Fater sighed in frustration, but he kept quiet. Rebecca could only imagine what Levi must be thinking.

"Levi is a gute boy who has stuck by Rebecca for many months. They love each other. Don't you dare separate what God has joined together."

"The Almighty has nothing to do with this."

"If you do not give permission for this marriage, I will pack up the buggy with the children and stay with my sister Emma. She has three extra rooms in that house, and she said I could come anytime my husband decided to be unreasonable. Are you eager to cook your own meals and wash your own clothes?"

"You wouldn't do that. What will people say?"

Mamm's voice increased in volume. "What will people say when it gets around that you think our daughter is too good for Levi Cooper? You have already sent the message that you are too good for their help. How much pride can you shoulder, Amos?"

Rebecca could imagine her fater squinting his eyes and lifting his chin in indignation. "That is not how I feel."

"Make your decision wisely, Amos, or you will be living like a bachelor."

Again, the quiet in the front room proved deafening. Levi was probably racking his brain desperately for something appropriate to say.

Fater finally spoke. "It is hard for a father to let another man take his daughter. He wonders if she will be treated well and taken care of. Little Becky is my jewel, and you are asking me to hand her over to you as if it were as easy as whistling. What you want requires a great deal of trust on my side. This is not a minor request."

"I will never hurt her," Levi said softly.

"We used to do everything together-fishing, chores, gardening. Then Dottie Mae died, and I got discouraged when I couldn't make it better for her. I hope you will do better than I did."

Rebecca felt the tears slip down her face. Her fater still loved her, as best he could.

Fater paused. Rebecca wished she could see what looks passed between them before he spoke again. "You have my permission to marry my daughter."

Linda involuntarily let a soft squeal escape her lips. The four siblings looked at each other then tiptoed out the back door and sprinted to the front of the house where Levi stepped through the door with a big smile on his face.

Danny ran up the steps and threw himself into Levi's arms. Levi grunted in pain but kept smiling so as not to discourage Danny's enthusiasm. They walked down the stairs with Levi's arm around Danny's shoulder.

"We spied on you," Danny said, unable to stop giggling. "We heard every word. I almost cheered out loud when Fater said yes."

"Me too," said Levi.

He shook Max's hand and gave Linda a brotherly hug, his face starched into a permanent smile amd his movements slow and deliberate. With a wink, he wrapped his arm around Rebecca's shoulders and squeezed her tightly when she tried to pull away.

Oh, very well. Let the whole world see. Two people as in love as they were couldn't be expected to act rationally. Engagement was the perfect excuse to throw caution to the wind.

"When will you be married?" Max said.

Linda's cheerful expression faded. She slumped her shoulders and sank to the porch step. "I'll be stuck doing all the chores, won't I?"

Levi put a hand on Max's shoulder. "Max and Danny know how to be men. They'll pull their weight."

"I guess," said Max with a groan, but then he grinned, and Levi nodded back with unspoken understanding.

"I can be here several times a week to help with Mamm," Rebecca said. "I'll be married, not dead."

"I want to show Rebecca my new house," Levi said. "Well, my very old house. More of a shack, really. Do you all want to come? My mom said she could take us as soon as I secured your fater's permission."

"She was confident, then?" Rebecca said.

"No, she honestly didn't think she'd ever be taking you to see the house. She was even less confident than I was."

"So, in the depths of despair, basically?"

"Basically."

"Five o'clock would be a good time to go over there," Max said.

"It's about four thirty. Let's go now," Levi said.

"Five o'clock is much better," Max insisted. "You don't want to rush anything."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "What am I rushing?"

"You want to enjoy the first time Rebecca lays eyes on the house."

"I don't think so," Levi said. "Better to get the horror over with sooner than later."

"Danny, go ask Mamm and Fater if they would like to join us. We will hitch up our buggy," Rebecca said.

"That will take a few minutes," Max said.

"And Linda will want to fix her kapp, and I must find my green shawl and freshen up."

"Hurry it up," Levi said. "The sooner we get there, the more time you'll have to get over your disappointment."

Rebecca smiled to herself and bounded up the porch steps to show Levi that she was properly motivated. Mamm and Fater sat together in the front room. Mamm's eyes were moist, and Fater looked as if he'd eaten something that disagreed with him.

"Your fater has agreed to find a work crew closer to home," Mamm said.

Fater chewed on his words before he spit them out. "Now that you will be married."

Rebecca didn't know whether to rejoice or mourn at that decision. She felt sorry for Linda and the boys, but Mamm would have more help and Rebecca wouldn't feel so bad about leaving. And perhaps Fater would not have so much to criticize once Rebecca was gone.

"We are going to see Levi's house," Rebecca said. "Would you like to come?"

"Your mother has had a long day," Fater said.

Mamm laid a hand on Fater's knee and patted twice. "We would be pleased to see it. Max has done so much work on it."

Fater looked at Mamm's hand then up at Rebecca. "I will hitch the buggy."

"Levi doesn't know about the work on the house. Don't tell him anything until he sees it."

Rebecca slowly washed her face and fixed her kapp just so. They needed to stall for a good fifteen minutes before getting underway. Fater helped quite a bit by taking his good time in hitching up the buggy-clearly a last-ditch effort to exert control, as he must have sensed it slipping through his fingers.

Once Fater brought the buggy around, another five minutes was necessary to load Mamm and see that she was comfortable. Rebecca rode with Levi and his mom. The others followed in the Millers' buggy. They had taken enough time to get moving that their arrival at Levi's place would be exactly on time.

Rebecca could barely contain her excitement. She was going to her house-her very own house to share with her beloved husband, to bear and raise little ones, to make precious memories with the people she loved. Levi's joy would make hers that much greater.

Buggies lined the old highway a quarter mile from Levi's property.

"What's all this?" Levi said. His jaw dropped lower and lower, the more buggies they passed.

Once they passed a stand of trees, Levi's house came into view-as did dozens of people waiting in his front yard.

He looked at his grinning mother and then at Rebecca. "Why are all these people here? And why is my roof a different color?"

His mom guided the horse over the deep ruts in the front yard and halted the buggy in the midst of Levi's neighbors and friends. Kate and Nathaniel King stood out from the crowd, as did cousin Miriam, Luke Miller, Levi's grandparents, and the men from the wood shop, in addition to other Amish and Englisch neighbors. Rebecca jumped from the buggy first. When Levi emerged, the crowd cheered.

Levi was rendered speechless, but the shock on his face was plain enough. "I-I don't believe this," he said.

Nathaniel shook his hand. "We've been meaning to fix up this old place. Glad we could finally do it. We wanted you to have a place to bring your bride, if you are ever able to talk someone into marrying you."

Levi's smile was a mile wide. "I have managed to do that." He stared at the freshly painted siding and new windows. "The Amish really are the best people in the world."

"You are one of us, remember? So don't get a big head about it," Nathaniel said.

"I never dreamed..." Levi's voice cracked, and he burst into tears. "Thank you all so much."

Nathaniel laughed. "Oh, sis yuscht, I've never met a man who cries so much."

Levi wiped his eyes. "And you never will. I am a baby."

Several people laughed with them as Nathaniel opened the door and motioned for Levi and Rebecca to go inside. "You two can walk through by yourselves. If you want the grand tour, come get me."

"I helped with the Sheetrock," Max said.

Levi and Rebecca stepped over the threshold, and Nathaniel closed the door behind them. They found themselves alone in the empty front room, a refinished hardwood floor under their feet. The rich darker and lighter shades of wood formed an intricate lattice pattern, and Rebecca felt as if she had stepped into a mansion.

"Look at the floor," she said.

Levi stared in awe at the smooth finish that practically glowed at their feet. "When I bought the place, I didn't think it would be salvageable. Nathaniel's work, no doubt."

They walked through the archway to the empty kitchen, where the walls sparkled a crisp white. Spaces stood open for a stove and an icebox, and the cabinets looked brand new.

"Nathaniel's doing, again," Levi said, wiping another tear away. "I have a little money left over from the house payment. I'm not letting him foot the bill for this."

Rebecca ran her hand along the smooth countertops. What would it be like to cook in such luxury? Her heart swelled. To cook for Levi.

Levi took her hand, and they floated up the steep, narrow stairs to the three bedrooms. The two smaller rooms stood empty like all the other rooms in the house, but the larger room contained a bed made up with a stunning Amish quilt appliqued with red roses.

Rebecca gasped and ran her hands along the quilt, caressing the petals of the abundant flowers, fingering the tiny stitches that outlined every rose.

She looked up to see Levi watching her. When their eyes met, he promptly turned on his heels and tromped down the stairs.

"Levi," she said, quickly following him to the front room.

He stood looking out the window.

"Did something upset you?"

To her surprise, he gathered her in his arms and sighed in contentment. "I don't believe that anyone has ever loved someone as much as I love you. I think my heart will leap out of my chest if we don't marry soon." He pointed out the window. "Plant a thousand roses if you want."

"What about pasture for the cows?"

"Only if there is room left over. I'll buy you every hosta you ever dreamed of, and we'll fill this room with seed catalogs. What else can I do for you?"

"Nothing. If I never touched another rose in my life, I would be perfectly, absolutely happy with only you."

"From now on, your happiness is the only thing on my list."

"Then you can successfully cross that one off."

Rebecca shivered as he tightened his arms around her and brought his lips to hers.

She was home.

About the Author.

JENNIFER BECKSTRAND grew up with a steady diet of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. After all that literary immersion, she naturally decided to get a degree in mathematics, which came in handy when one of her six children needed help with homework. When daughter number four was born, she began writing, and between juggling diaper changes, soccer games, music lessons, and dinner preparations, Jennifer finished her first manuscript in just under fourteen years. Rachel's Angel, a historical western, won first place in two writing contests. Soon Jennifer turned her attention to the Forever After in Apple Lake series, about three cousins who find love in Wisconsin's Amish country. Her debut novel, Kate's Song, was the first book in the series and released in 2012. Rebecca's Rose is the second book in the series, and the third, Miriam's Quilt, will release in 2013.

Jennifer has two Amish readers who make sure her stories are authentic. No matter the setting, she hopes to pen deliriously romantic stories with captivating characters and soar-to-the-sky happy endings.

A member of RWA, Jennifer is the PAN liaison in her Utah RWA chapter. She lives in the foothills of the Wasatch Front in Utah with her husband and two children left at home. She has four daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and one grandson.

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