His Perfect Bride

Jacob Lapp has loved Annie Zook since childhood. But she’s never seen him that way. Once courted—then rejected—by his older brother, Annie’s wary of the Lapp men. But now that Jacob is working at her dat’s blacksmith shop, he feels he’s been given a second chance. It’s no secret Annie wants a husband. Yet she’s intent on marrying someone older, more established—someone the opposite of Jacob. Can he ever break down the walls she’s forged around her fragile heart and prove to her that he’s the perfect man for her?

Lancaster County Weddings: Binding two hearts as one in Amish country

“Why do ya want only an older man?” Jacob asked.

“Don’t ya want someone who’ll cherish you?”

She flashed him a look, startled by the intensity of his golden gaze. Cherish? She was hoping for someone who would be happy to have her to wife. She would feel blessed to be cherished by her husband, but she doubted that would ever happen.

“Younger men don’t want me.” Annie felt her face heat. “I can trust an older man.”

“What about me?” Jacob asked.

“You? What about you?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

Annie grew flustered as she felt his gaze. “I trust you,” she hedged, wondering where the conversation was leading. “We are friends—” He shifted in his seat, and Annie saw him wince. “I’m sorry. Your hand is hurting you.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, but his pale features said otherwise.

Was Jacob actually suggesting that she consider him as someone who could be more than a friend? Had he been serious? Testing her? Teasing her? Now that he had put the idea in her mind, she had trouble dismissing it. They were friends, she reminded herself.

REBECCA KERTZ was first introduced to the Amish when her husband took a job with an Amish construction crew. She enjoyed watching the Amish foreman’s children at play and swapping recipes with his wife. Rebecca resides in Delaware with her husband and dog. She has a strong faith in God and feels blessed to have family nearby. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, doing crafts and visiting Lancaster County.

A Wife for Jacob

Rebecca Kertz

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

—1 John 4:7

For my dearest husband,

whom I love with all of my heart…

I feel blessed that I met and married you.

Table of Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

The windows were open, allowing the warm breeze of early autumn to flow throughout the two-story farmhouse. Anna Zook sat in the family gathering room, folding laundry from a basket of line-dried clothes. She pulled out her youngest brother Peter’s light blue shirt, held it up for inspection and then laid it across the back of the sofa.

It was quiet. Her mother, Peter and her sister Barbara had taken her grandparents up north to see her grossmudder’s sister, Evie, in New Wilmington, an Amish community north of Pittsburgh. Her older brother Josiah had left early this morning to visit the Amos Kings, most particularly his new sweetheart, Nancy. Dat was making some repairs to the grosseldre’s house while her grandparents were away.

As she reached into the basket for another garment, Annie glanced at Millie, sleeping on the floor not far from her feet. Every day she thanked the Lord that Dat allowed her to keep her dog inside the house instead of out in the barn where the other animals were kept. In her community, most pets were excluded from homes, but Millie was special, at least to Annie. And her father was kind to understand what Millie meant to her.

She spread an apron on the cushion beside her, smoothing out the wrinkles before laying it on top of Peter’s shirt. Millie lifted her head and eyed Annie briefly before closing her eyes and lying back down. Annie smiled tenderly at the animal. Millie was a black-and-white mongrel—“mutt” Peter called her—with soulful brown eyes and a mouth that looked as if she were smiling whenever she sat up, panting for a treat. She loved Millie; the dog gave her unconditional affection, following her wherever she went. It had been Millie who had helped her get over the heartache and loss of Jedidiah Lapp. When he’d talked of being friends, she’d known he was telling her that he was no longer interested in her as his sweetheart.

I’ll not be hurt again, she thought. Only by marrying for practical reasons would she keep her heart safe. I’ll wed a church elder or a widower with children, someone who will appreciate me and be happy to have me as his bride. Then after the wedding, she would learn to become fond of her husband. No handsome young man would hurt her again.

As she folded pants, socks and undergarments, Annie frowned. Lately, her mother had been hinting that she wasn’t getting any younger. “You should find someone to marry and soon,” Mam had said.

How could she find someone to marry? Didn’t they have to show an interest in her first? She tried to think of all the older men who were free to marry. Preacher Levi Stoltzfus. Amos King’s brother Ike, newly back in his home community from Indiana, where he’d lived with his wife before she’d passed on.

Annie loved it in Happiness. Whomever she married must stay here. Charlotte King had married Abram Peachy, their deacon, and she was happy raising Abram’s five children. If I can find someone as nice as Abram, I’ll be content. First respect, then love will follow, a safe kind of love that brings only peace rather than heartbreak.

She picked up a stack of socks and set them carefully in the laundry basket. Next to the socks, she placed the folded undergarments. Suddenly, Millie rose up on all fours and began to bark fiercely.

“Millie!” she scolded, startled by her dog’s behavior. “Stop that this minute!” What was bothering her?

But the dog continued to bark as she scurried toward the window, rose up on her hind legs, propped her front paws on the windowsill and then barked and whined as she peered outside.

“Girl, what do you see?” Annie frowned as she approached, looking over the dog’s head to search the yard for the cause of the animal’s agitation. And she saw the ladder against the grosseldre’s house leaning crookedly against the gutter. Suddenly apprehensive, Annie searched for her father and then saw him, lying on the ground not far from the base of the ladder.

“Dat!” She rushed out of the house and ran to him. Millie slipped out behind her, but Annie cared only to get to her father to see if he was all right. Millie hovered nearby, wanting to get close enough to sniff Dat, and Annie had to scold the young dog to stay away.

“Dat,” Annie breathed as she knelt near his head.

He groaned. “Annie—” He tried to rise and cried out with pain.

“Nay,” she said. “Don’t move. We don’t know how badly you’re hurt.”

Her father lay with his eyes closed, looking paler than she’d ever seen him. “I’ll go for help. Stay where you are.” She leaned closer. “Dat, can you hear me?”

“Ja,” came his soft whisper, then he grimaced.

Annie stood, and raced barefoot through the grass and down the dirt drive as fast as she could, her heart thudding, her fear rising with each step. It wasn’t safe to try to move him herself. She had to get help.

* * *

“We had a gut morning,” Jacob Lapp said as he steered the family’s horse-driven market wagon from Bird-in-Hand toward home. “Dat will be pleased that we picked up the lumber.”

“Ja, and Mam will be happy we bought everything on her list and so quickly,” his younger brother Isaac said.

Jacob flashed him a glance. “You helping Dat with the repairs at Abram’s?”

“Ja, ’tis why he wanted the lumber this morning. The shed on the deacon’s property has become unsafe. Abram is afraid that one of the children will get hurt.”

Jacob silently agreed. A building that wasn’t sturdy was an accident waiting to happen. “They’ll have plenty of time to fix the shed today,” he said conversationally. “It’s a gut day to be working outside.” His brothers were handy with tools, expert in construction. Jacob could handle a hammer as well as any of them, but he didn’t want to work in that occupation for a living.

He sighed. He wanted what his older brothers had: a wife, a home and work that would provide for his family. His older brothers had found their life paths. Noah was an expert cabinetmaker with a thriving business. Jedidiah, his eldest brother, owned a small farm and supplemented his income with construction work when it suited him.

But me? I help Dat with the farmwork, but I don’t want to be a farmer, nor do I want to work in construction. And I don’t have Noah’s talent for making furniture. He had no idea what his special God-given gifts were, and until he discovered he had any, he’d not be thinking of marrying. He wouldn’t wed until he could provide for a family.

As he drove down the main road, past Whittier’s Store, and continued on, Jacob pushed those thoughts aside and enjoyed the scenery. The only sounds were the horse’s hooves hitting pavement and the occasional rev of an engine as a car approached and then passed.

Suddenly, he saw a young Amish woman running barefoot down the road. She stopped and waved at them frantically as they drove past. “Schtupp!”

Jacob pulled the buggy to the side of the road. Once he’d reined the horse to a halt, he sprang from the vehicle and hurried back to see what was wrong. He recognized the young woman immediately. “Annie!” She was Annie Zook, a friend from childhood and his brother Jed’s former sweetheart.

Annie hesitated. “Jacob?”

“Ja.” He studied her with concern. “Annie, is something wrong? Can we help?”

She glanced from him to Isaac as if she wondered if they could help. “Dat’s hurt!” she exclaimed. “He fell off the roof of my grosseldre’s house!”

Jacob hid his alarm. “Is he conscious?”

“Ja,” she cried, “but he’s in pain!”

“I’ll stay with you,” he told her, “while Isaac goes for help.” Isaac climbed out of the vehicle and approached. Jacob addressed his younger brother, “I’ll drive to the Zooks’, then you take the wagon. Find a phone and call 911.” Isaac nodded, his expression turning anxious before he got back into the vehicle. Jacob helped Annie into the buggy, then he climbed in and took up the leathers. “Yah!” he cried, spurring the horse on.

The horse’s hooves pounded against the macadam road. Jacob drove down the dirt lane to the Zooks’ farmhouse, hopped out and helped Annie to alight. He turned to his brother. “Hurry, Isaac!” he urged. “Try the Martins or Whittier’s Store.”

“I will.” Isaac slid over and grabbed the reins. “Don’t worry, Annie. I’ll get help.” Then, he set the mare to a fast pace as he steered the animal back to the main road and toward the nearest available phone.

“Where is your vadder?” Jacob asked.

“Over here,” she said. He accompanied her past the main house to where her father had fallen.

Jacob felt his heart beat faster as he saw the ladder, which looked like it would topple over. He noted the danger to Joe, who lay on the ground a few feet away. “Hold on, Joe!” He rushed to move the piece of equipment a safe distance from the dawdi haus before he returned quickly to hunker down near the injured man’s head. “Joe?” he said softly. His fear rose when the man didn’t immediately respond.

“Dat!” Annie sobbed, clearly terrified. “Dat, open your eyes—say something! Please!” She touched her father’s cheek. “Dat, Jacob Lapp is here. Isaac has gone for help.”

Joe’s eyelashes fluttered and then opened. “Annie?”

Annie crouched next to Jacob. “Ja, Dat! Jacob and me. What hurts?”

“My leg,” he gasped.

Joe tried to rise, then cried out and reached toward his left leg. Jacob immediately stopped him. “Nay. Don’t move. You could injure yourself more.”

Joe leaned back and closed his eyes. “Burns,” he whispered. “Feels like fire.”

“Hold on.” Jacob’s gaze met Annie’s. “An ambulance will be here soon,” he assured her.

Her blue eyes glistening with tears, she nodded. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“You did the right thing, leaving him be to get help.” Jacob felt a little catch as he studied her. He’d never seen her looking so vulnerable. He rose to his feet and offered her his hand. She appeared reluctant to take it and rose without help.

It seemed like forever, but it must have been only ten minutes till they heard the ambulance siren. Jacob managed a smile. “Help has come.”

“Thanks be to God,” she prayed. He could see that she was trying to pull herself together.

The ambulance drove closer, rumbling over the dirt lane toward the house. “It was just you and Horseshoe Joe home?” Jacob asked softly, using the nickname that Annie’s father went by in the community.

“Ja. Grossmudder and Grossdaddi wanted to visit family in New Wilmington. Mam, Barbara and Peter went with them.”

“And Josiah?”

Watching as the ambulance pulled into the yard and stopped, Annie hugged herself with her arms. “At the Kings. He left to see Nancy early this morning.”

“When Isaac comes, I’ll send him to tell your brother.” Jacob noted her shiver and studied her with a frown. “Are you cold?”

“Nay,” she whispered. “I’m fine.”

He could see that she wasn’t, but he kept silent. Jacob glanced downward and saw blood along the side of her left foot. “You’re hurt!” he exclaimed, upset for not noticing before.

“’Tis nothing,” she assured him.

The ambulance had stopped, and three men climbed out of the vehicle. Jacob approached to explain the situation to them and then took the men to Joe before he returned to Annie. “You should have someone look at your foot.”

“Nay—”

“Let me see it,” he said firmly. She seemed taken aback by his brusqueness, but she obeyed and raised her left foot. He hissed at what he saw. “Now the other one.” The right foot looked as bad as the left. The bottoms of both her feet were scratched and bleeding; the soles looked angry and sore. “What did you do to yourself?” he said gently. Running barefoot, she must have stepped on broken glass.

“Dat fell. I couldn’t worry about shoes!” she cried, almost angrily.

Jacob nodded. “I know. I would have done the same thing. But now that your father is getting help, you must take care of yourself. Your dat is going to need you. You don’t want to get an infection and be ill, do you?”

His words seemed to calm her. She sniffed as she met his gaze. “Nay.”

“I’ll run inside and get something for you to wear on your feet.” He turned to leave. “I’ll just speak with these men first to see if they can take a quick look—”

“Jacob!” Annie’s call stopped him in his strides.

He spun back. “Ja?”

“Don’t bother the men. They’re helping Dat. I can wait. You’ll find black socks in the laundry basket in my grosseldre’s kitchen. I did their laundry but haven’t put it away yet.” She gestured toward her grandparents’ cottage. “And my grossmudder’s old sneakers are by the back door. We wear the same size shoe. I can wear those.”

Jacob studied her, noting the anxiety playing on her lovely features, the look of fear in her glistening blue eyes. Tendrils of blond hair had escaped from beneath her white prayer kapp. She wore a full-length black apron over a lavender dress. Jacob noticed the way her bottom lip quivered, as if she was ready to break down and cry. But she didn’t. She remained strong.

“I’ll get you the socks,” he said softly. Inside the dawdi haus, he found the pair of socks right where she told him they would be. He grabbed them and the navy sneakers, brought them outside and handed them to her. “Your dat’s in gut hands, Annie. These men know what they’re doing.” She nodded. “They’ll get him to the hospital. You’ll need to go there, as well.”

“Ja,” she said, glancing toward where the men bent over her father. She held on to the socks he’d given her but made no effort to put them on.

“Do you need help?” he asked quietly.

“Nay. I can do it.” But she didn’t move. She watched the men working on her father.

“Annie,” he said. “Do you need help?” Without waiting for her answer, Jacob gently took the socks from her and hunkered down near her feet. “Hold on to my shoulder.”

He tried not to think about the fact that he was holding Annie’s bare foot as he carefully pulled on the first sock and then the second one. Within seconds, he felt satisfied that her injured feet would be protected. He rose and, without meeting her glance as she bent to put on the shoes, turned to watch the ambulance workers.

As two men lifted Joe onto a stretcher, the driver approached them. “Are you relatives?” he asked.

“I am,” Annie said as she straightened. “I’m his daughter.”

“We’ve secured his neck in a brace, and we’ve done what we could for him. It looks like he may have fractured his leg. We’ll be taking him to General Hospital. They’ll do X-rays and check for other injuries.” The dark-haired man wore a white shirt and pants and a white jacket embroidered with the red insignia of the ambulance company. “Do you want to ride with us?” he asked Annie.

She hesitated. “Ja.”

“That’s fine,” Jacob said. “We’ll make sure Josiah gets to the hospital.”

A car rumbled down the dirt drive and stopped near the main farmhouse. As Jacob approached the vehicle, the door on the driver’s side opened and Bob Whittier stepped out. “Isaac called from the store,” he said. “Rick Martin was there. Your brother told us what happened.” He paused, studied the scene. “Do you need a lift to the hospital?”

Jacob shot Annie a quick glance. “Annie’s going in the ambulance with Joe. I’ll take the ride.” The kind Englisher nodded and Jacob returned to Annie’s side. “I’m going to follow behind the ambulance with Bob.”

Annie didn’t seem pleased. “You don’t have to come.”

“Ja, I do. You shouldn’t be alone.” He paused. “I’ll stay until your brother gets there.” He watched as the EMTs carefully shifted Joe onto a stretcher. “Looks like they’re getting ready to move him.”

“I need to get my purse,” she said.

“Where’s Isaac?” Jacob asked Bob as Annie hurried toward the farmhouse.

“Rick is taking him to the Kings to tell Josiah what happened. As soon as he can, Rick will bring them to the hospital.”

Annie returned with purse in hand, and Jacob stood beside her and Bob as the EMTs placed Joe carefully into the back of the vehicle. He heard Annie’s sharp little inhalation, and he felt the strongest desire to comfort her, tell her that Joe would be all right and she had no reason to worry, except that he didn’t know the extent of her father’s injuries. He settled a hand on her shoulder and felt her jerk as if startled. He drew his fingers away.

One of the ambulance workers approached. “We’re ready to go.”

“I’m coming,” she said.

Jacob couldn’t help himself from reaching for her hand, just for a moment, to give it a reassuring squeeze. She broke away and hurried toward the ambulance. The memory of her shocked look stayed with him as he climbed into the front seat of Bob’s car and buckled his seat belt. They were nearly at the hospital when he heard the light toot of a car horn behind them. He glanced back to see Rick’s car. He was glad that the Englisher was able to bring Josiah so quickly.

He could tell Bob to turn around and take him back. Annie didn’t want him at the hospital. But she would just have to tolerate his presence. He wasn’t about to go home without learning if Joe was all right. It was the correct thing to do.

* * *

“Your father needs surgery. He has a displaced fracture of the tibia and fibula in his left leg, the two bones that make up the shin. He hit his head when he fell, but I don’t think that injury is severe. Looks like the leg suffered the worst of it. We’ll do a CT scan to be certain. He’ll need surgery to repair the damage.”

Annie nodded. “Will he be all right?” Her fear rose with each revelation the doctor made.

“There are no guarantees, but his prognosis looks good. We’re running tests to make sure an underlying condition didn’t cause his fall, but from what your father told me, I don’t believe that’s the case.”

“When can we see him?” Josiah asked.

Annie glanced at her brother, who was frowning. He looked impatient, agitated.

In direct contrast, Dr. Moss looked confident and competent in her white lab coat. “You can see him for a few minutes before we take him up to surgery,” she said. A nurse approached with a clipboard. “Excuse me.” Dr. Moss studied the chart and nodded. She spoke privately with the young woman before she returned her attention to Josiah and Annie. “I’ll need one of you to sign a consent form.”

While her brother waited for the form, Annie flashed Jacob a glance. She was keenly aware of his presence. When their gazes caught, she looked away. Why had he come? He said that he’d stay only until her brother arrived, but Josiah had arrived the same time as Jacob. She wanted him to leave. But how could she make him go after the way he’d helped with Dat? He cared about her father and she had to respect his feelings. She recalled the image of young twelve-year-old Jacob hanging on to her father’s every word as her dat taught him about blacksmithing.

Disturbed by the memory, she tried to focus on Josiah, now bent over a clipboard with pen in hand. But she remained acutely aware of the man behind her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She was relieved to see him deep in conversation with his brother Isaac, Bob Whittier and Rick Martin.

Tall, with dark hair like his eldest brother Jacob wore a royal blue shirt with suspenders holding up his triblend denim pants. He held his black-banded straw hat in his hands. She dared to examine his face. His features were a beautiful combination of his mam and dat—Katie and Samuel Lapp. Annie scowled and Jacob turned, caught her gaze. She gasped, looked away. How embarrassing to be caught staring. To her dismay, she sensed his approach.

“Are you all right?” Jacob asked softly.

She shook her head. “I will be once I know my father is all right.”

“He spoke to us,” he said. “That’s a gut sign.” He offered her an encouraging smile. “I’m praying for his quick recovery.”

Tears sprang to Annie’s eyes. “I appreciate that.” It was a kind thing for him to say, but then Jacob had been kind to her from the first moment he’d jumped out of his buggy and offered his help. And she’d been anything but kind to him.

A nurse appeared from behind them. “You may see your father now but only for a few minutes. We’ll be taking him up to surgery shortly. Only immediate family may see him.”

“Thank you,” Annie said. She turned to Jacob. “I’ll let you know how he is as soon as I can. I don’t want to keep you.”

Jacob smiled. Amusement flashed in his golden eyes. “You’re not keeping me from anything. I’ll wait for you.”

“I won’t be long,” she said as she turned away.

“Annie,” Josiah interrupted, “we have to go now, or we’ll miss our chance to see Dat.”

She hurried to join her brother, and they headed into the emergency room for a brief visit with their father.

* * *

Jacob waited with Annie and Josiah while Horseshoe Joe was in surgery. He could tell that Annie was anxious. Josiah was quiet and didn’t have much to say. Within the hour, Nancy King arrived, greeted them and then sat next to Josiah. Annie’s brother’s expression brightened; he was obviously glad to see her.

Jacob glanced at the couple, then averted his gaze. Nancy had been his sweetheart, if only for a short time. They had parted ways after she’d gone with her grandparents to visit relatives in North Carolina. On her return, something was changed between them. It was almost as if they’d never spent time together. And then Nancy had begun walking out with Josiah.

He’d felt hurt at the time, but later when he’d thought about it, he realized that he hadn’t been too upset by the breakup. God had helped him understand that Nancy King wasn’t the woman he was intended to marry. If he’d loved Nancy as much as Noah loved Rachel or Jed loved Sarah, he might have tried to win Nancy’s affection again. But he hadn’t; he’d simply accepted that their relationship was over.

Thinking about marriage, Jacob knew that he had nothing to offer a wife. If Nancy hadn’t gone away, he might have married her, but he didn’t know how he would have provided for her, or for any woman he courted with the intention of marrying. He was getting older now and had to think about his future.

“Jacob?” Annie interrupted his thoughts. “Dr. Moss warned us that this would be a long surgery. It will be another hour, at least, until Dat is in recovery.”

“I’ll wait,” he said. She hadn’t always been a prickly thing. Her breakup with his eldest brother Jedidiah must have changed her.

Annie stood, and he followed suit.

“Restless?” he asked her.

She nodded. “It’s going to be a long while yet.”

“Let’s go downstairs for coffee,” he said, expecting her to refuse. She surprised him when she agreed.

“Josiah, we are going down to the cafeteria for coffee,” Annie said. “Would you like to come?”

“Nay. I’ll stay,” her brother said, and Nancy edged closer to him. His expression softened. “If we hear anything,” he told his sister, “we’ll let you know.” He had taken off his hat and he held it between his knees, twirling the brim.

Jacob saw that Josiah was more upset than he’d originally let on. “This is an awful thing, but the Lord will help your vadder.”

Josiah stared at him a second and then gave a nod. “Ja. When you are done,” he asked, “would you bring up coffee for us?”

“Ja,” Jacob said with a slight smile. “We won’t be long.” He knew Annie would want to return as soon as they’d entered the cafeteria. She wouldn’t be able to help it; he could tell she was terrified that something awful would happen to her father during surgery.

He followed her into the elevator, pushed the button and stood silently, studying her as he waited for them to reach the bottom floor. She didn’t look at him once during the entire ride. It didn’t bode well for their having coffee together. He would just have to somehow put her at ease.

Chapter Two

Jacob studied Annie across the table as she sipped from her cup of coffee, set the mug down and stared into its contents. The hospital cafeteria was quiet. The long institutional-type tables were empty except for Annie and him and two female nurses and a male hospital worker, who occupied another table on the other side of the room. It was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. “How’s the coffee?” he asked softly.

She lifted her gaze from the steaming mug. “Gut.” He could see the sheen from the rising moisture on her forehead. She looked at him a moment, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears, then glanced away. He could see how the events of the morning had taken a toll on her. “Jacob, I appreciate your help with Dat,” she said, almost reluctantly.

“I didn’t do much—”

“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t stopped to help,” she admitted.

“I wouldn’t have left you,” he assured her. “I knew something was wrong the minute I saw you.” He frowned. “How are your feet?”

She blushed as she shifted briefly to glance beneath the table at her grandmother’s navy sneakers, worn over her grandfather’s black socks. “They are fine. They barely hurt.”

“Must have been broken glass alongside the road.”

“I was so scared, I just ran,” she admitted. “I didn’t take time to look down.” Her blond hair was a beautiful shade of gold beneath her white head covering. After the blush of embarrassment left her, she looked pale, too pale.

“May I get you something to eat?” he asked. She looked lovely and vulnerable; he wished he could do more for her.

Annie shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“We’ve been here for over two hours and the only thing you’ve had is that coffee. Once your vadder is out of surgery, you may not have another opportunity to eat. How about a sandwich?” When she declined, he said, “A cookie? A piece of cake?”

She didn’t answer. He heard her sniff. “Annie.” Jacob hated to see her troubled, but he understood. “Annie.”

She looked up, started to rise. “We should get back.”

He stood. “I’ll get the coffee for Josiah and Nancy. You can go ahead if you’d like.”

She shook her head. “Nay I’ll wait for you,” she said, surprising him. “You may need help with the coffee.”

Jacob paid for the drinks for Josiah and Nancy, and on impulse, he purchased two large chocolate-chip cookies. He tucked them under the coffee fixings in the center of the cardboard cup holder. He was back with Annie in less than a minute. There’d been no one in line at the register. “I grabbed sugar and cream for the coffee,” he told her. She inclined her head.

He silently rode with her on the elevator up to the surgical floor. The doors opened and Jacob waited for Annie to precede him. To his surprise, she suddenly stopped and turned to him. “What are we going to do, Jacob? How will we make do, when Dat can’t work?”

Jacob considered the woman before him, noting the concern in her expression. “I can help out in the shop, and our community will be there for you, too.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have enough experience. You could do more harm than good.”

“I’m not a boy, Annie. I can do the job.” There was a charged moment as awareness of her sprung up inside him. Jacob shook it off. “If I don’t do it, who will?”

“I don’t know.” She seemed to think about it. “I’ll have to ask Dat.”

She had grabbed his hat from the table, where he’d set it down when he’d gone for the coffee for her brother and Nancy. Now she fingered the brim nervously.

“We are friends, aren’t we, Annie?” he asked. “I remember seeing you in the open shop doorway when we were kinner, watching me with your dat.”

She hesitated, then smiled slightly. “I was sure you would burn yourself with the hot metal, but you never did.”

“Not that you ever saw.” He remembered her as a young girl, the first girl he’d ever liked.

Her expression turned serious. “Jacob, it’s nice of you to offer your help, but we can’t accept it.”

“But if Joe agrees?” he said softly.

“Then I guess the decision will be made.” She continued down the hall toward the surgical waiting room.

Jacob fell into step beside her. He studied her bent head, admiring the beauty of her profile. She looked pale and tense, and he didn’t seem to be able to help. He saw Josiah leave the waiting room up ahead and approach.

“How’s Dat?” Annie asked.

“No word yet from the doctor.” Josiah nodded his thanks as Jacob handed him a cup of coffee. He declined sugar and cream and grabbed the other cup for Nancy.

Inside the waiting room, Jacob set down the cardboard cup holder, accepted his hat back from Annie and then took a seat near her. They waited in silence. He retrieved and handed her the wrapped cookies. “For when you’re hungry.”

Annie’s eyes locked with his. She opened her mouth to say something but then nodded silently instead. Jacob found that he couldn’t look away.

“Are those cookies?” Josiah asked, capturing Annie’s attention.

“Ja, Jacob bought them.” Annie handed him one, and Josiah beamed.

“Gut thinking, Jacob,” Josiah said before he unwrapped the treat and broke it in half. He handed a piece to Nancy and then took a bite of his own.

Jacob smiled. He was pleased to see Josiah enjoying it, even more pleased to note that Annie had kept one for herself.

It wasn’t long before there was a light commotion right outside the waiting room. Soon, others within their Amish community arrived, having received word of Joe’s accident. As the newcomers entered the room, he got up and moved away to give Josiah and Annie the time to be comforted by their friends. Among the new arrivals were his parents—Katie and Samuel Lapp—Josie and William Mast and Mae and Amos King. Annie and Josiah rose, and their friends immediately surrounded them.

William Mast took off his hat, held it against his chest. “How’s Joe?” he asked Jacob.

Jacob acknowledged the older man. “He’s still in surgery.”

“Any idea how long?” the older bearded man asked. When Jacob explained it could be another half hour or more, William left to stand near his wife, Josie, who was comforting Annie.

Josie moved aside, and Jacob’s mother stepped in to give Annie a hug. She spoke briefly to her and Josiah before she moved back to allow others to talk with the Zook siblings.

His mam turned and saw him standing outside the group. She approached. “How bad?”

“Bad enough.” Jacob was conscious of Annie across the room. He glanced over briefly to see how she was faring, before he turned back to his mother.

“Isaac stopped by the house to tell us,” Mam told him. “You never know what can happen.” She touched his arm. “What was he doing on the roof?”

“Trying to repair a leak.”

“Why didn’t he ask for help? Joe knows your dat or one of you boys would have done the work.”

“Perhaps he wanted to do it himself.” Jacob held out his coffee toward her. “Would you like a sip?” After his mother declined, he drank from the cup, grimaced, then walked toward a trash can and dropped the remainder inside. “Good choice,” he told her with a grin.

“Jed would have come, but he’s working construction today and there was no way to reach him.” Mam glanced briefly toward the Zook siblings. “Sarah stayed at the house with Hannah. And Noah—”

Jacob nodded. He knew exactly why Noah hadn’t come. He was worried about leaving his wife, Rachel, who had lost their baby a month before her due date. Even now, months later, while she appeared strong to the outside world, Noah continually fretted about her.

The double doors leading to the surgical area swung open and Dr. Moss, dressed in green medical scrubs, stepped out and approached Annie and Josiah.

Jacob worried about Annie as she moved to stand next to her brother so Dr. Moss could inform them of the outcome of her father’s surgery. Nancy King stood on Josiah’s other side. He saw Josiah reach out to clasp hands with both women. Dr. Moss spoke at length, but from where he was, Jacob couldn’t hear. He stepped closer.

“The surgery went well,” the doctor said. “Your father is in recovery now. You’ll be able to go back and see him for a few minutes, but don’t be alarmed if he doesn’t respond. It will take him a while to come out of the anesthesia...”

Jacob saw Mae King slip an arm around Annie, watched as Annie leaned into the older woman for a moment’s comfort before she straightened. Her eyes narrowed as she looked about. Her glance slid over him without pausing before it moved on.

They’ll take care of her, he thought as he studied the group who were doing their best to be there for Joe’s children. Annie didn’t need him now. It was time for him to leave, to see what needed to be done at the Zook farm while Annie and Josiah stayed close to their father.

“I’m going to head back,” he told his parents as his father joined them.

His mother studied him, gave him a slight smile. “We’ll stay for a while.”

“You have a ride?” his father asked.

“Bob Whittier.” Jacob glanced at the clock, noted the time. “He should be here soon.”

Samuel nodded. “Are you going home?”

“Nay,” Jacob said. “I thought I’d go to the Zooks’ farm first.”

* * *

Rick Martin pulled into the Zook barnyard late that afternoon to drop off Annie and Josiah. He promised to return the next morning to take them back to the hospital. After Rick had left, Josiah sighed and ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I’ll check on the animals.”

Annie watched him walk away. “Are you hungry?” she called. “I can fix us something.”

He stopped and turned. “Ja,” he admitted. “Anything will do.”

As her brother walked to the barn, Annie headed toward the farmhouse. She froze in her tracks. Millie, she thought with alarm. Where was Millie? In all the commotion, she’d forgotten to put her dog back into the house before leaving for the hospital.

“Josiah!” she called. “Please watch for Millie. She got out of the house earlier.”

Josiah scowled but agreed. “She’ll come back eventually.”

Annie opened the screen door and the inside door swung open. It didn’t surprise her that she hadn’t locked it after she’d grabbed her purse. Her one thought had been to get to her father.

She entered the house and wandered into the gathering room. Annie stiffened at what she saw. All of the laundry was stacked, neatly folded, inside the laundry basket. She experienced a chill. Someone had been here. But a burglar wouldn’t fold laundry, she thought.

She heard a short bark and was startled when Millie scurried into the room, wagging her tail happily. Annie bent down to rub her beloved pet’s fur. “How did you get in here?”

“Annie,” a deep voice said.

She gasped and spun toward the man who’d entered from the direction of the kitchen. “Jacob?” She rose to her feet, stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Sorry.” His golden eyes studied her with concern. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I stopped by to look for Millie and found her. I suddenly remembered her running about before we left.”

“You shouldn’t have come.” She peered up at him with caution. “You folded the laundry.” Why would he fold laundry? The men in her Amish community didn’t fold laundry! It was an unheard of thing for any man to help with women’s work. “Why?”

He shrugged. “You didn’t get the chance, so I thought I’d finish it for you.” He flashed a brief glance at the clothes before refocusing on her.

Her spine tingled. “I could have done it.”

His lips curved with amusement. “I don’t doubt it.”

Millie licked her leg, demanding her attention. “You found Millie.”

“I found her chasing a cat through the fields.” He traced the edge of his suspenders with his fingers. “The door was open, so I brought her in.”

Watching, Annie wondered why her heart suddenly began to beat faster. “I forgot to lock the door.”

“Not to worry. No one disturbed the house.” Jacob was suddenly there beside her.

Overwhelmed by his nearness, she stepped back. “No one but you,” she accused.

She heard him sigh. “You look like you’re about to collapse,” he said quietly. “Come. You’ve had a terrible day. Sit and I’ll make you some hot tea.”

She sat down. “I can make my own tea.”

“Ja, I’m sure you can.” He narrowed his eyes at her from above. “But I’d like to make you a cup. Is that a problem?”

Feeling foolish, Annie shook her head. Reaction to Dat’s accident took over and suddenly cold she started to shake. She looked at him, but she couldn’t seem to focus. She felt warmth override the chill and realized that Jacob had grabbed the quilt from her father’s favorite chair and gently placed it around her shoulders. With mixed feelings, she watched him leave the room. He wasn’t gone long.

“Here you go.” Jacob held her hot tea. The sofa cushion dipped beneath her as he sat beside her. He extended the cup, and when she didn’t immediately respond, gently placed it within her hands, his strong fingers cradling hers until she became overly conscious of his touch.

She realized what he was doing, and she jerked back. “I’ve got it,” she said, relieved that he’d let go and that she hadn’t spilled any. He stood, and Annie felt the heat from the mug. She raised the rim to her lips.

“Careful!” he warned. “It’s hot.” He seemed upset as his golden eyes regarded her apologetically. “I shouldn’t have let it boil.”

“It’s fine, Jacob,” she said irritably. “If the water isn’t hot, it’s not a gut cup of tea.” Annie took a tentative drink. The steaming brew was sweet. She felt revived after several slow, tiny sips. She looked up at him. “Danki,” she said when she felt more like herself again.

Jacob gave her a slow smile that did odd things to her insides. She fought back those feelings. He studied her a long moment until he was apparently satisfied with what he saw. “Did you see your vadder?” His voice was soft as he moved the laundry basket from the sofa to the floor and sat down.

Taken aback by her reaction to him, Annie fought to stay calm. “Ja, we saw him. Once he was in his hospital room. When he finally woke up, he told us he was tired and wanted us to go home.” She drew a deep breath. “Jacob, I’m fine, You don’t have to stay—”

He nodded. “Where’s Josiah?”

“In the barn.”

“I took care of the animals earlier,” he said.

The front door slammed. “Annie,” Josiah called out, “the animals have been fed and watered—”

Annie met his gaze as her brother entered the room and stopped abruptly. “Jacob took care of them.”

Jacob rose to his feet. He and Josiah stared at one another a long moment, and Annie remembered suddenly that Nancy King, the girl Jacob had fancied and lost, was currently her brother’s sweetheart.

“I appreciate what you did for Dat.” Josiah extended his hand.

She watched the interaction between the two men and then saw Jacob smile. They shook hands and stepped back.

“I should go,” Jacob said. Annie watched him grab his hat off a wall hook. “You both need your rest.” He hesitated. “I made sandwiches. I put them in the refrigerator.”

Annie blinked, shocked. “You made yourself at home.”

He raised an eyebrow at her tone. “Nay. I simply fixed a meal for friends in need.” He jammed his hat on his head. He gave a nod to her brother. “Josiah.”

“Jacob.” Josiah inclined his head.

As Jacob headed outside, Annie felt as if she’d been too mean-spirited toward him, and it didn’t set well with her. It wasn’t the way of her community or the Lord—and it wasn’t like her to behave this way, either.

Annie followed him, stopping to stand in the open doorway as he descended the porch steps. “Gut day to you, Jacob Lapp,” she called out to him.

He paused and turned. “Rest well, Annie Zook,” he replied and then he walked away, without glancing back.

Annie felt awful as she watched him leave. Contrary to her behavior, she had appreciated having Jacob nearby. His quiet strength and presence had soothed her during the crisis with her dat. She reminded herself that he was her childhood friend, and she shouldn’t worry about spending time with him. He wasn’t Jed, and he wasn’t in the position to break her heart.

Chapter Three

“Aren’t you done with that family?”

Jacob buttoned his light blue shirt without glancing toward his twin brother. “Which family?”

“The Zooks.” The mattress springs squeaked as Eli sat and kicked against the bed’s wooden frame.

“What are you trying to tell me?” He knew what Eli was hinting at, but he wanted to hear him say it.

“I’m reminding you that while Horseshoe Joe was gut to you, you can’t say the same for his daughter.”

Jacob sighed as he pulled one suspender over his shoulder before drawing up the other one. “So, I once liked Annie, and she liked Jed. I got over her years ago.”

“So you say.” Eli rose from his bed, bent to pick up a shoe, which he pointed at Jacob. “Mark my words. She still pines for him, Jake. Even though he’s married to Sarah now.”

Jacob grabbed the black shoe, and with a teasing look Eli retrieved the other one from the floor for him. “And I shouldn’t help Horseshoe Joe because Annie likes Jed?” He snatched the second shoe from Eli’s hand and set both back onto the floor. He pulled on his socks.

“Nay,” Eli said. “I just want you to be mindful of the past. I know ya like the back of my own hand, like you know me.” He grinned, and his blue eyes crinkled at the corners. “We are twins after all.” He plucked a straw hat off the wall peg.

“We are?” Jacob replied with feigned surprise. He grinned as he snatched his hat from his twin’s hands and tossed it on the bed. “I’m not a boy, Eli. Neither are you. And I’m not pining for Annie.” Although he was very glad he’d been able to help in her time of need. “Do you ever think about marrying someday?”

“Ja, I think about it.” Eli ran a hand through his golden-blond hair. “But until I find the right one to wed, I’ll not be thinking too much of it.” He grinned, displaying even white teeth.

Jacob laughed. He loved his brother, not necessarily more than the rest but differently, with the love born of brothers who’d entered this earth on the same day. A relationship which started in Mam’s womb, he thought. The connection between them was strong. They’d been raised from the cradle together, although no one looking at them would believe them twins. Eli’s hair was as fair as his was dark. Day and night, someone had once said of them. They might be different in looks, but that was all. They were close, often sharing each other’s thoughts, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences.

Eli, more than anyone, had understood how he’d felt when Annie Zook had finally won Jed’s attention. They’d been sixteen years old, and although it had been years since he’d stopped hanging about Zook’s Blacksmithy, hoping for a glimpse of Annie, his loss hadn’t been any less painful. He was over Annie, and she certainly didn’t care for him. So why was she so wary of him? Simply because Jed was his brother?

“You don’t have to worry about me.” Jacob slipped on his shoes, then propped a foot onto a wooden chest to tie his shoelaces. “Annie made it clear that she only tolerates me because I stopped to help Joe. Once the ambulance arrived, she wanted me to leave.” He lowered his right leg and raised his left.

“But you stayed anyway,” Eli pointed out.

“Ja.” Jacob finished up and straightened. “I went to the hospital and the haus.” When he’d returned home the day of Horseshoe Joe’s accident, he had confided in Eli how he’d gone to the Zooks’ to check on the house and Millie, and dared to stay to help out. Annie hadn’t liked it, although she’d seemed grateful that he’d found her dog. “Why should I care what she thinks? I was concerned about Joe. And I was worried about her dog.”

Eli laughed. “You were worried about the dog.” His brother regarded him with sympathy, as if Jacob were fooling himself to think that his time at Annie’s had anything to do with an animal. “And now you’re going to talk with Horseshoe Joe, to see if he’ll let you take over his work in his shop until he is well. From what I’ve heard, his recovery could take twelve weeks or more.” Eli paused. “That’s a long time.

“Ja, I know, but I’ll be available if Dat needs me.” He retrieved his hat from the bed, then preceded Eli out of their room and down the stairs to the first floor. “If I have to, I’ll work part-time in the shop and the rest at the farm.”

“As long as Horseshoe Joe agrees,” Eli said from behind him.

“As long as Joe agrees to what?” Isaac asked as he came out from the back of the house.

“Jacob is going to offer to work in the blacksmith shop while Joe recovers,” Eli told their younger brother.

Isaac shrugged as he continued past them. “I’m sure Joe will appreciate it,” he threw back over his shoulder, before he started up the stairs.

“Jake, I hope you know what you’re doing.” Eli followed his brother into the yard. “Helping Joe will put you in frequent company with Annie.

“It will,” Jacob said. “And her sister Barbara. Shall I worry about her, too?”

Eli chuckled. “Maybe you should.”

“Jacob!” Dat exited the house and approached. “Heading over to the Zooks’?” Jacob nodded. “I’d like to go with you.”

“I’ll bring around the buggy.” Jacob flashed a cheeky glance at his twin brother before he headed toward the family’s gray buggy, parked near the barn. As he climbed into the vehicle and grabbed up the leathers, he thought of what his brother had said, and he knew that Eli was right. He had liked Annie Zook as a boy, and she had liked—still liked—his brother Jed. But he was no longer a boy. He was a man who could control his emotions. Besides, without any means to offer a wife, he’d not be thinking of courting or marrying anytime in the near future.

* * *

“When are you going to think about marrying?”

Annie looked up from the piecrust she’d been rolling on a floured board on the kitchen worktable. “Mam, who said I don’t think about it?”

Her mother went to a cabinet and withdrew a tin of cinnamon. “I don’t mean about marrying Jedidiah Lapp. That one is taken. It’s time you looked elsewhere.”

“I know that.” She set down the wooden rolling pin and then wiped her hands on a tea towel. “It’s not as if I can marry the next man who walks through that door,” Annie said patiently as she carefully lifted the edge of the crust and set it into the pie pan. With skill born of experience, she molded the dough against the sides and then turned under the excess along the rim before she pressed the edges into place with a dinner fork.

Mam set the cinnamon tin within her reach and then began to cut up a stick of butter. “Annie,” she said softly. “I know Jed hurt you, and I understand that you’ve decided it would be better for you to marry someone older—”

“Much older,” Annie said with a smile for her mother. “A man who will care for me and accept me as I am. It’s a gut plan.”

“Maybe,” Mam said, nodding. “I don’t know that you should limit your choices. You’re not getting any younger.”

“Mam!” Annie began to core and cut up fresh cooking apples.

“’Tis true.” Mam started to help her, grabbing an apple and slicing it in half. “The thing is, Annie, your vadder’s accident is going to hurt us financially. I have faith that his hospital bills will be paid, but with him unable to work in the shop...”

Annie recalled Jacob Lapp’s offer to help, then she promptly forced it from her mind. Jacob had apparently taken her at her word that he couldn’t fill in for Dat, and that was fine. “What does Dat’s accident have to do with me marrying?”

Mam had cut up two apples, and she reached for a third. “We’d like to see you settled with a husband, someone who can provide for you.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. “You and Dat want me to wed so that you don’t have to provide for me?”

“Nay,” Mam said, “that’s not what I’m saying at all. Your dat and I love you. But we—I—worry that you’ve not considered your future. You’re a caring young woman. You’ll make some man a fine wife.”

“I’ll not approach a man and ask him to marry me,” Annie said, horrified at the idea.

“Nay.” Mam dumped the apples into a large bowl, which she pushed toward Annie. “I’m simply saying that if a man shows interest in you, you consider him seriously.”

Annie sprinkled sugar and cinnamon over the apples and stirred them through. “I will,” she said, “if one shows interest.” She didn’t have much to worry about. No man since Jed Lapp had taken notice of her yet.

Mam smiled. “Gut. I like having you here—it’s not that.”

She felt herself relax. “I know you want only what’s best for me.”

“Ja,” Mam said. “I want what’s best for all of my children.”

The thud of footsteps resounded on the front wooden porch—the new covered porch with the wheelchair ramp, built by the church community men to help with her father’s recovery.

“Miriam?” Samuel Lapp’s voice called out as he approached the screen door.

Annie smiled as her mother left the kitchen to greet Samuel. She liked Jedidiah Lapp’s dat. He was a kind, caring man, who loved his family and was always available for whenever anyone within their church community needed him. As she continued to work on the apple pie, she heard murmuring voices. Samuel must have come to visit with her father. She carefully spooned the apples onto the crust, aware of when her mother entered the kitchen. “Mam, would you pass me the container of brown sugar? I left it on the counter.”

The container of brown sugar was set before her. She looked up to smile her thanks and then promptly froze at the sight of Jacob Lapp, standing on the other side of the table, watching her with his laughing, golden eyes.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped. His dark hair looked neatly combed despite the fact that he had obviously just removed his hat upon entering the house. His jaw was clean shaven, like all of the other unmarried young men within their village of Happiness. She lifted her gaze from the smooth skin of his chin and cheeks to a nose that was well formed and masculine, up to those twinkling tawny eyes of his. It felt like dancing butterflies flitted across her nape as some unknown emotion passed over her. Disturbed, she quickly looked away.

“Your mudder sent me for the pitcher of iced tea. Dat and I have come for a visit with your vadder.”

Her heart raced as she narrowed her eyes at him. “The tea is over there,” she instructed, “in the refrigerator.” She gestured toward a back room. Aware of her flour-and cinnamon-dusted hands, she quickly went back to work, fixing the crumb topping that would form the upper “crust” of the apple pie. She was aware that Jacob hadn’t moved. She could feel him studying her and pretended she didn’t notice until her mother returned from the family gathering room, where her father spent the better part of his days recuperating.

“Did you find the iced tea, Jacob?” Mam asked.

“Annie just told me where to find it,” he said.

“I’ll get it,” her mother offered as Jacob moved closer to the worktable.

He leaned forward, nearly invading her space. She stepped back and glared at him. He simply smiled at her. “That looks gut,” he said. “I always enjoy being in the kitchen on Mam’s baking day.”

Annie paused, looked up. “Making an apple pie?” she taunted.

A slow smile curved his handsome lips. “I don’t cook, but I’ve helped a time or two.” Her mother returned from the back room and handed him the iced tea. He held on to the glass pitcher and said, “Nothing like a slice of hot apple pie, fresh from the oven on baking day.”

“Except maybe a piece of warm apple pie with a scoop of homemade ice cream.” Mam went to the pantry and took out a tray of cookies. “Pie won’t be done for a while, how about these instead?”

“These are great.” Jacob grinned, and Annie told herself that she wasn’t affected by his smile or his good looks.

“Annie made them,” Mam said, and Annie wanted to cry out with frustration.

“You helped.” She measured out the brown sugar, dumped it in a small bowl and added the butter her mother had cut up earlier.

Jacob grabbed a chocolate-chip cookie from the plate and took a bite. “Delicious.”

Annie shot him a glance and felt her heart flutter at his look. “It’s just a cookie,” she said, her tone sharp. There is no need to be hostile, she reminded herself. She drew a calming breath and managed to smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

Why was he here? Why did he seek her out? Had Jed said something to him about her? She didn’t want to know, for she feared the truth might hurt her.

“I’ll take these into the other room.” Jacob sniffed, as if detecting a scent. “I can smell them. Lemon?” He took another whiff and nodded. “And this one here smells like almond extract.” He held up the plate with one hand. “I’d sure like to try that pie.”

Annie saw Jacob smile at her mother, felt the bright light of it and looked away. She was relieved when he left the room with the refreshments, for she didn’t want to notice anything about him—or to remember the attractive, teasing twinkle in his eyes while he ate one of her cookies.

* * *

“Jacob!” Horseshoe Joe sat in his chair with his leg cast propped up on a padded stool that Jacob’s brother Noah had made for him.

“We were just talking about you,” Samuel said.

Jacob raised his eyebrows as he approached with iced tea and cookies and set them down. “What about?”

“Joe wants to ask you something,” his father said.

He glanced back and forth between the two older men. “Ja?” He was pleased to note that Joe looked much better since his return home nearly two weeks before. The color had returned to the older man’s cheeks. But Joe couldn’t get around well yet.

Joe tried to adjust his leg, and Jacob’s dat helped him shift it to a more comfortable position. “You must know that I still have weeks of recovery before me.” Jacob nodded. “I go back to the doctor next Tuesday.” The older man suddenly seemed uncertain. “I was wondering, Jake...”

Concerned, Jacob placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is it, Joe?”

“Would ya consider taking over for me until I’m well?” Joe asked quickly. Seated next to him in a wooden chair, Jacob’s father was nodding.

Jacob stepped back. “You want me to take over your work in the shop?” He thought of Annie. Maybe he shouldn’t accept the job. He didn’t want to antagonize the woman further, if he could help it. But how could he deny Joe his assistance, especially since the thought of returning to the art of blacksmithing tempted him?

Joe nodded. “If you would. I know you’re busy, but you would be a big help, if you could. If not, I’ll understand.” He reached up to rub his bearded chin. “I’ll pay you for your work.”

“Nay, if I do this, you’ll not be paying me.” Jacob picked up the cookies, placed them within Joe’s reach and then chose to sit across the room. He suffered a moment of doubt but couldn’t ignore the expectant look on Horseshoe Joe’s face. He sighed inwardly. Annie wouldn’t like it, but he had to help out Joe. “I’ll be more than happy to help you, Joe.” While the idea of working in the shop thrilled him, it also gave him a little chill. “It’s been years since I helped—bothered—you with my interest in blacksmithing. I was only a boy.”

“At twelve, you were hardly a boy. You have a talent for the job, son. I had faith in you then, and I have faith that you can do the work now.” He grinned. “And I’ll be nearby if ya happen to need me.”

“Josiah doesn’t want to step in?”

Joe shook his head. “He never learned about forging metal, never wanted to. You are the only one who took an interest in my work and my business. You and my girls, Annie and Barbara, who liked to watch when they were younger.”

“And I liked to be in the thick of everything,” Jacob agreed.

“Ja, you did.” Joe exchanged glances with Jacob’s father.

“Will you do it, Jake?” his father asked.

“Heat and bend metal, watch it glow?” Jacob grinned. “Ja, I’ll do it.”

“Do what?” Annie asked as she entered the room with clear glasses. She set them down, picked up the pitcher and began to pour out the tea.

“Jacob’s agreed to fill in for me at the shop,” Joe said.

“That’s nice of him,” Annie said after a lengthy pause. When she shot him an angry glance, Jacob raised an eyebrow at her.

He noted a bit of flour dust on her cheek and in her hair. She wore a patchwork apron over a spring-green dress. A few strands of her blond hair had escaped from the edge of her prayer kapp, where she must have wiped cinnamon from her forehead with the back of her hand. The cinnamon was still there—barely. He could detect the scent rather than see any of the spice’s warm brown color.

As she worked to fill each glass, he watched emotion play across her features. It moved so fast no one else might have noticed, but he did. She wasn’t happy that he’d be coming to the farm daily. She hadn’t known about her father’s plan. Jacob felt a smile start, but he stifled it until she briefly looked his way, and then he released it.

“That will be a great help to Dat,” she said, turning away, and his amusement grew.

“Ja, I’ll be around to help every day—” he glanced toward Joe “—or whenever ya need me to come.”

“Can you start tomorrow?” Joe asked.

Jacob looked to his father. “Can you make do without me on the farm?”

His dat nodded. “I’ve plenty of help.” He turned toward his friend. “Tomorrow will be fine, Joe.”

“Then I’ll be here then.” Jacob watched Joe reach for a cookie. Recalling his enjoyment of his first one, he reached for another. Annie Zook was a fine baker. He flashed Annie an admiring glance as she turned to stare at him, before she looked away. He continued to study her. For some reason, she always found fault with him. He didn’t know what bothered her about him, but he was sure he’d find out eventually. For now, he had to concentrate on doing a good job at Zook’s Blacksmithy. “I’ll not let you down, Joe,” he said.

Horseshoe Joe swallowed before answering. “Never thought ya would.” He grinned as he brought the cookie to his lips. “I know you’ll do me proud,” he said before taking another bite.

“If not,” Dat said, “he’ll have to answer to me.” His teasing tone made Jacob smile.

“It’s not you I worry about, Dat.”

“Nay, it’s your mudder.” And the three men laughed together at his father’s remark, while Annie scurried out of the room.

Chapter Four

Jacob stood in the center of Zook’s Blacksmithy and examined the shop. He felt a little nervous pull in his gut. Could he do this and do it well? His attention focused on the tools hanging on the wall: metal tongs, cross-peen hammers and other various tools for shaping metal, before it moved to the steel anvil not far from the brick forge.

You must be careful you don’t burn yourself, Jacob, Joe had warned him time and again when he was a boy. Hold these tongs just so— The man had shown him how to use the tool. These will get hot, as well. He had gestured toward his leather apron. This garment protects my clothes from sparks and heat.

One particular day after Jacob, as a young boy, had been coming to the shop for weeks, Joe had pulled out a slightly smaller version of his leather apron and handed it to him. Jacob had accepted the garment with wide eyes, pleased that Joe trusted him enough to let him try his hand at blacksmithing.

The memory of Joe’s patient voice calmed him. Suddenly, everything within the shop seemed familiar again. He just had to remember all the things that Joe had taught him, and he’d do fine.

“Jacob.”

Startled, Jacob spun, surprised to see Joe in his wheelchair. Annie stood behind him in the open doorway, looking beautiful in a light blue dress, black apron and with a white prayer kapp on her golden-blond hair. She appeared concerned for her father. In direct contrast, Horseshoe Joe looked pale beneath his white-streaked brown beard. He had left his hat in the house, and his tousled graying hair made him look much older than his forty-some years. “Joe, ya shouldn’t be here. You should be resting and recovering.”

Joe nodded. “I just wanted to check in on your first day here. Is there anything you need? Anything you want to know?”

The memory of Joe’s teachings gave Jacob the confidence to smile. “I remember everything you taught me. I’ll be fine.”

“I never doubted that,” Joe replied. “You make sure you stop a time or two and come to the house for something to eat.”

“If I get hungry, I will,” Jacob said. He smiled at Annie. She glanced quickly away and he turned his attention back to Horseshoe Joe. “Do you have a list of any back orders?” he asked.

“Ja,” Joe said. “Annie, push me closer.” He gestured toward the other side of the shop.

“Dat...”

“I’m not going to work, daughter. I’m hardly in a position to do anything but sit—and even that’s getting painful.” Annie pushed her father’s wheelchair farther into the room. “This is fine, Annie.” Joe gestured toward a wall shelf. “Jacob? See that notebook? Inside, you’ll find a list of special orders. Not horseshoes but cabinet hinges, tools for specific use and other requests.”

Jacob pulled the book from its nesting place on the shelf. He flipped through pages, seeing Joe’s notes. “This will be helpful.”

Joe looked tired. “There will be the usual orders for horseshoes. Abram Peachy has been patiently waiting for me to shoe one of his mares. If you can take care of that soon, I’d appreciate it.” Jacob saw a hint of tears in the older man’s eyes. “Danki, Jacob.”

“I’m grateful you had the patience to teach me about blacksmithing when I was younger,” Jacob replied.

“I enjoyed having you in the shop, interested in my work.” Joe smiled.

Jacob grinned. His good humor dimmed as he met Annie’s gaze briefly before returning his attention to her father. “Go home and rest. Things will be fine here.”

Joe’s smile was weak. “I think I’ll do that.”

“It was gut of you to visit me on my first day,” Jacob said. He gave Annie a nod, and she acknowledged it politely. He knew that she would take good care of her father.

As she pushed Joe from the shop, Jacob sighed. Annie. He had a lot to do and he didn’t need his thoughts muddled with Annie Zook and whether or not she approved of him. A blacksmith’s job took concentration, skill and patience, and he planned to ensure that Zook’s Blacksmithy continued to run smoothly in Horseshoe Joe’s absence.

* * *

Annie pushed her father up the wheelchair ramp and into the house. “You’ll be resting now, Dat?”

Her father sighed. “Ja. I’m feeling weak.”

“’Tis to be expected. You’ve done too much today.” She eyed him with concern. “Is your shin hurting?”

He nodded. “I’ll just sit in my chair and put up my leg.”

“Do ya need a pain pill?”

“Nay. I’ll be fine. Would you get me a cup of tea?”

Annie smiled. “I’ll bring you some of your favorite cookies, too.” She helped him move to his favorite chair. With Annie’s help, he set both of his legs onto the stool Noah Lapp had made for him and closed his eyes.

Annie picked up a quilt, spread it carefully over his legs and tucked it in near his waist. “I’ll be right back, Dat.”

He acknowledged her with a small sound that told her he might be ready to sleep. Still, she left the room and entered the kitchen to put on a pot of tea. As she placed the kettle on the stove, she thought of Jacob. It was strange to see him in the shop again. Watching him take stock of Zook’s Blacksmithy, she became overly conscious that he was no longer a boy but an attractive man.

I’m older and wiser; I won’t make the same mistake twice. She wouldn’t fall for another Lapp brother.

When the water was hot, she poured it into a teapot and added two bags. She’d enjoy a cup, too. Her mother and sister were not home; they were next door at her grosseldre’s house.

When the tea had steeped, she poured out two cups. After filling a plate with treats, she went back to the gathering room and her father. Her dat opened his eyes when she entered the room.

“Gut,” he said. “Those cookies look delicious.” He smiled when Annie placed his tea just the way he liked it on the table beside him.

“I put more than one kind on the plate,” she said as she offered him a napkin and extended the dish.

“They’re all my favorite,” he said with a weak grin. There was a tired look about his eyes, but there was enjoyment, too. Annie was happy to see it. “Annie.” Her father captured her hand as she turned to leave. “Take the boy something to eat later.”

Annie frowned. “Boy?”

“Jacob,” Dat said as he took a bite.

“Jacob’s not a boy, Dat.” She held out the plate for him.

“Man, then,” her father corrected as he selected another cookie.

She opened her mouth to say more but promptly thought better of it. “I’ll make him something to eat.”

“How about that leftover chicken potpie of yours?”

“Mam made it.” She rubbed her nape with her left hand. “I’ll bring him a bowlful and something to drink.”

“Nay, Annie. Invite him to eat lunch with us,” her dat said. “He’s doing me a favor by pitching in.”

“Are ya sure he’ll do a gut enough job for you?” she asked. She was upset that Jacob hadn’t waited for her to talk with her father about the idea.

“He’ll do a fine job.” Dat took a sip of his tea. “I taught him well.”

“But he was only eleven or twelve then,” she said. “That was a long time ago.”

“He’s a natural. He hasn’t forgotten what to do.” Her father smiled. “Shouldn’t your mudder be back by now?”

Annie shook her head. “She and Barbara are cleaning for Grossmudder.”

“And you had vadder duty,” Dat said sadly.

She settled her hand on his shoulder. “Dat, ’tis my pleasure to be here for you.”

Her father regarded her with affection. “I know.”

Annie saw her dat’s eyes brighten as he caught sight of her dog, Millie, curled up in her bed. He’d grown attached to the dog since his accident.

“Millie,” she called softly. The dog picked up her head. “Go sit by Dat.” As if she understood, little Millie rose from her bed and went to lie next to the base of Joe’s chair. “Watch him for me, girl.”

“Bring Jacob some water when you ask him to lunch. Working in the shop makes a man thirsty,” Joe said as he closed his eyes.

Annie stiffened. “Ja, Dat,” she said dutifully. In the kitchen, she filled a large plastic jug with water. She then grabbed a cup and a plate of cookies before she reluctantly headed out to the barn.

* * *

Jacob pulled out the tools he needed to make the horseshoes for Abram Peachy’s mare and stoked up the fire in the forge. He could use the propane torch but not today. He wanted to do it the way he’d first been taught. The leather apron Joe had bought for him still hung in the shop, as if it were only a day rather than years since he’d visited last. Jacob fingered the material. It was too small for him, and so he put on Joe’s. Next, he pulled on gloves to protect his hands.

The shop was warm, the heat from the fire a bit overwhelming as he set metal into flame until it glowed an orange red. Next, he hammered it into the shape of a horseshoe on the steel anvil. The sound of his cross-peen hammer against the glowing metal filled the room, rewarding him with a sense of familiar satisfaction. He hammered, checked the metal, fired it up again and hammered some more, then he suddenly became aware of someone’s presence. He didn’t have to look toward the doorway to know who had entered the shop. “Annie,” he said without looking up. “Do you need something?”

“Nay,” she called back, to be heard over the ring of iron against steel as he continued his work. “I’ve brought you a drink.”

Jacob stopped pounding, set down his tools and glanced her way. “Water,” he said with a grateful smile.

She carried the refreshments to the worktable on the opposite side of the room. “Dat said you’d be thirsty.”

“Ja,” he said, watching her closely. “I could use a drink.” She poured him a glass of water and offered it to him. He nodded his thanks and took a sip. “Just what I needed.”

“I brought cookies, too.” She placed the plate on the workbench within his reach. “For whenever you’re hungry,” she added. “Dat said you’re to join us for lunch.”

“You don’t have to feed me,” he said carefully.

“We’ve got plenty. So, you’ll come? Dat will be pleased if you do.”

“And you?” he dared to ask. “Will you mind?”

She blushed. “I’m asking you, aren’t I?” Her expression became unreadable. “We’re grateful that you’re handling Dat’s work.”

“First see how I do before you’re too grateful.”

“Dat has confidence in your abilities, so I do, too.” She touched a hand to her prayer kapp. “You will come?”

He noted the vibrant gold in her blond hair. “Ja, I’ll be there. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Joe.” He locked gazes with her.

She looked away. “I’d better finish my chores—”

He glanced down at the cooling metal. He would have to fire it up again before he could continue the job. “And I better get back to work.”

She hesitated. “If there is anything you need before then, come to the haus and let us know.”

He nodded and turned his attention back to the forge, conscious of the exact moment when Annie left the shop.

* * *

Annie was stirring the pan of chicken potpie when she heard her brother’s voice coming from the front of the house.

“Jacob!” Peter cried. “Come eat!”

Although she listened carefully, Annie couldn’t hear his reply, but she recognized Jacob’s deep male voice.

“Bread done?” Mam entered the room from the other side.

“Ja,” Annie said. “Fresh from the oven and ready to be sliced. I took the butter out of the refrigerator.”

“I’ll open a jar of chow-chow,” her mother said, referring to garden vegetables canned in a sweet-and-sour mix.

“I made a pitcher of iced tea this morning,” Annie told her. “And lemonade.” She filled a pitcher for those who preferred water.

Peter entered, followed closely by her father in his wheelchair. “Dat, I would have brought you something to eat.” Her voice trailed off when she saw who stood behind the chair.

“Hallo,” Jacob said as he pushed Joe’s chair farther into the room. “It smells wonderful in here.”

Mam turned from the kitchen counter with the dish of chow-chow. “I’m glad you could join us, Jacob.”

“I’m happy you asked.” He flashed Annie a look that made the heat rise in her face.

Annie scrambled to move furniture to accommodate her father’s wheelchair at the table. Then she turned to the stove, where she ladled their meal into a large ceramic bowl. “I hope you like chicken potpie.”

“Ja, ’tis one of my favorites.” Jacob smiled as he took the seat where instructed, next to her father. “Did ya make it?”

Annie shook her head. “Nay, Mam did.”

“You helped with the pie squares,” her mam said.

Annie had, in fact, rolled out the dough thinly, and she’d cut it into one-inch squares. Unlike the pie-crusted potpies made by the English, the Amish recipe for chicken potpie did not have a two-part flaky crust surrounding the cooked chicken and vegetables, nor was it baked in the oven. The women in their Amish community cooked the chicken in a stockpot until the meat was tender and the water became broth. Then they added vegetables and seasoning. Once the time was right, they stirred in pie squares, similar to the dough the English used in their chicken-and-dumpling recipes. Annie had learned the recipe from her mother at a young age, and over the years, she’d become skilled at making the thick, tasty dish.

The wonderful scent of chicken and the lingering aroma of baked bread permeated the kitchen, smelling delicious. Annie set the bowl on the table and went back for the bread. She placed the basket next to the main course.

The meal was simple, but there was plenty to eat. Annie put a hefty amount on each plate while her mother passed around the chow-chow bowl.

“Bread?” Annie extended the basket toward Jacob. “There’s butter and strawberry jam.”

Jacob smiled as he took a thick, crusty slice but he declined the toppings, apparently preferring to eat his bread plain.

“Where’s Josiah?” her mother asked with a frown.

“He’s coming. He’s out in the fields,” Annie told her. She heard the front door open and footsteps as someone entered the house.

Joe smiled. “There he is now.”

Annie saw her brother walk into the kitchen and note Jacob’s presence.

“How goes it in the shop?” Josiah asked pleasantly as he took a seat next to Annie, who sat across from Jacob.

“Just getting used to it again,” Jacob said, “but it’s beginning to feel like home.”

Her brother looked relieved, and her father appeared pleased. “Let me know if you need anything,” Josiah said. He addressed his father. “It’s nearly harvest time, Dat.”

Dat nodded. “Find out when the others are bringing in their crops. See if anyone can help out here one day.”

Jacob spoke up, “Next week.” He tore his bread in half. “We’re all planning to come here on Tuesday.”

“We’ll need to cook and bake for the workers,” her mother addressed Annie.

Annie nodded. “All the men are planning to help each other with the harvest?” she asked Jacob.

“Ja.” Jacob forked up some noodles. “Everyone decided it would be quicker that way.”

Annie silently agreed. Without help, it might take an Amish farmer and his sons several days to bring in their crops and properly store them. She had a feeling the community men had decided to pitch in at each farm because of her father, so that Dat would feel better about accepting help. “We should cook for the week.”

Her mother picked up the breadbasket and passed it to her eldest son. Josiah took a piece and handed it to Peter. “I’ll make dried-corn casserole,” Mam said, “and macaroni salad to start.”

The topic of conversation became centered on the harvest and how each family would have help each day, depending on the size of their land and their crops, and the offerings that the women of the house would bring to share at the community food table.

Annie decided to talk with Josie Mast, their neighbor, who together with her husband, William, knew most of what was happening within the Happiness community. Josie and William were always ready to lend a hand.

Annie remained conscious of Jacob at their kitchen table, enjoying his food and the conversation with her family. Across from him, she was able to study him unobtrusively. He looked solid and strong in his burgundy broadcloth shirt and triblend denim pants. He had removed his leather apron, as was appropriate, before coming to the house. He must have washed up outside, for there was no sign of soot or dirt on his face or hands. He’d undoubtedly left his hat in the shop, for his dark hair looked clean and shiny in the sun filtering in through the kitchen window.

He raised an eyebrow. Embarrassed to be caught examining him, she blushed and looked away. “Did everyone have enough to eat?” she asked as she rose. “There is plenty more on the stove.”

When everyone claimed that they’d eaten enough of their meal, Annie left to retrieve dessert from the back room.

“Fresh apple pie,” she said as she reentered the room, “with homemade ice cream.”

While her family exclaimed their delight, it was Jacob’s slow, appreciative smile that set her heart to racing. “I’ve been eager to taste your apple pie,” he said.

After preparing several servings, Annie watched Jacob enjoy his portion and experienced a rush of satisfaction. All too soon, he was done eating, and he rose.

“Back to work,” he said. “The meal was wonderful, topped off by a delicious dessert.”

He didn’t meet Annie’s eyes as he thanked her parents for having him at their table. Then he left, and Annie noticed that the house seemed different with him gone. She didn’t want to think about it too closely as she worked to put away food and clean up. As she was washing dishes, she thought about Jacob Lapp again and smiled.

“Annie,” her mother said, “Preacher Levi will be coming for supper tomorrow night. What shall we make?”

Annie thought about it. The preacher was a frequent dinner guest. “Fried chicken?”

Mam nodded approvingly. “And make something special for dessert.”

“Ja, Mam.” Maybe a cobbler, she thought. She could use a jar of the peaches she’d canned this summer. She mentioned it to her mother.

“Gut idea, Annie. And let’s make some sweet-and-vinegar green beans to go along with the chicken.”

Her thoughts returned to Jacob. The meal with him had been pleasant. In the midst of her family, she’d been able to relax and truly appreciate his company. He’d been polite, teasing at times, occasionally catching her glance with a look that made her feel warm inside. She recalled Jacob the boy and couldn’t help comparing him to the attractive man he’d become. She felt an infusion of heat. He was like a brother to her, she reminded herself.

Or was he?

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