A Cowboy in Amish Country by Patricia Johns

Author:Patricia Johns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-05-06T17:43:32+00:00

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SUE FOLLOWED WILDER’S lead as they headed across the rolling farmland. There were no roads as far as she could see, and the large, cumulous clouds left patches of chilly shade across the landscape. As they rode, she looked over at Wilder who seemed to be almost one with the horse he was riding. His hips moved with the animal, the rest of him staying straight and tall.

He thought she deserved better, and she knew he was right. But she hadn’t been prepared for the outside world, either.

“Being raised Amish, I was taught to read the world in a certain way,” she said. “To look out for Amish boys who would be all talk and no commitment, for example. I was taught about how fast a rumor could travel around a small community like ours, that sort of thing. But I was also taught that Englishers were completely different from us. They played by different rules. They had different expectations.”

“Are we so different?” Wilder asked.

“Maybe not,” she said with a low laugh. “I honestly thought that Englisher men would laugh at me for wanting to settle down and raise kids. The men I got to know made me feel like my Amish upbringing was like saying you came from outer space, you know? I had to relearn so many things.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like the day I realized that driving in a car isn’t more dangerous than being in a buggy. My daet had told me all my life that going that fast was like inviting death. In fact, a buggy is probably more dangerous! There’s less to protect you in an accident.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Wilder said. “We have seat belts, car seats for kids, airbags...”

“Right?” she said. “But when you’re told one thing from babyhood on up, you don’t tend to question it. So I found myself questioning absolutely everything. I didn’t know anymore what was true and what wasn’t. I didn’t know what applied to the outside world, and what didn’t.”

“Including what made for a good man, and what made for a guy to avoid,” Wilder said.

“Exactly.”

He nodded. “I had a similar experience when I stopped drinking. I had to relearn how to deal with stress, and how to look at friendships. Sometimes you have to tear up your foundation and start over.”

“Yes.” She nodded, and she felt a little thrill of excitement. “You actually understand this!”

“Sure, I do,” Wilder replied.

“If I’d had an Englisher family, I could have asked my brother, or my cousins about these guys. I could have brought them home to meet my family and have their input,” Sue said. “But I didn’t have any of that, and I feel so silly now for falling for Chaney’s lines, but I was just glad that an Englisher man found me attractive. I felt so dowdy and plain.”

Wilder shot her an incredulous look. “Sue, you’re neither of those things. You’re a knockout.”

“You seem to think so,” she said.

“Anyone with eyes would think so!” he retorted. “But I get it.

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