bother arguing that her mamm and schweschder were quite happy in Goshen. Levi was like a steam-engine train headed in one direction—no U-turns allowed.
“All right. I’ll make you a deal.”
“A deal?”
“You agree to date some of my freinden...”
“Date?”
“Hear me out. You’re not planning on staying. They’re not necessarily looking to get married, but they need...let’s say they need a little experience in the dating area.”
Levi groaned. “You’re going to set me up with the rejects.”
She felt a headache forming just at her left temple. Closing her eyes, she prayed to Gotte for patience, then counted to three.
“They’re shy,” she corrected him. “And maybe they have a lack of confidence. Dating you should help that.”
“Because I’m such a gut catch?”
He grinned, and she realized he was handsome. Not her type, but handsome nonetheless. Yes, this plan could work.
“Let’s say there’s no pressure on either side. That should help. They’ll know you’re not staying...”
“And I’ll know they’re not really interested. This is a terrible plan. Why would I agree to it?”
This was the tricky part. She almost couldn’t believe she was going to suggest it. But then again, what choice did she have? He was going to talk to her dat and Jebediah in spite of how much it bothered her. They would keep asking him questions. He’d keep painting pictures of rosy Texas sunsets.
“When were you planning to leave?”
“You get right to the point, don’t you?”
“Do you even have a plan?”
“Of course I do.” Levi scuffed the toe of his boot against the dirt, and she noticed he was wearing Western boots. Of course he was.
“Why does our bishop let you dress like that?”
“This?” He pointed the toe of his boot up. “These are Ariats. Very comfortable.”
“And that.” She pointed at his hat.
“A Stetson. All Texans wear them.”
“Why are you wearing them? You’re Amish.” She said the last word slowly, in two drawn-out syllables.
“Marcus talked to me about it,” Levi admitted. “He said if I decided to join the community I’d need to dress more conservatively. I assured him I was moving on, so he said it wasn’t a problem.”
“Back to the when of your plan...”
“I hope to go down before Christmas to look for land and move by early spring—my target date is February or March.”
“That’s not spring.”
“It is in Texas.”
She couldn’t hold the sigh inside. She’d hoped he was planning for a move in a year, which would have been plenty of time for her dat’s attention to wander elsewhere. A scouting party before Christmas? That was mere months away. She’d have to work fast if she hoped to save the nice comfortable life she had. She’d already waded in too far to back out now, plus she didn’t have any backup plan. It wasn’t going to be easy to match Levi with someone. Who wanted an Amish cowboy? Though there was one possibility...
Levi was studying her as if expecting her to give up. He didn’t know her very well. She liked a challenge. She thrived in tough situations. Tossing her kapp strings behind her shoulders, she plastered on what she hoped was her prettiest smile. “All right. You agree to date a couple of my friends...not at the same time, mind you.”
“Of course not.”
“And in return, I won’t try and stop you from talking to my family about your plans.”
“As if you could.”
“My point is that you won’t have to deal with my objections.”
He studied her a minute and then said, “Seriously?”
“Ya.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Me?”
“Why are you doing this? I know you’re dead set against the idea of moving.”
“Oh, I am not moving. I’ll find a way to stay here even if you convince the whole community to move south.”
Levi laughed. “That’s the Annie I know.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Uh-huh. But seriously, why are you doing this?”
“I like weddings is all. I enjoy seeing two people who are meant to be together find each other.”
“I’m not getting married.”
“I know, but maybe Gotte has different plans.”
“What does Gotte have to do with it?”
“Maybe He brought you to Goshen for a reason...a different reason.”
“So now you’re a matchmaker?”
“Think of me as a concerned bystander.”
Levi shook his head. “I don’t know...”
“Is it a deal or not? If you’d rather, I can keep pointing out all the terrible things about your Lone Star State.”
“All right. It’s a deal.” He held out his hand. “But you have to shake on it.”
She rolled her eyes, but put her hand in his. He closed his fingers around hers, held her hand long enough that she didn’t like the goose bumps running down her arm or the jumble of nerves in her stomach. She jerked her hand away.
“Great. Then it’s settled. I’ll give you the name of your first date when you come over on Wednesday to work.”
“I look forward to it.”
Of course he did. The man was conceited in addition to being stubborn. But, just possibly, she’d found a way to keep her life firmly rooted in Goshen, because she had the perfect woman in mind for Levi Lapp and this person would never consider moving away. All Annie had to do was see to it that the two of them fell in love. She was envisioning a wedding announcement before the holidays if she handled this right. No need for a long courtship at their age. It would mean she’d have to live around Levi the rest of her life, but at least she wouldn’t have to do so in Texas.
Конец
