(Part Three of the Amish of Lancaster County serial.)
Plain Amish Hannah Stoltzfus of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania,
has her hands full! Her youngest daughter is about to go onrumspringa in New York City, her middle daughter has to choose between the two men vying for her hand in marriage, and her son brings
home an English girl. What's a mother and wife to do? Turn to God's guidance and her own belief in hope, trust, and love to get her family through, of course. But will it be enough?
Annie is torn between steady, reliable Stephen and fiery, passionate Jacob. But what happens when she is forced to make a choice?
Read an excerpt and find out what happens when the simple life gets complicated.
Jacob had run so hard and so far, he thought his legs would fall off, but no matter how fast he pumped them, he couldn't get away from the truth. He had burned down an innocent man's house. Stephen Beiler, guilty only of loving the same woman.
By now, everyone must know about the fire. He
hadn't even stopped to think that Stephen might be in the house! What was wrong
with him?
A thought crossed his mind and settled into his
brain. Did he even love Annie? Or did he just desire her?
He clutched his head, his palms pressing against
his eyes. Every part of him felt as though it were on fire. As though when he'd
dropped the match, he'd scalded his soul. He couldn't even really remember why
he had thought that would make Annie choose him. It had all seemed so clear
yesterday, and now, all that remembered was a painful blur.
Dear God, he prayed, what
have I done? Help me! Help me. Help me . . .
He chanted that to himself, the words echoing in
his head until his breathing slowed. Calming warmth flowed through him,
relaxing the guilt that gripped his insides like a clawed fist. It was a
totally different feeling from the anger that had flooded through him
yesterday, burning him, driving him to burn someone else in turn. It felt like
love, but a tough love, one that said, "I can forgive you, but you have to
change your ways."
Jacob bowed his head. I understand, God, he
said. I messed up something fierce.
No answer came this time, but he didn't need
one. What he did need was to go make sure Stephen Beiler was all right.
The advantage to living alone was that no one
would know he had never come home. Jacob slipped inside his house and ran a
bath in the small tub. He scrubbed until the stench of spilled gasoline had
evaporated completely and his skin gleamed an irritated red, but try as he
might, he could not scrub away the fear that he would be caught and shunned by
the community. If he chose to leave, that was one thing, but if he were forced
to, that was quite another.
Dear God, he prayed, once he'd dried off and finished dressing, I will atone for my mistakes
now, but I will not allow myself to be caught and shunned. Surely You
understand?
Satisfied, Jacob combed his hair and put on his
hat. Feeling much more confident, he approached the charred and black remains
of the Beiler house. His smile faded, though, when he spotted Annie outside.
She looked stricken and kept wringing her hands.
"Stephen?" she called. "Stephen,
are you here? Please answer me!"
Jacob stepped on a twig, which crunched loudly,
and winced. Hopefully she hadn't heard. He had to get out of here before she
saw him.
Unfortunately, Annie must have heard, because
she whirled around. Her eyes darted from his face to the ruined house and back
to his face. "Jacob," she asked in a whisper full of dread,
"tell me you didn't do this."
