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“Doesn’t being at so many weddings make you...interested in finding someone?”
“I’m only twenty-four.”
“I didn’t say you were an old maid.”
“My mamm worries about that, but I’m in no hurry. I’ve been to my schweschder’s often enough to know that running a catering business is less work than three small children.” She paused, and then added, “What about you?”
“Me?” His voice squeaked. He cleared his throat and resettled his hat on his head. “I figure that will happen after I move to Texas.”
“But what if you could find a fraa here and take her with you?”
“Now you’re making fun of me.”
“I’m not.”
“Did you have someone in mind?” The grin he gave her reminded Annie of the cat in her trailer—mischievous and daring.
Annie had a flash of clarity then, staring up into Levi’s blue eyes. There was no doubt that she could find women in their congregation interested in dating Levi Lapp, but she wouldn’t be able to trick him into it. That part of her plan died before she could implement it. Levi was like competition that you had to face head-on.
So she stepped back and crossed her arms. “Do you really think you can convince my dat and bruder to move to Texas?”
“I’m not saying that I can, but it should be their decision...along with your mamm and your schweschder. If it’s what they want, then you should be happy for them.”
She didn’t bother arguing that her mamm and schweschder were quite happy in Goshen. Levi was like a steam-engine train headed in one direction—no U-turns allowed.
“All right. I’ll make you a deal.”
“A deal?”
“You agree to date some of my freinden...”
“Date?”
“Hear me out. You’re not planning on staying. They’re not necessarily looking to get married, but they need...let’s say they need a little experience in the dating area.”
Levi groaned. “You’re going to set me up with the rejects.”
She felt a headache forming just at her left temple. Closing her eyes, she prayed to Gotte for patience, then counted to three.
“They’re shy,” she corrected him. “And maybe they have a lack of confidence. Dating you should help that.”
“Because I’m such a gut catch?”
He grinned, and she realized he was handsome. Not her type, but handsome nonetheless. Yes, this plan could work.
“Let’s say there’s no pressure on either side. That should help. They’ll know you’re not staying...”
“And I’ll know they’re not really interested. This is a terrible plan. Why would I agree to it?”
This was the tricky part. She almost couldn’t believe she was going to suggest it. But then again, what choice did she have? He was going to talk to her dat and Jebediah in spite of how much it bothered her. They would keep asking him questions. He’d keep painting pictures of rosy Texas sunsets.
“When were you planning to leave?”
“You get right to the point, don’t you?”
“Do you even have a plan?”
“Of course I do.” Levi scuffed the toe of his boot against the dirt, and she noticed he was wearing Western boots. Of course he was.
“Why does our bishop let you dress like that?”
“This?” He pointed the toe of his boot up. “These are Ariats. Very comfortable.”
“And that.” She pointed at his hat.
“A Stetson. All Texans wear them.”
“Why are you wearing them? You’re Amish.” She said the last word slowly, in two drawn-out syllables.
“Marcus talked to me about it,” Levi admitted. “He said if I decided to join the community I’d need to dress more conservatively. I assured him I was moving on, so he said it wasn’t a problem.”
“Back to the when of your plan...”
“I hope to go down before Christmas to look for land and move by early spring—my target date is February or March.”
“That’s not spring.”
“It is in Texas.”
She couldn’t hold the sigh inside. She’d hoped he was planning for a move in a year, which would have been plenty of time for her dat’s attention to wander elsewhere. A scouting party before Christmas? That was mere months away. She’d have to work fast if she hoped to save the nice comfortable life she had. She’d already waded in too far to back out now, plus she didn’t have any backup plan. It wasn’t going to be easy to match Levi with someone. Who wanted an Amish cowboy? Though there was one possibility...
Levi was studying her as if expecting her to give up. He didn’t know her very well. She liked a challenge. She thrived in tough situations. Tossing her kapp strings behind her shoulders, she plastered on what she hoped was her prettiest smile. “All right. You agree to date a couple of my friends...not at the same time, mind you.”
“Of course not.”
“And in return, I won’t try and stop you from talking to my family about your plans.”
“As if you could.”
“My point is that you won’t have to deal with my objections.”
He studied her a minute and then said, “Seriously?”
“Ya.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Me?”
“Why are you doing this? I know you’re dead set against the idea of moving.”
“Oh, I am not moving. I’ll find a way to stay here even if you convince the whole community to move south.”
Levi laughed. “That’s the Annie I know.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Uh-huh. But seriously, why are you doing this?”
“I like weddings is all. I enjoy seeing two people who are meant to be together find each other.”
“I’m not getting married.”
“I know, but maybe Gotte has different plans.”
“What does Gotte have to do with it?”
“Maybe He brought you to Goshen for a reason...a different reason.”
“So now you’re a matchmaker?”
“Think of me as a concerned bystander.”
Levi shook his head. “I don’t know...”
“Is it a deal or not? If you’d rather, I can keep pointing out all the terrible things about your Lone Star State.”
“All right. It’s a deal.” He held out his hand. “But you have to shake on it.”
She rolled her eyes, but put her hand in his. He closed his fingers around hers, held her hand long enough that she didn’t like the goose bumps running down her arm or the jumble of nerves in her stomach. She jerked her hand away.
“Great. Then it’s settled. I’ll give you the name of your first date when you come over on Wednesday to work.”
“I look forward to it.”
Of course he did. The man was conceited in addition to being stubborn. But, just possibly, she’d found a way to keep her life firmly rooted in Goshen, because she had the perfect woman in mind for Levi Lapp and this person would never consider moving away. All Annie had to do was see to it that the two of them fell in love. She was envisioning a wedding announcement before the holidays if she handled this right. No need for a long courtship at their age. It would mean she’d have to live around Levi the rest of her life, but at least she wouldn’t have to do so in Texas.
Chapter Four (#u2fe8c5c2-ef56-5ce4-8c52-e4235d894fbe)
Annie woke the next morning determined to start right away on her new plan. Levi Lapp had invaded her dreams throughout the night—she’d found herself surrounded by wildflowers, nose to nose with a longhorn, even looking across a vast plain toward rain clouds in the distance. As if those images of Texas weren’t bad enough, Levi himself had put in several appearances, always wearing his Stetson hat and that cocky grin.
It was past time to do something proactive and push Levi and his Texas trivia out of her dreams. She picked her newest Sunday dress, brushed her hair vigorously and wove it into a braid tight enough to pucker the skin along her forehead. Pulling the covers up snug on her bed, she prayed for wisdom and patience. She was bound to need both.
Her mamm found her downstairs making coffee before the sun was up.
“Problem sleeping, dear?” Her mamm stared at the coffee maker on the stove as if she could make it percolate faster.
“Go sit down. I’ll bring it to you.”
“All right.”
Five minutes later, they were both clutching steaming mugs of coffee and sitting at the kitchen table.
“Want to talk about it?” Her mamm kept blinking her eyes, as if she wasn’t quite awake yet.
“About what?”
“Whatever’s bothering you.”
“Nothing’s bothering me.”
Instead of arguing, her mother took another sip of the dark brew—the entire Kauffmann family enjoyed their coffee strong—and waited.
“Oh, all right. I’ll admit it. This thing with Levi has worked its way under my kapp.”
“Has it now?”
“I don’t want to move to Texas, Mamm.”
“Which is understandable.”
“It is?”
“I want to be where your father is, and if he decides—”
Annie groaned. “Tell me you’re not on their side.”
“This isn’t about us and them. This is about seeking out and following Gotte’s wille for our lives. I’m not afraid of doing that even if it means living in a different place.”
“I’m not afraid. It’s just that if Levi had never shown up on our doorstep, Dat would never be considering a move to Texas.”
“Perhaps, but Gotte brings people into our lives for a reason.”
Annie jumped up to refill their mugs. As she turned toward the stove, she muttered, “I’m pretty sure it was a Greyhound bus that brought Levi to us.”
“And yet Gotte put this dream in Levi’s heart.”
“Oops. I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”
“Levi’s relationship with Old Simon also brought him here.”
Annie refilled her mamm’s mug and then plopped down in the chair across from her. She needed her mother with her on this. Perhaps she should try a different tack.
“Okay. Let’s assume what you’re saying is true...”
Her mamm’s eyebrows arched, but she didn’t interrupt.
“But what if Levi is confusing some unresolved business from his childhood as Gotte’s leading? Maybe Gotte brought him here for a reason—a reason other than ripping twelve of our families away to start a new community. Maybe Goshen needs Levi here, but he doesn’t realize it yet.” For some reason, that idea didn’t sit well with her, either. In her daydreams, Levi had always ridden off toward the West, tilting his hat against the setting sun, searching for another community where he could disrupt people’s lives.
