Faithful to Laura (37 page)
She dried the last dish, lost in her thoughts. When she finished wiping down the counter, she turned and saw Leona still sitting there. “Sit,” Leona said, patting the chair next to her. “I’d like to talk with you.”
Laura sat down. “I’ve wanted to talk to you too.”
Leona nodded. “I thought so. Would it have to do with your future plans?”
“
Ya
. It would.”
“Before you say anything, I want you to know that you’re welcome here. As long as you want.”
“I appreciate that.”
“But I also have to ask—aren’t you missing home?”
Laura rubbed her thumb against her opposite forefinger. “I am. But I promised someone I would stay here a little while longer.” She couldn’t help but smile.
Leona grinned back. “He’s a
gut mann
. I hear he’s been talking with the bishop about joining the church.”
“
Ya
. But before he makes it official, he wants to visit his grandmother one more time.”
“I heard she’s an interesting
fraa
.”
“That’s putting it nicely.”
Leona leaned on her cane and hoisted herself from the chair.
“Time to get these old bones to bed.
Guten nacht
.”
“Guten nacht.”
Laura straightened up the rest of the kitchen. When she finished, she went to the living room and sat on the couch, tired but not quite ready for bed. She and Sawyer had said goodbye earlier in the evening, but she missed him. She wouldn’t see him until Sunday at church. Then not again until work on Monday . . .
Laura chuckled out loud. She sounded like a silly schoolgirl.
One who was in love.
As she rose from the couch, she noticed the Bible sitting on the coffee table, where it always rested. Leona read from it often, and she’d seen Emma pick it up a few times, even though both of them had their personal Bibles in their rooms upstairs.
Laura hadn’t touched the scriptures since Mark had abandoned her in Tennessee. Before then, she’d been a regular Bible reader. Unlike other Amish families she knew, her parents had encouraged scripture reading.
Laura stared at the book. It had been too long. She opened it to a random page and started to read from Psalms.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities . . .
The sound of a knock on the door made her jump. Who would be here this time at night? Maybe it was a wedding guest who forgot something. She closed the Bible, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtain.
A lone figure stood on the front porch. Definitely not a woman. But he wasn’t wearing an Amish hat.
Laura opened the door, and an irresistible smile spread over her face. “What are you doing here?”
Sawyer grinned. “Thanks for the warm greeting.” His grin faded a bit. “Mind if I come in?”
“Sure.” She let him inside. “It’s a little late, though. Is something wrong?”
“No. We didn’t get much time to talk today.” He looked at her. Still wearing his black dress pants, she noticed. Plus a dark jacket. He’d already started letting his hair grow out. He was serious about joining the church, and she had promised she’d stay here until he did.
“Do you want to sit down?” Laura asked. “I can make some coffee.”
“Tempting.” He grinned again. “Very tempting. But I can’t stay long. I wanted to let you know I’m going to New York on Monday.”
“Oh.” She knew he had planned to visit Cora again, but hearing him say the words disappointed her. “I hope you have a safe trip.”
“I won’t be gone long. You’ll be here when I get back?”
“
Ya
. I promised I would.”
He nodded, then drew closer to her. “Then I wonder if you could make another promise to me?”
She angled her head to one side. “Depends on what it is.”
“Promise me you’ll marry me.”
“Sawyer . . . are you sure?”
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, then let his lips graze against one of the scars on her cheek. He pulled back.
“Believe me now?”
She ducked her head and laughed.
“Ya.”
“When I get back from New York, I’m going to join the church. Then we can get married, here or in Tennessee.
Wherever you like.”
“I think we can talk about that later. When you get back. I have to let
mei
parents know first. I’m sure they’ll want to meet you.”
“Does that mean you’re saying yes?”
She nodded. “Yes, Sawyer. I will marry you.”
She leaned against him, feeling his heart beat against hers.
A heart of love. A heart of loyalty. The answer to a prayer she never had the courage to pray.
She had come to Middlefield filled with anger and looking for revenge.
Instead, she found acceptance.
And faithfulness.
And love.
1. Sawyer is in an unusual situation—he’s a Yankee raised during his teen years in an Amish world. He struggles to find his place and purpose in life. Have you found yourself in a similar situation? How did you resolve it?
2. Laura wants justice for how Mark treated her, yet what she really wants is vengeance. What is the difference between the two?
3. Both Laura and Emma are insecure about their looks (for different reasons). Can you identify with their insecurities? How can we see past the surface to others’ hearts the way God does?
4. Cora has an extremely negative reaction to Amish country. What do you think it will take for her to accept Sawyer’s desire to become Amish?
5. Do you think Sawyer’s decision to become Amish stems from a true belief that the Amish faith and way of life is what he wants, or is he influenced by his love for Laura? Explain your answer.
6. Do you think Mark has the capacity to change? Why or why not?
7. Laura and Sawyer were able to find healing and forgiveness, not just through each other, but because of God’s mercy. Think of a time when you felt bruised and broken. How did God comfort you?
8. Was Norman’s public confession necessary? Why do you think admitting his indiscretion in front of the church was the only way for him to find peace?
9. What do you think Sawyer will do when he discovers Cora’s illness? How will that affect his relationship with Laura and the rest of the Amish community?
10. Despite Laura pushing Sawyer away, he remained faithful to her. How does God remain faithful to us during the times we feel distant from Him?
My deepest thanks to my editors, Natalie Hanemann and Penelope Stokes for their encouragement, support, and skillful editing of
Faithful to Laura
. Thank you to my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, who has always been in my corner throughout my writing career. My love to my family. I’m grateful for their patience and understanding, not just of my writing, but me as a person. I’m not always easy to live with!
A special note of thanks to Karla Hanns. Soon after writing
Treasuring Emma
, the first book in this series, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As I went through treatment, Karla made me a prayer quilt. I was fortunate enough to have the actual quilt included on the cover of this book, and it is the model for the quilt Katherine made for Laura. Karla, along with so many family members, friends, and readers prayed for me during my treatment, which as of this writing was successful. For that, there aren’t enough thanks in the world. God bless you all!
A
N
E
XCERPT FROM
A M
AN OF
H
IS
W
ORD
Moriah Byler ran her fingers across the soft fabric of the dress hanging on her closet door. Its powder-blue hue, her favorite color, resembled a clear summer sky. Giddiness coursed through her. In three hours she would don this new dress, and before God and her church, she would become Mrs. Levi Miller.
Closing her eyes, she pictured her handsome husband-to-be, his sandy-brown hair falling across his forehead, his chestnutcolored eyes filled with mischief when he was up to something —which was often. She smiled broadly. Was he experiencing the same excitement she felt? Since he had proposed to her a few months ago, she had dreamed about this day, the day she would marry the man she loved, the man God had set apart especially for her. Memories of his proposal flashed through her mind. He had taken her by surprise that day in the barn, first by asking her to marry him, then by boldly kissing her.
Opening her eyes, she touched her cheeks, flushing at the memory. She had always thought she would experience her first kiss after she married. Then again, Levi had always been unpredictable. Although he had tried to kiss her again, she had stopped him. Kissing led to other things—things that should occur after marriage, as their faith taught. She had seen the disappointment in his eyes, but he had agreed to her wishes. Since then he had also been on his best behavior.
She took one last look at the dress she and her mother had finished a week ago, then frowned. Was that a hole in the sleeve? She removed the dress from the hanger. Sure enough, a part of the shoulder seam had separated. She retrieved a needle and thread and quickly stitched it up. After knotting the thread, she snipped it close to the stitches with a small pair of scissors.
There. Now it’s perfect.
The dress and her wedding day would be
fehlerfrei
.
Moriah hung up the dress and walked to her second-story window, peering into her family’s backyard. She gave thanks for their two-acre spread, which included a large clapboard barn and storage shed, both painted in the same shade of white as the house. She spied her father and two of her younger brothers, Lukas and Stephen, bringing inside a long wooden table the family had borrowed several days ago. Behind them followed Gabriel, Levi’s identical twin brother, carrying a couple of wooden chairs.
As she watched Gabriel, she recalled the close friendship the three of them had shared as children. Some of her favorite memories revolved around watching Levi and Gabriel try to outdo each other in everything. Gabriel always had the better grades and was physically stronger, as he had proved in third grade when he and Levi had taken turns to see who could lift her up. Gabriel had carried her across the yard as if she weighed no more than a kitten while Levi had carried her only a few feet. But Levi soon proved he could best Gabriel in games of speed and agility, and she smiled as she remembered his determination to climb trees faster and higher than anyone in their school.
She and Levi had begun courting at age sixteen, just after
Frau
Miller had passed away. Gabriel quickly distanced himself, as if they had never been friends at all. At first, she thought Gabriel was grieving the loss of his mother, but he continued to treat her coolly, more so with each passing year. She hoped that would change once she was a part of his family. She missed his friendship.