Amish Rescue

“You can slice the bread. It is cooling on the counter.” Rebecca pointed to the raised loaf. A knife lay next to a cutting board.

“It’s homemade?” Sarah asked, admiring the plumpness of the loaf and the golden brown crust.

“Yah.” Rebecca arranged the meat and cheese on a platter. “I always make extra bread and sell it to tourists who stop at our driveway.”

Sarah looked out the window, suspicion growing within her. “Do people often come to your house?”

“It is not something that should worry you,” Rebecca assured her.

In spite of Rebecca’s comment, Sarah couldn’t shake off her concern about strangers visiting the Burkholder farm while she stayed there. She continued to peer from the window, hoping for some sign of Joachim—and for no sign of anyone else. The door to the barn hung open, and the interior looked dark and foreboding.

Rebecca claimed Joachim was caring for his horse, but what if she was wrong? Victor could have returned and overpowered Joachim when he wasn’t looking. Perhaps Victor was ready to barge into the house and capture Sarah again.

Minutes ticked by, only increasing her worry. “Why is Joachim taking so long?” she finally asked, unable to calm her unease.

“You could go to the barn and ask him yourself,” Rebecca suggested. “Or you could join me in the main room where I have my mending. Joachim will come inside shortly.”

Joachim had assured Sarah earlier that she was safe, but it felt to her as if too much time had elapsed since he had left the house. Rebecca moved into the main room and started humming. The tune, a childhood favorite, should have calmed Sarah’s unease. Instead, it only added to her concern. What was she doing in a strange house with people she didn’t know?

She glanced at the oil lamps on the wall, the candles on the sideboard and the matches on the table. Her chest constricted and her pulse raced. A ringing sounded in her ears that failed to overpower the voice screaming through her mind.

Fire!

She wrung her hands. The memory of that night so long ago returned, constricting her lungs and leaving her gasping for air, overcome by the same panic that filled her every time she even thought about flames.

She had to leave. Now.

Ever so quietly, she opened the kitchen door and gulped in the damp air, all the while the voice continued to warn her.

While in the buggy, she had seen a sign for Willkommen. Victor had mentioned Miriam was being held somewhere in that area. Their aunt lived in Willkommen, as well. At least that’s what their mother had told them. If Sarah could get to Willkommen, she might find her aunt, and together they could search for Miriam.

She pulled in a fortifying breath and then raced down the steps and scurried past the barn, heading toward the pasture and a line of trees on the far side of the field. She would hide there until the roadway looked clear. Then she would cross to the opposite side where a thick patch of trees flanked the road. Hidden by dense underbrush, she would make her way to the narrow two-lane that veered off from the main road, where she had spotted the sign for Willkommen.

As much as Sarah had appreciated Joachim’s help, she couldn’t rely on him to keep her safe. He was Victor’s neighbor.

She checked the road for cars, saw that it was clear and crossed the pavement. The approach of a vehicle sounded in the distance. Her pulse raced. She turned to glance over her shoulder.

Her heart stopped as a red pickup crested the nearby hill. Victor!

She ran toward the trees, needing to disappear in the brush. She wouldn’t let him capture her again.

The truck accelerated.

She ran faster.

The screech of brakes made her heart lurch.

Victor had seen her.

Footfalls pounded the pavement. He was coming after her.

She’d been so foolish. Victor was more of a threat to her safety than the matches and candles and oil lamps. She never should have traded the security of Joachim’s house for the outdoors, where she was so vulnerable.

“Sarah!” Victor screamed her name.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then chastised herself for being so easily swayed.

Fighting against the pull of his voice, she forced herself forward, remembering how he had choked her this morning until she couldn’t breathe.

She pushed through the bushes, needing to escape his voice, his control. To escape him.

“You won’t get away, Sarah,” he called, as if reading her mind. “I’ll follow you. You can’t escape from me.”

The branches scraped her arms and pulled at her sweater, but she kept going, ignoring the cuts to her flesh. She couldn’t listen to her body. She had to listen to her mind, warning her to run fast, run hard, run away.

She made a sharp turn to the right and ran all the faster. The only sound she heard was her own raspy breath and pounding heart. For an instant, she thought she had eluded him until the sound of his footfalls returned along with the rustle of leaves.

If only she had stayed at Joachim’s house. He would have protected her.

“Sarah!” He was close. Too close.

She tripped.

He grabbed her.

She fought to free herself from his hold.

No! She tried to scream, but his hand clamped around her mouth.

“Sarah?” Victor called again. This time, he was farther away and moving in an opposite direction.

If Victor wasn’t holding her, then who was?

* * *

Soft. Her skin was so very soft.

Joachim dropped his hand, releasing Sarah from his hold.

She stood ever so still, as if afraid to move.

“He’s heading back to his truck,” Joachim whispered. “You lost him when you made that sharp turn to the right. I saw you cross the street when I left the barn, but it took me a while to catch up to you.”

“Oh, Joachim,” she said, pulling in a deep breath. “Victor was following close behind me.”

“But you outsmarted him, Sarah.”

She turned to gaze up at Joachim with blue eyes that were crystal clear and filled with sorrow. His heart tripped in his chest, making him want to move even closer.

“I never should have left your house,” she said, seemingly oblivious to the way her nearness affected him. “It wasn’t because of any distrust for you or your sister. It was me. I didn’t want to cause you any problems. If Victor found me at your house, I’m not sure what he would have done. Plus, I need to get to Willkommen. My sister Miriam—”

She shook her head. “I haven’t mentioned my aunt. My sister, my mother and I came here to find her, but dirty cops hijacked our car. Miriam and I were taken and our mother was killed. Victor said he bought me so I could take care of his mother. I’m still so confused.” She pulled in a ragged breath. “It was crazy of me to think I could have found my way to Willkommen, yet it seemed like the best choice I had in that moment. I don’t have any place else to go.”

“You have my house. Victor will not find you there. I will protect you.”

At least Joachim hoped he could keep her safe. “Willkommen is a two-hour buggy ride from Petersville,” he tried to explain. “Even if you were strong, the trip would be difficult for you to manage on foot. You have been held captive. You must gain your strength first. I will take you when you are ready.”

“I wasn’t thinking.” Sarah tugged at a strand of her golden hair. “Or maybe I was thinking too much about getting away from Victor.”

Joachim held out his hand. She placed hers in his, her touch light, but she was trembling and her pale face gave him even more cause for concern. She needed time to rest and gain her strength. Good food and lots of sleep would help build up Sarah’s reserve. Then they could think about traveling to Willkommen.

“Rebecca will wonder where we are,” he said. “We will go now and take a path that leads through the woods. The spot where we will cross the road is thick with trees on both sides of the pavement. We will move slowly and keep watch lest Victor be close at hand.”

“I’m all right, Joachim. You don’t have to worry about me.”

But he was worried. He was worried about the fatigue written so plainly across her sweet face. She was too thin and too pale, and no matter how strong she tried to appear, she needed rest and nourishment.

He had to get Sarah to his house to keep her safe. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run away again because next time he might not be able to save her.

* * *

Once they arrived back at the Burkholder house, Joachim held the kitchen door open for Sarah and motioned her inside.

“Rebecca has lunch ready,” he said, as they stepped over the threshold and into the warmth of the Amish home. “A good meal is what we both need.”

His eyes were filled with understanding as he looked at her and smiled. “Is that not right?”

“I am hungry,” Sarah admitted, grateful for Joachim’s focus on food instead of mentioning her foolish mistake of thinking she could outwit Victor.

Just as Joachim had mentioned, she needed to gain strength before she journeyed to Willkommen. Besides, Victor said Miriam might be arriving at his house in a day or two. This wasn’t the time for Sarah to run scared.

“Joachim, you are ready for a cup of coffee?” Rebecca asked as she entered the kitchen, her needlework still in her hands. From her casual gait and nonchalance, she evidently had not realized what had transpired after Sarah left the house.

“Yah,” Joachim said with a nod. “I will wash my hands, and then I will also be ready for the meats and cheeses you have placed on the table.”

He and Sarah both washed at the sink. Rebecca filled mugs with coffee and motioned Sarah to sit next to her at the table.

Joachim sat across from both women and bowed his head.

Sarah and Rebecca followed suit, with each person praying silently.

Thank You, Lord, Sarah mentally intoned, for Joachim rescuing me in the woods, and thank You for providing this place of shelter from the storm. Send Miriam and let me help her escape whoever is holding her captive so she and I can be together again.

She glanced up to find Joachim staring at her. Her chest tightened, and a warmth tingled her neck. Glancing away, she reached for the meats and cheeses and placed a slice of each on a piece of bread.

Hungry though she was, Sarah kept thinking of Victor’s mother, knowing Ms. Hazel was at the mercy of her son. What would become of the frail woman if Victor left the area for good?

“You are thinking of Victor?” Joachim asked.

“His mother. She’s bedridden. A sweet lady who is too infirm to help herself.”

“Victor is not to be trusted.” Rebecca said with a decisive nod.

Sarah reached for her coffee, not willing to let her expression reveal her own struggle, knowing she had wanted to believe Victor when he’d first taken her from the cabin where she and Miriam had been held. He had told her he would keep her safe from the men who planned to traffic both sisters across state lines. Had it been the drugs that made Sarah believe—at least for a day or two—that he would protect her?

Joachim placed his mug on the table and cocked his head. “A vehicle approaches.”

Sarah recognized the sound. Her stomach tightened, and she clutched her hands. “What if it’s Victor?”

“Stay inside.” Joachim left the table. “Do not let anyone see you.”

He opened the door and stepped onto the porch. Rebecca ran to open the window over the sink.

“It is a pickup truck,” she relayed to Sarah. “A man is driving. Red hair.”

She glanced back at Sarah. “Yah, it is Victor.”

Sarah wanted to find a closet and hide.

“The pantry.” Rebecca pointed to the walk-in alcove. “He will not see you there.”

Sarah’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest. She hurried into the pantry. Peering around the curtain that divided the cupboard area from the kitchen, she watched the truck pull to a stop.

“Hey, Amish.” Victor’s raised voice floated through the partially open window. “I spotted the woman I told you about. She disappeared in the woods. If you see her, let me know.”

“Why do you need to find this woman?” Joachim asked, his voice calm and rational in contrast to Victor’s nervous high pitch.

“Sarah worked for my mother. Now she’s gone. In fact, if you know of an Amish girl who wants a job, I need to hire someone.”

“Dependable help is hard to find,” Joachim said.

“As sickly as my mother has become, I doubt she’ll live long. I plan to get the house ready to sell. Come over tomorrow. I have work for you, and remember to let me know if you see that woman.”

Victor turned his truck around and drove off.

Sarah’s heart hammered in her chest. If she had been outside on the porch, or even standing next to a window, Victor would have spotted her.

Joachim entered the kitchen and hurried to where she stood, her eyes wide and back to the wall.

“He is gone,” Joachim assured her.

Sarah was too frightened to move. Victor had found her once. He could find her again no matter what Joachim did to try to stop him.

* * *

Fear. Joachim had seen it in Sarah’s pretty blue eyes when he had come back inside the house after Victor had driven away.

“He is gone,” Joachim assured her again. From the look on her face, he knew his words did little to quell her upset.

A knock sounded at the front door. Sarah took a step back and gasped.

Joachim glanced at Rebecca. “You are expecting someone?”

“Levi Plank has been helping me while Mamm and Datt are away.” She peered from the kitchen window. “Yah, it is Levi.”

Her voice took on a lilt Joachim had not heard, and the blush to her cheeks made him pause.

“Levi is a friend,” Rebecca assured Sarah. “You do not need to be afraid.”

But her words did little to change the concern written so plainly on Sarah’s face. She backed even farther into the pantry and covered her mouth with her hand; all the while her eyes sought out Joachim. He nodded his encouragement before he stepped toward the door.

Years before, the young Amish man had been his brother Eli’s friend. Both the same age, Levi had been the quiet, pensive one whose personality contrasted sharply with Eli’s charisma.

Rebecca opened the door, her eyes twinkling with interest, a warm and welcoming smile on her face as she invited Levi inside. “I have a surprise that I did not expect. Joachim has come home.”

In the five years that Joachim had been away, the quiet youth had grown into a muscular man whose grip was strong and firm when the two men shook hands.

“This is a gut surprise,” Levi said. Then as if overcome with enthusiasm, he pulled Joachim close and slapped his back. “You have been missed.”

The sincerity of his welcome touched Joachim. “It is good to see you, my friend.”

“Our parting was difficult. I trust you have been well. It was time for you to come home, yah?”

Joachim nodded. “It was time.”

Levi’s gaze turned to the alcove where Sarah peered with wide eyes at the gathering.

“You have brought someone home with you?” Levi asked, a hint of confusion evident in his tone.

Sarah took a step forward as Joachim introduced her to Levi. “Sarah needed a place to stay,” Rebecca quickly volunteered. “She will remain with us for a day or two.”

“You have found a good house,” Levi said with a nod. “Plus, Rebecca is known for her pies and cakes.”

He rubbed his stomach. “Often she asks me to taste her baked items after the chores.” He smiled at the young Amish woman. “Perhaps today we will all be able to enjoy a slice or two of pie.”

Rebecca laughed. “Yah, that is possible after the animals are watered and fed. You know I cannot resist you, Levi, with all the help you have provided.”

“Then I will hurry to the chores as my mouth waters for the special treat that awaits.”

Joachim nodded. “I, too, am grateful for your help, Levi. We will go together.”

“I will bake something while you both work,” Rebecca assured them. She glanced at Sarah. “We will both remain in the house and watch for Victor.”

“Victor Thomin?” Levi asked.

“Yah.” Rebecca nodded. “He is a dangerous man. I do not know how Naomi could work so long in his house.”

“My sister helped Ms. Hazel, but she had nothing to do with Victor. Ms. Hazel lived alone back then.”

Sarah stepped from the alcove. “Your sister was the Amish woman Ms. Hazel mentioned? She misses Naomi.”

“We all miss her,” Levi admitted.

“I don’t understand,” Sarah said.

Levi pursed his lips and thought for a moment before responding. “Victor came home. She did not like being around him, but we fear something else could have happened because she left not only the job but also the area. We have not heard from Naomi since then.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed. “Did you go to the police?”

“The Amish in this community do not trust the Petersville police. It is commonly known that they can be bribed and bought. My datt would not have gone to them, except for his concern for Naomi’s welfare.” Levi’s voice took on an angry edge as he continued. “They were no help and said Naomi must have left for a better life among the Englisch.”

Rebecca patted his shoulder, offering support.

He nodded his thanks and then continued. “It was not what my father wanted to hear. We will not go to the police again. They do not understand our ways. Some say they are only interested in their own gain.”

“Victor told me the police were corrupt,” Sarah shared. “Although he is corrupt as well, so I don’t know if I can believe what he said. Still, my sister’s car was hijacked by men claiming to be police.” She quickly explained being sold to Victor and how Joachim had helped her escape today.

Levi was right, Joachim thought. The Amish did not trust the police, but Victor needed to be stopped by law enforcement. Perhaps Sarah would change her mind about notifying the authorities if she knew them to be honorable. Right now, she was exhausted and still traumatized by what had happened. Joachim would broach the subject again later. In the meantime he would do everything possible to keep her safe.

FIVE

Sarah appreciated the bath Rebecca drew while the men worked outdoors. The fragrance of the sweet-smelling soap she provided filled the air like a spring bouquet. Sarah stepped from the tub feeling rejuvenated and grateful as she slipped into the Amish dress Rebecca had provided.

“With a clean body, you must also have fresh clothes,” Rebecca stated as she instructed Sarah on how to pin the fabric and then adjust the apron around her waist.

“What about the bonnet?” Sarah asked.

“It is a prayer kapp. Amish women cover their heads when they pray.”

“But you wear it all the time?”

“This is true. We are always ready to pray when our head is covered.”

“I pray but perhaps not often enough,” Sarah admitted.

“The kapp will remind you to do so.”

Sarah thought of being in the closet as a child. The smoke had seeped under the door, making her even more afraid. God hadn’t saved her even though Sarah had prayed. Thankfully, Miriam had come to her rescue.

“Did you ever pray for something that didn’t come about so that you felt God refused your prayer?” Sarah asked.

“Gott does not refuse prayer, but sometimes that which we desire is not according to His will.” Rebecca sighed. “I told you that Joachim and I had a younger brother named Eli, who died in a buggy accident. My mamm prayed for him to live.”

“I’m so sorry about your brother.”

“As I mentioned earlier, it was Gott’s will.” Rebecca smiled ruefully. “This is what my mamm believes.”

“And your father?”

Rebecca’s face clouded. “My father does not blame Gott.” She hesitated as if weighing whether to say something else, then shrugging, she added, “He blames Joachim.”

Before Sarah could question her further, Rebecca picked up the white bonnet from where she had placed it on the dresser and handed it to Sarah. Earlier, she had pulled her towel-dried hair into a bun, and she now placed the bonnet on her head.

Rebecca stood back and nodded her approval. “You look like an Amish woman. Victor will not recognize you if he returns to talk to Joachim.”

Sarah’s stomach roiled thinking again of the hateful man who had held her against her will for too long. How could his mother, who seemed sweet and unassuming, birth a baby who would grow to be so vicious?

What had caused Victor to turn out so bad? She shook her head at the issues within families. Sarah’s oldest sister, Hannah, had left three years ago. Sarah had pleaded for her to stay, but Hannah said she had to leave. Sarah hadn’t understood her reasoning or why Hannah had never contacted them again.

When she begged her mother to reach out to Hannah and ask her to return home, her mother had shoved the request aside, just as she ignored anything that didn’t suit her. Sarah never understood how she could turn her back on her own child. Although too many times her mother had turned her back on Miriam and Sarah. At least Sarah had always had Miriam, but where was she now and would the two women ever be reunited?

* * *

The rain returned. Fat drops pounded the barnyard, and thunder rumbled overhead. Joachim and Levi hurried to finish the chores.

Glancing at the upstairs window, Joachim thought of when he had first seen Sarah. Had it been only a few hours since their eyes had connected at the Thomin home?

He followed Levi into the barn. The two men spoke little as they worked, but the silence was comfortable, and the physical labor relaxed the tension in Joachim’s shoulders. Some of his earlier concern about Sarah evaporated, and instead of confusion, he felt a sense of purpose and right order.

“Your father is a gut farmer, but he is getting old,” Levi confided as he paused for a moment to wipe his brow.

“Datt planned for Eli and me to work the land with him,” Joachim admitted. “Now he needs to find help. You are good to aid him, Levi.”

“I help only when he is not in town. He is too proud to take on another person the rest of the time.”

Joachim nodded. “Yah, he is proud.”

“He will be glad to see you.”

“You are good to give me comfort by your hopeful words, but I do not think my datt will welcome me home.”

Levi narrowed his gaze. “You come asking forgiveness, yah?”

“I do, but my father and I must both bridge the divide between us. I will walk halfway. I hope he will walk halfway, as well.”

“Sometimes the son must walk farther, especially if the father believes he is right.”

Joachim pondered Levi’s words while he added feed to the troughs and watched the horses eat the newly offered grain.

Levi might think his father would be open to Joachim coming home, but what if his homecoming brought back too many memories of what had happened? Maybe when he faced his father again, Joachim would discover that he had been foolish to think reconciliation was possible.

Once the horses were fed, the two men rolled up their sleeves and washed their hands and arms at the water pump, and then ran to the house as lightning split the sky.

Joachim opened the door and hurried into the kitchen ahead of Levi.

Rebecca stood at the stove, holding a pie that she had just pulled from the oven.

“The storm comes again,” he said as he crossed the kitchen to the towel hanging on a hook.

He dried his hands, then glanced up as Rebecca turned to face him. His heart lurched in his chest, sending a new wave of confusion over him. He stared openmouthed at the Amish woman.

Not Rebecca. The face he saw beneath the white kapp made his breath catch in his throat.

Sarah.

“Rebecca provided the clothes.” Sarah’s hand wrapped through the fabric of the skirt. “Your sister said Victor would not recognize me like this.”

“My sister is right.” Joachim struggled to find his voice. “I did not recognize you at first glance.”