Amish Circle Letters - the Complete Series

by Sarah Price

  “Ja?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to presume anything but…”

  “Go on,” she prodded gently.

  He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I sure do like spending time in your company, Mimi Hostetler.”

  A hint of a smile tilted the corner of her mouth. “Is that so?”

  He stared straight ahead, afraid to look at her. “And if you feel the same, well…”

  “I do.”

  He paused. “You do what?”

  “Enjoy your company, Steve Fisher.”

  And there it was.

  His heart pounded and he caught his breath. After so many years, it had finally happened. He had given up, that was for sure and certain. He had never expected to find someone but now, here he was riding alongside a beautiful young woman who had just told him that she enjoyed his company. And that meant only one thing: they were courting. Officially courting.

  He swallowed, a moment of panic rising in his throat. He had never before truly courted anyone. Just a few rides home from singings but never with the same girl twice. Now, it was official. He didn’t know what to say or what was expected. Certainly they would keep spending time together and, if all went well, he knew that an announcement would be forthcoming. The pit in his stomach grew larger. An announcement?

  He felt her hand on his arm. Once again, he looked at her. With her hair pulled back so neat and shiny under her prayer kapp and her face glowing, she was truly beautiful. Her goodness shone from the inside out.

  “You look pale, Steve,” she said softly. It was as if she could sense his nervousness. “Are you OK?”

  “I…I just didn’t expect any of this,” he admitted. He disliked feeling flustered and, even more, he hated sounding so naïve. But it was the truth and, if nothing else, he knew that courting meant discovery and truth.

  Mimi took a deep breath and reassured him with a smile that warmed his heart. “Nor did I,” she replied. Yet, she looked confident and content as she settled back into the buggy seat next to him, her arm lightly pressed against his. “But God sure does work in mysterious ways, that’s for sure and certain!”

  Anna was washing the dinner dishes when she heard the buggy roll down the driveway. She glanced out the window then looked at the clock. Steve had been gone for over three hours and had missed helping Isaac with the milking. She hoped nothing was wrong over at Rachel and Leah’s.

  She could see Isaac on the hill in the back field. Despite Steve’s disappearance, Isaac had finished the early evening milking and had let the cows wander back into the paddock to graze throughout the night. Now, he was walking along the fence line, checking it for breaks. Katie and Benjamin were chasing each other through the field, keeping him company. Shep was running alongside. It was the perfect moment and she smiled to herself, feeling God’s love surrounding her and her family.

  Shutting off the water, she reached for the dishtowel and dried her hands. She was hoping to have a moment alone with Steve, see if she could uncover where he had been all day and make certain that everything was all right at his sisters’ farms.

  The door opened and he walked in, carrying the two containers. He seemed far away and barely said more than hello to Anna. He set the containers on the table and walked across the kitchen floor toward the door that led to the great room, the room reserved for church Sunday, which connected both sides of the house. She stood at the counter, a hand on her hip as she watched him, her mouth hanging open.

  “Steve?”

  He stopped and looked up. “Ja?”

  “You OK?”

  He nodded and said dismissively, “Ja, ja.”

  Anna frowned. “You feeling poorly?”

  He looked surprised. “No, not in the least.”

  “Everything all right at Leah and Rachel’s?”

  He frowned. “Of course.” And then he disappeared through the doorway.

  What in the world, she thought, staring at the space where he had just passed through. Determined to find out what was going on, Anna set the towel on the counter and followed him. Her younger kinner were visiting with Miriam so she would just go over there to collect them in preparation for bedtime, but in truth, she wanted to see if Miriam noticed Steve’s strange behavior.

  The kinner were playing with an alphabet puzzle, laying out the pieces along the floor. Miriam was back in her chair, crocheting while there was still daylight. Anna looked around. The room was empty, besides Miriam. Had she imagined that strange conversation?

  “Did Steve just pass through here?” she asked, walking toward Miriam. She glanced around the room again.

  Looking up at her daughter-in-law, Miriam frowned. “Ja. He said he was going to bed. Early day tomorrow.”

  “Mamm,” Anna said, sitting down on the sofa. “He just walked through my kitchen as if he wasn’t even there!”

  She laughed. “Of course he was there, if he walked through the kitchen!”

  Anna shook her head. How could she explain it so that Miriam would understand? “That’s not what I meant. He was somewhere else, barely said hello, and just kept on walking. Something’s wrong.”

  With a familiar tsk, tsk of her tongue and a frown, Miriam raised an eyebrow at Anna. “Best be thinking of something else, Anna. If he wants us to know what’s on his mind, he will do so but in his time, not yours.” She lowered her eyes back to her crocheting. “Minding our own business is the best way, ja?”

  Frustrated, Anna didn’t reply. She knew that Miriam was correct but that didn’t stop her from being concerned. Something was bothering Steve and no one seemed to care. No one, she realized, except herself.

  Chapter 5: Lizzie’s Letter

  Dear Family,

  Seems strange to write a letter knowing that I will see all of you next week at sister Leah’s for church. Sure do wish I lived closer so that we could come help prepare the house and food for the glorious day. Still, we are all looking forward to worshipping the Lord together, enjoying fellowship, and catching up in person.

  Abraham and the boys have been busy working in the fields. We had a cow get caught up in a fence and that left quite a mess in the pasture. Cow should recover…just some scratches on her legs from the wire.

  Our Susan is finally old enough to go on a camping trip with some of the other girls from her youth group. She’s most excited about that. Not certain how she will feel after spending a few days living in a tent and cooking over a fire pit!

  The little ones are keeping busy helping with the gardens. Canned seventy jars of beets last weekend. Rachel Ann wore most of the beet juice by the end of the day. Good thing she was wearing her work apron! Will be sending some of the cans to market with Sylvia.

  I sure did enjoy reading everyone’s letters. Wish I had more exciting news to write, but more than anything, I sure hope this letter finds all of you safe, happy, and full of God’s grace.

  Blessings and love to all of you.

  Lizzie, Abraham, and the kinner

  The buggies were parked along the driveway and a sea of men in black lingered in the morning sun. They spoke softly, catching up on the most recent happenings throughout the church district. Despite the good weather, most of the men in the community were farmers and that meant that the days were spent working with the dairy cows and crops. There wasn’t a lot of time for visiting during the summer months.

  The three-hour church service would begin promptly at nine o’clock. So people took advantage of arriving early to share the latest news. At today’s service, all eyes were searching for Menno Yoder to arrive. When Mary Ruth showed up with the four kinner in hand, the men clicked their tongues and shook their heads. Once again, Menno Yoder was missing.

  With voices lowered, the men expressed their concern for their neighbor.

  “How long can he keep avoiding people?” one man asked.

  “He needs to come back to church, to mingle with the folk and seek God’s help,” another replied.

  Elijah stood with
a group of men and listened to their concerns. He covered his mouth when he coughed, still fighting the flu for the past few weeks. It wasn’t getting better and several men raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Had that cough a while, Elijah,” an older man named Benjamin said while tugging at his white beard thoughtfully. “Best go be seeing a doctor, I reckon.”

  Elijah nodded. “Ja,” he said. “Rachel’s been after me for the past week or so, Benjamin. Best be listening or her tongue will never stop wagging.”

  The men chuckled and nudged him. Elijah laughed with them, softening his teasing remark.

  “Ain’t your sister-in-law helping that Menno with his kinner?”

  Again, Elijah nodded. In truth, he hadn’t seen much of Mary Ruth in the past few weeks. She was too busy helping the Yoder’s as well as Leah, although he often wondered why Leah needed so much help. “Rachel keeps me updated. Says he’s still fighting mad over Martha’s death. Ignores the kinner. Yells at Mary Ruth. Bad situation, that.”

  “Yells at her? You don’t say,” Benjamin said, a frown on his face. “Don’t sound much like Menno Yoder.”

  The other men grunted and nodded their heads in agreement. That much was true. Menno Yoder had always been a kindly man, eager to lend a hand to help neighbors in time of need. He was also very involved with the children, leading youth group gatherings throughout the year.

  “It’ll take some time to get used to his fraa passing,” Elijah said softly. “Only been a month or so.”

  Anna was busy in the kitchen, helping the women with dishing out the prepared food for the noon meal. Dinner after the service was a wonderful time of fellowship. There would be two seatings today since there were so many guests that had attended the service a Leah’s house.

  The men had quickly transformed the church benches into long tables and the women were busy setting out plates, utensils, and cups. No napkins adorned the table. Younger women helped carry the different plates of food over to the table, setting them down at each section. There was sliced ham, bowls of chow-chow, bread, butter, and cup cheese with pretzels. All of the food had been prepared in advance and, while light fare, it was always a pleasant meal.

  The first group of people sat down at the tables. Men were on one side of the room while women were on the other side. The bishop stood before the table and gestured for the silent prayer before the meal. All heads bowed, eyes shut, as each person thanked God for the bounty of food that was before them. The silence in the room was magical, an instant of awe for the Lord and His gifts. Then, just as quickly, each head lifted and the room was filled with chatter and conversation among the different people, both seated and those serving them.

  One woman walked up to Anna and smiled at her. “I’ll take those dishes for you,” the woman said. She was a pretty woman with dark hair and eyes that flashed. There was something about her smile that seemed familiar but Anna couldn’t recall meeting her before this day.

  When the woman walked away, Anna leaned over to Rachel and whispered, “Who was that woman?”

  Rachel looked up from the ice chest where she was pulling out plates of wrapped cold cuts. “Who?” she asked, shutting the lid to the ice chest with her foot. She followed Anna’s gaze and noticed the young woman, setting the plates that she had taken from Anna, onto the table before the men. “That’s Mimi Hostetler,” she said. “Why?”

  For some reason, Anna found herself watching the young woman. “The name doesn’t sound familiar but I feel like I should know her,” Anna said softly.

  “Ja, vell, her daed owns the farm store down the way a bit,” Rachel said.

  As Rachel was finishing her sentence, Anna noticed that Mimi Hostetler paused, just momentarily, next to where Steve sat, beside Elias. Despite being a bachelor, his age permitted Steve to eat with the first round of men, the older men, while the younger, unmarried men usually ate during the second seating. Rachel nudged Anna’s arm but Anna continued to watch. Curious, Rachel followed Anna’s gaze.

  In that moment, Steve looked up at Mimi and smiled. It was a soft smile and his eyes glowed as they met her gaze. Mimi returned the smile and set down the plates that she had been carrying to the table right in front of Steve. Anna caught her breath and felt her own heart lurch inside of her chest.

  “I wonder…” she whispered.

  Rachel frowned. “Means nothing, Anna. Don’t get silly ideas in your head now,” she scolded. But Anna could tell that Rachel was also curious about that brief interaction they had just witnessed.

  “Which store does her daed own?” Anna asked, fighting the rising color that threatened to turn her cheeks crimson under the scolding from Rachel.

  “Hostetler’s Farm Store,” Rachel said sternly. “We have enough to worry about with John David and that Ella Riehl. No need to carry on about Steve. He’s an old bachelor man now. One smile means nothing.”

  Anna sighed. She was so hopeful that Steve would still have that chance to find the companionship and love that she shared with Isaac. But she knew that wishing was not the same thing as God’s will and it was only God’s will that mattered.

  “Where’s Mary Ruth?” Anna said, changing the subject.

  With a nod of her head, Rachel indicated the far table. Sure enough, there sat Mary Ruth with the other young mothers, surrounded by their kinner. For a moment, Anna frowned. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Why is she…?” But as the words came out of her mouth, she realized that Mary Ruth was tending to the Yoder children. Despite the fact that Menno Yoder had not seen fit to attend the worship service, three of his four kinner were there, seated around Mary Ruth. “I don’t believe it!” she gasped and turned to look at Rachel. “What is this?”

  This time, Rachel laughed. “I wouldn’t have believed it either,” she said, “But our Mary Ruth has finally started to learn how to nurture.”

  “The Yoder children?” she asked in disbelief.

  Rachel nodded. “The Yoder children.”

  “Isn’t there a boy?”

  Rachel glanced around the room and saw him standing alone by the wall. He was too old to sit with the women and, without his daed there, he probably felt uncomfortable sitting with the men. “Over there,” she said and pointed. “Best be seeing that he gets a plate, ja?”

  With a shake of her head, Anna felt her heart break once again for the Yoder children. Just remembering what the boy had witnessed made her want to cry. No child should lose a parent but especially not the mamm. “I’ll send Katie over with a platter,” she volunteered. “I seem to recall they spoke a bit at the funeral service fellowship.”

  She scanned the tables for Katie and noticed that she was seated next to Lovina, their brother James’ wife. And next to Lovina sat Leah. A frown crossed Anna’s face. It was not customary for the hosting family to eat during the first seating. Why on earth would Leah be seated at the table when the other women were busy tending to the kitchen needs?

  “Don’t say what you’re thinking,” a voice said in her ear.

  Startled, Anna turned around in time to dodge her sister-in-law, Lizzie, who was storming past with her large arms laden with food. She watched as Lizzie pounded the floor to the tables, swooping down the different plates of food and plopping them onto the table. Lizzie was never one to back down from a challenge and Anna watched in amazement as Lizzie paused just momentarily beside her sister, Leah. Bending over, Lizzie whispered something into Leah’s ear to which Leah flushed and responded with her mouth moving quickly and her hands waving in the air. She pointed to the baby seated on her lap but Lizzie shook her head before returning to the kitchen.

  “That Leah,” Lizzie scowled as she stomped back into the kitchen. “Never was one any lazier than that sister of mine.”

  “Lizzie!” Anna gasped at Lizzie’s harsh words.

  “Oh, I’ll pray for forgiveness later,” she snapped and waved her hand at Anna. “Bet that’s why Mary Ruth is tending to those children so much…to escape Leah and her laziness!”r />
  This time it was Rachel who laid a hand on Lizzie’s arm. “Now Lizzie,” she said calmly. “You know that she has her own issues dealing with baby Jacob.”

  “Baby Jacob? He’s no more special needs than Leah is!” She glanced at Anna who stifled a nervous laugh. “Oh, I’ll pray for forgiveness for that, too,” Lizzie added. “But it’s true! That child is an angel. Never fusses, rarely cries. Leah needs to pull it together for her other kinner and her husband, too!”

  “Are you suggesting that our sister is taking advantage of our willingness to help out?” Rachel asked in a forthcoming tone.

  “Ja, and then some!” Lizzie snapped back. “That’s one of the reasons why I wouldn’t come help her clean. She probably waits all year for worship service to appeal to others to come and properly tend to the needs of her home; and you know it, Rachel!”

  “Girls!” Anna whispered. “Don’t make a scene, please.” She glanced around, too aware that there were many other women bustling about the kitchen with ears wide open to the Amish grapevine. There was no secret about Leah’s inaptitude for housekeeping but to start a bicker session about it at Leah’s house at the worship service meal? “For now, this is not the time or place, ain’t so?”

  Leaving the two women staring at each other in a silent face-off, Anna scurried over to the table and approached her daughter. She knelt down and tapped Katie on the shoulder. “Dochder,” she said softly. “When you are finished, could you come help me?”

  “Ja, Mamm,” Katie said, her eyes wide. “I can help clean the dishes if you need.”

  “Nee,” Anna said with a gentle shake of her head. “I’d like you to take a plate to Melvin Yoder. He seems a bit lost and I’d hate for him to be hungry today.” She glanced up and caught Mary Ruth’s eye. There was a look of relief in her youngest sister-in-law’s expression. She was holding the youngest Yoder child and helping to feed her while the other two girls clung to her side.

  With Menno Yoder’s family located in a church district too far away to come help on a regular basis, it was up to his own neighbors to step up and see him through his troubled times. Martha Yoder’s death had been a tragedy, that was for sure and certain. But Anna could see now how much of the burden had fallen on Mary Ruth’s shoulders.