Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from Risking Her Amish Heart by Jackie Stef
Chapter One
Delia Swarey stood in her messy kitchen. Dirty dishes were stacked on the crumb-scattered counters, and the floor hadn’t been swept since yesterday. They were in a busy time here at the Swarey Flower Farm, and in order for her and her four boys to get the outdoor work done, something had to slide. That turned out to be her housework.
Delia ran her hands down her gray work apron. It neatly covered a pink cape dress. Even without anyone to see her inside the house, she did better with her own appearance than she did her countertops. Her dark brown hair, highlighted with a few gray strands, was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck and covered with a crisp, white kapp.
A knock drew her away from the mess, and she headed over to the side door and pulled it open with a tired sigh. A teenage girl stood on the step. She wore a pink cape dress in a darker hue than Delia’s, and her blond hair was pinned back neatly underneath a white kapp.
“Hello, I’m Violet Lehman.” The slim girl had her head cocked to one side, and one hand planted on her hip. “I’m Judith and Bernard Lehman’s granddaughter from next door, and I was wondering if you might have a job for me to do.”
“Are you here visiting?” Delia asked.
“Yah, my daet and I came to help my grandparents move to my aunt Dina’s house.”
“Right...” She’d been so busy that she hadn’t been keeping up with her neighbors’ lives, and she felt bad about that. Violet’s father was Elias Lehman—she knew him from grade school. “I didn’t realize you’d arrived yet. I thought—”
“It’s okay,” Violet said, and she glanced over her shoulder furtively. “The thing is, I’m here for a couple of weeks, and I want a job, if you’ll give me one.”
“A job?”
“Yah. I can do most things. I’ll weed and hoe, water plants, carry buckets—whatever you need. If you’ll pay me.”
Delia glanced back at the messy kitchen. Would the girl want to clean up?
“How do you feel about housework?” Delia asked.
“I was hoping—” Violet’s face fell “—I was hoping for real work.”
As if cooking and cleaning wasn’t real work! Any woman who had to keep up with it all knew just how much work it really was. It was women’s work, but she thought she understood.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Thirteen.”
Delia might have guessed older, but at this age, it could be hard to tell. Violet was nearing the age of graduating from the eighth grade and would be getting a job after that, anyway.
“And how does your daet feel about you asking me for work?” Delia raised her eyebrows.
Violet’s cheeks pinked. “He...doesn’t know.”
“I can’t very well give you work without your daet’s permission,” Delia said. “I’m sorry, Violet. As much as I could use some extra help around here right now...”
“You could let me start now, and I’ll ask him at dinnertime,” Violet said quickly. “He won’t mind, especially if he knows I already started. Then he’ll see that it’s just fine.”
Delia wasn’t about to be part of a girl manipulating her father, and she spotted a tall, lean man over by the fence. He pushed his hat back on his head. He had a full, dark married beard and his sleeves were rolled up to reveal tanned forearms. Was that Elias? He had broad shoulders and an easy way of standing that was familiar. She hadn’t seen him since his wedding twenty years ago, when he hadn’t grown his beard yet. He was three years older than she was, and Delia had just turned forty-one this year.
“Is that your daet?” Delia nodded over Violet’s shoulder.
The girl turned and her shoulders slumped ever so little. “Yah.”
“Well, let’s bring him over and sort this out,” Delia said. “I could use the help, and I’ll pay you for it, but I need his permission.”
Delia waved, and Elias leaned down and slid between the rails of the fence, then headed over in their direction with an easy swagger, and Delia repressed the urge to check her kapp with her fingertips. He’d certainly matured into a nice-looking man, she had to admit.
“Delia!” Elias smiled as he ambled up. “I see you’ve met my daughter.”
“Yah, Violet and I just met.” Delia smiled at the girl. “She’s a lovely young woman.”
