Season Of Second Chances

Amish widow Sarah Wyse does not see wedding bells in her future. Still, she can’t think of a better way to spend the Christmas season than helping her handsome, shy neighbor Levi Beachy find a wife. But once the single ladies of Hope Springs start visiting his buggy shop, Levi sends the town’s eligible men Sarah’s way. Neither expects to find love—but with help from the close-knit community, they just might mend each other’s broken heart.

Levi wondered if Sarah realized how pretty she was with the new morning light streaming through the window bathing her face in golden light.

To his eyes, she grew more beautiful with each passing year. It was no wonder Daniel had fallen in love with her.

Levi dropped his gaze to his feet, afraid his thoughts would somehow show in his eyes. “Do you mind?”

“Do I mind what?” she asked at last with an odd inflection in her tone.

He waved his arm to indicate the shop. “That I made changes?”

“Nee, it is your work space,” she said quickly.

“Goot.”

“What needs doing in here today that Grace would normally do? I’m at your beck and call, so put me to work.”

“I don’t need anything.” What he wanted was for her to go home. The workshop was his sanctuary. How could it be a place of peace with Sarah in it?

PATRICIA DAVIDS

After thirty-five years as a nurse, Pat has hung up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer. She enjoys spending her new free time visiting her grandchildren, doing some long-overdue yard work and traveling to research her story locations. She resides in Wichita, Kansas. Pat always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can visit her on the web at www.patriciadavids.com.

A Hope Springs Christmas
Patricia Davids

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

—Matthew 5:16

This book is lovingly dedicated to my daughter Kathy and her husband, Tony. Thank you for

your help and love. You both mean the world to me.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

“You can tell me the truth, dear. How are you really?”

Sarah Wyse dropped her gaze to the pile of mending in front of her on the scrubbed pine kitchen table without answering her aunt. How was she? Frightened.

“Tell me,” her aunt persisted. Emma Lapp didn’t believe in beating around the bush. She had a sharp eye and a gift for two things, matchmaking and uncovering gossip. How had she found out so quickly?

Sarah had expected to have a few days before having this conversation, but that wasn’t to be. “I’m fine, Aenti Emma. Why do you ask?”

“You put on such a brave face, child. I know how hard the holiday season is for you. To lose your job on top of everything, my heart goes out to you. You must remember the Lord never gives us more than we can bear. Put your trust in Him.”

“All is as God wills, even when we cannot comprehend His ways.”

Christmas brought Sarah more painful memories than joy. Too many of her holidays had been marked by funerals. She dreaded the arrival of winter each year with its long, dark, lonely nights. It was her job that kept her sane. Had kept her sane.

What would she do now? What if the crippling depression she struggled to overcome got the upper hand?

“How will you manage?” Emma asked.

Sarah raised her chin and answered with a conviction she didn’t feel. “As best I can. Would you like some tea?”

“That would be lovely.”

Her aunt’s sudden arrival was a blessing in disguise. Sarah had been sitting alone in her kitchen, wallowing in self-pity. It solved nothing. She needed to be busy.

She rose and crossed to the cupboard. Taking down a pair of white mugs, she carried them to the stove and filled them with hot water from the kettle steaming on the back of the cooktop.

“I know how you depend on the income from your job, Sarah, being a widow and all. Your onkel and I will help if you need it.”

“Don’t fret for me. It’s only for a few months. Janet is moving her mother to Florida and wants to make sure she is settled before coming back. She plans to reopen Pins and Needles after Easter.” Surely, she could hang on that long.

Emma cocked an eyebrow. “Will she be back? I heard she might stay.”

A flash of panic hit Sarah, but she suppressed it. Janet would be back. Then things would return to normal.

“I’m sure she’ll be back. Her business is successful. She enjoys the shop and loves the town. I have ample savings and the income from the rent of the buggy shop. I’ll be fine.”

Things would be tight, but Sarah would manage financially. Emotionally, that was another story.

Emma said, “Pins and Needles is successful because of the long hours you put into it. Anyway, you can depend on your family and the church to provide for you.”

“I know.” Being the object of sympathy and charity again was something Sarah preferred to avoid. She knew her attitude was prideful. Perhaps that was why God had set this challenge before her—to teach her humility.

Emma folded her arms over her ample chest. “You must find something to keep you busy.”

“I was making a to-do list when you arrived.” Sarah indicated a spiral notebook on the table.

“Goot. Have you thought of inviting your brother and his family for a visit? You haven’t seen them in several years. The girls will be grown women before you know it.”

After having been raised with only sisters, her brother, Vernon, had been blessed with two girls of his own and finally a boy. He and his wife were expecting another child in the spring. It would be good to see them. Having children in the house might help dispel the gloom that hung over her holidays.

“That’s a fine idea. I’ll write to Vernon first thing in the morning and invite them for a visit. There isn’t much room here for the children to play. I hope they won’t mind a stay in town.” The family lived on a large dairy farm outside of Middlefield where the children had acres of woods and fields to roam.

Emma grinned. “You’ll have to take Merle fishing if you want to keep that little boy happy. The last time we went to visit them, that was all he wanted to do and all he talked about. The girls entertain each other.”

Sarah suffered a stab of grief. Her husband had liked to fish. It wasn’t something she cared for. She should have tried harder to enjoy the things he liked, but how was she to know their time together would be so short?

Regrets were useless, but sometimes it seemed as if they were all she had.

She said, “I’ll offer to take Merle on a fishing trip, weather permitting, if that will persuade his parents to come.”

Emma chuckled. “He will nag them until they do.”

Sarah placed a tea bag in each mug and carried them to the table along with the sugar bowl. As she sat down, a commotion in the street outside caught her attention.

A horse neighed loudly followed by raised voices. “I never want to see you again, Henry Zook! Do you hear me? Go ahead and marry Esta Barkman. See if I care. She—she can’t even cook!”

A slamming door from the house beside Sarah’s punctuated the end of the outburst.

“Goodness, was that Grace Beachy shouting in the street? Has she no demut?”

Oh, dear, her neighbor and friend Grace would soon find her quarrel public knowledge unless Sarah could stanch it. What on earth had Henry done to upset her so? Sarah cast a rueful smile at her aunt. “Grace has humility, Aenti. She is normally a quiet, reserved young woman.”

“You couldn’t tell it from her behavior just now. I understand the twins, Moses and Atlee, are the ones most often in trouble.” Emma held her head cocked to hear any additional outbursts.

“They have been a trial to live beside,” Sarah admitted as a frequent recipient of the teenage pair’s numerous pranks.

The boys had turned seventeen in October. They were in their rumspringa, the “running around” years enjoyed by Amish youth from age sixteen up to their mid-twenties prior to taking the vows of the faith. Like many, the twins were making the most of their freedom, but they had always been on the wild side.

Sarah had grown up with an identical twin sister who rivaled the boys for getting into mischief. She missed her sister dearly. Bethany had left the faith to follow her English husband to the other side of the world. They died together in a car accident in New Zealand. In a way, Grace had become a substitute for Sarah’s lost sister. She loved the girl.

Emma’s eyes were alight with curiosity. “It sounded as if Grace is sorely put out with Henry. It would be a shame if the courtship ended this way. The bishop’s son would be a fine match for the Beachy girl. I know Henry’s mother is pleased as punch that her wayward son appears to be settling down.”

If Grace married and left home, Sarah shuddered to think what the twins would be up to without her intervention. Levi, the eldest of the family, chose to ignore their less than perfect behaviors.

Emma couldn’t resist the urge to learn more. “I want to see how Henry is handling this. I can’t imagine he’s happy to have his girlfriend shouting at him. His mother will want to hear of this.”

Rising, she went to the kitchen window that overlooked the street and used her sleeve to rub an area free of frost. Winter had a firm grip on the town of Hope Springs, Ohio, although it was only the first week of December. Peering through the frosty glass didn’t give Emma a clear enough view so she moved to open the door.

Sarah quickly stepped between her aunt and the chilly night. Emma’s nosy nature knew few bounds. “Leave the young people to sort out their own problems, Aenti.”

Emma relented but she was clearly miffed at being denied more food for gossip. “How can I tell Esther Zook what happened if I can’t see how her son is taking this rejection?”

“I’m sure if Henry Zook wants to discuss it with his mother, he’ll find a way.”

“She should know how his girlfriend is treating him.”

Sarah pressed a hand to her chest and widened her eyes in disbelief. “You don’t mean you’ll mention this to the bishop’s wife.”

“I might, if the opportunity presents itself.”

“You are a brave soul. I could never bring myself to tell Esther Zook that I heard her son was playing fast and loose with Grace and Esta Barkman.”

Her aunt nibbled at the corner of her lip, then said, “It did sound that way, didn’t it?”

“Grace is a sweet girl and would never raise her voice without serious provocation. I know Esther dotes on Henry and won’t hear a bad word against him. I can only imagine how upset Esther would be with someone who spread word of his poor behavior. You know how much sway she holds over the bishop.”

Her aunt’s frown deepened. “I see your point. We don’t actually know what happened, do we?”

“Nee, we don’t. A lover’s spate is all I heard. Not worth mentioning.”

“You could be right.”

“I know I am.” Sarah waited until her aunt gave up trying to see over her and returned to the window. Sarah grinned as she started to close the door. Across the street, she caught sight of Levi Beachy standing motionless at the door to his shop. He’d obviously heard his sister’s commotion, too.

His breath rose as white puffs in the cold night air. Their eyes met across the snow-covered street. Sarah couldn’t see the color of them from this distance, but she knew they were as blue as a cloudless summer’s day. They contrasted sharply with his dark hair and deeply tanned skin.

She rarely saw his eyes, for Levi kept them trained on his feet unless he was working. He was painfully shy, and she wished there was something she could do to help him overcome it. He had been a wonderful help to her when her husband was sick.

A quick frown formed on Levi’s face before he turned away with a shake of his head.

“Great, now I’m the one who looks like the nosy neighbor,” Sarah muttered. She sometimes had the feeling that Levi disapproved of her, although it wasn’t anything she could put her finger on.

“What was that?” Emma asked.

Sarah pasted a smile on her face as she closed the door and returned to the kitchen table to resume her mending. “I saw Levi across the street. He’s working late again.”

“The poor fellow. He was saddled with raising his younger sister and those unruly brothers at much too early an age. He should have had the good sense to send them to his father’s sister or even let his grandfather raise them. Reuben Beachy would have been glad to take care of the children.”

Since Reuben was well past seventy, Sarah wasn’t sure he would have been able to handle the twins any better than Levi did. “I’m sure Levi loves his family and wants to take care of them himself.”

“I don’t know how anyone could tell. The man hasn’t spoken more than a dozen words to me in all his life. I think he is a bit simple.”

Sarah leveled a hard gaze at her aunt. “Levi is shy, not simple.”

Emma lifted the tea bag from her mug and added two spoonfuls of sugar. Stirring briskly, she said, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:28.”

Coming to her neighbor’s defense, Sarah said, “Levi works very hard. He builds fine buggies, and he always pays the rent for the shop on time. He is a good man. I don’t like to see him maligned.”

“Gracious, child. I’m not maligning the man. I know several women who think he would make a good match, but I’ve had to tell them all that he is a waste of time. Levi Beachy will never find the courage to court a woman, much less propose. I’ve rarely met a fellow destined to remain an old boy, but Levi is one.”

An old boy was the Amish term for a confirmed bachelor. Since only Amish men who married grew beards, a clean-shaven face marked a man as single no matter what his age. Like her, Levi was nearing thirty. She knew because they had attended school together until the eighth grade. She’d known Levi her entire life. He’d been the first boy to kiss her.

That long-forgotten memory brought a blush to her cheeks. Why had it surfaced after all these years? She bent over her mending.

“What about you, dear? It’s been nearly five years since Jonas’s passing. Are you ready to think about marriage again? I can’t tell you the number of men who have asked me that question. One in particular.” Emma eyed her intently.

Sarah should have known this wasn’t the simple social visit her aunt claimed. She met her aunt’s gaze as sadness welled up inside her. For once, she couldn’t stop it. Tears stung her eyes. “No, Aenti. I’ve made my feelings on the subject clear. I won’t marry again.”

* * *

Sarah was laughing at him. She and her aunt were having a chuckle at the expense of his odd family. Levi knew it the way he knew the fire was hot—because he’d been burned by both.

It was wrong to dwell on the past, childish even, but the embarrassing incident came to mind when he least expected it. He’d long ago forgiven Sarah, but he hadn’t been able to forget her part in his humiliation.

He had been fourteen at the time and the least athletic boy at school. His shyness made it easy for others to make fun of him, but Sarah had seemed kinder than his other classmates. She sat one row up and across the aisle from him.

How many hours had he spent dreaming about what it would be like to simply hold her hand? Too many.

Then one day, he found a note on his desk saying to meet her down by the creek after school if he wanted a kiss. He’d been ecstatic and frightened all at the same time. Of course he wanted to kiss her. What boy didn’t? It took all the courage he could muster to make the short trek to the meeting spot.

She was waiting on the creek bank with her eyes closed just as the note said, but when he caught her by the shoulders and kissed her, she pushed him away. He never knew if it was by design or by accident that the fallen tree limb was right behind him. He tumbled backwards, tripped and landed in the water with a muddy splash.

On the other side of the creek, a dozen of his schoolmates began laughing and hooting, including Sarah’s twin sister, Bethany. Mortified, Levi had trudged home in wet clothes and refused to go back to school. Working beside his father in his carpenter shop was the only thing that felt normal to Levi.

Less than a year later, both his parents were killed in a buggy accident. Levi was forced to sell his father’s business. No one believed a fifteen-year-old boy could run it alone. Jonas Wyse bought the property and started a harness shop and buggy-making business in Hope Springs. He hired Levi, who desperately wanted to earn enough to support his sister and little brothers. The two men quickly became friends. Within five years, they had a thriving business going making fine buggies. They stopped repairing harnesses and focused on what they did best. It was a wonderful time in Levi’s life.

Then Jonas decided to marry Sarah and everything changed.

Levi shook off his thoughts of the past. Sarah was his landlady and the widow of his only true friend. Levi was determined to treat her with the respect she deserved, but he sometimes wished he hadn’t promised Jonas he would look after her when his friend was gone. That promise, made on Jonas’s deathbed, was a binding one Levi could not break. Not if he planned to face Jonas in heaven one day.

Levi’s gaze traveled to the colorful calendar on the shop wall. It was out of date by several years, but he’d never taken it down. His Amish religion didn’t allow artwork or pictures to decorate walls, but a calendar had function and even one with a pretty picture was permitted. The one he never removed featured a panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains.

The dusty eight-by-ten photograph showed snow-capped mountains thrusting upward to reach a clear blue sky. Their flanks lay covered with thick forests of pine, aspen trees and spruce. It had long been Levi’s dream to move to Colorado. Several of his cousins from the next village had moved to a new settlement out west and wrote in glowing terms of the beauty there. The idea of raising a family of his own in such a place was a dream he nurtured deep in his heart.

Colorado was his goal, but Sarah Wyse was the rope keeping him firmly tethered to Hope Springs.

He had loved Jonas Wyse like a brother. When his friend pleaded with him to watch over Sarah until she remarried, Levi had given his promise without hesitation. A year or so wasn’t much to wait. The mountains weren’t going anywhere.

It wasn’t until Sara remained unmarried for two years that Levi began to doubt the wisdom of making his rash promise. Five years later he was still turning out buggies in Hope Springs and handing over rent money to help support her while his dreams of moving west gathered dust like the calendar on the wall.

He knew several good men who had tried to court Sarah, but she had turned each and every one of them aside. Levi had to admit none of them held a candle to his dear friend. But still, a woman Sarah’s age should be married with children.

The thought of her with another man’s babe in her arms brought an uncomfortable ache in his chest. He thrust aside thoughts of Sarah and replaced them with worry about his sister.

He hoped Grace was all right. He should go see, but he didn’t know what to say to her. Women didn’t think like men. Whatever he said would be sure to make her angry or make her cry. Perhaps it would be best to stay in the shop and wait until she called him for supper.

Half an hour later, he heard Sarah’s aunt’s buggy drive away. He went to the window and looked out. Sarah was alone again, as she was every night. She sat at her kitchen table working on some stitching. Why hadn’t she remarried? What was she waiting for?

She was a devout Amish woman. She wasn’t too old. She was certainly pretty enough. She kept a good house and worked hard. When the buggy shop needed repairs or upgrades he couldn’t do himself, she was never stingy about hiring help or buying new equipment.

As he was looking out the window, he saw his sister approaching. He picked up a file to finish smoothing the edge of a metal step he was repairing.

Grace opened the door. “Bruder, your supper is ready.”

“Danki, I’ll be in shortly.” He glanced up. His sister didn’t leave. Instead, she walked along the workbench, looking over the parts he was assembling for a new buggy. She clearly had something on her mind. When she didn’t speak, he asked, “Is everything okay?”

Her chin came up. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Because you were screaming at your boyfriend at the top of your lungs on a public street and giving our neighbors food for gossip. “Just wondering, that’s all.”

“Levi, can I ask you a question?”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “Sure.”

“Why haven’t you married?”

That took him aback. “Me?”

“Ja. Why haven’t you?”

Heat rushed to his face. He cleared his throat. “Reckon I haven’t met the woman God has in mind for me.”

“God wants each of us to find the person who makes us happy, doesn’t He?” Grace fell silent.

Levi glanced up from his work to find her staring out the window at Sarah’s house. Because her question so closely mirrored his thoughts about Sarah, he gathered his courage and asked, “Why do you think Sarah Wyse hasn’t remarried?”

“Because she loved one man with her whole heart and her whole soul and she knows no one can replace him,” Grace declared with a passion that astounded him.

She suddenly rushed toward the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Your supper is on the table.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to talk to Sarah about something.”

When the door banged shut behind her, he sighed. It was just like his sister to leave him in the dark about what was going on. He hoped Sarah could help because the last thing he wanted was a home in turmoil, and unless Grace was happy, that was exactly what was going to happen.

* * *

After her aunt had gone, Sarah stared at the snow piled on the sill of her kitchen window. Dismal. There was no other word for it. Christmas would be here in less than a month, but there wasn’t any joy in the knowledge. The Christmas seasons of the past had brought her only heartache and the long winter nights left her too much time to remember. At least this year her only loss was her job. So far.

She closed her eyes and folded her hands. “Please, Lord, keep everyone I love safe and well this year.”

Second thoughts about inviting her brother for a visit crowded into her mind. He was all she had left of her immediate family. At times, it seemed that everyone she loved suffered and died before their time. What if something should befall Vernon or his wife or children while they were here? How would she forgive herself?

No, such thinking only showed her lack of faith. It is not in my hands, but in Your hands, Lord.

Still, she couldn’t shake a feeling of foreboding.

She opened her eyes and propped her chin on her hand as she stared at the notebook page in front of her. The kerosene lamp overhead cast a warm glow on the mending pile and the sheet of paper where she had compiled a list of things to do.

Clean the house.

Mend everything torn or frayed.

Make two new kapps.

Stitch the border on my new quilt.

She had already finished the first item and was on to the second. They were all things she could do in a week or less and she had a lot more time on her hands than a mere week. Spring seemed a long way off. Inviting Vernon and his family was one way to help fill the days.

She added three more items to her list.

Don’t be bored.

Don’t be sad.

Don’t go insane.

Six days a week for nearly five years she had gone in early to open the fabric store and closed up after seven in the evening. Without her job to keep her busy, what was she going to do? Work had been her salvation after her husband’s passing.

Had it really been five years? Sometimes it seemed as if he’d only gone out of town and he would be back any minute. Of course, he wouldn’t be.

She had tried to convince Janet to let her run the shop until spring, but Janet wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, her boss said, “Enjoy the time off, Sarah. You work too hard. Have a carefree Christmas season for a change.”

Janet didn’t understand. Time off wouldn’t make the holidays brighter. Six years ago Sarah and Jonas learned he had cancer only a week before Christmas. He battled the disease for months longer than the doctors thought he could. He died on Christmas Eve the following year. A month later, her sister ran away, leaving Sarah, her parents and her brother to grieve and worry. Their father died of pneumonia the following Thanksgiving. Her mother passed away barely a year later. Vernon said they died of a broken heart after Bethany left.

Bethany had been the light of the family. Her daring sense of humor and love of life were too big for Hope Springs and the simple life of the Amish. It had been two years ago at Christmas when Jonathan Dresher came to tell Sarah that Bethany was dead, too. Since that day, Sarah faced the Christmas season with intense dread, waiting and wondering what the next blow would be.

She sat up straight. She wasn’t going to spend this winter cooped up in the house, staring at the walls and dreading Christmas. She had to find something to keep the bleak depression at bay. To her list, she quickly added Find Another Job! She circled it a half dozen times.

The sound of her front door opening made her look up. Like most Amish people, she never locked her doors. Knocking was an English habit the Amish ignored for they knew they were always welcome in another Amish home. A brief gust of winter wind came in with her visitor. Sarah’s mood rose when she recognized her friend and neighbor, Grace Ann Beachy.

“Gut-n-owed,” Sarah called out a cheerfully good evening in Pennsylvania Deitsch, sometimes called Pennsylvania Dutch, the German dialect spoken by the Amish.

“Sarah, I must speak to you.”

Sarah was stunned to see tears in Grace’s eyes. Fearing something serious had happened, Sarah shot to her feet. “Are you okay?”

“Nee, I’m not. I love him so much.” Grace promptly buried her face in her hands and began sobbing.

Sarah gathered the weeping girl in her arms. Matters of the heart were often painful, but never more so than when it was first love.

“There, there, child. It will be all right.” Sarah led Grace to the living room and sat beside her on the sofa. The two women had been friends for years. They were as close as sisters.

Between sobs, Grace managed to recount her evening with Henry Zook from the time they left the singing party. The whole thing boiled down to the fact that Henry had grown tired of waiting for Grace to accept his offer of marriage. The conversation soon turned to a quarrel. Henry, in a fit of anger, said Esta Barkman had been making eyes at him all evening. Maybe she was ready to settle down and marry.

Sarah lifted her young neighbor’s face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “If you love him, why don’t you accept him? Is there someone else?”

Grace rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “There’s Levi and the twins and the business. How can I leave my brothers? Levi can’t manage the business alone. He can barely speak to people he knows. He’s terrible at taking care of new customers. They’ll go elsewhere with their business and where will that leave him? You depend on the income from the shop, too.”

“Your brother could hire someone to replace you. I know Mary Shetler would welcome the chance to have a job in an Amish business.”

“I’m not sure she would want to work with the twins, knowing what they did.”

Grace was probably right about that. Mary Shetler had left the Amish and wound up living with an English fellow who turned out to be a scoundrel. Just fifteen and pregnant at the time, Mary had been terrified to learn her boyfriend planned to sell her baby. She had the child alone one night while he was gone. Planning to leave her boyfriend for good as soon as she was able, she hid her infant daughter in an Amish buggy along with a note promising that she would return for her.

The buggy belonged to Levi Beachy. The twins had taken it without permission and sneaked out to see a movie in another town. It wasn’t until they were on their way home that they discovered the baby. Afraid their midnight romp would get them in trouble if they brought the infant home, they stopped at the nearest farmhouse and left the child on the doorstep in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, the home belonged to Ada Kauffman. Her daughter Miriam was a nurse. She and Sheriff Nick Bradley finally reunited mother and child but not before Mary suffered dreadfully believing her daughter Hannah was lost to her.

“All right, Mary was not a good suggestion, but I’m sure there are other young women who could work with Levi.”

“Maybe, but what about the twins? They could burn the town down or who knows what if someone doesn’t keep an eye on them. I know I haven’t done a great job, but I’m better than Levi. When he’s working, he could be standing in five feet of snow and not notice. I can’t leave knowing no one will look after them.”

“I’m sorry you feel trapped by your family, Grace. You know I would help if I could.”

Grace grabbed her arm. “You can.”

“How?”

“Help me find a wife for Levi.”

Chapter Two

Sarah stared at Grace in stunned disbelief. “You must be joking. How could I find a wife for your brother? I’m no matchmaker.”

“But you are,” Grace insisted. “Didn’t you convince your cousin Adrian Lapp to court Faith Martin?”

“Convince him? Nee, I did not. If I remember right, I cautioned Faith against losing her heart to Adrian because he was still grieving for his first wife.” Sarah knew how it felt to mourn for a spouse.

“And that was exactly the push Faith needed to see beyond his gruff behavior. They married, and they are very happy together. Besides, you’re the one who convinced me to give Henry a chance.”

“I don’t remember saying anything to you about going out with Henry.”

“If you hadn’t told me how your Jonas settled down from his wild ways after you were married, I never would have given Henry the time of day. But I did, and now I’m in love with him. I want to marry him. You have to help me. I will just die if he marries someone else.”

Sarah leveled a stern look at her young neighbor. “That’s a bit dramatic, Grace.”

Drawing a deep breath, Grace nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do. I can’t leave Levi and the boys, but I can’t expect Henry to wait forever, either. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place with no way out.”

“I hardly think finding a wife for your brother is the answer.”

“It’s the only one I can come up with. I’m afraid if I ask Henry to wait much longer he’ll find someone else.”

Sarah took pity on her young friend and tried to reassure her. “Henry Zook will not marry anyone else. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“I believe he loves me. He says he does, but he wants an answer.”

“Henry is used to getting his own way. His mother has done her best to spoil him. He will be a good man, but right now he has the impatience of youth. What you and Henry need is a cooling-off time.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The last thing Sarah wanted was to see her friend pushed into something she might regret. “You two have been seeing each other almost daily. I think both of you could use some time apart. Rushing into marriage can cause a lifetime of misery.”

Grace shook her head. “Oh, Sarah. I don’t know. What would Henry think?”

Sarah could see that Grace’s dilemma was taking its toll on her friend. There were shadows beneath her eyes that didn’t belong on a girl who was barely twenty. Her cheeks were pale and thinner, as if she’d lost weight. There had to be some way to help her. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Sarah.

“He can’t object if you tell him you’re going to visit your grandmother in Pennsylvania. I know you’ve wanted to see her for ages. It will give Henry a chance to miss you while you’re gone, and it will give you a chance to relax and think about what you want to do without worrying about Henry or about your brothers.”

“But what if Henry doesn’t miss me?”

“Wouldn’t you rather know that before you are wed?” Sarah asked gently.

“Grossmammi has asked me to come for a visit many times. She’s getting on in years. I would like to spend some time with her, but that means I would miss the quilting bee for Ina Stultz and the hoedown that’s coming up.”

“I’ll take your place at Ina’s quilting bee, and there will be other hoedowns. Of course, once you marry, that kind of fun is over.” To marry, an Amish couple had to be baptized into the faith, which meant their running-around time was ended. Barn parties and such gatherings would give way to family visits and community events that bound together all members of their Amish faith.

“What about the business?” Grace asked.

“Levi will understand that you need some time to make up your mind about marrying. Besides, he’s a grown man. He can manage without you for a few weeks. I can help if worse comes to worst. I used to work there every day.”

“Oh, it’ll come to worse very quickly. I don’t doubt you could do all that I do, but what about your job?”

“The fabric shop is closing for a few months, so I have some extra time on my hands.” A lot of extra time, but was working beside Levi the way she wanted to spend it?

Grace’s face lit up. She grabbed Sarah’s hand. “You are so clever. You can work with Levi and find out what kind of wife would suit him all at the same time. I won’t feel a bit bad about leaving him, knowing you’re there.”

Sarah held back a smile. If this is what it took to get Grace to leave town for a few weeks, Sarah would agree. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you may be right. In spite of the fact that Levi was Jonas’s friend and has been my neighbor for years, I don’t really know him well.”

Grace sat back with a satisfied smile. “I can tell you anything you want to know about him. Go ahead, ask me something.”

“All right, what does Levi like to do for fun?”

A furrow appeared between Grace’s eyebrows. “He doesn’t really do anything for fun. He doesn’t have a sense of humor, that’s for sure. He works in the shop all day and sometimes late into the night.”

“I know he is hard-working, but does he like to hunt or play checkers or other board games?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve known him to go hunting in the fall when we need meat, but I don’t think he enjoys it. The boys and I like board games, but Levi doesn’t play with us.”

What kind of wife would want a husband who didn’t interact with his own family? Sarah said, “He used to go fishing with my husband. Does he still do that with his friends?”

“He goes fishing by himself sometimes. Levi doesn’t really have friends. Everyone says he makes right fine buggies, though.”

Sarah knew that for a fact. She drove one he and Jonas had built together. It was solid and still rode well after eight years. However, Levi had to have other traits that would make him attractive to a potential wife. “What does your brother like to read?”

“He reads the Bible every night, and he reads The Budget.”

The Budget was a weekly newspaper put out by the Amish for the Amish. Everyone read it. It was good to know he read the Bible. A devout man usually made an excellent husband. “Does he read other kinds of books?”

“Books? No, I don’t think so.” Grace shook her head.

Sarah never suspected Levi was such a dull fellow. What had her outgoing husband seen in him?

“You’ve been a big help, Grace. I’ll look over my list of single friends and think on who might find him appealing.” Right off hand, she couldn’t think of anyone.

“Do you really believe I should leave town?”

“I do. It will do you, your grandmother and Henry a world of good. Trust me on this.”

Grace nodded bravely. “I do trust you, Sarah. I’ll do it.”

Sarah grinned. “That’s the spirit.”

Grace jumped to her feet. “I must ask the Wilsons down the block if I can use their phone. I need to find out when the bus leaves and call my grandmother’s English neighbors so they can tell her I’m coming.”

“But it’s getting late, child. You should go home and talk this over with your family.”

“Nee. If I’m to do this it must be now.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss on Sarah’s cheek. “You’re the best friend ever, Sarah Wyse.”

Without a backward glance, she rushed out as quickly as she had rushed in, slamming the door behind her.

“I’m not sure your brothers are going to feel the same,” Sarah said to the empty room.

* * *

Levi tugged his suspenders up over his shoulders as he walked down the stairs from his bedroom on the second floor of the house. When he reached the kitchen, he paused. Instead of the usual aromas of toast, bacon and scrambled eggs, the forlorn faces of his twin brothers sitting at a bare table greeted him.

A suitcase sat beside the front door. His sister, Grace, entered the room, tying her best bonnet beneath her chin. “I left sliced ham in the refrigerator for sandwiches. You boys can heat some up in a skillet for breakfast if you’d like or make oatmeal. After today, you’re on your own as far as getting something to eat. There is plenty of canned fruit and vegetables in the cellar along with canned meats. If you don’t want to cook, the Shoofly Pie Café serves good food, and it’s reasonable.”

She picked up her suitcase and gave her younger brothers each a stern look. “I expect the house to still be standing when I return.”

Levi found his tongue. “Grace, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to visit Grossmammi for a few weeks.” She had a smile on her face, but it was forced.

He scowled at her. Grace was impulsive, but this was odd even for her. She hadn’t said a word about visiting their relative. “Is Grandmother ill? Is that why you’re going?”

“Nee, she’s fine as far as I know.”

“You can’t take off at the drop of a hat like this.”

Atlee spoke up, “That’s what we told her.”

“But she told us she was going and that’s that,” Moses added.

Grace’s smile faded. “Please, Levi. Don’t forbid me to go. I need you to understand that I have to get away for a while.”

How could he understand when she hadn’t told him anything? He opened his mouth but nothing came out. She took it as his consent and her smile returned. He never could deny her what she wanted. She and the twins had lost so much already.

She rushed to his side and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Levi. Sarah said you would understand. I’ve got to run or I’ll miss my bus. This was a wonderful idea. I’m so glad she suggested it. I can’t wait to see Grossmammi again.”

Sarah suggested it? He should have known. “Grace, who will take care of our customers?” he asked as panic began to set in. He couldn’t deal with people. Words froze in his mouth and he looked foolish.

“Sarah will help you. Be kind to her.” Grace gave him a bright smile as she opened the door. A flurry of cold air swept in as she went out.

When Levi blinked he was still standing in his kitchen not really sure what had just happened. He looked at his brothers. They both shrugged.

Atlee said, “I’d like dippy eggs with my ham.”

“I want mine scrambled.” Moses folded his hands and waited.

Levi stared at the black stove with a sinking feeling in his gut. How on earth would they manage without Grace?

An hour later, Levi left the house and headed for his retreat, his workshop, where nothing smelled like burnt ham or charred eggs and he couldn’t hear his brothers’ complaints. He’d left after telling them to do the dishes.

A body would have thought I told them to take the moon down and polish it the way they gaped at me.

When he left, they were arguing over who should wash and who should dry. He didn’t have time to referee because he was late, and he was never late opening his business.

He still didn’t know why Grace had to leave town so suddenly. He hoped she hadn’t gotten herself in trouble. That wasn’t the kind of thing a man wanted to ask his sister. All Atlee and Moses knew was that after an argument with her boyfriend, Grace had decided to visit their grandmother for a few weeks. How many was a few? Three? Four? She didn’t intend to stay away for a month, did she?

One thing Grace said stuck in Levi’s mind. She’d said Sarah had suggested it. He suspected that Sarah Wyse was a whole lot better informed about his sister’s abrupt departure than he was.

Two men in Amish clothing were standing in front of his store when he approached.

“Did you decide to sleep in today, Levi?” one man joked.

Levi tried to think of a snappy comeback, but nothing occurred to him. He kept his eyes down and wrestled with the key that refused to unlock the door.

“Reckon he wants to start keeping banker’s hours,” the second man said with a deep chuckle.

Levi hated it when people made fun of him. He searched his heart for forgiveness and offered it up to God, but he still felt small. He always felt small.

When the stubborn lock finally clicked open, he rushed inside. He hadn’t had a chance to get the stove going and the building was ice-cold. The two men waited by the counter while he stoked the fire. When he had a flame going, they both stepped up to warm their hands.

Levi cleared his throat and asked, “How can I help you?”

The outside door opened, but Levi couldn’t see who had come in. The men blocked his line of sight. He hoped it was the twins because he didn’t like dealing with customers. Not that the twins would do better. They were likely to pull some prank and then disappear, leaving him to deal with the fallout.

The taller of the two men said, “We’re wanting to order a pair of courting buggies for our oldest boys. They’re good sons and they are willing to help pay some of the cost. Before we place any orders, what kind of deal can you give us for ordering two buggies together?”

Levi scowled. “A buggy costs what a buggy costs.”

“That’s not what Abe Yoder over in Sugarcreek told us. He’s willing to take ten percent off for a double order.”

Levi struggled to find the right thing to say. Grace always knew just what to say. Why did she have to take off and leave him to work alone? She knew how much he hated dealing with people.

Abe Yoder’s offer was a good one, but Levi didn’t want to send these men back to his competition. He couldn’t cut ten percent off his price or he’d be making the buggies for free. He cleared his throat again and felt heat rising in his face. Why was it always this way? Other people didn’t have trouble talking.

Behind the men, a woman’s voice said, “If Abe Yoder says he can cut ten percent off he’s overcharging to begin with.”

The men turned around as Sarah Wyse approached the stove. She was looked straight at him. “Isn’t that right, Levi?”

He nodded and followed her lead. “Ja.”

She waited, as if expecting he would say more, but when he didn’t she gave her attention to the men. “Come up to the counter, neighbors, and let us talk about what you think your sons will like and what they can live without. Once we have an idea of the amount of work that will be needed, we can give you a fair estimate. You’ll find our prices are as good as Abe Yoder’s and our quality is better.”

Levi blew out a breath of relief. Everyone’s attention was on her and not on him. Now he could think.

She stepped behind the counter and began opening drawers. “If I can just find our order forms.”

“Top left.” Levi supplied the direction she needed.

She opened the correct drawer and said, “Ah, here we are. Changes can be made later, but that may affect the price once we’ve started work. Do you know what color of upholstery they want on the seats? Do they want drum brakes? How about cup holders and storage boxes? I assume these will be open buggies as you said they are for courting.”

She waited, pencil posed, with a friendly smile on her face that could charm anyone. Levi was grateful for her intervention until he remembered that she had sent Grace out of town in the first place.

Once again, Sarah seemed bent on making his life difficult.

Chapter Three

Sarah took down the information the men provided along with their addresses and promised them an estimate would arrive in the mail in a few days. They left, content with that.

When the door closed behind them, Sarah found herself alone. Levi was nowhere in sight. Silence surrounded her except for the occasional crackling and pop of the fire in the potbellied stove. She had time to look around. This cavernous building had been Jonas’s favorite place.

There was nothing fancy about the shop. The bare rafters were visible overhead. Thick and sturdy, the wooden trusses were old and stained with age and smoke. A few missing shingles let in the light and a dusting of snow that had melted into small puddles here and there.

Buggy frames in all stages of completion were lined up along one side. Wagon wheels were everywhere, leaning against the walls and hanging from hooks. Some were new and some were waiting to be repaired. Wheel repair made up the bulk of their business. A good buggy wheel could last five years or more, but eventually they all needed to be fixed or replaced.

Down the center of the shop were two rows of various machines. Although their Amish religion forbade the use of electricity, in their church district it was possible to use propane-powered engines to operate machinery. While some of the equipment was new, much of it was older than the hills.

Sarah walked to the ancient metal bender and grasped the handle. The bender used heavy-duty iron gears and wheels to press bands of steel into symmetrical rings. The steel ring was then welded together to form the outside rim of a wagon wheel.

How many rims had she cranked out when she worked beside Jonas and Levi? Two hundred? Three hundred? She could still do it, but it would take a while to build up her muscles. Carrying bolts of fabric wasn’t nearly as physical.

Turning around, she noticed the back of the shop held various pieces of wood waiting to be assembled into buggy tops and doors. In the far corner of the building, an area had been partitioned off and enclosed to make a room for cutting and sewing upholstery. The old sewing machine was operated with a foot pedal. She knew it well.

Although almost all the buggies they made were black, as required by their church, a person could order anything from red velvet to black leather for the buggy’s interior and seats. Jonas’s courting buggy had dark blue velvet upholstery. When he sold it two years after their wedding she cried like a baby.

She smiled at the memory, but she wasn’t here to relive the past. She went looking for Levi. Would he have something to say about her usurping his authority in dealing with customers? She found him working on the undercarriage of a buggy at the very back of the building. Or rather, she found his feet.

The sole of his left shoe was worn through. He had used a piece of cardboard inside to keep his socks dry. Did his socks have holes in them, too? She imagined they did for the hems of his pant legs were worn and frayed. Grace was wrong. Levi didn’t need a wife. He desperately needed a wife.

Someone with housewifely skills to mend and darn for him and to make sure he was properly clothed. Someone to insist he get new shoes for the winter instead of making do with cardboard insoles. She’d paid no attention to the business books after Jonas died, preferring to leave all that in Levi’s hands. Was the business doing poorly? Or was Levi frugal to the extreme?

Clearly, it was time she got her head back into the business. “Levi, may I speak with you?”

A grunt was her answer. Was it a yes grunt or a no grunt? Only his feet moved as he struggled with some hidden problem. She decided to be optimistic. “I’d like to take a look at the ledgers.”

His feet stilled. “Why?”

She crouched down trying to see his face. “I realize that I’ve left the running of the business to you alone for far too long. We are partners in this, are we not?”

He wiggled backward out from under the carriage and sat up to glare at her. “I don’t cheat you.”

She pressed a hand to her chest. “Goodness, I never thought you did. I simply want to begin doing my share again. Jonas and I used to do the books together. I know what I’m looking at.”

“Jonas is gone. I do the books now.” He lay down and started to inch back under the buggy.

Sarah was sorely tempted to kick the sole of his miserable excuse for a shoe, but she didn’t. More flies were caught with honey than with vinegar. “I don’t mean to step on your toes, Levi, but I am the owner of this shop, and I have a right to see the books. I’m sure you understand my position.”

“Help yourself,” came his muffled reply.

“Fine.” She left him to his work and headed for the small enclosed place that was used as an office. A wooden stool sat in front of a cluttered desk. Off to one side, a stack of ledgers and catalogs were piled together. She started by searching through them, but soon realized they weren’t what she needed.

She went back to his feet. “Where are the current ledgers, Levi?”

“Ask Grace.”

She blew out a huff of frustration. “I can’t very well ask Grace. She’s on her way to Pennsylvania.”

He came out from under the frame and rose to his feet. “Ja, she is. I wonder why my sister chose to go running off during our busiest season with inventory to do and four carriages to finish. No, wait. I know why she left. You told her to go.”

It was the longest speech he’d ever spoken to her. Sarah curbed her ire at his tone. “Grace didn’t tell you why she went to visit her grandmother?”

“All she said was that it was your idea.”

“Oh.” No wonder he seemed upset. Where should she start?

He folded his arms and stared at his shoes. “Is Grace in...trouble?” he asked, his voice low and worried.

“Trouble? You mean... Oh! No, no, it’s nothing like that. I hope she would confide in me if that were the case. No, she and Henry have gotten serious so quickly that I thought a short cooling-off time would give her a chance to decide if she really wanted to marry him or not.”

“Marry? Grace?”

Levi looked astonished by the idea. It was almost comical. Sarah struggled to hold back a smile. “That’s what young people do when they’ve been courting.”

“She’s too young to marry.” He turned to his tool chest and grabbed a second wrench.

“She’s the same age I was when Jonas and I married. I was twenty and he was twenty-seven.”

“That was different.” Levi didn’t look at her.

“How?”

“It just was. Grace Ann is a child.” He returned to his position under the buggy.

“Nee, Levi, your shveshtah is a grown woman. You must be prepared for her to marry and start a family of her own.”

A second grunt was her reply.

If Levi hadn’t considered where his sister’s courtship was leading, then Sarah really had her work cut out for her. Not only did she need to find a woman who could put up with his stoic ways, she needed to help him see that Grace was an adult. This could certainly make the coming winter months more interesting.

Sarah stared at Levi’s worn-out footwear. First things first, who did she know that might be ready for a husband?

Several women came to mind. There was the current schoolteacher, Leah Belier, a sweet-tempered woman in her late twenties. But having had the twins in school until two years ago, would she be willing to take them on a permanent basis? It would take a brave woman to do that.

It was too bad Susan Lapp had married Daniel Hershberger last month. While it was an excellent match for both of them, Susan would have been perfect for Levi. Big-boned and strong with a no-nonsense attitude, Susan was a woman who could keep Levi and the twins in line with one hand tied behind her back. Yes, it was too bad she was already taken.

There was Joann Yoder, but she was a year older than Levi. Sarah couldn’t see them together. Joann was nearly as shy as he was.

Mary Beth Zook was also a possibility. Sarah wondered how the bishop and his wife would feel about two of their children marrying into the Beachy family. Perhaps Mary Beth wasn’t the best choice, but Sarah didn’t rule her out.

Another woman who came to mind was Fannie Nissley, the niece of David and Martha Nissley. She had come to Hope Springs to help the family when Martha had been injured by an overturned wagon a few years before. Martha was fully recovered, but Fannie stayed on because she liked the area.

Sarah guessed her age to be twenty-five or -six. As far as she knew, Fannie wasn’t seeing anyone. This coming Sunday after the prayer service would be a good time to find out for sure. Aunt Emma would know if any of the single women in the area had already made a commitment.

Sarah suddenly thought of Sally Yoder. Sally currently worked for Elam Sutter in his basket-weaving business. Sally was only in her early twenties, but she might be ready to settle down. She had a good head on her shoulders and could help Levi manage the business.

Sarah looked around the building and remembered the many hours she and Jonas had spent poring over the company books and inventory, trying to stretch a nickel into a dollar to make ends meet. They hadn’t seemed like good times back then, but now she cherished every moment she and her husband had spent working and struggling together.

God took him too soon.

Memories, both good and not so good, filled her mind. As she looked around, it was easy to see traces of Jonas everywhere. The chair where he sat as he ordered supplies was still waiting at the counter, as though he might return at any minute. Of course, Levi used it now.

The workbench Jonas made from scrap lumber had stood the test of time, but it had been shifted from its original position. So had the boxes of parts that once lined the wall above it. Now, they stood along the west wall, closer to where the bulk of the woodwork for the buggies took place. It was a better spot, and she could see why Levi had done it.

She said, “You have made many changes in here. I see you moved the workbench to beneath the south windows. Was that for better light?”

He didn’t answer. Sarah crossed to the workbench Jonas had fashioned and laid her hand on the worn wood. She could almost feel him here beside her. Looking out the window, she realized that Levi had an unobstructed view of the narrow street outside and of her kitchen window across the way.

How many times had she sat at that table and cried, worried and prayed since Jonas’s passing. Had Levi seen it all?

She glanced toward the buggy frame. He was no longer underneath it. He stood, wrenches in each hand, watching her with a guarded expression on his face.

* * *

Levi wondered if she realized how pretty she was with the early morning sunshine streaming through the window, bathing her face in golden light. Her features were as delicate as the frost that etched the corners of the glass behind her.

Her white kapp glowed brightly, almost like a halo around her heart-shaped face. Her blond hair, carefully parted in the middle and all but hidden beneath her bonnet gave only a hint of the luxurious beauty her uncut tresses must hold. Only a husband and God should view a woman’s crowing glory. For a second, Levi envied Jonas’s right to behold Sarah’s hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back.

The ribbons of her kapp were untied and drew Levi’s attention to the curve of her jaw and the slenderness of her neck. To his eyes, she grew more beautiful with each passing year. It was no wonder Jonas had fallen in love with her.

Levi dropped his gaze to his feet, afraid what he was thinking would somehow show in his eyes. She was his best friend’s wife. It was wrong of him to think of her as beautiful.

“Do you mind?” he asked.

When she didn’t answer, he looked up. She glanced out the window and then at him.

“Do I mind what?” she asked with an odd inflection in her tone.

He waved his arm to indicate the shop. “The changes?”

“Nee, it is your workspace,” she said quickly.

“Goot.” He returned his tools to the wooden tray and carried it to the workbench, sliding it into its place on the end of the counter where Jonas had kept it.

Levi hadn’t been much younger than the twins were now when the local sheriff brought word that their parents were dead. They had both drowned when their buggy was overturned and swept away while they had been trying to cross a flooded roadway.

Jonas had come to the house and offered Levi a job when he was ready. Levi never forgot Jonas’s kindness in treating him like an adult, like a man with responsibilities instead of like a boy who needed someone to look after him and his siblings.

As Jonas taught Levi the buggy-building trade, Levi had quickly realized Jonas would have been smarter to hire someone who already knew the business rather than an untried teenager.

When he mentioned his thoughts on the subject, Jonas had laid a hand on Levi’s shoulder and said, “I want to work with someone I respect and enjoy being around. You and I are a good fit. Besides, if I teach you how to do a thing, I know it will be done right.”

Levi never forgot that moment. He became determined to learn everything Jonas had to teach so that his respect was not misplaced. In that, Levi believed he had succeeded.

Sarah had followed Levi to the counter. She asked, “Do you mind my helping out until Grace returns?”

“Not much choice,” he conceded gruffly.

“I’m sorry that my advice to Grace sent her racing off so quickly. I honestly thought she would talk it over with you and the two of you could decide when a good time for her visit would be. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Grace can be impulsive.” To his surprise, it wasn’t all that difficult to talk to Sarah. His throat didn’t close around the words and keep them prisoner as it usually did.

She laughed aloud at his comment. “That’s an understatement.”

Levi cringed and felt the heat rush to his face. Was she laughing at him or with him? Did it matter?

Sarah said, “I’m at your beck and call, so put me to work. What needs doing in here today that Grace would normally do?”

What he wanted was for her to go home. The workshop was his sanctuary. How could it be a place of peace with Sarah in it? She disrupted everything, including his thinking.

He said, “Nothing I can’t handle.” Now maybe she would leave.

“I can at least clean up.” She turned around, grabbed a red rag from the box he kept them in and began straightening his workbench, moving his tools around and brushing at the bits of loose wood on the countertop.

He didn’t like people touching his stuff. “Don’t mess with my tools.”

She paid him no mind. “I’m not messing with them, I’m cleaning off your workspace.”

“Stop,” he pleaded.

She held up a lone drill bit. “Where does this go?”

“Take it home with you,” he snapped abruptly.

He shut his mouth in horror. He’d never spoken harshly to anyone.

Sarah stared at him for the longest moment and then chuckled with delight. “You are so amusing, Levi. And Grace told me you don’t have a sense of humor. Take it home with me, how funny. I’ll find where it goes. You get back to work and pretend I’m not even here.”

Like that was possible. He turned away before he said something he would surely regret.

She kept dusting. “I’ll have this cleaned up in no time. I remember how to do inventory, too. It won’t be long before the end of the year. Might as well get a jump on it. I’ll start on that when I’m done with this.”

“No need.” Inventory would take days. Days with Sarah underfoot wasn’t something he wanted to endure. He needed to be able to concentrate. She didn’t take the hint.

“I don’t mind. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy being out here. Don’t you love the smell of leather and wood? It’s comforting knowing that each piece on the walls around me has a place and a function. I’m glad I told Grace I would help. This place could use some sprucing up, though.”

Jonas had often said that Sarah had a one-track mind when she wanted to do something. Levi didn’t know how true that statement was until three hours later when she was using a long-handled broom and an overturned bucket to reach cobwebs that had hung from the rafters longer than she had been alive.

Unless he took her by the arm, led her to the door and locked it behind her, he was going to be stuck with Sarah until Grace returned.

Please, Lord, let Grace’s visit be a short one.

Levi drew a deep breath. It was almost lunchtime, and he hadn’t gotten nearly enough done. His eyes were constantly drawn to where Sarah was working.

He had orders to fill and much to do in the coming weeks. When there was snow on the ground, many Amish families brought their farm wagons and buggies in to be repaired while they used their sleighs. With Christmas less than a month away, he was sure to get swamped with work soon.

Moving to the carriage body he was working on, he studied the list of accessories Grace had written out for him to add. The buggy was for Daniel Hershberger’s new bride. The well-to-do businessman was sparing no expense for his wife’s buggy. As Levi marked out the wood for the extra-sturdy seats to be added, Sarah began humming a hymn. After a few bars, she began singing softly. She had a lovely voice, soothing and sweet.

Levi gripped his handsaw and drew it back and forth across the board. The sound blocked Sarah’s voice and he stopped.

She must have noticed because she asked, “Does my singing bother you?”

He looked toward her and found her watching him intently. “Nee, it’s nice.”

She gave him a sweet smile and went back to work, humming as she did so. Maybe having her around for a few weeks wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The outside door opened and Henry Zook walked in. He nodded to Sarah and crossed the room to stand in front of Levi. “I must speak with Grace. Is she about?”

Levi could feel his throat growing tight. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. He cast a speaking glance at Sarah. This was her doing. She would have to make it right.

Chapter Four

Sarah caught the look Levi darted at her. It was imploring, half-accusing. He clearly wanted her to take over the conversation with Henry. Instead, she retreated to his small office to give the men some privacy.

Yes, it was her fault that Grace had left town so quickly, but Levi needed his eyes opened to exactly how serious Henry was about Grace.

The office had four walls but no ceiling to separate it from the rest of the building. She had no trouble hearing their conversation.

“Please, Levi, I must to speak to Grace. It’s important.”

“You can’t.” Levi’s reply was barely audible.

“What do you mean, I can’t?”

“She’s gone.”

“Gone? Gone where?” Henry demanded.

“She took off with her handsome English boyfriend early this morning.” A new voice entered the conversation.

“Ja, he was driving a fine red car.”

Sarah was so startled to hear the voices of the twins that she leaned around the doorway to see where they were. She hadn’t heard them come in. How long had they been inside?

“Yup, bright red his car was,” Atlee agreed with his brother. “Took off with the tires throwing gravel every which way. Grace didn’t look none too sad to be leaving this place.”

They both sat on the seat of a wagon waiting for repairs with identical smirks on their faces. They elbowed each other with mirth.

Poor Henry. He looked from Levi to the twins with growing disbelief. “Grace would not do such a thing.”

The boys hooted with laughter. Moses said, “Proves you don’t know our sister as well as you think.”

Why didn’t Levi say something? Sarah was ready to intervene when Levi spoke at last. “Enough!”

The twins fell silent, but didn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. It was clear they didn’t think much of their sister’s suitor.

“Grace went to visit our grandmother.” Levi walked away from Henry as if the conversation was over.

Henry wasn’t about to leave without more of an explanation. He followed Levi into the office, forcing Sarah to back into the corner. “Grace never mentioned going out of town for a visit. Has your grandmother taken ill?”

“Nee,” Levi replied and pulled open a drawer to search for something. Sarah found herself stuck in the small room with both men for there wasn’t enough room to get past them. They both ignored her.

Henry raked a hand through his thick blond hair. “Then I don’t understand. Why would she suddenly leave without letting me know? We had a disagreement, but I didn’t think she was that upset.”

Levi jerked a thumb in Sarah’s direction. “Ask her.”

Levi found the sheet of paper he was looking for and walked out of the office, leaving Sarah to face Henry alone. He waited for her to speak, confusion written across his face.

Sarah squared her shoulders and indicated the empty chair beside the desk. “Henry, sit down.”

He took a seat. “When is Grace coming back?”

“I’m not sure when she’ll be back.”

“But she will be back, right?” His eyes pleaded for confirmation.

“Of course. She needs some time to think things over without feeling pressured.”

He blew out a long breath. “I’m a nah. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard.”

Sarah smiled gently. “You are not a fool, Henry. You’re in love. You are impatient to be with her as a husband. That is only natural. Grace has many concerns, but she says that she loves you. If she is the woman God has chosen for you she is worth waiting for.”

“I could accept that if I knew how long she wants me to wait. She won’t set a date.”

He glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice.

“I know she is worried that her family can’t manage without her. Can you convince her she has to start thinking about what is best for her?”

“That’s exactly what she is doing. If you love her, you must trust her. I suggest you write her and tell her how you feel.”

“I feel confused.”

Sarah gave him a sympathetic smile. “Do not fret. Things will work out. Now, go home and write Grace a long letter telling her how much you miss her, how sorry you are for your impatience and how you look forward to seeing her again.”

“I’m not all that good with words, Frau Wyse.”

“They are in your heart, Henry. Look for them there.”

He nodded and rose to his feet. “Danki. I will do that.”

When he left, she walked out into the area where Levi and the twins were putting the top on a buggy. When they had it set in place and bolted on, she said, “I have chicken stew simmering at my house. Levi, if you don’t have other plans you are welcome to eat with me for I know Grace usually does all the cooking.”

The twins rushed toward her. “We’re starving,” they said, together.

She held up a hand to stop them. “Psalm 101:7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.”

The boys looked at each other. “What does that mean?” Moses asked.

Levi walked by with a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “It means you’re on your own for lunch. Danki, Sarah. I’ll be happy to break bread in your home.”

“But we were only teasing Henry,” Atlee insisted.

“Ja, it was a joke,” Moses added.

“It was cruel, and you took pleasure in his discomfort. But I forgive you, and I’m sure Henry will, too, when you ask him.” She turned to follow Levi out the door.

“So we can eat with you?” Moses called after her.

Sarah paused at the door and looked back at their hopeful faces. She smiled at them. “No.”

Their shocked expressions were priceless. She softly closed the door behind her.

* * *

Levi opened Sarah’s front door and allowed her to go in ahead of him. The mouthwatering smell of stewing chicken and vegetables made his stomach grumble. His poor breakfast had been hours ago.

Sarah said, “You can wash up at the sink. It will only take a few minutes to get things ready. Are you upset that I refused to feed the twins?”

His family never asked him if their actions were upsetting. He wasn’t sure what answer Sarah wanted to hear. He chose, hoping for the best. “Nee.”

“I’m glad. I don’t want you to think that I intended to discipline them without asking your permission. I simply wanted to make it clear to them that actions have consequences. They were intentionally unkind to Henry.”

He turned on the water and picked up a bar of soap from the dish. As he washed his hands, the scent of lavender mingled with the delicious smell of the cooking meal. He held the bar close to his nose. It smelled like Sarah, clean, fresh, springlike.

He put the soap down and quickly rinsed his hands. He dried them on a soft white towel hanging from a rod on the end of the counter. It didn’t feel right using her things.

When he turned around, Sarah was staring at him. She asked, “You do understand, don’t you?”

He hadn’t been listening. “What?”

“Why I told the twins they couldn’t eat here.”

“Sure.”

She waited, as if she expected him to say something else. Nothing occurred to him. He slipped his hands in the front pockets of his pants. Could he feel more awkward? Not likely.

Nodding, she said, “Goot. Sit.”

She indicated the chair at the head of the table. Jonas’s place. Okay, that was going to feel more awkward.

Levi pulled his hands from his pockets and took a seat. Sarah moved around the kitchen, gathering plates and silverware. He rubbed his hands on the tops of his thighs. He was hungry, but he hadn’t realized how intimate it would feel eating alone with Sarah. They weren’t doing anything wrong. He knew that, but being this close to her set his nerve endings buzzing like angry bees.

Even sitting in this chair felt wrong. It was Jonas’s chair. It didn’t matter that Jonas was gone. It didn’t seem right to take the place that was once his. Memories of their last hours together poured into Levi’s mind.

He could hear Jonas’s hoarse whisper as plainly as if they were back in the upstairs bedroom before his death.

“Watch over Sarah when I’m gone, Levi. Promise me you’ll watch over her until she decides to remarry.”

“You’ll get better.”

“Nee, my time is up, my friend. God calls me home. I want Sarah to find happiness with someone again, though I pray she doesn’t remarry in haste. I know women who have and regretted their decision.”

“Sarah was wise enough to choose you in the first place. She’ll be fine.”

“You know my Sarah well. I’d rest easier knowing she loved someone strong, from a good family, with a fine farm or business. Promise me you’ll watch over her until she meets him, Levi. Promise me this. It’s all I ask of you.”

Sarah set a glass of fresh milk on the table, jarring Levi’s mind out of the past. He picked up the glass and took a long drink. Her gaze remained focused on his arm.

He stopped drinking. “What?”

“I can mend that rip in your sleeve right quick if you’ll slip your shirt off.”

He turned his arm trying to see what she was talking about and splashed milk out of his glass in the process. Embarrassed, he looked for something to clean it up with. She was quicker, placing a kitchen towel over the puddle and trying hard not to laugh. Why was he so clumsy when she was around?

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen. Shall I fix your sleeve?”

He didn’t care if his entire arm was hanging out of his clothes. He wasn’t about to take his shirt off in front of her. He muttered, “Grace will fix it later.”

“All right.” Sarah then carried a steaming black kettle to the table and placed it in front of him. She returned a few seconds later with a plate of freshly sliced home-baked bread and a tub of butter, setting them within his reach. She took her seat and bowed her head.

Levi did the same and silently said the prayers he dutifully prayed before every meal. When he was finished, he looked up and waited. Sarah kept her eyes closed, her hands clasped. He cleared his throat. She took it as the sign the prayer was finished. Looking up, she smiled at him and began ladling steaming pieces of chicken and vegetables into his bowl.

She was so pretty when she smiled. It did funny things to his insides.

She said, “I hope you like this. It was one of Jonas’s favorites. The recipe belonged to his mother.”

Levi suddenly found his appetite had fled. He laid his spoon down

Sarah’s eyes filled with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“This is Jonas’s place, his chair. I shouldn’t be here.”

“Levi,” Sarah said gently, “I miss him, too, but his place is with God in heaven. You are free to sit in any chair in this home. You were Jonas’s friend, and I hope you are my friend, too. He would welcome your company as I do. I know you were very fond of him.”

He had been more than fond of Jonas. He had loved Jonas like a brother. When Jonas gave him a job, Levi had no idea what a great friend and mentor Jonas would become. All these things ran through his mind, but he had no idea how to tell Sarah what Jonas meant to him.

She patted his arm. “It’s okay. He was fond of you, too. He would like it that you have come to eat at his table. He would be upset that I haven’t invited you sooner. Now eat, or your food will get cold.”

Levi nodded. He was here for a meal and nothing more. He wasn’t here to try and replace Jonas. He could never fill those shoes.

After eating in silence for a few minutes, he said, “You should give Grace this recipe. It’s a whole lot better than her chicken stew.”

Sarah laughed. Levi felt his face grow red. Had he said something stupid? Once again she touched his arm. It was as if touching came easily to her. It wasn’t that way with him. He felt the warmth of her hand even through the sleeve of his shirt. It spread to the center of his chest and pooled there.

She chuckled and said, “I have given this recipe to Grace. She has assured me that everyone in the family enjoyed it. Maybe what she needs is a few cooking lessons.”

She wasn’t laughing at him. Levi was able to smile, too. “She needs more than a few. Her biscuits are as heavy as stones.”

He fell silent again.

Sarah said, “I hope you’ve saved room for some peach pie. I made it last night.”

“Peach is my favorite.”

“Mine, too.” She smiled warmly at him.

They finished the rest of the meal in companionable silence. When he was done, Sarah rose and began gathering up the dishes. “I’ll bring the rest of the stew to your house this evening. I’m sure the twins will be even hungrier by supper time.”

He pushed back the chair and stood. “The meal was ser goot, but I must get back to work.”

“I will be over as soon as I finish these dishes. Is there anything special you need me to do?”

He shook his head, but then changed his mind. “If customers come in, I would appreciate your help finding out what they want so I don’t have to stop work each time.”

“I can do that. I’ll keep watch out the window while I finish up here. If I see anyone I’ll come right over.”

Levi nodded his thanks and walked out the door.

* * *

Sarah watched him go with a strange sense of loss. There hadn’t been a man at the head of her table since Jonas’s passing. While it felt odd, it also seemed right that Jonas’s best friend should have been the one sitting in his place. He’d been like a little brother to her husband. Levi grieved for Jonas as strongly as she did.

Since Jonas’s passing, she often felt that Levi was avoiding her. Maybe it wasn’t because he disapproved of her. Maybe it was simply that she reminded him too much of his loss.

Sarah shook off the sadness that threatened to bring tears to her eyes and instead concentrated on a plan to see which one of her single friends might be right for Levi, and most important, how to get them together.

It wasn’t like Levi was going to attend the singings or gathering that were held on Saturday and Sunday evenings so the young people of the community could mingle and met potential mates. He was past that age and so were the women she had in mind for him.

Levi rarely left his work place, so if Levi wouldn’t come out, she needed to find a way to get the women to come in.

The meal today gave her an idea. She would invite her friends, one at a time of course, to join her for a meal when Levi was present. She would have to include the twins and Grace, too, when she returned, but that couldn’t be helped. It would look odd if she only asked Levi to come to dinner. People would say that she was running after him herself. That wouldn’t do.

Perhaps having him and his family over to eat wasn’t such a good idea. Who knew how many times she’d have to invite them before he found someone he liked? The twins could put away a lot of food.

Maybe she could ask her friends to help with inventory. That would be logical excuse to have them spend the day where Levi was working. She might even convince some of them to come in and look over the used buggies that Levi had for sale or buy a new one. If she remembered right, Leah Belier’s buggy was old and worn. Sarah could drop a few hints about a good price and then leave Levi to show the teacher what was available. That might work.

Satisfied that she had a few plausible reasons to get Levi to spend time with some eligible women, Sarah closed the door and began to clean up the kitchen. While she might be new at matchmaking, she had been around her aunt Emma enough to know how it was done. If all went well, Levi would find a woman to take care of him and Grace would be free to marry.

Sarah placed the glass Levi had used in the soapy water. His shirtsleeves were threadbare, and his shoes had holes in them. He did need someone to look after him.

So why did the idea of Levi getting married suddenly cause an ache in her heart?

* * *

The twins were seated inside Levi’s office when he returned to the shop. “Was it a fine meal?” Moses asked.

“Fine enough.”

“Better than our church spread sandwiches, I reckon,” Atlee grumped.

Levi loved the peanut butter and marshmallow crème spread served for Sunday lunches after the prayer service. “About that good, I guess. Did you finish the wheel we’re fixing for Gideon Troyer?”

“Not yet, but we got the fire going good outside,” Atlee said in a rush.

“And we finished the upholstery on the front seat for the Hershberger buggy,” Moses added. The boys exchanged a lively glance. It was rare that they did work Levi hadn’t asked them to do. Perhaps Sarah’s scolding had paid off.

“Danki. We’d best finish the wheel, though. Gideon will be by to pick it up this afternoon.”

“I don’t get him.” Atlee shook his head.

“Me neither,” Moses added.

Levi looked at his little brothers. “What do you mean?”

Atlee said, “He traded in flying airplanes to go back to driving a horse and buggy. Why?”

Levi understood their confusion. Very few of the young men who left the Amish came back and were content to do so after being out in the English world for as long as Gideon had.

From the doorway, a man said, “The outside world held many things that drew me away, but I discovered God’s will for me was to return to my Amish roots.”

Levi turned to see Gideon walking toward him. He liked the man that had married their cousin Rebecca and not only because he’d helped her regain her sight after years of blindness. He was a likeable fellow in his own right.

Atlee said, “You came back because of a woman.”

Gideon gave a sharp bark of laughter. “God’s ways are wondrous to behold, as I’m sure you will discover when you are older. Your cousin Rebecca’s love was the prize I won for following God’s will rather than my own.”

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