Epilogue
ELLIE
It’s been days since Elijah left to play for his hockey team and I still haven’t seen or heard from Henry. I thought for sure and certain that Henry would have stopped in to visit by now to talk about… vell , I guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up.
Just because Eli left money and said it was to be used for my wedding doesn’t necessarily mean that Henry wants to get hitched this year. I swallow down my disappointment at the thought. Because lately I’ve been dreaming about the future. Our future.
“Ellie, Duke’s all hitched up and ready to go!” Dat’s voice booms from the bottom of the stairs.
Now that Eli’s gone to the Englisch world, he won’t be needing his horse and buggy anymore. I reckon it will be strange attending a young folks’ gathering by my lonesome without him beside me. We’ve gone to singings together since I turned sixteen. Ach , I miss my bruder already.
When I pull up to the Beechys’ property twenty minutes later, Henry is standing near the barn. Has he been waiting for my arrival?
And then it hits me. If Eli isn’t here, how will his horse and buggy get home? Usually, I ride home with someone else, and Eli takes a maedel home in his buggy. But I won’t be able to ride in Henry’s buggy tonight if I have to take Eli’s rig home. Perhaps I should have had Isaac drop me off.
“Is something wrong?” Henry must notice my frown as he offers his hand to help me down from the buggy. I’m careful to hold the plate of cookies—my contribution for the gathering—steady while I hop down.
His smile falters. “You are riding home with me tonight, ain’t so?”
I nod. “I’m just not sure how I’ll get Eli’s buggy home.”
Henry’s grin returns. “I thought about that. That’s why I hired a driver to drop me off here tonight.”
Tension leaves my body. “Truly? You hired a driver?”
He shrugs. “I would have had Ivy drop me off, but she wasn’t home.”
“I see.”
After an evening of singing, snacks, and indoor games due to the recent covering of snow, Henry wraps me up in Eli’s buggy good and tight with the quilt and lap robe, then slides in next to me. He jiggles the reins, and we set off toward his home.
I wrap my hand around his bicep and lean in close, inhaling his scant cologne, then he drapes his arm around me and tugs me even closer.
“How’s your mamm doing? Has she come back from Ohio?” I glance up at him from my cocoon of warmth.
A shadow passes over his handsome face. “ Nee . It doesn’t look like she’ll be home anytime soon.”
“So, your grossdawdi isn’t doing well?”
“I’m afraid not. I’d really like to go see them, but it’s not the right time yet.”
“What do you mean?”
He looks away and scratches his cheek. “I, uh, I’ll have to explain that later.” Then he winks and pecks my nose with a kiss.
I have no idea what he means by that, but I drop the subject and snuggle into his warmth. I could stay here with Henry’s arm around me all night and be perfectly content. As a matter of fact, I’m already dreading the moment when we have to say goodbye in the wee morning hours.
“Here we are.” He pulls up to the hitching post closest to the house.
I move to get down, but he stops me. “Could you sit tight here for a minute? I need to do something right quick.”
I have so many questions, but I don’t ask any of them. I’ve learned over the past months that I can trust Henry, which is something I had never thought possible. So instead of speaking all my mind, I wait patiently while Henry enters his home. Who knows? Maybe he needs to use the bathroom and wants privacy.
A couple moments later, Henry emerges from the house again, his expression unreadable.
“ Kumm .” He holds out a hand to me, keeping the buggy flap open with the other hand. He snatches the blankets we were using. “Let’s bring these in so they’re nice and warm for the ride home.”
I don’t want to think about the ride home. I don’t want to think about leaving Henry. Ach , how is it that this man I couldn’t stand, now means the world to me?
When I step into his house, I’m greeted with a wall of warmth. One thing I’ve always enjoyed about our Amish homes is having a woodstove to not only cook on, but to keep the home cozy as well.
Henry shuts the door behind us, leading me into the living room. We sink into the couch where he pins me with his captivating stare before he pulls me onto his lap and ravishes my lips with his. Jah , I could definitely get used to this.
Then he pulls away, leaving me longing for more. He shakes his head. “ Ach , I’m getting distracted.”
I frown. I liked that distraction.
He stands and offers me a hand to follow suit. I take his hand reluctantly, because I’d much rather be back on the sofa with Henry and delighting in his unabashed affection.
He tightens his hold on my hand and leads me to the hallway. And that’s when I notice there is a path of lit candles that line the edges of the hallway. It’s so beautiful and romantic, that I can’t help my sudden intake of breath. “Henry.”
We step into his bedroom, and I gulp. The last time we were in here he was…I was…we were… I still haven’t lived down that moment we were caught by his mamm and my brother and Henry’s Englisch neighbor, Jude Riley.
He snatches his cowboy hat off his deer rack and sets it on my head. A lazy grin forms on his face, and he makes a sound that might be a growl? Then he sobers.
“I, uh, wanted to ask you about that time in my room.” He glances toward the desk drawer where he keeps his journal. “What were you doing in here? Before you, uh, attacked me.”
My cheeks burn. Jah , I did sort-of attack him. Not that I regret it. But Henry knowing I was snooping through his private musings? What will he say? Will he change his mind about me? About us ?
“I don’t want you to get mad.” I sink onto the bed and cover my face.
“Why would I be mad?” His tone is gentle, encouraging.
“Because.” I rush on. “I might have seen your journal. And read it. All of it.” I peek through my fingers and bite my bottom lip and wait for his explosion.
He lowers himself onto the bed next to me, removes the cowboy hat, then takes one of my hands covering my face and holds it between his own. “Really?”
I dip my head. “I’m so sorry.”
One of his eyebrows arch upward. “And you don’t think any less of me?”
Do I think any less of him ? “For what?”
He shrugs. “For being a boppli . I was a mess when I wrote those words.”
I take both of his hands in mine. “ Nee , Henry. I don’t think you’re a baby or a mess.” Ach , he’s probably the most masculine man I know. “I think that’s when I began falling in love with you.”
A gorgeous smile blooms on his face revealing his straight white teeth. I still need to ask him about his toothpaste. “For real?”
I nod again, loving his vulnerability.
“ Gut .”
I rub his hand, tracing the veins with my finger. “And then you came to my house and offered to help me sew. That pretty much sealed the deal. How could I not fall in love with you? Not to mention, you’re the best whoopie pie maker this side of the Mississippi.” I’m only half-teasing.
He reaches under his desk and pulls out a wrapped box, then hands it to me. “For you.”
I glance at the gift then study him. “It’s not my birthday or Christmas.”
He shakes his head and smiles. “Just open it, schatzi .”
With hands shaking, I slide the ribbon off. “Did you wrap this?” I imagine Henry’s large hands lovingly folding the paper, then clumsily attempting to tie the bow. The thought is endearing.
He laughs. “With great difficulty. It was a labor of love. I don’t usually wrap things, so…” He shrugs in all his adorableness.
Ach , I don’t know if I can fall any more in love with this man. I reach over and let his lone lock of hair slip through my fingers, then meet his lips with mine. “You’re the sweetest.”
“Open it. Please?” Is he nervous?
I finally pull off the paper, then open the box to reveal something slightly familiar. I know I’ve seen this clock before. I push a button on the side of the clock and a wunderbaar classical tune spills out. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s the clock my dat gave to my mamm when he asked her to marry him.” His eyes are shimmering as they meet mine. “I hope you like it.”
“ Like it?” I gasp. Then, unseeing, I get lost in his pools of sea green.
“Henry?” I whisper. I can’t utter anything else. This clock. This moment. This man. I know how much this means to him. I want to ask if this means what I think it does, but I’m hesitant.
Henry takes a deep breath then holds my hands in his. “Ellie Petersheim, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I want you in my life, in my home, every day. I want to dance with you in my kitchen. I want to take you to hockey games and share the same hotel room. I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep in your arms every night. And I’m hoping that’s what you want too.” His eyes are questioning.
I can only nod.
“Will you marry me?” His voice cracks at the question, causing my eyes to fill once again.
I blow out a breath, then manage, “ Jah , Henry. I will marry you. But when?”
His smile is the biggest I’ve ever seen, his teeth blinding. “We’ve got the very first date in the spring line up.”
“We do? But that’s…?” I mentally try to figure out how many weeks we’ve got.
“That’s barely enough time for us to begin baptism classes, plan our wedding, and send out invitations.”
Oh, my. Our lives are about to get busy.
But… “What about Elijah?”
“I already checked with Eli and Jude. It’ll be tight and we won’t have a lot of time with them, but they’ll be able to make it.”
I bounce on Henry’s bed as excitement fills me. “Can we go to a game on our honeymoon? Can we have a giant mountain of your whoopie pies at our eck instead of a traditional cake? Can we?—”
Then his lips are on mine, long and slow, sealing our promise. He finally leans back and chuckles. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait another second to kiss my future wife.”
“You can interrupt me for a kiss any time, Henry Yoder.”
“What if you’re not talking and I want to kiss you?”
“Then interrupt my thoughts.”
“Your wish is my command.” That adorable smirk curves up his lips before his mouth is on mine.
And that’s how I discovered for sure and certain I DO love Henry Yoder after all!
THE END