A Secret Amish Love

“Do you need a ride?”

Arlin narrowed his gaze. “She will take the family buggy.”

He nodded. “Danki,” he said.

“James!”

He glanced over and beamed as his mother approached. “I’m happy you could make it,” she said.

He regarded her with affection. “I’m happy I’m here.” His gaze flickered over Arlin and Nell who were standing next to him. “My staff is out, and Arlin has agreed to allow Nell to fill in for them next week.”

His mother’s eyes crinkled up at the corners. “You can rest easily with this one,” she told Arlin. “He’s a gut soohn.”

James felt a momentary unease. He didn’t feel like a good son. He’d left his family and his community to attend veterinary school and had little contact in the years that followed.

As if sensing his discomfort, his mother squeezed his arm. “He’s moved back into the area to be closer to us,” she said as she regarded him affectionately.

He did move to Lancaster to be close to his parents for he had missed his family greatly. The tension left him. Despite his past, he was determined that he would be a much better son and brother from this point forward.

Chapter Four

Monday morning, Nell steered her carriage down Old Philadelphia Pike toward Pierce Veterinary Clinic. She viewed the day with excitement. She’d learned a lot from just one day working with James. Imagine what she could learn in the next five!

When the clinic came into view, Nell felt a moment’s dread. Learning from James was a benefit of working with the clinic, but working with the man could cause her complications she didn’t need in her life. He was handsome and kind, but her attraction to him was wrong and forbidden.

Focus on what Dat said. Her father wanted her to marry. He’d find her a husband if she didn’t find one on her own.

Nell knew that she just had to remember that although James had an Amish family, he was an Englisher. She couldn’t allow herself to think of him as anything but her dog’s veterinarian—and this week, as her employer.

When she pulled her buggy up to the hitching post in the back, Nell was surprised to see James’s silver car parked near the back door. She’d arrived early. It was only seven thirty. She was sure she’d arrive before him and that she’d have to wait for him to show up.

She tied up Daisy, then went to ring the doorbell. Within seconds, the back door opened, revealing James Pierce dressed in a white shirt and jeans.

Nell stared and suddenly felt woozy. She swayed forward and put a hand out to catch herself on the door frame, but James reacted first by grabbing her arm to steady her. Seeing James looking so like Michael, her late beau, had stunned her.

“Nell?” he said with concern. “Are you all right?”

She inhaled deeply. “I’m fine.” Like James, Michael, an Englisher, had favored button-down shirts and blue jeans. She’d met him in a grocery store before she’d joined the church and still had the option of choosing an English or Amish life. She’d chosen a life with Michael but she’d never had the chance to tell him before he died.

James still held her arm, and she could feel the warmth of his touch on her skin below the short sleeve of her dress. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Nell managed to smile. “I’m well. Danki.” She bit her lip. “Thank you,” she corrected.

James let go and gestured for her to come inside. “Is the day getting warm?”

“A little.” But the heat wasn’t to blame for her wooziness.

“Come on in. I’ll turn up the air conditioner so we’ll be comfortable.”

The impact of the man on her senses made her feel off-kilter. Nell blushed at her thoughts as she followed him into the procedure area. Fortunately, by the time James faced her, she had her feelings under control again.

“I’m glad you came,” he said. “We have a serious case today. Mrs. Rogan is on her way in with Boots. Her Lab’s eaten something—she’s not sure what, but she believes he has an intestinal blockage.”

“Ach, nay!” Nell breathed. “What will you do? Surgery?”

His handsome features were filled with concern. “I’ll do X-rays first to see if I can tell where the blockage is.”

“How can I help?”

He studied her intently. “Are you squeamish?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Did I seem squeamish yesterday? If you’re worried that I’ll faint at the sight of Boots’s insides, don’t be. I was in the room when my mam gave birth to Charlie, my youngest sister.” She smiled slightly; the memory wasn’t the most pleasant. “No one else was home.”

He raised his eyebrows. “How old were you?” he asked.

“Nine.”

He jerked in surprise. “You were only nine when you helped your mother deliver?”

“Ja.” Nell’s features softened. “I was scared. I can’t say I wasn’t, but once Charlie was born, I felt as if God had given us this wonderful new life. Charlie doesn’t know that it wasn’t the midwife who helped bring her into the world.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not important. What is important is that she is a healthy, wonderful young woman of fifteen.”

She wondered if James was doing the math to realize that she was twenty-four. She saw him frown. Was he thinking that at the age of twenty-four most Amish women had husbands and at least one child, if not more?

“I’m glad you’re not squeamish,” he said. “Boots will be here any minute, and I’m going to need you by my side.”

Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Nell liked the sound of his words, of her and James working as a team.

* * *

After hearing Nell’s story about delivering her youngest sister, James quickly did the math and was relieved to know her age. Then he frowned. Why did he care how old Nell was? It shouldn’t matter as long as she did her job, which so far she’d been doing well. He wondered why Nell wasn’t married.

Or was she? He’d never thought to ask. To do so now would seem...intrusive. He feared there was a story there, and one he wasn’t about to ask her about.

James found he liked the thought of having her at his side while he did the surgery. And why wouldn’t he, when after only one day she already had proved her worth?

“I’ll be ready,” she said. “I’ll hand you the instruments you’ll need. Maybe you can show me what they are now before Boots arrives? I don’t want to hand you the wrong thing.”

“Certainly.” He moved toward the machine on the counter. There were several packaged sterile instruments in the cabinet above it. “This is an autoclave,” he explained, gesturing toward the machine. “I put certain metal instruments in here to sterilize them.”

She nodded. “What are those?” she asked of the two packets he’d taken from the cabinet shelf.

James proceeded to tell her what they were—a scalpel and clamps. Then he pulled out a tray of other types and sizes of the same instruments as well as others. “You don’t have to be concerned,” he said. “I’ll pull out everything I need, and then I’ll point to the instrument I want on the tray. You don’t have to know all the names, although I imagine you’ll learn a few as we use them.”

He had just finished explaining the tools when he heard a commotion in the front room. “Boots is here,” he announced. He was aware that Nell followed closely behind him as he went to greet the concerned woman and her chocolate Lab.

Nell helped him x-ray Boots while the dog’s nervous owner sat in the waiting room. It turned out that Boots had swallowed a sock. After James relayed his diagnosis to Mrs. Rogan, he and Nell went to work. He encouraged Mrs. Rogan to go home, but the woman refused to leave until she knew that her dog was out of surgery and in recovery.

“Do you have other patients scheduled this morning?” Nell asked as she watched him put Boots under anesthesia.

“Fortunately, no. Not until this afternoon.”

He readied his patient. “May I have a scalpel?” He gestured toward the appropriate instrument. He needn’t have bothered because Nell had already picked it up and handed it to him.

He smiled. “Perfect. Thanks.”

She inclined her head, and they went back to the serious task at hand. It took just under an hour from the time they sedated the Lab until the time he was moved to recovery.

James went out to talk with Mrs. Rogan with Nell following. “Boots made out fine. We removed the sock, and there’s been no permanent injury.”

Edith Rogan shuddered out a sigh. “Thank goodness.” She visibly relaxed as she glanced from him to Nell standing behind him. “Thank you. Thank you both.”

“Boots may have to spend the night here,” he said. “I’ll keep a close eye on him today. If he does well, then you can take him home this evening. I’ll call and let you know.”

At that moment, the door opened and Mr. Rogan rushed in. “How is he?” he asked his wife.

“Fine,” James said. “The surgery went well, but I’m afraid you may be one sock short.”

The man shifted his attention from his wife to James. “You’re Dr. Pierce?”

James nodded.

“Thank you, Dr. Pierce. Edith and I have grown very attached to him.”

“He’s our baby now that our children are married and on their own,” Edith said.

“I understand,” Nell said softly, surprising James. “I have a dog. I have several animals, in fact, and I would feel awful if anything ever happened to them.”

Mr. Rogan studied her with curiosity. “You’re Amish.”

“I am?” Nell’s brown gaze twinkled.

The man laughed. “Sorry. Sometimes I speak before I think.”

“Well, you’re right, Mr. Rogan. I am a member of the Amish church and community, and I had the privilege to work with Dr. Pierce during Boots’s surgery.” She paused. “He’s a beautiful dog.”

The man smiled. “That he is,” he said.

“Edith, it’s time for us to leave and let the doctor and his assistant get back to the business of saving lives and making our pets better.”

“I’ll call you later,” James said as the couple headed to the door.

“I’ll check on him often,” Nell added.

The Rogans left, and suddenly James was alone with Nell. He was proud of the way she’d handled herself with Boots’s owners, and he was pleased with how she’d assisted during Boots’s surgery.

He glanced at his watch to see how much time he had before his first afternoon appointment.

“A successful surgery calls for a special lunch.” He grinned. “Hoagies!”

She laughed. “Hoagies?”

“Sandwiches.”

“Ja, that sounds gut,” she said. “But I’ll be bringing in lunch for us tomorrow.”

“Sounds gut to me.” James smiled. “We should check on Boots again before I order lunch.”

After ensuring that the Lab was doing well, they ate lunch, then went back to work. The rest of the day occurred without any major incidents.

By the end of the afternoon, James was tired. When he glanced at Nell, he saw that she looked exhausted, as well.

“Time to call it quits,” he said.

She nodded and reached for the mop and bucket.

He stayed her hand. “We can clean up in the morning.” He eyed her with concern. “Are you all right?”

She blinked. “Ja, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been quiet.”

“Just thinking.”

“About?

“Boots.”

James smiled. “He’s doing well. I’m glad I called the Rogans. They’re happy to come for him. He’ll do fine as long as they keep him still, leave his collar on and give him his pain medicine on time.”

“And bring him back to see you on Tuesday,” Nell added.

“Yes.”

“Do you need me to do anything else before I leave?”

James shook his head. “No, go on home.” He paused and couldn’t help saying, “Be careful driving.”

She nodded and left. James was slow to follow, but he watched her through an opening in the window blinds. Once her buggy was no longer visible, he took one last look around the clinic to make sure everything was as it should be, then he left, locking up as he went.

As he slipped onto his car’s leather seats, he thought of Nell on the wooden seats in her buggy. He wondered how she’d react if she had the chance to ride in his car. There might be a time that he’d bring her home. He scowled. Probably not, because her time at the clinic was temporary, until Janie came back from vacation.

Nell was a fine assistant, he thought as he put the car in Reverse. She would manage fine until Janie’s return.

A dangerous thought entered his mind, but he pushed it firmly aside. He quickly buried a sudden longing for something—or someone—else in his life other than his work, which had been the most important thing to him for some time.

* * *

Nell answered the phone when James’s receptionist, Michelle, called into the office the next day. “Pierce Veterinary Clinic,” she greeted. “How may I help you?”

The woman on the other end sounded dismayed. “Hello? This is Michelle. Who is this?”

“Hallo, Michelle. It’s Nell. I’m helping James in the office until you or Janie returns.”

“That’s wonderful, Nell,” the woman said. “I was worried about him managing the office alone.” The two women chatted for several moments more, catching up, before breaking the connection. Nell went back to work, relieved that Michelle was glad to learn that she was filling in.

“Who was on the phone?” James asked as he came out to the front desk.

“It was Michelle. She and her son are feeling better, but now her husband and two daughters are sick.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Was she surprised that you answered the phone?”

“Surprised but pleased. She’s been worried about you.” She and Michelle had become friendly since Nell’s first visit to the clinic.

James smiled. “I hope you told her to rest, recuperate and take care of her family.”

“I did.”

“Good.”

Nell glanced at the appointment book on the desk. “Boots Rogan is due any minute for his follow-up.”

“I want to check to make sure he hasn’t bled through his dressing,” James said.

Boots’s appointment went well, and the owner took him home to continue the dog’s recovery.

The afternoon went by quickly, and before they knew it, they’d seen the last appointment. But then an emergency call came in from Abram Peachy, a deacon in Nell’s church district. Their mare Buddy had been injured by another horse.

James grabbed his medical bag. “Nell, will you come?”

“Ja, of course I’ll come.” Nell locked the front door and turned off the lights before she hastened through the back door and met James at his car. She hurried toward the passenger side and hesitated, uncomfortable being in such close quarters with James. He was suddenly there by her side, opening the door for her.

Feeling his presence keenly, she quietly thanked him, then slid onto the passenger seat. She ran her fingers over the smooth leather as James turned the ignition. The interior of the car smelled wonderful.

“Which way do I go?” he asked as he glanced her way.

She blushed under his regard and forced her attention ahead. “Take a right out of the parking lot,” she told him.

As he followed her directions, Nell was overly aware how close they were in the confines of James’s car. Did he feel it too? The attraction between them? Charlotte was waiting outside for them as he drove close to the house. She hurried toward the vehicle as Nell and James climbed out of the car.

Her eyes widened and a look of relief passed over her features as she looked from James to Nell.

“What happened?” Nell asked.

“Something frightened Barney,” Charlotte said. “Joshua was getting Buddy out of her stall when Barney reared up and came down hard against her side.” She addressed James directly. “She’s suffered a large gash. Can you help her?”

“I’ll do what I can. Show me where you keep her.”

Charlotte led the way, and Nell followed them to the barn where they found Abram near Buddy’s stall.

Abram looked relieved to see them. “I put her back in her stall.”

James studied the horse. “Good. She’s in closed quarters.” He addressed Abram. “I may need your help to hold her steady as Nell and I ready her to stitch up the wound.”

“She’s a gentle soul, but she’s hurting bad,” Abram said after agreeing to James’s request.

Abram’s son Nate entered the building. “Can you help us for a minute?” James asked after a quick look in the young man’s direction. “Do you have any rope? We’ll need to secure it to the rafters and around Buddy to help keep her steady after I give her a sedative.”

“Ja,” Abram said. “Nate, will you get that length of rope from the tack room?”

Nate immediately obeyed then slipped inside the stall, being careful to skirt the animal until he reached the front right side. “Dat? You oll recht?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Be careful, soohn,” Abram warned as Nate came up on Buddy’s opposite side.

James grabbed the rope and with a toss of his arm, he threw one end over the rafter until it fell in equal lengths to the ground. “Nate, could you wrap this around Buddy? Abram, you don’t have a wench or pulley, do you?”

The man shook his head. “We’ll make do.”

He addressed Nell, “Would you get me a syringe and the bottle of anesthetic?”

Nell handed him the bottle and the needle.

He took it without looking at her. She could feel his concern for the animal. She’d seen different sides to the veterinarian over the past week, each more impressive than what she’d seen before.

His face was full of concentration as he inserted the needle. The animal jerked and kicked out, her hoof making contact with James’s shin. He grimaced, but that was the only sign that he’d been hurt. Nell worried about him when he continued as if the horse hadn’t clipped him.

He stood back. “We’ll have to wait a moment or so until the anesthetic takes effect.”

His eyes met Nell’s. She gazed back at him in sympathy, recognizing pain in his face. She wanted to take a look at his leg and help him, but she remained silent. It was clear that he didn’t want his injury to detract from helping Abram’s horse.

She felt a rush of something she didn’t want to feel. This man clearly loved animals as much as she did.

They waited for tense moments until the horse seemed to quiet. Nell looked at Abram. “It’s oll recht,” she said. She watched as he and Nate released their hold on the horse.

“You might want to leave,” James said. “This won’t be pleasant to watch.”

The two men left, leaving Nell alone with James. He met her gaze. “All set?”

“Ja,” she breathed, ready to do whatever he needed.

“Come around to this side. Bring my bag. I’ll tell you what I need.”

Nell watched while James worked on Buddy. He sutured the mare’s wounds, noting how gentle he was with the animal, soothing her with a soft voice.

After twenty minutes, James seemed satisfied that he’d done all he could for the horse.

“Nell, would you please see if you can find a container of antibiotic? I’d like Abram to give her a dose twice a day. He can sprinkle it on her food.”

Nell understood when she found the bottle and saw that the antibiotic was actually granules instead of pills.

Soon they were driving away from Abram’s farm, heading back toward the clinic. Nell caught James’s wince more than once as he drove, but she kept silent. She couldn’t offer to drive him since she didn’t know how and wouldn’t be allowed anyway because of the rules in the Ordnung.

James pulled into the parking lot and drove around to the back as usual. She saw him grimace as he climbed out, but she didn’t say anything as she followed him inside the building. James went into his office while she went right to work restocking his medical bag with the supplies he’d used at Abram’s. When she was done, she entered his office and confronted him.

“You hurt your leg,” she said. She swallowed hard. “May I see?”

He gazed at her a long moment, and she felt her face heat, but he finally nodded. Fortunately, the legs of his black slacks were loose. James gingerly pulled up his pants leg.

Nell gasped. His shin was swollen and severely bruised. She eyed the black-and-blue area with concern. “You should see a doctor,” she suggested softly.

“I’ll be fine,” he said sharply. She didn’t take offense for she knew he was hurting.

“I’ll get some ice,” she said and went into the kitchen.

When she returned, his head was tilted against the chair back, his eyes closed.

“James,” she whispered. His eyes flashed open. She held up the ice pack. “For your leg.”

“Thank you.” He shifted, straightening. His pants had fallen back to cover his injured leg. He tugged up the fabric again, and Nell bent to place the pack on his bruised skin.

“It looks sore,” she said with sympathy as she knelt to hold it in place.

James gave her a crooked smile. “A bit.”

She shook her head, trying not to be uncomfortable looking up at him from near his feet. “You should go to the emergency room—or a clinic.” She rose, and her gaze traveled around the room.

“What are you looking for?” James asked.

“Something to prop your leg up on so you can ice it properly.”

“No need.” He dropped his pant leg and rose. “It’s time to head out. I can ice it at home.”

Nell saw him wince as he moved, but she held her tongue. “I’ll check the reception area and make sure it’s locked up.”

“Okay.” He waited while she hurried out to the front room to lock up and retrieve her purse from under the desk. She took one last look around, then returned to where James waited near the back door.

“Thanks for your help today.”

Nell shrugged. “That’s what you pay me for.”

A tiny smile formed on his lips. “I guess I do.”

They headed outside together. James pulled the door shut behind them and made sure it was secure.

Nell saw that he held the ice pack and was glad. She became conscious of him beside her as she waited for him to turn. “I will see you on Wednesday?” she asked.

He hesitated. “Yes.”

“Is anything wrong?” she asked, sensing a shift in his mood.

James opened and closed his mouth, as if to answer but thought better of it. “It’s late.”

Nell experienced a burning in her stomach. “Ja. I should head home.” She turned away. Something was definitely bothering the man.

“See you in the morning, Nell.”

She paused but didn’t look back. She was afraid of what she’d see. “Ja, I’ll see you then.”

Then she hurried toward her buggy, feeling edgy and suddenly eager to be away and at home.

* * *

James watched Nell leave, then followed her buggy in his car until their paths split. He continued straight until he reached a small shopping center with a bakery, a candy shop and a small gift shop. He drove around to the back of the building, got out of his car and went in a back entrance that led to his apartment above the bakery.

As he started painfully up the stairs, he caught the scent of rich chocolate. Usually, he’d head into the bakery to buy whatever it was that Mattie Mast was making downstairs. But with his throbbing shin, the only thing he wanted to do right now was put ice on the injury.

The trek up the staircase was slow, and he stopped several times. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally made it to the top.

His one-bedroom apartment was dark as he entered. He threw his keys onto the kitchen table and went to open a few windows to let in the day’s breeze. The delicious scent of baking was stronger upstairs than down.

He refilled his ice bag, then, ignoring his rumbling stomach, he plopped down onto the sofa in his small living room, turned on the TV and shifted to put his feet onto the couch. He carefully set the ice pack that Nell had made on his swollen leg. He gazed at the television, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

It was Tuesday. There was still the rest of the week to get through. Would the pain in his leg let up enough for him to leave his apartment in the morning?

Nell will be there. He would make sure he got to work. She was helping him out, and he needed to be there.

Stretched out on his sofa, he stared at the ceiling with the sound of the television a dull buzz in his ears.

The ice felt good against his swollen leg. James closed his eyes, and the day played out in his mind. Nell’s calming influence as she worked by his side. Their trip to the Amish farm, treating the mare. Nell’s assistance with Abram Peachy and his son Nate. Her calming way with their mare Buddy. His growing friendship with Nell.

He saw Nell clearly in his mind—her soft brown hair, bright brown eyes and warm smile. She’d worn a green dress with black apron today, with a white kapp, dark stockings and black shoes. He smiled. He wondered how she’d look at home when she was at ease, barefoot and laughing as she chased children about the yard, with sparkling eyes and her mouth curved upward in amusement.

James wondered how it would feel to spend time with her outside of the office.

His eyes flickered open as shock made him sit up. He was more than a little attracted to Nell Stoltzfus!

James shook his head. He had no right to think about Nell in that way. He scowled. She was a member of an Amish community, a community like the one he’d left of his own free will to choose a different path in life.

He forced his attention back to the television. He began to channel surf to find something—anything—that would consume his interest other than thoughts of Nell Stoltzfus.

* * *

Nell’s four sisters were in the yard when she returned home.

“We heard what happened!” Charlie said.

“At Abram’s,” Ellie explained.

“Nate said you were both wonderful. He said you worked efficiently and quietly by the veterinarian’s side,” Charlie added.

“Was it true that James got kicked by Buddy?” Meg asked.

Nell studied her sisters with amusement. “Do you want me to answer any of you, or would you prefer to provide the answers yourself?”

Leah, the only sister who hadn’t spoken yet, laughed. She was the next oldest after Nell. “How did it go?”

“Well,” Nell said. “It went well. James sutured Buddy and left her in Abram’s care.”

“Was it awful?” Charlie asked. “Seeing all that blood?”

“I felt bad for Buddy, but I was oll recht. I didn’t think much about anything but what I could do to help James.”

The sisters walked toward the house as it was nearing suppertime. There would be work in the kitchen as they helped their mother to prepare the meal.

“Only three days more, ja?” Leah asked when their sisters had gone ahead into the house.

Nell faced her sister as they stood on the front porch. “Ja, in a way I’ll be sad to see it end.”

“But ’tis for the better that it will.” Leah watched her carefully.

“Ja.” She leaned against the porch rail. “But until then, I’m learning so much. Things I’ll be able to use in helping our friends and neighbors. I know I can’t take the place of a veterinarian but I’ll be able to handle more than I could before.”

Leah regarded her silently. “What’s he like?”

“James?”

Her sister nodded. Her golden-blond hair, blue eyes and a warm smile made her the prettiest one of all of the sisters, at least in Nell’s eyes. Today, she wore a light blue dress which emphasized her eyes. On her head she wore a matching blue kerchief and she was barefoot. She had come from working in their vegetable garden.

“You saw him at the Masts’,” Nell reminded her.

“But seeing him isn’t working with him.”

For a moment, Nell got lost in her thoughts. “He’s a caring man who’s compassionate with animals. He’s a gut vet. You should have seen him with Buddy. He—” She bit her lip.

“He was injured today,” Leah said. “Nate stopped while you were gone. He said Buddy kicked him while he was trying to sedate her.”

“Ja, but you wouldn’t have known it by looking at him afterward. He worked as if nothing was bothering him when his leg must have hurt terribly.” Nell had been amazed—not only by his skill but by his attention to Abram’s mare.

“You like him.”

“I wouldn’t work for him if I didn’t like and respect him.”

“I know that, but I think you feel more for him.”

“Nay,” she denied quickly. “He’s gut at what he does, and I respect that.”

Leah nodded. As they entered the house, Nell wondered if her sister believed her.

She’d felt awful when she saw the extent of James’s injury. She’d been startlingly aware of him as she’d pressed the ice pack against his shin. The sudden rush of feeling as she’d held the pack against his masculine leg for those brief moments had frightened her. Caring for him in that way had felt too intimate. She’d risen quickly and searched for a chair or stool to prop up his leg. When James had declared that it was time to go home, she’d been relieved.

“Nell,” her mother greeted as she and Leah entered the kitchen. “I heard you had an eventful day.”

Nell nodded. “It was more eventful for Abram’s mare.”

“She’s all right?”

“Buddy’s fine. James stitched her up as gut as new. She’ll be in pain for a while, but he left Abram medication for her.”

“Gut. Gut,” Mam said. “Ellie, would you get the potato salad out of the refrigerator? Meg, you carry in the sweet and sour beans. Leah, would you mind getting your father? Supper is almost ready.”

“What about me?” Charlie said.

Her mother smiled. “You can set the table with Nell.”

Nell went to help her sister. She was home and felt less conflicted in this world she knew so well.

She might have imagined the strange tension between her and James. Tomorrow she’d put things in perspective and realize that the tenseness between them was just a figment of her imagination.