Amish Country Box Set: Restless Hearts\The Doctor's Blessing\Courting Ruth (31 page)

Why had he tried to kiss her? Did he think that was what she wanted?

Okay, maybe it was. The thought of what it would be like to kiss him had entered her mind, but she was sure she’d been careful not to let on. Hadn’t she? Had he seen through her pretense? Oh, please, no.

Reaching the sanctuary of her blue station wagon, Amber quickly started the engine and drove home. When she pulled into her own driveway, some of her panic started to fade. She turned off the engine and sat in the quiet car. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against the steering wheel.

How was she going to face him again? How was she going to work with him after this? She sat back slowly and pressed her fingertips to her lips. What
would
it be like to kiss him?

Would it have been as wonderful as she imagined? Closing her eyes, she relived those moments. The way the sunlight brought out the highlights in his hair. The way his blue eyes matched the color of the sky beyond. She’d never forget the quiet way he said, “There are some very, very lovely things in Hope Springs.”

She knew by the way he was gazing at her that he wasn’t talking about scenery. He’d been talking about her.

“He thinks I’m lovely.” No one had ever said that before. Reaching up, she turned the rearview mirror to see her reflection. What she saw couldn’t be described as beauty.

She had nice hair when she kept the curl contained. It was a light blond color that was as common as dirt among the Amish communities. Her nose was short and turned up at the
tip. A classical beauty wouldn’t be caught dead with a nose like that. Her eyes were a muddle of blue and green without being either. If she had her way, she’d have dark, mysterious eyes like her friend Katie Lantz.

“Oh, skip it. I’m not lovely. He was playing with me.”

Readjusting the mirror, she shook her head at her own foolishness. He was a good-looking man who found himself stuck in a tiny town with nothing to do. It was no wonder he decided to set up a flirtation to ease the boredom.

Well, she would not be his plaything. She was better than that. She would let him know the next time she saw him that he’d stepped over the line. She got out of the car and slammed the door shut.

With purposeful steps she marched toward her front door. When she reached the porch, she opened the door and saw Fluffy waiting by his food bowl. The cat let out a mournful meow. “Fluffy, you won’t believe what that man tried to do today.”

The cat meowed again and circled his bowl. It was clear he didn’t care what was troubling his human companion. Tossing her purse on the kitchen table, Amber opened a cabinet and pulled out a can of cat food. As the opener ran, she tried to think of something scathing to say.

About what? About an almost, maybe kiss? She was more mature than that.

No. She wouldn’t mention a thing to Dr. Phillip. She’d carry on as if nothing
had
happened because nothing had happened. He hadn’t kissed her.

“That’s right. He didn’t kiss me.”

As she knelt beside Fluffy’s bowl, the cat rubbed against her legs.

Spooning the salmon-flavored food into the dish, Amber said, “Maybe he’d simply been leaning forward to scratch his knee, and I completely misread his intentions.”

How embarrassing would it be to rake him over the coals for something he hadn’t done or intended to do?

Banging the spoon against the edge of the bowl to get the last morsel out, she said, “Nothing happened and that’s that.”

Rising to her feet, she drew a deep breath. “Good. Now I need to let my clients know that I won’t be seeing them until Harold is back or until I can change Phillip’s—I mean
Dr. White’s
opinion about home births. I’ll go to work as usual at the office. I won’t say a thing unless he says something because nothing happened.”

Looking down, she said, “Do you hear me, Fluffy? Nothing happened.”

The cat didn’t stop eating to reply.

* * *

By Monday morning, Phillip had an adequate apology prepared and rehearsed. It had taken most of a sleepless night to compose, but he felt he’d achieved the right tone of repentance mixed with a touch of humor. Although he wasn’t eager to deliver it, he found he
was
eager to see Amber again.

At eight o’clock, he left his grandfather’s house and walked with quick steps the two blocks the office. As he rounded the last corner, he stopped in surprise. The parking lot in front of the office was filled with horses and buggies. A crowd of Amish people stood grouped near the front door.

Had there been some kind of epidemic outbreak to bring so many people in at once? As he walked toward the door, one elderly man with a long gray beard stepped forward and approached Phillip.

“I am Bishop Zook. May I have a word with you, Dr. White?”

“What’s going on, Bishop? Are these people sick?”

“No. We’ve come today to ask you to reconsider your decision to stop Nurse Bradley from delivering our babies.”

Phillip looked over the sea of Amish faces, both men and women, waiting for his reply. Many of the women had children at their sides or babies in their arms. None of them were smiling.

Amber had put them up to this. And to think he’d lost sleep planning to apologize for wanting to kiss her.

Shaking his head, he said, “I’m sorry, Bishop Zook. On this issue I cannot change my mind. The safest place for a woman to have a child is in the hospital.”

The bishop eyed him silently for a long moment. “A high court of Pennsylvania upheld our right to have our children at home and to use midwives.”

“This is Ohio, not Pennsylvania, sir.”

“We are a peaceful people, Doctor. It is not our way to make trouble. Your thinking on this matter jeopardizes our way of life. We must be separate from the world, a peculiar people set apart by our faith. Home births are natural and in keeping with God’s design.”

“I understand and admire your religious principles, but I have principles of my own. They won’t allow me to change my mind on this issue. Amber won’t be delivering babies. I will. Your women will have to go to the hospital or birthing clinic in Millersburg.”

“I am sorry you feel this way, Doctor. We will no longer be needing your services.” Turning around, he spoke to the crowd in Pennsylvania Dutch, leaving Phillip clueless as to what he was saying. Whatever he said, it started a buzz of low conversation in return.

“What’s going on here?”

Phillip spun around to see Amber standing a few feet away. “Oh, like you don’t know.”

“Sorry?” She stepped closer, a frown making a deep crease between her brows.

“Now you’re going to try and tell me you didn’t arrange this mob?”

“What are you talking about?”

He pointed to Bishop Zook. “Ask him.”

“I will. I’m sure he’ll at least be civil in his answers.”

Walking past Phillip, she stopped beside the bishop. They spoke in low tones and in the language Phillip couldn’t understand, but it was easy to see Amber was becoming upset.

Phillip crossed his arms over his chest and waited. If she hadn’t arranged this, he might have thought she was pleading with the church elder. After a few more minutes, the bishop turned and walked away. One by one, the buggies drove out of the parking lot until only one man was left standing by the door. It was David Nissley, Martha’s husband.

The look of indecision on his face moved Phillip to approach him. “Mr. Nissley, how is Martha?”

“Some better. She can move her legs now. Again, I wish to offer my thanks for your help that day. I say this now because I will not speak to you again.” He turned away, climbed into his buggy and left.

Phillip turned to Amber. “What does he mean?”

“It has been decided that you are an outsider who seeks to disrupt their ways. They will no longer have communication with you or do business with you.”

“I’m being shunned?”

Amber shook her head. “Only someone who departs from the teaching of the Amish faith is shunned. You’re being avoided. I can’t believe this. The Amish make up over fifty percent of our patient base.”

“You can’t believe this? Aren’t you the one who arranged it?”

She rounded on him with a deep scowl. “Why would I arrange this?”

“Payback because I won’t sign your collaborative practice agreement.”

“Are you serious? You think I’d do this?”

“Did you or did you not visit your clients and tell them I stopped you from making home deliveries?”

“I did. But I didn’t plan this.”

They were still glaring at each other when Wilma drove in and parked her old sedan beside the front door. She got out and gave them a funny look. “What’s going on?”

“I’m being shunned,” Phillip said, daring Amber to correct him.

Wilma shook her head. “You can’t be shunned. You aren’t a member of the Amish faith.”

He blew out a huff of pure frustration. “Okay, I’m being avoided.”

Wilma looked at Amber. “For real?”

Nodding, Amber said, “For real.”

“That’s not good.” Wilma pressed her hands to her face. “That’s
really
not good. The Amish are half our patients. We aren’t going to be able to make our expenses if they stop coming to the clinic. We’re barely making it as it is. Why, we could be broke in a matter of weeks.”

Phillip walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t panic, Wilma. I’m sure this is a bluff on their part. People can’t do without medical care.”

Amber walked past them, shaking her head. “You underestimate the Amish, Dr. Phillip. Word will spread and the Amish will stop coming here. They’ve resisted changes that threaten their way of life for hundreds of years. They aren’t going to make an exception for you.”

Normally shy Wilma surprised Phillip when she shook off his hand and shouted at him, “You’re trying to shut this place down, aren’t you? Is that what you want? Well, you might get it. Then see how proud Harold is of you.”

Chapter Ten

W
hen Amber arrived at the clinic the following morning, the walkway was lined with Amish women, most of them her clients. Almost all of them had their children with them. Katie Lantz stepped forward. She held her four-month-old daughter in her arms.

Katie said, “We have come to show our support for you. Dr. White must allow you to continue your work among us. It is God’s will.”

Amber’s hopes that Phillip hadn’t arrived yet were dashed. She glanced toward the clinic and saw him staring out the window in her direction. His usual frown was back in place.

Turning to Katie, Amber reached out to touch Rachel’s little bare feet where they stuck out of her blanket. “
Danki,
Katie.”

Mary Yutzi, Katie’s future sister-in-law, patted her round stomach. “We know you have a good place in your heart for our babies.”

Another woman said, “You have done so much for us, Amber. We wish to give back.”

Although she didn’t know if their tactics were helping or hurting, Amber was deeply moved by their support. Tears stung her eyes. Glancing around at the women, she said,
“My thanks to each of you. I can’t tell you what this means to me.”

After delivering their promises of prayers and well wishes, the women left and Amber walked inside. Phillip, black coffee mug in hand, was still standing by the window.

He said, “You have a lot of friends.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Another group was waiting outside my house this morning. They gave me copies of the Pennsylvania court decision allowing their midwife to continue practicing in that state.”

“It was a huge victory for their way of life. Many hundreds of Amish showed up on the courthouse steps in support of the midwife on trial.”

“For practicing medicine without a license, I believe.”

“Yes, but the court ruled—”

He threw up his hands. “I know how the court ruled. You still claim you had nothing to do with these assemblies?”

Fisting her hands on her hips, Amber shouted, “I did not arrange this! What part of that don’t you understand?”

Shocked, he took a step back. “Isn’t this out of character for the quiet and simple Plain People?”

Crossing her arms, she reined in her anger and tried to sound reasonable. “Not really. When something threatens their teachings or way of life, they are willing to take peaceful action. When the states tried to make them send their children to high school, many were jailed for refusing to comply. They took their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won.”

Phillip took a sip of his coffee. Then without another word, he walked back to his office and shut the door.

Amber had no idea if he believed her claim or not.

* * *

By Friday afternoon, Amber knew the boycott of the clinic had become the talk of the town. Several non-Amish patients
canceled their appointments to show their support of their neighbors.

None of the merchants in town wanted to upset the Amish by taking Phillip’s side. Most employed Amish men and women and many of their businesses depended on either the Amish themselves or the tourists who came to see them.

Even the mayor made a visit to Phillip asking him to reconsider. He stressed how the Amish were good for tourism and how tourism was good for the entire community. As far as Amber could see, Phillip remained unmoved.

Reluctantly, Amber admired the way he stuck to his principles in the face of so much pressure.

By late afternoon on Friday, the one patient that showed up was Gina Curtis. After taking her vital signs, Amber listened to her describe her usual recurring, traveling pains and made a few quick notes on her chart. Phillip was waiting outside the door when she left the room. She didn’t speak to him as she handed over the chart.

Still annoyed over the fact he believed she had set up the confrontation with the Amish, she tried her best to ignore him. Seating herself on the corner of Wilma’s desk, she noticed that Wilma’s long face matched her mood.

“How tight are the expenses, Wilma?”

“We’ve had very little income since Harold left. Our checking account is almost empty.”

“But the business has a reserve fund, doesn’t it?”

“Only enough to run the place for another month. You know how Harold is about his charities.”