“This summer? He’s taking the baptism classes this summer?” A strange, almost sickened look came over Abel’s face.
She nodded. “That’s what Mattie said.” Carrie looked down at her coffee. “She said they’re to be married in November.”
“What?” Abel inhaled sharply, leaning back in his chair. He whistled. “I never saw that coming.”
“My dad used to say that folks marry for all kinds of reasons.” Abel gazed at Carrie, his eyes dark and fathomless. “So what do you say about it?”
“I’m happy for Mattie and Sol. I really am.” She and Mattie had time for a long heart-to-heart talk while cleaning up today’s lunch dishes. She admitted to Mattie that she had loved Sol like crazy for a while, and in some ways she always would. “But it wasn’t you who came between us, Mattie,” she told her sincerely. “That was God’s doing.” She and Sol weren’t meant for each other. And one thing Carrie knew: no woman but Mattie could ever help Sol to be his best self.
When Abel didn’t respond, she glanced at him and saw him quickly look away. He was holding his hat in his hands, running it around and around by the brim. When he finally looked at her, his face was solemn. “Things haven’t exactly turned out the way you thought they would, have they? It isn’t exactly what you asked for.”
In Carrie’s mind, she reviewed the day, this wonderful day, of barn building and family building, a day filled with hope. “No. It’s not. It’s more. My life is more than what I ever could have asked for.”
Their eyes caught and held, and held and held, and this time they both knew that neither one was letting go. He reached out a hand, palm forward, and she placed her palm against his, weaving their fingers together. Her stomach did a flip-flop; she’d been waiting for this conversation since the walk with the deacon last week. She could tell Abel was measuring his words carefully. She saw him swallow hard.
“Carrie, I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without you. I love you. Be my wife.” He grinned that crooked grin. “Be my Amish wife.”
Carrie studied him for a moment, his brown hair curling at the ends around his collar, his beautiful melted-chocolate eyes, the cleft in his chin. Sometimes, she realized, the very thing we think is a problem turns out in the end to be God’s protection. When Sol left her for baseball, she thought her heart was permanently broken. God had a different idea for her, a better one. God led her to Daniel, who led her to Abel.
She tilted her head. “Is it as simple as that? You love me, I love you.”
“As simple as that.”
They shared a smile, as deep and as intimate as a kiss.
Questions for Discussion
On the surface, Carrie appeared to be a person who wasn’t firmly grounded. Describe the changes she underwent.
Aside from providing Carrie with a home, what did Daniel give to her? What did she give to him?
How did Carrie’s perceptions of faith and prayer change? At what point did she have a sense of her own self? What caused that growth?
Jacob Weaver, Carrie’s father, never wanted Solomon Riehl to marry Carrie. He said, “I won’t let my daughter marry a man who takes care of himself first.” Was his opinion of Sol too harsh? Why or why not?
What kind of a person was Esther Weaver? What compels her to adhere so strictly to the laws and traditions of the Amish faith?
What core beliefs did Mattie have that allowed her to be a loyal friend to Carrie despite loving Sol?
Did it surprise you when you read that Mattie and Sol had become engaged? Did you think Sol loved her? Or needed her? Or both?
How would you describe Carrie and Abel’s relationship? What drew them together?
Why did Emma choose eloping with Steelhead over being Amish? What kind of future do you see for them?
Did it bother you that Carrie had evidence to pin arson charges on Veronica McCall but chose not to? The Amish prefer to suffer injustice rather than to instigate legal suits. Do you think Carrie stood her ground? Or did Veronica McCall get the upper hand?
If you had to identify yourself with just one of the characters in this novel, who would it be? Why?
Did you learn anything new about the Amish life in reading this novel?
Suzanne Woods Fisher’s interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict left the colony amicably and eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine.
Suzanne is the author of Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World. Her work has appeared in many magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, ParentLife, Christian Parenting Today, Marriage Partnership, and many others. Fisher lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Visit Suzanne’s website at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
Books by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated Life
LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS
The Choice
Acknowledgments
First, last, and always, to the Lord God, for giving me the opportunity to write for his sake.
A special thank-you goes to the Lancaster Barnstormer baseball team for letting Solomon Riehl pitch his fastball for their team. And also for sharing time and knowledge, answering my questions, and reading through the manuscript to help correct errors.
Thanks also to my favorite first readers who graciously agreed to read and critique that first draft. The Ugly Draft. Lindsey Ciraulo and Wendy How. Your keen insights and guiding comments (“Now, did you happen to notice that Carrie has three arms in that scene?” and “Why are there two Mondays in that week?”) are invaluable!
Thanks to my dream team: agent Joyce Hart of The Hartline Literary Agency and those at Revell: Andrea Doering, Barb Barnes, Janelle Mahlmann, Twila Brothers Bennett, Claudia Marsh, Deonne Beron, Carmen Pease, Sheila Ingram, Donna Hausler, and everyone else who has worked so hard on my behalf.
Many thanks to the Amish families I met, who graciously opened their homes and their hearts and let me share their world for a little while.
And, of course, thanks to my family for being so supportive of this writing gig: Steve, Lindsey and Josh, Gary, Meredith and Tad.
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The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets 1) Page 27
