An Amish Arrangement

Caleb laughed heartily. “Why is it dark in here?”

“I couldn’t find oil for the lantern.”

“The house has electricity. Rudy mentioned both houses were wired.” With a wave of his hand, he added, “Let’s find the fuse box and see if we can get you some light. More important is powering the well pump so you can have water.”

Jeremiah followed him into the cellar. As they crossed the dirt floor to where a metal box was affixed to the wall, he wondered why he hadn’t considered checking the well pump. Exhaustion could be a reason, because he felt as if he carried the house on his shoulders as he trudged after Caleb.

His neighbor whistled a single note as he popped open the door on the metal box. “A circuit breaker box. Who’d have guessed Rudy had updated his tenant house?” Reaching in, he flipped a switch.

A low rumble came from the far side of the cellar. Jeremiah aimed his flashlight in that direction and saw the well’s holding tank. His fatigue fell away as he realized he could have water to brush his teeth once he’d let it run long enough to make sure any rust washed out.

“Danki,” he said.

Caleb shrugged. “Glad to help. I’m sure this circuit breaker box isn’t the first surprise you’re going to find.”

Jeremiah was tempted to say the breakers were far from the first surprise he’d had since his arrival, but grousing wouldn’t get him anywhere. He needed to be patient until Kitty had answers for him. That had to be his plan. Wait and see.

A sense of calm settled over him as he realized he had a clear path...for now. He thanked God for helping him see that. He must be patient. Not an easy task when his dream was so close to realization.

Several lights were glaring against the water-stained ceilings when he went upstairs with Caleb. He switched off everything but the fluorescent ceiling light in the kitchen, though he despised its glare.

“Let us know if you need anything before your stuff arrives,” Caleb said as he reached for the doorknob. He glanced outside. “Looks like we’re in for another big storm.” Grimacing at the crack in the wall, he added, “We’re living in the barn while we get the house repaired, and our barn is better than this. Feel free to come over if you get tired of shoveling snow out of your house.”

“Danki.” He knew he wouldn’t abandon the house, because that might injure his fragile claim on the farm. “I appreciate it.”

“We may be snowed in for a while, because we’re one of the last roads plowed by the town. I don’t think Rudy sold his sleigh, so if you or anyone at the main house needs something, you can use it.”

“Danki.” He appreciated Caleb’s helpfulness, which made him more determined to be a part of the nascent community. Amish folks assisted one another. Did Mercy feel the same?

“Oh, one other thing I should let you know.” Caleb turned the knob. “Wayne Flaud from the settlement north of here in Whitehall is acting as our temporary bishop. If you want me to contact him to get his thoughts on what you should do...”

“Let’s see what my Realtor has to say before we bring the bishop into this. I’m sure this will work out for the best. God didn’t bring me to Harmony Creek so I could turn around and leave again.”

With another nod, Caleb bid him gute mariye and let himself out as a burst of cold and a swirl of windblown snow slipped in past him.

Jeremiah guessed Caleb believed his words. Too bad he wasn’t so sure himself.

* * *

Any hopes spring might have made an early appearance overnight were dashed three days later when Mercy awoke to discover two feet of new snow. She dressed hastily, because the house was cold in the fresh light of dawn.

Peeking past Sunni’s door and glad her daughter was asleep with the blankets pulled up to her chin, Mercy tiptoed down the stairs. They creaked beneath her, and she hoped Sunni wouldn’t wake up until Mercy figured out what was wrong with the heat.

Despite herself, she glanced out the window that gave her a view of the trees separating them from the tenant house. She hadn’t spoken to Jeremiah since he’d left after the meeting with his Realtor. She’d seen big delivery trucks in the yard the following day and watched him accept delivery of a horse, a buggy and a dozen large wooden crates, which he’d moved into an outbuilding. He’d spent time inside, coming out with pieces of wood, so she guessed he was unpacking what he’d shipped to the farm.

That was a sign Jeremiah intended to stay.

No surprise, but if he thought she’d give up because he was making himself at home, he was in for a big surprise. She’d waited years for an opportunity to host city kids on a farm.

She’d thought her grandfather comprehended her need to pay forward the gifts she’d been given. Instantly, she was contrite. She couldn’t fault Grandpa Rudy for his change of heart about what should happen with the farm after he died, but she wished he’d talked to her before signing a deal with Jeremiah.

He was as much an innocent victim of this mess as she was. Of course, if he withdrew his offer, that might make a difference for her aunts and uncles. Would they be more willing to give her time to find funds to set up the farm if they didn’t have an available buyer?

Mercy had discussed that with her parents last night. Her father had sympathy for how her plans for the farm might have died along with Rudy, but he’d also emphasized that he’d go along with what his siblings decided.

“I’ve got to admit,” Dad had told her before they’d hung up, “I’d really like to have you and Sunni closer to the rest of the family.”

“But there’s no place near your house where I could afford to buy land.” She’d tried not to sound like a petulant child who hadn’t gotten her way.

“If that’s what God wants you to do, He’ll help you find a way.”

She agreed and was sure God had led her to Harmony Creek and the farm. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have uprooted Sunni, leaving behind trusted specialists and physical therapists who worked with her daughter.

Now...

Mercy winced as she entered the kitchen and felt the cold wind that had found its way into the house. Opening the cellar door, she heard silence. Why wasn’t the furnace running?

A quick check of the fuel tank gauge showed it was half-full. Next, she went to the furnace, which was raised up so high off the floor she had to stand on tiptoe to see the dials. Why wouldn’t it start? She tried flipping the emergency switch at the top of the cellar steps.

Nothing.

If possible, it seemed colder when she returned to the kitchen. She needed help. She glanced at the snow sparkling as if stars had fallen along with the flakes. The road twisting through the hollow had vanished. If she called someone, how long would it take them to get to the house?

Her gaze settled on the tenant house. Should she ask Jeremiah to check the furnace? She’d ignored him for three days, but she wasn’t sure who else would be able to help them. She didn’t want Sunni getting sick from the cold.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Mercy reached for the phone, an old avocado-colored unit she’d found in a drawer. She’d hung it on the wall. The long cord allowed her to walk around the kitchen while she talked. She looked at the faded numbers on the wall beside the phone and dialed the one for the tenant house.

“Hello?” Jeremiah sounded astonished to be answering a phone.

She knew many Amish didn’t keep phones in their houses, but had them in the barns or a phone shack shared by multiple families.

“Jeremiah, it is Mercy. Mercy Bamberger.” Who else named Mercy would know he was living at the tenant house?

“Ja. Gute mariye, Mercy.” He sounded awkward and uncertain as he went on. “I hope my work hasn’t disturbed you or Sunni. I—”

Not wanting to let the conversation drag along, she said, “I don’t think my furnace is working. Will you look at it?”

She could almost see him nod before he told her he’d be over in a few minutes. Thanking him, she hung up.

Starting the coffeemaker, she sighed. If Jeremiah took over the farm, he’d strip the electric wires out of the house. She wondered what it’d be like to live without electricity.

A knock on the door told her Jeremiah was as good as his word. Taking a steadying breath, she opened it. She forced a smile, which she hoped looked more welcoming than it felt.

Knocking snow off his boots, Jeremiah stepped inside. He unwrapped a blue-and-green scarf from around his face and let it hang over his shoulders as he unbuttoned his black wool coat. Lifting off his hat of the same fabric, he placed it on the counter near the door.

Her heart beat a bit too fast when she stood close to him again. She’d thought of him as a problem, but with him an arm’s length away, she couldn’t help noticing, as if for the first time, his strong jaw and the intelligence in his compelling blue eyes. As he pulled off worn work gloves, she stared at the nicks on his knuckles and stain on his fingertips. He was a man accustomed to hard work.

Graham, her former fiancé, popped into her mind. A fastidious man, his hands always looked as if he’d just had a manicure. She’d been surprised to discover he had his nails done when he took his mother to the beauty shop. When he’d told her it made Mrs. Rapp happy, Mercy had, at first, seen it as a sign of him caring deeply about others. She hadn’t guessed he’d cared more about his mother than he’d ever care for her.