Katie's Forever Promise
Read Katie's Forever Promise Online
Authors: Jerry S. Eicher
Previous Books in the Emma Raber's Daughter series
Katie Opens Her Heart
The touching story of an awakening young Amish girl, Katie Raber, who finds she wants more from life than to be known simply as “Emma Raber's daughter.” Considered odd by the Amish community, Emma has remained single since her husband died soon after Katie was born. When the widower Jesse Mast calls to ask for her
mamm
's hand in marriage, 20-year-old Katie hopes to move into a new, less eccentric phase of life.
But Emma isn't receptive to Jesse, and sparks fly when his children learn he's interested in Emma instead of their beloved schoolteacher Ruth Troyer. Katie struggles to keep her hopes alive that
Mamm
's bitterness will change and someday the popular Ben Stoll will notice her. When Katie attends a Mennonite youth gathering, everything changesâ¦
Katie's Journey to Love
Katie continues to work at Byler's Store, and her self-confidence grows as she spends time with the Mennonite youth. When her
mamm
makes a surprising decision, Katie realizes she doesn't want to give up her new friends even if it means going against her
mamm
's wishes and sets her apart from the Amish community.
Embracing new relationships and transitions, Katie finds the future looking bright. She joyfully responds when love comes knocking. Offered an amazing opportunity to travel, Katie is awed by the way God provides the needed funding. But while in Europe, shocking news calls into question everything Katie had thought was God's leading. What will she do now?
A checklist of Jerry Eicher books from Harvest House Publishers
The Adams County Trilogy
Rebecca's Promise
Rebecca's Return
Rebecca's Choice
Hannah's Heart
A Dream for Hannah
A Hope for Hannah
A Baby for Hannah
Little Valley Series
A Wedding Quilt for Ella
Ella's Wish
Ella Finds Love Again
Fields of Home Series
Missing Your Smile
Following Your Heart
Where Love Grows
Emma Raber's Daughter
Katie Opens Her Heart
Katie's Journey to Love
Katie's Forever Promise
My Dearest Naomi
Susanna's Christmas Wish
Nonfiction
The Amish Family Cookbook
(with Tina Eicher)
My Amish Childhood
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
All Scripture verses are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota
Cover photos © Chris Garborg; Bigstock / hendersd, xrrr
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
KATIE'S FOREVER PROMISE
Copyright © 2013 by Jerry S. Eicher
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eicher, Jerry S.
Katie's Forever Promise / Jerry S. Eicher.
Pages cm.â(Emma Raber's Daughter ; Book 3)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5255-2 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5257-6 (eBook)
1. AmishâFiction. 2. Young womenâFiction. 3. Love stories. 4. Christian fiction. I. Title.
PS3605.I34K35 2013
813'.6âdc23
2012047629
All rights reserved.
No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherâwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a non-transferable, non-exclusive, and non-commercial right to access and view this electronic publication and agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author's and publisher's rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents
Previous Books in the Emma Raber's Daughter series
A checklist of Jerry Eicher books from Harvest House Publishers
Katie Raber sat on the tall, swivel chair with a smile on her face. She was now mistress and queen of this one-room Amish schoolhouse for the term. Her hiring had been reaffirmed this morning by Enos Kuntz himself, the chairman of the school board. Enos had paid her a special visit, leaving with a friendly nod and a quick comment. “I think you'll do just fine with your new job, Katie. Let us know if you have any problems.”
Katie swept the top of her teacher's desk clean with a shaky hand, pausing to replace the small plastic pencil holder she'd knocked over. On the other side of the room, pushed up against the window, sat a table loaded with the year's supply of schoolbooks. She was a little scared, but she told herself there was nothing to worry about. This world of learning called her, just as she was certain it would also beckon eager young students once school began next week. And then, in less than two months, she would be twenty-one, considered an adult in her Amish community. Her wages would be her own to spend how she chose instead of
sharing them with her parentsâ
Mamm
and her new husband, Jesse Mast. How blessed Katie felt. It was still hard to comprehend all the changes that had occurred in the last few years.
Katie stood and looked out the window. Enos was driving away in his buggy, his bearded face still visible through the open door. Calm was flooding over Katie now. There could be only one reason he would take the time to drive all the way over here this morning, the week before school officially begins. And it wasn't because he harbored any doubts about her teaching abilities. The vote to hire her had been unanimous and given with pleased smiles on the faces of all three school board members.
No, Enos had stopped by to emphasize his approval one last time. Likely he thought she needed itâthis being her first year teaching. But it was more than that. Enos knew the details of her past, as did all the Amish community. And they wished her well as she continued to put her life back together after the awful situation with Ben Stoll. Even now Ben was sitting in jail, serving out the last few days of his sentence.