 
# Lancaster County Second Chances

## Ruth Price

### Contents

Lancaster County Second Chances

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Lancaster County Second Chances 2

Lancaster County Second Chances – Book 2

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

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Aknowledgements

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Copyright © 2015 Ruth Price

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# Lancaster County Second Chances
# 1

Katie Olsen looked out the kitchen window. The sun was just coming up, and everyone but her _mamm_ and younger sister were already out in the fields. It was spring, and the rising sun spread its beams over soft brown earth, ready for planting. The landscape was the same as she remembered. The gentle hills of her Lancaster County home seemed to be forever rolling away to the horizon. It had always been a comforting view.

She picked at the white cotton tablecloth with her fingers. It was the same familiar table cloth she had used as a child – the hand sewn border, the faint stain from the strawberry accident, the little uneven nubs that she had loved to rub with her fingers.

This plain white farmhouse still looked just the same as it had when she was six years old. The massive gray barn had seemed endless then, and it still looked huge. The freshly-tilled earth would soon be filled with movement and color and sound.

This farm had been her home. She had felt so comfortable in it, as if she herself had been a young plant springing up from her _daed_ 's fields. She had grown from this soil, like the oak trees overshadowing the house. Like her mamm's roses. Like the wheat that swayed and whispered secrets to the lavender twilight. Once, her world had been as safe and predictable as bud and bloom and harvest. It had seemed to her that nothing would ever change.

But everything had changed. She was 26 now. The familiar white farmhouse wasn't her home any longer. It was her parents' home.

The tablecloth, the house, the barn, the oak trees, and even the rolling hills, all of them belonged to the child she had been, not the young woman she had become.

For the past three months, she had been an increasingly uncomfortable guest in her parents' home.

Maybe even a burden.

Of course, her mamm and daed would never put it that way. And she did her best to help them around the house and with her little sister and brother.

But still.

Katie's fingertip raised the corner of a paper lying underneath her breakfast plate. Her mamm had "forgotten" it there this morning.

It was an Amish advertising circular. The headline read: Young Widowed Men Interested in Remarriage.

A cheerful voice interrupted Katie's thoughts.

"Why such a sad face, Katze?"

Katie pulled her lips into a smile and turned to face her 10-year-old sister, Bett.

"No sad face for you, Bett." She pulled her blonde giggle box of a sister into her arms and smiled. "Come, I will help you with your chores."

They walked out to the chicken coop and roused the hens. Katie had always liked gathering eggs – the sleepy, blinking hens, the feel of their soft feathers, the warm, smooth eggs.

Bett was skipping in her joy. "I'm glad you're back, Katze," she was saying, calling Katie by the nickname everyone in her family used. Bett's blue eyes were full of affection.

Katie stopped gathering eggs momentarily. She bit her lip. She wished she could say, I am glad to be back, but that would have been a lie, and she already had too many sins on her soul.

"I'm glad you are pleased," was what she said.

"Everyone is pleased," Bett nattered on. "Last Sunday I heard Mr. Hershberger say that you have a pleasing countenance and that you are a diligent worker. And Mr. Beiler said that he's glad you're back, and that it's a good thing."

Bett dug a toe into the dirt and smiled shyly up at Katie.

"I think they like you," she added, in a conspiratorial tone.

Katie stifled an impatient exclamation. Mr. Hershberger was 20 years her elder. He was bald and fat and had an ungovernable temper. And Mr. Beiler was 70 if he was a day and as shriveled as a stick. The last thing in the world she wanted was to attract the attention of men like Mr. Hershberger and Mr. Beiler.

Or, really, the attention of any man.

She closed her eyes and counted slowly to ten before saying, "I think that's all for now, Bett. Let's take these back."

Bett giggled and skipped along beside her. "I can't wait until I'm your age, Katze," she confided, "and all the men are asking after me."

Katie said nothing in reply, but she was wishing with all her soul that she could somehow revert to her sister's age and once again be a freckled, laughing child.

At dinner that night, the table was laden with baked bread and butter, beans and bacon, ham, baked potatoes, apple pie topped with cheese. It was good, solid farmhouse cooking, some of which Katie had made herself, but she had no appetite.

Katie's mamm shot her husband a glance. He straightened in his chair and cleared his throat.

"Are you feeling ill, Katze?" he rumbled.

"No, Daed," she replied.

"Eat, then."

She dutifully picked up a forkful of potatoes and put it into her mouth.

Katie retreated to bed immediately after dinner, pleading a throbbing head. Her parents had put her in her old bedroom. It still looked much the same as it had – the bare wooden floor, the plain single bed next to the big window overlooking the fields, the same starburst quilt that her grandmother had made for her when she born, with its red, blue, and green.

Even her old toys were still there – the old cotton doll and the stuffed bear that she had worn to shreds, all still lying at the bottom of the quilt chest at the foot of her bed.

There was the prayer book she had used as a child, still with her childish scrawls inside.

The old bedroom should have been a reassuring haven, but for Katie, it was oddly jarring – a reminder of what she wasn't anymore, and could never be again.

Just as she had always done, she knelt down beside the bed for her evening prayers. As a child, it had been easy and natural for her to pray to God. She had felt His presence everywhere. But tonight, she found no words to say. Now, she didn't feel His presence at all.

She had not felt His presence for months. Sometimes, in her darkest moments, she even feared that God had...

The sound of a soft knock at Katie's bedroom door ended her devotions. Katie rose and opened the door to find her mamm standing outside. The candlelight touched her braided brown hair with gold.

"May I come in?"

"Of course." Katie sat down on the bed and patted the space beside her. Katie's mamm sat down quickly and put an arm around her. Her eyes looked worried.

"I shouldn't have left that advertisement on the table. I think I've upset you," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"You have a right," Katie replied, looking down.

"It's not about our rights," her mamm corrected quickly. "Your daed and I, we just want to see you smile again. To come back again, just a little bit." She smoothed a tendril of Katie's soft brown hair back from her face. "It was too soon, maybe."

"You're not the only ones," Katie told her, with an unhappy grimace. "Bett told me today that Mr. Hershberger and Mr. Beiler were asking after me," Katie added, wrinkling her nose.

Her mamm burst out laughing and hugged her close. "Then I don't blame you for picking at your food tonight." She smiled. "It would trouble me, too."

Katie smiled in spite of herself, and her mamm laughed again. "There," she said tenderly, lifting Katie's chin. "That's what I was looking for. My Katze."

Suddenly everything that had happened, everything that she had lost, welled up in Katie's heart. "Oh, Mamm!" she cried, and sobbed as her mamm made soothing noises and rocked her back and forth like a child.

# 2

The next morning, Katie was up long before dawn and long before anyone else was awake. She dressed by the light of a single candle and went down to the empty kitchen. She put a piece of cheese between two slices of bread, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and put it in a bag.

She started a fire in the fireplace to make the house warm, put on her own coat, and went outside.

The predawn dark was still very damp and cold. A thick fog covered everything. Karl, her daed's old collie, was curled up in a box on the porch. He opened one eye and mustered a few thumps of his tail in greeting.

Katie bent down and ruffled his fur, then walked to the barn. Her old blue bicycle was still in the corner. She walked it out into the yard, adjusted the bag around the handlebars, and pushed off into the fog.

The beautiful pastures of Lancaster County slowly rolled past. At first, in the dark, she knew them by the sweet smell of freshly-turned earth, the faint sound of dogs barking far away, the lowing of a cow. Then the sky began to lighten, and the fog faded to reveal big, rolling hills, which, though dark brown now, would soon be alive with fresh green. Katie inhaled deeply. She loved the scent of freshly turned earth, of dew, of new things stirring in the grass.

She pedaled past the Iverson farm, the Johansen farm, the Muller farm. Each field conjured up faces and names from the past. Most of the boys had been blonde, gangly, and tall. A few had hinted that they might like to court with her. She almost smiled, remembering John Muller and his shy calf eyes.

Of course, they hadn't ended up together. She had left home five years ago and her parents told her that John hadn't shown interest in anyone else for a good two years. That is, until Laura Pedersen grew up and caught his eye.

A sudden pain in her shoulder made Katie grimace and slow her pace.

When she was Bett's age, Katie could have arrived in town within 30 minutes. But it was becoming clear that this time, it would take her twice that, if not longer. It wasn't the fog that hindered her – she knew every pebble in those well-worn roads. She could have ridden them with her eyes closed.

It was her shoulder. The damp made it ache, and she had to go slowly to avoid pulling it. Her bandages had only come off a week before, and she couldn't bear the thought of facing another doctor.

She closed her eyes and let the bicycle bounce freely down a long, straight slope. She tried to shut it out, but even this small reminder made her peaceful thoughts drift away like the morning mists.

It made the doctor's face come back again, as it had been coming back every day for the last three months.

"I'm sorry," he was saying, and put a hand on her arm. "Is there anything you'd like us to do?"

She heard herself screaming, _Gott im Himmel_!

She put a hand to her mouth, and momentarily the handlebars left her control. The bicycle bounced dangerously off a rock and she had to hit the brakes to keep the bicycle from crashing.

Gott...

The bicycle skidded to a stop, and Katie dug her heels into the gravel to keep herself from falling over. She could feel herself trembling. She tried again to pray, to plead, to feel something, but there was nothing.

Maybe she should never have left. Maybe God had meant her to stay here, to marry John Muller.

She must not have done God's will. Because surely, if she had done it, her life wouldn't have gone so horribly wrong.

God must be angry with her, so terribly...

Katie closed her eyes and stood very still, feeling the muffled pounding of her heart. Minutes passed. A door closed somewhere in the distance, a man's voice issued a short, sharp command, and a dog barked.

God did not strike her dead. The world did not end.

She put a hand to her eyes and pushed off again.

" _Guten morgen_ , Katie!"

It wasn't hard for Katie to muster a smile for Elie Meissen. Elie's face was as plump and red as a ripe apple, and it was always smiling. Katie had never seen her in a bad mood, but if Elie had a fault, it was that she had the longest tongue in three counties. Elie loved to get news, and she loved even more to report it.

"Guten morgen, Elie Meissen."

The Meissens ran a store in town and made their living mainly off of the sale of quilts, furniture, and other handmade crafts to tourists.

Elie tilted her head to one side, like a bird. "What brings you to town, Katie?"

"I'm looking for a job," Katie replied. "I need work, and was wondering who might need help."

Elie's bright eyes sparkled with this new intelligence. "Ah! I wish we could help you, but we already have three women who make quilts." She put a finger to her lips. "Maybe I can ask around for you."

She waved Katie around to the back of the counter. "So you came on your bicycle? That's a fair way from your farm. Have you had your breakfast?"

Katie shrugged. "I have bread and cheese."

"Bah," Elie laughed. "Come back to the office and have pie and coffee."

Elie led the way to a small office with one wooden table and three chairs. There was a small counter on one wall, and it was covered with kitchen clutter. Elie pulled out a chair for Katie and poured a cup of steaming hot coffee. "Take a piece of pie. It's coconut cream from last night. So good." Elie put a plate on the table and licked her thumb.

Katie didn't feel especially hungry, but took a few bites to be polite. The pie was very good – rich and creamy and indulgent.

"I'm so glad you're back," Elie confided, pulling up a chair. "So much has happened since you left. Let me catch you up."

Katie stifled a sigh and braced herself. Elie was never happy until she had told all she knew. Or thought she knew.

"Terese Johansen spent _rumspringa_ in Philadelphia running wild with the English, they say. She has decided to leave altogether and become a Presbyterian. Her parents are prostrated, I can tell you."

Katie was tempted to offer a tentative rebuke for Elie's gossip, but thought better of it. She was grateful that Elie was sharing news rather than asking painful questions.

Katie's annoyance softened. She was also sure that Elie's unusual forbearance was not accidental. Given Elie's love of gossip, her restraint on that point was an act of grace. Katie sipped her coffee and said nothing.

"And did you know that Martin Hoffer is the new bishop after old David Zurich died? Remember how we almost used to go to sleep during services?" She giggled. "Well, not anymore! No one can have any peace during his sermons, let alone sleep! He's the strictest bishop anyone can remember. So stern!" Her cheerful face grew scrunched up momentarily as she took a sip of coffee. "It gives me heartburn."

Katie's conscience stirred again, and again she squelched it.

"Oh!" Elie fanned her face. "And there's another newcomer besides you! Of course, you're not new, and he is, but you know what I mean. It's a widower with four _kinner_ , a man named Joseph Lapp. He's from the next county. Quite good looking, so I hear. Tall. A little peaked, though."

Katie stirred uncomfortably, and Elie nattered on. "Of course, every woman in the county who has a grown daughter has set her cap for him. Though he's a little old for a girl."

A sudden ringing from the shop announced the arrival of a customer. Katie breathed a sigh of relief as Elie jumped up and finally tended to her own business.

Or almost tended to it. She could just hear the sound of a woman's voice and Elie's voice in reply. After the initial greetings, their voices lowered, but not before Katie heard the words, "Oh, the poor thing."

She sighed, shook out her skirt, and rose to leave.

# 3

That evening after dinner Katie went to bed early again. She undressed by the light of a candle, peeling off the plain blue dress and black stockings. She stood in front of the mirror. The sad young woman who looked back at her had soft, wavy brown hair, large, earnest green eyes, and a body that her mamm had once told her was "womanly."

Except for the stain. And now, the scar.

It was vain, and wrong, but she couldn't resist running her finger over the scar on her shoulder. Her skin was still tender from the surgery. The angry red color had faded, and the doctor had promised that it would continue to fade until it could hardly be seen. But at three months out, a faint splotch was still there, still visible, though barely, in the dim light.

The stain had been the size of a dinner plate. Its outline had been ragged and ugly. It had looked as if her right shoulder had been splashed with red wine. The purple birthmark had been her secret shame, and also her secret vanity. It had covered three inches of her upper arm, the right side of her neck, and two inches of her back.

She had hated it all her life, but her parents had told her that God loved her, and that they loved her, and that it made no difference – that it was vain to be concerned about things that did not endanger her health.

But in her vanity, she had chosen to have the hated mark removed anyway.

Katie knelt by the bed and clasped her hands. She tried to pray the prayers she had learned as a child, to be pious and meek, but something in her convulsed, and her grief suddenly came spilling out.

Oh, God, was it this? Was this why? So much, only for this?

Why not me, then?

The only reply was the sound of the candle sizzling as it wept its small tears. Katie searched her heart for any answer, any sense of God's nearness, any comfort.

Oh, God, where are you?

There was no sound, no spark of feeling. Nothing.

Sobs welled up in her throat, and her head drooped over the bed. She stopped trying to pray. It was useless. And she was too tired to spend another night with her hands over her face. She rose, blew out the candle, and slipped under the covers.

Katie was exhausted, and sleep came quickly. She felt as if her body was falling into some measureless depth, down into some infinity of sleep. Waves of unconsciousness closed over her, pushing her further and further down.

"Katze."

She turned her head and murmured softly.

"Katze."

The curtain rolled back, and she was in her own bedroom again, under the eiderdown blanket. Erik was there with her, and she smiled and rolled to face him.

His hands smoothed over her shoulders. "You are good to hold," he whispered and kissed her neck. "You are smooth."

He kissed her neck again.

"You are round."

His hands glided over her shoulders and moved down.

"You fill my hands like apples warmed by the sun."

Erik's hands moved back over her right shoulder – paused – and lingered.

Her smile faded. She pulled back slightly.

His hands stopped moving. His brown eyes were suddenly serious.

"Why will you not let me touch you?"

She turned her face into the pillow. "Because I am ashamed."

He turned her face to his again. "Ashamed? Of this? It's nothing."

"It's ugly. It makes me feel as if I am ugly, too."

He put his lips to her hair. "You know that I love you?" he whispered.

She nodded. "I know."

"Would I lie to you?"

She shook her head.

"Then believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful."

"How can you say such a thing, when I wear such an ugly mark?" she had murmured. "It's like a burn."

He had sighed, and rested his cheek against hers, as if he despaired of her reason. "Katie Olsen, I am your husband, you have borne me a son, and yet never once have you let my hand rest on your shoulder. This idea of yours is unhealthy."

"I can't help it," she had whispered, turning her face into the pillow again.

He had sighed again, deeply, and had been silent for a long while. Then, "Look at me."

She had looked up into his eyes. They were warm and tender.

"This thing makes no difference to me. But it makes a difference to you. It isn't good or healthy for a woman like you to feel ugly. This thing makes you shy with me, and that is not good." He paused again and added, "Maybe we should go to the doctor and have it removed."

She had turned to face him. "Erik, really? But wouldn't that be wrong? Wouldn't it be vanity, a sin?"

He was silent again. He finally said, "It is more wrong for this to come between us than it could ever be to go to the doctor."

"Oh, Erik, I don't know whether to be glad or sorry," she had cried.

"Be glad," he had said, and kissed her. His lips were warm and sweet, juicy as a just-ripe tomato.

Katie stirred in her sleep, turned. Erik's kiss faded into the velvet dark. Somewhere, maybe in her dream or maybe outside of it, raindrops hit the window. She pushed a bare foot beyond the warmth of the covers.

The dream shifted. Now she was in her garden picking tomatoes. It was deep summer, and the garden was head-high with green leaves. Peder was there with her, holding a basket. His dark curls were swallowed up by a straw hat that was many times too big for him. He was three years old, only just big enough to walk, in his little shirt and trousers.

He was singing in his high childish voice, a silly nonsense song about the goat who tried to float, the calf that only laughed, and the word the bird heard.

"Where did you learn such a song, silly Peder?" she teased him. "You're too big to believe that a goat can float."

He had smiled at her from beneath the hat. Only his pink mouth had been visible.

"I learned it from the Bible," he had said stoutly.

"From the Bible?"

"Yes. In the Bible, it says that all the animals went into the ark. Goats and calves and birds."

"Yes, but – "

"Well, the goats in the ark floated. The dove heard God say, 'Go back to the ark.' And if you were a calf that day, wouldn't you laugh?"

She had dropped the tomatoes. Then she had turned on her astonished son and chased him up and down the garden until she caught him.

"Mamm, Mamm!" Peder's squeals of delight were so shrill that they pulled her up from the depths of sleep. She sighed and opened her eyes. Peder ran away, and his fading laughter dissolved into a familiar call.

It was just sunrise, and a rooster in the yard below was crowing.

# 4

Joseph Lapp sat perfectly silent, ramrod-straight, and with his eyes facing front. He was at church and trying hard to be inconspicuous.

Even though that was nearly impossible. He was six foot three and had four kinner. His three small sons and preteen daughter stretched out to his right like beads on a necklace.

It was his custom to sit on the back row at church meetings. It was a coping strategy he had learned early. Emma was a quiet girl, but the boys had more than once required him to make a hasty exit. Caleb, his youngest, still wanted to whisper during meeting.

"Daed," Caleb hissed, leaning close. His upturned eyes were like blue marbles, but Joseph had learned that this innocent expression usually preceded mischief. Joseph looked down at him, thinking that it might be time for a warning pinch.

Although, to be fair, the bishop had kept them for more than two hours, which was a long time for a five-year-old boy to be still.

He turned slightly, scoping out the rear of Mr. Fisher's barn in case a hasty exit became necessary. There were only two elders between him and the door, though some of the other churchgoers might be disturbed if he had to take Caleb out.

He glanced over at the opposite row, where the women sat. There were only three women in the back row: an older woman who must have been John Fisher's wife, a young woman, and a little girl.

The younger woman was on the end of the row, and held his attention momentarily. He couldn't help noticing that she was very pretty, but that wasn't the most noticeable thing about her. All the other women, and even the girls, maintained an expression of grave piety, but this woman's face was as expressive of misery as an audible moan. Her eyes were large and filled with sadness. Her lower lip drooped like a child's.

The sound of his son's voice snapped Joseph back to himself. "Daed," Caleb hissed again, "I have to pee!"

Joseph turned to his son, searched his face, and thought it more likely that Caleb was bored. He leaned in.

"Can you hold it?"

The little boy shook his head vehemently, but smiled – a sure sign that he was faking. Joseph pinched his lips in exasperation.

"Try to hold it. The service is almost over." He settled in his chair and tried to focus on the sermon. "Settle down."

He refocused his attention on the service. The new bishop, Martin Hoffer, had been chosen to deliver the message that morning. He was preaching an unusually strong sermon against the sins of pride and arrogance.

The older man's dark eyes were stern and looked disapproving. His mouth was pinched into a thin, straight line.

Joseph glanced over at his kinner's bobbing hats, hoping that they were not getting the idea that God was angry or harsh. It would have been an easy mistake. Martin Hoffer tended to be strict, and his words were perhaps too strong for kinner still tender from the loss of their mamm.

Maybe he should take Caleb outside, after all.

"Our God is a holy God," the new bishop was saying, "a God of lightning and thunder! A God of roaring seas and earthquakes! A God who does not tolerate rebellion!"

Joseph glanced back toward the door again. The two elders had disappeared.

"Our God is a holy God. A God who hates the arrogance of the vain and proud!"

There was a strangled gasp, and Joseph turned to check his kinner. To his relief, they were sober as little judges. The sound had come from elsewhere.

To Joseph's astonishment, the young woman across the way now looked not just sad, but positively ill. The older woman, who he guessed to be her mamm, was whispering anxiously in her ear. The girl shook her head and leaned back into the chair with her eyes closed, as if she felt faint.

The bishop scanned his audience with narrowed eyes. "Seeing that these things are true, then, let us serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, as the Scriptures say.

"For our God is a consuming fire!"

With shocking suddenness, the young woman leapt up and bolted out through the door like a frightened deer. Her mamm turned and followed almost at a run.

The noise and movement turned a few heads, but the bishop preached on, undeterred. No one gave any further sign of having noticed anything.

Joseph noticed with alarm that his kinner's hats were beginning to bob. The boys craned their necks toward the back door, whispering to one another.

"Hush," Joseph told them. "Be quiet!"

But he himself could hardly help wondering what had just happened, and why.

After the service the church members gathered on the lawn for lunch. Tables and chairs were laid out and ready, and the congregants sat down to eat. Joseph noticed that Mrs. Fisher reappeared to help serve the meal, and that the girl helped. But the young woman who had fled so abruptly did not return.

Daniel Gruber, sitting at his elbow, asked him if he would stay on his own farm, or if he planned to work for the English. Joseph coughed into his hand.

"I will be making furniture for an English cabinet maker in town," he replied. "It's not convenient, because I have to hire an English driver to take me back and forth to work, but it will not be forever. I will only be working there until I can sell my old farm and buy a new farm in Lancaster County. I plan to move my family here."

Daniel Gruber nodded and said nothing, and Joseph did not elaborate. Everyone in his new church knew why he and his kinner needed the change. Their own home had become a place of sadness and loss, and a change of scene would be good for the kinner.

Perhaps for him, also.

"The only thing that troubles me," Joseph explained, "is that I need someone to help with my kinner. My daughter is trying hard, but she is only 12, and I cannot be there to help her while I work. Do you know of such a person? I might hire an English helper, but I would rather hire an Amish one."

Daniel Gruber munched a biscuit. "Young Katie Olsen, John Fisher's daughter, is looking for a job, they say," he replied, after a heavy silence.

"John Fisher's daughter?" he asked in surprise, though he did not add, the one who just ran out of the service?

Daniel Gruber nodded. "Yes. She came back to her parents three months ago." He paused again and added, "She was married to Erik Olsen. A good man."

"I remember him," Joseph replied. "I met him when we were younger. He is a good man. I'm sorry to hear of his troubles."

Daniel looked up in surprise. "You didn't hear about the accident?"

Joseph shook his head.

"Erik died three months ago. And his little boy."

Seeing that Joseph had been struck speechless, Daniel continued, "There was a fire at the house." He glanced around for Mrs. Fisher, and when he didn't see her nearby, added in a low voice, "It was very sad. Lightning struck a big tree near the house. It crashed through the roof and fell on the little boy's bed. He was trapped under it. Erik couldn't get him out and wouldn't leave him. Of course, their neighbors came when they saw the fire, but by the time they came, they could not get in for the flames. In spite of all they could do, the house burned to the ground, with both man and boy inside."

" _Auch das noch_!"

"Katie was away in the hospital that night, or she would most likely have died in the same way. It has been very hard for her. She has only just begun to go out, to go to church again. But she is very changed."

Joseph fell into a stricken silence. He had never seen Katie before that day, but he remembered Erik Olsen. Once when they were both teens they had played on opposing baseball teams in a tournament. He had been the pitcher for his team, and Erik the best batter for their opponent's. In those days Joseph had thought himself an athlete, but Erik had taught him a lesson in humility. He had cracked one of Joseph's fastballs so far out in the corn that no one ever found it, not even when winter came and the land went flat and bare. Erik had been a fine, strong fellow with a ready laugh. A good sport.

Joseph shook his head and said no more, nor did Daniel Gruber. But now Katie Olsen's strange behavior made perfect sense to Joseph. Too much sense.

In fact, her sad eyes haunted him all during the long car ride back home, in spite of the fact that Caleb nattered and giggled and pulled on his sleeve the whole time.

# 5

The next day Joseph paid the driver and walked into his house wearily, glad that the work day was over. His was a large, plain farmhouse, and it had once been comfortable. But after Sarah's death, the responsibility of running an Amish household had proven too heavy for their poor daughter, Emma.

She greeted him at the doorway, her pretty, heart-shaped face turned up to greet him. "Hello, Daed."

She was carrying a laundry basket filled with clothes.

He leaned down to kiss her, feeling a pang of guilt. Emma was too young to be burdened with the house and the boys and the cooking. She needed to concentrate on her schoolwork.

But most of all, she needed a woman to guide her.

He watched her anxiously as she skipped out the side door to the clothes line. She was 12, poised like a chick on the edge of flight. Soon she would surge past this gangly stage of all arms and legs.

She was on the cusp of becoming a young woman, and he was not ready for that change.

The door swung open with her, and through the opening Joseph could see his sons working in the garden outside.

Hezekiah and Jeremy were old enough to do many things for themselves, but Caleb was only five and constantly getting into trouble. Joseph bit his lip, begrudging every day spent away from them, from the education they should be getting at this crucial time. He longed to be with his kinner every day, but until he could sell this farm, he had to work.

What he needed, and very badly, was a woman to help with the kinner while the farm was on the market.

He sat down in a kitchen chair and placed his hat on the table. He had been putting that task off for a while now, partly because there were so many other things to do, and partly because he couldn't stand the thought of another woman in Sarah's house.

He closed his eyes. The very thought of it seemed a violation. Sometimes it was hard for him to even believe that she was gone. He half-expected to hear the sound of her humming from the garden, or to catch a whiff of her apple jam cooking in the kitchen.

It was only last winter that she...

He stopped himself. He had been down that dark hall too many times. He had to make himself move forward, for his own sanity and for the sake of the kinner.

His thoughts returned to Katie Olsen. She was young enough to be strong, and old enough to be capable. He felt empathy for her grief and would like to help her, if he could.

But the look he had seen on her face that Sunday made him question whether she was ready to be with kinner, when she had just lost her own young son.

Maybe the arrangement wouldn't work out. Maybe it would do harm instead of good.

And in any case, he needed someone who was stable and responsible. What if she had another meltdown in front of his kinner? They had already had enough to upset them.

He sighed and put his hands up in a brief gesture of helplessness. " _Gott, hilf mir_ ," he prayed.

"Daed, Daed!" Jeremy called from outside. "What good does it do to plant these beans? Emma will make them taste like an old shoe!"

"I will not!" Emma cried, stung.

"We'll have to sell them to the English. Or maybe go to an English restaurant!"

"Oh!"

Joseph rose wearily and went outside.

* * *

By the next Sunday, Joseph was tired enough to risk taking a chance on the young woman. He still didn't like the idea of bringing a stranger into their home, but there was no other choice.

He arrived for worship with all his kinner in tow. The services were being held at Johan Carver's farm. The Carver farm was very pretty. It was a warm spring day, and there were close to a hundred people milling about. If he had not been on a mission, Joseph would have enjoyed the day. But to his own annoyance, he was tense.

To begin with, there was no sign of Katie. He wondered if she had been so overcome by whatever had upset her that she had now withdrawn from public.

He entered the barn, where chairs had been set up, and sat down in the back row again with his kinner beside him. It was a good vantage point, because he would be able to see everyone as they passed by. He didn't want to seem to be looking for Katie, because he didn't want to create the impression that he was interested in her for anything other than help with his kinner.

But Katie did not appear.

Joseph suppressed a frown. Perhaps it would be better to speak to her daed, anyway. Mr. Fisher was a solid, sensible man, not given to speculation.

Joseph shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He wished devoutly that he could say the same of others. He had begun to notice that women of a certain age were taking notice of him. Yes, another one, a matron in the row ahead of his, turned her head, made eye contact, and smiled. He nodded once.

He had already been the object of some pointed comments, mostly from women with young daughters. These helpers had pointed out to him that it was not good for young kinner to be without a mamm.

He bit his lip in irritation. It was one of the things that made Katie Olsen an attractive possibility. It was clear that she, at least, would not give him unwanted problems in that area.

The barn began to fill up, and just before the service started, Mr. Fisher and his family arrived. Joseph noticed with a twinge of worry that Katie was not with them.

But at least her daed had come.

Joseph found it hard to concentrate on the message that morning. He couldn't stop wondering if it was wise to make a grieving mamm an offer to work with kinner.

But he also wondered what he would do if he couldn't find someone to help with his kinner.

After the service, as was the custom, the worshippers gathered for a meal on the lawn. Joseph left his kinner at the table and went to search for Mr. Fisher. He soon found him.

"Good morning, Mr. Fisher."

Mr. Fisher patted him on the back. "Guten morgen, Joseph."

Joseph suddenly felt awkward. He stuttered, "I have a question to ask you, Mr. Fisher. I hear your daughter is looking for work, and I need someone to help with my kinner while I am away at work. Would your daughter be willing to work for me? It would only be for a few months, until I can sell my farm. I would pay more than the going rate and provide transportation."

Mr. Fisher's brown eyes expressed surprise, followed swiftly by uncertainty. "It's a kind offer, but I can't promise that she will agree. She is a diligent worker, of course, but the kinner...you understand. It is still very soon." He looked down suddenly, and wiped his nose.

"Yes of course, I understand," Joseph replied softly. The look of grief he had seen in the older man's face reminded him that Mr. Fisher had been a grandfather. Joseph cleared his throat. He suddenly felt clumsy.

"I will be at the next meeting," he continued. "If your daughter agrees to help me with my kinner, we will talk then."

"If she agrees, how will you arrange it so that you are not alone together?" Mr. Fisher asked.

Joseph nodded. "My English driver will take her to and from my house each day. I will be with her only in the car."

Mr. Fisher considered this, and finally grunted, "Very well. I will tell her."

"Thank you, Mr. Fisher."

* * *

Later that day, when Joseph had his little family back at home, he called them to the kitchen table.

"I want to talk with you about something," Joseph told them.

They sat down, suddenly serious. Joseph noticed with a pang that there was even a hint of fear in the eyes trained on him. He noticed that his oldest boy, Hezekiah, sat up straight, squared his shoulders, and put an arm around Caleb.

Joseph hastened to reassure them. "It's nothing bad. Something that I hope will be very good, for all of us." He took a deep breath and plunged in. "We have all had to pitch in and work harder lately. I have not been here to help, and I won't be able to help until we move. It isn't good for you kinner to be at home alone."

Emma suddenly saw what he was at. Her brown eyes widened, and she tried to cut him off.

"No, Daed!"

"Emma..."

"No!"

"Emma, it is unfair to you. To you, most of all."

"I can run the house. I can make it work. Just give me more time, and I will..."

The meaning was beginning to dawn on the boys. "You mean you want to bring someone here?" Hezekiah asked.

"Yes. I have invited a woman from Lancaster County to come and help us. She just lost her own little boy a few months ago, and she is very sad. It might help her to work, to be busy. And we need help with the house, a woman's help."

Caleb's lip trembled. "You mean instead of Mamm?" he cried.

"No," Joseph insisted, and held out his arms. Caleb rushed into them, and Joseph pulled him close. "No one could ever be instead of Mamm," he soothed. "This woman, she would be a helper only, just to cook and clean and help us with the house. Nothing more. Only until we get the new farm. She will understand this."

"I don't want a stranger in Mamm's house," Emma protested. "Cooking in her kitchen, handling her things! We don't need another person. I can do it!"

"You have done a very good job," Joseph told her softly. "But you are not old enough yet to do all that needs to be done. If you were full grown, it would still be hard. No, we need a woman's help."

"I don't want a stranger in our house," Emma replied defiantly.

"It will not be for long," Joseph told her and was startled to hear the pleading tone in his own voice. He cleared his throat and took a new grip on the situation. "It may seem strange at first. But we need this woman's help. And she may need ours, for a while."

"What if she's mean?" Jeremy objected.

"She will not be unkind."

"What if she's ugly?" Caleb blurted, finger in mouth.

"She is not ugly. But you should not judge her by her looks, in any case. That is pride and vanity. You're old enough to know better, Caleb Lapp."

"It's a stranger in Mamm's house," Emma whimpered.

Joseph sensed that he didn't need to push the issue further, but concluded firmly, "I will say no more of it now."

The kinner knew this to be a sign that further argument was useless, and fell silent. But Emma's eyes were smoldering, and the boys looked uncertain.

Joseph sighed and motioned for his kinner to come closer. "Let us pray," he murmured.

# 6

"Come out to the porch and swing a while, Katie," her daed said.

They had just finished a large dinner, and Katie had already prepared a big pan full of soapy water for the clean-up. But her mamm nodded and tilted her head toward the door, so Katie wiped her hands and followed her daed out into the soft spring twilight.

Her daed was a heavy man, and he sat down heavily on the porch swing. It jerked taut, and then swung out gently over the edge of the porch.

Katie smiled. This had been a nightly ritual during her childhood. Every night, weather permitting, she had crawled up into this porch swing with her daed and poured out all her childish hopes and fears as he listened.

She sat down beside him and took his hand.

"I've missed this," she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"So have I, Katze."

They rocked back and forth for a long while as the old chains squeaked and groaned. After the twilight had deepened to indigo, too dark to see a face, Katie's daed said, "I talked to Joseph Lapp today at meeting."

"Who is he?" Katie murmured.

"A man who lives in the next county. He asked about you."

"About me?" Katie stiffened, remembering her elderly admirers.

"Yes. He heard that you were looking for a job, and he says that he has one, if you're interested."

"Oh."

"His wife passed away last winter," her daed went on, "and he has three small boys and a girl. He wants to sell his farm and move to Lancaster County, but he is working for the English until he can sell. He needs a woman to look after his kinner. Only for a few months, he says."

Katie considered this news gravely.

"He has an English driver. He says he will be with you only in the car. I told him I would tell you." Katie's daed squeezed her hand. "You might pray about it?"

It would do no good, Katie thought, but only said, "No need, Daed. I will take the job."

"You don't have to," her daed added softly. "You can take your time. Choose whatever you like."

Katie stared out into the darkness. "I have to start sometime. It may as well be now."

"You are sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, it might be good. Work might help you. It has helped me. When I am sad, I find something to do," her daed replied, "something hard, like chopping wood or baling hay. I throw the sadness away with both my hands."

"Does it work, Daed?"

He kissed the top of her head. "Most often. And when it doesn't work, it makes me too tired to fret."

Katie smiled. "I love you, Daed."

"And I, you, little girl."

* * *

When the next Sunday came, Katie arrived at church feeling nervous. She smoothed her dress, trying to conceal her nerves. She had never met this Joseph Lapp or his kinner, and after the last painful service, she wasn't even looking forward to worship.

But she was still determined to accept the offer of work. Her parents had been gentle and patient, but Katie hated the thought of being a burden to them. They had enough to worry about.

She sat down with her family, fighting the impulse to scan the faces of newcomers. "What does he look like, this Joseph Lapp?" she whispered to her mamm.

Mary Fisher moved her eyes, but not her head. "There he is now."

Katie turned her head just enough to catch sight of a tall blonde man sitting in the back row. She could only see him in profile, since he was leaning over to whisper to a small brown-haired boy. Two older boys and a preteen girl filled the seats down the row.

Katie let her glance linger. Joseph Lapp was not unpleasant to look on. He was tall and fair, with very broad shoulders and a square jaw. His brows were bushy, his eyes were a startling blue, and his hair was straight and thick and blonde as summer wheat. He was clearly a powerful man, but as Elie's shrewd eye had noticed, he seemed worn by his recent loss.

A picture Katie had seen once flashed into her mind. When she was a child, she had once seen an old-fashioned engraving. It had been entitled Daniel and the Lions, and had depicted a huge golden lion with burning eyes and a tremendous mane.

Her mamm's voice hissed in her ear.

"Katze!"

Katie came to herself and cast her eyes down instantly.

But all during the service, Katie distracted herself from the sermon by wondering instead what sort of person Joseph Lapp would be and what his kinner were like. She dared not turn to look again, but she had seen that the youngest boy had straight brown hair, blue eyes, and a rosebud mouth.

Katie closed her eyes.

The service was shorter than usual that Sunday and was soon over. Katie didn't have to wonder if Joseph Lapp would be prompt with his offer, because not long after the service ended, she looked up and saw him standing by. He was shaking hands with her daed.

"Guten morgen, Mr. Fisher."

"Guten morgen, Joseph."

Katie's daed motioned to his family. "This is my wife, Mary, and my daughter, Katie."

Joseph Lapp extended a sun-browned hand to her mamm and then to Katie. Katie took it shyly. It swallowed hers and was very rough and strong. He trained his bright blue eyes on her face.

"My daed told me about your job," Katie ventured shyly.

"My offer stands, Katie. Would you like to take the job?"

Katie set her jaw. "Yes, I have decided. I will take the job."

"Good," Joseph replied briskly. "We can talk over lunch. You can meet my kinner. We will be glad to have the help." He raised his hands and laughed suddenly, and Katie caught a brief flash of white. "No, it is a relief. Thank you, Katie."

"You're welcome," Katie replied quietly. As the men turned to go, Katie's mamm shot her a quizzical look but said nothing.

Joseph invited the Fisher family to sit with his family for lunch. Katie sat down opposite the boys, who were openly curious.

"Well, you're not ugly, at any rate," Jeremy blurted, in a tone of relief.

"Jeremy!" Joseph barked, and Katie cracked a faint smile. The look of outraged mortification on her new employer's handsome face was almost funny.

"It's all right. I have younger brothers," she told him, and turned to Jeremy.

"How old are you?" she asked him.

"Seven. Eight next February."

"You're almost grown up, then."

Joseph recovered himself and did his best to move on. He put his hand on his oldest son's shoulder. "This is Hezekiah. You've met Jeremy, and this is my daughter, Emma."

"Hello, Hezekiah. It's nice to meet you," Katie nodded, and Hezekiah smiled. But Emma said nothing until her daed cleared his throat.

"Hello," she said, in a barely audible mumble.

Katie looked at Emma and was reminded of a calf – a gangly, awkward, adorable calf. Except that this calf was without its mamm. The lost look in her brown eyes went to Katie's heart. She mustered up a smile that she hoped looked more confident than it felt.

"I have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends," Katie told her.

"And this," Joseph added, "is my youngest, Caleb."

Caleb stared at her from the safety of his daed's lap. He had reverted to sucking his thumb, a sure sign of nervousness.

Katie looked at the child and was shocked by the strength of her feelings. One look at his pouting baby face and all her starving maternal instincts came surging back. She ached to hold the baby in her arms. It was all she could do to keep herself from reaching for him.

Her mouth formed a circle. "Oh....oh, what a fine little man," she said softly. "Hello, Caleb."

Caleb took his thumb out of his mouth and gave her a shy smile. Katie smiled back, and from that moment, and forever afterward, loved Caleb Lapp with all her heart.

She estimated that the other three kinner might take her a few seconds more.

# 7

The next morning just before sunrise, Katie was riding to the next county with Joseph and his English driver, a wizened elderly man named Eli Shandy. Mr. Shandy was brown and dry as a hickory nut, and about as communicative – a terse grunt was the only thanks she got for greeting him – but Joseph was warm and cordial and often half-turned to talk to her. Katie was relieved to find that Joseph was thoughtful of appearances and chose to sit in the passenger seat, leaving her the back seat.

Katie couldn't help thinking, though, that he had made a poor choice of conveyance, at least for himself. A sedan was simply too small for him. Joseph was very tall and very broad, and a good third of his back seemed to be sticking out beyond the seat. She could only imagine how cramped his legs must feel in that small car.

It was spring, and Amish kinner were not required to go to school in spring, since they were needed to help with the planting. Joseph was not planting a crop this year, but his kinner would nevertheless be needed at his farm.

"Emma will help you," he was saying, "and she will show you where everything is. If she sulks a little, don't mind her. She's a good girl; she'll come around.

"Hezekiah and Jeremy have their chores and won't be inside much except for lunch. Caleb will want to go outside with his brothers but should stay with you. His chore is to sweep the floor and take out the trash."

Katie listened carefully as he talked. He spent the most part of the drive giving her pointers about the kinner and the house and reviewing what needed to be done. Katie felt sympathy for him suddenly. His family had apparently gotten very much behind in their work. Joseph must have been beside himself without a woman in the house to keep things on track.

Katie wondered briefly what his wife had looked like. Had she been tall and strong, like him? Tiny and neat? Blonde? Brunette?

She felt her cheeks going warm at the thought, and checked herself. It was another sign of her terrible tendency to vanity, that she kept focusing on appearance instead of what was important – what was on the inside. She lowered her head. Joseph had no doubt chosen his wife based on what he saw in her spirit, not what he saw in her face. And it was none of her business, in any case.

Katie's mamm had told her that Mrs. Lapp had died the previous winter from influenza. It seemed such a sad way to die, Katie thought, and doubly so because it had been avoidable. Her mamm had said that Sarah Lapp had been too busy to listen to her body, until her sickness took over and she had to be rushed to the hospital. By that time, it was too late.

Joseph's brisk voice jolted her from her daydreams.

"Here we are."

Katie assessed her new place of employment. Joseph Lapp's farm was slightly larger than the average Amish farmhouse. It was a plain two-story clapboard house painted in a pale yellow. There were nice old elms in the yard, a big red barn, and a kitchen garden. Still, there was evidence of the family's recent upheaval. The lawn and garden looked decidedly scraggly, the mailbox was askew, and the porch was covered in what looked like feathers. Katie drew herself up. There was no telling what she would find inside the house, since after all, it had only been tended by a man and small kinner for the last six months.

The sound of the car driving up had attracted the Lapp kinner. They stood out on the front porch in the first rays of the sun, shivering in their coats.

Joseph turned to her. "If there's an emergency, you can go to the neighbors." He pointed to a house just becoming visible over a far hill.

Katie exited the car and turned to speak to Joseph. "Don't worry."

"I'll see you this evening!" Joseph turned in his seat and smiled at her. That flash of white was the last thing she saw before the car took off again and roared away.

She turned to the kinner. They stood huddled on the porch, four in a row, staring at her silently. "It's cold!" Caleb complained.

"Come inside, then," Katie replied, taking him by the hand.

Katie untied her cape and took stock of the house. It was big and plain and clean, mostly; the kitchen table was still covered with the remnants of what looked like a large and messy breakfast.

"Your daed told me that Hezekiah and Jeremy have their chores," Katie said, looking at the boys. "Will you be all right then?" she asked them.

"Yes, Mrs. Olsen." They looked at each other and bounded out of the front door.

"Emma, I'll help you clear up in the kitchen if you'll show me where everything is," Katie offered. Emma looked down and said nothing, but led the way to the big farmhouse kitchen.

The baby, Caleb, followed her, climbing up into a chair to watch her as she cleaned. His big blue eyes looked wistful.

Katie was very much aware of those blue eyes. She turned, smiled at Caleb, and finally said, "Don't you have chores to do, Caleb?"

"He's supposed to sweep the floors and take out the trash," Emma answered.

"I don't want to do them yet," Caleb informed her. "I want to watch Mrs. Olsen. Do you know any stories?" he asked, resting his chin on his hands.

Katie smiled as she wiped the table down. "Yes, I know a few stories that a little boy might like." She began to tell him some of the bedtime stories she had once told Peder - the story of the duck and the goose, the story of the little frog and the big frog, the story of the fox and the hen.

Caleb watched her all the while with those unblinking blue eyes, not moving, seeming hardly to breathe. He listened raptly and said nothing as she talked on and on.

When she finally ran out of stories, he said simply, "Mamm used to tell me stories all the time. I miss that."

Katie's hands froze in mid-air. She and Emma both stood stock-still, staring at him.

Caleb smiled and bounded away from the table and ran off to do chores with a five-year-old's heedlessness, but Katie stood motionless, blinking.

Emma closed a cabinet door a bit too quickly, and the slamming sound jolted Katie back to herself.

"Let's start," she said at last.

Katie soon discovered that Emma was a competent, budding homemaker, and would probably have been fine if she hadn't been burdened with all the housework. Katie observed that Emma tended to cook things too long, and was not yet a successful baker, but with more time and training, Katie reckoned she would make a fine cook.

"You're a good cook," she told her, smiling. Emma gave her a quick sideways look. "That's what Mamm always said," she said quietly, and then, after a long pause, "I miss her, too."

Between them, Katie and Emma made lunch and dinner, and got a start on the next day's breakfast. It was hard, hot work, done over a wood stove, but gradually the table filled up with fried potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream, cornbread, biscuits, buttered noodles with ham and peas, fried chicken, lemon cookies, and bologna sandwiches with thick slices of homemade cheese for the boys.

The aroma of baking lured Caleb back from his sweeping. He had crawled up in a chair at the table, munching the cookie that Katie had not been able to deny him.

Katie was just putting a jug of tea on the table when Hezekiah and Jeremy came in from their work. Their bright eyes lit up.

"It smells so good in here!" Jeremy cried, inhaling. "Biscuits!"

"I'm starving. I could eat the whole plate." Hezekiah laughed, with a telling glance at the mound of biscuits Katie had just taken out of the oven.

"They're for dinner," Emma told him. "We made sandwiches for you."

The boys sat down and would have fallen directly on the bologna sandwiches, but Katie cleared her throat.

"Grace first," she reminded them.

The kinner clasped their hands obediently, and they prayed silently for a few moments. Then without further ado the boys annihilated the plate of bologna sandwiches, and also polished off the cheese straws, dried apples and pie that Katie piled on their plates.

"This is the first good meal we've had in four months! Wait 'til Daed gets back!" Jeremy blurted out.

Emma flushed as red as a beet, and Katie felt compelled to come to her defense.

"It isn't easy to cook and wash and clean for five people every day," she reminded the boys. "Be grateful that your sister loves you enough to cook your meals."

The boys looked down and mumbled their apologies, and Emma shot Katie a look that had a flicker of gratitude in it.

# 8

When Joseph arrived at his home that evening, he could scarcely believe his eyes. Freshly washed laundry flapped from the clothesline. The heavenly scent of baking bread reached him even in the car. And off to one side of the house, he could see Katie weeding the kitchen garden with Caleb in tow.

He could feel his mouth dropping open slightly. It looked as if the newcomer was off to a flying start, and it was clear that at least one of his kinner had already approved her. Katie and Caleb were laughing and giggling together as if they'd always been friends.

Joseph's smile faded at the thought. A pang of something almost like resentment stabbed him, and then was gone. He put a hand over his eyes.

"Daed!"

Emma waved to him from the front porch. "Come and see what we have for dinner!"

He smiled at her and said, "I will come back. But call Mrs. Olsen."

Katie arrived soon after, leading Caleb by the hand. A few tendrils of brown hair had escaped from her bonnet and trembled with her breath. She was flushed and laughing and looked happier than Joseph had ever seen her.

He stared at her in amazement. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he had to admit that Katie was a lovely girl. Joseph was stabbed by another fleeting emotion – an emotion that made him feel ashamed.

He spoke quickly, in an effort to banish it. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes," she replied, and climbed into the back seat.

Katie was still breathless and laughing as she sat down. She wiped her brow. "Whew! We had a busy day, but we got many things accomplished. You'll find dinner ready, and enough for breakfast tomorrow. Everyone had a good lunch. The clothes are washed and ironed, and we weeded the kitchen garden. We'll till it tomorrow, so it will be ready for planting when the new owners arrive."

"Thank you, Katie."

Joseph looked at her again, and again had the odd sensation that he was seeing her for the first time. Nothing had changed, except that she had been sad before, and now she looked happy.

Yet this small change made her look like a completely different woman.

It was surprising, and slightly discomforting. He adjusted one shoulder slightly. Still, it was plain that things were off to a good start, and the prospect of an orderly household was a great relief.

During the drive, Katie regaled him with the small stories of what had happened in his home while he was gone. Joseph, chafing under the enforced separation from his kinner, was hungry for these details.

When the car arrived at the Fisher farm, he thanked her again, and with genuine gratitude.

"I'm glad that things went well on your first day," he told her. "Is there anything you need, anything that would help you?"

Katie considered, and then shook her head. "I'm content," she smiled.

He looked at her and couldn't help resting his eyes on her face for a moment too long. Yes, she was content. It was amazing that a woman who had been so sad just days before could today look so happy. Her eyes were positively sparkling.

For the first time, Joseph noticed that they were green.

"I'll be back at the same time tomorrow," he smiled, and waved in farewell.

He watched her as she skipped up the porch steps and disappeared into the house.

But he was silent, and looked troubled, all during the long drive back.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Joseph became increasingly accustomed to riding back and forth with Katie. She almost always seemed calm and happy, a change that continued to amaze him.

She laughed often, was a pleasant travel companion, and the news she gave him was always good; the kinner were busy and obedient, and projects that had gone undone were slowly being taken care of.

Family meals were always varied, delicious, and right on time. The laundry and dishes were sparkling. The kitchen garden had gone from a neglected weed patch to a neat brown rectangle filled with rich soil ready for planting. The yard was trimmed and neat, and the house was always clean and tidy.

But best of all, he could see for himself that, for the first time since Sarah's death, his kinner's lives were improving. His kinner seemed happier and more secure. Emma was finally beginning to relax. She no longer wore that strained, worried look that came from having too much work and too little time. She was smiling and giggling again, like a 12-year-old girl should.

Hezekiah, he suspected, was just a bit smitten by the pretty Katie and was trying to behave more like a man. Joseph smiled and shook his head. Jeremy was still a handful, but his manners had shown improvement since Katie had arrived.

And it was becoming plain that five-year-old Caleb adored Katie, and that the feeling was mutual.

It was good. And not good.

Joseph sighed.

Katie climbed into the back seat of the car, laughing from something that Jeremy had said in parting. The kinner crowded around the car window to say goodbye for the evening.

"All right, that's enough," Joseph told them mildly. "Let Katie go. She'll be back tomorrow."

As the car took off, Katie laughed a little. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I just enjoy them so much."

Joseph said nothing. He was becoming curious about her, and wanted to ask questions. It would be bad manners to ask questions, especially of such a troubled past, but he couldn't resist encouraging her to talk.

"It's a shame we didn't meet earlier," he said. "Just a county over, too."

"Oh, I was gone these past five years," she said, still pleasantly, but her smiled faded. "I married and moved away to Ohio."

"Ah. Perhaps you met my cousins there – Silas and Hans Lapp?"

"Oh – oh, yes!" Katie cried, looking up suddenly. "I did meet them once, I think! The twins?"

"Yes. They are hard to miss. The tallest men in that county, and five counties round, I hear."

Katie laughed merrily, showing fine straight teeth and the hint of a dimple in one rosy cheek. To his horror, Joseph felt that dimple make his heart begin to race.

He turned around again, pretending to observe the sky, to keep her from reading the inappropriate thought in his face. "See! Bad weather is coming tomorrow," he said, pointing to a small dark line of clouds on the horizon.

Katie turned to look. "Yes, it is," she murmured, and fell silent. Joseph put it down to his awkward and abrupt change of subject.

But once she saw it, Katie's eyes stayed fixed on the small but ominous omen for the rest of the drive home.

The next day, Joseph's prediction came true. The sky was dark, and the clouds were low and threatening. It looked like a spring storm was in the offing.

Joseph noticed that Katie was unusually quiet. He glanced back at her. She was looking out the car window at the clouds. Her eyes were dull and dark. Tiny wrinkles creased the corners of her mouth.

Without warning, the laughing, happy girl had vanished. To Joseph's surprise, the sad, somber woman he had first met had returned.

He was startled by how much the change distressed him. The charming, pretty girl he had come to know had suddenly been replaced by a listless, depressed stranger.

In his surprise, Joseph blurted out the question in his mind.

"Katie, is something wrong?"

She didn't reply immediately. Her dull eyes were fixed on some invisible point on the horizon. Joseph followed her gaze, thinking that he would see some sign of what had upset her, but there was nothing there but the fast-moving clouds.

"No...no, nothing's wrong."

Her voice, usually so light and happy, was flat and toneless.

Joseph stared at her in concern. Perhaps something had happened to remind Katie of her grief. He felt a pang of compassion. She had been such a help to him; he had almost forgotten that she was mourning her own losses.

"If you're not feeling well, we can manage for a day or two," he told her kindly. "Take a rest, if you'd like."

Katie shook her head and said nothing. That silent gesture, so expressive of hopelessness, was more alarming to Joseph than if she had cried.

He said no more, but bit his lip, debating with himself. The kinner would be sure to notice that something was wrong – perhaps even barrage her with questions. He would have to get out ahead of it.

When they arrived at his house and Katie got out of the car and went inside, Joseph followed her. He didn't enter the house, but stood silently in the open doorway.

Katie was facing away from him, but Joseph saw Emma's head come up. He motioned to her silently.

She came outside, all curiosity.

"What is it, Daed?" she asked.

He lowered his voice. "Katie is a little sad today. She has had her own losses, remember. We must be considerate of her. Get her off to yourself today, if you can, so that the boys won't ask her awkward questions."

Emma nodded. "I will, Daed."

He kissed her brow. "That's my good girl."

But he stood watching at the door for a long moment after.

All that day, Joseph felt worried. Perhaps it was the weather – the sky threatened a downpour all day long, and the winds shook the four corners of the building where he worked making furniture. He was glad when the workday ended, and was eager to be home.

To his great relief, when he arrived, Katie looked much less somber. She came out of the house arm-in-arm with Emma, and Joseph silently blessed his daughter for her thoughtfulness.

But when she arrived in the car, he soon found that, once again, Katie had been the giver.

Her pretty eyes had regained some of their old sparkle. To his great surprise, she motioned him to join her in the back seat.

He stared at her in surprise, but got out of the car and joined her there.

"I wanted to tell you something in private," she whispered. "Something very important happened to Emma today. I know you would want me to tell you."

He inclined his ear, and Kate leaned in to whisper. Her breath was warm on his ear, and faintly fragrant.

His eyebrows arched up sharply. He turned quickly and looked questioningly at Katie. Katie smiled and nodded. Joseph felt his eyes pooling with quick tears. It didn't seem possible. How the time had run away!

"If only Sarah were here today," he whispered.

Without noticing, he reached out for Katie's hand and took it in his own. Her hand was warm and reassuring, and clasped his without pulling away.

Until he came to himself and withdrew his own hand – what seemed like much later.

# 9

The bad weather continued for days. Winter seemed to be waging one last battle against the advance of spring, and the sky was blue every night with sunsets like branching fire. The winds gusted and died, and gusted again. Heavy clouds scudded across the sky.

Katie lay awake in her narrow bed, unable to go to sleep. She passed a trembling hand over her shoulder. Her skin was smooth and fair now. The stain was all but gone.

Lightning suddenly turned the bedroom a lurid white, then faded, then flashed again. Katie closed her eyes. She hated the lowering sky and the thunder. Maybe it was a sign of God's judgment, of His anger. She was sure that her surgery – prompted by her pride and vanity – had been very wrong.

Then there was her most recent sin. She turned her face into the pillow. That thing she had begun to feel for Joseph Lapp. The thing she could barely admit to herself, much less to God. But she must admit it.

"Oh, Lord, forgive me," she began, but before she could get any farther, there was a shattering clap of thunder and a violent lightning strike. She almost shrieked aloud.

Our God is a consuming fire.

Katie pulled the quilt over her head like a child. Oh God, she prayed at last, Are you still angry? Can't I have one small moment of peace?

The howling wind outside her window was the only reply.

When she finally did drop off to sleep, the moaning of the wind invaded her dreams. Sometimes, she dreamt she heard Peder's voice crying in it.

The next morning, the weather took a turn for the worse. The wind shrieked at every window and moaned from the kitchen fireplace. The sound of a low, constant roar filled the trees outside, as rivers of air tossed them to and fro.

Katie stood on the front porch, shivering in her cape as the headlights of the sedan crested the hill and advanced through the dark. It was 5 am, but it was still black as midnight and raining heavily.

As soon as the car pulled to a stop, she scurried in.

"What weather!" Joseph exclaimed as she settled in. "Are you all right?"

Katie shook herself. "I got a little drenched. The rain is as cold as ice!"

"I heard that there may be storm winds today," Joseph said. "Maybe even a tornado."

Katie pulled her cape closer about her. "I'll keep the kinner inside."

"There is a root cellar underneath the kitchen floor," Joseph told her. "If there is danger, you can take the kinner there until it passes. Emma will show you where."

Katie fell silent. She didn't like the mental image at all, but was unable to banish it. The wind shook the little car as it moved, and at one point rocked it so fiercely that even the taciturn Mr. Shandy broke out with a startled expletive.

Joseph looked back at her and smiled reassuringly. But Katie was barely able to muster a nod in reply and did not feel reassured.

The light of dawn didn't do much to allay Katie's fears. The world gradually became lighter, though never really light. The sky remained a dark, sullen gray, and the wind whipped the trees.

When they arrived at the Lapp house, Joseph reached back suddenly and took her arm. Katie looked up in surprise.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked.

Katie was astonished, even in her distress. His vivid eyes had an odd look – almost intense.

She stammered, "Yes, I think so. Don't worry." She tried to smile, but felt her lips move crookedly. She opened the car door and rushed out through the rain.

She turned and watched the car disappear down the road. As it pulled away, she could still see Joseph's face turned toward her.

Emma was waiting for her just inside the door. "I'm glad you're here, Katie," Emma said softly. "I'm frightened."

Katie reached out and took Emma in her arms. They had become much closer in the last few months, and for her part, Katie almost thought of Emma as...

She interrupted herself, shutting out that line of thought.

"Where are the boys?" she asked.

"Caleb is still upstairs. Hezekiah and Jeremy are out in the barn, tending the animals."

The sound of the wind was clearly audible inside the house, and the gusts seemed to be picking up. Katie walked out onto the porch and looked up at the sky. The clouds were racing past, and the sky had taken on a sickly yellowish cast.

Katie ran out into the yard and out to the big red barn. The cows inside were lowing anxiously as Hezekiah and Jeremy worked.

Hezekiah looked up and saw her standing there.

"Hezekiah," she called, "you and Jeremy come inside. As soon as you're finished here."

"We're almost done now," Jeremy called back.

Katie stood at the door until they had finished their work, and then led them back to the house. She threw her cape over her head, but the boys got drenched and arrived to the house shivering and wet.

"Go and change your clothes," she told them, "and then come down and dry out by the fireplace."

Thunder suddenly boomed and rumbled overhead, and there was a crack of lightning.

Caleb appeared from nowhere and ran to Katie, his big blue eyes like saucers. She picked him up and hugged him close. He was terrified. She could feel it.

"Let's sit down and have some breakfast, Caleb," she told him. "Would you like that?"

He nodded mutely, and she kissed his cheek. It was as firm and smooth as a ripe peach.

Katie set Caleb down at the table and tried to bury her anxiety by busying herself with breakfast. She cooked cornmeal mush, she peeled fruit, she made pancakes and fried eggs. The kitchen was soon warm and filled with the golden light from the wood burning stove, and many lamps.

But outside, the wind was blowing harder than ever. The kinner ate almost in silence; there was no laughter, no play.

Something small suddenly hit the roof. Then again, and again. Katie looked outside in dismay. Hail was falling everywhere, hailstones the size of walnuts.

"Emma, where is the root cellar?" Katie asked.

"In back of the pantry," Emma quavered.

"Show me."

Emma led her to a small closet pantry in the wall. There was a door in the back, and when she opened it, a stair led down into darkness.

A tearing and peeling sound from the roof made Katie turn and snatch Caleb up in her arms. "Everyone down to the cellar! Bring the lamps! Hurry!"

The kinner clambered down the steps, and the lamplight made the shadows jump and quaver. The walls were covered in shelves, and the shelves were filled with jars. There was just enough room for the five of them to sit on the floor together.

Katie set Caleb down and turned back to close the cellar door. At the top of the stairs, she had a clear, straight view to the front door. Through it she could see the low clouds swirling together into a narrow, twisting funnel.

"Oh, God, God help!" she cried, and slammed the cellar door. Her hands fumbled for a lock, but there was none.

By this time the ground had begun to tremble, and then there was a sound that Katie would never forget – a deep, heavy rumble, like an oncoming train.

"Katie, Katie, I'm scared, I'm scared!" Caleb shrieked, and she stumbled down the steps to take him in her arms. She knelt down on the ground with the baby in her arms, gasping prayers. Emma was crying and clutching at Katie's skirt, and the boys were silent, but sitting rigid on the ground, their eyes wide and terrified.

Suddenly there was a flash and a deafening explosion outside. A wave of energy surged through the earth, through their bodies, and out again. Emma and Caleb screamed. Katie bent over, trying to shield Caleb with her body.

Katie heard herself crying. She was panting and praying silently, Oh, God, please, don't let me lose my family again. Please, please God!

There was a sound of crashing and splintering wood outside that suggested that something heavy was being demolished. The walls shook once again.

Then, just as suddenly, there was an eerie silence. The rumbling sound stopped. A small tinkling and a distant crash were the only sounds in a long 30 seconds of deep quiet.

Then the rumbling started again.

This time it was even more intense. The ground shook violently, and Katie could hear the sound of plates and jars smashing in the kitchen above. There was a heavy crash directly above them, as if a tall piece of furniture had slammed to the ground.

Emma shrieked and covered her ears. Hezekiah had thrown his arms around Jeremy, and Caleb was mute with terror. His fingers dug into Katie's arms like the claws of a terrified baby animal.

There was another loud bang, like a door slamming. Then bang again.

And then, suddenly, it was quiet.

They all crouched low on the floor, listening. The only sound for a long while was Emma's crying.

Katie held Caleb, straining her ears. Five minutes passed, ten. There was a vast, ominous silence from above.

Katie put her hand out and smoothed Emma's hair. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.

The boys nodded, silent. Emma shook her head, but Katie could see that she wasn't hurt. She looked down at Caleb. The terrified expression on his face pierced her heart.

She rocked him, made soothing hush sounds. "It's all right, my little man," she told him. "It's all right, it's all right." She smoothed her hand over his hair.

Hezekiah looked up at the cellar door. "Someone should go up and see what happened," he said.

Katie frowned. "I'll go. The rest of you, stay here."

She looked down at Caleb and reluctantly handed him over to Emma. He threw his arms around his sister's neck and clung there.

"Be careful, Katie," Emma whimpered.

"I will."

# 10

Katie stood up slowly and with difficulty. Her legs were trembling and felt as if they were made of straw. She grabbed the stair rail and climbed slowly.

She grasped the handle and pushed at the cellar door, but something was blocking it. Katie pushed again, and the door made a scraping sound as it gave way to reveal a scene of chaos.

The house was a shambles. The kitchen table had been knocked over, and all their breakfast plates and glasses were lying shattered on the floor. A chair had been thrown against the cellar door, and others were lying all over the living room. The front door was standing open and hanging from only one hinge.

She walked across the floor feeling oddly detached, as if none of it was real.

Katie walked outside, down the porch steps, and around the side of the house. The clouds were breaking up, and she could even see blue sky in spots. There was no wind, not even a breeze.

Then Katie looked toward the barn.

To her horror, it was gone. The big red barn was gone. The cows, the milking equipment, the tractor – all gone.

She stumbled across the ground – the ground, because every tree, every plant, and even the grass had been sucked out and vacuumed up. The only clue that there had ever been a building there at all was a sprawling field of litter that started where the barn had been and trailed out all the way to the horizon.

Then Katie turned back to look at the house. To her amazement, the only structural damage it had sustained was a few lost roof tiles and a dangling front door.

Katie stared, and then dropped to her knees, trembling.

It was a miracle.

Something hard and dark suddenly broke open inside her, and for the first time in months, Katie could sense the presence of God. It flooded down on her like sunlight, like a comforting hand laid on her shoulder, like a warm embrace. Suddenly she knew, just knew, that God didn't hate her even for her foolishness. She knew that He loved her, had always loved her, even when she thought that He rejected and condemned her. Katie closed her eyes, weeping.

Oh, God. Oh, God, thank you, she prayed. She put a hand to her mouth. Thank you for my life. Thank you for the babies. We could all have been...

She hugged herself and started to cry. Oh, God, you're not angry. You don't hate me. You're not angry. You saved our lives! You're not angry, you're not angry.

Katie sobbed, and then laughed in pure, joyous relief. Something in her heart broke free and escaped to heaven as she lifted her hands.

Through her tears, Katie saw Mr. Shandy's car suddenly screech to a halt in front of the house. She saw Joseph jump out while it was still moving and take the porch steps at a single bound. His frantic voice boomed out from inside the house:

"Emma! Boys!"

And then the shrill calls of the kinner from below. The cacophony of their frantic reunion. Katie knelt on the ground with her eyes closed, listening to their voices.

Then, to her surprise, she heard the sound of a door slamming and feet on the porch.

"Katie!"

She opened her eyes. Joseph was standing on the edge of the porch, searching with his eyes.

And then he was beside her. Just that quickly.

If the tornado had snatched her up from the ground, it couldn't have done a better job than Joseph Lapp. One instant, Katie was spinning over the ground, and then she was folded in Joseph's arms. One brown hand cradled her head, and the other clasped her waist.

"Oh, my love," he murmured, and then his lips were on hers. Katie closed her eyes and yielded joyously. She twined her hands around Joseph's broad back as he spun her again, laughing and crying at the same time.

He pressed his lips against her cheek. "I thought I'd lost you," he was saying. "But I can't lose you, Katie. I know it's still very soon to ask. But stay with me."

He pulled back, and looked down at her with pleading blue eyes. "I've come to love you these past months. Tell me that you love me," he whispered.

And he kissed her again, this time in a way that even Erik had never done. Katie gasped in surprise, and her fingers curled into his back.

"I love you, Joseph Lapp," she confessed. "And I will stay with you."

Over Joseph's broad shoulders, she could see the kinner standing on the porch. Emma was smiling, the boys were bug-eyed, and Caleb shouted, "Can Mrs. Olsen move in and be our mamm at night, too?"

Joseph smiled down at her with his bright blue eyes. "Especially at night," he agreed, and the sound of his laughter made little prickles go up and down Katie's back.

He knelt down on one knee and took her hand. "Katie, may I court with you?" he asked.

Katie felt quick tears spring to her eyes again. She was unable to speak, and so she only nodded.

Later that evening Katie and Joseph walked arm in arm in the purple twilight. Crickets had begun to chirp softly here and there, a sign that spring had truly arrived. From where they stood, the soft lights of the house glowed yellow, and the sound of the kinner's laughter floated over the fields.

"I need to tell you something, Katie," Joseph confessed. "I still miss Sarah," he murmured, looking out to the horizon. "I still hurt. I never expected to fall in love again, and never expected it to happen so soon." He took a tendril of her hair and tucked it tenderly behind her ear. "Is it all right? Do you understand?"

Katie looked down and nodded. "I understand. I miss Erik, too. I miss...." She broke off, swallowed. She still couldn't say the words: I miss Peder.

Joseph pulled her close and held her. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe it will never go away, the grief," she said softly. "Maybe it isn't supposed to, Joseph. Can we forget those we loved? Should we?" She turned and cupped his face in her hand. "No. We love again, but we should not forget."

Joseph took her hand and kissed it. They stood together, watching as the purple twilight deepened, and the first star of evening appeared.

"I wanted to sell this farm," Joseph said at last, "but now I'll rebuild it. You will come to live here, Katie, and this house will bloom like a rose in spring. It will be a sad place no more."

He looked down at her and she could feel rather than see him smile. "You have showed us the way home."

She smiled in return, but shook her head. "No, Joseph. Not I. That was Someone else."

END OF BOOK 1.

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# Lancaster County Second Chances 2

# Lancaster County Second Chances – Book 2

As Katie and Joseph prepare for their wedding, Joseph's fragile happiness is threatened when his younger sister, Cora, takes refuge in Joseph's home. Disowned by her parents after she chooses to run away with an Englischer boy for her Rumspringa, Cora is all out of options and hiding a terrible secret. Will Cora be able to escape her past, or will she find the strength in God to face it? And what will Cora's decision mean for the fragile future that Katie and Joseph are trying to build together?

# 1

Katie slid into the back seat of Eli Shandy's car. As the Lapp house receded into the background, Joseph reached out with one large brown hand and pulled her to his side. Katie snuggled deep into his arms with a sigh.

She was still caring for Joseph's children, and the two of them were still observing the proprieties that demanded that Amish singles – even engaged ones -- must not be alone together.

Although, Katie had to admit, their adherence to these rules were becoming looser and more tenuous by the day. She could hardly wait for the wedding so she could kiss Joseph freely and openly.

Not that they weren't kissing anyway. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between Joseph and their driver, because Eli Shandy was even more blind and deaf now than at first – which is to say, extremely. Even when Katie dared to train her eyes on Joseph's lips, and he took the hint, and they spent the next five minutes exploring the general subject of lips and a few other things besides. Mr. Shandy never so much as cast a glance in the rearview.

Even so, Katie found herself wishing their driver at Jericho -- and feeling guilty for it.

"It's terrible to be _almost_ married," she whispered in Joseph's ear.

Joseph smiled and pressed her close. "Only a little while longer," he replied.

"Two more _months_ ," she grumbled.

Joseph leaned in and blew in her ear, and she pinched him, and they made such a moving and shaking in that little car that Mr. Shandy could hardly have failed to notice if he _had_ been blind and deaf. But he said nothing, and took no notice, until the car pulled up to the front door of the Fisher farm.

"Kiss me, Joseph!" she whispered, and he kissed her again before the sound of the front door opening meant that she had to pull away.

Katie's little sister Bett was standing on the front porch, wiping her hands on her apron. "Why, Katie, what happened to your hair?" she asked innocently.

Katie felt her cheeks going hot. She put up her hand and hastily smoothed the unruly tendrils. She looked back at the car to see a flash of white against brown: Joseph grinning at her from the car window.

"Never mind."

Katie passed through the kitchen on the way to the stairs and caught a glimpse of her mother and half a dozen other women sewing in the living room. Mary Fisher waved her hand and made a shooing gesture that she usually reserved for her geese.

"Go away, Katie!" she laughed. "You can't see your quilt until your wedding day!"

The other women giggled as Katie smiled and mounted the stairs to her own bedroom.

She closed the door behind her, walked to the window, and took off her bonnet. Far in the distance, she could see the road to the Lapp farm and just on the horizon, the glint of Eli Shandy's car as it crested the last hill and disappeared from sight.

She plopped down on her bed, smiling. The change in her life had been nothing short of a miracle. It was true that she still had nights where Erik reached for her from the shadows, or worse, when Peder's sweet voice pierced her dreams and made her sit up, wide-eyed, in the dark.

But those nights would have come anyway, and soon she would have Joseph's arms to comfort her. She would wake to the sweet sound of Caleb's voice, and the voices of the other children. She already thought of them as hers.

And there might even be more children to come, hers and Joseph's together, to heal their hearts and bring them new joys.

Katie hugged her pillow to her body happily, and gratitude welled up in her like a clear spring. Eventually it spilled into a glad prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving.

_Thank You, Lord_ , Katie prayed, _You have given me so much! Thank you most of all for showing me how wrong I was to fear You. For showing me that you love me in all the ways I know and understand._

That night at dinner, Katie's family was more glad and talkative than usual. John Fisher's brown eyes glowed when they rested on Katie, but they were also sometimes over-bright. He blew his nose into a large red handkerchief once or twice, and his wife smiled a bit ruefully and put her hand on his arm.

After dinner, he went out to the porch and sat down in the swing to watch night fall over his fields. They were full and high with corn, and the evening air was fragrant with sweet grasses and near-ripeness.

Katie sat down beside him and put her head on his shoulder. "I will still miss this, Daed," she said quietly.

Her father gazed out over his fields. "You can always sit and talk to me, Katze," he said, and then coughed. "That never changes."

He fell silent, and then asked: "You are sure, then?"

She lifted her head and looked at him in astonishment. "Why, what do you mean?"

"It just seemed... very soon to me."

She smiled a little and nestled against his chest again. "I'm sure, Papa. Sometimes you know right away."

"I just want my girl to be happy," he replied gruffly.

Katie's smile deepened. "I am happy, Daed."

He grunted, and took out the handkerchief and cleaned his glasses, and they sat there for a long time, rocking and watching the soft summer twilight deepen into a starry night.

The next morning, Katie stood on the porch of her parents' house, waiting in the predawn dark for Eli Shandy's car to crest the hill and come rolling to the porch. Now she was no longer an employee waiting for a ride to work, but a young woman waiting for her lover.

When the car came to a stop, Joseph was sitting in the back seat, waiting for her. She jumped into the car, nestling against his chest. It was broad and warm and welcoming. His arm went around her.

When they reached the Lapp farm, she reluctantly dislodged herself from her warm nest and turned to kiss Joseph – a long, communicative kiss that she meant to say, _I can't wait for five o'clock_. When she pulled away, the light in Joseph's blue eyes told her that he'd gotten the message. She smiled a little mischievously and waved to him over her shoulder as the car rolled away.

The children had already settled into their morning routines. Hezekiah and Jeremy were out working in the new barn that the neighbors had helped build for them after the tornado. It still smelled of resin and freshly-cut wood, but it was big and well-built and more than adequate for their needs. Emma was helping her clear away the remnants of breakfast, and Caleb was sweeping the porch with his little broom.

The sun rose golden over the fields, and rode up into the sky as Katie and Emma cooked and washed clothes and baked. Caleb came to the kitchen table, hungry for cookies and kisses, which Katie never refused him.

Towards noon, they were surprised by a visit from Joseph's younger sister Esther. Esther was supposed to be Katie's chaperone, but so far had done nothing to prevent her brother from being alone with his fiancée, a fact that Katie silently blessed her for. If anything, Esther filled Katie's mind with inappropriate thoughts because Esther always brought her pink, chubby baby with her, filling Katie with such a desire for a new baby that she could hardly wait for her wedding.

Esther was a shy young woman, but had become friendly with Katie as they spent time together. She was pleasantly plump, with light brown hair that she kept pulled back in a loose bun, and little round glasses. Katie liked her, and filled her hands with sandwiches and tea so that Esther would have to hand the baby over.

Esther's little girl was a sturdy, heavy baby, pink and round and firm in Katie's arms. She smelled sweetly of powder and clean baby skin, and Katie closed her eyes and breathed the fragrance in. The sudden longing for a baby of her own pierced her. Oh, a baby. A new baby, a baby belonging to her and Joseph!

"We were all so happy to hear that Joseph had found love again," Esther was saying shyly. "He's like a new man. Everyone can see it."

Katie cast a glance toward Emma and Caleb, but Esther's voice had been low. She blushed and smiled.

"I love him very much, Esther," she replied.

Esther smiled, and her blue eyes twinkled behind the glasses. "Everyone can see that, too." She put the teacup to her lips. "The family is very happy about it. Everyone is coming to the wedding."

Then she frowned a little, and bit her lip. A long moment passed, and Esther seemed to decide to speak the thought on her mind:

"All, that is, except our sister Cora. She's the youngest... only sixteen."

Katie looked a question, and Esther added, with a worried frown: "She's on her rumspringa. No one knows _where_ she __ is."

Katie felt her mouth dropping open, but decided to say nothing more than "Oh." Rumspringa was the time when Amish teens were given the opportunity to go out into the world of the English and experience life outside of the Amish community. It was a time for them to see, and compare, two very different worlds.

When they returned, they were expected to make a choice.

Some teens chose to embrace the Amish faith, and some chose the larger world. But it was unusual, and a little ominous, for a family member to disappear _entirely_ while on rumspringa.

Katie hugged the baby closer, wondering what in the world could have happened, and hoping for Joseph's sake that it was nothing bad.

# 2

The party music was too loud and angry for Cora Lapp to enjoy. But she adjusted her bangs nervously, smiled and pretended to be unaffected by the screaming. Her friends seemed to be having a good time, and she didn't want to be seen as the odd one.

"Great, huh?" Lonnie yelled. Cora nodded.

Lonnie was a short, vivacious brunette who Cora had met a few weeks ago in Philadelphia. Lonnie was English, but she was also a preacher's daughter, and therefore sympathetic to Cora's plight.

Cora nodded her head to the beat, trying hard to look cool. She liked Lonnie because Lonnie _understood_. Lonnie understood what she'd meant when she'd said she wanted to live like a normal person. Lonnie wanted that, too. Lonnie had said she was tired of people expecting her to be what _they_ wanted, with no thought for what _she_ might want. Lonnie was tired of living for her parents.

Lonnie was the one who knew where the good parties were, who laughed at the idea of chaperones, and who had promised Cora that there would be plenty of boys tonight.

The boy part was what sealed the deal. They were what made Cora willing to make whatever adjustments that Lonnie said were necessary: new clothes, new hair, makeup, jewelry. The feeling of danger and excitement that came with these things made Cora's heart beat a little oddly.

She was scared, but she was also determined.

So she stood next to Lonnie in an abandoned barn miles from the nearest town, watching the English kids dance and drink as the angry music pounded the air. Cora's long brown hair fell loose around her shoulders, and the pretty pink tee shirt and tiny, hip-hugging jeans looked good on her – or so Lonnie had assured her. But walking in pants still felt odd to Cora, and she wondered if she'd be able to dance in them.

Assuming that anyone asked her.

She bit her lip, and ventured a look at a group of boys across the room. They were a little older, and looked a little wild to Cora, who was used to boys who spoke calmly, and in a normal tone of voice, and who wore straw hats and plain clothes. These new boys were lean and dark, and their eyes made her a little scared.

But there was no doubt that they made her heart beat faster, too.

As she looked, one of them caught her eye and held it for an instant before she dropped her gaze. He was tall and lean and had brown hair that fell over his eyes. His glance was dark, amused and intense, all at the same time.

"Woo girl," Lonnie had hissed in her ear, "look who's checking you out!"

Cora stole another quick glance. The tall boy was dressed in a loose jacket of some dark material, and dark jeans that showed just how fit he was. Very. Cora dropped her eyes quickly.

She kept her eyes on her shoes – absurd, uncomfortable pink sandals that seemed useful for nothing except hurting her feet. She kept staring at them, hardly daring to breathe, until a pair of dark leather boots appeared beside them.

"Want to dance?" said a male voice.

Cora looked up and saw the boy with the bangs over his eyes looking at her. Hope and terror fought in her throat, making it impossible to reply. So she just nodded.

He took her hand easily, as if they'd known each other for years, and led her out on the floor. To Cora's relief, the thrashing music suddenly slowed, and a soft, romantic tune came over the radio. The boy pulled her into his chest and slid a hand around her waist.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Cora," she stammered. She didn't dare meet his eyes.

"Pretty name." Cora heard amusement in his voice, and wondered if he was making fun of her. She shot a scared look up at his eyes. Yes, he was laughing, there was no doubt. And it had been a mistake to look.

His eyes ringed with dark lashes were a light gray, with little flecks of blue. She let her eyes wander down to his lips. They were finely chiseled, firm and full.

They were very close.

"How old are you?" he asked next.

"Sixteen," Cora replied quietly.

"Sweet sixteen," he sighed, and smiled. "Ever been kissed?"

Cora's cheeks blazed. She could feel herself going bright red, which was answer enough. The boy laughed outright.

"That's all right, sixteen," he told her. "Here you go."

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, right in front of the whole room. Cora's blush deepened, because the caressing touch of his lips on hers had burned like fire. She looked up at him in confusion, pleasure and embarrassment.

"My name is Matt," he told her, and played with a little tendril of her bright hair. When she found nothing to say in her confusion, he prompted: "Hello, Matt."

Cora blushed again and looked away, which made him laugh again.

"You know, this party is pretty lame. Why don't we go somewhere where we can talk?" he asked.

Cora's heart leaped into her mouth, but on the other hand, it would be a relief to get away from the stares of other people, especially Matt's friends, who seemed to have been very entertained by his quick work.

She looked down. "All right," she said in a soft voice. She searched the crowd for Lonnie, but her friend was gone. Probably off dancing with some boy. After all, that's what the evening was supposed to be about.

Matt took her hand and led her out through the swaying crowd, out into the night. Once the doors closed behind them and they had walked out to Matt's car, it was oddly quiet.

To Cora's surprise, Matt climbed up on the hood of his black sports car and held out a hand for her. When she hesitated, he wriggled his fingers.

"Come on."

She let him pull her up onto the hood of the car, and they sat on it together. The smell of the fields all around them was sweet and fragrant of moist earth. The sky was clear and dotted with stars.

"So tell me about yourself."

Panic rose up in Cora's throat. What would he think of her, if she told him she was Amish? It was so uncool, so...

"I... I'm new in town," was all she could think of to say. "I came here with a friend."

"The little brunette." He fell silent, and Cora sensed that he was mulling something over. "Odd. You don't seem much like her."

"I _am_ like her," Cora objected, and then was startled by her own vehemence.

She could almost see him smile again. "Okay. But I thought I heard someone say that you were Amish."

Cora closed her eyes, and the wave of heat rolled over her face again. She couldn't outrun it, _even he_ re.

She nodded miserably. "Yes. I'm Amish. _Was_ Amish. I came here to... to get away from it. To be normal, for once in my life."

"I don't blame you," he agreed.

Cora stared out at the dark, fragrant fields. "It's not that there aren't good things about being Amish," she stammered. "It's just that nothing... ever _happens_ there."

"Nothing? You never had a boyfriend, back at the farm?" he asked, and she sensed the amusement again.

For some reason, and to Cora's surprise, the question made her almost angry. Maybe because the word 'boyfriend' suddenly conjured up an absurd mental image of Isaac Muller. Isaac was big and blonde and she'd known him from her childhood and he wasn't especially exciting and she hadn't seen him for almost a year. He had followed her around as a kid and told her he was going to marry her one day. He was the closest thing she'd ever had to a boyfriend. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the picture.

Matt laughed. "Must have been hard for the farmer boys to be good with someone like you around."

Cora's senses were swimming from Matt's nearness, but even so, his questions were beginning to almost irritate her. It was the last emotion she expected. "Well, I never found out."

When she didn't say anything, Matt tugged at her hair again. "It's okay, I don't mind that you're an Amish girl. You're cool now, right?"

Cora opened her eyes again. "Yeah. I'm definitely cool."

There was a smile in his voice. "All right then." He leaned in to kiss her again, then leaned back against the windshield, pulling her onto his chest.

Cora let herself be drawn into him. She closed her eyes. Matt's lips had the acrid taste of beer, but they were soft and warm and set her skin on fire. His arms, now tight around her, gave her the odd sensation of being simultaneously safe -- and very much in danger.

# 3

Cora woke up the next morning sprawled across the sofa in Lonnie's apartment. The gray light seeping in through the window blinds told her it was almost noon. Her hair was over her face, her head was swimming and it took her a minute to figure out where she was. She saw up, slowly and painfully. She didn't feel good at all.

Lonnie was out, and had left a note on the coffee table telling her she'd be back in a few hours. The note invited Cora to grab something from the fridge if she needed.

Instead, Cora went to the bathroom, got sick over the toilet, and then took a long shower.

As she toweled off, Cora stared at herself in the mirror. She still _looked_ like the same person.

The night before was strangely confused in her memory. She remembered Matt, she remembered dancing, she remembered going out to his car. She remembered kissing, she remembered accepting a few drinks that tasted awful and made her head swim.

Not much else. Until this morning.

She looked at her reflection again.

Lonnie's phone rang, and at first she ignored it but then Matt's voice came over the phone. "Cora, I know you're there. This is Matt. Pick up."

She hurried to the living room and picked up the receiver. Her heart was pounding. "Hello?"

Matt's voice sounded different, oddly subdued. He mumbled something about last night that she couldn't catch, only the words "amazing" and "sorry."

His voice gathered strength. "So are we good?"

Cora hesitated. The question set off a dozen conflicting emotions, and for an instant none of them were clear. But then Matt added:

"I love you."

Cora's mouth dropped open. No boy had ever told her _that_ before, and there was surely only one correct reply.

"I love you, too," she mumbled.

Confidence surged back into Matt's voice. "Okay if I come over? I have a surprise for you."

Cora was piqued with genuine curiosity, and a little pleasure. She smiled and tucked her hair behind one ear. "Really? What is it?"

He laughed. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. I'll be over in a few minutes."

Cora put down the phone. _Matt was coming over_.

She hurried to the bedroom to put on a fresh change of clothes, and to fix her hair.

* * *

The rumble of Matt's sports car announced his arrival through the thin apartment walls. Cora pulled the blinds back to peek at him. In the sunlight, his dark, careless mop of hair shone like brown silk. He was wearing a leather jacket over a black tee and a pair of dark jeans. Cora thought he was the most handsome boy she'd ever seen in her life, and was stabbed by something almost like panic when he started to climb the stairs. She smoothed her hair, pinched her cheeks, and tried to find somewhere to put her hands.

When he knocked, she yanked the door open.

He stood there, smiling slightly. "Hey."

"Hey."

He walked in and threw his keys down on the table. "Where's your friend?"

"I don't know. She left me a note saying she'd be out."

"Well. I guess that leaves you and me," he smiled. "Oh... I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a little box, and handed it to Cora.

Cora took it with shining eyes. "For me?"

"Of course, stupid," he laughed. "Open it."

Cora unwrapped the paper and opened the box. Inside was a tiny teddy bear, holding a sign that read _I love you._

"Oh it's so thoughtful," Cora breathed softly. "Thank you, Matt!"

Matt looked amused. "Really? No kiss?"

Cora felt her cheeks go red again, but Matt didn't make a move toward her. He seemed to be waiting. So she looked down, looked sideways, stepped toward Matt, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

But once she did, he pulled her to him and gave her a much more adult kiss, one that frightened and excited her at the same time. She tried to pull away, but he didn't let her.

To Cora's relief, the sound of her roommate returning made Matt let her go. Lonnie was suddenly in the doorway, and the room was filled with the sound of her teasing voice.

"Well, look who's here!" Lonnie laughed. "And here I was thinking that you were a wallflower, Cora. You're a faster worker than _I_ ever was!"

Cora's face burned. Lonnie's crude comments suddenly made her think of what her parents, and her friends back home, would think if they could see her now. And she daren't even think of God. No, she was thinking of _God_ as little as she could help.

Matt laughed. "Don't make her blush again, Lonnie," he warned. "Her face might freeze that way."

Lonnie opened the refrigerator. "Would you guys like something to drink? Maybe a sandwich?"

"No. Thanks," Matt replied, taking Cora's hand. "We're going out."

Cora allowed herself to be led away, and looked back over her shoulder at the door. "Thanks, Lonnie. I'll be back in a few hours."

They walked down to Matt's car. To Cora, the car might as well have been Aladdin's treasure cave. It was small and dark and totally alien. The seats were soft, the dash was sleek and filled with mysterious lights and dials and knobs. The air smelled of leather and tobacco and Matt's hands. Once he turned the ignition switch, the engine roared to life like a genie suddenly waking.

"Where are we going?" she asked timidly.

"I want to show you my place," he answered, and the car roared out of the lot with the tires squealing.

Matt lived in a small house not far from Lonnie's apartment. It wasn't big, but to Cora's eyes, it seemed very luxurious. It was long and low and looked modern. It had big windows, a flat roof, and had a natural stone chimney. The yard was just a patch of grass, but tidy and neat.

"Do you live here alone?" Cora asked.

"I like my privacy," he shrugged.

Inside, the house was sparsely furnished, but the things that were there looked expensive. The living room furniture consisted mostly of a black leather sofa and a big black entertainment center with a very large, sleek television.

The walls of the living room were covered in posters of metal bands and women, most of whom were nude. Cora's brows twitched together. The pinups made her feel a bewildering mix of disgust, dismay and jealousy. If those were the sort of women Matt liked, how could _she_ ever compete?

"Want a drink?"

Cora looked up at him. "Milk?"

He half-smiled and looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "I'll take a look."

While he was gone, Cora called after him: "Are you going to school somewhere, Matt?"

There was the sound of rummaging from the kitchen. "No. Waste of time."

Cora digested this. That seemed a little odd for an English boy, but then, it wasn't like _she_ would have gone to school, either. If she'd stayed Amish, she'd be a homemaker. And Amish boys learned about farming and trades – what else did they need to know?

_Boys._ Cora saw her childhood playmates in her mind, those boys in the straw hats, who had been up since before dawn and who were out in the fields at this very moment. The image stabbed her with such a pang of guilt that she was suddenly seized by an unreasoning urge to jump up and run home, as if she was a rabbit and Matt a fox.

But then Matt reappeared, and the sight of his handsome face made the feeling vanish. He was holding a beer and a glass of something white. He handed the white glass to her and set out a plate of sandwiches and chips on the low table. Cora reached for the food gratefully. She suddenly realized that she was hungry, and that she hadn't eaten since last night.

Then she took a sip of the drink. It was delicious, but it wasn't milk. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's a virgin piña colada. It's the only white drink I have. Sorry."

Cora looked down at it in apparent doubt, and a dull red flushed Matt's face. He looked down, coughed.

"Wanna watch TV?" Matt reached for the TV remote, and the screen jumped to life. He flicked restlessly through the channels and shook his head. "There's nothing good on this time of day. Just soaps and kid shows."

Cora looked at Matt out of the corner of her eye. She knew so little about him that it felt odd to be sitting alone with him in his living room.

"Is your family from around here, Matt?" she asked tentatively. She would feel so much better, _safer_ really, if she could picture Matt's family.

"No. I grew up in New York. My old man left when I was three and my old lady married a real jackass. I don't know where they are now. I left when I was fourteen."

"Oh." Cora looked at Matt in regret. She wanted to add, _I'm sorry_ , but didn't know if that would help or not.

"How did you get by, without your family?" Cora asked.

Matt shot her an appraising look, as if he was trying to judge something. But whatever he was considering, Cora realized that she must not have passed the test, because he merely shrugged and murmured: "Oh, just whatever came along. Odd jobs. Sometimes I crashed at a friend's house, like you did with Lonnie. I got by."

"Oh."

Cora's eyes wandered over the sleek black television and the huge entertainment center. She felt that Matt must be very smart and brave to have done so well for himself with so little help.

"What are you doing now?" she asked innocently.

Matt glanced at her again with that appraising look in his eye. "The same. Eat up, and stop asking me silly questions, pretty Cora."

Cora put the drink to her lips, and asked him no more questions. She couldn't put her finger on just why, but she had the feeling that Matt might possibly have a temper. The thought made her nervous.

But on the other hand, she also felt closer to Matt, because for the first time they had something in common.

He was a runaway, too.

# 4

Cora tossed a load of laundry into the washing machine and set the wash cycle in motion. She had fallen into the habit of cleaning Lonnie's apartment while she was off at work as a way of earning her keep. Lonnie had made a sputtering noise and told her that it was unnecessary, but Cora couldn't stand the thought of doing nothing to repay her.

Lonnie worked as cashier at a car wash, and Cora had begged her to ask around to see if there were any jobs there for her. So far Lonnie had come up empty.

Cora was down to her last $200, and unless she found a job soon, she was in real trouble. But there seemed to be nothing that she was qualified to do except cook and clean.

She had walked a few blocks to apply for a job at the fast food restaurants in the neighborhood, but there was lots of competition even for the most menial jobs, and there had been no positions open anyway.

Matt called her every day at the apartment, but when she had asked him if he knew where she could find a job, the question seemed to almost anger him. It had surprised her.

"No girl of mine is going to slave behind a counter working for minimum wage," he had growled. "Forget it, don't go there again."

"But – I have to work," she had sputtered. "I have to find a way to make some money! I can't live at Lonnie's apartment forever. I have to get an apartment of my own!"

"I said forget it...

* * *

Thank you for Reading!

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it! If so, you can **read the rest of Book 2 on me** when you join my reader list and receive email updates from me about new releases and book specials. **In addition to Lancaster County Second Chances, Book 2, you will also get FOUR more of my books,** my first bestseller **, Out of Darkness Megabook,** as well as the top rated **Amish Friendship Bread** , **Lancaster Amish Storm** and **Before An Amish Country Calamity,** as a part of my starter library.

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All the best,

Ruth

# ENJOY THIS BOOK?

**You can make a big difference...**

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Reviews are the most powerful tools in my arsenal when it comes to getting attention for my books. As much as I'd love to, I don't have the financial muscle of a New York publisher. I can't take out full page ads in the newspaper or put up billboards on the highway.

(Not yet, anyway.)

But I have a blessing that is much more powerful and effective than that, and it's something those publishers would do anything to get their hands on.

**A loyal and committed group of wonderful readers.**

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Thank you so much!

Blessings,

Ruth

# Also by Ruth Price

### Have you read them all?

### Out Of Darkness Serial

**When a mysterious woman stumbles, bloody and beaten, onto widower Abram Yoder's Lancaster farm, will he find the faith to love again?**

Sofia Angelis is a woman without a past. All she knows is that she's being hunted. When she stumbles, bloody and beaten, onto Abram Yoder's Lancaster County farm, she is not only given a chance at safety, but also the possibility of love. Will the ghosts of Sofia's past keep her from seizing a new future?

Abram Yoder is a man trapped in the past. His wife Rebekah died in childbirth two years back, and even through prayer, he hasn't been able to absolve his grief and allow himself to live. When a mysterious woman comes to his Lancaster farm needing help, will Abram find the faith to love again? Read More.

**OR SAVE BIG and GET OUT OF DARKNESS MEGABOOK, AMISH CONNECTIONS, AND AN AMISH CHRISTMAS CAROL in ONE VOLUME in theRUTH PRICE 2013 COLLECTION.**

### Amish Connections Series

**As children, they watched their daed die. As adults, can these Amish siblings find the courage to risk their hearts for love?**

**Lancaster Hearts** : Will Judith win Isaac's love, and can she be true to her heart without abandoning her calling to heal? Read More.

**Road to Salvation** : Two broken souls. Two terrible secrets. One harrowing journey of love, loss and redemption. Read More.

**Courting Miriam** : Will their fragile relationship survive her homecoming? Or will her secret tear them apart? Read More.

**Or SAVE yourself a few bucks & GET ALL THREE BOOKS in 3-Book Boxed Set.**

### Amish Faith Through Fire Series

**A Lancaster Amish Storm 1-3**

Caught between love and possibility, societal expectations and the temptations of the flesh, will Zach and Katie's love be strong enough to survive the oncoming storm? Read More.

**The Shadow of Death 1-3**

When a tragic loss strikes at the heart of Katie's home, will Katie, with Zach's help, find the strength to hold her family together? Or will depression, rage and loss of faith lead Katie's mamm to make a final, horrifying mistake? Read More

**A Lancaster Amish Sketchbook 1-3**

When Beth decides to explore her lifelong passion for drawing by taking an Englischer art class at a local community center, and Isaac finds himself swept away by the lure of earning money in a new career, will these two Amish teens stay true to each other, or will they sacrifice their love, faith and future together to the temptations of the outside world? Read More

**Or SAVE yourself a few bucks & GET ALL THE WHOLE SERIES & ONE BONUS BOOK: A Gift of Sight, in the AMISH FAITH THROUGH FIRE BOXED SET.**

### Amish Friendship Bread Series

**Can faith, family and new bonds withstand the weight of a heartbreaking lie?**

**Book 1**

For Sarah Lambright, returning home to Lancaster from her teaching apprenticeship in Ephrata is as sweet and warm as her mamm's special Friendship Bread, but when a false friend threatens Sarah's fledgling love for Jebediah Stoltzfus, will faith, family and new bonds withstand the weight of a heartbreaking lie? Read More.

**Book 2**

As Lancaster Amish teen, Waneta Graber struggles to earn the trust of her daed, siblings, and friends, she decides that she is far too damaged for love. But her resolve is challenged when her younger sister, Fannie makes the same declaration about herself, and a new Amish boy comes to their small Amish community. Tempted by the promise of love, will Waneta have the strength to stick to her decision, or does God have another future planned for her? Read More.

**Or SAVE yourself the big bucks & GET THE 2014 COMPLETE COLLECTION. Includes everything in the Amish Faith Through Fire boxed set, as well as Amish Friendship Bread 1-2 & Lancaster Amish Fires of Autumn.**

### Lancaster Amish Fires Of Autumn Series

**Uprooted. Connection. Love?**

**Lancaster Amish Fires of Autumn** : A teen uprooted. A new connection. Will Martha stay in Lancaster County? Read More.

**Or SAVE yourself the big bucks & GET THE 2014 COMPLETE COLLECTION. Includes everything in the Amish Faith Through Fire boxed set, as well as Amish Friendship Bread 1-2 & Lancaster Amish Fires of Autumn.**

* * *

**Amish Country Road Trip** : A journey. Shocking peril. Can a miracle save them? Read More.

### Lancaster County Second Chances Series

**BOOK 1: An Amish widow. A second chance. Can love rise from the ashes?**

After Katie Fisher's husband and young son are killed in a fire, the Amish widow returns to her parents' home with her faith in shambles. But when 31-year-old Amish widower, Joseph Lapp, comes to Katie's district church service looking for help with his three rambunctious children, Katie accepts the position. She quickly finds herself falling in love with Joseph's children, and Joseph himself. But when a new tragedy threatens their fragile future, will the couple have the faith to risk a second chance at love? Read More.

**BOOK 2: The prodigal daughter returns. But can she face her past?**

Everything is threatened when Joseph's younger sister, Cora, takes refuge in his home. Disowned by their parents, Cora is all out of options and hiding a terrible secret. Can Cora escape her past, or will she find the strength in God to face it? And what will Cora's decision mean for Katie and Joseph? Read More.

**BOOK 3: She survived, but now that she's found love, is it enough?**

Disowned by her Amish parents, Cora returns to her community after weathering abuse and betrayal. But now that she's found love, is that enough to cement her faith and future as an Amish woman? Read More.

**BOOK 4: A wedding. A child. A journey. One mistake could destroy it all.**

It's a double celebration as Cora and Isaac prepare for their wedding, and Katie and Joseph navigate the birth of their child. But a simple mistake has heart wrenching consequences. Has Cora really accepted her Amish life, or will temptation -- and her temper - make her lose everything? Read More.

**BOOK 5: A crossroads. Judgment. Will they be Shunned?**

When Cora and her best friend Mary defy the Ordnung, they face judgment – and may be Shunned. Will the girls be given a second chance? And what will the decision mean for their community? Read More.

**BOOK 6: Joyful news. A terrible risk. Can love conquer fear?**

When Cora gets very special news, will fear force the love of her life to take a terrifying risk? And what about Mary and Seth, who are struggling to choose between the Amish and Englisch world -- even as Seth finds himself succumbing to a mysterious illness? Read More.

**Or SAVE yourself a few bucks & GET ALL SIX BOOKS in 6-Book Boxed Set.**

### An Amish Country Treasure Series

**An Amish girl. An Englisch reporter. A million dollar love story.**

**BOOK 1: An accidental millionaire. A timeless love letter. Can money buy happiness?**

Seventeen-year-old Jemima King has simple dreams of marriage and a family, but when a chance purchase puts her in possession of a national treasure, will sudden wealth and fame send her down the wrong path? Read More.

**BOOK 2: Tempted. Desperate for love. Will she turn from her faith?**

Tempted by wealth and desperate to be loved, will Jemima King turn away from her Amish community for an Englischer's promises? And if so, will he break her heart? Read More.

**BOOK 3: Sued. Pursued. Betrayed. Will she make the right choice?**

Faced with a lawsuit and torn between four anxious suitors -- one an Englischer who has already betrayed her trust -- will Jemima King find the strength to choose for herself and her family? Or will greed and mistrust steal away everything she values? Read More.

**BOOK 4: He loves her. But are they meant to be?**

Though Englisch boy-wonder reporter, Brad Williams has declared his love for Jemima King, are they truly meant to be together? Or can another win Jemima's heart? Read More.

**Or SAVE yourself a few bucks & GET ALL 4 BOOKS in 4-Book Boxed Set.**

### An Amish Country Calamity Series

**An Amish tomboy. A costly mistake. Will Annie snatch triumph from the jaws of tragedy?**

**Before An Amish Country Calamity**

When 15-year-old Annie Miller mistakenly orders $3000 in Nubian Goats, will she be able to save Christmas for herself and her family? Read More.

**An Amish Country Calamity**

Sixteen-year-old Annie Miller is doing her best to get her fledgling goat business off the ground, but with her friends feeling neglected and her status as "one of the boys" questioned by her growing femininity, Annie faces difficult choices. Read More.

**An Amish Country Calamity 2**

Amish teen, Annie Miller is up to her eyeballs in goat trouble -- and now the boys are trying to drive her nuts too .

**An Amish Country Calamity 3**

Abandoned by her beau, Annie Miller struggles to keep her goat business afloat, but between new suitors, robbers, and brutal coyote attacks, will she have the strength to save her friends, her business, and her shot at true love? Read More.

**An Amish Country Calamity 4**

Annie has made a decision about who to marry, but can her love make up for his careless ways? Is Annie right to keep her faith in him? Or did she make a terrible mistake? Read More.

**Or SAVE yourself a few bucks & GET ALL 5-BOOKS in 5-Book Boxed Set.**

### An Amish Mystery Series

**Everyone says Salome ran away. What if everybody's wrong?**

**Book 1 – Missing**

Salome was always wild. Since childhood, she said she wanted out of Amish life. So when she gets into a car with a group of Englischers on a Spring afternoon, everyone knows Salome ran away. But five years later and pregnant with her first child, Salome's best friend Susie stumbles on new, troubling evidence that makes her question everything. Caught between community, family, and friendship, Susie will put her life and her marriage on the line for the truth. Can Susie find out what really happened? And if she does, will her faith survive? Read More.

**Book 2 – Haunted**

**Coming soon !**

### Other Books

**The Long Run** : Will natural born Amish runner David Beiler stay true to himself and protect the woman he loves, even if it means giving up the chance to be a star? Read More.

# Aknowledgements

All Praise first to the Almighty God who has given me this wonderful opportunity to share my words and stories with the world. Next, I have to thank my family, especially my husband Harold who supports me even when I am being extremely crabby. Further, I have to thank my wonderful friends and associates with Global Grafx Press who support me in every way as a writer. Lastly, I wouldn't be able to do any of this without you, my readers. I hold you in my heart and prayers and hope that you enjoy my books.

All the best and Blessings,

Ruth.

# About the Author

Ruth Price is a Pennsylvania native and devoted mother of four. After her youngest set off for college, she decided it was time to pursue her childhood dream to become a fiction writer. Drawing inspiration from her faith, her husband and love of her life Harold, and deep interest in Amish culture that stemmed from a childhood summer spent with her family on a Lancaster farm, Ruth began to pen the stories that had always jabbered away in her mind. Ruth believes that art at its best channels a higher good, and while she doesn't always reach that ideal, she hopes that her readers are entertained and inspired by her stories.

If you enjoy Ruth's books, feel free to **sign up for her mailing list to be updated about new releases, discount books, and FREE books** from her and other great authors from Global Grafx Press.

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