Amish Christmas Bride

by Samantha Price

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I think it's just those few little sprinkles and that will be it. It could rain later tonight. This time of year, it doesn't usually rain in the afternoon.”

  “I'll have to take your word on that.” He slowed his pace and let go of her arm, while he asked, “Are you cold?”

  “I'm fine.”

  “Because if you're cold I could take my coat off and give it to you.”

  She giggled. “You've only just finished telling me that you catch colds easily.”

  “I'll be fine,” he growled.

  “I just don't want you to be uncomfortable.”

  “I'm truly okay.”

  Just as she was about to suggest they turn back, the sky grew darker and the heavens opened, and the rain pour down. He grabbed her and pulled her under a tree, but it wasn’t much shelter from the rain. It was still pouring through the branches.

  “We’ll have to head back to the buggy.” He took off his coat and made a shelter over both of them as they made a dash back to the buggy.

  Jane had realized their walk had taken them so far.

  When they eventually got back into the buggy, he wiped the water off his face. “I'm drenched.”

  “Me too,” she said taking off her black over-bonnet, which was thoroughly soaked by now.

  He looked at her with a sour face. “You told me it wouldn't rain like that.”

  “I didn't think it would. It's not the typical weather pattern here.”

  He took hold of the reins. “Time to head back, and I just hope I don’t catch a cold.”

  “Maybe there are towels in the buggy somewhere so we can dry off.”

  “Nee, they only had the blanket. What did you think, they keep towels in the buggy in case they want to go for a swim?”

  She knew he was upset over being caught in the rain, but did he have to be so sarcastic towards her? She remained silent, regretting having said it wouldn't rain. The buggy was an old one and didn't have a heater in it so by the time they got to Sadie's house, they were both shivering from being in their damp clothes.

  “Do you want to stop here and see if Sadie might have some of Matt's or her other sons’ clothes tucked away somewhere? It's another fifteen to twenty minutes to the bishop's house.”

  “I'll be fine. Forgive me if I don't get out and walk you into the house, Jane.”

  “That's quite alright. Are you sure you won't —”

  “Just get out of the buggy, Jane,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Jane was taken aback and quickly got out of the buggy and because it was still raining, she ran to the house.

  Sadie opened the door and looked horrified. “Jane! You're all wet.”

  Jane burst out crying and fell into Sadie’s outstretched arms. She sobbed on Sadie’s shoulder for what felt like a good five minutes.

  “Whatever is the matter?” Sadie eventually asked. “Let's get you out of these wet clothes, shall we?”

  “I'll change. Oh dear, I’m sorry, now I’ve made you all wet too.”

  “It’s okay.” Sadie walked to the cupboard and pulled out a large fluffy towel. “Dry yourself, get out of those wet clothes, and I'll heat you up some soup.”

  “Denke, Sadie,” Jane sniffled. She’d had a terrible day. She had tried to talk herself into liking Isaac, but he had shown underlying anger the whole time.

  After Jane took off her wet clothes, she arranged them on a hanger and hung them by the window to dry. Then she dried herself with a towel and pulled on some dry clothes. Her hair and prayer kapp were dry, thanks to her over-bonnet that had absorbed most of the water.

  Once she had pushed her dry-stockinged feet into a pair of dry shoes, she collected her wet apron and stockings, and headed out the door to find Sadie in the living room.

  “Where shall I put these, Sadie?”

  Sadie jumped to her feet. “I’ll take them from you. You sit in front of the fire. I’ll put these in the laundry room and we can worry about them tomorrow.”

  Jane moved to warm herself in front of the crackling fire. It was nice to be all warm and toasty again.

  In a minute, Sadie was back with a bowl of steaming pea and ham soup.

  “This was to be for dinner. It still can be if you don’t mind eating it again tonight.”

  “Oh, I love pea and ham soup. My mudder used to make it all the time.”

  When Jane had eaten the last spoonful, she became aware that Sadie had been watching her the whole time. Jane cleared her throat. “I suppose you’re wondering why I was upset.”

  “Because you were soaked through to the skin?”

  Jane shook her head. “Nee. It was because of Isaac. He wasn’t very nice. He seemed angry all the time. He said things that weren’t very nice. And don’t ask me what, because it was nothing in particular.”

  “That’s okay you don’t have to explain anything. Men can be difficult sometimes.”

  Jane sighed. “Then he said some nice things too. Some lovely things about me. Oh, I shouldn’t have said such mean things about him. He came all this way for me so I thought I should give him a chance. He seems so different when he’s at home.” Jane wiped a tear from her eye as a mixture of emotions swam in her head.

  “I’m sorry, Jane. It can’t be easy for you.” Sadie leaned forward. “What did he do to upset you?”

  “Nothing. Everything. Not much, really.” She shook her head. “Ach. Denke for the soup. It was lovely.”

  “So, you won’t be marrying him?”

  “Nee. I won’t. Today has made that quite clear to me.”

  “Have you told him that yet?”

  Jane opened her mouth, and then realized she should’ve told him. Although, she couldn't see when, given the rain and his stressed-out behavior. “I guess I’ve got a lot to think about,” Jane mumbled as she looked into the flames of the fire.

  “Maybe you need to talk to a friend? What if I see if Jessica can stop by tomorrow?”

  “Jah. I’d love that. Denke.”

  Even the thought of telling Isaac ‘no’ made her feel uncomfortable, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

  Also ... she needed someone to marry when Matt married someone else, didn’t she?

  Chapter 24

  The next day, Jessica arrived to talk to Jane. While Sadie entertained her two granddaughters in the living room, Jane and Jessica sat in the kitchen having a serious conversation over coffee.

  “Forget everything about feelings and such. What you've got to do is tell him it’s over,” Jessica told Jane regarding Isaac.

  “It’s hard. I like him as a person. But I don’t think I’d be happy living with him. He’s too bossy and angry.”

  “You want Matt, right?”

  “Jah, always have.”

  “Let’s think about this. He sees you as a friend, right?”

  Jane nodded. “Most definitely.”

  “How has he reacted when Isaac came here?”

  Jane thought about his reaction. “He doesn’t like it.”

  “Hmm. He’s jealous. What you’ve got to do is make out you’re as popular as he is.”

  “Ach, I couldn’t do it. No one would ever believe it.”

  Jessica laughed. “All you need is for Matt to believe it. Now, he had five women he was considering …”

  “Only three now.”

  “Whatever. So what you need is to pretend there are a few men wanting to marry you.”

  Jane giggled at the thought. “Would he ever believe it?”

  “Ach Jah! You're beautiful, Jane, and such a nice person. I’m surprised you’re not married by now but that’s only because you never got over Matt.”

  Jane thought about what Jessica was asking her to do. “I can't do that. It would be a lie.”

  “Nee, it wouldn't. You've got Isaac who’s interested in you, even asked you to marry him, and surely there’s someone else you might be interested back in your community.”

  “Not really.”


  “Think hard. How many single men are there?”

  “Well, of all the ones over twenty-five, who are anywhere near my age, there would be three unmarried and I'm not counting all the old, old men.”

  Jessica wasn’t about to give up. “Out of those you mentioned, who would be the best one?”

  “I guess that would be Kevin Perdy.”

  “Perfect and if you were interested in him, do you think he would be interested in you?”

  “I guess so. Jah, I think he would be.”

  “So tell Matt you have two men you’re choosing between. He’ll believe it because one even chased you over here.”

  Jane considered it, and then shook her head. She’d never been comfortable with lying. “It's stretching the truth and it doesn't sit well with me. I feel I would be deceiving him and I don't want to do that.”

  “Neither do I, but we need him to see that you have options as well and you’re not just his 'single friend with no hope' he's asking advice from. We need him to see you as a possible choice.”

  It still bothered Jane that she wasn’t his only choice, and that was the way things should’ve been. “I don’t know if I could do it. He’d know I was lying. I mean, how would I tell him about this fake other man? How would that come up in conversation?”

  “Tell him … tell him that you like his idea and you also have decided to marry before this Christmas.”

  Jane put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Her friend always made her feel better. “You’re so funny, Jessica.”

  “Hey, there’s nothing funny about it. Do you want him or not?”

  “I do, but I want him to want me.”

  Jessica banged her fist on the table causing Jane to jump. “That’s just your ego talking. You want him, yet you want it to be how you always pictured it. Well it’s never going to be how you pictured it, is it? Otherwise, you would’ve been married to him ten years ago!”

  She stared at Jessica and realized she was right. “I do want him no matter what.”

  “Good. Now, do exactly what I say.”

  By this time, Jane was willing to do anything to be happily married to Matt.

  That night when Matt came for dinner, Sadie disappeared from the kitchen saying she was having an early night. Of course, Jane had asked Sadie to do just that.

  “I hope Mamm’s all right. She’s not sick or anything, is she?” Matt asked.

  “Nee. She didn’t sleep well last night, so she’s just catching up on some sleep.”

  “Ah, good.”

  “I need to ask you something, Matt.”

  He smiled. “Sounds serious.”

  “It is. When you make your choice, could you spare some time to do the same for me?”

  His eyebrows drew together. “What’s that?”

  “Come and visit my community, and help me choose a man.”

  His mouth opened but no words came out. Eventually, he said, “You want to get married?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I just thought that you …”

  “I don’t have as many as you to choose from. I only have two men who want to marry me. It’s so difficult to choose, that’s why I stayed to help you. I understand how daunting it can be. I had more than two, but I’ve ruled out the others and I’m down to two.”

  “I do appreciate it. Jah, I’ll do whatever I can to help you like you’ve done for me.”

  “Just wait until next year. After you’re married. You and your fraa can stay with my neighbors. They’re good friends of mine.”

  His mouth twitched at the corners. “Tell me about these men.”

  “Oh, there’s nothing much to tell. Both so nice, so hard working. They’re both more than I could ever have asked for. Gott has blessed me. Isaac is one of them.”

  Slowly, he nodded. “You’ve never married or talked about being married until now. And at your age… well, I thought you would’ve married by now if you wanted that life.”

  “I guess we’ve never discussed that part of our lives.” A giggle escaped her lips. “I’m not sure why.”

  “Me neither.”

  “It’s up to you of course, but I think Marcy is the one who suits you perfectly fine. She’s fun and lively and I’ve heard she’s such a good cook.”

  “Marcy?”

  Jane nodded enthusiastically.

  “That’s funny. I thought you would’ve chosen someone else.”

  “Nee. Marcy. The younger the woman the more likely you’ll be to have loads of kinner. She’s not the youngest, but I still think she suits you fine.”

  He frowned. “I’m not choosing a woman based on how many children she can give me.”

  “Marry someone my age and you won’t have as many.”

  He rubbed his jaw. “I never thought of that.”

  “Well, you have to think of these things. It’s only being practical.”

  “I’m happy with whatever number of kinner Gott decides to give me.”

  She nodded, pleased with that answer.

  “What about love, though?” he asked.

  “Love?”

  A smile lit up his face. “Jah.”

  “I can’t help you with that part. Only you know the true feelings in your heart. There’s no way I can tell you what you feel.”

  He drew in a deep breath. “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.”

  “I hope I’m not putting you under too much pressure with helping me choose a husband?”

  “Nee. Not at all. I’ll look forward to it.”

  Jane smiled as though she didn’t have a care in the world. “Kaffe?”

  “Jah, please.” As Jane got up to make the coffee, he said, “I know you’ve got Isaac here to see you, but could you spare the day with me tomorrow?”

  “Okay. I explained to Isaac I was here to help you with something—he doesn't know what it is. He’s okay with only getting small bits of my time.”

  “Good.”

  As she filled the teakettle, she glanced over at him. He was looking down at the table, deep in thought as he traced and retraced the wood grain with a fingertip.

  Chapter 25

  As soon as Matt brought Jane to his place the next day, he asked the question, “What do you think of the twins?”

  She stepped out of the buggy and joined him, and together they headed to the house. “I already told you what I think about them.”

  Was that the only reason he asked her to spend the day there with him? Or maybe to give him ideas on how to make the place nice for his new bride? She had hoped that he wanted to spend time with her, get to know his old friend again in person rather through their letters. She stared at him.

  He arched an eyebrow. “So…?”

  “Oh, the twins.”

  “Jah. Refresh my mind about what you think of them.”

  Was he having second thoughts about one of them? Perhaps he was in love with one of them and didn’t want them dismissed so easily. “Although they don't really look that much alike, their personalities are very similar. If you're asking me to choose between them, I can't. I simply can't. Unless … unless there is something about one of them that you prefer over the other. If there is I can’t see what it might be.” She did see. One was tall like her and the other was short. And he certainly wasn't attracted to her. Would he prefer, Beatrice, the shorter of the twins?

  He looked away. “Jah, they are similar. That's a hard problem.”

  “They are both lovely to look at.”

  “I thought you might see something in one of them that the other didn't have.”

  “Nee, sorry. I can't help you out with that one.”

  “Do you see one of them as more suited to me than say .. Marcy or Lanie?”

  She screamed in her head, Don’t you see me? Am I invisible to you?

  When she didn't say anything, he suggested, “Let’s take a walk around outside shall we?”

  “Okay.” She cleared her throat and did her best to rid her head of self-pity. “So fa
r, I think the person you are most suited with is Marcy. She's at a good age.”

  “Age shouldn't come into it.”

  “Well not age, but maturity, life experience.” She saw his lips twitch. “Don't you want someone who is on a similar mental mindset as yourself?”

  “It might be refreshing to have someone younger, to keep me younger in the head. I never want to become old in my thinking.”

  She felt that sting as though he’d slapped her across the face. He clearly wanted someone younger, someone who could give him many kinner. At just over thirty years of age the number of children she could give him was limited simply by the late start that she’d have.

  She desperately wanted to get out of there, but she’d made a commitment and she was a person of her word. That kept her there no matter how painful, no matter how hard. “Is that what we're going to be doing all day, talking about your five prospects?”

  He chuckled. “I wish you'd stop calling them prospects.”

  “Well they are prospects. Contenders. Contestants.”

  “You have two as well.”

  “Jah, but two is not five. Do they know that I'm screening them for you?” She’d found out that Lanie knew.

  He chuckled again. This time he appeared embarrassed, as he took off his hat and smoothed his hair back. She knew all his mannerisms and what they meant. “One or two of them might have an idea. I might have mentioned something.”

  “Lanie would’ve guessed. She seems the most switched on out of any of them.”

  “You might be right about that.”

  But it appeared he didn't want a bright woman, or a woman he could converse with. He as good as said he wanted a younger woman he could protect and who could give him loads of children.

  As they walked, she looked over at him and tried to make herself dislike him, loathe him even. It would be so much easier if she could lose her feelings or at least hide them away until she got back home to her community.

  What was wrong with her that he didn't love her? Surely it was more than her looks.

  Maybe he didn't want someone who had been a friend. He had loads of friends.

  “Let’s put the women out of our heads today. We could both do with not thinking about them for a day.”