Free Amish Treasures of the Heart by Sophia Grace

BOOK ONE also only 99 cents!

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 1.
     
    “Stop fighting me, Angus!” Ellie reprimanded her father’s horse for the umpteenth time. She had no idea what the animal’s real name was. Her father had neglected to tell her a lot of things before he’d left his farm to her. He’d promised her the horse was trained and obedient, but he’d never been one to keep his word.
    Frustrated, and sweating like a man, Ellie’s temper was overheating just like the rest of her. She’d practically made up her mind she was going to name the horse after Angus; not because she didn’t know its name, but because it would seem the horse had the same temperament as her father.
    The black gelding reared up and whinnied, flapping his gums at her as if to mock her.
    “You don’t like the name?” she asked him. “Then stop acting like him!”
    She crossed her arms and huffed. Ellie loved horses, but this animal had an attitude. She’d never handled a horse that wasn’t completely docile, and this one was trying her patience a little. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d relied on farmhands to do even the simplest of things such as harness the horses, but she’d never had to do it. She’d taken it for granted, and now that she was the sole owner of Angus’s farm, she would either have to learn, or rely on men for the rest of her life.
    She thought of Jake for a moment. The one man she could stand to rely on for the rest of her life, but he had no more idea how to harness a horse than she did. Wouldn’t they make quite the pair? They’d be the laughing stock of the community; both only half Amish, and couldn’t rely on their heritage to give them the same skills that full-Amish seemed to be born with. It had been a thorn in her side for some years, especially knowing that part came from Angus. Perhaps she had a little bit of his temper in her too, but not enough to get her into trouble like his temper had.
    “Let’s get one thing straight,” she told the horse sternly. “It’s not my job to pull this buggy; it’s yours!”
    The more she tried, the more restless the horse became. He shook his head and whinnied again, digging his hoof into the dirt. One heavy snort from him, and she knew the animal was not up to cooperating with her.
    Angus had taken his men with him. They knew the animals on this spread of land, and she would not likely survive without the hired hands she expected later in the day. Perhaps there was something to this farmhand thing. She certainly wasn’t getting anywhere with this horse, and if it was going to be like this every day, she’d be happy to have hired hands to do this for her when needed. Jake had offered to help, but she wasn’t certain she could handle being around him too long, or her attraction to him would become a problem.
    She reached for the horse’s nose, and he jerked his head up, whinnying his dislike for the situation. “I’m not going to hurt you, boy,” Ellie said gently. “I just want to hitch you to the buggy. Am I doing something wrong?”
    She’d seen Angus treat his stock with coldness and an impersonal manner, and she’d even gotten after him once as a child when she’d seen him snap a whip at one of the horses during training.
    Realizing the horse probably had not been handled on the friendliest of terms by her father, she rethought the name for this black beauty. His black mane was as shiny as the sun, and smooth as silk. She patted his neck, getting him used to her.
    Before long, he was tolerating her to the point she was almost able to touch his nose. “You’re just as black and shiny as a piece of coal,” she said, nuzzling his neck. “How would you like the name Coal?”
    The horse whinnied and bobbed his head as if to let her know he approved.
    She giggled. “Alright, Coal, let’s try this again. I’m going to harness you to the buggy, and you’ll pull me into town so I can pick up some supplies.