An Amish Wedding (28 page)

He tilted his head to the side and let out a breath. “Naomi, I’m not going to go back on my word. I told you I wouldn’t hurt you like David did.”

“I know.” She could barely get the words out.

“You say that, but I don’t think you believe it.” This time when he took a step forward, she had nowhere to go. “I didn’t want to do it this way. I thought I’d have more time.” He threaded his fingers through his hair again. “I even planned to stay in Paradise after the wedding, so we could keep seeing each other.”

“You did?”

“
Ya
. But now that’s changed.” He looked up at the ceiling and groaned. “I didn’t want to rush this, but I have no choice.” His gaze met hers again. “Remember our conversation at the Pantry?”

She nodded.

“You asked me how I would know if I found the woman God set apart for me. Do you remember my answer?”

Her throat thickened with tears.
“Ya,”
she said thickly. “You said you’d feel it in your heart.”

He took her hand and pressed it against his chest. Even through the thick wool of his navy blue coat she could feel his pounding heartbeat. “I love you, Naomi. And I probably sound
ab im kopp
, because we’ve only known each other for a short time, but I know what I feel. I know my heart.” He ran his work-roughened thumb over the back of her hand. “I’m coming back to Paradise, Naomi. You have to believe that. I’m coming back because I love you. I want to marry you.”

His declaration not only swept away her breath but robbed her of speech. She opened her mouth, only to close it when he shook his head.

“I don’t expect an answer right now. I didn’t say those things to pressure or scare you. I said them because I want you to trust me. Most of all, I want you to trust God.” He let go of her hand, then brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I’ll be praying for you while I’m gone, Naomi. I’ll be praying for
us
.” He retrieved his hat from the table and walked out the door.

Naomi turned and stared at the open door. Cold air rushed over her. Yet that wasn’t what chilled her heart. She heard the crunch of car tires on her parents’ gravel driveway, the sound of a car engine as Zeke sped away. Back to Middlefield. Away from her.

Slowly she closed the door, then leaned against it, closing her eyes. She couldn’t do this again. All those days and weeks and months without hearing from David, checking the mail every day for a letter, her heart cracking every time she didn’t receive one. Then finding out he’d found someone else. She couldn’t live through that pain. Not again. And it would be worse this time, because she loved Zeke, more deeply than she’d ever loved David. But Zeke hadn’t even given her the chance to tell him. He disappeared, just as David had.

Her fists clenched as she fought for control of her thoughts. She wasn’t being fair to him. She was the one who had urged David to leave. Zeke was leaving because of his family; she couldn’t fault him for that. But she couldn’t deny the sense of betrayal growing in her heart.

Zeke’s words echoed in her mind. Not his words of love. Or even his proposal.

“Most of all, I want you to trust God.”

Zeke trusted God in everything. She thought she did too. But somehow this man had seen deeper into her heart than she had ever dared to look. Did she truly trust God? If she did, why did she allow her doubt over Zeke’s promise to overshadow everything? Why did she think she would fall to pieces if he didn’t return?

She had to surrender this. Everything—her past with David, her future with Zeke.
Lord, show me how
.

T
HE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING
, N
AOMI FOLDED UP
the finished lap quilt and placed it in its box. She’d used every minute of spare time to complete the quilt. As she fitted the lid over it, a sense of peace settled through her spirit. She had fretted over this quilt, and in the end she had finished it. Although it wasn’t the size she had intended it to be, it was still beautiful. Her worry about Priscilla’s gift had been for nothing.

She sat down in her living room and closed her eyes, tired but content. The soft hiss of the gas lamp filtered through the room. She hadn’t heard from Zeke. At first it had been a struggle to keep the doubts at bay, to not worry that she’d never see or hear from him again. But through prayer she was able to see thin beams of hope. Instead of expecting Zeke not to return, she chose to trust that he would come back. She opened her eyes and smiled. It might not be in her timing, which would be right now if she had her way. But in God’s time. And she was content to wait on that.

She yawned and got up to turn off the lamp. Earlier that day she had finished up Priscilla’s cake, but she planned to get up early and add a few finishing touches to the frosting. She had started for her bedroom when she heard a knock on the front door. Probably Sarah Mae sneaking over to the house again. She’d become more of a handful than usual as Priscilla’s wedding approached. Naomi turned the light back on low and answered the door. “Sarah Mae, it’s too late for you to be out—” The words froze in her mouth when she saw Zeke.

He looked himself up and down. “Last time I checked, I wasn’t Sarah Mae.”

“Zeke!” She started to throw her arms around him, then stopped. “Wait, what are you doing here? How’s your
daed
?”

“Can I at least come in? It’s a little cold out here.”

“Of course. Sorry.” When he crossed the threshold, she clasped her hands behind her back, forcing herself to stay calm. He’d come back much sooner than she’d anticipated. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

He shook his head, frowning.

“
Nee
, that’s not what I mean. I knew you’d come back.” She smiled. “Just not so soon.”

“To answer your earlier question,
mei daed
is doing great. Seems
mei schwester
exaggerated a little bit about the injury. He’s still on crutches, but he’s going to be fine.”

“I’m so relieved.” She brought her hands to the front and held them together. “I’ve prayed for him.”

“That means a lot to me.” He looked at her intently. “Did you pray about anything else?”

She gave him a teasing glance. “Was I supposed to?”

He grinned and took off his hat. “Very funny.” Then he grew serious. “I meant what I said before I left, Naomi. I love you.”

“I know.”

“And I want to marry you.”

“I know.” She moved to close the space between them. “I love you too, Zeke Lapp. And I want you to know, I would have waited for you to come back. One week, one month, or even a year, I would have waited. Although if you’d stayed away that long I would have come to Middlefield a few times.”

He touched her chin with the tip of his finger. “I know.”

“Then you know the answer to your question. I’ll marry you, Zeke.”

He grinned, cupping her face with his hand. His lips touched hers in a brief, featherlike kiss that made her knees wobble. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for you to say those words to me,” he whispered, drawing her into his arms.

She laughed. “A whole month?”

His expression sobered. “
Nee
, Naomi, not a month. I’ve been waiting my entire life.”

A PERFECT
PLAN

B
ETH
W
ISEMAN

Prologue

P
RISCILLA GLANCED AROUND THE YARD AT ALL THE
guests. Warm August temperatures allowed for an outside celebration, and it never rained on her special day.
Mamm
went all out for birthdays, but this year was the biggest yet. In addition to a beautiful pineapple layered cake that her oldest sister, Naomi, made, there was a ham, barbecued string beans, scalloped potatoes, creamed celery, homemade breads, jams, jellies, chowchow, and a variety of pies and cookies. She smiled as she turned away from the main food table.

Ten oblong tables spanned the front yard, topped with simple white coverings. On each table,
Mamm
’s blue Tupperware party bowls were filled with peanuts and chips, with a platter of pickles and olives in the center. Everything was perfect, right down to the decorations. Her sister Hannah had been put in charge of filling the balloons with helium, and yellow and blue bundles were tied to the head chair at each table. Priscilla’s place setting had double the balloons from every color in the rainbow.

“I think everything turned out lovely.” Naomi waved her arm around the yard. “And look how many guests showed up. There must be a hundred people here.”

Priscilla took another look around the crowd and was happy to see that some of the folks were starting a game of volleyball on the far side of the yard. Then her eyes landed on someone. “What is Chester Lapp doing here?”

Chester Lapp was handsome and well-respected in the community. He was a fine carpenter. Her father had purchased two rockers from Chester for the front porch. But he was nineteen. Why would he want to come to her sixteenth birthday party?

“Why shouldn’t he be here?” Naomi folded her arms across her chest and grinned. “Our family has known his family forever. We even share a phone shanty.”

“I know that.” Priscilla rolled her eyes. “I’m just surprised he’s here. I mean, I rarely see him socially. Just at worship, and he hardly ever goes to Sunday singings. I wonder who invited him.”

Naomi scratched her cheek as she took a deep breath and looked away.

“You did, didn’t you?
Why?
” Priscilla narrowed her eyebrows at her sister. Naomi was twenty-two and always playing matchmaker for someone. “I barely know him.”

“Maybe you should get to know him better.” Naomi breezed across the yard, turning back once to wink at her sister.

Priscilla sprinted a few steps to catch up with her. “Why do you say that? Has he said something? Tell me, Naomi.”

Naomi stopped alongside Priscilla and whispered, “Let’s just say he has asked about you more than once.”

“When?” She tried not to get too excited as her eyes drifted in Chester’s direction.

“Once when I saw him in town, a couple of months ago. Then I ran into him last week at the hardware store in Bird-in-Hand. He asked about you then too.” Naomi shrugged. “So I invited him to your birthday party.”

Priscilla twisted her mouth from side to side as she studied the tall, handsome man. “I’m still surprised that he came.”

“I’m not.” Naomi grinned, then walked away.

Priscilla kept her eyes on Chester, but jumped when he turned around and caught her staring. She quickly looked away and began straightening one of the paper tablecloths that had blown up in the wind, but she could see him moving toward her out of the corner of her eye.

“Happy birthday.”

She looked up and smiled.
“Danki.”
Then she began to line up the bowls and pickle tray so that everything was evenly spaced on the table. She could feel Chester’s piercing blue eyes on her, and slowly she lifted her eyes to his again. An easy smile played at the corner of his mouth as he looped his thumbs beneath his suspenders. If it weren’t for his traditional clothing, Chester wouldn’t look much like an Amish man. Most men kept their hair in a bobbed haircut, bangs in the front, straight on the sides. Chester’s hair was dark and curly above his brows and ears; his wavy locks didn’t resemble much of a bob. Priscilla wondered if his beard would be curly as well someday, after he was married.