An Honest Love Read Free Page A

remembering her painful past.
    Anna picked up her bag and opened the dirty white door that led to the back of the store. Her gaze took in the small office and storeroom, noticing the peeling yellow paint on the walls and the chipped linoleum floor. The entire store smelled musty. Although the temperature inside was cooler than outside, it was still warm. The previous owners had closed the store five years ago, but they hadn’t had a single offer until Anna expressed interest. She could see why. Besides repainting everything, she had to replace the back door, fix the leaky toilet in the tiny bathroom, and order more inventory and shelving. And that was just the beginning.
    But despite all the work involved, she loved the place.
    Placing her bag on the dented metal desk, she grabbed a rag and a can of all-purpose cleaner, ready to tackle the dust and grime that had formed on every surface of the store. As she walked back into the store, she hummed a hymn she’d sung in church last Sunday, occasionally singing a German word of praise.
    “Excuse me, fraulein .”
    At the sound of the deep voice, she jerked up her head, nearly dropping the cleaner. Standing inside the front door was a young Amish man. Unnerved, she gripped the can tightly.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I knocked on the door a couple times, but I guess you didn’t hear me. It was unlocked, so I came right in.”
    “That’s okay.” She struggled to regain her composure, something she found difficult to do with this nice-looking, dark-haired man standing only a few feet away. She hadn’t seen him before, and as she took in his face, she noticed his hazel eyes, their unusual color apparent even in the dimness of the store. “I suppose I shouldn’t have left the door unlocked. We’re not ready for business yet.”
    “ Ya , I know. I spoke with your mudder a couple days ago. She said you hoped to open the store in a couple of months.”
    “That’s the plan. We should have the repairs and renovations done on the shop and have enough inventory by then.
    He grinned, revealing perfectly straight teeth. “I’m hoping I can help you out with that. I’ve got the toys and other things your mudder ordered out in my buggy.”
    Anna frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about. “I’m sorry, Herr . . .”
    “Byler. Lukas Byler. Call me Lukas.”
    “I’m sorry, Lukas. I don’t know anything about the order.”
    “Your mudder didn’t mention it to you?”
    “ Nee .” Anna made a mental note to discuss the matter with her mother when she came in later. They couldn’t order things without discussing them first, or at least telling each other about it. Finances were tight, and they had to watch every nickel and dime.
    “I guess there’s some sort of misunderstanding then.” A puzzled look entered his eyes and he stroked his clean-shaven chin. He moved his hand from his face and looked at her. “Is your mud-der here? She can probably help clear things up.”
    “She won’t be back until late this afternoon.”
    “Then I tell you what. What if I bring in the goods, you take a look at them, and I’ll come back tomorrow morning. Then you can let me know if you change your mind.”
    “If my Mami ordered the items, then I’ll pay for them.” Anna didn’t want the man to go away empty-handed just because she and her mother hadn’t communicated. That wouldn’t be fair to him. “Just bring them inside and put them over there.” She pointed to an empty space near the front door.
    He nodded. “Be right back.”
    Anna sighed. She hoped her mother hadn’t negotiated too steep of a price with Lukas. She also hoped that he wasn’t bringing her a pile of junk she couldn’t sell. There were several stores in the area that sold cheap, plastic goods at high prices. She didn’t want Esh’s Amish Goods to go that route. She had envisioned having high-quality, yet reasonably priced, handcrafted