Silas believe he’d miss him if he left. That was a shocker. Silas squeezed his brother’s shoulder. “I do not plan to leave…but I may have to.”

  “Nee.” Paul stomped off toward the house.

  Silas decided it would be better to just let him be alone. He swallowed the lump in his throat. His brother had always acted so tough. Who knew that the thought of his older brother leaving could shake him up?

  “Whatever happens, Gott, please be with my baby brother,” he whispered. “And my family.”

  He didn’t know how this was all going to play out, but he did know one thing. He needed to speak with the bishop as soon as possible. And he needed to pray.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN


  Silas had been out working when the women returned from the store. He’d expected Kayla to stay a while so Bailey and Emily would have a chance to play like they’d talked about earlier. But for some reason, she left without even seeking him out to say goodbye.

  And that worried him.

  Had it been a bad idea to suggest Mamm and Martha ride with her to the store? Of course, he hadn’t known that his secrets would spill out of the little one’s mouth just prior to their departure. Had Mamm said something to Kayla? Is that why she’d left in a hurry?

  What if she’d gone back to the Yoders’ place and was packing her things at this very moment? Silas’s heart clenched.

  He had no contact information for her. If she left now, he’d likely never see her and Bailey again. That couldn’t happen. He had made a commitment to care for them—he’d been sure and certain it was a calling from Der Herr.

  He needed to at least go check on them. Talk to Kayla. Make sure everything was all right.

  It only took a couple of minutes to hitch up Strider. As he headed out from the barn, Mamm stepped out of the house. He pulled the reins tight when he came near where she stood.

  “Where are you going?” His mother’s expression conveyed her worry.

  “To see Kayla.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t.”

  “I know. But I must.” He scratched his beard. “How did the shopping trip go?”

  She shrugged. “We got what we needed.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Did Kayla have a gut time with you and Martha?”

  “I don’t suppose so.”

  Silas ground his teeth together. “Why not? Did you say something to her?”

  Mamm stood straight. “Only the truth.”

  “Which is?”

  “She is not a gut match for you. She will not be accepted into our fellowship.”

  Silas’s heart sank. How could his mother say such hurtful things? And to sweet Kayla, no less?

  He shook his head and bit back his uncharitable retort. Instead, he lifted the reins and kissed for Strider to trot out of the driveway. The sooner he left, the better.

  “Supper will be ready at six,” his mother called out.

  It was the last place he wanted to be today. He wouldn’t be joining his family for supper tonight. In fact, he didn’t know if he’d be returning tonight at all.