Amish Wild

By Deidra Scott

Rebecca has always been a strong-willed child who grew ambivalent about her Amish as she grew into adulthood. On the fence as to whether or not she wants to stay in the community, she meets an Englischer turns her onto the outside world. Problem is, his motives are on the shady side as another one a long-time suitor of hers discovers. But can he convince her of the Englischer's bad intentions before it is too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trellis Publishing
• Release date: Jul 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201019006

Book preview

AMISH WILD

DEIDRA SCOTT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AMISH WILD

MAMMI

AN AMISH GIRL IN NEW YORK

THE CHOSEN AMISH

MY AMISH VISIT

CALL OF THE AMISH

AMISH SUNSET

LOVE UNLIKELY

THE WEDDING DRESS

AMISH WILD

Chapter One

Wild thing.

Wasn’t that what her daed had always called her?  His little wild thing.  Although he had been gone for almost five years, the memory of the pet name made Rebecca Schwartz smile to herself.  The nickname had certainly fit!  For as long as Rebecca could remember, she was the one ready to go on footraces, go up against the boys in a game of ball, and dig for night-crawlers in the soft mud. 

She had never fit in with the other little girls in her Amish community.  Although Rebecca was now eighteen-years-old, things had not changed.  She was still different than all the other girls – just in another way.

Sitting up in bed, Rebecca reached under her mattress and pulled out the forbidden item.  Turning the cell phone over in her hands, Rebecca took a deep breath as she pushed the button to turn it on. 

Ach, wouldn’t Mamm die if she knew what Rebecca was hiding in her room?  That was one reason why Rebecca took such care to keep it out of sight.

A loud knocking on the door made Rebecca jump before she could even push the button to turn it on.  Shoving the item back to its hiding place, Rebecca slouched down in bed and pulled her quilted comforter closer around her chin. 

Come in, She called out in a husky voice.

The door pushed open and Rebecca’s mom entered the room.  With her hands on her hips and a disgusted look on her face, Mrs. Schwartz exclaimed, Rebecca Schwartz, get out of bed this minute!  You are going to make us late for church services.

Knitting her brows together, Rebecca faked a cough and managed to mutter, Oh, Mom, I don’t feel well today.  Perhaps it’s best for you to just go on without me...

Crossing the distance between them in several large steps, Mrs. Schwartz reached out and ripped the covers off the bed, Oh no!  Not today, you don’t!  I’ve had about enough of your pretending to be sick to get out of church services.  Gracious, girl, you’re worse than a three-year-old!  Now get dressed before I drag you to church in your nightgown!

Slamming the door behind her, Mrs. Schwartz left Rebecca alone in her bedroom. 

Rebecca took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. 

Well, she mumbled to herself, Looks like I have no option today.  Pulling herself to her feet, she hurried to get ready for the dreaded church service.

Church was long and boring, as usual.  Rebecca sat on the hard wooden bench with her mind wandering in every other direction as the preacher droned on and on with a hideously dull sermon.

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca battled the urge to let out a deep yawn.  She knew that too much fidgeting and misbehaving was sure to bring a scolding once she got home.

When the preacher finished his sermon, Rebecca was one of the first to rise to her feet.  Although she still had the tedious community meal to endure, she was anxious to at least be outside and able to move freely.  Something about sitting through the church service made her feel like she was being scrutinized for any wrong move and, knowing Rebecca, there were plenty of mistakes to be discovered for anyone even glancing her direction.

While Rebecca’s mamm went to help set up tables and serve food for the meal, Rebecca loaded a plate with fresh broiled chicken, homemade noodles, a sweet roll, and green beans before sneaking off to a secluded spot under a maple tree.

Leaning her back against the tree, Rebecca munched down on the delicious food, wishing that she could just be home.

Hullo, there!  A friendly man’s voice made Rebecca jump and she turned quickly to find Luke Miller standing at her side.  Flashing a boyish grin, Luke leaned against the tree and studied her, What are you doing over here all by yourself?

Rebecca shrugged as she swallowed a bite of the chicken, Guess I’m not feeling very social is all.

Reaching up to push some blonde hair back from his face, Luke laughed, Seems like you’re not social at all these days.  As well as I remember, you used to be the life of the party whenever there was a get-together. 

Giving another shrug, Rebecca smirked, And I used to spend my time taking dares to walk across the barn roof.

You could keep your footing longer than any of the boys, Luke added.

Shaking her head, Rebecca sighed, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be very welcome for me to climb up there now.  My mom would definitely be ready to have a fit.

Luke laughed but then sobered quickly, I know you can’t climb up on the roof or play wild football now that you’re all grown-up, but there’s still a place for you in the community.  I worry about you sometimes.

Swallowing hard around a lump that suddenly formed in her throat, Rebecca tried to smile, "Danke for your concern, but I’m fine...truly."

Leaning his hand against the tree beside her, Luke quickly changed the topic, You know, we’re having a young people’s get-together tonight.  It’s very lonely on my buggy seat...and I’d love to have a pretty girl such as you beside me. 

Rebecca had to laugh.  Looking up into her childhood friend’s face, she smiled sadly and shook her head, Not tonight, Luke. 

Luke feigned a frown, Well, maybe the next time I ask...or the next.  Eventually, you’ll give in. 

Rebecca didn’t say another word – she just smiled at him and watched as he turned to go back to the rest of the community. 

Rebecca and Luke had been friends for as long as she could remember.  When they were in school together, they had been practically inseparable.  But now....well, things were different now.

And, try as he might, Luke would never have a chance with Rebecca.  She had already given her heart to someone else.

Chapter Two

In the solitude of her bedroom, Rebecca finally had a chance to be completely alone, away from the prying eyes of the community and away from the scrutiny of her mother. 

Reaching up, Rebecca removed her prayer kapp and set it aside on her quilted bedspread.  Running her hand across the patchwork pattern, she thought of her mamm’s painstaking work designing the beautiful bed covering. 

Darkness was beginning to close in on the mountains surrounding her Amish home. 

Unpinning her hair, Rebecca released a wave of curls, allowing the brown masses the freedom to drop onto her shoulders.  Taking a deep breath, she thought of Luke and wondered if he was having any fun at the young peoples’ gathering.

Poor Luke.  Ach, the boy never gave up.

To be honest, Rebecca truly cared about Luke...but she also cared enough to realize that he was not the man for her.  While she was wild, he was tame and always obeyed the rules.  He was the perfect Amish man while Rebecca was...

Sticking a hand beneath her mattress, Rebecca pulled out her phone and turned it on, watching in anticipation as the black screen became illuminated and a familiar symbol flashed its way across it.

Rebecca chewed on her fingernails as she waited in anticipation. 

Cell phones were certainly forbidden in the Amish community.  If anyone knew that Rebecca had it, they would surely expect her to give it up and repent, or else face the bann.  Giving a shrug, Rebecca reminded herself that she didn’t care – they couldn’t hold her back for much longer.

Buying the cell phone had been a challenge but, after a summer spent cleaning houses, Rebecca had managed to hide away enough money to make the purchase of a prepaid device.  Every month, she would walk to the store in town and buy time for it.  Charging it was challenging, but Rebecca had learned to take advantage of the outlets available at houses she cleaned while the owners were away at work or appointments. 

As she accessed her messages, Rebecca had to smile when she saw the familiar button alerting her that she had heard from someone.

Greg.

Leaning back against her pillow, Rebecca was happy to see that he was still online.

Hey, honey! She quickly typed on her keypad.

Within minutes, Greg replied with a quick, Babe!  I’ve missed you.  How has your day been?

Awful, Rebecca typed back, Church was longer and more dull than usual.

No surprise. He replied with a laughing face emoji.

Although it was getting late and Rebecca had a long day of work ahead of her, she settled back to enjoy their conversation.

Rebecca had met Greg online shortly after she set up her Facebook profile.  Rebecca had used a profile picture of herself with her hair down, wearing an English shirt and a good bit of makeup.  When he had sent her a friend request, Rebecca was so excited.  Greg’s picture showed a sporty-looking young man with a charming smile standing in front of a black convertible. 

Ach, but hadn’t Rebecca’s heart almost leapt out of her chest when he started messaging her privately, wanting to get to know her?  Initially, Rebecca had tried to keep it a secret that she was Amish but, as she opened up more of her heart to Greg, she had shared everything about her life. 

The sound of the phone brought Rebecca away from her thoughts and back to the present.  Opening his newest message, Rebecca felt her stomach give a flip when he asked, When can we meet?

When could they meet?  Just the thought of actually meeting Greg made Rebecca feel like she might faint.

I want to get to see you in person, he explained as he continued writing, I know this might be soon, but I just feel like we were made for each other.  Soul-mates.  I know it sounds stupid...I hope you’re not laughing at me...but you’ve become the most important person in my life.

Rebecca felt her heart melt as she sighed deeply.  She had never known a man who could speak such words of poetry and make her feel so loved.  When she was talking to Greg, it seemed that she was able to finally forget all the pain in her heart and actually enjoy life. 

She wanted to get to see him, too.

Are you laughing at me? He asked.

Rebecca shook her head as her fingers flittered across the keypad on her phone, No.  Not at all.  I love you so much.

Then when can we meet?

Although Rebecca had done plenty of rebellious things over the years, this would be unlike any other.  Her mamm would never get over something like this.  But maybe it was time for her to truly step out and embrace the new person that she wanted to be.

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca typed out, I can hardly wait.  Just tell me when and where, and I will be there.

Chapter Three

Rebecca felt like her legs were jelly as she walked into the service station and sat down at an empty booth seat in the diner section of the small store.  Sitting beside a window, she looked out across the parking lot, anxious waiting for Greg to arrive.

While Rebecca was excited to meet this thrilling Englischer who had stolen her heart in such an unexpected way, she was also plagued by a sense of guilt.  Not only was she going against the entire church and the Amish ways, but she had also told quite a few fibs to her mamm so that she could get into town.  Her family thought that she was simply going to clean a new house. 

Rebecca held the phone under the table, her hands shaking as she waited for Greg to send her a text. 

Rebecca? Hearing her name made her jump and Rebecca looked up in surprise to meet the concerned eyes of Luke Miller, What are you doing here?

Rebecca gave a shrug and tried to force herself to look natural as she smiled, Ya scared me, Luke.  Guess you’re good at that.

Sliding down in the seat across from her, Luke studied her, What are you doing just hanging out here?  Is something wrong?

Rebecca gave a shrug and looked down at the table top, trying to avoid Luke’s stare, "Nee, nothing’s wrong.  I’m just waiting on a client to pick me up so that I can go clean their house."

Luke raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying into her story, You seem out-of-sorts...do ya need some kind of help?

Rebecca turned to look out the window, scanning the parking lot for Greg’s car.  Suddenly becoming alert, she watched a black convertible turn in from the road.  Almost simultaneously, she felt her phone vibrating, alerting her that Greg was trying to call. 

Rebecca tried to turn off the volume, but wasn’t fast enough.  Luke’s eyes got large and he asked, What was that?

Hurrying to her feet, Rebecca ignored his question and announced, Well, looks like my ride is here.  See ya, Luke.

Before Luke could say another word, Rebecca left the service station and hurried out to the black car.  Grabbing for the handle, she pulled the door open and practically sprang into the passenger seat before she could even think about what she was doing. 

Gosh, girl, you act like someone is after you! 

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca fought hard to calm her fast-beating heart. 

Please, just get me away from here, Rebecca managed to mutter, not even looking up to meet the stranger’s face.

Laughing deeply, he put the car in drive and pulled away from the service station.

Romantic.  That’s what Rebecca had hoped her first encounter with Greg would be.  But, thanks to Luke and his horrific timing, things had been anything but what she had dreamed.  In fact, she hardly had the courage to look at Greg until they were driving down the highway, far from the prying eyes of Luke Miller.

What on earth happened back there?  Greg’s voice brought Rebecca’s mind away from her troubles with Luke.  Turning to look at him, she studied the man that she had spent so many nights writing to on her forbidden phone.

Greg was definitely the same man in his profile pictures, but he certainly looked older than she had expected.  Rather than being in his early twenties, he had to at least be nearing forty.  His hair, which was slicked back against his head, was a dark shade of brown but also pepper with a good deal of white.  Deep creases had formed around his eyes and when he lit a cigarette to put it in his lips, Rebecca found herself shuddering.

When they had finally made their way out into the countryside, Greg pulled his car into an abandoned gateway.

Turning to look at her, he announced, Well, that certainly didn’t go the way that I had planned!  Smiling, he held out his hand, I’m Greg.

Rebecca tried to smile back, but felt like she was grimacing.  Nodding her head slowly, she took his hand in her own, "It’s gut to finally get to meet you."

But, honestly, it wasn’t good to meet him.  Instead, Rebecca found herself wishing that the day was over rather than enjoying the moment.  While she had felt totally comfortable sitting alone in her room, pouring out her heart through the words she wrote on her phone, this was far from comfortable. 

Something about this meeting was worse than she had ever imagined. 

I want to show you something, Greg announced, putting his car into drive and pulling the vehicle forward. 

As they traveled, the graveled drive quickly turned into nothing more than a dirt path surrounded by trees.  As they became completely lost in more and more woods, Rebecca felt a sickening fear start to creep into her heart. 

Where are we going? Rebecca managed to whisper. 

Glancing at the man beside her, she watched Greg smile, I want to spend some time with you at my secret place. 

After driving for several miles, Greg pulled his car to a stop beside a tiny abandoned shack.

Look at this place, he said as he parked the car and pointed toward the shack, It isn’t much, but it seems like a good place to spend some time together. 

His words made Rebecca feel like gagging.  She could hardly wait for this day to be over.

Reaching up to unlock a padlock that kept the door