Amish Winter of Promises: Book Four (Jacob's Daughter series, An Amish Romance)

by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Amish Winter of Promises

  BOOK FOUR

  WRITTEN BY

  Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Copyright © 2012 by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Cover/internal design by Livingston Hall Publishers

  Cover art ©Jean Friedrichs McCann

  http://jeansbrush.com/p2_Gallery.htm

  Artwork was altered from its original state with permission from the artist. Visit the link above to view this painting in its original format.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form either written or electronically without the express permission of the author or publisher.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and are therefore used fictitiously. Any similarity or resemblance to actual persons; living or dead, places or events is purely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

  All brand names or product names mentioned in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names, and are the sole ownership of their respective holders. Livingston Hall Publishers is not associated with any products or brands named in this book

  Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Book FOUR of Jacob’s Daughter series

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  CHAPTER 1

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  “Help me! They’re after me!”

  The jingling of the bells on the front door of the bakery, and the frantic, female voice were enough to give Caleb’s heart a jump start. From the spot under the kitchen sink, where he’d been trying to fix the leak, the noise startled him enough to make him hit his head on the copper pipe. Grabbing a rag to wipe his hands, he rushed to the front of the store to see what the urgency was.

  As he rounded the corner of the kitchen, he could hear the dogs barking and snarling. They jumped at the front door, teeth exposed, as though they were after a prowler. From the corner of his eye, Caleb spotted the young woman, her arms full of books, a lunch pail dangling carelessly from her wrist. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape, her ashen face glistening with a mist of perspiration. Caleb couldn’t help but stare as he watched her gasp for breath as though she had been running for her life. Though she was safe inside the bakery, the dogs continued to make her jump every time they charged at the door.

  Caleb turned fully toward her, a smile twisting up at the corners of his mouth. “Well that’s your problem. I’d say they’re after the salami and cheese in your lunch pail.”

  Katie Graber pushed her nose in the air. “I hardly see the humor in this. They tore the bottom of my dress, and nearly bit my leg off.” She turned to the side to reveal the tear at the hem of her dress. “And how did you know what I have in my lunch pail?”

  Caleb admired her as she pushed blonde hair behind her ear. “Because I’m in a bakery, but I can smell your lunch from way over here.”

  Katie straightened her disheveled coat and sighed at the torn hem of her dress. Her face was flush, and the blue of her eyes held a hint of fire in them. Agitation showed in her expression, and suspense hung in the air. Was she Nettie Graber’s replacement at the school? From the look of it, Caleb didn’t guess she was beginning her first day on the best of terms. If he wasn’t so enamored by her pure beauty, he would have reveled in her agitation over the stray dogs.

  Katie stiffened her chin. “I believe if I hadn’t come in here those mongrels would have made a meal out of me!”

  Caleb suppressed a smile. “Those mutts are harmless. They’re hungry is all, and they could smell that salami in your lunch pail.”

  Katie looked toward the door, where the dogs continued to pace and whine. “It’s none of your business what my lunch pail contains.”

  Rachel came in from the storeroom wiping her hands on her apron. “What’s all the commotion out here?” She looked up at Katie and smiled. “Where are my manners? You must be the new school teacher. I’m Rachel Yoder. I run this bakery for my aenti.”

  Katie’s look softened. “Jah. I’m Katie Graber. But if those dogs don’t leave, I’m going to be late for my first day.”

  Rachel frowned at her bruder, who seemed to be enjoying poor Katie’s distress. “Caleb, take her out the back door and get her to your buggy before those dogs come after her again. You’ll have to take her to school.”

  Caleb scowled at his schweschder. “What about the leak?”

  Rachel shooed him with her hand. “It’ll keep until you get back. You can put the bucket back under the sink.” Her attention turned to Katie, who looked helplessly shaken from the experience. “She can’t be late for her first day. What kind of impression would that make on her students?”

  Rachel reached for the books in Katie’s hands and set them on the counter. “You will probably want to straighten your hair and fix your kapp. It’s nearly off your head. I’ll get you a few pins to tack the hem of your dress back together.”

  Caleb sighed in defeat. Rachel had always bossed him around even though she was his younger schweschder, but Rachel had an authoritative influence about her that Caleb found tough to match. He went to put the bucket back under the leaky sink and wiped down the grime from his face, hands, and arms. He wasn’t sure why he cared what the snobby school teacher thought of him. But she was beautiful and educated, and he didn’t want to appear unkempt in her sparkling blue eyes. But even if he was cleaned up, would it matter? Would Katie Graber ever look at him the way he wanted her to?

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  CHAPTER 2

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  Caleb offered his hand to Katie to assist her into his buggy, but she refused, her nose lifted in disdain. He felt self-conscious, wondering if he smelled like the dirty pipes he’d been trying to clean and repair. He didn’t know much about the district she’d come from, but he was certain all districts frowned on prideful discord among the people. Maybe she was simply shy. Or she felt uneasy being in strange territory, rather than being snooty, which was his first impression of her.

  Once he settled into the seat next to her, he grabbed the reins and clucked to his gelding to urge him out of the snowy rut the wheels had settled in while he’d been at the bakery.

  “I’m Caleb. How long will you be teaching here?”

  Katie kept her face forward and her chin tipped upward. “I’ll be teaching until the end of the school year while my aenti recovers from her injuries from her fall. And I caught your name from your new fraa at the bakery.”

  Caleb chuckled. “Rachel is not my fraa. She’s my younger schweschder. I’m not married.”

  Katie let her eyes drift to Caleb. “You don’t look anything alike. And since she seemed to have the upper hand on you, I assumed you were newly married. That, and the lack of beard.”

  Caleb smiled. “We don’t look alike because we have different mamms. She can be bossy, but I guess I’m a pushover.”

  Katie’s nose tipped even higher. “That’s not a commendable trait for a mann to have. I suppose that’s probably why you aren’t married. A mann is supposed to be in charge—be the head of the household.”

  Caleb smiled. “I’m not married because I haven’t found a woman bossy enough to turn my head. I need a strong woman who will keep me in line.” His eyes drifted to Katie. “You seem like a strong woman.”

  Katie sighed with disdain. “I’m not bossy, but perhaps I’m too strong for you. But it’s no matter because I’m betrothed to Jessup King.”

  Caleb raised an ey
ebrow. “Wedding season has just passed. Why didn’t you marry then?”

  Katie was clearly agitated by his question, but it was obvious he was getting a kick out of irritating her.

  “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I wasn’t ready. I asked for a long engagement.”

  Caleb chuckled. “Sounds to me like you don’t want to marry the mann.”

  Katie pursed her lips. “That is none of your concern, and I would appreciate it if you would not discuss my personal life.”

  Caleb’s mouth turned up at the corners. “You started it.”

  Katie turned to him, her brow creased in a deep furrow. Caleb thought she looked even prettier when she was angry.

  She glared at him. “Are you twelve?”

  Caleb laughed heartily. “I’m twenty-five. How old are you?”

  “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I’m twenty-three.”

  Caleb snorted. “That’s kind of old not to be married yet.”

  Katie cleared her throat. “You are one to talk. At least I’m engaged to be married. You don’t even appear to have any prospects.”

  “I told you I haven’t found a woman feisty enough to handle me. But you—how long have you been engaged?”

  “You’re getting awfully personal.”

  “Are you refusing to answer the question?”

  Katie shook her head impatiently. “It’s been just over two years.”

  Caleb muttered under his breath.

  Katie leered at him. “What did you say?”

  “I just said that I wouldn’t wait that long for you.”

  Katie’s face heated with excitement over her handsome driver’s forward statement. She suddenly regretted telling him of her parents’ arrangement with the King familye for her to be married to Jessup. She didn’t love him enough to marry him, but her parents had called it a gut match. Who was she to argue?

  At the time, there were no other prospects for her, and it was certainly better than becoming a spinster. But marrying only to avoid becoming a spinster was not a reason to marry. She’d hoped that time would put love in her heart for Jessup, but it hadn’t. She knew there was only so much time she could keep the engagement going. Eventually, Jessup would expect to marry her. What then?

  Katie couldn’t see herself entering into a loveless marriage with the older widower any more than she could see herself as a mamm to his two kinner. She’d tried to break it off with him several times, but he just wouldn’t accept it, and neither would her parents. She’d even avoided him for the past two weeks, making excuses to avoid taking buggy rides with him, but he was not one to take no for an answer.

  The thought of marriage to a mann like Caleb excited her. If only there was a way out of her situation. Perhaps her absence from the community in Nappanee would change Jessup’s mind about her—especially since she hadn’t even told him she was leaving. She’d prayed about that very thing when she was offered the opportunity to take over teaching for her aenti. Was it possible that Gott was answering her prayers? Discouragement set in as she thought of her betrothed. There was no way another mann would consider her as long as she was promised to Jessup. Now if she could only find a way to keep her attraction to Caleb Yoder in check.

  Caleb steered the gelding toward the school haus, enjoying Katie’s company despite her snobby exterior. The fact that she was betrothed bothered him, even though they’d just met. But perhaps it didn’t bother him as much as it should because he thought she was just the kind of woman he could see himself marrying.

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  CHAPTER 3

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  Caleb held out his hand to help the lovely school teacher down from his buggy, and this time she reluctantly took his hand. Even through her thick gloves, he could feel the warmth of her delicate hand that fit perfectly in his. He knew he had no right to think such a thought, but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t even be sure she knew how beautiful she was, even though her confidence and attitude might suggest otherwise.

  He watched her walk into the school without even turning back. She’d not thanked him for the ride, nor had she acknowledged him once they reached her destination. Was she really that much of a snob, or was it all an act? Either way, Caleb was determined not to help her again. Next time, he would let the dogs have their way. He’d had a run-in with the stray dogs plenty of times, and their bark seemed to be all they had in them. He knew they would never attack her to cause her harm; they only wanted her lunch—but she didn’t know that.

  Feeling discouraged over such a dramatic meeting with the beautiful school teacher, Caleb steered his horse back toward the bakery and the work that waited for him there. Rachel had made a list so long for him that it would take him nearly a month to make all the necessary repairs to get the bakery up and running to full service again. Now that his aenti Lillian had a new boppli, she was too preoccupied to pay any mind to the bakery that she’d never wanted in the first place. There had been discussion of Rachel taking over her interest in the property, but for now, she was merely running the place into the ground. She was an excellent baker, but she was too busy keeping up with orders, and had neglected repairs that would have been minor if she’d taken care of them immediately. Now, Caleb had his work cut out for him between fixing leaks in the sink, to broken slats on the porch and the doors on the display case.

  ****

  Katie rushed into the school-haus knowing she was late. She hung up her coat and bonnet as she stared out into the classroom full of impressionable faces. There was no time for her to dwell on the warmth that had emanated from Caleb’s hand, or his kind smile that sent sparks of fire through her. Thankfully, she had what looked to be an eager class full of students ready for their first lesson from her.

  One of the older boys had lit the stove and was stoking the blazing fire that brought warmth to the small building. From outside, the wind whistled through the frosted windows, threatening to bring the snow inside with it. She would have to remember to talk to the Elders about getting someone to make the windows a little more weather-proof so they wouldn’t go through so much wood. She even made a mental note to check the wood pile after school to be sure they wouldn’t run out. The school in the city where she’d taught adult education classes had a gas heater for the large building. She had only been a teacher’s aide in the city, but as she looked at the hopeful faces of young students, Katie felt like a real teacher for the first time.

  One of the younger girls suddenly raised her hand. Katie nodded her consent for her to ask her question.

  “Are you our new teacher?”

  Katie nodded and smiled cordially. “Jah, I’m Miss Graber.”

  The girl tipped her head sideways and scrunched her brow. “But that’s our other teacher’s name.”

  Katie nodded again. “That’s because she is my aenti.”

  Another girl shot her hand high above her head, wiggling her fingers impatiently. “When will she be back?”

  Katie breathed deeply and then let out the breath. This was not going to be anything like teaching adults. These children seemed much more inquisitive, and they lacked the control to wait to speak until given permission. Perhaps that was something she would have to work on with them while she was here.

  “I’m afraid your teacher will not be able to return this school year. She will need that time and the entire summer to recuperate from the spill she took on the icy steps of the school-haus. Let that be a reminder to all of you to be extra careful when entering and leaving the building.”

  The boy who had stoked the fire put up his hand. Katie fumbled with the books she’d set on the desk looking for the student roster so she could learn their names. Her aenti had drawn out a seating chart from memory that listed each of the kinner’s names.

  When she found it, she perused the chart until she came to the end of the fifth row. “Henry…is that your name?”

  He nodded. “It’s my chore to keep the stairs shoveled,
but I wasn’t here the day that Miss Graber fell. I feel awful about it.”

  Katie smiled warmly, feeling sorry for the buwe. “It isn’t your fault, Henry. But for the future, perhaps we should have an alternate person to do the shoveling in case someone is absent. Do I have any volunteers?”

  Three hands shot up quickly.

  Katie looked at the seating chart again. Calling each one by his name, and the girl that also volunteered, Katie told them they could take turns each week. Going to the chalk board, she placed Samuel’s name on the board and declared it his week to fill in as the back-up for shoveling. She further explained he would need to arrive a few minutes early to school every day to be sure the chore was taken care of.

  The next order of business would be to establish where each of the kinner was in their lessons. Her aenti had written that out for her too, but she preferred to interact with the students and get their input, hoping it would help her learn their names along the way.

  Before Katie realized, her first day as a real teacher had come to a close. She was exhausted, to say the least, and she still had papers to grade. A quick stop at the Miller’s place on her way home was necessary in order to find out who would be responsible for insulating the school’s windows. She had met Elder Miller at the long row of mailboxes at the end of her aenti’s road when she’d gone out to gather the mail for her on the first day she’d arrived in the community. Katie had only been here for a few days, but already she could tell he was concerned for her aenti.

  Hiram Miller lived across the road from her aenti Nettie, and he’d introduced himself, letting her know that if she or Nettie needed anything to let him know. She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed the widower had a crush on her aenti. He’d already made it a point to come over early that morning and shovel the steps and walkway to the barn. He’d offered to hitch up the mare to the buggy for her, but she’d declined. She wasn’t keen on the idea of driving an unfamiliar horse on the busy road. Although after the dog incident, she’d decided to rethink a way to avoid giving the dogs another opportunity to attack her.