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) (8 page)

Matthew 6:12-14.

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Chapter 15
.

Hannah's
mudder
looked up, pleased with herself. "How was dinner, Hannah? Did you have a
gut
time?"

Hannah took off her thick coat and looked around. "No,
Mamm
, not at all. Are Esther and Martha asleep?"

Her
daed
nodded. "
Jah
."

"I’d like to talk to you both, please?"

Her parents exchanged glances. Hannah walked over to the table and sat down. "Mrs. Yoder did not show up. Instead, David Yoder came."

"He did?" Her
daed
looked straight at Mrs. Miller, who avoided his gaze.

Hannah pressed on. "
Jah
, Mrs. Yoder had no intention of coming; David admitted as much."

Mrs. Miller spoke up. "Hannah, why won’t you give David a chance?"

Hannah shook her head at her
mudder
, frustrated. "You don't understand,
Mamm
. It's not just that I've never felt anything for David, it’s that…" Her voice trailed away.

"Go on, Hannah," her
daed
said, with encouragement in his voice.

"Well, I didn't want to say before,
Mamm
, as you’re close friends with Mrs. Yoder, but David tried to kiss me in the Yoders' barn after I was over there for dinner."

Mr. Miller looked shocked, but Mrs. Miller asked, "Are you sure?"

"I could hardly mistake something like that,
Mamm
. Plus it was the second time he tried. This time he tried much harder than the first time; I had to slam my crutches on his foot to get away from him."

Mr. Miller gasped and Mrs. Miller's hand flew to her mouth.

"Not only that, when I left tonight, I was sitting in the taxi while the driver was waiting for someone else, and I saw David kissing an
Englisch
girl," Hannah continued. "He was kissing her right in the street, in front of everyone. I mean they were
really
kissing each other. Plus she barely had any clothes on, even in this weather."

Her parents' jaws dropped open. "Are you sure?" her
mudder
asked.

"Of course she's sure, Rachel." Mr. Miller shook his head. "You've done the right thing in telling us, Hannah. There will be no more matchmaking attempts; I can assure you of that." He looked at Mrs. Miller when he said that.

Hannah looked at her
Mamm
to see her reaction, and to her relief, she nodded. "
Nee
, Hannah, of course not. I won't mention this to Beth, but I'll certainly make sure that you do not have to suffer David Yoder again."

"
Denki
,
Mamm
."

"I'll make you a nice hot cup of meadow tea and fetch you some whoopie pies."

Mrs. Miller hurried off to the kitchen. Hannah knew that her
mudder
was sorry for her part in this, and trying to make it up to her with food, which was her way of showing affection.

When her
mudder
was out of earshot, Mr. Miller spoke to Hannah in a conspiratorial tone. "I sent Noah to that restaurant tonight to deliver the two oak, bow backed, high chairs for children that they'd ordered. Did you happen to see him there?"

Oh great, now both my parents are matchmakers
, Hannah thought. Aloud she said, "
Jah
, and he saw me having dinner with David Yoder."

"Oh." Mr. Miller looked crestfallen.

That night, Hannah tossed and turned in bed.
Will I ever get a good night's sleep?
she asked herself. On the one hand, David Yoder was not going to be a problem for her anymore, but on the other hand, Noah clearly thought that there was something going on between her and David. No doubt he would find out in time, but would that be too late? And what if Noah had no feelings for her any more? What if he never did have any feelings for her in the first place?

Hannah sat up, put the pillow over her face and lay back down. She sent up a silent and urgent prayer to
Gott
to ask Him to help her.

The next day, Hannah arrived to work at Katie Hostetler's quilt shop. Katie Hostetler met her at the door, clearly excited. "Hannah, yesterday I sold your double wedding ring quilt."

When Katie named the price, Hannah gasped. "Oh
denki
, Mrs. Hostetler. That will be a big help to my
familye
."

Katie took a long look at Hannah. "Are you all right? You look like you could do with a mug of
kaffi
. Come on through; we have time before we open for the day."

"
Denki
, Katie." Hannah followed Mrs. Hostetler through to the little room at the back of the shop.

Katie poured Hannah a mug of
kaffi
, and then sat down opposite her. "Hannah, are you sure you're not sad about selling your double wedding ring quilt? You should have kept it for your marriage."

Hannah shook her head. "
Nee
, Katie. I don’t think I'll ever get married." The words were out before Hannah could stop them. She had forgotten for a moment that Katie was Noah's
mudder
. Thankfully, Katie did not question her, and the two sat in uncomfortable silence while they drank their
kaffis
.

Later, Katie went out to run an errand and Hannah was busy piecing a quilt on the foot-operated, treadle sewing machine. She had just stopped to fill a bobbin when she heard the door open. Hannah stood up and looked at the
mann
who had just entered.

To her surprise, it was Noah. "
Hullo
, Noah," she stammered, as she stood up.

"
Hiya
, Hannah."

The two just stood there looking at each other. Hannah studied Noah's eyes for any sign of affection for her, but all she could detect was the intensity behind his expression. She had no idea what it meant.

"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 around 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.