[2016] The Precious Amish Baby

by Faith Crawford

  Merging easily with the other people, Emma kept her head down. No one took any notice of her. Everyone around her treated this like they were going to a picnic. She allowed herself to be swept up in the crowd, to walk with everyone else as if this was perfectly normal.

  Her heart stopped as she came around the corner and saw the center of the town. The scaffolding had been raised. Four gallows for the four living bandits with four heavy pieces of rope swinging in the breeze.

  “Watch it!” a man yelled. She had stopped into the middle of the street without even realizing it. He roughly brushed past her. She went more slowly now. The shadows of the gallows were growing shorter as the sun rose higher in the sky. Soon it would be noon. Soon it would happen.

  The crowd around her pulled her closer to the gallows and she stopped near the edge of the group. Through hats and parasols she could still see the tall planks of wood raised above the ground. They were sentinels of death, unmoving and uncaring. They would take these men to meet their creator.

  “Think the sheriff’s learned how to tie a proper noose?” a man in front of her asked his friend.

  “I hope not,” the other man scoffed. “I do enjoy watching them dance. Their faces going blue and their eyes bulging out are the only reason I come out into this miserable heat.”

  Emma looked at the backs of the two men in front of her. She longed for her husband. She wished Aiden were there. He would never have been so callous and cruel. He would never hope for pain and suffering, no matter how detestable the bandit.

  “What are you doing here?” With a gasp, she spun around to see Aiden standing behind her.

  “I...I...” she stammered. “I wanted to see you,” she said, and his face softened. “I didn’t like how you left. I shouldn’t have let you go like that. I didn’t want you to be alone.”

  “I’m fine,” he said, putting an arm on her shoulder. “I know these last few days have been hard. But I don’t want you to be here for this.”

  “Why not?” She asked. “I’m far from the only woman here.” In fact, there seemed to be more women than men here. The girls from the saloons, maids, barmaids and wives were all in attendance.

  “Have you ever been to a hanging?” he asked. She shook her head. “It is not always so pleasant. But perhaps,” he paused, and winced into the sunlight, staring at the gallows behind them. “Maybe knowing the bandits are finally gone will help you feel more at ease.”

  Together they looked at the gallows. “I don’t know if I want to stay or not,” she admitted. “I’m afraid of what will happen, but I still feel like I should be a witness to it.”

  “Very well,” Aiden said, with a nod. He took a step back, but Emma reached for his hand and pulled him close to her. With a loud creak the door to the small sheriff’s station opened, and the four men were brought out.

  They looked worse. Thin and banged up and bruised, as if they had done nothing but fight since they’d been arrested. They moved slowly, with the occasional kick from the sheriff’s deputies to move them along.

  She watched as one by one they were led up the stairs to the gangplank. Each one stopped in their designated place. Their hands were tied behind their backs and two of them were crying. As the ropes were placed around their necks Emma felt oddly out of breath. Her nausea was back and she felt rather light headed.

  She could barely hear as the charges of the bandits were read aloud. The sheriff went on and on. The list seemed endless, but eventually he finished and the priest walked up to the bandits. He read them a blessing that was lost to the dry wind and then, with a nod, he turned towards the sheriff, who stood near the lever.

  The clock tower chimed twelve and with a loud thud the boards beneath the bandits’ feet fell. Emma gasped and turned away. She couldn’t stand to see it. She couldn’t watch. She buried her face in Aiden’s chest and his arm came around her as the crowd cheered.

  Chapter Nine

  “I think I might faint,” Emma whispered into Aiden’s chest. He held her even closer and kissed the crown of her head. “I don’t want to see,” she said.

  “It’s alright, you don’t have to.” She tried to move, to lift her head and look into his eyes, but he held her closer. “It’s not done yet,” he said. The crowd was still cheering. She wondered if the men were dancing, if their eyes were bulging out, if the crowd was happy. “Come,” Aiden said. He led her over to a bench in the shade and sat her down.

  “Stay here, I will be right back,” he said. He put a hand on her cheek and she gave him a weak smile. The gallows were behind her and she did not dare to look around. The crowd was thinning, everyone walking back to their homes. They were elbowing each other and joking. Just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

  “That was a fine hanging,” a man said as he passed, and the group with him laughed loudly, throwing their heads back. Nausea rose in her stomach again, but she forced it down. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back. It was even possible she slept for a few moments, for she was awakened when Aiden came back.

  “You do not look well,” Aiden said, as he bent down and put a hand on her forehead.

  “I have not been feeling my best recently,” she admitted. “But I’m sure it will pass.”

  “Can you walk home, or should I call for the carriage?”

  “I’m fine, as long as I’m with you,” she said. He squeezed her hand and helped her up, and together they walked home. Once inside they did not go upstairs, but instead turned and walked into his practice. He helped her sit on the table in the back room and pulled out his stethoscope.

  “What’s been wrong?” he asked, as he pressed the cold metal of the stethoscope to her throat.

  “I’ve been feeling a little sick, but haven't actually been sick, and I’ve just been very tired. I think it was just from what happened. I feel fine now.”

  He removed his stethoscope and looked at her. “Are your breasts tender or sore?”

  She flushed and looked down at the ground and nodded, unable to look at him. She felt his hand come under her chin and he tilted her face up. “How long has it been since you last bled?”

  She shrugged, “A while, I guess.” She had never had cause to keep track of such a thing before.

  “I think you’re pregnant,” he said. Her stomach fell to her shoes and she felt suddenly lightheaded. Of course she was pregnant. It made perfect sense. She should have been able to put all of that together, but the bandits and the hanging had distracted her from anything else.

  She put her hand to her stomach and wondered if it was true that life could be there. She looked up at Aiden and smiled at him, happy to see him smiling back.

  “I love you,” she said. “I know you’re mad at me about the night with the bandits, but I swear I will never do anything so foolish again-”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, interrupting her. “Why would you think I would be angry with you?”

  “Because you told me not to open the door when the bandits were here, but I did it anyway. I know you’re angry. Things are strained between us and I want you to know that they needn’t be.”

  “No, no, sweet Emma,” he said, taking her hands and kissing them both. “I was never angry with you. I would never be angry with you. I was angry at myself. I brought you here. I was the one who put you in the path of danger. All week I had been questioning what kind of man brings a woman to a place like this.”

  “But don’t you understand?” Emma said, taking his large hands in hers and kissing them. “I love it here. Every day there is something new to see, something exciting to do. You saved my life when you married me and brought me here. I love you and I love Cole. Coming here was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never want to be anywhere else.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and he held her tightly. Tears sprung from her eyes, but they were tears of relief and happiness. From upstairs they could hear Cole calling down to them, wondering where they were.

  Emma wip
ed her tears away with a laugh and Aiden kissed her cheeks to dry them.

  “Let’s go and find our son,” she said to him.

  Epilogue

  “You must be very careful, Cole,” Aiden said. The young boy nodded. His eyes were wide as he walked into the bedroom. Emma smiled at him as he carefully approached the bed.

  “It’s alright, come here,” Emma said.

  Cole walked to the edge of the bed and then peered to look at the tiny bundle nestled in Emma’s arms. The little newborn was swaddled in soft blankets and only her sleepy face and small hand peeked out.

  Cole climbed into the bed. He was very careful, taking his time so as to not disturb anyone.

  “Meet your little sister, Sarah Emma Barlow,” Emma said, as Aiden came and sat down next to her.

  “She’s so wrinkly,” Cole said, as he looked at the baby.

  “She’ll smooth out as she ages. You know, you were just as tiny once,” Aiden said.

  The baby stirred. Her dark eyes opened and she stared up at them. Her hand waved in the air and Cole reached for it. Her tiny fingers wrapped around his and he gasped in delight.

  “She’s holding my hand,” he said, excitedly turning to look at the Emma as Sarah’s fingers held tightly to his.

  “She likes you already,” Emma said, kissing him on the head.

  She leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes. The delivery had been hard and even a few days later she still felt terribly tired. But it was over. She had her little daughter and her little son. She had her own family now, her own children. She was luckier than she had any right to be.

  “Alright, Cole, why don’t you go and see Marie? Maybe she’ll have a treat for you.” The boy nodded, jumped off the bed and ran down the hall. He managed to be calm for a few moments, but he was too energetic to sit still for longer than that.

  Aiden settled into bed next to her and took the baby from her arms. She smiled up at him.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked her.

  “How lucky I am to have found you,” she said. Her eyes were growing heavy. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across their bedroom. In one corner was the baby’s crib, now a permanent fixture.

  “I’m the lucky one,” he said, and then the baby gurgled in his arms and they both chuckled looking down at her tiny little form. She squirmed in his arms for a moment and opened her eyes to stare at her father. She was so beautiful. Her bright eyes seemed to take everything in. She was going to be clever, Emma was sure of it.

  “Our daughter,” Aiden said, kissing the top of her head.

  *****

  THE END

  Bonus Book 10: My Sister's Baby

  By: Faith Crawford

  Description

  An Amish girl, a baby who lost his mother and a billionaire in the West. Will they be a family?

  Elisabeth Schwartz is a devoted daughter and sister to her Amish family. She is a strong girl with a deep sense of responsibility. So when her only sister, Deborah, is banned from the community for becoming involved with and marrying a man from town, she is torn between her duty to her family and her faith and her love for her sister.

  She cannot keep herself from visiting her sister whenever she goes into town, not letting her family know that she is seeing Deborah. On one visit, Deborah announces she is pregnant. Now Elisabeth feels a stronger sense of duty to help her sister, whose husband, Stephen, is a traveling salesman and frequently leaves town.

  Stephen is out of town on business when Deborah goes into labor. Elisabeth is there for her sister but Deborah has complications and makes the ultimate sacrifice for her child, leaving Elisabeth to decide what to do next.

  In a split second decision, Elisabeth travels to the West to find Stephen and finds herself entrenched in a new adventure, as a mail-order-bride for a wealthy, charming ex-gold miner.

  Will she ever find Stephen? And if she does, will she want to give baby Andrew to him after bonding with the child and falling in love with her future husband? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain for Elisabeth. It’s all about Andrew.

  Chapter One

  Elisabeth smoothed out her skirt and her hair, and pulled her boots on over her long socks. She would work the garden today and she didn’t want to get too much mud or dirt on her legs. It was bad enough that her blue skirt would have to be hemmed. Working in the garden did a number on the bottoms of every skirt she owned.

  But she had to do it. There was too much that had to be taken care of. Too much that had to be done. With as much as she did, she didn’t know why she looked so curvy and round in her skirt and apron. She was strong but she felt bigger than any of her sisters or the other girls in the community. She pulled on her bonnet and went out the door to go downstairs and get a cup of hot coffee. She enjoyed it more when it was freshly brewed on the stove. She was self-conscious because her footsteps seemed to echo through the large house as she went down the stairs.

  It was otherwise quiet. Her mother was most likely the only one up, having risen earlier than Elisabeth and her brother, Eli, the youngest two and the only ones left in the house. She typically had biscuits and coffee ready, boiling some water for herself. Hepzibah Schwartz preferred tea.

  She pushed open the door to the kitchen, making it swing wide. She went in, smiling at her mother.

  “Morning, Mother,” she said.

  “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

  “I did, thanks.”

  “Here’s a fresh cup of coffee for you, dear.”

  “Thank you.”

  Elisabeth took the coffee in both hands, enjoying the warmth that flowed from the sides of the cup. The heat covered her hands and reached all the way up to her elbows. Noticing her mother was just starting the scrambled eggs, she set the coffee down, after taking a sip, and set about putting plates, forks and cups on the table for the family. Her father had most likely eaten and was already on his way to work. Elisabeth’s day started early but her father’s started even earlier than her own. It never seemed like there were enough hours in the day for Keziah.

  “Do you have plans for today, Elisabeth?” her mother asked, stirring the eggs.

  “I do. I am meeting Rosie and we are going to town to buy fabric for new dresses. We have decided to make identical ones and wear them to all the upcoming gatherings.”

  “That sounds lovely, dear,” Hepzibah said, nodding.

  Elisabeth wasn’t technically fibbing. She was going to town with Rosie to pick out fabric for their matching dresses. But she was also going for another reason. She wanted to see her sister, Deborah. Deb was four years older than Elisabeth and they had two brothers in between them. Their youngest brother was Eli, who had just turned 16. He was a surprise baby. After Hepzibah experienced a very difficult birth with Elisabeth, the midwife had predicted that Hepzibah was done with child-bearing.

  When Deb was 18 years old and newly committed to the life of the Amish, it was discovered that she was receiving letters and notes from a boy in the town, an Englisher who she had met while on her vacation.

  When she refused to stop having contact with the boy and sneaking out of the community to see him, she was banished from home, told that she would not return until such time as the elders permitted it. Elisabeth and her family were instructed to shun Deborah. Not long after, Deborah left, married the man she had been talking to and was very happy with her life.

  But Elisabeth was the only person in her family who knew that.

  Elisabeth was 19 years old and still searching for a husband. She knew it was the prime time for her to be looking but she was more concerned with Deborah. She didn’t feel desperate for a man. She wouldn’t mind the companionship but she liked doing what she wanted, when she wanted. She knew it was all in God’s time. She was willing to be patient.

  Deborah’s plight weighed heavy on Elisabeth’s shoulders. She made regular visits to her sister and her sister’s husband, Stephen. Stephen worked very hard and was rarely home.
He was a salesman when he wasn’t working on repairing buggies, wagons and carriages. He had a repair shop in the middle of town that made quite a lot of money for him. But it kept him away from home about half the time and Deb missed him a lot. As a salesman, he had traveled all over the East Coast. He always said there wasn’t much that would sell out West. He said it seemed like a vast wasteland to him, with tiny cities and mostly poor, broken people working hard for a living. “Maybe I’ll go there someday,” he said sometimes, but always ended it with a laugh that convinced Elisabeth and his wife that he had no intention of working in the West. “Go there to visit – not to stay!”

  The ladies laughed with him. They couldn’t imagine life in the West, where there seemed to be so little green, so few people and so much dryness in the air.

  “And not a woman in sight,” her brother Eli had said, at a small social gathering one night that made Elisabeth think of her brother-in-law. No one in her family even knew his name, except Father, who knew everyone’s names, all the time.

  “There are women,” their father had countered. “They just have to be either born or shipped in from the East.”

  “Shipped in? How can you say that?” Elisabeth had asked. She couldn’t imagine such a thing.

  “Oh, yes, men in the West have been requesting brides to combat their loneliness and have a little help on the farm.”

  “Sounds dreadful.”

  “For some, it’s the only way out.”

  That hadn’t seemed like enough of a reason for Elisabeth. Recalling the conversation with her mother, she remarked, “I can’t imagine a good enough reason for someone to give up their freedom to join a man in the West who they didn’t even know, Mother.”