The Teacher’s Choice
For Lillian Keim, instructing children in her one-room schoolhouse is as close to being a mother as she’ll ever get. Lillian has a calling to be a teacher, and she won’t give it up to marry. But her plans—and her heart—are at risk when she begins to feel more than friendship for lifelong pal Timothy Bowman. When Tim rescues Lillian and her class from a fire, the volunteer firefighter suddenly sees what he’s been blind to all his life: he wants his friend as his wife. But something beyond her professional goals is holding Lillian back. He’s got to unlock her secret before he loses his friend—and his forever love.
“Do you have a mother in mind for your future children?”
She was teasing him, but she had heard a bit of gossip about him and wondered if it was true.
He shook a finger at her. “Lillian Keim, you’re prying.”
“I hear you have a come-calling friend.” She named the woman, but he explained he’d just given her a lift home. She was glad he wasn’t seeing anyone. But why? she asked herself. They were just friends. Right?
A gleam sparkled in the depths of his eyes. “Would you be jealous if I were going out with her, Teacher?”
Trust him to turn the tables on her. “Of course not, but after what you said to my students today, I’ll be answering many questions as to who my new ‘boyfriend’ is.”
He frowned. “Do you really think so? I didn’t mean to make trouble.”
“When people start asking, I’m going to tell everyone it’s you.”
He pressed his hands over his heart. “Teacher, don’t get my hopes up unless you mean it.”
After thirty-five years as a nurse, PATRICIA DAVIDS hung up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer. She enjoys spending her free time visiting her grandchildren, doing some long-overdue yard work and traveling to research her story locations. She resides in Wichita, Kansas. Pat always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can visit her online at patriciadavids.com.
I hope you have enjoyed this new story in the Amish Bachelors series. The Bowman brothers have all been fun to write about. I have used my four brothers as inspiration for many of their quirks and conversations.
The story of the arsonist in this book was inspired by true events. In 1993 the grandson of an Amish bishop was arrested and charged with setting fires to multiple Amish farms in one night. As with my story, the damage was too costly for the Amish community to absorb. After a newspaper article detailed their struggles, donations poured in for them to the point that they had to return some money.
People are basically good, be they Amish or English. As Lillian said, every man has good and bad within him.
Blessing to all,
His Amish Teacher
Patricia Davids
Bear ye one another’s burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ.
—Galatians 6:2
This book is dedicated to the memory
of Joan Stroda. Heaven gained a dear and
wonderful angel when she left this earth.
Miss you, Mom. Love you still.
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