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Harvest House Publishers - Vannetta Chapman

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188 pages

English

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A Promise for Miriam, the first book in a brand-new romantic series from popular author Vannetta Chapman, introduces the Amish community of Pebble Creek and some of the kind, caring people there. As they face challenges to their community from the English world, they come together to reach out to their non-Amish neighbors while still preserving their cherished Plain ways.Amish schoolteacher Miriam King loves her students. At 26, most women her age are married with children of their own, but she hasn't yet met anyone who can convince her to give up the Plain school that sits along the banks of Pebble Creek. Then newcomer Gabriel Miller steps into her life, bringing his daughter, an air of mystery, and challenges Miriam has never faced before.Will Gabe be able to let go of the past that haunts him? He thinks he just wants to be left alone, but the loving and warm community he and his daughter have moved to has other plans for him. After a near tragedy is averted, he hesitantly returns offers of help and friendship, and he discovers he can make a difference to the people of Pebble Creek-and maybe find love again.

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Romance

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	01 juillet 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736946131
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0480€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Cover by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photos Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc. / iStockphoto / Thinkstock
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
A PROMISE FOR MIRIAM Copyright 2012 by Vannetta Chapman Published by Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 97402 www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chapman, Vannetta. A promise for Miriam / Vannetta Chapman.
p. cm - (The Pebble Creek Amish series ; bk. 1)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4612-4 (pbk.) ISBN 978-0-7369-4613-1 (eBook) 1. Amish-Fiction. I. Title. PS3603.H3744P76 2012 813 .6-dc23
2011050769
All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
For my sister, Pam Lindman
Acknowledgments
When I was four years old, my sister taught me how to tie my shoes. I m grateful she s still in my life, and she continues to have the patience to teach me things such as quilting and double crochet stitches which are both much harder than how to knot your shoelaces. I love you, sis.
Although Pebble Creek doesn t actually exist, the village of Cashton does, and there are several folks in the Driftless region I d like to thank, including Anita Reeck (Amil s Inn Bed and Breakfast), Kathy Kuderer (Down a Country Road), and Pete and Nora Knapik (Inn at Lonesome Hollow). Richard Lee Dawley (author of Amish in Wisconsin ) was also kind enough to answer questions while I was conducting research.
The Englisch development I describe being built in the area of Nappanee, Indiana, is entirely fictional, though the Menno-Hof Museum mentioned does exist in Shipshewana, Indiana, and can be visited at www.mennohof.org .
Thanks to Suzanne Woods Fisher and the Budget for their endless supply of Amish proverbs. Other reference materials include The Amish School by Sara E. Fisher and Rachel K. Stahl, and Herbs and Old Time Remedies by Joseph VanSeters.
Thanks also to my editor, Kim Moore, and the excellent staff at Harvest House, as well as my agent, Mary Sue Seymour.
Mary Ellis was an encouragement to me in the writing of this book. My friends and prereaders, Donna, Kristy, and Dorsey, are a precious gift. Bobby, Mom, and kids-I adore you all.
I didn t attend a one-room schoolhouse, but I am a better person today because of the teachers in my life who cared, who were dedicated to their profession, and who encouraged a very shy little east Texas girl. I m thankful that they did.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Discussion Questions
Glossary
A Home for Lydia
About the Publisher
Prologue
Indiana March
G abe sat by the side of the bed, clasping Hope s hand.
The wind fought with the window panes, intent on finding its way into the small upstairs room. The rain lashed out against the night sky.
He knew when Dr. Frank left the room. He heard him in the hall murmuring to Erma and recognized the defeat in his voice as he moved down the stairs.
Gabe felt the weight of thick, heavy exhaustion pressing down on him. He couldn t have held up his head if his life had depended on it, though he would have found a way to do so if it could have saved Hope.
Saving Hope.
It had become his life mission, but that wasn t Gotte s wille. So the bishop had said as recently as an hour ago. So Erma was saying to the doctor as he left the house even now. Why couldn t Gabe s heart agree? Instead, he allowed his head to drop to the quilt, allowed his lips to kiss her hand-a hand that was even now growing cold, and for this moment he allowed himself to weep.
He heard Erma walk slowly up the stairs and stop outside the bedroom door, allowing him this final moment alone with his wife.
Mamm ! Grace s scream tore through the house, startling in its pitch and intensity. Lunging past Hope s mother, Gabe s five-year-old daughter threw herself into the room, clawing at the bed and attempting to crawl on it, all the time sobbing and crying. I want my mamm . Why won t she wake up? Make her wake up!
He tried to pull her away, putting his arms around her small frame and murmuring in her ear, but her cries only increased.
Silence that child! Hope s father stood in the doorway, his face an inscrutable mask, his voice a hammer falling. Walking into the room, he jerked Grace from Gabe s arms. Take her, Erma. Take her and silence her. I will not have such a display in my home.
Micah paused a moment, his eyes taking in Gabe s tearstained face and the lifeless form of his daughter. Briefly, Gabe thought he saw the mask of indifference slip from his features, but it was less than the span of a heartbeat, and in the dim lantern light he could have imagined it. With a scowl, the older man turned and trudged from the room, leaving Gabe alone to deal with his grief.
Chapter 1
Pebble Creek, southwestern Wisconsin Three years later
M iriam King glanced over the schoolroom with satisfaction.
Lessons chalked on the board.
Pencils sharpened and in the cup.
Tablets, erasers, and chalk sat on each desk.
Even the woodstove was cooperating this morning. Thank the Lord for Efram Hochstetler, who stopped by early Mondays on his way to work and started the fire. If not for him, the inside of the windows would be covered with ice when she stepped in the room.
Now, where was Esther?
As if Miriam s thoughts could produce the girl, the back door to the schoolhouse opened and Esther burst through, bringing with her a flurry of snowflakes and a gust of the cold December wind. Her blonde hair was tucked neatly into her kapp , and the winter morning had colored her cheeks a bright red.
Esther wore a light-gray dress with a dark apron covering it. At five and a half feet and weighing no more than a hundred and twenty pounds, Miriam often had the unsettling feeling of looking into a mirror-a mirror into the past-when she looked at the young woman who taught with her at the one-room schoolhouse.
In truth, the teachers had often been mistaken for family. They were similar in temperament as well as appearance. Other than their hair, Esther could have been Miriam s younger sister. Esther s was the color of ripe wheat, while Miriam s was black as coal.
Why did that so often surprise both Plain people and Englischers ? If Miriam s black hair wasn t completely covered by her kapp , she received the oddest stares.
Am I late? Esther s shoes echoed against the wooden floor as she hurried toward the front of the room. Pulling off her coat, scarf, and gloves, she dropped them on her desk.
No, but nearly.
I told Joseph we had no time to check on his cattle, but he insisted.
Worried about the gate again?
Ya . I told him they wouldn t work it loose, but he said-
Cows are stupid. They uttered the words at the same time, both mimicking Joseph s serious voice, and then broke into laughter. The laughter eased the tension from Esther s near tardiness and set the morning back on an even keel.
Joseph has all the makings of a fine husband and a gut provider, Miriam said. Once you re married, you ll be glad he s so careful about the animals.
Ya , but when we re married I won t be having to leave in time to make it to school. Esther s cheeks reddened a bit more as she seemed to realize how the words must sound.
Why did everyone think Miriam was embarrassed that she still remained unmarried? Did it never occur to them that it was her own choice to be single?
Efram had the room nice and warm before I even arrived, she said gently. And I put out your tablets.
Wunderbaar. I ll write my lessons on the board, and we ll be ready. As Esther reached to pull chalk from her desk drawer, Miriam noticed that she froze and then stood up straighter. When she reached up and touched her kapp as if to make sure she was presentable, Miriam realized someone else was in the room.
She turned to see who had surprised the younger teacher. It was still a few minutes before classes were due to start, and few of their students arrived early.
Standing in the doorway to the schoolroom was an Amish man. Pebble Creek was a small community, technically a part of the village of Cashton. Old-timers and Plain folk alike still referred to the area where the creek went through by its historic name.
Miriam was quite sure she d never seen the man standing in her classroom before. He was extremely tall, and she had the absurd notion he d taken his hat off to fit through their entryway. Even standing beneath the door arch, waiting for them to speak, he seemed to barely fit. He was thin and sported a long beard, indicating he was married.
In addition to clutching his black hat, he wore a heavy winter coat, though not the type worn by most Wisconsi