“Yup.” She pointed to the door that led into the kitchen. “If you go inside you’ll find who you’re looking for. And I bet she’ll come running to see you, too, even though there’ll be dozens of people in there.”
Taylor grabbed her brother’s hand. “Let’s go, Brett! I want to see what they all look like in their Amish dress-up clothes.”
As the kids hurried toward the door, Rebecca smiled at the older woman getting out of the car with Andy’s assistance. “Betty, it’s so good to see you again,” she said, taking the woman’s hand. “Would you like to sit with me today?”
“Oh, I’d . . . like that. I don’t know a soul except for . . . you Lantzes,” she replied in a halting voice. “But I’m so excited to . . . be here.”
“Come on in where it’s warm. I’ll see how many names I can remember for you, until Rhoda and Miriam can help us out.” She flashed a smile at Andy, who looked a little flustered, yet as eager as his kids. “We’ll find Dad lurking in there, too. He’s really looking forward to chatting with you.”
Andy’s raised eyebrows made her pulse flutter in anticipation. In her mind, she’d played out how this day would unfold a dozen times . . .
“It’s a big day,” Andy remarked as they stepped into the noisy kitchen. “Thanks for helping us make the most of it.”
Immediately they were engulfed by Mamma’s cousins and other ladies from around Willow Ridge, but before she could make any introductions, her mother grabbed her in a tight hug. “Oh, honey-bug, it’s so gut to have ya here. And Betty, you’re lookin’ right perty in that red poppy dress, too! Come nibble a little somethin’ before the sticky buns and muffins get put away.”
“Andy! There ya are!”
Rhoda’s voice rose above the chatter and Rebecca’s heart swelled. Her sister’s arms were around Andy’s kids and theirs were around her, a happy sight indeed. And how Rhoda glowed when she gazed at Andy while he returned her intense gaze. If any couple had ever been more attuned to each other, she didn’t know who it would be—except maybe for Mamma and Ben. As her sister began to introduce Andy and his mom to her aunts, uncles, and cousins, Rebecca glanced toward the front room. It still amazed her, how interior walls came down and the men strategically squeezed in so many pew benches to seat the crowd they expected today.
“Aunt Lovinia . . . Aunt Mattie,” she said as she hugged Mamma’s sisters. “It’s so gut to see ya again, so soon.”
“Jah, and it’s a fine way to start out the New Year, too,” Lovinia replied. “Quite an honor for Mose to be preachin’ at his sister’s wedding.”
Rebecca spotted her dad in a corner chatting with Derek Shotwell, so she made her way through the happily chattering crowd in the front room. As he kissed her cheek, Rebecca felt especially blessed that Dad, too, was welcomed by these Plain folks. “Andy’s meeting Mamma’s relatives from hither and yon,” she said. “I think you three English fellows will be good company for each other. And I hope your conversation goes well.”
Derek chuckled. “Whenever I’m consulted about a project in Willow Ridge, it’s anything but ordinary.”
“Good people here,” her dad agreed. “Sincere and hardworking. A solid investment opportunity—well, maybe if you don’t count Hiram.” He glanced around the gathering crowd of bearded men wearing black trousers and vests with white shirts. “Do you think he’ll show up?”
“Every person here is wondering that very thing, Dad.” Rebecca caught Andy’s eye and waved him over. “Let’s get you fellows seated before the service starts. It’ll last about three hours before everyone heads over to that big metal building next door for the wedding feast. Good food, good conversation. It’ll be a memorable day for us all.”
Lord, I’m going to remember this day forever, Andy thought as he gazed out over the huge crowd assembled in Miriam Lantz’s extended living room. He and a few other non-Amish guys sat to the rear of the men’s side, but when he peered over the top of the male heads with their home-style haircuts, he could see Rhoda. She sat beside Rachel, in the front row of the women’s side. Bishop Shetler, Preacher Tom, and Preacher Mose—Miriam’s brother from out of town—nearly bumped into her knees as they gave their sermons or directed the church service that preceded the wedding.
Even though all those female faces and kapps looked nearly identical—so nobody drew attention to herself—Rhoda’s smile and shining eyes set her apart. As he observed the standing and kneeling, he became even more aware of how much he had to learn. Brett shifted against him occasionally, but he’d found an Amish boy a few rows ahead of them to study. The kid, a bowl-cut blond, was turning to gaze curiously at Brett’s red sweater, tie, and striped dress shirt, while Brett probably wondered about wearing a home-sewn black vest and pants with suspenders rather than a belt. But Brett was absolutely quiet, keeping his wiggling to a minimum, mostly because Rhoda had asked him to.
It amazed Andy that these folks fell to their knees to pray on the hardwood floor, without grimacing. He missed having a piano or any other musical accompaniment to the slow, methodical hymns he didn’t recognize. But there was no denying the close attention everyone paid to Bishop Shetler’s sermon . . . the quiet joy on these Plain faces as they worshipped God without worldly distractions.
After another hymn and a prayer to conclude the church service, Miriam and Ben came to stand before the bishop, Tom, and Miriam’s brother Moses. A murmur rose from the crowd when Hiram Knepp stepped out of the kitchen, where he had apparently been following the service. He strode to the front, nodding to the three leaders. “I’m calling a Members’ Meeting to inform you of God’s further instructions to me—His blessing that has provided land for the new colony of Higher Ground, Missouri,” he said in his resonant baritone voice. “I have run an ad in The Budget—”
“No, Hiram, this is not the time or the place,” Jeremiah Shetler interrupted. “We’re here to marry Miriam and Ben.” As he, Tom, and Moses moved in closer, everyone in the congregation shifted so they could see what was going on. Miriam and Ben stood staunchly, refusing to give up their place of honor.
“There’ll be no coaxin’ folks into your new venture,” Preacher Tom continued in a peeved voice, “because ya didn’t follow through on your confession—and because of what we’ve learned about this tract of land in the meantime. We were gonna address this after Sunday’s service, but maybe now’s the better time. What do you say, Ben and Miriam? It’s your day.”
Silence filled the room as all present gazed at the couple to be married.
“I’m for settlin’ the matter right now,” Ben replied.
“Jah, me too,” Miriam affirmed. “Can’t in gut conscience let any of my friends believe your proposal for a new colony is legitimate, Hiram.”
Folks sucked in their breath. Hiram’s face turned as red as a raw beefsteak. But before he could protest, Preacher Tom looked out over the crowd. “Brothers and sisters, we are concerned mostly with how our bishop stands before us without havin’ been reinstated into the membership. Instead of waitin’ for our decision last preachin’ Sunday, he told us how God spoke directly to him about startin’ up a new colony,” he said in a loud, clear voice. “But I’ve learned, from a fella I trust, that the man who ran into the horse pullin’ Joey and Josh’s sleigh has offered Hiram quite a nice settlement so Hiram won’t take him to court.”
An outburst of whispering and exclamations rose from the crowd.
“Thomas Hostetler,” Hiram replied in a tight voice. “Are you telling me you trust what some fella has told you, over what the God who chose you to be His minister has proclaimed? That’s blasphemy, pure and simple.”
The women gasped and every man in front of Andy scowled as they muttered among themselves. Andy felt odd, being that source the preacher had trusted . . . and surely Hiram would figure that part out. Yet he’d done the right thing, informing Tom, Miriam, and Ben of their leader’s wrongdoing.
Jeremiah Shetler raised his hand for silence. “Because this sort of
brazen disregard for the Ordnung rides on the coattails of other serious sins Hiram has committed,” he continued, “Tom, Gabe Glick, and I recommend that Hiram Knepp be excommunicated from the Willow Ridge district. You’ll need to vote on that, of course.”
Faces fell in shock, and once again silence enveloped the crowd. Soon, however, heads were nodding and hands were clasped in laps as folks prepared to do what must be done. “Jah, that’s the way we’ve gotta settle this,” Henry Zook declared. “The will of God is made known through His People. The Bible tells us that wherever two or more are gathered, the Lord’s present, too. He’s expectin’ us to act on this matter right here and now.”
“This is utterly—” Hiram threw up his hands. “How can you accuse me of misleading you? Such unsubstantiated information is—”
“You know the procedure, Hiram. You’re to leave the room, along with all those who aren’t baptized into the Old Order,” Tom countered. Then he looked right and left. “You English guests will have to leave, as well. Stretch your legs and we’ll reconvene in a few. Thanks for your understanding.”
As Andy rose, the Amish fellow seated in front of him pointed to a door near the stairway. Andy took Brett’s hand and shuffled down the narrow row ahead of Bob Oliveri and Derek Shotwell, hoping Hiram wouldn’t circle the house to confront him. He would, however, defend Tom Hostetler’s accusations if Hiram had figured out he was the source who had reported that phone call at the hospital. It was the least he could do for the man who had been so encouraging—yet so honest—with him about joining the Amish church . . .
The bam! of the kitchen door made Miriam inhale sharply, along with everyone around her and Ben. Hiram’s anger wouldn’t end here. There would be retribution down the road—but Jeremiah seemed unconcerned about that as he tended to the business at hand.
“As we call this Members’ Meeting to order, let us pray for open minds that invite God into our decision,” the bishop said in a resonant voice. “I’ve never seen the likes of this. But we believe that all things are part of the Lord’s plan, which means that He will use even Hiram’s unthinkable behavior to work His purpose out. ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ So we shall leave behind any thoughts of getting back at Hiram as we vote.”
Grasping Ben’s hand, Miriam bowed her head in silence with all of her family and friends.
After a few moments, Jeremiah gestured for her to be seated with the women while Ben took his place on the front pew of the men’s side. “We are deciding if your bishop, Hiram Knepp, is to be excommunicated from his leadership position as well as from membership in the Willow Ridge district,” he stated. “An aye declares your belief that he should be banished, while a nay means he should be kept in good standing. As is our custom, we will begin with the men.”
Miriam glanced over at Ben. While she had no doubt how he would vote, his expression bespoke the seriousness of this election. Now and then, folks were expelled from the church for not confessing when the bishop directed them to—or they left because they no longer wished to live up to the stringent expectations of the Old Amish order. But never had she heard of a district banishing the leader God had chosen for it.
“Aye,” Wilbert Riehl sang out. As the eldest male member of the district, he was always seated on the front row. Then Ben and the other fellows all followed suit without so much as missing a beat.
As these male voices rang out in her front room, Miriam’s heart thudded. What a monumental event, taking place right here in her home. Oh, but Jesse would’ve been appalled . . .
“The men have voted unanimously to banish Hiram,” Jeremiah summarized as part of the proceedings. “What say you women?”
When the bishop of Morning Star gazed at her, as the first person on the front row, Miriam blinked. Even though she had no doubt about her feelings, it still seemed so foreign—so final—to excommunicate a bishop. “Aye,” she said, although her vote felt anything but uplifting or victorious, even after all the times Hiram had humiliated her. Rachel and Rhoda cast the same vote without a moment’s hesitation.
Along the rows behind Miriam, the familiar voices of female friends and family members echoed the affirmation that Hiram no longer belonged in Willow Ridge. When at last the youngest members had voted, Jeremiah nodded solemnly.
“The People have spoken,” he said. “It is finished. Let us pray before we continue with the day’s more joyous celebration.”
As they stood outside in the brisk winter breeze, Brett tugged at Andy’s hand. “What’s going on, Dad? That was the man we saw when we were eatin’ breakfast with Rhoda, and—”
“Hiram’s done something horribly dishonest,” Andy explained as they made room alongside the house, out of the wind, for the other men who were coming outside. “Sometimes people who have a lot of power, or a lot of money, use it for the wrong purposes. Or they lie about how they got that money.”
“And the fact that God chose him to be the leader of this community makes it very difficult for these folks to decide he’s no longer fit to be their bishop,” Derek Shotwell added. Then to Bob and Andy he said, “This explains a few major transactions he’s discussed with me lately in very cloaked terms. When I said things are never ordinary in Willow Ridge, I was not expecting the bishop to be excommunicated at a wedding.”
“You can bet all these family visitors from out East will talk this up when they get home, too,” Bob remarked. “Might be a long while before Hiram scares up enough members to get a new colony going, when people hear he’s been kicked out of his district.”
Rebecca’s father seemed amused by something, even though the vote going on inside was a very serious thing. He looked up at Andy and smoothed his thinning hair after the wind riffled it. “You, on the other hand, seem to be the town hero after you came running when Hiram’s little boys got thrown from their sleigh,” he remarked. “Tiffany—Miriam’s Rebecca—says you’re starting up a clinic and maybe making house calls in a special horse-drawn wagon.”
“I think that wagon’s an ingenious idea,” Derek chimed in. “I bet you’ll draw a lot of patients from all of these little towns hereabouts, too. Not just from the Amish.”
Andy blinked. While it was fine that Rebecca had shared his dreams with her dad and the banker, he felt a little exposed. What if he didn’t get his house sold? What if he couldn’t pull together the funds he’d need for medical equipment? “I hope my ideas don’t seem premature or half-baked—”
“Come on back in, fellas,” one of the younger Amish men said from the doorway. “We did our business quick and clean.”
“We appreciate your patience, dear friends and guests,” Preacher Tom was saying as they took their seats again. “And now we can proceed with a wedding that brings us all great joy.”
Hiram had apparently lost his membership in Willow Ridge, for he was now conspicuously absent. As the ceremony went on, Andy noted the faces of the women glowing with goodwill and happiness despite the monumental event that had just taken place. Clearly Miriam Lantz and Ben Hooley were dearly loved—and they dearly loved each other as they repeated their vows, beaming.
This will be you and Rhoda someday.
Andy couldn’t help smiling as he found her face across the room. She was looking directly at him and having the same positive thoughts, if her expression was any indication. Although there was no music, no exchange of rings, no flowers—no photographers crouching to catch these sacred moments with their cameras—Andy had never attended a wedding where everyone in the room seemed so bonded together, so invested in this couple as they began their new life together. It was a wonderful feeling to be caught up in the love and support that filled this home. He dared to hope that these same people would welcome him someday as Rhoda’s husband.
As the ceremony ended and the chattering crowd dispersed, Bob clapped a hand on Andy’s back. “I can’t recall a wedding that ever pleased me more—even if I couldn’t understand a word they said!”
“Didn’t
have to know the lingo to feel the love,” Derek agreed. “What an awesome couple Miriam and Ben make. Pillars of this community—and even more so now that Willow Ridge will be seeking out a new bishop.”
Rebecca’s father and the banker exchanged a look, and then they stopped in a back corner of the noisy room. “Andy, we’d like to help you in your new medical venture,” Bob began, his lips twitching with a grin he was trying to suppress. “Tiffany asked me to look over that building you were considering—partly because she’d like to set up her own business there. What would you think if I bought the place and became your landlord?”
Andy’s heart stopped. “It was never my intention to make you feel—”
“Oh, no one ever makes Bob invest in property,” Derek said with a laugh. “But we admire your willingness to serve the community and to honor Rhoda’s religious convictions. Tiffany—Rebecca—is so excited about the opportunity this gives her, too, if you’ll allow her to work with you.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Andy asked hoarsely. “But I never figured she would—”
“Hah! Good luck at predicting what that young woman will do. She’s cut from the same cloth as her mother and her sisters.” Bob chuckled. “It was my pleasure to acquire Miriam’s building so she could operate without fear of Hiram’s interference. And because you’ll need electricity and Internet service, it makes the same sort of sense for a non-Amish person to install all that worldly technology so you can use it without owning it.”
“I can see how an elevator would be in order, too, to comply with the disabilities codes,” he continued. “But we’re not here to ram this idea down your throat, Andy. A man should make his own decisions.”
Who could have anticipated this development? This meant his mother would be able to get between the two levels of their home . . . and if he didn’t have to invest in the building, his money could go toward that clinic on wheels . . . Andy grasped Bob’s hand and then shook with Derek, as well. “I can’t believe this kind of help has just fallen into place—”
Winter of Wishes Page 25
