Shelter from the Storm

by Patricia Davids

  “That’s fine with me, but I’m having a little trouble breathing.” Her voice was muffled against his chest.

  He chuckled as he loosened his hold. “Trust my Gemma to tell me what she thinks. I love that about you. I love everything about you.” He drew a shaky breath. “I want to tell you about the land.”

  “You don’t need to explain. I’m sorry I doubted your motives. I couldn’t believe you wanted to marry me for myself alone. I didn’t feel worthy of the sacrifice you were making. Jesse, I know in my heart that you are a man of integrity.”

  “Your father did offer me the land to marry you.”

  Her heart sank. “He did?”

  “I refused and told him he didn’t value the treasure he had in his daughter.”

  Her heart rebounded and thudded with joy. “I don’t imagine he cared for that.”

  “I don’t think he did, but he did give us the land as a wedding present. He said my farm wasn’t big enough to raise a family on.”

  “I think it’s a lovely farm. Although it is in need of some tender loving care.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “You are worth far more to me than any amount of land in Maine.”

  She chuckled as all her doubts slipped away. “Of course I am. Farmland is dirt cheap up here. What would I be worth in Florida?”

  “I believe the answer is in Proverbs 31:10. ‘Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.’ Let’s go in and see our daughter, shall we, my wife?”

  “Ja, my husband.”

  * * *

  Two and a half weeks later, Jesse opened the door to the suite where Gemma was staying. He’d gone back to New Covenant a week after Hope’s recovery. He hadn’t seen his wife or his daughter for a week. He dropped his duffel bag and held out his arms. Gemma rushed to hug him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “We have to get over to the nursery. The doctor wants a meeting with us.”

  “Now? I just got here. Can’t I even say hello to you first?”

  “Sorry.” She raised her face for his kiss. It was still too brief before she pulled away, but it would have to do. “Come on. I want to find out what’s going on.”

  “I thought you said she was getting well.”

  “She’s been doing great. She weighs five pounds and seven ounces.”

  If his daughter was doing well, Jesse didn’t understand what the rush was to see the doctor, but he hurried along beside his wife. In the unit, they were shown to a small office. The doctor came in a few seconds later. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Crump. I have some good news. Hope is ready to be discharged, and we need to make some going-home plans.”

  Discharged? They could take the baby home? Jesse glanced at Gemma. She was staring at the neonatologist like he was speaking Greek. Finally she said, “You mean Hope is well enough to go home? But she’s so small.”

  “She is doing all the things we talked about. She is maintaining her temperature without heat. She is taking all her feedings and nursing well. And she is growing steadily. We can’t do any better for her than you can.”

  Gemma clutched Jesse’s arm. “It’s too soon. We don’t have anything ready for her at home.”

  The doctor grinned. “I suggest you get ready. She is going out the door on Monday morning.”

  * * *

  On Monday afternoon, Dale Kaufman drove into the Lapp farm and stopped by the front gate. The farmyard was full of buggies and cars. “Looks like our new little gal has company already.”

  Jesse frowned. “The first thing they told us about taking her home was to avoid large crowds.”

  Gemma handed him the baby bundled up against the cold. “We can’t stay in the car.”

  He took her hand and helped her out. The front door opened. Gemma’s parents came out with Esther Hopper.

  She stood back while Dinah and Leroy greeted the new arrival. Dinah took the baby from him and they all went into the house. It was empty.

  Gemma looked around. “Where are the people who belong to the buggies outside?”

  “In the barn,” Leroy said, gazing fondly at the child.

  Gemma and Jesse looked at each other. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Why are people in the barn?”

  “Because that’s where it is warm enough to wait.” Dinah smiled at Gemma. “Are you hungry? We have plenty of food.”

  Gemma cocked one eyebrow. “Do I have to go to the barn to get it?”

  Dinah waved aside the question. “Of course not. I have some in the kitchen for you. I think we are ready to open gifts now. Esther, would you go tell the folks?”

  “Gifts?” Jesse looked as puzzled as Gemma felt.

  “This is your baby shower. Sit on the sofa with Hope so everyone can see her.” She marshaled them to a place where the sofa had been turned to face the windows and opened the shades.

  Esther went to the door. “She shouldn’t be exposed to large crowds for a while, but everyone wants to see her.”

  Gemma’s father pulled a cradle out from behind a chair. “Gemma, this cradle was made by your great-great-grandfather. I slept in it, as did you. May God grant you have many more children to rock to sleep in it.”

  “Now, my quilt,” Dinah said. “This was made by myself and your cousins. By the way, there is a mud sale being planned in February by an Amish community in Ohio to raise funds for Hope’s and Gemma’s medical bills. We will have other fund-raisers soon. Gott provides.”

  One by one, the gifts from family and friends were displayed. There was a tap at the window. Gemma glanced up to see a dozen people lined up outside the windows, including the bishop, Mr. Meriwether, the grocer, Ivan and Jenny, their teachers and classmates from school, as well as Michael and Bethany. Everyone was bundled up against the cold. Bethany beckoned Gemma closer. Gemma handed the baby to Jesse. “Go show off your daughter.”

  He happily took Hope to the window and waited as guest after guest filed by to get a view of the newest resident of New Covenant. Gemma sat back and watched. She wouldn’t say Jesse preened, but she had never seen him look so happy.

  * * *

  Two weeks after their arrival at her parents’ home, Gemma and Hope were settling in well, except for one thing. Jesse had chosen to stay at his home until he had the place fixed up enough for his family to move there. While he came over every day, Gemma was wondering when she would be able to move into her new home.

  She finished feeding Hope and was getting ready for bed on Saturday night when the sound of something hitting the window caught her attention. It sounded like a smattering of hail. She heard it again. What was going on?

  She pulled up the shade. Jesse stood in the snow-covered garden below. A full moon hung low in the sky, making the scene almost as bright as day. She lifted the sash, letting in a rush of cold air. “Jesse Crump, what are you doing?”

  “Dress warm and come out.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I asked you to?”

  “You will need a better explanation by the time I get down there.”

  “Come on. It’s important.”

  She closed the window and quickly dressed. She pulled on long woolen leggings and put on her fur-lined boots. Hope was sound asleep in her bassinet beside her mother’s bed.

  Gemma tiptoed into her mother’s room across the hall and gently shook her by the shoulder. “Mamm, wake up.”

  “What’s wrong?” her mother whispered as she sat up.

  “Nothing. Jesse wants me to come outside.”

  “At this time of night? What for?”

  Gemma shrugged. “I have no idea. I left my door open. Will you listen for the baby?”

  “Foolishness, if you ask me. Go, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “Danki, Mamm.” Gemma hurried down the hall to the front door, grabbed her coat and scarf from the peg and opened the door.<
br />
  Jesse sat in a sleigh with one of his draft horses in harness.

  Gemma came down the porch steps toward him. “What are you doing?”

  “’Evening, Gemma.”

  She paused behind the gate. “Good evening to you. I don’t understand.”

  “It’s a right nice evening, isn’t it?” His voice sounded strained.

  “Nice enough for the dead of winter.”

  “I was wondering if you might like to take a sleigh ride?”

  “Now?”

  “That’s how courting couples do it.”

  “Courting?” Her eyes widened.

  “You never had a courtship. I thought you deserved one.” Jesse held out his hand.

  Gemma didn’t hesitate. She pushed open the gate, took his hand and climbed in beside him. He spread a quilt over her lap. There were hot bricks on the floorboards to rest her feet on.

  When she was settled beside him, he clicked his tongue and slapped the reins to set Goliath in motion.

  At the highway, he turned south, away from the settlement. She couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Where are we going?”

  “Someplace we can talk without being interrupted.”

  “That could include ninety percent of the state of Maine.” As if anyone was out and about at this time of night. He turned off on a road just beyond the Shultz place and then took the left fork behind their big white barn. The little-used road wound around the side of a hill and came out into a small meadow. A white-tailed buck stood browsing near the trees along the edge of the clearing. He bounded away in alarm.

  Jesse drew his horse to a stop. “Will it bother you to walk a little ways?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Not the fine word again.”

  “Okay. It won’t bother me to walk.”

  “If you get tired or your ankle starts hurting, I’ll carry you back to the sleigh.”

  She tucked that bit of information away to use later when she wanted to be held in his arms. At the moment, she was more curious about their destination.

  Together, they walked side by side into the forest and down a faint path. The snow crunched under their boots. It wasn’t long before she heard the sound of the water splashing over rocks. A few yards later, they came to an old stone bridge that spanned a rushing stream. They walked out into the middle of it, where Jesse stopped and leaned on the wall.

  “How pretty it is here.” Gemma stood beside him. The babbling of the water supplied the only sound. The air was motionless. The moon cast long shadows among the tall trees.

  Jesse brushed the snow off the wall and sat on it. “I like to come here and think.” He turned and pulled her to stand in front of him. He kept his arms around her and spoke softly in her ear. “Do you have any idea what kind of effect you have on me?”

  “I hope that you view me as a dear friend.” Her heart was beating so hard she feared he could hear it.

  He smiled at her. “I don’t think of you only as a friend.”

  He pulled off his gloves and cupped her face in his hands. “You and Hope have brought joy to me when I never expected to have it. I will never be able to thank God enough for bringing you into my life.”

  Before she could say anything, he bent his head and kissed her. His soft warm lips moved over hers, bringing a sensation of floating weightless in the night.

  The sound of the rushing water faded away as Gemma tentatively explored the texture of his lips against hers. Firm but gentle, warm and tender, his touch sent the blood rushing through her veins. Softly, slowly, his lips moved to her cheeks and then to the side of her neck. She didn’t know it was possible for her heart to expand with such love and not burst.

  When Jesse drew away, she kept her eyes closed, afraid she would see disappointment or regret on his face.

  “Gemma, look at me,” he said softly.

  “I can’t.”

  Old insecurities came rushing back to choke down her happiness. “You must be ashamed of my behavior.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you aren’t the first man to kiss me in the moonlight.”

  “Gemma, I will tell you this only once. It doesn’t matter who kissed you first. I will be the man who kisses you next and last and every day in between for the rest of our lives. I love you, Gemma.”

  She circled his neck with her arms. “My dear Jesse. I love you more than life itself. I think I truly fell in love with you when you lifted me out of Dale’s pickup and held me in your arms. You were so incredibly strong and gentle at the same time.”

  “Does that mean I may court you? Nod if you agree.”

  She smiled at his teasing, even though she saw the seriousness in his eyes. How was it possible to feel so happy?

  “Ja, Jesse Crump, you may court me, but I warn you, I’m no great prize.”

  “I believe I get to be the judge of that.” He nuzzled her cheek.

  “How long will the courtship last?” She tipped her head so he could kiss her neck.

  “Until the wedding.”

  “We’re already married.”

  He drew back to grin at her. “Then there is no end in sight for us.”

  She rose onto her toes and kissed him with all the love she held in her heart for him.

  He was the first to break away, drawing a deep unsteady breath that made her smile. He tucked her head beneath his chin. “I thought this was a romantic spot, but we should find somewhere warmer to continue our courting.”

  In the shadow of the trees, with the cold bright moonlight sparkling on the icy waters cascading below and his arms around her, Gemma had never been warmer in her life. “I’m fine.”

  “I’m happy for you, but my feet are freezing.”

  She chuckled. “You should have dressed warmer.” He could always make her laugh. She loved that about him along with everything else.

  He cupped her cheek with his hand. “I don’t know why God chose this strange journey for you. From Maine to Florida and back just to end up in my arms.”

  “So that we’ll never take each other for granted.”

  “That’s what I think too.” He bent and kissed her again.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair and kept him close when he would have pulled away. “I plan to spend a lot of time kissing you, husband.”

  “Goot, for I plan to spend a little time kissing you back.”

  “Only a little?” She gave him a saucy grin.

  He growled low in his throat. “God knew what he was doing when He brought you back into my life. I reckon He knew I needed someone to drive me crazy.” He lowered his head to kiss her again.

  Gemma melted against him as her heart was swept away by the love that flowed between her soul and his. Being courted by Jesse Crump surpassed all her expectations. God had been good to her.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this story,

  look for the first book in this series,

  An Amish Wife for Christmas,

  and Patricia Davids’s new

  The Amish of Cedar Grove series

  from HQN Books:

  The Wish

  The Hope (coming in December)

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Forgotten Cowboy by Deb Kastner.

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  Dear Reader,

  I have once again taken you to Maine in the winter. I’m sorry. I promise a warmer time of the year to explore the beauty of New Covenant in my next book. Summer or spring? I haven’t decided yet. I hope you enjoyed visiting some of the characters from my previous North Country Amish series. I’m always happy to let people catch up on the
characters they wanted to know more about. There will be eight books in all set in Maine. I should be able to populate a small Amish community by then. If not, I can always keep going. That’s the joy of my God-given gift. New ideas always pop into my head.

  Blessings to you and yours,

  Patricia Davids

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  Her Forgotten Cowboy

  by Deb Kastner

  Chapter One

  Everybody knew.

  Tanner Hamilton stood stiff-spined, arms crossed and his knees locked tight, front and center on the makeshift auction block located on the community green at Serendipity, Texas’s First Annual Bachelors and Baskets Auction, and scanned the entirely too enthusiastic audience. Sweat beaded his brow and made his black T-shirt stick to his skin.

  It was ripping him up inside to be standing out here at the center of a public venue with everyone’s eyes upon him. If they weren’t judging him, then at the very least he spotted pity in some of their eyes. It was a small town. His friends and neighbors—everyone in his acquaintance and probably some who weren’t, had heard about poor Tanner Hamilton.