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Chapter One

Grace Taylor’s nerves felt as bumpy as the gravel parking lot as she pulled into the drive leading to the Yoder Blacksmith Shop. The marketing executive clenched her teeth as her phone began to ring for the seventh time in the past hour. The name Lucas Mitchell flashed across the screen. Grace glared at her phone as she swiped to dismiss the call as quickly as possible. She’d left the office only fifteen minutes ago, and Lucas was calling her already? It didn’t matter that he was her boss. After their run in this morning, she decided to avoid him as much as humanly possible from this point forward.

A managerial position had opened up at Clear Creek Creative Marketing a month ago, and Grace had applied for the job. Unfortunately, she didn’t get it. The owners of the firm awarded the position to Lucas Mitchell from Atlanta, a man who was at least ten years her senior. He’d immediately taken a liking to Grace, and officially made his intentions clear this morning. She’d rushed out of the office as quickly as possible after she’d turned him down when he’d asked her out. His brooding eyes had turned dark, and she didn’t like the chill that shivered up her spine when she’d said no.

Grace maneuvered around both cars and buggies before pulling into a parking spot close to the blacksmith shop. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and rested her head on the steering wheel, trying to regain her composure. She couldn’t show up flustered to her meeting with John Yoder. That wouldn’t do at all. One of the reasons she didn’t get the promotion was because she lacked experience. The only way to get the experience she needed to climb the corporate ladder was to fill her portfolio with successful marketing campaigns and happy customers. She planned to do just that, starting with John Yoder.

Grace pulled a compact from her purse and looked in the rear view mirror while applying her makeup. After her unwelcome encounter with Lucas, she looked like she’d seen a ghost. After adding a touch of color to her cheeks, Grace put the makeup away and ran a brush through her long, blonde hair. Satisfied, she grabbed her tablet with all of John’s information before sliding out of her SUV and gently closing the door behind her.

Her breath came out in puffs as she took quick steps towards the Yoder Blacksmith Shop. The shop shared a parking lot with the Yoder General Store, and both businesses were very popular in the area. Grace watched as a cool mist curled around Blackberry Mountain, which the blacksmith shop was nestled into. Despite the sour feeling in her stomach, Grace was glad she lived in the charming southern Appalachian mountain town tucked into North Georgia. Clear Creek was the best town in the whole entire world, in her opinion.

Grace noticed a small crowd gathered to the side of the blacksmith shop. It looked like John was giving a demonstration underneath the open pavilion where he’d set up an area for his tools and supplies. A brick furnace and chimney were centered in the space, and John was currently removing a piece of metal from the furnace with a pair of tongs.

A frown tugged at her lips as she looked down at her watch. She was early. Grace had been in such a rush to escape Lucas, she’d arrived way before she needed to. While she knew her new boss had a crush on her for the past week, this was the first time he’d made his intentions known. She didn’t like the way he looked her up and down and tried to sit too close to her during business meetings. He’d asked her to stay late to work on a project with him three times this week, and each time Grace had found an excuse to scurry home. 

But she couldn’t keep making excuses forever. Grace knew that she needed to come up with a plan if she was going to continue to work for Clear Creek Creative Marketing. Grace chewed on her lip while watching John work. She didn’t know what to do, but something had to change.

Deciding to ignore her problem for now, Grace watched as John expertly shaped the heated metal into what looked like a candlestick. She was captivated by the way his strong arms could be so precise in his work.

“And this is how I make candlesticks, which are perfect for holiday celebrations, I might add. If you’re interested in purchasing one, Emma can help you just inside.”

“Did you make everything for sale in this shop?” A woman wearing a toboggan and bright red lipstick asked the question while waving her hand in John’s direction.

“Ja, I surely did. I enjoy making quality products for you to enjoy.”

A murmur flowed through the crowd, and Grace noticed him straighten to his full height in appreciation. She couldn’t help but smile while watching him interact with his customers.

Grace was good friends with John’s sister Lydia, but hadn’t had the pleasure of spending too much time with him. John seemed friendly enough, but both his size and stare had always intimidated her. John was a tall man, who often went out of his way to avoid her. She looked him over while he carefully laid the candlestick on a fireproof table. His dark brown hair peeked out from underneath his wool hat and she noticed that his brown eyes had specks of gold, much like his sisters. 

Grace hugged the tablet close to her body as a brisk wind blew through the crowd. Ignoring the chill that shivered through her body, Grace wished she’d worn a warmer jacket. Though it was only November, it seemed like winter was coming early to the small mountain community.

“I’ll be here for a while to answer any questions you may have. Denki for coming to my demonstration today. There is another one scheduled in two hours. I’ll be making horseshoes at that time.”

The small group clapped, and Grace couldn’t help but join them. She nudged her tablet underneath her elbow while showing her appreciation.

His eyes caught hers while his patrons stood to their feet to either speak to him or browse the wide selection of products in his shop. At first John looked confused, and then understanding registered across his face. Grace motioned for him to take his time, while she took a seat on one of the wooden benches set up for his audience. She crossed her legs while turning on her tablet to look over the notes she’d taken about John’s needs earlier in the day. Thoughts of Lucas scuttled out of her head as she settled into the homey, mountain environment. Christmas was just around the corner, and she began calculating the gifts she could purchase from John’s shop.

After a few minutes, she heard footsteps coming towards her. Looking up, she realized it was John taking long strides in her direction. Grace stiffened while giving herself an internal pep talk. She hoped John would like what she and her firm had to offer in the marketing department.

At the same time, she wondered why he wanted to do business with them in the first place. Grace knew that the Amish usually relied on word of mouth to build their businesses, not fancy marketing firms.

“Hello John, it’s nice to see you today.” Grace tried to appear professional as she stood to her feet and raised her hand to shake his.

Her determination wavered when she saw the caution in his eyes. She watched his lip twitch as he reluctantly reached out his hand to take hers. Grace sucked in her breath as his large hand enveloped her own. She felt overwhelmed by both his tall stature and brooding eyes, and she couldn’t help but notice the warmth that rushed up her arm at his touch.

“It’s nice to see you too, Grace. I didn’t expect the marketing firm to send you over.”

Niggles of doubt in her ability to be a proficient marketer ate at her stomach. She tried to look confident while staring him in the eye.

“You knew that I worked for Clear Creek Creative Marketing, didn’t you? I thought Lydia would’ve told you, at least.”

Grace had become good friends with John’s sister Lydia when she helped her own sister Amelia convert to the Amish faith a couple of years ago. While Grace spent most of her time working with clients, she liked to spend any free time she had with both Amelia and Lydia.

John scrubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Ja, she might have mentioned it. I just wasn’t expecting to see you here. I figured someone else would’ve come to help me.”

He didn’t expect a woman marketer to come. Grace knew the Amish believed in traditional gender roles, and she should’ve expected he wouldn’t take kindly for her to be in charge of his account.

“You expected a man to come, didn’t you? I can have someone else assigned to your account if you’d like.” Grace mumbled the words while staring at the floor.

“No, it’s not that.”

“Really?” Hope pressed through her, and she regained a speck of confidence.

“Nee…it’s just that I didn’t expect my marketer to be so…pretty.”

Grace raised her eyebrows while pecking at her tablet, ready to take notes about what John expected her to help with. Slightly annoyed that it looked like she might have to ward off the advances of two men in a single day, Grace shot him what she hoped was a daring stare.

“Is that so?”

“Ja, well…I guess I’ll get used to it. You must know what you’re doing if you were assigned to my account…right?”

She pursed her lips. “Right. I’m fully qualified to help you, John. No matter what your needs are.

His shoulders slumped in relief. “That sounds gut, because I’m going to need all of the help I can get during this holiday season.”

“What do you mean?” Grace motioned to the customers who were currently milling around his demonstration area, admiring his equipment. She watched as Emma checked out a customer through the store window, with two more waiting their turn.

“It looks like you’re doing well here. There were a lot of people at your demonstration, and they’ve turned into paying customers.” She shrugged her shoulders while pushing her long hair over her shoulder. “What gives?”

John gently took Grace by the elbow and led her to the corner of the pavilion. The air felt sharp with tension because the steel used to make John’s products had expanded and contracted repeatedly. She tried to ignore the flutters she felt in her stomach as they pushed away from the crowd. Being alone almost felt too intimate, and for a moment, Grace wondered why she agreed to take on this account.

“I need your help, Grace. While it may seem like business is doing well, it’s way down from previous years. You see, a new business moved into town a couple of months ago. It’s a commercialized store offering iron and steel items. Most of it is cheap junk. None of it is handmade. But the tourists don’t know that, and they haven’t been visiting my store as often.” 

She watched as he fisted his fingers by his side before continuing. “I don’t know what to do. I thought if I hired an Englisch marketing firm, you might have a unique perspective that I haven’t thought of yet.”

Grace cocked her head in thought. “Are you talking about Mountain Metalworks? I noticed a lot of cars in their parking lot when I passed by to meet you today.”

“Ja, that’s the one.” John’s face looked grim as he took Grace by the hand. “Do you think you can help me?”

***

John regretted taking Grace’s hand as soon as she quickly snatched it away. He didn’t know what had just come over him. His new competitor had him all out of sorts.

It didn’t help that Grace was a spitting image of his old aldi who’d left him several years ago. He did his best to avoid Grace whenever she hung out with Lydia, but now, it looked like he had no choice but to learn how to spend time with her.

Karen Glick had left him high and dry when he’d been just about ready to propose. She said he was working too hard, and she didn’t like the long hours he spent in the blacksmith shop. Didn’t she realize he was just trying to prepare for their future?

Grace gave him the side eye while tapping on her tablet. “Yeah, I think I can help you. I’ll do my best, anyway.” She looked curious as her eyes scanned his shop. “I was wondering why you hired a marketing firm in the first place, but it makes better sense now.”

John followed Grace’s gaze as looked at his workplace. He’d worked hard with his daed to build it as soon as he’d been old enough to do so. It was hard to believe that he was now pushing thirty, and he’d been working in this shop for over a decade.

They’d built the shop out of logs hauled in from a tree farm up in Blue Ridge. The men in their church district all came to help, and within only one week, the structure was up and ready for its finishing touches. The community had rallied around him as he started his business, and he’d felt so proud on the early summer day when he first opened for business.

Only one shadow remained in his memory about his Grand Opening…that was when he met Karen. She’d come with her daed to look for a new plow for their fields. Her blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes had captivated him, and he knew then and there that he wanted her to be his. Their relationship had worked well…until it didn’t. John swallowed the lump that grew in his throat while glancing at Grace.

“You have a beautiful shop here. I can see why it’s been popular in our community for so many years now.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it beautiful. But it is functional.” John frowned as a shiver ran down his spine as a cool breeze passed between them. “I don’t know if I’d call it popular, either. That’s why I called your marketing team.”

Grace hugged her body as her chin took on a quiver. “It is popular, John. And I’m going to do my best to make it even more so.”

John finally registered how uncomfortable Grace looked, and reached for her arm. She was cold, and here he was keeping her out in the chilly weather. Her arm felt small as he led her inside. He tried to ignore the way the scent of her strawberry shampoo tickled his nose.

“I’m sorry for not bringing you inside sooner. Here, let me get the door for you.” John opened the door and propped it open with his toe as Grace stepped inside.

“It’s…it’s alright. I won’t freeze to death.”

“It’s already gut and cold, and it’s only late November. I imagine we have a harsh winter ahead of us.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Grace stopped in her tracks as her eyes swept across the room. “Wow John, you have an amazing store. I can’t believe I’ve never stepped foot in here.”

The room was warm and welcoming, with a soaring ceiling and intricate beam work. Large logs lined the walls, and the floors were made of stone from a local quarry. John couldn’t help but feel a hint of pride as he looked at the metal work products for sale that lined the room. He’d made each item by hand, and he was happy to offer these products to his community.

That is, if they decided to continue shopping with him.

An ache zig-zagged across his temple as he watched a handful of customers shop his products. The holiday season was fast approaching, and his revenue was definitely down.

Another cool blast of air entered the room as the door swung open. John frowned as his sister Lydia walked in, carrying a large box on her hip. Her swollen belly peeked out from beneath her burgundy cape dress. What was she doing carrying such a heavy load while expecting?

In an instant, John was at her side and plucked the box for her arms.

“What do you think you’re doing little schweschder? You can hurt the bobbeli by carrying such things, ain’t so? And where’s Matthew?”

Lydia wrinkled her nose at her brother. “That box is as light as a feather, as I’m sure you can now tell. It only contains some holly branches for decorating. Matthew is with our customers at the general store, as he should be. A pregnant woman can still be helpful.”

Grace smiled as she watched the siblings argue. “It’s nice that you two have each other. I’m glad I have Amelia to talk to from time to time, but it’s just not the same since she became Amish. I can’t pick up the phone and call her anytime I want. We lost my brother Jake about five years ago now. Sometimes I feel very alone.”

John felt his heart tug as her voice grew softer. He never knew what it felt like to be alone since he grew up with seven siblings. Most of them still lived in Clear Creek, and Lydia lived right next door with her husband, Matthew Lapp. Their parents, Leroy and Elma Yoder, retired to Pinecraft, Florida last year. While it still felt strange without them being around all of the time, they visited Clear Creek several times a year. John didn’t mind having a Florida retreat to visit, either. Especially when the weather turned cold in North Georgia.

“Ach Grace, you’re not alone.” Lydia grasped her hands as concern laced her eyes. “You can visit me whenever your heart desires.”

“That’s right. And Grace will be helping me market the blacksmith shop this holiday season, too. You two should have plenty of time to visit if Grace comes by to meet with me often.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow. “You’ve hired Grace’s marketing firm to help you, John? I know you’ve struggled since Mountain Metalworks opened for business, but has it come to this?”

Grace shifted uncomfortably as the siblings stood toe to toe.

“Ja, I did. I didn’t know what else to do, Lydia. I know our way is normally word of mouth and community involvement, but desperate times call for desperate measures.” John looked at Grace sheepishly. “I hope you take no offense, Grace.”

She held up her hand in understanding. “No offense taken. While we are a marketing company and I plan to use social media to help your business grow, I also love to find unique ways to promote my accounts. Now then, can you tell me what you hope to accomplish with your marketing blitz?”

John licked his lips, and for the first time he doubted his decision to hire Clear Creek Creative Marketing. Perhaps he was getting in over his head.

“Well, I’d simply like to draw more customers into my shop, and perhaps let them know about the gut quality products I make and sell.”

Grace typed a few notes into her tablet. “I can definitely help you with that. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a few pictures of your store and demonstration area before I leave. I also plan to visit your competitor soon, to see what they’re bringing to the table.”

John shrugged his shoulders after sharing a glance with Lydia. “Ja, I guess that sounds alright. Just try not to get any people in your photographs, please.”

“I’ll be very careful not to. If it’s okay with you, I’ll do that now. I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”

John noticed the bright flecks in her blue eyes as she walked away. Trying not to frown, his eyes followed her as she snapped a few photos of a display of cooking utensils he’d made over the last month or two. It was going to be difficult to work with a woman who resembled his old aldi so closely.

“She looks like Karen, ja?” John leaned close to his sister to speak as Grace walked towards the next display.

Lydia raised her eyebrows. “She favors her a little, maybe. But John, be careful to not compare Grace to Karen. It’s not fair to her, and they are two completely different people. Besides, why are you still thinking about Karen, anyway? It’s been years since you’ve been together.”

His thoughts grew muddled as he continued to watch Grace. “I guess because I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together and then it didn’t work out.”

Lydia gave his arm a squeeze. “Life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to, bruder. And it normally works out for the best. Remember that while working with Grace, ja? You don’t want to burden your relationship with a memory from the past.” Her lips pressed into a straight line. “And while I understand why you hired Grace’s firm, remember, just be yourself. It doesn’t matter what your competitor does. The right customers are sure to find you.”

John frowned. He didn’t know if he could do what Lydia suggested. Surely, she didn’t understand how desperate his situation was. He didn’t think that he could bring in customers without Englisch marketing help, which was why Grace was here in the first place. He stewed silently while thinking it over.

“Well then, do you mind if I spruce up your shop with this holly? I should be out of your hair in a jiffy.”

Lydia snapped him back to reality. “Sure, have at it. Do you need any help?”

“Nee, I plan to hang it around the checkout counter for now. When it comes time to use a ladder to decorate, I’ll be sure to ask for help. I wouldn’t want to take a tumble while being pregnant.”

John nodded his head as his eyes continued to track Grace. “Okay, that sounds gut to me.”

She elbowed his side while watching his eyes. “You’re staring a hole right through Grace, ja?”

He gave his little sister a teasing glare. “Mind your own business, Lydia.”

Her laughter tinkled through the store as she walked towards the checkout counter. “I’ll try, bruder. I’ll try.”

After taking pictures of his demonstration area outside for a few minutes, Grace walked back to him, breathless. Her cheeks looked rosy and full while she held up a candlestick in admiration.

“I’ve really enjoyed checking out your shop, John. How do you do such precision work? This candlestick, for instance. It’s beautiful. I plan to buy it and put it on the mantle in my apartment.”

His chest felt tight as he watched her examine his handiwork. She spun the candlestick with her fingers, examining it from all angles.

“There’s no need for you to buy it, Grace. I’d like to give it to you. It’s the least I can do for you. You’re going to help me a gut bit this holiday season.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh no, John. I couldn’t accept this. You’re paying my firm for my work and I…”

Her voice trailed off as he left her side and walked towards Emma.

“Emma, could you hand me a bag and a couple of pieces of wrapping paper?”

Emma’s dark brown eyes questioned him as she reached underneath the counter and did his bidding. “Sure thing, John. Are you sure this isn’t something I can take care of?”

“Nee.” After his simple reply, he walked back to Grace’s side and packaged the candlestick for her right then and there.

Grace’s hand rose to her chest in appreciation as her eyes crinkled into a warm smile. “John…thank you. I’ll come up with a marketing plan after I take a look at Mountain Metalworks, and share it with you soon. Does that sound alright?”

“Ja, that suits me just fine.” Uncertainty twisted his insides as he watched her walk out the door and back to the parking lot. He hoped his plan to hire Grace’s firm worked, and he would live to tell the tale. He didn’t know if that could happen if she kept looking at him like that.

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