Finding the Way (The Amish Millers Get Married Book 5) (5 page)

“It was okay, I suppose.” Jessie walked a few
steps away from Nash.

Nash followed her and stood in front of her
again. “Was Benjamin there?”

“
Jah
.”

“Did you flirt with him?” Nash held his
breath, anxiously awaiting her answer.

Jessie crushed a small stone under her boot.
“I’m not playing that game any more.”

Nash frowned. What did Jessie mean? Did it
mean she was truly attracted to Benjamin so would not play games
with him? Or was she simply tired of pretending to like Benjamin in
order to upset Sarah?

Before Nash could ask, Jessie continued,
“Besides, Sarah wasn’t even there.”

Nash hit himself on the side of the head.
“Oh, of course, I forgot to tell you.” He chuckled, and then added,
“What until you hear what I did.”

Jessie looked at him expectantly.
She’ll
love this
, Nash thought. Aloud he said, “I overheard my parents
say that they thought that Sarah’s stepfather was Samuel Beachy,
and that he left our community years ago to marry a widow with a
boppli
. Anyway, I called a friend of mine who’s on
rumspringa
. His mother knows everything about everyone in
our community. He called me back the night before last to tell
me—wait ‘til you hear this—that Sarah’s father was, in fact, Mr.
Miller’s brother!”

Jessie’s raised her eyebrows. “You are saying
that Sarah’s
vadder
was Mr. Miller’s
bruder
?”

Nash nodded with delight. “Yes, and he died,
and so Sarah’s mother married Samuel Beachy soon after. But this is
the main thing, Sarah didn’t know.”

“She didn’t know what?”

Nash sighed. “Pay attention. Sarah didn’t
know that Mr. Miller’s brother was her biological father. Her
parents never told her, and the Millers didn’t either.”

Jessie chewed her lip. “I wonder why no one
told her?”

Nash was a little let down that Jessie didn’t
seem too surprised. “Who cares? Anyway, she knows now - ‘cause I
told her yesterday, and she was so upset.” Nash burst into
laughter, but was puzzled when Jessie’s face flushed red.

“I’m not sure I understand,” she said slowly.
“Are you telling me that Sarah Beachy’s biological father was Mr.
Miller’s
bruder
, but that Sarah had no idea?”

Nash nodded, pleased with himself.

“And you told Sarah all this yesterday?”

Nash nodded again, and then laughed. “If only
you could’ve seen her face.” He laughed some more.

“Why, that’s so mean,” Jessie yelled, causing
Nash to take a step back. “I knew you were selfish and
self-absorbed, but I didn’t know you were cruel too!”

Nash was taken aback. He was puzzled by
Jessie’s reaction. “Well, that’s rich coming from you,” he
snapped.

“What do you mean?” Jessie said each word
slowly, and Nash should have been warned by her tone, but he was
not.

“I hadn’t been here long before I heard all
about you.” Nash pointed to Jessie for emphasis. “Everyone talks
about how you tried to break up Esther and Jacob.”

An offended look passed over Jessie’s face.
“I was young and silly, and thought I was in love with him,” she
said.

“That’s no excuse.”

Jessie stamped her foot. “I was
not
defending my actions to
you
,” she yelled. “It’s obvious in
hindsight I was mean, but I went to the bishop over it. Not that
it’s any of your business. You’re cruel, you’re shallow, and you’re
mean.”

With that, Jessie stormed off.

Women!
Nash thought, staring after
Jessie’s rapidly disappearing back.
There’s no understanding
them. I bet all those cigarettes she smokes are making her angry
for no good reason. She’ll come to her senses sooner or
later
.

John 3:16.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life.

Chapter
10

Mrs. Miller had invited over her four
dochders
, Hannah, Esther, Martha, and Rebecca, along with
their husbands who also happened to be
bruders
, Noah, Jacob,
Moses, and Elijah, and of course, their
kinner
. Esther’s
dochder
, Isabel, was now walking, and Hannah’s twins had
been walking for some time. The twins were looking for Sarah’s big,
ginger cat, Tom, but he had the good sense to stay out of their way
and had made himself scarce for the evening.

Hannah, Esther, and Martha were all
expecting, and were teasing Rebecca that it would be her turn next.
“Stop teasing me,” Rebecca insisted, “It’s not fair. It’s just like
when you all teased me because I was the last Miller
maidel
to get married.”

“But we didn’t know at the time that you
weren’t
the last Miller girl to be married,” Esther said.
“There’s one more to go: Sarah.”

Everyone turned to smile at Sarah. Sarah had
felt somewhat overwhelmed that the Miller
schweschders
had
been delighted when they found out she was their cousin. Mrs.
Miller was having this dinner in honor of that fact, and Sarah was
a little uneasy at being the center of attention.

“So you don’t have morning sickness this
time?” Sarah asked Esther, in an attempt to divert their attention
away from herself. “Martha told me you had it badly with
Isabel.”

“
Nee
, not this time,” Esther said, and
then laughed. “Thank goodness. None at all this time; I think I had
it bad enough with Isabel to make up for several
bopplis
.”

“Then perhaps you are having a boy this
time,” Mrs. Miller said.

Esther looked puzzled, but made no attempt to
disagree with her
mudder
. Although Mrs. Miller had suffered
morning sickness with her four girls, Hannah had no morning
sickness when she was having her twins, one boy and one girl.

“I was worried when I saw how sick Esther was
when she was expecting with Isabel,” Martha said, “but I’ve been
fine too.”

Sarah bounced Isabel on her knee, thinking
how lovely it would be to have her own
boppli
and have her
own husband, preferably Benjamin Shetler. Perhaps their
boppli
would have sandy colored hair, all messy like
Benjamin’s, and have his big brown eyes. They would have several
kinner
, all of whom would grow up tall like their
vadder
, and be tender and compassionate and lovable.

“Are you all right, Sarah?” Mrs. Miller said.
“Your eyes have gone somewhat glazed. You don’t feel sick again, do
you?”

“Oh, just daydreaming.” Sarah was embarrassed
to be caught out. She hoped Mrs. Miller wouldn’t ask her what she
had been daydreaming about.

“Will
Datt
be in soon?” Hannah asked
her
mudder
, and Sarah shot Hannah a grateful look.

“I hope so,” Mrs. Miller said. “He said he’d
be in as soon as he finishes showing Benjamin around the
workshop.”

“Benjamin?” Sarah shrieked and then everyone
turned to look at her.

“Oh, didn’t I mention that Benjamin is coming
to dinner too?” Mrs. Miller’s eyes opened wide in innocence, and
then she hurried into the kitchen.

“I told you
Mamm
was a very keen
matchmaker,” Martha said, and her three
schweschders
nodded.

“There’s just no stopping her,” Hannah said,
“I could tell you stories.”

“You might as well marry him now. There’s no
fighting
Mamm
,” Rebecca added.

“Mrs. Miller wants me and Benjamin to marry?”
Sarah asked in a small voice.

The four
schweschders
nodded.

Sarah chewed the edge of her thumb. “But I
don’t think he likes me.”

“
Mamm
won’t let a little thing like
that get in the way,” Rebecca said, but was soon hushed by her
three
schweschders
.

“Of course he likes you,” Martha said. “I’ve
seen the way he looks at you.”

“But we had a fight. I accused him of telling
Nash that I was, well, that I was your cousin.”

“Did he?” Rebecca asked.

“I don’t know, but I doubt it.” Sarah
absently rubbed her forehead.

“It’s nothing that can’t be sorted out,”
Martha said, but they all stopped speaking as soon as Mrs. Miller
returned.

Mrs. Miller deposited a large pot of
vegetable soup on the table. “That’s right, stop speaking as soon
as I come in the room. I know nothing; I’m just a silly old woman.”
Mrs. Miller stormed out of the room and presently the sound of pots
and pans banging emanated from the kitchen.

The
schweschders
chuckled softly.
Martha opened her mouth to say something, but Mr. Miller came
through the door, followed by Benjamin.

Sarah didn’t know where to look. She stole a
glance at Benjamin and noted that he didn’t look his usual,
confident self.

Mrs. Miller emerged from the kitchen.
“Rebecca, Martha, you come and help me with the
schnitz und
knepp
,” she ordered. Sarah stood up to help too, but Mrs.
Miller fixed her with a steely gaze. “You stay there, Sarah, and
talk to our guest.”

Sarah was embarrassed by Mrs. Miller’s overt
matchmaking attempts, and saw that the Miller
schweschders
were all exchanging amused glances.

Mr. Miller went over to talk to his
sons-in-law, the Hostetler
bruders
, in the other room, while
Benjamin sat opposite Sarah.

“
Hiya
, Sarah.”

“
Hiya
, Benjamin,” Sarah said
shyly.

“
Err
, congratulations,” Benjamin
said.

Sarah was puzzled. “Congratulations for
what?’

“
Err
, for being a Miller,” Benjamin
said, and then his face turned beet red.

Sarah’s heart went out to him. Clearly he was
nervous and didn’t know what to say. “
Denki
,” she said
brightly.

Mrs. Miller summoned everyone to the table.
Along with the vegetable soup, she, Martha, and Rebecca had
deposited plates piled high with
schnitz und knepp
, and the
mouth-watering scent of smoked ham, apples, and brown sugar wafted
through the room.

The large, rectangular table was big enough
to seat the adults, and the three
kinner
sat obediently
nearby at a little table that Mr. Miller had built for them. Mrs.
Miller seated Sarah opposite Benjamin.

Sarah fidgeted, as a range of conflicting
emotions ran through her. She was in love with Benjamin. She had
been for years. The question which was on her mind now, and the
question which had raised its head many a time in the middle of a
sleepless night, was—did he share her feelings? Sarah had never
known him to take any other girl on a buggy ride, and he had held
her close when she was upset over Nash’s revelation. Yet was he
only being kind? It was not the done thing for a young
mann
to hold a girl like that, so Sarah figured, or rather hoped, that
it meant he did have feelings for her.

And even if he did have feelings for her, had
those feelings left after she had wrongfully accused him of telling
Nash about her biological father?

Sarah shook her head, but then looked up and
saw Benjamin looking at her with his big, brown eyes.
He has
eyes just like a puppy dog
, she thought wistfully. Sarah held
Benjamin’s gaze for a moment, and then looked away. Something had
passed between them, of that she was sure. Her stomach fluttered
and her heart raced.

Matthew 18:15.

If your brother sins against you, go and tell
him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you
have gained your brother.

Chapter
11

Sarah had made up her mind; no matter how
embarrassing it might prove to me, she would apologize to Benjamin
at the first opportunity.

There was happy chatter over the meal, but
that stopped as soon as Mr. Miller spoke to Benjamin. “Well,
Benjamin, it’s all handcrafted of course.”

“What is?” Mrs. Miller looked perplexed, and
waved a spoon in the direction of her husband.

“Why, the furniture, obviously.”

Mrs. Miller muttered to herself.

Undaunted, Mr. Miller pushed on. “We do the
finish by hand. We do custom pieces, as well as the pieces we sell
in our store. It’s all made here, though.”

Mrs. Miller stood up and cleared the plates.
“I haven’t finished yet,” Mr. Miller said plaintively, but Mrs.
Miller removed his plate nonetheless.

Rebecca and Martha went into the kitchen to
help Mrs. Miller with dessert. Sarah wondered whether she should
accompany them, but decided not to, after Mrs. Miller had refused
her offer of help earlier. After all, she didn’t want to make Mrs.
Miller angry. She was already angry enough, judging by the sound of
the pots and pans.

Benjamin appeared engrossed by Mr. Miller’s
discussion of the fine points of furniture making, and Sarah
wondered whether it was genuine interest or whether Benjamin was
simply being polite.

Mrs. Miller came back out of the kitchen.
“We’re having chocolate peppermint whoopie pies,” she announced,
“but I forgot to gather the peppermint for the top. Sarah, would
you and Benjamin mind gathering some peppermint for me please?”

“It doesn’t take two of them, surely,” Mr.
Miller protested, before he caught his
fraa’s
withering
glare.

“And, Abraham, give them a lamp to take with
them.”

“They won’t be out there long enough for a
lamp; it’s only just getting dark now,” Mr. Miller said, clearly
not realizing what his
fraa
was up to. Sarah, however, was
only too painfully aware, and the others were all doing their best
to hide their amusement.

“It gets dark quickly,” Mrs. Miller snapped,
before turning on her heel and storming back into the kitchen.