The next day, Rose entered the hospital alone and hurried to room 209. Today was the day that the doctor had said Mark might be released.
Rose poked her head around the doorway of Mark’s room and saw him sitting up in bed, looking brighter.
“There you are,” Mark said.
She walked to his bedside and then sat close to him on the bed. “Jah, here I am.”
“You don’t have to come here every day, Rosie.”
“Of course, I do. Tulip’s looking after the stall today and everything’s just fine. Are you getting out today?”
“Before I answer that, do you have any idea where my fiancée is?”
Rose frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“My doctor keeps talking to me about my fiancée. Tell your fiancée this, tell her that, this is something your fiancée needs to know. I’m just wondering where she is, that’s all.” He dipped his head when Rose giggled. “Have you seen her?”
“I told him we were engaged the first day you were here. I’ve run into him two more times and he thinks I’m your fiancée.”
“Oh, it’s you?”
Rose nodded. She figured she’d made him wait long enough. He’d always been honest and held nothing back. She took hold of his hand. “Mark, do you still want to marry me like you used to?”
“I’ve always wanted to marry you, Rosie, always. That’s something that’ll never change as long as the sun keeps coming up every morning and sets every evening.”
Peace swept over Rose and she knew in her heart that this man would never fail her or let her down in any way. She didn’t want to go on without him in her life. It had taken her some time, and certainly more time than her parents were happy about, to find the perfect man for her. “Will you marry me, Mark?”
He smiled and stared at her for some time before he spoke. “Are you serious right now, Rosie? Don’t joke with me about something like this.”
“I’ve never been more serious.” She leaned forward and placed her lips softly on his, knowing she was kissing her husband—the one who had been made just for her. She pulled back.
“We’re getting married, then, it seems.”
Rose smiled at him and all was right with her world. “I’m glad.”
“As soon as we possibly can?” he asked.
“Jah, very soon.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Rosie. That’s all. I don’t know why it took you so long to see that I was the man for you.”
“It probably shouldn’t have taken me so long, but it did.”
“None of that matters now that we’re together. This is the happiest day of my life.”
When she saw him blinking back tears, she laughed and fought back tears of her own. “Don’t you cry, or I’ll cry and I won’t be able to stop.”
“Cry? I never cry. Well, maybe just a little every time someone accepts my marriage proposal.”
Rose laughed. “Exactly how many marriage proposals have you given out?”
“Only ever the one. And I was right. I knew if I waited for you long enough you’d marry me.” He squeezed her hand.
Rose held his hand tightly while she thought back to over a year ago. He’d always said there was never anybody else for him. It didn’t matter now that he wasn’t tall and handsome. He was Mark, and that was all she needed. Contentment and peace flooded her heart.
Three months later…
Mrs. Nancy Yoder leaned against the wall of her house. This was the first wedding that had taken place at her home. She looked over at Mark and Rose as they talked to one another at their wedding table in the yard. Her oldest daughter was finally married, and if it hadn’t been for her pushing Rose, it might never have happened.
Mark had been an excellent choice of a husband for her daughter. She wondered why she hadn’t seen sooner how Mark was the one.
Nancy sighed. She was tired. She had just, with the help of five other women, served over three hundred people for the wedding breakfast.
It had been an exhausting eighteen months trying to get Rose married off. Firstly encouraging her, goading her, giving her ultimatums, and then leaving her alone. Now, her oldest daughter was finally married and she’d found someone who didn’t mind that she was so tall and gangly.
Her sons, Peter and Trevor, were married, along with Rose, so that left only Tulip, and then the twins, Daisy and Lily. She was halfway there; three children were married and three were left. With Tulip about to turn twenty, there was no time to waste. She looked around amongst the food tables set up in the yard, searching for Tulip. She finally saw her at the far end of the yard talking with three young men who appeared very interested in what she had to say.
“Ah, that looks like a fine start. I’ll wander over there and find out who they are.” She was pretty certain one was from their community, and the other two were visiting. In her ideal world, her daughters wouldn’t go far from home when they married. If she managed things just so, she would see to it that what she wanted came to pass.
When she heard a squeal and raucous laughter, she looked and saw the twins playing with children. Nancy shook her head. A trip to the bishop might be required for those two. Out of her four daughters, Tulip was her smart one, Rose was the soft and gentle one, and the twins—the twins seemed to be a lost cause. As Nancy walked over to Tulip, to find out more about the young men she was speaking with, Nancy shook her head about the twins—they were a puzzle for later.
Thank you for reading Amish Rose. I do hope you enjoyed it.
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Blessings,
Samantha Price
The next book in the series is:
Book 2 Amish Tulip
Now Rose has married, Nancy Yoder turns her attention to Tulip. Will Nancy need to be so forceful with finding Tulip a husband? After all, Tulip is her smart daughter.
While Nancy is occupied organizing community events, Tulip agrees to go on a buggy ride with someone her mother would not approve of, and then meets another man, Wilhem, who is exactly the person she imagined herself with.
How will she cancel the first man without hurting his feelings? What if Wilhem finds out that he was not her first choice?
Throughout Tulip's dilemmas, her younger twin sisters make things more difficult.
All books in the AMISH LOVE BLOOMS series:
Book 1 Amish Rose
Book 2 Amish Tulip
Book 3 Amish Daisy
Book 4 Amish Lily
Book 5 Amish Violet
Book 6 Amish Willow