The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts Patricia Davids (best self help books to read TXT) 📖

deserved so much more. Besides, she’d just said she wouldn’t marry a man who didn’t love her. And right now, he couldn’t offer her what both of them really wanted and needed most of all. A home where they’d be loved and cherished. A real marriage in deed as well as in name. Even without asking Becca, he knew that neither of them would settle for anything less. Not now. Not ever. It was that simple.

Chapter Eight

On Thursday evening, another snowstorm settled across the valley and didn’t move all night long. Becca awoke the following morning to find six inches of the white stuff covering the countryside. She got up early to prepare for her day, wondering if she should cancel school. After all, it would take a lot of effort for parents to drive their horses and buggies through the heavy drifts. Maybe it was best for the kids to stay home. But the bishop had told her they rarely canceled school because they had to meet the state attendance requirements each year. And the plows were good to get out early and clear the county roads.

“You sure you’ll be all right driving to school alone?” Jakob asked her at the breakfast table.

She nodded, knowing he would make time to drive her if she felt uncertain about the task. “I’ll be fine.”

Her cousin smiled with approval. As children, he had teased her for being a tomboy. Athletic and full of life, she was always the girl who could do anything. But since those carefree days, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Vernon’s rejection had hit her confidence rather hard. He’d broken her heart and destroyed her trust in men.

Bundled up in her scarf, gloves and black traveling bonnet, she left early and drove extra carefully. No doubt she’d have to shovel the sidewalks at the school. She wanted time to build up a fire in the old stove so the schoolhouse was warm and toasty for the scholars when they arrived.

As she turned off onto the snowy dirt road leading to Bishop Yoder’s hay fields, she saw the school. A thin stream of gray smoke rose from the chimney and she gave a cry of pleasure. Someone was already here. Probably one of the school board members, taking care of the school and seeing that they had their needs met.

As she pulled into the main yard, she saw a lone man standing beside the front porch, shoveling snow off the walk paths. Even from this distance, she recognized the solid set of his broad shoulders and the tenacious tilt of his black felt hat.

Jesse King.

And little Sam was just carrying another armful of kindling into the schoolhouse.

Tugging on the lead lines, Becca stuck her tongue in her cheek and couldn’t contain a quiet laugh. It was the snowiest day of the year and Jesse had finally gotten Sam to school on time.

“Hallo!” she called, stepping out of the buggy with a flurry of lavender skirts.

Jesse paused in his work and leaned an arm against the handle of his snow shovel. He tugged the brim of his hat away from his face in a completely male stance and gazed at her with no emotion on his face whatsoever. But his dark eyes were filled with life. His breath exhaled in small puffs, his cheeks gleaming red above his beard.

“Guder mariye,” he said in a low voice.

She made her way through the snow, stamping her feet when she reached the cement walk path he had unburied. “What are you doing here so early?”

He glanced at the cleared walk paths, which were quickly melting now that he’d removed the snow. “I would think that is obvious. I’m shoveling snow.”

She laughed. “I know that, silly. But I didn’t expect to see you here so early. Danke for clearing away the snow and starting the fire.”

Jesse shrugged, a slight frown tugging at his forehead. “It’s the least I can do to repay you for all the meals and tutoring you’ve been giving us. Besides, it’s the duty of the fathers of the scholars to look after the school, unless they make an exception and assign these chores to someone. Bishop Yoder and the other men have more kinder than me, so I thought it’d be easier for me to do the task today.”

How thoughtful of him. Yes, it was true that the board members were to look after the school’s needs. But Becca knew each father had a farm and familye to care for too. Sometimes, it was easy to neglect the school just a bit. And even though she knew it was expected, she couldn’t help feeling happy that Jesse had come to her aid. He’d saved her from the arduous chore of shoveling snow and fetching wood. Not that she minded the work. It was just nice to have it done already. Jesse’s efforts told her that he wasn’t as callous and harsh as he pretended to be. No, he was a kind and generous man and she appreciated his work on her behalf.

She scooped up a handful of snow and smashed it into a round ball between her gloved hands. “The snow is heavy. There’s lots of water in it.”

He grinned at that and she stared, simply because it wasn’t often that she saw this man looking happy.

“Ja, it’ll fill our rivers and streams,” he said.

Feeling a bit reckless, she tossed the snowball at him, hitting him squarely in the middle of the chest. She laughed, thinking he might throw a snowball back at her but he didn’t. He merely looked down at the splotch of snow marring his heavy black coat and then back at her. Without a word, he brushed the snow away.

Feeling suddenly awkward, she glanced up at the gray sky and shivered at the cold. “I may let school out early today. Dawdi Zeke thinks another storm is on its way. I need to give the scholars their assignments for the end-of-year program but I don’t want