Close to Home by Emma Miller

Chapter 8

Mary's blunt refusal to ride home with Caleb made him reconsider attending the singing that night. At his age, he was too old for young people's gatherings. Most men his age were married.

He would be, too, if Susan hadn't eloped with Joe Miller in his Chevy truck. He'd felt like such a fool, but now, it didn't seem so bad. Better to find out who she really was before they wed.

Thinking about Susan over the past few months, he wondered if their relationship had been based on the wrong things. Susan had been fun and affectionate with a lively personality. She was an only child, so her father had offered Caleb his farm once they were married. Those eighty-five fertile acres were a dream come true for Caleb.

And yet he hadn't really known Susan. He never would have walked out with her if he hadn't believed she intended to remain true to their faith. Her decision to leave the Amish meant she'd been shunned by her family and community. Caleb wasn't certain if he could have refused to speak to her, but he never had to find out. She'd never sent him so much as a postcard. After her father received a photo of her in a tight red dress standing beside Joe in front of the Little Reno Wedding Chapel, he'd given his farm to a nephew.

Caleb had come to understand that losing Susan had been God's plan for him. What if they'd exchanged vows and she'd been so unhappy with him or the Plain life that she'd left the Amish anyhow? Where would that have left him? The church didn't allow divorce. Once married, a couple was married for life. If Susan had gone out into the world, she could have made a new life for herself, but he would have been trapped with no hope of a wife and family. Forever.

He hoped Susan was happy in the English world, but he never could be. His place was among the Plain People...with a woman like Mary. They'd been friends for a long time, he knew what kind of person she was. The trouble was, he didn't have a lot of time to convince her. His grandfather's letter had made that clear.

Clearly Mary was still angry with him for the spelling bee incident, even after all these years. He had to find a way to change her opinion of him. Maybe the singing, with all the other people looking on, wasn't the right place, though.

"I'm not going to the singing," Caleb told Menno as they walked down the driveway for more materials. "If Mary's not interested, there's no other girl that I want to drive home."

Menno frowned. "What's the matter, Caleb? Scared? The more that girls say they dislike you, the more they actually like you. I get that all the time."

"Mary might not even be there," he hedged.

Menno chuckled. "She'll be there. Count on it. And she won't be able to take her eyes off you."