Winter of Wishes (28 page)

“This is utterly—” Hiram threw up his hands. “How can you accuse me of misleading
you? Such unsubstantiated information is—”

“You know the procedure, Hiram. You’re to leave the room, along with all those who
aren’t baptized into the Old Order,” Tom countered. Then he looked right and left.
“You English guests will have to leave, as well. Stretch your legs and we’ll reconvene
in a few. Thanks for your understanding.”

As Andy rose, the Amish fellow seated in front of him pointed to a door near the stairway.
Andy took Brett’s hand and shuffled down the narrow row ahead of Bob Oliveri and Derek
Shotwell, hoping Hiram wouldn’t circle the house to confront him. He would, however,
defend Tom Hostetler’s accusations if Hiram had figured out he was the source who
had reported that phone call at the hospital. It was the least he could do for the
man who had been so encouraging—yet so honest—with him about joining the Amish church
. . .

The
bam!
of the kitchen door made Miriam inhale sharply, along with everyone around her and
Ben. Hiram’s anger wouldn’t end here. There would be retribution down the road—but
Jeremiah seemed unconcerned about that as he tended to the business at hand.

“As we call this Members’ Meeting to order, let us pray for open minds that invite
God into our decision,” the bishop said in a resonant voice. “I’ve never seen the
likes of this. But we believe that all things are part of the Lord’s plan, which means
that He will use even Hiram’s unthinkable behavior to work His purpose out. ‘Vengeance
is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ So we shall leave behind any thoughts of getting
back at Hiram as we vote.”

Grasping Ben’s hand, Miriam bowed her head in silence with all of her family and friends.

After a few moments, Jeremiah gestured for her to be seated with the women while Ben
took his place on the front pew of the men’s side. “We are deciding if your bishop,
Hiram Knepp, is to be excommunicated from his leadership position as well as from
membership in the Willow Ridge district,” he stated. “An
aye
declares your belief that he should be banished, while a
nay
means he should be kept in good standing. As is our custom, we will begin with the
men.”

Miriam glanced over at Ben. While she had no doubt how he would vote, his expression
bespoke the seriousness of this election. Now and then, folks were expelled from the
church for not confessing when the bishop directed them to—or they left because they
no longer wished to live up to the stringent expectations of the Old Amish order.
But never had she heard of a district banishing the leader God had chosen for it.

“Aye,” Wilbert Riehl sang out. As the eldest male member of the district, he was always
seated on the front row. Then Ben and the other fellows all followed suit without
so much as missing a beat.

As these male voices rang out in her front room, Miriam’s heart thudded. What a monumental
event, taking place right here in her home. Oh, but Jesse would’ve been appalled .
. .

“The men have voted unanimously to banish Hiram,” Jeremiah summarized as part of the
proceedings. “What say you women?”

When the bishop of Morning Star gazed at her, as the first person on the front row,
Miriam blinked. Even though she had no doubt about her feelings, it still seemed so
foreign—so
final
—to excommunicate a bishop. “Aye,” she said, although her vote felt anything but uplifting
or victorious, even after all the times Hiram had humiliated her. Rachel and Rhoda
cast the same vote without a moment’s hesitation.

Along the rows behind Miriam, the familiar voices of female friends and family members
echoed the affirmation that Hiram no longer belonged in Willow Ridge. When at last
the youngest members had voted, Jeremiah nodded solemnly.

“The People have spoken,” he said. “It is finished. Let us pray before we continue
with the day’s more joyous celebration.”

 

 

As they stood outside in the brisk winter breeze, Brett tugged at Andy’s hand. “What’s
going on, Dad? That was the man we saw when we were eatin’ breakfast with Rhoda, and—”

“Hiram’s done something horribly dishonest,” Andy explained as they made room alongside
the house, out of the wind, for the other men who were coming outside. “Sometimes
people who have a lot of power, or a lot of money, use it for the wrong purposes.
Or they lie about how they got that money.”

“And the fact that God chose him to be the leader of this community makes it very
difficult for these folks to decide he’s no longer fit to be their bishop,” Derek
Shotwell added. Then to Bob and Andy he said, “This explains a few major transactions
he’s discussed with me lately in very cloaked terms. When I said things are never
ordinary in Willow Ridge, I was
not
expecting the bishop to be excommunicated at a wedding.”

“You can bet all these family visitors from out East will talk this up when they get
home, too,” Bob remarked. “Might be a long while before Hiram scares up enough members
to get a new colony going, when people hear he’s been kicked out of his district.”

Rebecca’s father seemed amused by something, even though the vote going on inside
was a very serious thing. He looked up at Andy and smoothed his thinning hair after
the wind riffled it. “You, on the other hand, seem to be the town hero after you came
running when Hiram’s little boys got thrown from their sleigh,” he remarked. “Tiffany—Miriam’s
Rebecca—says you’re starting up a clinic and maybe making house calls in a special
horse-drawn wagon.”

“I think that wagon’s an ingenious idea,” Derek chimed in. “I bet you’ll draw a lot
of patients from all of these little towns hereabouts, too. Not just from the Amish.”

Andy blinked. While it was fine that Rebecca had shared his dreams with her dad and
the banker, he felt a little exposed. What if he didn’t get his house sold? What if
he couldn’t pull together the funds he’d need for medical equipment? “I hope my ideas
don’t seem premature or half-baked—”

“Come on back in, fellas,” one of the younger Amish men said from the doorway. “We
did our business quick and clean.”

“We appreciate your patience, dear friends and guests,” Preacher Tom was saying as
they took their seats again. “And now we can proceed with a wedding that brings us
all great joy.”

Hiram had apparently lost his membership in Willow Ridge, for he was now conspicuously
absent. As the ceremony went on, Andy noted the faces of the women glowing with goodwill
and happiness despite the monumental event that had just taken place. Clearly Miriam
Lantz and Ben Hooley were dearly loved—and they dearly loved each other as they repeated
their vows, beaming.

Andy couldn’t help smiling as he found her face across the room. She was looking directly
at him and having the same positive thoughts, if her expression was any indication.
Although there was no music, no exchange of rings, no flowers—no photographers crouching
to catch these sacred moments with their cameras—Andy had never attended a wedding
where everyone in the room seemed so bonded together, so invested in this couple as
they began their new life together. It was a wonderful feeling to be caught up in
the love and support that filled this home. He dared to hope that these same people
would welcome him someday as Rhoda’s husband.

As the ceremony ended and the chattering crowd dispersed, Bob clapped a hand on Andy’s
back. “I can’t recall a wedding that ever pleased me more—even if I couldn’t understand
a word they said!”

“Didn’t have to know the lingo to feel the love,” Derek agreed. “What an awesome couple
Miriam and Ben make. Pillars of this community—and even more so now that Willow Ridge
will be seeking out a new bishop.”

Rebecca’s father and the banker exchanged a look, and then they stopped in a back
corner of the noisy room. “Andy, we’d like to help you in your new medical venture,”
Bob began, his lips twitching with a grin he was trying to suppress. “Tiffany asked
me to look over that building you were considering—partly because she’d like to set
up her own business there. What would you think if I bought the place and became your
landlord?”

Andy’s heart stopped. “It was never my intention to make you feel—”

“Oh, no one ever
makes
Bob invest in property,” Derek said with a laugh. “But we admire your willingness
to serve the community and to honor Rhoda’s religious convictions. Tiffany—Rebecca—is
so excited about the opportunity this gives
her
, too, if you’ll allow her to work with you.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Andy asked hoarsely. “But I never figured she would—”

“Hah! Good luck at predicting what
that
young woman will do. She’s cut from the same cloth as her mother and her sisters.”
Bob chuckled. “It was my pleasure to acquire Miriam’s building so she could operate
without fear of Hiram’s interference. And because you’ll need electricity and Internet
service, it makes the same sort of sense for a non-Amish person to install all that
worldly technology so you can use it without owning it.”

“I can see how an elevator would be in order, too, to comply with the disabilities
codes,” he continued. “But we’re not here to ram this idea down your throat, Andy.
A man should make his own decisions.”

Who could have anticipated this development? This meant his mother would be able to
get between the two levels of their home . . . and if he didn’t have to invest in
the building, his money could go toward that clinic on wheels . . . Andy grasped Bob’s
hand and then shook with Derek, as well. “I can’t believe this kind of help has just
fallen into place—”

“It’s like Miriam loves to say.” The banker looked toward the bride, who was surrounded
by dozens of well-wishers. “All things work out for those who trust in God. And if
you’re marrying into her family, with Bob backing you, that’s all I need to know.
You’re destined for success.”

“How about if I call you early next week?” Bob suggested. “I see a certain young woman
heading your way, and you might not want our arrangement to be common knowledge until
you’re convinced it’s a good idea.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that,” Andy murmured.

As Rhoda approached, holding Taylor’s hand and waiting for his mom to keep up with
them in the crowd, Andy felt a welling up of emotions. What a turnaround this was,
after the censure they had endured when they’d been caught kissing in his car. Even
though Rhoda didn’t know about the assistance he’d just been offered, her expression
said she believed in him completely . . . wanted to be with him, for better or for
worse.

“You look awfully happy, considering that interruption in your mother’s wedding,”
he remarked as she grabbed his hand.

“Puh! Takes more than a run-in with Hiram to ruin Mamma’s big day,” she replied. Her
blue eyes glimmered as she gazed up at him. “And what a way to start the New Year,
too. Things are changin’ in a big way in Willow Ridge, and it’s workin’ to our advantage,
Andy. Come and meet Ben’s family before we head for the feast! Now the real fun gets
started!”

 

 

Rhoda took her seat at the
eck
, a large corner table where the wedding party sat on a dais so they could survey
all their guests. She couldn’t stop grinning. She had remembered most of the Hooleys’
unusual names as she’d introduced Andy, his mom, and his kids, and as special guests
they sat at tables near the
eck
. Jerusalem’s twin brother, Jericho, was passing a big platter of the “roast,” made
of baked chicken and stuffing. Calvary, Corinth, Judea, and their siblings and kids
seemed delighted to be attending Ben and Mamma’s festivities. There were so many Hooleys,
they’d rented two full-size buses with drivers to come from Lancaster County. Jerusalem’s
and Nazareth’s siblings had booked the entire family-owned motel in Morning Star so
that Ben’s parents, brothers, and sisters could stay in the new house. Mamma’s sisters,
their husbands, and their kids were bunking in the main house with Rachel and Micah,
as they had done for Rachel’s wedding in October.

When Rhoda’s gaze rested on Andy and his family, her heart danced. Taylor wiggled
her fingers before forking up a big mouthful of gravied mashed potatoes. Rhoda waved
back, pleased that she was wearing the purple polka-dot Plain-style dress. She was
proud of the way the kids had sat through the long services when they had no idea
what was being said in Pennsylvania Dutch. The English guests had been seated in this
first shift so they could leave whenever they chose to, but Rhoda hoped the Leitners
would stay the entire day. She wanted them to experience all the visiting and meet
more of her family . . . so her kin could adjust to the idea that she was in love
with a man from the outside world.

Ben dinged his knife on his glass and stood up, waiting for silence. “Miriam and I
are so happy you’re all here,” he began, “and we’ve got an idea to share with ya.”

“Jah,”
Mamma joined in as she rose beside him. Oh, but she looked years younger and sparkly
with excitement. “The Lord’s blessed Ben and me with many
gut
gifts in the short time we’ve been together. So instead of givin’ us presents we
don’t need, we’d like ya to consider donatin’ to the new Willow Ridge clinic. Thanks
to the fine fella my Rhoda has taken a shine to, we’re soon gonna have a trained healer
as-sistin’ us with childbirths and injuries.”

Rhoda’s face got hot. She saw the same amazement on Andy’s face while her mother continued.

“Andy Leitner’s completed his nursin’ degree. Matter of fact, he saved Hiram’s young
sons when they had a horrible sleigh wreck a couple weeks ago.” Mamma paused to let
this information sink in. “Most important, he’s takin’ his instruction to become Amish
so he can someday marry Rhoda—and ya know what a commitment that’ll be for him and
his kids.”