The Amish Maid's Sweetheart

by Samantha Price

  “Your leg might be broken.”

  She looked up into his shadow-covered face. It was all his fault. “Why were you going so fast?”

  “I always drive fast around these roads. There’s never anyone on them and if there is you can see them for miles.” He lowered his voice, “And you don’t have any lights or reflectors on your bike.”

  Lucy hugged her sore arm and tears flowed down her cheeks. She’d been trying to save the battery of the light on the front of her bike. The pain was so intense she was sure her arm was broken. “I never ride at night, that’s why. The lady I work for was sick, so I stayed later to help her. I should have caught a taxi.”

  “I’m sorry, Lucy. Please let me take you to the hospital? Look at you, you can barely stand.”

  With her face scrunched in pain, she nodded and whimpered, “Okay.”

  Joshua opened his passenger-side car door. At that point, Lucy wondered what he was doing driving a car. Hadn’t he come back to the community? He had said he was going to stay a while, so was he staying as an Englischer? He put her bike in the trunk of his car.

  Lucy sat next to Joshua in the hospital waiting room.

  “I’ve got your bike. I’ll get it back to you. I don’t think it’s been damaged at all, but I'll check more carefully tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.” She looked down at her clothes to see they were dirty from being scraped along the road. Her good arm had a gravel rash and was red, scraped raw. Joshua was given a form for Lucy to fill out and since she could not write, Joshua filled it in for her. She would sign it the best she could with her left hand.

  “I’ll put myself down as next-of-kin since your parents are out of town.”

  Lucy leaned over to see what he wrote. He had written down a phone number. He had a car and a phone and he’d worn Englisch clothes the day of his mother’s funeral and today he was still in Englisch clothes. She didn't need more information that that.

  He gave the pen to Lucy, and she signed it with her left hand.

  “Ugh, it doesn’t even look like my writing.”

  “I’ll guess it’ll have to do.” Joshua took the form back to the lady behind the desk.

  Lucy heard him ask how much longer it would be. There was no one else in the waiting room, so she hoped they wouldn’t have long to wait.

  He sat back beside her. “They said it shouldn’t be too long. I guess we’re lucky they’re having a slow night.”

  “Denke for driving me here, but you don’t have to wait. I can get a taxi back home.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Lucy. I’ve got nowhere else to be.” He looked away from her and his eyes fixed in front of him. “No one’s at home waiting for me.”

  She knew he meant Grace wasn’t at home waiting.

  It was another ten minutes before Lucy’s name was called. She rose to her feet and tried to walk, but the pain was worse. Joshua put his arm around her to ease her foot off the floor. Lucy leaned against him and whimpered.

  “Wait there, I’ll get you a wheelchair.” The nurse came back in a flash with a wheelchair. Joshua went to sit back down and the nurse said, “You can come too.”

  Joshua followed behind the wheelchair into a curtained-off area.

  “The doctor’s just finishing up with another patient and he’ll be here in a moment.” The nurse turned and left them.

  When the doctor arrived, he examined both of her arms and her leg, and then they were sent to the other side of the hospital for x-rays.

  Two hours later, the doctor came back with the x-ray films. “You have a fracture of the scaphoid bone which is a fairly common break when you put your hands out to break a fall. You can see where the break is from the x-ray, just down from the thumb.” He ran his finger down a white line on the x-ray. “There’s no displacement between the bones which is good.”

  “I’m glad there’s some good news.” Joshua scratched his chin. “What about her leg?”

  “That's a sprained ankle. You would’ve got it from a sudden twisting movement which has overstretched the ligaments which surround the ankle, causing them to tear and bleed.”

  Lucy’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.

  The doctor smiled at her. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s a common injury, and it’s treated with cold packs and rest—lots of rest—and elevation. We’ll bandage your leg firmly; you’ll need cold packs every two hours for twenty to thirty minutes, and try to keep your foot raised as much as possible. We’ll need to put a cast on your arm.” The doctor picked up Lucy’s good arm to demonstrate what he was about to say. “The cast will start below the elbow and go down to include the thumb and palm. Your thumb and wrist will need to be immobilized.”

  Lucy nodded.

  The doctor left after assuring them they wouldn’t have long to wait for someone to put a cast on her arm.

  Joshua sprang to his feet. “I should call your parents and let them know where you are. I’ll tell them I’ll drive you home when we’re through here.”

  Lucy grimaced with pain. “My whole familye has gone to Ohio for three weeks. I’ve already tried to contact them about your mudder.”

  “Jah, you did tell me, but you must have a number for them there.” Joshua sat back down. “You’ll have to stay with someone.”

  “Mamm’s sister doesn’t have a phone. I’ve already left a message with the man she’s marrying and I’ve heard nothing from them.” Lucy shook her head. She hated people fussing about her. “And I don’t want to stay with anyone; I’ve been looking forward to the quiet.”

  “Lucy, you can’t walk and you can’t look after yourself.”

  “I can. I’ll manage.”

  Joshua frowned and was silent.

  “I need you to do one thing for me,” Lucy said.

  “Jah, anything; what is it?”

  “Can you call the lady I work for and tell her I won’t be able to work for a while? Tell her what happened and I’ll call her soon.” Lucy gave Joshua Julie’s name and address hoping he would be able to find her in the directory. Failing that, Lucy did have her number at home somewhere. Joshua was gone for some minutes and returned when she was getting the cast put on her arm. “Did you find Julie’s number?”

  “Yes, she was in the book. She’s going to have her sister stay for a few days. She told you not to worry.”

  Lucy relaxed. “Gut, that’s one thing off my mind.”

  He moved closer to her. “What are the other things, Lucy?”

  “Nothing, just how I’m going to manage.” She frowned. “Now don’t go telling my parents. I want them to have a gut time in Ohio. They haven’t had a break for the longest time.”

  Joshua nodded. “Tell me what your job’s like.”

  “I work as a maid for Julie. She’s a single parent; she divorced two years ago and her husband moved to another state. She’s all alone and has to work full time and look after her kinner.”

  “Many women do that, and some men. It can’t be easy. How long have you worked for her?”

  “Only weeks. It was Olive’s idea. None of us, well there are five of us, Amy, Jessie, Olive, Claire and me. Anyway, Olive had the idea we should all become maids because we all had no work and we just stayed at home helping out.”

  “And you all wanted to do something more?”

  “Jah, and make a little money, I guess.”

  “Sounds like a good idea.”

  “You think so?”

  “Jah, I do. You’re doing a wunderbaar thing helping this woman out. And you can contribute to the children’s upbringing and when they grow up they’ll have good memories of the pretty, young Amish lady who was kind and sweet to them.”

  Lucy laughed. “You’re making me blush. I’m sure.”

  Joshua laughed. “And did the other girls all find work?”

  “Jah, they did; all of us did.”

  “I hear Elijah is going to marry Jessie.”

  “Jah, I think they make a gut match. And my friend Olive is g
etting married to Blake, who came to the community months ago with his little boy. He'll be baptized soon. Then my other friend, Claire, is getting married to an Englischer, who said he might join us later—anyway, that’s what he told her. She believes it.”

  “And all of this has happened in the last few weeks?”

  “Jah, since we all got jobs.”

  Joshua let out a deep breath.

  Lucy gave a sideways look. What’s he thinking? “You’ve taken my mind off the pain for a while.”

  He looked at her and smiled. “I’m glad.”

  The years had given him lines around his mouth from smiling, which only served to make him even more handsome.

  * * *

  Two hours later, Lucy was finally ready to leave the hospital. A hospital orderly wheeled her to the entrance of the hospital. “You have a car?” the orderly asked Joshua.

  “Yes. Can I drive it up to the entrance here?”

  “You can drive it up here as long as you’re just picking up or dropping off a patient.”

  “Good. Will you wait with her while I get the car?” Joshua asked.

  “I can wait by myself, Joshua.”

  “Yes, I’ll wait with her,” the orderly finally answered when Joshua kept his gaze fixed on him.

  Joshua took the crutches the hospital supplied her with and strode off in the direction of his car. As she sat in the hard wheelchair waiting for Joshua, Lucy wondered about him having a car. She hadn’t thought to ask any questions while she was in the hospital; she’d been in too much pain.

  Chapter 17

  Once they were well away from the hospital, Lucy said, “I’m sorry for taking up all your time tonight, Joshua.”

  He took his eyes off the road to glance at her. “I can honestly say there was no place I’d rather be tonight than right here with you.”

  Lucy pressed her lips together to suppress a girlish giggle. She giggled too often around him and if she did it once more he would surely think of her as foolish. “How long do you plan on staying?”

  “Don’t concern yourself with me, you just rest. Lie back in the seat until I get you home. I still don’t know how you’re going to look after yourself. Are you hungry?”

  “I had dinner with Julie and the children before I left work. There’s plenty of food at home anyway.”

  Joshua took one hand off the steering wheel and rubbed his neck. “I just wish you weren’t going to be alone, Lucy.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Lucy noticed he had skillfully avoided answering her question, and she wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject again without appearing too interested.

  “Are you cold? I can turn the heater up.”

  “Nee, I’m fine.”

  He stopped the car right at Lucy’s front door and sprang out of the car to help her out. Everything was in darkness.

  “The front door won’t be locked,” Lucy said once she was out of the car.

  Joshua pushed the front door open. “Where’s the light?”

  “There’ll be a gas lamp to your left on the table.”

  She heard things being knocked. When she heard a match strike, the room filled with light.

  “You won’t be able to light a match with one arm,” he said.

  “Jah, I will. I’ll hold the box in the fingers of my right hand and strike it with my left hand.”

  Joshua shook his head. “I’ll get you some hot tea and light the fire.”

  “You should go, Joshua. Some would think it not right, a man and a woman being alone in a haus.”

  “Maybe, except in a case like this I reckon it would be all right.” He turned to Lucy and ordered, “You sit down while I do a few things.”

  Lucy was not very good on her crutches, especially with the modification necessary to protect her fractured hand. It took some time to get to the couch, but when she did she eased herself down, leaned back and wondered how she would sleep.

  Once she’d done as she was told, Joshua turned on the overhead gaslight and took the smaller light into the kitchen with him.

  It would be easier to sleep on the couch with a pillow and a quilt rather than climbing the stairs. How would she braid her hair every morning with one arm and no one to help her?

  The whistling kettle startled her.

  Joshua ducked his head around the corner. “Sugar and milk?”

  “Just sugar.”

  Joshua returned moments later with hot tea and a plate of cookies.

  “You’re not having any?” she asked

  He shook his head. “I’m not much of a tea drinker.”

  “Do you mind going upstairs to get me a pillow and a quilt? Just from any room you come to.”

  While Joshua climbed the stairs, Lucy smiled. They weren’t the ideal circumstances, but it sure was nice having a man look after her.

  “Here you go; I’ve got a pillow for your foot and one for your head.” He placed the quilt and two pillows beside her then proceeded to light the fire. Once a fire was steadily burning, he sat down. “Can I do anything else before I go?”

  Lucy looked at him through the steam of her tea. “Nee. Denke for everything you’ve done.”

  “I’m so sorry, Lucy. This was my fault. I’ll come tomorrow and check on you.”

  “Could you do one last thing for me?”

  “Jah, anything.”

  “Can you let the horse out of the stable and put him out into the field at the back of the barn? I can’t keep him in the stable for days, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be using him soon.”

  “I’ve got a flashlight in my car. I’ll do it right now then I’ll go. See you in the morning.”

  “Do it in the morning. That’ll be okay.”

  “I’ll do it now, so I know it’s done.”

  Lucy nodded, knowing any protests about him doing anything would be ignored. She pushed a pillow behind her head and listened to his footsteps. She heard that he stopped at the door and closed it, then some minutes later she heard his car. She listened until the noise disappeared.

  Joshua was years older than she. He’d been an only child, and his parents were older than other parents of children his age. She’d learned from Grace his parents had many stillborn kinner and Joshua was the only one who’d survived. That had to make him special in his parents’ eyes. It must’ve been so hard for his mother when he left.

  Oftentimes when Grace had come home from being out with Joshua, she would creep into Lucy’s bedroom and tell her about their time together. She would speak of moonlit walks, picnics, and Grace told her she would talk for hours to Joshua on all kinds of subjects.

  Joshua drove away from Lucy’s house, glad he didn’t have to stay there another minute. Everything in this town reminded him of Grace and the awful time he’d gone through. He especially didn’t need to spend any more time than he had to in Grace’s house.

  He chewed a knuckle; he could have killed Lucy tonight. She was right; he had been driving way too fast. The roads were never properly lit once they got further away from the town. He'd been a fool to assume no one would be out.

  Now he had to stay here longer than he wanted; at least until Lucy’s parents came back from Ohio. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. He was responsible, and he had to look after her.

  His thoughts turned to his mudder. She had died suddenly; during her sleep, he was told. She hadn’t even been sick. He should have come back to visit her. He'd made the effort to be here for her funeral; he could’ve made the effort to come home while she’d been alive. Maybe she died from sadness. She’d been alone and now he was alone. Joshua never considered she’d be gone at sixty-one.

  He stopped his car outside his parents’ house—the house that would soon be his once all the necessary paperwork was signed. As he trudged up the front steps, he wondered what his life would be like if Grace had lived. They would surely have at least three kinner by now. But, life ... sometimes life was like a cruel joke. Gott had deserted him, he knew that for a fa
ct.

  His parents and Grace’s parents had been close and they’d wanted nothing more than for Grace and him to marry. Joshua had been swept along in their plans and had asked Grace to marry him. She would have made a fine fraa, and the two of them would’ve been happy.

  There was no gut reason to rip Grace away from him. He’d done his best to put her out of his mind over the past years, but being back here and especially being inside her home grated against raw nerves.

  He had to look after Lucy the best he could. That’s what Grace would’ve wanted. Grace had had a close relationship with her little schweschder, and he had fond memories of outings where they had taken young Lucy with them.

  He pushed the door open, lit the lamp on the dining table, lay on the couch and kicked off his shoes. A tiny part of him was glad to be home. He heard scratching at the door and leaped up and opened it. It was Muggins, his mother’s beloved cat. “Hello, Muggins. You’ve come out of hiding to say hello?”

  Muggins ignored him and walked straight past him through to the kitchen. Joshua followed him to see him sit by two bowls in the corner. One bowl was full of water, and the other was empty.

  “Okay, wait there and I’ll find you some food.” Joshua wondered exactly how old Muggins was. He was sure the cat must’ve been five-years-old when he’d left the community. Opening the cupboard where his mudder had always kept the cat food, he found a large container of dry food in the form of pellets. He could smell fish as soon as he uncovered them. “I guess this is your food, Muggins. Glad it’s not mine.”

  Joshua filled up the bowl and watched Muggins eat. He wondered what to do with Muggins once he sold the house. Who would take Muggins? He wasn’t a likeable cat; he didn’t like to be petted or stroked, and he eyed people with boredom.

  Perhaps he should take Muggins with him. He leaned down besides Muggins and stroked his long silver tabby fur. Muggins edged away, so Joshua stopped. What had his mother seen in the fleabag? “Night, Muggins.” Muggins ignored him and Joshua headed back to the couch.

  Joshua closed his eyes and thought about Lucy. She was an attractive woman, and if she had not been Grace’s schweschder she might’ve been a good reason for him to stay and re-join the community. Since he’d left, he’d never felt he belonged anywhere and had become little more than a drifter, finding work here and there to earn enough for his expenses. Joshua figured Lucy would not consider him a potential suitor anyway, not given his history with Grace.