More Than a Marriage

Book 3: Quilting Circle Novella

by Amy Lillard

Genres: Christian Romance

Synopsis

In the close-knit Amish community of Wells Landing, Oklahoma, a women’s quilting circle welcomes a new member who is struggling to keep her marriage together—or let it go . . . Quiet and unassuming Tess Smiley is new to Wells Landing. She is also newly married to Jacob Smiley. But already she is finding that married life isn’t the gentle union of contented devotion she had envisioned. Rather, the old-fashioned qualities that had endeared her to Jacob have become a source of inner confusion. As his father did with his wife, Jacob has begun treating Tess like a servant, taking her for granted, no longer surprising her with little presents. And once he began his job at the Englisch shed company, he has become more interested in his company smartphone than in spending time with Tess . . . Jacob can’t see what Tess is upset about and continues his boorish ways, ignoring her pleas to attend marriage classes. Tess loves Jacob with all her heart, but it’s her heart that tells her she must take a stand. With surprising determination, she asks for help from her new community and is welcomed into the home of her friend Clara Rose and her husband Obie. Only then does Jacob begin to see how deeply his behavior has hurt Tess. But is he too late? He may be contrite, but he will need to show much more than that to win her love all over again . . . Praise for Amy Lillard “An inspirational story of romance, faith, and trust . . . will appeal to fans of Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis.” — Library Journal on Caroline’s Secret “A beautifully written romance with an adoring character. Lillard writes stories readers can relate to.” — RT Book Reviews on Just Plain Sadie

Release date: February 28, 2017

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 92

Sample

“Tomorrow would be a perfect day to go visit my parents in Clarita, jah?”

“What?” Jacob Smiley, Tess’s husband of almost three years, looked up from the screen of his smartphone. His expression said it all. He’d been too engrossed in what he had been reading on the tiny screen to pay her very much mind.

Tess tried not to frown and injected as much patience and understanding into her voice as she could muster. “I said I want to go see my parents tomorrow.” The next day was Sunday, but for their district, there was no church. Instead families spent time with each other, visiting in fellowship with one another and enjoying the company around them.

Tess wanted to go see her family. It had been far too long since she had spent any time with her parents and her sister. Clarita might only be three hours away by car, but when the primary mode of transportation was a tractor or a horse and buggy, three hours might as well be ten.

It was the one thing she hated most about moving to Wells Landing, but by far it wasn’t the only thing. She cast a quick glance at the cell phone her husband held. She hated the small electronic device almost as much as Jacob seemed to enjoy it.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to get a driver and . . .” Jacob’s voice trailed off as he glanced back at the phone.

Tess bit back a frustrated sigh. “I’ve already called Bruce Brown,” she said, referring to one of the favored drivers in Wells Landing. A retired Air Force medic, Bruce was always in great demand, but she’d hoped that he might have time tomorrow to take them to Clarita. “He’s not available, but he said his cousin can take us.”

“His cousin?” That got Jacob’s attention. “I don’t know him.”

“Bruce said he was hoping to get into the driving business, and you have to admit that if he’s kin to Bruce, chances are he’s a great guy.”

Jacob shook his head. “That’s not necessarily true.”

“You could call and talk to him.”

“It’s eight o’clock at night. On a Saturday night. It’s too late to call him.”

“It’s hardly that late.”

“It’s late enough.”

“But, Jacob—”

“If you had wanted to go to your parents’ house, you should have told me sooner so I could make arrangements.”

“I did.” Her voice rose until she was almost yelling at him. “I did,” she repeated, quietly this time.

“You did?” Jacob frowned. “I don’t remember that.”

Of course he didn’t. He couldn’t remember anything these days. Not unless it had something to do with that blessed phone. To make matters worse, he even had a Facebook account! He said he needed it and the phone for his job at A-1 Roofing, but Tess couldn’t see the necessity at all. He could use the phone; she would give him that much. But a Facebook account?

“Besides, it’s Sunday and we wouldn’t be able to pay him.”

They could have paid him in advance if he had planned better. If he had been listening to her. But he had been messing with his phone.

And the worst part of all was the time it took away from the two of them. Everything that happened on that tiny little device seemed so much more important than what was really going on in their lives. And this was no exception. It was Saturday night and they were at home, which wasn’t a problem at all. But she was looking through a book on better ways to make goat cheese while he was playing with his phone doing heaven knew what on his Facebook account. She didn’t have one of her own, nor did she have a cell phone. How could she monitor what he was doing? Did she even want to?

She placed her marker inside the book she was reading and set it to one side. “Play a game with me.” They used to play games all the time, card games, guessing games, even silly things like truth or dare. Just the two of them. But that had been before. Before they moved to Wells Landing. Before he took a job with the English roofing company. Before the cell phone and the Facebook account.

“What?” Jacob looked up, his expression blank.

Tess jumped to her feet. “Were you even listening to me?”

“Of course I was.” Jacob frowned. “I just didn’t hear what you said.”

Tess shook her head. “Isn’t that what listening is?”

“Are you going to tell me or not?”

“Play a game with me,” Tess asked again, but this time the words sounded more like a demand than a request for his time and attention.

Jacob stood and stretched, slipping his phone to the side pocket of his pants. “I don’t know. It’s getting kind of late.”

“It’s barely eight o’clock.” This was the biggest problem of all. And he couldn’t even see it.

“I get up early, Tess. You know that.”

“You don’t have to get up early tomorrow. Just for an hour. Play a hand or two of Uno with me.”

He gave her a look that was both condescending and chastising. “Uno is not any fun with two people.”

But she remembered a time when they had fun playing Uno, just the two of them. It had been less about the game and more about spending time together, bonding, enjoying each other’s company without another soul around. It’d only been a few years since that time. Where had it disappeared to?

“We can play something else, then.” Tess hated the desperate sound in her voice. But she felt as if things were slipping out of her grasp. She and Jacob had been so close once, and now it seemed as if they were miles apart even when they were in the same room.

“Maybe tomorrow.” Jacob eased his hand into his pocket as if assuring himself that his cell phone was still there. Tess wanted nothing more than to grab the vile thing and smash it against the wall. That would not be very becoming. And it didn’t actually belong to Jacob. It belonged to the company he worked for. One day he would have to give it back. Just another reason why she hoped and prayed every day that they would finally save enough money to buy the farm of their dreams and move. They wanted to be out of town a bit. They wanted to live off the land like God intended.

“I think I’ll go to bed.”

Tess didn’t know how to respond. She wanted to call him back, try to work through it, figure out some way they could spend some more time together. He said he wanted to go to bed but she was antsy, agitated. “I think I’ll go check on the goats.”

Jacob stopped with one hand on the stair rail. “That’s another thing.”

“Jah?”

“Mr. Bennett came by today. He brought back your little brown goat.”

“Millie?”

Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know her name. Just the little brown one.”

“What do you mean he brought her back?”

“Evidently she got out and he found her in his garden eating all his squash plants.”

“Oh, no.” Millie was the wiliest of all her goats. She was the smallest and could somehow manage to wriggle through the tiniest spots in the fence. “Bu. . .