Amish Dreams (Amish Romance)

by Hannah Schrock

  “Hullo, Daed.”

  “How are things at the Yoders’?”

  “Peter’s hand is healing. I only need to help him tomorrow, then we’re done,” Noah said, knowing that was what his father was actually asking.

  “That’s gut to hear,” his father smiled as they walked into the barn side by side. He didn’t even see the frown that creased Peter’s brow as he followed his father.

  If there was one thing that Noah had learned over the last few days it was that he had found his vocation. He wanted to be a carpenter, he wanted to work with wood and be responsible for creations that lasted. He enjoyed working with the cows, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

  Before he could even approach the subject with his parents, he needed to make sure Peter was willing to take on an apprentice. Being an apprentice meant low wages but brought a great learning opportunity. Noah took a seat on the milking stool and started milking the first cow of many, wondering if he would ever have the courage to ask.

  As he milked the cow, he quietly prayed.

  Gott, please guide me on this journey we call life. Let me not repeat foolish mistakes by making more assumptions about others. Give me a sign, anything to show me that I should talk to my parents, and that I should pursue becoming a carpenter. I don’t want to let my parents down, but I don’t want to let myself down either. Being a carpenter is a humble vocation, one I think I would really enjoy. Please Gott, send me a sign. Amen

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  New Beginnings

  Sunday evening cam and Ruth’s nerves were frayed at the edges. Noah had kept his part of the deal and finished the kist for her father in only five days. Of course her father would have finished it in three, but for a novice it was a great achievement, especially since he only came to help in the afternoons.

  Her father was blossoming at the thought of starting his new carpentry business and Ruth couldn’t help but share his excitement. His eyes did hold the same sadness as they had over the last year, but only briefly a few times a day.

  She knew the reason for her nerves wasn’t the buggy ride she had promised Noah, it was because she would have no friends there. The two women she had met at the barbeque wouldn’t be there, which meant Ruth wouldn’t know anyone. She wasn’t usually shy, but the thought of attending a social event with strangers made her a little antsy.

  After making sure her father was settled in for the night with sandwiches and a flask of kaffe, she headed to the singing. Her father’s hand was healing nicely, even better than Ruth had expected. The cut had almost completely closed up and all that was left now was for him to take things easy so that the healing process could continue.

  She arrived at the singing a little later than the others and was grateful to head straight into the barn instead of standing outside hoping someone would approach her. She noticed Noah on the other end of the table and returned his smile when he spotted her.

  Ruth wasn’t sure why, but whenever she looked at Noah, she had a feeling her future was falling into place. As if he would be a great part of her future. Her mother had always said when you knew you knew, and Ruth wasn’t sure if she was feeling this way because she liked Noah or because it was as her mother had said.

  A girl with dark brown curls escaping her kapp, evading all her attempts to hide them back beneath her prayer kapp, took a seat beside Ruth. Her smile was as rambunctious as her hair. Before Ruth could form a sentence by way of introduction, the girl turned to her. “Hullo. I haven’t seen you around before. Wait, I did, at Eli’s barbeque. You’re Peter Yoder’s dochder, aren’t you? That would make you Eli’s niece. I’m Rachel Brahms. What’s your name?”

  Ruth couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled from her throat. “Jah, you’re right. I’m Eli’s niece. It’s nice to meet you, Rachel Brahms. I’m Ruth Yoder.”

  “Gut, welcome to our community, Ruth. If I heard correctly from my mamm, you recently moved here from Ohio. What was it like there, was your ordnung new order?”

  Ruth shook her head, instantly liking the curious girl, “Nee, it was old order. We’ve been here for a couple of months now.”

  “Adjusting well?” Rachel whispered when everyone started to quiet down.

  “Jah, very well, denke.” Ruth smiled as the first hymn for the night was announced. She cringed remembering she had been in such a flurry of nerves she had completely forgotten to bring her ausband.

  “Forgot your ausband?” Rachel asked as if reading her mind.

  “Jah,” Ruth sighed, shaking her head.

  “That’s all right, you can share mine,” Rachel put her ausband between them and they started singing together. Rachel’s voice was just as sweet as her smile, Ruth thought as she listened closely.

  She caught Noah’s eye across the table and felt the familiar flutter of nerves in her belly. Why hasn’t he courted up to now? Obviously there were a few very nice girls in their community, so why hadn’t he found one to court yet?

  They sang for thirty minutes before they broke for snacks and conversation. Rachel took it upon herself to introduce Ruth to most of the girls. What she had thought would be a night of hiding in the shadows turned into a feast of introductions, and by the end of the singing Ruth felt very much part of the community.

  She waved Rachel goodbye when she joined a fair-headed boy in his buggy. It was then that she felt a hand on her elbow. “I believe you owe me a ride.”

  His voice was low enough for only Ruth to hear and yet it still sent chills up her spine. She turned around with a smile. “I always keep my word.”

  “Then come on, I’ve been looking forward to this all week,” Noah revealed with a broad smile.

  Together they walked to his buggy, greeting a few people on the way. His horse was as black as the night, nodding his head as if to welcome them back. Ruth giggled, “He seems friendly.”

  “Oh he is, especially because he knows I give him carrots when we get home.”

  “So you spoil him?” Ruth asked, feigning disapproval.

  Noah shrugged, helping her into the buggy, “It’s not spoiling if you love something.”

  Ruth pursed her lips, nodding as Noah took the reins. Would he spoil his wife one day, too?

  “I have a confession to make,” Noah said seriously as soon as they turned onto the road leading home. It wasn’t a long ride and Ruth wished he wouldn’t head straight home. “Before I do, I need to warn you we’re taking a detour.”

  Ruth nodded. She was grateful she had brought her coat, although it wasn’t cold enough to complain about the chill in the air. She smiled at Noah, waiting for him to make his confession.

  “When you first arrived here I was foolish enough to make assumptions that might just have caused us never to take this ride.”

  “What assumptions?” Ruth asked, confused.

  Noah sighed, shaking his head before looking at her with a glint of mischief in his eyes, “I thought your father was your husband. During the first two weeks of knowing you, I thought he married you after his wife passed and that’s why you both looked so sad. I didn’t realize… or rather, I didn’t ask for clarification.”

  Ruth burst out laughing at his revelation. Thinking back she realized she never introduced her father as such and it was an easy mistake to make, but still… “He’s literally old enough to be my father?”

  “I know,” Noah laughed as well. “I just thought maybe you needed to marry him, or to come to Ohio with him. My mind thought up all sorts of different reasons why you would agree to marry a mann twice your age.”

  Ruth laughed again, “Noah, you’re something else, you know that. Anyone else would have kept their misguided assumption to themselves.”

  “I don’t want any secrets between us, Ruth, because I hope tonight isn’t the last time you’ll ride with me.”

  The words hung thick in the air between them, Ruth’s heart fluttered in her chest as she smiled at Noah in the moonlight, “I hope not, too.”

>   “I really enjoyed working with your daed this past week.”

  “He enjoyed working with you. Ach Noah, I don’t know how to explain, but it’s like he doesn’t spend every minute thinking of Mamm anymore. Like he’s beginning to think of a future again.”

  “It must have been very hard,” Noah shook his head. “Losing your mamm.”

  Ruth swallowed back the emotions that rose every time she thought of her mother buried back in Ohio. “It was. They loved each other so much, Noah. Like they couldn’t stand the thought of being apart. That’s why I agreed it was best for us to move. There were too many memories in Ohio that reminded him.”

  “Were there any boys in Ohio?” Noah asked with a crooked smile.

  Ruth giggled, shaking her head, “Nee. I’ve actually never attended a singing before tonight. Mamm got ill soon after I returned from rumspringa. I took care of her and didn’t have any interest in courting while I did.”

  “And now?” Noah stopped the buggy in front of their haus and Ruth could hardly believe an hour had already passed since they left the singing.

  She debated being dishonest but decided against it. She smiled at Noah and took a deep breath. “Now, I might say there is a slight interest.”

  Noah beamed as he jumped out of the buggy and moved around to her side. He held out his hand for her and Ruth took it. His hands were calloused and warm, the hands of a hardworking mann. “I’m very glad to hear that, Ruth Yoder.”

  Ruth climbed out of the buggy, hesitant for the evening to end just yet. For a moment they stood in the moonlight still holding hands until an owl hooted in the distance. “That’s probably my queue to head home.”

  Ruth nodded, “Denki Noah, for the ride and for Daed.”

  “What did I say about you thanking me, Ruth?” Noah asked with a cocked brow.

  Ruth laughed, “That I shouldn’t. Either way, I appreciate it.”

  “Gut. Do I need to put in more hours with your father before next singing to make sure you ride with me again?”

  This time it was Ruth who offered a crooked smile, “Nee, I’ll ride with you.”

  She watched Noah’s buggy ride off into the darkness, the sound of hooves becoming softer and softer with the distance. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she glanced up at the stars.

  “Denke, Gott,” she whispered before heading inside. She knew sleep wouldn’t come easily and that she would spend the rest of the night thinking about Noah Fischer.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Silent Prayers

  “Daed says you’re enjoying learning about carpentry?” Ruth asked as they sat on the front porch of her home on Saturday afternoon.

  Ever since Noah had helped Peter make the kist almost a month ago, a lamp seemed to have been lit inside Noah. He couldn’t seem to learn enough and wanted to learn more every day. Besides the added benefit of seeing Ruth whenever he went to work with Peter, he hurried through his chores every day to spend a few hours working with Peter.

  Just this morning he had helped Peter with a rocking chair.

  He glanced over at Ruth, still unable to believe he was courting her after the misunderstanding shortly after the Yoders arrival in Lancaster. She was all he had imagined her to be. She was smart, kind and generous and Noah had already started dreaming of spending the rest of his life with her. In the weeks since their first buggy ride, Noah had learned more about her, and the more he learned, the deeper he fell in love.

  They’d only been courting a few weeks but Noah knew what was in his heart.

  “I enjoy it more than I thought I would. It’s just…” Noah trailed off with a sigh. Ruth knew of his internal struggle with his parents’ expectations.

  “It will work out, you’ll see,” Ruth encouraged him with a smile. “But you have to be honest with them, Noah. How else could they know what’s in your heart?”

  Noah nodded, “It’s not that easy. I’m their only son; they have no one else to leave the dairy to. The expectation doesn’t just come from them, it comes from generations of dairy farmers.”

  “There’s always a solution.”

  “I know, I just can’t seem to find it.”

  Ruth nodded, taking his hand, “Then we’ll pray for a solution.”

  “Jah, we’ll do that,” Noah squeezed her hand and their eyes met for a moment.

  “Have you heard that Jamie Potts is expecting another boppli?” Ruth asked with a smile.

  “Nee. You seem happy about it?” Noah laughed.

  Ruth shrugged, “It’s a boppli, what’s not to be happy about?”

  “I take it you’ll like some of your own one day?” Noah lifted a brow in question.

  Ruth laughed, shaking her head, “Of course. I can’t wait to have my own bopplin. Ach Noah, can you just imagine what it must be like to look into your boppli’s eyes for the first time?”

  “I can when I look at you.” Even though he hadn’t yet told her he loved her, Noah knew that he couldn’t love her more than he already did. The day would come when he would tell her, when he would ask for her hand, but he had other demons to slay before that day came.

  “Ach Noah,” Ruth sighed with a soft smile.

  “I better get going. It’s almost time for milking.”

  Ruth nodded as she stood up. “Denke for the visit.”

  “We’ll have another one tomorrow evening after singing?” Noah stood up, still holding Ruth’s hand.

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  Noah headed home across the field. It was with a heavy heart that he milked the cows that afternoon. He wanted to be with Ruth, he wanted to be a carpenter, he wanted so much more than this. Not necessarily more, just different. Until Ruth and Peter had moved in next door, becoming a carpenter was just a distant dream, but the more he helped Peter and the more he learned, the more Noah realized it was a dream he wanted to realize. He knew there were expectations but he couldn’t help but feel cornered into doing what his parents expected instead of what he wanted.

  Tonight he would approach them and divulge his dream. He was almost certain that he would be met with resistance but if he didn’t try, he would never know.

  After milking, he headed into the haus and found both his mother and father waiting for him at the kitchen table, looking as if they had news.

  “What’s happened?” Noah asked, immediately concerned

  “Nothing bad,” his father started. “Take a seat, Noah.”

  Noah pulled out a chair and took a seat wondering what his parents wanted to tell him. “I’m listening.”

  “We have noticed that you have been spending more and more time at the Yoders. Of course we’re not supposed to know, but we have a feeling you are courting the girl.”

  “I am,” Noah admitted quietly. “But mostly, I’m helping Peter.”

  “We know that as well. It seems you enjoy the carpentry?” his father asked curiously.

  Noah wasn’t ready to say his piece until he knew what news his parents had. He just nodded, not saying a word.

  “The Hostetler boy came over while you were gone. His father arranged him a job at the hardware store in town. He doesn’t want to go. He’s only seventeen but he’s set on learning more about dairy farming.” His father looked into Noah’s eyes. “I know that you have been taking on more and more of the work around here, trying to get me to slow down. I should’ve discussed this decision with you and I’m sorry that I didn’t, but I hired him.”

  Noah’s eyes widened. His parents have never hired a hand before. The dairy had always been a family operation and neither parent even mentioned considering taking on outside help, “Why?”

  “Noah,” his mother sighed. “I can see that you do what needs be done and more, but it isn’t what drives you. What drives you?” she asked, catching him off guard.

  Now that he knew that help was at hand on the dairy farm, Noah found the courage to speak the words he had been holding back all these years, “Carpentry. I know it’s not in our
blood, I know it’s not what you expected of me, but it’s what I’ve always loved. Since I started helping Peter, I’ve learned so much. I know I’m nowhere near being a carpenter myself, I’m an apprentice at best but I’d like to learn more.”

  “I can take care of the dairy farm, Noah. All we want is for you to be happy. If dairy farming isn’t what you’d like to do with your life, I must be honest that it hurts a little, but you’re my son and your happiness comes first.”

  “With the Hostetler boy helping out, Daed can teach him what needs to be done. You can still help out if you want, but Daed and I both think that hiring him on will be gut for the farm. He has a passion for it.”

  “I don’t,” Noah admitted quietly. “I’m sorry, I should have said something long ago, but I don’t.”

  “That’s no fault on your part, my seeh,” his father said, tapping Noah’s hand with his own.

  “If you’re sure and the Hostetler boy is as eager as you say he is, would you mind if I ask Peter for an apprenticeship? I’ll still help with the early morning chores, and evening milking if it’s needed.”

  His parents shared a look, as if consulting each other with their eyes before turning to Noah.

  “That’s the first time in years I’ve seen you look excited,” his mother said, tears filling her eyes.

  “I am, Mamm, I truly am. I promise the first piece I make on my own will be yours, to thank you if you say jah.”

  “We don’t need any more furniture,” his father said gruffly before clearing the emotion from his throat. “We’ll manage fine with the Hostetler boy. You do what makes you happy, Noah. We’ll support your decision if Peter agrees.”

  Noah couldn’t believe his ears. He had been so nervous to discuss this with his parents, and yet they had known or sensed his reticence to be a dairy farmer all along. Gott truly worked in mysterious ways. “Denke.”

  “Denke for all the years you’ve taken responsibility for the dairy. Despite it not being your passion, you’ve never let me down.”

  Noah smiled at his father and then turned to his mother, “I’ll still help whenever I can.”