by Marta Perry
Seeing the sincerity in his grandfather’s eyes, Phillip felt he had the truth at last. “I believe that.”
“After your father died, I couldn’t stay in Boston. Everything reminded me of him and my horrible mistake. My wife had died when Brendan was five. There was nothing to keep me there. I sold all I had and came here. I hoped to find forgiveness and peace working among these simple and faithful people.”
Phillip wasn’t done with his questions. “When I suggested you retire and come live near me, why did you become so upset?”
Harold rubbed his jaw with one hand. “Because I was terrified my sins would come to light. I didn’t want to lose you the way I lost your father.”
“When you ran in front of my car, why were you trying to stop me?”
“I realized I couldn’t come back to Hope Springs and live among the Plain People with that terrible secret in my heart. I had to tell you the truth.” The corners of his mouth quirked upward. “I honestly had no intention of getting run down.”
“I thank God each day you weren’t killed.”
“I thank God He has given me the chance to right the terrible wrong I did you and your mother.”
Harold struggled to stand. Phillip moved to assist him. When he was on his feet and steady, he gripped Phillip’s arm and looked into his eyes. “Can you forgive me?”
Phillip had the truth now. More than he wanted to know. It was all so sad and so unnecessary. He had it within his power to lay a lifetime of unhappiness to rest, for both of them.
Phillip covered his grandfather’s hand with his own. “Yes, I can.”
The old man’s eyes closed and he swayed. Frightened, Phillip quickly helped him into his chair. “Are you all right, Grandfather?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine for the first time in a long while. Thank you.”
“Can I get you something?”
“Great-grandchildren.”
Phillip’s worry slipped away. Relief made him smile. “I was thinking along the lines of a glass of water.”
Harold sat up and took a deep breath. “That would be nice, too. You are going to marry Amber, aren’t you? She loves you. You’re a fool if you don’t know that.”
* * *
Amber was bone-tired by the time she returned home. The delivery had gone well. Both mother and child were happy and healthy. She should have been thrilled, but all through the long hours of labor she kept thinking about the time she and Phillip spent with Mary and her family. Remembering their time together was still painful but she didn’t cry as often anymore.
After parking in her driveway, Amber walked toward the house with lagging steps. Everything took more energy since Phillip had gone. Walking, eating, getting out of bed, it was all so hard to do. How much longer would this malaise affect her? It already felt like a lifetime had passed since he went away.
At the steps, she heard a meow from the end of the porch. For a second she thought it was Fluffy, then she remembered that her cat was gone, too. It had to be one of the neighborhood cats.
Fluffy was back with the family who loved him. At least that had ended well. When Amber reached the front door, she heard a second meow.
Turning to see whose cat had come for a visit, she froze in shock. Phillip sat in her wicker chair with a box at his feet. Afraid to blink in case he vanished, she kept staring, trying to make herself believe it was true.
Rising to his feet, he said, “Hello, Amber.”
He wasn’t a figment of her imagination. Her heart thudded painfully against the inside of her chest. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to keep from flinging herself into his arms. “Phillip? What are you doing here?”
He smiled but she saw the uncertainty in his eyes. “I had to see you again.”
Looking away before he could read the longing on her face, she fumbled to get her keys out of her purse. Finally, she found them and attempted to open her lock. When they tumbled out of her shaky fingers she knew there was no use pretending she was okay.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door. “I can’t do this again, Phillip.”
In a few steps he was beside her, not touching her, but surrounding her with his masculine warmth. “I’m sorry. I had to see you.”
Bending down, he picked up her keys. She stayed strong until he placed them in her palm and tenderly closed his fingers over hers. He whispered, “I’ve missed you, Amber.”
His soft words were her undoing. She melted into his arms as he gathered her close. “Oh, Phillip, I’ve missed you so much.”
“I love you. I never want to leave you again.”
“I can’t bear it, Phillip. I can’t stay here without you.”
Brushing her damp cheeks with his knuckle, he asked in surprise, “You would come to Hawaii?”
“Yes, if you want me. I can’t be more unhappy there than I’ve been here these past three weeks.”
“My poor darling. I don’t want you to be unhappy anywhere. I don’t want you to give up the things you love most.”
She buried her face against his chest. “I love you the most. So we are right back where we started from because I know you will never be happy practicing small-town medicine.”
He rocked her gently in his embrace. “We’re not exactly back where we started from. I know that I love you and I know that you love me.”
“True.”
Leaning back, he looked down at her. “I have something for you.”
“What?” Wiping her face with both hands, she took a step back, already missing the warmth of his body and the comfort of his arms around her.
Picking up the box by the chair, he held it out. “Open it. Doctor’s orders.”
As she started to take the top off, she heard a tiny meow. It was then she noticed the holes poked in the sides of the box. Phillip said, “I know you miss Fluffy.”
The moment the top came off, a white kitten raised its head over the lip. Amber gasped in delight. “Oh, he’s beautiful.”
Phillip looked quite pleased with himself. “I’m glad you like him. He’s all yours. No one is going to take him back.”
“He’s just what I’ve been needing. What a wonderful gift. Thank you.”
“I’m not done.” Phillip put the top on the box and took it from her. The kitten protested as he set it aside. Drawing a deep breath, he withdrew several packets from his jacket and offered them to her.
Puzzled, Amber took them. Tilting them toward the porch light she saw they were celery seed packets. Her lip quivered as she pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, Phillip.”
He dropped to one knee in front of her. “Amber Bradley, will you marry me?”
Speechless, she stared at him as happiness strummed the cords of her heart. Joy unlike anything she’d ever known sent her blood humming. On the heels of that intense joy came a quick downer dose of common sense.
She bit her lower lip. What should she do? If she said yes, one of them would have to give up their dreams. Yet how could she bear to say no and lose his wonderful love? Finally, she said, “Maybe.”
He sat back on his heel. “Maybe? I thought your only choices were yes or no.”
“I want to marry you, but I’m afraid.”
“Of what?” He rose to his feet and took her in his arms once more.
“I’m afraid I’ll be miserable away from the Amish and I’ll make you miserable, too.” If they could only stay this way forever, encircled in each other’s arms, surrounded by love.
He took her face in his hands. “I don’t want you to come to Hawaii. I want you to stay here.”
In a flash, she realized he was giving up his dream for her. “You can’t resign from your practice in Hawaii.”
“I already have.”
“But you won’t like practicing medicine here. You know you won’t.”
“I’ll be happy wherever you are, but you’re right. I wouldn’t be content practicing general medicine. Anywhere.”
“Then I don’t unders
tand.”
“I have been mistakenly trying to fulfill my father’s dreams, not my own. God brought me to this town to meet the most wonderful woman in the world.” He flicked the tip of her nose with his finger.
She chuckled. “I’m glad you think so.”
“And He brought me here to show me my true calling. I’m going to be a pediatrician in a new diagnostic center for children with special needs that will open in Hope Springs sometime in the next few years.”
He wasn’t kidding. She knew by the joy in his voice. “A new clinic here?”
His eyes danced with eagerness. “I’ve just come back from Pennsylvania and their genetic research facility for special needs children. It’s a wonderful place. They are doing cutting-edge genetic research among the Amish there. Besides research, they treat children with all types of inherited diseases and they don’t limit their service to just the Amish. They are eager to find out more about the Knepp baby and her parents, and they want to develop a second clinic in this area.”
“You and Dr. Dog will make wonderful pediatricians. But that means you’ll have to go back to school.”
“Believe me, I’ve been looking into it. There’s a combined human genetics and pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s. It’s only three hours away. We can see each other on my days off. It’s a five-year program, but I’ll be board certified in both genetics and pediatrics when I’m done. I’ve already applied. So, you can see why I’m going to need a wife with a good job.”
Pulling back, she asked, “You’re okay with me continuing as a nurse-midwife here?”
“Honey, I know you give your patients the very best of care. I know that because I’ve seen your passion and your skill. I may never be convinced that home deliveries are best, but I will support you one hundred percent.”
Circling his neck with her arms, she smiled softly. “Oh, I think in fifty or sixty years I can get you to come around.”
“What method of persuasion will you be using?” He tightened his hold and gave her a heart-stopping grin. The love in his eyes sent a tingle clear to her toes.
Leaning close, she whispered, “Kisses, lots of kisses.”
Phillip pulled back a little. “Does this mean you’ve changed your maybe to a yes?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she whispered as she drew his face to hers. The heady feel of his arms and his lips sent her heart tripping with delight.
As their lips touched, Amber sent up a silent prayer of thanks. God had truly brought a wonderful man into her life.
After that, she gave Phillip her full and undivided attention.
Courting Ruth
Emma Miller
Chapter One
Spring…Kent County, Delaware
Ruth Yoder lifted her skirt and deftly climbed the wooden stile at the back corner of the fence that marked the property line between her family’s farm and their nearest neighbor. The sun-warmed boards felt good on the soles of Ruth’s bare feet, bringing back sweet memories and making her smile. Dat’s stile, God rest his soul. How she missed him. The world had always seemed safe when her father was alive. Without him at the head of the table, life was more uncertain.
What was certain was that if they didn’t hurry, recess would be over, and Mam wouldn’t get her lunch. “Come along, Susanna,” she called over her shoulder to her sister.
“Come along,” Susanna repeated as she scampered up the stile, clutching their mother’s black lunch pail tightly in one chubby hand. Susanna would be eighteen in a few months. She should have been able to carry the lunch across the field to the schoolhouse unaccompanied, but in many ways, she would always be a child.
The English said Susanna had Down syndrome or called her a special-needs person, but Dat had always said that she was one of the Lord’s gifts and that they should feel blessed every day that He had entrusted her to their family. Susanna’s chubby face and slanting blue eyes might seem odd to strangers, but to Ruth, her dear little face, framed by the halo of frizzy red hair that marked her as one of Jonas Yoder’s seven daughters, was beautiful. Susanna’s white Kapp tied over her unruly bun, her Plain blue dress and white apron were exactly like those that Mam had sewn for Ruth. But Susanna’s rosy cheeks, stubby little feet and hands and bubbly personality made her unlike anyone that Ruth had ever known.
Sometimes, to her shame, Ruth secretly felt the tiniest bit of envy for her sister’s uncomplicated world. Ruth had to struggle every day to be the kind of person her mother and her church expected. Being a good soul just seemed to come naturally to Susanna. Ever since her sister Johanna had married and moved to her husband’s farm down the lane, the responsibility of being the oldest child had settled heavily on Ruth’s shoulders. It was that sense of responsibility that had caused her and Mam to have words after breakfast this morning. Not an argument exactly, but a disagreement, and that conversation with her mother made her stomach as heavy as one of Aunt Martha’s pecan-raisin pies.
“You’re twenty-three out, Ruth,” Mam had reminded her as she’d taken her black bonnet from the hook and tied it over her Kapp before starting off for school. “You joined the church when you were nineteen. You’ve done a woman’s job in our house since you were fifteen. It’s past time you chose a husband and had your own home.”
“But you need me here,” she had insisted. “Without Dat, running the farm, taking care of Susanna and teaching school is too much for you. It’s better that I remain single and stay with you.”
“Fiddle-faddle,” Mam had said as she’d gathered her books.
“…Roofie! You’re not listening to me.”
“Ya, I am.” Ruth shook off her reverie and steadied her sister as she descended the steps on the far side of the fence.
“But you’re not. Look!” Susanna pointed. Above the trees, in the direction of the school, rose a column of smoke.
“Samuel’s probably burning brush.”
“But, Roofie.” Susanna trotted to keep up with Ruth’s longer strides as they followed the narrow path through the oak grove. “I smell smoke.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Ruth answered absently. Tonight she would apologize to her mother and—
“Fire!” Susanna squealed as they entered the clearing surrounding the one-room schoolhouse. “The school is on fire!”
Ruth’s mouth gaped in astonishment. Ahead, clouds of smoke billowed from the front porch and cloakroom of the neat, white schoolhouse. In the field, behind an open shed, Ruth spotted the children engaged in a game of softball. Upwind of the building, no one had smelled the smoke yet.
“Sit down, Susanna,” Ruth ordered. “Sit here and guard Mam’s lunch.”
“But the school—” her sister protested, hopping on one bare foot and then the other.
“Don’t move until Mam or I come for you.”
Susanna sighed heavily but dropped to the ground.
Thank You, Lord, Ruth thought. If there was one thing she could depend on, it was that Susanna would always do as she was asked, so at least she wouldn’t have to worry about her safety. Closer to the school than the field, Ruth ran toward the burning structure, bare feet pounding the grass, the skirt of her dress tugging at her knees.
As she drew closer, she saw Mam’s new student, Irwin Beachy, crawl out from under the porch. His face and shirt were smudged black, and he was holding his hands out awkwardly, as though they’d been burned.
“Irwin? What happened? Are you hurt?” she called to him.
The boy’s eyes widened in terror. Without answering, he dashed away toward the woods.
“Irwin!” Ruth shouted. “Come back!”
When the boy vanished in the trees, she turned back to the school. An ugly crackling noise rose and flames rippled between the floorboards of the front porch. Through the open door, she could see tongues of red flame shimmering through the black smoke. The cloakroom seemed engulfed in fire, but the thick inner door that led to the single classroom was securely closed.
Wrapping her apron around her hands t
o protect them, Ruth grabbed the smoking rope that dangled from the cast-iron bell by the steps. She yanked hard, and the old bell pealed out the alarm. Then she released the rope and darted to the hand water pump that stood in the yard.
By the shouts and cries coming from the ball field, Ruth knew that the children had heard the bell and seen the smoke. By school age, every Amish child knew what to do in case of a fire, and she was certain they would arrive in seconds. She pumped hard on the handle of the water pump, filling the bucket that always sat there, and then ran back to dash the water onto the front wall of the school. Two of the older boys pounded up behind her. Toby Troyer pulled off his shirt and beat at the flames with it. Vernon Beachy grabbed the empty bucket from Ruth’s hands and raced back to refill it.
Ruth’s mother directed the fire-fighting efforts and instructed the older girls to take the smaller children back to where Susanna waited so that they would be out of danger.
Two of the Beachy boys carried the rain barrel to the other side of the schoolhouse and splashed water against the wall. Other boys used their lunch buckets to carry water. One moment they seemed as if they were winning the battle, but the next moment, flames would shoot up in a new spot. Someone passed her a bucket of water, and Ruth rushed in to throw it on the porch roof. As long as the roof didn’t catch fire, the building might be saved. Abruptly, a sensation of heat washed up over her. She glanced down to see that sparks had ignited the hem of her apron.
As she reached down frantically to tear off the smoldering apron, strong hands closed around her waist and lifted her off the ground. Before she could utter a protest, Ruth found herself thrown onto the ground and roughly rolled over and over in the grass. Her bonnet came off, her hairpins came loose, and her hair tumbled down her back.
“Are you trying to kill yourself? Didn’t you see your apron on fire?” A stranger with the face of an angel lifted her into his arms, and gazed into her face.
Ruth couldn’t catch her breath. All she could do, for a second, was stare into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Behind her she heard the shouts of male voices, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from the eyes.
