The Farmer Next Door (18 page)

“I was afraid, too, but you have shown me that a man can be kind even when he is upset. I learned to trust you, Adrian. That is something I was sure I would never do again. You’ve given me the one thing I need that no one else can give me.”

“What is that?”

“Your love.”

He smiled and pulled her close. “
Ja,
my heart holds all the love you will ever need.”

She gazed into his eyes, happier than she could ever remember being.

He said, “I don’t want to wait to marry you. I hope you weren’t planning on a long courtship.”

Unable to resist teasing him, she said, “I don’t think we should rush into anything. It takes a long time to get to know a person well.”

He nodded. “You’re right. We should give ourselves two years.”

“At least.” She tried to keep a solemn face but failed. There was no way she could wait that long.

Pulling her close again, he whispered, “I’ll be lucky to last a week. How soon can we get hitched?”

“With all the preparations I need to make…six months.” When he was holding her close it sounded much too long to wait.

“My mother will help, and if I know her, she’ll cut that time in half.”

“If she can help arrange a wedding in three months, she is a worker with great talents.”

“Then both of you should get along fine for you are one, too, my love.”

When his lips closed over hers once more, Faith knew she’d found more than a home in Hope Springs. She’d found courage, a family and a love unlike anything she’d dreamed was possible.

Dear Reader,

I hope that you have enjoyed
The Farmer Next Door.
I can’t tell you how much fun it was to research alpaca farming. Okay, I will tell you. It was a hoot! I didn’t have to travel far to visit an alpaca farm. It turns out that there was one less than twenty-five miles away from my house. I would love to tell you how lost my friend and I got on the way to this farm but that would require a whole new book. Needless to say, the farmer waiting to give us the tour waited a very long time but was very gracious when we did finally arrive.

By the time we left his small operation, I wanted an alpaca of my own. I don’t believe there is a cuter animal anywhere than a one-week-old baby alpaca. Their fleece is supremely soft, their eyes are large and luminous with long spiky eyelashes that a supermodel would envy, they bounce around like they have springs instead of feet and they hum to each other. Seriously, I so wanted one. Luckily for my husband, there are numerous city ordinances against owning livestock in my city or I would have smuggled one off the farm.

If you have not already met an alpaca, I hope you have the chance to do so someday. Yes, they do spit when they get upset, but their cute factor far outweighs that one little flaw. God has blessed us with such magnificent diversity, in animals as well as in people. Sometimes, it just takes my breath away.

Blessings to all,

1. Throughout this book, Faith struggles with forgiving her deceased husband for his cruelty. It is not until she learns about his tragic childhood that she is able to let go of the hurt. Have you ever found yourself in the situation of wanting to forgive someone who is deceased? Did that decision give you peace even though you could not speak directly to the person?
   
2. Do you believe it is easier for the Amish to forgive others, or do you imagine that they sometimes harbor ill will toward others?
   
3. Adrian suffered the tragic loss of his wife and then his son. His life became mired in grief. Do you know someone unable to move past their grief? What can we offer them in the way of comfort?
   
4. How do we reconcile the loss of those we love by tragic circumstances with our idea of a just and loving God?
   
5. The Amish keep alive many skills lost to modern people such as Faith’s skill at spinning. Whom do you know that is keeping alive a dying art?
   
6. Faith’s conflict with Kyle’s social worker revolves around the lack of modern conveniences in her home. The Amish do adopt from outside of their faith. Is it unfair to expect a child reared in a modern home to be raised in such a different environment?
   
7. The Amish believe that all that happens is God’s will.
   
8. When faced with an uncertain situation, how do we know if we are following God’s will?
   
9. Would you want to raise an animal like an alpaca? Why or why not?
   
10. What’s the strangest animal you’ve seen kept as a pet?
    
11. What was your favorite scene in the story and why?
    
12. What did you learn about the Amish in reading this story that you were not aware of before?
    
13. Adrian and Faith each got a second chance at love. Do you believe it’s possible to fall in love a second time?
    
14. Why or why not?
    
15. Put yourself in Kyle’s shoes. How would you feel if you were torn away from modern conveniences and sent to live in an Amish house? How would you cope?
    
16. What modern convenience would be the hardest to give up? Explain.