A Heart Once Broken Read online

  HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

  EUGENE, OREGON

  All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota

  Cover photos © Chris Garborg; Bigstock

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A HEART ONCE BROKEN

  Copyright © 2016 Jerry S. Eicher

  Published by Harvest House Publishers

  Eugene, Oregon 97402

  www.harvesthousepublishers.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Eicher, Jerry S.

  A heart once broken / Jerry S. Eicher.

  pages; cm. — (St. Lawrence County Amish)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-6587-3 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-6588-0 (eBook)

  1. Amish—Fiction. 2. Mate selection—Fiction. 3. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3605.I34H43 2016

  813’.6—dc23

  2015016852

  All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s and publisher’s rights is strictly prohibited.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Discussion Questions

  About the Author

  Ready to Discover More?

  About the Publisher

  Chapter One

  Lydia Troyer smoothed the wrinkles in her dress with a quick brush of her hand as she watched Ezra Wagler’s buggy pull into Deacon Schrock’s lane on Kelley Road. Now Ezra would put his horse, Midnight, in the barn and join the other St. Lawrence County Amish young people with the work at hand.

  They had all gathered on this Friday evening to help clean the house and yard of the recently arrived deacon and his frau, Ruth Ann, who had both just joined the community. After their tiring move from Holmes County, Ohio, the couple appeared happy and had settled easily into the North Country in upstate New York.

  Lydia gave her dress another quick brush and glanced at the barn door, hoping to catch Ezra’s attention as he joined the young workers. A minute later and still no Ezra, Lydia looked across the yard to where her cousin Sandra Troyer was on her knees in the garden, pulling weeds with several of the other girls. Lydia allowed a smile to creep across her face. Tonight she had the advantage over Sandra. Her brush-cutting assignment wouldn’t leave smudges on her dress or dark streaks on her hands. Sandra, too, was looking at the barn door for the same reason she was. As were a few of the other young girls with similar aspirations.

  That was one of the things so maddening about Ezra, besides his handsome goot looks. He was the young man many of the community girls set their kapps for…though everyone knew she and her cousin Sandra had the inside track. The two had vied for Ezra’s attentions ever since they finished their rumspringa days—about the same time Ezra and his family joined the community.

  The rivalry of the two cousins had begun in their school days, long before Ezra had arrived. Even as rivals, they had managed to stay steadfast friends, though lately things had become a little grim. What had begun as a healthy competition—such as who could get the most 100s in school—had turned into something more serious after their rumspringa convinced both of them to be baptized and settle into Amish life. The cousins had wasted no time making their interest in the newcomer known. And Ezra, seeming to enjoy the attention, was obviously in no hurry to choose between the two cousins.

  “Maddening!” Lydia muttered aloud.

  “I know,” Rosemary said from a few feet away. “These weeds are stubborn as all get-out.” Lydia took another whack with her hoe as she gave Rosemary a smile. Thankfully the younger girl couldn’t read her thoughts.

  Though Lydia’s rivalry with Sandra descended to low depths at times, neither she nor Sandra seemed able to back off. On this point they were equally determined. Whoever won Ezra’s hand in marriage would have won the most important competition between the two girls.

  For this contest they were evenly matched indeed. Both Sandra and Lydia had decent looks—among the best in the St. Lawrence County Amish community. Lydia had heard whispered more than once by one of the younger girls in frustration, “Those pretty Troyer cousins!”

  Lydia stood up straighter as she caught sight of Ezra’s smiling face. He walked her way, but then he glanced across the barnyard to where Sandra was working and waved toward her. Sandra waved back, but stayed on her knees. Lydia grinned as Sandra tried in desperation to tuck a few loose strands of hair under her kapp with one hand. The attempt, no doubt, left further smudges of dirt on Sandra’s face.

  Ezra hollered something toward Sandra she couldn’t understand. Sandra appeared to smile and hollered something back as Ezra moved closer. Lydia could see the girls near Sandra giggle at this exchange between the two. After a few words, Ezra moved on, walking toward Lydia.

  “Looks like you get your chance now,” Rosemary said with a wicked smile. “When are Sandra and you going to settle this matter?”

  Lydia didn’t answer. There wasn’t anything to say. Ezra would choose soon. He would have to. She so wanted to win this competition. It had always been difficult to tell who would gain the upper hand, whether Sandra or herself. Back in their school days Sandra would have the best average grade one week, and the next week Lydia would be ahead. But with this contest, someone would be left heartbroken. That would hurt worse than any defeat they’d suffered at school.

  Lydia rallied her emotions as Ezra drew near.

  “Hi there, Ezra,” Rosemary chirped before Lydia could speak. “We’ve been needing a man on this fencerow for some time.”

  Lydia gave Ezra a sly smile, but remained quiet now that Rosemary had spoken up first. She used a low-key approach. Sandra, on the other hand, could
chatter a hundred miles a minute when she had the opportunity.

  “Well, then. It looks like I’ve come to the right place,” Ezra said with a chuckle.

  Lydia gave Ezra an admiring look. “You should be able to handle the rest of this fencerow all by yourself then.”

  “Oh no,” Ezra protested. “I wouldn’t want to lose the company of two such pretty females. Please stay.”

  Rosemary gave a sly grin. “Your sugar tongue will get you nowhere with me, you know.”

  Ezra grinned. “A man’s gotta try, doesn’t he?”

  Lydia joined in their laughter. That was what she loved about Ezra. He could joke and laugh with any of the young people and make everyone feel special and appreciated.

  Rosemary handed her hoe to Ezra. “Here, I’ll go get another one.”

  “Thanks,” Ezra replied, seemingly pleased with the offer.

  Lydia worked on a tall thistle as Rosemary hurried away. This gave her a few moments alone with Ezra. Giving him a quick glance, she said, “You look handsome tonight. Did your mamm make that new shirt for you?”

  Ezra grinned and said, “Yah. Thanks for the compliment. Now I can relax for the rest of the evening knowing everything’s fine. There’s nothing like arriving at a gathering and finding out your mamm forgot to sew a seam.”

  “You’re mamm wouldn’t do that,” she chided. “She’s among the best seamstresses in the community.”

  “Yah, I was teasing.” Ezra whacked away at the weeds again before he looked up to say, “I heard there was another new family moving into the community. Have you met them?”

  “No.” Lydia busied herself with a stubborn root.

  “The oldest boy is around our age, I was told.” Ezra gave Lydia a quick glance. “His name’s Clyde Helmuth. He’s the boy right over there—the one with the pitchfork.”

  Lydia looked toward where Ezra had motioned with his chin. There was indeed a new boy near the barn. She had been too wrapped up in Ezra to notice. His straw hat cast shadows on his face, but he looked handsome enough.

  “I imagine you girls will have him matched up with someone before long,” Ezra teased.

  Lydia teased back by saying, “Maybe so. Maybe it’ll be me. I seem to be available.” She gave the weeds in front of her another wallop.

  “Surely you wouldn’t fall for a strange man so quickly,” Ezra scolded.

  “Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn’t,” Lydia said. “And who knows. My cousin Sandra might fall for him.”

  “Are you wishing she would?” Ezra’s eyes twinkled. He was on to her now.

  “Yah,” Lydia admitted. She knew she might as well say the truth. “That might help you make up your mind.”

  Ezra grinned from ear to ear. “Maybe it would and maybe it wouldn’t,” he teased back.

  Ezra was still grinning when Rosemary returned with her new hoe. She gave them both a quick look and said, “Is something funny going on that you want to share with me?”

  “No,” Ezra said, teasing again. “We thought maybe you got hung up talking with the new fellow over by the barn. Young and handsome Clyde Helmuth?”

  Rosemary colored a little. “Clyde who?”

  Ezra laughed. “I can go tell him you’re available.”

  “No need,” Rosemary snapped. “He already knows that. Clyde and I go way back. Our families have been friends for years…before his family moved here.”

  Ezra’s tone softened. “I didn’t know that. Did something happen between the two of you?”

  The look on Rosemary’s face was enough of an answer, but she still said, “I used to date him, but we broke up.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Lydia reached over to give Rosemary a quick squeeze on the arm. “I had no idea.”

  Rosemary shrugged. “Most people don’t know. It was only for a few dates. Clyde felt like the relationship wasn’t what he wanted.”

  “There will be someone for you, I’m sure,” Ezra encouraged her.

  “I can see why your heart is still attached to the man,” Lydia whispered to Rosemary, loud enough for Ezra to hear. “He’s quite handsome.”

  “Yah.” Rosemary bit her lip and attacked a thick weed with her hoe.

  Ezra gathered up an armful of thornbushes and headed toward the garden where Sandra was working. Lydia tried to keep busy and not pay attention to what Ezra was doing. The burn pile was near the garden’s edge, and Lydia was sure Ezra would stop to speak with Sandra.

  Lydia turned her attention to Rosemary. “Is it hard for you, then? With Clyde now living right here in the community?”

  “No, it’s fine.” Rosemary put on a brave face. “I have to get over him, that’s all. And I will. He and his daett just moved here after his mamm died. He’s carrying a heavy load now.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Lydia said.

  Rosemary paused with her hoe in one hand. “And as for me, you or Ezra don’t need to feel bad. It’s not as though I want another chance with Clyde. That’s clearly in the past.”

  Lydia didn’t respond, and the girls turned their attention to their work. Their tools rose and fell in unison as they attacked the thornbushes. The simple peace and camaraderie of their shared disappointments was comfort enough for the moment. But before long, both of them glanced toward the garden where Sandra and Ezra were engaged in a lively conversation.

  “See what I mean?” Lydia muttered. “It’s maddening.”

  Rosemary choked back a laugh. “Yah, I see what you mean. So that’s what you were muttering about earlier. I thought it was the weeds.”

  “Maybe it is a weed,” Lydia said, but she knew it was the bitterness in her heart speaking. The truth was, she loved Ezra.

  Chapter Two

  The following Saturday evening, Lydia ran to the front window of the Troyers’ living room and peeked through the drapes. A buggy had rolled into the drive a few moments earlier, and Lydia watched as the lengthy form of Deacon Schrock climbed out. The deacon tied his horse to the hitching post, but he made no move to go any farther. Rather, the deacon stood beside his horse with clasped hands. Lydia pulled back from the window. Did Bishop Henry already have the deacon busy on church work—even though he’d only recently arrived in the community? That was possible, but what anyone in the family could have done to provoke a visit from the deacon was beyond her. All of her older brothers and sisters were married. The deacon would visit their homes if there was a problem, and she certainly hadn’t disobeyed the ordnung. Her younger sisters, Emma and Rhoda, were still in their rumspringa time. They would be gone for the evening in thirty minutes or so, but they weren’t subject to the deacon’s jurisdiction. Unless her sisters had brought embarrassment to the community. She should check with her sisters more often, Lydia told herself. Maybe the two were up to something that had aroused the community’s concern. Everyone kept close tabs on the young people in the North Country.

  Rumspringa in St. Lawrence County wasn’t quite the loose affair it was in other Amish communities. All of the families had made sacrifices to move this far upstate in New York, and they didn’t want the problems from the old community to follow them. Lydia hesitated but looked past the drapes again. Daett had just come out of the barn. She watched as he walked up to the buggy and shook hands with Deacon Schrock. The two were soon deep in conversation. Did Deacon Schrock want something with Daett after all?

  Lydia ducked behind the drapes again. Come to think of it, Daett had seemed distracted lately and so had Mamm. But what could Daett have done wrong? Lydia peeked out and saw Daett and Deacon Schrock still talking beside the buggy. The deacon’s visit must have involved some other member of the family. She dropped the drape’s edge from her fingertips and walked toward the kitchen, where Emma and Rhoda were busy at work with supper preparations. Neither of them looked up—which wasn’t necessarily a sign of innocence. Her sisters always rushed through the supper preparations on a Saturday night so they could leave sooner for their weekend’s taste of the world’s freedom
.

  “What have you two been up to?” Lydia demanded. “The deacon’s here.”

  The girls acted as if they hadn’t heard. Emma hummed a worldly tune she must have learned from her Englisha friends. If Mamm had been in the kitchen, Emma would have quit this nonsense at once. But Lydia was too soon out of her own rumspringa to complain about an Englisha tune being hummed. At least she’d had the decency not to bring anything from the world into the house.

  Lydia sighed and glanced toward the living room window again. Maybe one of her sisters had hidden a radio upstairs and had let the fact slip at the Sunday evening hymn singing. That could provoke a visit from the deacon. There would be no discipline for her sisters, but Mamm and Daett’s reputation would suffer if they failed to keep control of their children’s rumspringa time. The parents were expected to draw the lines clearly between the world and their home. Nothing but trouble would come from such a situation, and trouble was something Lydia didn’t need right now. Everything needed to be in order at the Troyer’s house so Ezra Wagler would have no excuse to choose Cousin Sandra over her. After all, Ezra came from a well-thought-of family, and his parents would see to it that Ezra chose a frau who would uphold the family’s tradition as faithful Amish church members.

  Lydia tried again in a louder voice. “Why else would the deacon be here if you’re not up to no good?”

  Emma ceased her humming long enough to say, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

  “That’s not a decent attitude,” Lydia scolded. “Sounds like the deacon should speak with you while he’s here anyway.”

  Rhoda added her two cents. “That’s why I’m in no hurry for church membership. And you wouldn’t have been either if you didn’t have Ezra Wagler on the brain.”

  Emma and Rhoda giggled and high-fived each other. That was another thing they wouldn’t have dared to do with Mamm around.

  Lydia exploded. “I didn’t join the church for Ezra’s sake, and don’t do that silly gesture in the house.”

  “You used to act just like this yourself,” Emma shot back. “So don’t go all high-and-mighty on us.”