"Oh gut, you’re off your crutches now."
"Jah." Hannah smiled at Noah.
"How are your schweschders doing?"
"Gut, denki. Esther and Martha are much better, and Rebecca's coming home any day." Hannah tried to speak evenly and hoped that the tremors she was feeling did not show in her voice.
"Wunderbaar!" Noah beamed at her.
Hannah's heart was thumping so hard she felt it would beat right out of her chest.
"Jessie Yoder was at our house the other day," Noah began, but Hannah interrupted him.
"To see Jacob?"
Noah gave Hannah an inquiring look. "Jah, well at least I think that was why, although she came to bring a message from her mudder."
Hannah nodded. Oh no, just as I suspected; I thought Jessie Yoder had her eyes on Jacob. Poor Esther will be so upset. Hannah looked at Noah to continue, but he shifted from one foot to the other and looked most uncomfortable.
"Jessie said that you were at the Yoder's house for dinner recently."
The hurt in Noah's eyes was unmistakable.
"Nee!" Hannah exclaimed.
Noah looked puzzled. "You weren't?"
Hannah shook her head. "Well, jah, I was, but…"
Hannah was interrupted by Katie coming back through the store door. Katie came to an abrupt halt when she saw Hannah and Noah talking. No one spoke for a moment, and then Katie said, "Sorry to interrupt; I was just going through to the back room."
"I was just leaving, Mamm." With that, Noah nodded to Hannah and left.
Hannah returned to the sewing machine and bent her head over the bobbin so that Katie would not see the tears that were freely falling down her cheeks. Noah thought she and David were seeing each other. She had the opportunity to set him straight, but hadn't found the words in time.
Oh Gott, why are You testing me like this? she asked silently through her tears.
* * *
Noah shook his head as he hurried away from his one true love. Why did I even go to Mamm's store to see Hannah? he asked himself. Hannah admitted that she'd been at the Yoders' haus for dinner. Plus I saw her with my very own eyes having dinner with David Yoder at the restaurant. Still, Noah felt that he and Hannah were truly meant for each other, but that would mean that there was another explanation for what he had seen, and what other possible explanation could there be?
Later that afternoon, Noah was putting the finishing touches to a set of steam bent dining chairs. He was removing the clamps when Mr. Miller walked over to him. He liked Mr. Miller; he was a fair boss, and more than that, even a friend. The two of them often chatted amiably through the day. Noah had a lot of respect for Mr. Miller, and Mr. Miller clearly held no resentment for him over the accident that had injured his four dochders.
Mr. Miller inspected the chairs. "They're looking fine; they've turned out well." He rubbed his chin, then looked at Noah, and then looked at the chairs again.
"Jah." Noah wondered why Mr. Miller appeared nervous.
"Did you happen to see Hannah when you visited your mudder's store today?"
Noah nodded, uncomfortable with the memory. "Only briefly though."
Mr. Miller nodded. "Hannah is a little upset at the moment," he said, "although of course she wouldn't like me saying that."
Noah was dismayed. "Upset? With me?" he asked, his heart in his mouth.
"Nee, nee," Mr. Miller said, patting Noah on the shoulder, "with her mudder. You know how women are. It seems my fraa, Rachel, and her friend, Beth Yoder, thought that Hannah and David Yoder should be betrothed, and have taken measures toward that end."
"Really?" Could that be all it was? Noah wondered. He hoped with all his heart that it was so.
"Jah. They even pretended that Beth wanted to meet Hannah for dinner at a restaurant, but sent David along instead." Mr. Miller nodded awkwardly and then walked away, muttering to himself about a missing pot of wax, saying he couldn’t remember where he'd put it.
Noah was left alone with his thoughts. His spirits were lifted that Mr. Miller clearly approved if he were to have a relationship with Hannah, but did Mr. Miller really have all the facts? Only the other day, Jessie Yoder had told him that David was dating Hannah. Had David put Jessie up to it, or was it the truth?
There was only one thing for it. The next time Noah saw Hannah, he would have to ask her, no matter how uncomfortable and awkward it turned out to be. At least he would know, once and for all, whether there was any hope for him.
Psalm 46:1.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Chapter 16 .
Hannah was utterly overwrought. She was finding all the work too much, and had no time to herself to think and pray, or even to get her thoughts in some sort of order. There were all the chores at home, plus looking after Esther and Martha, working for Katie Hostetler in the quilt store three days a week, and visiting Rebecca in the hospital most days of the week. Hannah loved looking after her sisters and visiting Rebecca, and enjoyed working for Mrs. Hostetler. She even enjoyed most of her chores, but she needed space to think.
One afternoon, instead of going home after visiting Rebecca in the hospital, Hannah escaped to the fields to have some time alone and to pour out her heart to Gott.
"Denki for working on my heart, Gott," she said aloud. "Denki for the fact that I don’t have unforgiveness in my heart any more."
Hannah sat and looked over the frozen pond, enjoying the quiet chill of the afternoon. The landscape before her was lovely in its simplicity. The familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee call of the black-capped chickadee caused her to look up. Six or so chickadees were perched on a branch in a nearby tree, its branches hung with white frosting.
Soon the familiar clip clop of a horse's shoes broke the silence. Hannah looked over to her right side and saw Noah's big, black gelding ambling into view from the direction of her haus.
He must be on his way home from work, she thought, with a momentary pang of alarm. Would he stop? If he did, what would she say? I will have to set things right with him, Hannah thought. I will have to tell him that I forgive him, and that I'm not dating David Yoder.
Hannah ran through what she could say, yet a feeling of disquiet had settled in her stomach. What if Noah didn’t have feelings for her after all and didn’t care that she wasn't dating David Yoder? That would prove awfully embarrassing for Hannah. Nee, I must still tell him, Hannah thought. I also have to tell him that I forgive him.
Hannah's heart was in her mouth as she watched the buggy approach. As it slowed down, her heart beat faster and her mouth ran dry.
The buggy came to a stop and Noah jumped down. "Hannah! What are you doing out here, alone in the cold?" he called out.
Hannah simply waved and waited for Noah to come closer. What happened next seemed to Hannah to happen in slow motion. Noah was approaching her, his eyes on Hannah. He did not see the fallen branch in front of him. Noah tripped hard over the fallen branch and fell through the air to the right, his arms flung out to the side.
Hannah stood and watched the scene unfold in horror, her cry frozen in her throat. Coming to her senses, she ran over to Noah, who had fallen into the ice.
Mercifully, he was right next to the shore, but appeared to be unconscious. Hannah dragged on his legs to try to get him out, but he was too heavy, and she fell backwards, his boot in her hands. "Help, me Gott; help me Gott," she cried.
After what seemed an age, Hannah was finally able to drag Noah out of the icy water and onto the bank. She bent over him, calling his name, but he didn’t open his eyes. It was then that Hannah saw a nasty, bleeding bump near his temple.
Hannah tried to drag him over to the buggy, but only managed to drag him a foot or so, so exhausted was she from dragging him from the icy water. As there was no way Hannah could get Noah to the buggy, she ran to the buggy and seized the large, warm quilt sitting on the seat.
She ran back and put it over Noah, tucking it under and arou
nd him. She took off her cloak and gently put it under his head as a pillow. Then she ran back to the buggy as fast as she could. Hannah took the reins and passed them through the window, and then climbed in the familye buggy.
She turned the buggy around, and once the horse was facing straight, clicked him on. The big black gelding took off into a sound trot, but Hannah yelled, "Get up!" At her urging, the horse took off at a fast speed. Hannah had a fright at first until she realized that this horse was a former harness racer, unlike her own Saddlebred, Rock. While her own horse had a high gait, this horse was pacing, and from where Hannah was sitting, the horse rocking from side to side was a strange sight. To Hannah's relief, he was going awfully fast and appeared to be sure-footed.
She reached her haus in no time, calling loudly to her parents as she got out of the buggy. Her mudder ran out of the door of the haus just as her father ran over from the barn. Hannah registered the look on their faces; both had their mouths gaping wide.
"Hannah, you’re driving a buggy! Noah's buggy! What’s happened?" her daed yelled urgently.
Oh, I drove the buggy, Hannah thought with a little surprise, but it was as if this were all happening to someone else and she were watching it all unfold. It all seemed so surreal. "Datt, Noah's had an accident; he's unconscious and he hit his head and fell in the pond and there's blood," she said all in one breath.
Her mudder's hand flew to her mouth.
"Quick, Rachel, go to the barn and call for the doktor. Tell him to hurry!" Mr. Miller ran to the buggy and Hannah jumped in beside him.
In no time they were back at Noah's side. To Hannah's immense relief, he was stirring and trying to speak.
Hannah and her daed managed to get Noah into the buggy. Noah had regained consciousness and was able to lean on both of them, which made their job easier.
Mr. Miller drove more steadily back to the haus, and he helped Hannah get Noah inside the house and lay him down on one of the mattresses in the living room, by the potbelly stove. Mrs. Miller piled quilts onto him and Mr. Miller stoked the fire.
Hannah and both her parents stood over Noah, looking at him. His eyes were open but he wasn't saying anything. He looked dazed. "The doktor's coming right away," Mrs. Miller said. "I called Katie Hostetler at her quilt store, but she didn’t answer. She must've left for the day."
Mr. Miller turned to Hannah. "Hannah, you'll have to go to the Hostetler's haus and tell them what's happened. Drive carefully and don’t rush; Noah's going to be okay. See, he's getting color back in his face already."
"Jah, Datt." Hannah did not want to leave Noah, but someone had to fetch his mudder, and besides, her parents were better able to take care of Noah than she was.
Without thinking, Hannah went outside into the cold and once again took up the reins.
2 Timothy 4:18.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Chapter 17 .
When Hannah drove up to the Hostetler's house, the first person she saw was Jacob, who was shocked to see her driving the buggy. He too stood there with his mouth open, speechless. She got out of the buggy and spoke to him. "Jacob, Noah's fallen into the pond and hit his head, and we’ve called for the doktor. Daed says he'll be all right, though. I've come to get your mudder."
Hannah held the horse while Jacob ran inside the haus. He quickly returned with his mudder, Katie Hostetler. "Hannah, you're driving the buggy!" she exclaimed. "What happened to Noah?"
"He tripped over and hit his head and fell in the pond," Hannah said breathlessly. "The doktor would likely be there with him by now. I've come to get you."
Katie clutched her throat. "How bad is he?"
"Datt says he'll be all right."
Katie nodded, and then sent Jacob to go find her husband. The two women drove back to the Millers' haus in silence. Despite her daed's words, Hannah was sick with worry about Noah. I must tell him I've forgiven him, she thought.
When Hannah eased the horse to a stop outside her haus, the doktor and Mr. Miller had Noah supported between them and were heading out of the haus toward the doktor's car. The doktor addressed Katie. "Mrs. Hostetler, Noah might have a mild concussion. I'm taking him to the hospital to be checked out, just to be on the safe side. There's no cause for alarm; this is regular in the case of a suspected concussion. Would you like to come too?"
"Jah, of course." Katie hurried over to Noah.
"Hannah?" he whispered.
Katie turned to the doktor. "Can Hannah come too?"
"Yes, of course; there's plenty of room."
Hannah looked questioningly at her parents. "Jah, you go, Hannah," her daed said. "I'll rub down Noah's horse and put him in the barn. Katie, when your husband gets here, I’ll tell him what's happened."
Katie nodded to Mr. Miller. "Denki, Abraham."
Mr. Miller and the doktor helped Noah into the back seat of the doktor's car and fastened his seat belt around him. Katie climbed into the front seat of the car leaving Hannah to sit in the back with Noah.
Noah leaned his head on Hannah’s shoulder and she held her breath. On the one hand, she enjoyed Noah's proximity to her, but on the other hand, she was so dreadfully worried about him. Noah reached out and took Hannah's hand. She clasped his hand, wondering if he knew what he was doing. Was this simply a side effect of the concussion?
When they reached the hospital, Noah was whisked away in a wheelchair by a bossy looking nurse. Hannah was left alone while Katie went outside to wait for her husband.
After some time, the nurse returned. "Are you Hannah Miller?"
"Yes I am."
"Noah Hostetler wants to see you. Come with me."
Hannah stood up and followed the nurse down a long, sterile corridor. "Is he okay?"
"See for yourself." The nurse smiled at her, and then opened the door to a tiny, private room.
Hannah walked through and saw Noah sitting up in a hospital bed, a bandage around his head.
"You drove the buggy," he said, smiling.
Hannah smiled and sat down on the chair next to his bed. "Hullo to you, too." She at once felt shy.
They sat for a moment in silence until Hannah said, "Oh I almost forgot. I forgive you, Noah."
Noah smiled at her, causing her heart to flutter wildly. "Denki, Hannah."
Hannah then realized that she hadn't yet asked after him. She still felt like she was in a dream. "What did the doktors say? How are you feeling?"
"I don’t even have a mild concussion, and I didn’t need any stitches in my head. They've released me already; I just signed the papers."
Hannah nodded. "Gut."
Noah dangled his legs over the side of the bed. "Hannah, can I ask you something?"
Hannah felt little uneasy; what would he ask? "Sure," she said.
"Jessie Yoder's been coming to our haus - she wants to see Jacob, no doubt, although he does his best to avoid her attentions - but she told me that you were dating her bruder, David."
"Nee!" Hannah hadn’t meant to speak so loudly, but she was shocked that Jessie would say such a thing. "Nee, Noah, that's not true at all."
Noah beamed from ear to ear. "Gut!"
Hannah looked at Noah. He must have feelings for me after all, she thought. A warmth filled her, from her toes right to the top of her head. Her cheeks flushed warm. "David has been pursuing me despite me never giving him any encouragement, and his mudder Beth has been trying to play matchmaker." Hannah sighed. "My mudder was part of the matchmaking too. Well, she was, until I told her…" Hannah broke off, embarrassed.
"Told her what?" Noah asked, leaning forward in his bed. "Hannah?" he prompted.
"Until I told her that David tried to kiss me in his barn, in the dark too."
Noah gasped, and Hannah saw that his fists were clenched.
"But I slammed my crutches into his foot, and ran back to the haus," Hannah added. She saw that Noah was doing his best to keep
a smile from his face at that piece of news. Then a thought occurred to Hannah. "Noah, I was helping out Mrs. Yoder at the schoolhouse one day, and she implied you were dating someone, perhaps an Englisch girl," she said.
It was Noah's turn to look affronted. "Nee, that's not true either. I haven’t ever dated anyone. I certainly would never date an Englisch girl. Anyway, I've only ever had eyes for one girl."
Hannah looked away, unable to meet his gaze. She was overtaken by a surge of shyness. Does he mean me? she wondered. Who else could he mean; he must mean me. Hannah wanted so hard for Noah to mean that he had only ever had eyes for her, that she could not quite believe it.
"It seems you are over your fear of buggies now; is that right?"
Hannah looked into Noah's face. "Jah, I am." She smiled at him.
"Then you won’t be afraid to come on a buggy ride with me?"
His meaning escaped Hannah for the moment. "Nee," she said thoughtfully. "I am truly over my fear of buggies now." Then it dawned on her; Noah was asking her to date him. She looked up into Noah's twinkling eyes and smiling face, barely able to contain her excitement. "Noah! Do you mean…, do you mean..?"
Noah didn’t answer her question, but simply smiled and got out of the bed. "Hannah, come over to the window with me? There's something I want to show you."
Hannah followed Noah to the window which overlooked a beautiful park. The park was in the shadows of the hospital and Hannah could see a children's playground with a jungle gym and a set of swings. Although it was near the end of winter, ribbons of silver mist wound their way around the swings.
"Mist always reminds me of that morning," said Noah, softly. "The morning I ran into your buggy. I think the memories will haunt me until the end of my days."
"And yet," Hannah said, pulling her heavy woolen cloak tight around her shoulders, even though she was indoors, "what happened on that morning is what has truly brought us together now. I know the accident wasn't your fault, Noah. I do see that now. I do know what a careful person you are, and that what happened that morning could have happened to anyone."
The Amish Millers Get Married BOXED SET Books 1-3 (Amish Romance Book Bundle: The Way Home, The Way Forward, The Narrow Way) (Boxed Set: Amish Millers Get Married) Page 8
