Never an Amish Bride

by Ophelia London

  Luke cocked one brow at her.

  She smiled and rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m getting more used to it,” she said, picking up the phone. “It doesn’t scare me like it used to. I mean, not that it scared me, it was just new.”

  “I know,” he said, leaning against his desk, looking as handsome as the first day she’d seen him again after ten years. “You’re doing a great job helping me here, but I know filling out paperwork and making appointments isn’t what you really want to do.”

  I want to be wherever you are, my dear love, she could have said, though she knew that hadn’t been what her husband had meant.

  “Sarah and Amos are coming over to the house later.”

  “To work on the addition? Tell your father I’ll help finish it tonight.”

  “I will.” Esther sighed. “Sarah came over earlier this morning, as well. Right after you’d left. I think she’d actually been waiting behind the barn until you walked across the yard and shut the door of your office.”

  “Oh boy. She still having problems with the other in-laws?”

  This made Esther giggle, him knowing her family so well. “She chose to move in with them instead of her and Amos living at home. Pa would’ve added on a room for them, too, but she wanted to live on the horse farm. I don’t blame her—the Zooks have gorgeous animals, and Grace can train them better than anyone in the county.”

  “Still strange, though,” Luke said while flipping through the pages of the desk calendar. “Even I am not used to the idea of a woman working with horses. It’s a man’s job.”

  “Oh, really now.” Esther put her hands on her hips. “And you’re the one who’s supposed to be enlightened.” She clicked her tongue at him.

  “Okay, okay. I guess I can be stuck in the old ways as much as anyone. Thank you for keeping me modern,” he added with a wink; then he dragged a finger across her cheek, making her heart jump at the tender touch.

  Instead of kissing him like her body craved to do, Esther said a small, grateful inner prayer, thanking Gott for His hand in her life. For bringing her such a wonderful husband, partner, and friend. Someone she could be completely herself with, whom she could confide in, pray for, laugh with, and sometimes even cry with when her back hurt or her feet swelled or Sarah was being a pain.

  Back during that first November, after only a few weeks of counseling with the bishop, Luke had been welcomed into the church with full fellowship. Though he’d had permission to continue working at the clinic until someone could take his place, Luke had longed to have a simple office at home, a place where all the plain folk could come for medical help, questions, and even medicine. It had taken a while, but in late October, his desire had become a reality. Then a month later, they were married.

  Esther rested both hands on her belly, feeling the miracle they’d made move inside her, feeling more loved, blessed, and content than she ever dreamed possible. Soon, their precious bobbeil would be surrounded by cousins and friends and neighbors and so much unconditional love.

  “We’ll be needing two new farm horses in a few months,” Luke said, interrupting her blissful thoughts. “Your pa and I have big plans for the back forty.”

  “Like…?” Esther asked, feeling a big smile spread across her face as her husband smiled even bigger. “What?” she asked, giving his shoulder a playful shove.

  “Well, first of all,” he said, “we must start with a lot of kids.”

  “Kids?” she echoed, confused, pointing at her stomach.

  Luke grinned and shook his head. “Kid goats.”

  Esther felt her eyes go wide, her throat nearly too tight to speak.

  “I think we’ll start with four.” He reached out and took her hand. “And they’ll all be named Bubbles.”

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  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, Stacy Abrams, my brave and wonderful editor. Back at its inception, we both agreed this project came together by fate. I still believe that. Thanks for taking on such a fun challenge with me! Thank you to Entangled Publishing for your faith in me, allowing me this uniquely awesome opportunity. As always, thanks to my writing partner, Sue, for walking me through sticky plot points, and for introducing me to chia tea latte. Thanks to my amazing group of girlfriends who listened to me babble on and on about this book for nearly a year. A heartfelt thanks to David Whitson for sharing your story with me. You are a true inspiration! Most of all, I couldn’t have done this without the support of my husband, who kept me focused and positive, and who gave me remarkably creative ideas when I was stuck. You mean the world to me!

  About the Author

  USA Today bestselling author Ophelia London was born and raised among the redwood trees in beautiful northern California. Once she was fully educated, she decided to settle in Florida, but her car broke down in Texas, and she’s lived in Dallas ever since. She enjoys cupcakes, treadmills, reruns of Dawson’s Creek, and obsessing over her Italian greyhound, Peanut. Ophelia is the author of Never an Amish Bride, first in the Honey Brook series, as wells as the Sugar City series, the Perfect Kisses series, the Abby Road series, and other adult, new adult, and young adult sweet romances.

  Visit her online at ophelialondon.com

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