His Love Endures Forever (5 page)

A silver canoe came up the river with one passenger paddling against the current. The man looked about Levi’s age and wore blue jeans and a short-sleeve white shirt. On his head, a red baseball cap sat atop a head full of wavy brown hair. He’d waved the paddle in Levi’s direction, smiling, then said, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives.”

Levi had waved back and continued along the bank. He remembered thinking about Sarah during the dream and how he wasn’t ready to get married. Moments later, his father stood along the worn path. He shook Levi’s hand, almost as if they were strangers. “Remember, love is patient and kind.” Then he’d smiled and eased around Levi.

Next, a man stepped out of the woods in front of Levi. A man Levi had never seen before. He had light brown eyes flecked with gold, a long gray beard, and he was dressed in a black suit like the
Englisch
wear. Gold-rimmed spectacles hung low on his nose, and when he smiled at Levi, one corner of his mouth lifted higher than the other. His voice was soft, and Levi had to strain to listen.

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh,” the man had said. Then, as his father had done, the man eased around Levi and walked away, singing. Levi recognized the tune. “For God So Loved Us.”

Even now, as he recalled the dream, it was amazing to him that he could remember it all in such detail. It wasn’t until the end of the dream that he came to a complete stop in the middle of the path, a peacefulness washing over him, and Levi knew he was in the presence of the Holy Spirit and surrounded by God.

And he heard only two words. Powerful words unlike anything he’d ever heard.

Marry Danielle
.

Levi shook his head, hoping to clear the dream from his mind. He took a deep breath and stared out the window of the buggy. There was no way that God would be telling him to marry Danielle. Forgetting the part about them only being friends—and her being pregnant—something else had been drilled into his head since he was a child.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers
.

Back in Ohio, they’d had few
Englisch
friends because of this. His mother had explained it to him in a way he could understand when he was a young boy. She’d said, “We’re not
here to judge whether or not someone outside of our faith is a Christian. They can tell us they are, but we don’t know it to be true or not. We can only be sure about the baptized members of our community. We
know
that we are equally yoked spiritually with our own kind.”

Things were different here in Canaan. The town was small with almost as many Amish as there were
Englisch
, and over time Levi’s people had learned to trust folks outside of their own, even socialize with them and allow them to attend worship in some cases. Martha and Danielle were examples of that, although Danielle hadn’t been to one of their services in a while.

Levi wasn’t even sure if God approved of his friendship with Danielle since they were in such different places spiritually. He just couldn’t believe that the Lord would ask him to marry her.

But as they drove on, the dream began to replay again in his mind.

  
Three

D
ANIELLE CARRIED A LARGE TRAY STACKED WITH
burgers around the corner and saw Sue seating Martha and Arnold. They both waved and Danielle nodded. After she delivered the food to her customers, she went back to Martha and Arnold’s table.

“Aw, Arnold, I’m surprised you could tear yourself away from one of Martha’s noon meals.” Danielle grinned at him before turning to Martha and widening her smile.

“Very funny, missy.” Martha tried to frown, but the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. “We had to come into town anyway because Arnold wants to get a
dog
.” Martha rolled her eyes. “Of all things.”

“I thought you didn’t want another mouth to feed.” Danielle touched her stomach but quickly folded her arms across her chest. Martha had a lot of money, but you’d never know it. Everything in her house looked like it was from another era, including her clothes.

Martha shrugged. “How much can one dog eat?” She paused, twitching her mouth back and forth. “I bet dogs aren’t nearly as smart as parrots.”

“Dogs are very smart,” Arnold said as he eyed his open menu. He looked over the top of it. “How does someone get to be your age, Martha, never having owned man’s best friend?”

“Possibly because I’m a
woman
.” Martha opened her menu. “But if you want a dog, dear, then we shall have one.”

Danielle hid a smile as she pulled out her pen and order pad, trying to picture Martha with a dog. To her knowledge, Martha had only owned one pet in her life, a parrot named Elvis that she’d adored. Danielle had heard the stories about Elvis’s elaborate funeral a couple of years ago, complete with a custom-made casket.

Danielle stared at the two of them, pretending to look at the menus, when they all knew they’d order the same thing, as always. Her stomach churned as she thought about how and when she would tell them that she was pregnant. Would they regret taking her in? Be disappointed in her like Levi was?

But Levi was Amish, more sheltered. Danielle knew he was saving himself for marriage. Danielle had been too. She’d watched a steady stream of men come and go in her mother’s life, and she’d decided years ago that she would wait for someone special. Someone like Matthew . . .
I should have waited
.

She shoved the thought from her mind. “I’m guessing you’re having the same thing as always?”

Martha smiled as she closed her menu. “I’m in the mood for a burger.”

Of course you are
. Danielle grinned as she wrote the order down. “Dry with pickles and extra cheese. Cheddar.”

“And make sure the burger is—”

“Cooked until it’s dead,” Danielle finished for her. “I know. Arnold?”

“I’ll have the same.”

“Comin’ right up,” she said, taking their menus and rushing to the kitchen. Dry, overcooked burgers sounded gross to Danielle,
but whatever
.

After Martha and Arnold ate, Danielle delivered their check. Martha sat up straight and cleared her throat.

“So, Danielle, what’s wrong with you? Why were you crying this morning?”

Danielle froze. “Uh, what?” This wasn’t the time or place to tell Martha and Arnold about the baby.

Martha stared at her for a long moment, and Danielle worried Martha would see right through her and figure it out somehow. Danielle held her breath.

“We just want you to know that you can talk to us about anything,” Arnold said in a soft, soothing voice.

“Right.” Martha’s voice wasn’t nearly as gentle and comforting as Arnold’s, but her soft brown eyes searched Danielle’s face.

“I . . . uh, I . . .” Danielle wanted to tell them so badly she could hardly stand it, but fear gripped her around the throat. She swallowed hard.

“Honey, what is it?” Martha’s eyes began to water when Danielle’s did.

“Nothing.”

Martha and Arnold locked eyes, then Martha turned back to Danielle. “Well, it’s clearly not
nothing
, but we’re here if you need us. Okay?”

Danielle nodded. It was all she could do right now. “I have to get back to work.” She sniffled, forcing a smile. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“That sounds good,” Arnold said right about the same time Martha opened her mouth to speak.

Danielle gave a quick wave before she headed back to the kitchen to pick up her next order. On the way, she decided not to tell Sue about the baby yet either. She wanted to visit Matthew one more time. Maybe he was just in shock the other day. Maybe the news had soaked in and he’d changed his mind about things.

She’d much rather tell Martha, Arnold, and Sue, “I’m pregnant, but Matthew and I are getting married. We’re going to be a family.” It sounded way better than, “I’m pregnant and on my own. Matthew said he doesn’t love me . . .”

She blinked back tears, determined to get through the next couple hours. Then she’d drive to Matthew’s house and ask for a few minutes of his time. Matthew and his father were rebuilding the fence around their property this week, so she wouldn’t have to go up to the house and be face-to-face with Matthew’s mother. Anna Marie Lapp cared for Danielle about as much as Levi’s mother, Vera, did.

But if Matthew changed his mind and decided to marry her, then maybe even Mrs. Lapp would come to accept her.
But
do I really want to be married to someone who doesn’t love me?

She delivered a tray of food, then glanced at her watch, anxious to give it one more try with Matthew. Sue might be a bit upset that Danielle was canceling their plans, but this was something she had to do.

L
EVI AND HIS
father finished their next job earlier than expected and stopped in Monte Vista to purchase supplies
for the jobs they had scheduled—two painting jobs this week and one more solar panel installation. Unlike in Ohio, Levi’s father had chosen to only farm a small section of acreage here to grow hay. There just wasn’t much frost-free weather, only about three months, and their business didn’t leave much time for farming anyway. Levi missed the farming. He felt close to God when he was nurturing the land, a living, breathing part of creation. His mother had a small garden with fresh vegetables, but that was about it.

Sometimes when the work piled up, Levi wished his brother, Jacob, was available to help, but he ran their country store next to the main house, selling mostly freight and warehouse-damaged groceries. It used to be popular mostly for their Amish friends, but
Mamm
started adding crafts and cookbooks, which drew in more of the
Englisch
now. Most of the Amish had to work outside the home, not unlike in other states. It was getting harder and harder to survive on farming alone. His Uncle Eli and his new wife, Katie Ann, ran a shop not far away that sold furniture and handmade items, and Abbey’s Bakery was always busy.

Even though Levi sometimes missed the way things were in Middlefield, moving to Canaan had been a good choice for them. Land was cheaper, there was more room to spread out, and Levi had to admit that his asthma was better. And Emily had blossomed here.

After
Daed
pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the hardware store in town, Levi hitched the horse to the post. When they’d first moved to Canaan, there wasn’t anywhere to tether the horses, but his father—along with several other Amish men—had highly encouraged the local businesses to
install hitching posts if they wanted the Amish to do business with them.

Levi followed his father into the store, keeping his head down. He wasn’t fond of crowds, and the hardware store was unusually crowded for a Monday afternoon. Levi and his family had moved to Canaan a few years ago, but the district had been there for eight or nine years.
You would think by now
that the
Englisch
would stop staring
.

Daed
stopped on the aisle with trays full of nails, then pulled a handwritten list from his pocket and handed it to Levi. “Stock up on what I have listed. I’m going to go check prices on a few other things we need.”

After his father left, Levi scanned the list, then searched for the things they needed. He’d filled two bags with penny nails when he heard shuffling footsteps to his left. He kept his head down, looking for finishing nails, but when the man stopped right next to him, Levi looked up.

His heart started beating out of his chest. The man’s brown eyes were flecked with gold and his beard was long and gray. He was dressed in a black suit like the
Englisch
wear with gold-rimmed spectacles hanging from his nose. Levi swallowed hard, even as the man smiled.

“Finding everything you need?” The man’s voice was deep but gentle. He didn’t look like someone who worked at the hardware store. The employees all wore gray shirts and black pants, and had name tags.

“
Ya
. I am.” Levi forced himself to look back at the list, even though he felt a bit weak in the knees. But the man didn’t move, and when Levi looked back at him, the man was still smiling, one side of his mouth curled up more than the other.

“So hard to choose, isn’t it? There’re so many different options.”

Levi just stared at him and nodded.

“I see you have a list.” The man pointed to the piece of paper in Levi’s hand, but Levi couldn’t take his eyes off the
Englisch
fellow. He just nodded again as the man continued. “Always good to have a plan.” He chuckled. “Although plans change.”