A Match For Addy (The Amish Matchmaker Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

right girl with the right boy. Was it her fault that she had been born
plain
, or that she’d grown so tall, taller than her
dat
and many of the men in Seven Poplars? And wouldn’t it be worth it if Sara found her a good husband? She smiled to herself at the thought...a husband she could love. A husband who would love her. Love between a man and woman wasn’t a subject discussed in her parents’ house, but she had only to see her Yoder cousins and the fine matches they had made to know it
could
happen.
    The rhythmic thud of an ax striking wood cut through her reverie. As she entered the barnyard, she looked up to see Gideon.
    “Good morning, Addy,” he called. He was standing at the edge of a pile of freshly split sections of logs.
    Addy stood for a moment, mesmerized.
    He lifted the ax to rest on his shoulder. “You’re feeling better today, I hope.”
    “Ya,”
she answered. She felt her cheeks grow warm, and she fought the urge to look at the ground. “I am.”
    His grin lit up his handsome face, and warmth swirled in Addy’s stomach. Gideon was so clean and wholesome, standing there in his worn clothes and battered hat, that she had to remind herself that he wasn’t for her. It was likely his parents had sent him to Seven Poplars so that he could marry up. Hired man or not, with a strong back, an easy manner and a fair face like his, he’d be guaranteed a match with a pretty girl from a wealthy family or a plump widow with land of her own.
    “Sara tells me that this is a church Sunday coming up.” Gideon took off his hat and pushed his hair off his face. Moisture dotted his forehead and soaked through his shirt, revealing more of his muscular chest and shoulders than was proper.
    Realizing she was staring, Addy swallowed and glanced at the ground. “At my Aunt Hannah’s. Close by. You can walk.”
    “I’m looking forward to worshipping with your congregation.”
    She knew she shouldn’t be standing there chatting when Sara was waiting for her, but she ventured another glance at him. “My father is one of the preachers.”
    “Ellie told me. She liked his last sermon, on Noah’s faith.”
    Addy nodded. That had always been one of her favorite stories from the Old Testament. “
Dat
says that people must have thought he was crazy, Noah. To build a boat when they were so far from the sea.”
    “I wish I’d heard the sermon.” He had the nicest eyes, she thought, so large and full of life.
    “I think Bishop Atlee will preach on Sunday, or maybe Caleb. He’s married to my cousin Rebecca.”
    Gideon sank the ax into a stump and rubbed his hands together, easing the strain of gripping the ax. “I’m looking forward to it, and to meeting your neighbors. Sara says the congregation has welcomed her.”
    “Oh, good, you’re here,” Ellie said, appearing from behind one of the outbuildings. “Addy’s here, Sara!” she called toward the house. For a small girl, she had a big voice.
    Sara came out of the utility room onto the porch with a basket of wet laundry. “You’re early.
Goot
. Help me hang these sheets, and then we’ll start painting the big bedroom. I may have girls coming in soon to stay with us while I find matches for them. It’s the way I like to do things.” She glanced at the woodpile. “My, you’ve done a lot since breakfast.”
    Gideon wrenched his ax from the stump. “Best to get the heavy work done early. The day promises to be another scorcher.”
    “Hotter here than in Wisconsin, I imagine,” Addy said, unwilling to walk away without saying
something
sensible.
    “Ne.”
He shook his head. “You’d be surprised how hot it gets there in the summer. Unless you’re near one of the lakes.”
    “The big difference will be in the winter. Delaware winters are mild, so they tell me.” Sara held up the basket of laundry toward Addy, then set it on the porch. “If you’ll take this, I’ll go back for the second basket.”
    “I brought back your dress.” Addy showed it to