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165 pages

English

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Fan Favorite Suzanne Woods Fisher Offers Readers Tender Romance, Humor, and Plenty of SurprisesBright, curious, and restless, Ruthie Stoltzfus loves her family but is stuck in a sea of indecision about her future: Should she stay Amish? Or should she leave? She's done all she can to prepare to go--passed the GED, saved her money--but she can't quite set her journey into motion.Patrick Kelly is a young man on a journey of his own. He's come to Stoney Ridge to convert to the Amish and has given himself thirty days to learn the language, drive a buggy, and adapt to "everything Plain." Time, to Patrick, is of the essence. Every moment is to be cherished, especially the hours he spends with Ruthie, his Penn Dutch tutor.Ruthie's next-door neighbor and cunning ex-boyfriend, Luke Schrock, is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame. Rebellious, headstrong, defiant, Luke will do anything to win Ruthie back--anything--and Patrick Kelly is getting in his way.Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites readers back to Stoney Ridge for a story of dreams deferred and hopes fulfilled--complete with Fisher's signature twists that never fail to leave readers delighted.

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	04 octobre 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441245441
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0432€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2016 by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2016
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—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4544-1
Scripture used in this book, whether quoted or paraphrased by the characters, is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Published in association with Joyce Hart of the Hartline Literary Agency, LLC.
Endorsements
Praise for The Imposter
“Woods Fisher does her Amish research and it shines bright in her latest offering.”
— RT Book Reviews
“Suzanne is an authority on the Plain folks, and that’s important to readers when it comes to Amish fiction. She always delivers a fantastic story with interesting characters, all in a tightly woven plot.”
— Beth Wiseman , bestselling author of the Daughters of the Promise and the Land of Canaan series
“Suzanne Woods Fisher’s The Imposter is a heartwarming story of overcoming obstacles to find peace and a place to belong. The story will captivate readers who love the Amish culture and enjoy spending time in the Plain community.”
— Amy Clipston , bestselling author of A Simple Prayer
“Suzanne Woods Fisher has written another delightful book that is sure to please fans of Amish fiction. Filled with endearing characters and wry wit, The Imposter is a wonderful story.”
— Kathleen Fuller , bestselling author of A Faith of Her Own
“Suzanne Woods Fisher is at the top of her game in this richly rewarding tale of faith and love and the ties that bind. The Imposter is everything you want in a novel. I loved this first installment of her newest series.”
— Mary Ellis , bestselling author of Midnight on the Mississippi
Praise for The Quieting
“Fisher is a talented author who knows what readers have come to expect from her novels and always gives them more.”
— RT Book Reviews , 4-star review
Dedication
To the Salch family: Kim, Clayton, and A.J. There’s a little bit of you in every book.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Dedication
Cast of Characters
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Excerpt from The Amish Beginnings Series
Discussion Questions
Birdy’s Baked Oatmeal
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Back Ads
Back Cover
Cast of Chacters
David Stoltzfus—mid-40s, father to six children: Katrina, Jesse, Ruthie, Molly, Lydie, and Emily. Formerly widowed, now married to Birdy Glick. Owner of the Bent N’ Dent store and bishop to the church of Stoney Ridge.
Ruthie Stoltzfus—17 years old, middle child to David. Bright, ambitious, restless, she’s right on the cusp of leaving the Amish to pursue a higher education.
Luke Schrock—17 years old, brother of Miriam (Mim), son of Rose Schrock King (owner of the Inn at Eagle Hill). Smart as a whip, irreverent, loves to live on the edge.
Patrick Kelly—20 years old, Canadian Catholic, guest at the Inn at Eagle Hill. Eager to convert to Amish church.
Jesse Stoltzfus—19 years old, owner of the buggy shop, hovering on the precipice of manhood.
Dokdor Fraa—nicknamed Dok, but her name is Ruth Stoltzfus. Dok is David’s sister. Raised Amish but left to go to college, then medical school, a doctor to the Amish.
Ed Gingerich—late 40s. Highly regarded neurologist (both professionally and by his own assessment) at the local hospital. A fascinating, exasperating love interest to Dok.
Matt Lehman—mid-40s. Police officer for Stoney Ridge. Has a desperate crush-from-afar on Dok.
Jenny Yoder—19 years old. Made her first appearance in Stoney Ridge in The Lesson .
Katrina Stoltzfus Miller—22 years old, oldest daughter in the Stoltzfus family, now married to Andy Miller. Two little children, a girl and a boy, and lives at Moss Hill.
Molly Stoltzfus—14 years old.
Lydie and Emily Stoltzfus—11-year-old twins.
Birdy Glick Stoltzfus—35, married to widower David Stoltzfus. Bird aficionado.
Thelma Beiler—touchy about her age, elderly widow to former bishop, Elmo Stoltzfus. Runs a farm called Moss Hill.
Hank Lapp—60ish, uncle to Amos Lapp of Windmill Farm. Former owner of the buggy repair shop. Made his first appearance in The Keeper .
Fern Lapp—50ish, wife to Amos Lapp of Windmill Farm. Arrived in Stoney Ridge in The Keeper .
Miriam (Mim) Schrock—19 years old, older sister to Luke Schrock. On-again, off-again love interest for Jesse Stoltzfus.
1

The bad thing about Ruthie Stoltzfus’s job was that it barely paid minimum wage and she had no job security. She was only employed when someone from the Schrock family, who owned the Inn of Eagle Hill, was busy or unavailable, like now.
The good thing about her job was that it was across the road from her home. She liked to think of the now-and-then job as a hotel concierge-in-training, minus the hotel. The Schrocks referred to the position as a filler.
But as for what happened last evening . . . nothing ever—ever!—could have trained her for that. She was still shaky from the shock. The guests who had checked out of the inn yesterday had trashed the little cottage. Completely trashed it! Just as she was locking up after she had worked all day long to clean it up, she saw a man stagger over to her.
“Is this a motel?”
“Not really,” Ruthie said. “It’s a bed-and-breakfast.” And then she noticed the man had a cut on his forehead. “You’re bleeding.”
He lifted a hand to his head as if startled by the thought. “It’s nothing. Look, I need a room for the night.”
She looked back at the main house. The lights were out. It was late and they’d gone to bed. But the guest cottage was empty, and she knew Rose would appreciate the income. Still, this man seemed odd. Not in a dangerous way, but he seemed dazed, a little confused. Drunk, maybe? She should send him on his way. But then again, what would he do if she turned him away? He was miles from town. “You’ll have to pay cash, up front.”
He reached behind him, then patted his pants, his shirt front, alarmed. “I don’t seem to have my wallet.” He reached into his pockets. “I’m good for the money. If you could just trust me. Just for tonight. In the morning, I’ll take care of everything. I promise.” His eyes pleaded with her.
In the end, Ruthie ignored her usual overriding caution and let him stay. She walked him over to the guest cottage, showed him how to use the kerosene lights, and left him there. As she closed the cottage door behind her, she felt a hitch in her heart. Had she done the right thing? Or the wrong thing. Birdy, her father’s wife, often said that the Bible warned they might entertain angels as strangers in need. Nothing about this man seemed particularly angelic, but he definitely was a stranger in need.
Ruthie crossed the road and turned around, walking backward, as she climbed the steep driveway to her family’s home. The light in the little cottage was already snuffed out. The man was probably in bed. She’d made her decision. She had to trust it was the right one, even if the stranger-in-need didn’t end up paying for the stay.
She slept fitfully, tossing and turning. In the morning, she woke and dressed in a flash. She left a note for Birdy and her dad on the kitchen table, that she had to get to work early and would miss breakfast. She grabbed her shawl from the wall peg and rushed down the driveway. The cottage still looked as quiet as it did last night, though she wasn’t sure what she had expected to find. Burned down? Exploded? Don’t be ridiculous, Ruthie , she told herself. You’re letting your imagination run away with you.
Rose was already in the kitchen at the main house of Eagle Hill as Ruthie walked right in. She looked up at Ruthie in surprise. “You’re here early.”
“There’s a guest in the cottage,” she said. “Late last night, as I was heading home—a man came and asked for a place to stay.”
Rose straightened up. She looked out in the driveway. “Where’s his car?”
“He didn’t have one.”
Rose got that look on her face, the one that seemed as if she knew this story wasn’t going to end well.
“I might have made a mistake, Rose. He seemed to be in some kind of trouble.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“No. Nothing like that. He was very polite.” She explained the whole story.
Rose went to the window to peer at the cottage. “It’s early. Let’s wait another hour or so, then I’ll take him some coffee.”
“Are you mad at me?”
Rose swiveled around. “No. Not at all. Please don’t worry, even if the man doesn’t pay for the night. You were put in a tough spot and made a decision that felt right to you.” She turned back to peer out the window, looking at the cottage, crossing her arms against her chest. “But maybe I’ll have Galen take him the coffee.”
An hour later, that’s just what she did. Galen King, Rose’s husband, a no-nonsense kind of man, took a pot of coffee over to the man in the cottage. Not two minutes later, he returned with the untouched coffee tray.
“Is he all right?” Ruthie asked. “Should I call for a doctor?”
Galen set the tray down and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table. “Not a doctor. He definitely doesn’t need a doctor.” He swallowed. “He needs . . . the county coroner.”
And that’s why Ruthie couldn’t stop shaking. The coroner arrived, and after he saw the cut on the man’s forehead, his bleeding knuckle