Plain Peace Read online

  What readers are saying about the Daughters of the Promise seriesn

  “In the fast paced world we live in, it is a blessing to be able to pick up the Daughters of the Promise series and be taken away mentally to a place where life is so much more. The love of family and friends, the bond that unites them all to one another and to God. Being able to focus on those precious moments in our lives that we typically let pass us by or take for granted. Beth Wiseman has such a gift in not only sharing this simpler way of life, but a way of truly putting us, the readers, there with them.”

  —Erin B.

  “The story line and the people draw you into the story, it’s written in such a way that you feel as though you are right there each and every day with them. The intrigue and the day-to-day living can be seen and felt with each and every word. It’s a relief to let the worries of today dissolve as you are drawn back into a world of contentment and peace.”

  —Lori M.

  “The Daughters of the Promise series is all about family, faith, friendship, and hard work. I love that the series gave you a look inside the Amish way of life, the closeness of community, simplicity, and how to live your best life outside what is happening in the world. Beth Wiseman brings each character to life in a way where you almost feel like you are there. Once you start this series, you look forward to the next one!”

  —Cookie D.

  “From the first sentence of the first Daughters of the Promise book, I was drawn into a lovely place where old friends and family reside. I feel happy there, I feel relaxed there, I am home there. Each book is like a welcome home hug. These books are so much more than books . . . they are blessings.”

  —Mandy B.

  “I have and reread this series. The characters come alive in these books and you find yourself right there with them and rooting for them. Beth is a gifted writer, transporting you into the story. You won’t be able to put these books down.”

  —Cheryl B.

  Also by Beth Wiseman

  THE DAUGHTERS OF THE PROMISE NOVELS

  Plain Perfect

  Plain Pursuit

  Plain Promise

  Plain Paradise

  Plain Proposal

  THE LAND OF CANAAN NOVELS

  Seek Me With All Your Heart

  The Wonder of Your Love

  His Love Endures Forever

  NOVELLAS INCLUDED IN

  An Amish Christmas

  An Amish Gathering

  An Amish Love

  An Amish Wedding

  An Amish Kitchen

  An Amish Miracle

  Need You Now

  The House That Love Built

  © 2013 by Elizabeth Wiseman Mackey

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Wiseman, Beth, 1962–

  Plain Peace / Beth Wiseman.

  pages cm. — (A Daughters of the Promise Novel)

  Summary: “Anna’s grandfather seems determined to ruin her Rumspringa and any hopes she has of finding a husband. Anna Byler should be enjoying her Rumspringa as allowed by her faith. But because of the strict rules enforced by her grandfather, the available suitors in town are afraid to court her. Even Anna’s grandmother is keeping a big secret from Anna’s grandfather in an effort to keep the peace. Under her grandfather’s oppressive watch, Anna begins to feel her faith slipping and wonders if God has forsaken her. Jacob Hostetler and his family have relocated to Lancaster County following a family tragedy in Ohio. As his family struggles to rebuild their lives, Jacob is forced to act as head of the household when his father is unable to cope with recent events. It’s been a long time since Jacob has felt any joy. Until he meets Anna Byler. But will Anna’s grandfather succeed at keeping them apart? And can Jacob put the past behind him and open his heart?”— Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-4016-8594-2 (Trade Paper)

  1. Amish—Fiction. 2. Lancaster County (Pa.)—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3623.I83P565 2013

  813'.6—dc23 2013023671

  Printed in the United States of America

  13 14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

  To Richard Gabler

  Contents

  Pennsylvania Dutch Glossary

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  Reading Group Guide

  Amish Recipes

  Acknowledgments

  An Excerpt from The House That Love Built

  About the Author

  Daughters of the Promise Community Tree

  Pennsylvania Dutch Glossary

  Aamen—Amen

  ach—oh

  boppli—baby or babies

  bruder/brieder—brother/brothers

  daadi—grandfather

  daed—dad

  danki—thank you

  dochder—daughter

  Englisch—a non-Amish person (in Lancaster County)

  fraa—wife

  gut—good

  haus—house

  kaffi—coffee

  kapp—prayer covering or cap

  kinner—child, children or grandchildren

  lieb—love

  maedel—girl

  mamm—mom

  mammi—grandmother

  mei—my

  mudder—mother

  Nee—no

  onkel—uncle

  Ordnung—the written and unwritten rules of the Amish; the understood behavior by which the Amish are expected to live, passed down from generation to generation. Most Amish know the rules by heart.

  Pennsylvania Deitsch—the language most commonly used by the Amish. Although commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch, the language is actually a form of German (Deutsch).

  rumschpringe—running-around period when a teenager turns sixteen years old

  schweschder/schweschdere—sister/sisters

  sohn—son

  Wie bischt?—How are you?

  wunderbaar—wonderful

  ya—yes

  Yankee—a non-Amish person (in Middlefield, Ohio)

  1

  ANNA WATCHED OUT THE WINDOW AND WAITED UNTIL her grandfather’s buggy rounded the corner before she pulled the bottle of pills from her apron pocket. She handed the prescription to her grandmother, resolved that she would never live the way her grandparents did—keeping secrets from each other. Even if her future husband did end up being the bishop like her grandfather.

  “Danki, Anna.” Marianne Byler popped two pills in her mouth and followed them down with a glass of water, then stashed the pills in her own apron pocket. Ann
a knew she wouldn’t see the bottle again until it was empty and time for more, and she’d often wondered where her grandmother hid the bottle.

  “The pharmacist said you’ve been out of refills for a few months, but Dr. Noah kept approving it. He won’t fill it again, though, until you come for an office visit, and this isn’t the full prescription.” Anna began gathering up the dirty dinner dishes, glancing at her mammi a couple of times before adding, “So what will you do?” She piled the plates on the counter next to the sink and folded her arms across her chest.

  Mammi dipped a dishrag into the soapy water and looked over her shoulder. “The Lord will provide.”

  “I sure hope so.” Mammi never got worked up about anything, but sometimes Anna thought maybe she should.

  It had been eight months since her grandfather had forbidden everyone in their district to visit Dr. Noah Stoltzfus’s clinic. Anna wondered if Daadi would have made such a decision if he’d known that his own wife was so dependent on Dr. Noah, a secret Mammi had been keeping since way before the official ban. Anna glanced at the clock on the wall.

  “Can I go now?” She tucked a strand of loose brown hair beneath her kapp, then smoothed the wrinkles from her black apron. “The volleyball game at the Lapps’ haus started at one.”

  Mammi turned around, dried her hands on a kitchen towel, and leaned against the counter. “Ya, but be home in time to help with supper.” She smiled, defining the lines around her tiny mouth and those feathering from the corners of her eyes. “And have fun.”

  Anna nodded, then hurried through the living room to the front door.

  The Lapp farm was in walking distance. By the time she arrived, the court was filled with players.

  “Come be on our side, Anna!” Emma Lapp waved, and once Anna was in place, she stared through the net at an unfamiliar face. She gawked long enough to almost get hit in the head with the ball but awkwardly bounced it away with her elbow instead. Luckily Emma got underneath it and made the point.

  “That’s Jacob Hostetler,” Emma whispered in Anna’s ear. “His family just moved here. They bought the old Zook place.” Emma struggled to catch her breath as she brushed her palm against a sweaty forehead. “Hard to keep focused with him on the other side of the net, ya?” Emma grinned before she got back in place a few feet to Anna’s right.

  Anna tried to keep her eyes on the other team’s server, but her gaze kept shifting back to Jacob Hostetler. Like most of the men this time of year, Jacob’s face was bronzed by the summer sun, and his shoulders and arms looked like those of a man who’d been chopping wood since he was born—nineteen or twenty years ago, she guessed. If his tall and muscular physique wasn’t enough to set any girl’s heart to racing, he also had brown hair streaked with gold, his cropped bangs resting just above piercing blue eyes. When he looked at her, tiny dimples formed on either side of a flawless mouth.

  She forced herself to look away from his perfectness and watched the volleyball coming in her direction. “Got it!” She wasn’t as tall as most of the players on the team, so she had to jump really high to slam the ball over the net. And slam it she did—right into the side of Jacob’s face.

  “Are you okay?” She peered through the net. One side of Jacob’s face was bright red. But he waved her off.

  “Ya, ya. I’m fine.”

  The game went on for another forty-five minutes before Emma’s mamm set refreshments on a nearby picnic table. Emma looped her arm through Anna’s as they walked to the table, leaning over to whisper in her ear again. “Well, he’s a looker, but have you ever seen a worse volleyball player in your life?”

  Anna had been thinking the same thing. If Jacob did happen to make contact with the ball, it went flying wildly out of bounds every time. “Maybe they didn’t play volleyball where he comes from.” She paused. “Where does he come from? Do you know?”

  “Somewhere in Ohio. Middlefield, I think.”

  Emma was tall with auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a figure with exactly the right amount of curves. She could have her pick of any guy in Paradise, Pennsylvania. Anna wondered if Jacob would add himself to Emma’s list of suitors. Would he be the one Emma finally latched onto? Both Emma and Anna would be nineteen in February, so they were looking for that special someone.

  Although Anna didn’t have a single prospect on the horizon.

  Once everyone was gathered around the table, they all bowed their heads for a silent prayer, then dug into the chips, dips, cookies, and punch. Anna was thankful for the shade of the tree above them and the gentle breeze. It was fiercely hot for June.

  “Danki for inviting me today.” Jacob reached for a chip as he glanced around at the seven other people snacking. His voice was deep even though he spoke softly, the hint of a blush in his cheeks.

  Anna knew that pride was a sin, that looks were not supposed to be important, but this fellow had been abundantly blessed just the same. Apparently Anna herself had not. Otherwise, surely at least one member of their district would have wanted to date her.

  Ben Raber introduced everyone and spoke up on behalf of the group. “Gut to have you.” He paused as he reached for a cookie. “So tell us about you. About your family.”

  Anna held her breath as she waited for Jacob to answer, assuming he probably had a perfect family with wonderful parents and a herd of brothers and sisters. Doubtful that both his parents had been killed in a buggy accident when he was three and that he’d been raised by his grandparents, as she had.

  “It’s mei mamm and daed, and I have two schweschdere and two brieder.”

  Of course you do. Anna took a large bite out of a chocolate chip cookie.

  “And one of mei schweschdere is named Anna,” Jacob added, winking at her. “But we call her Anna Mae.”

  Anna felt sure the earth was shifting beneath her feet, but with her cheeks packed with cookie, all she could do was attempt to smile and nod. She didn’t recall ever feeling so weak in the knees.

  A short while later Anna helped Emma and her mother clean up while the older males—those in their rumschpringe—went to the barn and the two younger children went home.

  “I think the new fellow took a liking to Anna.” Emma smiled as she handed her mother an empty bowl.

  “I’m not surprised.” Sarah Lapp put the bowl in the sink as she turned to Anna. “You’re a beautiful young woman.”

  Compared to your dochder? Are you kidding me? Anna forced a smile, knowing both Emma and her mother were mistaken, but proud of the fact that she could honestly say she’d never been jealous of Emma. Her best friend was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside, and she’d never been anything but wonderful to Anna. “But you’re wrong,” she said to Emma after her mother had excused herself.

  “Hmm. We’ll see.” Emma giggled.

  Jacob listened to Ben Raber and Rubin Fisher talking about what a hard winter they’d had last year, and he nodded when the conversation seemed to call for it, but all he could think about was what might be waiting for him at home. Playing volleyball had been a great distraction—even though he was lousy at it. Spending a few hours with people his age who didn’t know about his past almost made him feel like a normal person again, and it was nice to have a Saturday off from work. But reality loomed about six miles down the road, and he didn’t think that moving would fix anything. They were a messed-up family, and geography wasn’t going to change that.

  Despite his worries, Jacob’s ears perked up when he heard Ben mention Anna Byler. Watching her through the volleyball net had been the highlight of the day. Several ringlets of light brown hair had fallen from beneath her kapp during the games, enough to make him wonder if she had long wavy curls that cascaded to her waist when it wasn’t wound in a bun beneath her prayer covering. He’d tried to hold her gaze for more than a few seconds, but she’d kept pulling her deep brown eyes away from his. She was by far the prettiest girl there.

  “What?” Jacob interrupted Ben, who by now had turned the conversation
to fishing. “What did you say before about Anna Byler?”

  Ben grinned. “I said I think Anna gets prettier every time I see her.” He paused and scratched his chin. “But I also said it’s too bad she’s undateable.”

  Jacob leaned back against the wall of the barn and looped his thumbs beneath his suspenders. “What do you mean, undateable?” If anyone’s not fit to date, it’s me.

  Rubin chuckled as he sat down on a square bale of hay. “I thought I saw you giving Anna the eye.” He shook his head. “Don’t even waste your time. I don’t think that girl has been on one date.” He looked at Ben. “Do you think anyone has ever even taken her home from a singing?”

  Ben shook his head from where he was standing a few feet away. “Nee.”

  Jacob frowned, wondering what could be so wrong with her.

  “It’s her grandfather.” Ben pulled a cigar from his pocket and ran it beneath his nose, breathing in the aroma. “She lives with her grandparents, and no one will go near her because of him.” He lit the cigar, took a few puffs, then passed it to Rubin. “Anna’s daadi had been a minister for years, and he was a scary man in that role. Last October he became bishop, and it’s gotten worse. He’s changing everything around here, and not for the gut.”

  Jacob shook his head when Rubin passed the cigar to him. People in his district didn’t smoke. “Is this allowed?” He nodded toward Rubin as Rubin took another puff.

  “Ach, it used to be.” Rubin gave the cigar back to Ben. “The men have always gathered in the barn, especially after a meal, to share stories and smoke cigars. But Bishop Byler put an end to all smoking. And cell phones. And a whole bunch of other stuff.”

  Jacob automatically reached for the cell phone in his pocket, glad that it hadn’t rung since yesterday. He held it up. “Guess I better get rid of this.” That would give him a good excuse to distance himself a little more from his past. Without the cell phone, no one could find him.

  “We had a strict bishop in Ohio too.” Jacob paused, reaching for the cigar, then coughed after he took a puff. “How bad can he be?”