Read Online Brian's Choice by Vannetta Chapman - Free Book Online Page A

The rest is pretty straightforward.”
    â€œStraightforward? You decide to give up everything—nearly all the conveniences of modern society—and become Amish, one of the most conservative sects in the country. How is that straightforward?”
    Now Brian smiled. “Perhaps it was the horse and buggies. Remember, I didn’t want to ever drive again.” Then he grew serious. “When I was sitting beside that reflection pond at the memorial site in Oklahoma City, I told God that if He gave me a new life I wouldn’t waste it. I wouldn’t squander it like I had the old one. A week later I was eating Dutch apple pie and drinking coffee with Levi. He took me in, taught me about a simple faith, a dedicated work ethic, the meaning of being a neighbor to one another. Why wouldn’t I become Amish?”
    Bynum sat back, studying Brian as if he didn’t know what to say.
    â€œI was confronted with a choice. I knew I couldn’t go back to California, but I could continue wandering. Or I could accept the new life I was faced with. A life that honored God and allowed me to be a part of a community again.”
    One minute, then two ticked by. Finally, Bynum reached forward and opened the folder. Brian glimpsed copied pages of a journal, and he recognized the handwriting.
    â€œWhat about Stella? What about the fact that she had a major crushon you, that she wrote about running away with you and the two of you marrying? What do you say about that? How does that figure into your choice?”
    Brian was only mildly surprised. His policy regarding student infatuations had always been to ignore them. After a few weeks or months, they passed. Only this time, a young girl’s fantasies could incriminate him.
    â€œI had nothing to do with Stella’s disappearance. She was a student in my class, and I did my best to teach her and guide her. I would never hurt her or anyone else, and if you don’t believe that, then I suggest you get out of your office and start interviewing people from our community.” He stood, reached forward, and tapped the pages. “Or maybe you’ve already done that. Maybe you have nothing to go on but the pages of a young girl’s diary. Either way, we’re done here.”
    Then Brian walked around the table and out of the police station.

FIFTEEN
    The ride home in the buggy was quiet.
    Levi chuckled once when they passed a tractor driven by John Yoder. The tractor pulled the bed of a Ford pickup truck filled with Amish teens. All waved at the bishop and Brian.
    The sight would have been odd to Brian a few years ago, but now he understood that it was merely teens having fun on a Friday night. They were probably headed to town for ice cream. Even in an Amish community, teenagers needed places to congregate and ways to celebrate the end of a school week.
    Levi pulled up in front of Brian’s house. No words were needed. He slapped the schoolteacher on the back, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and then he drove away.
    Brian walked into his house, thinking that perhaps it was good news no one had found any trace of Stella. Maybe it meant she was okay after all. He walked into his kitchen, wondering what he would throw together for a late dinner, and was brought up short by a wonderful smell.
    The oven in his gas stove was on and set to its lowest setting. When Brian opened the door, he found a chicken casserole, some baked vegetables, and a fresh peach pie. The Amish in Cody’s Creek virtuallynever locked their doors. It seemed that someone had taken advantage of that and left him a bit of encouragement.
    He ate his fill and then stored the leftovers in the refrigerator. Within thirty minutes he was sound asleep in his bed.

    Brian woke the next day as the morning sky lightened. A few minutes later he stumbled into the kitchen and set coffee to boiling on the stove. Staring into his nearly empty refrigerator, he realized he had