Read Plain Peace (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) for Free Online Page B

decking was light gray, and two white rocking chairs sat on either side of a plain white table. Not surprisingly, there were no wind chimes or other decorations on the porch, but it was nice to see the colorful assortment of blooms in the flowerbeds.
    He knocked on the door, stood taller, and took a deep breath. Anna answered right away. She wore a burgundy-colored dress beneath a black apron, and she was smiling. Jacob couldn’t get over how pretty she was. She could have anyone that she wanted, someone far better looking and more suitable than him. But this was God’s plan, he supposed, so Jacob would do his part—letting the district know that her grandfather would let her date.
    His stomach lurched as Anna stepped aside so he could come in.
    “ Mammi and Daadi would like to meet you before we go.” She was still smiling, and Jacob wished they were going out under different circumstances. A real date.
    “ Ya . Sure.” Jacob crossed the threshold, and he recognized the aroma of freshly baked bread mixed with something else he couldn’t quite identify. Their living room was the plainest he’d ever seen, and his own family was going to be in trouble if this was how Bishop Byler expected everyone’s home to be. There was a small, tan couch, two wooden rocking chairs, a simple coffee table, two lanterns on the mantel, and . . . He glanced around. That was it. No propane lighting, no wall decorations whatsoever. Not even a clock. He quickly looked to his right when heavy footsteps grew louder.
    Bishop Byler hadn’t looked all that scary at worship service earlier. But now that the man was in his own home, scowling, Jacob could see what all the fuss was about. The bishop was a tall man with slumped broad shoulders, and as he looped his thumbs beneath his suspenders and frowned, Jacob wondered what he was in for.
    “ Mei maedel does not kiss on dates, and she must be home by seven o’clock.” Bishop Byler raised his chin, stroked his gray beard, and peered at Jacob. “Understood?”
    Jacob felt his face reddening. A quick glance at Anna found hers to be a bright crimson as well.
    “ Ya . Yes, sir.” Jacob pushed back the rim of his hat and nodded, hoping this portion of the date would go quickly. “I will have her home by seven.”
    Bishop Byler folded his arms across his chest. “And what else?”
    Jacob glanced again at Anna, who was now hanging her head. “I—I . . . uh . . . no kissing.”
    “ Ach , good grief, Isaac. Leave the boy alone.”
    Jacob had met Marianne Byler earlier in the day, and he was glad to see her entering the room now. “Nice to see you again,Jacob.” She gave his hand a squeeze and smiled at Anna. “You kinner go on now, and have a gut time.”
    Jacob waited for a cue from Anna, and when she waved for him to follow, he did so quickly.

    Marianne closed the door behind Anna and her date, then whipped around to face her husband. “Why did you embarrass them both like that?”
    Isaac raised his chin, frowning. “Why did you speak to me in such a way in my own home, in front of the kinner ?”
    “I’m sorry, Isaac.” Marianne softened her voice to appease him. “But don’t you ever wonder why no young lads have come calling for Anna? They’re scared of you. And now, finally, a new boy in town comes a-courtin’, and you’re gonna scare him off.”
    Her husband walked to the couch and sat down. He picked up his Bible and his reading glasses, slipping the spectacles on his face. “He needs to be scared. Not just any young man deserves to be with our Anna. This Jacob must prove himself worthy first.”
    Marianne sat down beside him and touched him gently on the leg. “My dear, Anna must make her own choice for a husband, but if you scare away all her options, she’ll have to settle for whoever is brave enough to face you. Do you want that?”
    He turned the page in the Bible and pushed his glasses up on his nose before turning to face her. “I was a young man once. I know how