Free A Match For Addy (The Amish Matchmaker Book 1) by Emma Miller Page B

running-around time. But it wasn’t permitted in his community. He could honestly say that he’d never tasted alcohol and never wanted to. He had too much respect for his parents and the church teachings, and for his own body. But he had to admit that Charley’s unexpected suggestion of pairing boys and girls together during the singing and games was daring enough to be exciting.
    As Gideon lined up to be chosen for a team, he wondered which of the girls he’d have as a partner. He hoped it might be Lilly or even the sassy Violet.
    * * *
    As usual, Addy stood alone, watching as one couple after another paired up for the corn toss game. There were only three girls left: Ellie, Jane Stutzman and herself. Maybe, if Jane found a partner, she and Ellie could make a team. She was about to suggest just that to Ellie when Thomas came around the barn followed by the brothers Titus and Menno, and lastly, Gideon.
    “What? Did you start without us?” Thomas teased. “Who’s left?” Then he caught sight of the three of them. “I want Ellie!” he declared. She laughed good-naturedly and went to stand beside him.
    Titus motioned to Jane, and she hurried over. Their parents were friends, and although the two had never dated, they knew each other well enough not to be embarrassed. That left Menno and Gideon. Addy felt herself flush. It was clear that neither of them would have picked her if they’d had a choice.
    Please,
Addy thought.
Let it be Gideon, not Menno. Anyone but Menno.
When they’d been in the eighth grade, she’d confided to her mother than he’d been letting other boys listen to his battery-operated radio. That had been a mistake because her
mam
had overreacted, told the deacon and Menno had been chastised in front of the whole congregation. Menno had been put out with Addy for months, and while she was sure he’d gotten over it, the two of them had never known what to say to each other. Having Menno be forced to take her as his partner would be so awkward. Unconsciously, she held her breath.
    Menno looked around and took a step backward.
    Could anything have been worse? Addy thought. Why didn’t the ground just open up and swallow her? She should never have come. Her
mam
was right—she was too mature for youth singings. “You two partner up,” she said in an effort to avoid even more embarrassment. “I don’t really want to—”
    “Are you sure this is fair to the rest of us?” Gideon said loudly, cutting her off midsentence as he pointed at her and then himself. He turned to Charley. “You’ve probably heard that I’m the corn toss champion of our county. And anyone who’s ever watched Addy pitch corn to Sara’s mules should be worried. With Addy and me paired up as a team, nobody else has a chance of winning.”
    Laughter rippled through the group.
    Speechless, Addy stared at Gideon. Had he just bragged about himself? And about her? It was scandalous. No Amish boy that she’d ever known would have thought of boasting about his ability. It went against the core teachings of the faith. The common good, modesty and meekness were stressed. She hadn’t thought Gideon to be proud. He must have said that just to make her feel less conscious about being the last girl chosen. If he had, it was the nicest thing any young man had ever done for her. She smiled at him gratefully.
    Corn toss, softball and volleyball were some of the few sports where competition was encouraged. When she was in school, Addy had taken part in egg and spoon races, apple bobbing and sack races, but she’d never won anything. She could throw a softball fairly well, but she’d only played corn toss a few times. She wasn’t sure she could score well enough to help Gideon win.
    But he seemed to think she could. Either that, or he didn’t care whether she could play or not. The thought was overwhelming, but then she summoned all her courage and did something almost as shocking. She sucked in a deep breath and declared,