The snow crunched under Abram’s feet as he sprinkled salt on the three steps that led to the café’s back door. He blinked and then opened his eyes wide in the cold air to wake himself up. Getting up before sunrise was never easy, no matter how many times he did it. The world was finally getting lighter around him, although the sun hadn’t risen yet. He had already been to the café, back home, and returned to the café this morning. Sidewalks were salted, and baked goods were in the gas oven. But the generator was out, so all of Skylar’s beloved coffee machines were down. He could use some of the coffee Skylar was currently making by a pour-over method.

“I’m really hoping this won’t take too long. Denki for coming, Daed.”

Daed had a Phillips screwdriver in hand, removing the cover to the generator. He’d already tried all the tricks of starting a generator. “Glad to help. If I can’t figure it out, Mark will be along in a few minutes. He knows more about these gas generators than I do, but he and Emanuel are fixing something on the milk-cooling tank first. Machines get finicky in cold weather.”

A horse-drawn rig pulled up behind the café and headed down the snow-covered gravel path toward the hitching post. Abram set the bag of salt beside the steps. “I’ll be back.” He went toward the carriage, and when it stopped, he opened the door.

Cilla grinned. “Morning, Abram.” Her sweet voice shook out some of his sleepiness, as if her smile was a strong shot of caffeine.

“Guder Marye, Cilla.” His eyes met hers, and he saw the possibilities of his future unfold before him. As he helped her down, he wondered if she was thinking about the same thing he was, that tomorrow was Valentine’s Day and their first official date night. Part of the reason he was so tired was because he couldn’t sleep for thinking about it and the kiss they’d shared last week.

He was as bad as a kid at Christmas. They would drive to the Sunday evening singing and then leave together, making their burgeoning relationship public, at least to the other singles and chaperones.

Aware of his Daed being not more than fifteen feet away, Abram tried to keep the conversation sparse. “The generator is acting up. Daed came by to take a look at it. Mark will be joining him soon.”

“Ah.” She began removing the rigging from the horse. “That means Skylar is probably having to be creative with making coffee.” She led the horse to a small pasture while Abram lowered the staves of the carriage to the ground. She patted the horse, peering around it. “How about I bring you each a hot cup in a few minutes?”

“That sounds great.” Abram couldn’t look at her without smiling and daydreaming, not just about their first date, but about what life would be like if they proved to be as connected as it seemed they were.

“Gut.” She gave a little wave as she entered the café.

“Abram, ready?” Daed’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and Abram realized he had been staring at Cilla for a moment longer than was socially acceptable.

He shook himself out of the reverie. “Ya, let’s see if we can figure out what’s going on.”

Daed had the cover removed, and he looked the machine up and down. Abram was a roofer and apparently a bit of a chef, but he had no idea where to begin looking for a problem on an engine. He wasn’t sure Daed did either.

After a few moments Daed took a step back. “I think we’ll have to wait until Mark gets here. I don’t see anything obvious.”

“Ya, I’ve got nothing.”

Daed leaned against the brick wall of the building, looking at his feet. “You and Cilla?”

“Ya. Well, sort of. Our first date is tomorrow.”

Daed pursed his lips and nodded. “After working together all these months, I guess you two know each other pretty well.”

Something was on Daed’s mind. “I think so, at least far more than most who are going on a first date, right?”

“Are you two sort of set on a path?”

“Unless something unexpected derails us, ya.”

Daed released a long sigh through pursed lips. “Listen, Son, marriage is a serious commitment, a much more difficult and complex relationship than any single person can understand. Marrying someone with a serious illness will make you appreciate the good times more, but it’ll also make the hard times heavier.”

“You disapprove?”

“Nee. I’m just asking you to think. Look at how difficult things get with your married siblings and your Mamm and me. Imagine the excitement and the fever pitch of wanting her don’t exist. Imagine she’s done the unthinkable or you have—like what your Mamm and I did that caused Skylar and Ariana to grow up in the wrong homes. Stop romanticizing your life and be real. That will take some effort, and you won’t really come even close, but try. Spend weeks trying, and when you see the relationship without those things, when you can imagine living year in and year out with each other’s weaknesses, if you still believe a relationship with her is worth it, then stay on that path. But if you have doubts, end it.”

“Way to ruin the fun first date, Daed.”

“Ya, well, it’s all fun and games until the real pressures of life hit. I’d marry your Mamm again. I think she’d say the same, but I’ve seen a lot of bad marriages in my day. There were red flags before they were married, but everyone was too smitten to pay heed. I’m begging you to pay heed.”

“Did you have this same conversation with Salome, Malinda, Abner, and Ivan?”

“I did.”

“Ariana?”

“Not yet. I’m not sure I need to have it. Her relationship with Rudy is being tried in the fire already.”

A soft cough made them both look up. Mark was standing nearby, and it seemed neither of them had noticed his arrival. “Sorry. I parked around front and walked. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“I’m glad you’re here, because we can’t figure out what’s wrong,” Abram said.

“I agree about Ariana and Rudy’s relationship being tried in the fire,” Mark said. “Unfortunately, Daed, it’s sort of a flame you started even though you didn’t mean to. I don’t know whether you can put it out at this point, but you should try.”

“I love Ariana.” Daed’s brows furrowed. “And I’m trying to get her in line with the very things she used to respect.”

Mark crouched, looking at the motor of the generator. “But you keep at her, and you’ve let others keep at her, and yet when you discovered Salome and Emanuel were going to break their oath and leave during the night, taking their five children with them, you didn’t say or do anything to them. You just swept it under the rug and behaved as if none of it ever happened.”

“I was plenty upset about that, but Salome is a grown woman. Ariana is still under my protection as an unmarried child.” Daed looked from Mark to Abram.

Mark stood, wiping his hands on his pants. “Daed, do you think Bishop Noah is holding himself to as high of a standard as you are expecting of Ariana?”

“I see it differently. When you have a daughter you’re trying to safeguard, we’ll talk about this.”

“I’m all for safeguarding her,” Mark said, “but it seems you slipped into safeguarding other things, and it’s being done at her expense.”

Daed’s eyes were wide. “Have you forgotten all she’s done wrong?”

“No one will ever forget, Daed. It’s a story that will be passed down to her children and grandchildren, much like the story of the clinic burning down the day she, Abram, and Skylar were born. Only one of those two stories should’ve been made public. Only one.”

Daed stepped nearer to his older son. “Bishop Noah is our leader, appointed by God to keep our community on the right path. I’m following his lead.”

Mark shook his head and looked at his father. “Daed, I’ve overheard the bishop talking to you in years gone by. I won’t mention anything specific, but how can you have such unwavering support for a man who clearly thinks himself better than you—and at the cost of dividing your family?”

Daed paced, looking heavenward. He turned to face them. “I…I don’t know. All I know is I’m trying my best to be loyal to our ways. The situation is impossible.”

“Daed,”—Abram stepped forward—“if you don’t know the answer, stop pushing your children to accept your answer.”