Free A Marriage of the Heart by Kelly Long

there was something infinitely soothing about the stack of pancakes that was placed before him, steaming with goodness and light as air. He toyed with his fork, wondering whether to take a bite or just ask to see Rose alone for a moment first.
    “Eat up, sohn ,” his future father-in-law urged him. “And tell us how you’re feeling with that wrist and ankle. Rosie wasn’t quite straight on how it all happened.”
    Luke caught the daggered look Rose threw him across the table and decided she was still mad enough. He also had no clear idea how to answer her father. He took a careful bite of pancakes and smiled at Mrs. Bender. “Wonderful.”
    “Ach, ya,” Mark agreed with him.
    Mrs. Bender gave a quick nod at their appreciation. “ Danki . Eat hearty—there’s plenty more,” she said, moving back to the stove.
    Luke cleared his throat and looked back to Mr. Bender as Rose arched a delicate dark brow in expectation of his response. He knew that look; it was a blatant challenge. He’d seen it enough when she’d dared him to climb higher in the old oak or to ford a rushing stream. He gave her an enigmatic smile.
    “I’m feeling much better today, sir. And, of course, it really wasn’t Rose’s fault.” He took a sip of his coffee as he let his words sink in and watched Rose turn to him across the table with a surprised glare.
    Ben looked up from his cup. “Not Rosie’s fault, you say? What exactly did happen?”
    Luke shook his head. “ Ach , I’m not one for telling tales on my future bride.”
    James laughed. “ Ya , but she’s still our sister and narrisch in her ways. Go ahead and tell.”
    “ Ya , Luke,” Rose murmured through tight lips. “Do tell, but don’t leave out the bit about your behavior. I mean, just because we’re to be married doesn’t mean that we should . . . well . . .” She broke off helplessly, and Luke almost choked on a laugh as the attention of the whole table now turned with quiet interest in his direction. His Rose could give as gut as she got.
    Mr. Bender fixed him with a wary eye. “Perhaps we should have the whole story then.”
    “ Ach , by all means,” Luke returned easily. “But I’ll let Rose begin.”
    The attention of the table swung back like a pendulum to Rose as she gave Luke a saccharine-sweet smile. “Certainly, Daed . We were in the woods together, Luke and I, near the old shack. You remember that tumbledown place about a half mile back on the Lantz property? Well, the sun was shining and the day was young, and Luke thought that the place might actually be a nice place to . . .” She paused. “Won’t you go on, Luke?”
    “ Ya , go on,” Mr. Bender suggested, tapping his empty kaffee cup against the wood of the table.
    Luke shrugged and took another bite of his pancakes. “I thought it might be a fair spot to build a house for Rose and me—you know, far enough away from everyone for a newly married couple, kind of a pretty spot. I suppose it was foolishness, but I wanted to surprise her with it.”
    “But I thought you were going to live with—” Mark broke off quickly when Luke gave him a quelling glare.
    Then he smiled at the table at large. “You’ll no doubt thinkit was too forward of me to want to lead Rose into the place, to imagine the fire in the old fireplace, the placing of furniture, and where best to carve her windows for light.”
    Mr. Bender cleared his throat and gave a gusty laugh. “I think that’s just fine, sohn . Just fine.”
    Aenti Tabby smiled, her eyes misting, and Rose’s brothers were momentarily silent. Then James harrumphed in disappointment at the tale. “Well, what wasn’t Rose’s fault then?”
    Luke shook his head with regret. “ Ach , she wanted me to test the roof.”
    The men groaned as one and turned to stare at Rose with accusation. “The roof, Rosie?” her father asked in disbelief. “How could you do that to a man?”
    Luke watched Rose open and close her mouth like a beautiful, gasping fish;