Never Far From Home (The Miller Family 2) (25 page)

Emma was struck speechless. She dropped her sack of grapevines to the ground. “You bought this Appaloosa pony for me? Why would you do such a thing?”

“
Jah
, why would you do such a thing?” Simon Miller asked over her shoulder. His voice sounded cold enough to freeze the pond on a warm summer day.

“Well, Miss Emma can use a new pony, and they had this fine one for sale in Mount Hope yesterday.” James looked confident and determined.

Simon stepped around his daughter. “If my girl’s pony needs replacing, her family will buy another. You’ve got no business buying such an expensive gift. What do you mean by this nonsense?”

James ran a hand through his hair and then handed the reins of the prancing filly to Matthew. “I mean to say, Mr. Miller, with all due respect, that I’m in love with your daughter. This gift is a token of my serious intention to marry Emma once I’m done with college.”

Julia gasped as loudly as Emma did. She didn’t know her
mamm
had come from the house.

Simon turned to face Emma. “Did you know anything about this, young lady?”

“No, I didn’t. But I do like the horse, and I could certainly use her.”

Simon held up his hand. “Enough,” he boomed. “This is a most inappropriate gift, and you’ll not accept it.” His complexion was drained of all color.

“
Daed
, it’s my
Rumschpringe
,” Emma said boldly. “And I like James very much.” She couldn’t say the word “love” in front of her family. She didn’t even possess the courage to say the word to James when they were alone.

“
Rumschpringe
or not, you will not take this expensive horse from an
Englischer
. Go in the house now, Emma.” Simon wasn’t discussing the subject anymore.

Emma stepped backward to stand by her
mamm
, but she didn’t go inside. She couldn’t leave James alone to deal with her father’s wrath.

“Mr. Miller, if you’d just hear me out, sir,” James said.

“No, there’s nothing you could say to make me change my mind. I’ll thank you to put that fancy horse back into your trailer and be on your way. Hopefully, you can get your money back from the seller, but that’s not my concern. You had no business buying it without checking with me first.” Simon’s grip tightened on his suspenders.

James crossed his arms over his chest, but he didn’t move. No one said a word for several painfully long moments. Then Matthew broke the tense silence. “Here you go, James.” He handed the reins back and pulled on the horse’s halter. “I’ll help you load her into the trailer.”

James looked like he might continue to argue, but he decided against it when he met Emma’s gaze. “Thanks, Matt,” he mumbled and started to push the horse’s backside up the ramp.

A flush crept up Emma’s neck and her lower lip began to tremble. “Thank you anyway,” she managed to say as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Simon faced her with fury. “I told you to go in the house. Now go.”

Julia tugged on the sleeve of her dress. Emma couldn’t take another minute of her domineering father. She turned on her heel and ran for the house. Only from the kitchen window did she watch James and Matthew coax the Appaloosa into the trailer and secure the gate behind it.

While her
mamm
resembled a startled rabbit and her
daed
a stubborn bull, James paused to say something else to her parents. Leah crept up behind Emma and slipped an arm around her waist. The two sisters viewed the final scene play out in silent, abstract motion. James talked with his hands out and palms up. He appeared to be pleading to be given a chance to prove himself. Matthew stood somberly on the sidelines, looking back and forth between the three.

Emma and Leah didn’t need to hear the conversation to understand what was going on. Simon shifted his weight from foot to foot and then straightened his spine. He shook his head back and forth the same way Belle liked to do. Julia dropped her chin almost to her chest as she rubbed the backs of her knuckles.

James looked at each Miller once more, and then he nodded his head and climbed into his truck. The vehicle, pulling the trailer with the best present Emma had ever been given, turned around in the gravel and drove down the lane. Soon the blinking taillights disappeared around the bend in the road.

Leah stared at her as Emma felt the heat of anger replace her sadness. She was mad at
daed
and
mamm.
This was her
Rumschpringe
. They had no right to deny her this. She loved James and he loved her. She needed some rightful space before making up her mind about the rest of her life.

She hugged her sister tightly and then fled up the steps to her room. She was too angry to face her parents right now and too afraid she would say something she could never take back.

J
ulia didn’t sleep well that night, and for a change it had nothing to do with arthritis. She was between a rock and a hard place as a mother. She knew very well what happened if you pushed a teenager too far—whether Amish or English. Emma would only rebel all the more.

Yet as a wife, she couldn’t go against Simon’s decision. He wanted what every Amish father wanted for his daughter—a loving, stable home in which to raise a family. He saw James Davis of Charm as an evil force that could ruin everything for his little girl. Simon might be a church deacon, but he couldn’t remember being sixteen years old.

Julia had her own fears about the situation. She knew Emma needed some freedom, but also suspected Emma wouldn’t want to leave her faith or the lifestyle she’d been raised in. But what if she compromised her reputation with this
Englischer
and no Amish man would take her for his wife? Once gone, a girl’s good name could never be restored. This was a nightmare, but tossing and turning wouldn’t help. Julia rose, swallowed her pills with a sip of water and went downstairs.

Simon hadn’t left for his morning chores yet. He’d brewed a pot of coffee and a mug sat steaming before him. “
Ach
, Julia, up already? You should lie back down and give the medicine a chance to work.” He looked as bad as she felt.

She wasn’t the only one unable to sleep last night. “No, Simon, we need to talk before the
kinner
get up.”

Surprisingly, he nodded in agreement. “I lost my temper…again,” he said, pouring her a cup of coffee.

“Who could blame you?” she asked. “But we must figure something out before Emma gets up. How we deal with this is very important. We mustn’t drive her away.” Julia sipped her coffee for fortification.

Simon’s eyes were bloodshot and heavy lidded. “What do you suggest?”

“Give me a minute to think,” she said, grasping his hand and closing her eyes. Suddenly, a thought, an insight, popped into her head—God speaking to her through intuition. When she opened her eyes, she smiled brightly. “I’ve got an idea. Hear me out and tell me what you think.”

Later, when Emma came downstairs wearing a faded dress and a determined frown, her parents greeted her with renewed assurance.

“Guder mariye,”
Julia said.

“Good morning,” Emma answered in English. “Oatmeal today for breakfast?”

“Sit for a minute. We need to talk.” Julia nodded toward the other chair.

Emma sat, but she lifted her chin defiantly. “I heard everything you said yesterday. You made yourself quite clear.”

Julia wouldn’t let her face reveal her shock over Emma’s tone of voice. “Calm yourself, young lady. Your father and I have discussed the matter, and you may court James if that’s what you want. But you mustn’t allow any undue familiarity between you two. Once lost, a girl’s virtue cannot be restored. You might change your mind about young Davis and wish to court Amish fellows, but they’ll have nothing to do with you if they feel you have disgraced yourself.”

Julia allowed time for this to sink in. The battery wall clock ticked steadily while Emma pondered their decision. Squirrels noisily raided the bird feeder outside the window.

Emma blushed profusely. “And the gift? What about my new horse?” she asked.

Julia glanced at Simon. With his nod, she said, “If James still chooses, he may bring the horse back and you may accept it. But…” she placed unmistakable emphasis on the word, “…for now it’s not a gift. If you want it so badly, you must pay him every month from your wool sales until it’s paid in full. If you part company down the road, the animal will not become an embarrassment. The horse will be yours once the debt is paid off. And should this courtship eventually lead to marriage?”

Simon’s face sagged with sorrow as Julia drew in a breath. “In that case, the money you’ve paid to James simply has gone to your future husband.” Julia released a sigh and waited.

Emma focused on the wall. Then her demeanor brightened by measurable degrees until a smile blossomed on her young face. “
Danki, mamm
and
dead
.” She jumped up from her chair and hugged Julia tightly around the neck.

Julia didn’t protest even when her back contracted sorely. Seeing a bridge reconnect them to their girl was worth the pain.

“May I send James a letter to tell him about your change of heart?” Her question had been directed to Simon.

He appeared to steel himself, as though waiting for a tooth to be pulled. “
Jah
, you may write to him, but sit back down, daughter. Your
mamm
isn’t finished yet.”

Emma obeyed, glancing from one to the other.

“We’ve made this decision because it’s your
Rumschpringe
and we shouldn’t force your choices, but you must think long and hard about the repercussions if you court this boy for very long. If the English world loses its appeal, you might not find a good man and a happy home in the world you left behind. Be very careful, Emma. Do nothing you’ll regret should you wish to marry within your community.” Julia exhaled and then reached for Simon. He clasped her hand wearing a sour-lemon expression.

Emma didn’t jump up and down with the new conditions. Some of her earlier enthusiasm faded. “All right,” she whispered. “I will not dishonor myself…or you.” She bravely looked them in the eye. “But I cannot imagine wanting to marry any other man than James.”

“And leave the Amish faith?” Julia asked. “You might not be shunned since you haven’t joined the church yet, but you couldn’t remain part of the family like you are now.”

“The English world—that is what you want?” Simon couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “We have raised you to seek a simple lifestyle as the surest path to the kingdom of heaven. And you’re anxious to toss away salvation just to wear fancy clothes and paint your face?”

Emma’s eyes welled with tears. “I’ll never turn from God. James would never want me to do that.”

“Ach!”
was Simon’s final comment on the topic. He struggled to his feet and stomped out to his chores.

A large teardrop fell to the oak surface of the table. “Jesus loves more than just Plain people,” Emma whispered.

Julia couldn’t argue with that even if she wanted to; the fight had gone out of her. “
Jah
, that is true. Go write your letter. Do it now and get it out of the way. I’ll manage breakfast with Leah whenever she gets up. Where is that girl, anyway?”

“I’ll send her down.” Emma rose and walked to the steps, trying to hold her head high.

Emma found the girl hiding, eavesdropping in the stairwell. Leah looked like a twister had just picked up their house and carried it across the street. Emma had never seen that expression on her sister before.

Seth walked between the rows of corn a happy man. Shiny green stalks held plenty of firm well-tasseled ears. The early harvest would be a good one. Enough rain showers and abundant sunshine had produced a bumper crop in the first acres planted.

And the late-planted field would mature in the waning days of summer. Turnip stayed close to his heels as they wandered through the long rows of corn. Overhead, fluffy puffs of clouds danced across a perfect azure sky. Grasshoppers jumped before each fall of his work boots, tormenting the dog with their quick movements. Days like today made Seth grateful to be a farmer—working the land allowed him to be close to nature and near the family he loved so much.