When Love Gets a Second Chance to Grow

Posted on Jun 23, 2016 Topic : Fiction

Hope Miller realizes she has feelings for widowed Amish schoolteacher Jonas Sutter, not to mention her affection for Jonas's young daughter, Emma. But Jonas still struggles with feelings of guilt from his beloved wife's death. Can he put his past behind him in exchange for a future with Hope? Read on and watch love bloom...

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Once the dishes were done Hope went to join Jonas and Emma outside. She closed the screen door silently behind her. Jonas stood straight, peering down and watching Emma dig in her pot with a small trowel. In her mind’s eye Hope pictured herself approaching him from behind, slipping her arms around his waist, and laying her cheek between his shoulder blades. She imaged his shirt to be warm from the afternoon sun. She imagined feeling his heartbeat as she pressed close to him, but as soon as those thoughts came in she pushed them away. She should not be having these types of feelings for him—not until she had a clear answer.

She thought back to something her mem had told her: Love that grows slowly over time, putting down its roots, is a love that will last. Everyone who she knew who’d had a rush of emotions also found them rushing away just as quickly. Jonas was handsome and that was appealing. He also was a good father and a good teacher, but surely to have real emotions—lasting emotions—would take longer than the few months they’d spent together.

They sat on two lawn chairs side by side, listening to parrots chatter in a nearby tree. Hope sucked in a breath, waiting for his words.

“Hope, I want to talk to you about Sarah’s death.”

It wasn’t what she expected, and the sadness that crossed his face nearly broke Hope’s heart. “You don’t have to. I know it must be hard.”

“I loved her. She loved me.” He drew in a great sigh and expelled his breath. The shudder moved through his whole body.

With words full of sadness he told her about Sarah’s stroke, about finding her, and about the hard years to follow that included caring for Sarah, caring for Emma, and trying to keep the farm going.

“But at the end I was so tired. It was so hard to see her suffer. And a few days before her death I prayed that God would take her.”

“That’s a sign of love, too, don’t you think?”

Tears filled his eyes and he nodded. “I just wanted you to know about that. To know about how hard it was. I want you to know that if there are days when I don’t seem myself, or days when I’m especially quiet, well, I’m probably thinking about those times. About… ”

His voice trailed off, but Hope guessed what he wanted to say. “About her.”

Jonas reached out and took her hand then, squeezing it as if he was afraid to let go.

“But I just want you to know that what I had with Sarah, Hope, takes nothing from what I feel about you. I never thought it would be possible to have such hope for the future.”

She smiled then, but she also worried. Were things moving too fast? Did she truly know him? Did he know her? He pulled her hand toward him and kissed the back of it. Hot heat rushed from her hand, down her arm, and to her chest—straight to her heart. Take things slow, Hope. Don’t let his heart become entwined too quick.

But even as she thought that Hope wondered if it was too late. She also wondered what all this meant. But for the moment she was content simply sitting in this backyard with Jonas and feeling the tenderness of his touch.

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