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A NTHONY ‘ S MUSCLES TENSED AS HIS thoughts tangled into knots. He’d seen pictures of Amish women before and had even seen a group of Plain people when he’d visited Niagara Falls a few years ago, and the lady who’d answered the door was definitely Amish or at least belonged to one of the Plain groups.

What really puzzled him, though, was why she’d called Eileen “Rosa,” while looking at her with an incredulous stare.

Could Eileen resemble someone the woman knew?

Or perhaps the woman dressed in Plain clothes might be here visiting Eileen’s parents and had Eileen mixed up with one of her siblings who may have looked similar to her.

The answer to his questions came as quickly as they had appeared. The Amish woman pulled Eileen into her arms, and the two began to sob.

“Oh, Rosa, my dear daughter.” She held both hands against her chest. “My mother’s heart just knew you couldn’t be dead.

” The older woman reached out and touched Eileen’s shoulder-length tresses.

“You’ve cut your hair, and you’re wearing English clothes, but I would know my daughter anywhere.

” Tears coursed down the woman’s cheeks.

“I’ve missed you so much. Where have you been all this time? ”

Daughter? Anthony blinked and turned to face Eileen as she pulled slowly away from the older woman.

He wanted to ask her right then and there if she’d lied to him about her name or the woman who’d called her Rosa.

Something was definitely wrong, and he needed some answers quickly before he continued the charade of posing as her husband.

But how could he get her alone to ask the necessary questions?

He was surprised when Eileen, Rosa, or whoever she was looked at her mother and said, “Can we talk about this later? Anthony and I drove a long ways to get here, and we’re really tired.” She finally gestured to him and said, “Mom, this is my husband, Anthony Reeves.”

Her mother’s mouth opened wide. “Seriously? You’re married?”

Anthony stepped forward and shook the woman’s hand.

“That’s right, and we’re expecting our first child.

” Might as well get straight to the point, he decided.

I’m here as a pretender, but Miss Rosa obviously lied to me about her real name as well as her family heritage.

I wonder, who’s really the one pretending?

“You’re going to have a baby?” A wide smile swept across the mother’s face when the daughter responded with a nod. “Oh, that’s wunderbaar !”

Although not familiar with the Pennsylvania Dutch language, Anthony figured the word must mean “wonderful,” but he would ask Rosa about that later.

Rosa was glad that Anthony seemed to have composed himself and was going along with the story they had concocted.

At least that much was out in the open now.

She was about to ask if she and Anthony could go upstairs and freshen up when her two sisters stepped into the hall.

They looked at Rosa as if they were seeing a ghost. Tena was the first to speak.

“Oh my—what a surprise! You look so different in jeans and a sweatshirt, Sister, but I’m so glad you’re alive.” She gave Rosa such a big welcoming hug that it brought tears to her eyes. “And it’s even more special that you came home on your birthday.”

Mom nodded vigorously. “Happy birthday, my dear Rosa. What a gift you have given me, even though it is I who should be showering you with gifts on this most special day.”

“It’s your birthday?” Anthony questioned in a hushed tone. “How come you never said anything to me about it?”

She shrugged and whispered, “It’s not important.”

Rosa glanced at Susan, who stood nearby with her mouth still agape.

Rosa stepped forward to embrace her sister, but Susan remained firmly in place, with her back straight as a rod. She’s obviously mad at me for leaving, or maybe Susan would have preferred that I had stayed gone.

“Let’s all go into the living room so we can talk,” Mom suggested. “Your daed is in the barn doing chores, and Alvin went with him, but they should be in soon.”

Rosa glanced at Anthony, and when he gave a brief shrug, she looked at her mother and said, “I think my husband and I would like to freshen up first. Is that all right with you?”

“Of course.” Mom pulled Rosa in for another hug. “I am so thankful to God that you are home, safe and sound. I still can hardly believe that you’re actually standing here with us right now.” She shook Anthony’s hand for a second time. “Thank you for bringing your wife here to see us.”

Anthony gave a nod. “She wanted me to meet her family.”

Mom smiled and blotted the tears from her face. “You two go on upstairs now and make yourselves comfortable in Rosa’s old room. We’ll make sure the sheets are changed before bedtime, but you can rest for a while on top of the bed if you like, and the upstairs bathroom is free for your use as well.”

Rosa couldn’t miss the way her sister’s features had tightened. Has Susan taken over what used to be my room? Would Mom have allowed her to do that?

Rosa gave Anthony’s arm a tug. “Come on, Husband—follow me to my room upstairs.”

At the top of the stairs, he turned to her and, with his nostrils flaring, said, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Eileen—Rosa—or whatever your real name is.”

She put one finger to her lips. “ Shh … Let’s talk about this in my room, where we can’t be heard.”

Rosa opened her bedroom door and stepped inside. When Anthony followed, she asked him to take a seat on the end of her bed, and after a quick glance around the room, she sat down beside him. “I’m sure you have lots of questions.”

“You’ve got that right.” His chin jutted forward. “Let’s start with what your real name is.”

She clasped both hands in her lap and swallowed hard. “My name is Rosa Petersheim, and I’m sure you must now have come to the conclusion that my family is Amish.”

“Yeah, the Plain dresses and head coverings your mother and sisters wore were kind of a red flag.” Anthony reached up and rubbed the back of his muscular neck. “So did you change your name legally to Eileen Peterson?”

She shook her head. “Eileen is my middle name, and I chose Peterson because it’s similar to my last name, Petersheim.”

“So you used a fake ID to get the job working for my folks?”

“Yeah, I met someone soon after I ran away from home a little over two years ago, and they helped me get what I needed.”

He scratched behind his right ear and frowned. “What exactly were you running from?”

As Rosa squirmed atop the quilt on her bed, her heartbeat picked up speed.

“Everything—my overbearing father, who is the bishop of our Amish community. My pushy boyfriend, who wanted me to join the Amish church so we could be married. And all the expectations placed on me by each of the church rules.”

“Did your family know why you left home?”

“Of course. Before heading to a young people’s gathering with Ephraim, I left a note in my room, letting them know that I would most likely not be coming back and explaining my reasons for taking off.”

“Ephraim. Was he your boyfriend?”

She bobbed her head.

“Did he know you were planning to leave home?”

“No, but I was going to tell him and see if I could talk him into leaving with me for a new beginning.” She paused for a breath. “Then before I could tell him my plan, we had a big fight as the gathering was winding down, and I took off on foot and never looked back.”

Anthony gave a strong shake of his head. “You’re kidding.”

“It’s true. I had my purse with me, so I wasn’t without money, and I caught a ride with someone who was heading up to State College.

From there, I got on a Trailways bus and went to a small town not far from New York City.

I found my first job there, and then moved from job to job until I ended up getting hired at your father’s restaurant. ”

Anthony sat in silence several minutes before posing another question. “How long ago did this take place?”

“A little over two years ago. Didn’t you hear what was said before?” She gave a dry laugh. “Time spins by quickly when you’re havin’ fun.”

“Did you connect with anyone in your family—let them know where you were living and that you were okay?”

“I tried to call a couple of times but never connected with anyone. Finally gave up and decided to move on with my life, since I had no plans of joining the Amish church.” Rosa swallowed hard. “And I sure wasn’t about to become a member so I could marry some guy who kept begging me to do so.”

“Did you love him?”

She gave a noncommittal shrug. “Guess it all depends on your definition of love.”

“What’s yours?”

“I’m not sure. I suppose genuine love would mean a commitment to someone that was so deep you’d be willing to do anything—go anywhere—to make them happy.”

“And you didn’t love Ephraim enough to do that?”

“No, and he didn’t love me enough to leave our Amish heritage and explore the English world.

” Rosa got off the bed and wandered over to the window to look out at the darkening sky.

“I probably never would have come back if I hadn’t gotten pregnant and needed my family’s support.

” Unbidden tears welled in her eyes. “I foolishly thought the jerk I gave myself to really loved me and would accept responsibility for the baby he’d fathered.

” Rosa whirled around to face Anthony. “But I guess no man can be trusted, and now that you know the truth about me, you’ll probably head straight back to New York and forget about the promise you made to pretend we are married. ”

“I’ll keep up with the ploy like we planned,” he said. “And I won’t leave till I’m sure your folks are committed to taking care of you and the baby.” He took hold of her hand but then quickly pulled it away.

“What are we going to do about our sleeping arrangements if they ask us to stay here at the house?” she questioned. “Since they believe we are married, we can hardly put in a request for separate rooms.”

“We can share the same room, but I’ll sleep on the floor.” His answer was given quickly.

She tipped her head and looked directly at him. “You would really do that for me?”

He thumped his chest. “I’m not the kind of guy who fails to keep his promises.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Rosa heaved a sigh of relief. Now all she needed to do was secure her father’s blessing. If she couldn’t do that, she’d be out on the street, trying to figure out some other way to support herself and the baby growing inside her.

“Whose vehicle is that parked in front of our house?” Mahlon asked upon entering the living room where Elsie sat with Susan and Tena.

She still felt a bit dazed from seeing Rosa and coming to grips with the reality that her eldest daughter was still alive and had returned home as a married woman with a child on the way.

A sense of joy and relief spread through Elsie, such as she had not known in a good many years—not since her and Mahlon’s youngest child was born. And to think, we will become grandparents for the first time. She couldn’t contain the deep sigh welling in her chest. Oh, what a blessing that will be.

Mahlon moved closer to Elsie’s chair. “Did you hear my question about the car parked in our front yard? I don’t recognize it as belonging to any of our drivers—or English neighbors, for that matter.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not either of those.” Elsie rose from her seat and lifted both hands to her husband’s broad shoulders. “Oh, Mahlon, we’ve experienced a miracle in this family today. Our missing dochder has come home.”

Mahlon’s arms hung loosely at his sides as he stared at her, blinking slowly as if in disbelief. “Rosa is here? Is that what you’re saying?”

Tena leaped to her feet and dashed across the room. “That’s right, Dad! Isn’t it exciting?”

His head swiveled from right to left. “Where is she?”

Susan, who remained on the couch with a stoic expression, pointed to the ceiling. “She and her good-looking English husband are upstairs.”

Mahlon’s posture stiffened. “Husband?”

“ Jah, and they are expecting a baby. And just think, Husband, we are going to be grandparents for the first time.” Elsie clutched his arm. “Isn’t that exciting?”

“What’s exciting?” Alvin asked when he entered the room, holding a pure white kitten in his hands.

“Our missing sister came home,” Tena said.

His eyes widened. “Rosa?”

“That’s right, Son.” Elsie smiled. “Isn’t that the best news ever?”

Alvin bobbed his head and glanced around the room. “Where’s she at now?”

Susan pursed her lips and pointed up again.

Just then, Rosa made an appearance with Anthony at her side. She gave Alvin a hug then moved toward her father. “Dad, I’d like you to meet my husband, Anthony Reeves.”

Holding her breath, Elsie waited for Mahlon’s response. Surely he would be happy to see their daughter and meet the man she had chosen to marry.

Anthony stepped forward and extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Petersheim.”

Mahlon’s eyes narrowed as he tapped his right foot, refusing to shake the young man’s hand. His piercing gaze turned to Rosa. “Where have you been? Do you have any idea what you’ve put this family through?”

She lowered her head, as though hurt by his harsh tone. “I’m sorry, Dad. Let’s all take a seat, and I’ll explain things to you.”

He glared at her like an angry bull about to charge. “You’d better have a mighty good excuse for your absence or you’ll be heading right out the front door with no chance of ever coming back!”

Elsie swallowed around the constriction that had formed quickly at the back of her throat. Losing Rosa once had torn her heart asunder. She couldn’t imagine losing her dear daughter a second time, not to mention never getting to know Anthony or hold Rosa’s baby.