Amish Harvest, COMPLETE SERIES: Amish Novella Read online

  Bailey picked at the fragrant fruit, keeping her focus only on preserving Aunt Helena’s farm. She was determined not to allow her father’s presence to waiver her from her goal, and that was to keep the farm in the family. She dreaded the thought of having strangers owning this land that had come to mean so much to her over the years.

  As her father approached, Bailey pushed her shoulders back and held in her breath. If he was going to reprimand her, she would let his disapproving comments roll off her back. She didn’t have the time or energy to waste over what her father planned on doing about their agreement. He would either honor it or he would let her down. Despite the fact she had entered into an unfair agreement with him regarding the deed, she had consented to his terms, and she feared he’d find out she’d broken that agreement by allowing Luke and Hannah to assist her with the orchard.

  But he didn’t have to know that.

  Did he?

  Chapter 7

  Jack Parker made his way to the orchard, readying his handkerchief to prepare for the allergy attack that was imminent. He was never a fan of the farm that his aunt had left him, and he had avoided dealing with the property up until now.

  When his daughter, Bailey, made such a nuisance of herself when he’d mentioned that he intended to sell the property, he’d struck a deal with her that he counted on her failing to comply with. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his daughter to have the property that obviously meant more to her than it did to him; he simply preferred to treat the piece of property as an investment rather than a personal liability.

  Still, his daughter had insisted, and he was unable to let it go without at least giving her a shot. He hoped the gesture alone would be enough to ease his conscience. The only thing keeping him from pulling the plug on their deal was Bailey’s plea that had reminded him of his beloved wife.

  He missed Bailey’s mother more than he cared to face, and there were times when his daughter reminded him of her so much, it would almost trick his mind into thinking she hadn’t been gone for so long. He sucked down those memories, determined not to feel, because feeling made him sad, and being sad caused him to feel anger. Each emotion perpetuated an even deeper memory, and he was trying hard to keep all of that pushed down where it couldn’t hurt him. Why couldn’t he get past it when he was around his daughter? Despite knowing how unfair he was being to her, he couldn’t shake the feelings of loss he felt just looking into the eyes that mirrored his deceased wife’s.

  “Good afternoon, Bailey,” Jack offered in a business-like tone to his daughter.

  “Good afternoon, Daddy,” she returned with a forced smile, hoping it would stir something in his heart for her.

  Bailey had been aware for a lot of years how painful it was for her father to set his eyes on her without thinking of her mother. It didn’t seem fair that he should reject her due to his painful loss when she’d suffered the same loss. Still, she always tried to shrug it off and tell herself it didn’t matter when it mattered more than she could ever express to her father. He had been stern with her for too many years for her to try to change his view of the situation.

  She was all too aware of what he saw when he looked at her—his eyes gave him away every time. Over the past few years her hair had been dyed every color imaginable just to keep him from seeing her mother in her. But in the end, she knew that nothing would make him see her any other way.

  Jack surveyed the cart and the crates full of apples that his daughter had worked hard to harvest. Knowing his daughter’s abilities and the challenges of the farm, he could tell she’d had help even if she would never admit it to him. It upset him that they had such a strained relationship, but it had been that way for so long, he didn’t hold out any hope that they could change that.

  Right now, he had the power to put an end to their deal, and he wasn’t about to pass that up.

  Chapter 8

  “Why are you being so stubborn,” Luke said, falling in step on Bailey’s heels. “Your father told mine that we had to pack up and be off the property by the end of the week. I don’t know why you’re continuing to pick the apples when it’s over. We have to leave, and so do you.”

  Bailey whipped her head around to face him. “You’re just going to give up? Just like that? I thought you wanted to help me! Where’s all that enthusiasm you’ve had for the past week?”

  Luke’s heart caught in his throat as he gazed upon her melancholy expression. How could he let her down? He cared for her—but how was that even possible? He barely knew her. Still, his heart went out to her—almost as if he had a personal stake in her happiness—as though his own happiness depended on hers.

  Luke took in a deep breath. He would miss the smell of the ripe apples and the glisten of the morning dew on the worn grass that grew between the rows of trees in the orchard. More than that, he would miss an opportunity to get to know Bailey—an opportunity he truly felt had come from Gott. Why would Gott bring her into his life only to take her away?

  He simply wouldn’t.

  Luke was convinced he and Bailey were a perfect match, but she seemed reluctant to fall in step with the idea. He prayed he was wrong, and that her constant fussing was due more from the pressure her father put on her than resistance to him personally. He continued to keep his heart open to her even though her demeanor spoke volumes of her reluctance to consider him as anything other than a meddling tenant farmer who’d caused her to lose the deed to the farm.

  He had to do something to change things around for her, but how? The only thing he could do was continue to pray, but even that didn’t seem to be bringing any quick results. He knew better than to give up on prayer; it had always been his comfort, even if the answers Gott gave him were not what he wanted. The end result was always in his best interest, and for that, he would keep his total trust in Gott.

  Pushing a wooden orchard ladder against the tree trunk, Luke settled himself in for a long day of harvesting the apples he hoped would earn a second chance with Bailey’s father to get her the deed to the farm.

  Before long, Bailey began to hum, and Luke chimed in after a while with a low whistle on his lips. He had heard the tune many a Sunday morning resonating from the pipe organ of the church at the end of the dirt lane that stood at the opposite end of the orchard. He often walked down there and sat under a tree to listen to the music and the preacher from the open windows of the white-washed, clapboard structure with its steeple leaning a little to the east.

  He’d recently wondered what it would be like to enter the building, but he hadn’t succumbed to the promptings, fearing it would show disrespect to his mamm and his upbringing. Though his familye had not been a part of the Amish community since they’d come to reside at Bailey’s farm, he wasn’t certain if his daed would approve of him attending a non-denominational church unless it was of Mennonite background.

  A lot of his cousins had broken away from the Ordnung as well, and most were attending various churches, which had left Luke with a hunger for the closeness with Gott they had all boasted about after having been saved and baptized in those churches. Luke had no desire to be baptized into the Amish faith, and he hoped to broach the subject of attending the little white church with his daed before they had to leave the farm. He’d wanted to try it so many times, and now he feared he would not get that chance since they were expected to move on.

  Luke wasn’t even certain where his daed was taking them, but he suspected they would go back to Nappanee to live with his onkel Ira.

  Bailey slighted her eyes, hoping to sneak a glimpse of Luke while he wasn’t looking. Instead, her eyes locked on his, and his smile caused her heart to skip a beat. She quickly averted her gaze, feeling warmth rush to her cheeks. Why did he affect her in such a way? She barely knew him—yet she felt as though she’d known him all her life. He’d gotten under her skin with his sparkly blue eyes and dimples deep enough to get lost in. but more than that, he had a good heart, a heart that made hers melt whenever she was around him.r />
  If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she was falling for him.

  Chapter 9

  “I’m not leaving, Daddy,” Bailey protested. “I’m going to bring in the harvest, whether you give me the deed or not!”

  Jack dug his heels into the rear of the gelding, setting off at a gallop. Bailey coughed at the cloud of dust her father kicked up as he left without saying a word to her. The scowl on his face had said it all. It was all too clear to her that he was disappointed in her, but she had gotten used to it.

  Lately, it seemed that she made him angry every time she turned around. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t please him. And so she figured there was no point as far as the farm was concerned. With the help of Luke and Hannah, she was determined to finish what she had started…even if it meant disappointing her father.

  ****

  Jack steered the horse into unfamiliar territory, feeling every jut in the trail. He was determined to put his daughter’s demands in the back of his mind. No matter what she said, he would not give in to her. He did not intend to give her the deed to the farm. His Aunt Helena would have wanted it to stay in the family, and she probably would have preferred that Bailey have it. But all he could think about was his beloved wife, Ellen.

  Jack pointed the horse toward the small home in which Ellen had grown up. They had been childhood friends, and as they’d grown, they had fallen in love. They had been married for five years before she’d become pregnant with Bailey. Only hours after giving birth, Ellen had left him due to complications. He was thankful she was able to see her daughter, but he had lost his beloved wife too soon.

  Jack slowed the horse as he neared the house that had remained abandoned since his wife had passed. They’d had plans to add onto the home that her parents had bequeathed to her. They were going to have four children, but that plan had ended when Ellen left him so unexpectedly.

  Dismounting, Jack felt his throat tighten at the site of the small home. It was in need of a coat of paint; the shutters were hanging from a nail or two, and most of the clouded windows had been cracked or broken for years. It filled him with shame that he’d allowed the home his wife loved so dearly to fall into such disrepair.

  Jack hung his head in silence for several minutes. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t talk to God anymore. He’d walked so far away from the faith that Ellen had shared with him since their youth; he didn’t even hear God anymore.

  Jack travelled on foot, leading the horse toward the small family plot at the end of the dirt lane. Rows of grave markers carved out the names of his wife’s family line going back as far as one hundred years.

  His gaze fell upon Ellen’s marker in the front row. He traced her name on the front of the marble headstone and then fell to his knees. He would have gladly taken her place so she could have raised their daughter. When he’d first taken Bailey home from the hospital, he hadn’t known what to do with her. It hadn’t gotten any easier as the years had gone by. Why hadn’t God taken him instead? The girl clearly needed her mother.

  “Oh, Ellen, what am I to do with your daughter? She has a stubborn streak like you did. I miss you something awful, Darlin’. You would be so proud of her; she’s really turned out to be quite the young lady. She’s expecting me to give her the deed to all this land, and I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want her to have it. I could sure use some of your faith right now.”

  Sighing, Jack mounted the gelding and thrust his spurs into the flank hard enough to set the animal at a fast gallop. Without warning, the gelding’s right hoof hit a deep rut, throwing Jack from his mount.

  After hitting the dry ground hard, Jack heard the horse trot off.

  It was the last thing he remembered.

  VOLUME THREE

  Chapter 10

  Luke grabbed the reigns of Jack’s gelding, wondering why the horse was still saddled, when concern for the man’s whereabouts hit him. The horse had trotted back to the barn without its mount, and now Luke feared the worst.

  Grabbing the saddle-horn, Luke flung his leg over the saddle and pressed his heels into the gelding’s flank, hoping the animal would take him to Jack. He feared that if he didn’t find him quickly, it could put the man in further danger.

  Every second counted.

  Down in the gulley near Goose Pond, Luke could barely make out an outline of what he feared could be a person lying on the ground. Upon closer observation, he realized it was indeed Jack, and he wasn’t moving.

  Trying his best not to panic, Luke slid from the gelding’s back and ran down toward the edge of the pond where Jack’s lifeless body laid slumped over, one arm completely submerged in the murky depths between the tall reeds at the water’s edge.

  Luke mumbled a quick prayer asking Gott to protect the man. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, and knowing how much the death of Bailey’s mother still affected her, he hoped to spare her from losing her father too.

  When he reached the man, Luke was relieved to see that he was still breathing.

  Dekni, derr Lord.

  Luke knelt down and pushed the man’s hat where it sat askew over his face. Jack’s eyes fluttered open a few times before he groaned. Instinctively, he tried to get up, but Luke urged him to roll onto his side before trying to regain his footing.

  As he tried to roll, Jack groaned louder. “I think I broke a few ribs,” he said trying to pull in a deep breath.

  Noticing the cut near the man’s temple, Luke pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his trousers and mopped gently at the fairly deep gash.

  “That’s going to need to be stitched up,” Luke said without flinching. “Do you think you might be able to get to your feet long enough for me to get you onto the horse? I need to get you back to the haus so we can get you fixed up.”

  Jack flashed Luke a humbling look. Only yesterday, he’d scolded Luke for helping his daughter and accused him of trying to deal dishonestly with him regarding the deed. Now Luke set his gaze upon the man without judgment, hoping to show him that he never meant to deceive him; he was only trying to help Bailey get the deed because he knew what it meant to her.

  Jack returned the humble look, and Luke knew his prayer had been answered.

  Chapter 11

  Luke assisted Jack from the passenger seat of Bailey’s truck and into the main haus. While they were at the hospital getting him stitched up and his ribs wrapped, Hannah had moved her things into the little cottage so she could bunk in with Bailey, allowing Mr. Parker to take her room.

  Jack felt a little groggy from the pain meds he’d been given, and he allowed Luke to guide him from his daughter’s truck despite the humility he felt at the moment.

  Jack hadn’t been prepared to stay at his aunt’s house, but his injuries had forced him to accept help with his recovery. He didn’t like feeling helpless the way he did at the moment, especially with Bailey angry with him the way she was. Now, as he humbly accepted assistance into the house, Jack suddenly regretted being so harsh with his only child.

  Looking into her eyes, Jack could see Bailey’s mother in there. How could a trait he’d admired so much in his wife cause him so much irritation from his own daughter?

  Jack shuffled up the back porch stairs to the kitchen, aware of every movement that caused him pain. Even with assistance, Jack couldn’t control his gait enough to keep the pain at a minimum. He was in for several days of pain and being dependent on the very person that he’d angered and alienated—his stubborn daughter.

  The late autumn heat seemed to exaggerate Jack’s pain, especially since the house didn’t have air conditioning. He’d been spoiled with all the amenities of modern convenience back at the hotel room he’d taken since he’d arrived in town, and hadn’t taken into consideration that the Amish lived like that every day. He wondered how they could bear the heat, but he supposed he would have to get used to it if he was going to get through his stay in the large farmhouse. Bailey had moved his things out of the hotel
room, and part of him wished she hadn’t.

  Jack settled in the upstairs room, thankful for the open window and the heavy breeze that whipped at the sheer curtains. The air smelled of rain, and Jack knew the storm clouds rolling in would bring cooler air so he could get some rest.

  While Bailey propped up his pillows against the headboard, Luke eased him onto the full-sized bed that centered the small room. Kicking off his shoes, he let them slip to the floor and wriggled his toes against the cooling air rushing in through the open window.

  It felt good to relax.

  The hospital had been so noisy he’d not been able to rest despite the pain medication that left him nodding off more than he cared to. He’d wanted to talk more with Bailey about the farm and the proposal for the deed, but he just couldn’t seem to keep his eyes open.

  Chapter 12

  Bailey woke up stiff and tired from working so hard the day before trying to bring in the apple harvest. It hadn’t helped that Hannah had kept her up till the wee hours of the morning talking her ear off. She did, however, let it slip that Luke liked her. The news had made Bailey’s cheeks warm thinking about it, even though she was determined not to let him distract her from her goal of changing her father’s mind about giving her the deed to the farm.

  The smell of sizzling bacon and fresh coffee interrupted her thoughts of Luke, but only for a moment. He was handsome, there was no denying that, but she couldn’t afford any distractions from her goal right now. No matter how much she was interested in exploring where their friendship could take them, she didn’t come to the farm to fall in love—she was here to get the deed.