Fields Corner, Ohio

Rachel Hershberger took a deep breath, realizing she had to tell her boyfriend, Samuel, what he definitely would not like to hear from her lips. While standing in front of the farm he’d just bought, she thought how it meant one thing. He wanted to make wedding plans, but it was not possible right now. How could she set a date for their wedding when she needed to leave Fields Corner? Before her grandparents and mother died, all she wanted in life was to marry Samuel Weaver and have children.

But things changed when her mother suddenly died at age forty-four. Losing her dear mamm had put a huge emptiness in her heart and spirit.

He pulled her next to him. “What do you think? You’ve been quiet about me buying this land. Do you like it for us?”

She looked into his blue eyes and saw he was eager to hear her opinion. She needed to ease into telling him about her aunt’s request. “It’s perfect. I love the row of pine trees.”

“We can build our house by the tree line. The property’s the right size for me. I don’t need more than thirty acres. It’s enough to raise our own feed for livestock. I’ll still have time to help my daed with his farming and take furniture orders.”

Her wonderful Samuel had everything figured out for their future when she was so unsure now about her life. I better speak up and tell him about Aunt Carrie’s letter. She fingered her kapp’s string. “I have something to tell you.”

He grinned. “You decided to join the church. You need to hurry talk to Bishop Amos so you can start your classes, and we can get married in November.”

She understood what he meant about not waiting any longer to talk to the bishop. Before having an Amish wedding, both needed to be baptized and to become church members. There were usually nine special instruction classes before being allowed to join the church. “I can’t join the church yet. I received a letter from Aunt Carrie. She wants me to visit her next week while Violet’s on spring break from college.”

“Is Adam going to be home too? I could go with you. He invited me to visit sometime.”

Samuel had met both of her cousins when they came for her grandparents’ funerals. Then two months later, the Robinson family came again for her mother’s funeral. Unfortunately, the media got news of her Uncle Scott, the U.S. Senator from Kentucky, attending her mother’s, but waited to film until after the ceremony. For both somber occasions, her aunt and uncle left in an Amish buggy to blend in with the rest of the funeral processions. Adam and Samuel enjoyed each other’s company even though one was English and other Amish. “Adam isn’t going to join us until later at the beach.”

He frowned. “What beach?”

“It’s such a pretty day. Why don’t we sit by the creek to talk?”

“You sound serious. We better get comfortable. I’ll grab the Pepsi I brought for us.” He left her side to walk to the buggy. She watched him as he bent down to pick up a brown bag. It didn’t matter that he was dressed in the usual Amish garb of black pants, dark blue shirt, and suspenders; he looked handsome and special to her. At six foot, he towered over her petite height of five-three. She loved gazing upward at his gentle face.

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