They both could agree on that. “I just have one more question,” she said.
“Which is?”
“Can we revisit that kiss again? I think both of us need a redo.”
“I’m agreeable to that.”
“You’ll have to move a little closer,” she said with a grin.
He closed the space between them. Then he surprised her by cupping her cheek with his palm. “Is this better?”
She nodded. “Much. Also, nice technique. Have you been practicing?”
“I don’t have to. Something about you makes everything feel natural.” He bent down and kissed her. Her heart turned to mush. He was a romantic after all.
Eight months later
“I can’t geh downstairs like this—hiccup!” Ruby started pacing back and forth. This was a disaster, and she thought she’d put those behind her by now. Just like Christian said she would, she got the teaching position after only a five-minute interview. Over the summer the community had added on to the school building again, putting a divider between the two large classrooms. Ruby had the early elementary students in one room, and Christian had the older students in the other. For the past two months they had run each classroom like separate schools. Which was good for them both since they weren’t married—and she found Christian a significant distraction.
Then he proposed to her—for the right reasons this time— and she eagerly said yes. Now it was mid-November . . . and her wedding day.
Hiccup. “I can’t believe this.” She turned to Martha and to Selah, who had returned several times over the past year for visits. The three of them had become good friends, and they were both her attendants. Of course, neither of them had a massive case of hiccups. “I’m not even nervous,” Ruby added.
“Are you sure?”
“Ya.” And she wasn’t, except for a few butterflies in her stomach. All right, a whole swarm, but that didn’t make sense. She loved Christian. He loved her, and after a bit of stuttering he was able to tell her he loved her. Now he said it all the time. For such a stuffy person he was quite the romantic. Who would have thought that? She smiled as she remembered their kiss last night. Sweet, but lingering, and full of promise. Hiccup.
“Do you want a glass of water?” Martha asked. “Sugar water always works for me.”
“You can pinch yer nose.” Selah demonstrated. “I also read somewhere that if you stand on yer head they’ll geh away.”
Ruby paused, considering it. No, what a ludicrous idea. She plopped onto the bed. Hiccup. “Everyone’s waiting.”
Martha put her hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Ruby. Everyone gets the hiccups.”
“Not”— hiccup—“like”—hiccup—“this.” Hiccup.
Selah clapped in front of her face.
Ruby jumped. “What did you do that for?”
“I’m trying to scare you.” She looked at her expectantly. “Did it work?”
Ruby stilled. She stood up and walked around the room. “I think it did.” She clasped her hands. “They’re gone.” She hugged Selah and then Martha. “Danki!”
“Now come downstairs and get married,” Selah said.
The two women left, and Ruby went to the mirror above the dresser in Timothy and Patience’s spare bedroom. She had lived here since May. After today, she’d live with Christian in his small house. They had already talked about expanding it for when they had children, should the Lord bless them in such a way. While it was the logical step after marriage, it was also the right one. They had also decided to postpone their honeymoon until next spring, once school dismissed for the summer.
She smiled at her reflection. She couldn’t keep him and everyone else waiting. She left the room, went to the top of the stairs, and started to descend into the living room, where guests were crowding in for the ceremony. Ruby reached the middle of the staircase and then—
Hiccup!
Her hand flew to her mouth. Oh, nee.
A few chuckles went through the crowd. Her gaze flew to her brother, whose expression was a mix of amusement and pity. She was used to that from him. Martha and Selah’s faces were pinched, and she could tell they were trying not to laugh.
Then she saw Christian. He wasn’t laughing. He was gazing at her with love.
Her hiccups forgotten, she hurried to him. She was his bride, and she wasn’t going to keep him waiting any longer.
EPILOGUE
Seth Yoder opened the door to the shed he’d constructed more than a year ago. He’d found the wood scattered in an open area in the woods about half a mile away and had thought of building it there, but something didn’t sit right with him about the place. He couldn’t put his finger on why, only that he knew he had to locate his shed elsewhere, yet far away enough from home that it wouldn’t be found. And it hadn’t, until Christian Ropp showed up.
He shook his head and grinned as he walked into the shed, the battery-powered sensor lights he’d installed flickering on. Christian and Ruby’s wedding, which he’d attended, had been last week. That was one odd couple, he had to admit. Christian had his hands full with Ruby, and vice versa.
Seth looked around his woodshop, the familiar feeling of guilt coming over him as it always did when he was here. He mostly came here on Sundays, and today was no exception. He wasn’t a carpenter, and the shed wasn’t the sturdiest building, but it suited his needs. He looked at the array of woodcarving tools on the pegboard in front of him and then at the stack of fresh wood on the worktable beneath the pegboard. Sawdust piles surrounded him, and he knew he needed to get rid of them soon. He would haul them to a bigger pile he’d created farther into the woods. No one ever came this way, and even Christian, as smart as he was, hadn’t figured out what Seth did here. Seth wanted to keep it that way.
He picked up a chisel and held it in his hand. It felt a part of him, the way all the tools he used to make his carvings did. Carvings he’d kept secret and worked on only on Sundays when he could get away from the house. So far, his excuse of taking a Sunday walk had been fine with his family. But it wasn’t fine with God. He wasn’t supposed to work on Sundays. He wasn’t supposed to deceive his family or anyone else. He owed God, his community, and especially his father an apology and a confession—things he couldn’t bring himself to do.
He sighed and started work on a pasture scene he’d been carving for the past two months. When finished, he would add the decorative plaque to the rest of the projects that had never been out of his workshop, much less seen by anyone. He didn’t know what to do with his creations, only that he had to create. If he didn’t, he would wither inside.
He wanted more than anything to carve for a living, but he knew that wasn’t practical. He had to think about the future, and his future would be secure. He and his family had lived through hard times, through near starvation. He wouldn’t do it again, and he would never put anyone else at risk of it either. Even though he wasn’t in a relationship and he wasn’t interested in one right now, eventually he wanted to get married. God would have to take care of that part, since the pickings were slim in Birch Creek.
Seth paused and lifted his straight gouge. Why should God do anything for him when he was purposely breaking the Sabbath? Did he deserve any blessings when he was being so selfish?
His fingers gripped the handle of the gouge. He couldn’t put it down. Couldn’t walk away from the one thing he loved above everything else.
He continued to carve.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As I was writing this book, I threw out a question to my Facebook friends, asking them for examples of student mischief. I received so many great replies, but the one that struck me was when a student brought a chicken to school. Thus, Bring Your Pet to School Day was born. Thank you to all my friends who shared their school misadventures. It’s my favorite social media interaction to date.
Thank you also to Becky Monds and Jean Bloom, the best editorial team ever. Also, a huge thanks to my brainstorming buddies, Eddie Columbia and Kelly Long,
for listening to my free association phone calls.
And of course, thanks to you, dear reader. Christian and Ruby’s story is close to my heart, and I hope it becomes close to yours.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.When Ruby arrived in Birch Creek, she struggled with self-esteem. At the end of the book, she had gained confidence. What do you think brought about this change in her?
2.Did you ever have Show and Tell day when you were in school? What kinds of things did you bring to show your teacher and classmates?
3.Both Ruby and Christian had the same plan—to find a spouse. If you were to give each of them advice about their plans, what would you tell them?
4.Who is your favorite character in The Teacher’s Bride? Why?
5.Ruby had found her purpose in teaching. What do you think your purpose is, and how did God lead you to find it?
6.Christian has a difficult time emotionally connecting to people. What do you think he’ll learn from Ruby when it comes to social interaction?
7.Selah struggles with depression. If you have a family member or friend with depression, how have you helped them?
8.Ruby and Christian are completely opposite personalities, yet God brought them together. What are some other examples of God using opposite or unusual circumstances to bring about something good?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield.
Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com
Twitter: @TheKatJam
Facebook: WriterKathleenFuller
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