AMISH ROMANCE: Amish Dreams Box Set: Books 1-3 Read online

  AMISH DREAMS

  Books 1-3

  by Rebekah Fisher

  Amish Dreams Copyright © 2015 by Rebekah Fisher. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents are used fictitiously and are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations are entirely coincidental.

  Book 1

  (The School Teacher’s Dilemma)

  Book 2

  A Season of Change

  Book 3

  (A Time to Trust)

  More Books By Rebekah Fisher

  Bonus Chapter - The Potter's Hands

  THANK YOU!

  Book 1

  (The School Teacher’s Dilemma)

  “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10

  Chapter 1

  “We only have a few minutes left, class,” Samantha said, her clear voice carrying over the sound of pencils scratching on paper. “Please finish up your essays.”

  There was a unison moan of disappointment from the thirty one children sitting in front of her at their desks.

  “But we’ve had fun!”

  “We don’t want to go.”

  Samantha smiled at her students. “I’m glad to hear that. Don’t worry, it’ll be Monday before you know it. Now finish up! I need your essays before you leave.”

  The students went back to their papers, giggling as they worked. Samantha had asked them to write down the funniest thing that had happened to them over the summer as a writing exercise. Of course, given that she was working with a wide range of ages, she knew that her results were going to be varied.

  Elizabeth, one of the oldest, already had a page written with a neat hand. Andrew, the youngest at six years old, was struggling through his second sentence; the letters large and uneven, and his spelling incorrect on half of his words. But it was a writing exercise that they could all do on their own level, and Samantha wanted it as a starting point to gauge their progress over the course of the upcoming school year.

  Samantha glanced at the clock on the wall. “Time’s up! Set your papers on my desk when you leave.” She stood up and walked around to stand in front of her desk.“Don’t forget the homework I’ve assigned for each of you, I’ll need that first thing Monday morning. And have a great weekend!” When Kristen, the aid, propped open the door, the children hurried to their feet, collecting their books, cloaks, and coats.

  Danke Miss Samantha!” they said as they left. The children paused by Samantha, the younger ones giving her a hug while the older ones bid her a good weekend. Many of the older ones were as tall as her, and some of them, especially the boys, were taller.

  “You’re welcome, kinner! Have a gut weekend.”

  When the last child had exited the school building, she exhaled a deep breath and leaned against the doorpost, looking out at the children making their way home. She smiled as she watched them walk under the sunshine, the youngest ones running ahead into the lush patch of grass across the road, laughing.

  “Congratulations Samantha,” Kristen said as she walked over and leaned against the doorpost opposite Samantha. “You've completed your first week! And you did very well.”

  “Danke, Kristen. You’ve been a great help.”

  Kristen Henson smiled, her laugh lines deepening. Her children were all adults, and now that the youngest had married and left the house, she had decided to become a teacher’s aide. Kristin had been a huge help for Samantha, who had just taken over as teacher for the school.

  “Those kinner adore you already,” Kristen said.

  “Well, it helps that I was a teacher’s aide all last year,” Samantha replied. “All but the youngest recognized me.”

  “Still. You did great.”

  “Danke, but truly it is all Gott. I’m so thankful that He gave me this job.” Samantha sighed, smiling again.

  For all her life, Samantha had dreamed about becoming a teacher for her community in Chesterfield County, Pennsylvania. She herself had loved school, and always volunteered to tutor the other children. Maybe it was because her own school teacher, Miss Wanda, had been a great instructor herself, and her love for her work had shown in everything she had done. Regardless, it had always been in her heart to become a teacher of the school.

  Some of Samantha’s friends had asked her privately, if her desire to be a school teacher was because she’d never had a boy show any interest in her. While she admitted she did want to marry and have children of her own someday, teaching was something else she was passionate about as well, and she’d always wanted to do it. The opportunity to teach was truly a blessing to Samantha.

  “You sure kept the kinner busy,” Kristen observed.

  Samantha chuckled as she turned back into the school room to close up. “It’s the bored kinner that get into trouble.”

  “Jah! You speak as one that’s already had kinner.” Kristen walked over to the windows, shutting them and latching them closed.

  “So do you and Jim have any plans for Saturday?” Samantha asked. She sat at her desk and gathered her papers and books together into her burlap satchel.

  “Some of our kinner and kins-kind are coming over for dinner tonight and spending the day visiting tomorrow,” Kristen answered. “What about you?”

  “I’m going to help my mamm make noodles.”

  “Ach! I miss doing that with my daughters.”

  “Maybe another time you could join us.” Samantha finished packing up. She lifted her head and noticed a black coat still hanging on one side of the classroom. “Uh oh. Someone left their coat.” She walked over, reading the name tag above the hook. “It’s Andrew Woods’ coat.” Samantha picked it up, noting how small it was in her hands. It was a little heavy for such a beautiful day, but it had been very cool that morning.

  “The Woods aren’t too far out of my way. I can bring it by his home.” Kristen offered.

  “That's okay, I’ll take it to him,” Samantha said.

  “Really, I don’t mind.”

  “Your family is coming over, I’m sure you want to get home and get dinner going,” Samantha said.

  Kristen smiled. “True. I could ask Jim to take it over, once he’s finished farming.”

  “No need. It’s a beautiful day, I’ll enjoy the walk. Besides, maybe it’ll be good if I check in on the Woods family and see if they need anything.”

  “That would be a good idea.” There was a pause. “I still can’t believe Jessica’s gone,” Kristen said quietly.

  Samantha nodded, her heart aching. Jessica Woods had died during childbirth not quite a year ago. The bobli hadn’t survived either, which made it even a greater tragedy. Samantha knew that God was always in control, even in the darkest moments, but she often wondered what He had in mind for the Woods family. Seeing Andrew at school had reminded her about the Woods, and Andrew’s coat being left behind gave her an easy opportunity to check in on them.

  Maybe I should see if Joshua would be interested in a batch of noodles? Samantha thought. And I can see if they need anything else.

  “I’ll finish up with the school if you want to get going,” Kristen said. “I know it’s a bit of a walk from your haus.”

  “Jah. Danke, Kristen.” Samantha slipped the strap of her satchel over her shoulder. “I’ll see you at church. Have a go
od weekend!”

  “You too, Samantha!”

  Samantha double-checked that her kapp was in place before stepping outside. Away from the school a light wind ruffled the ends of her baby-blue dress. She inhaled the sweet smell of late summer as she headed out down the road, her heart light and happy.

  Danke, Gott, for this day!

  * * *

  Chapter 2

  Joshua had no idea he was crying until a teardrop hit the table leg he was working on. He quickly rubbed his eyes on his white cloth sleeve and went back to work, trying to carve a design into the leg.

  Gott, why did my Jessica and our bobli have to go home so soon? Joshua wondered. He rested his hands on the table. Most every day that passed it got a little easier to go on with life, but today was a struggle. It was Jessica’s birthday today. She would have been twenty eight years old, if she hadn’t passed away. And they’d be a happy family of five, not a broken family of three.

  Joshua glanced towards his house through the open barn doors, staring at the sunshine on the grass outside, the shadow of their large oak tree resting over the porch. His woodshop had been built from a barn, and while it was perhaps ineffective to heat both the barn and the house during the winter, he had enjoyed the bit of separation. It reminded him to be present mentally when he was around his family.

  Looking down at his work, Joshua sighed heavily. He’d barely made any progress, and he felt guilty for it. His mother and younger sister Mary had done nothing but work incredibly hard to help him with his two young children, Andrew and Melissa. And here, ten months later, he was still working at a snail’s pace. Mary was getting married in two months, and while she’d be able to help a little at first, Joshua knew she and John wanted their own children right away.

  Meanwhile, Joshua’s own children needed him, and he couldn’t get his act together.

  “Daed?” a young boy’s voice said.

  Joshua looked up to see Andrew, his eldest, peeking into the shop. He was a spitting image of his mother, with wavy dark brown hair and the largest pair of brown eyes. It was hard to look at Andrew sometimes, and today it was especially difficult, although he made himself smile and stand up from his bench, setting his tools aside.

  “Andrew! You can come in. How was school today?”

  “It was Gut, Daed!” Andrew hurried over, and Joshua picked him up. “I really like school. But we don’t have school again till Monday!” The boy stuck out his lower lip.

  Joshua chuckled. "I don’t think I ever looked forward to school in my entire life", he mused.

  “So, you like your teacher?”

  “Jah! Miss Samantha is really nice, and fun too!”

  Joshua was glad that school had turned out to be a great distraction for Andrew. “What did you do today?” he asked.

  “We played a numbers game, only it was hard for me so Mrs. Henson let me help with counting out pencils and papers for the other kinner. We got to play outside too, and I even had to write an essay today.”

  “You like writing, eh?” Joshua asked. Jessica had been a brilliant writer – it didn’t surprise Joshua to hear that his son was taking after her.

  “Jah!”

  Joshua frowned. “Andrew, didn’t you go to school with a coat?”

  Andrew’s eyes went wide with horror. “I forgot it at school! Daed, I have to go back!”

  “Nee, the school is probably already closed by now. I’ll check with Miss Samantha or Mrs. Henson tomorrow.”

  Andrew suddenly burst into a sob. “But Mamm made the coat for me!”

  Joshua choked back his own tears, and he sat back into his work chair and hugged Andrew close to him. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get it back.”

  Beyond the barn, Joshua saw his sister Mary step out onto the porch, one hand on her kapp as the wind pulled at her brown hair. Mary was looking out towards the road, but her head turned in their direction at Andrew’s cries. She hurried into the barn, blinking into the darkness as her eyes adjusted, and Joshua gave her a small smile when she finally looked at them.

  “We’ll get your coat,” Joshua said. He kissed Andrew on the top of his head. “Now go say hi to Aenti Mary and your sister.”

  Andrew nodded, and then turned around and jumped in surprise at the sight of Mary standing there. “Aenti Mary!” Andrew exclaimed.

  “Hi Andrew,” Mary said. She gave the boy a sad smile, and Andrew ran over to her, and Mary picked him up and held him close.

  “I forgot my coat at school,” Andrew said. “The one that Mamm made for me.”

  “Don’t worry, little one,” Mary said. “Your daed will get it back. Now let’s go say hi to Melissa. She’s missed you all day!”

  “Danke, Mary,” Joshua said. Mary flashed him a smile and walked back to the house with Andrew in her arms.

  I really need to pull myself together, Joshua thought. He shook his head and went back to work. Or he tried. Before long, he had set the pieces for the table to the side, wondering if it would just end up as firewood. He’d done a sloppy job with the design work, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to salvage it at this point.

  Defeated, Joshua rinsed his hands in the water basin in the room, set aside his carpenter’s apron, and stepped out of the barn. It was gorgeous outside, a refreshingly cool summer day after the heat wave they’d had. Joshua took off his straw hat and turned his face up towards the sun, inhaling deeply.

  “Joshua?” a bright female voice called.

  Surprised, Joshua looked out towards the road, setting his hat on his head. By the front white gate was a tiny woman in a soft blue dress that fluttered in the wind. Curly locks of blonde hair escaped from under her kapp as she waved at him.

  Joshua waved in a greeting as he walked towards the gate, trying to place the woman. As he got closer, he recognized the angle of her chin and her round button nose – a Miller, although Joshua was having trouble figuring out if it was Samantha or Katie. Then he saw her vivid green eyes watching him intently, and her face lit up with a warm smile. Ah...Samantha... Andrew's teacher.

  Joshua couldn’t help but return her smile, despite how torn up inside he was. He leaned on the gate, looking down at the young woman. “Hello, Sam antha.How are you?”

  “Gut, Danke. And you?”

  “Well enough,” Joshua answered. “Andrew’s done nothing but talk about how much he loves school.”

  Samantha beamed, her face like sunshine . She looked so happy. “I’m so glad to hear that! He’s been a great student.” She lifted up her right arm and held out Andrew’s coat. “He left it at school.”

  Despite himself, Joshua’s eyes welled up with tears as he took the coat. “Danke, Samantha. Andrew cried when he realized he’d forgotten it at school.”

  Samantha’s smile vanished, her eyebrows rising up a little and coming together in concern. “Did Jessica make it for him?”

  “Jah.”

  “I’m so sorry, Joshua,” Samantha said softly.

  “Danke.” Joshua took a breath to steady himself. “How’s the teaching job been going on your end?”

  “Really gut, I love it.” Samantha said. Her smile returned to her youthful face. “I just hope it’s working out for the kinner.”

  Joshua smiled. “I have no doubts that all of them are doing well.” Samantha was a few years younger than him, and he remembered her always being the smartest one in school, loving every second of class. She’d talked about being a school teacher for many years, and had even tutored him and his friends a couple of times.

  Joshua glanced down at Andrew’s coat in his hands, and then handed it back to Samantha. “I think you should give this to Andrew.”

  “Ach, He doesn’t need to know who brought it.”

  “I’d like him to know.” Joshua held the gate open for Samantha, and she gave him a smile as she walked through that sent a jolt of life into him. “How is your family?”

  “Doing gut!” Samantha replied. “I was going to see if you’d like some noodles? My mamm and I wil
l be making a huge batch tomorrow.”

  Plenty of people in the community had provided food and goods for months after the death of Jessica, and Joshua didn’t want to continue to impose. On the other hand, he knew Mary and their mother had wanted to try and make progress on Mary’s upcoming wedding and Joshua had little in the way of leftovers. And with how badly his work day had gone, he knew he was going to have to work some tomorrow. While he could feed the children toast and jam all day long, he felt like they deserved at least one decent meal.

  “If you wouldn't mind, we would greatly appreciate it.”

  “Not at all! I’m happy to help,” Samantha said. She gave him another smile as they walked up onto the porch, and Joshua held the door open for her. “Danke.”

  They stepped into the foyer and living room area, and Joshua was reminded of how much his mother and Mary did for him and the children. While he had struggled to get even one project completed a week in his shop, his mother and sister kept his house running. It was clean and tidy inside, something he wouldn’t have been able to do on his own.

  Still, Joshua always felt like his house lacked any warmth since Jessica had passed. But the instant Samantha had stepped inside, it was like the sun had walked into the foyer. For such a tiny woman, Samantha had a lot of energy.

  “Andrew?” Joshua called. He could hear movement in the kitchen, and Mary talking. Andrew poked his head out into the dining room.

  “Miss Samantha!” Andrew exclaimed. He came walking towards her, smiling.

  “Hi Andrew!” Samantha said. She held out Andrew’s coat. “You left your coat at school.”

  Andrew froze in mid-step. And then his smile widened even more, and he ran forward and clutched the coat to himself. When Samantha crouched beside him, he wrapped his arms around her neck.

  “Danke, Miss Samantha!” Andrew exclaimed.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Joshua smiled. Mary peeked out of the kitchen, with Melissa, two years younger than Andrew, hanging onto her skirt. The little girl’s blonde hair was neatly pinned under her tiny prayer kapp, probably redone twenty times by Mary that day.