скачать книгу бесплатно
An Amish Wife For Christmas
Patricia Davids
Will marriage save her family?Christmas with the North Country AmishBethany Martin has until Christmas to prove to the Amish community that she can raise her siblings—including her mischievous brother—without a husband. Then handsome newcomer Michael Shetler arrives, winning over Bethany’s siblings. He might be the answer to their prayers, but Michael has a troubled past. Can Bethany love a man with secrets…even if it’s the only thing keeping her family together?
Will marriage save her family?
Christmas with the North Country Amish
Bethany Martin has until Christmas to prove to the Amish community that she can raise her siblings—including her mischievous brother—without a husband. Then handsome newcomer Michael Shetler arrives, winning over Bethany’s siblings. He might be the answer to their prayers, but Michael has a troubled past. Can Bethany love a man with secrets...even if it’s the only thing keeping her family together?
After thirty-five years as a nurse, PATRICIA DAVIDS hung up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer. She enjoys spending her free time visiting her grandchildren, doing some long-overdue yard work and traveling to research her story locations. She resides in Wichita, Kansas. Patricia always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can visit her online at patriciadavids.com (http://patriciadavids.com).
Also By Patricia Davids (#uc27022d8-aff0-535e-a55a-ee586d27c453)
North Country Amish
An Amish Wife for Christmas
The Amish Bachelors
An Amish Harvest
An Amish Noel
His Amish Teacher
Their Pretend Amish Courtship
Amish Christmas Twins
An Unexpected Amish Romance
His New Amish Family
Brides of Amish Country
Plain Admirer
Amish Christmas Joy
The Shepherd’s Bride
The Amish Nanny
An Amish Family Christmas: A Plain Holiday
An Amish Christmas Journey
Amish Redemption
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
An Amish Wife for Christmas
Patricia Davids
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08636-3
AN AMISH WIFE FOR CHRISTMAS
© 2018 Patricia MacDonald
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“Your sister thinks you should marry...”
Bethany’s face grew hot. “Husbands don’t exactly grow on trees in New Covenant.”
“Anyone you chose would be getting a fine wife.”
She looked up to study Michael’s reflection in the glass, but it wasn’t clear enough to let her see what he was thinking. “Are you making me an offer?”
“You would be getting a very poor bargain if I was.”
She turned around so she could look into his eyes. “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
There was so much pain in his voice and deep in his eyes that she wanted to hold him and promise to make everything better.
She couldn’t. “What’s wrong, Michael?”
“Nothing that you can fix.”
“How do I know that if you can’t tell me what troubles you?”
“Trust me. You don’t want to know.” He turned and walked down the hall and out the back door.
He was so wrong.
Bethany wanted to know everything about Michael Shetler.
Dear Reader (#uc27022d8-aff0-535e-a55a-ee586d27c453),
This is the first book in my new Amish series set in Maine. I hope you have enjoyed the story. In case you haven’t noticed, I am a dog lover. The remarkable Sadie Sue was patterned after my own dog Sadie. Sadly she is no longer with us but we have wonderful memories of her happy personality and relentless drive to fetch the ball, fetch the ball.
PTSD is a disorder that has been in the news a lot in recent years. Many of our soldiers are returning to civilian life crippled by this devastating disorder. More research is needed to combat this problem but therapy dogs have been shown to have a positive effect on the men and women who own them. I have limited knowledge of the disorder and this is not meant to be a tutorial on the subject. Any mistakes or incorrect assumptions are purely my own.
Blessings to all,
Patricia Davids
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
—Ephesians 3:16–19
This book is dedicated with great admiration to my longtime and dare I say long-suffering editor, Emily Rodmell. I’m sure I have tried your endless patience far more often than any other author, but you have never failed to help me get back on track. During the bleak moments of my personal life and in some weird and crazy times you have remained confident in my talent and pushed me to write a better book even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to go there. Thanks for your faith in me. Here’s hoping it isn’t misplaced. Onward and upward.
Contents
Cover (#u11035adb-b466-51d7-8a33-07c9542521ee)
Back Cover Text (#uf3ee927c-5e11-5d35-88e8-12495c3b0107)
About the Author (#u8d78655b-cf6e-52bb-b05e-90dac80174c1)
Booklist (#u69a8ac68-8d91-5c06-98c5-423525542fb0)
Title Page (#udffafcbe-9126-5dff-bdc2-53d73a580b62)
Copyright (#ua7c32dbf-9028-5dd4-aaaa-4199cf76f900)
Introduction (#u501381c6-75a9-5acc-8a04-23efe6ef4ff8)
Dear Reader (#u7a7c7f20-ebd0-51e6-b825-bdef9033dde5)
Bible Verse (#ucc2bcec3-d6a6-5463-ba1b-962d54a7a106)
Dedication (#u5f5e6416-fa8a-5d4b-b268-cb11021a839b)
Chapter One (#u7e123f35-cf71-561c-9362-4ad89c691637)
Chapter Two (#u6919cc95-adab-5e0c-8ca0-007e5fc76e95)
Chapter Three (#u22570a8d-c99a-5af7-8642-2f4f4939a7c3)
Chapter Four (#u5e046016-c046-5218-8377-5d080dd8587e)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uc27022d8-aff0-535e-a55a-ee586d27c453)
“Your brother’s behavior reflects badly on you, Bethany, and on our community. Something must be done.”
Bethany Martin sat across from Bishop Elmer Schultz at her kitchen table with her head bowed and her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Her dear friend Gemma Lapp sat beside her. Bethany was grateful for Gemma’s moral support.
“We Amish are newcomers here,” he continued. “We can’t afford to stir ill will among our Englisch neighbors. Don’t you agree?”
Bethany glanced up and met his intense gaze. She nodded slightly. An imposing man in his midfifties, the bishop had a shaggy gray-and-black beard that reached to the middle of his chest. A potato farmer and owner of a shed building business, he was known for his long and often rambling sermons, but he was a fair man and well liked in their small Amish community. Bethany didn’t take his visit lightly. She prepared to defend her brother.
“Ivan isn’t a bad boy. It’s just that he misses his grandfather. He’s angry that God took Elijah from us and he feels guilty. The two of them were very close.” Her heart ached for her troubled brother.
“Time will heal this,” Gemma added.
The bishop sighed. “Your grandfather Elijah was a fine man, Bethany. I have no doubt that he kept the boy’s high spirits in check, but Ivan has quickly put one foot on the slippery slope that leads to serious trouble. He needs a firm hand to guide him and mold him into an upstanding and righteous man.”
“I can do that,” Bethany assured him. “I’ve raised Ivan from the time he was five and our sister, Jenny, wasn’t much more than a newborn babe.” She might be their sister, but she was also the only mother they had ever known. Both mother and father to them after the man who bore that title left his family for the fourth and final time. Bethany’s anger surged to the surface but she quickly brought it under control. At least her mother had been spared knowing about his final betrayal. She had been positive he would return to care for his children after she was gone. He hadn’t. Bethany brought her attention back to the matter at hand.
Gemma waved one hand. “Ivan is almost fourteen. Boys that age get into mischief.”
