Finally, she picked up the small hand mirror from her dresser and looked at herself. Her eyes shone with excitement. This was it. Her moment. She licked her lips and tried to still her racing heart. She went to her door and opened it a crack, listening. Hopefully, everyone would turn in soon, and she could sneak down the stairs. She couldn’t possibly sneak down any earlier. If she was seen, there’d be no way in the world she could explain her church dress at this hour of the night. She pushed her door almost closed and sat on the edge of her bed to wait.
By nine-forty, she was chewing her fingernails—something she hadn’t done for years. In dismay, she sat on her hands. Finally, just before ten, she heard the stairs creak and groan. She sucked in her breath and bit her lip. Gut. She waited until there were no more creaks heard and she heard the opening and closing of the bathroom door. Then, she slipped from her room and headed down the stairs, carefully avoiding the steps that would groan under her weight. Once downstairs, she went to the side door and let herself out.
The night air was cool, and she gulped in a huge breath before running across the lawn. Once she got out to the road, she wondered again why Uriah hadn’t offered to pick her up. It seemed the least he could do for her. But he hadn’t offered, and he wasn’t there. She turned and started toward Edmund’s Pond. She was going to be late, but Uriah would wait for her.
He’d been right. The moon was near full and since the sky was clear, there was a decent amount of light on the road. Still, she walked carefully. It wouldn’t do to take a tumble on the way to her wedding.
On the way to your wedding? she scoffed. Some wedding. You’re kidding yourself.
She tightened her lips against her thoughts. This was a real wedding. Weren’t they going to declare themselves before God? She increased her speed, almost running down the road now.
“Stop!” came a voice from the other side of the road. “What’s wrong? Do you need help?”
It was a low, rich voice, almost melodious. Beulah stopped short, stunned that someone else was out on the road this time of night. She could see him now, his shadowy figure crossing the road.
“Are you hurt? Is something wrong?”
He was close now, towering over her. Amish, too; she could tell by his accent, and he was also wearing a traditional hat.
“Nee,” she said, catching her breath. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“You were running.” He glanced around. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could see enough to know that he didn’t have a beard and his features looked pleasant enough. She didn’t recognize him, though, which was surprising. Hollybrook wasn’t that large of a district.
“Who are you?”
He chuckled, his laughter ringing into the still night. “My name is Ethan Miller.”
“You’re new around here, ain’t so?” she asked. What was she doing? Standing there in the dark conversing with a stranger? She had a wedding to get to…
“I am. I’m kin to Andrew Miller. He lives down the road a piece.”
“I know where he lives—”
“Do you, now?”
He was intriguing. There was something about the way he spoke that drew her in. So, he must be Andrew’s cousin from Wisconsin.
“You’re his cousin.”
She saw the surprise on his face, even in the shadows.
“You know me?” He laughed again. “You have the advantage.”
“I’m Amy’s sister.”
“Ahh. Beatrice… Nee, that ain’t it… Uh, Beulah.” He snapped his fingers. “Beulah, right?”
“Jah.” She was grinning at him now, the urgency of her clandestine meeting with Uriah fading a tiny bit.
“Do you always take runs in the middle of the night?”
“I’m not on a run. I’m simply taking a walk.” The urgency hit her again, and she wanted to get away fast, but she also couldn’t arouse suspicion. What if he went back and reported her behavior to Amy, and then Amy told Andrew, and Andrew hitched up the pony cart to come find her…
“A walk. In the dark?”
“Well, aren’t you doing the same?” she asked, her voice frank.
“Beulah.” He was grinning so widely now, she could easily see his gleaming teeth. “You’re as your sister has described.”
She rolled her eyes. Who knew what Amy had said about her?
“So? Why are you out here?” she asked.
“Same as you, I reckon. I often walk at night. I like the quiet, and I like the cool air. Don’t do it much in winter.”
“I-I need to be going…” she started.
“Shall I accompany you? I don’t feel right leaving you out here on the road alone at night.”
“Nee!” she cried. She’d responded too quickly. Trying to cover it, she laughed softly. “I, well, I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way. I’ll head back in a minute or two.”
He stood, apparently considering her words. Then he shook his head. “I don’t like it. You out here all alone. It wouldn’t be … gentlemanly of me to leave you.”
“But—”
“And, Miss Beulah. I’m sorry I don’t know your last name. Anyway, I am a gentleman, Miss Beulah. Please allow me to escort you home.”
Great. Just great. Beulah turned around. “Fine. You may escort me home.”
Chapter Seven
What else could Beulah do? She could hardly have Ethan escort her to Edmund’s Pond so she could marry Uriah under the stars. She could just about guess how that explanation would go over. She’d have to let him walk her home and then she’d double back to Edmund’s Pond.
Ethan fell into step beside her. She could tell he had to shorten his stride. Goodness, but he must be well over six feet tall.
“How do you like it here?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“I like it right fine.” He looked down at her. “In truth, it’s getting better all the time.”
Her eyes widened, and she laughed. “I see.”
He laughed with her. “Jah, you can give me a friendly punch in the arm if you like. I’m getting fresh.”
She laughed again. She liked him. And to oblige, she punched him playfully in the arm.
“All right. Now, we’re officially friends, ain’t so?”
She nodded. “For sure and for certain. We’re officially friends.”
“I’m going to buy the buggy shop in town.”
“Are you? Amy mentioned you’d be looking at it.”
“Jah. Everything seems to be in gut order, and I’m ready for a change. Don’t have much left in Wisconsin really. The only kin there is my brother and his family. The rest of my kin are in Pennsylvania, and I don’t fancy moving out there.”
“So, you like it here. And you do have a cousin.”
He nodded. “I do have a cousin.”
“Well, welcome to the district.”
“I may need some showing around, you know…”
Her cheeks went hot. She was about to be a married woman. She shouldn’t be strolling with this man. She shouldn’t be exchanging witty comments with him, either. It wasn’t right.
“I’m sure Andrew will show you all around,” she said, her voice now tight.
He hesitated, clearly hearing the change in her tone. “Certainly,” he said, his own voice now clipped.
“Here’s my home,” she said, stopping at her driveway.
“Thank you for letting me escort you,” he said.
“Thank you. Gut-night.”
“Gut-night.” He paused a moment before tipping his head and touching the brim of his hat to her. Then he walked away, continuing down the road until he faded into the darkness. She blew out her breath in frustration. Uriah was going to be wondering where she was, and now she had to go all the way back toward the pond. No matter. But she needed to hurry.
She took one last long glance down the road where Ethan had disappeared. Satisfied that he was indeed gone, she took off running in the opposite direction.
She was completely winded
by the time she arrived at Edmund’s Pond. It was eerie being there in the dark without anyone. She scanned the area looking for Uriah. Where was he?
“Uriah?” she whispered loudly. “Are you here?”
And where were his horse and buggy?
“Uriah?”
She heard a branch snap and suddenly he was there. “Beulah.”
She rushed to him in relief. He folded her against his chest in an embrace. “You ready?” he asked.
“Where’s your horse and buggy?”
“I walked.”
“You walked?” This was a surprise. She’d assumed he’d come with his buggy so they could ride back to his farm afterward.
“Sure. You did, too.”
“I know, but I assumed…”
He put his finger on her lips, silencing her. Then he removed it and bent to kiss her. It started gently and then became more urgent. She broke away, too nervous to be standing there kissing him.
“I’m ready,” she said, answering his earlier question.
He glanced around. “Let’s walk along the path a ways. There’s a patch of grass that will be a fine place to say our vows.”
She swallowed, feeling shaky. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to marry Uriah with only God as their witness?
He grabbed her hand, and they started along the path. She concentrated on the feeling of her hand in his. How much bigger his hand was than hers. How he gripped her with complete assurance. He didn’t seem nervous at all.
“This is exciting, Beulah. I almost told Seth about it, but then I didn’t.”
She was glad. At this point, she wanted only the two of them to know about it. It made it more romantic somehow. Within minutes, they were standing in the patch of grass. The moon reflected on the lake, sending shimmering fingers over the surface of the water.
“It’s lovely,” she said, breathless.
“That it is,” Uriah said. He turned to her and grasped both of her hands. “Shall we do it?”
She nodded, unable to speak. Her throat was constricting, and she couldn’t tell if it was fear or anticipation. She loved this man standing before her. Loved him with all her heart.
“I promise to love you, Beulah. I promise to…” He looked at her. “What else are we supposed to say?”
“I-I don’t know. I promise to love you, Uriah. I promise to be faithful to you…”
“I promise to take care of you,” he said. His hands had grown sweaty, and she could feel him tremble slightly. Maybe he was nervous, after all.
“I, uh, I promise to…” She knew she should say something about God, but in truth, she didn’t know what. She’d always had a different sort of relationship with her Heavenly Father. She felt like He probably didn’t like her much—He certainly wouldn’t approve of her. She was too wild, too independent-thinking. Like Uriah. God probably didn’t approve of him, either.
She shuddered and blinked. Why in the world was she spoiling the moment with such thoughts? This was an occasion she would remember for the rest of her life. She needed to revel in it, make it as precious as possible.
Uriah squeezed her hands. “Maybe that’s enough.”
“Should we pray or something?”
“Sure. Why not? Let’s have a silent prayer.” In the moonlight, she could see he’d closed his eyes. She did the same.
But she didn’t pray. Her mind was whirling too quickly around what they were doing. She waited for Uriah to clear his throat—the normal signal that silent prayer was over. But he didn’t. Instead, he began kissing her again.
“I brought a quilt,” he whispered to her. “I left it under that tree.” He gestured with a nod of his head.
“A quilt?”
“Jah.” He hesitated. “You know… We’re married now.”
His meaning zapped through her. “Oh.”
Was he suggesting that they…? She stepped back. “But I thought we’d go to your house. Aren’t we going to live with your parents now?”
He frowned. “I haven’t told them yet, Beulah. I kept this a secret, like I told you. We can’t go back there tonight.”
“You mean I have to go back home?”
“Of course. Until I tell my folks about us.”
“But, Uriah…” Panic worked its way up her spine. “I-I don’t want to go back. I thought we would be together now.”
“We are together,” he said, with an edge of impatience. Then he let out his breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it clear. This all happened awful fast. It’ll be okay. I’ll tell my folks, and then you’ll come live with us. But I can’t just show up there tonight with you on my arm.”
She pressed a hand against her chest, deliberately taking calm breaths. He was right. And he would tell them tomorrow, and tomorrow night, she would move to his house. She hadn’t brought her belongings anyway. Yes. That was a better plan.
“Okay,” she told him. “You’re right.”
He grinned. “Come on. Let’s spread out the quilt.”
She followed him to a large tree where she could see a folded quilt. He picked it up and shook it open, spreading it over the ground. She stared down at it. Suddenly, she wanted to go back home. This wasn’t what she had in mind. Lying with him on the ground in the open for anyone to see. Not that anyone would—it was dark and the middle of the night. But still…
She was more brazen than a lot of Amish girls, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable with this.
Uriah was already on the ground. He reached out to her. “Come,” he said, and his voice was thick with emotion.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and slowly lowered herself until she was sitting beside him. He reached up and fumbled a bit with her kapp. Instinctively, she wanted to slap his hands away, but she forced herself to remain still. He got the bobby pins out and took her kapp off, laying it on the quilt. Then he fumbled further, until he’d released the bun. Her hair fell down her back. He ran his fingers through it, tugging it over her shoulders.
She was downright shaking now. Part of her wanted him to never stop and part of her wanted to get up and run away as fast as she could. Her mind was frantic.
Were they really married?
Yes. Yes. Hadn’t they spoken their vows? She was kept from further thought when Uriah pulled her into his arms, groaning softly.
And she was lost.
Chapter Eight
An hour later, Beulah wanted to hurry back home.
“Nee, stay,” Uriah urged her. “It’ll be dark for a few hours yet.”
“I have to go home,” she said. “I have to sneak back into the house, you know. The sooner I get in, the better.”
He reached up and tugged on her hand. “Beulah. Stay.”
She leaned down and kissed him. “I have to go.”
They stood up, and before she left, he hugged her close.
She breathed him in. “I’ll see you later, then? This afternoon? We’ll have to tell my folks, too. We can do it together.”
“Of course. Jah, this afternoon.” He kissed her again, a lingering kiss.
She pulled away. “Bye, Uriah.” She smiled up at him. “Husband.”
“Wife.”
And with that, she turned and ran back toward the road. Only when she was part-way home did she realize he could have walked her back. Why hadn’t he? She sighed. Perhaps, he was worried about sneaking back inside his house, too, and wanted to hurry home.
And then, oddly enough, an image of Ethan flashed through her mind. He would have walked me back, she thought. She almost laughed. Goodness, but her mind was doing strange things that night.
Her driveway was just ahead. She raced to it and then slowed down, creeping across the yard as if her parents would hear her soft footsteps on the earth—which of course, was absurd. However, when she slipped inside the house, there was a definite possibility of them hearing her. She crept up the stairs, taking an inordinate amount of time, but she made it safely to her room, undetected.
She lay down on her bed without bothering to change into her nightgown. She was exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. She was married now. Uriah was her dear husband. And later that day, for it was after midnight now, she would move to his family’s farm.
She didn’t know his family well. In truth, no one did. They mostly kept to themselves as far as she could determine. But they did seem nice. And she’d get to know them soon enough, wouldn’t she? She hoped his mother was kind and easy-going, and that they’d get along. Right before she fell asleep, she thought of her sister, Amy. Amy was so happy these days, married to Andrew.
And now, Beulah was married, too. Wait till she told Amy…
* * *
The sun pouring through her window woke Beulah up. She yawned and stretched and then jumped out of bed. If the sun was already streaming into her room, then she was late getting up. She looked down at her rumpled dress. Ach, why hadn’t she changed before going to bed? Her mother was going to—
Wait. No. Her mother wouldn’t scold her. Her mother wouldn’t even be aware. For today, Beulah was leaving home for good. She touched her lips and smiled. She was married now. Uriah would come for her sometime that afternoon. Should Beulah wait until he showed up to tell her parents? Or should she tell them right away?
“Beulah!” her mother hollered up the stairs.
Beulah stuck her head out her bedroom door. “I’m coming, Mamm. Just a minute!”
Beulah took off her wrinkled dress and put on a fresh dress and apron. Then she pulled the rarely-used suitcase from under her bed. The last time she’d used this was when she and Amy stayed with Andrew after his first wife died. They’d helped Andrew take care of his newborn daughter, and her sister had fallen in love with both the baby and the father.
And now, Beulah was using the suitcase to move to Uriah’s house. Funny how life kept changing. All the time. Little changes and big changes. And this one was big. Beulah folded the dress she’d just taken off into the suitcase. There. Her mother need never know she’d been so careless with it.
“Beulah!”
She stuck the suitcase back under the bed. She’d finish packing later. It wouldn’t take long for she didn’t have many personal items. She quickly brushed out her hair and re-twisted it into a bun, putting on her kapp. She smiled tenderly. The night before, Uriah had run his fingers through her hair. He’d told her how beautiful it was and how soft.
The Buggy Shop (Hollybrook Amish Romance) Page 4
