had always seemed rather shy, and she hadn’t expected such a bold declaration from him.
“I—I want to spend more time with you—to come calling at your home and court you. Yet every time I ask you to go someplace with Mary Ellen and me, you have an excuse why you can’t. Whenever I try to engage you in conversation, you act as though you’re trying to avoid me.”
“I’m sure you mean well, Amos,” Miriam replied, “butI get the feeling that you’re only looking for a mother for your little girl.”
He looked stunned. “Oh, Miriam, I—”
“You needn’t deny it. Everyone knows you’re a widower without any family around to help you raise your daughter. It’s understandable that you would want to find a wife to help care for her.”
The room took on a distinctive chill, as Amos stared at the toes of his boots. “I. . .that is. . .I know Mary Ellen is quite taken with you. In fact, you’re all she talked about when she returned from school every day last term. However, I do have some concerns about the type of influence you could have on her young mind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You seem quite melancholy, and I had hoped if we started courting, you might find more joy in life and maybe even—”
“Do you think being courted by you would make me happy enough to have around your daughter? Is that what you’re saying?” Miriam felt a trickle of sweat roll down her forehead, and she reached up to swipe it away.
“That. . .that’s not what I meant to say at all.” A crease formed between Amos’s brows, and a pained expression crossed his face. “I—I think we could get along rather well if you’d only give it a chance.”
Miriam stood and hurried across the room. When she reached the door, she halted and turned back to face him. “There are several available Amish women in the area, Amos. Some are a bit younger than me, but I’m sure if you use your charms on one of them, you might persuade her to be your wife.”
“But I—”
Miriam rushed out the door without waiting to hear the rest of his sentence.
I
Amos stood staring at the back door and shaking his head. “She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t realize how much I care for her or that I would do my best to be a good husband. If only she would give me the opportunity to show her how things could be.”
“You talkin’ to yourself these days?”
Amos whirled around and was shocked to see one of Miriam’s brothers standing in the doorway. “Andrew, I didn’t realize you had come into the room.”
“I was in the hallway and heard someone gabbin’ away in here,” Andrew replied with a crooked grin. “Don’t tell me you’re so desperate for conversation that you’ve taken up talkin’ to yourself as a pastime.”
“A few minutes ago, I was talking to your sister—at least, I was trying to—but she didn’t stick around long enough to hear all of what I had wanted to say.”
“She wouldn’t listen, huh?”
“No. To tell you the truth, she doesn’t seem to be interested in much of anything I have to say.”
Andrew pulled out a chair and sat down. “Is there anything in particular you wanted her to hear? Maybe I could relay the message.”
Amos took the seat opposite Miriam’s brother. “I asked if I could court her, but she’s obviously not interested.”
“Did she come right out and say so?”
“Not exactly, but she said I should use my charms on some other Amish woman and try to get her to be my wife.” Amos groaned. “If I have any charms, I sure don’t know about ’em. Besides, I’m not interested in courting anyone but Miriam.”
“How come?” Andrew scratched the side of his head. “I mean, if she’s not interested—”
“She’s my daughter’s teacher, and Mary Ellen’s quite taken with her.” No way was Amos going to admit to Miriam’s brother that he was in love with her and had been for a good many years.
“That’s all well and nice, but it
“I—I want to spend more time with you—to come calling at your home and court you. Yet every time I ask you to go someplace with Mary Ellen and me, you have an excuse why you can’t. Whenever I try to engage you in conversation, you act as though you’re trying to avoid me.”
“I’m sure you mean well, Amos,” Miriam replied, “butI get the feeling that you’re only looking for a mother for your little girl.”
He looked stunned. “Oh, Miriam, I—”
“You needn’t deny it. Everyone knows you’re a widower without any family around to help you raise your daughter. It’s understandable that you would want to find a wife to help care for her.”
The room took on a distinctive chill, as Amos stared at the toes of his boots. “I. . .that is. . .I know Mary Ellen is quite taken with you. In fact, you’re all she talked about when she returned from school every day last term. However, I do have some concerns about the type of influence you could have on her young mind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You seem quite melancholy, and I had hoped if we started courting, you might find more joy in life and maybe even—”
“Do you think being courted by you would make me happy enough to have around your daughter? Is that what you’re saying?” Miriam felt a trickle of sweat roll down her forehead, and she reached up to swipe it away.
“That. . .that’s not what I meant to say at all.” A crease formed between Amos’s brows, and a pained expression crossed his face. “I—I think we could get along rather well if you’d only give it a chance.”
Miriam stood and hurried across the room. When she reached the door, she halted and turned back to face him. “There are several available Amish women in the area, Amos. Some are a bit younger than me, but I’m sure if you use your charms on one of them, you might persuade her to be your wife.”
“But I—”
Miriam rushed out the door without waiting to hear the rest of his sentence.
I
Amos stood staring at the back door and shaking his head. “She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t realize how much I care for her or that I would do my best to be a good husband. If only she would give me the opportunity to show her how things could be.”
“You talkin’ to yourself these days?”
Amos whirled around and was shocked to see one of Miriam’s brothers standing in the doorway. “Andrew, I didn’t realize you had come into the room.”
“I was in the hallway and heard someone gabbin’ away in here,” Andrew replied with a crooked grin. “Don’t tell me you’re so desperate for conversation that you’ve taken up talkin’ to yourself as a pastime.”
“A few minutes ago, I was talking to your sister—at least, I was trying to—but she didn’t stick around long enough to hear all of what I had wanted to say.”
“She wouldn’t listen, huh?”
“No. To tell you the truth, she doesn’t seem to be interested in much of anything I have to say.”
Andrew pulled out a chair and sat down. “Is there anything in particular you wanted her to hear? Maybe I could relay the message.”
Amos took the seat opposite Miriam’s brother. “I asked if I could court her, but she’s obviously not interested.”
“Did she come right out and say so?”
“Not exactly, but she said I should use my charms on some other Amish woman and try to get her to be my wife.” Amos groaned. “If I have any charms, I sure don’t know about ’em. Besides, I’m not interested in courting anyone but Miriam.”
“How come?” Andrew scratched the side of his head. “I mean, if she’s not interested—”
“She’s my daughter’s teacher, and Mary Ellen’s quite taken with her.” No way was Amos going to admit to Miriam’s brother that he was in love with her and had been for a good many years.
“That’s all well and nice, but it
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