Free Where Love Grows by Jerry S. Eicher Page A

were lost in their own world, and they surely had much to speak of. Not only because of their long separation, but also because of the many changes that had occurred.
    Maurice could have easily rejected her daughter for abandoning their life in the city, pushing her away because of the choices she’d made. Yet, instead, the two were reaching out to each other in a way they never had before.

C HAPTER E IGHT

    T hat afternoon, as Thomas Stoll drove his buggy south on the gravel road, the rays of the setting sun flooded the side of his face. He squinted, turning his head before pulling down the rim of his hat. Troubled thoughts raced through his mind. Susan had finally invited him to stop by their place this week. But why hadn’t she done so sooner? Was she having doubts again? He would be best man for Teresa’s side of the family at the wedding, so this should give him quite a solid footing with Susan for the foreseeable future. And he was taking her home from the Sunday hymn singings again.
    A smile crossed Thomas’s face. He settled back into the buggy seat as the sun went behind low-hanging clouds on the horizon. Things would be in an uproar of busyness when he arrived at the Hostetler place. The wedding preparations were in full swing, so perhaps he should offer to help with the work this evening. A little thoughtfulness on his part couldn’t do any harm, and it might just warm Susan’s heart toward him all the more.
    Thankfully this was finally happening. He had apologized often enough for the brief attention he’d paid to Eunice. And for the kiss, which he never should have done, of course. Thankfully Susan hadn’t learned that while she was away in the Englisha world he’d gone on a date with Eunice. That itself was a miracle of sorts in this tight-knit community. Perhaps he should have told her about that date. It might have helped soothe Susan’s hurt feelings sooner if she’d known he had pursued his attraction to Eunice just to make sure they were only a passing fancy. And that’s how it had turned out.
    Susan was the woman he wanted to marry. He’d wanted to marry her since his early teen years. They would have been married already if Susan had accepted his explanation about Eunice and hadn’t overreacted. There never had been a reason for Susan to rush off to the Englisha world like she had. Everyone knew the Englisha offered no better solutions to matters of the heart than what the community had to give.
    Thomas slowed down as the Hostetler farm came into view. The fields were laid out behind the barns in long, even squares, the corn almost ready for harvest. The hayfields were already in their second cutting. Menno had hired a new man for the summer—a situation Thomas hoped was temporary. First, because he should rightly be living on the farm this summer, learning how to farm by working alongside Menno. It wouldn’t be long before Susan’s father, due to his advancing age, might not wish to put the energy into training someone who hadn’t grown up on a farm. But he had always dreamed of owning a farm, expensive as they were. He would have to pay Menno a fair price after Susan and he were married. He couldn’t afford to make many mistakes in his farming practices because they could be costly. Things like crops planted on the wrong week. Hay cut when the weather wasn’t right. Ruined hay could mean a winter spent having to purchase feed for the livestock, taking a serious cut out of the farm’s profit margin.
    That, of course, explained why Menno wanted a hired hand until Susan was married. Steve no doubt helped not only with the labor, but also with minimizing the risk of mistakes.
    Thankfully, Susan seemed unaware of the sideways glances Steve was giving her at the hymn singings or the way Steve’s face lit up when she spoke to him. How Susan failed to notice was hard to imagine, but hopefully this was a good sign.
    Susan was