Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio Read online

  BY ANNALISA DAUGHETY

  SummeRSIde

  PRESS

  Love Finds You in Charm Ohio

  © 2009 by Annalisa Daughety

  ISBN 978-1-935416-17-3

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

  All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Scripture quotations marked nkjv are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  The town depicted in this book is a real place, but all characters are fictional. Any resemblances to actual people or events are purely coincidental.

  Cover and Interior Design by Müllerhaus Publishing Group, www.mullerhaus.net

  Published by Summerside Press, Inc., 11024 Quebec Circle, Bloomington, Minnesota 55438, www.summersidepress.com

  Fall in love with Summerside.

  Printed in the USA.

  Dedication

  To my mother, Vicky Daughety, who stood behind me every

  step of the way and always encouraged me to follow my dreams.

  You’ve always been my hero. I love you, Mom!

  To my grandparents, H.B. & Ermyl Pearle. Your house has

  always been one of my favorite places, full of love and laughter.

  I love you both!

  Special Thanks

  Special thanks to: Connie Troyer, Susan Downs, Rachel Meisel,

  Sandy Gaskin, Christine Lynxwiler, Jan Reynolds, Megan Reynolds,

  Lynda Sampson, and all of my co-workers at NFT—especially

  Emily Joyner and Mandy Scherer.

  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

  PHILIPPIANS 4:13 NKJV

  THE COZY VILLAGE OF CHARM, OHIO, IS NESTLED AMONG the rolling hills of Holmes County, home to the largest Amish settlement in the world. Originally called Stevenson, the town acquired its own post office in 1885 and officially changed its name. Many tourists come to Charm each year to take in the beautiful scenery, visit an Amish farm, eat homemade food, stay in quaint B and Bs, and enjoy the clip-clop of passing buggies. Charm’s local businesses cater to visitors and offer a variety of handmade Amish goods including quilts, artwork, and furniture. One of the most popular is family-owned Keim Lumber, which has been in business for nearly a century. This 120,000-square-foot hardware and lumberyard store employs many Amish and Mennonite craftsmen. Visitors also enjoy home cooking at Grandma’s Homestead Restaurant, gifts and souvenirs from Charm General Store, quilting supplies at Miller’s Dry Goods, and beautiful Amish craftsmanship at Ole Mill Furniture. Over the second weekend in October, at the height of Ohio’s beautiful autumn season, the town hosts its annual Charm Days, a festival with a heart. Proceeds from Charm Days fund an organization whose mission is to assist local families in need. For these reasons and more, many folks find that the small country village of Charm truly lives up to its name.

  Chapter One

  Emma

  The bright red convertible zoomed down the highway, and Emma relished the way the warm, salty breeze felt against her skin. A glimmer of the Pacific Ocean caught her eye as she rounded a sharp curve. With the next gust of air, her white kapp blew from its place atop her head, and her wavy auburn hair was set free in the wind. The sensation startled her, and she laughed as she reached for the radio. The loud sound of rock music surrounded her, and she could feel the beat pulsing through the leather seat. As the sparkling ocean came into her view, she noticed a familiar figure standing on the roadside, waving her over to the side of the road where he stood. He lowered his designer sunglasses and gave her a slow, lazy grin.

  Johnny Depp.

  “Going my way?” Emma asked in what she hoped was a sultry voice.

  Johnny gave her another smile and jumped in the passenger seat without even opening the door. “Be my date to the Oscars?” he asked as she put the car into gear.

  “I’d love to!” she exclaimed and pointed the convertible toward the Hollywood sign.

  “Emma. Emma? EMMA!”

  Emma Miller slammed the People magazine closed and tossed it onto the desk as if it were the hot potato and she didn’t want to be put out of the game. One glance into the narrowed eyes of her sister, Abby, told her she was in trouble. Again. The only bright point in the familiar scenario was the satisfaction that the frequent frowns Abby bestowed upon her sister would certainly cause her to be old and wrinkly first. And as the older one, Emma took great delight in the thought.

  “One of the students brought this to school today, and I confiscated it,” Emma explained. “I was just looking through it to make sure there wasn’t anything so bad in it that I might need to talk to his parents about.” And to see what the movie stars had worn on the last red carpet. “I guess he picked it up from a tourist or something.”

  “Really? So that’s why you didn’t come home? I was getting worried when you didn’t meet me for our chores.” Abby sounded as miffed as she looked. As the always-punctual sister, she seemed to see Emma’s tardiness as a personal insult.

  “Sorry.” Emma didn’t sound sorry, even to her own ears. But for once, Abby let it slide. Emma decided to try making nice. “Did you have a good day at work?”

  Abby worked in a quilt shop in town. “Jah. It was a good day.” She narrowed her eyes at Emma. “Until you forgot to come home.”

  They stepped out into the early May sunshine. Their family buggy waited outside of Pleasant Creek School, where Emma taught. “I’ll drive.” Emma started toward the buggy.

  “No way. I don’t have a death wish.” Abby rushed past her, hopped in, and grabbed the reins. “You never pay attention to where you’re going.”

  One little buggy accident and she wants to banish me to a lifetime in the passenger seat. “Fine. But I’m just as capable as you.” Emma climbed in beside her sister. “And you know it was the horse’s fault.”

  Abby let out a tiny snort. “Of course it was.” Her mouth turned upward in a smile as she turned her blue-eyed gaze to the road ahead.

  Emma sank back against the hard black seat and listened to the familiar clip-clop of the horse’s hooves against the pavement. Lately, it seemed that each day was a repeat of the previous one. She glanced over at Abby. A tendril of her pale blonde hair escaped from her kapp, its corkscrew curl bouncing with each step the horses took. How did she manage to stay so content?

  A cyclist caught her attention as he pedaled toward the horse and buggy. The man on the bike was clad in a bright turquoise jersey and black cycling shorts, the late afternoon sunlight glinting off his shiny black helmet.

  Emma waved and turned around backward in her seat, watching him speed away.

  “Emma. Turn around right now. You’re acting like a silly girl. What would people think if they saw you behaving that way?”

  Emma faced the front and furrowed her brow. “I was just watching him. It isn’t a crime.” She knew she should be ashamed of herself for purposely upsetting her sister. But sometimes Abby’s perfection drove her crazy.

  “You should only have eyes for one man and you know it. Jacob is wonderful. You should be the happiest girl in town.”

  If you only knew.

  Emma knew she shouldn’t question things. She should strive to join the church, marry a nice Amish man, and raise a passel of well-behaved Amish children. It all sounded so good. And to someone like Abby, it really was a dream lifestyle. But for Emma…well, for Emma it wasn’t quite that simple.

  Day in and day out, she saw the same old pasture fences surrounding neig
hboring farms. Boring. Emma wanted to experience a life outside of her small community. She wanted to drive a sporty car and wear designer jeans. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to have short, highlighted hair like she’d seen in the magazines at the checkout lines whenever she got the chance to go to town. But Emma knew as well as anyone that those feelings were way out of place in Shipshewana, Indiana. Even though she tried, she couldn’t help but wonder what else the world might have to offer.

  She took another glance at the fence near her home. If the fence protects me, as I’ve always been taught, why do I feel more like it’s keeping me in?

  Abby pulled the buggy around to the barn.

  “Thomas!” Abby called. “Can you put the horse and buggy away?”

  At twelve, their brother was already making plans for what he would do when he had his own buggy. But for now, he was content to take care of theirs.

  “Sure.” Thomas dropped the shovel he’d been holding and bounded over. Caring for the horses was his favorite chore.

  Chores were a way of life for Emma, just as they were for all her Amish neighbors. But she knew she’d never be as accomplished at keeping house as Abby. When they were younger, she’d speculated that their parents must’ve picked her up on the side of the road as a baby. There was no way she and Abby belonged in the same family.

  Abby emerged from the house with an overflowing laundry basket. With her creamy skin and rosy cheeks, she reminded Emma of a porcelain doll. “We’d better get busy if we want to get finished before dark.” She grabbed a white cotton shirt from the basket. “If you’d paid attention to the time, we’d already be halfway through by now.”

  Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. At least they had hanging out clothes down to an art. Ever since they were tall enough to reach the line, Abby had held the clothes up and Emma had clipped them in place.

  “Just think. Someday soon, you’ll be doing laundry for your own family,” Abby bubbled. “I just know that you and Jacob will get married, and before you know it, you’ll have a home to care for.” She pulled an apron from the basket and shook it out. “Isn’t that exciting?”

  Emma held the clothespin ready but didn’t speak. She’d been toying with the idea of telling Abby the truth. Maybe it was time to come clean. And maybe, if her feelings were finally out in the open, she’d be able to shake the anxiety that had been building inside her lately. She clipped the apron into place and took a deep breath. Now was as good a time as any. “I don’t know if I would want to marry Jacob, even if he asked.” Emma slid down to the ground beside the basket of clothespins and shut her eyes, waiting for the response she knew was coming.

  “What? Have you lost your mind?” Abby dropped the sheet she was holding and stared down at her sister, a look of horror on her face. “What’s the matter with you?”

  Well, for starters, I’ve been unhappy for a while. And no one seems to notice or care. Why hadn’t she tried to sugarcoat her announcement? She’d known Abby wouldn’t take it well. “No, I haven’t lost my mind. I’m having second thoughts, though. About everything.” Emma played with the tie on her kapp, wondering how much she should share. “Jacob is a great guy. Believe me, I know that. We’ve grown up together.” She shrugged. “He’ll make a wonderful husband.” A sigh came from her mouth of its own volition. “For someone.”

  Abby opened her mouth to speak, but Emma cut her off. “That’s not all.” She chewed on her lip for a second, willing herself to just get it out. “I love my family. I love the people in this town, who’ve known me since I was a baby. But the truth is—I’m not sure it’s what I want for my life.”

  Emma threw herself back on the ground and stared up at the sky. If only the lush green grass could swallow her up. Or even better, turn her into someone more like Abby.

  Chapter Two

  Abby

  Abby Miller never got angry. Irritated, yes, but never angry. And for her entire life, it had almost always been Emma who’d caused the irritation. But listening to Emma go on and on about leaving her life behind made Abby seethe.

  “Emma, Jacob is the perfect man. You have a wonderful life here. Would you seriously think about giving it all up?” Abby tried to keep her voice steady. She didn’t want Emma to know just how upset she was.

  Emma let out a huge sigh. “Sometimes, yes. I think a lot about giving it up.” Her brown eyes filled with tears, and Abby immediately regretted her anger. Her sister was hurting. How had she missed the signs? Even though they didn’t always understand each other, they’d always shared everything.

  Abby watched Emma as she lay in the grass, looking up at the blue sky. She remembered when they were kids and they would spread a quilt in the backyard then stretch out and look up at the sky, finding shapes in the puffy white clouds. Things sure were simpler then.

  “See that?” Emma pointed out a white line, high in the sky. Abby could barely make out the airplane in front of it. “The other day in class, Ike Bellar raised his hand and asked me how a plane stays up in the air and if it feels like you’re going really fast when you’re in one.”

  Abby gave her sister a tiny smile. Ike was one of Emma’s favorite students, and she often entertained the family with stories of his schoolhouse antics.

  “I couldn’t answer him. Because I don’t know how it feels. I’ve never been in an airplane, and I never will.” Emma propped herself up on her elbow. “Neither will anyone else in our family. And sometimes I get very frustrated about those things.” Sadness washed over her face like rain. “And sometimes I want to book the first flight out of here.”

  Abby felt as if she’d been stung. “You shouldn’t think about things like that.” She reached for a clothespin and began snapping it. “You were born here.” Clip, clip. “You belong here.” Clip, clip. “You have a wonderful life, and if you’ll act right, it will be an even better life when you become Jacob’s wife.” The clothespin flew from her hand.

  “I know you think the world of Jacob. I do, too. But I can’t change how I feel.”

  Abby felt so weak, she wanted to lie down in the cool grass and forget the words her sister had said. Instead, she snatched another apron from the basket. “It’s more than just Jacob. You’re talking about leaving your family behind.” She looked down at the sister who exasperated her so much, and a lump rose in her throat. “Leaving me behind. And for what?” She shook her head. “Adventure?”

  Emma slowly rose to her feet. “I’m sorry, Ab. I’m not sure what to say.” She fastened the apron onto the line, but Abby could tell her mind was a million miles away. “It’s just a feeling inside me. Like there’s a storm brewing inside my stomach and brain.”

  Abby could relate to that. Her own stomach felt like a whirlwind was spinning through it. She automatically reached back into the clothes basket.

  Emma touched her arm. “Please don’t mention it to Mamm or Dat. They have their own worries. I’ll deal with things on my own. It’s my life and I’m a grown woman who is capable of making her own decisions.”

  Even though her sister had always been a little rebellious, Abby had never doubted that she’d make the right choice in the end. But after hearing her today, and seeing the torn expression on her face, she wasn’t so sure. She intended to do whatever she could to make sure Emma didn’t make a decision that they’d both end up regretting. “Okay, if that’s what you think is best.” She forced a lighthearted tone past the lump in her throat. “But remember, you have a family who loves you. We don’t want you to ‘jump the fence.’ ” She grabbed the last piece of laundry from the basket and held it to the line for Emma to clip.

  “Abby! Emma!” Mamm called from the house. “It’s time to get supper on the table.”

  As they started toward the house, Emma stopped and turned toward her sister. “Promise me that you won’t say anything to them.”

  “I’m not happy about it, but I won’t tell.” Abby held the door open and watched her sister walk down the hallway. Their dat had always said
his girls were exact opposites. From the way they looked, to the way they acted, it had been that way since they were babies. Even so, Emma was her best friend. And the thought of her going away and not returning made Abby feel like she’d been kicked in the stomach. She’d seen it happen to other families. The hole left by a family member who chose to go into the world never really filled, no matter how much time passed.

  She was determined to find a way to prevent Emma from making what would be the biggest mistake of her life. Maybe all her sister needed was a little change of pace. A plan already forming in her head, Abby hurried to the kitchen.

  Chapter Three

  Kelly

  Kelly Bennett put one last pair of shoes into her new Louis Vuitton suitcase. Did her dad really think that expensive new luggage would make up for missing her college graduation? Regardless of the reason behind the gift, she had to admit it was nice luggage. Certainly better than the tattered L.L. Bean backpack she’d been using. Was it really only one summer ago when she’d been backpacking across Europe without a care in the world? Things had sure changed since then.

  She glanced around the empty dorm room. It was just a shell of the colorful, vibrant room it had been for the past four years. Once all the posters and photos were off the walls and the matching bedspreads were packed away, it was really a sad-looking place.

  “You ready?” Her roommate Michelle rushed in, her cheeks flushed from the heat. It had taken them many loads to get all their things downstairs. Moving was always exhausting, especially without a lot of help. Thankfully, Michelle’s parents had stayed after graduation and offered the use of their SUV.

  “This is the last of it.” Kelly zipped the suitcase. “I can’t believe this day is finally here.” She lifted the suitcase off of the twin mattress and placed it on the floor.