The Amish Buggy Horse BOXED SET Books 1-3 (Amish Romance Book Bundle: Faith, Hope, Charity) (Boxed Set: The Amish Buggy Horse)

by Ruth Hartzler

  Jebediah was right about it being the will of Gott, she thought with sadness in her heart, if Mamm really did make a will leaving the haus and farm to him. It would be the will of Gott to honor the terms of any will.

  Still, Nettie had rebellious thoughts. It was not fair. She had looked after her invalid mudder for all these years, only to have the possibility of eviction hanging over her. If she did find a will, what would she do? She was tempted to destroy it. Such thoughts surprised Nettie, for she had always strived to do the right thing.

  James 1:6.

  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

  Chapter 6.

  Nettie was tired and in despair. She had spent a restless night tossing and turning, struggling with her conscience, wondering what she would do if there was a will in favor of Jebediah Sprinkler.

  If she found the will, what would she do? She wanted to destroy it, but that was not the honorable thing to do. Still, if she did the honorable thing, she would have nowhere to live. The bishop would find her a familye to live with, no doubt, but what sort of life would that be for her?

  Nettie had come to no conclusion, and had begun her search of the haus. The haus itself may not have been large by Amish familye standards, but it was large nonetheless. It was a renovated 1700s farmhouse, and unusually for an Amish haus, was packed full of items such as crocheted doilies, crocheted rugs, and all manner of knitted items. Most of these were tucked away in aged, yellowing boxes of every size and shape. Old, plain chests of drawers were crammed full of old knitted or crocheted items, and the kitchen cupboards were full of kitchen utensils. Nettie guessed that most were her grossmammi's, or even her grossmammi's before her. Her own mudder had been somewhat of a hoarder; she had thrown nothing out, even if it had been broken. Her mudder thought that women should be knitting or crocheting all day long when not doing chores, always quoting a favorite Amish saying, “Idleness is a resting-pillow of the devil and a cause of all sorts of wickedness.”

  Nettie figured she could have many weeks' work ahead of her. If there was in fact a will leaving the farm to Jebediah Sprinkler, it could be tucked away in one of the boxes. Nettie had no idea what she would do if and when she found the will, but her first job was to find the will.

  Nettie sat down to a breakfast of stewed crackers in warm milk, followed by sausage and scrapple topped with apple butter. Nettie had liked scrapple since she was a child, and it was the only meat her mother could eat, being soft. Scrapple was pork scraps and trimmings combined with flour, cornmeal, and sage from the herb garden, and then formed into a loaf. Nettie always cut it into three-quarter-inch slices and pan-fried it until it was brown to form a crust, but she had not fried it for her mudder.

  She'd only had a mug of kaffi before she'd milked the goat, fed the chickens, and started her search of the haus. Now, with some food in her stomach, Nettie was able to think more clearly. She would call the lawyer and inform him of Jebediah Sprinkler's attempted claim on the will. The lawyer would be able to advise her.

  Nettie decided to harness up Blessing and drive him to the phone shanty. She took the lawyer's card from the table on her way out. The card was fancy; gold embossed letters on a white background with plenty of swirls. Nettie wondered why anyone would spend so much money on something that could have been just as effective if simple.

  It was a beautiful, late spring day, and Nettie's spirits lifted as she drove Blessing in the direction of the phone shanty. She was about to turn down the lane, but spotted a buggy at the end of it, right near the phone shanty. Someone else was making a call. Nettie drew Blessing to a stop and pondered her options. If she continued ahead, to the phone shanty, she would have to make small talk to the people there, and Nettie, having been used to isolation, dreaded social encounters. On the other hand, should she drive Blessing to the Glicks' haus? Nettie knew they had a phone in their barn, as her mudder often complained about that fact. Yet did she want to speak to the Glicks any more than whoever was currently at the phone shanty?

  The thought of running into Daniel Glick sent butterflies racing through Nettie's stomach, but as she hesitated, trying to decide, Blessing took the option out of her hands. Without any encouragement, Blessing set off at a trot in the direction of the Glicks' haus. He's probably heading for home, Nettie thought with resignation, letting Blessing trot on ahead.

  Nettie enjoyed the drive to the Glick haus, out in the spring air, the buggy winding its way down little used roads amidst a backdrop of gently rolling hills, past beautiful, golden, corn fields and green alfalfa crops.

  As Nettie approached the Glick haus, she saw Daniel standing next to a pretty, young woman with dark hair showing in front of her prayer kapp. Nettie was unprepared for the pangs of jealousy that assaulted her. What's wrong with me? she silently scolded herself. I hope I'm not turning into one of those desperate women that Mamm was always complaining about.

  Nettie drew Blessing to a halt and Daniel walked over to the buggy, followed by the attractive, young woman.

  "Hiya, Daniel." Nettie smiled shyly at Daniel and then at the young woman.

  "Hullo, Nettie. Do you member my schweschder, Melissa?"

  "Schweschder?"

  "Yes, who else would she be?" Daniel's green eyes were twinkling with amusement and Nettie hoped that her relief had not shown in her voice. Anyway, whatever was she thinking to be so attracted to this young mann?

  "Jah, I remember you, Melissa, but you look different."

  Melissa laughed heartedly. "Well, it's been many years since we were small kinner. You look different too."

  Nettie at once warmed to Melissa. "I need to call my lawyer, so may I use your phone, please? I drove to the shanty but someone was already there."

  "Jah, of course," both Daniel and Melissa said together.

  Nettie climbed down from the buggy and Daniel tied up Blessing for her. "How is Blessing going for you?" His eyes were kind, and her stomach fluttered at his close proximity.

  "Wunderbaar, denki," Nettie said, twisting the strands of her prayer kapp.

  "Please feel free to come and use our phone at any time," Daniel said. "I'll show you where it is."

  Nettie followed Daniel and Melissa over to the barn. Every time Nettie looked at Melissa, she was smiling warmly at her, so Nettie forgot her nervousness about being in a social situation. "I'm sorry about your mudder," Melissa said.

  "Denki."

  "Are you lonely?"

  Nettie looked at Melissa with surprise. "Lonely?"

  "Jah. The bishop told everyone not to visit you until you were ready; he said you’d be too overwhelmed."

  Nettie saw Daniel shoot Melissa a warning look, so hurried to reassure him. She did not want Melissa to get into trouble on her account. "That was kind of the bishop. My mudder did not permit visitors and she did not permit me to leave the haus, so it’s left me a little, well, shy."

  "May I visit you some time?"

  This time Daniel verbally rebuked his schweschder. "Melissa!"

  Melissa hung her head. "Sorry, Nettie."

  "I would love you to visit, Melissa; denki." Nettie meant it; she had felt an instant kinship with Melissa and was sure the two of them would get along. It would be lovely to have a gut friend, one close to her own age, when the only companionship she'd had for years was her mudder.

  Melissa left the barn, smiling, and Daniel turned to Nettie. "Please forgive my schweschder. She's very forthright; she always speaks her mind. Don’t feel pressured into having her visit."

  Nettie smiled. "I really like Melissa; I look forward to her visits."

  Daniel looked at Nettie as if trying to ascertain whether she was simply being polite or whether she actually meant it. He didn't comment, but showed her to the phone. "Here you are. Please feel free to come and use it anytime. Now I’ll give you some privacy."

  When Daniel left, Nettie stared at the phone. A dreadful feeling of anxiet
y settled over her.

  Matthew 21:21.

  And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

  Chapter 7.

  Nettie was relieved that her lawyer, Mr. Koble, was in the office, and was able to speak to her after just a short time on hold. After relaying that everything Jebediah Sprinkler had said to her, she waited nervously to hear what Mr. Koble had to say.

  "Sprinkler; is that an Amish name? I've never heard it before."

  Nettie frowned. That was the last thing she thought that the lawyer would say. "I have no idea, but I think his father came over from Germany. I'm not too sure; I only know that his mother was Amish." Nettie wondered what that had to do with anything, but thought it impolite to ask him.

  "Why would your mother think to leave anything to this man?"

  Nettie looked around nervously, but there was no one in sight, apart from two chickens scratching around outside the barn door. "We were engaged when I was sixteen," she said in a low voice. "My mother tried to force me to marry him."

  There was silence on the other end of the phone, and Nettie said, "Mr. Koble?"

  "Yes, I see," he said. "Obviously, there is no record of any such will here and I know nothing of it."

  Nettie's spirits lifted for a moment. "Does that mean the will isn’t registered?"

  Mr. Koble's words soon dashed her hopes. "No. Wills are only registered after the testator is deceased, not before. I registered this will at the Register of Wills at the Courthouse in Duke Street."

  "What if the will leaving everything to Jebediah Sprinkler is found?" Nettie held her breath, waiting for the answer.

  "Do you mean will it take precedence over the will I have just registered?" Without waiting for Nettie to answer, Mr. Koble continued. "Yes, it will, only if it was written after this will. And as this will was written before you were sixteen, if the will that allegedly leaves everything to Sprinkler is found, then yes, he will be the beneficiary."

  Nettie clutched at her throat, and tears filled her eyes.

  "You could, of course, contest the will," Mr. Koble advised, "but I know that the Amish do not contest wills, and you have already decided not to contest the funds going to the stray cat rescue league."

  "That's right," Nettie said in a small voice.

  "And clearly this Mr. Sprinkler has not been able to produce the will?"

  "No, he says my mother must have it in the house somewhere. Mr. Koble, do you think there is such a will?"

  "There is no evidence either way at this stage," Mr. Koble said in his sensible, lawyer voice. "Yet the will in my possession was not revoked. It is usual to revoke a will if a later will has been made. That suggests to me that this man's claim may be fraudulent. At any rate, let me know at once if you do happen to find a will. Goodbye, Miss Swarey."

  "Oh, just one more thing."

  "Yes?"

  "What would happen if, err, if the will somehow got destroyed?" Nettie was shocked that she had even asked. Verbalizing what she had been considering somehow made it seem far more real.

  "It is a felony criminal offense to destroy or hide a will." The lawyer's voice was stern.

  "Oh yes, thank you, Mr. Koble." Nettie hung up and walked out into the sun. Daniel was over by the haus and when Nettie walked out, he walked toward her.

  "Is everything okay, I hope?" He looked somewhat embarrassed, and then added, "I'm sorry; I don’t mean to pry."

  Nettie smiled. "Nee, that's fine. A mann by the name of Jebediah Sprinkler - he was an old friend of my mudder's - came to visit me the other day, and said that he was the sole beneficiary of her will." Daniel gasped, but Nettie kept talking. "He doesn't have a copy of the will, but said my mudder must have put it somewhere in the haus."

  Daniel was visibly shocked. "Could that be true?"

  Nettie shrugged. "My lawyer doesn't think so, as the current will wasn't revoked, but it’s a possibility."

  "And the current will left everything to you, I assume?"

  Nettie tried not to cry. "Nee, only the haus and the farm. My mudder left all the money to a stray cat protection league."

  Daniel gasped yet again. "But why would your mudder leave this mann the farm and the money?"

  Nettie hesitated. She did not want to go into the whole story of her mudder trying to pressure her to marry Jebediah Sprinkler; in fact, Daniel was the last person she wanted to tell. Thankfully, Melissa chose this moment to hurry out of the haus.

  "Nettie," she said breathlessly, after running over to her, "Mamm wants to invite you to come to dinner next week."

  "Denki," Nettie said, nervous at the prospect of being around several people at once, and at the same time, nervous at the prospect of being in the same room as Daniel.

  Melissa smiled, looked at Daniel and then at Nettie, and then hurried back into the haus.

  Alone with Daniel once again, Nettie was afraid that his questioning would pick up where it had left off, but he seemed to have other things on his mind.

  "You will have no income?"

  Nettie shook her head. "Nee, that’s why I'm looking for work. Denki for letting me use your phone and denki for letting me borrow Blessing too. He's been, well, a blessing."

  They both laughed, and Nettie relaxed somewhat. "So you haven't found work yet?" Daniel asked, his voice full of concern.

  "Not yet, but I'm sure I will."

  Daniel rubbed his chin. "Your mudder left you the farm as well as the haus?"

  "Jah, she left everything to me, the haus, the farm, the furniture, absolutely everything, with the exception of her money."

  "Have you thought about working the farm?"

  "But, but," Nettie spluttered, "How could I? There's only me, and there are no plows, balers, mules, plow horses, anything!"

  Daniel chuckled. "Sorry, that came out wrong. Your farm adjoins ours. We have fifteen acres of corn, fifteen acres of wheat, and twenty acres of alfalfa. The demand for alfalfa is increasing so much that we can’t keep up with it. My vadder has been looking to lease more land for alfalfa, but hasn't found anywhere suitable yet. This is just an idea that's only just occurred to me, but would you consider leasing your farm to us?"

  "But the whole farm's run down and the fencing is in poor repair."

  "I don't think the alfalfa will try to escape." Daniel chuckled again. "If you agree, I’ll tell Datt and see what he has to say, as he has to approve it, of course. Anyway, we're familiar with your land as it’s right next to ours, and that would cut our costs considerably."

  Nettie beamed. This could be the answer to her financial troubles. She could scarcely believe it. Then again, Nettie figured, she had prayed to Gott to provide for her; what was the point of praying if one did not expect Gott to answer? Nettie sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Gott for his provision. Yet, as soon as she did, Nettie immediately worried that the will that was leaving everything to Jebediah Sprinkler would come to light. I have to have more faith, she thought. I must rely on Gott.

  * * *

  Daniel watched Nettie disappear from view. He hoped she would consider leasing the farm to his familye, and he was sure his vadder would be overjoyed at the chance to lease the adjoining farming land. It was good soil, and had lain fallow for many years.

  Yet Daniel had an ulterior motive. He was attracted to Nettie. She appeared to be everything he wanted in a woman. Steady on, he said to himself, you don’t know her well enough yet, not by a long way.

  Nevertheless, leasing the land would help his familye, and it would help Nettie. She wouldn't have to go out and find work. Daniel felt anxious at the thought of Nettie out amongst Englischers. Everyone in the community knew about the girl whose mudder had refused to allow visitors to come to the haus for years, and who had kept her dochder in virtual seclusion. Daniel was surprised that Nettie was as outgoing as she was. She mus
t be of strong character to have withstood all that and come out unscathed.

  Daniel’s thoughts turned to the will, and the stranger who had arrived at Nettie's, claiming that he was the sole beneficiary of her mudder's will. Something was not right there, of that Daniel was sure. This mann was clearly someone who was trying to take advantage of Nettie. "Not if I can help it," Daniel said aloud. He felt protective toward Nettie - and something more.

  Matthew 14:31.

  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

  Chapter 8.

  Nettie could not remember ever having gone out to someone’s place for dinner. Surely she and her mudder would have gone to dinner at someone's haus when she was younger, but try as she might, she could not remember such an occasion.

  Nettie had washed and ironed her green dress to wear to the Glicks' haus. She also starched her prayer kapp and apron. She was determined to make a gut impression on the Glicks. Nettie wondered what the Glicks might know about her. Much to her embarrassment, everyone at the funeral seemed to have some knowledge of her mudder’s strange ways.

  As she dressed for dinner, Nettie recalled how her heart had skipped a beat when she had seen Daniel speaking to an attractive girl. She was pleased that the girl happened to be his schweschder. She wondered if Daniel did have a girl that he was fond of. Maybe she would find out at dinner tonight. Surely he would have a girl already, a handsome mann like that.

  Having no mirror in the haus, she went to the kitchen, took out a shiny, large, frying pan, and held it in front of her face to study her reflection. Nettie considered her best feature to be her blue eyes. They were a clear blue, not a gray blue or a hazel blue, but a clear blue like the sky.