Once Fater brought the buggy around, another five minutes was necessary to load Mamm and see that she was comfortable. Rebecca rode with Levi and his mom. The others followed in the Millers’ buggy. They had taken enough time to get moving that their arrival at Levi’s place would be exactly on time.
Rebecca could barely contain her excitement. She was going to her house—her very own house to share with her beloved husband, to bear and raise little ones, to make precious memories with the people she loved. Levi’s joy would make hers that much greater.
Buggies lined the old highway a quarter mile from Levi’s property.
“What’s all this?” Levi said. His jaw dropped lower and lower, the more buggies they passed.
Once they passed a stand of trees, Levi’s house came into view—as did dozens of people waiting in his front yard.
He looked at his grinning mother and then at Rebecca. “Why are all these people here? And why is my roof a different color?”
His mom guided the horse over the deep ruts in the front yard and halted the buggy in the midst of Levi’s neighbors and friends. Kate and Nathaniel King stood out from the crowd, as did cousin Miriam, Luke Miller, Levi’s grandparents, and the men from the wood shop, in addition to other Amish and Englisch neighbors. Rebecca jumped from the buggy first. When Levi emerged, the crowd cheered.
Levi was rendered speechless, but the shock on his face was plain enough. “I—I don’t believe this,” he said.
Nathaniel shook his hand. “We’ve been meaning to fix up this old place. Glad we could finally do it. We wanted you to have a place to bring your bride, if you are ever able to talk someone into marrying you.”
Levi’s smile was a mile wide. “I have managed to do that.” He stared at the freshly painted siding and new windows. “The Amish really are the best people in the world.”
“You are one of us, remember? So don’t get a big head about it,” Nathaniel said.
“I never dreamed…” Levi’s voice cracked, and he burst into tears. “Thank you all so much.”
Nathaniel laughed. “Oh, sis yuscht, I’ve never met a man who cries so much.”
Levi wiped his eyes. “And you never will. I am a baby.”
Several people laughed with them as Nathaniel opened the door and motioned for Levi and Rebecca to go inside. “You two can walk through by yourselves. If you want the grand tour, come get me.”
“I helped with the Sheetrock,” Max said.
Levi and Rebecca stepped over the threshold, and Nathaniel closed the door behind them. They found themselves alone in the empty front room, a refinished hardwood floor under their feet. The rich darker and lighter shades of wood formed an intricate lattice pattern, and Rebecca felt as if she had stepped into a mansion.
“Look at the floor,” she said.
Levi stared in awe at the smooth finish that practically glowed at their feet. “When I bought the place, I didn’t think it would be salvageable. Nathaniel’s work, no doubt.”
They walked through the archway to the empty kitchen, where the walls sparkled a crisp white. Spaces stood open for a stove and an icebox, and the cabinets looked brand new.
“Nathaniel’s doing, again,” Levi said, wiping another tear away. “I have a little money left over from the house payment. I’m not letting him foot the bill for this.”
Rebecca ran her hand along the smooth countertops. What would it be like to cook in such luxury? Her heart swelled. To cook for Levi.
Levi took her hand, and they floated up the steep, narrow stairs to the three bedrooms. The two smaller rooms stood empty like all the other rooms in the house, but the larger room contained a bed made up with a stunning Amish quilt appliquéd with red roses.
Rebecca gasped and ran her hands along the quilt, caressing the petals of the abundant flowers, fingering the tiny stitches that outlined every rose.
She looked up to see Levi watching her. When their eyes met, he promptly turned on his heels and tromped down the stairs.
“Levi,” she said, quickly following him to the front room.
He stood looking out the window.
“Did something upset you?”
To her surprise, he gathered her in his arms and sighed in contentment. “I don’t believe that anyone has ever loved someone as much as I love you. I think my heart will leap out of my chest if we don’t marry soon.” He pointed out the window. “Plant a thousand roses if you want.”
“What about pasture for the cows?”
“Only if there is room left over. I’ll buy you every hosta you ever dreamed of, and we’ll fill this room with seed catalogs. What else can I do for you?”
“Nothing. If I never touched another rose in my life, I would be perfectly, absolutely happy with only you.”
“From now on, your happiness is the only thing on my list.”
“Then you can successfully cross that one off.”
Rebecca shivered as he tightened his arms around her and brought his lips to hers.
She was home.
About the Author
JENNIFER BECKSTRAND grew up with a steady diet of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. After all that literary immersion, she naturally decided to get a degree in mathematics, which came in handy when one of her six children needed help with homework. When daughter number four was born, she began writing, and between juggling diaper changes, soccer games, music lessons, and dinner preparations, Jennifer finished her first manuscript in just under fourteen years. Rachel’s Angel, a historical western, won first place in two writing contests. Soon Jennifer turned her attention to the Forever After in Apple Lake series, about three cousins who find love in Wisconsin’s Amish country. Her debut novel, Kate’s Song, was the first book in the series and released in 2012. Rebecca’s Rose is the second book in the series, and the third, Miriam’s Quilt, will release in 2013.
Jennifer has two Amish readers who make sure her stories are authentic. No matter the setting, she hopes to pen deliriously romantic stories with captivating characters and soar-to-the-sky happy endings.
A member of RWA, Jennifer is the PAN liaison in her Utah RWA chapter. She lives in the foothills of the Wasatch Front in Utah with her husband and two children left at home. She has four daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and one grandson.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
About the Author
Jennifer Beckstrand, Rebecca’s Rose
&nb
sp;
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends