A Match at First Sight
After arriving from Lancaster County in hopes of finding a husband, Ruby Plank stumblesâliterallyâinto the arms of one of Seven Poplarsâs most eligible bachelors. To her amazement, Joseph Brenneman doesnât care if Ruby is clumsy or outspoken. The shy, handsome mason thinks sheâs wonderful exactly as she is. If only others felt the same! Though Josephâs mother hired the matchmaker to find her son a wife, she insists Ruby isnât good enough. When Rubyâs family secret is revealed, it could divide the couple forever...unless pride gives way to love and trust.
âLet him still be here,â she whispered.
âPlease let him be here.â She felt as though sheâd swallowed a double handful of goose feathers. She liked Joseph; she really did. And she wanted him to like her. She stopped short, seeing the empty swing. Her heart sank and her knees went weak.
And then she saw him on his knees beside the fishpond. âJoseph!â she called too loudly. She gave him her best smile as she hurried toward him.
âRuby.â He rose and stepped back from the edge of the pool.
âI brought you a drink,â she said. âItâs hot out here. I hope you like lemonade.â
Joseph nodded. âYa, I do.â His lips curved in a tentative smile.
Sheâd remembered his amazing eyes, but memory wasnât as good as looking at him here in full daylight. They were as blue as cornflowers, intelligent, and they inspired trust. They were Deitsch blue eyes that seemed lit from within.
Was this the man her mother promised her would come?
Dear Reader,
Itâs said that honesty is the best policy, but life is complicated. Can you imagine a situation where it would be better to hide things about yourself from someone youâve just met? What if youâve had a bad experience before and donât want to repeat the same heartbreak?
This is what happens when Ruby Plank comes to matchmaker Sara Yoder to find a husband. Ruby wants desperately to meet that perfect man who will value her for who she is. She isnât pretty, a good cook or a fine seamstress, but sheâs a good person who tries to live a Godly life. And sheâs the beloved only child of a mother and father she adores, parents who have advised her to keep a big secret.
The matchmaker isnât happy about the deception, but sheâs certain she can find a suitable match for good-hearted Ruby, even if she is a klutz. As usual, things donât go as planned, and when Ruby literally tumbles into the arms of shy Joseph Brenneman, knocks him senseless and sends him to the hospital, love blossoms. But the path of true love has a few bumps, and the mountain in this relationship is Josephâs formidable mother. From their first meeting, Magdalena distrusts the plain, chubby girl from Lancaster County, and she wonât give up until she puts an end to the courtship.
I hope you enjoy Ruby and Josephâs story, and I hope their love touches you as it has me. Come back and join us soon in the Amish community of Seven Poplars. Iâm always happy to welcome new readers and old friends to life among the gentle people.
Wishing you peace and joy,
Emma Miller
EMMA MILLER lives quietly in her old farmhouse in rural Delaware. Fortunate enough to be born into a family of strong faith, she grew up on a dairy farm, surrounded by loving parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Emma was educated in local schools and once taught in an Amish schoolhouse. When sheâs not caring for her large family, reading and writing are her favorite pastimes.
Be kind to each other, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
âEphesians 4:32
Chapter One
Kent County, Delaware
âIâm sorry we couldnât have had a nicer day to greet you,â the matchmaker said as she guided her driving horse onto a curving country lane. âWe usually have beautiful weather in September.â
Seated beside Sara Yoder on the buggy seat, Ruby nodded and clutched her black purse on her lap. She was too nervous to think of a sensible reply that wouldnât make her hostess believe she was a complete gooseberry. Sheâd been eager to come to Seven Poplars and had counted the weeks and days until her mommi and daddi had put her on the bus. But now that she was finally here, she was suddenly struck dumb.
Thunder rumbled overhead and heavy rain beat against the thin roof and sides of the buggy. It was raining too hard for her to see much through the window over the dashboard. Saraâs buggy was black, rather than gray like the ones she was used to, but otherwise it seemed completely familiar to be rolling along to the sound of the horseâs hooves and the creak of the iron wheels. Her father had warned her that Seven Poplars was a more conservative Old Order Amish than their own community, but so far nothing in Saraâs dress or manner of speaking had proved severe.