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Snowbound Amish Survival

By Mary Alford

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ONE
Outside, the wind howled around the corner of the house with enough fury
to shake windows. The blizzard had continued to grow in strength with
nightfall. It sounded like a wild animal raging.
“It’s getting worse by the minute.” Midwife Hope Christner did her best
to pull her focus from the distraction. Her expectant mother patient and gut
friend, Naomi Hartzler, was nervous enough without the added stress of the
storm. Naomi needed her full attention. Gott would take care of the weather.
“Try to relax. I’m almost done.” Hope patted her friend’s arm. Naomi
had been on edge since her pregnancy began—and with gut reason. This
was Naomi’s fourth pregnancy. The first three had ended in miscarriages.
Hope finished her exam and came to the same conclusion she’d had
when she’d arrived at the home. “I’m afraid it’s another false alarm,” she
said as gently as possible. The second one in as many days.
A flood of tears filled Naomi’s eyes. Hope sat beside her and put her arm
around Naomi’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. This isn’t what you want to hear, I
know.”
Naomi wiped her eyes. “Nay, it’s not. I’m so worried, Hope. Every
moment that passes without the boppli coming, I can’t help but feel as if
something bad will happen to our sweet little bundle.” Her voice broke into
a sob as she touched her swollen midsection.
Hope’s heart ached over the previous losses Naomi and Conrad had
suffered. “I know it’s hard, but everything is well with the boppli. It will be
different this time, I genuinely believe that.”
Naomi visibly gathered her composure and squared her shoulders. “I
want to believe you, and I know it’s a few days early, but I’m ready for my
dochder to make an appearance. Now. I really want to hold her in my arms
and reassure myself she is oke.” She heaved out a weary sigh and swung her
legs over the side of the bed. “Conrad, too. We do not wish to bury another
baby.” Fresh tears fell from Naomi’s devastated face.
“And you won’t,” Hope stressed and prayed it was true. “Gott’s timing is
perfect. When it’s right, the boppli will come, and you and Conrad will be
wishing for more sleep.” Her attempt to lighten the moment fell short.
“Komm into the kitchen. I’ll make you some tea to settle your nerves.”
Hope helped Naomi to her feet. With her hand ensconced in her friend’s,
she stepped from the bedroom and almost collided with Conrad, who
waited patiently for news. No doubt praying for a different result this time.
“Another false alarm,” Naomi told him in a weepy voice.
“But all is well with the boppli?” Conrad looked Hope’s way, and she
nodded.
Conrad smiled. “We’ll have our child soon enough, fraa, you’ll see.”
Naomi perked up at her husband’s reassurances. “You’re right. It will
happen before we know it.”
“That’s my girl.” Conrad kissed his wife’s cheek.
Together, they walked down the hall to the kitchen.
Conrad glanced out the window. “The snow is coming down harder. I
could barely see the road enough to get you, Hope. You should stay here
tonight. Abe will understand.”
When Conrad had arrived at the home Hope shared with her father to tell
her Naomi believed she was in labor, the snow had already been falling for
hours.
“That is a gut idea. Denki, Conrad.”
“You are willkumm.” Conrad headed to the living room. The sound of the
door to the woodstove being opened was followed by logs being tossed on
the fire. This storm had all the makings of one of the worst in many years.
Hope pumped water into the kettle. Outside, fat snowflakes swirled
around in the light projected from the lantern. Even with the stoves in the
kitchen and living room, the chill had begun to permeate through the house.
Hope held her hands near the flame beneath the kettle to warm them.
“The last time I saw so much snow was back when we were but kinner,”
Naomi murmured as she looked through the chilly glass. “You remember
that winter? You and me and Hunter went sledding at the hill near here, and
we all got caught in that snowstorm.” Naomi turned with a smile that soon
evaporated. “I’m sorry.”
Hope did her best not to show how much it still hurt to think about what
might have been. “No, it’s oke.” Yet even after more than five years since
the ending of her relationship with him, it wasn’t easy to think about, much
less talk about, Hunter.
The teakettle whistled. Hope started and swung toward the sound, a
nervous laugh escaping. She’d been on edge since Conrad had showed up at
her door, and she had no idea why. Just a bad feeling that wouldn’t go away.
“Is anything wrong?” Naomi asked, her watchful eyes on Hope’s face.
Letting go of the bad feeling wasn’t easy. Hope reminded herself she was
a strong woman who had delivered babies under some of the most
inconvenient circumstances. She wasn’t one to jump at shadows.
“Just the storm, I suppose. It’s got me on edge.” She retrieved three cups
and some tea from the cupboard. Plopping teabags into the mugs, she
poured in hot water.
“Here you go.” Hope turned toward Naomi with the cup in her hand.
Before Naomi had time to accept it, an explosive crash came from the
living room, followed by a loud thud. Cold air rushed through the house.
Her bad feeling doubled.
The teacup rattled in Hope’s hand. She bit back a scream and managed to
place it on the counter without dropping the cup.
She was about to ask Conrad what had happened when an angry voice
Hope didn’t recognize yelled, “Where’s the midwife? I know she’s here.”
A stranger had broken into Conrad and Naomi’s home, looking for her.
She couldn’t even begin to understand it.
Hope captured Naomi’s frightened eyes and shook her head. Don’t say a
word, she mouthed. She couldn’t think of a scenario where what was
happening didn’t end badly.
“She’s not here.” The distress in Conrad’s voice was unmistakable. He
spoke louder than normal as a warning to Hope and Naomi to stay hidden.
What sounded like a scuffle taking place had Naomi grabbing for Hope’s
arm. Fear crackled the air between them. Both were terrified for Conrad’s
safety.
Hope searched the kitchen for something to use as a weapon. She
grabbed one of the knives in a block and started for the living room. Conrad
was in danger. He needed help.
“You’re lying,” the same man growled. “I know she’s here because her
old man told us.”
Her footsteps faltered. Her father. This man threatening Conrad had gone
to her home and forced her daed to tell him Hope’s location. All sorts of
terrible thoughts flew through Hope’s mind. Daed was not well, hadn’t been
since the first stroke happened several years back. Since then, he’d suffered
a series of milder ones.
“Stop lying and tell us the truth,” the angry man continued. “Or do I have
to use this to make you talk?”
Us. There was more than one man. Hope wouldn’t be able to fight them
by herself even with the knife. She had to think about Naomi and the
boppli’s safety.
“Put the gun away.” Conrad’s response sent a chill down Hope’s spine.
The men were armed. “I told you the midwife isn’t here. It’s just me.”
“Just you? Where is your wife? She’s pregnant—the old man told us so.
Doesn’t make sense she’d leave the house in this weather.” It was only a
matter of time before the men searched the house and found her and Naomi.
“My wife went to see her mamm—her mother.” Conrad stuttered over the
explanation. He was being so brave. “There’s only me.”
“I don’t believe you.” Sounds of another, more intense, struggle ended
with the unmistakable crack of a gunshot. The noise resounded through the
small house, followed by Conrad’s blood-curdling scream. It sent chills
through Hope’s body. Her friend was hurt. How bad?
Not another word came from Conrad. Naomi started past Hope to aid her
husband, but Hope caught her arm. “You can’t go in there,” she whispered.
Naomi made the whimpering sound of a woman terrified for her mann.
The noise didn’t go unnoticed. “What was that? I thought you said you
were alone,” the same man demanded. Her friend must still be alive for
now.
“You two, go check it out. Bring her to me. Now.”
Hope pulled Naomi along with her to the back door.
“I can’t leave Conrad,” Naomi moaned and struggled to free herself.
Hope didn’t let her go. As she forced the door open, the wind snatched it
from her hand and slammed it against the wall. Everyone inside would have
heard the noise. There wasn’t much time.
Hope grabbed the two coats hanging near the back door and ushered
Naomi out into the cold. She worked with trembling fingers to help her
friend into the coat and slip the second one on. Surviving meant getting out
of sight quickly.
The two fought their way across the yard while driving snow and ice
struck like needles against their faces. It was impossible to see much
beyond the distance of their hands in front of them. The whiteout conditions
soon swallowed them up, and Hope could no longer spot the house through
the storm.
“I don’t see anyone,” a man’s voice said. “They could be anywhere.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Another person spoke. “You heard the boss. They can’t
get away.”
Hope kept her hand on Naomi’s arm and hurried her along. “You must
think of the baby,” she urged after Naomi cast a fearful look behind them.
She couldn’t imagine how hard it was for her friend to leave her husband
behind. “This is what Conrad would want. If they catch us, we won’t be
able to get him help.” She gathered Naomi close in an effort to protect her
from the biting wind.
As a child, Hope had made this place her playground. At one time, the
house where Naomi and Conrad lived had belonged to her family—until the
property dispute between Hope’s father and his dear friend Levi Shetler had
destroyed so much.
Her daed believed Levi had deliberately crossed the boundary line
between her family’s and the Shetlers’ and had logged the woods that
contained many young trees. Levi had denied it, but the proof was there in
the downed trees, and the Shetler family had been logging near the property
line around the same time.
Daed had been heartbroken that his friend would betray him in such a
way and then deny it to his face.
After her father had suffered a series of strokes, he’d sold the house to
Conrad and moved himself and Hope to a smaller farm.
“What if they kill my Conrad?” The words tore from Naomi’s throat.
“They don’t want Conrad. It’s me they’re after.” Still, would they risk
leaving witnesses behind? They’d shot Conrad to make him talk. These
men were ruthless. What could they possibly want with her?
Naomi’s steps slowed.
“You are doing great. Don’t stop,” Hope told her while trying to sound
positive. “We must keep going. This weather is not gut for you or the baby.”
When they reached the treed area between properties, the woods offered
some relief from the elements. Hope hurriedly buttoned Naomi’s coat and
then hers for more warmth.
Snow from previous storms had piled up in drifts close to two feet in
depth in places. Trudging across it drained Hope’s energy at a rapid rate.
She couldn’t imagine the struggle Naomi was going through with the extra
burden of the child.
“Don’t look back. Just keep walking,” she warned when Naomi glanced
over her shoulder. Hope was terrified of what might be coming up behind
them.
Neither she nor Naomi was dressed for the outdoors, even with the coats.
Hypothermia was a great risk, and Hope couldn’t bear the thought of Naomi
carrying her boppli this far to lose it to the elements.
“How much farther?” The wind whipped Naomi’s words all around, and
Hope almost didn’t catch them.
“Not much.” She did her best to shield Naomi from the cold and tried to
keep it together. Each step required all the energy she possessed to
complete. Giving up would be so easy. She turned her face away from her
friend and brushed crystalized ice tears away.
A sound behind them had Hope tugging Naomi into the protection of a
patch of trees. They crouched low while her heart went wild.
Naomi leaned heavily against Hope. The temperature and the freezing
snow and ice was putting her at risk every moment they were out in the
elements like this.
Hope drew in a breath and leaned a little away from the tree. No one.
What had she heard?
It didn’t matter. Their lives were in danger from more than those men
chasing them.
Please, Gott, keep us safe.
She stepped from behind the tree along with Naomi. Nothing was visible
in her limited view.
Keep going. Don’t stop.
Just as her strength was all but gone, the trees began to thin in front of
them. They were almost out of the woods. Beyond the woods lay Hunter
Shetler’s place.
Every time she heard his name—said it—thought it, even—her heart
broke over the past and the love they’d once shared.
Going to Hunter for help was something Hope could not have imagined
until now. But she and Naomi were all out of options. There was no other
choice. She’d do whatever necessary to save her friend. Even if it meant
reaching out to the man who’d broken her heart.
Something banged against the front of the house loud enough to wake
Hunter Shetler from a troubled sleep.
He forced out a breath, while his sleep-filled eyes darted around the room
lit only by the fire glow and a lantern that was ready to burn out.
Had the sound been part of his dreams, like the gunshot he’d thought
he’d heard earlier?
Another series of knocks—coming from the door—confirmed this wasn’t
a dream. Someone was outside. A second later, a familiar female voice
jumped out to him from the past, chased by the same hurt he experienced
every time he thought about her.
“Hunter, it’s Hope. Please, open the door. We’re in danger.”
Danger? Hunter shot to his feet. His fuzzy brain tried to make sense of it.
Hope was the last person he ever expected to be standing on his porch at
any time, much less in the middle of the worst storm of the season. And
she’d told him she was in danger. All sorts of disturbing reasons popped
into his head.
He crossed the room in two quick strides and yanked the door open. A
snow-covered Hope stood before him, teeth chattering. Her terror-filled
hazel eyes clung to his. Huddled beside her was his neighbor, Naomi
Hartzler.
“Was iss letz?” he asked, his attention going to Naomi’s swollen middle.
Had something happened to the baby? Where was Conrad?
Hope glanced nervously behind them, as if expecting someone to appear.
Hunter’s fear level doubled. “Please, can we come in?”
He stepped back. They must both be frozen as snow continued to blow
inside the house. “Jah, sorry.”
She ushered Naomi across the threshold and immediately shut the door.
She slid both the lock and dead bolt into place. The action did nothing to
clear up his concerns. “Hope, what’s going on?”
In almost five years, they hadn’t spoken a single word to each other. The
accusations leveled at his daed by Abe Christner still had the power to
make Hunter’s blood boil. Even worse than the anger was the betrayal he’d
felt by Hope. It still cut through to his heart. She’d believed her father over
him.
A few days after the argument, Hunter’s daed had seen a battered truck
out near Abe’s woods. A couple of Englischer men were coming from them
carrying chain saws. When they’d spotted Daed, they’d quickly left the area
and his father hadn’t seen them again. He’d found several cut trees and
believed the men had been illegally harvesting timber around the
community.
Daed had told Abe about the discovery, but Abe refused to believe his
friend.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” she said. Her eyes frantically searched
around the living space that at one time was to be his and Hope’s home. “I
was so afraid they’d catch us.”
“Who are you talking about?” he asked because he didn’t understand
anything about what she’d said so far.
“The back door.” Her eyes flashed fear his way. Without answering his
question, Hope ran to the rear of the house and flipped the locks into place.
By now, Hunter had become genuinely worried. He swung to the nearby
window and glanced out. Nothing but a deluge of snow swirling around out
there. Yet Hope would not be here now if everything were oke. What kind
of trouble was heading their way?
Hope reached her friend’s side and led Naomi to the chair Hunter had
recently vacated. “Sit and warm yourself. You need to stay off your feet as
much as possible after what happened.”
She grabbed the quilt Hunter’s mamm had made for what would have
been their wedding present, and snugged it around Naomi’s trembling body.
Hope came over to where he stood, her pretty face marred with the weight
of what she and Naomi had just been through.
“Some men broke into Naomi and Conrad’s home. They are armed and
they shot Conrad.” As she explained, Hope lowered her voice and looked
back at Naomi, who stared into space, silent tears falling. “The man in
charge sent others after us. We managed to make it here without being
spotted, but I don’t know where they are, or how badly Conrad is hurt.” Her
troubled gaze held his. “Hunter, they came to the house looking for me,”
she stressed.
Nothing about what she said made sense. Conrad was hurt? Armed men
had broken into the home and shot his friend. Hunter’s hands fisted. Anger
rose inside. His first instinct was to charge over to the house and...and
what?
His jaw tightened. He loved Conrad like one of his bruders and would do
anything to save him. No matter the cost.
“Who would wish to harm you? Why would they shoot Conrad?”
She lifted her palms and shrugged. “I have no idea. As I said, they were
looking for me, and it clearly has something to do with me being a
midwife.”
“I don’t understand.” How could Hope assisting babies into the world
warrant armed men coming after her?
Hope went to Naomi and felt her hands before nodding. “Gut, you are
warming up.”
Naomi turned her tearful face to Hope. “I am so worried.”
Hope squeezed her shoulder. “Your husband is strong and resourceful.
You mustn’t lose faith. Gott will protect him.”
Hunter’s thoughts tangled over themselves. His friend was hurt. Conrad
had been so excited about the new life growing inside Naomi. With each
passing month, he’d allowed himself to believe this time would be different
and Naomi would carry the child full term. After everything they’d been
through, now this?
Gott, I don’t understand Your ways sometimes.
While he watched Hope with Naomi, Hunter tried to keep thoughts from
going back to the argument that had ultimately torn them apart. Still today,
he couldn’t accept she’d refused to even listen to him. That she would
believe Hunter’s daed or his bruders capable of doing such a thing. She’d
told him she loved him and yet she’d broken his heart. For years, Hunter
had struggled to let go of the resentment he felt. Seeing her now proved he
hadn’t been able to accomplish it yet.
Hope turned and found him watching her. He tore his glance away as she
returned to his side. Somehow, he must get past the anger and resentment if
he was going to be of any use to his friends. And to Hope.
“Why do you think this is connected to what you do?” A simple calling
like being a midwife would have nothing to do with such acts of violence,
surely.
She searched his face before answering. “Because the one man
specifically asked for the midwife. Hunter, he said he’d been to my home.
They forced my father to tell them where I’d gone. If they hurt him...”
He couldn’t begin to imagine what it must have taken to get that
information from her daed. It troubled him that armed men were singling
out Hope because of her job.
“Has something unusual happened recently in your work? Is someone
following you, perhaps? There has to be a reason why they’d be looking for
you specifically.”
Hope shook her head. “No, there’s nothing,” she insisted. “I’ve had
several deliveries around the community recently, but all went well, and
there were no problems during or after the births. In fact, I checked on the
mothers and babies recently.” She blew out a breath. “There’s been no one
unusual hanging out around the house, either. I don’t understand why they
are coming after me, but I’m afraid, Hunter. I’m very afraid.”
She lived a simple life with her daed. Beyond being the midwife for the
area, Hope sold quilts and wall hangings at one of the shops in the
community. So what did such innocent behavior have in common with men
willing to use violence to get what they wanted?
For the most part, the community consisted of peaceful people who
honored Gott with their lives, and yet this wasn’t the first time violence had
leached its way into the West Kootenai community in the form of outsiders.
There had been other incidences that had become personal, involving
members of his family. It had proved to Hunter bad things happened no
matter where you lived.
Hope glanced back at her friend. “I was so certain they would spot us
before we reached your place.” She told him how she and Naomi managed
to escape the house and about their frantic trek through the woods
separating the two properties. She ran a visibly shaking hand over her eyes.
“With the weather, they hopefully weren’t able to see which direction we
went. The falling snow should cover our footprints.” She suddenly clutched
his arm. “But they have Conrad, and he could be seriously hurt. We have to
do something.”
Conrad needed him. He wouldn’t let his friend die. No matter what had
happened between him and Hope, or how broken he’d felt when she’d
chosen to end things, this was Conrad. His friend. He’d protect Naomi and
Hope because that was what Conrad would wish.
“Komm lock the door behind me. You and Naomi stay here where it’s
warm.” Hunter reached for his shotgun. “I’m going after Conrad.”
Hope grabbed his arm before he’d taken a single step. “You can’t.
They’ll kill you. We have to get help.”
He looked at the face of the woman he’d once loved and tried not to think
about the life they’d planned together. The dreams.
“I’ll be oke.” Still, she didn’t let him go. “Perhaps they gave up and left.
Conrad could be bleeding out. I have to go.”
He slowly loosened her fingers and noticed her soaked dress and wet
prayer kapp. She was shaking from the cold and probably also from shock
over what had happened.
“You’re shivering.” Hunter leaned the shotgun against the door and
grabbed an extra quilt from the chest where he kept them. He wrapped it
around her shoulders.
That little wrinkle between her brows was one he recognized right away.
In the past, Hope had had a habit of looking at him like she was right now
whenever he’d done something she hadn’t understood. His protective
gesture must have confused her.
He’d grown up with her—knew what she felt simply by the expression
on her face. It reflected when she was angry with him. Or teasing. He’d
loved all those things about her and had told her he was going to marry her
since they were kids. She’d laughed at him until soon after they’d finished
their Rumspringa and he’d asked her to be his wife for real.
Yet when the first test to their commitment had come, they hadn’t
survived it. Perhaps it had been Gott’s way of opening both their eyes to the
truth. They were not meant to be together.
Hunter’s jaw tightened. It still hurt, and he’d struggled to let go of the
pain, to give it entirely to Gott like his mamm had pleaded with him to do
since the breakup. So far, it hadn’t worked. His and Hope’s past had been
written and could not be changed. He had this moment—now—to make the
right choice. And he would do whatever possible to save his friend’s life.
He grabbed the shotgun again. “Take care of Naomi.” Anger crept into
his tone. Hunter struggled to soften his next words. “I will be careful. I’ll
ride the mare over and walk in before I reach the house and can be spotted.”
He picked up a box of shotgun shells because he was almost certain he’d
need the added protection. Hunter started for the door.
The thought of facing off with armed men in the middle of such a storm
was not a willkumm one, yet he had to do something. He and Conrad had
grown up together. Since Conrad and Naomi had moved next door, they
helped each other out with the planting and harvesting. Hunter had stood
with his friend and watched him mourn each lost boppli. Rejoiced with him
at the prospect of Naomi carrying this child to full term.
Taking his coat from the peg beside the door, Hunter shoved his arms
into it before slipping on his warm boots. “Be sure to lock the door behind
me,” he reminded Hope before lighting another lantern to take with him. He
disengaged the dead bolt and reached for the doorknob. A sound outside—
barely distinguishable above the wind—stopped him from opening it.
While Hope’s frown deepened, Hunter quickly reengaged the dead bolt
and listened. The wind wailed its mournful sound. But it was another noise
that captured his attention.
A board squeaked. He recognized it because he’d been meaning to
replace the loose one on the steps. Every single time he stepped up on it,
that same squeak reminded him of the needed repair. Now, he wondered if it
might be the one thing to save all their lives.
“Oh, no,” Hope whispered next to him. She’d heard it, too. “They tracked
us here.”
He clasped her arm and put distance between them and the door.
Naomi gathered the quilt around her body, her fearful eyes watching the
door as if expecting those men to barrel inside at any moment.
Hunter cocked his head and listened carefully.
Only one squeak. She’d said there were more than one man following
them. Where were the others?
Hunter slipped his arm around Hope’s shoulders and glanced to Naomi,
who huddled beneath the blanket, her frightened eyes glued to the door.
Above the noise of the weather, someone moved around on the porch. The
hairs on the back of Hunter’s neck stood at attention. He placed a finger
over his lips. If they didn’t make a sound, perhaps the men would leave.
How had they found the two women through the storm? Disjointed
thoughts flew through his head. None made sense.
Snow-muffled footsteps traversed the porch. A flashlight swept across
the front of the house, visible through the curtains. After what felt like
forever, the light disappeared. Hunter released the breath he’d held. A
heartbeat later the front door splintered open. Snow flew in its wake,
covering everything nearby. A man dressed entirely in dark clothing filled
the entrance.
Hunter let Hope go. “Run. Get Naomi and leave out the back.”
He pushed her toward Naomi and aimed the shotgun at the man. “That’s
far enough. You have no right to be here.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hope standing perfectly still in
the middle of the room. Why wasn’t she moving?
“Hope, get out of here,” he urged, but she didn’t budge.
“I can’t.” She pointed toward the back and he realized another person had
entered the house.
The first man stepped inside and shut the door. Hunter never lowered the
weapon. “I said, that’s far enough.”
The man wasn’t looking at him but at something beyond Hunter’s line of
sight.
Hunter spun around in time to see the second man grab Hope’s arm.
Before he could react, something hard struck the side of his head.
Excruciating pain was followed by the world around him spinning out of
control. Hope. She was the last thought in his mind before blackness
encroached through the spinning world. His eyelids slammed shut. Hunter
fought it, but it was a losing battle. He stumbled. His feet deserted him. He
hit the floor hard. The ground and the darkness swallowed him up.

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