A Place of His Own (17 page)

She rose from the swing, her arms still crossed over her chest. “I've got to get inside.
Daed
's probably up already, and I'll have to make breakfast. I'll send the boys over when we're done.” Unable to stop herself, she faced him. “Just do me one favor, before you leave.”

He jumped up from the swing. “Amanda—”

“Make sure you say good-bye.” Whirling around, she started for the house, only to stop in her tracks when he gently grabbed her arm. He tugged her toward him, and before she could say a word, he kissed her.

A few seconds later, they parted. “Just for the record, that was
not
a good-bye kiss.” His gaze lingered over her face. “I'm not going anywhere.”

Her lips still tingling, she said, “But the Realtor—”

“Is making a trip out here for nothing.”

Joy surged through her. “You're not leaving?”

“
Nee
. I love you, Mandy. That's something else I haven't been honest about. I've loved you for a long time, I think even before I left Paradise. You've always been the only woman for me.”

Her eyes widened. “I had no idea.”

“I never let on. I didn't want to ruin our friendship, for one thing. Also . . . I thought you'd laugh in my face if I told you.”

“I would never do that.”

“I know that now. I've made a lot of mistakes, Mandy. I'm not a perfect man. I still have a temper, but I'm hoping with God's help I can control it. I also don't have much to offer. I only have this house and part of a barn to my name. I'll never have money like Peter does.”

“You know I don't care about that.”

He grinned. “It's one of the reasons I love you. One of many.” He ran his thumb over her cheek. “I love your enthusiasm, your spontaneity, your spirit, your unconditional belief and love.” Then his expression grew somber. “I've spent the last ten years longing for something I never thought I'd have. A wife. Family. A place of my own.”

“You can have all of those things, Josiah.” Her voice trembled as she put her arms around him.

“I can?”

“
Ya
,” she said, resting her cheek against his chest. “All you have to do is ask.”

READING GROUP GUIDE

*Guide contains spoilers, so don't read before completing the novellas.

For reading groups with five or more members,
the author will participate in the discussion
of this collection. If you're interested,
go to
www.Amishhearts.com
.

A PLACE OF HIS OWN

1. When Josiah arrives in Paradise, he's determined not to depend on anyone else. Has there ever been a time in your life when people let you down? How did you learn to trust again?

2. Amanda is a “fixer”—she's eager to solve everyone's problems. What lesson did she learn in the story?

3. Although it's not stated in the story, do you think Josiah asked for and accepted God's forgiveness? Why or why not?

4. Sometimes it seems easier to blame God for our troubles than to ask Him to help us during times of hardship. Why do you think we tend to do this? What should we do instead?

Amish Recipe

AMANDA GRABER'S MONSTER COOKIES

1. Cream together:

1½ sticks butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2. Add:

4 eggs

1 pound crunchy peanut butter

3. Mix until blended. Add:

2½ teaspoons baking soda

¼ cup flour

4½ cups quick oats

4. Mix in:

½ pound M&M's

12 ounces chocolate chips

5. Dough will be stiff. Form teaspoon-sized balls and roll in powdered sugar.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

An Excerpt from 
A Man of His Word

Chapter 1

M
oriah Byler ran her fingers across the soft fabric of the dress hanging on her closet door. Its powder-blue hue, her favorite color, resembled a clear summer sky. Giddiness coursed through her. In three hours she would don this new dress, and before God and her church, she would become Mrs. Levi Miller.

Closing her eyes, she pictured her handsome husband-to-be, his sandy-brown hair falling across his forehead, his chestnut-colored eyes filled with mischief when he was up to something —which was often. She smiled broadly. Was he experiencing the same excitement she felt? Since he had proposed to her a few months ago, she had dreamed about this day, the day she would marry the man she loved, the man God had set apart especially for her. Memories of his proposal flashed through her mind. He had taken her by surprise that day in the barn, first by asking her to marry him, then by boldly kissing her.

Opening her eyes, she touched her cheeks, flushing at the memory. She had always thought she would experience her first kiss after she married. Then again, Levi had always been unpredictable. Although he had tried to kiss her again, she had stopped him. Kissing led to other things—things that should occur after marriage, as their faith taught. She had seen the disappointment in his eyes, but he had agreed to her wishes. Since then he had also been on his best behavior.

She took one last look at the dress she and her mother had finished a week ago, then frowned. Was that a hole in the sleeve? She removed the dress from the hanger. Sure enough, a part of the shoulder seam had separated. She retrieved a needle and thread and quickly stitched it up. After knotting the thread, she snipped it close to the stitches with a small pair of scissors.
There. Now it's
perfect.
The dress and her wedding day would be
fehlerfrei
.

Moriah hung up the dress and walked to her second-story window, peering into her family's backyard. She gave thanks for their two-acre spread, which included a large clapboard barn and storage shed, both painted in the same shade of white as the house. She spied her father and two of her younger brothers, Lukas and Stephen, bringing inside a long wooden table the family had borrowed several days ago. Behind them followed Gabriel, Levi's identical twin brother, carrying a couple of wooden chairs.

As she watched Gabriel, she recalled the close friendship the three of them had shared as children. Some of her favorite memories revolved around watching Levi and Gabriel try to outdo each other in everything. Gabriel always had the better grades and was physically stronger, as he had proved in third grade when he and Levi had taken turns to see who could lift her up. Gabriel had carried her across the yard as if she weighed no more than a kitten while Levi had carried her only a few feet. But Levi soon proved he could best Gabriel in games of speed and agility, and she smiled as she remembered his determination to climb trees faster and higher than anyone in their school.

She and Levi had begun courting at age sixteen, just after
Frau
Miller had passed away. Gabriel quickly distanced himself, as if they had never been friends at all. At first, she thought Gabriel was grieving the loss of his mother, but he continued to treat her coolly, more so with each passing year. She hoped that would change once she was a part of his family. She missed his friendship.

Moriah started to turn away when she heard a
plink
ing sound against the windowpane. Then another. She gazed at the ground to see Levi standing below. Sans hat and coat, he had on a long-sleeved, white shirt with black suspenders attached to his dark trousers. Oh, how handsome he looked! He was bending down to pick up another pebble when she shoved open the window. The chilly November air rushed into the warm bedroom.

“Levi! What are you doing?”

Levi's boyishly wicked smile spread across his face. “Looking at
mei braut
.”

She couldn't help but smile when he called her his bride. “You'll see enough of me at the wedding.”

“I can't wait that long.” The sunlight glinted off his hair.

Giggling, she said, “You'll have to. I shouldn't even be talking to you.”

His shoulders slumped slightly. “Don't you wish we could just run away and get married? Forget all this”—he spread his arms out and gestured to the house and backyard—“and do something different?”

His words shocked the smile from her face. Run away? She knew Yankees sometimes eloped, but she would never consider getting married anywhere but among her family and friends, receiving the full blessing of the church and the Lord. “Levi, why would you even say something like that?”

“I was only kidding,” he said, the tone of his voice dropping. Then he straightened his shoulders and grinned again, calming the twinge that had suddenly pinched her heart. He reached for a ladder that had been propped against the house. Her father and several other men from the church had finished reroofing the house last week, and the ladder had been in heavy use. Levi moved the ladder until it clattered against the house, right next to her window.

When he placed his foot on the bottom rung, her jaw dropped. “Levi, you can't come up here.”

“Why not?” His hands gripped the side of the ladder and he took a step up. “I have every right to see my bride.”

“But not this way.” She put her hand to her head. She didn't even have her
kapp
on, nor was her hair brushed and pinned up. He couldn't see her like this, and he definitely couldn't be alone in her bedroom. He knew that. “Levi, if
Daed
sees you—”

He glanced up but kept climbing. “Everyone is inside, Moriah. Don't worry, he won't catch me.”

Alarm rose within her. She couldn't be alone with Levi, especially not in her room while both their families were downstairs. Other than a few buggy rides together, they hadn't been by themselves since he had proposed to her, and she had been fine with that. They would spend plenty of time together once they were married. “Levi,
nee
!”

He climbed one more step, then stopped. He was halfway up the ladder now, and it would only take him a few more seconds to reach her bedroom. She froze, wondering what he would do. Meeting his gaze, she saw something in his eyes she had never seen before. Frustration? “You don't want to see me?” he asked, sounding hurt.

She shook her head. “Not right now.”

After a fleeting hesitation, he gave her his trademark cocky smirk, and she thought he would respect her wishes. Instead, he continued to climb.

“Levi!” Gabriel's voiced startled her. She stepped back from the window, far enough so she wouldn't be seen from the outside, but still within hearing distance of the two brothers.

“What are you doing?” Gabriel asked, his tone hard.

She listened as Levi shimmied back down the ladder, straining to hear his words. “Just having some fun,
bruder
.”

“By sneaking into Moriah's bedroom?”

Although she couldn't see Gabriel, she could imagine him standing in front of Levi, his arms crossed, his facial expression set in stone as it often was when he and Levi argued.

“She's
mei braut
, Gabe. Lighten up.”

“I'd think you'd have better things to do than goof around on your wedding day.”

“That's right,” Levi retorted. “
My
wedding day.”

Moriah's brow furrowed. What did he mean by that? She leaned forward as much as she dared, but the men's voices grew faint. Peeking outside, she saw them heading toward the barn, still arguing with each other.

Moriah closed the window, wrapping her arms around her body. The cold air had pierced through her cotton nightgown, icing her fingers and toes. What had gotten into Levi? They would be married in such a short time, why would he risk getting both of them into trouble by doing something so reckless? Certainly he wouldn't entertain something that would put not only him, but also her, in the
bann
? While she often found his spontaneity attractive, he had unnerved her this time. Fortunately only Gabriel had spotted him. It would have been much worse if their parents had.

Taking a deep breath, she relaxed and started to dress, putting Levi's antics out of her mind. He'd done no harm, and she somehow knew Gabriel wouldn't say anything to anyone. A tiny smile played on her lips. One thing she did know, life with Levi would never be boring.

She brushed out her waist-length, blonde hair and wrapped it tightly in a bun before fastening her white prayer
kapp
with two bobby pins. She would later cover the
kapp
with her black bonnet, which would conceal her hair completely. In three hours, the ceremony would begin, and after slipping on her shoes, she went downstairs to the kitchen to help with the preparations.

The thick scent of stuffed roast chicken baking in the oven mingled with the tangy aroma of coleslaw and potato salad. As she entered the kitchen, she also caught a whiff of spicy cinnamon from the apple pies that had been set on the countertop to cool.

Argumentative voices reached her ears—the deep bass of one of her younger brothers, Tobias, mingled with the melodic yet irritated soprano of Rachel Detweiler, one of his former classmates from school and the daughter of one of her mother's dearest friends.