God's Gift of Love Read online

  God’s Gift of Love

  Amish Christmas Baby

  Amish Brides of Faith’s Creek Book 4

  Amish Romance

  Sarah Miller

  ©Copyright 2015 Sarah Miller

  All Rights Reserved

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to others. If you wish to share this book, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and it was not purchased then, you should purchase your own copy. Your continued respect for author's rights is appreciated.

  This story is a work of fiction any resemblance to people is purely coincidence. All places, names, events, businesses, etc. are used in a fictional manner. All characters are from the imagination of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1: Gabe

  Chapter Two: Katie

  Chapter Three: Gabe

  Chapter Four: Katie

  Epilogue

  More Books by Sarah Miller

  Bonus Preview – Amish Baby Hope

  If you love Amish Romance, the sweet, clean stories of Sarah Miller you can join her for the latest news on upcoming books http://eepurl.com/bdEdSn

  Introduction

  Welcome to God’s Gift of Love, this is a complete standalone book but it is book 4 in the Amish Brides of Faith’s Creek Series. If you wish to read the books in order you can find the first two of the Schrock brother’s stories at these links

  A Time to Heal http://bit.ly/1Q0090V

  Miriam’s Amish Dream http://bit.ly/1jXiPmc

  Coming Home - A Return to the Plain Life

  The books do not need to be read in order but I thought I would put the link here in case you had missed them and wanted to do so.

  God bless,

  Sarah

  Chapter 1: Gabe

  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

  - Romans 10:17

  It was going to be a cold winter. The breeze bit into Gabe’s skin, wiggling into the tiny openings of his clothes. The sky was a solid, sleet gray. Gabe’s fingers were nearly numb as he pulled the horse to a stop in front of Old May’s house.

  Old May, almost seventy years old. Until recently she had got her milk from the creamery but Gabe knew she was struggling. So he had arranged for milk deliveries from the Schrock farm. Stepping off his buggy, he stretched his shoulders and thought back. His brothers were too busy with their wives and children to do deliveries -- that was left to Gabe, who was still alone.

  Alone in his parent’s big, empty house. It got so quiet at night, so cold. Gabe hadn’t intentionally delayed getting married, but his bed was still empty. His heart felt empty sometimes too, even with his family, and with God. What was there to get up for in the morning? The family farm, of course, but no one to greet him when he awoke, no one to hold, no one to make a family with.

  If only Katie. . .

  Gabe shook his head, trying to dispel the familiar thoughts. Why had she come into his mind so much lately? He hadn’t seen Katie for years, but in the last few weeks, she’d been on his mind constantly. Her warm brown eyes and soft face had arrived in his dreams, or at times like this, when he least expected to see her. Many nights he had prayed on this, but all he got in return was a vision of her beautiful face and an aching loneliness.

  She had married another man from a different district, though, and he hadn’t seen her for two years. He had nary heard a word about her.

  Gabe carried the bottles of milk up to Old May’s house and put them down on her porch. He knocked on her door and then rubbed his hands together. Perhaps she’d let him in so he could warm up before going on his way.

  Perhaps he’d ask how Katie was doing. After all Old May was her aunt, even though they now lived in different districts.

  He heard a few shouts inside, female voices, and Gabe wondered who could be here with May. Since her husband died five months ago, she’d lived alone, though last he heard, her children were seeking to remedy that. Maybe they had already.

  The door opened, and Gabe saw the last face he’d expected to see.

  Katie Lantz.

  Her brown eyes widened at the sight of him, and she sucked in a small gasp. She wore the normal blue dress of the Amish, but this one curved over her pregnant belly. A hand flew up to her kapp, tucking a stray lock of chestnut brown hair out of sight.

  “Gabe,” she said, her cheeks turning pink.

  “Katie. It’s been... years...” He trailed off. What were the chances, that he’d been thinking of her and she was here? He glanced up at the sky for a moment. Was God playing tricks on him?

  “Come in, you’re letting the cold air in!” May called from inside the house.

  Gabe fumbled the bottles of milk and Katie stepped back, motioning for him to come in. Her gaze was rooted on the floor, but he couldn’t stop staring as he came in. It had been so long, and she looked the same, but she looked different, too. Tired. Small bags were under her eyes. She looked older; her round chin more angled now, like she’d lost weight.

  She closed the door behind him, clearing her throat. One hand went to her swollen belly.

  Gabe forced himself to look away. She was married to another man. He went to the kitchen, calling for May. “Two bottles of milk, as requested.”

  May came in from the living area, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “Such a gut man! Denke, Gabe.”

  He put them on the counter and noticed the house smelled like freshly baked bread. He hadn’t even noticed in his shock at seeing Katie. Was it time for dinner already?

  “Gabe, you know my niece, Katie.” May touched Katie’s arm. “She’s come to live with me.”

  Gabe swallowed hard, looking at Katie. Her gaze skirted to Gabe, but then away, like she was frightened to look at him for too long. “Jah, I know her.” He inclined his head toward Katie. “Gut day. I hope you and your husband will enjoy our district.”

  Katie made a small noise in her throat. Her arms went up to hug herself, and then stilled to fold her hands in front of her. “Nee, I’m afraid it’s just me. My husband Mark died in a farming accident.”

  Her voice was quiet as she said it, and she looked at Gabe for a moment.

  Gabe’s mouth went dry. “Oh my, I’m so sorry.”

  May patted Katie on the shoulder. “She’s here now and in Gott’s arms, that’s what’s important. Right, Katie?”

  Katie nodded, biting her lip. Gabe had an urgent desire to hug her, to comfort her, to let her know she wasn’t alone. Instead, he scratched the back of his neck. “My prayers will be with you.”

  “Denke,” Katie said quietly.

  There was a moment of silence, and Gabe cleared his throat. “Truly, you must let me know if you need anything. May, you as well.”

  “Of course, Gabe.” May winked at him. “But Katie is here to help me now, so all my children can stop fussing over me.”

  Gabe looked at Katie’s pregnant belly. She had to be at least four months along, possibly more. Who would help with the baby, just May? Did Katie have other family who could help?

  Would she remarry?

  He wanted to ask, but that would be too rude. It was improper in Amish society to mention pregnancy until the child was born. For another mann to do so would not be right, and after all he hadn’t seen her for two years. This was none of his business.

  “I should go,” he said. “I have other deliveries.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay and visit?” May asked, not so subtly nodding to Katie.

  Gabe looked to Katie for an idea of whether he should say yes o
r no.

  Her cheeks grew pink again. She kept her head bowed but met his eyes so she was peering through thick, dark eyelashes. “We don’t want to keep you from your duties.”

  Gabe tried not to let the disappointment show on his face. “Jah, my duties.” He rubbed his hands on his pants. “I should go, then. Gut night, Auntie May. Katie.”

  She inclined her head and walked him to the door. He opened the door and was about to leave when she said, “We do need to catch up later. It’s been so long since we’ve seen one another.”

  Gabe smiled, just a little, though he wanted to beam at her in eagerness. “Jah. Too long.”

  Katie bit her lip again. “Gut night, Gabe.”

  He went out into the cold night feeling like a new man.

  * * *

  Gabe and Katie were from different districts, but as soon as he saw her all those years ago, he’d fallen deeply in love with her. But that was just before his parents died, so he wasn’t prepared to pursue something, not at that time. He and his brothers were taking care of one another, trying to hold their lives together.

  Sometimes he remembered those terrible times and thinking of Katie as a light, in the darkness. The rare times they’d see one another, they’d talk for hours, sometimes long into the night. He used to make her laugh in a way he never saw her laugh with anyone else. And she would make him wonder about the beauty of life. He saw it in her smile, in the stars above them, in the Word as they read it together.

  By the time he had gathered up the courage and the emotional capability to even think about proposing to her, she was marrying someone else in a completely different district.

  Maybe she’d never been interested. Maybe she’d been polite. Or maybe she’d only seen him as a brother.

  He didn’t know because he hadn’t seen her since that heartbreaking news that she’d married someone else. Mark. A man he knew nothing about. Katie had never spoken about him, nor had May. Through rumors, he heard it was an arranged marriage. Arranged marriages were rare in these districts, but it was known to happen.

  Of course, it had to happen to Katie, of all people.

  Sometimes Gabe wondered why he had so much in his life against him. His parents, gone. The one girl he considered marrying, lost to another.

  Now she was back, but only after something as tragic as her husband’s death. It meant her child had no father and she had been uprooted to live with her aunt. She looked so sad tonight. Was there still room for their love? Their love had been so small years ago, really more of a seed, and it had never had time to grow into something fully bloomed. What about now?

  Gabe didn’t know, but he had some kind of hope again. When he slept that night, he dreamed of her again.

  * * *

  Gabe didn’t need to tell his brothers that Katie was back in their district; they already knew. Katie had only arrived hours before Gabe delivered the milk. By the next day, everyone knew.

  Only Samuel knew how taken Gabe had been with Katie. Abel and Zach were too young at that point, and had been too absorbed in their own lives to notice. News traveled fast and his new sisters, his brothers’ wives, heard there was a new young woman in the village of their age, and went to visit her.

  Gabe wished he could go with them. He wanted to see her again.

  Later, Abel and Gabe traveled across the village to do more deliveries. May didn’t need more milk yet, but they passed her house. Gabe watched, wondering if he’d see Katie.

  No sight of her, though.

  “Looks like Old May need a new porch, jah?” Abel asked. His breath crystallized in the cold air, forming clouds of steam.

  Gabe looked at the porch as it fell behind them. It was a little slanted on one side, a broken plank keeping up the steps. “Maybe.”

  The stray comment planted in Gabe’s thoughts all day and that night. He even dreamed about fixing the porch for her. His dreams were too vivid. When he woke up, he was surprised to find himself still in his bed. Maybe he should do something about it, he thought, pulling the quilt around his ears. The house was cold, maybe he should bank up the fire before bed.

  The next day, when most of the work had been done on the farm, he went to May’s with a plan to build her a new porch.

  The fact that Katie would be there spurred him on. He needed to see her again, hear her voice, and see how she was doing in their district, and maybe what she thought of it.

  He stopped his buggy alongside the road and leaped off. It was a touch warmer today, the sun even peeking through the wispy clouds. Before getting his tools to help, he went to the door and knocked.

  Katie didn’t answer this time. It was May. “Gabe! I don’t need more milk yet, I--”

  “No, I know. I’m here to help fix your porch.”

  “Oh?” May looked past him, down at his feet. “Is it broken?”

  “There’s a broken plank at the bottom of the steps,” Gabe said. “It’s not safe, and it’s slanting to the left, see?”

  May came out a step, pulling her shawl tighter around her. “Ah, I suppose so... but you needn’t--”

  “I’ll start working on it right now. I brought some tools, but do you have any more in your barn, maybe?”

  May shrugged. “Probably. But Gabe--”

  “I want to help you with this, please.”

  May let out a sigh. “My son Klaus may have taken some of the tools.”

  “I’ll go look.”

  “I’ll tell Katie to make you some kaffe.” May winked. “To keep you warm.”

  Gabe smiled as he left the porch. He didn’t remember when he’d last smiled so much.

  When he came back to the porch with tools and fresh planks of wood, he bent down to examine the broken plank on the steps. As he examined the entire porch, he realized this was probably a job for more than one man. But he hadn’t thought of asking anyone to help him, he’d only thought of the chance to talk with Katie alone.

  He would at least start. If he needed help, he was sure Klaus would lend it.

  The door opened as Gabe was hammering at the bottom step. He looked up to see Katie coming out with a steaming mug in her hands. She smiled tentatively at him and held the mug out. “Hot kaffe?”

  Gabe returned her smile. He skipped the bottom step to join her on the porch. “Thank you, Katie.” When he took the mug from her, his fingers brushed against hers. “I’m sorry, my hands are cold.”

  Katie hugged her shawl around herself. “Don’t be sorry. You’re doing a good thing helping my aunt.”

  Gabe took a small sip of the drink. The strong brew was hot against his tongue, almost burning it, and he swallowed quickly. The heat traveled all down his neck and chest. “Mmm, denke.”

  Katie inclined her head. “Of course.”

  They stood in silence for a moment as Gabe’s hands warmed with the mug. “May I ask you something?”

  Katie tilted her head in curiosity. “Yes?”

  “How far along are you?” Gabe motioned to her belly and color flooded his cheeks. It was not done to talk about such things. Would he have angered her?

  Katie touched her belly, a blush spread across her face, but her expression softened as she looked down at herself. “Six months.”

  Gabe nodded. “My. Only a few months left.”

  Katie’s smile brightened. “Jah.”

  “Aunt May will spoil it rotten.”

  Katie laughed softly. “I hope so. She always spoiled me.”

  “Do you have ideas for names?”

  Katie shook her head. “My mother wants to name him Mark if it’s a boy but. . .” Her expression sobered for a moment. Gabe wanted to reach out, touch her arm, or say something to comfort her. Before he could draw up the courage to, she forced a smile. “I also like Andrew.”

  “What if it’s a girl?”

  “I’m partial to May.”

  Gabe grinned. “Do you think May would like that?”

  “I already told her and she said, ‘No, you cannot name a boppliafterme
!’”

  They laughed together. For a moment, Katie looked like the young woman he fell for years ago. She met his eyes, the smile lingering on her face. She looked down at the porch. “It is gut to see you again, Gabe.”

  His heart lurched in his chest. “It is more than good to see you, Katie. I wish the reason I were seeing you wasn’t. . .”

  Katie lifted her hand, motioning it away. “Yes, I know. I’m glad to be here, though. In this district, everyone is so kind, welcoming. I like being with family again.”

  “Yes, family makes everything worthwhile,” Gabe said.

  “I missed them all so. My parents, aunts, uncles. . .” Her voice was low and it trembled as she said, “Mark’s family was never my family. My family never would have let him…” She covered her mouth as though she’d said something she hadn’t meant to. “Excuse me, Gabe that was rude of me.”

  Gabe inclined his head. “No, Katie, it--”

  “I should be going.” She turned and walked inside quickly.

  Gabe’s shoulders drooped in disappointment. He let out a slow breath. It felt like he hadn’t been breathing at all. It felt like he didn’t even need to breathe in her presence.

  Chapter Two: Katie

  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times; having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

  - 2 Corinthians 9:8

  Katie felt a strange kind of absence when Gabe left that night after his work on the porch. Even though he said he’d be back tomorrow to finish.

  It was odd seeing him again. It had been so long since she had last seen him. Two years that had felt like two lifetimes. So much had happened since then. She felt like a different person than the eager Katie, who had eyed Gabe from afar. Back then she had sought out ways to talk and laugh with him and had even considered marrying him.

  That girl was gone, but Gabe seemed the same. Older, yes of course. The extra weight in his face was gone, and his chin was more pronounced. His eyes seemed wiser, more serious. But his voice was the same careful voice; his smile the same subtle joy; his mannerisms the same.