âAre you hurt?â
Sitting back, she shook her head. âNay.â
âWhat happened to spook your horse?â
Noah watched her pull herself together enough to stiffen. âNot my horse,â she replied. âNot my buggy.â
She met his gaze head-on, and he felt a jolt. She had lovely warm brown eyes, but her pallor was sickly, and he saw that she trembled. âIâm sorry,â he said, not really knowing for what. âAre you cold?â He stood back and took off his coat, placing it over her shoulders and around her. âYou are shaking.â
She released a solid breath. âI could have been killed. You saved me. Danki.â A shy smile lit up her face, and in that moment he felt his pulse quicken as he noticed every little detail about her, the warmth of her golden-brown eyes, the whiteness of her smooth skin, the glimpse of her white kapp.
âYouâre Charlotteâs kin, Rachel?â Noah asked. âAnd you are a schoolteacher,â he said. âAt our Happiness school?â
Rachel studied him and nodded. âJa.â
âWelcome to Lancaster County.â
Chapter One
Spring...Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Rachel Hostetler watched as Aaron Troyer took her small black valise and loaded it into the carriage.
âIf youâll wait in the buggy, Rachel, my sister Martha will soon join you.â
âDanki, Aaron.â Securing the ties of her Sunday-best black bonnet, Rachel nervously chewed on her lower lip.
âDonât worry,â he said. âMartha donât take up much room.â
âIâm sure she doesnât.â Rachel felt her stomach tighten with trepidation. It wasnât the size of Martha that concerned her. It was the type of carriage. The only vehicle available to take her from Lancaster to Happiness was this small single bench-seat buggy, the same type used for courting by the Old Order Amish. Back in Ohio, sheâd ridden frequently with Abraham Beiler in a similar buggy when he was walking out with her...until the accident over a year ago that had changed her life forever.
She hadnât ridden in an open courting buggy since, preferring the safety of her familyâs enclosed carriage. She didnât want to ride in one now, but it seemed that she had no choice. It was the only way for her to get to the village of Happiness and her new position as schoolteacher there.
Without thought, she slipped her hand inside her black traveling cape to touch a protective hand to her midsection. Some things just couldnât be forgotten, no matter how hard she tried. But scared or not, sheâd just have to do it. It wouldnât do to start off here in this new place being a coward.
The horse shifted restlessly; Rachel gasped and retreated a few steps. Donât be a goose, she told herself. The bay looked like a perfectly sensible animal. But she couldnât help offering a silent prayer.
âPlease, Lord, protect me from all evil,â she whispered. No matter what form evil takes.
She stared at the buggy, took a deep breath, grabbed hold of the side and climbed on board.
* * *
âItâs nice of you to drive us to town, Noah.â Charlotte King smiled at her neighbor and childhood friend. âMam needs more flour and cinnamon for tomorrowâs baking, and Dat is too busy repairing the windmill to take me.â
Noah nodded. âI know your dat is busy, Charlotte. I enjoy going to town. âTis no inconvenience to take you.â
âAnd me?â Charlotteâs little brother piped up.
âJa, Joshua. Nice to have you along as well.â He reached back and tugged the boyâs straw hat down over his eyes, and Joshua giggled.
The spring sunshine felt warm against Noahâs face as he steered the wagon along the blacktop road toward Bird-in-Hand. The surrounding farmland was beautiful, with spring growth in various stages. Songbirds filled the air with natureâs music, and the scent of the earth permeated from the surrounding farms. Only once did the roar of a big truck that passed the buggy, blowing black from its exhaust pipes, drown out the quiet of the fields.