Unexpected Love: An Amish Romance, page 1
Contents
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Also By
About
Unexpected Love
An Amish Romance
by Belle Astor
Version 1.0.2(Oct 2020)
Published By Belle Astor
Copyright 2020 by Belle Astor. All rights reserved.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Prologue
“Okay. Okay. I get it. She knows too much. I’ll get rid of her…I’ve got to go,” he said, hanging up the phone.
Something distracted him.
“What was that sound?” the dark haired man asked turning around. He heard the apartment door open and as he ran to it, he watched the woman run away. She turned to look back and their eyes met. Turning away, she ran towards for the elevator.
“Go get her,” he said. His men, who seemingly came out of nowhere, ran after her.
He saw the frightened look in her eyes and shook his head.
“Blast,” he said. He wasn’t going to be able to help her now.
The frightened woman had taken the flight of stairs but all too soon, she could hear footsteps rushing towards her. Her heart froze. She stopped and looked back up but she shivered as she heard the door to the stairwell open and bang close. They were closing in on her.
“Noooo,” she screamed. “I heard nothing.”
“Can’t take the risk, Miss,” one goon said as they grabbed her.
She couldn’t fight them off.
“You go see if the coast is clear,” the one holding her called out.
She tried to break away. She wasn’t going to go quietly. Her kicking and screaming only seemed to make the man laugh. Her efforts had no effect on him. He moved her into the carpark. Something made the man step back. Someone else must be there. She screamed out but in her panic, all she could hear were footsteps running away from her.
“No-one’s coming to help you,” the man said and something in her made her stop fighting. “That’s a good girl,” he said as a car stopped in front of them and she was bundled into the trunk.
“We’ve got her,” the man said as the dark haired man came to the doorway to ensure all was safe.
“Make sure this doesn’t come back on me,” he said.
The men nodded. “It will look like an unfortunate accident,” the driver said.
He watched the car drive away. Turning on his heel, he fixed his bow-tie. 2What a waste,” he whispered to himself. He had a function to attend.
The following day, the sharply dressed man stood at the window as he recalled the events of the evening before. His cell phone rang. It was a blocked number.
“Has she been taken care of?” the man in the immaculate suit asked without any greeting.
“Yes. No one will suspect a thing. It looks like an accident. We promised you that.”
The man at the other end of the phone hung up.
“What have I done?” He sighed as he asked himself, placing his phone in his pocket.
He turned away from the window and looked at the photograph on his desk and taking it in his hand, he put his finger on the woman’s face and mouthed “I’m sorry. If only you hadn’t started snooping.” He shook his head.
The intercom buzzed, pulling him back into the moment. He answered the buzzer.
“Mr. Bates is here for his meeting.”
“Thank you Cindy. Send him in.”
He gathered himself as Mr. Bates entered the office and the well-dressed man returned to his usual affable self to greet his guest.
“Ah, Mr. Bates. I’ve heard a great deal about you? It’s great that you found time to meet me…”
Chapter One
“Sara, we’ll be late!” Samuel Lapp called out his daughter who was somewhere in the barn. He sat in the buggy, ready to go into Whispering Harbor to deliver supplies. He tutted to himself. Sara was a daydreamer and no doubt was talking to cows. He couldn’t help but smile. There was joy in Sara and he was thankful for that.
“Coming, Daed!”, Sara called out as she skipped along towards the buggy.
“Oops,” she called out as her feet went from under her.
“Sara! Don’t skip when it’s been snowing,” he said, jumping out to gather his daughter. “What delayed you this time?” he said as Sara wrapped her arms around him.
“Betsy was grumbling,” Sara said.
“There was probably one of her four stomachs rumbling!”
“Maybe,” Sara chuckled.
“Can you drop me at the library please?” Sara asked as Samuel settled her on the bench and tucked a blanket around her. He didn’t make eye contact but he knew she was making her pleading eyes. He couldn’t say no to her. The chatter in the community was that he gave Sara way too much freedom as it was and Samuel was aware of the Amish ways but Sara had lost her mother so young, how could he ever deny her anything that gave her joy?
“Sara, you know we shouldn’t delay. We’ll see,” he said as he turned away and walked to the horses in front. He checked their harnesses were okay and then he got into the buggy.
Sara was quiet. She wanted to look up cow ailments. Being a curious child, she had an active mind that was a little out of sync with that which was required of a young Amish girl. Sara had overheard the comments people made to her father but it was their lives. If he had no issue with her reading Englisch books and newspapers then it shouldn’t matter to anyone else.
Then something caught Sara’s eye.
“What is that over there, Daed?” Sara called out to Samuel.
The overnight snow had settled and they were the only ones on this stretch of road judging by the untouched snow.
“I don’t know, Sara. It could be an animal.”
There was something not right about the bundle in the ditch and the closer they got to it, Samuel realized it was a body.
“Sara, don’t look,” he said bringing the horses to a halt and jumping from the buggy. The bundle felt very cold and only for Sara’s observant eyes, they would have driven past it as it was almost covered in snow. Kneeling down and taking off his gloves, Samuel began to wipe the falling snow off the bundle and fell back in shock.
“It’s a woman!” he yelled out. “Quickly, Sara, give me some blankets from the back.”
He wiped the snow off the badly beaten face. He could see it was a woman, but she was in such a flimsy dress. He wasn’t even sure she was alive, but he had to do something.
“Jah, Daed. Is the person dead?”
Sara couldn’t take her off the body lying before her as she handed over the blankets.
“I don’t think so, but she’s frozen. We’ll have to get her warm.”
He lifted the woman to wrap the blankets around her. She felt very light, but she moaned out in pain.
“Danke, Gott. She’s still alive, Sara. Quick, let’s get her home.”
He ran to his buggy and put the frozen woman between him and Sara. Body heat would help, he told himself, but it wasn’t far from his home in any case as he turned the horse and buggy back towards home.
“Will she die, Daed?”
“I hope not but we’ll take care of her. It is Gott's wille that we found this Englisch woman. When we get home, I want you to call on Annie to come to help us. She’ll know what to do.”
He had the horse going as fast as was safe in the hazardous conditions.
“Why not just bring her to Annie’s, Daed? That would be more efficient.”
He smiled at Sara. So young but yet so astute.
“Jah. I’ll do that.”
Annie was Samuel’s sister and the one to call whenever anyone needed medical attention. She used herbs from her garden to create lotions and potions and always had a way to cure ailments.
Sara eyed the body between them. She was ten years old and yet behaved with a maturity beyond her years.
“Daed, why do you think she was there? Why would an Englischer be out here? Like that.”
“I don’t know, Sara. We’ll ask her when she wakes up. I’m sure someone’s looking for her.”
Sara was Samuel’s little side kick. Ever since her mother passed when she was four, her world consisted of her and Samuel. Samuel had worked hard not to make her a mini woman, but she was different than other children. Sara was like someone who had lived before. Childishness and silly playing were not for her. After all, she had known the loss of her mother and knew the world wasn’t always happy. However, she was a curious girl. That was something of concern to Samuel because being Amish, after a certain age, curiosity was to be left behind but for now, she could be curious.
“Here we are.”
As he stopped outside Annie’s house, Samuel quickly picked the woman up. She was still very cold.<
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“Run along, Sara, open the door,” he said.
Sara ran with care to the porch and knocked as she opened in the door.
“Bruder, vie gehts?” Annie asked as her eyes fell on the bundle in his arms.
Samuel rushed to gently place the woman on the chair closest to the fire.
“I found her in the ditch. She’s frozen.”
He began to rub the woman’s arms to try to get some heat into her.
“Nee, that won’t do. I’ll put her in a bath. There’s some water boiling already. It’s laundry day, so I was getting ready to wash. Bring the bathtub.”
Annie directed Samuel to bring the bathtub by the fire and to start filling it. Not wanting to scald the woman, Annie cooled the water and with Samuel’s help, they unwrapped the woman, gently lowering her into the water.
“Samuel, you go now. You do what you need to do. I will look after her and her wounds.”
Samuel knew the stranger was in good hands and he and Sara left although Sara wanted to stay. She wanted to know more about this mysterious woman. She had seen the injuries despite Samuel’s efforts to keep them covered.
“You poor woman. Who did this to you? Thank Gott we found you,” Annie said gently pressed a cloth to the woman’s face.
Annie gently cleaned the wounds. The woman was beginning to stir as she was warming up, and as she opened her eyes, she screamed out. Annie knelt back.
“I mean you no harm. My brother found you in the ditch. We are helping you.”
Annie said, but the woman looked so afraid.
“My name is Annie. What is your name?” The woman opened her mouth, but her throat was very dry and with a raspy voice said,
“My name is…my name is… I don’t know what my name is!” the woman cried out.
The Englisch woman became hysterical.
“Shush, there, there. It’s okay. You must have got a bang to your head. You’re safe now. We’ll take care of you. You were frozen in the ditch, and I’m just trying to warm you up so you don’t catch your death. Just relax. We’ll figure you out in a bit, but I want to clean your injuries.”
Annie’s soothing manner calmed the woman down. The stranger looked at the woman gently washing her cuts, why was she wearing a strange bonnet and an apron? Was she in some institution? How could she know some words and not her own name? As she looked down at her body, she wondered what she was wearing herself, a flimsy slip type dress. What was this strange bath doing in the kitchen?
“Now, I just want to you soak a little longer, and I’m going to make you some chicken noodle soup. It’ll warm you up on the inside. Just relax. You are safe.”
Annie poured some hot water into the bath to keep it warm.
“I’m safe.”
The woman kept repeating it as she looked at the fire that was beside her. The dancing flames catching her eyes. The heat of the flames warmed her cheeks.
Annie watched the woman. In all her years, she had never come across such a sight. The woman’s face was swollen from beatings, her arms and legs black and blue. That took a lot of anger. Some men just couldn’t control their tempers and yet men, like Samuel, good men, had their wives taken from them. Life wasn’t fair but Annie knew it wasn’t her place to decide such things. That was Gott’s wille and he had a reason for bringing this woman into their fold, so they would take care of her.
Annie left her the woman alone. It wasn’t long until she had warmed up some soup and took it through to the woman. Her face was a little more relaxed.
“Now, try some of this,” Annie said as she brought the spoon to the woman’s mouth. Without a word, the woman opened her mouth.
“Oh my, that’s delicious!”
Annie smiled and continued to feed the woman. It was strange, lying in a bath, drinking soup and all taking place beside a solid-fuel fire.
The woman’s head rested against the tin tub. She yawned.
“The fire will do that to you,” Annie said. “Now let’s get you dry. I’ve a nightdress for you to wear, and you can go to bed. I’ll need to put something some on your cuts, but you’ll live.”
Annie was tender in her touches, and the woman smiled.
“Thank you, Annie.”
“Gott has brought you into our care and gut thing too. You could easily have gone unnoticed in this weather. Now let’s put you into bed.”
As Annie wrapped the woman in fresh blankets to keep her warm and put her arm around her, the woman had a memory flash of being a little girl with her mother carrying to bed after a bed. It was a warm and pleasant memory. Annie’s maternal side coming through despite not having any children of her own.
“Here we go. You sleep for as long as you need. I’ll be downstairs so just call when you need me.”
Annie tucked her patient in and closed the curtains. The woman was asleep before Annie even left the room.
Chapter Two
“Daed, will we see that woman this evening?”
Sara hadn’t wanted to leave Annie’s house. She knew that Annie’s would be far more exciting that shopping for materials with her father. She wanted to study the woman and be like the detectives she had only read about in her stories.
“Jah, Sara, we will. We’ll need to give Annie a break. I’m not sure how Abram will react to an Englischer being in his home.”
The two of them giggled for they knew that Annie’s husband Abram was particularly fussy about who visited, and Englischers were definitely not on that list. Katie, Sara’s mother, used to say that an Englisch girl had broken his heart when on Rumspringa.
“Before we go into the store, I think it's best if we do not say anything about the woman we found.”
Samuel winked at Sara. She liked when she was privy to information that others didn’t have. It made her feel special. Holding her papa’s hand, Sara stayed by his side while Samuel picked up his supplies. He had a new commission and was anxious to get started on it. When he was finished, Sara begged him to get some cakes to bring to Annie’s from Lehman’s bakery.
“Oh, Daed, may I go to the library? You have a kaffe while you wait for me. I’ll choose the cakes!”
He knew that Sara was up to something. Sara had noticed how Hannah Lehman, the coffee shop owner, gave her father extra attention, and she wanted him to find love again. Sara liked Hannah because she was always nice to her whether or not Samuel was with her. However, today she had an ulterior motive, she wanted to look through the newspapers to see if there was any mention of a missing woman. Someone couldn’t just up and disappear without being noticed, Sara figured.
Smiling as she waved at Samuel, who was being served by Hannah, Sara ran to the library. She knew she wasn’t supposed to look at the newspapers or even be interested in anything Englisch but how else was she going to discover who the strange lady was. It was a good time as the library was relatively empty and Sara began to scan the paper. Nothing. Well, there was a woman missing, but she was 87 and the woman didn’t look that old to Sara.
“Perhaps it’s too soon, I’ll come back tomorrow.” She muttered to herself.
Sara was going to figure out who the woman was. Just like in her sleuthing books. She now had a real mystery to solve.
Samuel had taken to reading to Sara after her mother passed. It was his way of giving her peace and an escape from her loss. She was hooked on mystery stories. The was a reason for everything, no clue could be overlooked even if it was a red-herring. Sara had continued to read all sorts of mystery books until the day finally arrived that she had read all of them in the library. It was such an odd choice of reading material for an Amish girl, but the librarian would put in special orders for book swaps with other libraries so Sara would have a fresh supply. Sara was a very likable and courteous little girl.
However, having the know-how of how to solve a crime was all very well and good but Sara had longed for some adventure, some real-life mystery to solve and now her prayers had been answered. Sara went to Lehman’s coffee shop. Her father was looking out the window. He seemed to be far away.
“Daed, I’m ready to go now,” Sara said to her father tapping him on the shoulder.
He was oblivious to Hannah, who was smiling at him as he stood up to leave.
