Miriam and the Stranger Page 29

  “Sorry.” He touched her arm. “I didn’t mean it that way. I know those are sacred things to you. I’m just not used to it—that’s all. I’ll learn in time.”

  “Then you are serious about joining?”

  “I plan to, if you continue to let me bring you home on Sunday nights.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  He thought for a moment. “I’ll be honest. I don’t think I would join if it weren’t for you, Miriam. But I do also want to change my life. I don’t like the way I’ve been living. I was drawn to the life of the community from the first time I visited. I don’t say I’m a natural, but I was tired of where I was roaming. I wanted to settle down, but out there in the world it didn’t seem possible. Then I met you and the rest of the community. It made a difference. But it started with you. But I’m not going to lie about it. If you chased me off, I wouldn’t continue to live in the community.”

  Miriam’s mind spun. “Does Deacon Phillips know this?”

  “Yes, I have told him so from the start.” Tyler was matter-of-fact. “He said there are many reasons for joining the community, and if a willing heart was involved, a woman like you could be one of those reasons.”

  “He did not!” Miriam stifled her gasp.

  “Yes, he did,” Tyler assured her. “And he said I should tell you when you asked—and he did not say if you asked but when you asked. It seems the deacon has you figured out. He said he wasn’t going to make things easy on me, and there would be no shortcuts. They would have to feel certain that I was serious and wouldn’t leave you afterward or lead you astray.”

  Miriam took a deep breath. This she had not expected, but her heart certainly felt no disagreement.

  “Let me put it to you this way,” Tyler continued. “You’ve told me some of your past experiences with Amish men, and I’ve learned more details from Deacon Phillips and your uncle. We don’t have to rehash all that, but am I a greater risk than any of the other men?”

  “You make it sound like I’m a woman who lives on the edge.” She forced herself to look at him.

  “Perhaps,” he said. “Now I have a question for you.”

  “Yah?”

  Tyler suddenly appeared nervous. “Miriam… do you… love me?”

  Miriam didn’t look away. “You know the answer to that.”

  “Even knowing I could lead you away from your faith?”

  “You could never do that.” Miriam’s voice was hushed. “My faith is too strong. But I suppose you could someday leave me… and leave the faith.”

  “Leave you?” His finger stroked her arm. “I don’t think I’m capable of that.”

  “I don’t think so either,” Miriam allowed. “Of course, I love you. I loved you even when I wasn’t supposed to. How then could I not love you more now that our love is permissible?”

  He slowly reached over and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Miriam dropped her gaze to the living room floor. Tyler kept his eyes on her. Then, after several silent moments, he said, “I think I’d better go now. I’m not used to driving horses after dark, and I won’t have you along to help.”

  Alarm filled Miriam’s face. “That’s true. You have to be careful. You don’t know how the Englisha are with their cars.”

  They both laughed at the irony, and Miriam followed him to the front door.

  “Can we do this again next Sunday evening?” he asked.

  Miriam hung on to the door edge and nodded. Her smile was answer enough. Never had she opened her heart to a man as she had with Tyler, an Englisha man—or rather a former Englisha man.

  Tyler grinned and leaned in for another kiss. Miriam let go of the doorframe to lift her face toward his, and they clung to each other for a long time.

  He turned to leave, and Miriam stepped outside on the porch to watch him climb into the borrowed buggy and drive off. As he rode into the dark, Tyler turned to wave. She watched until his buggy lights had vanished, and even then she remained still. She didn’t want this moment to end. She wanted the memory of his kisses to linger in her heart forever. When she stepped back into the house, Aunt Fannie was standing there in her nightdress, her voice atwitter. “I couldn’t wait until morning to find out how it went. I do declare, I’m as dizzy with excitement as if I had been on a date myself!”

  “Did you see us…” Miriam stopped as streaks of heat rushed into her face.

  Aunt Fannie giggled. “No! I wouldn’t stoop so low as to spy on your moments together. But does that mean…” Aunt Fannie’s face glowed.

  Miriam tried to collect herself. “He’s coming back again next Sunday,” she finally said.

  “You are a match made in heaven,” Aunt Fannie said.

  “I know,” Miriam whispered. “Tyler brings all the pieces of my heart together.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Miriam ran out of Aunt’s Fannie front door with one hand on her kapp as the wind whipped past her face. The early morning squall had cleared, but the wind was still blustery. An hour ago she had stood by the living room window wringing her hands in frustration. What if the rain didn’t quit in time for the Saturday outing Tyler had planned? Tyler hadn’t said where they were going, but she had gotten the impression gut weather was needed.

  “You’ll still enjoy the ride,” Aunt Fannie had called cheerfully from the kitchen.

  Miriam had forced a smile, but now the wait was over and the clouds had cleared. Out of breath, Miriam arrived at Tyler’s buggy just after he managed to turn it around in the driveway. Tyler had a new horse and buggy of his own, but he was still a little unsure of himself.

  Tyler leaned out of the buggy door to exclaim, “That’s what I like to see—a woman eager to see her man!”

  “What woman wouldn’t want to see her man… if that man was you?” Miriam teased back as a deep blush spread over her face. Tyler laughed. “Hop in, and we’ll be off. I like a woman who is all rosy-cheeked on a windy Saturday morning.”

  Miriam ignored the comment as she climbed up. “You’re doing right gut with the horse and buggy, and you look like a real Amish man in your new suspenders and pants. Did Katie make those for you?”

  Tyler chuckled. “I’ve tried not to impose more on Deacon Phillips’s household than necessary. I ordered my pants from an Amish seamstress who advertises in The Budget.”

  I could make them for you, Miriam almost said, but she held back the words. She was already forward enough with her expressions of love for Tyler. The time to sew his clothes hadn’t yet arrived. An Amish woman should be hesitant to sew a man’s clothes until after their wedding day. Miriam looked away as her blush deepened.

  “So how are plans coming for the last day of school?” Tyler asked once he was safely out on Highway 48.

  “I’m working on it—the program that is. The eighth graders are having some problems with their long memory work and are begging me for something… well… less lengthy, but I haven’t found anything suitable yet.”

  Tyler grinned from ear to ear. “I’ll have to come over and watch you practice someday.”

  “You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Miriam shot back. “You’ll have me a blubbering mess, and I’ll lose all the respect the children have for me. I’ll be unable to control the program from then on. Now, would you like that?”

  Tyler laughed. “I doubt I’d have quite that effect, but that does sound interesting.”

  “You won’t come,” Miriam told him, nestling against his shoulder, more to hide her face than anything. The steady beat of his horse’s hooves on the pavement filled the air as Tyler drove north on Highway 48.

  “Don’t you want to know where we’re going?” Tyler finally asked.

  “You’re not going to tell me, so I’m going to act very disinterested.”

  Tyler’s laughter filled the buggy.

  “You’re enjoying yourself way too much this morning,” Miriam said, looking up at his face.

  He reached with his free hand to touch her face and whisper, “You’v
e brought me great joy, Miriam. I’m not ashamed of that.”

  Miriam didn’t answer and leaned tighter against Tyler’s shoulder.

  “I think I had better tell you where we’re going,” Tyler finally said. “Because we’re almost there.”

  Miriam sat up straight in the buggy seat.

  “See that farm over there?” Tyler pulled back on the reins to point as a car passed them. “I want to buy it. That’s my real estate agent now. We have an appointment.”

  Miriam stared as vague memories filled her mind. Wayne had brought her north of the community several times during their engagement to look at… could it have been this very place? It looked familiar… but how could it be? She must be mistaken. Their plans had never gotten far before Wayne passed.

  “Is something wrong?” Tyler looked over at Miriam.

  “Nay.” Miriam took a long breath. “It’s a cattle ranch, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. Do you know the place?”

  “I think I’ve driven past it before, but I’ve never been inside,” Miriam dodged.

  Tyler persisted. “Tell me, Miriam.” He had pulled the buggy to a stop beside the road.

  Miriam squeezed her eyes shut. “Tyler, do you remember my telling you about Wayne? And how I had inherited the two million dollars I eventually donated to the relief fund?”

  “Yes, I remember,” Tyler said.

  “Tyler, this is the very place Wayne wanted me to use some of my money to buy. For us. For Wayne and me.”

  Relief spread over Tyler’s face, and he smiled. “You had me scared there for a moment. I thought with your high standards about money you would object to living on such a nice farm. You have no objections then?”

  “To what?” Miriam managed. “If anything, I thought you might, because it’s the place I was going to buy for Wayne and me to live on. But you know I have no money now, Tyler. This beautiful place can’t be cheap. Surely you don’t plan to take on that amount of debt?”

  Tyler grinned. “Well, that certainly sounds more like the Miriam I know.”

  “But what about Wayne? Do you mind that I was going to build a life with him here?”

  “No, of course not. I’m sorry you lost Wayne, but the Lord has arranged for us to meet and fall in love. The life we build here will be our life together… not yours and Wayne’s.”

  “But the debt! With this acreage, it must cost at least a million dollars! How can you buy it with your income? Surely what you’ve made as a freelance journalist couldn’t be much.”

  “You’re right there, Miriam. But hasn’t it occurred to you that I could only survive as a freelance writer if I wasn’t dependent on the income from it?”

  Miriam met his gaze. “You have a million dollars?”

  Tyler looked away. “A bit more than that, I’m afraid. And I have a woman I love who doesn’t love my money. Now isn’t that something?”

  Miriam was sure those were tears in Tyler’s eyes. Miriam took his free hand in both of hers to say, “I had no idea, Tyler, but I do love you. More than I should, I think. You make so much right in my life. I’m the one who should be crying now.”

  He laughed and came closer and began to trace her face with his free hand. “You’re a wonderful woman, Miriam, and I love you,” he whispered. “Marry me this fall. Once I’ve been baptized. Move with me to this house, and we’ll raise a family together.”

  “Tyler!” Miriam reached for him with both hands and pulled him close. The moments seemed golden as the wind gusts moved the buggy from side to side. Tyler’s horse peered over his shoulder as if to ask them why they had stopped for so long.

  “What will it be?” Tyler finally asked. “Will you marry me? We can’t sit here all day. The Realtor is waiting.”

  “You know I will,” Miriam managed.

  His soft chuckle filled her ear. “We have a lot of plans to make, and I suppose the wedding has to be in your hometown of Possum Valley. But we have all summer to plan…” His voice drifted off and he took the reins and they drove in silence up the long driveway.

  “I hope you like it,” Tyler said as he came to a stop. “They’ve lowered the price because it’s been on the market awhile, but the money isn’t a consideration. This place is for you, and…”

  “Hush.” Miriam reached up to touch Tyler’s lips. “Let’s just look at it, and if you like it, I’ll be happy.”

  “Thank God for Amish brides,” Tyler muttered as he climbed out of the buggy.

  Miriam followed him down to the ground. The Realtor was out of her car and waiting for them at the front door.

  “Hello, there, Mr. Johnson,” the Realtor greeted them. “This must be Miriam, the young lady you were telling me about.”

  “Yes, it is,” Tyler replied, taking Miriam’s hand.

  “I’m Ann Cavendish,” the woman said, introducing herself. “I certainly hope you like this property. It’s been sitting vacant, just waiting for the right people who will love it as their home.”

  Ann unlocked the front door and led the way inside. “The entryway opens to this large and beautiful living room. And it’s adjacent to the ranch-style kitchen, just perfect for someone who loves to cook.”

  When the tour was over, Tyler whispered, “Do you like it, Miriam?”

  “We could have church in the living room and have room to spare,” Miriam whispered back.

  Tyler turned to Ann. “What is the asking price again?”

  Ann glanced at her papers. “Eight hundred and fifty thousand.”

  Tyler smiled. “Let’s offer seven hundred and fifty.”

  Ann’s eyes grew large, and she sat down on the couch. “What bank will you use for the loan application? Because if you haven’t spoken to a banker yet…”

  Tyler silenced her with a wave of his head. “No bank will be involved. This will be a cash offer. Maybe that will help things along. We can close in thirty days, I think.”

  Ann gulped. “Okay.” She scribbled on the papers in front of her.

  Miriam hid her smile. Tyler had enjoyed that moment way too much. Miriam reached over to squeeze his arm, and he winked at her.

  This man she loved was to be her husband, Miriam told herself, and this was to be her new home as soon as this fall. It was all too much to comprehend.

  “Will there be earnest money to accompany the offer?” Ann looked up to ask.

  Tyler didn’t hesitate. “Yes, ten thousand should suffice.”

  Ann’s look had changed from astonishment to giddiness. She was likely thinking of her commission, Miriam thought. Pulling Tyler aside as Ann wrote the offer, Miriam asked in a low voice, “Where did you get your money, anyway?”

  Tyler’s eyes twinkled. “Now you ask. You’ve already given your word to marry me, and you can’t back out just because I robbed a bank.”

  Miriam playfully slapped Tyler’s arm. “You mean thing. Don’t tease me like that.”

  They clung to each other in silent gales of laughter.

  “Ahem.” Ann cleared her throat behind them. “I’ll need your signature on the offer and the check, of course.”

  Tyler gave Miriam another wink before he joined Ann to sign the offer. Miriam drifted off for a solo tour of the house. She could already envision where the couch would go and how the bedroom furniture would fit in. She stood still and drank in the surroundings. In the distance she could imagine Tyler’s laughter and her aunt’s and uncle’s voices as they visited on Sunday afternoons. Bishop Mullet would preach in the living room at the Sunday services, and here her kinner would be born. She would…”

  “Miriam,” Tyler called.

  Miriam collected her thoughts and hurried back to say, “Just looking around.”

  “Look around all you want.” Ann beamed, clutching Tyler’s check as if it might disappear.

  Minutes later, Tyler helped Miriam into the buggy and untied the horse. He climbed in, and on the way out of the lane, Miriam asked, “So tell me. How did you come into so much money?”

>   “The same way you did,” Tyler said. “My father was a wise investor for many years. When he passed away five years ago, his money came to me. I’ve also been a wise investor, learning from Dad. The money has allowed me to pursue my own interests, which has included some travel, the ability to be a freelance writer, and now, best of all, the means to buy a home for the woman I love.”

  Miriam squeezed his arm. “Where to now?”

  “Well, we’d best head back to your aunt’s place for the rest of the day and start scribbling out some plans.”

  “Aunt Fannie will be so excited,” Miriam sighed.

  Tyler pulled Miriam close with his free arm. “But first we have to stop along some shady spot for something we missed, don’t you think? It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  Miriam smiled with great contentment but said nothing, her heart overflowing.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  It was a beautiful fall evening. Dusk had fallen, and Miriam and Tyler were sitting in the corner of Mrs. Faulkner’s pole barn. In this exact spot a little less than a year earlier, Shirley had celebrated her wedding with Glen. Miriam had been with Mose that day and on pins and needles over his constant criticism. But Mose Stoll was only a memory now, while Tyler was more real than he had ever been to Miriam. She was now his frau, as Bishop Wagler had heard them say their vows to each other earlier in the morning.

  “Whatever happened to that bishop of yours you once dated?” Tyler leaned closer to tease, as if he’d read Miriam’s thoughts.

  “He’s married now,” Miriam whispered back.

  “The poor woman,” Tyler said with a grin. “Married to an ogre.”

  “Stop it,” Miriam ordered. “Someone will hear us.”

  “Who cares?” Tyler said, louder this time.

  Miriam’s cousin Lois, who was the witness for her side of the family, smiled at them. “You two have been whispering together all day.”

  “That’s because we have much to whisper about,” Tyler said, appearing quite satisfied with himself.

  James, Lois’s partner, leaned closer. “My special blessing on your marriage, and thanks for making us a part of your special day.”