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

didn’t hear me, Eva. I wasn’t embarrassed by your letter because I couldn’t read it. I can’t read.” He closed his eyes and hung his head.

Please, dear God, don’t let her laugh.

The silence stretched on so long that he finally looked up. There were tears running down her cheeks. “Oh, Willis, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was ashamed. I didn’t want anyone to know. I’ve hidden it for so long I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me. I didn’t want you to know how stupid I was.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t feel you could trust me.”

Willis gazed into her beautiful green eyes. “I wanted to.”

This was the hard part. He stared at his feet. “When I was twenty, I started seeing a girl who wasn’t Amish. She ran around with a cool bunch of kids. They had fast cars and money to spend, they liked loud music, but I think they were bored a lot of the time.”

He stared at his hand on the car door. His knuckles were white from gripping the steel. Even now it hurt to repeat what happened. “I confided to that young woman that I couldn’t read. I didn’t want to keep a secret that big from someone I thought I was serious about.” He swallowed hard.

“Go on,” Eva said gently.

“She laughed a little. She thought I was kidding. She told the others. They laughed a lot. Of course I laughed, too. I pretended it didn’t matter. A few days later we were coming back from a party when the boy driving pulled into a convenience store parking lot. He said he needed a few things, some candy, some crackers and soda. He gave me a twenty-dollar bill and a list of what he wanted. He said give it to the clerk and he’d get the stuff for me. So I went in and handed the young woman behind the counter the note.” Willis stopped talking. Humiliation burned deep in his chest.

He felt a hand on his arm. Eva was staring at him intently. “It wasn’t a list of grocery items, was it?”

“It read, This is a holdup. Give me all the money in the cash drawer.

“The clerk was just a kid. She went pale as a sheet, started shaking and crying. An alarm went off. I didn’t know what was going on. Then my friends rushed in, laughing like a bunch of fools.” He could see their red faces, hear them howling with mirth while they clapped him on the back as if he was somehow privy to the gag.

“They bolted when the police came.” His girlfriend had been the first one out the door.

“I spent the next twelve hours explaining to them that I had been duped. I was fortunate that I didn’t get arrested. I knew the story would be all over the county in a few days. I decided to leave before I had to face everyone. I ended up here. I never told anyone else, although recently there was someone that I wanted to confide in. The trouble is that she’s so smart I was afraid she would be ashamed of me.”

Eva stepped forward and cupped his face with her hands. “Willis, you are one of the finest men I have ever known. I love you. Do you hear me? I could never be ashamed of the man I love.

“You are not ignorant. When I think of all the times I criticized you for not caring about Otto’s education I’m the one who is ashamed. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

He drew her into his arms without caring who saw. “There’s nothing to forgive unless you leave this brokenhearted fellow behind and return to Illinois.”

“Danny, take my things out of the car, please.” Her eyes never left Willis’s face. He started to believe she truly did love him.

Danny set her suitcases aside. “Why don’t I take the kids to the bus station with me? The driver can bring them back here after we’ve said our goodbyes and had some ice cream. Who wants an ice cream cone?”

Maddie held up her hand. “I do. I do.”

Harley put a hand on her head and turned her toward the van. “We all want some. Come on, Otto.”

“Did you hear what Willis said? I’m not the only one. He’s like me.”

Harley ruffled Otto’s hair and winked at Willis. “Yeah, I heard. I think our big brother’s a mighty fine fellow. I hope he knows how blessed he is to have found a good teacher.” The children got in the van with Danny and drove away.

Willis suddenly realized he was holding Eva in his arms in plain sight of the school, and a number of their church members. He looked over Eva’s head at Michael. “I’d like to continue this conversation somewhere more private.”

“We’re going. Eva, you are welcome to stay with us for as long as need be,” Michael said.

Dinah was grinning from ear to ear. “Leroy and I will make the same offer.”

“Danki. You are all very kind.”

They left and Eva turned to Willis. “Come into the house. I can make us some coffee although it actually belongs to the school and not to me. How did your meeting with the Bartlett people go?”

“I almost forgot. I have a standing order for two hundred cabinet pulls and hinges for the next two months. If they sell well, there will be more orders. They like them.”

“I don’t see why not. You do beautiful work.”

As soon as they were in the house, he closed the door and pulled her into his arms again. “I’m going to kiss you, Eva Coblentz, unless you tell me I can’t.”

“I thought you’d never ask, Willis.” She slipped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes.

Eva had dreamed about this moment since the first time they sat on the swings together. She knew then that she was losing her heart to this amazing man, though she had been too afraid