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

“Yup. See you later.” He stumbled a little as he turned to go. His legs were stiff with fright.

Harley came through the door. “I heard the books came in.”

“They did. I picked one out for you already. I hope you enjoy it.” He pressed the book into Harley’s hands, praying it was something that might interest him.

Harley took the book, looked around Willis to Eva and back to the book in his hands. He frowned slightly. “Danki, bruder. You must have heard me say I wanted to learn more about the history of Scotland.”

Willis didn’t realize he was holding his breath until his brother finished speaking. He drew in a ragged gasp of air. “I did. Make sure you get it back to Eva when you are done with it.”

He left the school thanking God that he had survived such a close call but his time was running out.

The exterior of the barn was finished by four o’clock. It was the traditional barn in shape but not in size, being only about one-third as big as the usual structures. When the interior was finished, it would hold ten horses or ponies in roomy stalls. The parents of the schoolchildren would be responsible for keeping hay and grain available. The older children in Eva’s class would keep the stable clean and make sure there was water available for the animals during the day.

People were starting to leave when Willis went in search of Eva again. He found her sitting on the floor beside her bookcases with stacks of books surrounding her. “I came to tell you that I’m going home. Most of the workers have already left. What are you doing?”

She gestured to the stacks around her. “At first I put them out in alphabetical order but then I realized it would be better if I separated them into age-appropriate categories. Upon sorting, I realized that some of them are very hard to decide which age group would enjoy them the most.”

She held up one of the books with a deep blue cover edged in gold. “Take Anne of Green Gables. Any age would enjoy this story.”

“Decisions, decisions. All in a day’s work for the schoolteacher. If you ask me, which you haven’t, but I’m going to give you my opinion anyway, put the books that might fit any age on their own shelf. That way someone younger who reads it will feel quite an accomplishment and someone older who reads it won’t feel like he or she is taking a book from the baby section.”

“I don’t have a baby section. Should I get one?”

“You should finish up and go take a look at your new barn.”

“I believe it is actually the school’s barn. Are you going to bring Dodger over tonight?”

“The corral isn’t finished. He can stay with me a few more days.”

“I appreciate all you have done for me, Willis.”

He stood and hooked his thumbs under his suspenders. “Save your appreciation until after you get my bill.” He held out his hand. She grasped it and he helped her to her feet.

It was a mistake on his part. Once her hand was nestled inside his, he didn’t want to let go. The urge to draw her closer and kiss her sweet lips was overpowering.

How had he fallen so hard for this woman? He knew it couldn’t work. Eva might not view him as a laughingstock the way the last woman he cared for had done, but she would be repulsed by his ignorance, and he couldn’t stand seeing that in her eyes.

He made himself release her hand and he turned away from her. “The barn has plenty of room. You will be able to store your buggy inside when you get one. I’ll keep an eye out for a used one if you don’t have the funds for a new one.”

“You must be joking. I don’t have the funds for a new book let alone a new buggy. Does your Ordnung allow baptized members to ride a bicycle or a scooter?”

“Bicycles. But nobody rides them in the winter.” They stepped outside of the school and the last of the building crew were out on the road walking home. A line of six men dressed in dark blue pants, matching jackets and straw hats.

“Hopefully, I will have a buggy before the first snow.”

“That could be next week.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Are you serious? You can have snow here in September?”

His gaze was drawn to her lips parted in surprise. And he wasn’t going to think about kissing her. He wasn’t. “It’s happened. Late September, but we almost always have snow before Thanksgiving. Do you have snowshoes?”

“Nee, but I have big feet. Will that help?”

He checked out the small sneakers she was wearing. He wouldn’t say she had big feet by any stretch of the imagination. “Buy snowshoes. I’ll see you later.” He started toward his house.

“Aren’t you going to show me the barn?” she asked.

He turned around and pointed. “Behold. The barn. See you tomorrow.”

He could make a joke out of it, but he wasn’t laughing inside. He needed some distance between them. He needed to get his head straight and stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss the teacher.

Willis seemed in a big hurry to get away from her. Of course, she had no right to monopolize his time. It was simply that her world seemed empty when he wasn’t in it. Instead of going into the house she chose to walk to the small grocery store at the other end of the community. New Covenant wasn’t a true town. It was a string of Amish homes interspersed with a few Englisch ones along a narrow-paved road.

At the grocery store she purchased an array of fresh vegetables and fruit. The prices were higher than what she was used to paying. Mr. Meriwether, the owner of the grocery, was a likable fellow who enjoyed visiting with his customers. As she