The Amish Nurse's Suitor by Carrie Lighte

Author:Carrie Lighte
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-01-09T18:00:23+00:00

Chapter Seven

After Hadassah’s buggy rolled down the driveway, Arden went to bid Rachel goodbye, but she’d gone into the house, undoubtedly to tend to Ivan.

On his way home, he wondered, Why wouldn’t Colin accompany his wife to his bruder’s haus when she obviously has a difficult time with mobility? What could possibly be more important than seeing to Hadassah’s comfort and safety? Deep down, Arden suspected Colin was deliberately slighting Rachel—at his wife’s expense—as a demonstration of his anger. He could only imagine how much angrier Colin would be once Hadassah told him Rachel had turned her away and Arden had defended Rachel’s decision.

Their behavior is unfair. I’m the one who should go to the bishop about them, Arden thought. I’d be perfectly justified. But he wouldn’t do that, because while the Bible said God required His people to “do justly,” it also instructed them to love mercy. Besides, Arden was confident he’d done nothing wrong, so he wasn’t overly concerned about what Colin or Hadassah might say if they actually did report him to the bishop. Still, Arden decided, for Ivan’s sake, he ought to tread carefully. For Rachel’s sake, too. There was already enough tension between the Blank family members; he didn’t want to add to it by appearing to side with Rachel. Hadassah and Colin could make her time in Serenity Ridge very unpleasant, and Arden didn’t want her being squeezed out before Ivan was better. The very fact that Hadassah had brought sick children to visit their uncle showed just how much Ivan needed someone like Rachel there, advocating for his health. The less time I spend with her outside the workshop, the better it will be for everyone, Arden concluded.

When he arrived home, Arden was dismayed to find Ike and Eva Renno, whose buggy he’d passed on the road as he set out to deliver the whoopie pies, were seated in the double wooden glider on the porch. Although Arden liked Ike and Eva was a nice enough person, she was as chatty as Arden was reserved, and his head throbbed whenever he spent more than fifteen minutes in her presence.

“Mamm went inside to nap. She said she couldn’t think of a better way for any mamm to celebrate Mother’s Day,” Grace informed him when he hopped up the steps. Because Mother’s Day fell on the Sabbath, the Amish in Serenity Ridge didn’t make a fuss over it, although Arden and Grace had gifted their mother with a subscription to her favorite publication, The Connection, which was published out of Indiana and included articles written by Amish people throughout the country. “I made iced tea. Kumme join our discussion.”

“I’ve, uh, already had tea,” Arden hedged.

“Oh, were you out visiting someone special?” Eva questioned.

Arden could have kicked himself for letting that slip. “On second thought, I’m kind of hot. I would like a glass, please.”

“Were you visiting someone special?” Eva repeated.

“I, uh, stopped by Ivan’s haus.”

“Ivan’s haus? I heard his Englisch schweschder is staying there.”

I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.

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