Promised to Another (21 page)

Lord, don’t let Bishop Sol come up and catch us.
Daed would be in trouble, too, if he did. As for her, well, that would be the end.

Daed pushed her into the room and paused beside Joshua’s bed. His eyes were closed, though, and he looked sound asleep, so they moved past him, coming to a stop at the foot of David’s bed. “He had to have surgery to repair some really bad breaks,” Daed told her. “You can give Cathy an update, since I’m not supposed to be aware of their relationship yet.”

Annie looked up at him. “Why do you pretend not to know when you do?”

He shrugged. “It’s the way things are done, the way they’ve always been done. And, occasionally, there are surprises in the district.” He chuckled again. “I suppose I also need to pretend not to know about you and Joshua.”

“There’s nothing to pretend about,” Annie whispered. How she wished there were. But she still wasn’t sure, given his alleged history as a player, that she wasn’t just the latest in his long line of victims.

Daed rolled her chair backward, away from David, and back over to Joshua’s bedside. Then, he reached over and plucked Joshua’s cell phone from the blankets.

“I’ll be in the hall. I need to call his parents; they deserve to know. And then, we need to go back downstairs. Can’t have Bishop Sol getting impatient and coming back up here to interrupt things.”

Annie expelled a breath and watched as Daed studied the phone in his hand. Then, he turned and walked out of the room, pressing a series of buttons. When he was gone, Annie summoned her courage and reached for Joshua’s hand. She grasped it, and he roused, his eyes opening and blinking before they focused on her.

A slow smile crossed his face, and he raised her hand to his lips. “You came back.” His voice sounded husky. She trembled when his mouth caressed her skin.

“Just for a minute. Daed’s in the hall, and Bishop Sol is downstairs, in the cafeteria. He said he’ll call a driver.”

“I’m glad you’re okay. Cathy and David, too. I…I’m sorry about your horse.”

Annie blinked back fresh tears. She’d miss Penny. “Jah.” She wondered when Daed would go to a horse auction to buy a replacement.

“Can you kum closer?” Joshua’s gaze dropped to her lips.

Maybe she had done it right that morning. He wouldn’t want to kiss her again if she’d been a complete failure. Heat rose in her cheeks. “I can’t get out of the wheelchair. I tried. There’re footrests in the way, and….”

Joshua sat up in bed and twisted his torso, leaning over the side, toward her. He glanced down at her feet. “Can you fold up the footrests? Or put your feet down behind them and stand?”

It seemed her face was on fire. Carefully, she positioned her feet on the floor behind the footrests and then tried to move the contraptions out of the way with her toes. They swung out to the sides. She secured the brakes, not wanting the chair to move while she struggled to get up. Then, she pushed herself out with her good arm.

Joshua grinned. “Gut girl. Now, kum here.” He patted the edge of the bed.

Her stomach fluttering, she gingerly sat down sideways, so that she was facing him. She’d have to jump up quickly if Daed came back into the room, but sitting here a minute shouldn’t hurt. She wondered what Joshua had in mind. Hopefully, she’d guessed correctly that he wanted to kiss her.

But he merely sat there, looking at her, studying her, while his fingers caressed her hand. Reached out to touch the curve of her cheek. Traced the outline of her lips. Then, he groaned. “Aren’t you going to ask me to kiss you?”

Annie gasped, and a shiver worked its way up her spine. “Ach….”

His fingers slid down her neck, along the exposed part of her collarbone. “Please?”

“I don’t know how to…. I mean, I tried, but—”

“You did great.” He smoothed some hair away from her face.

Unable to find the courage to ask, she scooted closer and leaned forward, until her chest touched the fabric of his hospital gown. His arms slid around her back, and he sighed contentedly as her lips hesitantly touched his. He raised one hand to the back of her head, pressing her in closer, deepening the kiss.

Someone coughed.

Annie jerked back and slid off of the bed, keeping her eyes on Joshua. His gaze was directed past her, showing shock. Fearing the worst, she turned around and looked into the stern face of Bishop Sol.

***

“Annie Beiler. What is the meaning of this?” The bishop narrowed his eyes at her. “You, the schoolteacher, not only in a man’s room, unsupervised, but in bed with him. You should be ashamed. Where is your father?”

Annie shook her head. “I…I…um, I thought he had stepped into the hall for a minute. That’s what he said, anyway.”

“Hmm. He will be upset to learn of this behavior.” He shook his head. “You will get married, of course.”

Joshua sucked in a breath.

Bishop Sol exhaled loudly. “Not in two weeks. Now. I mean, tomorrow, after we obtain a license.”

Annie swayed on her feet. Joshua grasped for her, but she sank back into the wheelchair. “What?”

“And you’ll be dismissed from your job, of course. I was going to have to let you go anyway, I’m afraid. Someone mentioned you’d gone into Springfield on Saturday. To that battlefield.”

Someone had seen them? Well, it could have been that one of the few people who’d known about their excursion had let it slip. Annie’s family knew, for sure. Including Cathy. But why would she have tattled on her own sister?

“I’m sorry, Annie,” Joshua whispered.

“So, Joshua, are you prepared to take this woman as your frau? To make this matter right?”

Annie looked up at the bishop and shook her head. “You can’t force him to marry me.”

“You dare question me, Annie Beiler?” Bishop Sol glared at her. “The way I see it, you lose your job, regardless. Either you lose it to marry, or you lose it in disgrace for your actions. And Joshua knows I won’t tolerate this sort of behavior outside of marriage.” He waved toward the bed.

“I’ll marry her.” Joshua hoped his voice sounded clear and strong. He’d never meant for this to happen, but he couldn’t say he was disappointed. This would get Luke out of the picture, for good. Joshua would have the woman of his dreams. He’d lose his reputation as a player. This was a win-win situation. The only downfall was that Annie didn’t seem to want it. Didn’t love him.

At least, not yet.

Someday, she would—he hoped.

And, maybe with marriage forced upon them, she’d come to love him sooner rather than later.

The bishop nodded. “Gut. Don’t get any ideas about leaving town.”

Joshua thought he saw relief flitter across the older man’s face. He must have imagined it, though. Nothing about this situation could bring him any measure of satisfaction.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Joshua glanced at the young woman sitting beside him, silent, her lips slightly parted, and longed to reassure her.

Annie would be his frau.

Annie’s heart was cradled in numbness when Daed finally reappeared. Once he learned of the imminent change in her marital status, he handed Joshua his cell phone and wheeled her out of the room without a word, his expression unreadable.

Tomorrow, Annie would need to move her things to Joshua’s room. Or, he would move his things to hers.

How could this happen?

The community would look at her in judgment. Bundling was forbidden in their district, but they hadn’t been doing that. Their behavior had been more…innocent.

But they’d been kissing.

He’d touched her face, her neck, her shoulders.

Far from innocent.

She pulled in a shaky breath, forcing her mind to forget his caresses, at least for the time being.

She’d been fired. If not for the kissing, then for taking Joshua in to see Wilson’s Creek Battlefield.

Whatever happened to the grace that Bishop Sol had asked the school board members to show to her?

Luke had told. She should have known he would. In fact, she’d expected it. And she was to blame, blurting it out as she had. But she certainly hadn’t expected her “punishment” to include marriage.

Joshua would resent her. He had to. Because, once married to her, no longer would he be able to get to know the other young women in the district. His bride would be none other than Annie Beiler.

Soon to be Annie Esh.

Till death do us part.

And she hadn’t wanted to settle. She’d wanted a man who loved her.

Okay, she was hardly settling. She wanted Joshua. But not this way. She’d dreamed of an engagement similar to those of her friends. A romantic proposal, with declarations of love.

Now, she would have to tell her kinner that she and their father had been forced to marry. That no man had ever proposed to her.

Her eyes burned with tears as she slumped in the backseat of the van, next to Daed. The bishop sat in the front, next to Tony, the driver.

She wouldn’t have a normal Amish wedding. No usual two-week waiting period, with the frantic preparations, the Thursday wedding while the kinner were in school. Nein, she would get married in haste. Tongues would wag.

Would they have to confess before the church? Bishop Sol hadn’t said. She didn’t want to ask. Maybe Daed would inquire privately.

She glanced at Daed again. He remained silent. With one hand, he tugged absently at his beard, but his gaze was locked on the back of Bishop Sol’s head. If only she could read his thoughts. Did he resent the bishop for doing this? Was he angry at her and Joshua on account of their poor judgment? She should have known better.

How could she face her friends? And Mamm?

***

When his nurse came to check on him, Joshua refused her offer of medicine to help him sleep. However, she changed out his IV bag, and he had no idea what might be in the liquid pumping through the thin line attached to the back of his hand.

She lowered the bed, pulled the chain over his head to turn off the lights, and then, with a cheery “Good night,” slid the curtain shut that separated his bed from David’s. The room wasn’t completely dark—the light in the tiny entryway was still on—but it was dim enough to sleep.

If sleep would come.

Annie…. What had he done? Would she ever forgive him?

Joshua had no idea how long he tossed and turned. He needed to call his parents and let them know about his bride-to-be. He’d never even mentioned Annie to them in his letters. There’d been nothing to tell.

How would they take this earth-shattering news? And how was he to tell them? He couldn’t just leave a recording on the answering machine for whoever checked it next to spread around. He could imagine the gossip, even now: “Did you hear? Joshua Esh got a girl in trouble in Seymour, Missouri. They were forced to wed!”

He closed his eyes. It sounded worse than it was, for there wasn’t any illicit baby involved. But that was what people would say, anyway, both here and in Pennsylvania.

So much for clearing his reputation as a player.

Unless…. Maybe he could talk the bishop into allowing them to wait the customary two weeks before getting married. Maybe Isaac would support the idea. Give both him and Annie time to get used to the notion. Allow Joshua’s parents ample time to travel to Missouri to witness the marriage of their only child.

Not to mention, give him and Annie time to heal. And give him time to court her properly, to win her love, before they both said “I do.”

Joshua reached for his cell phone. He fingered it for a moment, then drew in a deep breath, turned it on, and dialed the number for the phone shanty back home. The answering machine clicked on. “This is Arthur Esh’s Joshua. I need my daed to call me when he gets a chance.” He snapped the phone shut, ending the call.

“Rough day, ain’t so?”