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make his absolute best impression on her tonight, feeling the need to redeem himself after the stunt he’d pulled trying to make her jealous.
    Jackson had kept to himself the entire day and had gone about his chores as usual, but this time, he hadn’t teased Jake even one time. It had made the day go by faster so he could get to his much-anticipated part of the day—their buggy ride.
    Ellie stepped out of the house wearing a plain, pale blue dress, and the sight of her caused his heart to flutter as if there was more than one heart tucked away behind his ribs. When he’d researched the practice of buggy rides, he’d also read about marriage rituals such as growing and serving celery as a staple, and the wearing of a blue dress as a wedding dress. His gaze never left her as she approached him, and he couldn’t help but feel that something about her seemed different tonight. It was almost as if she had picked out this particular dress just for him. Jake couldn’t help but stare, wondering how it was she’d managed to look more beautiful than usual.
    She stepped down off the porch, closed the space between them, and tucked her finger beneath his suspenders. “You’re really taking this Amish thing seriously, but I have to admit, you make a very handsome Amish mann ,” she said, making him blush.
    “Thank you, but you look beautiful as beautiful as an Amish Bride,” he said with a smile.
    The two hopped into the buggy and he steered Coal down the quiet country road. Jake was still in awe of how peaceful Indiana was compared to the city. Instead of cars and people, all you could hear was the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, and the cicadas in the trees. He’d always thought the city felt like home to him but this place made him realize how wrong he was about that, especially with Ellie sitting next to him. Fireflies flitted along the path all around them, helping to light the way.
    “I’m curious about something,” Ellie said. “What were you doing spending all that time at Rachel’s since you weren’t courting her?”
    “I was learning how to do simple farm chores so I could stop making a fool of myself, and I was doing it just to impress you! Honestly, though, I rarely saw Rachel, and tried my best to avoid her. I was working with Isaac.”
    Ellie sighed. “You make me feel ashamed and embarrassed that I accused you of courting my cousin. I never should have accepted a buggy ride with Jackson just to get back at you. Will you forgive me?”
    She was flattered that Jake wanted to impress her, but she also felt embarrassed at her jealousy. She knew it was wrong to accept Jackson’s offer even if she’d known Jake’s intentions, and she was truly sorry she’d done such a foolish thing.
    “Of course I forgive you,” he said with a smile. “But there’s really nothing to forgive. We both made a mistake, and we both did it with the best of intentions—given the circumstances.
    “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’ve noticed your improvements, and I’m very impressed. You learned a lot pretty quickly.”
    “Yeah, Isaac is a good teacher.” He felt awkward for telling her he had done all this for her. He hoped she didn’t find that to be too weird.
    Ellie could sense he felt embarrassed for admitting his intentions to get her attention. “I’m flattered you wanted to impress me.” She said with a warm smile.
    The gentle rocking of the open buggy on the uneven path drew her closer to him. Their shoulders bumped, and it sent warmth through her when his hand touched hers. He pulled the buggy off the main road at the park entrance and steered Coal to a parking area in the clearing of the large oak trees. He tugged on the straps and set the brake.
    Unable to stand it another minute, Jake turned to Ellie and pulled her close to him. He pressed his lips to hers, sweeping over her mouth lightly, his eyes drifting closed naturally.
    Ellie enjoyed the warmth of his lips on hers, closing her eyes against