His tan face almost glowed under the shade of his hat, and she found it impossible to look away from his icy-blue eyes. No smile graced his face today, but he was plenty handsome without one. And why did her knees go all shaky over the stubble on his chin? How in the world did a little stubble have such power over her?

"Nathaniel."

Her quiet acknowledgment seemed to be all he needed. "I'm sorry," he said, plunging headlong into an apology. "I'm sorry for everything I said. I'm sorry for making you cry and for leaving you there like that. This has been the most miserable six days of my entire life." He tried to take a step toward her, but Sadie still clung tightly to his leg. "I didn't sleep a wink, I ate less than I slept, and"-he held up his thumb to reveal a pitch-black nail-"I smashed my thumbnail because I was too distracted to hold tight to my wrench."

Unable to stir herself from this stupor, Kate remained still.

He tried to take another step with Sadie still hanging on and then bent down and whispered something to the little girl. He handed her the flowers, and she took them carefully and put them into Kate's hand.

"These are for your mother," Nathaniel said.

Kate couldn't keep from laughing, even though her eyes brimmed with tears. "Gute, because I would have had to refuse such a beautiful gift for myself." She brought the flowers to her nose and breathed in the sweet fragrance before she handed the bouquet back to Sadie. "Take the flowers to Mammi and ask her to put them in some water, please."

Sadie walked carefully to the house, her little legs moving as fast as she could go without disturbing the blooms in her hand. Kate and Nathaniel stood frozen, looking at each other.

"I don't blame you if you never want to talk to me again. I should have at least shown the courtesy of driving you home. There is no excuse for my behavior."

Kate shook her head. "That would have been a very uncomfortable ride. And very long. You were right, Nathaniel. How can I ask you to wait for me? It's unfair."

"You are not asking anything of me. I give it freely." His face was inches from hers. "Because I love you. Love is unselfish and kind and suffers long. It suffers long, Kate. I'm determined to learn patience."

Kate put a hand to her heart in an effort to slow its racing. She gazed at Nathaniel until a movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Peering at the house, she spied Mamma, Mary, and her sister-in-law Anna watching them. Each of Kate's relatives smiled from ear to ear, and though she could not hear them, Kate guessed they were clucking and giggling over her newly returned boyfriend.

Kate groaned in exasperation. "Come on, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel followed Kate around the side of the house.

"This should keep us safe from curious eyes," she said.

He moved close again, daring Kate to shy away from him. She held her ground until the twins and little Giddy came tearing around the side of the house, carrying rags and buckets. Kate stepped quickly away from Nathaniel to avoid the inevitable stares of her brothers and nephew.

As was to be expected, the surprised boys stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Kate and Nathaniel standing in the side yard as if a meeting in the middle of the day were as commonplace as rain in the springtime.

"What are you doing here?" Joe said, his adolescent voice squeaking like a rusty gate. He'd heard of the incident at the pond from Elmer and sounded ever so mildly hostile.

"I came to deliver something to your mamm," Nathaniel said, not missing a beat and ignoring the nudge Kate gave him with her elbow.

The twins stared at Nathaniel, then at Kate, then back at Nathaniel. They obviously concluded that Kate didn't look distressed or eager to leave Nathaniel's presence. Joe shrugged. "Don't let us disturb you, then. We're only doing all the chores around here while you two do important things like talk about the weather."

The boys turned their backs and ran to the carriage house, presumably to clean and oil the buggy.

"Come," Kate said, motioning for Nathaniel to follow her. "Let's go sit on the porch."

"Are you sure?" he said as they walked to the front of the house.

"They'll find a way to spy wherever we are." She sat on the bottom step. "I will sit and you can stand over there so you are not tempted to make a pest of yourself and get closer than is proper."

Nathaniel laughed and planted himself next to Kate. "Have you ever measured how far away 'proper' is? In inches, I mean."

She pushed him away and refused to let him sit. He was forced to stand on the flagstones resting his arm on the handrail.

"You haven't answered my question yet. Will you let me court you? Until the summer dies and my heart dies with it?" he said.

"Don't sound so hopeless. I might be here in the fall."

Delight spread all over his face, melting any resistance Kate might have felt. "That would be too wonderful even to hope for," he said.

"You are very noble to persevere," she said, "but if you are determined to stick with me, nothing could bring me more happiness. Although I feel utterly selfish for it."

"You are the most unselfish person I know," Nathaniel said. "That is why I am hoping you will forgive me. Will you? For losing my temper and hurting your feelings? I think I've done more repenting in the last two months than I've done in my entire life. How can I ever hope to be a gute man when I make a mistake at every turn?"

"I don't love you because you are perfect. I love you because you are passionate and lighthearted and you try too hard and get frustrated. I love you because God is first in your life and you won't settle for anything less."

"I know but-" Nathaniel stopped mid-sentence and eagerly sat next to her. "You...love me?"

"Jah, I believe I do," she said.

His smile could have blinded the sun.

"Don't make too much of it," she teased. "You had to know."

"No, I didn't!"

Relishing his nearness, she leaned her shoulder against his. "I wish I could think of something for your mamm. To make her like me."

"I'm sure my mamm likes you. She just takes a little time to warm up to people."

Kate didn't want to argue with him. After all, he hadn't been the one to hear Lisa Fisher's gossip.

"There is something you can do for my mamm."

"What?"

"She is having a quilting circle next week at our house. I know she needs help."

Kate gave Nathaniel an uncertain smile. He couldn't have chosen a less attractive activity. Miriam was sure to be seriously underwhelmed by Kate's lack of sewing skills. One more thing to add to her list of reasons for not wanting Kate to marry her son.

"You can bring Mary," Nathaniel said, when he saw her hesitation. "My mamm will be so pleased."

Kate swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth. If only she believed that were true. "There is one more thing," she said, as her mouth went dry. "I don't blame you if you change your mind right now, and we can pretend this conversation never happened."

"What is it?"

"I am singing in a concert in Madison tomorrow for the academy. Do you want to take back your apology?"

His eyes lost their sparkle for a split-second but then he smiled. "I told you I would learn to be patient. This is my first test."

Chapter Twenty.

Kate stepped off the bus onto an unfamiliar street corner in Madison. Dr. Sumsion embraced her almost before her feet hit the ground. "Kate, you made it! I was beginning to think we'd have to cut all your songs."

"Sorry," Kate said. "The bus service from Apple Lake is not always reliable."

"Today of all days, I wish Amish people drove cars." Dr. Sumsion, a short, plump woman with salt-and-pepper hair and a no-nonsense smile, handed Kate a suit bag. "Go and change. Chelsea and the new student, Shannon, are in there already. And find a place to warm up. The concert starts in a half hour."

The hot summer sun reflected off the black pavement, and sweat trickled down Kate's neck before she even set off for the hill. She trudged up the slope hoping the borrowed formal would be sufficiently modest. She'd been very explicit in her last letter to Dr. Sumsion: The dress must have sleeves.

Dr. Sumsion called her back. "Kate, I added the Mozart back into the program. Ryan's ready to do it."

Dr. Sumsion had asked her to join a group of students from the academy for an outdoor concert at one of Madison's parks smack in the middle of her Amish summer. It was a long way to travel to perform five or six songs, but the wages paid for the trip and Kate sought as many experiences as possible in which she might be able to hear God's voice and understand His will. Faith without works was dead. Would He speak to her heart today? Kate smiled plaintively. The only person who seemed to speak to her heart was Nathaniel.

She glanced around as she made her way to the large white building at the corner of the park. Her heart pounded when she spied two young men standing directly in her path. Surprised at her own reaction, she still made a wide circle to avoid them. The encounter in La Crosse so many weeks ago had left her skittish. For a moment, she longed for the comfort of her own cozy home tucked among the apple trees.

After slipping through the side door, Kate let her eyes adjust to the dimness. Hearing voices, she walked to a lighted room at the end of the hall and stuck her head through the doorway.

Chelsea Webster sat in an overstuffed lounge chair drinking designer water while another girl paced around the room doing lip bubbles at increasingly high frequencies. Catching sight of Kate, the new girl almost choked. Then she tried to talk through her coughing spell.

"What...are you...wearing? Are you...a nun...a singing nun?"

"Shannon!" Chelsea said. She jumped up and pounded Shannon on the back with the heel of her hand.

"Chelsea...stop...you're making it worse," Shannon stammered.

A short dishwater blond, Chelsea was a year ahead of Kate in school and quite protective of her seniority. She'd made no secret of her displeasure when Kate won the role of Angelica last year and displaced Chelsea as Dr. Sumsion's favorite.

Chelsea handed Shannon a bottle of water and left her to wheeze on her own. She brought another bottle to Kate. "We thought you wouldn't make it. Shannon was going to attempt La Traviata. But right now she's in no condition to sing anything. I'll be your understudy, Shannon. Can I have 'O Luce'?"

Shannon took a swig of water. "No, thank you. I'll be fine."

Thin and tall, almost as tall as Elmer, and with a full head of thick auburn hair, Shannon wore a cobalt-blue knee-length formal that made the irises of her eyes striking.

"Sorry about that," she said. "Your clothes took me by surprise." Shannon tilted her head to one side. "What are you? I mean, is that a rude question? I don't want to be rude."

Kate shook her head. "I'm Amish."

"Wait a minute," Shannon said. "Harrison Ford was in that Amish movie."

"That movie is the only thing people know about us."

"Are Amish allowed to see movies?" Shannon said.

"We do a lot of things before baptism."

"Like go to the music arts academy?"

"Jah."

"But after baptism, the academy is forbidden, right?" Chelsea said.

"We give up the things of the world at baptism."

"Wow," Shannon said. "How long before you have to get baptized?"

"I do not have to be baptized. If I don't join the Church, then I will pursue a career in opera."

"But if you get baptized?"

"I will give up the singing," Kate said.

Chelsea and Shannon looked at each other.

"What will you choose?" Shannon said.

"I don't know. I am waiting for God."

They stood in silence until Shannon said, "You better get into your dress, Kate, or Dr. Sumsion will have a panic attack."

Kate went into the bathroom and took the dress from the suit bag. It was a beautiful, glossy, lime-green fabric with a fitted bodice and V-shaped waistline. It also had sleeves and a high neckline. Thank you, Dr. Sumsion.

After pulling the dress over her head, Kate looked in the mirror. Dressing up was one thing she loved about performing. She never felt as beautiful as when she floated onstage in a stunning formal. Gross vanity, as Ada and Nathaniel's mamm would both remind her.

Kate started her lip trills before she even walked out of the bathroom. She only had a few minutes to warm up.

"Did you know that Amish people don't use electricity or drive cars?" Shannon was saying as Kate returned through the door. "They only have to go to school until the eighth grade. And they don't worship in church buildings. They meet in everybody's houses." Shannon's eyes were fixed on her phone as she punched the screen rapidly.

Kate looked at Shannon in amusement. "Jah, I knew all that."

"Not you, Kate," Shannon said. "I'm trying to educate Chelsea."

Chelsea sat in the same lounge chair, applying another coat of black mascara. "Ten minutes ago you knew less about the Amish than I did."

Shannon pried her eyes from her phone long enough to glance at Kate. "Holy cow! Your hair is so long and pretty down like that. Chelsea, did you know that Amish women don't cut their hair?"

"Yes, Shannon, I know. I've been with Kate at school for two years. You've never even met her until this afternoon."

They heard the clip of Dr. Sumsion's heels down the hall before they ever saw her. She entered the room like a tornado and handed each of them a slip of paper. "Here is the order of the program. Get up and down as quickly as possible. Ryan and Brandon are waiting outside. Oh, Kate. That dress looks nice."

Dr. Sumsion took a deep breath as she pressed the top of her pen up and down, up and down. "Everything must be perfect today, girls. Singing outdoors is challenging because you tend to want to fill the space. Remember, you have microphones, so don't over-sing." She gave them a wan smile. "But knock 'em dead."

Kate took a sip of water as the butterflies began their frenzied flight in her stomach. She had never been able to decide whether she loved or hated that nervous feeling right before she stepped onto a stage.