A Cowboy at Heart (36 page)

Though we love all the characters in the Amish of Apple Grove series, one person touched our hearts in a special way from the first moment he appeared. Jonas Switzer, Emma and Rebecca’s wise and loving papa, is a man of sterling integrity, quiet strength, and deep faith. We loved spending time with him throughout the three books and thought it would be fun to peek into the past to see what he was like as a younger man. And, of course, we wanted to meet the woman who captured his heart and gave him two wonderful daughters. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the early life of Jonas Switzer.

Lori and Virginia

A HOME IN THE WEST

A short story from the

Amish of Apple Grove Series

Berlin, Ohio

April 1858

W
hen you finish here, Jonas, will you hitch up the wagon and help the women load it? They are nearly ready.” Jonas Switzer kept his forehead firmly planted against the cow’s side, his eyes fixed on the rising level of milk in the bucket in front of his stool. Frustration flared like a flame in the center of his chest. Help the women? There was real farm work to be done this day, corn to be planted in the rich, fertile soil that lay ready to receive it. At nineteen years old his back was strong and his hand steady at the plow. But where was he during the plowing? In the barn milking the cows and in the house helping the women.

I am better with the plow than either Peter or Melvin
.

The thought, though entirely true, brought a stab of guilt. Pride was one of the worst sins and despised of the Lord. Besides, Peter’s and Melvin’s lack of skill was the very reason Helmuth Byler insisted that his sons handle the work. After all, one day they would take over the running of this farm, whereas Jonas was little more than a hired hand.

Only when he had mastered his emotions and was sure no trace of bitterness lingered on his face did he raise his head and look at the man standing in the open doorway of the barn.

“
Ja
, I will help the women.”

Though he was sure his voice betrayed nothing but calm acceptance, sympathy softened Helmuth’s kind features. Jonas thought he might speak, and he paused in his milking. But after a moment Helmuth merely said, “
Danki
,” and left the barn.

With a sigh Jonas returned to his task. Milk flowed into the pail in two steady streams, the rhythmic swishing sounds a comforting accompaniment to the quiet serenity of the barn. In the next stall, Betsy’s teeth chomped sweet straw as the mare waited to be hitched to the wagon to haul the women and their cheeses and jams to the market in Berlin.

As the pail slowly filled, guilt continued to plague Jonas. Surely his feelings of discontent were displeasing to
Gott
. They certainly were to
Mader
, who missed no opportunity to remind him that they had a home thanks only to the generosity of the Amish district of Berlin, and especially to Helmuth and Elizabeth Byler. When Jonas’s
Englisch
father died, the Bylers had taken in
Mader
and her two young children, Gerda and Jonas. The Amish community had even built a small house on the Byler farm where they might live together as a family.

At a church meeting a few years ago, Jonas overheard Helmuth tell one of the men that when Peter was old enough to take over the farm, the Switzers’ house would become a
dawdi haus
for him and his wife. The realization had slapped at Jonas like an open hand in the face. Of course he had known that
Mader
and Gerda and he didn’t own the farm on which they lived, but for the first time he realized that the house they called home wouldn’t remain theirs forever. As the man of the family, the task fell to him to provide for his
mader
and
schweschder
.

At that moment a dream had been birthed in Jonas. He would not always live by the charity of others. One day he would build his own house, plow his own fields, and milk his own cows.

Gott,
let it be so
.

Of course, a man couldn’t build a home alone. He needed a wife by his side. And Jonas knew which woman he would choose.

An expanding warmth crept over him as the image of Caroline Hersberger rose in his mind. The loveliest girl in Berlin, all the young men agreed. Whenever her name arose, a moment of silence fell among them, and Jonas had recognized in the eyes of many of his friends the same wistful longing he felt. The thought doused his hopes like a bucket of creek water. What had he to offer when Caroline could choose her husband from at least a dozen eager young men, eldest sons with the promise of prosperous farms that would one day be theirs? Jonas squeezed with renewed force, and the cow turned her head to fix a reproachful brown eye on him.

But Jonas had something to offer that those others did not. He had a plan. No doubt
Mader
would call it a
narrisch
notion, but he would not give it up. And he hoped that the adventurous spark he’d seen on the occasions when he was bold enough to meet Caroline’s eye meant his plan might hold some appeal for her as well. He intended to find out, and soon. At tomorrow night’s singing.

Of course, she might laugh at him.

He set his jaw. That was a risk he was prepared to take. He was nearly twenty years old. It was high time he got a start on a life of his own.

A movement to his right drew his attention. A gray barn cat, one of his favorites, edged through the open doorway and paced
sedately toward him. The animal approached bravely, ignoring the cow, and came to a stop two feet away. He sat, wrapped his tail around his body, and fixed an expectant look on Jonas.

Chuckling, Jonas resisted the urge to stroke the tomcat’s fur. This one would not stand for caresses like some of the other cats in residence at the Byler farm. Jonas knew what he wanted.

“Open up, greedy one.”

The cat’s mouth stretched wide, and Jonas aimed a stream in his direction. Practice had made his aim perfect, and the cat lapped milk from the air.

“There. That’s enough for you. Go catch one of those mice I saw lurking around the corn crib this morning.”

Satisfied with his treat, the cat wandered off with the same unhurried pace, his tail held high. With a touch of envy, Jonas watched him go. If only he could manage to appear as unconcerned tomorrow when he spoke with Caroline.

Jonas thought the singing would never end. The Lapps’ barn was filled with young men and women seated on benches, their combined voices rising to the upper rafters where the lantern light could not reach. Just when he thought they had sung every song in all of existence, someone would toss out the title of another and the singing would begin again. The only thing that made the evening bearable was the fact that he’d selected a seat where he had an unobstructed view of Caroline’s profile. A tendril of soft brown hair had escaped the confines of her
kapp
, and as she sang it waved against the long slender line of her neck.

Finally the last song was sung. Now began the fun part of the
evening, the part they all looked forward to. The singers rose, and Jonas pitched in to help the other young men move the benches out of the barn. Groups formed, clusters of girls who giggled together and cast quick glances toward the boys under the watchful eyes of the parents who hovered nearby. Jonas’s own
mader
stood near the doorway, ladling out apple cider. He avoided her and sidled toward a corner of the barn where a pair of his friends stood.

Melvin welcomed him with a playful elbow in the ribs. “Our Jonas has hopes for the evening. He borrowed my
fader
’s buggy.”

Jonas’s face warmed when Eli Shrock fixed a knowing gaze on him. There was only one reason for a young man to beg use of a buggy on the evening of a singing.

“Who’s the girl?” asked Eli with a grin. “Mary Litwiller, perhaps? I saw you eyeing her in church last week.”

“I did not,” Jonas replied with some heat. He had not realized his actions had drawn notice, though misinterpreted. Mary had been seated beside Caroline.

“’Tis a
gut
thing.” Eli lowered his voice. “I heard that Jacob Burkholder hopes to take Mary home this evening.”

Jonas scanned the group until he caught sight of Jacob, who stood in close conversation with three others near the food table. He kept glancing across the room with quick, jerky motions, looking nervous as a cat. The only time a young man could be alone with a girl was if she agreed to let him take her home after a singing. The subject of who carried whom home was noted and widely discussed for weeks.

“Matthew Kennel has his
fader
’s buggy tonight as well.” Melvin’s eyebrows arched as he leaned forward and spoke in a lowered voice. “I heard he plans to ask Caroline Hersberger.”

A rocklike lump landed with force in the pit of Jonas’s stomach. For a moment the room wavered. He jerked his head around, trying to locate Matthew. There. Standing near the door and speaking intently with John Miller. Was Matthew even now giving John instructions to approach Caroline on his behalf? There was no time to lose.

He turned back to his friends, his throat suddenly tight. If only he could approach Caroline himself, but that was not the way things were done. A friend must speak to her for him. No doubt it was better that way, for he might fumble his words when face-to-face with a lovely girl like her. But that meant confessing his feelings to his friends and risk their teasing from this point forward.

“I…I…” His voice failed. The pair looked at him curiously. He swallowed and tried again. “Would one of you speak for me?”

“Speak to who?” asked Eli.

“To…Caroline.” To his embarrassment, her name came out barely more than in a whisper.

“You wish to take Caroline home?” Amusement colored Eli’s voice, and he landed a hearty slap on Jonas’s back. “What a surprise this is.”

A smile tweaked Melvin’s lips. “Not to me. I have seen you gazing after her like a love-struck puppy.”

Normally Jonas would have reacted to his jibe, but just then John turned away from Matthew and began making his way across the barn. He was headed directly toward Caroline.

Jonas grabbed Melvin by the arm. “You must hurry. Ask her for me.”

He gave a shove, and Melvin nearly stumbled. He righted himself and, with an indulgent smile, straightened his coat before striding across the floor with a long-legged gait. Sweat broke out on Jonas’s upper lip as he watched Melvin and John arrive at the
same time. Caroline stopped talking to her friends and turned polite attention on them. John spoke first, and disappointment sank into Jonas’s stomach. But before she answered him, Melvin spoke. His hands gestured in the air. A moment later Caroline’s head rose. A jolt shot through Jonas when her gaze met his across the distance. What answer lay in those lovely eyes?

Melvin returned with a swagger in his step. “Thanks entirely to my persuasiveness, she accepted you.”

Eli chortled and gave him a congratulatory shove.

“She did?” A curious sensation set a ringing loose in Jonas’s ears.