Moriah's face ached from smiling so much, but she wouldn't complain. After almost a half an hour accepting congratulations and receiving hugs and good wishes, she felt happiness beyond her expectations.
“Moriah!” A short, stocky young woman walked up to her. She enveloped Moriah in a tight hug. When the woman released her, she smiled. “You don't remember me, do you?”
Tilting her head to the side, Moriah searched her memory, frowning. She couldn't recall ever seeing her before. “
Nee
, I'm sorry, I do not.”
The young woman laughed, her cheeks plump and ruddy, her hazel eyes filled with merriment. “I'm not surprised, since we haven't been together since we were very young. I'm Katharine. Katharine Yoder.”
Moriah's eyes widened. “
Mei
cousin!” She hugged her again. “I can't believe you're here!
Mami
said you wouldn't make it.”
“And my
mudder
said she wouldn't miss her niece's wedding for the world.”
“How was your trip from Paradise?”
“Long, but
gut
. We arrived yesterday. I haven't been out of Lancaster County since I was a small child, and I'm surprised at how different things are here compared to back home. You don't have as many tourists hanging about, and your buggies are a different color and shape.” She reached up and touched her
kapp
. “Even your
kapps
are a slightly different style then what we wear.” Katharine laid her hand on Moriah's arm and laughed. “But it is all still lovely. You are a beautiful bride, Moriah.”
Moriah blushed at the compliment. While beauty was vanity, she did appreciate her cousin's kind words. They had been pen pals for almost fifteen years, since Katharine and her family had moved to Lancaster when the girls were both five years old. It warmed her heart to see her after all this time. “
Danki
, Katharine. Still, though there are some differences, we are all Amish,
ya
?”
“
Ya
. And family too.” She took Moriah's hand and gave it a squeeze. “I'm so happy for you.”
Katharine slipped away to visit with other family members, and Moriah spotted Levi a few steps away. Her new husband was in his element greeting the wedding guests. Filled to the brim with charm, he loved talking with people, and they seemed to gravitate toward him.
“
Danki
,” he said to his uncle Eli, who had just given them his blessing. Levi clapped the man on the back. “Me and Moriah appreciate you coming.”
“Wouldn't have missed it. We always knew you two'd get hitched someday.” He shook his head. “Makes a man feel old, it sure does, all these young folks getting married.”
“
Ach
, age is just a number,” Levi said. “You're fit as a fiddle, that's all that counts.”
Eli grinned. “S'pose so.” He looked at Moriah. “You take care of this boy, you hear? Needs a good woman to keep him in his place, dontcha know.”
With a grin, Moriah said, “
Ya
. That I know.”
Levi placed his palm at the small of her back. “I think I'm in good hands, Eli.”
The warmth from his hand seeped through the fabric of her dress, causing a frisson of delight to course through her. She loved this man so much, more than she ever thought possible. Although her faith believed in eschewing pride for humility, she was proud to be his wife. She was Mrs. Levi Miller, from now until forever.
Suddenly the sound of a man clearing his throat reached her ears. She turned away from her husband to see his twin, Gabriel, standing before them. Eli must have discreetly disappeared, for there was no sign of him nearby.
“Congratulations,
bruder
.” Gabe extended his hand to Levi, who grasped it immediately and shook it with enthusiasm.
“Thanks, Gabe.” Levi gently pushed Moriah forward. “Why don't you welcome your
schwei
into the family, your new sister-in-law?”
Moriah faced Gabe, the mirror image of her husband. His black hat was pulled low on his head, covering much of his sandy brown hair. Like Levi, he had broad shoulders and a barrel-like chest that tapered to a narrow waist. His cheeks were smooth, indicative of a single man. When their gaze met, she thought she saw something flicker in his brown eyes, eyes that were so similar to Levi's. Regret? She wasn't sure.
Yet while Levi always had a playful spark in his eyes, Gabriel's reflected his somber demeanor. He kept his feelings wrapped up tight, which made the brief dash of emotion in his expression even more puzzling. But as quickly as it had appeared, it left, and his stoic mask returned, firmly in place.
“
Daed
and I are looking forward to you and Levi visiting us soon.”
“It won't be long before we will,” she said. “Saturday for sure. We'll be staying with my parents until then.”
Gabe nodded, then glanced away. “Saturday it is.”
“Is that the best you can do?” Levi shook his head, grinning. “Give her a hug, Gabe. She's family now.”
Gabriel hesitated, but finally he extended his arms to her and gave her a slight embrace. “
Willkum
,” he said, then quickly released her, as if her touch burned him. He turned on his heel and made his way to a table with an empty seat next to his father.
Moriah tried to hide a frown. Why was he so reluctant to be near her? “Something wrong with Gabriel?” she asked.
Levi smirked, then gave her a knowing look. “No, nothing's wrong with him. Gabe's just being Gabe.”
“I suppose.” She cast Gabriel another glance, but he was involved in a conversation with a young woman who had sat down next to him. As far as Moriah knew, Gabriel hadn't actively courted anyone, and she always wondered about that, since there were many available, and interested, young women in their community. Maybe that one had piqued his interest.
“You know how my brother is,” Levi continued. “Hard to figure out what's going on in that head of his. Heck, I'm his twin and half the time I don't know what he's thinking.” He leaned in close, his breath warm in her ear. “I can promise you thisâhe's just fine with you joining the family. Everyone is, can't you tell?”
Levi was right. The last person to object to Moriah would be Gabriel. He had plenty of time to get used to the idea of his brother's marriage, since he'd been the first person they told they were getting married. He'd found out by accident, walking in on them when they were in the Miller's barn minutes after Levi had proposed. If Gabriel thought their union a bad idea, he'd had more than enough time to speak up.
But why was she concerned about what Gabe thought in the first place? She didn't need his permission or approval to marry his brother. Still, she wished their relationship could have been the way it was when they were younger. While Gabriel was more reserved and pensive than Levi, he could be just as charming and witty as his brother when he wanted to.
Levi glanced around the room. “Looks like everyone's happy,” he said in a satisfied tone.
She looked up at him, forgetting about Gabriel. “Are you happy, Levi?” A tiny knot of apprehension formed inside her belly. All she wanted was his happiness.
He gave her a wink. “Of course I am. I'm married to you, aren't I?”
Moriah let out a relaxing breath. A tiny flutter swirled around in her belly as she gave him a loving smile. She was the luckiest woman in the world.
Turning her attention back to her guests, she saw them digging into their meals. Her stomach growled as the smell of the wedding dinner filtered through the air. When
Mami
brought out another huge basket of yeasty rolls, steaming hot from the oven, she couldn't resist any longer. “I'm starving,” she whispered to Levi.
“You and me both. Let's eat.”
With Levi taking the lead, Moriah followed him to one of the head tables, where her younger sister Elisabeth brought them two heaping plates and two large glasses of lemonade. Elisabeth leaned forward and whispered in Moriah's ear.
“Tomorrow morning, I want details.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Heat crept up Moriah's face. “Details?” she said, feigning ignorance. She loved her romance-crazed sister, but she could be nosyâand inappropriateâat times.
“You know what I mean.” Moving back, Elisabeth winked at her sister, then handed a glass of lemonade to the next guest at the table.
“What did Elisabeth say?” Levi asked.
“Nothing.” She hoped her husband didn't notice her blushing. Her sister might want “details,” but she wouldn't get them. Moriah wasn't about to discuss her wedding night with Elisabeth. Five years separated them, but despite the age gap, they had shared nearly everything with each other. However, her wedding night with Levi was private, and it would stay that way.
The calm she'd experienced moments before evaporated, replaced by a new worry that tapped on her nerves. Would she disappoint him? She couldn't bear the thought of that.
Beside her, Levi talked with guests, grinning and laughing, unaware of the sudden turmoil churning inside her. Moriah stared at her food, her appetite gone.
Suddenly she felt Levi reach for her hand under the table and give it a squeeze, as if he had sensed the chaos in her mind. She tilted her head toward him and smiled. He grinned in return.
A semblance of peace washed over her, and for that she was grateful. With the smallest of gestures, Levi had calmed her down. She was thankful to the Almighty for Levi's love. He would be a fine husband and father. She knew of a couple of women in the community whose husbands treated them badly, and she pitied them. But with Levi, she wouldn't have that worry. He was kind, trustworthy, and loyal. They would be there for each other, through the good times and the bad.
Chapter 2
T
obias Byler could pinpoint the precise moment he had noticed Rachel Detweiler had become a woman. Last year, at a Sunday night singing in late May. She had just turned nineteen. Before that night he had thought of her as the biggest thorn in his side, a bratty, boyish-looking girl who acted way too big for her britches. Fiercely competitive, she often nagged him into sporting contestsâusually fishing, volleyball, or softball. Lately she'd also become an expert corntoss player, tossing the corn bag easily into the hole of the wooden platform. He hated that she won their matches on a regular basis, and she never missed an opportunity to rub it in his face.
But that night six months ago, when he saw her at the singing, his attitude had changed. She was still a pest, but now he thought her a beautiful one. The plain, light-green dress she had worn that night, one that left everything to the imagination, accented her womanly figure. Until then he had never noticed how smooth her cheeks were, or how her bright blue eyes were framed by long, silky, light-brown lashes. He'd also never noticed how sweet her smile was, but that was probably due to her genuinely smiling at everyone but him. Usually he received a smirk or a haughty frown. Yet that spring night at the Yoder's, he would have done anything to have her grin at him the same way she had smiled at Christian Weaver.
Of course she didn't, and Christian had taken her home in his buggy after the singing. The two of them had never become an item, though. That had surprised everyone, including Tobias. Probably Christian too, even though he'd never said anything about it. Since then Rachel had allowed nearly every young man in the community to take her home after social events, save for him. Ordinarily this would have given her a loose reputation, except all the fellows knew Rachel wasn't interested in them like that. She was their pal, friendly to everyone, with one exception: him.
Of course, just because he thought Rachel was pretty didn't mean he liked her. How could he like a girl who kept showing him up in front of his friends? He had no choice but to put up with it. His father had always taught him to be a gentleman, to respect women and to treat them well. Not all the men in the community did that, but Tobias honored his father's wise edict. He hoped to emulate his parents' wonderful marriage.
But notâ
definitely
notâwith Rachel Detweiler. For some reason being friends with Rachel, much less having any other kind of relationship, was like searching for a rainbow in the middle of a thunderstorm. While wearing a blindfold. In other words,
impossible
.
Right now he was annoyed with her for joining their game. She had taken off her cloak, clearly warmed from the combination of the strong sunlight and the exertion of playing during his sister's wedding dinner. He and his friends had discarded their black overcoats as well, and Christian had already rolled up his sleeves. At least they were on opposite teams.
He picked up his old wooden bat, one his father had made many years ago. Despite the nicks and chips accumulated from years of use, it still had a nice sweet spot. The handle had been worn down so that it matched his grip perfectly. He'd hit many a home run with this simple stick of wood, and he intended to take another trip around the makeshift bases today.
Stepping up to the flat rock that served as home plate, he stared her down. Rachel was rolling the grimy ball around in her right hand, not caring that her palm had turned black from the sticky mud or that her dress was smudged with it. He'd never admit it out loud, but she was a good pitcher too, which made him hot under the collar. No way would he let her strike him out. Not again.
“You don't scare me,” she said, giving him a cool glare. “You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.”
Considering they'd moved their game from the Byler's front yard to the field behind the house, where the barn was in plain view, he now had the prime opportunity to make her eat her words. But before he could get set up in the batter's box, a fastball whizzed past him.
“Strike!”
Tobias glared at his younger brother Stephen, questioning the wisdom of having a thirteen-year-old referee their game. However, since Stephen was a stickler for rules, he had been everyone's unanimous choice for umpire.