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told her several times how he felt. Why did it feel as if he had rejected her for the first time?
    To show that his declaration hadn’t affected her in the least, she rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “You’re not going to propose again, are you?”
    “I want to make sure—”
    “Don’t bother, Moses. I’ll not have you. Why do you think every girl wants to marry you?”
    Moses’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “My grandparents think I am a gute match.”
    “Jah, they tell me several times a day.”
    Moses thumbed his suspenders. “Oh, bless them. How can you help but fall in love with me when Anna and Felty Helmuth are on my side?”
    Lia did her best to summon more cheer than she felt. “I’ll do my best to resist.”
    Moses chuckled as he pulled a digital timepiece from his pocket. “It is exactly one o’clock. There is someone I want you to meet.”
    “Me?”
    Moses scanned the crowd of people coming in and out of the large tent. “And there she is, right on time.”
    To her surprise, Moses grabbed Lia’s scarred hand, in public, and pulled her in the direction of the tent. He didn’t seem to care that the bumpy scars made her skin so rough.
    She knew she should ask him to let go, but her hand felt nice tucked in his. Instead of pulling away in protest, she savored the warmth of his calloused skin. He released her as they approached a sturdy woman with strands of gray streaking her dark brown hair.
    “Well, Moses Zimmerman,” the woman said, “here I am. One o’clock sharp. I’ll have you know I’m missing a chance to bid on a fine goat.” The corners of her mouth turned downward, but she had a good-natured gleam in her eye that immediately drew Lia to her. And she was tall. Only an inch or two shorter than Lia. The woman took a look at Lia and lifted her eyebrows. “Is this the girl you told me about?”
    Moses cupped his hand around Lia’s elbow. “Jah, this is Lia Shetler. Lia, this is my cousin, Sarah Beachy.”
    “Uh, hello. Nice to meet you,” Lia said.
    Sarah had a firm handshake. “He didn’t tell me you were tall. Tall girls are better. They command more authority, more confidence.”
    Lia tried to mask her puzzlement. “Better for what?”
    “Moses tells me you are interested in becoming a midwife.”
    Lia’s confusion grew. “Jah, I am.” She turned to Moses. “But how did you know?”
    “Mammi told me,” Moses said. “She wanted to be sure that I wouldn’t mind marrying a midwife. She knows it might take you from home quite a bit.”
    Lia felt her face get hot. What would Moses’s cousin think of such talk?
    Sarah didn’t seem to notice. “Stuff and nonsense. If a man can’t endure his wife away from home now and then, he ain’t been trained well. My Aaron can whip up fried chicken and greens for seven children without so much as a how-do-you-do. Come over here.” Sarah directed them to a row of church benches set up outside the tent. She maneuvered herself to sit between Lia and Moses and proceeded to ignore Moses altogether. “Why do you want to be a midwife? Because it ain’t for everybody.”
    Lia clasped her hands together and spoke haltingly. “I saw my nephew’s birth last summer. Birth is a miracle. I suppose I want to be part of that miracle.”
    Sarah propped her forearms on her thighs. “Don’t suppose anything. Helping babies into the world is hard work. You miss out on many a good night’s sleep and there’s some problems you can’t fix. Babies die, and that’s the worst part of all.”
    “It wonders me why you are a midwife if it’s so hard,” Moses said.
    Sarah scolded him with her bright eyes. “I’m giving her the facts, Moses. If she can’t take the bad, then it’s no use talking about the good. I’m a midwife because it brings me closer to God. Plain and simple. There ain’t nothing to compare to bringing in a new baby just come from heaven.”
    Moses folded his arms as a look of concern appeared on his face. “So, what