Amish Circle Letters by Sarah Price Page B

him that another barn had been vandalized on the other side of town. And she mentioned that she was looking forward to church Sunday at Leah’s house in the upcoming week.
    “Will you be there?” she asked curiously.
    “Ja, I imagine,” he said. “Whole family is likely to attend. I know my mamm and sisters are planning to come up to help with the cooking and to clean the house.”
    Mimi nodded but didn’t respond. Leah’s poor housekeeping was common knowledge and Steve was appreciative that Mimi was respectful enough not to comment.
    “I don’t recall seeing you there before,” she said casually.
    “ Nee ,” he admitted. “Never went before. Stuck to my own district.”
    “Really?” She stared up at him with large, bright eyes. “So why are you coming this year?”
    He glanced at her and felt his heart jump when he saw her eyes. So sparkling and full of life. Her entire face seemed to glow and he felt himself feeling weak. For the past two weeks, he had been praying to God, asking for guidance. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, hopes that someone as marvelously godly and wonderful as Mimi Hostetler might actually be interested in him, but seeing her hopeful eyes gazing at him, he knew.
    “I…” He wasn’t certain how to respond, but clearly she was waiting. “I guess that…”
    “Ja?” she asked.
    “I don’t want to presume anything but…”
    “Go on,” she prodded gently.
    He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I sure do like spending time in your company, Mimi Hostetler.”
    A hint of a smile tilted the corner of her mouth. “Is that so?”
    He stared straight ahead, afraid to look at her. “And if you feel the same, well…”
    “I do.”
    He paused. “You do what?”
    “Enjoy your company, Steve Fisher.”
    And there it was.
    His heart pounded and he caught his breath. After so many years, it had finally happened. He had given up, that was for sure and certain. He had never expected to find someone but now, here he was riding alongside a beautiful young woman who had just told him that she enjoyed his company. And that meant only one thing: they were courting. Officially courting.
    He swallowed, a moment of panic rising in his throat. He had never before truly courted anyone. Just a few rides home from singings but never with the same girl twice. Now, it was official. He didn’t know what to say or what was expected. Certainly they would keep spending time together and, if all went well, he knew that an announcement would be forthcoming. The pit in his stomach grew larger. An announcement?
    He felt her hand on his arm. Once again, he looked at her. With her hair pulled back so neat and shiny under her prayer kapp and her face glowing, she was truly beautiful. Her goodness shone from the inside out.
    “You look pale, Steve,” she said softly. It was as if she could sense his nervousness. “Are you OK?”
    “I…I just didn’t expect any of this,” he admitted. He disliked feeling flustered and, even more, he hated sounding so naïve. But it was the truth and, if nothing else, he knew that courting meant discovery and truth.
    Mimi took a deep breath and reassured him with a smile that warmed his heart. “Nor did I,” she replied. Yet, she looked confident and content as she settled back into the buggy seat next to him, her arm lightly pressed against his. “But God sure does work in mysterious ways, that’s for sure and certain!”
     
     
    Anna was washing the dinner dishes when she heard the buggy roll down the driveway. She glanced out the window then looked at the clock. Steve had been gone for over three hours and had missed helping Isaac with the milking. She hoped nothing was wrong over at Rachel and Leah’s.
    She could see Isaac on the hill in the back field. Despite Steve’s disappearance, Isaac had finished the early evening milking and had let the cows wander back into the paddock to graze throughout the night. Now, he was walking along the fence