Amish Summer of Courage: Book Six Read online

  AMISH SUMMER

  OF COURAGE

  Book Six

  Jacob’s Daughter series

  WRITTEN BY

  Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Copyright © 2012 by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Cover/internal design by Livingston Hall Publishers

  Cover art ©Jean Friedrichs McCann

  http://jeansbrush.com/p2_Gallery.htm

  Artwork was altered from its original state with permission from the artist. Visit the link above to view this painting in its original format.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form either written or electronically without the express permission of the author or publisher.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and are therefore used fictitiously. Any similarity or resemblance to actual persons; living or dead, places or events is purely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

  All brand names or product names mentioned in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names, and are the sole ownership of their respective holders. Livingston Hall Publishers is not associated with any products or brands named in this book

  Livingston Hall Publishers

  Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Book SIX of Jacob’s Daughter series

  Also by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  LWF Amish Series

  Little Wild Flower Book I

  Little Wild Flower Book II

  The Taming of a Wild Flower

  Little Wild Flower in Bloom

  Little Wild Flower’s Journey

  Christian Romance

  Milk Maid in Heaven

  The Anniversary

  Christian Historical Romance

  A Sheriff’s Legacy: Book One

  Preacher Outlaw: Book Two

  Cattle Rustler in Petticoats: Book Three

  Jacob’s Daughter Amish Collection

  Jacob’s Daughter

  Amish Winter Wonderland

  Under the Mulberry Tree

  Amish Winter of Promises

  Chasing Fireflies

  Amish Summer of Courage

  An Amish Harvest

  An Amish Christmas Wish

  Companion Series

  An Amish Courtship

  The Quilter’s Son

  An Amish Widower

  Amish Sisters

  Please note: All editions may not be available yet.

  Please check online for availability.

  Chapter 1

  “Don’t scream!”

  Rachel couldn’t breathe.

  The cold hand clenching her mouth was making it impossible for her to take in air. Panic seized her as she tried to wriggle free, but the mann’s grasp on her was too strong.

  “If you scream, I’m gonna have to hurt you.”

  He was behind her, and she couldn’t see his face, but she could smell his sour breath on the back of her neck. It was enough to make her want to vomit. His free hand worked quickly, winding thin rope around her wrists so tight her hands were going numb.

  What’s happening to me? Gott, please help me!

  Tears filled Rachel’s eyes as the stranger tied her wrists tightly behind her back. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to; her legs felt like silos filled to the brim with thousands of pounds of grain.

  The bakery had closed for the day, and she had stayed longer than she should have washing dishes that should have been done during her down-time after the noon rush. It was nearly dark, but even at this late hour, no one was expecting her at home. It was Saturday, and she always made deliveries on her way home, distributing leftover bread to members of the community who were struggling. By the time her deliveries were missed, it would be too late for anyone to help her. Was he going to kill her? Was he here to rob the cash drawer? She would gladly give him all the money she had if he would let her go. But how could she tell him this?

  She tried talking around the hand that covered her mouth, but the words came out muffled and unrecognizable.

  He tightened his grip on her. “I’ll be taking the money you have here, but it’s not enough. Your sister knows where there’s more, and I aim to get it—in exchange for you.”

  His hand dug into the flesh on her cheeks, causing her pain. He let a mean-spirited chuckle escape his lips as he forced her down onto a chair. Keeping his hand over her mouth, he leaned down and wrapped the rope around her ankles, binding her tightly. Rachel watched with unseeing eyes as he masterfully bound her with only one hand.

  He thinks my family has money to pay—a ransom? I’m being abducted! Gott, please make him let me go without hurting me!

  After tying her ankles, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of thick, gray tape. “I’m going to take my hand off your mouth for just a minute so I can put tape across your mouth. If you scream, I’m gonna have to hurt you. Do you understand that?”

  Rachel nodded her head. He slowly moved in front of her, his head down. He was wearing Plain clothes and a straw hat. But no Amish mann would do harm to another like this.

  “Who are you? And what do you want?” Rachel managed before he clamped his hand back onto her mouth.

  Slowly lifting his head, she looked into his bloodshot eyes. Either he was not Amish, or he wasn’t from around here.

  “I’m here for my million dollars and I ain’t leaving until I get my money. You’re my insurance policy. Now shut up or I’ll have to get out my gun. I know you don’t want that.” He gritted deeply stained teeth at her.

  Rachel shook her head, her breath heaving through the fingers that clenched her mouth. Tears had blurred her vision, but there was something almost familiar about this mann that threatened her.

  Rachel watched in horror as he stretched out a piece of tape from the roll. The screeching sound it made sent shivers through her.

  “Please don’t put that on my mouth. I won’t be able to breathe. I promise I’ll be quiet.” Rachel begged.

  The stranger grinned, showing his yellowed teeth. “That’s what they all say.”

  Rachel’s heart slammed against her chest wall. Had he done this before? Did he let them go, or did they die? It was too scary to think about.

  There has to be a way out of this.

  He stretched the tape across her face and smoothed it over her mouth with his hand. There was no one around even if she could scream, and no one was expecting her home until later. She tried not to cry anymore, knowing her nose was already too stuffed up to breathe well. It was a task to pull air in and out of her swollen nostrils, and she felt dizzy from the effort.

  The stranger left her in the chair while he went to the front of the bakery. If she stood up, would she make it to the back door and into her buggy before he could get back? But how would she drive? Before she had any more time to think about it, he was back and looking her right in the eye.

  Rachel blurred her vision, not wanting to see the evil in his eyes. He yanked her to her feet, pulling her close to him. “Let’s go. It’s gonna take forever to get back into town with that horse of yours.”

  That was his plan? To abduct her using her own buggy? No wonder he wore Plain clothes. It was a disguise so no one would notice him even if they rode right past him.

  He turned her around to face him. “I don’t want you to make any noise when we leave here or I’ll have to get out my gun.”

  Rachel’s eyes bulged as she looked at him closely for the first time. The long scar on his cheek was familiar. With a rush of thought, she remembered where she’d seen this mann before, and it made her sick to her stomach. She had been so
foolish, so trusting. This mann, her abductor, had been in the bakery last month—with Levi.

  Chapter 2

  One month earlier…

  Rachel had just put the last loaves of bread into the oven when she heard the jingling of the bells on the front door to the bakery.

  It’s a little early for a customer.

  As she rounded the corner, her heart fluttered at the sight of the handsome stranger. Though Amish, she could tell he wasn’t from her community, even if she had known him.

  He smiled brightly, exposing dimples in each cheek. He tipped his black hat, leaving it securely on his head that was full of thick, blond hair.

  “Gudemariye. Wie gehts?” he almost seemed to struggle with the words, but Rachel was too busy admiring his amber eyes that seemed to twinkle when he smiled. His Plain suit was a little too big for him, but she’d seen that many times in the community when an older sibling passed on clothing to the younger ones. She guessed him to be around eighteen years old.

  He held out a soft hand to Rachel and she took it. Most Amish menner had calloused hands by the time they reached the age of five. Why didn’t he?

  “I’m Levi Schrock. I’m looking for Hiram Miller’s place.”

  “You came to the right place. I’m Rachel, and he’s mei grossdaddi. Are you the one he hired to help bring in the harvest?”

  “Jah,” he said.

  Rachel tipped her head to one side. “He isn’t expecting you for at least another month.”

  “Jah, mei daed sent me a little early, hoping I could earn some extra money. It’s just the two of us, and we rent a little place in town with no land. I will send most of my earnings back home to Ohio to cover the rent. He’s getting on in years and can no longer work.”

  Again, his accent was off, and his story sounded almost rehearsed. Rachel ignored the gentle nagging in the back of her mind. He was handsome, and a stranger. What more could a girl who was bored with the locals ask for?

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure there will be plenty of work to keep you busy until the harvest. You aren’t far from his farm. If you go out of the bakery and walk across the road and down to the left, you will reach his farm.”

  For a fleeting moment, she thought she’d seen him in the bakery a few days before, but the mann she’d seen had not been Amish.

  Rachel sized him up. “You look familiar. Have I seen you in here before?”

  “Nee, this is my first trip to your community.”

  Levi shifted the knapsack hanging from his shoulder, and pointed his nose toward the display case behind Rachel. “How about I get some of those cookies before I go? I could use something sweet.”

  He winked and Rachel blushed. She’d never been winked at before, but the Amish boys in the area weren’t real big on flirting. She moved behind the counter and opened the display case.

  She smiled at Levi. “How many would you like?”

  “If they’re half as sweet as you, Rachel, you better give me only a few. A fella can only handle so much sweet stuff until he gets addicted and wants more.”

  “I’ve been told my cookies are very addictive, so you come back for more any time you like.”

  Rachel was surprised by her own forwardness, but Levi didn’t seem to mind. His smile told her he had enjoyed every flirtatious word.

  Chapter 3

  Rachel watched the handsome stranger walk out the door of the bakery and head in the direction she had sent him. Part of her wanted to close the bakery and go with him. She would definitely be taking an extra loaf of bread to her grossdaddi’s haus after work, and hopefully she would get an invite to have dinner with him, Nettie, and Levi.

  ****

  When he was clearly out of view of the bakery, Levi pulled a cell phone out of his knapsack to call Bruce, his dad. He knew Bruce would be pleased that he’d already made fast friends with Rachel Yoder. He wouldn’t dare tell Bruce he’d found her attractive and would enjoy dating her without the deceit. If this job was going to be as easy as he now thought, he would be rid of his dad and all the abuse that came with him before too long. He would take his cut of the money Bruce promised him, and then he’d leave without looking back. The sooner he could get the information on the whereabouts of the money Uncle Eddie had stashed just before he died, the sooner he would be a free man. With his eighteenth birthday just around the corner, he was more eager than ever to pull off the last job he would ever do for his dad. He never liked the stealing or the lying, and very soon he wouldn’t have to anymore.

  Unlike Bruce, Levi had a conscience. That had to count for something, and he didn’t plan on entering into adulthood following in his father’s footsteps. At eighteen, he would no longer have to obey his dad, and he would be free to make his own choices…the choices of the righteous man he wanted more than anything to be.

  ****

  Rachel looked at the clock for the hundredth time in the past hour. She’d been washing pans and bowls for the past forty-five minutes and hadn’t had a single customer during that time. Tempted to lock the door and close for the day, Rachel forced herself to wash dishes until the last utensil was clean. After wiping down the surfaces, she hung up her apron, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She was almost too tired to pay a visit to her grossdaddi, but she was too eager to see Levi again to care.

  Unable to wait any longer, Rachel locked the door to the bakery, two loaves of fresh bread tucked under her arm.

  Heading toward her grossdaddi’s farm, Rachel uttered a quick prayer that Levi was able to secure work the way she’d half-promised him he would. If he wasn’t, and he’d had to leave, there was no telling if he’d return for a second trip later in the season. She didn’t like the idea of not finding the handsome newcomer at the farm. But if he wasn’t there, he’d be long-gone by this time, and she’d be lucky to ever lay eyes on him again.

  Chapter 4

  Nettie welcomed Rachel with a smile. “Danki for the bread. It will make a gut addition to the meal tonight. I was hoping to make something light this evening since it’s so warm; now we can have cold meat sandwiches. Would you like to join us?”

  “Danki, I’m very hungry after working all day. Where’s mei grossdaddi?”

  Nettie set the bread on the counter and began washing a few tomatoes. “He’s in the barn with the new hired hand. He arrived early from Ohio hoping to find work sooner than the harvest. Hiram didn’t waste any time putting him right to work.”

  Rachel was delighted to hear that Levi had indeed been hired on and would be spending the next few months in the community. She felt that would be plenty of time to get to know him better. Her heart fluttered at the possibility of courting Levi. Surely he wouldn’t be here if he was betrothed back in his own community.

  Nettie cut up lettuce and tomatoes for the sandwiches, while Rachel sliced cheese from the large block that her grossdaddi made. He sold the cheese to others in the community after curing it in the barn, but it was more of a hobby than a source of income, she thought.

  “Go ahead and ring the bell. I’ll finish putting out the pickled beets and cold potato salad I made earlier.”

  Suddenly feeling a little nervous, Rachel stepped outside and pulled the string, clanging the bell to alert her grossdaddi and Levi. She didn’t stay outside to wait for them. Instead, she quickly returned to the kitchen to busy her hands with setting the table. Hopefully, they would take a few minutes to come in from the barn, allowing Rachel enough time to steady her nerves.

  All too soon, Rachel heard the back door swing open, and the sound of male voices. She kept her back to them as she finished stirring up a pitcher of grape Kool-Aid.

  She felt an arm go around her shoulder. “It’s gut to see you, Rachel.” Hiram said.

  Rachel stopped what she was doing and hugged him back. “You smell like cheddar cheese, grossdaddi.”

  “I’ve got two milk cows that give us more milk than we can possibly use. I’ll be making some butter this week too, if you need some for the b
akery.”

  “Danki, my supply is starting to run a little low.”

  Hiram chuckled. “I had a feeling it might be. Let’s eat. I’m hungry as a horse.”

  Up until this point, Rachel had avoided seeing Levi, though she knew he was just a few feet behind her. Luckily, they sat very quickly and bowed their heads for the silent prayer. She hadn’t dared look at him for fear her familye would see the blush that already tried to creep up her neck.

  Dear Gott, please keep my nerves steady, and don’t let me make a dummkopf of myself in front of Levi. Oh, and please bless this food and my familye.

  When she heard the clanging of silverware, Rachel lifted her eyes to Levi, who sat staring at her. Had he been watching her the whole time? She fidgeted a little in her chair until she noticed her grossdaddi slapping a hand on his shoulder.

  “This is Levi Schrock. He’ll be helping me until mid-October.”

  That long? That was nearly three months away. Rachel was pleased to hear it.

  Levi felt funny being called by his friend’s name from back in Ohio. When he’d stayed with the Schrock family over the previous summer while Bruce was in jail, he and Levi had become good friends. And now, here he was, using Levi’s good name to deceive these people.

  It’s only for a little while so I can get away from Bruce. Then they will never see me again.

  Levi nodded his head and smiled at Rachel, bringing heat to her cheeks. “Jah, we met this morning when I stopped at the bakery for directions.”

  Nettie nudged Rachel gently with her foot under the table, startling her. “Why didn’t you tell me you already met him?”

  Rachel’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red at Nettie’s question. What could she have said? That she’d met a really handsome, possible suitor, and she only came over to see him?