Yvonne made it a point not to bring up the book until after they’d had coffee and ordered breakfast at the small café. She’d opted for a toasted English muffin and some fruit. She was surprised when Jake ordered the same thing. He had a tall, athletic build. She’d expected him to order the Hungry Man’s Special.
The ride to the eatery had been short and quiet, and Jake Lantz hadn’t said much since they’d arrived. He was hard to read, his expressionless, clean-shaven face a mystery. He’d clearly not been happy when she’d spoken with him about the book yesterday, so she was surprised he had agreed to breakfast so willingly.
Yvonne ran a finger around the rim of her coffee cup. She had carried the short conversation in the car, mostly questioning him about landmarks they’d passed. He had answered directly but without elaboration.
He’d set his straw hat in the chair next to him when they’d first sat. She wondered if he knew how flat his dark hair was on the top of his head.
“Are you always this quiet?”
“Only when mei guard is up.” He grinned a little, which caused Yvonne to smile.
“Hmm . . . Honesty. I like that in a man.” She was careful to sound complimentary and not seductive. Good old-fashioned charm wasn’t going to work on this guy. “But there’s really no need for your guard to be up. I understand perfectly that you don’t want to sell the book.”
“But you’re here to change mei mind.” He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes staying on hers.
She slowly took a drink from her white mug, then set the cup back on the red-checkered tablecloth. The café reminded her of places she’d seen on TV from the fifties or sixties, and she and Jake were the only patrons except for an older gentleman sitting at the counter eating a donut as he read the newspaper. She had given a lot of thought as to how she would approach Jake this morning. Being pushy wasn’t going to get what she needed. “I understand that you don’t want to sell the book because you made a promise to your grandfather.” She paused, found his eyes, and held his gaze. “I respect that.”
“Then why are we here?” He smirked again as he leaned back in his chair.
“The Amish man in Ohio—the one who told me the book might be at your bookstore—said something that has me curious.” She waited for a response, but Jake only raised an eyebrow. “He said that the book has healing powers for those who are spiritually lost. I wonder if that’s what makes it so valuable to my client.” Yvonne had no idea if George was a spiritual man. She’d only known him to be a collector of rare books. “I know that only a hundred copies were printed, but the contents must be extraordinary to demand such a price.”
“I don’t know of anything in the book that could make it worth the kind of money you’re offering.” He shrugged but avoided her eyes.
“You’ve read it, haven’t you?” She hadn’t meant to pose the question in a way that sounded accusatory, but she knew she had when he scowled.
“Not all of it,” he said before he took his first bite of muffin.
Yvonne thought for a few moments. “So . . . do your people believe in magic or superstitions?” It seemed unlikely based on the little she knew about the Amish.
He swallowed then glowered at her. “Ya, some folks might be a little superstitious, but we don’t believe in the kind of magic I think you’re talking about. As far as healing powers, that comes from God through the power of prayer.”
Yvonne was quiet. She needed to be careful and not get into a religious conversation, an area in which she had little expertise. Her question had simply been an attempt to learn more about the book.
She pinched off a piece of her muffin and put it in her mouth. After she’d swallowed, she said, “What should I tell my client? That y’all don’t want to sell because the book has healing powers? Or that you don’t want to sell because you made a promise to your grandfather? Because I have to tell you, neither one of those reasons sounds good enough to turn down a hundred thousand dollars.” She raised a palm when he opened his mouth to respond. “Wait. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I already said that I respect the fact that you want to honor your promise to your grandfather, but don’t you think he would want you to let go of the book for that kind of money? Maybe it has sentimental value attached to it, and he meant for you not to sell it for thirty dollars or something.”
“It doesn’t matter the amount. I promised him I wouldn’t sell it.” Jake slathered extra butter on his muffin, then added more grape jelly. “I told you that you’re wasting your time.”
Yvonne wasn’t authorized to offer more money, but she had to know if Jake was hiding behind the fact that he was smarter than he let on, holding out for more. “All right. I’ll go a hundred twenty thousand.” Her chest tightened as she wondered if George would go that high. She was pretty sure he would, but she’d never presented an offer without his approval.
His mouth twitched with apparent amusement. “Keep going.”
She tipped her head to one side as she eyed him, sweat starting to pool at her temples. “Are you toying with me?”
“What reason would I have to do that?” His smile was more of a mischievous grin now.
She recalled the basic information she’d read about the Amish. They were religious, didn’t use electricity, and rode around in buggies pulled by horses. At least that’s all that had really stuck. But in her mind, she didn’t see them as jokesters.
“A hundred and thirty,” she said barely above a whisper. “Final offer.” Nothing was ever final, but she needed to know where she stood with this guy. She already wondered how thin the ice was where George was concerned.
Jake stood up, walked to the counter, and took money from his wallet. When he returned, she said, “I invited you to breakfast, and I was going to pay.”
He had a toothpick in his mouth, which reminded her of a couple of cowboys who hung out in the parking lot of the feedstore near her house. “I was toying with you, so we’re even.” He sat back down and nodded at her half-eaten muffin. “No rush, though. Finish your breakfast.”
She bit off a small piece of the dry muffin, eying the butter and jelly. If she was going to fit in her wedding dress, she needed to be careful. And she needed to take her time eating as she plotted other ways to get this guy to budge.
“Okay, to be clear . . .” She paused, set down her muffin, and leaned back against her chair. “You’re turning down a hundred and thirty thousand dollars for a book you haven’t read because you are keeping a promise to your grandfather?”
His mouth thinned with displeasure. “We’ve already covered this.”
A tense silence emerged. Yvonne needed to get this man talking . . . about something. “Okay, point taken. But I traveled a long way to get here, so I might as well consider it a mini vacation before I go home. What is there to do around here? Any specific sights I should see while I’m here?” She awkwardly cleared her throat.
Jake stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded at her muffin. “That would taste a lot better with butter and jelly on it.”
Yvonne sighed. “Yep, it sure would. But I’m getting married in the fall and don’t need to put on any weight.” She stirred uneasily in the chair as he stared at her.
“I think you look just fine.” One side of his mouth curled into a partial smile, which was both sexy and alarming. Alarming because the comment sent her insides swirling.
“Thank you.” She put her hands in her lap so he wouldn’t see her fidgeting, and she wondered if her face was as red as it felt.
The silence began to lengthen between them, and Yvonne was once again caught off guard by her feelings of inadequacy around this man. He exuded a confidence she hadn’t expected, and for the first time she considered the possibility that she was going to fail at this mission.
She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “Are you ready to go?” she asked as she rose.
Jake nodded and followed her to the car. It was a quiet ride back to the bookstore, but Yvonne’s mind was still awhirl as she tried to think up some reason to spend more time with Jake. Maybe he would soften up and reconsider her offer.
“You never did give me a list of things of things to see while I’m here.” She wasn’t interested in sightseeing, but it was her only reason to stick around and figure out another way to get the book.
He turned to her just as Yvonne was pulling in the parking lot at the bookstore. “I can give you the short list of things we recommend to tourists. There’s not that much to do. We’re still growing when it comes to touristy-type things.”
“Sure. That would be great.”
He regarded her quizzically as if he wasn’t buying her faked enthusiasm.
“Maybe you could even take the day off and show me around?” She flashed him a big smile, which he shot down with a full-on frown.
Yvonne gulped. Or not.
* * *
Jake had way too much to do to spend his time entertaining an English woman he didn’t know. She was easy on the eyes, but he didn’t trust her, nor did he want her hanging around Montgomery for much longer. He was trying to think of a polite way to deny her request as he reached for the door handle. “Uh, I don’t think . . .”
His voice trailed off when he saw Eva talking to someone inside. He glanced at the tethered horse and buggy to his right, then peered through the glass window into the store, straining to get a better look. Eva was smiling and talking to John Yoder. Jake swallowed hard as his stomach clenched. John had finally come around. He was asking Eva out.
“It’s okay,” Yvonne said. “I’m sure you don’t have time to just take a day off on a whim.”
Jake couldn’t seem to pull his eyes from Eva and John. He was surprised how much it stung seeing them together.
He had one foot out the door when he turned back to Yvonne. “Uh, what? What did you say?”
Her head was down, and she sighed before she looked up at him with sad eyes. “I said I’m sure you don’t have time to just take a day off to spend with me.”
Jake glanced at Eva and John again, then back at the pitiful look on Yvonne’s face. This was a no-win situation. Spend the day with the English woman he didn’t trust. Or spend the afternoon with Eva pretending he wasn’t bothered by the fact that she was officially being courted now.
“Actually . . .” He took a deep breath before he turned to Yvonne. “I think I can spare a day for you. It’s the least I can do since you traveled all the way from Texas for nothing.” He tried to smile when she did, but his eyes were drawn back to Eva and John. He finally swung the car door open. “Let me just go in and tell Eva.”
Yvonne got out of her car and leaned against it. “I’ll wait out here. I need to check my emails.”
“To properly show you our area, I think we should probably take mei buggy. Is that all right with you?” He expected her to be unagreeable, but her eyes lit up.
“That would be great.”
She kept punching buttons on her phone, and Jake walked with heavy steps up the sidewalk. When he entered the store, Eva stood behind the counter with John facing her from the other side. John looked over his shoulder, then smiled as he walked toward Jake and shook his hand.
“Where is the Englisch woman?” Eva brushed hair from her face as she looked around Jake. “Ach, there she is. Why is she standing in the parking lot?”
“I told her I’d take her sightseeing, but I just wanted to make sure you’d be okay by yourself for most of the day.”
Eva opened her mouth but snapped it closed, then pinched her lips together.
“Did everything go okay while I was gone?” Jake rubbed his chin, wondering what was on Eva’s mind. He also wondered how long John had been there.
“Uh . . . ya. Go ahead and have fun.” Eva plastered on a big smile, but Jake had a sinking feeling in his stomach that she was lying, which wasn’t like her.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” He decided not to mention their planned reading session later, even though he’d seen a container of what appeared to be chicken and dumplings in the refrigerator earlier. Those plans and the meal were before John had shown up, and he didn’t want to interfere with anything John might be planning. Even though his heart constricted when he thought about John and Eva together. He’d always known it was a possibility, but he hadn’t expected to react so strongly when the reality presented itself.
As he avoided Eva’s eyes, he focused on John and pointed over his shoulder. “I’d better go.”
* * *
Eva watched as Jake and Yvonne left in Jake’s buggy. Breakfast must have gone well, she assumed. Yvonne was smiling from ear to ear, and Jake even grinned as he turned the buggy around and headed out. Perhaps Eva had been wrong to think her boss wouldn’t fall for a fancy English woman. She wondered if maybe Yvonne had talked him out of the book. Maybe he’d agreed to sell it to her after he read it.
Eva had considered telling him about how frightened she had been when the two men came into the store earlier, but he might have felt like he couldn’t leave her alone. She didn’t want him to stay out of duty.
John smiled and waved a hand in front of her. “Earth to Eva. Are you okay?”
Eva quickly averted her eyes from the buggy leaving the parking lot and focused on John. “I’m sorry.” She bit her lip. “I had a couple of men in here early this morning that made me nervous. I was trying to decide whether or not to tell Jake.” She shrugged. “I’m sure they are long gone, and I didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t leave me alone in the store.”
John straightened, squaring his muscular shoulders as he frowned. “Did they threaten you or anything?” His eyebrows narrowed above dark eyes as a muscle in his jaw flickered slightly. John was incredibly good looking, and Eva had heard the rumors that he wanted to ask her out. She hoped that wasn’t why he was here, but she feared it was since he’d never come into the bookstore before.
She shook her head. “Nee. They didn’t cause any harm.” She paused, sighing. “I think I judged them based on their looks, which is wrong, but there was just something about them that I found unsettling.”
John rubbed his chin, his eyes still squinted. Prior to Jake showing up, they’d only engaged in small talk about the weather. Now John seemed to be contemplating something. Was it about the men she’d described, or was he about to ask her out?
“Do you feel safe? I’m on my way to pick up supplies for a job, but I can stay with you until Jake returns.”
Eva shook her head. She’d grown up with John, and they often spoke at worship services and during the meals afterward, but this was the first time he’d come calling, and Eva wanted him to get to the point. She had been thinking about how she would respond to a date request since he first walked in the door, in case the rumors were true.
“I’ll be fine. Really.” She smiled at him as she pressed her palms against the counter. “Are you here for anything specific? A book? A gift for someone?”
John cleared his throat as his face took on a pinkish tint, and Eva was sure this was it. He was going to ask her out. “I was wondering if you might want to have supper with me tonight or tomorrow night?” One corner of his mouth lifted, which made him even handsomer. Under different circumstances, she would have gladly accepted his invitation, but Eva’s heart belonged to someone else. That someone just didn’t know yet. And because of that, she couldn’t exactly confess her feelings about Jake to John.
“Ach, John, that is so nice of you to ask me to supper.” She forced herself to smile, hoping it might soften the blow. “But I committed to working overtime for Jake tonight, tomorrow night, and . . . I don’t really know for how long.”
John scratched his cheek as he stared into her eyes. Eva was pretty sure he didn’t believe her. “Ya, okay. I understand.”
She wanted to tell him that he didn’t understand at all, that she needed to spend this extra time with Jake to see if he cared about her the way she cared about him. Reading by the dim light of a lantern in the basement would provide an intimate environment and deviance from their normal routine.
“Maybe I’ll check with you in a few days, and maybe you’ll be through working overtime?” John’s smile was gone, replaced by the sadness of rejection. Eva felt badly about that, but she didn’t have the heart to do anything but agree to his terms.
“I think that would be just fine.”
“Great. Gut.” He tipped his hat, the half smile returning. “Then I’ll see you in a couple of days or at worship service.” He gave her a quick wave before he turned to leave, and she responded with a smile and wave.
After he left, Eva rushed toward the back of the store to use the bathroom, but she hesitated as she passed the basement. She went to the large wooden door and turned the handle. As always, it was locked, so she continued on to the back room, envisioning Jake and her reading together by the light of the lantern later. Somehow, she had to get Jake to see her as a mature woman, someone who had deep feelings for him. Or was it too late? Had the English woman suddenly dug her hooks into him? And, if so, why? Was it all an effort to get him to sell the book, or were her intentions shifting the more she was around Eva’s handsome boss?
* * *
Jake had expected Yvonne to be hot and miserable during the bouncy ride in the buggy, but the woman was all smiles, a far cry from the serious persona she’d displayed since her arrival. Every few minutes, she’d lean her head back, the breeze blowing her brown hair across her face, wearing a smile that was contagious. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses, but the rising sun beaming down on them didn’t seem to bother her. It was almost enough to keep Jake from stewing about Eva and John.
As Jake kept the horse in a slow trot, the animal decided to do his business. Yvonne turned to him and pinched her nose closed with her fingers. She laughed. “Trade hazard, I guess.”
When she wasn’t being pushy about buying the book, she was quite pleasant to look at and be around. When she smiled, it seemed to transform her personality as a more childlike enthusiasm took over. Maybe she was exactly what he needed today—a distraction.
“I’m not sure where to take you, but there is the school for our district.” He pointed to the one-room schoolhouse to his left, and she quickly snapped a picture with her phone, which she’d been doing a lot of since they’d left. “The horse can only go around twenty miles, so we are a little limited as far as sightseeing. I just wanted you to have the whole sightseeing package, buggy ride included.” In truth, Jake had thought she drove a little too fast in a vehicle she wasn’t familiar with.
She tossed her head back again before she looked at him. “I think this is great, just driving around the countryside. It’s so different from where I live.”
“Do you live in a big city?” Jake had been to Indianapolis, Bloomington, and some of the larger cities in Indiana. He didn’t like any of them. Too many people, everyone in a hurry, always traffic, and a general sense that the world had more people than it could handle.
“I live on the outskirts of Houston, so I’m not right in the middle of the hustle and bustle, but it’s a far cry from the peace and serenity here. It’s hotter in Texas too.”
He turned onto a side street and slowed down. “That’s the library for our district.” He pointed to the tiny structure that stood next to a shop that sold fabrics, kitchenware, and other odds and ends. The door was open, and inside sat a little boy and a small dog.
She gasped. “I’ve seen closets bigger than that. Wow.” She turned to him, grinning. “It’s not bigger than my closet. I don’t have a very big house.”
Jake recalled her saying she was getting married. “Will you move in with the man you are engaged to after you’re married, or will you be purchasing a new house together?”
She snapped her fingers. “Ah, and that is the million-dollar question. We’re not sure.”
Jake tried to picture the type of fellow Yvonne might be marrying, even though he didn’t know the woman at all. “What does your future husband do for a living?”
“Well, in his words, he’ll tell you that he dillydallies in a bunch of different things, but that’s because he’s modest. He gathers investors for projects he’s passionate about. Right now, he’s working to build a gym for underprivileged children. Don’t get me wrong, he makes money, but everything he does benefits our community.”
“He sounds like a gut man.” Jake was seeing a softer side of Yvonne.
She turned to him, her face aglow. “He really is, but . . .” She shook her head a couple of quick times. “Never mind. You’re right. He is a good man. I guess I’m just nervous about getting married.” She squinted her eyes at him. “That’s normal, don’t you think?”
“Ya, probably. I’ve never come close to getting married.” Jake heard the regret in his voice, so he was sure she did too.
“Can I ask you something? It’s kind of nosy.” She cringed a little.
Jake put the reins in one hand and scratched his nose. “Nee, maybe don’t.” He grinned. “I think I like you better like this. Not nosy or pushy, just having a gut time.”
“Hey!” She playfully slapped him on the arm, which made him chuckle.
“I’m just kidding. What would you like to know?” He held his breath and silently prayed it wasn’t about the book.
“You said you’ve never come close to getting married. You must be . . . twenty-four? Twenty-five?” She paused, frowning. “I read online that your people usually get married fairly young, some even as young as seventeen. Why aren’t you married?”
“Ah, a tourist who has done her research.” He nodded as he turned down a street that would take her past some of the prettiest farms in their area. “I’m twenty-five, and I just haven’t found the right person.”
“Hmm . . .” She turned her face away from him. Jake couldn’t see her expression.
“What does that mean . . . ‘hmm’?”
She was quiet for a few moments. “Nothing. Just acknowledging what you said—that you haven’t found the right person. I must admit . . .” She looked his way and dropped her sunglasses down on her nose, revealing hazel eyes that twinkled in the sunlight. “I assumed there was something between you and your employee, Eva.”
This was the second time someone had inferred that he and Eva should or might be a couple. First his mother, now a stranger. “What makes you say that?”
She shrugged. “Just by the way she looks at you. And she is stunningly gorgeous.”
Jake couldn’t argue that point as he fought the vision of Eva and John together. “Eva is great, and I agree that she is very pretty. But . . .” He shrugged, trying to make light of a situation that was brewing as he spoke. “That fellow that was inside talking to her at the bookstore is John Yoder, and I’ve known for a while that he planned to ask Eva out.”
Yvonne’s sunglasses were still down on her nose as she peered over the rims. “Does that mean you’re out of the running?”
Jake was pretty sure he was. Stepping aside was the honorable thing to do. “We’re just friends, and she’s a great employee.” He wanted to change the subject. “How long have you known your fiancé?”
She pushed her sunglasses back up her nose. “Three years. We had our first date the same day we met. I was in a library researching a book I was looking for, and he walked in to talk to the librarian about the children’s area in the library. It was small, and he’d arranged to expand it, offering the children more seating and making it overall more kid friendly. I overheard them talking.” She chuckled. “I knew nothing about library expansions, but this man intrigued me, so I interrupted their conversation and made a suggestion regarding the renovations.” She laughed again. “It wasn’t even a good suggestion, but we ended up going to dinner that night to discuss it, and the rest is history.”
“And it took you three years to get engaged?” Jake looked her way.
“Yeah. I wasn’t in a big hurry. I mean, I love Trevor, and I have for a long time, but it took me some time to wrap my mind around the fact that I’d be in a permanent partnership. Would I lose my independence? And how do you know you’ll love the same person for the rest of your life?”
Jake waited, assuming the question was rhetorical, but when she didn’t say anything else, he said, “I guess marriage is a leap of faith in some ways.” He smirked. “Although I’m obviously not an expert. But I think when two people commit to each other, and the union is blessed by God via marriage, that love grows and evolves. Every married person I’ve ever known said it takes work.”
“But should it? How much work should it take?” She frowned. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to bail on him or anything. I’m just . . . a little nervous, I guess.”
“I think that’s probably normal.” He wasn’t sure he was being honest. Wouldn’t true love withstand a bout of nerves? Shouldn’t it?
She turned his way, pushed her sunglasses up on her head, and cocked her head to one side as she peered at him. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I don’t even know you, but you’re easy to talk to. Even though you are totally ruining my career . . .” She grinned. “But I’m having a nice time.”
“Far be it for me to ruin your career.” He paused, sighing. “Can’t you just pick out a different book?”
She burst out laughing. “So, the Amish have a sense of humor?”
“We try.” Jake had always wondered why his people had been typecast a certain way in the eyes of some English—as serious all the time, never joking around, and with little personality.
“Well, thank you for offering to show me around.” She took off her sunglasses and clutched them in her lap as she leaned her head back, the wind catching her hair again.
Jake took in her profile, the loose tendrils of hair blowing wildly in the wind, gently whipping color into her cheeks. Her full lips were sightly parted, and her eyes were closed. He was pretty sure she was a few years older than him, based on the way she presented herself—a maturity that came with age. He’d noticed the laugh lines fanning out from the corners of her eyes, even though they did nothing to deter from her looks.
“You’re welcome,” he said softly, surprised that he was also having a nice time, especially after seeing John in pursuit of Eva. “There’s a place I’d like to show you, but it’s a bit of a haul in the buggy. We’d probably have to stop a couple of times to let the horse rest.”
She turned to face him. “I’m happy to go anywhere with you, anywhere you’d like to take me.”
Jake forced a half smile as he nodded. His experience with women was limited, but based on the sultry sound of her voice, the way she batted her eyes at him, and the smile that stretched across her face . . . Jake was pretty sure the book broker was flirting with him.