Amish Brides Page 11

  Joshua had average height and a thin frame. Nathaniel towered over Joshua with his broad shoulders and muscular arms.

  “You and Catherine couldn’t be more opposite. You’ve got blond hair, and she’s got dark red hair. Your eyes match a dark blue sky, and hers match a green pasture. She’s always looking for adventure, and you’re calm and content and enjoy the simple Amish life. My parents will kumme to realize what a faithful and loving Amish woman you are once we’re married and show them we’re committed to each other.”

  “I’m fearful they won’t accept me before the wedding. If they don’t, we must reconsider. It wouldn’t be proper for us to go against their wishes.”

  He hugged her. “We’ll treat them with respect and pray to God to change their minds. At the same time, we’ll look forward to our wedding day.”

  She blushed. “I love you, and I’ll be counting the days until my name changes to Mrs. Madeline Stutzman!”

  Daed cleared his throat and came around the corner of the shed. “I thought I’d find you two here. By the glow on your face, Madeline, I assume Joshua proposed?” He grinned.

  “He did! Oh, Daed, I’m so happy!”

  “I’m thrilled for both of you. I couldn’t ask for a better man to marry my dochder.” He slapped Joshua on the arm and kissed Madeline’s cheek. He chuckled. “Joshua, during the bishop’s message today, you couldn’t sit still. I had an inkling you were on pins and needles to ask Madeline to marry you this afternoon.” His eyes twinkled.

  She smiled and nodded. “He took several bites of his food at the after-service meal and pushed his plate away. He usually scrapes and devours every last bite of food on his plate at meals. I wondered why he didn’t have an appetite.”

  “I waited a bit for my parents to change their minds, but I grew impatient and chose this afternoon to propose marriage to you. The minutes dragged by until after the church service and the trip back here to our special spot. Now we can tell everyone.”

  “You must be hungry, Joshua. You barely touched your sandwich and beets. Kumme with me. I’ve got ham spread and apple tarts.”

  Daed rubbed his slightly round stomach. “I wouldn’t mind a sandwich.”

  They went inside, and the men sat and talked while she fetched the food. Setting plates and glasses of water in front of them, she sat at the round oak table next to Joshua. She loved listening to the two men discuss farming and life.

  Knock. Knock.

  “You two sit. I’ll find out who is here.” Madeline went to the front room across the wooden floor and opened the door. “Nathaniel, kumme in.” Mrs. Isabelle Stutzman often sent Nathaniel to her haus whenever Joshua was here. She concocted some excuse for Joshua to have to return home. It was a ploy to keep them apart.

  Nathaniel avoided looking at her. “I’ll wait on the porch.”

  “Would you like a glass of water or cup of coffee?”

  He didn’t answer right away. She guessed his mamm wouldn’t be happy if he succumbed to stepping inside and accepting her hospitality. “Joshua and Daed are having some and a bite to eat. Join them for a minute.” He’d talked to her before Catherine abandoned him, but now he would do his best to avoid any conversation with her. His mamm had a dominating demeanor, but she worked hard and took good care of her family.

  “I am thirsty. I’ll have to drink it fast.” He stepped inside, and they went to the kitchen and nodded at the two men.

  “I suppose Mamm sent you like she has many times.”

  Madeline sighed. Mrs. Stutzman couldn’t stand for him and Madeline to grow their relationship. She’d find any excuse to interrupt their free time together. Sending Nathaniel to deliver her message increased the tension between him and his bruder. Nathaniel had made it clear to Joshua he didn’t trust Madeline, and he didn’t like kumming to the Lehmans’ where he’d spent a lot of time with Catherine.

  Nathaniel nodded.

  Joshua patted his bruder’s arm. “In order to not disrespect my parents, we’ll leave.”

  Madeline passed Nathaniel the glass. She stood at the counter and observed the men. Nathaniel remained quiet. Her heart ached for him. His divided loyalty to family must be a constant battle.

  Nathaniel drank the water until it was gone. He handed her the glass. “Danki.”

  Joshua stood. “I’m sorry to cut our visit short. Enjoy the rest of your day.” He squeezed her hand.

  “I understand, Joshua.” Her daed waved.

  Nathaniel tipped his hat and followed Joshua outside.

  She waved, shut the door, and pressed a hand to her heart. Her life had changed today. She’d promised to wed Joshua. One day, God willing, they’d have kinner. Their family would grow. She’d pray and ask God to bring their families together. She glanced out the window. Dark clouds had gathered and the trees swayed. A storm was brewing.

  * * *

  Joshua followed Nathaniel’s wagon and headed home Once there, Nathaniel jumped out of his wagon and ran to open the barn doors wide.

  Joshua and Nathaniel separated their horses from the wagons and took them inside the barn. Silent, Joshua and his bruder fed the animals.

  “Nathaniel, may we have a word?”

  “There’s nothing more to say. You are determined to move forward in your relationship with Madeline, despite how I or our parents feel about the matter. Even if she isn’t like Catherine, we don’t want ties to her family. If Madeline is cut from the same cloth as Catherine, she’ll hurt you when you least expect it, like her schweschder did me.”

  “One day, I anticipate you’ll meet a woman and fall in love with her. In time, I pray your anguish over Catherine will diminish. Madeline’s not to blame for her schweschder’s betrayal of you. You’ve got to pray for God to give you the grace to forgive Catherine. Don’t let her destroy your life by carrying a grudge against her. It’s robbing you of the joy you used to have in life. I care about you. It hurts me to watch you suffer.”

  “I have prayed but, in all honesty, I know I’m holding onto the anger.” He took off his hat and raked a hand through his thick, dark brown hair, much like Joshua’s. “Joshua, please listen to me before it’s too late. Find someone else to marry.”

  “I’m in love with her, and I trust her. I won’t give her up because you and our parents won’t let go of the past.” He stepped closer to Nathaniel. “I asked her to marry me. I’ll schedule a date in June with the bishop tomorrow.”

  Nathaniel covered his face and shook his head. “How can you do this to us? You’re a foolish, selfish, and disloyal bruder. The tension in our family is about to increase because of you.” He bristled and walked out the door to the haus.

  Joshua sat on the three-legged milking stool with a thud. Listening to the rain pelt the roof, he held his head in his hands. He loved his family, but he didn’t understand them. He and Nathaniel had worked together in the fields and garden and constructing furniture. They’d tossed a ball, fished, and swum in the pond. They’d caught big bullfrogs and fixed frogs’ legs for supper, discussed serious matters, and hardly ever had a disagreement until Catherine upset their lives.

  He didn’t want to argue with his family over his decision to marry Madeline. They chose to wallow in their hurt and frustration over Catherine. He was moving forward with his life and with Madeline. He took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. “Mamm, Nathaniel said you needed something.”

  Her lips in a grim line, she shook her head. “No, I just thought you’d been over at Madeline’s long enough.”

  His bruder left the room.

  “Madeline and I have agreed to wed in June. I’ll tell you the date after I’ve scheduled it with the bishop tomorrow.”

  Mamm gasped and dropped the plate in her hands. The glass broke in pieces and scattered across the wooden floor. “You go to her and tell her you are not going to marry her. You have no assurance she won’t leave you one day. Your love has blinded you.”

  “You heard your mamm.” Daed stood ramrod straight and glared
at him.

  Joshua grabbed the trash bin and carefully picked up the broken pieces of glass and threw them away. “I love my family and Madeline. I choose both. Please understand. Catherine is gone from here. Madeline and her daed are brokenhearted and frustrated by her lack of compassion. They regret what she’s done to our family and to theirs. Please find a way to forgive and forget Catherine. Forgiveness is God’s way.”

  Nathaniel stormed into the room. “I’ve been listening to you, and your dismissal of our feelings sickens me. We’ll be forced to attend your wedding, share meals, and become a part of Madeline’s family if she becomes your fraa. And how do you know Madeline won’t follow in Catherine’s footsteps? No matter what you say, you don’t have any assurance she won’t.”

  “Your bruder’s right. You’re disgracing us. Fix this now!” His mamm knelt across from him. She paused from wiping up the rest of the broken plate.

  He thought smoke would escape their nostrils from the fire burning in their eyes. Their reactions didn’t surprise him, but their confrontation had put forth demands he wouldn’t obey. They hid their grudge against Madeline and her daed for Catherine’s faithlessness from the bishop and community by treating the Lehmans cordially in public.

  He admired Madeline and her daed, Levi Lehman, for their discretion in not speaking about his parents with anyone. He wished he could enlist the help of the bishop and their friends to talk sense into them. Bringing others into their disagreement could make their family breach worse. The risk was too great at present. “Madeline is my choice for a fraa. In time, my desire is that you will accept her too. She’s a faithful, loving, compassionate woman. In spite of your rejection of her, she wants to get to know you.”

  “I know all I want to about the Lehmans, and none of it is good,” his mamm said.

  Joshua walked outside to the workshop. Glad the rain had stopped, he noticed the dark clouds still loomed. Picking up his tools with one hand, he dragged over a wooden crate with the other. He carried the crate and wood he’d been saving to the wagon. Tomorrow, he’d start building his and Madeline’s new haus.

  He worked in the workshop crafting a maple chair. He finished two legs and went inside.

  Mamm gestured to a covered plate on the counter. “We finished supper. Yours is on the table.” She poured him a glass of water.

  “Danki, Mamm.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Please don’t be cross with me. I’m not making these choices to hurt you. I’m looking forward to my future with Madeline. Won’t you be happy for me?”

  “You foolish man. If one dochder has been raised with wild notions, the other one is sure to follow. Your disobedience will lead you to nothing but heartache. I’ve already stood by and watched one son’s heart get shattered by a Lehman woman, I don’t want to do the same with you. I want my sons to find good women to wed and enjoy a lifetime of happiness.” She left the room.

  Through the open doorway, he watched and listened to his daed and Nathaniel talking about the expansion of the new hardware store in town. Uncovering his food, he hung his head. The tension had been building for months. His family must’ve been holding out hope he’d change his mind. The line had been drawn, separating him from them with his decision to go against their wishes.

  * * *

  On Monday morning Joshua harnessed his horse to the buck wagon and went to Addie and Elijah Mast’s haus. Elijah would help him out. They’d been friends for years, and Elijah had never let him down. He scanned the rolling hills and farms with horses and cows grazing in green pastures along the way. Driving down the lane, he admired the freshly painted white haus and big barn. Elijah’s workshop wasn’t far from the pond. They hadn’t built furniture together in a while. He’d have to make time.

  Elijah quit hammering a nail in the crate he was putting together and met him at the hitching post. “Joshua, what a pleasant surprise.”

  He smiled. “I didn’t get to talk to you much Sunday. I was going to tell you my plan.” He gave his friend a sheepish grin. “After the church meal, I went to Madeline’s and asked her to marry me. She said jah.”

  “Congratulations!” He put a hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “Did your parents give their blessing? What about Nathaniel?”

  He didn’t want to tell him the bad news. He’d rather deliver the message his family was elated. His disappointment loomed over him. “My family is opposed to our plans. They are furious with me since I announced Madeline has accepted my proposal to marry. I’m anxious to build our new haus. I’d like to have it ready for us to move into after we wed. Would you mind helping me?”

  “I’d be happy to. I’ll ask our other friends to join us. I’m sorry your parents are still not accepting Madeline. Are you prepared to face a future of resentment about your decision from your family?”

  “I’m moving forward with our plans regardless of their disapproval.”

  “I respect your decision. They are wrong about her. They do treat her and Mr. Stutzman just kindly enough in public for our friends not to notice.”

  “Madeline does her best to win them over with baked goods and trying to talk to them. They are polite but walk away from her as soon as they can find someone else to speak to. She doesn’t complain and smiles and keeps being pleasant to them. There’s nothing more she or I can do to convince them.”

  “Whatever you need, Addie and I are here for you. I’ve got news too.”

  “What?” Joshua hoped it was good news.

  “Addie’s with child!”

  Joshua’s eyes brightened. “I’m thrilled for you both.”

  Elijah’s smile turned serious. “I’m worried. She’s been sick each morning.” His friend’s broad shoulders slumped, and his dark blue eyes saddened.

  “I’ve overheard Mamm talk about women with child having difficulty keeping food in their stomachs while they are carrying the child. She’s probably fine.”

  “We’ve waited three years. She isn’t keeping food down, and she’s had bleeding.”

  This revelation was a different story. Men didn’t usually talk about such things, but he and Elijah were close. Now he was concerned. “Has she gone to Dr. Livingston?”

  “Jah, he told her the amount of blood wasn’t enough to worry about. He said to take it easy and no heavy lifting.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “No. Both sets of our parents are taking over her responsibilities.” He chuckled. “A little too much.”

  Joshua laughed with him. “Parents mean well, but they can be overbearing.”

  Addie joined them. “You haven’t been to visit for a while, Joshua. I suspect a pretty lady named Madeline is the reason.” She winked.

  “Your best friend is part of the reason. The other is helping my family on the property, and I’m getting ready to build a haus.” He smiled. “Elijah told me you’re going to have a new addition to the family. Oh, Addie, I’m happy for you.”

  Her cheeks dimpled. “We’re overjoyed!” She gave him a mischievous grin. “A haus for whom?” Addie bounced on her toes.

  “I asked Madeline to marry me, and I’m going to the bishop’s place next to schedule the date sometime in June.”

  ” Wonderful news! I’ll help Madeline with the meal planning. We’ll have to let the women know what to bring. This will be fun!”

  Joshua loved the Masts. They loved kinner, and he prayed they would have a houseful. Both of them had expressed wanting them. They’d been good to him and Madeline, even through Catherine’s leaving, when the gossip was the main topic of conversation in their community. The couple had lifted his mood, and the excitement of a life with Madeline brought a smile back to his face.

  “Addie, may I tell Madeline you’re with child, or do you want to tell her? I know the two of you are close, and I don’t want to impose.”

  “You can share our news with her. My parents and in-laws are spreading the news. I want her to find out before our other friends do. We’ll both have joyous occasions to look forward to thi
s year.”

  Joshua couldn’t wait to talk to Madeline about the Masts’ having a boppli. She’d drag out her knitting needles and yarn the minute he told her, to make something for the little one. He hoped she’d stitch her dress first. She would rather have had her mamm stitch the dress. Too bad his mamm wouldn’t offer to lend a hand. He pushed the problem out of his mind. He would bask in the thrill of Madeline saying jah to his marriage proposal and to Elijah and Addie’s boppli announcement.

  The Masts’ built their haus with extra rooms, expecting to have them filled with kinner by now. He prayed this boppli would be healthy and the first of many for Addie and Elijah. He loved kinner and looked forward to them one day. Girls or boys, it didn’t matter to him. Madeline spoke about wanting a boppli, but they hadn’t discussed how many. He’d have to ask her. “If there is anything you need, you don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “I would love a cradle.”

  Elijah squeezed her shoulders. “Joshua is in a hurry to build his and Madeline’s haus before the wedding. As soon as it’s finished, I’ll build you a cradle.”

  She pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Danki. Joshua, would you like to kumme in? Are you hungry?”

  “I’d love to stay, but I’m anxious to speak with Bishop Kauffman.”

  Elijah said, “I understand. Let us know what date you settle on. We’ll look forward to it. I’ll head over to your property early tomorrow morning to get started. I’ve got some wood I can load and haul over there for you.”

  “Appreciate it, Elijah. Danki. I should be there around seven.”

  He bid them farewell and left. He wondered who Elijah and Addie’s boppli would resemble. Elijah had dark hair, a stout build, and solid, rock-hard arms and legs. Addie was short, round, and had beautiful honey-blond hair and hazel eyes. He’d consider himself Uncle Joshua to the child. He’d spoil him or her while he waited until he and Madeline were blessed with a boppli.