A Sister's Forgiveness
Read A Sister's Forgiveness Online
Authors: Anna Schmidt
Tags: #Fiction, #Amish & Mennonite, #Christian, #Romance
© 2012 by Anna Schmidt
Print ISBN 978-1-61626-235-8
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-60742-850-3
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-60742-851-0
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
®
, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Some scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
For more information about Anna Schmidt, please access the author’s website at the following Internet address:
www.booksbyanna.com
Cover design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683,
www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses
.
Printed in the United States of America.
Table of Contents
Dedication/Acknowledgments
For my wonderful new friends in Sarasota:
You know who you are
,
and you know that I could not have done this without you
.
Contrary to the Hollywood image, writers rarely work alone. Stories evolve, and for fiction to come alive there must be a foundation in fact. As the saying goes, it takes a village. Here are the generous and supportive and inspiring “villagers” who walked with me every step of the way as this story unfolded:
My agent, Natasha Kern—every story that sees the light of publishing begins with her. She keeps me moving forward by her belief in me and her sometimes very necessary cheerleading to keep me going.
Editor Rebecca Germany gave me the wings to try something I had never tried before, and I will always be grateful to her for that generous gift. I am also indebted to Traci DePree, who in editing the manuscript found ways—large and small—to make it better.
My writing critique group—Donna, Katie, Karen, and Kathleen—read first (and second and possibly third) drafts and were honest enough to say what they thought and suggest solutions to the problems they uncovered. And when they saw the result, they made me smile all over with their enthusiasm for the story.
Members of the Florida Mennonite community located in the unincorporated community of Pinecraft in the heart of Sarasota continue to offer their support and wise counsel. Rosanna and Tanya read the pages and corrected me when I went astray from what people of their Mennonite faith would say and do. Doris and Grace shared breakfasts and lunches with me where we talked about the story and how best to bring it to life.
And for this story, I was so very blessed that the guy who cuts my hair knew an attorney who knew others in the justice system of Sarasota who each generously gave of their time, expertise, experience, and support for the project. They have all requested anonymity, but there are no words adequate enough to thank them.
Prologue
Tessa
T
rapped.
Her mind reeled with the possible solutions. She could remain where she was until someone came along, but she was in a lot of pain. And maybe like the guy who fell into the canyon and had to cut off his own arm, she would be better off getting out of this mess herself.
Vaguely she remembered hearing a lot of shouting—both before and after the fact. After all, by the time the shouting started, there was pretty much nothing it could change about the reality that the car was going to hit her.
No, that wasn’t exactly true. On this day after their annual family picnic, on her first day of high school, she’d come out of the house to wait for her cousin Sadie. Down the block a car had turned the corner going fast. Too fast. It hit a patch of water and started to skid, and then it righted itself, although it was still on the wrong side of the street. Then her dad came outside fooling with the umbrella, and she’d started toward him, assuming the erratic driver would continue on down the street. She was smiling because her dad never could figure out how to open an automatic umbrella.
But then he had shouted at her and pushed her away. She’d first thought he was just irritated about the umbrella and getting wet, but then she realized that the crazy driver had turned into their driveway.
The car had suddenly fishtailed—an image that oddly worked under the circumstances—the car as big as a whale flipping its back end to find balance in the pouring rain. And in an instant, Tessa saw the reason for the erratic driving. Sadie was at the wheel, but her hands were in the air, and Tessa thought she could hear her cousin screaming along with her dad.
“The brake,” she mentally shouted now, but words failed her as she saw the car coming at her. It struck her, lifted her, and then dropped her hard to the ground.
For reasons she didn’t understand, she had put out her hands as if to stop the car. Foolish, pointless gesture. She heard her dad yell her name, and that was when everything went silent—and dark—and she felt herself sinking, fighting to stay afloat but being dragged under.
It was only yesterday they had all gathered for the family picnic.…
…the day had been sunny and beautiful
…but in the night had come the rain
…and it was still raining so hard
…and Sadie was screaming
…and her dad was yelling at someone to call 911
…and the bulk of the car was there, silenced at last, but the heat from its engine warmed her
…and she could feel her father’s strong arms cradling her and hear his voice intermittently soothing her and urging her to stay with him
…and then her mother was there, too
…and a lot of other people—people she didn’t know
…and everyone was so very upset
…and she wished she had her journal and Grandpa’s pen so she could write to them—especially her mom and dad—and tell them it would be all right.
Part One
“Blessed are those who mourn
,
for they shall be comforted. “
M
ATTHEW 5:4
Chapter 1
Emma
E
mma Keller had lived in Pinecraft, Florida, her whole life. And from the time that she entered her first year of school, her large extended family had gathered at the beach to bid farewell to the summer and gear up for the busy school year and tourist season that lay ahead. It was in many ways her favorite time of the year. Now, as mothers themselves, she and her younger sister, Jeannie, had assumed responsibility for organizing the day. There was just one problem—Jeannie was nowhere to be found.
Typical
, Emma thought, but she was smiling. Her younger sister was such a treasure in the lives she touched, and Emma was certain that wherever Jeannie was, she was making someone’s day a bit brighter.
“Mom will be late,” Jeannie’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Tessa, announced as she helped Emma lay out the food for the noon meal. Around them a dozen other cousins, aunts, and uncles were all pitching in to cover the tables, tend the smaller children, and start fires for grilling the chicken and hamburgers. Emma took a mental roll call and realized that her daughter, Sadie, was also nowhere to be found.