A Place of Peace (30 page)

Lilly clasped her hands together and made a soft shrieking noise in her throat. “I feel like I’ve waited a lifetime for this.”

“It’s worth the wait.” Miriam carried the dirty plates and cups into the kitchen and dropped them into the large trash bag by the door.

A group of women cleaned up the kitchen while talking about friends and family members. Miriam grabbed a wet rag and traipsed out into the living room to begin wiping down the tables. She glanced across the room and found Lilly and Zach talking in the corner. She smiled and continued her task.

“Miriam,” Zach called. “Come here and tell your sister how well I cook. She doesn’t believe me.”

Chuckling, Miriam joined the couple.

Timothy followed Naomi up the porch steps to the front door of Abraham Lapp’s house. While he was happy Miriam had joined the church today, he wasn’t convinced it was appropriate for him to be here sharing this personal time with her. Considering how he still cared for her, he was worried his presence might make her uncomfortable —especially in front of her boyfriend.

Dread filled him at the thought of having to witness Miriam and Zach together. He wondered if Zach knew how blessed he was to have Miriam.

Timothy stepped into the living room behind Naomi. He nodded greetings to familiar faces as they made their way through the knot of people toward a small group back toward the door leading to the kitchen.

His abdomen tightened when his eyes focused on Lilly, Zach, and Miriam. The three were laughing and talking, and his stomach roiled when Miriam reached out and patted Zach’s bicep.

Couldn’t she save the touching for a private location?

“Hi,” Naomi rushed over and hugged Lilly. She then turned to Miriam. “Welcome to the church. I’m sorry we couldn’t be here to see your baptism. We had some obligations to fulfill in our district.”

“Danki
for coming.” Miriam met Timothy’s gaze, and her expression became … anxious? ”
Gut
to see you, Timothy.”

“I was
froh
to hear the news,” Timothy said, shifting his weight on his feet. “Beth Anne mentioned today was the day, and then Naomi invited me to come. I’m glad to be here.”

Miriam nodded, her gorgeous brown eyes sparkling. She looked radiant, as usual.

“Gut
to see you, Timothy.” Zach held his hand out.

“You too.” Timothy hesitated and then shook the man’s hand.

Jealousy is a sin.

And why should Timothy be jealous? He was marrying Naomi, a woman who loved him. Devotion shone in her eyes and on her face. Timothy was a fool to pine for Miriam.

His sister Sarah Rose’s words from the past echoed in his mind—
You can’t help whom you love.

Ya,
he loved Miriam, but she was with Zach while he was with Naomi.

“Would you like something to drink?” Lilly offered. “Maybe a snack? We have plenty of desserts left. I think we went a bit overboard with the food.”

Timothy shrugged. “Sure.
Danki.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Naomi said.

Lilly and Naomi chattered away while they headed to the kitchen.

Timothy cleared his throat and faced Miriam and Zach.

This couldn’t get any more awkward …

Looking between the two of them, Timothy wondered why he had come. “How’s your
daed?”
he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“Gut.”
She gestured toward the stairs. “He’s taking a nap. Today was a lot of excitement for him. Lilly checked on him earlier, and he was doing just fine.”

“That’s
wunderbaar.”
He scanned the room and found a few familiar faces. He wondered if Beth Anne was still there since she’d mentioned she was going to come. “Did my sister come by? She told me she was going to visit.”

“Ya.
She left already.” Miriam smiled, and his heart thumped. “I was really
froh
to see her. She’s a
gut
friend.”

He nodded and looked at Zach. “How’s business?”

“I don’t mean to brag, but it’s booming,” he said with a grin. “I got an order for fifty saddles from a couple of
English
horse farmers the other day. I was really thankful. For a while, things had slowed down, but I may need to hire a helper now. How’s the furniture shop?”

“The same,” Timothy said. “We’ve been so busy my
dat
hired another carpenter. We can’t seem to get caught up. The orders just keep coming.”

“That’s gut.” Zach nodded toward a long table in the corner. “Why don’t you two have a seat? I’ll go give Lilly and Naomi a hand.”

Miriam shot Zach a shocked expression, and he shrugged in response before heading toward the kitchen.

She then met Timothy’s gaze. “Shall we have a seat?”

He followed her to the table and sank onto the bench across from her. He studied her eyes, wishing he knew what she was feeling toward him. She seemed very uneasy. He hoped his presence didn’t make her that way. He remembered the days when they could say anything to each other. He missed those times so much that his heart ached.

“Naomi came to visit a couple of weeks ago,” she said, lacing her fingers together. “She brought us a basket of breads. It was very nice.”

“Ya,
she told me.” He rubbed his chin and then rested his arms on the table. “I was glad to hear she came out to see you.” He knew lying was a sin, but he couldn’t admit the truth to Miriam. He’d not been happy when he heard she’d come to the house and Miriam was there. He hoped she hadn’t spoken about the wedding the whole time.

“She mentioned how excited she is about your upcoming wedding,” Miriam said, a frown stealing her soft expression.

Timothy swallowed a groan. Naomi had done exactly what he’d feared.

“I’m
froh
for you,” she said, but her eyes betrayed her words.

“Danki,”
he said, his voice sounding soft despite the neighboring conversations whirling around them.

Their eyes locked, and he could’ve sworn he saw tears in those deep pools of chocolate beneath her long, gorgeous lashes. But why would she cry over him? Their love was in the past. Right?

She studied him, her gaze unmoving and her expression intense. His breath was ragged as memories of their time together assaulted his mind. He longed to reach for her, take her in his arms, and tell her he still loved her.

But he’d made a promise to Naomi, and Miriam was courting Zach.

Their time was gone. It was lost in the past.

However, he had a hunch that similar thoughts were floating through Miriam’s mind. Her expression seemed to mirror the regret seeping into his soul.

“I hope you still like chocolate chip cookies,” Naomi said, snapping him back to the present. “There’s a mountain of them in the kitchen.” She placed a plate of cookies in front of him. “I got you some ice water too.”

“Danki,”
he said, grabbing a cookie from the plate. “They smell
appeditlich.”

Zach sat next to Miriam with Lilly at his other side. “These cookies are
wunderbaar.
Did you make them, Miriam?”

“I think so. We had a lot of people bring food, so there’s no way to be sure.” Miriam sipped her water.

Naomi slipped onto the seat next to Timothy and touched his arm before grabbing a couple of cookies.

Timothy tried to keep his eyes off Miriam while everyone chatted around him. Yet his eyes were drawn to her as if her face held an invisible magnetic force only he sensed. A few times, she met his gaze and blessed him with a shy smile before her cheeks blushed a bright pink. He tried in vain to look at Naomi instead, but his orbs defied him, opting for Miriam.

More than once, Lilly caught his eye and gave him a knowing smile. Had she noticed his staring at Miriam? If so, then she seemed to approve of it. However, Zach was sitting between her and Miriam as if to stake his claim. How could Timothy consider pursuing Miriam, when she had chosen Zach? He wondered where Lilly found her logic.

He felt a surge of relief when Naomi announced it was late and she had to get home. Watching Miriam was sweet torture, and he needed to get away from her beautiful face before his longing for her became transparent.

Naomi and Lilly headed out the front door and stayed engrossed in a conversation about quilting and the most popular patterns.

Timothy followed with Zach at his side, making conversation about their respective businesses and how to keep up with rising supply costs. Miriam trailed behind them, her eyes averted from his.

When they reached the barn, Zach accompanied Timothy inside and helped him hitch the horse to the buggy. He walked with Timothy out to the awaiting group of women.

“Keep in touch,” Naomi said, hugging Lilly. “I’m so glad we came and got to see you.” She then looked at Miriam. “We’re
froh
you’re here to stay. It’s so
gut
to have you in the church.”

“Danki,”
Miriam said.

“I guess we’ll see you all Thursday at Sarah and Luke’s wedding, ya?” Naomi asked.

“Ya, I guess so,” Miriam said. She nodded at Timothy. “Take care.”

“You too,” he said.

They stared in silence for another moment, and then she turned and hurried back into the house.

He shook Zach’s hand and climbed into the buggy. Naomi hopped in next to him and waved to Lilly.

When Lilly met his gaze, she winked. Timothy shook his head, wishing he knew what her secret code meant.

He steered toward the main road, hoping to put Miriam out of his mind.

Naomi reached over and squeezed his arm.
“Danki
for taking me. It was so
wunderbaar
to see Lilly. Miriam looked
gut,
didn’t she? I think it’s great that she’s staying, don’t you?”

“Ya,
it’s great.” He kept his eyes on the road ahead.

“You okay, Timothy?” she asked. “You’re quiet again.”

He cut his eyes to her and forced a smile. “I’m fine. I’m glad you were with me today.”

She studied him with suspicion for a moment and then changed the subject, discussing the quilt stand for the rest of the ride home.

Timothy settled in his seat and focused on her stories, pushing Miriam as far from his mind as possible.

T
hursday morning, Miriam sniffed and wiped her eyes as Sarah Rose and Luke recited their vows standing before nearly two hundred members of the community. Weddings always made her cry, whether they were Amish or the
English
weddings she’d attended during her days spent in Indiana. Amish ceremonies were very different from the
English
weddings. Held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the fall, Amish weddings didn’t include flowers, tuxedoes, or gowns.

The wedding ceremony was similar to a typical church service, and the benches were set up in the same manner, with the men and women seated separately. It began with the couple meeting with the minister while the congregation sang hymns from the
Ausbund.

When the hymns were complete, Sarah Rose and Luke returned to the congregation and sat with their attendants, Rebecca, Daniel, Beth Anne, and Paul. Sarah Rose, with her attendants by her side, sat facing Luke, Paul, and Daniel. Sarah Rose, Rebecca, and Beth Anne wore matching navy blue dresses that they had made themselves, while the men wore their traditional Sunday black and white clothing.

After another hymn, the minister delivered a thirty-minute sermon based on Old Testament stories of marriages. The congregation kneeled for silent prayer and then rose for the minister’s reading of Matthew 19 verses one through twelve.

Next Bishop Abner Chupp stood and preached the main sermon, continuing with the book of Genesis, including the story of Abraham and the other patriarchs included in the book.

Miriam sat in the congregation with the other young women.

During the sermon, Hannah leaned over to Miriam. “It’s such a blessing Sarah Rose found Luke after losing her Peter so tragically,” she whispered.

Miriam forced a smile. “Ya, God is good,” she whispered. She looked back toward the soon-to-be newlyweds. Sarah Rose, Timothy’s younger sister, was radiant in her blue linen dress with her white
kapp.
She beamed at her groom, Luke, whose eyes shone with love for her.

That should’ve been Timothy and me.

The thought caught Miriam off guard. Before she could stop herself, her eyes moved to the sea of men at the other side of the room and honed in on Timothy. Her heart slammed against her ribcage when she found him studying her, his blue eyes serious. Was he also thinking of the plans they’d made and then lost?

No, he’s thinking of his wedding to Naomi.

Miriam bit back a groan at the thought. How would she stomach sitting through Timothy and Naomi’s wedding next month? The mere thought made bile rise in her throat. Perhaps she would feign the flu in order to miss the occasion.

She struggled in vain to remove her eyes from Timothy’s stare. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and relief flooded her.

“Are you all right?” Hannah whispered.

“Ya,”
Miriam said in response, shifting her eyes back to the bride and groom, who looked to be listening intently to the bishop’s lecture on Paul’s instructions for marriage included in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians. Although she knew she should be listening, Miriam’s mind still wandered to Timothy and all that could’ve been.

The bishop continued his sermon, instructing Sarah Rose and Luke on how to run a godly household, and then he moved on to a forty-five-minute sermon on the story of Sara and Tobias from the inter-testamental book of Tobit.

When the sermon was over, the bishop looked between Sarah Rose and Luke. “Now here are two in one faith,” he said. “Sarah Rose Troyer and Luke Hezekiah Troyer.” The bishop then asked the congregation if they knew any scriptural reason for the couple to not be married. Hearing no response, he continued, “If it is your desire to be married you may in the name of the Lord come forth.”

Luke took Sarah Rose’s hand in his and they stood before the bishop to take their vows.

While the couple responded to the bishop’s questions, Miriam glanced over at Timothy. She sucked in a breath when she found his eyes focused intently on her. She held his gaze with her heart pounding in her chest while the bishop read “A Prayer for Those About to Be Married” from an Amish prayer book called the
Christenpflict.