He offers her his hand,
but will she ever take his heart?
When Levi Miller learns Eve Summy will be forced to marry
her would-be attacker or get shunned, he marries her instead. Now husband and
wife, but complete strangers, they must figure out how to live together in
harmony. But with Levi’s family questioning the motives for their surprise
wedding, getting to know each other—and possibly finding love along the way—is
harder than they expected.
About the Author
Emma Miller lives quietly in her old farmhouse in rural
Delaware amid fertile fields and lush woodlands. Fortunate enough to be born
into a family of strong faith, she grew up on a dairy farm, surrounded by
loving parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Emma was
educated in local schools, and once taught in an Amish schoolhouse much like
the one at Seven Poplars. When she's not caring for her large family, reading
and writing are her favorite pastimes.
Courting His Amish Wife by Emma Miller is a sweet uplifting tale. Eve’s story has a tragic beginning. Her stern father gives her a choice of marrying a man who attacked her or be forced to leave her home (what a choice). Eve is a woman of deep faith (also very naïve) and the last thing she wants to do is leave the Amish. Eve feels that if she is shunned, she will lose her faith. Levi Miller is a kind man who offers to marry her. These two strangers marry which, of course, leads to complications. They need to get to know each other while being surrounded by his large family in Hickory Grove, Delaware. Miscommunication, assumptions, and impatience abound. I laughed and smiled while reading this sweet story. I liked the faith elements in Courting His Amish Wife. God’s will, trusting in God, and forgiveness are some of faith lessons. I thought it was well-written with developed characters. There are some great characters in this story with my favorite being Rosemary, Levi’s stepmother. I look forward to reading the next novel featuring the Miller family. Courting His Amish Wife is a heartwarming story with a hardhearted daed, an affable family, a firm faith, sudden nuptials, and a sizable secret.
Through the trees, Eve spotted her father’s windmill and ran faster, ignoring the branches and underbrush that tore at her hair and scratched her arms and face. She took in great gulps of air, sobbing with relief as she sprinted the final distance. She had prayed to God over and over throughout the night. She had begged Him to see her home safely. Now the sun was breaking over the horizon, and she had made it the more than ten miles home in the dark.
Bursting from the edge of the woods, she hitched up her
dirty and torn dress, the hem wet from the dew, and climbed over the fence. In
her father’s pasture, she hurried past the horses and sheep, her gaze fixed on
the white farmhouse ahead. If she could just make it to the house, her father
would be there. She would be safe at last, and he would know what to do.
Trying to calm her pounding heart, Eve inhaled deeply. At
last, her breath was coming more evenly. She wiped at her eyes with the torn
sleeve of her favorite dress. She was safe. She was home. Her father would
protect her.
At the gate into the barnyard, she let herself through and
slowed to a walk as she neared the back porch. Her father’s beagle trotted
toward her, barking in greeting. Through the windows, she could see into the
kitchen where a light glowed from an oil lamp that hung over the table. Her
father and sisters and brothers would be there waiting for her. As she climbed
the steps to the porch, her wet sneakers squeaked. Hours ago, she had crossed a
low spot in the woods and soaked her canvas shoes.
She had almost reached the door when it swung open.
“Dat,” she cried, throwing herself at him, bursting into
tears. “Oh, Dat.”
“Dochter.” Her father grasped her by the shoulders, but
instead of embracing her, he pushed her back. “Where have you been?” he
demanded in Pennsylvania Deitsch. He looked her up and down, not in relief that
she was safely home, but in anger. “Where is your prayer kapp?”
Eve raised her hand to her hair to find it uncovered. “Oh,”
she cried. “I must have… I must have lost it in the woods somewhere.” She
brushed back her brown hair that had come loose from the neat bun at the nape
of her neck to fall in hanks around her face. She pulled a twig from her hair.
“Dat. Something terrible happened. I—”
“Where have you been all night?” he boomed, becoming angrier
with her by the second. “Who have you been with?” he shouted. “To sneak out of
my house after I forbade you to go? I should beat you!”
When she looked up at him, Eve realized she had made a
terrible mistake. It had taken her hours to find her way home. She had walked
and run all night, choosing the long way home because she had been afraid to
follow any main roads for fear Jemuel would find her. She had climbed fences,
been scratched by briars and been chased by a feral dog. At one point, she had
been lost and worried she had walked too far, or in the wrong direction. But
she hadn’t given up because she knew that if she could make it home safely,
everything would be all right.
But looking at her father’s stern face, at his long, thick
gray beard and his angry eyes that stared at her from behind his wire-frame
glasses, she realized she was wrong. She wasn’t safe. And perhaps she would
never be so again because she knew what her father was going to say before the
words came out of his mouth.
He pointed an accusing finger. “You will marry that boy!”
Amon Summy shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.
Eve lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she
prayed fervently to God again to help her.
Kris
The Avid Reader
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