An Amish Family Reunion by Mary Ellis Read Free Book Online

massive attack as she sank against the window.
    “My name’s Eli Riehl. And I often affect people that way. Either they run away fast when they see me coming or, if they stick around, I seem to get them talking.” He offered a lopsided grin to the Glicks. “And now poor Miss Miller has nowhere to run. She’s trapped like a rat on the
Titanic
.” He pivoted slightly on the seat to face her. “Eli Riehl,” he repeated. “I was hoping you would ask me my name, but when you didn’t, I figured I’d frightened you off. I’m glad your friends aren’t as shy as you and broke the ice.” He winked playfully at the sisters.
    “Rebekah and Ava,” said the older of the two, tapping her collarbone and then her sister’s arm.
    “I am not frightened by you and I am not shy…well, only a little bit. And what the heck is the
Titanic
?” Phoebe’s words issued forth louder than expected.
    People sitting nearby turned around to stare and snicker. Amish women seldom used the word “heck.”
    But Eli Riehl didn’t seem fazed by her sudden outburst. “The
Titanic
was the largest passenger ship in the world a century ago. Very fancy, and her builders proclaimed her to be unsinkable. But on her initial voyage to the U.S. she hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the ocean. Most of her passengers perished because there weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone on the
unsinkable
vessel.” His expression turned somber out of respect.
    Phoebe squinted at this person badly in need of a haircut. Amish women might never say “heck,” but few Amish men would ever say “proclaimed” or “perished.” She glanced back at her friends. For the moment, several horses kicking up their hooves in a spring meadow had distracted them. “Why do you talk like that, using all those fancy words?” Her question was barely a whisper, but it triggered a dazzling smile on his face.
    He stood and smoothly slid onto her bench. “May I join you, Miss Miller? I don’t want anyone else to overhear what I’m about to confide.”
    She was mortified—a boy on the girls’ side? But surprisingly enough, no chaperone swooped in to separate them with a battery-powered cattle prod. Perhaps the idea of a
rumschpringe
trip did bend a few rules. “All right, but just for a spell,” she murmured.
    “
Danki
. I don’t want too many folks to know this about me, especially no other males.” He nodded his head toward those sitting on the left side of the bus. “I like words. I find them to be great fun,” he whispered close to her
kapp
. “Most people keep using the same five or ten thousand tired words their whole life, completely ignoring the million or so more interesting ones. But I realize I’m fairly alone with this way of thinking. Most men seem to go out of their way to reuse the same
stupid
words.”
    She studied him to gauge his sincerity. “I suppose you have a point, but few people would ever worry about it. If they want extra pickles on their burger, they just say so. No sense calling them sliced-cucumbers-in-a-dill-and-vinegar-brine where you’re hungry and want to eat.”
    His eyes bugged out with disbelief. “I have found, finally, the one person on the planet who understands me! And even better—she’s Amish.” Grins didn’t get any bigger than his.
    “But I don’t understand. I said there’s no need to use fancy terminology for a bunch of pickles.”
    He cocked his head to one side. “True enough, if we were simply having lunch at a fast-food restaurant, but I love to make up stories. So it’s rather like a great pot of vegetable soup—the bigger the variety of good things you put in, the better it will taste.”
    She blinked. “Where are you from, Eli? Did you just move here?”
    “Oh, no. I’ve lived in Holmes County my whole life. The Riehls have owned our farm for seven generations.”
    The surname did ring a bell, but Phoebe was certain she’d never seen him before. “How come we haven’t met?” She thought