Saving Gideon

by Amy Lillard

  “Why’d you make me go?” Her voice came out raw and scratchy, but she kept her arms locked firmly around his neck in a tight, loving grip.

  “I thought it best.”

  “You were wrong.”

  “I was wrong.”

  She pulled away just enough to look into his eyes. “All my life I’ve been searching for something. I found it right here.”

  “God?” he asked.

  Annie smiled through her tears. “God. Love. You.” She paused. “Please don’t make me leave again.”

  Those words brought it all home. Reluctantly, he set her away from him and kept her at an arm’s distance. “It’s not goin’ to be easy.”

  He was stone-cold serious, but still she smiled. “The things worth having usually aren’t.”

  “You’ll be givin’ up a lot.”

  “Nothing worth having.”

  “There’s a lot more than cars and clothes that’d have to be left behind.”

  She flashed him her dimples even as the tears continued to spill from her amazing violet-colored eyes. “I love you more than electricity.”

  “That’s good to know.” His heart pounded once again. She loved him! He wanted to dip his head right there on the spot and kiss her breathless. Kiss her like he had wanted to that day down by the creek. But the rumble of a truck followed by the blare of a horn kept him in line.

  “They’re here.”

  “Who’s here?” She turned, and he pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her middle as a truck rolled to a stop at the end of the lane.

  He was sure they made quite a pair, a Plain man and a beautiful Englischer in a shining frack. But he didn’t care. Annie was back. His Annie had come home.

  A man hopped out of the truck and approached them. “You G. Fisher?”

  “I am.”

  “I’ve got sixteen alpacas here for you.”

  He heard the intake of her breath. “Alpacas?”

  “That’s right,” the driver said.

  Gideon smiled into her hair. “Let’s get ’em in this pasture.” He released Annie. For now. He moved away from her toward the back of the truck and its waiting animals.

  Now that he had her, he hated to let her go. It was probably for the best. Otherwise he’d go on holding her, maybe even kissing her until he got his fill. They’d shock the whole district and that would never do.

  Avery gathered Louie into her arms and without a care for the cost of her dress, climbed onto the top rung of the fence as Gideon and the truck driver unloaded the alpacas. The first one out of the trailer was a soft, beige female with thick, wooly fur. They were everything she had read about and more. Long eyelashes like a camel, velvety soft noses. They were indeed docile in nature for they ambled out of the trailer without so much as a fuss, then gladly moseyed into the pasture, poking around at the unfamiliar ground and nudging at each other.

  She tamped down her worry and tried just to enjoy the sight of all these beautiful creatures. Gideon’s fresh start on life. She hoped she could be a part of it. He hadn’t asked her to leave, but he hadn’t said she could stay either. He’d seemed so happy when she had arrived. That had to be a good sign.

  She just hoped she hadn’t been too hasty in leaving her car at the General Store with a big For Sale sign on it.

  If only he’d kissed her, like Meredith said, like the song, then maybe she would know that he loved her enough to let her stay. And that he was willing to take the chance that they could make it together. As it was, she could only watch as he unloaded alpacas. A rusty-colored male that would make the prettiest raw yarn, another small female as close to snow white as she had ever seen, and a larger male so dark brown he almost looked black.

  Avery could hardly wait to see them up close, touch them, watch them graze and frolic on the tall grass. She just hoped she got the chance.

  Finally, all sixteen were in the pasture, and the driver paid. The man climbed into his truck and headed off back down the country drive.

  Avery’s heart gave a hard pound as Gideon secured the fence and headed her way.

  He stopped mere feet in front of her, his hands on his narrow hips, his wide-brimmed straw hat tipped a little to the side by the Oklahoma winds.

  “Ach, then, let’s geh, Annie Hamilton.”

  “Geh?” What did that mean?

  “Let’s go.”

  “Go?” She hadn’t wanted to say the word, but it slipped through her lips.

  “Jah. Geh.”

  He reached for her waist and pulled her down from the fence, setting her gently on her feet.

  Avery soaked in the warmth of his hands on her, wondering if it would be the last time she’d be this close to him. He loved her, of that she was certain, but it didn’t seem like he thought they could overcome their differences and make a life together work.

  “Gideon, I . . .” She had to give it one last chance, make him see how good it could be between them. What kind of woman would she be to just let it all slip through her fingers without giving a fight?

  “You talk more’n any woman I’ve seen.”

  “But—”

  He dipped his head and covered her mouth with his, effectively cutting short anything she would have said. Not that Avery minded. His kiss said it all, was more than she could have hoped. It was sweet, promising, and filled with love.

  When he lifted his head, his green eyes shone with emotion, his voice thick with the same. “Your dresses are in the bedroom closet. I suggest you put one on before we go to my elders’ haus. I don’t think my dat will be glad to see you wearin’ this little frack.”

  “My dresses?”

  Gideon smiled. “Go on, now, we have a lot to decide tonight. Where you’re goin’ to stay. And then we’ll have to talk to the bishop.”

  Avery clapped her hands together. “You mean it?”

  “Jah.” His expression turned serious once more. “It’s not goin’ to be easy.”

  “But I’ll be with you,” Avery said.

  “Jah.”

  She raised up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss at the corner of his mouth. “As long as we’re together, it’ll all be worth it.”

  “Jah.” He kissed her on the mouth one last time, then gently nudged her toward the house. “Change your dress.”

  And with a laugh, Annie headed toward the house. Her new life—her new adventure—had begun.

  Glossary

  Ach—Oh

  Aemen—Amen

  Aenti—Aunt

  Appeditilch—Delicious

  Allrecht—All right

  Bensel—Silly child

  Brechdich—Magnificent

  Bruder—Brother

  Bu—Boy

  Danki—Thank you

  Dat—Dad

  Deutsch—Pennsylvania Dutch

  Dippy eggs—eggs cooked over-easy

  Dochder—Daughter

  Elder—parents

  Englisch, Englischer—non-Amish person

  Frack—Dress

  Geb acht—Be careful

  Geh—Go

  Grossdaadi—Grandfather

  Grossmammi—Grandmother

  Guck datt hie—Look there

  Gut—Good

  Guder mariye—Good morning

  Gut nacht—Good night

  Halt—stop

  Haus—House

  Jah—Yes

  Kaffi—Coffee

  Kapp—Prayer covering, cap

  Mamm—Mom

  Meidung—Shunning

  Mudder—Mother

  Naerfich—Nervous

  Natchess—Supper

  Nay—No

  Onkel—Uncle

 
Ordnung—Amish rules written and understood

  Rumspringa—Running around time (at 16)

  Snitz pie—Dried apple pie

  Sohn—Son

  Unser Satt Leit—Our sort of people

  Wunderbaar—Wonderful

  Katie Rose’s Oven-Fried Chicken

  8–9 pieces of chicken—breasts, thighs, and legs

  1 tsp. paprika

  1 tbsp. salt

  1 tbsp. onion powder

  1 tbsp. garlic salt

  1 tbsp. dried marjoram

  1 tbsp. pepper

  1 cup flour

  1/3 cup butter, melted

  1/3 cup vegetable oil

  3/4 cup buttermilk

  2 drops Tabasco

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oil and butter in a shallow baking dish and melt together in heated oven. In a large sack, mix together flour and dried spices.

  In a medium-sized bowl, add Tabasco to buttermilk and stir. Coat chicken pieces in buttermilk, then shake them in the sack. When evenly coated, roll the pieces in the melted butter and oil mixture. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and bake for 45 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until skin starts to bubble and juices run clear.

  Best served with creamed potatoes and fresh green beans.

  Ruth Fisher’s Shoofly Pie

  1 tsp. baking soda

  3/4 cup molasses

  1 cup hot water

  1 pinch salt

  1 pinch ginger

  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  1 cup dark brown sugar

  1/2 cup lard

  1/4 cup butter

  1/2 tsp. cinnamon

  unbaked pie shell

  Stir soda into molasses until frothy. Add water, salt, and ginger, then set aside.

  Mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, cut in lard and butter. Stir until crumbly.

  Line a 9-inch pie plate with pie shell and pour in 1/3 of the molasses mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumb mixture over and continue alternating layers with crumbs as top layer.

  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

  Annie Hamilton’s Chicken Pot Pie

  1 small chicken

  4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

  1 onion, diced

  2 stalks of celery, diced

  1/2 bell pepper, diced

  1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Boil chicken over the stove until partly tender. Then add onion, bell pepper, carrot, potatoes, and celery. Continue to cook until chicken is completely done. Remove meat from the pan and allow to cool. Remove meat from the bones and skin.

  Pot Pie Dough

  2 eggs

  2 cups of flour

  2 to 3 tbsp. of milk or cream

  Mix together eggs and flour, adding the milk to make a soft dough. Roll the dough as thin as possible. Cut into 1 x 2 inch strips with a knife.

  Heat broth to a boil. Add pastry strips and allow to cook 20 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and serve piping hot.

  Dear Reader,

  Name’s Abram Fisher, and I live in the Amish community of Clover Ridge. It’s in the greenest part of Oklahoma, mighty close to Arkansas. Close enough to share some of the rolling hills, green pastures, and towering trees.

  Sometimes I don’t understand why God works the way He does. I never thought I’d say that. I’ve always been taught to accept the Lord’s will and make the most of all I’ve been given. This is the best way. And it’s the Amish way.

  Yet, the Lord does see fit to throw us into situations that test our faith. Or maybe He’s just giving us an opportunity to strengthen it. After my son’s wife and son died in a tragic accident, I noticed that Gideon had more and more trouble dealing with his pain and grief. So much, he sold their family farm and moved to the outskirts of the district. He quit going to church services and shaved his beard. I was mighty worried about Gideon those days, as was his mamm.

  And then a miraculous thing happened. This purty young Englisher crashed her fancy car, and the only soul around to help was my Gideon. He pulled her in from the cold and tended to her injuries. He even cared for her tiny whelp of a dog.

  Annie (that’s what we call her) comes from a very wealthy family in Texas, but as time went on, she seemed to adapt more and more to our ways. But the best part is, she seemed to bring Gideon out of himself and find that piece of him that was lost and buried along with his family.

  Now, I don’t know for a fact, but it seems to me Gideon and his Annie are wunderbaar together. Somehow, she helped him get back right with the Lord. And he helped her slow down and learn to enjoy life, to see God in places she might not have ever known. Jah, they’re gut for each other, my Gideon and his Annie, but there are so many obstacles standing between them and true happiness.

  We’re all questioning if Annie can for sure and for certain let go of her worldly life and embrace the practices of the Plain folks here in Clover Ridge. After all, it’s much more common for Plain folk to jump the fence than it is for Englishers to convert. And what about Gideon? I can’t help but wonder if he’ll be able to put the past behind him and learn to believe again. To live again. And maybe even with God’s help, learn to love again.

  Discussion Questions

  1. An Amish man’s beard is the mark of his faith and family, yet Gideon shaves his beard after the accident. How does this show the level of his grief? How is his decision viewed by the other members of the district?

  2. How does Gideon’s farm offer Avery refuge from her broken engagement and the mantle of responsibility of her life in Dallas? Have you ever wanted to get away like Avery? How did you accomplish this or handle feeling overwhelmed with your day-to-day life?

  3. Though most people would consider Avery’s life in Dallas to be perfect, Avery enjoys her time on Gideon’s farm. Is she hiding from reality or embracing a new way of life?

  4. Avery comes from great wealth and privilege, yet she embraces the rural chores and lifestyle. Have you ever wished for a slower lifestyle? What changes have you made to achieve it?

  5. Gideon refuses to sleep in the house with Avery—not even in a different room. How does this reflect the Amish respect for each other, their community, and God? Is chivalry dead? Can it be found again in secular society? If you could bring back an old-fashioned notion such as this, which one would you revive and why?

  6. In the house garden, Avery tells Mary Elizabeth about coercing Gideon into promising to attend the work frolic. Mary Elizabeth in turn tells Avery that the voice of God played a hand. How do you feel about the Lord speaking through us? Do you feel you’ve heard the voice of God? Did you obey what was said or no? Were you sorry or grateful for that decision?

  7. After Avery’s arrival, Gideon goes into town, plants crops, and begins to restock his animals. How does her arrival spurn him to action without her direct encouragement? Do you think this is an example of how God works in our lives without us even realizing it?

  8. Ex-fiancé Jack is the reason Avery came to Oklahoma Amish country. How does his appearance solidify her views of her friends and her time with the Amish? Is Jack an accurate representation of the secular world? Or is he merely the personification of the intrusions we all face when walking in faith? How do you deal with these intrusions into your life?

  9. Avery encourages Gideon to invest in alpacas and make his farm self-sustaining again. How could raising different livestock help Gideon? Have you ever had to start over from scratch? How did starting over affect your family and friends?

  10. Ruth’s cancer diagnosis is the breaking point for Gideon. How does this news end up renewing his faith and bringing him closer to hi
s family? How has such news in your life affected your family? What could you do to bring family closer together in the face of tragedy?

  11. Avery believes that Gideon is reluctant to kiss her because of his love for his late wife. Most Amish marriages are based off need and compatibility, but not romantic love. How does Gideon use Avery’s misconception to temper their attraction? Have you ever allowed someone to misunderstand in order to protect your heart?

  12. The underlying theme of Saving Gideon is “love heals all wounds.” How does God’s love heal us? Have you ever been in a situation where the love of God or the love of another person healed/saved you from grief (or worse)?

  13. Does Avery save Gideon? Or does Gideon save Avery? How is this reflected in what Jesus sacrificed for mankind?