“Honestly, I prayed for a definite sign,” she said as they sat together on his couch. She told about her Mammi’s confused remarks about a stone wall somewhere in Strasburg. “At first I found it frustrating, because I wasn’t sure how much was reality rather than maybe a faulty memory. But then I found an old diary of hers that convinced me it was real, so I spent some of my time searchin’ for the wall.” She gave him a little smile. “That probably sounds a little silly, but I really wanted to see with my own eyes the place that used to be so important to my Mammi Eliza. And apparently, it was a hiding place for love letters from her Old Order beau.”

Gabe’s eyes widened, and he frowned as if puzzled. “What’re ya sayin’?”

Anna explained that, seven decades ago, her Mammi had come to Strasburg for the summer to assist a great-aunt. “While she was here, she met an Old Order fellow, and they exchanged letters using a hiding spot in a stone wall.” She shook her head. “And . . . I know it sounds incredible, but I found the wall . . . and discovered one unopened letter that’d evidently been left behind.”

“Do ya know who wrote it?”

“It was signed by someone named Eb Lapp.” She paused, wondering what Gabe thought of all this. “Unfortunately Eb’s not a name I’ve heard round here.”

There was a weighty pause, and then Gabe said slowly, “I know an Eb Lapp. He’s up in years, though, so I’m not sure he’d remember much ’bout this.”

Anna’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Reaching for her hand, Gabe said, “Eb is my grandfather’s nickname. Ebenezer Lapp.”

She stared at him. “You can’t be serious!”

“Oh, it’s mighty true.”

“So . . . your Dawdi was in love with my Mammi?” Anna felt so shocked, it was hard to get the words out.

Gabe nodded, looking as surprised as she felt. “Through the years I’ve heard snippets from my older relatives ’bout a long-ago forbidden love, but I never gave it much thought.”

Anna shook her head and glanced down at their hands, clasped together.

Gabe was chuckling now. “What a story, ain’t!”

“I’ll say,” Anna said, wishing with all her heart that Mammi Eliza could have been alive to overhear this conversation.

That Lord’s Day, Anna attended church one last time in Bird-in-Hand, then drove over to meet Gabe at his house, where he was waiting beside the hitched-up horse and buggy. He smiled and waved when he saw her, clearly eager to take her to meet his Dawdi Eb. On the way, they stopped at Aden and Barbara’s and took Emmie inside to spend the afternoon.