The Amish Buggy Horse BOXED SET Books 1-3 (Amish Romance Book Bundle: Faith, Hope, Charity) (Boxed Set: The Amish Buggy Horse) (16 page)

Psalms
71: 14 - 15.
But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.

Chapter 14
.

Brian was taller and bigger than she had remembered. His six foot frame towered above the table. His graying hair was neatly slicked back, showcasing his receding hair line. He was decked out in an impeccably pressed black suit and tie, as if he had just arrived from some exquisite function.

“I’ll have a glass of champagne, please.
Cristal
, obviously, but any vintage will do - I'm not a snob,” he said with a laugh, before the waitress even had a chance to place his menu on the table. “Are you ready to order?” he asked Melissa with a slight sense of urgency.

Melissa was irritated by his rudeness; after all, he had not even said
Hello
. What's more, she had barely had a chance to look over her menu. Thoughts of Victor had occupied her mind right up until Brian arrived.

Before Melissa was able to make a selection from the menu, Brian jumped in again. “Hey, it's fine; I know the chef. I can have him whip up something." He turned to the waitress. "Sweetheart, tell Paul we would like the steak, medium rare with a side of potatoes. I know it’s not on the menu tonight, but tell him it’s for Brian Adams.”

Melissa could see that the waitress was taken aback by Brian’s abrasive instructions, and no doubt, by the fact that he was so rude as to address her as "Sweetheart." Melissa found Brian's pompous show of prestige and wealth particularly disturbing. She was not the least bit impressed by his pretentious display, and it left a sour taste in her mouth.

The waitress collected their menus and raised an eyebrow at Melissa before walking away. Melissa easily interpreted the discreet gesture to mean,
Good luck with this one!
Melissa exhaled deeply.

“So, it's Melissa, right?” Brian straightened himself in the chair as the waitress walked away. “Is Irene still in Barcelona?"

“Well,
um
, yes," Melissa stammered, suddenly feeling at a loss in dealing with such a high powered individual.

“I’ll tell you one thing; I could really use a vacation; those low lifes on the job have me working overtime,” he said, cutting Melissa off before she could finish, and letting out a small chuckle to himself. “What are you drinking?” he asked suddenly. "Actually, I thought I needed a glass of champagne to help me relax, but if you're anything like Irene, and about to lecture me, I’ll need something stronger." He waved to the waitress who was just returning. "A martini, please,” he called.

Brian leaned back in his chair and looked at Melissa. “So Melissa, what are you drinking? Oh, you people don’t drink, do you? Never mind, I’ll order you another glass of water when the waitress comes back around. Now, what new broads do you have in line for me? I must say I haven’t been impressed so far.”

Melissa almost choked on her water.
Did he just refer to our ladies as 'broads'?
she asked herself.

Brian was still talking. “It’s like the ones that Irene picks for me are always missing something. The last girl you set me up with was really hot, just the way I like them. Tall, slim waist, nice butt, and huge,
umm
, pardon me," he said, and then his face flushed red.

Melissa shifted uncomfortably in her seat and fought the urge to run out of the restaurant.

Brian shrugged, and then launched back into talking. "So, in the looks department, she was good, but she wasn’t very smart. When I took her around my work buddies, she could hardly hold a conversation." He leaned back in his chair. "I told her to read up on current affairs so she wouldn’t make me look like an idiot in front of my colleagues, but that only made her offended for some reason. Women!" he said with a shrug.

Melissa took a long sip of her water and hoped that the food would come soon. She wanted to eat it fast and then leave as soon as possible.

Brian was on a roll. “The one before that was really cute. She was smart and funny, but wasn’t really good around the house. I mean, on one occasion, I invited her to my penthouse for dinner, and then I got called back to the office for a couple hours. When I got home, she'd already left. She hadn't cleaned up after the dinner or cleaned up around the penthouse; she'd just left, not so much as a note. That's when I realized that I just couldn’t take it anymore. I just had to break things off with that one.” He snorted rudely. "And she had the nerve to say that she'd wanted to break up with me!"

The waitress arrived with their dinner but Melissa by now had absolutely no appetite. Brian’s egotistical and opinionated remarks were too much to endure. All she wanted to do now was call a taxi, and head home. Nevertheless, she was paid to do a job, and so she had better do it well. It just was not good enough to sit there and feel sorry for herself.

Melissa took a deep breath and launched straight into it. “Well, that’s precisely why we planned this dinner. We want to try to figure why it hasn’t worked out with any of our arranged matches. All the girls we have selected for you are lovely and intelligent. We have tried quite hard to find suitable matches for you.” It was the first time Melissa had been able to get a word in since the dinner had started. She did not want to offend Brian by telling him that he would never find the right match if he continued to be self-absorbed and arrogant, but she would have to be honest with him to some degree.

“Well…” Brian paused to cut a slice of his steak. “Maybe you and your team aren’t trying hard enough. Is it really that hard to find a chick who is young, hot, and intelligent and can cook? Come on, Melissa, you guys are the experts here. Look, I’m not getting any younger. I regret not having kids with my ex-wife, so now I'm kind of in a hurry. Just find me the right girl and we will all be happy.”

Melissa let out another deep sigh. She had hardly touched her food, and Brian was now on his second martini and had consumed one glass of champagne. Brian was overwhelming, to say the least, and she was beginning to think that he wasn’t good enough for any of the girls in the agency. Dinner with him was far worse than she had expected, and the file on him did not do him justice. He was downright arrogant, self centered, and rude. Unfortunately, she could not bear to let the truth about how she really felt escape her lips. It was one thing to be considered forthright amongst her own community, but being forthright with this
Englischer
was quite another matter. Instead, she took the more polite route.

“Mr. Adams, I am sorry to hear that the girls in our clientele haven’t met your expectations.”
Especially when you rotate them on whim every couple weeks
, she added silently to herself. “But I assure you that my team and I will head back to the drawing board to compose a list of new potential matches.”

Thankfully, Brian seemed assured with Melissa’s response. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was something. At this point, Melissa considered that it would be even harder to find a match for Brian after getting to know him. Would it be fair to set up a lovely girl with someone like him?

Still, this was not Melissa's decision. At the end of the day, he was one of the agency’s wealthiest clients, and to lose him because suitable matches turned up futile would be a nightmare; Irene would be livid if she lost him as a client. Melissa had no choice but to attempt to find Brian his perfect Barbie doll - genius - homemaker.

“Good to hear.” Brian rose from his seat. “I have an early meeting tomorrow, so I must get going. Thanks for the dinner. I'm looking forward to hearing from you."

Melissa stood and nodded. “Yes, absolutely." She watched Brian exit the restaurant and then sat back down, relieved that she was no longer in his presence.

Milly had warned her, but she had thought Milly had been exaggerating. Milly had said that Brian Adams was one of the,
No girl is good enough for me
, types and one of the,
I’m too rich for my own good
, types.

That's right
, Melissa thought. H
e is
.

On the drive home, Melissa’s mind wandered to Victor. She wished she had spent the night sitting across from his toned arms and piercing, golden-flecked eyes instead of a balding, egotistical business man sloppily devouring his food in front of her. Her dinner with Brian made her realize that there were very few men like Victor out there. Not only was Victor good looking, but he was respectable; he made her laugh, and she felt at ease with him.

But how was she going to deal with having feelings for a client? No good would come of it; he was not Amish. She needed a second opinion; she needed advice, and she needed it now. She needed her best friend, Isobel.

1 John
3: 2 - 3.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Chapter 15
.

Melissa's talk with Isobel would have to wait until her lunch break. For now, there was only Milly, and there was no way Melissa would confide her feelings to Milly. They had completely separate world views. That was brought home to Melissa even more so when she entered the office that morning.

“I met someone,” Milly squealed, unable to contain her excitement. “He's wonderful, successful, smart, and incredibly handsome. I can’t wait for you to meet him!”

“Wait, what happened to Travis Stringer? I thought you were dating him?” Melissa was confused. She had given up trying to keep up with Milly's boyfriends a long time ago. It seemed that Milly changed boyfriends every two months. As far as Melissa knew, Milly had been dating Travis, a young, budding lawyer from California. Milly had talked about him for hours on end, day in and day out.

Milly rolled her eyes. “Melissa, keep up! I broke up with him weeks ago. He was getting boring. Besides, he lives in California; we barely saw each other. Irene was right; internet dating just doesn’t work.”

Melissa was puzzled. “But I thought you loved the fact that he lived in California; you said you had a good time when you went to see him and that you enjoyed the time away.” Melissa knew that
Englischers
had a different view on dating than did the Amish. The Amish were looking to marry, but the
Marriage Minded Agency
was also trying to find marriage partners. In that way, the
Marriage Minded Agency's
view was similar to the Amish view of dating, but Milly, while she worked for the agency, had another view entirely. Why, the very thing Milly claimed to like about Travis was now the very reason that she had broken up with him.

“The distance was wearing me out. Long distance relationships clearly don’t work for me.” Milly waved her hands to proclaim her frustration.

“Okay.” Melissa had no idea what to say.

Milly got out of her chair and walked around to sit on the desk. "Look, Melissa, I know this all sounds strange to you. I’ll try to explain. I'm an alpha female. I always have the upper hand in relationships; I never keep a guy around for longer than two or three months and I never fall in love. I fell in love once," Milly broke off and shuddered, "and I'm not going down that rabbit hole again.”

Now Melissa was entirely puzzled. "Rabbit hole?" she asked.

Milly chuckled. "I mean that I had a painful experience, so I won't be repeating it."

Melissa was glad that the
Marriage Minded Agency
did not share Milly's views. Milly was always hopping in and out of relationships, and her relationships were always short and emotionally unattached. Milly was constantly gushing about her latest date at an expensive restaurant, her vacation at a romantic destination, and the gifts that her doting suitors bestowed upon her.

Without a doubt, the two colleagues were polar opposites. Melissa believed that
Gott
had one woman for one
mann
, and dating in the community was always with a view to marriage. Milly's views on
menner
shocked Melissa, but she was not one to judge; she knew the
Englisch
had different ways.

Melissa was now more concerned than ever about her feelings for Victor Byler. Had he been Amish, there would have been no confusion whatsoever, but the fact remained that Victor was not in the community. Did Victor have views similar to Milly's? Melissa had no idea. Surely Victor retained his Amish ideals, but then again, he had been living in the
Englisch
world for quite some time.

Hebrews
11: 1 - 3.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For by it the people of old received their commendation.
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Chapter 16
.

Isobel stopped rearranging candles in the Old Candle Store, and took one look at Melissa's face before speaking. "Melissa, what's wrong?"

"How do you know something's wrong?"

Isobel tapped her finger on the wooden shelving. "Isn’t there?" she countered.

"
Jah
. There's a lot on my mind, and I need your help. I was wondering if you were free this weekend to talk?”

“This weekend? Oh sorry, Melissa, I'm heading down to the farm this weekend to see my
grossdawdi
and
grossmammi
. It's
Grossdawdi's
birthday.”

Isobel’s grandparents owned a large farm which was nestled amongst the rolling Lancaster hills. Melissa had spent much of her time there as a child. In fact, it was the scene of Melissa’s fondest childhood memories. Isobel and Melissa had spent their days swimming in the pond in summer, or skating on it in winter. At night they would curl up by the camp fire while Isobel's
grossdawdi
told them stories of the Old Testament, of three men who walked into the fire and survived, of Daniel in the lions' den, of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.

“Why don’t you come with me?” Isobel said after a long pause. “It’s the weekend, so you don't have to work, and I'm sure your
bruder,
Daniel, and his wife, Nettie, can help your
mudder
if she needs it. Besides, I'm sure
Grossdawdi
would like to see you again."

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Melissa asked hesitantly.

“Melissa, of course it’s okay. I'll pick you up at daybreak. I'm so excited! It'll be just like we're
kinner
all over again.”

Melissa could not help but laugh. It was typical of Isobel not even to wait for a response. But her friend was absolutely right. She desperately needed a break; she was not working at the
Marriage Minded Agency
that weekend, and after that nightmarish dinner with Brian Adams, she needed to get a few things off her chest. But most importantly, she needed Isobel to help her figure out what was going on with her feelings for Victor.

“
Denki
, I'll come.”

“Of course you will." Isabel chuckled. “Now I’d better get back to work; you can tell me all about it later.”

The drive down to the farm at the weekend was exactly as Melissa remembered. The cool, crisp air blew gently against her skin; the tall pine trees arched high into the sky along the smooth, lonely roads, and there was the gorgeous view of the peaceful pond as it kissed the horizon.

“We’re here!” Isobel pulled her horse to a stop outside to the farm
haus
.

The girls stepped out and inhaled the delightful springtime air. Melissa looked around her in awe. The farm house was just as she remembered: the brown, rustic, two storey home with its creaky deck, surrounded by large oak trees, the peaceful pond, and the sweet chirping sound of the birds as they fluttered through the trees.

Isobel’s grandparents reared chickens, pigs, and buggy horses. They had always sent Isobel and Melissa to feed the animals before breakfast.

Melissa felt at ease and immediately relaxed. It was as if she were home. It had been years since she visited, and she was thankful it was one of the few things in her life that had remained the same.

“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite girls,” said a pleasant and familiar voice.

“
Grossdawdi
!” Isobel exclaimed.

Isobel’s
grossdawdi
was just as Melissa had remembered. She had not seen him in years, as they were from another community.
Grossdawdi
Eli was always decked in oversized trousers, while his
baard
was wild and bushy, and his hair poked out in all directions from under his straw hat.

“Did you girls come to help me feed the chickens before dawn tomorrow morning?” he joked, embracing both girls on either side.

Isobel chuckled. “
Grossdawdi
, we’re here for your birthday!"

“Birthday? I’m too old for those things now; I didn’t even remember it was my birthday.”

The girls laughed with him.

“Of course we’ll help you,
Grossdawdi
Eli,” Melissa said.

“Now, girls, I'm heading into town to pick up
Grossmammi
Olive; she's at her quilting bee. Would you girls like me to get you anything?”

“Marshmallows, please!” Isobel exclaimed.

Grossdawdi
Eli let out a roaring laugh. “Oh yes, I should've known.”

A couple hours later, Isobel and Melissa were nestled under cozy blankets and huddled in front of a warm fire. By now, they had unpacked their bags and eaten a birthday dinner with Isobel’s grandparents. The cool night air was soothing and the light from the full moon created a perfect glow over the still pond, which could be seen through the large windows. The girls relaxed in their soft chairs as they devoured their favorite treat.

“I missed this,” Melissa said.

“
Jah
, me too. I can’t get enough marshmallows.
Mmm
, I just love church spread, all those marshmallows mixed with peanut butter - yum. Now, Melissa,
grossdawdi
and
grossmammi
have gone to bed, so no one can hear - something's on your mind - what is it?” asked Isobel.

“Well, I don't know where to start. First off, I had a business dinner with a most horrible
mann
last night.”

Isobel laughed. "He must've been bad, Melissa; I've never heard you speak badly of someone before. I have a feeling this story is going to be interesting."

Melissa just shrugged. “His name is Brian Adams, and he is one of the agency's wealthiest clients. So far, it hasn’t worked out with him and any of our matches. It was my job to take him out on a business dinner and try to figure out what his issues are, since Irene is still in Barcelona. And let me tell you, as soon as he sat down, I wanted to run.”

Isobel sat forward in her chair. “Why, what was wrong with him?”

“You mean, what isn’t wrong with him?" Melissa chuckled. "I don't know how to say this politely, Isobel."

"Just say it. You're usually forthright."

"Well, Milly says that he's egotistical, and that he thinks that because he's wealthy and owns his own company, that he thinks that he can withdraw and deposit girls like he’s at an ATM."

"And you agree with Milly?"

Melissa nodded. "He wants a young, attractive woman, but he is old and balding. I hope
Gott
forgives me for saying this, but the mere sight of him makes me uncomfortable. In all good conscience, I cannot send anyone on a date with him. And the worst part is, that if I don’t find him someone and we lose him as a client, Irene will be upset with me."

Isobel shifted in her seat. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. I know you love your job and it's very important to you, but do you think you should continue on there?"

Melissa hurried to reassure her. "It's only until Irene gets back, although the events of the last few days have made me wonder whether I do want to stay there at all, even to do the filing." There was a time of silence, and then Melissa added shyly, "Actually, the worst part is, that when I was having that awful dinner with Brian Adams, I couldn't stop thinking about Victor Byler the entire time.”

Isobel gasped, and her jaw dropped. “You do like this Victor, don’t you! I knew it the moment you told me about him. When you told me about your dinner with Victor, you kept saying how at ease and comfortable you felt with him, how much he made you laugh, and how you melted when he smiled. You never once admitted that you were falling for him, but it was obvious to me.”

Melissa covered her face with her hands, and her ears burned with embarrassment. “I couldn’t stop thinking about Victor the entire time I was with Brian Adams. Victor is the exact opposite. He is kind, gentle, respectful, and charming. There is just one problem."

“Yes," Isobel said, "and a big problem at that. He's
Englisch
."

“
Jah
, well, perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Isobel said. "How can someone be
perhaps
an
Englischer
?"

Melissa laughed at the look on Isobel's face. "I don’t want to get my hopes up, but he used to be Amish."

For the second time, Isobel leaned forward in her chair. "Go on," she said with interest.

"He had dinner with my
familye
…"

"He what?" Isobel shrieked, and then put her hand over her mouth and looked up the stairs. "I hope I didn't wake up
Grossdawdi
and
Grossmammi
."

Melissa wrung her hands. "It's all a bit complicated. Victor was Amish, and then something happened and he left. He still seems Amish though; he spoke in Pennsylvania Dutch all through dinner with my
familye
."

Isobel interrupted Melissa yet again. "How did it happen that he had dinner with your
familye
?"

"I was coming to that. He took me home, and my
mudder
insisted he stay for dinner. Well, he seemed quite keen to stay for dinner. He told us all that he'd been brought up Amish, and that he only left his community a few years ago. He'd told me earlier that he did something he was ashamed of, and he left the community."

"He was shunned?"

"
Nee
; he hadn't been baptized. I think he was quite young. He hasn't told me what it was, and my parents didn’t ask him."

Isobel nodded. “Melissa, have you ever considered the fact that Victor might return to the community? Have you thought that maybe he might actually have been considering it? It sounds like you two have a very strong connection. You don’t know for sure unless you get to know him better. You might be surprised.” Isobel ended with a smile.

Melissa was quiet. "I hope that you're right," she said in a small voice. "I just don’t want to get my hopes up."

"You have plenty of hope. Here, pass me that." Isobel pointed to large books on a little, wooden table next to Melissa.

"What, the
Martyr's Mirror
?"

"
Nee
, the Bible."

Melissa reached over and took the Bible, which she handed to Isobel.

"Where is that Scripture?" Isobel muttered to herself, thumbing through the Bible. "
Ach
, here it is, Romans chapter five, verses two through five." Isobel read aloud:
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us
."

The two sat quietly for a moment and pondered the Scripture. After a while, Isobel spoke. "If it is
Gott's
Will that you marry Victor, it will be so. You have to place your hope on
Gott's
Will."

Melissa nodded, and then yawned widely. "Your advice is always
gut
, Isobel,
denki
."

“Just think about it. Now let’s go to bed; remember you promised
Grossdawdi
that you'll be feeding those chickens tomorrow before first light.”

“You'll be feeding them, too!” Melissa said with amusement.

“
Nee
, I will be fast asleep,” Isobel said, as the girls headed up the stairs. Melissa gave her friend a playful shove. Her talk with Isobel was exactly what she needed. She definitely had a lot of thinking to do.