Amish Romance

by Ruth Hartzler

  As much as she wanted Jonas, there was nothing she could do if he didn’t feel the same way. And surely, if he did feel the same way, he would have shown some sign of it by now. The only possible sign of any feelings for her were his apparent jealousy over Timothy Yoder at the previous night’s dinner. True, he had left abruptly, but there could be another logical explanation for that.

  Miriam felt she was clutching at straws by hoping Jonas was jealous. Her thoughts turned to Timothy Yoder. Even if Jonas didn’t feel the way she did about him, there was no way she could have feelings for Timothy. He didn’t make her heart leap the way that Jonas did. In fact, she had felt that way about Jonas right from the beginning, right when she had first laid eyes on him. She didn’t feel there could be any other mann for her but Jonas.

  “Help me, Gott,” she said under her breath.

  Miriam decided to walk down to the vegetable garden to pick some parsley for lunch. The guests had all been served breakfast hours ago and were all now absent from Eden, with the exception of Ava Douglas who was taking her dog, Cuddles, for a walk down to the pond. Jonas had been conspicuous by his absence all morning. Normally, he and Miriam would have a chat, but today, he had kept well out of her way.

  Miriam’s spirits plummeted. I wonder if he knows my feelings for him and he’s embarrassed by them? she asked herself, feeling quite dismayed. Nee, surely he was jealous at the mention of Timothy Yoder. She absently watched Ava walk back from the direction of the pond clutching a large purse. Miriam looked forward to her morning talks with Jonas. Her stomach churned. Whatever was wrong with him? She sure hoped things could return to normal soon.

  Miriam looked up as a buggy drawn by a large black horse came up the road at a good pace. She shielded the sun from her eyes and looked down the road, wondering who it could be. She wasn’t left in doubt very long, because the horse came to a sudden stop and Timothy Yoder jumped out of the buggy. “You didn’t tell me that young Miss Tiffany’s car had been used in a jewelry robbery,” he said by way of greeting.

  Miriam did not know how to respond. “Um, err,” she stammered.

  Timothy walked over to her, so close that she took a step backward. “I’m worried for your safety, Miriam,” he said. “Whoever robbed the jewelry store took the keys from your house, so you could be in danger.”

  “Who told you all the details?” she asked him, puzzled. She deliberately had not told the widow Yoder about it because she was a private person and liked to keep matters to herself. Also, she didn’t like to have the news getting out, because it could potentially scare guests away. Never mind the fact that one of the guests was likely the culprit.

  “The bishop’s wife visited my mother last night and told her all about it,” he said. “I don’t think you’re safe living here, a single woman all by yourself.”

  For some reason, his comments rankled. “That’s very kind of you, but my assistant, Tiffany, is here with me, too.”

  Timothy raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think your young assistant would be of any help if your establishment was robbed,” he said in a stern tone.

  Miriam wrung her hands. His manner was making her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t quite tell why. Just then, she heard a deep voice behind her.

  “Is there a problem?”

  She spun around to see Jonas frowning deeply.

  “Um, Timothy is worried about my safety.”

  Jonas continued to frown. “I’m concerned about your safety, too.”

  Miriam was shocked that Jonas agreed with Timothy. Wasn’t Jonas jealous of Timothy after all? Now she was totally confused.

  Jonas was still talking. “However, the sheriff says he doesn’t think you’re in any danger. It wasn’t as if it was an armed robbery, and the thief didn’t do any damage. At least this time, the robbery doesn’t seem connected with the rumored treasure at Eden.”

  Timothy pricked up his ears. “There is treasure at Eden?”

  Miriam shrugged. “So they say. One of Captain Kidd’s men built a house here, and it’s said he buried his gold here as well.”

  Timothy smiled broadly at Miriam. “You must tell me more about it some time.”

  Jonas cleared his throat. “It was awfully good of you to be concerned for Miriam’s welfare, Timothy. We won’t hold you up any longer. I am sure you need to get back to your farm and your mother. Good day.”

  Timothy looked as shocked as Miriam felt. She watched him carefully to see how he would react. He simply nodded at Jonas and then at Miriam, and hopped into his buggy. He turned his horse and the horse set off at a good trot back the way he had come.

  Jonas made to walk away, but then hesitated and turned back to Miriam. “Miriam, are you worried? I mean, about being at Eden alone?”

  Miriam shook her head. “I feel perfectly safe, Jonas.”

  Jonas nodded slowly. “I’ve given the matter a lot of thought. It seems likely that one of the guests had something to do with the robbery, but it’s not certain. Let’s say that one of the guests was involved. In that case, I’m sure that the other guests weren’t involved and you have a house full of guests. That in itself means that you should be safe at night, and the sheriff doesn’t think that the robber was violent.”

  Miriam was about to speak, but Jonas pushed on. “That doesn’t mean that the robber isn’t violent, Miriam, so please don’t go outside at night. In fact, I’d feel better if you lock your bedroom door every night.”

  Miriam nodded again. Jonas was about to walk away, when he turned back to her again. He opened his mouth to speak and appeared to be on the verge of saying something, but all at once, his face flushed red. He shifted from one foot to the other and then hurried away.

  Miriam had no idea of what to make of the whole exchange. Why had Jonas sent Timothy Yoder away so abruptly? Could he actually be jealous? And if he was jealous, then why hadn’t he told Miriam of his feelings for her? She had no idea. One thing for sure, Timothy Yoder certainly seemed keen on her.

  Miriam had no time to be alone with her thoughts any longer, as Susan Smith ran toward her, waving her arms furiously.

  Chapter 8

  Miriam’s stomach sank. Whatever had happened?

  “It’s my engagement ring!” Susan yelled, waving her arms about. “My engagement ring’s missing.” With that, she burst into a flood of tears.

  Miriam was at a loss. “Did you lose it?” she asked.

  Susan stopped crying for a moment.

  “Of course not!” she snapped. “The jewelry robber stole it!”

  “Let’s go into the house and call the sheriff,” Miriam said, trying to inject some composure into her voice. Could this be true? Could the jewelry robber really have struck at Eden? Upon reflection, she didn’t know why she was so surprised. After all, the robber had stolen Tiffany’s car from Eden. Surely the robber had to be one of the guests.

  Susan trailed after Miriam, sobbing loudly, so loudly in fact that Miriam wondered if Susan was faking it. She had not even heard a child cry as loudly as that, but then Miriam silently chided herself for being so unkind. While Amish didn’t wear rings, Miriam knew that rings were often very important to Englischers, and no doubt, Susan considered her engagement ring a symbol of her love for Kevin.

  When they reached the house, Kevin came down the stairs, and Susan threw herself into his arms. “It’s my engagement ring!” she said in an anguished tone. “The robber stole it!”

  It seemed to Miriam that Kevin didn’t look overly surprised, but then again, maybe she was growing too suspicious.

  “Are you sure you didn’t lose it?” Kevin asked calmly.

  “No,” Susan said. “I was taking a bath and left it in my room. When I went back into the room, it was missing. I left it on that old chest of drawers. I looked all around the floor and everything, but there’s no sign of it. What’s more, the window was open and I had definitely shut it before I took a bath. It must be a cat burglar.”

  Miriam was puzzled. “Cat burglar?” she
asked, before remembering that Ava had mentioned the term before.

  Susan nodded. “Yes, you know, someone who climbs up buildings to rob things.” She was speaking more calmly now. “We’ll have to call the sheriff,” she added. “First of all we should go and make sure nothing else is missing.”

  When the two of them went back to their room to see if anything else was missing, Miriam called the sheriff. She was dismayed. For some reason, the robber had turned his or her attention to Eden, and Miriam was sure the robberies would continue.

  Kevin and Susan met Miriam in the foyer just as the sheriff arrived. Miriam opened the door to him. “That was fast, Sheriff.”

  He nodded. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Berkholder.”

  Before he had a chance to say more, Jonas hurried in. “Is everything all right?”

  All of a sudden, Miriam felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes and she swallowed a sob. “Mrs. Smith’s engagement ring is missing.”

  “It went missing from our room,” Susan added.

  “Why don’t you show me where you left it,” the sheriff said, “and then we can all sit down and talk about this.”

  The sheriff followed Kevin and Susan Smith up the stairs, while Miriam turned to Jonas. “Oh Jonas, I’m so worried. I’m sure these robberies won’t stop now that they’ve started in the haus.”

  Jonas stroked his chin. “I don’t like it, Miriam. I don’t like it at all.”

  “What am I going to do, Jonas?” Miriam asked, dismayed to hear her voice come out as a wail.

  “I’ll think of something, Miriam,” Jonas said. “Please don’t worry yourself about it.” He seemed about to say more, when Tiffany hurried down the stairs.

  “I heard what the sheriff said,” she said. “Susan Smith’s engagement ring has gone missing.”

  Miriam nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Insurance fraud!” Tiffany pronounced dramatically.

  Miriam had no idea what she was talking about. “What do you mean, Tiffany?”

  Tiffany frowned. “Kevin and Susan Smith told the sheriff that they had to contact their insurance company at once and make a claim. Did you see Susan’s engagement ring?”

  Miriam shrugged. All engagement rings looked the same to her. Rings meant nothing to Amish, considering they never wore jewelry.

  Unperturbed by Miriam’s less than enthusiastic reaction, Tiffany pushed on. “It was very small and plain, probably just an industrial diamond chip. I heard them tell the sheriff it was worth ten thousand dollars.”

  “Ten thousand dollars?” Miriam said in shock. She exchanged glances with Jonas.

  Tiffany was still talking. “There’s no way her engagement ring was worth ten thousand dollars, which makes me think it’s insurance fraud.”

  Jonas crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you mean they hid their engagement ring, and lied about it being stolen to claim money from their insurance company under false pretenses?”

  Tiffany nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  At that point, the sheriff came downstairs and Miriam led him into the living room. She and Jonas sat on the heavy couch opposite the sheriff, while Tiffany scurried away to attend to her duties.

  Miriam wasted no time telling the sheriff of Tiffany’s suspicions.

  The sheriff nodded slowly. “To tell you the truth, that occurred to me, too. Still, I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. I’ll look into their background. Meanwhile, Mrs. Berkholder, do you think it’s wise to keep Eden open while all this is happening?”

  Miriam was aghast. “You don’t mean I should turn the guests away and tell them to stay somewhere else?”

  The sheriff avoided her gaze. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. At least until this business is over.”

  “But I can’t,” Miriam protested. “I’ve worked so hard to get Eden up and running, and now I have all these guests that I worked so hard to get! I can’t turn them away just because someone used Tiffany’s car to rob a jewelry store in town, and because the Smiths say that their engagement ring is missing. Why, for all we know, it could have fallen down a crack in the floor boards.” She shot Jonas a look, but he was clearly uncomfortable. She figured he was torn between wanting to support her, and at the same time worried for her safety.

  “Do you really think someone climbed up into the Smiths’ room from outside just to steal the ring?” she asked the sheriff.

  The sheriff shook his head. “Unless someone had a mighty tall ladder, I can’t see how that was possible. I’m not saying I disbelieve them, but I’m not saying I believe them, either. I need to check out their background. Meanwhile, Mrs. Berkholder, could you ask your daughter and son-in-law to stay with you for a while?”

  Miriam wrung her hands. “No, their baby’s teething and I don’t want to disrupt her routine. If anything else happens, though, I will,” she added for Jonas’s benefit. “Sheriff, are you any closer to finding out who robbed the store?”

  The sheriff shook his head. “I wish I had better news for you, but as it stands, we haven’t got very far with our investigations. It also seems strange that no other jewelry stores have been robbed. Usually, we don’t get isolated incidents like this. This is very puzzling.”

  Miriam rubbed her forehead to ease away the headache that was threatening to form. “Very puzzling indeed,” she said sadly.

  Chapter 9

  Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. The sheriff stood up and tipped his hat. “If you’ll excuse me, I had better get back to work.”

  Miriam opened the door for him, and for Jonas who followed the sheriff out, and then all but gasped in shock when she saw Debra Bedshill on her porch.

  Debra was wearing a tight cream suit, with a brightly patterned red and cream floral scarf wrapped around her neck, and her heels were so high that Miriam wondered how she could possibly walk in them. If Debra had been a horse, she would be well and truly lame by now.

  When Miriam had first inherited Eden and had moved there with her daughter, Rachel, the Bedshills had been a thorn in her side. Debra and her husband ran a Bed and Breakfast establishment in town, and they did everything they could to make Miriam’s life difficult. They ordered tradesmen not to help Miriam, and even once drove to Eden to tell Miriam she should go back to Ohio. However, that all changed when Debra appeared at Eden one day and asked Miriam to take on Tiffany as an assistant. She had said the girl was spoiled, and wanted her to learn some good old-fashioned discipline.

  Tiffany had not only learned some old-fashioned discipline, but had fallen in love with Ethan, the Amish man who worked for Jonas, and what’s more, had even joined the community. Tiffany had come back very upset from the meeting with her parents when she told them she was joining the Amish community, and Tiffany had not spoken to them since. Miriam likewise had not spoken to the Bedshills since. She had been on the receiving end of a tongue lashing from Debra once before, and did not really fancy another one.

  With that in mind, Miriam quickly searched Debra’s face to see if she could gauge her mood. “May I come in?” Debra said sternly.

  Miriam stood aside. “Of course.” She showed Debra into the living room and indicated that she should sit. “Would you like some meadow tea, or perhaps a glass of lemonade?”

  “No, thank you,” Debra said through pursed lips.

  At that moment, Bruce and Heather Hanson returned from their outing. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Debra Bedshill.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Hanson!” Debra said with obvious surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought you had finished your vacation.”

  Bruce and Heather exchanged glances and both their faces flushed beet red. It was obvious to Miriam that they were guilty, but about what? Had they disliked Debra’s establishment so much that they had gone straight to Eden? That couldn’t be right. As abrupt as Debra was, her Bed and Breakfast had a fine reputation.

  “We were going straight home when we saw an ad for Eden, and wante
d to try the Amish experience while we were still in Pennsylvania,” Bruce said.

  At his words, his wife nodded vigorously. “That’s right; that’s right,” she said, still nodding her head.

  Miriam was certain they were lying. She didn’t like to have such unkind thoughts, but it was clear that they were covering something up. Debra seemed to be of the same opinion. Debra narrowed her eyes and continued to stare at the couple more closely.

  Bruce grabbed his wife’s hand. “Well, if you’ll excuse us. It was nice to see you again, Mrs. Bedshill.” With that, the couple hurried out of the room as fast as they possibly could.

  Debra looked after them for a while, and then turned back to Miriam. “Is my daughter here?”

  Miriam nodded. “Would you like me to fetch her?”

  Debra shook her head. “I have come to speak to you, and what I have to say is for your ears only.”

  Miriam’s stomach churned, and she tried to school her face into an impassive expression.

  “I’m going to order Tiffany to return to us, and I don’t want you to stand in her way,” Debra said firmly. “The sheriff has informed us that Tiffany’s car was used in a jewelry robbery recently.”

  “Tiffany had nothing to do with that,” Miriam hurried to say. “The keys were here, in a kitchen drawer, and someone stole them. Surely you don’t think it was Tiffany?”

  Debra waved a hand in dismissal. “To be quite frank, I don’t know what to think. Tiffany obviously has issues, and there is no telling what she’ll do next. She is obviously very unreliable and even more impulsive. She acts before she thinks things through. Tiffany needs to come home, right now!”

  Miriam let out a long breath slowly. “It is entirely up to Tiffany as to what she decides to do,” she said. “It’s entirely her decision.”