Amish Christmas Bride

by Samantha Price

  “As long as you’re by my side I’m willing to jump with you.” She stared into his dark chocolate-colored eyes.

  “You will?” His lips curved upward.

  “I will.”

  “When?”

  “Whenever.”

  “As soon as we can?”

  Jane nodded. “Definitely.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, and she prayed a silent prayer of thanks. Gott had finally answered her prayers. She nestled her head against his warm shoulder and shivered.

  “You’re cold.” He held her tighter.

  “A little.”

  “I never want to let you go. Never want to let you be far from me again.”

  That suited Jane.

  “The first person we should tell is Mamm.”

  “Let her rest awhile.”

  “She’ll be delighted. She’s always dropped hints about you.”

  Jane giggled. “That’s good. I’ll have to thank her for that.”

  Sadie walked out of her bedroom. “What’s all the noise?”

  They jumped apart and then smiled at one another. Sadie eyed them suspiciously.

  “Mamm, let’s sit down for a minute.”

  She stared at Jane and Jane couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

  “Okay, we can sit,” Sadie said, hurrying to the couch.

  When they were all seated, Matt said, “Jane has agreed to marry me.”

  “For real this time?”

  “Jah, for real. This is really happening.”

  Sadie squealed, jumped up and hurried over to them both and hugged them. “This is the best news I’ve ever heard. I'm as happy as the day your vadder asked me to marry him. You finally came to your senses, Matt. Jane suits you more than any of those other women. I’m so glad you’ve finally seen that for yourself. Oh, my. There’ll be a wedding. Where shall we hold it? Here, or at your haus, Matt? Oh, so many decisions, so much planning.”

  “Mamm, why don’t we have a cup of hot tea before we make those plans?”

  “Jah, Matt, gut idea. Now, don’t talk about one thing until I get back.”

  Jane supressed a laugh at how excited Sadie was.

  Matt leaned toward her and whispered, “And you thought she didn’t talk too much.”

  “I’ve never seen her like this,” Jane replied.

  “I’m the last of her kinner to get married. I’m sure she came to think she’d never see the day.”

  “It’s nice to see her so happy. I’d feel pretty bad if she was disappointed.”

  Mr. Grover jumped up onto the couch between them and looked at them both. Then he slowly proceeded to Jane, who was the closest, and curled up in her lap.

  “You’ve found a friend.”

  “Jah. Mr. Grover and I have a special relationship. We understand each other. I’m sure he thinks that room I’m staying in is his.”

  “I think it is. It gets the sun in the morning. I often see him lying on the bed in there, stretched out enjoying some rays. I never knew you were a cat lover.”

  “Neither did I until I came to know Mr. Grover.”

  Chapter 29

  It was two days before Christmas Day and the eve of their wedding day when Matt collected Jane from his mother’s house for a special surprise.

  “Is this a wedding gift?” she asked in the horse and buggy on the way.

  “Not really.”

  “I don't need anything, Matt.”

  “As long as you've got me you're completely happy, right?” He smiled at her.

  “Exactly. It’s true.”

  “Tomorrow will be the best day of my life. No, wait, the day you said yes to me was the best day of my life. So unexpected.”

  She giggled. “I don't know why. You should've known how I felt about you.”

  “How could I if you never told me?”

  “I guess you're right. We were two pretty dumb people.”

  “It was all my fault. I was the dumb one. I took my eyes off what was really important. Now I'm going to keep what's important in front of my face, always.”

  “I’ll make certain you do.” She couldn't imagine what the present would be. “Is it something small?”

  “It's in town at the moment. Stop making me give you clues. I'll give it away and it's meant to be a surprise.”

  “It's difficult.”

  He reached over and took hold of her hand. “I'm sure this is a surprise you will like, a lot.”

  She was definitely surprised twenty minutes later when he pulled up in the parking lot of a large fast food restaurant. “You’re going to surprise me with a burger?”

  He laughed. “No, not a burger. Come on.” He got out and walked over to her side and held out his hand. She stepped out of the buggy and as soon as she did so, she noticed the person in the car next to them open the door.

  She thought the occupant would get mad and tell them they shouldn’t have parked so close, but then she saw the man's face. He looked familiar. It was her brother, looking every bit the fifteen years older that he would’ve been.

  “Silas!” she screamed and hugged him tight. He laughed and hugged her back.

  Then from behind, she felt loving hands wrapped around her waist. She turned to see it was her sister, looking quite a bit older, and shorter than she remembered. “Becky, you're here too. You’re both here. Where have you been?”

  “I'm sorry we left so suddenly,” said Silas, “but we did ask you to come with us. There was nothing there for us in the community.”

  “It wasn't for us, Jane,” Becky said.

  “Why didn't you ever contact me?”

  “We couldn't. It was too difficult. We had to move on and not look back. The bishop asked us to leave you be when we told him we were going.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know anything about that.” She looked over at Matt. “You found them?”

  He nodded. “I managed to find them eventually.”

  “Please don't ask us to come back,” Silas said.

  “Oh no, I wouldn't. I know you made your choice a long time ago. What are you doing now? Are you both married?”

  “We are. I have two children. Eleven and six, both boys,” Silas said.

  “And I have one. A girl, six-years old.”

  “I can't believe I'm an aunt and I never knew it.

  “And you getting married to Matt. That didn't surprise us at all when we heard.”

  “It surprised me. I haven't even been living here. I moved to Ohio.”

  “Sounds like we’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

  “We must. Please, stay in touch, won’t you?” Jane saw tears in her brother’s eyes, and her sister was doing her best to hold hers back.

  “We will if you want us to. You must meet our families.”

  “I’d love that. Would you come to my wedding tomorrow, at least?”

  “We will. Matt’s already arranged for us to be there.”

  Matt chuckled. “I thought the shock would be too much for you tomorrow.”

  “It would’ve been. So, I’ll meet your families tomorrow?”

  “You will.”

  “I have to go,” Silas said. “Sorry, but I've only taken a few minutes off work.”

  “Wait a minute, do you mean you both live around here?”

  “Silas does, and I live a forty-minute drive from here.”

  “I think we've spent too many years apart and probably for no good reason. We can start anew today. We both missed you so much, Jane. We were always talking about you, wondering what you were doing and if you were happy.”

  “Are you happy, Jane?” asked Becky.

  “I was, and I’m even happier now. How about you two?”

  They both nodded, and Silas said, “We are.”

  They both hugged Jane goodbye, and she stood with Matt and watched them leave in separate cars. “I can't believe you found them.”

  “I had a lot of motivation. I needed to see that happy face.”

  “You'll always see me
wearing a happy face, because you make me happy.”

  “Good. I hope so.”

  “Denke, Matt.”

  “Now let’s get back to Mamm’s haus or she’ll have a heart attack, she’s so worried about everything going smoothly tomorrow. I’m glad we decided to have it at her place. And we’ve got so many people who’ve volunteered to stay and help clean after the wedding.”

  “I can’t believe we’re getting married on Christmas Eve.”

  “Well, I promised my mudder the best Christmas ever this year. What better Christmas can I give her than to be married to you?”

  He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, something they never did in public. Jane giggled and looked around. Then she climbed into the buggy. “Let’s go.”

  As Matt started the horse in motion, she couldn't help thinking about how her life had changed in a few short weeks. She had been in darkness and despair and then Gott turned everything around in almost an instant. Sure she'd had a few trials to come through, but they had proved worth it.

  As they moved out of the parking lot, Jane said, “You did this for me, Matt, and I’ll never forget it.” She sighed. “Now I feel my life’s complete. I’ve got my family back and I’m starting a new family with you. This is just exactly what I’ve always wanted.”

  “What I’ve always wanted is to make you happy. That’s my job in life.”

  She smiled. That was exactly what she wanted to hear.

  “We have Gott, we have friends and family, and we have each other.”

  “You were right, this will be the best Christmas ever.”

  “Until next year, at least.”

  For Jane, today was her wedding day and the last day of waking up in Sadie’s house.

  “Are you coming, Jane?” Sadie called out. “We've got an early start today.”

  “Yep, I'm awake.” She jumped out of the bed and patted Mr. Grover who was asleep on the end of the bed. “Mr. Grover, are you going to sleep through my wedding?”

  Mr Grover didn't open his eyes, he just changed his position to lay on his back. While she was changing into day clothes to help with the food for the guests, and help with anything else that was needed, she heard the first horse and buggy arrive. Hundreds of guests were expected for the wedding that would start at nine.

  A minute later there was a knock on her door. “Can I come in?”

  It was Jessica, her best friend and today, her wedding attendant.

  “Jah.”

  She threw open the door holding out a bright blue dress.

  “What's that ?”

  “Your wedding dress. Lanie made it for you.”

  Jane opened her mouth in shock. Lanie had left this community to go back with Isaac, only days after they announced they would marry. Since then, she’d heard, Lanie had been staying at Isaac’s parents’ haus. “It’s beautiful. She made me that? She doesn't even have my measurements.”

  “She didn't need them. She's got a good eye.”

  “That was so kind of her. I can’t believe it.” She took the dress from Jessica and held it up in the air. “It’s so finely sewn and not one stitch out of place.”

  “She arrived last night with Isaac. Isaac’s staying with the bishop, along with his little girl, and Lanie and Mary-Lee are staying with her mother. They say they’re getting married next month.”

  “I'm so pleased for them. I can't wait to see Rosalee again.”

  “I’ve never seen Lanie so happy I can tell you that. She had stars in her eyes. She said the two girls get along so well.”

  “I knew it. I knew they would. I could tell Isaac and Lanie were suited right from the start.”

  Jessica sat on the bed. “Enough about them. Today is about you and about Matt.”

  “Wow. I still can’t believe it. I need to help with everything.”

  “Nee. There are enough people to do it all. You should see all the people arriving out there now.”

  Jane told Jessica about her sister and brother coming. She couldn’t wait to see them again, and see their children and spouses.

  “Try the dress on,” Jessica urged.

  Jane giggled. “Okay.” She took off the dress she was wearing and pulled the other one over her head. “What do you think?”

  “It’s beautiful and that color is so nice, so striking with your coloring.”

  “Ah, it doesn’t drown me out does it? Does it make me look sallow?”

  “Nee. You look so beautiful. Your eyes almost glow. Wait until Matt sees you.”

  Jane blew out a nervous deep breath.

  “Let’s find you some food.”

  “Okay, but I’ll change dresses first so I don’t spill anything on this one.”

  An hour and a half later, all the guests had arrived. It was a chilly winter’s morning, but that didn’t matter. Matt and the men had erected a large annex off from the house, keeping it warm with large gas heaters. The barn had been cleaned out and cleared out in case the weather suddenly turned bad. When everyone was seated, Jane nervously looked around for Matt. There were so many people, she hadn’t even seen him yet.

  Then she saw him. He looked so handsome in his black suit, white shirt and black bowtie. He caught her eye and smiled. It took her back to many years ago when they were children. Back then, they only had eyes for one another—never needed to be friends with anyone else. Things had come full circle, just as they were meant.

  The bishop motioned for her to come forward. She joined Matt in front of the bishop. He began with a prayer and everyone closed their eyes. Jane was determined to enjoy every single moment of the wedding that she had thought would never take place. She’d never take Matt for granted. She’d always treasure him.

  Trevor Mason rose after the bishop’s prayer and sang a hymn in High German. When he was finished the bishop gave a lengthy talk. She felt like the words and the music were washing away all remaining traces of the pain in her heart, filling her with pure joy.

  Jane turned her head just slightly and saw her brother and sister with their families. She knew it would’ve been hard for them to come back to the community for an event, even if it was her wedding. She was grateful for that blessing, too.

  When the bishop officially joined them in marriage, Jane felt she finally had somewhere she belonged—in Matt’s heart. There, she’d always stay.

  Another hymn was sung, and after that, everyone was encouraged to move to one side so the long tables for the food could be moved in.

  “We’re married, Mrs. Yoder,” Matt whispered.

  “At long last.”

  “Finally,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll spend every day making it up to you.”

  “You better.”

  He laughed. “Speaking of that, I see Lanie over there with Isaac and their two kinner.”

  “I have to thank Lanie for this dress.”

  He looked down at it. “It’s beautiful, Jane. You’re beautiful.”

  “You think so?”

  He whispered, “You’re not only the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, you’re the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever seen.”

  She couldn’t help smiling.

  “And I can see your brother and sister. I can’t wait to meet their families with you.”

  Together, they went to talk to their guests while they waited for the food tables to be prepared.

  Chapter 30

  Jane woke on Christmas morning, the first morning of their married life together, before Matt. Later, they would join their whole extended family at Sadie’s house for a scrumptious dinner. She crept down to the kitchen and cooked a breakfast of ham, eggs, toast and coffee. After she arranged everything on a tray, she carefully carried it all upstairs and opened the bedroom door.

  He was awake. He sat there with a red box tied with a white ribbon. “You made us breakfast?”

  “I did.”

  “I should’ve done that for you.”

  “Nee,” Jane said. “I’ve always dreamed of looking a
fter you and that’s exactly what I’ll do.” Her gaze fell on the red box once more. “What’s that?”

  “Just a small gift. You can open it after breakfast.”

  She set the tray on the bed. “You know me better than that. I can’t wait for anything. If this is a gift, I’ll be cross. You said we shouldn’t get each other Christmas gifts this year. Besides, don’t we always wait for Second Christmas for exchanging gifts? Tomorrow?”

  “I couldn’t help it. You’ll understand when you see it.” He leaned over and tapped her on the chin. “Don’t be cross.”

  She sat on the bed and took the red box in her hands. Then she pulled on one end of the white ribbon and it untied and fell away from the box. Next she lifted off the lid, having no idea what was inside. At the bottom of the box was a small key. She pulled it out and looked at Matt. “What is it?”

  “A key.” He offered a mischievous grin.

  “I can see that,” she said with a laugh, “but what’s it to?”

  “And, I can see we’re not going to eat until you see what this key opens.”

  “Exactly.”

  He got out of bed and took hold of her hand. When they were in the hallway, he pointed to the next bedroom. “It unlocks that.”

  She frowned at him. “You want me to unlock this bedroom?”

  “Jah, if you want your gift.”

  She put the key in the lock, then turned it. Was it a sewing machine, or had he perhaps arranged the room with shelves so she could do her craftwork? When she pushed the door open, it was just how she’d seen the room before. There were no shelves and no sewing machine. She walked further into the room and then she saw it. Curled up on the white and gray quilt was a tiny ball of light gray fluff. A kitten, curled up asleep.

  She spun around to look at Matt and he smiled. “Name him what you want. He’s yours.”

  “He’s beautiful.” She hurried forward to look at him, and he woke up and looked at her with his big blue eyes. When she picked him up, he snuggled into her, and closed his eyes again.

  “I knew you’d love him.”

  “I do.”

  “Let’s eat.”