When Love Finds You

Book 2: Amish New World

by Virginia Wise

Genres: Christian Romance; General Fiction; Amish & Mennonite

Synopsis

In the latest novel in Virginia Wise's stirring historical saga about America's first Amish settlement, a once-privileged woman in a very different new world soon finds that hope — and love — are worth the challenge . . .

Scandal drove Catrina Wittmer from her life as a wealthy Englischer's pampered daughter — to reluctant membership in Pennsylvania's thriving new Amish settlement. Surprisingly, Catrina finds contentment and peace in this promising new land, though she won't risk telling anyone about her past. But the unexpected sparks between her and bashful warm-hearted farmer Eli Weber suddenly have her dreaming of an impossible chance at happiness — as his wife.

Eli never imagined such a spirited woman would look his way. Or that he could ever deserve her, given his own guilty mistakes. But Catrina's vivacity and kindness has him impulsively proposing. Unfortunately, his over-righteous sister, and the consequences of secrets on both sides, threaten to tear their marriage apart for good. Now Catrina and Eli must try forgiving themselves and finding strength in their bond if they are to have a joyous future together . . .

Release date: December 31, 2019

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 352

Sample

Pennsylvania Backcountry, 1738

Catrina Witmer stood alone in a field of blue. The wildflowers swayed in a breeze that carried the scent of warm grass, damp earth, and new possibilities. She knew she had made the right decision to join the Amish. She had finally found her home.

But that didn’t stop her from feeling alone. From being alone. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. The wind rippled through the sea of blue petals and whipped a tendril of black hair from her prayer kappe. Would she always feel like an outsider, even in the midst of a close-knit settlement?

Catrina heard a sharp thump and a shout. Her head shot up. Another shout carried on the wind. Catrina frowned, lifted her long skirts, and hurried across the clearing. The earth felt soft and familiar beneath her leather shoes. She had memorized the predictable rhythms of life here, the names and faces of each neighbor. So who could be here, behind her grandparents’ cabin at this time of day? This was not a time for visitors to come calling. In fact, she should be getting back to her chores. There were chickens to feed and dinner to get and water to draw.

She heard another thump as she reached the path that wound past the clearing. She slipped through a stand of pine trees and saw a wooden handcart blocking the path. Catrina gasped. Newcomers to the isolated settlement! She started to shout a greeting when a mallet flew up from behind the cart. Catrina gasped again and hopped backward. The mallet whizzed past her face and landed with a thud in the dirt behind her.

She heard a bang from beneath the cart and the rickety-looking planks shuddered. A deep male voice grunted. Catrina glanced behind her, then back at the cart. Who was this new arrival?

The cart shifted and a man’s legs scooted out from underneath. A long torso and strong upper arms followed. Finally, a freckled, kind-looking face topped with tousled red hair appeared. The blue eyes widened when they saw Catrina.

“Oh!” The man rubbed his head and scrambled to his feet. “Oh dear!” He stared for a moment and kept rubbing his head. His body was tall and lanky, with lean muscle and a casual, unassuming air. Catrina laughed and the man’s face broke into a sheepish smile. “I, uh, I didn’t know you were there.”

“No,” Catrina said. “I should think not.”

“Oh. Oh dear.” The man frowned. “I’ve hit my head, you see. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“No harm done.”

“No?” The man’s frown deepened and he swallowed. “That mallet I threw . . . It didn’t . . .”

Catrina laughed again. She nodded. “It did.”

“It didn’t hurt you, though?”

“No. I dodged it. But just barely.”

“Well thank heaven for small mercies.” He rubbed his head again. “Having a little trouble.”

“With the cart?”

“I’m afraid so. Can’t fix the wheel.” The man shrugged and grinned. “Not cut out for all this, I suppose.”

Catrina smiled. “Nor was I.”

“Ah.” The man stared at her for a moment. He cleared his throat. “I’m Eli Webber.”

“Catrina Witmer.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance Mrs. . . . Miss? . . . Witmer.”

“Miss.”

“Ah! Miss.” Eli broke into a boyish grin, then reined his expression back in. He cleared his throat again. “Mmmm. Well. Best be getting back to it. I really haven’t any idea how to get that wheel . . .” He glanced around the clearing. “Are we near the settlement by any chance? You must live close by.”

“Yes. You’ve made it. If you’re trying to reach the Amish settlement, that is. We’ve taken to calling it New Canaan, if you haven’t heard.”

Eli grinned again. “New Canaan.” Catrina liked his grin. It held a childlike joy and contagious warmth that made her feel giddy inside. How unlikely that a smile should have such an effect. And those eyes. She had never seen such a friendly spark behind a man’s eyes before. It made her feel as if they had known each other for ages, even though they had just met. And how sweet and bashful he seemed! Catrina smiled. His awkward manner really was quite endearing. How strange. I am not myself at all today. She had always been drawn to the strong, silent type. Her idea of a good match was a confident, self-assured man who proved stronger and tougher than the rest. Catrina frowned. Eli Webber was the opposite of everything she’d ever looked for in a man. I really must regain my self-control.

But that boyish laugh!

Eli hesitated. “Are you all right? You look as if you’ve just had an unpleasant thought. Or a bad surprise. Well, there was that flying mallet . . .” Eli looked sheepish but concerned.

Catrina shook her head and forced a careless smile. “Oh, I am perfectly fine. I was just thinking . . .” That I should not be drawn to you! “Well, it is nothing, really.” Her eyes skimmed the cart. “Is that a loom?” Catrina’s forced smile transformed into a genuine grin. She stared at the bulky, wooden beams crammed into the cart.

Eli returned the grin. “Why, yes it is. I’m surprised that you recognized it as such, dismantled as it is.”

“I know a loom when I see one, even if it is in pieces.”

“You weave?”

“Yes. And how I have missed it.” She walked to the cart and ran her hand over a stout, wooden beam. The smooth surface whispered beneath her fingertips. She remembered the clack of the shuttle, the gentle swish of wool against wool as she weaved in the small, sunny room above her parents’ shop in Philadelphia. It was a skill every woman should know in order to clothe her family. But here, in the wilderness, a loom was a luxury. When fully assembled, the heavy crossbeams would fill an entire cabin. And what a trial to transport a loom through narrow footpaths! “Will you settle here? We don’t have a weaver.”

“Ah.” Eli ran his hand down one of the loom’s smooth wooden crossbeams. “That’s what I hoped to hear. We’d like to live among the faithful.”

“We?”

“My widowed sister, Gertrud, and I.” He frowned and glanced down the path. “I cannot imagine where she has gone.” He took off his black beaver-felt hat, wiped his forehead, and pushed his hat back onto his head.

“She’s here?” Catrina’s attention snapped back to Eli. “Another newcomer? Is she my age? How delightful!” She clapped her hands together and grinned.

Eli cleared his throat. He looked up and down the path again. “She’s older than you I’d reckon. But only by five years or so.”

“Wonderful good!”

Eli rubbed the back of his neck. “Mmmm, yes. Wonderful good, I’m sure.” His voice lacked enthusiasm, but Catrina didn’t notice. She was too busy standing on her tiptoes and peering into the pine grove that lined the path. “Wherever can she be? Do you think that she is all right? There are bears in these woods. And mountain lions.”

“Oh, I am sure she is.”

“But how can you be sure?”

Eli smiled. “We would have heard her by now if she had met a bear. And, quite honestly, I doubt a bear would dare.”

Catrina laughed. “Eli, you cannot be serious.”

Eli raised his eyebrows. “Mmmm.”

A sharp cry echoed from the pine grove.

“Ah.” Eli nodded, then sighed. “Right on cue.”

A woman pushed through a thick swath of branches and stumbled onto the path. She brushed off her white apron and adjusted her prayer kappe. “There is nothing here, Eli. Absolutely nothing.” She frowned and brushed her apron more forcefully. “Nothing but wild things, that is.”

“That is why they call it the wilderness, dear. It is quite wild, I am afraid.”

“Humph. Why I agreed to come along on this harebrained scheme, I have no idea. This is not at all like the other places we’ve been. There is nothing here. Nothing at all! I told you when we had to trade down from a wagon to a handcart that it was a bad idea. Roads too rough for a wagon to traverse! Why, the very idea! You’ll work yourself to death, pushing that thing by hand. You may be stubborn, Eli, but you’re no mule! The very idea. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you—” Gertrud stopped in midsentence and snapped her head around to stare at Catrina. She narrowed her eyes for a long, tense moment and Catrina had a strange feeling that the woman recognized her.

So many strangers passed through her father’s shop in Philadelphia that it was not an unlikely prospect. Catrina had grown up wandering aisles stocked with luxury goods and cajoling her father into giving her a stick of peppermint, the latest and most fashionable hat, or the shiniest pair of leather shoes. This was before Catrina had converted to the Amish faith with her grandparents, taken on the Plain way of living, and made the arduous trek to America’s first Amish settlement.

How much she had changed since those days in Philadelphia! And, oh, what a terrible, terrible thought that someone from those days might come here and recognize her. Someone who couldn’t possibly know how very much she had changed. Catrina felt her stomach constrict. This cannot be happening. Please, der Herr, do not let this be happening! Do not tell me I came this far and escaped so much to be recognized now. A dark shadow of shame gurgled upward from Catrina’s belly. She pushed the sensation down and forced a polite smile. “I am Catrina Witmer.”

Gertrud sighed. “Gertrud Schulp.” She did not smile. “We have arrived, then?”

“Ja.”

Gertrud sighed again. “Well.”

Catrina waited for Gertrud to say more, but the woman just tightened her lips into a thin line and stared back. Catrina could not tell if Gertrud’s expression meant that she recognized Catrina—and remembered the rumors—or if Gertrud always looked as if she had swallowed a lemon. Catrina turned back to Eli. His blue eyes sparkled and Catrina thought that they held a hint of an apology.

Catrina waited for Eli to speak, but he looked hesitant. He took off his black beaver-felt hat and raked his fingers through his red hair until it stood straight up from his scalp. Catrina laughed.

Eli looked confused for a moment, then winced. “Oh. I’ve done it again, then.” He smoothed his hair back down and replaced his hat. “Nervous habit of mine, you see.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “Not that I’m nervous. There’s nothing to be nervous about. Nothing at all.” He looked down at his feet.

Catrina felt unexpectedly pleased. Her looks had always had this effect on men, but something felt different this time. She felt that Eli’s reaction to her actually mattered. Oh, sure, men tended to shuffle and stammer in the presence of her raven-black hair, vibrant blue eyes, and perfectly proportioned features, but Catrina had become immune to the admiration. She had learned that men rarely—if ever—saw past her skin to the person inside.

And yet, she felt strangely moved by Eli’s flustered response to her. She sensed that there was something more to his admiration than a shallow attraction to a lovely face. She wondered if he could see past her looks to the woman inside. What foolishness! We’ve only just met. I really must regain my good sense. Eli can’t possibly see anything but my looks.

Catrina looked from Eli to the loom crammed into the cart, then back to Eli again. “We can fit the loom into my grandparents’ cabin.” She gazed into Eli’s eyes with that disarming stare of hers.

“Oh!” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

Gertrud narrowed her eyes.

“Ja.” Eli swallowed and Catrina watched his Adam’s apple bob. “That would be most appreciated.”

“But it will not be necessary,” Gertrud added. She turned her thin, pinched face away. Her eyes roved over the tree line. “We’ll build our own cabin here. Isn’t that right, Eli dear?”

Eli cleared his throat again. “Quite right. Quite right.” He took off his hat and turned it around in his hands. “Although . . .”

“Although what?” Gertrud narrowed her eyes another fraction.

Eli swallowed again. “Although it does make sense to get the loom up and running right away. It will take some time to build our cabin.”

“The Witmers would not welcome the inconvenience of a loom inside their home, I am sure.”

“I would welcome it,” Catrina said. “If you would allow me to use it, that is.”

“Ah, of course.” Eli nodded. “You would like to strike a deal. If you house our loom then you get to weave on it.”

Catrina frowned. Was that what she had meant? Or had she been motivated by the thought of seeing more of Eli Webber? “I didn’t mean it to sound quite so businesslike, but I suppose so. I do want to weave again. And our cabin is larger than most. We’ve tried to make our home as comfortable as possible. We lived quite comfortably in Philadelphia, you see. We never fancied ourselves as settlers before.”

Eli laughed. “No, I can see that.”

“Can you?” Catrina hesitated. “Why is that?”

“It’s just that you seem so . . .” He shook his head. “I mean . . .”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Eli.” Gertrud closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Eli cleared his throat. “You just seem so perfect. Nothing is out of place. Why, there’s not even a wrinkle on your apron. That’s not the mark of a woman who roughs it in the backcountry.”

Catrina laughed. “I’m not sure if you’ve just complimented me or insulted me.”

“Oh.” Eli looked down. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “A compliment, of course. Not that I would take the liberty of complimenting you when we’ve only just met. But not that I would insult you either. What I mean to say is—”

“What he means to say is that it has been a long day and we really must set up camp,” Gertrud said.

Eli frowned. “Quite right, dear. But, I do believe that Catrina has made a sensible offer.”

Gertrud sighed sharply. “Yes. I am sure she has.”

Eli’s face lifted into a happy grin as his blue eyes met Catrina’s. “We would love to take you up on your offer.”

Catrina’s stomach jumped. She felt disarmingly satisfied at the arrangement. What has gotten into me? Eli Webber is nothing different or special! Don’t let your emotions sweep you away! Sure, he seems charming and genuine, but you know better than to fall for that. Memories of Philadelphia swept through her in a cold, hard wave. Oh yes, that she knew all too well.

Eli stared at Catrina and tried to form the right words. His mouth filled with sand and his thoughts bumped around in his head like a man fumbling in a dark room without a lantern. He knew that she was far too pretty for the likes of him. Women like that didn’t fall for men like him. He had learned that the hard way. But he wasn’t sorry that he had taken her up on her offer to house the loom. No, sir, he was not sorry at all. He refused to be sorry.

Maybe, just maybe, she would let him be her friend. He would be willing to take that, such as it were. And, he had a distinct feeling that she would make a lovely friend. Eli watched Catrina as she led him and Gertrud to her grandparents’ house. Her expression remained so placid, so calm. And her hands danced like birds when she spoke. She moved with grace and control. Oh yes, she would make a wonderful friend.

Eli realized he liked something intangible about Catrina that went beyond her looks. That was the moment he knew that he had fallen too far to recover himself. Oh, sure, she was beautiful. But the world held plenty of beautiful women. Far more rare was a woman of grace and confidence. A woman with an air of mystery she wore like a shimmering cloak. Eli quickened his pace. Oh yes, he was hooked. And there was nothing he could do about it.

“We really can’t tarry,” Gertrud said as she followed Catrina on stout, sturdy legs. Gertrud’s small, compact figure looked out of place beside Catrina’s tall, willowy form. Eli’s sister carried an air of practical sensibility, while Catrina showed nothing of the sort.

“But you must stay for dinner,” Catrina said. “My grandparents would like to welcome you to New Canaan. We would like to welcome you to New Canaan.”

We! She said we! Eli felt his chest jump. He reminded himself that a pronoun did not necessarily carry a secret sign or promise. She was simply being friendly. And didn’t I just decide that I would settle for friendship? He frowned. That wasn’t really what he wanted. Not when the promise of the word we hung in the air.

“Thank you, but we really shouldn’t—” Gertrud began to say.

“Yes, of course!” Eli interrupted. “Thank you so very much for the invitation! We would absolutely love to stay! In fact, I was just thinking—” Eli stopped himself. His face turned undeniably red. He heard Gertrud’s familiar, frustrated sigh beside his ear. Eli cleared his throat. He forced his words out slowly and politely. “What I mean to say is, yes, thank you. Very kind of you to ask.” There, much better. Quite the gentleman, really. Eli rubbed the back of his neck. Oh, who am I kidding! It’s hopeless. Completely hopeless!

Catrina laughed, but the emotion behind it seemed pleased and amused, not irritated or embarrassed for him. “Well, it’s settled then. I’m glad you’re pleased.”

“Ja. I am.” Eli nodded enthusiastically before he remembered to rein himself in again.

“We must eat in haste, I fear,” Gertrud said. “Night will fall soon and we have a camp to make.”

“Yes, of course, dear. Quite right, dear.”

“I can help, you know,” Catrina said.

She wants to help!

“Thank you, but no.” Gertrud shook her head and continued to stride forcefully across the field. “Eli and I have made camp every night for weeks. It has been a long, arduous journey and I have learned my way around a campsite, I can tell you.”

Catrina lowered her head. “Yes, of course.”

Eli did not like the expression on her face. It looked remarkably close to rejection. But that was impossible. Women like Catrina Witmer didn’t know the first thing about rejection.

They passed through a sea of wildflowers and Eli watched the delicate blue petals tremble in the wind. The movement rippled the blooms in a wave that reminded Eli of the ocean that had carried him and Gertrud to the New World seven years earlier. That was before the Charming Nancy sailed and most of the other Amish immigrants began to pour into Pennsylvania. That was before . . . Eli cut off the thought. He didn’t want to think about what had happened before. This was a new chance, a new life. He smiled and bent to pluck a wildflower from the earth. The stem broke free with a satisfying snap. He studied the brilliant blue petals for a moment and then handed the flower to Catrina on a whim. “Same color as your eyes,” he said, and then looked away. He swallowed and tried to push the embarrassment down. What a foolish thing to say!

But Catrina’s face lit up as she took the flower from his hand. Her soft, delicate skin brushed his and he felt a happy jolt. She liked the flower. She liked that he had done something foolish. Eli grinned. But Gertrud’s expression stole the look from his face. He felt the victory seep out of him. Gertrud was not amused. Not at all.

“You said that you’re from Philadelphia?” Gertrud asked.

Eli thought that Catrina winced, just for an instant, before her expression smoothed. “Ja,” she said, then nodded toward a log cabin at the edge of the clearing. “Here we are.” A wall of pine trees rose behind the rough, wooden home. A trail of smoke rose from the stone chimney and whispered into the woods. Eli felt cozy and optimistic to see a safe, stout house in the shadow of that foreboding wilderness. “My grandparents will be so happy to meet you. We’ll have chicken for supper. You’ll like that, won’t you?”

Eli nodded. A hot chicken dinner sounded like heaven after weeks of salt pork and corn cakes fried over a campfire.

“Oh, and pie! I’ve just made a pie.”

Eli’s head shot up. “Did you say pie?”

Catrina smiled. “Rhubarb.”

Eli gave a happy sigh. “Gertrud, we came to the right place.”

“Mmmmm.” Gertrud did not return the smile. “And what did your father do in Philadelphia, dear?” She stared at Catrina and studied the young woman’s reaction. “Did he own a shop, perhaps?” Gertrud’s expression looked like she already knew the answer.

“Ja. A shop.” Catrina picked up her long skirts and quickened her pace. “I’ll just hurry along and let them know we have company.” And with that, she raced out of earshot. Eli watched Catrina race across the dirt yard and past a chicken coop. A haughty-looking rooster glared as she stepped around him. He flapped his wings and then settled back down to peck at the bare earth.

“She certainly is in a hurry to avoid that question,” Gertrud said in a low voice.

Eli patted her on the shoulder. “Now, Gertrud. Let’s enjoy a nice meal with a nice family. No need to look for trouble where there isn’t any.”

Gertrud frowned. “My dear brother, I never look for trouble where there isn’t any.”

“Ah.” Eli took off his hat and ran his fingers through his tangle of red hair. “Of course.”

“I just thank der Herr that you have someone sensible in your life to look out for you.”

Eli started to respond, but the cabin door swung open and an elderly couple stepped out to meet them with waves and smiles and a hearty round of well-wishing. Eli suddenly felt brighter, warmer. He believed that he could make a home here, among these people. He had finally found a place to start his life anew. He would worry about Gertrud’s comments later. There were no problems here as far as he was concerned. There couldn’t be! He would not allow it.

Catrina’s eyes sparkled as she introduced Georg and Frena Witmer. The couple looked comfortable amongst the austere farmyard. Eli sensed a determination in the elderly couple that he admired. They must be committed to a Plain lifestyle to have ventured to this isolated settlement at their age.

Eli noticed that Catrina’s eyes held a mischievous mirth as she looked at him. She was trying not to laugh. Now, why on earth . . . Eli looked down and realized that his hat was in his hands. Oh bother! He had succumbed to that nervous habit of his again. He had removed his hat, raked his fingers through his hair, and left each strand standing straight up into the air. I must look like that rooster in the yard with the red comb jiggling atop his head. Eli cleared his throat and smoothed his palm over his scalp in a quick, hectic gesture, then replaced his hat. “Um, lovely to meet you both. Wonderful good. Ja.”

Catrina giggled, but her expression remained kind. He didn’t think that she was making fun of him. No, her expression almost seemed . . . intrigued. But that was preposterous. Positively preposterous.

Dinner was better than Eli could have imagined. A fire crackled merrily and the warm, musky scent of wood smoke mingled with the rich smell of roast chicken and root vegetables. He shoveled bite after bite down his throat until Catrina laughed out loud. “Wherever will it all go, Eli?”

He grinned back, took another generous bite, and chewed enthusiastically. “I’m just getting started.”

“You must save room for dessert.”

“Catrina, there is always room for dessert. That is the first rule of life. There is always, always room for dessert.”

Catrina laughed. “But really, Eli, how ever do you have the room?”

Eli smiled and patted his lean, muscular stomach. “Gertrud has been warning me for years that it will all catch up with me one day. But until that day . . .” He leaned forward and took another helping of chicken. Steam curled up from the golden skin as he dropped the meat onto his wooden trencher.

“I’ve been warning him about more important things as well,” Gertrud said in a flat voice as she cut her eyes to Eli. He shrugged and pretended that her comment didn. . .