A Perfect Amish Romance

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  After a minute passed, she turned to him and smiled. “Oh, Aaron, I’m sorry, but I just needed a moment. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had!”

  She wasn’t crying. She didn’t look mad. But now he was the one who was confused. “Ah, what happened?” he asked slowly.

  “Well, after your surprise visit this morning, I was reading one of my mother’s devotionals to find some clarity, which was wonderful. But then, on its heels, came a phone call from my father.”

  “At last.” Well, now her reaction made a lot of sense.

  “Jah. At last.” She smiled.

  “Did it go all right?”

  “Oh my goodness. Nee!” She shook her head in dismay. “Somehow, it went from him telling me he was finally coming home to me telling him I was moving out. And then, he had the nerve to tell me I had to stop thinking only of myself.”

  “Oh. My. Word.” Aaron was tempted to tell her a dozen other things about how he really felt about her father, but he didn’t dare. Every one of them was not very kind and way too honest. “How did the phone call end?”

  “Not well.” She bit her bottom lip. “I… well, I essentially hung up on him, Aaron. And I don’t even feel bad about it.”

  He took her hand because he couldn’t go without touching her any longer. “I’m glad you don’t feel bad. You shouldn’t. He crossed the line when he didn’t come home.”

  She exhaled. “I finished that call just a few minutes before you knocked on the door again. I was actually sitting at my table writing a list of wishes for me. And…” She stood up, hurried to the table, and brought back a sheet of paper. “Look what my second goal is.”

  Taking the sheet, he read it. Then, yes, he read it again. “ ‘Give Aaron a chance.’ ” He searched her face. “Why?”

  “Because I love you, too.” She smiled then.

  It was so sweet, so very darling that he did the only thing that was fitting. He pressed his hands on either side of her jaw, leaned close, and kissed her. And when she relaxed against him and linked her hands around his shoulders, he knew he’d done the right thing.

  This? Well, this was what life was for. Loving and laughing and living. And baring one’s soul and then hearing everything he’d never known he wanted or needed spoken. And because of that, his world had become complete.

  thirty-five

  • RULE #35 •

  Encourage lifelong reading. And when the circumstances allow it, maybe encourage lifelong kindness, too.

  ONE WEEK LATER

  Joel had been teaching Yellow to sit and stay when Tiny had come over. Again.

  He couldn’t believe that Tiny, the woman he had loved for most of his life, had taken to courting him now. His parents were mighty amused at the switch in roles, but he didn’t mind that she had the need to take some control in their relationship. He thought it was cute, especially after she’d confided how she’d been waiting on him to come calling for years. Because of that, he’d decided to let her determine the pace. Tiny now came calling every two or three days.

  When she did, he greeted her with a kiss on her cheek. And yes, sometimes, he even served her cookies and tea just like she would have served him at her house.

  “Hiya, Tiny,” he said as she approached. “It’s good to see you today.”

  “It’s gut to see you, too.” After bending down to give the dog a pet, she looked up at him and smiled. “It seems you and Yellow are having another lesson.”

  “We are, though I think Yellow is more interested in the sunny day than learning.” As was their custom now, he gave her a quick hug and a very chaste peck on the cheek. “I’m glad you came out to join us.”

  “Me, too.”

  He was just about to flirt with her a little when she said, “I’ve got some news to share, Joel. You better prepare yourself.”

  “This sounds serious. What’s it about?”

  Her hazel eyes lit with amusement. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. But I did just come from Jane’s haus.”

  “And?”

  “And… Jack was already over there doing chores!”

  He was glad Jane was getting help, but he wasn’t sure why Jack helping her was news. “And this is noteworthy because…”

  After glancing around, obviously to make sure no one else heard, she said, “Because I think Jack likes her. When I got there, they’d been having tea at her kitchen table.”

  “Tea?”

  “I know! Can you even imagine? My brother is a lot of things, but a man who sits at a table and sips tea is not one of them.”

  She was right. As straight and stalwart as Aaron was, Jack was brash and boyish. “I reckon you might be onto something.”

  “I think so, especially since they looked so very cute together.”

  He laughed. Jane, with her auburn hair, and Jack, all charm and blond good looks, probably did make a good pair. He hoped the best for both of them. He took Tiny’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “This was good news. I’ll do my best to keep it a secret.”

  “I will, too.” Her expression faltered. “Ah, Joel, I still feel bad about how I handled your secret with Jane.”

  “You shouldn’t. As much as I’d like to say I would’ve handled everything better if the situation had been reversed, I don’t know that I would have,” he admitted. “It’s one thing to say I would understand you spending time alone with another man, but I don’t know if I would have been very nice about it.”

  “No?”

  “I wouldn’t have been jealous, too.”

  She smiled slightly. “Is it wrong of me to be glad about that?”

  “Of course not. I don’t want you to be perfect, Tiny. I just want you to be yourself.”

  “I don’t want you to change a thing about yourself, either,” she said. “I like you just the way you are.”

  He led her to the porch where it was more secluded. “Really?”

  “Well, of course, I don’t know all your faults yet.” Looking up at him, she pretended to look worried. “Hmm. Do you snore?”

  “Nee, though I canna be sure. I sleep alone, you know. Do you snore?”

  As he had hoped, she looked appalled. “I certainly do not.”

  “Are you sure?” he teased, pretending to look concerned. “Has anyone ever shared a room with you?”

  “Nee, but my brothers would have said something, especially since Jack snores terribly.”

  “All right, then. I guess I’ll believe you.”

  She took a breath. “Hmm. Do you have annoying habits like forgetting to put the cap back on the toothpaste?”

  “It’s always on, and I always put it away in the drawer.” Liking the way her eyes had lit up, he continued to quiz her. “What chores do you hate to do? Beyond making apple butter, of course.”

  “That’s easy. Gathering eggs.”

  “Truly?”

  “The hens sense that I’m afraid of them and peck at me. Every morning, I give thanks for Jack. He gets up early, feeds the horses, and gathers eggs.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, dear. Please don’t tell me you are afraid of hens as well.”

  “I’m not afraid of them. You won’t have to worry about ornery hens when you’re my frau.” He just about slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized what had just slipped out. Maybe she wouldn’t notice…

  She froze. “Joel?”

  Standing on his porch, out of sight from the street and her house, and away from any windows, Joel figured this was as private a moment as he was likely to get, but it was probably far from the romantic, intimate moment he was sure Tiny had dreamed about. Surely it would be better to wait until night, so he could propose under the stars or in candlelight or something pretty to make this moment truly special.

  He frowned. “Tiny, I’m sorry. This sure wasn’t how I wanted to do this.”

  She blinked. “To do what?”

  “Ask you to marry me.”

  “Joel.” She blinked. Tears sprang to her eyes.

  Uh-oh. Was she disappo
inted that he didn’t have candy and flowers? “Tiny, listen. Can we talk about this another day?”

  “Nee.”

  “No?”

  “I’ve waited half my life for you to propose. There’s no way I’m going to wait another couple of days.”

  “But I was going to get on one knee and ask you properly, after I spoke with your parents, of course.”

  She put a hand on her hip. “Oh, Joel. You don’t need to speak to my parents. They know your intentions. Everyone knows your intentions.”

  She had a point. He’d been hinting about his plans for a long time. “I guess that is true.”

  “You know… you could kneel right here.”

  “Where?”

  “Here. I think there’s plenty of room.”

  “But—”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “Of course, if you don’t think I deserve such a gesture… I guess we could wait awhile and see what I say when you finally decide to ask me.”

  Finally? Before he lost his nerve, he knelt down in front of her. Hoping and praying that she would say yes quickly and that his mother didn’t decide to open the door and start hanging quilts over the porch railing, he said, “Tiny—I mean, Elizabeth?”

  “Jah?”

  “I think I loved you from the moment you ran after me and your brothers and demanded we let you play hide-and-seek with us. I know I loved you when we were in school together and you never made fun of me for always making the lowest score on spelling tests. And I knew I was going to love you forever when we went to our first Singing and you never left my side. Will you marry me?”

  “Jah, Joel. I will marry you and be your wife.”

  Gingerly, he got to his feet, reached for her hands, and kissed her sweetly. It wasn’t quite the kiss he wished for, but there were limits to what he was willing to do on his front porch in broad daylight.

  When he stepped back and she smiled at him, he grinned. “I guess, at long last, we did it. We are going to get married.”

  “We are indeed,” Tiny said with a laugh.

  Her face was so happy, so beautifully perfect that he pulled Tiny into his arms and kissed her properly.

  After all, it really was the perfect time.

  * * *

  They were all on pins and needles. When Aaron had taken the test, he’d given Sarah Anne Miller’s email as his contact information. It seemed they sent the scores through the Internet instead of through the mail. Sarah Anne had warned him about that and had kindly volunteered to lend him her email address. Whenever she received his scores, she would call Kayla’s house and then Kayla would contact him.

  All that meant he needed to be patient and to have faith that everything would happen in God’s time. But that didn’t mean it was easy.

  He was sitting in the family room halfheartedly reading The Budget but really trying to imagine how he would react to whatever news Kayla brought to him. Would he be disappointed to discover that he hadn’t passed a single component or simply resigned? No matter what the news was, Aaron wanted to make sure he didn’t take it out on Kayla. After all, she was only going to be the messenger.

  From across the room, Tiny sighed. “Aaron, didn’t the proctor say the scores would be sent today?”

  “That’s what he said, but that could have changed.”

  “I certainly hope not.”

  “No need to sound so indignant, Tiny,” Joel teased.

  She looked like she was about to argue but chuckled instead. “All right. I’ll try to do better,” she whispered softly.

  Amused, Aaron shared a look with Jack. This was how their sister now acted whenever she was around her fiancé. All moony and compliant. It was terribly amusing.

  Jack put down the book he’d been holding. “I, for one, certainly hope that Kayla arrives here sometime soon. If we have to wait all day I’m going to be at my wits’ end.”

  “I hate to say it, but I’m starting to find myself looking out the window as well,” Daed added.

  The only one to stay quiet was his mother, who looked to be contentedly knitting next to his napping baby sister.

  Aaron cleared his throat. “I feel I should point out that the chances of me doing well are slim. No one should get their hopes up.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with thinking positively, son,” Mamm said at last. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that one never regrets looking on the bright side of things. I should’ve done that more often.”

  Aaron knew that was another veiled reference to Tim. He leaned back in his chair. That was a big step forward in their family. Though his leaving would always hurt and his absence wouldn’t be forgotten, at least he was a part of their conversations now. The change was a miracle indeed.

  Thinking about how far they’d come, Aaron realized his mother was right. Truly anything was possible if one had faith.

  “She’s here!” Tiny called out as she hurried to the door.

  “Don’t go out there, Tiny,” Aaron said, grabbing the door handle before she could. “I’m going to talk to Kayla first.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s my test scores.” And yes, he realized he was sounding more and more like a petulant teenager than a grown man.

  “Fine.”

  Aaron was vaguely aware of Becca waking up and the rest of the family getting to their feet as he walked outside, but then he forgot all about them as he met Kayla’s eyes. “Hi.”

  “Hiya,” she murmured. “You must have seen me out the window.”

  “I did. Well, Tiny did. I mean, we’ve all been looking for you.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad I came over as soon as I could, then.”

  He couldn’t take it anymore. “Kayla, did Sarah Anne call you?”

  “She did. Your scores came in.”

  “And?”

  “And… you passed!”

  “You know, it’s okay—” He stopped himself. “Wait, what did you say?”

  She smiled. “You passed, Aaron. You may now consider yourself a high school graduate. Congratulations!”

  He reached for her hand and linked his fingers with hers. “I can’t believe it.”

  “You should have had a little more faith in me, Aaron Coblentz. Your future wife is a pretty good tutor, you know,” she said with a laugh.

  “You’re better than that. You’re everything. Kayla, we did it!” He picked her up and spun her in a circle.

  Kayla laughed, and that laughter mixed in with his family’s cheers from the open doorway. For one glorious moment the noise lit the air, bringing the sound of happiness through the whole valley.

  It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Or, even better, a hint of their days to come.

  epilogue

  • RULE #36 •

  Sometimes it’s good to keep a list of popular series on hand. Just in case a patron finishes a book and is anxious to find out what happens next.

  FIVE MONTHS LATER

  Sarah Anne didn’t think she’d ever been more excited to have an annual review. Sitting across from Ron Holiday, she could hardly keep up her professional demeanor. She really did have so much good news to share. But she hadn’t reached sixty-one years of age without learning a thing or two. With effort, she folded her hands neatly over her skirt and patiently waited for Ron to look over both her report and the notes he’d taken every time he’d paid her a visit.

  After a good five minutes, he put down his pen and smiled. “It sounds like you’ve had quite an adventurous first year, Miss Miller.”

  “Indeed I have. I met many patrons, delivered books ordered by over two hundred people, and even helped one man become very proficient on the computer.” She’d meant the last bit as a tiny joke. She’d helped a whole lot of men, women, and children become pros at finding information online.

  “We’ve received a lot of praise about your demeanor.” Ron flipped the paper as he adjusted his glasses. “And, a lot of very interesting comments about you as well.”

  That didn
’t sound as positive. “Oh?”

  He fiddled with his glasses again. “Yes. For example, take this comment from a Mrs. Jane Shultz. She said you not only helped recommend books to help her overcome her grief, you even helped her visit a furniture store.” He looked up. “That isn’t part of your job description. Why did you do that?”

  “Oh, well, you see, Jane has MS and needed a ride to the store. She has braces on her legs and needs an extra hand to get around. It was no trouble, and of course it was after hours, Ron.”

  “Hmm.” He flipped another sheet of paper. “Now, here’s another interesting comment. This man says you helped him find some exciting action and adventure books, and you also counseled him on ways to win back his girl. Is that true?”

  She leaned over the desk and saw the note at the top of the page. “That man would be Joel Lapp, and yes, that is true.”

  “I don’t understand why you were counseling him.”

  “I didn’t actually counsel. It was more like I listened.” She waved a hand. “Sometimes young men are afraid to admit when they don’t have all the answers.”

  His eyebrows rose. “And you do?”

  “Well, the books do.” She smiled. “Just for your information, everything is good as gold with Joel and his girl now. Rumor has it that they’ve recently gotten engaged. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  “Ah, yes.” He cleared his throat. “Moving on.” He flipped through some more comments. At last, he picked up the sheet of paper and scanned it carefully before laying it flat on his desk. “Now, this one was the most concerning of all.”

  “Yes?”

  “This letter is actually from two people. One of them says you assisted him in studying for a high school equivalency exam without his parents’ knowledge?”

  “That would be Aaron, and he’s twenty-one years old. A bit old to have parents looking over his shoulder all the time, don’t you think?”

  “Miss Miller, my point is that I think that went far beyond your job description. You were interfering.”

  “I was not. Aaron came to me for information, and I provided it.”

  “You did more than that. You found him a tutor.”