A Cowboy at Heart (35 page)

Jesse. The man she loved.

“Marry me, Katie. Let’s build a life together.”

Her arms rose and her fingers brushed across the shoulders she had tended. She buried them in the soft curls at the base of his skull and pulled him down to her. The last of her reserves fled in the moment his lips touched hers.

EPILOGUE

White Church, Kansas

Thanksgiving 1886

J
esse scratched at his beard, still not easy with hair on his face after six months of growth. On the other hand, some outward signs of Amish life had been easy to adapt to. He slipped his thumbs beneath his braces and rocked on his shoes, aware that he was imitating a gesture of Jonas’s. Suspenders were a definite improvement over belts, and the broadfall trousers a far sight more comfortable than the tight denim britches of a cowboy. But he would never get used to this round hat. No matter how hard he argued, Bishop Beiler refused to consider changing the
Ordnung
to allow for the oblong shape of a man’s head.

“Hey, Amish man. Get over here and help.”

Jesse answered Luke’s good-natured jibe with a grin and
crossed the churchyard to help unload benches from Bishop Beiler’s wagon. He grabbed one end while Luke took the other, and together they carried the bench toward the place where they had set up boards on barrels to form tables for the bountiful feast the women had worked for days to prepare.

When the bench was set in place, they headed side by side back to the wagon for another.

“I haven’t seen much of you since the wedding.” Luke speared him with a teasing grin. “That new farm must be keeping you busy.”

Jesse refused to rise to his bait. Truth was, he didn’t feel much like visiting lately. He and Katie and Butch were happy with their long days of work on the farm and their peaceful nights together in their cozy new home.

“The road runs both ways between your place and mine. Anytime you feel like visiting, come on over and we can talk while you help me milk the cows.”

Luke’s only reply was a laugh as they hefted the next bench.

The last in a string of buggies and wagons deposited its female passengers at the house and headed for the open field where Butch and Noah Stolzfus were corralling the horses after they had been unharnessed. Jesse almost tripped over a trio of smaller boys who dashed beneath the bench he carried, one in Amish garb and two in
Englisch
shirts and britches.

“Hey, I think that was my son.” Luke frowned after the boys as they disappeared around the corner of the white church building. “He’s supposed to be helping his mother in the house.”

“Let him go,” advised Jesse. “That house is full to bursting already, and too many people are around for them to get into much trouble without somebody seeing.”

It was true. Everyone in White Church had turned out for today’s Thanksgiving dinner. Everywhere he looked, Amish and
Englisch
men stood talking, and women formed a continuous line from Colin and Rebecca’s big house to the already loaded makeshift tables. The scent of pies and roasting meat filled the air, and the happy laughter of children rang across the fields.

They set the last bench in place and straightened, watching the bustle that surrounded them. Jesse realized his friend was staring at him, his mouth crooked into a quirky grin.

“What?”

“I was thinking about our cattle drive days and what a rowdy cowpoke you were.” Luke shook his head. “If somebody would have told me you’d end up Amish, I would have laughed them off the trail. If there was ever a hopeless case back then, it was you.”

Jesse joined in with a chuckle. It was true. Of all the possible futures he’d envisioned, becoming Amish had never occurred to him. And yet here he was, enjoying a life he never thought possible, and a peace he thought would forever be beyond his reach.

The last six months had held more changes for him than many men endured in years. He’d helped Amos, Jonas, and the others leave Apple Grove and set up a dozen new farms here in White Church, as they had decided to call their new community. He’d completed nine classes, conducted by Bishop Beiler, Zacharias, and Jonas, over a course of several months. There he had learned the tenets of the faith, the customs and habits of his new community, and had studied the Confession until he could quote it in his sleep.

The day of his baptism was forever etched in his mind. He’d knelt before Bishop Beiler in front of the community. The bishop’s cupped hands rested on Jesse’s bowed head. Jonas poured
water from a pitcher into the bishop’s hands, and though Jesse knew it was nothing but plain spring water, he would swear until the day he died that the trickle that flowed over his head and dripped down his face washed away the last shred of rebellion from his soul. When he rose to receive the holy kiss, he felt like a new man.

But that was nothing compared to the day, three weeks later, when he and Katie stood together before the same community to be joined forever as husband and wife.

Jesse’s gaze strayed across the churchyard, his eyes drawn unerringly to the loveliest Amish woman in the gathering. As though she felt his regard, Katie looked up from her work of arranging overflowing bowls and trays on the table. Their eyes met, and the bustle of their surroundings fell away. For a moment they renewed the intimacy of their love, and the secret she had whispered into his ear in the dark of night only a week ago. Come spring, the Lord would bless them with a gift more precious than any they had ever dared to hope for. Katie was not barren; Samuel had been. Jesse and Katie would welcome a child, a baby of their own, born of their love for each other.

What would Bishop Miller think when he heard the news? He’d received the announcement of the intended departure of eight families from the Apple Grove district silently, his expression stoic. The word from their friends who had remained said the man’s harsh attitude had softened somewhat, though grief still rested heavily on him. Would this little one harden his heart again, or would Jesse and Katie’s child be a harbinger of peace for the bitterness that had wrapped around the man’s heart like a shroud? That was Jesse’s prayer.

He realized Luke was still watching him, waiting for a response. Laughing, Jesse clapped his friend on the shoulder. “One thing I’ve discovered, buddy. The Lord is partial to hopeless cases. I’m proof of that.”

The church bell rang, calling everyone to the tables. Amish and
Englisch
alike gathered around the feast. Bishop Beiler and Sarah stood alongside Colin and Rebecca, whose little Isaac was already half again as big as baby Katherine. Luke and Emma corralled their pair while Jonas stood nearby beaming at his grandchildren.
Maummi
Switzer hovered over the food with a ready hand, daring any bugs to draw near. All of his neighbors were there, their faces beaming with thanksgiving.

Jesse joined Katie, standing as close to her as propriety allowed. The smile she turned on him reached inside his chest, straight to his soul. The truth of his words to Luke echoed in his ears and resonated deep inside him.

If God could bring peace to this restless cowboy’s heart, nobody was beyond His reach.

AUTHORS’ NOTE

We hope you enjoyed
A Cowboy at Heart
, our third book about the Amish of Apple Grove. As soon as we wrote Book 1,
The Heart’s Frontier
, we knew we would eventually tell Jesse’s story. He was such a rowdy but lovable cowboy. We couldn’t wait to see who would tame his restless heart. In the first book he teased Luke about falling for one of those “
Aim-
ish” gals, so we chuckled when Jesse fell in love with an Amish woman himself.

Though this story is a work of fiction, we always like including a bit of actual history. The 1880s were a fascinating time in the American West. As the days of the great cattle drives came to an end, the economy underwent drastic changes. The demand for beef did not decrease, and cattle barons could be ruthless in their acquisition of land with easy access to the railroads. The circumstance in which Jonas Switzer finds himself in
A Cowboy at Heart
wasn’t at all uncommon during that period.

Medicine was also changing during that time. As Dr. Sorensen explains to
Maummi
and Katie, an English doctor named Joseph Lister had discovered the role microorganisms played in infection a few years earlier. The concept of antisepsis before and during
surgery had become common in Europe in the 1880s, but the practice took a while to become popular among American doctors. Most thought the whole idea was hogwash.

Those who have read the previous Apple Grove books will notice that
A Cowboy at Heart
isn’t as humorous as the others. The themes in this story are serious ones—alcoholism, barrenness, inconsolable grief at the loss of loved ones, and the soul-searching that comes from standing your spiritual ground in the face of adversity. We are both certain that God can soothe every hurt, heal every injury, and strengthen every heart to endure even the toughest times with faith intact.

We’d love to hear from you. Let us know what you thought of our book by visiting
www.LoriCopelandandVirginiaSmith.com
.

Lori and Virginia

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