“Talked out and laughed out?” Esther teased.
“Nah, just thinking. It’s not much that I have for you at the house, and I’m wishing it was more.”
“Isaiah, tell me now,” she demanded, taking his arm in hers.
He frowned. “Joseph grew his frau a rose because of the great love he had for her. I couldn’t do that, Esther, but I wished to show you how much you mean to me.”
“Isaiah,” she chided. “I don’t mind not having roses. We keep going in circles. Soon I’ll be thinking we’re Joseph and Arlene attempting a conversation.”
They laughed, the sound gentle in the still night air. A clear swath of bright stars hung outside the open buggy door, illuminating the valley below.
“It is a beautiful night,” he said as he turned right off of Highway 5.
“You’re not going to distract me. We’re alone now, and you will tell me.”
“I’ll show you instead,” he promised, turning into his driveway and parking beside the barn. “It’s in the house.”
“What is?”
Isaiah silenced her with a touch of his finger on her lips. He climbed out of the buggy, and Esther hopped down to help him unhitch. She waited while Isaiah took Echo into the barn. He returned a few minutes later to take her hand and lead the way toward the front door.
“Isaiah, you’re scaring me,” she whispered.
“Not worse than you have scared me.”
He opened the front door, and they stepped into the dark living room. Isaiah let go of her hand to light a kerosene lamp. He motioned for her to follow and led the way into the kitchen. Esther went as far as the doorway before she peered around the frame. Isaiah was standing beside the table with his lamp held high. The light flickered on a rose set in the center of the table, its familiar white and crimson colors flowing into a deep orange. All around the pot rose petals were spread, and nestled among them was a small wrapped box with a fancy bow.
“Isaiah. What is this?”
“You’ve already seen the rose that Joseph created for Silvia, but this I made myself.” He picked up the box. “It’s for you, Esther. It’s not much, but it’s what I could do.”
Esther stepped closer to run her hands through the mounds of rose petals. “What extravagance! And whatever is this?” She took the box from his hand.
He leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek. “Just open it.”
Esther did so with the crinkle of paper soft beneath her fingers. The light from the lamp revealed two bottles, both of them also wrapped in bows.
“Open the lids and take a deep breath,” he said.
She did, and a beautiful aroma filled the kitchen. “What have you done, Isaiah?”
“Rose oil,” he said. “With all my love.”
“You made this?” She turned the bottles slowly under her fingers. “And all these petals on the table?”
“I didn’t make those.”
“But you didn’t have to do all this. You’re all I wanted.”
“And you’re all I’ve wanted,” he said, setting the lamp on the table. “I had to do something for you after all that we’ve been through.”
“Oh, Isaiah,” she whispered as he came close and opened his arms.
The lamplight flickered gently on the orange-and-white rose petals, with the breeze from the open kitchen window moving gently across their faces.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What were your feelings regarding Esther’s move to the valley? On her chances for success with the handsome Minister Isaiah?
2. Could anyone you know make a move to a new area and be surrounded by this level of support from the community?
3. Dorrine King is also on a quest. She wants to help Arlene conquer Joseph Zook’s heart. What are your feelings on that venture? Your opinions of Dorrine?
4. Are you familiar with the background story of Silvia’s arrival in Lancaster County and her search for true love? If not, this story is available as a free e-book novella titled Promising a Rose.
5. Who benefits the other the most: Esther or Isaiah?
6. What explains Joseph’s easy rapport with young Diana? Does Isaiah do as well with her at first?
7. What do you think Joseph’s long-term plans are when he suggests to Arlene that they copy Esther and Isaiah’s dating relationship?
8. Isaiah praises Esther in public at the barn raising. Explore your own feelings if you had been in Esther’s place. Has this ever happened to you?
9. Did you expect reconciliation for both couples as they walk through their dark relationship times? What other outcomes could have occurred?
10. Do you think Joseph found true love again with Arlene?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerry Eicher’s Amish fiction has sold more than 800,000 copies. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina, in Virginia.
How to Heal a Broken Heart
Mary Yoder’s life couldn’t get much better. Engaged to be married, spring is in the air and love is in her heart as she looks forward to the fall wedding she’s always dreamed of.
Six months later on a crisp November morning, Mary awakens in a beautiful valley near the Adirondack Mountains on what was to be her wedding day, heartbroken and alone.
Her sister, Betsy, tries to protect Mary from the romantic overtures of Stephen Overholt, a longtime Amish bachelor. Betsy is considering jumping the fence for the Englisha world and encourages Mary to follow.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Gabert, an elderly Englisha grandmother, launches her own matchmaking effort on behalf of her grandson Willard, who is a missionary to Kenya and nursing his own broken heart. She hopes that Willard and Mary can find comfort in one another despite the fact they come from two different worlds.
As Mary struggles to accept the Lord’s will, she must determine whether or not one of her potential suitors can give her the future that was denied her.
Dreams Never Die When You Believe in Them
Phoebe Lapp’s grandmother was anything but ordinary. Before her death, the eccentric elderly woman purchased three Assateague ponies, seemingly for no reason. But after her passing, Phoebe learns of her beloved grandmother’s wish to start an Amish pony farm in a lovely little valley near the Adirondack Mountains for hurting Englisha children. That dream now lies with Phoebe if she decides to fulfill it, but a teaching position is available as well. Which path should she choose?
Further complicating her decision, before her passing, Grandma Lapp asked a neighbor, David Fisher, to be involved in running the farm and help Phoebe. David agrees, but his sister Ruth has yet to abandon her rumspringa, and the only reason she hasn’t left the church already is because of Grandma Lapp’s kindness. Unbeknownst to Phoebe, David has secret hopes of attracting her affection, but Ruth’s decision to stay or jump the fence could make things difficult for him.
Phoebe knows she has choices to make—whether or not to honor her grandmother’s legacy and what to do about David’s growing attentions toward her. But she’s not alone. God is with her every step of the way.
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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
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To learn more about Harvest House books and to read sample chapters, visit our website:
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ww.harvesthousepublishers.com
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
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