When Love Finds You Read online

  Also by Virginia Wise

  Where the Heart Takes You

  “An Heirloom Christmas”

  in An Amish Second Christmas

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  When Love Finds You

  Virginia Wise

  ZEBRA BOOKS

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Teaser chapter

  Books by Bestselling Author Fern Michaels

  More by Bestselling Author Hannah Howell

  More from Bestselling Author JANET DAILEY

  ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2020 by Virginia Wise

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  BOUQUET Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4201-4780-3

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4783-4 (eBook)

  ISBN-10: 1-4201-4783-8 (eBook)

  To Aunt Louise,

  whose love will stay with me always

  Chapter One

  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 b
ack 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.

  Chapter Two

  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.