Building Trust

by Kathleen Fuller

  COPYRIGHT

  ZONDERVAN

  Building Trust

  Copyright © 2018 by Kathleen Fuller

  Requests for information should be addressed to:

  Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

  Epub Edition June 2018 9780310352648

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication

  CIP data is available upon request.

  Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Printed in the United States of America

  18 19 20 21 22 / LSC / 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  To my husband, James. I love you.

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Epilogue

  Discussion Questions

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  GLOSSARY

  ab im kopp: crazy, crazy in the head

  ach: oh

  aenti: aunt

  Amisch: Amish

  appeditlich: delicious

  bruder: brother

  bu/buwe: boy/boys

  daag/daags: day/days

  daed: father

  danki: thank you

  dawdi haus: smaller home, attached to or near the main house

  Dietsch: Amish language

  dochder: daughter

  dumm: dumb

  dummkopf: idiot

  Englisch: non-Amish

  familye: family

  frau: woman, Mrs.

  garten: garden

  geh: go

  grossmutter: grandmother

  grossvatter: grandfather

  gut: good

  gute nacht: good night

  hallo: hello

  haus: house

  hungerich: hungry

  kaffee: coffee

  kapp: white hat worn by Amish women

  kinn/kinner: child/children

  kumme: come

  lieb: love

  maedel: girl/young woman

  mamm: mom

  mann: Amish man

  mei: my

  morgen: morning

  mudder/mutter: mother

  nee: no

  nix: nothing

  onkel: uncle

  perfekt: perfect

  schee: pretty/handsome

  schwesters: sisters

  sehr: very

  seltsam: weird

  sohn: son

  vatter: father

  ya: yes

  yer: your

  yerself: yourself

  CHAPTER 1

  Plink. Plink.

  Grace Miller smiled and slipped out of her bed, still fully dressed even though it was past midnight. She snuck downstairs in her bare feet, opened the kitchen door, and went outside. The balmy night greeted her, and so did Joel King. The moon shone bright in the sky, and by its silvery light she could see his handsome face as he smiled at her. She hurried toward his outstretched hand. He took hers, and they walked to the farthest corner of her backyard.

  Before she could take a breath, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “What was that for?” she asked, her lips tingling.

  “I have to give you a reason for kissing you?” He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek.

  “Nee,” she said with a soft smile. They had been dating for almost a year, in secret. So secret that no one knew, not even her sisters. Faith of course had no idea, since she had married Silas Graber two years ago and moved to her own house nearby. But Patience and Charity, who were sixteen and fifteen and nosy as they could be, could have found out. She and Joel made sure to be careful, and she liked having something all to herself. Growing up with three sisters, she’d had to share a lot.

  He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a step back, which made her concerned. “Joel?” She moved closer to him. “Did I say something wrong?”

  He shook his head and smiled. In the moonlight she couldn’t discern colors, but Joel’s dark-blue eyes, reddish-brown hair, and tanned skin, gained from his work as a lumberjack, were engraved in her mind. At twenty-five he was three years older than she was. He smiled that cute crooked smile of his, the one that had caught her attention last year when they played volleyball after a summer Sunday singing. They had accidentally crashed into each other, and when Joel turned around and said sorry and smiled, Grace was smitten. Turned out Joel had been too.

  He took his hands out of his pockets and clasped hers. It felt warm. Safe. Secure. Right. “I just . . . I need to talk to you about something. Actually, I need to ask you, not just talk.” He let go of her hands and ran his fingers through his hair. “I, uh . . .”

  She touched his cheek. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I love you, Joel. I don’t want you to think you can’t tell me something.”

  He reached for her hand and kissed her palm, then took her tenderly in his arms. “I love you too, Gracie. That’s why I want to marry you.”

  It wasn’t a complete surprise that he’d proposed. Still, she was stunned. She’d known she would marry Joel King shortly after they started dating. But now that he’d said the words, she was at a loss. “I . . . I . . .”

  “Say yes, Grace.” He drew her closer to him. “Say you’ll be my wife.”

  Her heart swelled with joy as she nodded. “Of course I will. I can’t wait to marry you, Joel.”

  He kissed her again, this time lingering, his kiss a promise of their future together. When they parted, he said, “I have to get going. We have a big clearing job in Ashtabula, and I have to be ready in a couple hours.” He chuckled. “Not that I’ll be able to get any sleep after this.”

  “Me either.” She smiled.

  “We need to figure out a wedding date. The sooner the better, I think.”

  “I’ll have to talk to mei parents.”

  He nodded. “I don’t care who knows we’re engaged. I was getting tired of dating in secret.”

  “Why don’t you come over for supper after work? We can both talk to mei parents then.”

  He nodded. “Gut idea.” He leaned down and kissed her one more time. “It’s harder to leave you than ever.”

  “I know. But soon we’ll be together again.” She looked up at him. “And I can’t wait.”

  Joel took off for home, which wasn’t too far. He was athletic due to his job, and running the half mile was easy for him. Grace hurried back to her own house and snuck inside. As soon as she shut the kitchen door, the gas light hissed to life. She froze and saw her sister, Charity, standing near the tall gas lamp.

  “Where have you been?” Charity said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Just getting some fresh air.” She’d had this excuse planned in case she got caught, but she hadn’t expected the person to catch her would be Charity. Patience was the light sleeper. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “You expect me
to believe that? Especially after I saw you kissing Joel King?”

  “What?” Grace put her fingers to her lips.

  “Don’t deny it.” Charity dropped her hands and smiled. “You’re not the only one who knows how to sneak out of the house.”

  Grace did know that. Their older sister, Faith, used to do the same thing when she and Silas were first dating. Then they were engaged, then they weren’t engaged, then they were . . . It was a bumpy road to their eventual marriage, but they were a happy couple now.

  Fortunately, Grace didn’t anticipate any problems when it came to her and Joel marrying. But that didn’t mean she appreciated Charity’s nosiness. “I couldn’t sleep—”

  “Because you were busy kissing.” Charity giggled, her light-blue eyes twinkling. “C’mon, Grace. I’m not a child. I know how dating works. Besides, Joel’s a gut mann. I’m actually a little jealous.”

  “You are?”

  “Ya.” She sighed and sat down at the table. “Faith’s married and you’re dating. Even Patience has a bu interested in her, not that she would admit it.”

  Grace sat next to her. “Yer time will come. Yer only fifteen.”

  “Mamm was almost married at mei age.”

  “I was eighteen when I got married. And I married too young.”

  Both Grace’s and Charity’s heads jerked up as their mother walked into the kitchen. “What are you two doing up at this hour? And why are you talking about marriage?”

  Grace and Charity exchanged a look. “We couldn’t sleep,” they both said at the same time.

  “So you decided to come in here and wake me up?”

  “Sorry,” they both said at the same time again.

  Mamm gave them a weary smile. “It’s all right. I was having trouble sleeping anyway.” She went to the cabinet and got a glass, then filled it halfway with water. She turned and leaned against the sink and took a sip. “So . . . Who’s getting married?”

  Grace’s face heated and she glanced at Charity, who to her credit was busy tracing the lines on the wooden table with her fingertip and not looking up. She was twenty-two. Definitely marrying age, unlike Charity.

  Her mother’s expression turned solemn. “I didn’t mean to pry. Obviously, this is a private conversation.” She set the glass down and started to leave.

  “Nee,” Grace said, getting up and putting her hand on her mother’s arm. “It’s not private.” Not anymore. “Would it be all right if Joel King joined us for supper tomorrow?”

  Mamm’s eyes grew soft. “Ya. That will be fine.” She touched Grace’s hand. “I should get to bed. Sunrise will be here before we know it. You girls run upstairs too. Quietly,” she added. “Even though yer vatter can sleep through a tornado.”

  “We will,” Charity said.

  “Gute nacht, Mamm.” Grace held the back of the kitchen chair.

  “Oh,” Mamm said, turning around. “Let me know what Joel’s favorite dishes are. We should prepare something he likes.” With another smile, she left the room.

  Grace blew out a breath. That wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. Then again, why would it be? Her family knew Joel. Maybe not all that well, since he had left the area and moved to Holmes County when he was a teenager. But there wasn’t anything objectionable about him either.

  When he first returned and she saw him at church, she knew in her heart he was special. He was broad shouldered, tall, and had a confident air about him, but there was more to him than good looks. He was kind, tender, and devoted to his faith.

  And soon he would be her husband.

  “Grace?”

  She blinked at Charity.

  “We shouldn’t linger.”

  “Right.” Her mother had been easygoing about being woken up in the middle of the night. Which wasn’t surprising since Mamm rarely became ruffled. Both of her parents were even-tempered, but they could also get upset when pushed too far, and she wasn’t about to push either of them.

  She followed Charity upstairs, pausing at the room Charity shared with their sister, Patience. “Gute nacht,” Charity whispered, then slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

  Grace nodded and went to her room. She needed to get to bed, but she was too excited to sleep. Instead she went to the window and looked at the backyard, her gaze landing on the place where Joel proposed. She clasped her hands together. “Thank you for Joel, Lord,” she whispered, filled with love and happiness. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them both.

  Joel tugged on the collar of his shirt as he stood on Grace’s front porch. He wondered if this was such a good idea. Not about asking Grace to marry him. That was the best idea he’d ever had. He loved her, and if it had been up to him, he would’ve proposed months ago. But he sensed that Grace liked to be sure about things. She never rushed into anything without thinking. That was his forte. So he was shocked and pleased she had said yes right away.

  But now he had no idea what he was going to say to Grace’s parents. He had friends who had gotten married and also dated in secret. They waited to announce the wedding a couple weeks before the ceremony actually happened. But he never talked to them about how they went about getting married or telling the parents. This was new territory for him. He hadn’t even told his own folks yet. He figured it would be better to let the bride’s parents know first.

  He cleared his throat and knocked on the door. Grace answered immediately, and her bright smile made him forget his nervousness. At least mostly.

  “Hi,” she said as she opened the door wider. She seemed different for some reason tonight. She was still wearing the same white kapp she and the rest of the women in the community wore. And he noticed she was wearing a light-green dress. His favorite color. But he’d seen her wear that dress before, so that couldn’t be it. Then he looked into her face and saw the rosy cheeks, the sparkling eyes, and realized what else was there. Love. Love was shining, and the connection they had was now stronger because of their promise to each other.

  “Hi,” he said, wishing he could take her in his arms right now. But he didn’t dare. Grace wasn’t one for public affection. And besides, he didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with her parents.

  “Dinner’s almost ready.” He stepped inside, and Grace shut the door behind him. “Why don’t you have a seat in the living room? Daed should be there shortly.”

  Joel nodded and walked into the living room after he slipped off his shoes. He sat down on a couch that looked like it had seen better days, but was still nice. He glanced around the house. Other than church services, he’d never been inside. It was a smaller, more modest home than his uncle’s. Uncle Abner owned a successful logging and lumber business, one that was so prosperous he’d opened up another branch down in Holmes, where Joel had worked before he came back here a year and a half ago. Now he worked for and lived with his uncle while his brother and father and mother stayed in Holmes County. It had been nice to return to Middlefield, but he hadn’t crossed paths with Grace’s family other than saying a polite hello after a church service or at a community gathering. I’ll get to know them real well now.

  He could smell the delicious dinner wafting through the living room. He tapped his foot on the floor and rubbed his palms over his knees. Where was her father? Unable to sit and wait, he stood up and started pacing a little, feeling a bit better but still filled with nervous energy. He wanted to get this over with.

  Grace came back into the living room. “Where did Daed geh?”

  Joel shrugged. “He never came in here.”

  “Really? I thought he was going to come talk to you, or at least say hello.” She frowned a little, then went up to him. “Come on into the kitchen. I’m sure he’ll be here any moment. He’s never late for food.” She smiled and Joel chuckled, standing close to her but not taking her hand, even though he wanted to.

  He went into the kitchen and saw a magnificent spread on the table. They had prepared some of his favorite dishes—pot roast, broccoli salad
, and fresh dinner rolls, the tops shiny with melted butter. He and Grace spent a lot of time talking about their favorite things, the future, and what they wanted in their dreams. He shouldn’t be surprised she had prepared some of the foods he really liked. He looked at her and smiled, mouthing the words thank you.

  She sat down and he sat next to her. Patience and Charity sat across from them. All the Miller sisters looked similar, but there was something special about Grace.

  “Everything looks appenditclich,” he said to Grace’s mother, Ruby.

  “Danki, but Grace made most of the meal.”

  “I made the dessert,” Patience piped up. “Blueberry Buckle. Ever had that before?”

  “Can’t say that I have.”

  “It’s like a cobbler,” Grace said, leaning close to him.

  He nodded and at that moment her father walked into the kitchen. “Hope you weren’t waiting too long,” he said. “I had to help the neighbors next door move some furniture—” He stopped and stared at Joel.

  “Daed,” Grace said with a smile. “You know Joel King. He’s eating supper with us tonight.”

  Vernon didn’t move, and Joel withered beneath his agitated gaze. He wasn’t sure why Grace’s father seemed upset, but he would do everything he could to make a good impression.

  “Danki for having me.” He offered a smile.

  “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  Joel glanced at Grace, who looked as puzzled as he felt. Vernon was a friendly man, at least from what Joel had observed. But right now he looked like he wanted to kick Joel out of his house.

  “Vernon?” Mamm said as she went to his side. Her mouth formed a small frown. “We should start on supper, ya?”

  Vernon moved to the chair at the head of the table, but didn’t pull his gaze from Joel until everyone bowed their head for prayer. Wow, this was odd. Joel prayed that things would go smoother than they were right now. He resisted the urge to tug at his shirt collar again.

  When he lifted his head, Vernon wasn’t looking at him. Whew. Maybe he’d imagined Grace’s father’s cold reaction to him. He filled his plate with the food as they passed the dishes around. Everyone started eating, but no one said anything. Joel glanced at Vernon again, who was pushing food around on his plate, still not looking up.