Patchwork Dreams (28 page)

“Ach. Well, then, when you see him, please tell him I’m sorry.” Annie smiled at her. “I have to go. I promised to help Mrs. Zook with some things today. How long are you home for?”

“Forever, I hope. Naomi Joy is taking Katie back with her.”

“We’ll have to get together and talk, then.” Annie nodded. “Enjoy the letters. And again, I’m sorry.”

***

Jacob leaned forward in his seat. That looked like Becky darting into the barn. He watched the open doors, hoping for her to reappear, as the car pulled to a stop.

“Danki.” Jacob handed the driver some money.

“Sorry it was a wild goose chase, man. Do you want me to come back later? So you can try again?”

Jacob hesitated, glancing toward the barn again. “Nein. Wait awhile. I may need a ride to the bus station.”

There would be no point in staying if Becky wouldn’t be in his future.

Jacob slid out of the vehicle and jogged over to the barn. Becky stood in front of Shakespeare’s stall. The horse nuzzled her hands. She reached into her pocket and handed him a bit of carrot.

For a long moment, Jacob just stood there in the open doorway, watching her.

Five weeks was entirely too long to be apart.

She talked softly to the horse, patting him on the nose.

“Bex.” His voice came out hoarse, and little louder than a whisper. He tried again. “Bex.”

She jumped, her shoulders pulling back in surprise. After a moment, she turned around. “Jacob.”

A becoming blush spread over her cheeks. His heart hurt. “Don’t ever leave me like that again.” He winced at blurting out his thoughts like that. Not exactly what he’d dreamed of saying upon reuniting with her.

She stood there in silence, perhaps not knowing how to respond.

“Ach, Bex.” He moved across the floor, coming to stop in front of her. In another moment, his hands slid over her soft cheeks, cupping her face, his thumbs resting on the corners of her mouth. “Why didn’t you answer my letters?”

“I never received any from you. At least—”

“I wrote you two or three times a week. Nothing came?” Not even his apology? His declarations of love?

“Nein. But Annie sent me Daed’s letters. She found them in Cathy’s things. And she found your letters today.” Becky gestured behind her as he swallowed in disbelief. He looked beyond her and noticed a thick stack of envelopes tied together and resting on a hay bale.

“I came out here to read them in private.”

Jacob shut his eyes briefly. He would have to deal with Cathy later. But now, Becky needed to know what he’d written. “I’m so sorry, Bex. So very sorry. I never meant to hurt you the way I did. I didn’t reject you because of what happened between you and Kent. Really. It was just that I thought you had another man courting you.”

She dipped her head, but he moved a thumb to her chin, raising it back up. “Look at me, Bex. Please? I want to see your beautiful face.”

She swallowed hard. “But what about Susie? Why did she kum?” Apprehension and something else—anger?—flitted across her face.

Jacob groaned. “Ach, Susie. Who can figure her out? She started dating Englisch buwe from around here. I told her to go home. There was nothing between us. Never would be. You are the only one I’m interested in.”

Becky stared up at him. “Jacob, I….” She hesitated a second. Then, the tip of her pink tongue peeked out, and she licked her lips. “Jacob….” Her voice shook. She did that distracting tongue thing again. He was going to kiss her. No help for it.

He moved his thumbs again, touching her lips, tracing them. Pressing against their softness. Becky drew in a ragged breath. His own breathing wasn’t much smoother.

“Bex.” He drew out her name on a groan. In the next second he cupped his hand on the back of her head, tangling his fingers in the soft strands of her hair. He slid his other hand down to the small of her back, pressing her against him.

His mouth found hers, teasing lightly, then settling in more firmly. She trembled against him. And then her lips stirred under his, responding with an eagerness and abandon that surprised and delighted him. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Jacob didn’t know how long they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms and kissing, but it wasn’t enough. Nein, he wanted to hold this woman for the rest of his life.

That seemed unlikely if he couldn’t even get her to smile.

He needed to hear her heart, and soon.

He had to let her go.

He tore himself out of her arms and took a step back.

***

Becky struggled to stand, let alone breathe. Her knees had turned to liquid, her toes curling in her shoes. She’d never been kissed like that in her entire life.

Jacob took another ragged breath. “Bex, is there any hope for me? Give me a reason to stay. Please.”

How could she talk? She was still fighting for air. She couldn’t find the strength to launch herself back into his arms, and that was where she really wanted to be. She wobbled and reached for the stall door in an effort to support herself so that she wouldn’t crumple in a heap at his feet.

He backed up another step, his expression changing from hopeful to discouraged. His shoulders slumped. In another second, he spun around and pulled his bicycle from the shadows of the barn.

“Good-bye, then, Bex. Always remember that I loved you.”

He disappeared out the barn door, wheeling his bicycle beside him.

Becky stood there, sucking air into her lungs. How on earth had he recovered so fast?

He loved her?

And “
Good-bye, Bex
”?

What?

Suddenly, breathing wasn’t the problem. She choked on a sudden lump and found the strength in her legs. “Jacob! Nein!”

He’d already left the bicycle beside the van waiting in the driveway, and the driver had opened the back and was preparing to shove it inside the luggage compartment. Jacob disappeared inside the dawdi-haus.

“Jacob.” His name caught on a sob. She’d been taught that it wasn’t ladylike to run. But really, in this situation, did it matter?

Daed stood on the porch, his gaze moving from the door of the dawdi-haus, which had just slammed shut, to the driver of the car, then to Becky. His brows furrowed in a frown. But without making a comment, he turned and went back inside. Wouldn’t he make an effort to stop this?

“Don’t load that,” Becky ordered the confused driver as she passed the van and entered the dawdi-haus. Grossmammi was in the hospital, so the house was empty except for Jacob. She ran up the stairs. “Jacob!”

If she had sinned by running, she was really sinning now. She shoved the door to his room open. And skidded to a stop in the doorway.

Jacob shoved his belongings into his suitcase on the floor.

“Nein. Don’t go.”

He looked up from his crouched position, his blue eyes darkening. A muscle worked in his jaw. “Give me a reason to stay, then. Saying your daed needs me isn’t gut enough.”

“I need you. Ich liebe dich. I….” The words came quickly, born of desperation. She leaned on the door frame for support. Tried to calm down. “Ich liebe dich, Jacob.”

He rose to his feet, holding her gaze. “And say that you’ll marry me, kum December.”

Her breath hitched. “Jah.”

He walked to her and pulled her into his arms. “Gut. Ich liebe dich. I want to marry you.” He leaned down and nuzzled the side of her neck, where she could feel her pulse pounding. She shivered and snuggled closer, her arms going around his neck. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He kissed her neck again, then worked his way up to her jawline. Then, he stopped and looked in her eyes. “Marry me soon.”

“Anytime. The sooner the better.” She couldn’t keep from smiling.

“So, all this time I’ve been trying to get you to smile, and all you needed was love, ain’t so?” Jacob touched her lips and grinned back.

Laura Hilton graduated with a business degree from Ozarka Technical College in Melbourne, Arkansas. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, she is a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with more than a thousand reviews published on the Web. Prior to Patchwork Dreams, she published two novels with Treble Heart Books, Hot Chocolate and Shadows of the Past, as well as several devotionals. Laura and her husband, Steve, have five children, whom Laura homeschools. The family makes their home in Arkansas. To learn more about Laura, read her reviews, and find out about her upcoming releases, readers may visit her blog at http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/.

Preview of Book 2

A Harvest of Hearts

Shanna Stoltzfus felt something brush against her hair, just above her left ear. She swatted at it. When she touched flesh, she jumped, her attempts to pray forgotten, and raised her head from the steering wheel to see maple-stained fingers, complete with calluses and a small cut.

The hand pulled back. “Is something wrong? Are you hurt?” a deep voice asked.

She looked up into incredible gray eyes belonging to a drop-dead gorgeous Amish man. He grasped his straw hat in the long fingers of his right hand. His light brown hair shone with natural blond highlights. She’d paid big bucks for streaks like those. He also had a strong, clean-shaven jaw. Nice. Too bad he hadn’t been around when she’d been Amish. She definitely would have noticed a hunk like this. Might even have considered staying.

“Lost, maybe? I can direct you back to the main road. Where did you want to go?”

“Anyplace but here. Even Mexico sounds good.” She swallowed her trepidation and aimed what she hoped was a wry smile at him. When she reached for the door handle, he stepped out of the way. “You must be the houseguest Mamm mentioned in her letters. Matthew Yoder from Pennsylvania?” She swung her legs out of the car and extended a hand. “I’m Shanna.”

“Shanna.” He seemed to freeze. A little smile played on his lips. “Shanna,” he repeated.

She didn’t know quite what to think. He said her name as if it meant something special. Then, he blinked. “I’m Matthew, jah.”

He held out his hand, but before his hand could touch hers, she fixed her gaze on his brown fingers. He hesitated and then rubbed his hands together, as if to check to see if the stain was still damp. Then, he pulled back. “Shanna.”

His tongue seemed to trip over her name this time. Or maybe he’d heard some negative things about her. Her stomach churned. She shouldn’t be here. But where else could she go?

“I guess they are expecting you?”

“No. Not really.” Shanna stood and looked up at him. The top of her head barely reached his jaw.

His gaze skimmed over her. She wondered what he thought as he studied her faded jeans, T-shirt, and flip-flops. She looked down at her toenails. Good, they were painted with pink polish. Except the paint on one of her big toes had a huge chip. She wished she could reach for the bottle and repair the damage. As his gaze traveled back up, she repressed the urge to smooth her hair. It wouldn’t have done much good, anyway. She’d driven the whole way with the windows down, so it would be hopelessly tangled.

His forehead wrinkled, and there was no hint of recognition in his eyes when they returned to her face.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?”

Matthew raised his eyebrows and his gaze met hers. “No. Should I?”

Unexpected pain shot through her. Daed had made good on his threat to reject her. “Figures. He probably forbade everybody to say my name. I’m surprised he allowed Mamm to write. Or maybe he doesn’t know.”

Confusion flashed across Matthew’s face. “So, you think your Mamm lives here, and she isn’t expecting you?” He shook his head, his lips curling into a sympathetic half smile. “This is the home of Levi and Deborah—”

“Stoltzfus. Yes, I know. And I’m their oldest daughter.”

Matthew’s smile slipped, and he blinked, cutting off her view of those gray eyes for a brief moment.

“You know, you have beautiful eyes.” She stepped closer, then turned to shut the car door. “My things are in the back. But I guess maybe we should leave them there until we find out if I’m allowed to stay. Mamm said I would be welcome, but Daed has the final say, you know.” She bit her lip and tried to force her fear of the imminent confrontation out of her mind. It didn’t work. And since her little brothers and sisters hadn’t gathered around to welcome her, she wondered if her family was even home. She looked around for the buggy, or some sign of life other than the handsome Matthew. She didn’t notice any.

“Jah. Probably should wait.” He blinked again when she turned to face him.

“Well, shall we?” She walked past him, around the front of the car, and toward the porch. At the top step, she hesitated and glanced back. Matthew stood where she’d left him, watching her. He didn’t even try to hide it by looking away. A shiver worked through her, but she ignored it. He’d probably never met anyone like her before. Daed always said she was too outspoken. She sighed. “I guess I should ask. Where is Daed?”

He motioned behind him. “In the shop.”

“Good.” Postponing a meeting with Daed would at least give her time to see Mamm and her little sisters before she was kicked off the property.

If that happened, Shanna hoped this gorgeous Amish man wouldn’t witness her humiliation. She felt ashamed enough of her modern clothes, now subject to his intense gaze. She was so underdressed, she might as well have shown up at a formal event wearing boxer shorts and a paint-spattered T-shirt.

Did Mamm still keep her Amish clothes hanging in her bedroom closet?

She scowled and turned toward the house. It would take more than a good-looking man to get her to change into Amish clothes. She hadn’t been able to wait to leave the Amish life behind, and she wasn’t about to return to it.

Well, she would stay for the summer, if permitted. But no longer than that.

And if Daed wouldn’t let her? She’d deal with that when the time came.

***

Matthew stared at the front door, through which the green-eyed beauty had disappeared after only the briefest look back, as if checking to see if he followed her. And he probably would have, if his feet hadn’t felt rooted to the ground.