She was struck by how deeply attached she felt to Galen. It was a different love than the heady, exciting feelings she’d had when she fell in love with Dean, and she would have thought younger love was the stronger force. But the feelings she had for Galen were like the deep roots of a sturdy willow tree, whose depth she was only beginning to sense.
She suddenly realized she wanted to grow old with him.
“Talk to him,” Naomi said.
“What?” Rose startled in alarm. She hadn’t realized that Naomi had come up behind her. Sarah was nestled in her arms.
“You’re wondering whether you made a mistake with Galen. Talk to him. It can’t do any harm. Talk to him, Rose.”
She looked at Naomi, whose clear eyes seemed to see everything and know what was going on in every heart. “Do you always know what people are thinking?”
Naomi laughed. “No. I just try to be a good listener.”
“Anyone can be a good listener,” Rose said. “That’s easy. It’s hard to be a wise listener.”
After the pigpen had been plowed under and Luke had shown her, proudly, the blisters on his hands that needed tending to, Rose put on a fresh apron and prayer cap and walked through the privet to find Galen. She found him in the barn. He had a gelding’s right rear hoof up on his thigh and was scraping caked dirt out of it with a hoof pick. He straightened up as soon as he saw her.
For a moment, she could say nothing at all, only look at him. Her throat tightened, thick with the things she wanted to say to him.
“It’s cold today, you’ll catch a chill,” he said, when he noticed that she was barefoot.
She shrugged, head down, trying to hide the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.
“Why, now, what’s the matter?” he asked, concerned.
He put down the hoof pick and walked over to her. He cautiously put his arm around her, as if that might not still be proper—Rose not only accepted it, she moved closer.
“Is something wrong, Rose? Is Vera all right? The baby?”
“Everybody’s fine. It’s me.”
His eyes were filled with worry. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing. Everything. I need to ask you something.” She stepped back to face him and clasped his hands, tight. “Would you like to marry me?”
There was quiet—complete quiet. And on and on it went, not a word, not a sound. Rose waited, then went on undisturbed, her voice steady. “I’m in love with you, and I can’t imagine life without you.”
A slow smile, homey and unhurried and sweet, like syrup over hot flapjacks, spread across his face.
“Well, I can imagine it, actually,” Rose said, “and it’s awful.”
That made her grin, and Galen’s smile grew bigger, and then he opened his arms and she fell into them. It felt like home to be in his embrace, familiar and safe, but at the same time, exciting and new. They stood there for a long moment. Suddenly the silence was thick and heavy, and he pulled away but held on to her elbows. “Are you sure, Rose? No changing your mind this time? No postponements. We set a date and stick to it. Because I couldn’t bear it if—”
She pressed her fingers against his mouth. She leaned into him, melted into the circling of his arms, and lifted her face, a shy invitation. His lips were so soft, so very soft on hers. No kiss had ever been like this. No kiss ever would be.
At Tobe’s request, Mim waited by the mailbox every day to intercept the DNA results. She examined every envelope that arrived, but day after day, there was nothing.
“How long can it take to match up bits of tissue?” Tobe complained.
Mim had no idea about laboratories or DNA or bits of tissue, but she had promised to watch the mail for him.
And then, just a few days before Tobe and Naomi’s wedding, the letter arrived. Mim had just been in the kitchen with Tobe, who was feeding a bottle of vile-smelling formula to Sarah, when she saw the mailman and ran to the mailbox. She ran back inside, waving the letter. “It’s here, Tobe! The DNA results are here!”
In the kitchen, Naomi sat rocking Sarah. Mim froze. Tobe was nowhere in sight.
“The what?” Naomi asked.
Oh, boy. “Um, where is Tobe?”
“He went upstairs to change his clothes because Sarah spit up on his shirt.” Naomi put Sarah in the Moses basket. “Did I hear you right, Mim? Did you say that envelope has DNA results?”
Mim didn’t know what to say. Tobe walked into the kitchen and saw the envelope in her hand. He and Naomi exchanged a look, telling each other something, the way married people could do without talking, but she didn’t know what it was.
Tobe turned to Mim. “Would you mind giving Naomi and me a moment alone?”
Mim put the envelope on the table and backed out of the room. “Sorry,” she whispered to her brother as she passed by the doorjamb.
He gave her a gentle squeeze on her shoulder.
It was strange how perfectly normal a day could seem, and yet, Naomi thought, the most important secret of her and Tobe’s life was resting in an envelope on the kitchen table. His hand hovered over it, too shaky to pick it up, which suited Naomi just fine. She had never felt so disappointed in anyone. “You weren’t going to tell me that you had taken Sarah for a DNA test?”
“When I knew the results, I was going to tell you.”
“What difference would the results make, Tobe?”
“It would make everything simpler.”
“How so?”
“Sarah is someone else’s child. Someone else fathered her, walked away, and got away with it.”
“And if that were true?”
“Well . . . then, there’s a place for children like her. Somewhere. I’m not sure exactly where, but I could find out. Make sure it’s reputable . . .”
His voice drizzled off as the look in her eyes changed from disappointment to fury.
Heart pounding, Naomi tried to keep her voice calm and steady, but she was livid. Had he learned nothing in the last year? “And what sort of man would you be if you abandoned her now? What sort of woman would I be? Her mother doesn’t want her. Sarah would be taken away to live in foster homes. She’s a special child. Her chance of getting adopted is slim. Here, she has so many people who love her and are concerned about her. She’s become a part of everyone’s life in Stoney Ridge. She’s part of our new life together.”
Tobe looked surprised. Naomi didn’t usually make speeches. He seemed startled at such strong words from her. “Naomi . . . I’ve been over and over it in my mind. I’ve thought of little else. But I always come back to this question: How can I bring up another man’s child as my own?”
“You’re only thinking of yourself. What sort of start in life would Sarah have if you washed your hands of her now? She’s a tiny, defenseless baby, who is missing an essential chromosome to have a normal life. Have you thought about her, Tobe? What kind of childhood would she have?”
Tobe jerked his head up, as if surprised by the line of questioning and the bite in her voice.
“Naomi, please listen to me. You asked me what difference it would make if I knew Sarah weren’t mine, and I told you the truth. It’s just not as simple as you’re making it out to be.”
“We can be the baby’s parents in every way that matters. We loved this child yesterday, we still love her today. We will always love her. It’s as simple as that.”
After a full minute of silence she said, “Well? Aren’t you going to open it?”
But he didn’t, only stood rubbing his thumb over the writing, staring at it. Finally, he dropped his arms by his side. In a voice strangled with emotion, he said, “Naomi, what if Sarah happens to be the daughter of Jake Hertzler? I know Paisley and Jake had been . . . together.”
“Is that what’s been troubling you?” Such a thought had never occurred to her. Not once. She held out her hands to Tobe. He made an uncertain step toward her, taking her hands in his. “If that could be true . . . then it’s all the more reason for us to rai
se her and love her as our own. To bring some good out of this whole sordid situation. You have two very simple roads to go down. To take the baby as she is. Or to walk away from her. Two clear roads.”
He didn’t move for a long while. He looked at Sarah, asleep in the basket. He looked at Naomi. Then he reached out and tore the letter with the DNA results into tiny pieces. He went over to Sarah and picked her up. “Love,” he said quietly, “does extraordinary things to people.”
Oh yes, Naomi thought. It does. It has a way of bringing out the very best in people. Her heart was full as she watched Tobe hold the baby close against his chest, tears streaming down his cheeks. In that moment, he had become the man she knew he could be. Little Sarah had done that.
And here Naomi was, getting ready to marry this wonderful man. About to become a mother to a beautiful little girl whom they needed as much as she needed them. The vista of Naomi’s life had changed, and she marveled at what lay ahead.
Love did extraordinary things to people. Oh yes, it did.
Discussion Questions
If there’s one overriding theme in this novel, it would be this: becoming your best self. Isn’t that a hope we all have? For ourselves, for our loved ones. In your opinion, which character—Tobe or Naomi—grew the most and became his or her best self?
Some, perhaps most, of the couples in this story seem to be unlikely pairs: Naomi and Tobe, Rose and Galen, Mim and Jesse, Brooke and Jon. Consider Tobe and Naomi. Tobe is impulsive, on a quest to find himself, pulled to the outside world, and is uncertain of what his calling is. Naomi is thoroughly Amish. She leads a very sheltered, quiet life and relies heavily on her intuition and thought life. In many ways, they’re complete opposites. Yet why are they drawn to each other?
Let’s talk about Rose and Galen. Rose is older than Galen in both years and life experience. Galen has a rather narrow view of the world. He loves his sister, he loves his horses. And he loves Rose. Why does their relationship, which has its share of friction, actually work well for each other? They felt differently about important family issues, but in what way were they both right?
The novel touches on many themes (love, family, forgiveness, second chances). Which do you think are the most important?
Brooke Snyder is a talented but hopelessly insecure young woman. Her aunt Lois said she was always copying because she had never found her “original.” Her original self, she meant. How did Brooke’s crippling insecurities about herself make her vulnerable to taking the wrong path? With work? With men? What a message for those of us who struggle with insecurity! And don’t we all . . .
The importance of family is seen throughout this novel. It’s so important to Naomi, for example, that she insists to Tobe that they remain in the Amish church to stay connected to their families. How did family impact Tobe and Naomi, in both positive and negative ways? How has your own family influenced your decisions for good or bad?
What do you think Brooke Snyder will end up doing with the Mrs. Miracle column?
Paisley is a mess. She’s manipulative, selfish, and woefully unprepared to become a mother, especially of a child with special needs. Do you think she did the right thing for the wrong reasons by leaving the baby at Eagle Hill? Or did she do the wrong thing for the right reasons?
Galen and Rose experience tension over Tobe’s return. Galen is very objective about Tobe and feels Rose has hobbled him with empathy. Naturally, Rose finds herself defending Tobe. “Galen,” Rose warned, “a man’s past is his past. It’s what he contributes to the present that matters.” Do you agree or disagree with Rose’s remark?
Rose and Galen’s friction is common among blended families. How does Galen’s point of view about Tobe hold merit? Was there any takeaway value in how they both adjusted their expectations of Tobe?
Did you guess ahead of time that Jon Hoeffner was Jake Hertzler? If not, what did you think was going to happen with Jon and Brooke Snyder?
At the end of the novel, Tobe Schrock tore up the envelope with the results of the paternity test he had taken to determine if he was Sarah’s father. He would never know for sure. What did that action mean for Tobe, and why was it such a turning point for him?
Another theme in the book is the idea of forgiveness, of second chances. How did you feel when Rose Schrock sent a message to Jake Hertzler to tell him he was forgiven, even though she knew he probably wouldn’t even care? Why was it important for her to let her children know that was the intention of their family?
What did you think was ultimately the book’s lesson?
Blueberry Lemon Squares from the Inn at Eagle Hill
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup (½ lb.) butter
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
⅓ cup lemon juice (use real lemons)
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1½ cups blueberries, fresh and rinsed or frozen
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, stir flour and ½ cup powdered sugar until blended. Add butter and stir until dough holds together. Press evenly over the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
While the crust is baking, beat eggs in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed (or use a whisk). Blend in sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, baking powder, and salt. After mixing, gently stir in blueberries.
Pour egg mixture into pan over warm crust. Return to oven and bake until filling no longer jiggles when pan is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and let cool at least 15 minutes. Cut into 2″ squares and lift out with a spatula. Serve warm or cool. If making up to a day ahead, wrap airtight when cool and chill.
Makes 24 squares.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family for their encouragement and support. In particular, my daughter, Lindsey, for her insights and guiding comments. To my sister, Wendy, too. Both of them read messy first drafts and helped find the good and bad in my work. To A.J. Salch, for answering odd questions about Thoroughbred stallions. To her parents, Kim and Clayton, for providing true stories of childhood mischief that make it so often into my books. Thanks to Mary Ann Kinsinger, who helped me create a baptism scene that rang true.
In terms of print and paper, much gratitude goes to the team at Revell, who transform a bulky Word document into a book. Thank you to Michele Misiak, for marketing brainstorming, to Barb Barnes, for her editorial precision and longsuffering patience. To my remarkable editor, Andrea Doering, for cracking open the world of publication to me and keeping that door open. A special shout-out to my steadfast agent, Joyce Hart of The Hartline Literary Agency, for the dozen roses she sent to celebrate my twelfth contract with Revell. You’re all such delightful people to work with.
Hands lifted up high in praise to God for granting me this author gig and giving me a deep love of the written word.
Last of all, but never least of all, my heartfelt gratitude to you readers, near and far, for reading my stories. I love hearing from you—the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can take it. Just don’t stop reading!
Fondly,
Suzanne
www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the author of the bestselling Lancaster County Secrets and Stoney Ridge Seasons series. The Search received a 2012 Carol Award, The Waiting was a finalist for the 2011 Christy Award, and The Choice was a finalist for the 2011 Carol Award. Suzanne’s grandfather was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Her interest in living a simple, faith-filled life began with her Dunkard cousins. Suzanne is also the author of the bestselling Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life, both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year award, and Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life. She has an ap
p, Amish Wisdom, to deliver a proverb a day to your iPhone, iPad, or Android. Visit her at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com to find out more.
Suzanne lives with her family and big yellow dogs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Books by Suzanne Woods Fisher
* * *
Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World
Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life
Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life
A Lancaster County Christmas
LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS
The Choice
The Waiting
The Search
SEASONS OF STONEY RIDGE
The Keeper
The Haven
The Lesson
THE INN AT EAGLE HILL
The Letters
The Calling
The Rescue: An Inn at Eagle Hill Novella (ebook)
The Revealing
THE ADVENTURES OF LILY LAPP (WITH MARY ANN KINSINGER)
Life with Lily
A New Home for Lily
A Big Year for Lily
A Surprise for Lily
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Revealing, The (The Inn at Eagle Hill Book #3): A Novel Page 26
