Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)
I didn't want a wife, but as a member of a founding family of Hollow's Hollow, West Virginia, I did what was asked of me. My wife is beautiful, and I have no doubt she only married me because she had to. I don't deserve a woman like her. Nothing can change my mind about that.
Ada Yoder
My new husband is an enigma, a puzzle I long to solve. He won't let me love him, though. He keeps me at arm's length when I am more than ready to be his in all ways possible. I've had enough. I'll do anything to get my husband to see that I love him more than I've loved anything.
The Yoder Sisters are Amish, and they want out. Leaving under the guise of a Rumspringa, they have no intention of returning to the life they have left behind. One sister answers an ad that leads all of them on their path to their own forever after.
The town of Hollow's Hollow, West Virginia, has long relied on ads to find their wives and keep their town growing, but with the death of a few keep people in their town, that tradition was long since forgotten. Until the new Mayor comes along and vows to bring their town back to life, and the only way to do that is with brides and babies.
Bridal season is upon us; ChaShiree M. and M.K. Moore are bringing you all the weddings and babies we can fit into the month. So, grab a fan, your man, and something cool. It's about to get hot!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
Geeb
Two Months Ago
I feel like I'm in a damn time warp. I am sitting in a room of men I respect and consider my friends, but it is like I don’t know them. Or more like they don’t know me. “Geeb you have been awfully quiet.” Mayor Hollow says. I look and all of the men are staring at me like they expect something profound to come out of my mouth.
“I’m just listening. Really I don’t know why I am here. None of this has anything to do with me.” Maybe if I take an outsider's stance it will work.
“On the contrary my friend. It has everything to do with you. You might not have been born and raised here, but you spent your summers with us, so you know as much about this town as any of us and you came back here. That says something.” Damn it. I hate it when people use logic I can’t refute. Asshole.
“Well, I am not agreeing to any of this. I have no need nor desire for a woman, marriage or babies. I'm fine as I am.” I used to think I wanted a wife and a family when I was younger. I saw how my parents loved one another and my sister and me. I wanted that for myself.
However, high school and college took those thoughts right out of my head. I have always been a big guy. A football player yes, but also just an overall big guy. I guess you could call me a taller, nerdier Jack Black.
Throughout my school career, girls would come up to me and pretend to be interested and initially, I would fall for it, hope allowing me to be a fool once more. Then inevitably for two weeks she would be my fake girlfriend even though I would think it was real. Chest puffed out, happy and excited to have a girl as beautiful as her interested in me. And then the boom. She would need me to take an online test for her or give her the answers if we are in the same class at different times. Of course when it was done, she would dump me, laughing in my face about how stupid I was to believe she could be interested in someone like me.
Finally, my freshman year of college, I had enough. I was hurt for the last time. So, now, I don’t date, I don’t think about women, and I don’t fantasize about things that can’t happen. “Very well Geeb.” Lloyd says, reminding me we are in the middle of a conversation. “Alright gentlemen. Thank you for your time and your cooperation. Most of you.” He says dismissing us but looking at me with his last comment.
Good. Now I don’t have to worry about this. The last thing I need is a wife to make me feel worse about myself.
I have been running the West Virginia division of my family’s paper for the last five years. The Hearst family has been acquiring smaller papers and companies for the last decade. Our most recent acquisition is a Dating/Matchmaking Service called HeartStrings. The owner Gladis Horner has been running it successfully for quite some time but when she was ready to expand the company to other states, she needed a partner. My father, Artemis Hearst saw her proposal and immediately he wanted in. The deal was that she was able to stay owner, and main operator but we were in on the plans for expansion. That is what brought me back to Hollow’s Hollow.
My father also acquired the newspaper down here and sent me here to oversee it. Definitely didn’t plan on having a wife.
Prologue
Ada
Coming here was the best thing I’ve ever done. I realize that as I clean my new brother-in law’s living room. I love to clean, it calms me and not to brag, but I am really good at it. Besides, it’s the least I can do as he was gracious enough to let me and my sisters come here even though he didn’t need to. Jasper Sutton married my sister, Sadie, one week ago. I am ashamed to admit that I am jealous of my sister. I don’t think Sadie knows that her husband is totally in love with her. She doesn’t move with the ease and grace that I’d expect in someone who is in love.
I want that. I want to fall in love with a man. I want him to love me in return. I want to take care of him, and our house and I want to do it without the watchful eye of my parents. They had already picked out my husband, Brother Matthew. He’s not old, or even unattractive. He just rubbed me the wrong way. I knew that somehow, someway I was getting out of Ohio. I am just thankful that the Lord gave Sadie the idea to do this through Charlie.