The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts by Patricia Davids (all ebook reader .txt) 📕

“At least you got it half-right. You don’t have a wife but you’ve got three wonderful kids. I don’t have anything to show for my years on this earth. I guess that’s why I hope I make a good teacher.”

“You will. You’ll make a wonderful teacher.”

“Maddie was very subdued today. She must’ve taken our scolding to heart.”

“I noticed she didn’t have much to say. Will you hate me if I say I rather enjoyed it?”

She chuckled, and he wished he could see her face. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she was excited about something. The way she chewed on her thumbnail when she was deep in thought. He was getting to know her better than most other people in his life. And he wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything about her.

“What’s the best book that you read this week?” he asked, knowing she would happily chatter away about some novel or other.

“I’ve been reading about dyslexia and how to help little children overcome their inability to read.”

“And did you learn anything new?”

“I think maybe I did. I’m going to see if I can use any of it to help Otto improve.”

“What if he doesn’t want to get better?”

She sighed. “Then I will consider myself a failure as a teacher.”

“I don’t see that. Overeager maybe but not a failure. Otto is a sensitive kid. He’ll understand that you’re only trying to help.”

“I hope so. I can’t imagine going through life without being able to read. Books aside, if you can read, you can do just about anything. With a cookbook you can create wonderful meals. You can read the weather forecast and the baseball scores in the newspaper. You can see who’s having babies and what land is for sale.” Her voice rose with excitement. “You can even see what’s in the cat food if you’re dying of curiosity and want to read the label.”

“Oh, every fella needs to know what’s in Tabby’s treats. Imagine the horrible life Otto will have without knowing that.”

She slanted him a sharp look. “Now you’re making fun of me.”

“Just a little. You get so passionate. You make it easy for me to get your goat. It’s fun watching the steam coming out of your ears.”

“If by that you mean I get angry, maybe I do a little. I know that advanced education is not necessary to our way of life. But I do believe there are students who should go on to higher learning. Samuel Yoder would have a fit if he heard me say that, wouldn’t he? The bishop might have me shunned.”

“I don’t think so. Did you want to be one of those kids? Ones that went to high school and on to college?”

“Not really. My eighth grade education was enough because I found solace in reading. I discovered I never have to stop learning. What about you, Willis? Is there something you wanted to do but never had the chance?”

“You’re going to laugh.”

“I won’t. I promise”

“I always wanted to learn to fly an airplane.”

“Is that so? I never would’ve guessed that about you. You seem to me to be a man with his feet planted firmly on the ground.”

“It just goes to show how well I can hide my feelings.”

“That’s something I’m not very good at. But I have been getting some practice lately.”

He tipped his head to study her face. “What do you have to hide, Eva Coblentz?”

That I’m falling in love with you.

If she answered his question honestly, she wouldn’t have anything left to hide and she might lose the friendship she cherished.

She stared at the ground. “I’m trying to hide how afraid I am that my brother and his wife will make me go back to Illinois.”

“They can’t really do that if you don’t let them.”

“When I think how hard it will be to cut myself off from them I’m not sure I can make that choice.”

She could leave New Covenant when Danny went back and take up her old life. Or she could stay and try to make a satisfying life across the road from Willis Gingrich. Neither of her choices appealed to her. She didn’t want to exist on the fringe of Willis’s life. That was all she had done until now. Exist. If only she could discover what he thought about her, not as a neighbor or as a friend, but as a woman.

If he gave her any kind of encouragement she was liable to throw caution to the wind and tell him exactly how much she thought of him. She was falling head over heels for the blacksmith. He had forged a band around her heart that might never be broken.

He was amazing with the children. He had a craft that he had honed to near perfection. If he could cook he would be the perfect husband. For a second she thought she had said it out loud but his expression had changed.

“So what are we going to do?” she asked.

“About what?”

“About the stories that Maddie spread about you and me?”

He shrugged. “Ride it out, I guess and hope our reputations can take the heat and make sure she understands she can’t tell people we’re planning to wed. I can’t understand why that is important to her.”

“Do you think she is afraid of being left alone again?” Eva asked.

“Maybe so. It would make sense. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do to change that. When she’s old enough she will have her faith to sustain her. I reckon I can reassure her that the boys and I will always take care of her and she doesn’t need to be afraid.”

Eva reached across the space between them and laid her hand on his shoulder. “You’re a goot brother, and she is blessed to have you.”

He covered her hand with his. “I’m glad you think so.”

She pulled her hand away from his tender touch. “It’s getting late. I should go in.”

She stood up and so