The Mysterious Amish Bachelor, page 1
“Are you looking forward to work tomorrow?”
“I am, actually. Working, having a gut job, earning an income—those are things not to be taken for granted.”
When he didn’t explain any further, Sarah said, “You’re a bit mysterious. You know that. Right?”
Noah shrugged. “There’s no use explaining what others can’t possibly understand.”
“How do you know until you try?”
His voice dropped, and he said, “I know.”
He sat forward, elbows propped on his legs, fingers interlaced, studying his hands for a moment. “People think they want their questions answered, but they don’t. They basically feel left out when they don’t know something, even if that something is none of their business.”
Sarah felt the first stirrings of irritation. “Maybe they simply want to help.”
“Maybe. Or it could be they’re bored with their own lives.”
“That’s a bit unkind.” Even as she said it, she thought of the conversation she’d overheard. Did those two women want to help Noah? Or were they just bored with their own lives?
“I didn’t mean it that way.” He stood and stretched. “I should be getting back.”
Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines and received over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her first novel, A Simple Amish Christmas, quickly became a bestseller. Chapman lives in Texas Hill Country with her husband.
Books by Vannetta Chapman
Love Inspired
Indiana Amish Market
An Amish Proposal for Christmas
Her Amish Adversary
An Unusual Amish Winter Match
The Mysterious Amish Bachelor
Indiana Amish Brides
A Widow’s Hope
Amish Christmas Memories
A Perfect Amish Match
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker
An Unlikely Amish Match
The Amish Christmas Secret
An Amish Winter
“Stranded in the Snow”
The Baby Next Door
An Amish Baby for Christmas
The Amish Twins Next Door
Visit the Author Profile page at LoveInspired.com for more titles.
The Mysterious Amish Bachelor
Vannetta Chapman
Love one another.
—John 13:34
This book is dedicated to my grandmother
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from Their Unlikely Amish Courtship by Cathy Liggett
Chapter One
May 1
Shipshewana, Indiana
Sarah Yoder moved the chicken casserole to the side on the oven rack, slipped the pan of biscuits in beside it, shut the oven door and turned to stare out the kitchen window.
“He’s here,” Eunice groaned.
“It won’t be so bad.”
“Oh, you think so? Last week Dat insisted that I take some important papers over to Jesse Hochstetler.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah. He’s tried to match each of us with that poor man.”
Sarah gave Eunice a quick hug. “When you’re as old as I am, he stops trying.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”
“Exactly.”
They both turned to peer out the window at Noah Beiler. He was average height, average build, average Amish. Sarah realized that was an uncharitable thought. He was, no doubt, a perfectly nice guy.
Eunice sighed as if the evening were a heavy shawl lying across her shoulders. “Didn’t you go to school with him?”
“I did, but that was a long time ago.”
“Looks like they’re going to sit on the porch for a spell.”
“Mind taking out two glasses of tea?”
Eunice rolled her eyes, but she reached for the glasses Sarah had prepared. The ice was from the trays they kept in the freezer. It wasn’t as if they had an ice maker. They were Amish. They believed in living Plain. No electricity. No automobiles. No wireless internet.
The tea had been brewed in the sun.
“Might as well get this over with. Do I have any grease on my face?”
“Nope. You look remarkably grease-free at the moment.”
Which caused them both to laugh. Eunice did usually have dirt or oil or grease on her face. She was a tinkerer. She was happiest when working in the barn or the pastures or even the garden, and Sarah loved her dearly for it.
They were an especially close family, maybe because their mamm had died when her youngest sister, Ada, was only a babe. As the oldest, Sarah had helped to guide her four schweschdern through childhood, teen years and into young adulthood.
One of them was usually dating, but never anything serious. It seemed—even to Sarah—as if they were content to live at home, to be with their family.
Just when it looked as if their dat would grow old at home with all of his doschdern unmarried, three of their schweschdern had married in the last few years. They’d also added two bopplin to the family, both born before Christmas the year before. It was hard to believe her nieces were now seventeen months old and walking!
There were days when Sarah thought she couldn’t imagine being happier than she was now.
Then there were days when loneliness threatened to overwhelm her.
She couldn’t explain why her emotions careened from one extreme to the other, but she’d learned to wait it out, to trust in Gotte’s plan for her life, to stay focused on the present moment. It wasn’t always easy, especially when her dat had a matchmaking plan in his back pocket. Sarah could only hope that Noah Beiler was there to meet Eunice because she was personally not feeling up to any dating games.
She heard Eunice speak to their visitor, then tell them dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes.
Eunice walked back into the room, smiling and shaking her head. “I think this one’s for you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because Dat didn’t spend any time explaining about my inventions. And he was talking up your cooking.”
Now it was Sarah’s turn to groan.
“You are a pretty gut cook.”
“I’ve had lots of experience.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Toss the salad?”
“Sure thing.”
Twenty minutes later, the four of them were seated at the table. They bowed their heads for a silent prayer, Amos gave a hearty, “Amen,” and they began passing dishes. Sarah tried to be inconspicuous about studying Noah. He was better looking than she remembered, with a strong jawline and kind eyes. He caught her staring, smiled in an embarrassed way, then passed the salad to Eunice.
“You went to school with Sarah, ya?” Amos dug into the chicken casserole with gusto. He’d had some health challenges in recent years, and Sarah was relieved to see his vigorous appetite.
“Ya. It’s been quite a few years though, right, Sarah?”
“It has. I seem to remember you playing marbles a lot.”
Noah laughed and nodded his head. “Something our teacher did not abide very well.”
“Could have been worse. Could have been frogs or snakes.”
“I must have had a different teacher than you two.” Eunice buttered her biscuit, studying it as if she could see the past there. Popping a bite in her mouth, she chewed and then said, “You would never have dared to play marbles or have frogs or snakes with Beth Bender. That woman was serious about education.”
“Are your other doschdern still in the area, Amos?”
“Oh, ya. Indeed, they are. Becca and Gideon live in the new house across from the barn. You passed it as you drove in. They would have joined us but Gideon was working late on some incoming auction items.”
“Becca thinks that Mary is teething again,” Sarah added. “Their boppli is seventeen months old, and she is quite the handful. We adore both her and Lydia, Bethany’s child. They were born only hours apart.”
“Those were busy times—frightening times if I’m honest. There were problems with both pregnancies.” Amos stared across the room as if he could see the entire family gathered in the waiting room of the hospital—worried, scared, praying. Finally, he shook his head and returned to the present moment. “Bethany married Aaron King, who you’ll meet sometime this week at the market. As Sarah mentioned, they also have a boppli, named Lydia. Then Ada surprised us all by marrying Aaron’s bruder, Ethan.”
“Your family is going through a busy time.” Noah’s v
“What about your family, Noah?” Sarah told herself she wasn’t being nosy. She was genuinely interested. It seemed that Noah had dropped off the radar quite a few years ago. Had it been five years? More? He had moved out of the area and left his parents to run the farm alone. It was all coming back to her now. No one ever said where he’d gone or why.
“My parents are gut. Dat’s still running things on the farm and only needs help for planting and harvesting. Which is why I have the time to work at the market.”
“Definitely a blessing for me,” Amos added. “There are a lot of things I hope to get done over the next few months.”
It amazed Sarah how much was involved with running the Shipshewana Outdoor Market—the largest market in the Midwest. The largest Amish owned and operated market in Indiana. Her dat had first worked as an auctioneer, then risen to assistant manager, general manager and finally owner. He definitely needed a lot of help to keep the market running according to his standards.
He was careful about whom he hired—always looking for the most qualified and dependable person. On the other hand, he would occasionally hire someone who was down on their luck.
So which was Noah?
An answer to one of her dat’s prayers?
Or someone that he was trying to offer a helping hand?
And if it was the second of those, why did Noah Beiler, a seemingly able-bodied man, need her dat’s help?
Sarah was surprised that Noah was still there when she and Eunice had finished cleaning the kitchen.
“I’m going to the barn,” Eunice whispered.
“Don’t leave me here alone with them. It’s...awkward.”
“Sorry, sis. But my being in the room won’t help that one bit.”
She ducked out the back door, shutting it silently behind her. At that moment, Sarah would have been happy to go to the barn and work on a solar pump or a cranky old generator. She wasn’t mechanically minded like Eunice, but she could hand her a tool or brush a horse.
Still, as the woman of the house, her responsibilities lay in the sitting room. She squared her shoulders, poured coffee into three mugs, placed applesauce cookies on a plate, added three napkins, a crock of sugar and a small pitcher of milk, and picked up the tray. Perhaps Noah would eat so many cookies he’d become sleepy and decide to go home.
He didn’t.
He ate one cookie, and he seemed content to stay and visit with her dat.
“You mentioned renovation projects, but you weren’t specific. What did you have in mind?”
“The bathrooms need updating. New paint. New tile. New fixtures.”
“Easy enough.”
“I’d also like you to look at the canteen. It’s a favorite among tourists and employees alike, but even I can see that it needs a fresh look.”
“I’m happy to do that.”
“There are other projects that I’ve been putting off...certainly enough to keep you busy through the summer. We’ll also assign a few part-timers to your work crew.”
“Sounds great, Amos. Danki.”
“Don’t thank me. You’ll be the one doing the work.”
Sarah figured she might as well ply Noah for information if she was going to spend her evening hearing about projects at the market. “So you have experience in construction?”
“Not construction as much as remodeling.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Ya. For sure and certain there is.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she tried again. “What kind of jobs have you done before?”
He met her gaze, didn’t blink or look uncomfortable in any way. “This and that.”
“I checked his references, Sarah. No need to worry.” Amos laughed heartily.
Sarah simply smiled. It had been obvious to her that Noah was quite vague with his answers. What was that about? Perhaps she should be less circumspect. Get off the subject of work and ask more general questions. “Where did you live the years you were gone?”
“Here and there.”
“Do those places have a name?”
“Illinois—mainly.”
“Ah.”
So not so far away. Then why hadn’t he been home? At least she couldn’t remember him coming to visit his parents. Theirs was a large church community, so it was possible that he had and she hadn’t noticed.
Amos told a few stories about the market. He described Ada becoming an Amish animal activist, then falling in love with Ethan. He explained about Bethany and Aaron working together in the RV park that was adjacent to the market. “They fell in lieb as well.”
At this point, Noah was staring at his feet, and Sarah wanted to melt into the rocking chair.
“Then there was Becca and Gideon. He’ll tell you their story, but suffice to say it was firecrackers before it was love.”
Noah nodded as if that made sense.
“You never know what might happen when you come to work at the market. You, too, could find yourself marrying before the year’s out.”
“Oh, I don’t expect that’s in my immediate future.” Noah popped up off the couch, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. “Thank you for having me over, Amos. I look forward to working with you.”
Sarah and Amos stood as well.
“And thank you, Sarah, for the fine meal.”
“We’re happy you could join us.”
“You’re welcome any time,” Amos added. “We usually have a busy, bustling house. It isn’t often that you’ll have an evening here this quiet. Perhaps you could eat with us the next off-Sunday. And bring your parents, of course.”
“Danki. I’ll pass the invitation along to them.”
“I have some reading to do before bed. Sarah, would you mind seeing Noah out?”
See him out? The door was eight feet from the couch.
“I’d be happy to.”
They walked out onto the porch together, the screen door slapping shut behind them. Sarah heard her dat whistling as he made his way to his room. The sun had set but a soft light lingered, and she could make out their horses in the pasture. The crops in the field. Becca’s house with lantern light shining from her boppli’s room.
Eunice remained in the barn, tinkering, no doubt having forgotten all about them.
Their farm, though it wasn’t large, was home.
It was all Sarah had ever known.
She couldn’t imagine living somewhere else. She couldn’t begin to fathom anything that would require her to leave for years and not at least return for a visit. She certainly couldn’t think of a single valid reason for Noah’s prolonged absence.
What kind of person did that to their parents?
What kind of son ignored the needs of his family?
Not that it was any of her business. She was a naturally inquisitive person, but she tried to curb that tendency.
The evening had been embarrassing, and the man standing beside her had done nothing to deserve being put on the spot. Never one to let a thing go unsaid, she turned to Noah to offer an apology for her dat’s obvious attempt to set them up.
* * *
Noah started speaking at the same time as Sarah.
“You go ahead,” she said.
“Nein. You. I didn’t mean to...interrupt.”
They had walked to his buggy, or rather, his parents’ buggy. The horse seemed content, cropping at the new grass that was close enough to reach. It was a chestnut mare, and Sarah put her hand on its neck. It seemed to Noah that she was avoiding looking at him, but then he could have been imagining that. When you spent five years locked in a concrete block with thousands of other men, you learned to watch every visual tick, every small change in another person’s expression.
“I wanted to apologize for my dat’s behavior.”
“Amos?” Noah removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair, which was too long. Why hadn’t he taken the time to have it cut? He’d be examined closely enough without trying to bring attention to himself. “Amos is a gut guy. I appreciate him hiring me.”
“Why did he hire you?” She turned and looked at him squarely now.
