Amish Brides

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  Abel turned a color very close to the dress she had on earlier. The dress draped over the washing machine, now covered in mud.

  “You two know each other . . . ?” Jess started, then he obviously put the facts together and came up with the afternoon’s events. “Oh.”

  “When the doctor’s bill arrives, be sure to send it over,” Abel said.

  Dat shook his head. “We’ll do no such thing. It was an accident.”

  Abel started to protest, but Mamm stepped in before he could speak. “Everybody come on before the food gets cold.”

  * * *

  “I’ll get started tomorrow,” Abel said as he and Jess walked out to his buggy. The horse he’d bought just yesterday was at home in the barn, and he had borrowed his cousin’s mare for the trip over to the Schmuckers’. What were the odds that the woman he accidentally ran off the road this morning was the teacher, and the sister to the man who had hired him for his first job in Paradise? Mighty slim, he was sure. Yet here he was.

  “Come by after eight,” Jess told him. “The girls will be gone, and the milking will be complete. Then I’ll be able to go over everything that needs to be done.”

  “If you’re sure you still want to hire me.”

  Jess shook his head with a grin. “Don’t let Reba bother you. She’s a little cranky these days.”

  And she wasn’t cranky before? But he couldn’t ask that question. It was entirely too personal. “I understand,” he said instead.

  “See you at eight,” Jess said.

  Abel climbed into his buggy and waved good-bye. If he were keeping track, he would have to say today was the strangest day he’d ever had. He could only hope that the rest of his time in Lancaster would settle down a bit. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

  * * *

  Constance Schmucker stepped onto the small ladder and flipped on the water. She loved being at Mammi’s house even when there was work to be done. Her dat had tried to figure out why she enjoyed chores at her grandmother’s more than she did at home, but decided that it was a mystery for the ages. But Constance knew what it was. It was companionship. Oh, not with her sisters. She was with them all the time. But washing dishes with Mammi and Reba was so much more fun than washing dishes alone. She could only hope that when Bernice finally came to live with them and be their new mamm, she would have that companionship every day. The thought made her heart soar like a bird.

  But her aunt was propped up in the living room on the couch, her broken ankle causing her great pain. Constance hated to see someone she loved hurt that way, even if she understood it was an accident. Still, it had left her aunt, who was normally so happy, as surly as a poked bear.

  “Is Reba going to be okay?” Lilly Ruth asked. Of all of the sisters, Lilly Ruth seemed to worry the most. Constance worried, but she considered herself to be a problem-solver. Just like last year, when she had taken it onto herself to match up her dat with their new teacher, Bernice Yoder. Jah, problem-solver. That was her.

  “Of course, dear,” Mammi said. She stood at the counter next to Constance and scraped the leftovers into plastic tubs. Constance knew that Mammi would send the food home with them. She always did.

  Mammi stopped long enough to hand the dish towel to Hope, who would help with the dishes. Lilly Ruth sat at the table swinging her feet as she watched her older sisters.

  Hope stood next to Constance, waiting for clean dishes to dry.

  “It’s hard to see her unhappy,” Lilly Ruth said.

  Mammi nodded. “Having a broken ankle is hard. I tell you what. Why don’t you draw her a picture? That should cheer her up.”

  Lilly Ruth smiled, showing the gap where her front teeth were missing. “I would like that, too.”

  Mammi moved away to get Lilly Ruth a piece of paper and some crayons, but Constance couldn’t help but think that Reba’s unhappiness had to be more than just her injury. Her dat had been unhappy last year, but he was happy now. Was it only because he and Bernice were getting married in a couple of weeks? Or could there be more to it than that?

  She thought about the other married people she knew. Mammi and Dawdi were married. They were happy people. And the people at church. Well, most of them seemed happy.

  Hope nudged her in the side. “Hurry up.”

  Constance looked down. She had been washing the same dish for quite some time. She hadn’t realized her churning thoughts had slowed her hands. She dipped the dish into the rinse water and handed it off to her sister. “Patience is a virtue, Hope.”

  “And so is a sister who doesn’t daydream.”

  Constance didn’t reply as Mammi came back into the room. She set Lilly Ruth to coloring. But Constance couldn’t help mulling the problem over in her head, even as they finished their chores, packed up the leftovers, and headed for home.

  Lilly Ruth had given Reba the picture she had drawn, and their aunt had smiled, but Constance saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. Reba wanted them to think she was happy, but Constance knew better.

  Once they were home, everyone piled out of the buggy. Constance was left to store the food in the refrigerator, then take her sisters upstairs to get ready for bed. And still this problem nagged at her, like when a piece of popcorn got stuck in her teeth. But she didn’t think dental floss would fix this. No. Not at all.

  Hope poked her in the ribs once more as Constance stood in front of the sink. “What’s wrong with you?” her sister asked. “You’re hogging the sink. How am I supposed to brush my teeth if you’re standing there staring at the mirror?”

  Constance bumped her back. “I’m not staring at the mirror. I’m thinking about things.”

  Hope narrowed her gray eyes, looking more like their mother every day. At times like this Constance missed their mamm so much, but God had provided them with a new one. And she could hardly wait for Bernice to come and live with them. “Oh, jah?” Hope asked. “What were you thinking about?”

  “Boys?” Lilly Ruth chimed in from behind them.

  Constance whirled on her sister, ready to deny it, but she couldn’t. She had been thinking about boys, in a roundabout way.

  “You are thinking about boys,” Hope said, in awe.

  Constance shook her head. “Not for me, silly. For Aenti Reba.”

  Her sisters stopped.

  “Reba?” Lilly Ruth asked.

  “You’re worried about her, jah?”

  Lilly Ruth nodded.

  “What are you planning?” Hope asked.

  Constance shrugged. “Nothing much. But don’t you think that Reba would be happier if she had a husband?”

  Her sisters seemed to think about it a moment. “I don’t know,” Lilly Ruth finally said.

  “Well, I do.” Constance gave a firm nod. “Dat’s getting married, and he’s happier.”

  Her sisters nodded. There was no arguing with that.

  “Dat said not to meddle,” Hope reminded them.

  “We’re not meddling,” Constance said.

  “What’s meddling?” Lilly Ruth looked at each of them in turn, trying to figure out the definition.

  “It means messing in things that aren’t your business,” Hope said.

  “Oh.” Lilly Ruth looked crestfallen, then her expression lifted. “It’s okay then. Reba is our business. She’s our aenti.”

  Two against one. Constance pinned Hope with a stare that she hoped was reminiscent of the one their mother gave them when they misbehaved. She wasn’t sure exactly how effective it would be, but she had been practicing it in the mirror when no one else was around.

  As she crossed her arms, Lilly Ruth came to stand next to her and crossed hers as well. Unity. Jah, that was what they needed.

  Hope held out for a few minutes more, then threw her hands in the air. “All right,” she said. “But when Dat gets mad at us, I’m gonna say I told you so.”

  “Dat is never going to know. Because we’re not going to tell him. And when Reba gets married, no one will even care any
more.”

  “If you say so,” Hope grumbled.

  Constance nodded. “I say so. Now.” She rubbed her hands together in excitement. “Who should we get to fall in love with her?”

  “Abel,” Lilly Ruth chirped. “He smells good.”

  * * *

  Reba felt more than a little conspicuous as her dat pulled up to the school the following morning.

  “Danki for the ride, Dat.”

  “Do you need some help getting down?”

  “Probably.” She had needed help getting into the buggy. She was going to be needing a lot of help for the next eight weeks. The walking boot was heavy and awkward. And she felt like all eyes were on her. Who fell in a puddle and broke their ankle? Only Reba Schmucker, that was for sure.

  Her dat climbed out of his side of the buggy and came around to help her to the ground. Reba was all too aware of everyone staring. Didn’t they have something else to look at? She was going to have to find another way to get to school tomorrow. Maybe if she borrowed Abner’s scooter. Or she could get one of those rolly-chair things that people used. She could brace her knee on the bench part and roll her way into school. Then again, that might draw more attention than having her dat drop her off.

  “Bye, Dat.” She gave him a small wave as he climbed back into the buggy.

  “I’ll pick you up this afternoon.” He clicked the reins and set the horses into motion once again. Great. Her embarrassment would be complete. Not only was her dat dropping her off at school in the morning, he was coming back to get her in the afternoon. That was just beautiful.

  She turned toward the schoolhouse, so aware that all eyes were on her. She drew the attention of some of the scholars, who began to run toward her in excitement.

  “Reba! Reba!” they called as they ran, smiles on their faces. She supposed she had concerned a few of them, leaving in the middle of the day like she had to go to the emergency clinic and have her ankle x-rayed. But she was back now and was ready for the day to return to normal as quickly as possible.

  She hobbled toward the schoolhouse, answering the kids’ questions as simply as she could. Yes, my ankle’s broken. No, it doesn’t hurt right now. Yes, we’re still having class. No, there is no extra recess.

  But the best part of the day? No more Abel Weaver.

  He had finished his work yesterday, and there was no reason for him to return today. And considering his and Jess’s conversation last night after supper, he was at her brother’s house, most likely terrorizing dairy cows and making a mess of her brother’s life.

  That’s not fair, a little voice inside her whispered.

  But she wasn’t concerned with fairness. Something about that man rubbed her the wrong way.

  She stumped up the steps leading to the schoolhouse, then stood on the porch and surveyed the school yard. “Five more minutes, scholars,” she called. A few of them groaned, but they knew better than to protest too much. She opened the door to the schoolhouse and stopped just on the other side of the threshold. “What in the world?”

  Someone had moved the desks back to their proper places, most likely Abel after he finished up yesterday afternoon. Or Johnny Lapp’s mother, who had come to take over for her. But that wasn’t what caused her distress. The exact spot where Abel had been working yesterday was now a big, gaping hole in the ceiling. The ceiling pieces were scattered about, and she swore she heard the flapping of wings as if a bird was caught between the ceiling and the roof.

  “Didn’t Abel fix that yesterday?” Daniel King asked.

  “Jah, he did.” Reba pressed her lips together. Some repair job. Some repairman. He made a bigger mess out of it than they’d had to begin with.

  “Daniel, run down to the phone shanty and call my brother, Jess. His number is in the book there. Tell him to bring Abel up here immediately. Tell him it’s important. I would call, but . . .” She waved a hand toward her boot.

  “Jah. Okay, Reba.” Daniel took off in a run.

  She turned back to the mess. All the desks would have to be moved again, and the debris needed to be swept up.

  “What happened?” Constance came into the schoolhouse, her gray eyes wide with shock. Her little mouth formed an O as she surveyed the room.

  “Abel Weaver.” Reba gritted her teeth. “That’s what happened.”

  Chapter 3

  “She wasn’t supposed to be angry.” Hope sidled up next to Constance at the pencil sharpener.

  Once again their desks had been pushed to one side of the room. Abel had shown up just after the bell, looking at the mess as if he’d never seen it before.

  Constance supposed he hadn’t. She and her sisters had come to school early and undid the repairs he had done the day before. But it was no easy feat. Her arms still ached from holding them over her head as she used the broom to bust through the ceiling. Plaster had gotten everywhere, and they barely had enough time to brush it out of their hair and use a wet wipe to get it off their dresses before the other students started to arrive.

  The hardest part had been seeing Reba’s face and pretending that she had known nothing about what had gone on in the schoolroom. It was better that her aunt thought the repair had failed so Abel would have to come back and fix it. How else were they going to get together? Abel was supposed to be working to get Constance’s house ready for the wedding.

  “I told you,” Constance started, “she’s upset because she wants to be married. Like Dat and Bernice.”

  “If you say so,” Hope grumbled.

  “I say so,” Constance shot back.

  “Girls,” Reba said, in her stern teacher voice. “It’s time to get back to your seats.”

  The fact that the two of them had managed to get to the pencil sharpener at the same time was proof positive that Aenti Reba wasn’t thinking as clearly as she normally did. She would’ve never let the two of them cluster there together.

  Constance would have liked to believe that Abel Weaver was the distraction. She might be acting angry now, but Reba would soon think differently. Plus, it was the only thing Constance could think of to get the two of them together. And she was quite satisfied with the idea. Quite satisfied indeed.

  * * *

  It took Abel the better part of the morning to repair the hole in the ceiling. He had never seen anything like it. It looked as if someone had taken a stick or two-by-four and rammed it into the ceiling, tearing down plaster and Sheetrock. He’d never seen a repair just . . . gone like that before. And he was so aware of Reba Schmucker glaring at him every fifteen minutes or so. It wasn’t that she didn’t have cause to be upset with him about her ankle, even though he had apologized—several times—for the accident. This was different. He had fixed this problem yesterday, and she was glaring at him like he was to blame for the mess that she came into today. Well, he wasn’t. It looked like vandalism to him. He should talk to Jess about it. He was on the school board. Unfortunately, things like this happened all over. Reba needed to be careful coming into a schoolhouse where someone saw fit to tear things up.

  He heard her say something, but he wasn’t paying attention. Her voice was nice just to listen to. He didn’t have to decipher the words to enjoy the melody they created as she spoke. That was followed by the sound of books slamming shut.

  “Lunchtime!” someone called.

  Lunchtime? Already? Abel wiped the rest of the plaster from his fingers and climbed down the ladder steps. The repair looked good. Better, even. They would have to wait before he could paint. He should probably get something to eat and head back to Jess’s. He could paint tomorrow.

  “Abel?”

  He turned as Constance Schmucker came toward him. At least he thought it was Constance. Lilly Ruth was the youngest, with lots of red hair, freckles, and blue eyes just like her dat. Constance and Hope looked so much alike he had trouble remembering who was who unless they were standing side by side.

  “Would you like some lunch?”

  He opened his mouth to tell her no, tha
t he was going back to her house to work, but she continued before he could speak.

  “I brought some extra today.” She shrugged. “The Bible says it’s good to share.”

  It did? He guessed sharing went right along with being neighborly and loving one another, so maybe it did. “That’s very nice of you.”

  She smiled prettily.

  “I need to wash my hands first.” A dry rag could only do so much.

  Constance nodded. “Just meet me out underneath the apple tree.”

  “Danki,” he said, and went to the sink to wash his hands.

  A few minutes later he stepped out into the warm May sunshine. It wouldn’t be long before summer was fully upon them. And after that was fall and Abigail’s wedding.

  He wished her all the happiness in the world, but he wasn’t able to stick around and watch it. That was why he had come to Paradise. To get away, to heal his broken heart. It felt like a coward’s way out, but he didn’t care. A man could only take so much. And having to watch Abigail with Luther at her side was almost more than he could take. But the pitying looks from his friends, neighbors, even his own family members, completely did him in. It was past time for a fresh start.

  Some fresh start, he thought as he walked toward the large tree at the edge of the playground. All he had done so far was upset a beautiful girl, break her ankle, and then somehow destroy her classroom. Okay, maybe destroy was too strong a word, but it had definitely made her angry. Which was the exact reason why, when he saw her under the apple tree, he should have turned around and walked in the opposite direction. But he promised Constance he would eat lunch with her. He’d just never dreamed that Constance would also eat lunch with her aunt.

  Constance caught sight of him and scooted over, patting the space between her and Reba. “Come sit by me,” she said.

  Lilly Ruth and Hope sat facing their sister, so there wasn’t much room to sit anywhere else.

  Containers of food sat in the center of their almost-circle. Reba moved a little more, shifting her weight as she did so. Her injured leg was stuck out to the side, the other one tucked underneath her skirts. Every time he saw her, he wanted to apologize. He’d never had a horse get away from him like that and had never, ever harmed another person as a result.