by Leslie Gould
“This love,” he said, “is a lot of work.”
“Maybe that’s why God commanded us to love one another. Maybe he knew how hard it would be,” I said. “And that we might give up.”
Leon’s face brightened. “Jah.”
I pulled away and looked up into his eyes. “Could we start over?”
He didn’t answer, not with words. Instead he kissed my forehead. Then the tip of my nose. And finally my mouth.
Chapter
24
We did start all over, courting every Sunday night.
And so did Ivan and Nell, officially. Ivan sold his house, but he didn’t move in with us. Instead he bought a small acreage outside of Paradise and remodeled the house for his bride-to-be.
Mamm took a series of radiation treatments, which shrank the tumor enough that she regained her balance and her memory. Every once in a while she seemed moody, but I wasn’t sure if that was the tumor or the grief that still accompanied her, day in and day out.
Sadly, Cate lost her baby soon after Nan and Bob wed. Addie told me. Cate never mentioned her loss, but I knew she grieved too.
By August, I’d started hosting meals for Englisch tourists, and by September, the bishop gave his approval for us to take in overnight guests too. Bob was right, mostly, about our business. We did turn things around—but it was the help of Leon’s labor through the summer and fall in the evenings that eventually made the difference.
He and I soon came to the conclusion that our barn would be perfect to board horses. And with a little work, the corrals would work to train them. Thankfully we hadn’t plowed up the pasture to plant more flowers.
By our wedding day in November, we knew Lancaster County would be our home. Leon’s parents came from Montana for the wedding, and we hoped to go to Montana the next year—for a visit.
We were well supported at the wedding by family and friends. Beatrice, on the other hand, continued to be out of sorts at times, but I think Dat’s death had come at a harder age for her than it had for me. I trusted, in time, she’d find her footing.
Robbie sat quietly with his parents, two little sisters, and Cate and Pete through the service but afterwards giggled and laughed, happy to have his group of grown-ups together, bouncing from one of us to the next to the next, charming us as always but sticking closest to Hannah and Mervin, who still hadn’t set a date for their wedding.
Before our wedding meal was served, Leon and I went out on the porch for a breath of fresh air. Love came around the side of the house and up the steps, wagging her tail, slapping first Leon and then me. It may have been my imagination, but I was nearly certain I heard the mockingbirds sing out, “Love! Love!” I couldn’t help but think how pleased Dat would have been to have them call on my wedding day.
Mamm and Bea, who held a quilt in her arms, followed us out. “Here,” she said, extending it toward me. “Mamm and I made it for you.”
Tears filled my eyes as I realized it had been made from Dat’s shirts. I’d been too busy to give making one for Bea another thought. They’d kept their work a secret all this time. I ran my hand over a green diamond and then swiped at my eyes. “Denki,” I whispered. “Is there enough fabric left for another one?”
Bea nodded. “For a lap quilt. We’ll keep it in the living room—for all of us to use.”
I hugged them both, and then Mamm took the quilt from me. “I’ll put it in your room,” she said, motioning for Bea to follow her back into the house.
Leon and I stood alone for a long moment, and then he wrapped his arms around me, saying, “Miss Molly, I love you.”
The mockingbirds called out again, for certain, and then Leon reached for my hand, locking my fingers between his, and led me back into the living room to our table. As we waited for the meal to be served, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “The road of true love—for the moment—is running smooth.”
“Jah,” I whispered. “Enjoy it. You never know when we might hit a rut.”
My husband still longed for Montana, and even though we were now able to make a livelihood in Lancaster, I knew God might direct us to go west someday.
As we laughed together, Bea, followed by Ben, plowed through the room, a scowl on her face. For a moment I wondered what I’d had against moving after all, but then Ivan announced it was time for the prayer. We all bowed our heads in silence. I said a prayer of thanks, for my family, for my friends, for Leon.
And for all the love around us, today and forever.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to my husband, Peter, and our children—Kaleb, Taylor, Hana, and Thao—for inspiring me and encouraging me on this amazing writing journey. I’m also grateful to Laurie Snyder and Tina Bustamante for reading early drafts of this story and for their expertise. I’m indebted to those in the Plain community who have shared their stories with me. Any mistakes are mine alone. My gratitude also goes to Aunt Sparkie and Uncle Wally Walker, who once had a farm dog named Love. You and your family have ben an inspiration to me through all these years.
I can’t thank Bethany House Publishers enough for their support. My editor, Karen Schurrer, is essential to my writing process, and it’s an ongoing delight to partner with everyone at Bethany on THE COURTSHIPS OF LANCASTER COUNTY series.
This novel and the others in the series have all been inspired by Shakespeare’s plays. It’s been my privilege to study his work and mull over his themes, plots, and characters as I write these novels.
Most of all, I praise God for the opportunity to tell stories that reflect a long literary tradition of beauty, hope, and redemption.
Leslie Gould is the coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 CBA bestseller The Amish Midwife, a 2012 Christy Award winner; CBA bestseller Courting Cate, first in the COURTSHIPS OF LANCASTER COUNTY series; and Beyond the Blue, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She and her husband and four children live in Portland, Oregon.
Learn more about Leslie at www.lesliegould.com.
Books by Leslie Gould
* * *
THE COURTSHIPS OF LANCASTER COUNTY
Courting Cate
Adoring Addie
Minding Molly
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House