“Her name is Mary. She let me court her in order to get another man’s attention. And once she’d done that, she jumped into his wagon, so to speak. Their wedding is coming up.” She’d used him, and when he’d realized that, he also understood how all the girls he’d used to feed his ego must have felt.
“Oh...that’s terrible,” she said. “And I agree. You might have had it coming.”
Her confirmation stung, but he wasn’t going to be derailed now.
“It struck me that I might be fishing with the wrong bait,” he said.
“What?” she asked.
“Well...my daet used to take me fishing, and he said, if you want trout, don’t use catfish bait.” Arden leaned forward to check his mirrors and took a firmer hold on the reins as a car passed them. “You’re right—I know how to flirt. I know how to get a certain type of girl to like me. But I’m missing something when it comes to finding the kind of woman I need.”
“Hmm.” She pressed her lips together again. “I don’t think you should be using bait at all.”
Easy for her to say. She was on the receiving end of the romantic attention.
“That’s naive of you,” he replied. “You’re gorgeous. Men trip over themselves just walking past you. You think that’s how things work—you just stand there and men line up. Well, it’s not the same for men. We don’t just stand there and wait for women to line up for us. We have to go out there and compete for your attention.”
“Is that how it works?” She squinted over at him, and he shook his head ruefully.
“Yah, Sarai, that’s how it works. So I’d better be able to set myself apart from the other men competing for women’s attention. That’s the challenge.”
“I didn’t think of that,” she murmured.
Had she really never considered what it took for a man to approach a woman? She chided him for being a flirt, but it took guts to put himself out there. Men got rejected again and again. Sometimes, it hurt more than others. Like with Mary—that had hurt deeply.
“So...no advice?” he asked.
She eyed him silently. She wasn’t going to help him, was she? And maybe he didn’t blame her. He had a lot to make up to her father, and maybe she knew... But before he left Pennsylvania, he was going to pay the man back. He’d have his conscience clear, at least.
“Sarai.” Arden smiled over at her hopefully. “Would you be my teacher while I’m here and show me how to attract a good woman? Then I’ll leave and never bother you again.”
Her cheeks pinkened a little bit, and she looked away. “Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“That smile. That exact smile. Don’t you use that on me.”
He sighed and dropped the coaxing smile. She’d never fallen for his charms. “Sorry. But will you? This is an old friend asking for your help. I need a quality woman who will work hard with me, be okay with me making less money and be faithful to the family we create. That’s what I’m looking for—a woman with character, who will stand by me. And I’ll stand by her, too.”
“You’ll stand by her?” Sarai asked. “Because I won’t be partner to you tricking some poor unsuspecting girl in Ohio.”
“Of course I will,” he said. “I’m looking for marriage now. This is about the rest of my life. I’ll be honest and good to her. I promise you that.”
Sarai sighed. “Fine.”
“That’s a yes?”
“I will help you learn to attract a good woman.” She eyed him warily. “But you’d better drop your flirting ways, Arden Stoltzfus, because it won’t do you any good with a woman like that.”
“Lesson number one,” he said. “And if you catch me flirting by accident, I want you to reach out and smack me.”
Sarai burst out laughing and she cast her glittering gaze over him.
“Reach out and smack you?” she laughed. “You have my solemn promise there, Arden.” His heart skipped a beat. Sarai was stunningly beautiful—she always had been. And she was smart enough to see straight through him. That was a downright intimidating combination.
Chapter Four
Sarai settled back in the seat as Arden flicked the reins and the horse sped up, the buggy rushing along the pavement. The houses on either side of the road had debris covering their yards, but the damage didn’t seem half so bad as at Mammi Ellen’s house. One yard had a length of tarp hanging from one tree, and another had a row of bicycles all knocked over in a heap. She leaned forward and waved at a neighbor who was outside with a rake, cleaning up the twigs and leaves that covered her lawn. The older woman waved back.
But the sun shone bright and warm, and the air smelled of sweet summer grass, and if it weren’t for the wind damage, she’d never know a storm had passed through their area at all.
“You said Ohio has been difficult. Has your family considered moving back to Pennsylvania?” she asked.
“No. We moved out there for a purpose,” he replied.
“I know, I know. You were starting up a new Amish community. I understand that. But it wasn’t so hard for your family here, was it?”
“No, not so hard at all,” he agreed. “But my mamm and daet truly believed that Gott wanted us out in Ohio. Mamm said it was like Gott calling Abraham. An adventure.”
“You could come back on your own,” she said. “I’m sure you could find a job here.”
“I could, but it would leave everyone out in our community in Ohio on their own,” he said. “Gott called our family. That included me.”
“I can appreciate that,” she said quietly. She felt that tug toward some change and adventure, too. Was it from Gott? She couldn’t say for sure and certain. But it was the kind of tug that wouldn’t leave her alone. She was ready for more.
Town was quickly approaching, traffic growing busier along the two-lane road, which broadened to four lanes as they got closer still. A car passed them on the left, and Sarai instinctively leaned back, out of sight. Summer meant more tourists—which was a blessing for the businesses that relied upon the visitors to their area, but it could be trying, too. Traffic was thicker, and a parking spot could be harder to find. At least she wasn’t the one with the reins today.
That thought drew her eyes to Arden’s strong hands, the leather reins hanging loosely down one palm. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, revealing his tanned, well-muscled forearms. She looked quickly away.
