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Now here is an interesting exerpt from Harvest of Blessings:
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Nora’s
hand found the inside of Luke’s elbow. His skin felt smooth and warm beneath
the short sleeve of his tan cotton shirt. His eyes were the deep green of the
shaded cedar trees along the road, and the intensity of his gaze unnerved her.
“Um, maybe before we get to Willow Ridge, we could . . .”
“Shall
I pull over?”
Nora’s
breath escaped her as she nodded. She felt like a nervous girl on her first
date. Her heart hammered as Luke brought his horse to a halt on the side of the
road. He just kept looking at her, waiting for her to make the first move. Nora
was once again impressed by Luke’s control, because even as desire danced in
his eyes, his hands remained on his lap.
When
she reached for him, Luke pulled her close and kissed her for several long,
lovely moments. His soft sighs mingled with hers as he explored her mouth. When
she eased away, Nora knew she’d followed a path from which there was no
retreat. No turning back.
“Wow,”
Luke murmured as he caught his breath. “Wow.”
“You
got that right,” she murmured. “This is the first time I’ve ever been kissed in
a buggy—which sounds odd, considering the reason Dat sent me away. But before
Borntreger took what he wanted, I’d led a very sheltered, good-girl life.”
“Maybe
I can re-introduce you to Plain dating,” Luke replied as he took the lines in
his hands again. “The basics between a man and a woman don’t require a car or
cell phones or electricity, after all.”
Nora
grinned, for it seemed they had generated their own type of electricity—and it
was very different from what she’d known with Tanner Landwehr.
“Will
you need a ride to pick up your painted van?”
“No,
the Stutzman brothers offered to deliver it, to be sure everything drives the
way it should after they’ve checked it over,” she replied. “Poor planning on my
part, eh?”
Luke
wrapped his hand around hers as the horse clip-clopped along the blacktop
again. “The best parts about getting to know someone usually don’t follow a
plan. Although I’ll confess that I accomplished everything on my agenda today.
And I liked it. A lot.”
Nora
smiled. Who could’ve imagined that cool, self-assured Luke Hooley would admit
such a thing in a way that seemed so guileless? So sweet and open.
When
the mill came into view, Luke kissed her once more, gently guiding her chin
with his finger. He drove her to the front door of her house, and as Nora got
out of the buggy she felt so giddy she wasn’t sure what she said to him. When
she entered her front room, the fabric hangings stacked on her couch reminded
her that she had a million things to do to get ready for her store’s opening,
but she went straight upstairs. She changed into a cape dress and pulled her
hair into a bun with a kapp over it. In the bathroom, she washed off her
makeup.
Grabbing
the wardrobe boxes she’d used for her move to Willow Ridge, she went to her
closet and quickly took out every pencil skirt, silk blouse, and pair of
tailored slacks, plus all the sundresses and suits and high-dollar shoes and
purses that went with them. She bagged her jewelry and colorful scarves, and
yanked her tee shirts, jeans, and shorts from her dresser drawers. Waves of
emotion rolled through her as she recalled the occasions when she’d worn some
of this stylish clothing, but before she lost her resolve, Nora sealed the
boxes shut with packing tape. She would haul this stuff to the thrift store in
Morning Star as soon as her van arrived.
She
felt purged. Clean. Her English wardrobe represented a life she felt good about
leaving behind, even though she’d known some shining moments and had gained a
world of experience that would never leave her. But it was time to move
forward, even if that meant stepping back in time to the simpler life she’d
known as a girl.
Nora
looked in the mirror and smiled. The woman gazing back at her belonged in
Willow Ridge. No matter what her father thought of her, she had come home. To
stay.
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I just swoon when I read Charlotte's writing. Now let's learn more about our author.
Charlotte Hubbard's Bio:
Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz Hooley, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.
