Hometown Cinderella: Hometown Cinderella\The Inn at Hope Springs (25 page)
Read Hometown Cinderella: Hometown Cinderella\The Inn at Hope Springs Online
Authors: Patricia Davids,Ruth Axtell Morren
Tags: #Christian Books & Bibles, #Literature & Fiction, #Romance, #Historical, #United States, #Religion & Spirituality, #Fiction, #Christianity, #Christian Fiction, #Historical Romance
Questions for Discussion
- When Mara and Gideon first meet in church, they each have misconceptions about the other. How are first impressions often misperceptions?
- Normally, Gideon and Mara would move in different circles. What brings them together at this point in their lives?
- Mara quickly sees and understands Lizzie’s yearnings, just as Gideon steps in to offer Dietrich the gentle yet firm guidance the boy needs. How does this help reveal each one’s true character to the other?
- Outwardly, Mara is reserved, elegant and ladylike. What does Gideon see that others don’t see?
- Even though Gideon appears to be a rough, uneducated farmer, what gestures show Mara that he is a true gentleman?
- Mara has learned the hard way not to trust surface charm. How does Gideon counter this distrust?
- Gideon has never expected to meet anyone to make him consider remarrying. Mara seems so different from his first wife. Yet what things about her cause him to reconsider his widowhood?
- Mara was married to a talented and famous man who left her and their son penniless. Gideon can’t understand how a man would not provide for his spouse and child. How does this reflect Gideon’s faith and moral code?
- How does Gideon’s quiet strength balance Mara’s worries over Dietrich’s rambunctious behavior and help put her fears into perspective?
- Lizzie’s stories of her father when he was first widowed reveal to Mara the kind of man he was, caring and sensitive, and endear him further to her even when she refuses to allow herself to trust again. Why is it hard to refute Lizzie’s testimonials about her father?
- Christians usually have to deal with someone unpleasant in their lives. How does both Mara’s and Gideon’s behavior toward Carina show their spiritual maturity?
- When Mara sees Gideon in the woodshed at Thanksgiving, she can no longer deny that there is something between them. What is her immediate reaction?
- Gideon is able to read Mara’s reactions even when she doesn’t express herself openly. What does this tell her of his sensitivity and perception, despite his having less formal education and polish than she does?
- Even though Mara expresses her sincere gratitude to Gideon for rescuing her during the snowstorm, further breaking down the barriers between them, why does Gideon still fear he’ll never be able to help her overcome the scars of the past?
- Why does Mara feel ashamed after confessing her past to Gideon? Have you ever regretted opening up to someone for the first time? Why?
Emma Wadler has made a good life for herself, running the Wadler Inn in the town of Hope Springs, Ohio. She has accepted her life as an “old maid,” and is content catering to the tourists who come to view her Amish community. She had once hoped to marry and raise a family of her own, but her fiancé died tragically when they were both only seventeen, and Emma has guarded her heart ever since.
Adam Troyer fixes things. Having just returned to the faith after years in the English world, Adam is hoping to prove to his father that he is committed to a simple life. So he’s happy to be hired by Emma’s mother to make repairs to the inn during the winter off-season. The old Swiss-style chalet has its share of problems, but nothing he can’t fix. Nothing except perhaps the broken heart of the owner....
THE INN AT HOPE SPRINGS
Patricia Davids
Chapter One
“S
top right there. What do you think you’re doing?”
Inside the front door of the Wadler Inn, Adam Troyer froze, his ladder balanced precariously on his shoulder. He didn’t dare swing around to see who was scolding him. If he tried, he’d break a window or take out a row of Grandma Yoder’s jams and jellies lining the display shelves beside the door. A window could be replaced, but good gooseberry jam was a work of art. Grandma Yoder’s was the best.
“What is the meaning of this?” A woman moved into his line of sight from behind the jam display. Planting herself in front of him, she prevented him from advancing into the lobby. Arms akimbo in her brown Amish dress, a scowl on her face beneath the white prayer cap on her auburn hair, the little woman reminded him of a hen with her feathers ruffled in annoyance. An angry Rhode Island Red with spectacles.
He struggled to keep from laughing. “You are Emma Wadler,
jah?
”
“I am. Who are you, and why are you bringing that ladder in here?” Her tone was cold as the February temperature outside.
He swallowed his grin. He needed this job. “I’m Adam Troyer. I’m here to fix the loose stones in the fireplace and some of the shutters outside.”
He’d only seen her a few times before this. Although they belonged to different Amish church districts, he’d spent time in Hope Springs when he’d visited his cousins. His cousin David called her a plain-faced
alt maedel.
She didn’t look that old, maybe thirty at the most. Not all that plain, either, with her peaches-and-cream complexion and full red lips. At the moment those lips were pressed into a hard line, but he figured a smile would make her almost pretty.
Behind wire-rimmed glasses, her hazel eyes narrowed. No smile appeared. “There’s nothing wrong with our shutters. Who hired you?”
“The owner did.”
She folded her arms. “I’m the owner.”
“You are?” That surprised him. Very few Amish women owned businesses outright, although many owned them jointly with their husbands.
“I asked Mr. Parker to hire the lad, Emma. Now let him get to work. I don’t want another quilt smoked up.” A tall, gray-haired woman in a royal-blue dress crossed the room. Bright-eyed and smiling, tall and big-boned, Naomi Wadler was the opposite of her daughter in every respect.
Stopping in front of him, she pointed to one end of the lobby. “We have several stones loose in the fireplace. Can you fix them?”
The impressive stone structure soared two stories high and was at least eight feet wide. Made in the old-world fashion using rounded river stones in mortar with a massive timber for a mantel. Someone had added a quilt hanger near the top. It made a fine place to display a handmade quilt.
Emma spoke up. “Don’t start work just yet, Mr. Troyer.
Mudder,
I need a word with you,” she stated, a hint of steel in her tone.
As Adam watched the women leave the room, he had the sinking feeling he was about to lose this much-needed job.
Chapter Two
E
mma led the way to the small office behind the front desk and closed the door after her mother. “I wish you had discussed this with me. We can’t afford to have a lot of work done. I can take care of most things myself.”
“Nonsense. We can’t afford
not
to get the work done. And now is the best time—it’s the middle of winter and we have so few guests. Mr. Parker mentioned to me his growing list of things that need repairs. Didn’t he mention them to you?”
“He did. I will get to them.”
Emma had hired Mr. Parker to take over the day-to-day contact with guests and to handle the phone and computerized reservations that her religion didn’t allow her to do. He had been an invaluable employee for five years. If he felt the need to go over her head, she shouldn’t have brushed aside his concerns.
“I discussed it with Dr. White when I ran into him at the grocery store yesterday,” Naomi said. “He does own half this inn. I felt he needed to know.”
He owned fifty-one percent to be exact. Dr. Harold White was the town’s only physician. He and her father had been great friends. She could not own such a business by herself outright because of her religious restrictions so she had asked Dr. White for his help. Her bishop found it acceptable because she was unmarried and because she was working for a non-Amish partner. Dr. White left her completely in charge of running the place and that suited them both.
Her mother pressed her point. “Adam Troyer’s rates are reasonable. Do you want a stone or a shutter to drop on some poor
Englischer’
s head? Besides, Dr. White’s not happy the place is getting run-down.”
“It is not getting run-down. A little shabby maybe.”
Her mother merely raised one eyebrow.
Emma relented and admitted her mother was right. “Very well, there are some things that need fixing.”
Naomi smiled brightly. “
Jah,
there are. You don’t have to be the one doing all the work at this inn. You work too hard as it is.”
Emma held her tongue. Her mother didn’t understand that hard work was the only thing that kept the loneliness at bay.
Moving forward, Naomi reached out to straighten Emma’s prayer
kapp.
“Did you notice what a nice smile the young man has?”
“I noticed he almost knocked down our jam display.” Emma submitted to her mother’s attention although she suspected her
kapp
was already perfectly straight.
“It wouldn’t hurt you to smile back at a young man once in a while.” Suddenly, Naomi sneezed, then sneezed again.
Emma took two quick steps away. The last thing she wanted was to cause her mother discomfort. What had she been thinking?
Rubbing her nose, Naomi said, “Sorry, I don’t know what started that. You look tired, Emma. Is everything okay?”
She should look tired. She’d been up every two hours through the night for the past two nights. She wasn’t about to explain why. How could she expect her mother to understand when she didn’t know herself why she’d taken on a task doomed to failure? “I’m fine. I must get to work.”
“And Adam Troyer stays,
jah?
” her mother asked.
Emma wasn’t about to make a promise she might regret. “We shall see.”
Chapter Three
E
mma opened her office door and walked out into the lobby. Adam had set his ladder on the floor. Her jams and jellies were no longer in danger.
He stood by the fireplace carefully examining the stonework. He had taken off his hat and coat, giving her a view of his tall, lean frame. His hair, sandy brown and curly, was trimmed in the same bowl cut all Amish men wore. Since he didn’t have a beard she knew he was unmarried.
Why was he still single at his age? He had to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
His plain clothes fit him well. His suspenders drew attention from where his broad shoulders filled out his white shirt down to where his dark trousers accentuated his narrow waist and lean hips.
And what was she doing thinking about such things when she had an inn to run?
Naomi pointed to the top of the fireplace. “Our innkeeper noticed at least two stones loose near the ceiling when he was taking down the last quilt I sold. I’ll show you which ones, but there may be others.”
Emma clasped her hands in front of her. “Exactly how many fireplaces such as this have you repaired, Mr. Troyer?”
Adam looked at her. “Like this one? None.”
She blinked. “None? And you expect me to hire you?”
Adam didn’t appear the least put out by her remark. His eyes twinkled as he said, “This will be the largest fireplace I’ve worked on but the repair principle is the same. I can do the job.”
She would have to trust him. The smoke leaking out around the loose stones had left soot marks on the quilt and ceiling. “It appears you have a job. If your work is satisfactory we will discuss additional projects tomorrow morning.”
Beaming a bright grin at her, he crossed the room and held out his hand. “That’s a deal then, Emma.”
Hesitating only a fraction of the second, she took his hand. “
Jah,
we have a deal.”
His large fingers engulfed her small ones as he pumped her arm with vigor. The warmth of his touch took her by surprise. The calloused strength of his hand gripping hers did funny things to her insides. Looking up into his smiling face, she was tempted to smile back, but she didn’t. Instead she pulled her hand away and folded her arms tightly across her middle.
He might be a handsome man with his curly hair and bright blue eyes, but that shouldn’t matter. If he did a good job, then she would be pleased.
She didn’t want to admit the warmth of his hand and the friendliness of his smile caused butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She had put such foolishness behind her after the death of her fiancé ten years ago. Her heart lay in pieces in the cold ground with William, her one true love.
The grandfather clock in the corner began to chime the hour. Emma realized with a start that she was late. “Continue with your work, Mr. Troyer. I will be back to check on you.”
She rushed through the kitchen, grabbing her coat from the hook on her way out. Pulling on her coat in the cold air, she prayed she would still find all was well, but she knew not to expect too much.
