After assuring the congregation of their penitence, the two of them stepped outside so the congregation could vote. The shade gave some welcome relief from the noonday sun as they stood behind Bishop Jeremiah’s tall white house.
“A lot has happened since we first confessed,” she remarked softly. “I’m a different woman, with different dreams—because you decided to stay, Gabe.”
Gabe’s smile suggested that he knew things he wasn’t telling her. “I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, honey-girl. I still have some reservations about Old Order ways, but you were right. Leaving you—leaving my family—would’ve been the biggest mistake I could ever have made.”
He glanced toward the door behind them. “How about if we make quick work of the common meal and take a little ride this afternoon?”
Regina’s eyebrows rose at his secretive tone. “Folks will want to congratulate us after you announce our engagement—”
“And they’ll have plenty of time to do that,” Gabe insisted. “I—I’ve got a little surprise, and I can’t keep it to myself any—”
“You two can come inside now,” Jo Fussner announced from the doorway. “Let me be the first to welcome you back!”
Regina hugged her friend tightly before entering the Shetlers’ mudroom with Gabe close behind her. As they stepped into the big front room, folks rose from the pew benches with warm smiles on their faces. All the way down the center aisle, their friends welcomed them—and Aunt Cora reached out to pull Regina close.
“Denki for everything you’ve done for me,” Regina whispered in her ear.
Easing away, Aunt Cora winked. “Happy to help out,” she murmured. “We girls should stick together, ain’t so?”
As Deacon Saul and the two preachers watched their approach, Uncle Clarence’s smile was not the brightest of the three, but he was nodding. To him, her reinstatement marked his success at leading her back into the Old Order fold, so he’d done his duty. Regina could leave it at that, without any lingering resentment about why he’d treated her so harshly for the past month. And what did it matter, now that she and Gabe were together?
The Flaud family was smiling, too—especially Martin, who stepped out of his row to clasp Gabe’s hand. “It’s a great day, kids!”
“We’re pleased to have you both back,” Bishop Jeremiah joined in as Regina and Gabe reached the center front area where he stood. “And I believe Gabe has something further to announce.”
Regina’s stomach filled with butterflies as Gabe grasped her hand and they turned to face the congregation. “This beautiful young woman has agreed to be my wife!” he said proudly. “We’ll keep you posted when we’ve set our wedding date—”
The applause was so loud, Gabe didn’t try to talk over it. He beamed at Regina, his dimples making his smile even more handsome as his deep green eyes held her gaze. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe. She knew she’d never forget this moment—which might not have come about if Gabe hadn’t made a fateful guess about her identity as the painter who was hiding behind a fake name.
And think what I gained by giving up my secret and my paints. I would’ve been content to remain a maidel, but now I have so much more to look forward to—and to thank You for, Lord.
As the applause receded, Bishop Jeremiah gestured for folks to sit down. “We have another matter to discuss, which came up rather suddenly,” he announced, his resonant voice becoming more somber. “We need to keep Teacher Elam in our prayers, as his dat suffered a debilitating stroke a few days ago.”
The faces in the congregation fell. Folks murmured their concern as Regina and Gabe took seats on the front pew bench.
“Elam will be moving his family to his parents’ farm in Illinois so he can care for them,” Bishop Jeremiah continued, “which leaves our school in need of a teacher before the new term starts up on the first Monday of September. If you know of a qualified person to fill this vacancy—”
“I’ll do it!” a young woman behind Regina blurted.
Regina’s eyes widened. When she turned, Lydianne was standing up with an earnest expression on her face. Gabe appeared as surprised as Regina about her best friend jumping at the chance to teach—and to leave her job at Flaud Furniture.
“I’d be delighted—honored—to work with our scholars,” Lydianne said earnestly. “I’m grateful to Martin and Gabe for hiring me at the furniture factory, but I have other abilities I’d like to share with the children of Morning Star—if you folks will have me.”
Bishop Jeremiah appeared thunderstruck. He recovered quickly, however. “We’ll call a meeting of the school board and have you come for an interview, Lydianne,” he said with a nod. “Shall we set Monday—a week from tomorrow—as the final date for applications? We need to give our new teacher time to prepare for the coming year, and to set up the new schoolhouse, which Pete will have finished by then.”
Everyone nodded, smiling at the burly blond carpenter who sat near the back of the men’s section. After the bishop declared the meeting adjourned, everyone rose to prepare for the common meal, which was to be a picnic beneath the big trees in the Shetlers’ backyard.
“Let’s duck out now,” Gabe whispered into Regina’s ear. “We’ll grab some lunch later—”
“Folks will speculate about why we’re leaving so early—especially Uncle Clarence,” Regina pointed out.
“Let them talk! Why should we stop being the topic of hot conversation just because we’re not shunned anymore?” he teased. “Besides, my folks can set them straight. They know exactly where we’re going.”
Regina sensed she shouldn’t object any further. Gabe’s surprise was piquing her curiosity, and she was eager to share whatever was making him so happy. Most folks were heading toward the kitchen, so he led her quickly through the door to the bishop’s attached dawdi haus and then outside. He hitched up his horse, and they were clip-clopping down the road at a brisk trot a few minutes later.
“You’ve got a bee in your bonnet, Mr. Flaud,” Regina teased. The breeze that blew her kapp strings back felt wonderful as they rolled through the countryside.
“Oh, it’s much more than a bee, honey-girl. It’s a wedding gift that can’t wait for the big day.”
Regina’s heartbeat accelerated. They’d had their first date four weeks ago, on the day they’d been shunned. For some couples, such a quick decision to wed might’ve been an invitation to a lifetime of regret and heartache—yet she believed she and Gabe were making the right move. They were indeed kindred spirits, and that closeness had deepened since they’d gone through their bann together. She’d known the Flauds before Martin had hired her years ago, so she felt comfortable with his family, too. Many new brides didn’t have that advantage.
As the rig approached Maple Lane, Regina licked her lips nervously. She hadn’t been to the house since she’d fetched her boxes with the bishop—avoiding the pain of knowing someone else would soon live there. When Gabe turned the corner, she saw that the FOR SALE sign had disappeared. The lawn was neatly cut and everything looked tidy and well cared for.
“Um, why are we stopping here?” she asked in a thick voice. “I don’t care to see how the new owners have—have made it their own.”
Gabe halted his horse and set the brake. His expression was an odd mixture of emotions Regina didn’t dare interpret, for fear she’d be in for a big disappointment. When he smiled full-on at her, however, her heart began to pound.
“You remember how sick we were when we learned somebody else had snatched up your house before you could take it off the market?” he asked softly.
Regina nodded. Her hands were clasped in such a tight knot that it took a couple of attempts before Gabe could pry them apart to hold them.
“My parents bought it—for us!” he blurted exuberantly. “They didn’t want any quibbling with Clarence about your name being on it, so they’ve signed it over to me as our wedding present, Red! You—you’ve got to look inside!”
&n
bsp; Regina’s mouth dropped open. First she felt numb with disbelief, and then she could only stare at Gabe, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “But we could’ve arranged one of those sales where you sign over a property for a few dollars, to change ownership—”
“You know Dat. He did it his way, without asking me,” Gabe pointed out. “When I requested a raise last week, he refused me—dropped this surprise in my lap instead! He adores you, Regina. He’s grateful for the way you convinced me to stay Amish.”
Regina’s mouth closed and then fell open again. When she burst into tears and started laughing at the same time, Gabe gently blotted her face with his handkerchief. “I—I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
“Come inside,” he urged as he helped her down from the buggy. “I think you’ll like what you see.”
* * *
All the way up the walk, Gabe prayed that Red would appreciate what he and his family had done—the gifts of time and energy they’d devoted to the home he looked forward to sharing with her.
“The swing looks really nice in white,” she said as she paused on the porch. “And it has new cushions, and—” Her eyes widened as she took a closer look. “You painted the whole porch! I—I hadn’t realized it was looking a little tired.”
“Mamm and the girls are handy with paintbrushes, and they were here a lot during the week,” he said as he reached for the doorknob. “Now—humor me, Red. I’m going to cover your eyes while we head to the kitchen first.”
She appeared doubtful, but he covered her eyes with his bandanna and guided her through the front room before she could protest. When they’d entered the kitchen, he removed his handkerchief with a flourish. “What do you think, honey-girl? Notice anything different?”
Regina sucked in her breath. “Fresh paint—my same favorite shade of green! And new curtains,” she said as she hurried to the windows to finger the fabric.
Gabe remained in the doorway, having the time of his life watching Red’s reactions. When she glanced at the cabinets and then did a double take, it was all he could do to let her speak first.
“Look at these!” she exclaimed as she ran her fingers over the new cabinet doors. “Beadboard! And you made the outer edges with flawed wood—and these little glass knobs are the coolest hardware I’ve ever seen! These doors are perfect for a bungalow!”
Gabe thought his heart might pound out of his rib cage. “I—I was hoping you’d see it that way,” he admitted. “Let’s look at the bedrooms.”
Once again Regina allowed him to cover her eyes. “It’s like a treasure hunt! Only better,” she added as they headed toward the back of the house.
When they reached Regina’s bedroom, she pressed her hands to the sides of her face. “A new quilt and curtains! And fresh paint in here, too! My word, you Flauds worked your tails off this week.”
“Keep going,” Gabe suggested. It was a joy to hear the excitement in Red’s voice as she discovered the freshly painted walls and rag rugs in the bathroom and second bedroom, as well as the way a coat of cream-colored paint had brightened the walls of the stairway leading to the attic.
When they reached the room on the front of the house, which had been Red’s studio, she let out a long sigh. “I’d be lying if I told you I never miss my painting,” she confessed softly.
“I know the feeling,” Gabe murmured. “Sometimes my fingers itch to press into guitar strings.”
Red nodded. “Denki for taking down my picture-hanging lines—and you cleaned the spilled paint and stains off the floor, too,” she remarked as she crouched to run her fingers across the boards. She looked up at him, realization dawning. “Did you refinish this floor? And all the floors downstairs, as well?”
“Bingo!” Gabe cried out. “That was Dat’s special project. They only needed a quick sanding and a new coat of stain—”
“But what a difference it’s made.” Red shook her head, appearing dazed. “I guess after you live someplace for a while, you don’t see all the stuff that needs to be done.”
“Like the way I worked around you for so long without really seeing you, eh?”
Red’s face softened with a smile. “But I made you look, ain’t so?” she teased.
“And by the way, these soft yellow walls are perfect for when our kids are old enough to be sleeping up here, jah?”
Butterflies fluttered in Gabe’s stomach. “Can’t tell you how many times this week I’ve heard about those grandkids Mamm’s wanting.”
As they descended the wooden stairway, Gabe hoped Red would pick out the detail he’d saved for last—and that she’d love it as much as he did.
“Your dat made these floors look better than new,” she remarked as they headed for the front room. “It’s such a blessing to see my comfy chairs and lamps in place, just the way I liked them, and—”
When she stopped to stare, Gabe thought he might split at the seams.
“The coffee table!” she cried out. “You—you didn’t sell it! You—”
“When Lydianne told me what you’d said about it, I couldn’t let anyone else have it, Red,” he explained as he joined her alongside his flawed, swirl-topped creation. “If you didn’t forgive me for expecting you to jump the fence, I figured to use it as an enticement to lure you back—”
When Red threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard, Gabe knew the meaning of pure joy. He held her close, knowing every ounce of effort he and his family had put into the house had been repaid five times over.
Red kissed him, long and soft and sweet. When she came up for air, her eyes were misty and her freckles glowed on her flawless face. “I love you so much,” she whispered. “Gabriel Flaud, you are one amazing man.”
Her words were sweet music to his ears.
And Dat had been right: it was all about the sparkle.
Please read on for an excerpt from the next book in Charlotte Hubbard’s
The Maidels of Morning Star series.
First Light in Morning Star
Hope fluttered like a butterfly in Lydianne Christner’s heart as she parked her rig in the pole barn just north of the new white schoolhouse. It was barely dawn and she was more than an hour early for her interview with the members of Morning Star’s school board, but she needed time to collect her thoughts and plan her answers to the questions she anticipated from the five men who would decide her future. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision when she’d blurted out her wish to apply for the teaching position at the Members Meeting after church a week ago—but in the days since, Lydianne’s soul had reconfirmed her impulsive outburst.
She really wanted this position. The trick would be replying to the school board’s questions without hinting at the very personal reason she wished to become Teacher Lydianne.
Did she stand a chance?
Lydianne had no idea whether anyone else had applied for the position in the past several days. Morning Star’s previous teacher, Elam Stoltzfus, had already left town to assist his family in the wake of his father’s debilitating stroke, so there was no chance he would return. She didn’t know of any other married Amish men who’d likely fill the position—nor did she believe any of Morning Star’s other single Amish women aspired to teaching.
Her close friend Regina Miller had just become engaged to Gabe Flaud, so she’d be ineligible to teach. Jo Fussner sold the baked goods, canned vegetables, and jellies she and her mamm made—and she’d taken on the challenge of managing The Marketplace, the renovated stable where local crafters sold their goods. The Helfing twins, Molly and Marietta, ran the noodle factory their mother had begun as well as renting out their dawdi hauses to tourists—and they kept a shop at The Marketplace—so neither of them seemed a likely candidate for the teaching position.
Lydianne grimaced when she thought about either of the middle-aged Slabaugh sisters managing a classroom. Esther and Naomi lived on a farm just outside of town, and their main occupation seemed to be sharpening their maidel tongues on tidbits of other p
eople’s business.
Pity the poor children who had one of them for a teacher! Lydianne thought as she gazed across the large grassy lot between the new white schoolhouse and the red stable that housed The Marketplace shops.
She warned herself not to pridefully assume the school board would hire her, however. After all, she had no teaching experience. She’d taken a job as bookkeeper and finisher at the Flaud Furniture Factory when she’d first come to Morning Star, and she was also the financial manager for The Marketplace, so maybe the men on the board would believe she should remain in her current positions. Martin Flaud, who owned the furniture factory, was the school board president. He hadn’t directly challenged her about leaving her job with him to teach school, but his speculative gazes during the past week had given Lydianne plenty to think about while she’d been staining furniture and tallying orders.
But with God’s help, you can do this! Your heart’s in the right place! Lydianne reminded herself fervently. Just look at what you and your friends accomplished over the summer. The stable across the way was falling in on itself, and now it’s full of successful shops that attract hundreds of shoppers to Morning Star every Saturday—and its commissions have funded the new schoolhouse.
Lydianne and her maidel friends felt extremely pleased about the businesses that now thrived because they had believed in the power of their positive intentions—and because the church had bought the property as a place to hold its auctions and build a new schoolhouse. In the first light of this August morning, the white geraniums, purple petunias, bright green sweet potato vines, and yellow marigolds filling The Marketplace’s window boxes glowed in the rays of the rising sun. The stable’s deep red walls shone with the care she and her friends had lavished upon the building.
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