Miriam and the Stranger Read online

  A Checklist of Jerry Eicher’s Harvest House Books

  The Adams County Trilogy

  Rebecca’s Promise

  Rebecca’s Return

  Rebecca’s Choice

  Hannah’s Heart

  A Dream for Hannah

  A Hope for Hannah

  A Baby for Hannah

  Little Valley Series

  A Wedding Quilt for Ella

  Ella’s Wish

  Ella Finds Love Again

  Fields of Home Series

  Missing Your Smile

  Following Your Heart

  Where Love Grows

  Emma Raber’s Daughter

  Katie Opens Her Heart

  Katie’s Journey to Love

  Katie’s Forever Promise

  The Beiler Sisters

  Holding a Tender Heart

  Seeing Your Face Again

  Finding Love at Home

  Land of Promise Series

  Miriam’s Secret

  A Blessing for Miriam

  Miriam and the Stranger

  My Dearest Naomi

  Susanna’s Christmas Wish

  Nonfiction

  The Amish Family Cookbook (with Tina Eicher)

  My Amish Childhood

  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; George D./Bigstock

  MIRIAM AND THE STRANGER

  Copyright © 2015 Jerry S. Eicher

  Published by Harvest House Publishers

  Eugene, Oregon 97402

  www.harvesthousepublishers.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Eicher, Jerry S.

  Miriam and the stranger / Jerry S. Eicher.

  pages ; cm. — (Land of promise ; book 3)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-5883-7 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-5884-4 (eBook)

  1. Amish—Fiction. 2. Mate selection—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3605.I34M56 2015

  813'.6—dc23

  2014044385

  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

  A Checklist of Jerry Eicher’s Harvest House Books

  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

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Discussion Questions

  About the Author

  Other Books in the Land of Promise Series

  Ready to Discover More?

  About the Publisher

  Chapter One

  Miriam Yoder opened the schoolhouse door and looked across the ball diamond where only a couple of hours ago the children had played softball at recess. The sunbathed, open Oklahoma landscape stretched off into the horizon. Miriam paused with her hand on the doorknob. This little one-room schoolhouse had been hers for the past two years. She was the teacher, and the Clarita Amish community had become home to her. Here she had found a land of promise in which to heal and to grow after the tragedy of her beloved Wayne’s death—even if that now meant she might have to walk alone as a single woman for the rest of her life.

  A smile filled Miriam’s face when Star’s whinny from the small weather shelter broke into her thoughts.

  “Yah,” Miriam hollered. “I know I’m late, but you don’t have to be in such a hurry.”

  Star tossed his head as if he understood, and Miriam closed the schoolhouse door behind her. Aunt Fannie would have supper on the table by now. She shouldn’t have worked so late, but at least she had managed to finish correcting the last of the arithmetic tests. Tomorrow the scholars would be happy with their grades. Her entire third-grade class of four students had received scores above ninety, which was an accomplishment after last year when all four had struggled so hard. She had spent time this term with the students whenever there had been a spare moment. The other grades also needed a fair share of her attention, but the extra effort with the third-graders had paid off. Their faces would glow with happiness when she told them the news, and further joy would fill her own heart. Her fourth teaching term had begun this fall, and what grace the Lord had granted her that she could play even a small part in the development of these precious children’s lives. The Lord had surely been with her since Wayne’s passing during that awful tornado.

  Star lifted his head as Miriam approached, and she rubbed his nose. The white mark on his forehead was highlighted in the soft afternoon sunlight. Miriam traced the outline of the imprint while Star held his head perfectly still, fully enjoying the attention.

  “The Lord has guided me well these past years,” Miriam whispered to him. “And this is one of my signs that the way was opened by His hand. You are my Star.” Miriam brushed the silky hair on his neck.

  Star whinnied again.

  Miriam laughed. “Yah, you are a dear. But now we’d best be heading home before it gets much later.”

  Miriam hurried to hitch Star to the buggy and drove quickly out of the schoolyard. Star lifted his feet high and pranced down the road. Miriam laughed and allowed contentment to fill her again.

  She was happy even if the prospect of marriage had not been granted her these past years. Yah, she would always mourn Wayne, but in her heart healing had come. That the two could occur together seemed impossible, yet both were true. Uncle William and Aunt Fannie had experienced the grace of the Lord along with her. The tornadoes that had swept through the community and brought so much sorrow were a distant memory now. And back home in Possum Valley, the latest news was that her sister Shirley had fallen in love and would marry Glen Weaver next month. She would travel to Ohio for the November wedding. The Lord truly had blessed again. And now Mamm’s last letter had hinted of a new happiness soon to enter Miriam’s life. Mamm
hadn’t given details, saying only that she was to trust in the Lord and in Daett’s guidance, which sounded like gut advice whatever this new thing should be.

  Miriam pulled back on the reins to slow Star for the stop sign. With a quick look each way she turned west. She should be very thankful, Miriam reminded herself. A heart could be broken into a thousand pieces, and yet the Lord knew how to put them all together again. She still struggled at times with submission to the Lord’s will for her future. Was there to be a man in her life or not? No unmarried man in the community had paid her more than a passing glance these past two years. And surely the news Mamm wrote about couldn’t be about a man.

  Miriam sighed. Not often did she dare entertain these thoughts. Daydreams weren’t wise, and even if another unmarried Amish man with an interest in marriage looked her way, could she open her heart again? At almost twenty-four years of age, she was an old maid in the Amish world. All the unmarried men from the community were younger than she was. Maybe she should travel more and put herself out there before she was a hopeless case? Miriam frowned and pulled back again on Star’s reins for the stop on Highway 48. She turned south after a quick check each way.

  The road was the main thoroughfare through the community, but traffic was usually light—unlike Possum Valley near Berlin, Ohio. There the place usually buzzed with people and automobiles. She couldn’t imagine Clarita, Oklahoma, jammed with cars like Berlin was on Friday nights. Clarita, with its empty streets, was an island of sanity on any day of the week. Its peace and quiet comforted the soul. The small Amish community followed course with its laid-back attitudes and slower pace of life. Not too many unusual things happened here. Even the violent fall storms had been quiet the past two years, as if their fury had been expended for a time.

  Miriam hung on to Star’s reins and shivered at the memory of the evening she had spent in Uncle William and Aunt Fannie’s basement. Outside the winds had lashed from the tornadoes. Many of the Englisha people in Clarita had perished that night, and the Lord would not exempt the Amish from the tragedy. She did not blame anyone for Wayne’s and his sister Lois’s deaths—most certainly not the Lord. His thoughts and purposes were high above what anyone on this earth could comprehend.

  Miriam slowed down as her Uncle William’s greenhouse with its rows of plants and bushes came into view. She turned into the driveway and pulled to a stop near the barn. A car was parked at the greenhouse door, which was unusual at this hour, but perhaps Uncle William had a late customer. Miriam climbed out of the buggy and unhitched Star. With another quick glance at the car, she led Star into the barn and left him in his stall with his nose deep in a bucket of oats.

  Miriam slipped out of the barn and crossed the lawn. The car was still parked in front of the greenhouse, so perhaps a salesman was having a late conversation with Uncle William. She shrugged and entered the front door of the house and called, “Gut evening. Anybody home?”

  “In here.” Aunt Fannie’s voice came from the kitchen.

  Miriam peeked through the doorway with a big smile on her face.

  “My, are we cheerful tonight?” Aunt Fannie asked, looking up from the kitchen stove.

  “Students all got good grades on their arithmetic tests,” Miriam answered. She held out her hands to chubby baby Jonathon—who wasn’t a baby anymore but a toddler. He didn’t hesitate but ran out from behind the stove to greet her.

  Miriam snatched him up to kiss both of his cheeks. “You sweet little thing! I hope you behaved yourself today.”

  Aunt Fannie chuckled. “He’s been a gut little boy. William says he’s easy to train, but that we must not allow our heads to swell with only one child. The Lord will surely humble us once He’s given another little one.” Aunt Fannie glanced down at her middle with a wry look.

  “You’ll be great parents to a dozen children,” Miriam reassured her aunt as she gave Jonathon another peck on his cheek.

  Aunt Fannie smiled at the two of them. “Now don’t you be worrying, Miriam. I can hear it in your voice. There’ll be someone along for you. You’ll be a frau and a mamm someday.”

  Miriam made a face. “I don’t think so. I’m an old maid now.”

  “That’s not true,” Aunt Fannie protested.

  Miriam smiled and changed the subject. “So what can I do to help with supper?”

  Aunt Fannie waved her hand around. “I’m a little late as you can see, but the food’s ready. You can set the table. They’ll be one extra plate. Set that near William’s place.”

  “We have company tonight?” Miriam paused to set Jonathon on the floor. “Surely you’re not inviting someone here to meet me?”

  Aunt Fannie chuckled. “I only wish. Nee, it’s an Englisha man who stopped by today. William took a fancy to his project—whatever that is, something about the Amish—and invited him for supper. They want to continue the conversation. William says the man has an interest in tasting the full flavor of an Amish home.” Aunt Fannie’s hand fluttered about. “It’s supper that he wants, I’m sure. A man and gut food. The two always go together, which is why I’ve been tense all afternoon and late with supper.”

  “I’m sure you did just fine,” Miriam assured her. She walked over to one of the pots and lifted the lid off the green beans to take a deep breath. “Perfect!”

  Aunt Fannie laughed. “Thanks for trying to comfort me. I don’t know why the man has me so confused. It’s not like I haven’t made food for Englisha people before.”

  There you go,” Miriam said, setting the first plate on the table. “This man will be so impressed he’ll want to come back every night.”

  “One night will be plenty, thank you.” Aunt Fannie fanned herself with one hand. “Although I’m grateful for a husband who is so hospitable to strangers.”

  “So what’s this man like?”

  “Oh, he’s just another Englisha man. I saw him for only a few seconds.” Aunt Fannie looked the table over with satisfaction and said, “Now, Miriam, please remember to talk with the man. Help make a gut impression on him. We can’t have him thinking that Amish women are backward or stuck-up.”

  Miriam laughed. “So that’s what you’re worried about. Well, don’t be. I worked for an older Englisha man for more than three years—Mr. Bland? Remember? I was with him almost every day, and they are just like everyone else, so relax. You’ll be more than comfortable around this Englisha man.”

  Aunt Fannie took a deep breath but looked skeptical. “Everything is fine here. Now you run upstairs and put on a fresh dress. Take Jonathon with you.”

  Miriam scooped the boy up and tickled him as they went up the stairs to Miriam’s room.

  Chapter Two

  Thirty minutes later Miriam was holding Jonathon on her lap with one hand and clutching the edge of the kitchen table with the other as low voices murmured in the living room. Jonathon looked in that direction and chirped loudly, “That’s Daett.”

  “Yah,” Miriam whispered and silenced him. “Shhh… you have to be quiet now.”

  Jonathon appeared puzzled, as if he couldn’t understand why quiet was required around his daett. This had never happened before in his little world. But how did one explain to a three-year-old that a strange Englisha man was in the house. In spite of her earlier words to Aunt Fannie, she was tense herself. A glimpse of the Englisha man’s face had unnerved her. She set Jonathon on the floor and nudged him toward the kitchen doorway. “Go meet your daett. It’s okay.”

  Jonathon toddled off, pausing at the living room doorway to glance over his shoulder, and Miriam motioned him on. She listened as happy laughter filled the living room. Now she was alone in the kitchen. Aunt Fannie had rushed off without a word the moment they caught sight of the two men coming across the lawn from the greenhouse. Uncle William’s lengthy beard and homemade clothing had made quite a contrast to the young Englisha man’s clean-shaven chin and his fancy clothing.

  Miriam jumped as Uncle William appeared in the kitchen doorway with Jonathon in his arms.
“And here’s our charming schoolteacher who’s staying with us,” Uncle William called over his shoulder. He motioned with his hand. “Miriam, meet Tyler Johnson. Tyler, this is Miriam Yoder.”

  Miriam felt herself flush. Surely her face was the color of red beets. Mr. Johnson stuck his head in the kitchen doorway as if he was perfectly at home. “Hi,” he said. “Glad to meet you, Miriam Yoder.”

  “And you… too,” Miriam managed, which was a perfectly stupid thing to say to a fancy Englisha man. What was wrong with her? Thankfully she’d never see the man again after tonight. She’d pray that her face forever be a fog in his memory.

  “An Amish schoolteacher!” Tyler studied Miriam with an appraising look.

  “Yep, and the best!” Uncle William declared. “A real jewel.”

  Please don’t say that, Miriam wanted to say.

  “What is your alma mater?” Tyler asked.

  The room swam in front of Miriam’s eyes. She had no idea what the man meant. Mercifully Uncle William covered for her. “We choose our schoolteachers for their excellent character and reputation. Miriam has plenty of that, I can assure you.”

  So Uncle William didn’t know what an alma mater was either, Miriam thought with a smile… but at least he had his wits about him sufficiently to formulate a sensible response. Why was she always such a dunderhead? No wonder she didn’t have a husband yet.

  “Well, I suppose that makes good sense. After all, this is an Amish community,” Tyler allowed.

  “Yah, it is,” Aunt Fannie spoke up, appearing out of nowhere. “And supper is ready. Please come have a seat, Mr. Johnson, right here beside William. We’ll have the food served in no time.”

  They all sat down, and Tyler focused on Aunt Fannie’s potatoes and gravy steaming on the table beside the freshly cut bread. A smile spread across his face. “Looks delicious, ma’am.”

  Aunt Fannie’s faced colored, but she said nothing.

  Uncle William broke in. “Let’s pray. We shouldn’t waste any more time before the food gets cold.”

  “I agree,” Aunt Fannie seconded as the two bowed their heads.