He stared at the reflection of the bridge in the water. It was like the future he had dreamed of with Rebecca. It was pretty to look at, but a man couldn’t cross the river through it.
Movement in the reflection caught his eye. Someone was walking on the bridge. He saw glimpses of a blue dress moving between the slatted sides. It took a second for him to realize the woman had stopped moving. She was staring over the railing at the water below. The current kept her face from coming into focus. It was easy to imagine it was Rebecca looking down at him, because that was what he wanted with his whole heart and soul.
He picked up a stone and threw it in. The ripples distorted everything. When the water settled, the woman was gone. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him again.
No, she wasn’t gone. He looked closer and then looked up. Rebecca stood staring at him over the railing. His heart thudded so hard that he feared it couldn’t keep beating. She was here. She hadn’t left.
Why was she here?
“Samuel, I need to speak with you. I’m so sorry. I was afraid, and I hurt you. Can you forgive me?”
He sprang to his feet. “What are you saying? Never mind, I’m coming up.”
“No, stay there. I’m coming down.” She vanished from his sight and for a moment, he wondered if she had been a hallucination.
He bolted up the bank toward the road just as she started down. He wasn’t dreaming. She was real.
The footing on the hillside was treacherous. In her haste, she lost her balance and tumbled forward, straight into him. The impact knocked him backward. He staggered but managed to stay upright.
She was in his arms at last. He had dreamed of this moment. He didn’t want to breathe. She gazed up at him with wide startled eyes. The desire to press his lips to hers overrode his better judgment, and he kissed her.
After the briefest hesitation, her lips softened and yielded to his and she was kissing him back. His heart soared and he didn’t care if it was beating or not. He could have died from happiness. He never wanted to let her go. The glorious kiss went on until his body demanded air.
He drew back and the rush of passion settled enough for him to make sense of what was happening. “I love you, Rebecca, but I thought you were leaving.”
“I couldn’t go without telling you that I love you, too. I’m sorry I turned you away. I won’t turn you away again. Ever.”
He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I can’t believe that I’m holding you.”
“I can’t believe that I almost let you slip away.”
“You said that you were afraid. Of what? I would never hurt you.”
“I was afraid to reach for happiness again. I was afraid it would be taken away and I would be left alone. Then I realized that if I didn’t reach for it, for you, I was still going to be alone. I want to share every minute of my life with you for however long God grants us.”
He kissed her again and then enfolded her in his embrace and held her tight. Nothing had ever felt as right as this moment. “Thank you for being brave, my love. Thank God for bringing you into my life and giving me the chance to see how wonderful you really are.” He kissed the top of her bonnet.
“You are the one who gave me the strength to try.” She raised her face to his in a silent invitation and he gladly complied.
Rebecca couldn’t believe the joy swelling her heart. He loved her and she loved him, too. She knew Walter was watching from Heaven and smiling on her.
“Onkel Luke, look! Onkel Samuel is kissing Rebecca!”
She and Samuel looked up to see Hannah leaning over the bridge railing staring at them with startled eyes. A second later, Luke appeared.
He propped his elbows on the wooden rail. “It’s about time. I thought I was going to have to hog-tie the two of you together.”
Heat rushed to Rebecca’s face, and she hid it against Samuel’s chest. How embarrassing.
Samuel waved him off. “Go away. I’m busy, as you can see.”
Luke didn’t move. “Don’t mind me. Just pretend I’m not even here.”
Rebecca chuckled and glanced up. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Nope. Hannah, do you have work to do?”
The child shook her head. “I don’t have a job, Onkel Luke. I’m too little. Should we tell Mamm and Daed about this?”
He took her hand. “We should definitely tell. Come on. Let’s go find them.”
They vanished from sight and Rebecca pressed her face to Samuel’s neck again. He was so strong, and he smelled wonderful. She knew she would never tire of being held by him. “How much time do you think we have?”
“Sixty years or so. Why?” He slipped a finger under her chin and lifted her face.
“I meant until your brothers show up.”
“Two or three minutes.”
“Then you had better kiss me again, Samuel Bowman, before we are interrupted.”
“Have I mentioned that you’re bossy?”
She giggled at the memories of their early times together. “A time or two.”
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
His voice, so deep with emotion, sent a thrill of joy pouring over her. “Not nearly enough.”
“I love you, Rebecca Miller. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. I think I’m going to have to marry you.”
“You come up with the best ideas.” She cupped his cheek with her hand. His scars were fading, but he would always carry a reminder of the events that brought them together.
“Will you?” he asked.
“Will I what?”
“Don’t tease me. Will you marry me?”
“Is that the only way I’ll get another kiss?”
“If you say yes, you’ll get a lifetime of kisses thrown in for free.”
“Then how can I refuse such a deal?”
His eyes grew serious and he pulled back a little. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to regret this decision. My sight may fail again. Our business may not prosper as I hope. I want you to be happy. I don’t want to tie you to a failure.”
“Are you trying to talk me out of it now?”
“Maybe. Holding you feels too good to be true.”
“Shall I toss some water on you to prove I’m really here?”
“You would, wouldn’t you? What was I thinking to propose beside a river?”
She smiled as she placed both hands on his cheeks. “I know you are afraid of losing your sight. I’m afraid of losing you. How can we honor God in our lives if we live in fear of what may happen to us? I love you. God brought me love when I thought I could never feel it again. If today is the only day I’m given to show you how much I love you, then it will be enough.”
He kissed her forehead and then her eyes, and she rejoiced in the tender touch of his lips against her skin. He pulled her tight against his chest and whispered, “I will never tire of your wisdom, Rebecca.”
“And I will never tire of being in your arms. I’m going to trust God to make our lives joyful. I’m going to trust that he will give us children to love and years to work together side by side. I know He is going to give us obstacles to overcome and trials to endure, but I will do my best to make you a good wife if you will have me.”
“I can’t ask for more.”
“Then we have a deal?”
“We do.” He kissed her soundly to seal the bargain. Wrapped up in each other’s arms, they didn’t notice two more witnesses standing on the back porch of the house.
Isaac, a twinkle in his eye, pulled his wife close and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Two sons matched and only three more to go. The Bowman bachelors are falling fast.”
Epilogue
The last Thursday in November
“So you’re really going to g
o through with this?”
Samuel chose to ignore Luke’s question and raised his chin. “Button this stubborn button for me and then button your lip.”
Luke chuckled. “I’m not the fellow with shaky hands. All I’m saying is that I have a fast horse and buggy outside if you need one.”
Run away from a life with Rebecca as his wife?
Never.
As quickly as they had come on, Samuel’s unexpected jitters fled. He drew a deep breath and flicked Luke’s wide-rimmed black hat off his head. “The only need I have for a fast horse is to carry me to my wedding that much quicker.”
Luke caught his hat before it hit the floor and settled it on again. “Then I’m at your service, brudder. Let’s hope the bride feels the same.”
Samuel pulled his new black coat on over his white shirt and quickly tied his black bow tie. “She does. I’ve no cause to doubt her. God chose us to love and care for each other.”
He picked up a small packet from his bedside table and tucked it inside his vest, then he led the way downstairs and out onto the porch where Timothy, Noah and Joshua waiting. They were all dressed alike in dark trousers, white shirts, dark coats and wide-rimmed black hats. They all sported the same foolish grin Samuel knew he was wearing.
Joshua stepped forward to brush a speck of dust from Samuel’s shoulder. “Did Luke give you his ‘I’ve got a fast horse’ speech?”
“He did.”
Luke shook his head as he walked past and paused at the top of the steps with his thumbs hooked under his suspenders. “He gave me the same answer you did, Joshua. I don’t get it. I can’t imagine a woman who would make me want to settle down and live my entire life in Bowmans Crossing.”
Samuel shared a smile with his married younger brother. “I pray I live to see the day he does find her.”
Noah pushed Luke off the step. “I pray for the poor woman who thinks she wants a lazy good-for-nothing like you.”
Luke whirled around with his hands clenched into fists, but there wasn’t any malice in his eyes, only a good-natured invitation to start some fun. The entire family had been up since four-thirty getting ready for the wedding day. The cows had been milked, the stock had been fed and the buggy had been washed. The men were all dressed in their Sunday best. Samuel’s parents had left hours ago to help with the wedding feast preparations at Rebecca’s home, where the wedding would take place. It was almost seven-thirty and time to be on their way.
Samuel stepped between his brothers and put a hand on each one’s chest. “Get me to my wedding before you get into a wrestling match. Please.”
Timothy had already climbed in the waiting buggy and held the reins. “If Rebecca wants to marry into this family, she’s one brave woman.”
His heart pounding with happiness, Samuel hopped in beside Timothy, leaving the others to jostle for position in the back. “Ja, Rebecca is that and so much more than I deserve. God has truly blessed me.”
* * *
“I’m such a coward.” Rebecca rubbed her hands together to warm her freezing fingers. She cast imploring glances at her four newehockers—her side-sitters, the women who would be her attendants and sit at her side during the ceremony and afterward at the wedding feast. They were all dressed as Rebecca was in identical pale blue dresses with white capes and aprons. Only Rebecca, as the bride, wore a black kapp. She would trade it for a white one later in the day.
Mary, Joshua’s wife, stepped forward and took Rebecca’s hands in hers. “You are not a coward. Every bride has an attack of nerves. It’s only natural. Do you love Samuel?”
“Of course I love him, but what if I’m not the best wife for him? I wasn’t always the best wife to Walter. I should have been a better helpmate. I should have seen what was wrong sooner. I don’t want to make a mess of Samuel’s life. He has struggled so much already.”
Rebecca’s dear cousin Emma Swartzentruber sat primly on the edge of Rebecca’s bed. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. “My brother has a fast horse and buggy outside if you don’t want to go through with this.”
Everyone turned shocked gazes toward her. Rebecca pulled her hands from Mary’s grip and fisted them on her hips. “Run away from Samuel on our wedding day? That would break his heart.”
“I’m just offering.” Emma rose from the bed and crossed to the window. “I think it’s too late, anyway. The groom is here.”
“He is?” Rebecca’s heart leaped with joy as she hurried to her cousin’s side. She scrubbed at the frost coating the inside of the glass and made a hole large enough to see out. Samuel, looking as handsome as ever, was gazing up at her from beside his buggy. He gave a jaunty wave and hurried inside the house.
“He doesn’t look ready to run,” Emma said as she elbowed Rebecca in the side.
“He looks very handsome today.” Every time she saw Samuel, Rebecca was struck by how differently their lives might have turned out if not for God’s intervention in the form of one terrible accident. Samuel’s burns were completely healed, but he still bore patches of reddened skin on his cheeks and forehead. They didn’t detract from his looks. Not in her eyes.
“Luke looks handsome, too,” Emma said with a hint of sadness, then turned away from the window. Emma and Luke had gone out for a time before he left the Amish and got into trouble with the law. At the time, Emma had been heartbroken, but he wouldn’t have been the right man for her. Everyone knew it.
Rebecca caught her lower lip between her teeth. Was she doing Samuel a disservice? Was there someone who would be better suited to be his wife? She had to be sure she was doing the right thing for him and not just because she wanted to be his wife. Downstairs, the strains of the first hymn rose in reverent recognition of the solemn occasion. Marriage was forever.
“Time to go.” Mary took Rebecca’s hand and led her toward the door and the crowd of family and friends waiting below.
Outside her door, Bishop Beachy stood waiting for her with Samuel at his side. Her heart skipped a beat, and then thudded into a wild gallop at the sight of her beloved’s tender smile.
“If you two will follow me, I have a few words I share with all the couples I marry.” The bishop turned and walked down the hall toward a smaller bedroom that had been prepared for the counseling by adding a little table and three chairs.
Rebecca started to follow him, but Samuel stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I haven’t given you my engagement present yet.”
Amish brides typically received small gifts from their intendeds when they agreed to wed. “A gift is not necessary, Samuel.”
“I know, but I wanted you to have this.” He pulled a packet from inside his vest and handed it to her.
Rebecca pulled away the paper to reveal a tiny cedar box. The hinges were smaller than any she had seen. The top was carved with the scene of a single raindrop striking the surface of the water, spreading ripples in all directions. The details were amazing. “Samuel, it’s beautiful.”
“Like you,” he said softly.
She touched the delicate carving with her fingertips. “I adore it. Danki.”
He lifted her chin with his hand so she had to look at him. “I chose cedar because I know it will always remind you of the man you loved before me. I know he holds a special place in your heart. The water drop is because you have quenched the thirst in my soul I didn’t know existed until I met you, and because you threw water on a sick man.”
“Sprinkled, Samuel. I sprinkled water on you. You’re never going to let that go, are you?” He could make her laugh even when she was nervous, and she loved that about him.
“Never. The rings in the water are the goodness that radiates from you toward everyone you touch. God willing, those ripples will spread to our children and grandchildren and for future generations untold. I’m so very blessed that you agreed to marry me. I will be t
he best husband and father that I can be. I promise you that.”
Smiling at him, every reservation floated away from her heart and mind. They were meant for each other. Who was she to doubt the goodness of the Lord? She glanced down the hall to make sure the bishop wasn’t looking, then she rose on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Samuel’s lips.
“Save that until after the wedding, children,” the bishop said from the end of the hall. His voice held only mild disapproval, but his face was set in stern lines.
Rebecca smothered a grin and saw Samuel do the same. He winked and said, “Let’s get this over with. I have a lifetime of free kisses I’m holding for you.”
She walked down the hall ahead of Samuel, confident that she was the woman God had chosen for him. She would never doubt it again.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE NANNY’S NEW FAMILY by Margaret Daley.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed getting to know the Bowman family. I have a story planned for each brother. They all deserve someone special to love. It should be fun finding the right women for them.
Luke will be the star of my next book. He’s been a challenge to write from the start, and I’m sure he will continue to be that way. His ambivalent feelings about remaining Amish certainly make him an unusual hero. Will Rebecca’s cousin Emma Swartzentruber be the one to make him mend his ways and help him see a clear path? I hope so, but I need to get to know her better before I decide.
It’s always a joy to dig deep into my characters and find strengths they didn’t know they possessed.
Thank you again for choosing to read my stories. With so many books to choose from, I’m honored you picked up one of mine.
Blessings,
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.
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