Love by the Numbers

Hilton (Patchwork Dreams) offers a tale about the fallout of one’s character being unjustly called into question. Living in a small, unnamed Amish town, Lydia Hershberger is shunned by her neighbors after her fiancé dies when his buggy is struck by lightning. To escape local gossip surrounding a claim she makes against a married man who approaches her after the death of her husband, Lydia takes a job working in Jamesport, Miss., at her aunt and uncle’s gift shop while they go on a missionary trip. Lydia’s best friend, Abigail, also lives there, and she’s anxious to see her. Caleb, an employee of the gift shop, becomes lovestruck when the girl he admired from afar at Abigail’s wedding earlier that year turns out to be the temporary helper. But Lydia, at least at first, wants nothing to do with romance after the disastrous end of her engagement. When false allegations reach Jamesport thanks to a visiting bishop, Lydia has to choose whether to face her accuser or run away again. Caleb, determined to win Lydia’s trust, decides to rely on God’s wisdom and intervene or her behalf. Hilton unflinchingly demonstrates the personal consequences of being judged guilty by one’s community. (Feb.)