Along Wooded Paths Read Online Free PDF Page A

yours.”
    Abe nodded once, took a final scan of the valley, and then turned and headed back down the hill. Ben wasn’t sure if he’d insulted the man. He hoped not.
    Dear Lord, may You use my feeble words to do good, not harm.
    Back at the truck they unloaded the tools and supplies together. They chatted about the project, about the snow, but Ben knew what weighed heaviest on both of their minds. When Ike came out to help, it was clear he sensed the awkwardness between them, but he didn’t say anything. It was only after Ben closed the tailgate and drove away, heading out the way he came, that he released the heavy breath bottled up inside.
    It’s all she’s wanted.
    Those words haunted him as he drove back home. As he settled before the wood-burning stove in his small cabin and opened his Bible, Ben knew what he wanted. He wanted Marianna. But did he want her at the cost of all she knew, loved, longed for?
    To share his love would be to draw her away. To bring her shame. To put a wall between her and her family and community. Yet he also knew God’s heart, and even though he cherished his relationship with his Amish friends, he couldn’t help but question their commitment to tradition, to their old ways. While he appreciated their dedication to family, church, community, an uneasiness had settled deep in his gut. Something just didn’t sit right with him.
    Over the past three years Ben’s relationship with God had grown. Following God by obeying outside rules—like rules of dress or whether or not to have electricity—was not necessary. And that’s where he struggled. Marianna could love him and love God. Her salvation depended on her heart, not her kapp. Problem was, mentioning such things to her would take away any chance of friendship, let alone the hope for more. He might have already ruined everything by questioning her father.
    Ben closed his eyes to pray, but no words came. He wanted to trust God, but defeat gripped his throat, refusing to release. Pursuing Marianna—as he wanted—would bring more harm than good.
    It was a hard decision, not pursuing her romantically. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to see her, but he knew something else. When he looked into her eyes, Ben saw she cared. And to confess his love would lead to something he never desired.
    How could he ask the woman he loved to choose between him and the only way of life she’d ever known?

CHAPTER FIVE

    Muddy footprints from yesterday’s slush lay buried under a layer of white snow that sparkled like the diamonds in Millie Arnold’s wedding ring. Marianna held her gloved hand out. Glittery flakes sparkled on the black wool. Not that she’d ever have a wedding ring like Millie’s. Well, unless she married an Englischman.
    Not that she’d marry an Englischman.
    She shook her glove, scattering the diamond snowflakes.
    With wide swishes of her broom, Marianna swept snow from the front steps, but it fell faster than she could sweep. Millie Arnold had arrived not five minutes prior, settling into the table closest to the kitchen for warmth from the woodstove and conversation from the bakers. Now it wasn’t clear where her footprints had been. White flakes had smoothed the landscape with a frosting of white.
    Marianna blew out a frosty breath. The bone-chilling air, whipping through the tall pines, stung her cheeks. Finished with the steps, she turned and swung open the door to Kootenai Kraft and Grocery. She stepped into the embrace of the warmth and stomped her snow-caked boots on the front doorstep. Snow ringed the hem of her plain blue dress like lace—the only lace she’d ever wear—and she attempted to brush it away.
    She moved to the dining room area to warm her hands by the fire, and discovered Millie’d moved from the kitchen area and now sat in the wooden booth next to Jebadiah Beiler. Millie’s red lips made an O shape and wrinkles extended out from her mouth, splayed like cracks in weathered paint. Her eyebrows lowered