“The kinner will have many questions about what happened, but that will pass,” Rebecca said. “They had been telling me all along they didn’t like Beverly.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Would you have listened to me? Caleb, it was none of my business. As I said, my concern was for the children. I felt as long as I was taking care of them, they would be safe.”
“Danke, Rebecca. I am so very thankful to Gott for sending you to me. The children love you and I have come to rely on you for so much. You have been a blessing in our lives.”
Rebecca couldn’t help but to blush. “Gott works in mysterious ways. I needed a job and you needed help. Gott knew that and brought us together to help each other. I didn’t think I would become so attached to the children, but I have.”
Caleb stopped washing the dishes for a moment and looked at Rebecca. “You know, I have thought about why I was so taken with Beverly and I think it was because I so wanted to find a wife again and give my children a mamm. I wasn’t looking at the whole picture. I should have just been satisfied with what I had right here. My business and my kinner. And of course I really appreciate your help. This is all I really need.” Continuing to wash the dishes, he added, “I’m just going to concentrate on my business and the kinner. That will be my priority.”
On the way back home Rebecca was deep in thought. How I have fallen in love with him. How I dream of being his wife one day and raising his children. She realized, though, that Caleb looked to her as the nanny and nothing more. Maybe one day she would find love but for now, she had to be satisfied with where she was at in life right now. She knew when it was time for her to move on, that Gott would show her the way.
* * *
Chapter 9
Weeks had gone by since the incident with Beverly. Rebecca’s friend Kim had told her that Beverly apparently packed up her belongings and moved away. No one knew where or why she had gone. Life returned to normal for Rebecca. Her days were spent taking care of Caleb’s house and children. She noticed that he was spending a fair bit more time with them when he wasn’t working and would make a point of coming in for lunch with them each day. The children loved having their daed around more and Rebecca loved watching them interact with each other.
Caleb was also spending more time talking and confiding in her. He would talk to her about his business, about decisions he needed to make and about different things around the farm. Rebecca smiled to herself at times when she thought about it. She had become used to keeping her feelings for Caleb to herself even though at times she wished she could let him know. She wondered if he had any feelings at all towards her. But on the other hand, she knew that if he did have feelings for her and they were to marry, the family would lose her income. Her sisters still hadn’t found work, but they were doing all they could to help with the planting and with the daily chores.
* * *
One afternoon, Rebecca had just put the children down for their nap when she heard the door open. Coming down the stairs, she saw Caleb walking into the kitchen.
“Caleb, is something wrong?”
“Nee. Where are the kinner?”
“I just put them down for their naps.”
Taking Rebecca by her hand, he brought her over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair for her to sit.
“Caleb, what is it?”
“Rebecca, I need to tell you something and it is something I have been thinking about for quite a while,” he said, pacing back and forth in front of her.
Rebecca immediately began to worry that Caleb wanted to let her go from her job.“Caleb, I…”
“Shhh, nee, please hear me out before I lose my nerve,” he said. “Rebecca, I have come to realize that I have feelings for you. The children love you and I don’t know why I didn’t see it before this. Rebecca, it’s you that I’d love to have for my wife. Uh...of course, not right away, but perhaps by fall...”
Shocked, Rebecca looked at him. Part of her wanted to jump up and say YES... but another part of her knew she couldn’t. Marrying Caleb meant losing her income and she couldn’t do that to her parents. They relied on her so much.
She felt her heart break inside. “Caleb, I am honored that you feel this way, but I don’t feel the same about you. I love the children but I can’t be your wife.”
With a dejected look, he said, “I understand Rebecca. I am so sorry I put you in an uncomfortable position. I thought you might have felt the same way and it made sense to me that we should marry.” He turned to leave the room. “I better get back to work.”
When the door closed shut, Rebecca put her head on the table and let the tears flow. She wished she could run after him and tell him she loved him, but she couldn’t.
* * *
Driving home that evening, Rebecca knew she would just want to go to her bedroom and hide under the blankets. It broke her heart to tell Caleb she didn’t love him. Why was life so unfair at times? As she walked into the house, her mother came running to greet her.
“Rebecca, it is a miracle! Come quickly.” Her mamm grabbed her hand pulled her into the living room.
There, standing in the middle of the room beside Emma and Beth was her daed. When he saw Rebecca, he slowly walked over to her using a cane.
“Isn’t it wonderful, Rebecca? Gott listened to our prayers!” Marta cried.
“Daed, did this just happen today?” Rebecca went over to give him a hug.
“Nee, I started to have feelings in my legs over the last couple of days and never said anything,” He walked very slowly over to the couch and sat down. “We went to see Doctor Morris today and he said it looks like the operation was a success and that the spine is slowly healing.”
“Daed, that is wonderful!” Rebecca cried.
“Jah, it truly is a miracle!” Emma and Beth echoed.
“I will have to be very careful, and take my time and do my exercises regularly but the doctor feels that within 6-9 months I should be back to normal.”
“We must give thanks to Gott tonight, this calls for a special celebration meal,” Marta said, going over and hugging each of her daughters before heading into the kitchen.
Rebecca went to join her mother in the kitchen and started to peel some potatoes for supper. “Is something bothering you Rebecca? You look sad.”
“Nee, mamm, nothing. It was just a long day.”
She stopped and took Rebecca’s hand. “I know when something is bothering you, Rebecca, and you have something very heavy on your mind. What is it?”
Rebecca broke down in tears and told her mamm everything. She told her about Beverly, about her feelings for Caleb and how he wanted to marry her. She let it all pour out, everything she had kept bottled up inside of her. When she was done, she just put her head down and cried. The pain she felt was too much.
“My dochtah. You have kept this inside of you all this time.”
Nodding her head, Rebecca wiped her eyes with her hands before her mamm handed her a tissue.
“This man has told you his feelings, and he wants to marry you. If you love him, you must tell him so. There was a reason Gott guided you to his farm. Do you not think Gott is involved? Trust Him,” she said, wiping the stray tears from Rebecca’s cheeks. “Look what He did for your daed. I prayed every night for a miracle and He heard me. Your daed is walking again and will one day be able to work again.”
“But the money I bring is helping us. If I marry Caleb, I will no longer get the income to help you. I know Emma and Beth have been working on the planting, so they haven’t had much time to look for jobs. But even then, if they did find jobs, they won’t be able to help as much with the crops.”
“Rebecca, Rebecca, you must trust Gott to work everything out. Besides, it would break my heart if I knew you sacrificed your happiness for us. We will be fine.
Lying in bed that night, Rebecca asked Gott what she should do. What if I tell Caleb how I feel and he rejects me now? He may feel hurt because I rejected him
the first time. Gott, show me what I need to do. I need your guidance.
After spending a sleepless night tossing and turning, Rebecca got out of bed and knew exactly what she was going to do. She had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Before today was over, Caleb Troyer was going to know her true feelings toward him.
* * *
Chapter 10
Driving over to Caleb’s house the next morning, Rebecca felt both excitement and nervousness. When she walked into the house, the children came running down the stairs to greet her. Caleb followed, carrying Kathryn and smiled at Rebecca when he saw her.
“Good morning, Rebecca. Isn’t it a beautiful day?” he said as he walked past her to go into the kitchen.
“Jah,” she said slightly confused. The children were all dressed and washed and ready for breakfast. Hot oatmeal was bubbling on the stove and the table had been set. “Caleb, did you do all of this?”
“Jah, I have prayed to Gott and he has guided me. I need to be more involved with my kinner,” he said, securing Kathryn into her highchair. “Now, I will leave the rest to you. I have a lot of work to do today.” He kissed each of the children, and promised he would see them for lunch.
Rebecca stood there wondering what had just happened. In all the time she had known Caleb, he never got the children ready in the morning. That was always something she did when she arrived. Shrugging, she served the children their oatmeal and planned their activities for the morning.
At lunch time, Caleb, as promised, came in and ate lunch with them. The change in the children was amazing now that their daed was more involved. After she put them down for their afternoon nap and cleaned the kitchen, she made a cup of tea and brought it out to the barn.
Caleb was busy sawing a piece of wood for a cupboard he was working on. Going over to one of the finished pieces, she ran her hands over the intricate design. He certainly did excellent work, she thought to herself as she waited for him to finish.
Realizing that Rebecca standing there, Caleb looked over at her. “Rebecca, is something wrong?”
“Nee, Caleb. I wanted to talk to you about something, if you have the time.” She handed him his cup of tea.
“Danke, I always have time for you, Rebecca.” He sat down on a bench on the other side of the barn.
Sitting down beside him, she folded her hands on her lap to stop them from shaking. “Caleb, I want to explain myself after our discussion yesterday.”
Shaking his head, Caleb said, “Rebecca, you have nothing to explain. I understand completely.”
“Nee. You don’t,” she said, trying to fight the tears that were forming in her eyes. “You see Caleb, I do love you. I have loved you for a while. I have fallen in love with your kinner as well, and I want nothing more than to be your wife and their mamm.”
Looking quite confused, Caleb asked, “but why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”
“Because, if I told you I loved you, we would get married most likely in the fall, and I would no longer bring in a salary to help my family. My family has been relying on my income and I didn’t want to let them down.” Rebecca looked up at Caleb. “You must be very upset with me right now.”
“Ach, my Rebecca, just the opposite. I love you even more. You were willing to put your happiness aside for the sake of your family. I find that very noble. But why the change of heart?”
“When I arrived home last night, I found my daed walking. Very slowly, but still walking. His spine is beginning to heal and within the next several months he should be able to work again. Maybe not as much work as he used to, but most likely enough to be able to provide for the family. And by then, by sisters may have jobs and perhaps my parents can hire help for the harvest.”
He reached over and took Rebecca’s hand. “That is wonderful news. Your mamm must be very happy and relieved.”
“Jah, I told her what happened between us and she insisted that I needed to follow my heart, that Gott would work everything else out.” Caleb reached over and wiped a tear from her cheek. “My heart is with you, Caleb—you and your kinner.”
He thought for a moment. “Did you feel this way while I was seeing Beverly?” Nodding her head yes, Caleb closed his eyes. “What a fool I was. That must have been painful for you. Rebecca, I am so sorry to have put you through that.”
“Caleb, that’s not important right now. I need to know if you still want me to be your wife, because I would very much like that,” Rebecca said, feeling her heart pounding in her chest.
Getting down on one knee in front of her, Caleb looked up at her. “Rebecca Miller, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and the mother of my kinner?”
“Yes, I will,” Rebecca answered through her tears; tears of joy.
Caleb stood up. “We must tell the kinner. They’ll be very happy.”
“They’re probably finished with their naps, let’s do it together unless you have work you need to finish,” Rebecca said happily.
“Work can wait for a while. This is much more important.” Caleb grabbed Rebecca’s hand ran to the house.
“I’ll go up and get them and bring them down to the kitchen,” Rebecca said.
Rebecca seated the children at the table. Elizabeth looked at her daed and Rebecca and asked, “did we do something wrong?”
Caleb laughed. “Nee, you didn’t do anything wrong at all. Do you remember Elizabeth, last night when I was tucking you into bed, what it was you wished for?”
Elizabeth thought for a moment. “I wished that Rebecca could be our new mamm.”
“Well, your wish has come true,” Caleb said smiling.
The children stopped eating their snacks and looked at their daed.
“Rebecca has agreed to marry me and she will be your mamm. It won’t be right away, most likely in the fall.”
All the children except Kathryn climbed down from their chairs and ran to hug Rebecca and Caleb.
Caleb gave Rebecca a big smile. “Should we drive over to see your parents to tell them the news? I think it’s time I get to meet my future in-laws.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll get the kinner ready.” Rebecca felt as though her heart was going to burst with happiness. She couldn’t wait to tell her parents the news and introduce them to Caleb and the kinner.
* * *
Chapter 11
Pulling up to her house, she jumped out and proceeded to help the children climb out of the buggy.
“Caleb, I think I will go in first and tell them, and then they can meet you and the kinner,” she said, handing Kathryn to him.
She found her parents talking in the kitchen. Her daed was sitting at the table and her mamm was rolling out pie dough. Looking up, they were surprised to see Rebecca.
“Mamm, Daed, I have some news for you. Caleb Troyer has asked me to marry him and I have said yes.”
Marta ran over to her daughter and hugged her. “I am so happy! This is wonderful news!” She turned to her husband. Isn’t it wonderful, John?”
Rebecca went over to him. He said nothing but just looked at his dochtah. She waited for him to say something, and feared that perhaps he didn’t approve. Tears formed in his eyes and he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. “Your mamm told me how you were willing to sacrifice your happiness for me.” Pulling away, he looked Rebecca in the eyes. “You love this man?” Rebecca nodded. “He is good to you, and treats you with respect?” Again Rebecca nodded her head. “Then you have my blessing.”
Rebecca hugged her parents. “So Rebecca, when are we going to meet your Caleb and his kinner?
“They are waiting outside.”
Before Rebecca could turn around, her mamm was headed for the door, her daed slowly following.
“Caleb, I’d like you to meet my parents, John and Marta,” Rebecca said as she came outside and saw that her mamm was already hugging Caleb.
“Ach, my sweet kinner,” Marta said when she saw the children. She hugged each one of them before going over to Caleb a
nd taking Kathryn out of his arms. “Would you like some cookies?” she asked the children. “I just baked them this morning.”
Nodding shyly, the children followed her into the house.
Rebecca laughed, then looked at Caleb. “As you can see my mamm already loves the kinner.” Giving Caleb’s hand a squeeze, she disappeared inside the house, leaving Caleb alone with his future father in-law.
“Rebecca told me about your injury and that you can now walk again. It certainly is a miracle. Gott works in strange ways.”
“That He does. I will be forever grateful to Him for giving me the gift of walking again,” John said, going over to sit on the steps of the porch. “I hear you are a talented furniture maker.”
“Jah, I have a very good business and it grows every day,” Caleb said, sitting down beside him. “Some days it is hard to keep up with the orders.”
“I used to build furniture in my younger days. I don’t know why I gave it up.”
“Will you continue the farm once you get stronger?” Caleb asked.
“Most likely. I might not grow as much. We do need the income though, but I will put that in Gott’s hands.”
“Well, I certainly could use some help with my business. I have too many orders as it is and I find it very hard to keep everything organized.”
“I don’t know if I could get back into building, Caleb, it has been a long time.”
“Well, maybe not actual building but I certainly could use help sanding, painting, and paperwork—things like that,” Caleb said. “Of course, I would pay you a good wage. This may help you until you’re strong enough to farm again.”
Thinking for a moment, Rebecca’s daed looked at Caleb and held out his hand. “Caleb, I’m still under doctor’s orders to be extremely careful for the next two months, but I’d love the opportunity after that. It might be just what I need.” The two men shook hands and walked into the house chatting and laughing.
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