Read Online The Amish Heart of Ice Mountain by Kelly Long - Free Book Online

he realized she was surrounded by her entire family—including her fater .
    Great . . . Edward sighed to himself, then decided he might as well get things over with and started to walk forward to greet his new in-laws.
    Then an odd sound cut through the air. The pervading noise came from overhead, and Edward felt the press of those gathered as they exited the barn to stare into the sky. A helicopter broke the nearby line of trees and flew almost directly overhead. A long rope and a bright red satchel hung from the base of the aircraft, then was detached as the copter roared away.
    Edward heard the questions swirling around him and knew he was the only one who was seemingly unmoved by the appearance of an aircraft so close to the mountain. He . . . and Sarah. He watched her separate herself from her family and walk toward him, her gray eyes wide and set.
    â€œEdward, what have you done?” she asked above the concerned murmurings around them.
    â€œOnly what I’ve already confessed, sweet. Are you surprised?”
    She took a step closer to him. “You know as well as I do that the helicopter was carrying surveillance equipment—for Marcellus Shale. They’re surveying to see if the gas find runs under Ice Mountain.”
    Edward squinted at the blue sky, then looked back to her. “How do you know that? And what if it does? It could mean a lot of money and a change of life for our people.”
    â€œAn end of life for our people, you mean.” She hugged her arms about herself. “We have to tell the bishop.”
    He caught her elbow. “No need, sweet. I imagine our resident engineer is about to do that for us.”
    Edward turned her to face the tree line as Jim Hanson, the engineer he’d met in the woods, started toward the gathered group. He walked with easy strides, carrying a roll of maps in one hand.
    â€œWho is that?” Sarah asked softly, and Edward steeled himself against the pain of her question.
    â€œDestiny calling,” he answered, then moved to introduce the engineer to the community.

Chapter Ten
    Mahlon caught his wife’s arm and automatically pulled her behind him as Jim Hanson approached. Edward moved to greet the man with obvious familiarity. “Stay here with the kinner ,” Mahlon commanded. “I must see what this is all about.”
    He inched through the still crowd, unable to hear the words Edward exchanged with the Englischer . But then, his new son-in-law seemed to welcome the bishop’s approaching presence and, after a moment, they all three turned to face the community that stood waiting with dignified reserve.
    â€œFolks, I’d like to introduce to you Jim Hanson—an engineer,” Bishop Umble said loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned to the Englischer . “What brings you to Ice Mountain, Jim?”
    â€œOne of your own Amish folks gave us an invitation to come and explore this area.” The engineer grinned as he spoke in a patronizing tone. He pulled out a piece of paper from the pocket of his tan pants, then held it up. “Edward King here seems to know a lot about the gas rigs. Going on the information he gave us, our company, R and D, believes we will find that the Marcellus Shale, and its deep gas reserves, run under this mountain. If we do, you folks stand to make a lot of money.” He looked around at the crowd, still smiling, as if full of confidence and pride. “Although we’re pretty sure we’ll find the gas, we need to do a bit more exploration. The helicopter that just flew over is dropping off research equipment for our company.”
    Mahlon shifted his weight and tried to ignore the quiet murmurings around him as his own anger rose within him. My own son-in-law invited Englischers to invade the mountain....
    Bishop Umble put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. His expression, as usual, was inscrutable. “Are you staying hereabouts, Jim?”
    â€œIn