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The Precious Amish Baby
A Mail Order Bride Romance
By: Faith Crawford
Table of Contents
Main Story: The Precious Amish Baby
Bonus Book 1: The Rancher's Brave Bride
Bonus Book 2: Bride of the Gold Rush
Bonus Book 3: The Billionaire's Surprise
Bonus Book 4: Devoted to the Rancher's Baby
Bonus Book 5: In Love with the Rancher's Baby
Bonus Book 6: My Wounded Hero
Bonus Book 7: The Billionaire Widow's Bride
Bonus Book 8: A Baby at the Doctor's Ranch
Bonus Book 9: The Doctor's Bride
Bonus Book 10: My Sister's Baby
Bonus Book 11: The Gold Prospector's Baby
Main Story: The Precious Amish Baby
Chapter One
The rain was consistent and didn’t make Mary Ruth Stoltz feel any better about her situation. She spent most of the morning on her knees, praying that Gott would change her situation for the better – or at least change her heart. She was trying to motivate herself to get something done, to get anything done, but every day it was becoming harder.
It was true that it had only been two months since the accident that took the life of her husband, Eli, taking away her happiness and security along with him. She was left with their 2 ½-year-old daughter, Martha, and a very real possibility of another baby on the way. Who would want her now?
At 25 years old, she felt like her life had ended prematurely. She was at a loss what to do. Sadness covered her from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep. Even the pleasant giggles and playing of her baby girl was not bringing her any happiness.
She looked out through the droplet-covered window to the dark sky beyond. “Gott,” she whispered. “Please lead me and guide me. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to cope without my Eli. Please help me.”
Her Bishop and his wife had been telling her to trust Gott and know that Eli had his salvation. She desired the best for her husband and knew that he was safely in the hands of Gott but it didn’t help her for her remaining days on earth. She wanted to be by his side, she wanted him back with her.
She felt the presence of another person in the room and turned her eyes to the doorway, where Miriam stood looking at her. The sympathetic look Mary Ruth was becoming used to getting, was ever present. She wasn’t annoyed by it. But she was a little tired of it. It wasn’t helpful. It didn’t lift her spirits.
“Gut morning, Miriam,” she said, softly.
“Gut morning, dear. How do you feel this morning?”
“I’m doing all right, I guess. It’s looking to be another very rainy day, which does not make me feel better.”
“Ya, I look forward to bright, sunny days, as well.”
Mary Ruth looked back out the window. “The rain reminds me of my sadness.”
“Ach nee,” Miriam came over to her and sat on the couch next to her. She put one hand firmly on Mary Ruth’s knee and squeezed. “You must trust in Gott. You will be gut in time. You will have another husband to be vadder for your child. You will be happy again.”
“I don’t know how that’s going to happen, Miriam. I am so sad.”
“Ya,” Miriam put out her arms to take Mary Ruth in her arms and give her a hug. “I know, dear. I understand.”
Mary Ruth didn’t know how Miriam could understand. She had her husband. Miriam and the Bishop had been married for over 20 years. It was true that they had lost a child in the early years of their marriage, but she didn’t consider it to be the same as losing the man that was supposed to be by your side until the end. Though she couldn’t imagine losing her baby Martha. That would be horrible, too.
“Ebenezer wants you to come with us to the gathering in two weeks. He says you have been staying inside too often. You must get out and talk to other people. You mustn’t hole yourself up inside the house and give up on life. Martha needs more than that. You know this is true.”
Mary Ruth nodded but turned her gaze up to the rain as it pelted down on the earth. It was as if Gott was crying too, as if her soul was represented by the storm she saw outside. She wanted the rain to stop. It was a constant reminder of how sad she felt.
“I will go to the gathering,” she said softly, “if that is Ebenezer’s wish.”
Miriam nodded. “That’s a good girl. Now rest for a bit this afternoon. You are looking a bit peaked. Do you think you are coming down with something?”
Mary Ruth hadn’t told her that she thought she was going to have another baby. She was very small and petite. She didn’t know if it was true yet. She hadn’t been to see the midwife. She didn’t want to concern others with her problems any more than she already was. Coming to live with the Bishop and his wife had been a difficult decision for her. She’d left the home Eli had made for her. She’d left everything but her clothes and her baby behind. And she wasn’t sure it was a good decision for Ebenezer and Miriam either. They weren’t young like she was and weren’t prepared to care for a grown woman and her small child.
Sooner or later, she would have to see the midwife. She would either find out through a check from her or when she started to show. It was irresponsible for her not to find out. She was eating like she should and taking care of herself. She took walks and regularly rested. She probably rested more than she actually should.
“Miriam,” sShe started as her friend had stood up and was headed to the door. Miriam turned and looked at her.
“Yes, liebchen?”
“I think I will be having another child.”
Miriam just blinked at her, as if she hadn’t heard or understood what she said. Then she crossed the room back to her and dropped onto the couch, a serious expression on her face.
“Oh, Mary Ruth. Are you sure?”
Mary Ruth shook her head. “No. But I have a feeling it is true. I have a feeling and my monthly has not come for three months. I believe if I am, I am four months in.”
Miriam grabbed one of her hands in both of hers. “We will talk to Ebenezer. I will call the midwife and we will get her to check. We will help you, Mary Ruth. Just know that you are not alone.”
Mary Ruth nodded and looked out the window again. Was Gott punishing her? To give her two little blessings after taking her husband to be with Him? Why? Why was any of this happening?
***
“If Gott had not promised he would never flood the earth again, I would think he was now,” Mary Ruth sighed, staring out at the falling water. She was sitting on the porch with Miriam and Martha, sipping on a hot cup of tea. The Bishop had joined them that afternoon and he nodded in response while he puffed on a pipe filled with sweet-smelling herbs.
“I’m afraid I would have to agree with you, Mary Ruth. It appears the rain is not going to stop for some time. We will have to continue praying to see the sun sometime in the near future.”
“Ya,” Miriam leaned over and adjusted baby Martha’s bonnet. The little girl was sitting on the floor, her tiny fat legs stretched out in front of her. She was staring at a faceless doll with long blonde “hair” and trying to fit its head in her mouth. “You’re both correct. It is truly raining more than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”
“It
will be good for the crops. The ground will soak up the water and our vegetables will be big and plentiful.”
Mary Ruth looked at the Bishop. He was an older man with a graying beard and intense brown eyes. He squinted almost all the time, something Miriam attributed to the fact that he was rarely without his smoking pipe. Mary Ruth was glad he only used the sweetly scented herbs in the pipe. She did not care for the smell of tobacco, even the natural types that most of the men in the community used. Eli was not a smoker when he was alive. She was glad of that.
She and Miriam had visited the midwife, who had confirmed that Mary Ruth was indeed pregnant and was in her fourth month. Despite the diagnosis, Mary Ruth had yet to start showing. She still seemed quite slim, compared to others who were known to be about that far along in their pregnancies. But the midwife showed no concern. She said that by her standards, Mary Ruth was still in very good health and had obviously been taking care of herself and her unborn child, despite the circumstances of her husband’s recent death.
Because of this new issue in her life, Mary Ruth was feeling more vulnerable than ever. She typically wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from the world around her. She went to the functions, but reluctantly and rarely talked to anyone. The Bishop and Miriam had approached her about joining a new husband in marriage, even suggesting a few of the single men in the community. They had yet to set her up for any type of date with any of them, which she was happy about.
She wasn’t ready to find another husband with Eli so recently gone.
She knew eventually she would have to remarry, however. It was something that Miriam would make sure of, one way or another. Since Mary Ruth had no family in the community and had joined it to be with Eli, she could not rely on her own mother or any other relatives. Eli’s parents, brother and sisters had not welcomed Mary Ruth into any of their homes, but she understood their reasoning. The brother and sisters were all married with large families of their own and though they cared for Mary Ruth and Martha, they simply were not willing to take on the responsibilities of their late brother’s family. Eli’s parents were old and staying with Eli’s brother, which made for a very full family home already.
Earlier that evening, the Bishop and Miriam had approached Mary Ruth with a plan. Since she was not willing to marry a man from their community, they had approached the surrounding communities for someone who was willing to take her and Martha into their care.
“It’s not that we don’t care for you, mind you,” Miriam made sure to point out. “It’s that we are concerned you are not going to lead a full life here in our community. If you are not wanting to marry a man that is here, you must look elsewhere. We cannot have you here in our home forever. Gott wants us to be yoked with someone to live out our lives fruitfully. Plus, your children will need a vadder to care for them, as well as a mudder. You understand, don’t you, liebchen?”
Mary Ruth nodded. She did understand. She was immensely grateful that Miriam had approached her with this, rather than the Bishop. He could be a cold and blunt man when he spoke. He was not a man who looked upon women with gentleness, a fact that had not escaped her during her stay with them.
“I understand,” she replied quietly.
“In Jeremiah, it says that Gott has plans for us. He wants to give us happiness and prosperity. Love. Hope. A gut future. To have this, you must marry a man who will complete your marriage.”
Mary Ruth looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. “Ya. I do know this, Miriam.”
“Since you have decided there are no suitable single bachelors here, we have found one for you in a neighboring community.”
Mary Ruth looked up at her. “Pardon me?”
“There is a man in the neighboring Osgood community near the edge of the Tennessee border. We saw his ad in the newspaper, saying that he’s looking for a mail order bride. His name is Samuel King. His wife passed away last year, leaving him with five children. She was only 33. But there seemed to be a problem with her heart. The physician who saw her said she had a heart attack.”
“So young,” Mary Ruth wanted to say more but she was flabbergasted that the Bishop and his wife had taken steps without consulting her. She didn’t know what to say. There was nothing she could do but what they asked.
Chapter Two
She would be going to the new community before the end of the month. They had arranged everything and Mary Ruth had said nothing. She could only hope that the man she was going to be married to would be handsome, kind and a good father to her children. They had exchanged a few letters between them and she was satisfied that he was a believer. He seemed very nice from what she had read. The Bishop had visited the Osgood community in the past and could vouch for Samuel’s character.
She wasn’t able to ask what he looked like. She could only wait and see.
Bishop Wittman and Miriam would be traveling with her. In fact, they would be taking the entire ride by buggy, stopping along the way to visit other communities. The Bishop said it was only a day’s journey even if they stopped for half an hour at the two stops he wanted to make. Mary Ruth knew Martha would love the scenery and would perhaps enjoy being in a new environment. Her biggest concern was that she would be content, so that she could be a good mother to her daughter and unborn child.
The morning she was to leave for the new community, she felt the first flutter from her baby. She woke up with a start and immediately placed her hand on her belly. She knew that feeling. She wasn’t as concerned about the changes she was going to feel now that she had already gone through it once before. She was, in fact, excited and unafraid.
Her sorrow was still ever-present in her mind. She missed Eli on a constant basis. She could see his eyes in her daughter, hear his laughter in her sleep. She didn’t know how long it would be before she wasn’t feeling that way anymore. She needed a distraction. She hoped that the move would provide that for her.
She was somewhat surprised that she wasn’t more emotional about the decisions that had been made for her. When she was married to Eli, he had relied on her to raise the children and run the house the way she saw fit. They had agreed on so much that she didn’t have to worry about offending him or usurping his position. She hoped that she would satisfy Samuel in the same way.
It would be some time before they were actually married. She couldn’t help wondering how he would treat her in the meantime.
She hoped he wouldn’t treat her like a little girl.
***
The buggy was rough under her thighs, though she had noticed that she was widening somewhat. The fatty layers were gathering on her body in preparation for the new baby. She may not have been showing much in the front, but the rest of her body seemed to be readying itself.
She wondered how much weight she would gain. She wondered if she would experience any morning sickness. She’d had very little when she was pregnant with Martha. She hadn’t had many problems at all, that she remembered. Even the birth was smooth, with less pain than she expected. The other women she’d talked to that went through the midwife she’d used had said differently. They’d all had a great deal of pain and warned her of it before she gave birth. Afterward, they were amazed at her description of it.
She felt blessed. There were many women who did not even survive the birth or had lost their baby. Medicine was advancing every year but it would be another five years before it was even the year 1900. Perhaps things would be better for women and their babies in the next century.
She watched as they passed from little town to little town. She didn’t see a lot of differences between the towns, other than the money they had to put into fixing it up. Some towns looked rich, with green fields and large farmhouses and people walking about in nice clothes. Other towns were obviously the opposite. There were dirty drunks out on the street, even in the middle of the day, stumbling around and yelling at other people. The houses looked dilapidated, paint chipping and wood falling off in various places.
M
ary Ruth tried not to second guess herself or where she was going. She trusted the Bishop. If he said that she would be safe and happiest in the Osgood community, she believed him. It was time for her to let go of the past. She really didn’t have a choice.
***
The two communities they stopped at along the way seemed so different, so set apart from the towns that were near them. The land they took up spread out so far, Mary Ruth couldn’t see where they ended. There were at least a dozen houses alone, each one with a barn, fields, gardens, stables, silos, sheds and random buildings set up for other purposes. She was impressed by how well organized they were. Her own community was not as big.
Martha was delighted with the animals running around. She was a dog lover and constantly asked to be set on the ground so that she could be lovingly attacked by the small dogs that greeted the buggy in both places. Mary Ruth vowed to get her a dog of her own when they reached their destination. She hoped that Samuel would have pets. She herself was a fan of cats. She wasn’t able to bring along any of their pets after Eli died. Miriam and the Bishop no longer kept pets at their home, so she had given them to some of her neighbors.
Now that she could see how much Martha enjoyed the little Pomeranians running around her ankles, she made up her mind to get one for the girl. Her birthday was in a few months. Perhaps she would do it then.
Suddenly, Mary Ruth was picturing herself in a few months, a big belly and a baby waiting to come out. She felt a jitter of excitement and sorrow at the same time. A new baby. A new husband. A new family.
It was going to be quite a change.
***
When they finally reached the Osgood community, it was nearing dark. Lamps had been lit and were shining through the windows of the houses they passed. She was surprised that some of the houses in the town near the Osgood community were using electric lights. That meant the town had money. She wondered how that was possible. Electricity was so new. And she knew nothing about it. Only that it was not accepted in her community.
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