Authors: Ruth Hartzler
The Amish Millers Get Married BOXED SET Books 1-3 (Amish Romance Book Bundle: The Way Home, The Way Forward, The Narrow Way) (Boxed Set: Amish Millers Get Married)
The Amish Millers Get Married BOXED SET Books 1-3 (Amish Romance Book Bundle: The Way Home, The Way Forward, The Narrow Way)
Ruth Hartzler
* * *
The Amish Millers Get Married BOXED SET Books 1-3 (Amish Romance Book Bundle: The Way Home, The Way Forward, The Narrow Way).
Ruth Hartzler
Copyright © 2014 Ruth Hartzler
All Rights Reserved
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Contains:
The Way Home
(The Amish Millers Get Married Book 1)
Ruth Hartzler
Copyright © 2014 Ruth Hartzler
All Rights Reserved.
* * * * * * * * *
The Way Forward
(The Amish Millers Get Married Book 2)
Ruth Hartzler
Copyright © 2014 Ruth Hartzler
All Rights Reserved
* * * * * * * * *
The Narrow Way
(The Amish Millers Get Married Book 3)
Ruth Hartzler
Copyright © 2014 Ruth Hartzler
All Rights Reserved
* * * * * * * * *
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
* * * * * * * * *
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
®
(ESV
®
), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
* * * * * * * * *
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The personal names have been invented by the author, and any likeness to the name of any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
* * * * * * * *
Matthew 18:32-35.
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
* * * * * * * * *
Mark 11:22-25.
22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
* * * * * * * * *
Psalm 91:2-7.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
Psalm 46:2-3.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah
Chapter 1
.
Hannah smoothed down her dark, plain cut dress and looked out the window of the buggy, admiring the shimmering frost and the ribbons of silver mist. It was early morning in the wintertime, and the Miller sisters had only just stepped into their
familye's
buggy, to visit with their friends on the other side of their town. Hannah was the oldest, the wisest, and the one everyone thought of as sensible, dutiful, and kind. Like her three younger sisters, she wore a heavy bonnet over her prayer
kapp
this morning, although she had not worn her long woolen cloak.
Sitting by her side, Esther pulled distractedly on the corner of her cloak; she had not braved the cold like Hannah. Esther was the second oldest of the Millers. Unlike the two youngest sisters, Martha and Rebecca, Esther sat in complete silence this morning. Hannah wondered if Esther was thinking on next Sunday's Singing, but she felt a little too sleepy to ask just yet. She would wait another five minutes or so. Besides, on the other side of the buggy, Martha and Rebecca were chatting about their chores, and Hannah thought it pleasant to listen to the sweet, low chime of their voices.
Familye
was so important to her and she cherished every minute with Esther, Martha, and Rebecca.
On the other side of town, Noah Hostetler pulled on his leather jacket and stepped out of his family's
haus
. He loved the smell of winter, the wood smoke and the frost, and for a moment he stood in the cooling air next to the ancient rust bucket he called a car, borrowed from one his
Englisch
friends. He would never admit this to his younger brothers, but he loved how pleasant and quiet the world was this early in the morning. After a sigh, he slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine.
Noah was on
Rumspringa
, so he could dress
Englisch
and drive vehicles other than ones drawn by horses. Checking to make sure his side-view mirrors were properly adjusted, he lurched down the driveway toward the center of town. The road was icy, and the mist pressed into his car, so he was careful not to drive too fast.
Back in the Miller's buggy, Esther took in a deep breath and then sighed. "We should get a lot of sewing done this coming winter. I want to make another bonnet each for Martha and Rebecca," she whispered to Hannah. "I'd like to make another shirt for
daed
, too."
"I think that's a good idea," Hannah replied. "Esther, is anything troubling you? You seem a little quiet this morning." Esther was more reserved than her three sisters, but she usually spoke a lot more than this.
"I was thinking about seeing Jacob," she replied in a low voice, "next Sunday at the Singing." Hannah and Esther never spoke loudly about boys around Martha and Rebecca, because they could not risk their younger sisters overhearing. The relentless teasing that would follow would be too embarrassing, so they talked only to each other about courting.
Noah rolled down the window. The windshield was almost too foggy to see through. He hoped that letting in a rush of cold air would clear up the glass, and he smiled to himself with relief when the winding road in front of his car became a little bit more visible. Light was spilling over the horizon now, painting the wintry landscape in hues of yellow, pink, and purple, and it was almost worth the dangerous driving conditions for the beauty of the scenery.
"What are you two whispering about?" Martha said, reaching out to pinch Esther's hand. She had stopped talking with Rebecca, to take a keen interest in the conversation of her older sisters. "Are you talking about boys?"
"You are," Rebecca said, wagging her finger at Hannah and Esther. "Come on; we're sisters. You're not meant to keep anything from us, remember? We made a deal."
Hannah chuckled. "I don't recall making any sort of deal." Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile at her two youngest sisters. "You two best leave Esther alone. Look, the sun's finally up," she said, pointing to golden light spilling over the white hills. The diversion tactic worked, because all four of the Miller sisters stopped talking to admire the scenery.
Noah tightly grasped the steering wheel. The road was slippery this morning, and in this part of town, where the great trees threw deep shadows over the road, he could hardly see a thing in front of him. Despite his best efforts, the window had also fogged up once more. For a moment, he even considered pulling the car over and waiting ten minutes until the driving conditions were improved. If only he had.
"Where did the sun go?" Rebecca asked, pushing her nose against the window of the buggy. "It looked so pretty through the mist and against the frost."
"This part of town is full of trees, remember?" said Esther, gently. "I imagine they're doing a good job of blocking out the sun. Don't worry about it too much."
"I can't wait to get there," Rebecca said, fidgeting in her seat.
"Me too," added Martha.
"I expect it won't be too much longer," Hannah assured them. "I'm so looking forward to - "
For a moment time froze, and then a great, shattering bang broke the winter hush. Hannah later remembered her head colliding with the wall of the buggy, her younger sisters screaming as all four of them were flung into the air and the sickening silence that followed. She remembered lying on the frost covered ground and wishing for her heavy woolen coat, and a sharp pain throbbing through her leg, while she wondered how she had escaped the overturned buggy. Lastly, she remembered a young man crawling out of his overturned car and moving toward her through the ribbons of silver mist, to see if she was still breathing.
Psalm 43:5.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Chapter 2
.
2 months later
.
Hannah rested on her crutches for a moment and looked at the clouds gathering in the late winter sky. She held her face skyward, letting the icy breeze flow across her face. Birds flew overhead.
They have no cares
, Hannah thought,
just like I once had no cares or worries
.
Before the accident, Hannah had led a carefree life, surrounded by the love of her
familye
and the closeness of her community. The accident had changed all that.
Her
familye's
retired buggy horse, Rock, broke across her thoughts, softly nickering to her from his pasture. "I'm not feeding you any oats, Rock," she scolded. "Every time I appear you think I'm going to feed you. You're retired now, and you have plenty of hay to eat."
Hannah looked at Rock's thick winter blanket which was slipping somewhat to one side. "Don’t worry, Rock," she said, "I'll tell
daed
and he'll straighten it."
Rock lost interest in Hannah when he saw she wasn't going to feed him, and wandered away from her. Hannah watched him closely, relieved that he was no longer lame. The veterinarian hadn’t held out much hope for Rock after the accident, but with old Mrs. Graber's comfrey liniments and poultices, he was now walking sound. Still, he would never pull a buggy again.
Hannah hobbled her way back to her
haus
, thinking that Rock was doing better than she was. He could now walk normally, whereas it would be a while before she could.
“Hannah, Hannah!” Esther's voice broke through her thoughts, and she turned and hobbled back into the
haus
.
As she opened the door, she heard her
mudder
say, “Hush, Esther. Why do you keep calling for Hannah?”
“Sorry
Mamm
, but you told me not to call you anymore and I need a glass of water.”
Hannah hurried into the room and looked at her
mudder
who she figured was even wearier than she. “I’ll get it,
Mamm
.”
Her
mudder
smiled at her oldest
dochder.
“
Denki
.”
Hannah had to stifle feelings of resentment against her sisters. She was injured too and the doctor had told her to stay off her leg as much as possible. Unfortunately for Hannah, her doctor didn’t realize just how demanding her sisters would be. Not that it was their fault, but that fact didn’t make it any easier. “I’m coming, Esther.”
As all the girls' bedrooms were normally upstairs, after the accident, makeshift beds had been put downstairs to enable the girls to be looked after more easily, and it was warmer downstairs, near the potbelly stove in the living room. Hannah was on crutches and unable to get up the stairs anyway, and it was easier all round if the three injured girls were downstairs. The girls were on mattresses across the floor of the living room, around the potbelly stove. It was a blessing that the bathroom was downstairs also.
“Me too please, Hannah,” Martha said with a cough.
“All right; it'll take me a minute.” Hannah wondered how she was going to carry the water back with having to have both her hands on the crutches. At that moment she remembered the tray-mobile that their elderly g
rossmammi
used to wheel around in the
haus.
She was sure it was still in the store room off from the kitchen.
Hannah moved with her crutches the best she could and opened the store room door. Yes, just as she thought. The tray-mobile was there. Now all she had to do was move the sack of sugar from on top of it and she would have the answer to her problem. Well, an answer to one of her problems.
As she filled two glasses with water after struggling with the sugar sack, she wondered how Rebecca was getting on. The only way she could find out was to call the hospital herself from the phone in the barn.
After she gave her sisters each a glass of water, she slowly hobbled out to the barn to make the call to the hospital. Hannah was getting better on the crutches but still found it difficult to maneuver stairs. Thankfully there were only two steps down from the porch.
The hospital put her straight through to Rebecca’s room and Rebecca answered.
“How are you?”
“Hannah!" Rebecca's voice was filled with delight. "A little better and it doesn't hurt so much when I move my legs now.”
Hannah could sense in her
schweschder’s
voice that something was troubling her. “Yes,
Mamm
told me, but are you sure you’re all right?”
“
Jah.”
Hannah heard a couple sniffs on the other end of the phone.
“Hannah, you're going to come see me today aren’t you? You didn't come yesterday.” Rebecca's voice was small and sad.
Hannah turned her eyes to the roof. How could she possibly get to the hospital every single day? She never wanted to go in a buggy ever again; they were far too dangerous, and so she had to take a taxi every time she visited Rebecca. “Of course I am.” Hannah talked with Rebecca a little longer until she was sure that that she was much happier.
Buggies were not the only thing that filled Hannah with horror; now she was wondering how she could continue to set foot inside the hospital day after day. Every day when she hobbled on the crutches to the front door of the hospital, she was filled with dread. The antiseptic smell of the hospital made her want to turn and run. Worse still, there were buggies in the parking area, and buggies just made her want to run away to the point of bringing on an anxiety attack. She found it hard to breathe and had to take a few long, slow breaths.
Hannah was the one who most visited Rebecca. Her
daed
was busy with his woodworking business and her
mudder
was busy with all the chores and the cooking by herself, now that the three
schweschders
who were at home could not do anything.
Hannah rested her elbows on her crutches and called the number for the taxi. That was the only possible way for her to get there. She felt guilty that her parents had to spend money on taxis, but there was no way she would ever go near a buggy again, let alone actually get in or drive one.
* * *
The automatic doors of the hospital opened when Hannah stood in front of them. She hesitated at the entrance as people jostled to pass her from either side.
She sensed someone standing beside her and looked to see a handsome man in a suit.
“Can I help you, miss? Are you okay?”
Hannah guessed that he was a doctor as he had the very same self-important air about him as the doctor who had been treating her. “I’m fine,
denki
.” Hannah continued to stand in the doorway while she summoned the courage to walk through the doors.
The man was still beside her when he said, “You're kind of blocking the doorway.”
Hannah looked at him and saw that he had kind, soft brown eyes and he was smiling at her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Hannah took a quick step back in an effort to move from the doorway, and overbalanced.
The young man quickly stepped behind her and steadied her with strong hands. “There you go,” he said as she regained her balance.
“Oh, thank you.” Hannah wanted to adjust her bonnet over her prayer
kapp
as she was sure it was now tilted a little, but she dared not to take her hands off her crutches.
“Are you sure you don’t need any help? Are you here as a patient, or are you visiting someone?”
“Visiting someone.”
“Aha.” The young man nodded his head. “Well, let’s just step through here and we’ll see if we can find their room number, shall we?”
He took a step as if he expected Hannah to step with him, but Hannah could not move.
“Is there anything wrong? Are you having trouble with your crutches?”
Hannah felt heat rise to her cheeks. Did she have to explain herself and her fears to someone she didn’t know? Since he looked as though he was a doctor and was obviously a thoughtful and caring person, Hannah decided to trust him. “It's just that I’m a little afraid.”
The young man put his head to one side. “Afraid of…?”
“Going in there.” She nodded her head to the hospital.
“I see. And who is it you have come to see?”
“My sister, her name's Rebecca. We were in a buggy accident together. I got out of the hospital, but she’s still here. I do know her room number as I visit her most days.”
He scratched his chin. “Well, speaking as a doctor, I would advise you not to visit your sister.”
Hannah was aghast. “Don’t visit her?" she exclaimed. "But she’s waiting for me; I told her I’d come. I come nearly every day. It's just that…” Hannah's voice trailed away.
“Aren’t you scared, though?”
Hannah looked up at the hospital and then back to the doctor. “Yes, but I have to go in.”
The doctor looked at Hannah for a moment before he said, “What if I take you in the back way? You can pretend that you're walking into a different building and not into a hospital.”
Hannah nodded. “That would be good.”
The doctor smiled and said, “This way.” He took Hannah around the side of the large building and through an insignificant looking door. Hannah forced herself to pretend that she was just going into any old building and not into a hospital.
“There, we're in.” The doctor smiled at Hannah, revealing a perfect set of teeth. “I’m Dr. Hanson.”
“Very nice to meet you; thanks for helping me. My name's Hannah Miller.”
“Would you like me to call for a nurse to help you to your sister’s room?”
Hannah shook her head. “
Nee
, I’m sure I’ve taken up enough of your time already.”
He smiled again and tipped his head. “Glad to be of service.”
Hannah took hold of her crutches firmly and made her way to her sister’s room.
Breathe, Hannah, breathe,
she told herself. She found that breathing deeply and diverting her attention away from what was troubling her, always helped her greatly.
* * *
Noah Hostetler was leaving the hospital after visiting Rebecca, and saw Hannah walk around the side of the building with a young, handsome
mann
. The
mann
had his hand on Hannah's arm, helping her along on her crutches, the crutches that he, Noah was responsible for. A sharp pang of guilt struck at Noah's heart, followed closely by a pang of jealousy.