Once Upon a Buggy

Book 2: Amish of Apple Creek

by Shelley Shepard Gray

Genres: Amish & Mennonite; Christian Romance; Clean & Wholesome Romance

Synopsis

This sweet Amish retelling of Beauty and the Beast from New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Shelley Shepard Gray—one of the best-loved names in inspirational romance—will delight fans of heartwarming fiction and readers of Charlotte Hubbard, Beverly Lewis, and Beth Wiseman.

May Schott would do anything to change the tragic moment when she stepped too close to the fire that left her best friend, Carl Hilty, devastatingly burned. After Carl left Apple Creek for extensive surgeries, May patiently prayed for one chance to ask his forgiveness. Now, six years later, Carl Hilty is coming home.
 
The reunion goes nothing like May anticipated. Overwhelmed with emotion at seeing Carl again, she is speechless, unable to look away. And Carl’s own stone-cold silence leaves her certain that whatever attraction they once shared has been replaced by his hatred of her.
 
After hiding in the shadows of the big city, Carl has returned to connect with his family and to see if May can overlook his scars and accept his tender love—but her reaction makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with him. He grudgingly agrees to stay with his family for a time before retreating to anonymity once again.
 
But in Apple Creek, it’s easy to miss what everyone around you sees plain as day. For two people who belong together, it will take a few helping hands to heal the hurts of the past and make a miraculous new beginning.

Release date: March 28, 2023

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 304

Sample

May didn’t know everything, but she did know one thing for sure and for certain: Her mother had been wrong. Some dreams really did come true—the ones that counted, anyway. After years of wishing and hoping and praying, Carl Hilty had come back home. Her next-door neighbor, childhood best friend—the boy who’d saved her life—had finally returned. She was going to be able to see him in person.

Adrenaline, fueled by a surge of nervousness and excitement, shot through her as she craned her neck. She was anxious to catch even a glimpse of Carl, but it was next to impossible. It looked as if the entire Amish population of Apple Creek was currently trying to do the same thing.

May supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised. Carl was a hero, and he’d been gone for such a very long time. Six years was practically an eternity.

“Do you see him, May?” Camille asked.

Turning to her girlfriend, pretty, demure Camille, May shook her head. “Nee. I wish I was taller.”

Camille chuckled. “If I had a dime for every time you’ve said those words, I’d be a rich woman.”

“I know.” Frustrated by the crowd—as well as their position at the back of it—she rose on her tiptoes. “I know there’s nothing I can do about my height. I’m just anxious.”

“Don’t worry so much. I’m sure Carl’s trying to find his way to you.”

“I hope so.” But maybe not? Unconsciously, she rubbed her thigh. She could feel the ridged, four-inch scar under the fabric. It hardly hurt at all anymore.

Seconds passed. Some of the men who must have greeted Carl first walked away. Little by little, the crowd began to thin.

“I bet you could make your way to the front now,” Camille said. “I’m pretty sure I see Able Hilty up there.”

Carl’s daed. Picturing the somber man who always avoided looking her way, May swallowed hard. The nervousness she’d been attempting to keep at bay surged again. “I’m sure Mr. Hilty wouldn’t appreciate me appearing in the middle of Carl’s homecoming. I’ll wait right here.”

Actually, she was starting to think that this moment wasn’t the right time or place for her and Carl to renew their friendship. It might be the absolute worst spot.

It was, after all, a mighty big event. Most everyone in their church district was gathered together for an Easter egg hunt and picnic in the Millers’ back field. Easter was just around the corner, and with it had come some welcome sunny weather. Everyone was eager to see each other after weeks and weeks of snow and cold. So it was a joyous day, and one made better by Carl’s return.

But perhaps it wasn’t the best place to hug Carl? Maybe not the right time to clutch his hands, the way she used to do, and share just how grateful she was for his bravery?

Or share how much she’d missed him.

Camille stepped to the left. “I heard he’s wearing a Guardians baseball cap. Do you think that’s true?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Carl had gone up to Cleveland for treatment at the burn unit and had ended up staying. Though she’d heard a rumor that he’d elected not to be baptized, she didn’t know if that was true or not.

It was yet another sign that, although she’d missed him so much, Carl might not have felt the same way. No, it was a given that he didn’t feel the same way. But who could blame him?

She was the reason he’d been hurt.

Camille, oblivious to her dark thoughts, was still moving about, trying her best to sneak a peek at Carl. “Ack! This is so frustrating.”

May hid a smile. Camille’s complaint was as unexpected as it was true. “It is frustrating, but you’re right. I’ve waited for six years; I can wait a little while longer.”

“I’m impressed.” Camille’s brown eyes studied her more carefully. “You’re usually a lot more eager to be in the thick of things.”

She used to be. After the fire, though? She’d tried hard to curb her desires. “I’ll see him in time.” Whenever Carl wanted to see her. No, whenever the Lord was ready for them to be reunited. Yes, that’s what she needed to reflect upon. The Lord had a hand in her and Carl’s lives. She needed to abide by His wishes.

Camille was prevented from replying when another one of their friends approached. Soon, they were talking like magpies together.

Glad that she had a little more time to prepare herself, May leaned against the metal wall of the Millers’ new barn. A lot of people had metal barns these days—the metal was cheaper to obtain than lumber; it went up more easily and with less manpower. But on days like today, in the beginning middle of April? Well, it seemed like a shame. Leaning up against the cool steel didn’t feel the same as a weathered barn, she mused. There was just something about the mellowness of wood that was worn and faded from years of use.

Realizing the direction her mind had gone, she jerked upright. How could she ever think such a thing? That wooden barn had been the reason for everything that had happened. And just like that, she could smell the smoke and could feel the chill in the air—and remembered how dark the barn had been that evening—right up until the time it had erupted in flames.

The noise had been so loud. The heat unbearable. She’d been scared and stunned until Carl had pulled on her hand.

He’d been yelling at her. Yelling for her to hurry. No, begging her to move. When she’d finally done as he’d asked and had run by his side, she tripped.

Then she’d started screaming in terror.

Remembering the way the flames had touched her skin, how it had felt like a thousand needles, she swayed. Sweat formed on her brow when she recalled how Carl had placed himself between her and the worst of the fire.

May blinked as she tried to push away the memories. Just as she did in the middle of the night. Just like she had almost every night for the last six years.

“May?”

She shook her head. Too afraid to move. “I . . .”

“Hey, May? Are you okay?”

She jerked upright. Blinked at the blinding sun. And at Camille’s concerned expression. “Do you need something? Some water, maybe?”

Camille was talking about a glass of water. Because she was standing in the sun. Pushing herself back into the present, she shook her head. “Nee. I’m sorry. I . . . I was just thinking about something.”

“Hey, what are you doing? You don’t need to hide things from me, May.” Camille grabbed her fingers and intertwined them with her own. “Are you scared to see him? Are you afraid to see Carl again?”

“Of course not.” It was a lie, clearly. She had many reasons to be afraid to see him.

Camille lowered her voice. “Listen, Emma just told me that you might want to prepare yourself. She said Carl looks a sight different.”

“I’ve heard that, too.” No one would expect otherwise. Carl had sustained burns over half his body. His burns were so bad that he’d been sent to the Shriners Hospital in Dayton so his family wouldn’t have to worry about the price of his surgeries and medical care. Eventually, he’d moved to the Cleveland Clinic for more care. Carl Hilty had suffered through several more surgeries, skin grafts, and rehabilitations there.

She’d stopped hearing about them after he’d gotten through four.

No, that wasn’t right. She’d stopped being able to listen after the fourth. Especially since he’d refused her offers to visit, just as he’d refused to take her calls after that one time.

Maybe it had been guilt or the need to sleep at night—or maybe she’d finally gotten it through her head that Carl didn’t want to hear from her ever again.

Whatever the reason, May had stopped expecting replies to her letters after his fourth surgery. She’d stopped writing to him after his fifth. It had hurt her heart too much.

She’d always suspected that her heart had been rather weak.

Hating the direction her thoughts were going, May scanned the area, anxious to find something—no, anything—to help divert her mind from the dark path on which it was headed. Looking down at her boots, she spied a tiny frog on the soft mud next to the metal barn. She knelt down and gave it a little nudge. The metal was cool now, but the day was supposed to get warm. By noon, the metal walls would be hot to the touch and the ground hard and solid. Neither would be very tiny frog friendly.

Careful not to hurt it, she nudged it with the tip of a finger. “Get on your way now, frog,” she murmured. “Hop on over to the field. I know there’s critters there, but you’ll likely have a better chance of surviving. Ain’t so?”

“Hey, May?”

The frog had hopped three times, then stopped again. “Just a sec, Camille. I’m waiting to see—”

“May, stand up,” she interrupted. “Stand up now.”

Startled, May did as Camille asked.

And came face to face with Carl himself.

Carl was tall now. Easily almost six feet. His eyes were just as beautiful as she remembered—a myriad of blues and greens. She’d used to tell him that such pretty eyes were wasted on a boy.

But almost everything else about him was different. The pain haunting those eyes. The scars on his face. And on his neck. And covering his right hand.

The way he was staring at her as if he didn’t know who she was. That had to be a mistake, though. Right?

They’d been too close for him to have forgotten her. Hadn’t they?

Or had she felt so bad about the break in their relationship that she’d turned it into something more than it was?

Unconsciously, she rubbed the ridge on her thigh again. His eyes followed. May could practically feel the entire population of Apple Creek watching them. Waiting for her to launch herself into Carl’s arms. For her to cry happy tears because they were reunited at last.

Maybe he felt the stares, too, because at last he met her eyes. “May.”

Overcome with emotion, she felt her bottom lip tremble. “Carl,” she whispered. “You’re back. I’m so glad you came back to Apple Creek.”

Somehow looking even more pained, the boy she’d once loved so much studied her for another long second. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

After six years, Carl Hilty had seen her, then walked away without saying anything more than her name.

He must hate her now. People started whispering. A low buzz surrounded her, sounding as if she was surrounded by a swarm of bees. Each one gossiping, talking, no doubt ready to sting her with an unkind comment.

Well, any jabs she received would be no more than she deserved. Her lungs tightened. She shouldn’t have expected anything else. After all, he might have saved her, but she was the reason they’d been in that barn in the first place. Closing her eyes, she ignored Camille, who was reaching out for her hand. Instead, she turned and pressed her forehead to the side of the barn and tried her best to think only of how cool the metal felt against her skin.

Instead, she was reminded of how hot the burning wood had been in another barn on another day. How it had scorched her leg for that split second.

All before Carl had dragged her to safety. Just seconds before the burning embers had fallen on him and changed both of their lives forever.

He’d survived more surgeries than he cared to count, more pain than he’d imagined was possible, and likely had spent more hours completely by himself than anyone in Apple Creek.

Because of all that, Carl didn’t feel normal. Or that he fit in. Worse, he wasn’t even sure whether he wanted to fit in. Pretty much everyone had been staring at him as if he was some kind of deformed beast.

But, of course, that wasn’t fair. He knew what he looked like, and it wasn’t pretty. Three years ago, counselors had started visiting him once a week. At first, he’d resented their help and hadn’t been receptive to their suggestions. But in spite of his best attempts to ignore their advice, he’d slowly begun to take it.

His anxiety eased, and his doubts became more manageable. A woman named Hilda had been particularly persistent. She’d talked with him for hours about how he needed to come to terms with the fact that sometimes a person wasn’t being rude when they took a long look at him. It was just that shock of his scars made one take a second and third glance.

It was understandable.

Unfortunately, when that happened, his brain understood, but his heart couldn’t seem to keep up.

“Want to get out of here?” Kevin asked.

Surprised, he turned to his sixteen-year-old brother. “How are we going to manage that? Mamm and Daed are here.”

“I know, but they’ll understand if we dart out. They probably won’t even notice.”

“Of course, they’re going to notice, Kevin. They aren’t going to be okay with me leaving early, either. This is my coming home party.”

“Whatever. If they object, then Ally and I will run interference.”

His brother and sister were the best people he knew. From the moment he’d been airlifted from Apple Creek, they’d never wavered in making sure his needs were met first. He had an idea he would never know the hardships they had endured at the farm while he’d been sitting in a hospital bed.

“You know I can take care of myself, right? I’m not only twenty-five years old, but I’ve also been on my own for years. ”

“Just because you have a fancy English job and ain’t Amish no longer doesn’t mean you aren’t my brother.” Standing up straighter, Kevin added, “And just because I’m younger, it don’t mean that I’m not right.”

Carl knew better than to argue further. It didn’t matter if Kevin was sixteen or six. Whenever his brother adopted that tone in his voice, there was no stopping him. “Then, jah, fine. Let’s get out of here.”

Kevin grinned. “Whew. I thought for a minute that you were going to want to stay.”

“Wait a minute, running away isn’t just for my benefit, is it? You were ready to leave, too, right?”

“Of course, I was. You know how much I hate it when all the folks try to pretend that you’re not there.”

“It’s normal to not know how to react to the way I look.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Kevin, not everyone stares because they’re rude. I’ve come to accept that.”

“Hmm. I hope that was May’s excuse.”

“Don’t worry about May.”

“Why not?” Kevin stopped walking toward the end of the driveway and stared at him. “ She was standing right in front of you. Said your name.” Looking at him more intently, he added, “And you said hers.”

“It didn’t mean anything.” Realizing that his excuse sounded as flimsy as it was, he added, “I wasn’t even positive it was May. It’s been a long time since I was home.”

Kevin’s brows pulled together. “I didn’t think it had been that long, but no worries. “In any case, I’d be surprised if it hadn’t taken you a moment to recognize her. She’s a beauty now, no doubt about that. Back when you two used to play together, she was just a freckle-faced nuisance.”

“Her hair is darker now.”

Kevin nodded. “It’s brown. Rich brown, like the color of walnuts in the fall. Her skin is real pretty, too. She’s the only woman I’ve ever seen look fetching with so many freckles.”

“She’s changed a lot.”

“Jah. Pretty much the only thing that didn’t change is her height. She’s still only a little over five feet.” Slapping him on the back, Kevin added, “Don’t worry. I’m sure the next time you see her, you’ll recognize her right off the bat.”

He nodded. Of course, he was lying. The truth was that he had noticed her practically the moment she’d arrived. How could he not? She’d been the prettiest girl there. He’d stared at her, but when her eyes had widened, he’d looked away, embarrassed to be caught gazing at her like a besotted fool.

Then, something that his brother had said snagged his attention. Skin really pretty?

“Kevin, do you like her?”

His brother flushed. “Of course, I don’t.”

His brother might only be sixteen, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire a pretty girl. “It’s okay if you do. You don’t need to keep it a secret or anything.” Of course, every single bit of that statement had been another lie, but what difference did it make? He owed his brother everything. If Kevin and May liked each other, Carl would honor their relationship. No, he would support and encourage it.

His brother’s frown deepened. “Carl, I just said we aren’t courting. What’s gotten into you?” He rested a hand on his arm. “And why would you ever say it doesn’t make any difference if I’m seeing May or not? She was your girl.”

“She was my friend. Six years ago.”

“Nee, she was your friend since birth. Mamm and Daed used to say that the Lord made you two neighbors because He believed you were meant to know each other.”

Carl remembered his parents saying that. More important, he remembered that he used to think the same thing himself. Just thinking about his childhood naïveté made him embarrassed. How could he have ever been so full of himself as to believe that the Lord had nothing better to do than watch over May and him?

“I don’t want to talk about her and me.”

Kevin opened his mouth but seemed to think better of objecting at the last minute. “Fine, but I don’t like it.”

Any further fussing was stalled by their sister’s approach. Ally was blond, had brown eyes, and was very fit. She was easily the most athletic of the three siblings. Wh. . .