Miriam and the Stranger (3 page)

Uncle William noticed Tyler’s selections and teased, “Come
on, now. Heap it up high. This is Amish country, and you have to experience the fare like the locals do.”

“There will be seconds,” Aunt Fannie said at once, “so don’t pay any attention to William.”

Tyler grinned. “Everything looks very good, ma’am. I’m sure I’ll have seconds and eat nothing tomorrow to make up for it.”

“Now, that’s city talk,” Uncle William said with a chuckle.

“Yes, but we don’t all work like the Amish do, you know.”

Miriam tried to smile, but couldn’t. What was wrong with her? She had never been affected by an
Englisha
man like this. She must remind herself that after tonight she would never see Mr. Johnson again. Maybe then she could at least eat.

“So what do you do for a job?” Aunt Fannie asked Tyler as she filled her own plate.

“I’m a freelance journalist,” Tyler replied. “I usually only pursue stories that interest me, but I take some work on assignment, like the story I’m on now.”

“A writer!” Aunt Fannie glowed. “A real one.”

Uncle William laughed. “
Yah
, I think he’s real all right.”

Tyler appeared amused at the third-person address but said nothing as Aunt Fannie continued. “Oh, that is so
wunderbah
! What are you writing about?”

Tyler set his fork down before he answered. “My current assignment is an article about the severe tornadoes that came through here two years ago. The focus is to be the Amish, as I believe quite a few of your farms were damaged. We’ve been told that Amish have quite a record of community involvement in the cleanup and reconstruction afterward. My editor thinks your loss and response could be of wide interest to the public.”

“This is true,” Aunt Fannie allowed, “but there were lots of people in Clarita who had losses—not just us.”

“I agree,” Tyler said, “and that’s not being ignored. But you’re
the only Amish community affected by the tornadoes. In addition, readers are interested in the community’s life. They want to know how you’re doing now two years later… how this has affected your outlook on life, and especially how you all managed to rebuild without insurance. On top of that, my research shows that the Amish community made quite a large contribution to the Clarita Community Relief Fund. That’s of great interest to the public. How did the Amish rebuild without insurance and still have a large amount of money left to give to others? Apparently there is much to learn from your lifestyle. Much we English could learn from it.”

Tyler smiled disarmingly, but Miriam saw in her aunt’s and uncle’s faces there was no need. Neither one had objections to his article, though normally there would be hesitancy about any outside scrutiny of the Amish community. Uncle William must feel an obligation to be open about the matter. But
how
open? Miriam paled at the question. Certainly Uncle William’s lips would be sealed about the two million dollars she had given Deacon Phillips, the monies Mr. Bland had left her in his will. No one in the community had spoken of the matter since the tornadoes that had caused such havoc and had taken Wayne’s and his sister Lois’s lives.

“We can all learn from each other,” Uncle William said with a sober look. Thankfully no one looked her way at the moment to see her pale face.

“Yes, indeed. I’m sure we can learn from our different cultures,” Tyler said with a smile. “And that’s why I’m here.” Tyler turned toward Miriam. “But I won’t attempt any teaching on my part. I’ll leave that to our esteemed schoolteacher.”

They all laughed, and Miriam tried to join in. When the laughter quieted down, Uncle William spoke up. “Like I told you earlier, Tyler, you’re welcome to tour the greenhouse again tomorrow. And I can give you the addresses of some of the community’s
storm-damaged properties. Most of the buildings were rebuilt right after the storm, and some of the houses were added on to. I imagine you want pictures, but you’ll have to sneak those when no people are in the scene. Beyond that I can’t speak for anyone. You’d best speak with Deacon Phillips about money questions. He was the one who handled contributions to the relief fund.”

“I will do that,” Tyler agreed as he finished the last of the food on his plate. Aunt Fannie grabbed the mashed potato bowl and passed it around again. With a boyish smile, Tyler took a large spoonful and ladled on some gravy. He reached for a piece of bread and added thick slabs of butter followed by jam. “This is amazing food, ma’am,” he said. “I’d be a fattened hog in no time if I stayed around here very long.”

“We’d just have to work you all the harder,” Uncle William said with a grin.

Tyler turned to Miriam again, and she caught her breath. “So what does an Amish schoolteacher of impeccable character teach in her classroom?”

Miriam’s mind whirled, but she finally managed to form her thoughts. “Lots of things, I guess. We had arithmetic tests today. All the grades did pretty well, but the third grade especially.”

“All the grades?” Tyler appeared puzzled.

“She teaches all eight grades,” offered Uncle William, who regarded Tyler with a steady gaze. “That’s how we do things.”

“All
eight
grades?” Tyler repeated. “I thought there were twelve grades before college.”

Uncle William shook his head. “Not for us, there aren’t. This system of eight grades used to work for everyone, but the public schools stopped teaching the basics years ago.”

Tyler’s surprise was evident. “I see.” He turned back to Miriam. “Eight grades and one teacher. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

“Thanks.” Miriam tried to smile. Nothing seemed to work right
in her brain right now. If Tyler weren’t so handsome and charming, maybe she could think straighter.

“So your children only go to the eighth grade?” Tyler seemed to be processing the information further. “That’s… unusual.”

Aunt Fannie gave Tyler a quick glance and bounced to her feet. “Okay, enough of that for now. Is everyone ready for pie and homemade ice cream?”

Tyler grinned. “Sounds great to me.”

So this was why Aunt Fannie had been late with supper. She must have left the ice cream in the basement so it wouldn’t melt but had failed to inform her. This was her chance to move away from Tyler for a few minutes and catch her breath.

“I’ll get the ice cream,” Miriam said as she got up and headed for the basement. As much as she hated to admit it, the truth was she found herself starstruck at Tyler’s presence. Surely it would pass by tomorrow morning. After all, everyone had weak points, and this was hers. This would be a much-needed lesson in humility. Heat crept into Miriam’s face at the thought. She rubbed her cheeks with both hands before she found the crankcase of ice cream near the stairs and carefully opened the lid to dip the creamy contents into a large bowl. When the bowl was full, Miriam paused for several deep breaths before she attempted the return trip. She had to sober up and act like the decent Amish girl she was.

With her face set, Miriam climbed the stairs to enter the kitchen again. She even managed a decent smile when Tyler looked up. This was much better, Miriam told herself, but the man still exuded charm that made her weak all the way down to her toes.

Chapter Three

T
he following Sunday at the morning service, Miriam shifted on the long church bench for a better view of the visiting minister. He had stood to his feet a few minutes ago to begin the main sermon. His face was serious and thin, his shoulders narrow. He wasn’t tall, but his pinched features made him appear so. His gaze pierced the room as silence fell over the gathered congregation. Clearly this was a man of God who took his calling seriously, Miriam thought, as she sat up straighter.

Without warning, the memory of Tyler Johnson, the
Englisha
man, as he laughed last week at Aunt Fannie’s kitchen table floated in front of Miriam’s eyes. She pushed the image away at once. Tyler Johnson was a most inappropriate thought to have in the middle of a Sunday morning service. But ever since that evening, visions of Tyler Johnson appeared at unpredictable moments. If this kept up she would have to confess her weakness to someone, preferably only Aunt Fannie but perhaps also Uncle William. What an
embarrassment that would be. Both of her relatives thought so highly of her while the truth of the matter was that their schoolteacher couldn’t keep thoughts of an
Englisha
man out of her mind. Miriam dropped her head for a moment. Why did she continue to see Tyler’s handsome face in her mind? The question sent chills all the way through her.

Miriam looked up again and the piercing gaze of the visiting minister seemed to settle on her. But that wasn’t possible, Miriam told herself. The man didn’t know her—unless her guilt had drawn his attention. Could he see straight into her heart?

Thankfully, the minister’s gaze moved on, and he continued to speak in a low voice. “Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,” he said. “We are gathered again on this morning of the Lord’s day to prepare our hearts once more for a life of obedience and service. This determination must continue while we breathe and walk on this earth. Let us pray that mercy and grace would be given us, and that we might live humble and broken lives before the almighty God in heaven.”

Those words were exactly what she needed to hear, Miriam told herself. Maybe she’d find true repentance in her heart from her fascination with Tyler Johnson. Where this minister had come from, she had no idea. She had seen him before the service as he climbed down from Deacon Phillips’s buggy. She had noticed no wife, so the man must be single. No Amish man traveled any distance without his
frau
unless there was a disaster in another community and the menfolk had gone to help with the work. But this community had experienced no crisis recently.

Miriam focused on the sermon again. She studied the minister’s face as he spoke earnestly, “Can light and darkness dwell together? Can good and evil take up residence in the same heart? I warn us, dear brothers and sisters, that these things cannot be. Either we serve God or we serve the world and all its evils. Let us
look well this morning on where our feet are leading us and beg for grace to change our lives if we have gone astray.”

Miriam shivered and breathed a quick prayer. “Help me, dear Lord, and please guide my feet. I’m sorry about my feelings toward that
Englisha
man, Tyler. I know I shouldn’t have felt what I did, and worse… what I still feel.”

There! She had confessed it to the Lord. Was that not the first step in the right direction? Maybe now thoughts of Tyler Johnson and his charm would no longer haunt her.

Miriam froze as the minister’s gaze settled on her again. He still spoke, but his eyes didn’t move on after a few seconds. She waited, unable to look away. Had the Lord given his servant a glimpse into her soul? This couldn’t be, Miriam told herself as a tender look crossed the minister’s face. Did the man know her? That also wasn’t possible. Thankfully, the minister’s gaze had moved on again, and she could breathe. She really needed to do something about her feelings for Tyler Johnson. Her guilt made her imagine way too many things. More prayer was needed to cleanse her heart… and soon!

The sermon continued, and Miriam kept her head down for the next thirty minutes. It was best that way, and she could still hear the sermon. The words of exhortations to holy living were what she needed.

As the message concluded, Miriam took a long breath of relief. Thankfully her thoughts had calmed down, and she hoped Tyler Johnson was banished from her mind completely. Miriam stood up after the last prayer to volunteer her help with lunch and was assigned to the married men’s table. With her hands full of jelly and peanut butter jars, Miriam approached the rows of bearded men. They politely moved sideways on the benches to give her room to work, and her hands were soon empty.

On the second trip, Miriam caught Aunt Fannie’s bright smile
of encouragement from the married women’s table. Thoughts of Tyler Johnson seemed far away and unreal at the moment. How could she even think of an
Englisha
man in such a way? This was where her joy was filled to its fullest. She was the community’s schoolteacher and loved for her dedicated service. If anyone knew her thoughts… Miriam paled and almost stumbled on the hardwood floor.
Nee,
she must not allow Tyler Johnson to disrupt all that. Certainly the Lord would protect and guide her through this weakness. Aunt Fannie would love her even if she found out Miriam had experienced a starstruck moment over a handsome
Englisha
man. Hadn’t Aunt Fannie experienced moments of weakness in her
rumspringa
time when she had dated an
Englisha
man? Yet Aunt Fannie had survived and made the right choices. That was a comfort she must hang on to.