A Match For Addy (The Amish Matchmaker Book 1) by Emma Miller Page A

alike,” Ellie said. “And a good thing, wouldn’t you agree?”
    Addy nodded, liking the way Ellie looked at things. “
Ya
, a good thing.”
    “What’s a good thing?” Gideon came into the parlor carrying a toolbox in one hand and a door latch in the other.
    “Nothing,” Addy said quickly, concentrating on unrolling more tape.
    Why did she always feel as if she was showing herself at her worst when Gideon popped up? She didn’t want him to think of her as nosy or disapproving of the good woman who paid their wages. She’d only asked because her mother’s question had made her curious.
    Gideon stared at her, narrowing his gaze. “But the two of you were—”
    “Is that latch for the closet door?” Ellie interrupted, thankfully coming to Addy’s recue.
    “
Ya
, Peanut, what else would it be?” Gideon shot back.
    Addy glanced at Ellie to see if his retort or the nickname would hurt her feelings, but Ellie only laughed.
    “Hard to say what you might be up to, Long Legs.” Ellie winked at Addy. “All he could talk about this morning at breakfast was the Beachys’ singing. Asking who might be there and if I was going. His mind was on funning and not on his plate and he salted his coffee instead of his eggs.”
    Gideon laughed and set down his toolbox by the closet door. “A little salt makes everything taste better, Short Stuff. And you never did tell me if you were going.”
    “What did I tell you, Addy? You’d think he never got away from the farm. Poor, overworked Gideon. And maybe these Delaware girls won’t think you’re anything special, once you’re at the singing,” she teased, wagging a small finger at him. “I heard you sing at church on Sunday.” She crinkled up her nose. “You probably shouldn’t be the loudest.”
    Gideon laughed and slapped his knee.
    Addy pretended to concentrate on peeling back a little bit of the blue tape where she’d laid it crooked. She wondered why Gideon was so amused by everything Ellie said, even when she made jokes at his expense. She treated him like a pesky younger brother, and he seemed to love it. The thought that Gideon might be interested in Ellie gave her a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she immediately felt guilty. What if they did like each other?
    Maybe Ellie’s parents wouldn’t care if a poor hired hand courted her. Addy didn’t know how much Ellie’s family was offering to entice a husband, but if there was land or a nice dowry at stake, Gideon’s family might well overlook her size. Clearly, he didn’t mind.
    Most young men either learned a trade or farmed, but land cost so much that few boys could hope to start farming without the backing of their families. By the looks of Gideon’s ill-fitting and patched clothing, he couldn’t expect any financial support to buy property.
    She immediately felt bad that she’d judged him, but facts were facts. A strong back and a handsome face weren’t enough to get by on. Life was difficult, and she knew it. Even though her father owned a farm, times had always been tough for them. Many times, she’d seen her mother make it over, make it do or do without. Just because the Amish lived apart from the world didn’t mean that they didn’t have taxes to pay and expenses to meet. Her mother had urged her to take a husband who had a solid future, a man with prospects, and Addy could understand why. She hoped that if Ellie did like Gideon, she realized what she was getting into.
    Or maybe the give-and-take between Ellie and Gideon was as innocently lighthearted as it seemed, and the two of them knew how to play the game that no one had ever explained to her. Maybe if she’d grown up with brothers as Ellie had, she would be more at ease with the opposite sex, but there was no changing that. Addy was what she was, and even with a pretty new name and dress, underneath she was just as awkward as ever.
    “What about you, Addy?” Gideon asked. “You’re going to the Beachys’ tonight,