Free Miriam and the Stranger by Jerry S. Eicher Page A

with Mose Stoll was tonight. He would be at Aunt Fannie’s for supper. Mose might even propose a wedding date, since he had announced his plan to leave after the coming weekend. Mose was both cautious and practical. That much she had figured out. And since she had passed every test he had placed in her pathwith flying colors, why should he not return home with his mission accomplished?
    Miriam winced at the thought. She didn’t usually make such prideful observations, with a touch of bitterness also included. The man was so full of himself. Had some of that spirit rubbed off on her? But Mose did live a righteous life, Miriam reminded herself. She shouldn’t think evil of the man. The problem was her own heart. She enjoyed knowing she had passed Mose’s rigorous inspection. She had pleased him. More than she had imagined possible. Streaks of heat warmed Miriam’s face in the cool morning air at such plain thoughts.
    “Whoa there,” she called out to Star as she turned into the schoolhouse driveway. Moments later she parked and climbed out of the buggy to unhitch Star from the shafts. All she wanted was love from a decent Amish man. She hadn’t exactly envisioned that man as Mose, but still… why object? Miriam tied Star inside the stall of the small shelter and patted his nose.
    “There now, be happy for the day,” she said as she dropped half a bale of hay in his stanchion. Star lowered his head to munch away as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
    The crunch of tires on the schoolhouse’s gravel lane brought both of their heads up with a start. Star stared along with Miriam through the shelter door as the car approached. Miriam felt a weakness creep through her entire body. She knew this vehicle, and it shouldn’t be here. Why had Tyler Johnson come back again when she had made herself so abundantly clear? She wanted nothing to do with the man. But here he was so early in the morning. There went her quiet time with the Lord, to say nothing of her preparations for the day’s lessons. She could never settle down after this even if she could get rid of Tyler at once. Why did the man have this effect on her? What if Mose found out about this visit? Neither Uncle William nor Aunt Fannie had said a word inMose’s presence about a strange Englisha reporter who was asking questions of those in the community.
    “Good morning,” Tyler called out to Miriam as he closed the car door with a loud thump.
    Miriam turned her face away and didn’t answer. This was horribly ill-mannered for a Christian girl, but she couldn’t help herself. Here she had thought so well of herself only moments ago.
    “Am I disturbing your morning?” Tyler seemed genuinely concerned. “I can make an appointment for later. I would have, but of course you don’t have e-mail or a cell phone… and I didn’t really want to stop in at your aunt and uncle’s.”
    And they both knew why, Miriam told herself. This was a most inappropriate call, and Tyler knew it. Yet here he stood. Had she somehow given him a reason to take this liberty the last time they spoke? Perhaps as an Englisha man her flaming face in his presence had been all the permission Tyler needed.
    Tyler stepped closer. “I really need to speak with you, Miss Yoder. It’s important.”
    “But why?” she croaked.
    A smile played on his face. “Well, we could go inside to talk about this—if you have the time right now.”
    “I think it would be better if you just left,” she said, her voice not even trembling.
    Tyler regarded her with a tilt of his head. “I’m sorry this is uncomfortable for you. I just want to ask a couple of questions for my story, and then I’ll leave… if you really want me to.”
    He had read her correctly, Miriam told herself. Oh, why couldn’t she have feelings for Mose like the ones that were racing through her heart right now? This was an Englisha man, and he was completely out of her league. Miriam forced out the words, “I don’t think