Ella Finds Love Again (Little Valley 3) Read online

  “Don’t get proud now. That’s a big, big sin.”

  “I know,” he said, draping his arm around her shoulder.

  She snuggled tighter against him, leaving his arm there.

  “I changed my name last week,” he said. “To Bontrager, like I said I would.”

  “You did not,” she said, sitting bolt upright and dislodging his arm. “But you had a perfectly wonderful name.”

  “It’s legal now, so there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “Robert,” she said, “I can’t believe it.”

  “Won’t you marry me now?” he asked, his arm stealing back to her shoulder.

  “I’d marry you if your name were Robert Blight, you know that.”

  “That’s a gut feeling,” he said, laughing and pulling her close.

  “Let’s stop here,” she said, pointing. “Tie up by that fence post. I want to walk with you down by the river.”

  “Whoa,” he called to the horse, pulling on the lines. “The missus-to-be wants to walk by the river.”

  Ella waited while he tied the horse. Then she took his hand and led him to the water’s edge where they listened to the sound of the water running merrily over the rocks.

  “It’s beautiful here,” he said, drawing her close again.

  “It’s more than beautiful,” she said. “But not half as wonderful as you are.”

  She lifted her face to his, and he slowly took her in his arms and kissed her. Moments later he held her at arm’s length.

  “Was that an Amish kiss?” he asked, chuckling softly.

  “It was a baptized kiss.”

  “It’s the best I’ve had yet.”

  “It had better be,” she said, glaring at him before lifting her face again.

  After another kiss they watched the water run, the spray from the rocks flying skyward, the light rays seeping down through the trees and sparkling like diamonds.

  “There was a time,” she said, “when I thought I would never be happy again.”

  “And I thought I’d never find happiness.”

  “Do you think we’ll grow old together, and have a dozen children gathered around us?”

  “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “One thing at time! And you already have three girls, so that’s a good start.”

  “And you will be their daett, Robert. Do you know how wonderful that is of you?”

  “It won’t be hard,” he said. “They’re wonderful girls. Where are they today?”

  “Susanna has them so I could enjoy your baptismal day with you all to myself.”

  “And now I have you all to myself.”

  “See,” she said, pointing to a tree. “It’s a great day, and that cardinal is getting ready to sing a song for us.”

  “I believe it is,” he said, watching the red bird fly to a higher branch. They waited as the minutes passed, the bird bobbed its head, stared at them, and then burst into song.

  “Purdy, purdy, purdy…sweet, sweet, sweet,” it sang.

  On the second round Ella burst into tears, sobbing into Robert’s shoulder.

  “Now, now,” he said, holding her tight.

  “It’s too good to be true,” she whispered.

  “Perhaps,” he said, “but it just is. You and I—we were meant to be.”

  Forty-four

  Dear Journal,

  It’s been a long time since I’ve written to you, a very long time because so much has been going on. The past few months especially were busy with the wedding preparations, the food that had to be made, and all the other little details. Mamm was a true wonder, as always, with her planning skills. She even figured out a way to get everyone in the barn at Seager Hill for the preaching service and filled the house—from the upstairs to the basement—for the meal.

  I chose a really dark green for my wedding dress, and a slightly lighter green for my two witnesses. The table waiter girls wore dark brown, and the boys wore brown shirts. The day could not have been nicer if we had ordered the weather from heaven. The house ended up jammed to the limit, but Mamm did it. She is a very gut mamm in more ways than one.

  Robert gripped my hand tightly up in the hayloft when the bishop joined mine and his. I don’t think he knew Amish people don’t do that, but it didn’t matter really. I’m sure I saw a little smile on the bishop’s face. Robert is like that. He forgets that he’s not really Amish-born, and we forget that he ever was Englisha.

  I was so glad the wedding could be at Seager Hill. Sure, I would still have been married to Robert anywhere else, even here at the house on Chapman Road, but it was so much better at home, up on the hill, looking down on the rolling valley of my childhood. It was almost like another sign from heaven, a great lifting of spirits, as if I needed it once more, and then the freshness of it all when Robert drove me home after the singing.

  It was after midnight, the night still warm, and we had the buggy doors open. I wanted to stop by the little stream to hear the water jingle in the moonlight, but I figured Robert wanted to get home.

  Yes, the house on Chapman Road is his home now, as well as mine. How strange that a few words spoken by the bishop and the joining of hands can so change life. I don’t think there are many other things with that kind of power.

  I waited in the driveway while Robert unhitched the horse, and we walked hand-in-hand toward the house. The girls were at Susanna’s for a few days, and Joe and Ronda were gone for a visit to his folks—by design, of course. At the basement door, Robert scooped me up and carried me inside.

  I laughed and asked him what he was doing. He said it was an Englisha custom, this carrying of the bride across the threshold. I have never heard of such a thing, but it seemed right that on our wedding night there should be something present from Robert’s old world.

  Robert’s love consumed me that night until I wondered if I loved him too much. I don’t know…I guess it’s possible. I only know that I love this man when not too long ago I was sure I would never love again. Such things are beyond me to figure out.

  I am just a simple girl now…and happy beyond measure.

  Discussion Questions

  1. Is Ella correct in her determination to place the three Stutzman girls’ happiness above her own and marry Ivan?

  2. Why does Ella’s courage fail her when Ivan proposes?

  3. Are Ella’s fears, stirred by the sight of Bishop Miller leading out at the graveside service, valid? Has the young bishop not forgotten her? And to what means will he go to win her hand?

  4. Should Ella have revealed her attraction for Robert Hayes after he shows up at her doorstep announcing his plans to join the Amish?

  5. To what degree was Ronda’s friendship and advice a help or a hindrance with Ella’s desire to untangle her feelings about her suitors?

  6. Is Robert aware of Bishop Miller’s attempted maneuvers when he shows up to ask Ella for German lessons?

  7. Would Ivan’s troubles with the church have led to excommunication if he had not attended the Englisha church in town?

  8. To what extent did Ivan’s dreams of his deceased wife Lois affect his church decisions?

  9. Was Ella reckless in taking a meal over to Ivan and sitting down to eat with him after the excommunication?

  10. What does Ella’s evening with the three girls on the night of Old Christmas reveal about her character?

  11. To what extent did Eli’s concern and subsequent investigation of Robert aid or hinder Ella?

  12. What was the turning point of the story?

  About the Author

  Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 250,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina, and their four children in Virginia.

  More fine Amish fiction fro
m Harvest House Publishers

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  Rebecca Keim has just declared her love to John Miller and agreed to become his wife. But she’s haunted by her schoolgirl memories of a long ago love—and a promise made and a ring given. Is that memory a fantasy come back to destroy the beautiful present?

  When Rebecca’s mother sends her back to the old home community in Milroy to be with her aunt during and after childbirth, Rebecca determines to find answers that will resolve her conflicted feelings. Faith, love, and tradition all play a part in Rebecca’s destiny.

  Rebecca returns to Wheat Ridge full of resolve to make her relationship with John Miller work. But in her absence, he has become suspicious of the woman he loves. Before their conflict can be resolved, John is badly injured. Amid the turmoil, Rebecca is sent back to Milroy to aid her seriously ill aunt.

  In Milroy, Rebecca once again visits the old covered bridge over the Flatrock River, the source of many memories.

  Where will she find happiness? In Wheat Ridge with John? Or should she stake her future on the memory that persists…and the ring she’s never forgotten? Does God have a plan? If so how will she know what it is?

  Rebecca is engaged to John and looking forward to a wonderful marriage. But while she’s out of town attending a beloved teacher’s funeral, her fiancé receives a mysterious letter accusing Rebecca of marrying him for money. Determined to forsake suspicion, he tries hard to push the accusations from his mind.

  Upon Rebecca’s return, disturbing news follows. She is named the heir to her teacher’s farms—but there’s an unusual condition. When John confronts Rebecca about the letter, she claims her innocence. Amid the emotional storm, Rachel Byler, the vengeful but rightful heir to the property, arrives to reveal secrets from the past that has the whole community reeling.

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  When the wounded Irish-American riverboat captain Jeremiah Gant bursts into rural Riverhaven, he brings chaos and conflict to the community—especially for the young widow Rachel Brenneman. The unwelcome outsider needs a safe place to recuperate before continuing his dangerous role in the Underground Railroad. Will Rachel and Jeremiah’s forbidden love endanger his mission, break her heart, and forever impact a way of life for the community?

  In this compelling sequel to Rachel’s Secret, the Amish community of Riverhaven faces upheaval and challenges. Secrets, treachery, and persecution challenge Rachel’s faith and love for Jeremiah. When Jeremiah is dealt a life-changing blow, will he be able to honor the vow he made to Rachel?

  This gentle Amish community soon finds its unassuming faith jeopardized by a malicious outside influence, even as some community members get involved with helping slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

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  Following her popular Gothic Whispers of the Bayou, Mindy Clark offers a suspenseful Amish mystery…

  Anna believed she’d left the tragedies of the past behind when she moved to California, but when her brother vanishes from the genetics lab where he works, she heads back to Pennsylvania to investigate. Using skills honed in Silicon Valley, she follows the high-tech trail her brother left—a trail that leads from the Amish world to the cutting edge of science.

  Will Anna’s instincts, her faith in God, and the help of the Amish community be enough to locate and help her brother? And what about the shadows from the past that haunt her?

  A Widow’s Hope, Never Far from Home, and The Way to a Man’s Heart by Mary Ellis

  After the death of her husband, Hannah Brown is determined to make a new life with her sister’s family. She sells her farm and moves with her sheep to Ohio. The wool starts to fly because her deacon brother-in-law finds just about everything about Hannah vexing. When his brother shows an interest in the beautiful widow, the deacon believes he’s making a mistake.

  Hannah thought she’d never love again but realizes she’s attracted to Seth. But his only interest is business—Hannah’s sheep. Content in his widower’s state, he doesn’t see his daughter’s need for a mother. Will Seth realize the blessings God is offering him in Hannah? Will they both open their hearts again?

  Fifteen-year-old Emma Miller finishes school, starts her own wool business, and is longing for love. When she’s attracted to a handsome Englisha sheep farmer with a fast truck and modern methods, her deacon father, Simon, knows he has more than a farm alliance to worry about.

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  Leah Miller is living her dream come true as she invests in a newly restored diner that caters to locals rather than tourists. Can Jonah convince this shy, quiet young woman that she should leave her adoring fans and cook only for him?

  Leah’s sister, Emma, is trying to adapt to married life as New Order Amish along with her husband, James, who gave up his Englischer ways to make Emma his bride. Will his commitment to Emma stand firm when temptations from the past arise?

  Will Leah, Emma, Jonah, and James let their faith in God, their belief in His Word, and their connection with family guide their hearts?

  Great Amish Nonfiction from Harvest House

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  Table of Contents

  Readers of Amish fiction love Jerry Eicher’s Hannah’s Heart series…

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Thirty-four

  Thirty-five

  Thirty-six

  Thirty-seven

  Thirty-eight

  Thirty-nine

  Forty

  Forty-one

  Forty-two

  Forty-three

  Forty-four

  Discussion Quest
ions

  About the Author

  More fine Amish fiction from Harvest House Publishers

  Great Amish Nonfiction from Harvest House

  AmishReader.com