Dear to Me

Dear
to Me

O
THER
B
OOKS BY
W
ANDA
E. B
RUNSTETTER:

D
AUGHTERS OF
L
ANCASTER
C
OUNTY
S
ERIES
The Storekeeper’s Daughter
The Quilter’s Daughter
The Bishop’s Daughter

B
RIDES OF
L
ANCASTER
C
OUNTY
S
ERIES
A Merry Heart
Looking for a Miracle
Plain and Fancy
The Hope Chest

S
ISTERS OF
H
OLMES
C
OUNTY
S
ERIES
A Sister’s Secret
A Sister’s Test

B
RIDES OF
W
EBSTER
C
OUNTY
S
ERIES
Going Home
On Her Own

N
ONFICTION
The Simple Life
Wanda E. Brunstetter’s Amish Friends Cookbook

C
HILDREN’S
B
OOKS
Rachel Yoder…Always Trouble Somewhere Series:
School’s Out (Book 1)
Back to School (Book 2)

Dear
to Me

WANDA E.
BRUNSTETTER

B
RIDES OF
W
EBSTER
C
OUNTY

© 2007 by Wanda E. Brunstetter

ISBN 978-1-60742-024-8

All scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

All German-Dutch words are taken from the Revised Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Cover design by Müllerhaus Communications Group

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683.

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

D
EDICATION
/A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my dear friends Diane and Phil Allen, whose love for the wildlife that come into their yard prompted me to write this story.

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.
E
PHESIANS
5:1

Chapter 1

M
elinda Andrews hurried across the grass, eager to arrive at her favorite spot. Just a few more steps, and there it was—dappled canopies of maple, hickory, cedar, and pine towering over a carpet of lush green leaves and fragrant needles. She drew in a deep breath, relishing the woodsy scent. The sun had tried all morning to overcome the low-hanging clouds. It had finally made an appearance, and Melinda planned to enjoy each moment she could spend here.

 She slowed her pace and crept through the forest, being careful not to snag her long, dark blue dress or matching apron on any low-hanging branches. After awhile, she came to a clearing with several downed trees. “This looks like the perfect place for me to sit and draw,” she murmured.

 Taking a seat on a nearby log, Melinda pulled her drawing tablet and pencil from the canvas tote she’d brought along. “Where are you, deer friends?”

 The only movement was the flitter of leaves as the wind blew softly against the trees.

 Melinda spotted a cluster of wild yellow crocuses peeking through a clump of grass. Spring was her favorite time of the year, with new life bursting forth everywhere. She lifted her pencil, ready to sketch a tan-colored rabbit that had hopped onto the scene, when two does stepped into the clearing.

 “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered.

 The does lifted their heads in curiosity as a hawk soared high overhead.

 Melinda watched the deer nibble on leaves while she sketched their picture. Her stomach rumbled, which caused her to think about the lemon sponge cake Papa Noah had made last night. She’d had a sliver of it for breakfast this morning, and it had been delicious. She thought her stepfather was the best cook in all of Webster County, Missouri.

 Melinda had been six years old when her real father had been hit by a car and killed. Shortly after his death, her mother had given up her career of telling jokes and yodeling among the English. She and Melinda had caught the bus from Branson to Seymour and come to live with Grandpa and Grandma Stutzman in the Amish community where Melinda’s mother had been raised.

 Even though Melinda had been young back then, she remembered many things about their arrival in Webster County. She especially recalled meeting her aunt, Susie Stutzman, for the first time. Susie was Grandma’s youngest child, and she was a year older than Melinda. Melinda and Susie had become friends right away and had remained so ever since.

 Melinda smiled at the memory of seeing her aunt dressed in a long blue dress with a small white
kapp
perched on top of her head. “Plain clothes” is what Mama had told Melinda. “My folks follow the customs and rules of the Amish church, and they live differently than we’re used to living.”

 Melinda hadn’t minded wearing the unusual clothes, for it seemed as if she were playing dress-up at first. The strange rules and numerous jobs Grandma Stutzman had expected her to do were the hardest part. She remembered, too, that Mama hadn’t seemed too happy when they first came home—not until Noah Hertzler had started hanging around, taking an interest in her. Melinda had figured Noah would be her new daddy even before Mama had said she loved him. She’d been real pleased when they’d decided to get married.

 Melinda lifted her face to the sun as thoughts of marriage made her think of Gabe Swartz, who had begun courting her a few months ago. Gabe had hazel-colored eyes with little green specks and brown hair that curled around his ears. He was tall and slender yet strong and able-bodied. Melinda had developed a crush on him when they were attending the one-room schoolhouse down the road.

 When Gabe, who’d been a year ahead of Melinda in school, graduated from eighth grade and began learning the trade of woodworking under his dad’s tutelage, she missed seeing him every day and looked forward to their every-other-Sunday church services, where Gabe and his family would also be in attendance. Now Gabe, who had recently turned twenty, worked full-time at his father’s woodworking shop.

 When Melinda had finished school, she’d begun her vocational training at home with her mother, where she learned various household chores that would prepare her for marriage. Then a year ago, she’d begun working part-time for Dr. Franklin, the local veterinarian. At first it was just cleanup work, as well as feeding, watering, and exercising some of the animal patients. But later, when the doctor realized how much Melinda cared for the animals and noticed her special way with them, he had allowed her to assist him with minor things. Melinda had done everything from holding a dog while it received a shot or had its nails clipped, to giving flea baths and bringing animals from their cages into the operating room.

 “You’ve been blessed with a unique gift,” Dr. Franklin had told Melinda the other day while she held a nervous kitten about to receive its first shot. “Have you ever considered becoming a veterinarian’s technical assistant or even a vet?”

 Melinda had to admit that the thought of becoming a vet had crossed her mind, but she figured it was an impossible dream. Not only was she lacking in education, but going to college and then on to a school of veterinary medicine would mean leaving the Amish faith. Since she’d been baptized and joined the Amish church a year ago, it would affect her whole family if she left the faith and became part of the English world.

 Melinda remembered several years ago, before their old bishop died and John Frey had taken his place, a young man named Abner had left home during his running-around years, and he’d ended up coming back a few months later, saying it was too hard being away from his family. As a young woman, her own mother had left the Amish faith for ten years, trying to make a name for herself in the entertainment business.

“I can’t believe Melinda’s not back yet.” Faith placed a sack of flour on the counter and turned to face her mother and youngest sister, who sat at the kitchen table. “She said she was going for a short walk and would be here in plenty of time to help with the baking, but she must have lost track of time.”

 Susie, Faith’s sister who had recently turned twenty, sighed. “Knowing Melinda, she’s most likely off taking care of one of her critters or out in the woods sketching pictures of the deer.”

 Faith nodded. “You’re probably right. My daughter has been taking in injured and orphaned animals ever since she was a little girl. It’s not gotten any better since she became a young woman, either. Sometimes I wonder if Melinda will ever grow up.”

 “Just because she likes helping animals doesn’t mean she’s not mature,” Faith’s mother put in. “She wouldn’t be able to work for Dr. Franklin if she wasn’t grown up enough to make good decisions.”