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  RETURN TO HUCKLEBERRY HILL

  Had she fainted? Her head spun in several different directions like a yard full of pinwheels. Was she still standing or had she fallen over?

  “Stay still, heartzly.” Reuben’s low voice sounded like a caress against her skin.

  Yep. She had fainted, and she was still unconscious. Reuben would only have called her heartzly in her dreams.

  Groaning softly, she lifted her hand to her forehead and opened her eyes. Reuben’s face was mere inches from hers, and he didn’t seem inclined to pull away. His expression was saturated with concern as he tightened his arms around her. She sat on the ground while Reuben knelt beside her, keeping her upright with his firm embrace.

  “Did I faint?”

  “About fifteen seconds ago. Hush. Don’t try to talk.”

  The last thing she needed in her already frazzled state was to be this close to Reuben Helmuth, who smelled so gute, it should probably be against the Ordnung. She tried to push away from him so she could stand up, but he only pulled her closer. If she didn’t give up the struggle, he’d persist in drawing her dangerously close to his heart....

  Books by Jennifer Beckstrand

  The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill

  HUCKLEBERRY HILL

  HUCKLEBERRY SUMMER

  HUCKLEBERRY CHRISTMAS

  HUCKLEBERRY SPRING

  HUCKLEBERRY HARVEST

  HUCKLEBERRY HEARTS

  RETURN TO HUCKLEBERRY HILL

  The Honeybee Sisters

  SWEET AS HONEY

  A BEE IN HER BONNET

  LIKE A BEE TO HONEY

  Anthologies

  AN AMISH CHRISTMAS QUILT

  THE AMISH CHRISTMAS KITCHEN

  AMISH BRIDES

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  Return To Huckleberry Hill

  JENNIFER BECKSTRAND

  ZEBRA BOOKS

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  RETURN TO HUCKLEBERRY HILL

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Beckstrand

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4201-4411-6

  eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4412-3

  eISBN-10: 1-4201-4412-X

  Chapter One

  Reuben Helmuth had a sinking feeling in his gut the minute Delores Johnson answered her door, and it wasn’t because Delores was glaring at him from behind her screen.

  The Christmas Eve night was bitter cold, and Reuben’s breath hung in the air as he tried to keep the tune while Benji Troyer sang loudly off key right next to Reuben’s ear. Poor Benji couldn’t have carried a tune if it had a handle.

  Delores Johnson, one of the Englischers who lived in their mostly Amish community, had never possessed a pleasant disposition, but tonight she looked downright hostile. She narrowed her eyes and scowled directly at Reuben as if she blamed him for her being alone on Christmas Eve. Or maybe she didn’t like the way he sang or the fact that she had to strain her neck to look up at him. Maybe she was annoyed that she had to stand there and listen while the warm air seeped through the screen door and out of her house. Reuben never could tell with Delores.

  Delores’s bad mood wasn’t the reason Reuben felt unsettled all of a sudden. His throat tightened and “O Come All Ye Faithful” died on his lips. Irrational as it was, he felt vulnerable and exposed, as if everyone behind him was laughing at a joke he wasn’t in on. He casually turned around and glanced at die youngie behind him. Most of them were bundled up like snowmen with coats and scarves and winter hats, but they were smiling and singing as if they weren’t paying Reuben much attention at all.

  But where was Linda Sue? He could have sworn she had been right beside him not five minutes ago.

  He scanned the group of young people, looking for Linda Sue’s lavender scarf among the sea of black coats. She wasn’t there, and yet right before they’d made the trek up Mrs. Johnson’s driveway, Linda Sue had been by his side. Hadn’t she? Their youth group was traveling door to door on foot, singing carols and delivering goodies to the shut-ins. It would have been impossible for Linda Sue to get lost.

  He smiled, even though Mrs. Johnson’s frown could have given him a rash or something equally as itchy. Tomorrow was Christmas, and he was going to propose to Linda Sue. His heart skipped about in his chest like a moth around a flame. They’d be married in September, and he couldn’t be happier. He and Linda Sue were perfect for each other. She was the bishop’s daughter. His dat was a minister. Both of their families were respected and loved in the community. Linda Sue was the prettiest girl in Sugarcreek, and Reuben’s mamm had always said he wasn’t too bad to look at.

  It was a match made in heaven with Gotte’s approval, for sure and certain.

  They finished the song, and Mrs. Johnson opened her screen door just wide enough for one of the girls to hand her a basket of Christmas goodies. “Thank you for stopping by,” Delores said. “I love having you Amish folks come see me. Come anytime.”

  After seeing her lemon-sour expression, Reuben wasn’t entirely convinced of her affection. Maybe she was offended by Reuben in particular.

  Reuben took another look around as the group started moving down Mrs. Johnson’s driveway and on to their next destination. No Linda Sue. His best friend, John King, was nowhere to be seen either.

  “Ruth,” he said, tapping the girl next to him. “Have you seen Linda Sue yet? I’ve lost her all of a sudden.”

  Ruth, a mousy girl of barely sixteen, turned bright red. She looked almost guilty, which made no sense. She was probably flustered at having an older boy like Reuben Helmuth talk to her. He had that effect on girls. John teased him about it all the time, but he couldn’t help that girls found him good-looking.

  Ruth shuffled her feet and clasped her gloved hands together. “I . . . well . . . I . . .”

  Ruth’s sister, Jolene, hooked her elbow around Ru
th’s arm, and the two of them simultaneously burst into a fit of the giggles. “She and John fell behind,” Jolene said. “At the bridge that crosses the creek.”

  Benji Troyer, with his brother Andy and cousin Enos, ambled past Reuben. Benji’s lips twitched in amusement. “They’ve been falling behind a lot lately.”

  Andy and Enos glanced at Reuben and down at their feet and snickered softly while Reuben stared at them and tried to figure out why they were acting as if their suspenders were cinched too tight.

  Reuben didn’t especially like how Benji was smirking. He planted his feet and folded his arms across his chest. “What do you mean?”

  “John and Linda Sue,” Benji said, not even trying to hide a self-satisfied grin. “If they’re not with you, they’re with each other.”

  Reuben casually shrugged his shoulders and pretended that he already knew it and couldn’t care less what Benji and everyone else thought. He wouldn’t give Benji the satisfaction of knowing something Reuben didn’t know, even though it felt as if someone had just thrown a snowball at his head.

  A hard, cold snowball. With a rock in the middle.

  That was what had been nagging at his gut all afternoon. Something had been different between Linda Sue and John for weeks. Whenever the three of them were together, it was as if Linda Sue tried to pretend John didn’t exist and John would turn so painfully cheerful as to be annoying—as if he was trying too hard to be someone he wasn’t.

  What did Benji know that Reuben didn’t?

  He refused to lower himself to ask.

  Clenching his teeth, he glanced in the direction of the bridge. “You go on to the next house. I’ll find Linda Sue and catch up.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t want to be found,” Benji said. “Girls are like that, you know.”

  Reuben turned and strolled away as if he hadn’t a care in the world, even though his neck and shoulders were so tight he thought they might snap.

  Jolene and Ruth were still giggling, and he heard two or three other girls join in. Then Benji murmured something under his breath, and Andy and Enos laughed softly.

  Reuben’s face flamed with embarrassment and anger, and he felt the heat all the way to his ears. They were laughing at him! Him. Reuben Helmuth, the boy no one laughed at. The boy everyone loved and would never dream of making fun of. The boy with his own hefty bank account and too many friends to number. He was practically engaged to the bishop’s daughter. Everybody respected him. And nobody would ever dream of laughing.

  Until now.

  What had Linda Sue done?

  The narrow bridge across the creek was only a few hundred yards through the trees. John and Linda Sue stood on the bridge with their heads together, whispering as if they were engaged in some secret and intimate conversation.

  Reuben furrowed his brow and cleared his throat, even though he wasn’t the one doing something inappropriate. His frown deepened when Linda Sue and John flinched and practically jumped away from each other as if they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

  “Is everything okay?” Reuben said, trying to keep his voice light and carefree. After all, John might have been helping Linda Sue get something out of her eye. John was Reuben’s best friend. He would never do anything to jeopardize that friendship. Linda Sue was the bishop’s daughter, and she had been in love with Reuben for years. Reuben had finally taken notice of her, and she had felt herself doubly blessed. She’d never trade her prosperous and happy future for a pig farmer.

  John looked as if there’d been a death in his family. He gazed at Reuben, every line of his face etched with pain as his eyes flashed with pity.

  Pity? Surely he didn’t feel sorry for Reuben. Reuben was everything that John wanted to be. John was the one Reuben and his other friends had pitied. Nobody pitied Reuben Helmuth. He wouldn’t allow it.

  Reuben’s lungs seized up when John grabbed hold of Linda Sue’s hand. Linda Sue didn’t even try to pull away. “We’ve got to tell him, Linda Sue.”

  Linda Sue finally turned her eyes to Reuben. They were moist and pleading. “I didn’t want to do this at Christmastime,” she said. With her hand still in John’s, she took a step toward Reuben and reached out her free hand. He stepped back, quite sure he didn’t want whatever she was trying to give him. “I’m sorry, Reuben. We didn’t mean for this to go on so long without telling you. It just . . . it just happened, and I haven’t been able to confide in you for a long time.”

  Reuben couldn’t believe, wouldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean?”

  “You won’t listen.”

  “I sit at your kitchen table every week late into the night. We talk about everything. What do you mean I won’t listen?”

  A tear meandered down Linda Sue’s cheek, as if she cared. As if she felt real and sincere remorse. “You don’t know how many times I tried to tell you about my growing feelings for John.”

  “Tried to tell me?” Reuben said, unable to keep the bitterness off the tip of his tongue.

  John pulled Linda Sue to him. How could she let him when John smelled like the pigs, and he wasn’t near good enough for the bishop’s daughter? “She tried to tell you, Reuben, but you’re too wrapped up in yourself.”

  Every word that came out of John’s mouth pulled Reuben’s nerves a little tighter. “So whatever is going on here is my fault?”

  “Of course it’s not your fault,” Linda Sue said, her eyes glowing with compassion.

  She must have been trying to win an award for being sensitive. He found it offensive. Reuben Helmuth didn’t need anyone’s compassion or pity or sympathy. It was humiliating that she thought he did.

  “No one is to blame. These things just happen,” she said, as if that would make everything all better.

  “What things?” Reuben said, knowing he didn’t want the answer. He was shaking with rage and cold and pure and utter shock. What would people say?

  John dropped all pretense and put both arms around Linda Sue. “We love each other, Reuben, and we have for several weeks. We’re going to be married, Lord willing.”

  Linda Sue had the gall to give him that kindly smile she saved for old ladies and small children. He thought he might be sick. “We would be so happy if you would come to the wedding.”

  Come to a wedding that was supposed to be his? His humiliation was complete.

  Die youngie would never stop laughing at him.

  Chapter Two

  Three days after Christmas, and the snow kept falling. The drifts were already piled up past the porch, and Huckleberry Hill looked like a marshmallow-and-mashed-potato wonderland—which also sounded like a brilliant idea for a new recipe. Maybe Anna could try it out for New Year’s Eve. On a night like this, it felt wonderful gute to hibernate in a cozy house and let the bears and the bunny rabbits enjoy the weather outside.

  Anna Helmuth adjusted her glasses to get a better look at her letter, and her shoulder creaked like a rusty hinge. It seemed that her body made a new groan or whimper every time she got up in the morning. Walking around the house was getting to be noisier than a buggy rolling over cobblestones. Anna supposed it was only to be expected that an eighty-four-year-old should have a few squeaky joints. She didn’t consider herself aged by any means, but the body the gute Lord had given her had seen quite a bit of use. She had given birth to thirteen children, after all.

  But it wasn’t her own children who occupied Anna’s thoughts these days—she’d done all she could to rear them, and if they had turned out poorly, she didn’t have time to feel guilty about it.

  Nae. Anna fretted over her poor, unmarried grandchildren. Too many of them were hopelessly in need of spouses, and if Anna and her husband Felty didn’t help them, their posterity would very likely wither and die on the vine.

  The thought of unwed grandchildren put Anna in quite a dither. Something had to be done.

  “Felty dear, how do you spell ‘parsimonious’?” she said, holding her pen at the ready.

>   Felty, Anna’s husband of sixty-five years, sat in his recliner reading The Budget as he did every Wednesday evening. He lowered his paper and squinted at the ceiling as if the answer were written in the bumpy plaster above. “Annie-banannie, I don’t even know what ‘pars-pneumonia’ means. You’re so much smarter than me. In school, I was always the first one to sit down during a spelling bee.”

  “Now, Felty. I’m not that smart, but I know what ‘parsimonious’ means because it sounds like ‘persimmon, ’ and I just remember that persimmons are cheap at the store, and ‘parsimonious’ means cheap or miserly.”

  “Very clever, Banannie, but who are you writing a letter to, and will they know what ‘parsimonious’ means even if you spell it right?”

  Anna raised her eyebrows and peered over her glasses. “Elsie will know. She’s smart as a tack and very avuncular.”

  “For sure and certain our granddaughter is smart, but why are you writing her a letter with big words like ‘parsimonious’ and ‘have-an-uncle-yooler’?”

  Anna leaned closer to Felty and took him into her confidence. “I’m hoping my big vocabulary will convince her to come to Huckleberry Hill yet. The school will be needing a new teacher in August, and Elsie needs a husband. We can kill two birds with one stone.”

  “That is a very gute plan, Annie.”

  Anna crossed out an entire sentence, dotted her last i with a heart, and picked up her letter. “How does this sound? Dear Elsie, I hope this correspondence finds you in good health and very comfortable at home. Your dawdi and I have very avuncular feelings toward you and want you to abide with us and teach the scholars at the school next year. The school board is not parsimonious. You will be compensated well. What do you say? Would you like to come to Huckleberry Hill?” Anna eyed Felty expectantly. “What do you think of that?”