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Harvest House Publishers - Starns Clark Mindy

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197 pages

English

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From bestselling authors Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner, The Amish Clockmaker (Book 3 in the Men of Lancaster County series) explores the men of an Amish community in Lancaster County, how their Amish beliefs play out in their unique roles, and the women who change their lives. Newlywed Matthew Zook is expanding his family's tack and feed store when a surprising property dispute puts the remodel on holdand raises new questions about the location's mysterious past. Decades earlier, the same building housed a clock shop run by a young Amish clockmaker named Clayton Raber. Known for his hot temper, Clayton was arrested for the murder of his beloved wife, a crime almost everyoneincluding his own family membersbelieved he'd committed, even after charges were dropped. Isolated and feeling condemned by all, Clayton eventually broke from the church, left Lancaster County, and was never heard from again. Now the only way Matthew can solve the boundary issue and save his family's business is to track down the clockmaker. But does this put Matthew on the trail of a murderer? A timeless novel of truth, commitment, and the power of enduring love, where secrets of the past give way to hope for the future.

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	01 février 2015
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736957397
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 King James Version of the Bible.
Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota
Cover photos Chris Garborg; Bigstock / DWStock
The authors are represented by MacGregor Literary, Inc.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The quote by William Andrews before part one is from an article titled The Shadow Knows by Dava Sobel, dated January 2007, and can be found at this link: www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-shadow-knows-142866936/ yjYbSu5vM7pkQQJc.99 .
THE AMISH CLOCKMAKER
Copyright 2015 by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-5738-0 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5739-7 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clark, Mindy Starns.
The Amish clockmaker / Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner.
pages ; cm.-(Men of Lancaster County ; book 3) 1. Amish-Fiction. I. Meissner, Susan, 1961- II. Title.
PS3603.L366C774 2015
813 .6-dc23
2014028184
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
In loving memory of
Mariette Smith,
1970 - 2013.
Precious friend,
sister in Christ ,
fantastic mother ,
adoring wife,
avid reader,
amazing woman,
missed beyond all measure.
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Part One: Matthew
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Part Two: Clayton
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Part Three: Matthew
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Discussion Questions
The Amish Groom
The Amish Blacksmith
The Amish Widower
Lilies on Daybreak Pond
Other Books by Mindy Starns Clark
About the Authors
Ready to Discover More?
About the Publisher
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks so much to
Everyone at Harvest House Publishers, in particular our wonderful editor and friend, Kim Moore.
Chip MacGregor, our literary agent, who brought about this collaboration.
John Clark, loving husband to Mindy and her number one story consultant/idea man/information resource.
Emily Clark, whose talent and dedication helped make this book a reality.
Rich Scannell, Ned Scannell, and Isaac and Lorraine Kauffman, for patiently answering our numerous questions.
The Riehl, Fisher, and Stoltzfus families of Lancaster County, for sharing your knowledge and your homes and businesses with us.
Lauren Clark and Tara Kenny, for being so helpful throughout the process.
To be a clockmaker is to work not just for yourself or your client, but also for someone else far in the future, someone who knows enough to judge your work and who will look at something you ve made someday and-you hope-say, That was done right.
William Andrewes, Curator
Harvard University Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments
PART ONE
Matthew
O NE
S tanding at the edge of the grassy lot, I squinted my eyes in the predawn darkness and envisioned the future. Construction hadn t even started yet, but I had pictured this place so many times in my mind that it was nearly real to me already, from the sweep of the roofline to the span of the side walls to the stretch of the covered walkway that would connect it to the barn. Once completed, the remodeled building wouldn t be fancy or showy, but it would be big-twice as big, in fact, as what we had now.
The expansion of Zook s Feed and Tack, my family s store, was set to begin in just two hours, not a minute too soon as far as I was concerned. My parents didn t exactly see it that way, but in the end it had been my decision. They would come around eventually-at least I hoped they would-but I didn t have time to wait. If I was going to save this company, I had to keep things moving forward. God had blessed us with some exciting opportunities, but taking advantage of them meant first doubling our space and our inventory.
God willing, we d end up doubling our revenue as well.
Such a thought should have left me feeling excited and eager to get started. Instead, my emotions were mixed. On the one hand, I was thrilled to be breaking ground today and confident this expansion was the right move for us to take. On the other hand, I was frustrated with my father, with how he could not- would not-understand or embrace my vision. He and I had always gotten on so well, and he was a kind and godly man, but this situation had created a rift between us I feared we d never be able to mend.
To make matters worse, a deep ache of loss had been rising up inside of me for days. That feeling came from the knowledge that my beloved grandfather-my kindred spirit in so many ways-wasn t here to share in this day with me. At least Grossdaadi had been in on the early planning, I told myself as I began walking across the dewy grass. He d known and approved of my intentions before he died-and that was some consolation.
Then again, he had passed away more than three months ago, before the final plans were drawn up, before the crew was hired, before we were even certain we d be able to pull this off. Now that it was finally happening, I missed him with an intensity that hadn t felt so piercing since the day of his funeral.
I came to a stop at the center of the scruffy, unused piece of land that stretched out beside and behind the current building and would be the site of today s construction. The last thing added to our property was a little cottage up by the house that had been put in a few years ago, when one of my older brothers was getting married. Amanda and I were living there now, but ultimately it would become my parents home, their daadi haus , and Amanda and I would shift over to the main house.
This homestead sat on a hill, low at the front and higher at the back. Heading up our driveway, which ran along the right side of the property, one would encounter first the parking lot, then the tack store, the feed store, a horse barn, the main house, the cottage, and a small fenced-in field out back. At five acres total, this place wasn t big enough to call a farm, though we did own two horses and enough pastureland to keep them fed. Beyond that, we lived more like city folk than our friends and fellow church members, many of whom were farmers.
Standing now between the tack shop and the driveway next door, I glanced toward the eastern horizon and gauged the time. The sky had grown brighter in just the past few minutes, and I knew the sun would soon emerge above the trees. But there was still no one in sight at the moment, and the road that ran in front of the shop-the main thoroughfare of Ridgeview, Pennsylvania-was quiet and empty, several hours away from the busy commerce and congestion of the coming day.
Thus alone and unobserved, I lowered myself to my knees on the grass, removed my hat, bowed my head, and began to pray. My intention was to ask, yet again, that God s will, not mine, be done in this entire matter. But after a few minutes, I found my mind again returning to thoughts of Grossdaadi .
Taking a deep breath, I tried to still my thoughts and simply listen for the voice of God, so that His peace could flow through me. And though the frustration over the situation with my father did not abate, the grief over the loss of my grandfather did begin to lessen noticeably, almost as if the Lord s healing spirit was spreading a cooling salve over a painful burn.
Finally, my mind moved back into prayer, and I asked God for the safety and health of our workers over the coming days, not to mention the patience and good will of our customers. It wasn t going to be easy to get through this period of construction, I knew, but in the end it should be worth it, especially if Zook s became the number one source for feed and tack in all of Lancaster County, which was the idea.
Though only if that s Your plan, Lord . Show me how to see Your will clearly. Open doors You want me to go through and close those You do not.
Before a final amen, I thanked Him for easing my sorrow and asked Him to soften my heart toward my father. May I live in a way that honors Daed s authority while also rescuing Grossdaadi s legacy. Thank You for Your love and grace. Amen.
Feeling much more at peace, I opened my eyes and got to my feet. As I was brushing wet grass from my knees, I heard a gentle, familiar voice behind me.
Matthew?
I turned to see my wife, Amanda, standing not too far away and gazing at me with a sweet smile.
I thought I might find you here, she said softly, coming a few steps closer. I m not interrupting, am I?
Nope