TIA'S MATE (Shifters of the Bulgarian Bloodline Book 1)

by Dalia Wright

  The stranger kept silent, and from the look in his eyes, begged quietly for Sarah to keep silent as well. Then the sounds of the searchers quieted down, and they seemed to be moving away in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until a few minutes after that that the blonde-haired man decided to speak.

  “I am sorry about that,” he said. “I stole a loaf of bread from one of the merchants down the road and they must have tracked me to this field. My name is Christopher.”

  “You have got some nerve coming onto my family’s property,” said Sarah irately at first. “Do you think we are so foolish as to harbor criminals?”

  “Hear me out,” pleaded Christopher. “I am not an outlaw. I normally run a very successful flower business. I have a shop in the next town over. It’s called ‘Lockley Flowers’. I used to run it with my mother and father. But a few weeks ago, the place got broken into. Everything was set on fire, including all our money and merchandise. My father didn’t believe in having insurance so we were at a loss of what to do. My mother and father and I are currently in the process of rebuilding the store but we have had no money to hold us over until that can happen. So, yes, I have resorted to stealing – a bit.”

  “Stealing is never good. Don’t you know that it is a cardinal sin? You could go to hell for that. My father often preaches about it in church.”

  “So, you are Amish, then?” asked Christopher.

  “Of course,” replied Sarah. “Everybody in this area is.”

  “Well, I am not from this area,” said Christopher.

  “Yes, you did mention that. Well, stand up. Let’s have a look at you.”

  Christopher got to his feet and it was evident to Sarah that he was indeed six feet or taller. He had a lean but muscular build, and he had a quiet, yet dignified demeanor about him. For some reason, Sarah could not look him directly in the eye. But Christopher had no problem staring into Sarah’s eyes. When he looked at her, it was as if he was looking into her soul. He looked past her exterior and was examining what she was like as a person. She felt that her innermost fears and desires were being exposed.

  Christopher dusted himself off and then took a bite of the loaf of bread that he had been carrying underneath his jacket. He must have been hungry for he took several, very large mouthfuls. Sarah didn’t know what to say. She had a soft spot in her heart for people who were going through rough times. But she also knew that stealing was never the answer. Maybe if she introduced the man to her father he could instill some sense into him. Her father was a very kind man, but then again, she had never really seen him deal with people outside of the community. Being Amish, they were very closed in. She couldn’t just bring Christopher home for dinner and expect him to fit in right away. She decided, then and there, that she would have to prepare her father for this encounter.

  “I’m Sarah,” she said. “I have decided to help you. It is our way to reach out to those less fortunate than us, and it seems as though you have gone through significant hardship.”

  “What’s the catch?” said Christopher coyly.

  “No catch, just be here at the exact same time tomorrow evening and I will meet you. I am going to try to convince my father to help you. He is a very caring man, but he is also a bit strict. I’m not sure if he’ll open his arms up for someone who is not part of our community. But I’ll try.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  Sarah didn’t know exactly how to respond to this. The truth was, it had to do with the way that he looked at her. He didn’t look at her the way most other guys their age did. His eyes were pure and innocent, and full of courage. Sarah got the feeling that he really deserved to be helped. That he wouldn’t squander any generosity bestowed upon him.

  “Let’s just say that I have a soft spot in my heart for the unfortunate,” she said, and walked away.

  Later that evening, around the dinner table, Sarah decided to broach the subject regarding Christopher.

  “I met a man this afternoon, father. He was in our orchard as I was picking strawberries. He was an outlaw, but a most remarkable one. You know how you always said that stealing was wrong? Well surely it can be condoned in certain, extraordinary cases. This guy – Christopher was his name – had to steal a loaf of bread because bandits had set his family’s business aflame.”

  “Stealing is always wrong,” said Benjamin. “The Lord punishes us if we commit such a sin. No matter the situation, there is always an alternative to taking someone else’s property.”

  “I suppose so,” said Sarah. “In any case, I was wondering if we could help out the Lockleys. Well, we have so much, and they have so little, and it would be a good opportunity to do God’s work.”

  “You have always had a sincere heart, Sarah. That is one of the reasons we have always felt blessed to have you as our daughter. Where does this boy and his family live?”

  “They are in the next town over. They sound like perfectly fine people, aside from the fact that they had to steal. They are not Amish, however.”

  Benjamin thought long and hard. Then he decided to ask for his wife’s opinion.

  “What do you think, Olivia?”

  “I think it’s worth a shot. As our wise daughter has mentioned, it is also a good idea to get into God’s good graces. And you are always preaching about opening our hearts in your sermons.”

  “Alright then. We have two spare bedrooms upstairs, and plenty of food and drink for guests. But let this boy and his family know, that they will be expected to pitch in around the property. We have livestock that needs to be tended to, not to mention taking care of our orchard. Of course, they will be provided with meals and a roof over their heads. And they are going to have to rebuild their own store. I don’t want them staying here indefinitely.”

  “Thank you, dad!” exclaimed Sarah enthusiastically.

  That night, after washing up and helping her mother with some chores around the house, Sarah lay awake in bed pondering the day’s events. She couldn’t believe that her father had actually agreed to take in Christopher’s family. Christopher and his family were English-speaking Americans, and so would stand out in the community, but it was a good sign that Benjamin was reaching out beyond just Amish people. As sleep descended upon Sarah, she was not only happy that they would be doing a good deed, she was also happy that she would soon be able to look into Christopher’s big blue eyes again.

  That night she dreamed about Christopher. They were riding horses bareback through her family’s orchard. They were both having a great time and laughing. But then they came upon a bunch of bandits with shotguns. Her dad had appeared right then and there, and doing away with the bandits with a large axe, he smiled at Sarah. But then he told Christopher to go home and never to return. Sarah was sad.

  When Sarah woke up and realized that it had all just been a dream, she was relieved. Although the dream had started out well with she and Christopher horseback riding, she didn’t like how it ended. She hoped that her father would not send Christopher on his way. At least not without noticing what a find gentleman that he actually was.

  Sarah put on her finest summer dress and laced up her leather sandals. She was on her way out the door when her mother commented that she looked positively radiant. In about a quarter of an hour she made her way to the exact spot that Christopher and she had met the day before. To her surprise and delight, Christopher was standing waiting underneath an apple tree.

  “Good to see you again, Sarah!” exclaimed Christopher.

  Sarah ran up to him and, for some reason, throwing caution to the wind, wrapped her arms around him in a friendly embrace. Christopher hugged her back too. Sarah could feel just how strong he was by the way that he was hugging her. She felt safe in his arms.

  Chapter 2

  “I have good news!” exclaimed Sarah. “My father, who is a preacher and a great man, said yes to helping you and your family. You can move in right away. But you will have to help around the grounds and be continually trying to get your bus
iness back in order. But we will have so much fun!”

  “Do you want to come with me to tell my family? They are going to be thrilled. We are only about an hour’s walk from here.”

  “Sure! Let’s go.”

  As they walked together towards Christopher’s lodgings, they chatted about various things. A few times, their hands grazed one another, and Christopher even became so bold as to clasp onto her right hand as they walked. As they walked, hand in hand, swinging their arms together, Sarah could not remember a time when she had felt so happy.

  Finally, upon arriving at Christopher’s family’s estate, she could immediately see why Christopher had resorted to stealing the day before. Everything was a smoky, ash-stricken ruin. You could tell that the bandits had really gone to town on their place. Everything was burnt down. You could also tell that it had once been a very well-organized and majestic store, with many things for sale.

  “Where did your family sleep?” asked Sarah inquisitively.

  “We always slept on the second story of the floor. Since everything had been destroyed, we are now holding up in tents behind the ruins.”

  Christopher and Sarah walked towards the back of the store to see that Christopher’s mother, father, and little sister were preparing a meal with makeshift pots and pans and a roaring fire. There were several tents strewn about, and some goods that they had managed to salvage from the fire. Christopher’s family looked genuinely perplexed and surprised to see them.

  “Family, this is Sarah, our saviour. She told me today that her family is going to help us get back on our feet.”

  Christopher’s father rose and walked up to Sarah, sizing her up and down.

  “She is beautiful,” he said, not meaning to cause her to blush, although her cheeks promptly adopted a pinkish hue. “We are the Lockleys. I am Theodore. This here is my wife Amanda, and here is our daughter, Jennifer. She is eight years old.”

  Jennifer ran up to Sarah and hugged her around the waist.

  “Hi!” she said enthusiastically. “You are pretty. I wanna be pretty like you when I am a woman.”

  Sarah laughed at the innocent compliment. They all seemed like a great bunch, and she could tell even then that they would fit in really well with her family.

  “Let’s work on getting some of this stuff back to my house,” said Sarah. “We have most of what you’ll need there already, but if you have any valuables left we might as well lug them back home now.”

  Sarah, Christopher, Theodore, Amanda, and Jennifer packed up as many belongings as they could, utilizing large canvas rucksacks that had not quite been completely destroyed, and made their way back across the hills and fields, walking towards Sarah’s family’s home.

  “Is it a problem that we’re not Amish?” asked Theodore of Sarah as they walked along.

  “I mentioned that to my dad, Benjamin. He is a preacher. He is always going on in his sermons about the importance of loving our neighbors. And you are our neighbors, even if you are not Amish.”

  Secretly, Sarah wondered what her dad would say when he found out that she was beginning to fall in love with Christopher. Helping out a family in need was one thing, but allowing your daughter to marry an outsider was completely different. She would have to think of some way to convince him that he was the man for her, regardless of his background.

  When they arrived at the Miller estate, Benjamin was sitting outside on their large porch deck, having tea with Olivia. They were dressed in the typically black garments of the Amish, which was a contrast to the non-Amish clothes of the Lockleys. Benjamin rose to meet their new guests as soon as they arrived at the house.

  “Welcome!” said Benjamin in a friendly sort of way. “This is our house. Sarah has told us all about you. Please feel free to make yourselves at home, and if there is anything that you need at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. My wife and I are just enjoying tea at the moment, would you care to have some? Olivia, could you grab a few extra seats for our guests? You must be Christopher.”

  “Yes sir, I am,” he said. “Your daughter has told me about you. May I say that your estate is even lovelier than I had imagined.”

  “We are really truly grateful for you helping us out,” said Theodore. “Especially since, you know, we’re not Amish. In the past we haven’t really blended in with your people.”

  “It is true that you are different, yes, but to a degree, we are all equal in God’s eyes. Who is this charming young lady that you have brought?”

  “I am Jennifer, sir,” she said confidently. “I love your house. It is so big!”

  The three Millers laughed. Jennifer was truly a cute little angel, and always seemed to say exactly what was on her mind in any given moment.

  The two happy families sat on the front porch and had some tea. Christopher sat next to Sarah, and the two of them couldn’t help but exchange romantic glances at one another. Sarah thought that a few times Olivia had caught these exchanges in glances, but she wasn’t exactly sure. Sarah didn’t exactly want Olivia to know that she was falling for Christopher already. And from the looks of it, Christopher was pretty enraptured by Sarah too.

  That night, as they all went to bed in their separate rooms, Sarah lay awake wondering what the next few days had in store for her and Christopher. She knew that she had to make a move to see if Christopher returned the feelings that she was beginning to experience. She decided to sneak into his room. She tiptoed quietly across the hall on the second floor and slowly opened the door to his room. He sat up at once.

  “Oh, it’s just you,” he said, “that kind of startled me.”

  “I just thought you might like some company,” she said, slipping into bed next to him.

  “What if we get caught?” he asked.

  “Don’t worry, my parents are both very heavy sleepers. Also, we don’t have to make very much noise,” she said in a low whisper.

  Sarah leaned over to Christopher and kissed him softly on the forehead. She brought over one of her legs and crossed it with his, so that their toes were touching. Christopher took a hand and pressed it against her soft lips, feeling the texture of it and savoring it.

  The next morning, they awoke to the sound of a kettle screeching downstairs. Sarah got out of bed quickly and tip-toed her way back to her bedroom. She washed up in her bathroom and put on a green dress. She tied a matching bow in her hair and put on some red lipstick. It wasn’t common for women in her community to use heavy make-up, but she wanted to look as good as possible for Christopher.

  Over breakfast, which consisted of sausages, hot cereal, and muffins, the two families talked about how they were going to get the Lockleys’ business back in order. Benjamin was a resourceful man and had all kinds of ideas. Then they talked about the local news and what was going on in the community. Then they discussed how the Lockleys would pitch in around the grounds. Benjamin assigned Sarah to show them exactly how things were done. There was livestock to be tended, and taking care of the orchard was practically a full-time job. Sarah suggested that she and Christopher could take care of that. Jennifer wanted to know how she could help. Olivia suggested that Jennifer could be a help in the kitchen. She could clean dishes and help prepare lunch, snack, and dinner. Jennifer was very enthusiastic.

  In the orchard, later that morning, as Sarah and Christopher were pruning some of the trees and picking apples to bring back to the house, Sarah decided to ask a bold question.

  “Did you have a nice time sleeping with me last night?”

  “Absolutely. I was a little worried that we’d get caught, but it was nice having you by my side. Sarah… I think I’m falling for you.”

  “I think I’m falling for you too!”

  Christopher walked up to Sarah and took her in her arms. They kissed passionately, Christopher’s hands tracing lines down to the small of her back. Sarah’s hands glided through Christopher’s thick hair. The kiss lasted a couple minutes. It was the most romantic moment in Sarah’s life.

  �
��What are we going to do about your father?” asked Christopher.

  Sarah thought long and hard.

  “I am not sure. Let’s just at least wait until your family gets settled before breaking the news to him. I am supposed to be finding a husband. He has been dead set on me finding one who is Amish. But perhaps once he witnesses the love that we have for one another he’ll change his mind.”

  Jennifer came running up to them.

  “Have you been kissing? You guys looked awfully close together just a minute ago. She is really pretty, Christopher.”

  “Ssshh!” said Christopher. “You have to keep this a secret, okay? If you do, I’ll give you all of my dessert for the next two nights. But you can’t tell anyone what you say. Mum’s the word.”

  “Okay, I’ll keep your guys’ secret. I’m really good at keeping secrets.”

  At lunch, Christopher and Sarah were sitting next to each other at the table again. They could not stop touching feet underneath the table. They were pretty sure that they were doing it in secret. They ate hungrily.

  “I am going to be giving a sermon this evening,” said Benjamin. “You are all welcome to attend. It might even be a good idea. You could learn a bit more about the ways of the Amish.”

  “Good idea, Benjamin,” said Theodore. “You have been so kind to our family. How did you find the work that we have done so far?”

  “Well, Sarah and Christopher did an excellent job in the orchard. We have even more ripe apples than I had expected. And the trees look like they are in good shape as well. And you did a great job with the livestock too. We will need to butcher a steer later this week. I hope you are up for helping with the task.”

  “Sure,” replied Theodore, “this is not something that I usually have the opportunity to do.”

  “I am going to see, after church tonight, if we can raise funds to help you get your store back on track. I can also try to get a committee together to help rebuild. We Amish are not the types to back away from manual labor, as I think you will soon find out.”