The Heartbreaker (Amish Country Brides) Read online

  He didn’t know what he’d do without his grossdawdi. That was a circumstance he did not want to ever dwell on. Out of all the people in his family, Dawdi had always been the one to accept him no matter what.

  Michael suspected Dawdi held out hope that one day he’d return to the Amish fold for good. But Michael knew that would never happen. The Amish life had too many restrictions on just about everything. He wasn’t going to let a few power-hungry men dictate how he lived his life. It just wasn’t going to happen.

  ~

  Michael revved his bike, daring to veer around the corners at heart-racing speeds. He loved the adrenaline that accompanied hard living, and the rush of wind through his hair. It reminded him of a certain woman who used to run her fingers through it when it had been longer. Why so many thoughts of Miriam Yoder lately? Probably because he’d been pondering visiting his grossdawdi. He hadn’t seen her in forever, it seemed.

  He dreamt of her now, wondering if she was married. If she was, then her last name would no longer be Yoder, he mused. Jah, she likely was. Not that he’d let something like that deter him if he ever wanted to see her again. He’d learned that the married women at the clubs were usually just as willing as the others. It shouldn’t be much more difficult with Miri. Sure, she was Amish, but that didn’t matter. He’d just have to step carefully. Hopefully, her husband worked away from the home. That would make it easy.

  Out of all the Plain women he’d dated, she had been his favorite conquest. A beautiful woman indeed. A face as attractive as his own, soft intoxicating long hair, curves in all the right places… Jah, if he ever returned to his former Amish community, he’d definitely be seeking her out.

  When he felt the tire slipping, his attention snapped back to the road. He glanced down and noticed the grass clippings just as his motorcycle slid out from under him. His eyes squeezed shut, as he attempted to protect himself from the intense pain he was likely to endure.

  ~

  “I’m leaving now,” Miriam called to Mamm from the door.

  “Have a gut day, dochder. Tell Sammy hello for us.”

  “Jah, I will.” She stepped outside into the crisp morning air. The short walk to the older man’s house was always one of her favorite parts of the day. It was her time alone to commune with God. She would thank Him for His blessings and ask His guidance throughout the day.

  She thought of the list Sammy had given her for the week. Grocery shopping. Purchasing vegetable plants from the Troyers’ greenhouse for his garden, then planting them. Fixing supper. All stuff she loved to do, especially for Sammy. He’d been somewhat of a grossdawdi to her after her own grandfather had passed away a few years ago. She relished the times they would sit out on the porch and talk. Although she’d loved her own grossdawdi, Sammy owned a special place in her heart. He’d been one of the kindest souls she’d ever known. She felt like she could share anything with him, although she hadn’t shared her deepest secrets. Nee, some things were just too personal—only things she could disclose to Der Herr.

  Miriam opened the screen door and knocked. There was no answer.

  Strange. Sammy usually had his door opened this time of day, with just the screen closed to let the breeze in. “Sammy?”

  She knocked once more.

  Where was he? He’d usually come to the door by this time. Perhaps he was occupied. She’d give him a few minutes before she knocked again, just in case he was taking care of personal business. She dropped down onto the porch swing and pushed the wooden floor board with her toes, setting the swing in gentle motion.

  Five minutes later, she knocked again, with no response.

  Then she decided to check the barn and the pasture to see if his driving horse was in his stall or out grazing. She discovered the barn was empty, but sure enough Dr. Seuss was out in the field. She’d laughed when Sammy had first told her his horse’s name. He said that one of his grandchildren named the horse after their favorite children’s author. Oh well, she supposed it was better than naming the poor creature Green Eggs and Ham or The Cat in the Hat, which was what the child wanted to name him. So, Dr. Seuss it was.

  A ring pealed through the air and she turned her attention to the phone shanty between Sammy’s and his neighbor’s property. She jogged toward it, but the ringing had long ceased by the time she arrived. The answering machine’s light was flashing, so she pushed Play.

  Sammy’s voice echoed through the line, “Hello, this message is for Miriam Yoder. This is Sammy. I’m at the hospital right now. Don’t worry, it’s not for me. I am fine. Chust visiting someone. I should be back home in a couple of days. If you need to get inside the house, you know where I usually leave the key. I guess I won’t be needing you to make me any meals right now. At least not for a couple of days. I left a list on the table for you. See you when I get back.”

  She erased the message and then frowned, thinking of Sammy’s words. Who could be in the hospital? She hadn’t heard that anyone in the community had sustained an injury or of anyone requiring hospitalization.

  A frown tugged her lips downward. The thought of Sammy being away dampened her spirits a bit. He’d always had a smile and word of encouragement for her. She’d miss him. Nevertheless, she breathed a quick prayer for whomever he was visiting in the hospital, and that Sammy would return safely and soon.

  After finishing her tasks at Sammy’s, she’d make a quick stop in at her best friend Nora’s place. She and Nora had pretty much been great friends since they’d met, except for the small rift they’d had when Miriam dated Michael. Miriam had been unaware that her friend had ridden home with him prior to asking her. Like every other girl, Nora had a crush on him. When rumors began flying around about Michael and Miriam being a couple, Nora completely wrote her off as a friend.

  When Michael ended his courtship with Miriam, she’d been left without her beau and her best friend. Heartbroken over the entire ordeal, Miriam fled to the Englisch world, nursing her bleeding heart. After Miriam returned to their community a year and a half later, she discovered that Nora had moved on and married.

  A couple weeks after Miriam’s return, her friend showed up asking forgiveness, so they’d made amends. Miriam was glad to resume their friendship, but she’d never fully recovered from either wound. The scars remained.

  THREE

  A beep, beep, beep sound forced Michael’s eyes to drift open, but his vision was hazy. He’d slept well but it was time to get up now. Time to go job hunting yet again. He blindly felt for his alarm clock to shut it off. Where was it?

  He lifted himself off the pillow only to discover intense pain pounding his head. Now that he’d awakened more, he was conscious of pain in his entire body. He forced his eyes to open all the way and noticed his arm in a cast and his leg suspended in a sling in the air. Ach, the hospital.

  Motorcycle accident. Jah, that was it.

  He attempted to sit up again.

  “Nee, you stay right there.”

  The familiar voice grabbed his attention. “Dawdi?” He turned his head toward the voice. Sure enough, his grandfather sat on a chair next to his bed. “What are you doing here?”

  “I think you mean what are you doing here? They called me from your phone. Said something about ice.”

  “Ice? Oh, yeah, in case of emergency. Jah, your number is down for that.”

  “You will come home with me to recover.”

  “What is wrong with me? How long have I been here?”

  “A couple of days.” His grossdawdi sighed. “Your leg and arm are broken. The doctor said they will need to be in a cast for six weeks. You have a slight concussion. Other than that, you chust have a few bumps and bruises. You have much to thank Der Herr for. It could have been much worse.”

  He refrained from sneering at Dawdi’s mention of the alleged Man Upstairs. He had no use for God or His thou shalt nots. “When can I leave?”

  “As soon as you learn to get around, they said.”

  He forgot about his injured
arm and tried to lift it. He groaned as pain shot through to his shoulder. “Six weeks?” He grimaced trying to catch his breath. “What am I going to do for six weeks?”

  “You will continue your recovery. And you will help out on the farm.”

  He thought about his grossdawdi’s farm. A little bit of fresh air might do him some good. “Do you still have than ornery rooster?”

  Dawdi chuckled. “As feisty as ever.”

  He grunted. “I think I’ll let you gather the eggs then.”

  “Nee, I have a helper now.”

  “A helper?”

  “A maedel that comes over to help me out.”

  “Ooh…a young woman?” He grinned like a fool. “Do I know her?”

  “Perhaps. But you’re in no condition to be thinking about maed right now.”

  “Ach, that’s practically all I think about.”

  His grossdawdi frowned. “That is not gut. Der Herr should be in the middle of your thoughts.”

  He nearly snorted, but refrained out of respect for Dawdi. How long had it been since he’d entertained coherent thoughts of a Higher Power? A long, long time, it seemed. He kept silent on the matter.

  “What about my apartment? My stuff?” He frowned.

  “Your landlord was going to put it in storage, but I suggested my barn instead. He’s charging you a fifty-dollar moving fee.”

  “Figures.” He thought of the items he owned. Some things he’d never want his grossdawdi to see or know about. Hopefully, his landlord threw everything into boxes and his private stuff was hidden. Ach, he’d be embarrassed if Dawdi ever looked through his things. He’d never ever approve. If he had his way, Dawdi would never see it. He wished he could call his landlord and ask him to throw it out.

  Heat rose up his neck. “You, uh, you haven’t gone through it. Have you?” He swallowed hard.

  “Nee, it is not mine.”

  He released a sigh of relief. “I can pay you for storage.”

  “Nonsense. You can’t even work a job in your condition. How do you plan to pay for storage?”

  “I’ll get another job eventually.”

  “You can work for your grossdawdi for room and board.”

  “And meals?”

  “Jah, mei maedel occasionally makes meals. I’m sure she won’t mind cooking for two.” Dawdi raised a brow. “But for the most part, we’ll be cooking for ourselves.”

  “And her name is?”

  “You will meet her soon enough. For now, you rest and concentrate on getting better.”

  “Will you at least tell me how old she is? She’s not a school girl or anything, is she?”

  “Ach, you dream about maed way too much. Nee, I believe she’s close to your age. And that’s all I will say.” He shook his head. “It does not matter, though. You are still living in the Englisch world. She will have no interest in you. She is a gut Amish girl.”

  Clearly, his grossdawdi underestimated his persuasion skills when it came to women. He’d had very few failures in that department. Usually, all it took was a gaze, a wink, and a friendly conversation to get his way. He was quite confident this encounter wouldn’t be much different, Amish maedel or no.

  His lips curved upward. The sooner he left this hospital, the better. Of course, he had seen a cute nurse walk by. Maybe he could get her number.

  ~

  “You returning home with me is contingent on one thing.” Dawdi scratched his scraggly beard as he walked beside Michael in the hospital’s hall. It was only a brief exercise, with more distance added each day.

  “What’s that?”

  “You must attend church.”

  Michael shrugged with his one good shoulder. “I already figured you’d insist on that.”

  “You’re sure to attract plenty of attention with your leg in a cast and your arm in that sling.”

  “Ah, I don’t mind.”

  His grossdawdi chuckled. “That’s what I figured. You always liked being the center of attention.”

  And that was the truth. Especially when it came to women. “True.”

  “It’s not a gut thing. I’m afraid your good looks have been a curse to you.”

  “Oh, no, Dawdi. You’ve got it all wrong.”

  “How’s that?”

  “That’s why it’s so easy to get women.” His grin widened and his eyebrows rose twice over.

  “Jah, but it has caused you to sin. Made you full of pride. Taken you away from Der Herr and His people.” Dawdi eyed him dubiously. “You should only have one woman.”

  He almost choked. “One? You’re serious?”

  “That is what Der Herr says.”

  They both turned the corner and stepped back into his hospital room. “Yeah, well, I believe in living by my own code of conduct.”

  “Is that what you call it?” He frowned.

  “Yep.”

  Dawdi stared at him. “But you will answer to Gott someday.”

  “Maybe.” He released his crutch, then hoisted himself onto the bed with Dawdi’s help.

  “There’s no maybe.”

  “I’m good, Dawdi. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  Dawdi sighed, then turned quiet.

  Michael pulled the sheet to his torso. “I’m exhausted. Do you mind if I try to catch some Z’s?”

  “No, go ahead. I have something I need to do anyhow.”

  Michael guessed the “something” his grossdawdi was referring to was praying for his wayward grandson. He watched as Dawdi walked out the door with his shoulders slumped. He hadn’t meant to discourage his grandfather, but he didn’t want to encourage false hope either. He’d stay with his grossdawdi until he was better, but he had absolutely no desire to return to the Amish church.

  FOUR

  Miriam had always enjoyed church Sundays. Well, almost always. After she’d returned from the Englisch world, she’d harbored a tremendous amount of guilt. Even after being baptized, her soul remained unsettled. Her burden had lightened just slightly. Lightened, but hadn’t lifted completely. Because there were some things in her past that she’d been too ashamed to admit, especially to her fellow Amish community. She’d confessed her sins to Der Herr, but outwardly she lived a lie. She was not the righteous saint the g’may believed her to be. Nee, far from it.

  Despite her self-deprecation, she still derived joy from attending the bi-monthly get-togethers. She’d learned to fix her focus on Gott, and tune out the condemning voices in her head. She knew Der Herr had forgiven her. Was it really anyone else’s business, given the fact that she’d already made things right with the One who truly mattered? She thought not.

  But she knew what was expected. Total transparency. And that, she had not yielded to.

  As soon as she descended her folks’ carriage, she made a beeline for the Petersheims’ kitchen. Loaf of bread in hand, she walked through the door. The women seemed awfully chatty this morning. Had something happened in the community?

  Nora grasped her arm the moment she set the bread on the counter and guided her to a private place. Miriam couldn’t decipher her friend’s expression. “Did you know he was coming?”

  Miriam frowned. “What? Who?”

  Nora dragged her over to the window and pointed at the black-clad men standing in a semi-circle near the barn.

  Miriam squinted into the bright morning light. “I don’t—”

  “It’s Michael Eicher. The one with the crutch.”

  Miriam’s heart pounded. “What?”

  “So you didn’t know?”

  “I had no idea.” She shook her head. “Why is he here? And what’s wrong with him?”

  “Seems that Sammy brought him home from the hospital. Motorcycle accident.” Nora rolled her eyes. Apparently, there hadn’t been any love lost between them.

  “Oh, wow. I knew Sammy was visiting someone in the hospital, but I never thought—”

  “Stay away from him, Miriam. You know what he’s like.”

  She heard the warning tone in her
friend’s voice loud and clear.

  “Oh, believe me, I know. And I don’t plan on getting anywhere near him if I can help it.” She sighed. “But…is he staying at Sammy’s? If so, I don’t know how I’m going to avoid him. I work for Sammy.”

  “Maybe you should stop.”

  “Stop? But Sammy needs my help. Probably even more so if he has to spend his time caring for his gross sohn.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Neither do I. But if he’s the same Michael we know, he won’t be staying a minute longer than he has to. I highly doubt he has any intentions of returning.”

  “Just watch your step. I know how persuasive he can be.”

  Jah. So did she. She knew it all too well. And as much as she could help it, she’d stay far away from handsome Michael Eicher. She couldn’t afford to allow his charms to sweep her off her feet ever again.

  ~

  As he stood with the men prior to meeting, Michael glanced around the Petersheims’ property, mentally identifying several women he’d briefly dated. He smirked, wondering how many of these men surrounding him knew he’d likely claimed their wives before they had. Several of the women’s gazes flitted in his direction, their cheeks immediately darkening when their eyes met. Jah, this would be fun.

  He noticed Miriam worked amongst the married women, helping bring food items into the Petersheims’ home. Ach, he knew it. He studied her, hoping to see which man her eyes honed in on. It would be much easier if he knew which man was her husband so he could find out all the essential information he needed, like where he worked and what his hours were. After watching her for several minutes, he still couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps she and her husband didn’t get along well. Jah, that could work to his advantage for sure.