The Captive Heart Read Free Page A

Micah’s back, but Micah had done his part, too. When the second bandit tried to climb over into the wagon to drag her away, it was Micah who stopped him. At the very least, Micah had helped save her life. She was indebted to him.
    Caleb cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say in my clumsy way is that if Gott says it is not good for the man to be alone, then it is probably not good too for people to be alone. We—my wife and children and me—have been alone in a strange land for a year now . . .”
    His thoughts overwhelmed his voice for a moment and he paused to collect himself.
    When he looked up again, his eyes found John Hershberger and he said quietly, “I think mebbe Gott meant for us to be with Him and with one another. I cannot tell you how full my heart is this morning when I look out and see that we are no longer alone. It is very, very good.”
    Miriam knew from personal experience that it was definitely not good to be alone. Keeping her eyes on her father, avoiding Micah’s glances, she felt a pang of guilt. Domingo was not Amish. It was inevitable; any sort of relationship with him would surely bring the censure of the church, but she couldn’t help herself. His voice echoed in her head.
    â€œCualnezqui.”
    Beautiful one.

Chapter 3
    T he youth held a singing at Caleb’s that evening, boys and girls facing each other on benches in the barn. There was the usual jockeying for position as boys tried to sit across from a girl whose eye they wanted to catch.
    Rachel paid attention. Jake was there with the Hershberger boys and their sister Lovina. As a teenager alone in a strange land, Jake would naturally be treated as one of the family by the Hershbergers. He would be paid, of course, but he wouldn’t see a penny of it. John Hershberger would mail Jake’s earnings home to his father, as was the custom. Until he was twenty, or married with a home of his own, everything Jake earned would go to his father.
    Ira Shrock’s children came to the singing, too—his four older sons and two of his daughters. Both of Rachel’s brothers were there. Harvey Bender never missed a singing, but now even Aaron came and sat with the other boys, which was unusual. At twenty-two he didn’t have to attend, since it was mainly a social function for older teens, and he hadn’t been to a singing back home since his twin brother, Amos, died four years ago. But back in the fall his older sister Mary had delivered twins, a boy and a girl, and named the boy Amos, after the lost brother. It was as if Aaron’s twin had been reincarnated, and the dark cloud of loss that hung over him vanished like a morning mist. Awakening from his doldrums, Aaron smiled more often and began to mix with the other young men. He talked more and walked a little taller, held his shoulders a little straighter.
    Jake Weaver took a seat right across from Rachel, as expected. Though it was something of a thrill for her, by now their courtship was old news to the rest of the girls and didn’t cause much of a stir. What did pique Rachel’s interest was when Micah Shrock shoved Aaron aside so he could sit directly across from Miriam.
    At nearly twenty it was getting late for Rachel’s older sister, and separated from the large Amish community in Ohio, Miriam’s prospects were slim. Even now, with the arrival of two more families, the two older Shrocks were the only Amish boys in the entire country who might remotely be considered a match for her.
    Rachel did everything she could, elbowing Miriam and nodding in Micah’s direction, but her sister’s face was drawn tight and she shook off all of Rachel’s hints, steadfastly refusing to make eye contact with Micah. When the singing was over Miriam went straight into the house with the adults, giving him no chance to talk with her alone.
    Later, when they were in bed and the rhythmic breathing from the other bed