“You don’t have to make your case to me,” Adel said. “Lydia is wonderful.”

  “She’s a little stubborn, too...” Bonita blushed.

  “A good thing in this situation,” Adel said. “If they hit it off, there will be a lot of learning between the two of them. He’ll need a strong woman.”

  Bonita exhaled. “Yah... Well, let’s go join them now.”

  Bonita led the way, and Adel followed. They pulled up some chairs, and Adel met Jake’s gaze. He pressed his lips together.

  “So what work did you do when you were...over the fence?” Lydia asked.

  “I worked at a factory,” he replied. “It was pretty good pay, and I liked my coworkers a lot.”

  “Oh...” Lydia glanced over at Adel, looking mildly panicked. Had they run out of things to talk about already?

  “Jake is working to put his uncle’s farm back together again,” Adel supplied. “He’s quite passionate about the barn roof.”

  “Are you?” Lydia asked.

  “Uh—” Jake nodded. “Maybe not passionate so much as wanting to replace it. The barn is in pretty good shape. It’s a strong building, but it won’t stay that way with all the leaking going on. The supports will rot.”

  “True,” Lydia said. “When will you do it?”

  “When it’s mine,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of time and effort into fixing things up, but I can’t put any more personal money into it if it won’t be mine. Whoever owns that land will replace the roof. I’m just hoping it’s me.”

  “And the house?” Lydia asked. “How is it?”

  Jake’s cheeks reddened a little bit. “It’s...in need of work.”

  “Hmm.” Lydia wouldn’t ask too much about it, or it would look like all she cared about was the farm.

  “Lydia won a quilting contest at the fair,” Adel said. “She’s very skilled with a needle.”

  “Nice!” Jake smiled. “Congratulations. You must like quilting, then?”

  “I like crocheting more,” she said.

  Jake fell silent. This was getting very awkward. Adel reached out with her foot under the table and gave Jake’s boot a nudge. He looked over at her, surprise on his face, then he smiled.

  “Do you want to show me something you’ve crocheted? Honestly, I’ve never learned much about it. My mamm—” He swallowed. “She didn’t crochet much. She did more sewing. That I can remember, at least.”

  “Of course I’ll show you.” Lydia pushed back her chair. “You don’t seem hungry.”

  “I’m kind of nervous,” he replied.

  “The spare room upstairs has become a sewing room,” Lydia said. “Come up with me, and I’ll show you what I’ve been doing.”

  Bonita cast Adel a questioning look and Adel shrugged.

  “They’re both adults,” Adel said softly as the two disappeared up the stairs. “And well-behaved adults, too. Trust me, Jake is looking for a wife. Listen.”

  The soft murmur of their voices came down the staircase, and then through the ceiling from above. Adel found herself straining to make out words, but she couldn’t.

  “How is it that you’re acting as matchmaker for Jacob Knussli?” Bonita asked. She nudged a plate of cookies toward Adel, and she took one. It was a buttery shortbread, and she chewed and swallowed before answering.

  “The bishop asked me,” she said. “I was surprised, too, but honestly, Bonita? I’d love to do more of this.”

  “You should be finding yourself a match,” Bonita said with a wink. “You’re very young, you know.”

  “Oh...” Adel shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I’m not looking for a husband.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re thinking about getting our young people married. Definitely keep my daughter in mind, even if this match doesn’t work.”

  There was something in Bonita’s voice that made Adel give her a questioning look.

  “You think it won’t work?” Adel said. “Give them some time. They have to break the ice.”

  “The most relaxed that man ever looked was when he was looking at you,” Bonita said. That was similar to what her sister had told her about the way Jake gazed at her. She might need to warn him that he’d best stop that, or he’d come across as interested in the wrong woman.

  “He’s nervous,” Adel said. “This is a big step—getting to know a woman in hopes of marrying her that quickly. Of course, he’s not at his best. In fact, he’s normally quite charming. He chats for hours. I think it’s a good sign if he’s a bit nervous with her.”

  Bonita gave her a funny look, but didn’t say anything.

  The floorboards overhead squeaked, and Jake’s boots could be heard on the staircase coming down.

  “It was so nice to meet you,” Jake was saying. “Properly, I mean. Thank you for the tour.”

  Jake and Lydia came back down into the kitchen, and Lydia was looking at Jake uncertainly. Jake looked over at Adel and met her gaze meaningfully. He was ready to go, it would seem.

  “Well—” Adel forced a smile. “We’ll be in touch, and everyone can talk and see how they feel...” Adel shot Lydia a smile. “Your baking is amazing, Lydia. I know if I ask for the recipe, I’ll never be able to repeat it.”

  “Oh, you’re too kind,” Lydia said with a blush, but she did grab a paper bag from a drawer, and she filled it with baked goods. “For the drive home.” She handed it to Jake.

  “Thank you. I do appreciate it.” He held the bag in both hands. “Goodbye. So nice to see you, too.” He gave Bonita a smile.

  After a few more cordial farewells, Adel followed Jake out to the buggy. He walked faster than her, and while she boosted herself up into the seat, he saw to the horse’s feed bag. When he joined her, he dropped the paper bag between them. Adel leaned forward and waved to Bonita and Lydia, who both stood on the step side by side.

  Jake flicked the reins and turned the buggy around. He exhaled a slow breath as they rattled up the drive toward the road.

  “So...” Adel felt a little tightening in her chest. “What did you think of Lydia?”

  * * *

  Jake leaned back as the buggy rattled up onto the main road, and he let out a slow breath. It was a relief to be driving away, and every yard the buggy moved, the better he felt. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that family. They were good Amish people, and the home had been immaculately kept. The baked goods in the bag next to him were going to be absolutely delicious if he could relax enough to actually eat them. He was looking for a wife, and Lydia was painfully appropriate.

  He looked over to find Adel’s gaze locked on his face.

  “Uh—” He swallowed. “She’s a lovely person.”

  “She is,” Adel agreed. “I wouldn’t have brought you otherwise.”

  He nodded. “And she’s very nice.”

  “Oh, Jake, now is not the time for politeness!” Adel said. “I won’t give a word-for-word report back to anyone. As your matchmaker, I need to know your honest thoughts. Could you make a life with her?”

  Could he? He tried to imagine coming back to his farmhouse and finding Lydia inside. There would be delicious cooking, he was absolutely sure. The house would be clean like the one they’d just left. And Lydia would be there waiting for him in her neat cape dress and crisp white apron. Lydia. A very nice woman.

  “I probably could...” Jake sighed. “She’s a good cook. She’s moderately attractive. She seems to be good with crochet and quilting. If she got her hands onto a house, it would be put in order in no time.”

  Adel nodded. “Yes, a very good point. She’d be good with needlework and she knits some really beautiful blankets, too.”

  As if he cared about the intricacy of her needlework, or the quality of the lap blankets. Maybe he should care about those things a bit more, but he didn’t. Jake needed to be reasonable here. He was looking for a good woman to marry in a ridiculously short amount of time. And Lydia checked all the boxes but one.

  “Her mother remembered you from when you helped cut their grass when her husband was injured,” Adel said. “And they’d accept a quick marriage for their daughter. They’re a very nice family, if you recall.”

  “Their son is Mordecai Speicher, right?” he said.

  “Yah—he was in our grade.”

  “I didn’t like him much...”

  He could almost hear Adel rolling her eyes beside him. And he knew he was grasping at excuses here.

  “What’s wrong with her brother?” Adel asked. “He owns a trinket shop in town. He does quite well, actually.”

  “He was always kind of pompous,” he replied. “I don’t know. I didn’t like him. That’s all.”

  “Are you telling me that he’s an obstacle for you?” Adel asked. “Would you like to see him again and see if you could manage being related to him? I’m sure I could set up a visit.”

  “No, no,” he said with a shake of his head. “That’s not necessary.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?” Adel asked.

  He looked over at her, a sense of relief flooding through him. If this was left to his feelings, he wasn’t going to know the right step. But someone with some perspective would be incredibly helpful. That was what matchmakers were for, wasn’t it?

  “Yes,” he said. “I really do.”

  “I think she’s strong enough to keep you in line,” she said.

  Jake met her gaze, and then laughed. “Are you serious?”

  “Deadly,” she replied. “She’s very strong in the faith, and she knows right from wrong. She also doesn’t take any guff. I think she’d be good for you.”

  “So... You think I need that?” he asked. “Is that a real worry here?”

  Adel cast him a wry smile. “You’re a rebel, Jake. Rebels need someone who stands up to them. Lydia would do that.”

  “I think you stand up to me just fine,” he said.

  “I do,” she said. “Because I’m not cowed by your charm or good looks. But I’m not going to be around day in and day out to keep you in line, am I?”

  Jake chuckled. “Okay... So opposites can be good for each other.”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes, and Jake wondered if he was being too picky. Lydia was a very nice woman, and besides one obnoxious brother, she came from a very nice family. He was the one looking for a wife, so what was his problem here?

  “So what’s the matter?” Adel asked, mirroring his thoughts.

  Jake reined the horse in at the four-way stop, then proceeded around the corner, a little faster than usual, Adel was jostled against him as the wheel hit a rock in the road, and her warm arm pressed into his side. He put a hand out instinctively and caught her fingers in his.

  His heartbeat sped up, and for one eternal moment, her hand clasped in his, he felt a tug toward her so strong that it shocked him. No! This wasn’t the woman who was available. Was this just some way of sabotaging himself?

  He let go of her hand and when he allowed himself to glance at her face, the stern stare was gone, and she was looking at him questioningly. Great. He’d seem foolish if she knew what he’d just been thinking.

  “We need to nail this down so I know how to proceed,” Adel said.

  With Lydia. Right.

  “I don’t think she’s the one for me,” he said. “I mean, she’s perfectly pleasant, talented, nice-looking...”

  He glanced over at Adel. But Lydia wasn’t as beautiful as this woman beside him. And he couldn’t bring himself to open up with Lydia—not naturally. He’d felt quite open with Adel from their first meeting—even with Adel doing her best to keep him at arm’s length. And that ability seemed rather important in a marriage.

  “What?” Adel asked.

  “I think Lydia deserves a man who thinks she’s wonderful,” Jake said. “She deserves a man who wants to steal a kiss with her.”

  “The kisses would come in time,” Adel said.

  “You think?” He wasn’t convinced of that.

  “I’ve been married,” Adel said gently.

  “And I haven’t, so you’re the expert here,” he admitted.

  “At first, I was shy and uncertain, and then one day, about a week after our wedding, things just relaxed with us. It does take a little bit of time, Jake. No one goes from modest discretion to marriage without a little bit of transition.”

  “Don’t they?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Nope. The first year of marriage is all about adjusting. And that adjustment looks different for every couple.”

  But he was assuming that the grooms in these marriages at least wanted to kiss their wives. As nice as Lydia was, he couldn’t imagine kissing her.

  “It’s just that I don’t feel any kind of spark with her,” he confessed. “Like...any spark at all. I don’t think anything would suddenly ignite a week after the wedding like it did for you. You fell deeply in love, Adel. It took you some time, but that was real, honest love.”

  She froze, and he realized his mistake the moment it was out of his mouth. Adel hadn’t told him that. Her sister had. He looked over at her and winced.

  “Naomi told me that,” he said.

  Adel sighed. “Did she, now.”

  He could hear the annoyance in her tone, and he couldn’t help but grin at her.

  “Your sister knows you, Adel. Be glad of that.”

  “She doesn’t need to make sure you know me just as well as she does,” Adel retorted. “I’m your matchmaker, not your match!”

  True. If Adel was his match, it might be easier. He could imagine kissing Adel, and he could imagine enjoying it very much. He felt his face heat, and he pulled his mind away from the brink.

  “The point remains,” Jake said, “there was something really special between you and Mark. And I don’t feel that with Lydia. I don’t even feel the beginning of that...”

  Adel nodded. “That’s fine. It’s good to know that there isn’t something specific that’s wrong. If it’s a matter of a spark, maybe my next introduction will be more successful. Do you want to go meet her now?”

  “Not really,” he said with a faint smile. “I think I just need to unwind a while before I meet the next one.”

  “That’s fair,” Adel said, and she suddenly broke into a stunning smile. “You look downright terrified, Jake.”

  “That’s amusing?” he muttered.

  “It’s a relief,” she said. “I hope you’re scared—at least a little bit. It means you’re finally seeing how serious this choice is.”

  He saw the sign for the bed-and-breakfast approaching. If only he had more time, or the days could stretch just a little bit longer as he got his balance.

  Wife hunting was turning out to be the most stressful thing he’d done in his life.

  Chapter Six

  When Adel got back into the house, the kitchen was clean, and it still smelled of vegetable soup from the tourist groups who came through. They always served a delicious soup with crusty bread and butter from the Petersheim Creamery that made the most delicious butter blends in Pennsylvania. A note lay on the counter in her sister’s familiar handwriting.

  Both tourist groups have come and gone. They went well! Dishes are done—as you can see. Ha, ha! I’m going to help Maria with her garden for a couple of hours, and I’ll stop by the creamery for our butter order. You don’t mind starting dinner, do you?

  There was no signature at the bottom, and there didn’t need to be. It was just as well that her sister had gone out. Adel’s mind was still on the introduction with Lydia. It would seem that Jake was truly not interested in pursuing more with Lydia, but maybe she should hold off on telling Lydia that for a few days. Perhaps he’d circle back around later, after some time to think.

  Being a matchmaker sounded lovely when it came to finding marriage matches for people, but she wasn’t looking forward to telling the ones who weren’t chosen the bad news. What could she tell Lydia—that Jake simply didn’t feel a connection? Granted, it could go the other direction, and a woman who did interest Jake might not be interested in return. The path to love was fraught with disappointment, and she would be not only the bearer of good news, but of bad, as well.

  And then there was the unsettling fact that she was actually feeling relieved that this introduction hadn’t worked. What did this say about her? She’d been so certain that she was ready to step into the role of matchmaker, and when faced with a handsome man in want of a wife, she was feeling jealous of the women who might interest him?

  Gott, wash my heart out, she prayed. I want You to use me, and I’m being petty! Help me to stop feeling this way. It isn’t about me, and I know that.

  She pulled a chicken out of the icebox and deposited it into a roasting pan just as the side door opened. Jake came into the kitchen and he glanced around.

  “I gave the horses the extra feed a bit early. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, I appreciate it. Thank you.” He didn’t have to do that, but it was sweet of him to insist. She went to the windowsill where she grew some herbs and plucked some twigs of thyme and parsley.

  “Chicken dinner tonight?” Jake asked.

  “Yah.” She cast him a smile. “I thought we could all use a comforting meal.”

  “Do I seem a little shaken?” he asked, but she heard humor in his tone.

  “A little bit,” she admitted. “Tomorrow morning, we have another appointment. This one is with Delia Swarey.”

  “Delia... She was married to Zeke Swarey for years,” he said.

  “He passed away,” she replied. “Two years ago. He got lung cancer.”

  “I didn’t hear about that.” He sighed. “That’s too bad. And she’s looking for a new husband?”

  “She’s ready to consider it, yah,” Adel replied.