Jocelyn McClay - The Amish Bachelor's Choice

“Certainly made it real. No going back now.”

“It is Gott ’s will. He’ll take care of you. You just have to trust in Him.”

The pup wiggled to get down. Ruth reluctantly let him out of her arms. Arms that immediately felt emptier than the release of the warm weight justified. She knew her friend was right. Hannah had always had the gelassenheit that Ruth knew she should be practicing. But she couldn’t just let things be. She couldn’t help doing what she could to make things turn out the way she thought they should.

Standing, Ruth wistfully watched the puppy explore the territory around the end of the lane, the white tip of his tail waving like a flag over his chubby ebony back. Here in the abnormally warm November afternoon, the tension of the day faded as she watched the inquisitive pup. She didn’t look forward to entering an empty house, but at least she could do it with a more peaceful attitude than when she left work.

The pup wandered over to sniff at the buggy’s wheels. After confirming that Bess was going to tolerate the small investigator, Ruth turned to Hannah to share a grin at the puppy’s antics and found her friend eyeing her speculatively.

“I think you do need him.”

“What?” Ruth tried to recall the last bits of their conversations. They’d been talking about Gott . Of course she needed Gott . Everyone needed Gott . That was a given and one Hannah wouldn’t have bothered to voice. Before that they’d spoken of the new owner. Hannah couldn’t be thinking that Ruth needed Malachi Schrock, could she? A vivid image of the first moment she saw Malachi popped into her head. Her heartbeat had jumped at the sight of his tall form and intelligent eyes. It’d quickened even more at the smile he’d sent her across the showroom floor. Then her stomach had dropped when he’d said his name.

“No, I don’t need him.” Ruth held her hands in front of her as if to ward off the traitorously tempting thought. “We might not get along at all.”

“Oh, but I think you already do.” Hannah nodded to Ruth’s feet, where the puppy was nipping at her shoelaces.

“You mean the puppy?” Ruth stared blankly at the busy dog.

“Who did you think I meant?”

Ruth wasn’t going to go there. “I never thought about adopting a puppy.” She knelt and was immediately rewarded with the wash of the pup’s tongue on her fingertips. A great longing washed over Ruth. She looked up at her friend. “Do you really mean it?”

Hannah laughed. “We don’t raise them to keep them all. We’d be overrun.”

Ruth wrapped her arms around the pup and stood up. Now that the idea was planted, she couldn’t let it go. “I’ll pay you what he’s worth,” she vowed, mentally wincing at the hit to her funds because she knew the value of the border collies the Lapps raised and sold.

“I think we can work something out. Right now the greater value to us is regaining the peace that he continually disturbs. We might pay you to take him off our hands.” Hannah rubbed the panting puppy’s head.

“When can I take him?”

Hannah raised her eyebrows as she considered the question. “I don’t see any reason why you can’t take him with you today. Socks has begun to wean them. Let me get you some of the food they’ve been started on so you’ll have something for him to eat until you can get back into town. You’re sure you want to do this? I didn’t mean to talk you into something you’re not ready for.”

Ruth bent her cheek to touch the pup’s head. He twisted in her arms to try to lick her. “I may not be ready, but I can’t think of anything I want more right now.”

* * *

Ruth settled the pup in her lap and waved to Hannah before picking up the reins. A hastily assembled puppy survival bag rested at her feet. Bess flicked her ears toward the buggy, questioning what the new passenger was doing there. Ruth smiled as she checked for traffic before backing out of the lane. Let the old girl pout. Ruth was as happy as she could remember being before her father had come home from seeing the Englisch doctors and confirmed what was making him feel weak and lose weight was the cancer they had both quietly feared it to be. The smile stayed on Ruth’s lips, curving up self-mockingly at the corners when she felt a warm wet spot growing on her lap.

The pup didn’t seem to mind, as he curled into a ball and fell asleep. Ruth clicked her tongue, urging Bess to increase her speed. For the first time in a long time, she was eager to get home. Even if it was to start teaching her new roommate a few basic rules.

* * *

“I think rules are going to come easier for you than for me,” Ruth admitted later that evening. “You’re smart, and you should be, as border collies are one of the most intelligent breeds. I’m just afraid I’m not smart enough, or disciplined enough, to teach you what you need to learn.”

Perhaps it had been a mistake to get a puppy, particularly with her plans. But after spending the evening with him—feeding him, taking him out several times, setting up a bed and later having him rest at her feet while she knit—Ruth knew she couldn’t bear to part with the pup and face an empty house again.

Ruth reintroduced him to the bed they’d made together. She sat beside him as he settled into it, stroking his soft head before she slipped away. Only moments after she’d settled into her own bed, the cries started.

The whimpering tore at her heart. Leaning over the edge of the bed, she saw two miniature white paws propped up against her mother’s Wedding Ring quilt.

“You’re supposed to be a working dog. You will be shunned by border collies everywhere for this unacceptable behavior. You won’t be able to eat from their dish. Or share treats with them. Why, I’d even be surprised if they allowed you to join them in working the sheep.” While lecturing him, she lifted him to join her on the quilt. The pup licked her fingers. Ruth giggled. The sound and feeling of the long-absent action surprised her. Giggling again just because it felt good, she settled the pup on the bed. They both snuggled in, comforted by each other’s presence.

* * *

Her nose was cold. The weather had obviously turned overnight. Ruth nestled deeper under the covers until a sensation swept over her that something was missing. Her eyes flew open. The pup! Quickly sitting up, she patted around the bed in the predawn dark to determine he wasn’t on the quilt beside her. Swinging her feet out from under the covers, she gasped as they hit the cold floor. Lighting a lamp, she saw a puddle near the door. Apparently she hadn’t woken up soon enough to suit the pup.

“How long have you been up, and what else am I going to find?” Her teeth chattered in the chilly air as she snagged her robe from the foot of the bed and shoved her arms into the sleeves.

Wide-awake now, Ruth foraged for an old towel. Locating one, she looked through the open door into the living area. Of course, the pup had found the knitting she’d set beside her chair and was doing battle. And winning. Ruth wondered how many stitches she’d lost in the confrontation.

Hearing her footfalls in the bedroom, the pup raced through the door to investigate, almost knocking Ruth over. He licked her bare toes that curled on the cold floor before they both went to inspect the puddle by the door.

“This is neither approved nor appreciated behavior,” Ruth admonished as she cleaned it up with the towel. “ Housebroken does not mean the house gets broken.” The pup chased the dangling ends of the cloth as it moved. Lifting him into her arms, she rested her cheek on his downy head.

“Do you need to go outside so we can get the rules sorted out?” Slipping into her shoes, she glanced out the window to see patches of frost on the ground in the first faint fingers of light. Snagging a cape from a peg by the door, she draped it around her shoulders and stepped out into the brisk morning. A hint of rose to the east heralded the sun’s future appearance. It was pretty now but could mean a weather change before evening. Might be prudent to throw an extra blanket in the buggy just in case.