The Only Way (The Amish Millers Get Married Book 4) (11 page)

Rebecca abandoned her work for the moment and
walked to the door of the Miller
haus
. After
Grossmammi
Deborah’s passing, Mrs. Flickinger had decided
not to take in any more guests for the moment, and only had the one
long-term guest, Benjamin Shetler. As a result, Rebecca had less
work at the B&B.

The snow was falling again, and Rebecca
walked to the edge of the porch and held out her hand, letting the
snowflakes fall gently upon it. It looked like it would indeed be a
harsh winter this year, with snow falling so early.

A buggy appeared through the snow, and pulled
up outside the
haus
. Elijah climbed down, his handsome face
illuminated by the threads of sunlight glistening through the
snow.

Rebecca’s heart stood still when she saw him.
If only she hadn’t been so silly; if only she had listened to the
advice of the older women.

“Sarah isn’t home,” she pronounced, and then
was surprised to see that her statement puzzled Elijah. He came to
a stop and stood there, rubbing his chin, bewilderment in his
eyes.

“I came to see you,” he said, his voice
faltering. “I wanted to speak to you about something.”

A wave of misery washed over Rebecca. Clearly
Elijah was going to break the news to her about him and Sarah.
Well, she would do her very best to act pleased for them, never
mind the fact that her heart was breaking. Rebecca realized that
she hadn’t responded. “
Jah
, sure,” she said, with as much
enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Would you come on a buggy ride with me?”

“What, now?” Not only was Elijah going to
give her bad news, she was going to get frozen hearing it. “It’s
snowing.”

“Only lightly. Why don’t you get your coat
and boots?”

Rebecca shrugged. “Okay, might as well get it
over with.”

Elijah scratched his head. “What did you
say?” His handsome face was turned toward Rebecca, and she saw the
worry there.

Rebecca clapped her hand over her mouth. She
hadn’t realized that she had spoken aloud. “Um, I’ll go and tell
Mamm
where I’m going.”

Rebecca returned to the buggy, silently
lecturing herself to act pleased when Elijah told her he was dating
Sarah. She couldn’t let him see how she felt; that would be
embarrassing. Besides, she wanted Elijah to be happy, although she
would rather have him be happy with her than with Sarah.

The snow was falling gently as Rebecca took
her seat next to Elijah. He reached over and wiped a snowflake from
the tip of her nose.

I wish he wouldn’t be so nice to me
,
Rebecca thought.
It just makes it harder
. Her heart beat
rapidly at his touch. The thought that Elijah was going to marry
another was too much: Rebecca feared she would break into sobs
right then and there.

Elijah drove the buggy at a slow pace and
turned into a little lane. The buggy wound its way down the lane,
flanked by trees which looked as if they had been dipped in
frosting. The snow was falling harder now, and Elijah placed
another blanket over Rebecca’s legs as he drove.

“I wanted to speak to you by the pond,” he
said, “but it’s too cold out there now for us to get out of the
buggy.” He stopped the
familye
buggy and turned on the
propane buggy heater which was mounted on the middle of the dash.
The blue flame immediately sprang to light.

Elijah turned to Rebecca and twisted his
hands nervously. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Rebecca’s heart went out to Elijah. As much
as she was hurting for the news he was about to deliver, she
couldn’t bear him to be burdened by the weight of breaking the news
to her that he was intending to marry Sarah. She sighed aloud.
“Don’t worry Elijah; it’s all right; I know.”

“You do?” Elijah’s brows knit together in a
frown. A snowflake drifted into his mouth and he spluttered.

Rebecca heard herself chuckle; it was as if
she heard herself from far away. Her whole world was crashing down.
She had known Elijah all her life; how would she ever manage
without him?

Elijah was still speaking. “I don’t think you
do.”

Rebecca simply nodded; she could no longer
speak from sorrow.

“I’ve fallen deeply in love.”

I know
, Rebecca thought, wondering how
long she could manage to keep her tears at bay.

Elijah frowned at her and chewed his lip. “I
want to get married. How do you feel about that? I know we haven’t
actually discussed it. Oh dear, this is not the way I wanted to do
it.”

“Congratulations,” Rebecca said, trying to
look pleased for him.

Elijah rubbed his chin. “Rebecca, I’m
serious. You don’t seem to be taking this seriously.”

To Rebecca’s horror, and surprise, for she
thought she had been controlling her emotions well, she burst into
racking sobs. The next thing she knew was that Elijah’s arm was
around her. “Rebecca, whatever’s wrong? You can say no. Please
don’t feel pressured.”

“Of course I won’t stop you and Sarah being
married,” Rebecca managed to get out through her sobs. “I’m happy
for you both.” She burst into a fresh bout of sobbing.

Elijah held her at arms’ length. “Rebecca,
look at me.”

Rebecca took the tissue from her face and
looked at Elijah.

“Whatever are you talking about?”

It was Rebecca’s turn to be confused. “What
do you mean?”

“I just asked you to marry me.” His voice was
soft and gentle.

Rebecca’s world stood still. What had Elijah
said? Were her ears deceiving her? “What, what about Sarah?” she
stammered.

Elijah frowned and shrugged. “I don’t know
what you mean about Sarah. Why would I want to marry Sarah? I’ve
always been in love with you.”

Rebecca was trying hard to process the
strange turn of events. The snow swirled more fiercely in harmony
with her emotions. “But, the note you gave Sarah the other day, at
the cemetery.”

“The note? My
mudder
wanted someone
else to sew for her at her quilt store. The note was from
Mamm
to Sarah to tell her she had the job.
Mamm
had a
migraine the day of the funeral, if you remember.”

“I remember; that’s why she wasn’t there,”
Rebecca heard her voice say. “But Nash Grayson told me that he saw
you and Sarah kissing in the kitchen the day of the viewing, right
after I left.”

Elijah looked horrified. “I did no such
thing! The nerve of Nash to say that; I knew he was up to
something. Clearly he wants you for himself, so he was trying to
drive a wedge between us.”

Rebecca processed the information; yes, that
did make sense.

Elijah took her hand. “Rebecca, my love, I’ve
loved you all my life. Will you do the honor of marrying me?”

Rebecca heard her voice again as if from far
away, but this time, her voice was saying what she wanted it to
say. “Yes, yes of course, Elijah. I’ve loved you all my life
too.”

“You have?” Elijah beamed, and Rebecca’s
heart melted at the look of complete happiness on Elijah’s
face.

As the snowflakes swirled around them,
Elijah’s and Rebecca’s lips met for the fist time. She delighted in
the softness of his lips and his gentle touch. Rebecca felt as if
it were a dream, but it was a dream she never wanted to end.

* * * The End* * *

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The Next Book
in this Series
.

Next in this
#1 Best-selling
and
Kindle All-Star Award Winning
(for the Most Popular 40 Books
on Amazon) series, The Amish Millers Get Married):

Finding The Way (Book 5
)

It’s one shock after another for Sarah
Beachy. Firstly her strict father has sent Benjamin Shetler to
Lancaster Country to force Sarah to come back home, and secondly,
she finds out she is closely related to the Millers. Does Benjamin
have reasons of his own for arriving in the community? Will the
handsome but wicked Nash Grayson ruin Sarah’s happiness?

Other Books by
Ruth Hartzler
.

The Amish Millers Sisters’ Christmas

Did you love the series,
The Amish Millers
Get Married
?

Find out what happens next!

In
The Amish Millers Sisters’
Christmas
, the whole Miller family meets for Christmas, all the
Miller sisters with their husbands and young children. Their
peaceful time is shattered by their two guests, Sarah’s friend,
Beth, and the Hostetlers’ cousin, Mark. Why do Beth and Mark
dislike each other so much? Will their constant disagreements ruin
the Millers’ Christmas?

How will the arrival of an abandoned kitten
change everything?

#1 Best-selling series
,
The Amish
Buggy Horse
, by Ruth Hartzler.

Faith
(Book 1)

For years, Nettie looked after her aged
mother Elma, a demanding woman who did not want any involvement
with the community.

Now that her mother has died, Nettie is
alone. She is regarded with suspicion by the local townspeople, and
has had no visitors from her community for some years.

Nettie’s buggy horse has gone lame and has
had to be retired, but Nettie cannot afford a new horse. Just as
Nettie is despairing about not having any means of transport, a
lost horse appears in her driveway, bringing with him far-reaching
consequences.

Daniel Glick is drawn to the lonely figure of
Nettie, but Nettie wants to be left alone.

However, when Jebediah Sprinkler tries to
force Nettie to hand over her house, Daniel springs to the
rescue.

As Nettie’s struggles mount, she has to
decide whether to take the law into her own hands.

And what will Daniel do when he discovers
the secret that Nettie is hiding from him?

About Ruth
Hartzler
.

Ruth Hartzler’s father was from generations
of what people refer to as “Closed Open” or “Gospel Hall” Brethren.
Ruth’s mother, a Southern Baptist, had years of struggle adapting
to the cultural differences, and always cut her hair, which was a
continual concern to Ruth’s father’s family. Ruth was raised
strictly Brethren and from birth attended three meetings every
Sunday at the Gospel Hall, the Wednesday night meeting, and the
yearly “Conference,” until she left the Brethren at the age of
twenty one. Ruth still has close friends in the Brethren, as well
as the Amish, both groups descending from Anabaptists. Ruth’s
family had electricity, but not television, radio, or magazines,
and they had plain cars. Make up, bright or fashionable clothes,
and hair cutting were not permitted for women. Women had to wear
hats in meetings (what others would call church meetings) but not
elsewhere. The word “church” was never used and there were no
bishops or ministers. All baptized men were able to speak (preach,
or give out a hymn) spontaneously at meetings. Musical instruments
were forbidden, with the exception of the traditional pump organ
which was allowed only if played in the home for hymn music. Even
so, singing of hymns in accompaniment was forbidden.

Ruth Hartzler is a widow with one adult child
and two grandchildren. She lives alone with her Yorkshire Terrier
and two cats. She is a retired middle school teacher and enjoys
quilting, reading, and writing.