Free Johanna's Bridegroom by Emma Miller

there was always a thread of truth in Mam’s jests.
    “Not me,” Rebecca protested. “I’m too young to get married.”
    The sound of a car engine caught Johanna’s attention. She went to the window to see Grace drive cautiously across the barnyard and park her automobile in the shed. “I can’t get used to that motor vehicle coming and going,” Johanna remarked. “But I suppose Grace needs it to get to school.”
    “It will only be here a few more months,” Mam said, “until her wedding. And I’m sure you’ll miss her when she’s gone.”
    “We all will,” Rebecca agreed. “We all love her, but it’s awkward sometimes, explaining to other Amish why we have a car in our shed and an Englisher living in our house.”
    “She isn’t an Englisher,” Mam corrected gently. “Grace is a Yoder, and she and her son have as much right to be in your father’s house as any of us.”
    Rebecca’s expression grew instantly contrite. “I was lacking in charity to say that, wasn’t I?”
    “It’s no more than what I’ve thought a hundred times.” Johanna sliced the still-warm loaves of bread with a serrated knife. “But Mam is right. Grace is our sister, and she belongs here. I didn’t mean to be unkind. It’s just...”
    “Just that change comes hard...for all of us,” Mam agreed. “I agree that our life was simpler before Grace came, but maybe simple isn’t God’s plan for us. Maybe loving one another when it isn’t easy makes us grow.”
    Mam removed her work apron and replaced it with a freshly ironed one as white as her starched Kapp. She went to the door and opened it wide. “Come in, child,” she called. “You’re late tonight, but just in time for the evening meal.”
    From across the yard, Johanna heard the laughter of her daughter and the noisy chatter of Grace’s ’Kota and her Jonah. Irwin was a few yards behind them, strolling along in his awkward long-legged gait, but keeping pace with a smiling Susanna.
    How could I think of leaving this happy house? Of risking my children’s happiness to marry Roland, or any man for that matter? Her years with Wilmer had been tumultuous, and despite her efforts and her tears, she’d never been able to provide the warmth and security her mother’s home provided for them all. Jonah and Katy had both blossomed here in this big house. The once-quiet Katy never stopped chattering, and Jonah had changed from a sad child to a bundle of energy.
    I should be more like Mam . I have a good enough example. It wasn’t enough that Mam was widowed with seven daughters to raise. She not only managed with us and the farm, but she’d opened her arms to Irwin and Grace and ’Kota. She opened her arms to me ....
    Katy came running into the kitchen. “I found a duck egg!” she cried. “Look, Grossmama! And I carried it myself!” She thrust the egg out. “Aunt Susanna says I can have it for breakfast tomorrow!”
    “Better you let me beat your egg into pancakes,” Rebecca suggested. “Duck eggs are rich and make nice batter.”
    The two boys spilled into the room on Katy’s heels, and Johanna sent them along to wash their hands. She greeted Grace, heard Irwin’s tale of an escaped pig and agreed with Susanna that more people were coming every day to borrow books from the tiny lending library that she managed in the old milk house. And in the familiar bustle and routine of the supper hour, Johanna was able to forget her worries about the future and lose herself in the here and now.
    Soon the family gathered around the table and lowered their heads for silent prayer. Even Katy and the two boys understood the need to give thanks to God for all the blessings He had bestowed on them. A sense of peace flowed though Johanna. The cares of the world seemed far away.
    Once grace was over, everyone began to help themselves to the delicious food. “Wonderful bread,” Aunt Jezzy proclaimed. “And your dumplings are light enough to float up to the