Read Rebecca's Rose for Free Online Page A

back memories of helping his dat hook up the buggy for gmay .
    He would have given Rebecca a reassuring wink, but she had her eyes glued to the spot exactly three inches below the horse’s right ear. Her hands gripped the saddle horn so tightly, her knuckles were white. She wore the same jeans and yellow T-shirt from their first date, and she looked even prettier than before, even with that look on her face.
    “You remember what to do?” he asked.
    She nodded slightly as if any unexpected movement might catapult her off her mount. Was she even breathing?
    “It’s going to be okay,” he said. “Loosen your pull on the reins and give the horse a gentle nudge in the flanks with your heels. That’s right.”
    Rebecca let out a muffled squeak when her horse actually moved, but she didn’t panic. After the horse took four or five steps forward, Levi saw Rebecca take a breath. Good. She might not hyperventilate after all.
    “See,” he said, “nothing to be afraid of.”
    “Did I say I was afraid?”
    “No, absolutely not. That thought never even crossed my mind. I mean, Amish girls are around horses so much, they probably understand their language.”
    Levi heard Rebecca breath again. Twice in the last minute. This was progress.
    “A lot of Amish ride horses. I just never got the chance. Mamm thinks it’s too dangerous.” A sigh unconsciously escaped her lips. “Did you have to pay Mr. Pittford to use the horses?”
    “Nah, I help him in the stable once in a while, so he doesn’t mind.”
    “He likes you very much.”
    Levi chuckled. “He wants me to marry his daughter.”
    “He does? Is she your girlfriend?”
    “We hung out a couple times in high school. I got to know her dad because we went riding sometimes.”
    “Do you want to marry her?” Rebecca said, more interested in staying on her horse than in anything Levi might say.
    Grimacing, Levi spurred his horse even with Rebecca’s. “Why would I want to do that? She’s pretty but not real smart.” He thought about his entire high school and post-high school dating experiences. That description fit just about every girl he had dated, including Tara.
    “So you prefer smarts over beauty?” she said.
    Levi glanced at Rebecca. Considering she was only giving him half her attention, her question seemed like the beginning of a deep conversation, and he was tempted to make a joke. He wasn’t particularly eager to share his girl experiences with Rebecca. She’d think badly of him.
    Why should he care if she did?
    Despite his inclination to make light of her question, he cleared his throat and said, “Cornflake girls.”
    “What?”
    “That’s what I call them. Pretty on the outside but with cornflakes for brains.”
    He wanted to laugh at her expression. The tight-laced Amish girl thought he was strange.
    “So Mr. Pittford’s daughter is a cornflake girl?”
    “Pretty much.”
    Rebecca pried her gaze from the trail and looked at him with those eyes that reflected so many different colors at once. “You have dated many cornflake girls, like as not? I suppose the Englisch girls claw out each other’s eyes to get to you.”
    “Claw out their eyes?” Levi sputtered then laughed. “That has never happened.”
    “But they like you.”
    He cocked his head to one side. “Sure they do. What’s not to like?”
    Rebecca rolled her eyes while still clutching the reins like her horse might bolt at any minute. “Pretty is as pretty does.”
    Levi’s heart sank. How could she make him feel like his good looks were a liability? “It’s true,” he said. “Beauty will only get you so far.”
    Rebecca furrowed her brow and nodded. “My mamm is pretty.”
    Why did he suddenly feel so concerned about that look on her face? He wanted to put his arms around her and tell her it was going to be okay—whatever it was.
    Too soon for that. It was none of his business.
    “Are you up to going a little faster?” he said.
    She breathed rapidly, and beads of