The Only Way (The Amish Millers Get Married Book 4) (7 page)

Rebecca chewed her lip. “Well, I haven’t seen
much of him, really, but he seems…” Rebecca searched for the words
and then continued, “Nice enough, I suppose. He’s polite, at any
rate.”

“Perhaps he’ll fall in love with you and
return to the community.”

Rebecca pulled a face. “Not funny, Sarah, not
funny. Why is everyone so keen to get me married off? You just wait
until
Mamm
starts trying to find a
mann
for you, then
you won’t be laughing.”

Sarah thought that remark was highly amusing.
“Well, you must admit he’s
gut
looking.”

Rebecca giggled. “
Jah
, he sure is, and
talking of
gut
looking
menner
, the B&B seems to
attract them, because the guest who came today is just as handsome
as Nash, maybe even more so.”

“Maybe you’ll abandon Elijah for him.”

Rebecca stopped chuckling and gave Sarah a
long, hard look. Was Sarah interested in Elijah for herself? Was
this Sarah’s way of asking Rebecca whether or not she was
interested in Elijah? Rebecca had no idea how to respond, so
changed the subject. “There’s a bit of mystery with this
mann
, though, Sarah,” she said in lowered tones. “The bishop
drove him to the B&B in his buggy.”

Sarah’s whole face changed at once. “What,
he’s Amish?” she asked in a horrified voice.

Rebecca wondered why Sarah appeared upset
about the B&B having an Amish guest. “
Jah
. He’s tall and
handsome, with big brown eyes like Hannah’s beagle, and he has fair
hair. Clean shaven too, so he’s single. Maybe you should check him
out.” Rebecca added the last sentence to see if Sarah would give
any indication as to whether she was interested in a new, handsome
mann
. If she did, that would mean that she wasn’t interested
in Elijah after all and Rebecca would be able to breathe a sigh of
relief. Rebecca closely watched Sarah for her reaction. However,
Sarah was suddenly serious, and stood up. The mood in the kitchen
had suddenly changed to one of tension.

Sarah leaned over the table. “What’s his
name?”

“Benjamin Shetler.” Rebecca looked down at
her tea, a little disappointed that her ploy hadn’t worked. She was
none the wiser as to how Sarah felt about Elijah. When Rebecca
looked up, Sarah was clutching at her stomach and swaying. “Sarah!”
she exclaimed. “Are you all right? You’ve gone as white as a sheet!
You look like you’re going to faint.”

When Sarah didn’t answer, Rebecca took her by
the arm and helped her into the living room. “Here, lie down; I’ll
get you a glass of water.”

When Rebecca returned with the water, a
little color had returned to Sarah’s face.

“
Denki
, Rebecca. I don’t know what’s
wrong with me; perhaps I forgot to eat today. What were we talking
about?”

“Benjamin Shetler.” This time, Rebecca’s
mention of the name had no effect on Sarah. Rebecca had at first
thought that Sarah must know the
mann
; now she thought that
Sarah’s fainting turn when she had said his name was just a
coincidence.

“Did you say Benjamin Shetler?”

Both girls looked up as Mrs. Miller hurried
into the kitchen.

“Yes,
Mamm
.”

“Well, what do you know about him, Rebecca?”
Mrs. Miller demanded. “Did Ida Flickinger tell you anything about
him?”

“
Nee
, she didn’t appear to know
anything much herself.”

Mrs. Miller poured herself a hot meadow tea
and sat down with the girls. “I’ve just come from Betsy Yoder’s.
She told me that Benjamin Shetler had been to see the bishop, and
the bishop himself drove him to the B&B. Why would a young
Amish
mann
from another community go to see our bishop?”

Rebecca thought for a moment. “Perhaps he was
shunned, and wants to come back to the Amish, but is too
embarrassed to go back to his community, so wants to make a fresh
start somewhere else.”

Mrs. Miller nodded her approval. “Could be,
that could be one possible reason. Anyway, I don’t like it; I don’t
like it all, outsiders forcing their way into our community.”

“
Mamm
!” Rebecca was shocked; Sarah was
sitting right there.

Mrs. Miller’s expression turned black. “Don’t
be so silly, Rebecca; you should know better. Obviously I don’t
mean Sarah; she’s one of the
familye
now. You should think
before you speak; now you’re embarrassed Sarah.”

Rebecca held her tongue; there was no use
trying to reason with her
mudder
at times like this.

Sarah murmured that she was not embarrassed,
but Mrs. Miller cut her off. “We will invite this Benjamin Shetler
to dinner, and see what he has to say for himself.”

Rebecca could not help but notice that
Sarah’s face had turned deathly white again.

John 14:1-3.

“
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe
in God; believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it
were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for
you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you
might be also.

Chapter
11

Rebecca was sweeping the front porch of the
B&B when Nash Grayson appeared and sat down in one of the
chairs. “What a lovely view,” he said. His voice dripped charm.

Rebecca was relieved that she had already
swept under the chairs, as she didn’t fancy having to ask him to
move. “Yes it is, but you should see it just before harvest, when
the fields of corn look beautiful.”

“I wasn’t talking about the landscape.”

Rebecca was puzzled at first and then
embarrassed.
Is he flirting with me?
she wondered.

Nash was clearly amused by her embarrassment.
“Will you have dinner with me?”

“
Nee
,” Rebecca said automatically, and
then wondered if that was rude. “My
mudder
has guests for
dinner tonight.”

Nash waved a hand absently. “I don’t mean
tonight; I mean at some point in the future.”

“
Nee
,” Rebecca said again, “but
denki
for asking.” She looked at Nash to see how he would
react, and saw what she thought was a calculating look pass across
his face.

“Is it Elijah Hostetler?” he asked.

Rebecca put her head down and swept briskly,
not wishing to pursue this conversation, but Nash got out of his
chair and walked over to her. Rebecca’s stomach clenched, wondering
what he was about to say, but Mr. Flickinger thankfully chose this
moment to tell Rebecca that Mrs. Flickinger needed her help with
Grossmammi
Deborah.

* * *

Nash watched Rebecca hurry away. He also saw
yet another stern look of disapproval pass across his father’s face
before he followed Rebecca into the building. Whatever. His
behavior was no doubt as he was stressed, and that stress was his
parents’ fault for not helping him out with his debts.

Nash returned to his seat and sat back down,
looking across at the open fields. He wished he could return to
city life and get away from the dreary, boring countryside, but
right now he didn’t have enough money to do so. He would have to
look for work, and then save up enough money to return to the city.
Lucky for him he was getting free board at his parents’ B&B,
but he was bored out of his mind. Didn’t these people do anything
for fun?

His thoughts turned to Rebecca. Why had she
refused his invitation for dinner? She was the first girl who had
ever refused him. Clearly it was because she was Amish; had she not
been Amish, she would no doubt have accepted his invitation in a
flash. Nash thought some more. Or was the reason in fact that she
was in love with Elijah? He had seen the looks Elijah shot his way
when he had spoken to Rebecca the day before the wedding.

Nash smiled to himself. He had the spark of
an idea how to liven things up around here. This community would
soon change from the boring place it was.

* * *

Benjamin Shetler looked decidedly
uncomfortable, Rebecca thought, despite her
mudder’s
uncharacteristic warm tone in addressing him. He was already at the
Miller
haus
when Rebecca arrived home from work, and as
Moses and Martha were away visiting, as was the Amish custom for
newlyweds, and as Sarah was nowhere to be seen, Benjamin and Mrs.
Miller were engaging in what looked like awkward conversation.

“
Hullo, Mamm
.
Hullo
,
Benjamin.”

Benjamin stood and greeted Rebecca.

“Where’s Sarah?”

Mrs. Miller looked behind Rebecca. “I’m
expecting her any minute now. She walked over to help Hannah with
the twins.”

As if on cue, Sarah walked through the door,
looking hot and flustered, despite the cool air. She walked
straight over to Benjamin. “
Hullo
, nice to meet you. I’m
Sarah Beachy.”

Benjamin looked taken aback, or so Rebecca
thought. “
Err
,
hiya
Sarah,” he stammered. “I’m
Benjamin Shetler.”

Sarah gave Benjamin a curt nod and then
turned to Mrs. Miller. “Sorry I’m late. What can I do to help
prepare the meal?”

Mrs. Miller stood up. “
Nee
,
nee
. You two girls stay here and talk to Benjamin. I’ll just
see to the dinner.” With that, Mrs. Miller hurried out of the room,
leaving Rebecca to wonder who her
mudder
wanted to pair
Benjamin with: her, or Sarah. Her
mudder
was not happy
unless she was matchmaking.

No one spoke for a while which made Rebecca
somewhat nervous. She cleared her throat. “So, how are you liking
our community, Benjamin?”

“
Gut, denki
.”

Rebecca’s face fell as her attempt to make
conversation had fallen so flat. She tried again. “Have you met
Nash Grayson yet?”

“
Jah
.”

Rebecca pushed on. “Mrs. Flickinger is
lovely, isn’t she.”

“
Jah
.”

To Rebecca’s relief, her
mudder
returned to the table and sat down. “Dinner is ready; we just have
to wait for my husband. Benjamin, will you be staying at the
B&B long?”

Benjamin squirmed in his seat. “I’m not sure
just yet, Mrs. Miller.”

“Do you have business concerns here?”

Benjamin continued to squirm.
“
Nee
.”

Mrs. Miller appeared not at all put off by
Benjamin’s obvious attempts to avoid her questions. “Benjamin, why
have you come to our community?”

Benjamin’s face flushed a deep shade of beet
red, and he looked at the floor. “Forgive me, Mrs. Miller, but what
I’m doing here involves someone else, so I am not at liberty to
talk about it.”

Mrs. Miller rushed to reassure him. “Of
course not, Benjamin; please forgive me for asking.”

Rebecca hid a smile behind her hand. She knew
that her
mudder
was determined to find out more about
Benjamin, and would indeed find out one way or another.

The unsuspecting Benjamin now looked quite
relaxed, and he and Mrs. Miller chatted away happily. He told her
that he had come from dairy farming country, but that he wanted to
open his own B&B at some point in the future.

“You’ll need a
fraa
for that,” Mrs.
Miller said, causing Rebecca to groan inwardly.

Rebecca glanced at Sarah, expecting her to
look amused, but Sarah’s face was white and drawn, and she was
chewing her fingernails.

Everyone turned to the sound of the front
door opening. It was Mr. Miller who appeared to have finished work
a little early.

“Rebecca, go and fix your
daed
a hot
meadow tea.”

“
Jah, mamm
.” Rebecca was pleased to be
out of the room. At least she had a small time in which she would
not be embarrassed by her
mudder’s
obvious attempts to match
her with the new boy in town. Her
mudder
knew nothing about
him, but that did not stop her clumsy attempts at matching her with
Benjamin.

From the kitchen she could hear her
daed
trying to talk to the young man, but her
mudder
kept cutting across the conversation. Rebecca sighed.
Nothing
ever changes around here,
she thought. It appeared that her
mudder
was the only person in the community who did not
assume that she would marry Elijah. Mrs. Miller had been most put
out when her
dochders
married the Hostetler boys, one by
one, although her attitude had changed for the better when Hannah
had the twins.

Surely her
mudder
would be pleased for
her if she did marry Elijah? Rebecca carried her
daed’s
favorite meadow tea carefully to where he sat, and she was just in
time to hear him ask Benjamin, “So what is it that brings you here,
Benjamin?”

Her
mudder
moved her head forward, as
if doing so would help draw the information out of him.

Benjamin’s eyes darted about the room. It was
clear that he was nervous and trying to hide something. “I’m
running an errand for someone.”

“I see, someone from your community I
suppose?” Mr. Miller asked.

Benjamin nodded, and quickly changed the
subject. “I hear you have a successful furniture business, Mr.
Miller.”

Mr. Miller nodded his head to Rebecca who had
just passed him his tea, then chuckled in a low tone at Benjamin’s
comment. “It keeps the
familye
.
Gott
has blessed
us.”

“What kind of furniture do you make?”
Benjamin shifted position in his seat.

Rebecca had the feeling that he was not the
slightest bit interested in her
daed’s
business; it was
simply a diversion so he would not have to speak about his reasons
for visiting the community.