I can’t believe Ruth is getting married today,” Grace said as she placed a dish of oatmeal in front of Cleon. “It seems like only yesterday that you and I were preparing for our wedding.”
He smiled. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to going? It’s only been a few weeks since the boppli was born, and I know you’re still pretty wrung out.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, taking a seat across from him. “There’s no way I’m going to miss my sister’s wedding.”
Cleon nodded. “If you get tired or Daniel gets fussy, you can always come home and rest, since the wedding will be at your folks’ place.”
“That’s true.” Grace looked over at Anna, who sat in the chair beside her. “Are you excited about attending your aunt Ruth’s wedding?”
Anna merely shrugged in reply.
“There’ll be lots of good food served during the wedding meal.”
“Will Esta be there?”
“I’m sure she will, and the rest of Abe’s family, too.”
“Will Daniel be going?”
“Of course. We sure wouldn’t leave him home by himself.” Cleon frowned at Anna.
Anna reached for a piece of toast. “Can I take my doll along? Then I’ll have a boppli to bring to the wedding, too.”
“That’s fine with me.” Grace pushed her chair away from the table. “Speaking of babies, I hear your little brother fussing in the other room, so I’d best tend to his needs.”
“Want me to get him?” Cleon asked.
“I’d better do it. He’s probably ready to eat by now.” Grace smiled. “And then we’d better hurry or we’ll be late to the wedding.”
As Ruth listened to Bishop King deliver the main wedding sermon, her hands turned sweaty, and her mouth felt so dry she could barely swallow. It seemed as if she’d waited her whole life for this moment. Becoming a wife and mother was what she had dreamed about ever since she was a girl. She glanced over at Martin, who sat across from her, and the rhythm of her heartbeat picked up when he smiled. Today was their day—a perfect day with clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Their families and friends were here to see them become husband and wife. There had been no more attacks on Ruth’s family for the past several weeks, and despite the swirling sensation of excitement she felt in her stomach, her soul was filled with peace.
“’Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body,’” the bishop quoted from Ephesians 5:22–23.
He paused and said, “We have two people who have agreed to enter the state of matrimony—Martin Gingerich and Ruth Hostettler. If anyone here has objection, he has this opportunity to make it known.”
Ruth breathed a sigh of relief when everyone in the room remained quiet. Not that she thought anyone would really protest.
“Since there are obviously no objections, you may come forth in the name of the Lord,” the bishop said.
Martin and Ruth left their seats and stood before him.
As Ruth stared into Martin’s eyes and answered each of the bishop’s questions, her heart swelled with joy and hope for the future—a future as Mrs. Martin Gingerich.
After the wedding service, Martha took a seat at the table with the others from the wedding party and glanced across the room. Her breath caught in her throat when she spotted Luke sitting with a group of young men. He smiled and seemed to be joking around, so she was fairly certain he wasn’t upset about Ruth marrying Martin. Funny thing, though, she hadn’t seen him hanging around any other Amish women since he and Ruth broke up. She figured either Luke had decided he wasn’t interested in courting right now, or he was seeing some English girl on the sly.
I don’t suppose he’d be interested in anyone like me, she thought ruefully.
“You’re awfully quiet.” Sadie poked Martha’s arm. “Are you upset because Ruth will be moving out of your house and settling into a new home with Martin?”
Martha frowned. “Of course not. I’m happy that both of my sisters have found good husbands.”
“Martin and Ruth didn’t have a very long courtship, did they?” Before Martha could comment, Sadie added, “Then there’s me and Toby. He’s been courting me over a year now, and still no proposal of marriage. I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll ever ask me to marry him.”
“Maybe he’s having too much fun courting and doesn’t feel ready to be tied down to marriage yet.”
Sadie grunted. “Jah, well, if he doesn’t make up his mind soon, I might just look for another fellow.”
Martha blinked. “Do you have someone else in mind?”
Sadie shook her head. “There’s no one I’d rather be with than Toby.”
Martha glanced at Luke again. He wore his Dutch-bobbed hair a little longer than it should be, but she thought he looked appealing. The jaunty way he held his head whenever he spoke caused Martha’s heart to race and made her wish she could be his girlfriend.
“How are things going with your business these days?” Sadie asked, changing the subject.
“Not so well.” Martha sighed. “Flo still isn’t pregnant, and neither is Heidi. As soon as I have enough money saved up from my job working for Cleon’s mother, I hope to buy a couple more dogs.”
“Have you considered offering boarding services?”
Martha nodded. “I have. In fact, I mentioned that idea to my daed not long ago, and he said he would think about it.”
Sadie smiled. “Now that Ruth’s married and won’t be returning to the bakeshop, you might consider applying there if you need more money.”
“Between my part-time job working for Irene and taking care of my dogs, I’m pretty busy these days. But I’ll keep the bakeshop in mind.”
“Don’t wait too long to decide, because I’m sure the Clemonses will find a replacement for Ruth as soon as they can.”
Martha shrugged. She caught sight of Luke and two other young men leaving their places at the table and heading out the door. She figured they were probably in need of some fresh air or wanted to visit without having to talk over the loud voices in the room. She was tempted to follow but knew that wouldn’t be proper. Besides, she was one of Ruth’s attendants, and her place was right here.
“Mama, is it all right if I spend the night at Esta’s?” Anna asked as she tugged on Grace’s dress sleeve.
“Jah, sure, that’ll be fine,” Cleon said before his wife could respond.
Grace turned in her chair and gave him an icy stare. “Don’t I have anything to say about this?”
“I figured you’d be okay with the idea,” Cleon said. “It’ll be nice for us to have a quiet evening alone with Daniel.”
Grace’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Cleon knew she wasn’t happy about what he’d said—but didn’t she realize how important it was for them to have quality time with the baby without Anna being there asking questions and begging to hold her little brother?
“Is it all right if I go home with Esta?” Anna asked, giving Grace’s sleeve another tug.
“Does Esta’s daed know about this?” Grace questioned.
Anna nodded. “He said it’s fine with him, and so did Esta’s aunt Sue.”
“All right, you may go.” Grace squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. “Grandma Schrock’s holding baby Daniel right now, so I’m free to walk you home to get your nightgown and a change of clothes for tomorrow.”
Cleon shook his head. “You look tired, Grace. I think we should go home now. You can pack Anna’s things, and I’ll bring her back over here so she’s ready whenever Abe says it’s time for his brood to go.”
Grace didn’t argue, and he felt relief. She did look done in.
Cleon pushed his chair aside and stood. “I’ll get the boppli from my mamm, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Everything’s going well today, wouldn’t you say?” Martin asked Ruth as they sat at their special corner table eating a piece of wedding cake.
She smiled. “All our guests seem to be having a good time.”
He thumped his stomach and grinned. “Can’t remember the last time I ate this much food.”
Ruth nodded. “There’s so much chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, salads, and vegetables, not to mention all the desserts and cakes. This morning I felt so nervous I could barely eat breakfast. But I’ve more than made up for it this afternoon.”
Martin glanced across the room and spotted Abe sitting at a table with his boys. His shoulders were slumped, and he wore a forlorn expression, making Martin wonder if the man wasn’t having a good time. Poor Abe still missed Alma and was probably thinking about their wedding day. It had to have been hard for him to come here today. Abe was not only Martin’s boss, but a good friend. Martin was sure Abe had come to the wedding to let him know that he approved of his marriage.
Martin was about to excuse himself to speak with Abe when—kaboom!—an explosion sounded from outside, causing the windows to vibrate.
“Wh–what was that?” Ruth’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung slightly open.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
Martin, along with several other men, rushed outside. A quick glance around the yard revealed that one of the portable outhouses set up to accommodate the guests had been blown up.
“Talk about starting your marriage off with a bang.” Toby slapped Martin’s back. “Looks like some of our yuchend thought it would be fun to shake things up a bit.”
Everyone laughed, and someone pointed to what was left of the outhouse. Martin was fairly certain it had been blown up by one of his youthful buddies as a prank. Well, he wasn’t going to let it rile him. With a chuckle and a shrug, he headed back inside to carry on with the wedding meal. Someone else could clean up the mess.