Plain Peace (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) (37 page)

“So nice to see you again, Lucy,” Lillian’s mother said. Lucy didn’t remember ever meeting her.

Lucy couldn’t speak.
Part of the family?
Her nerves settled a bit when Carley walked up. “Wow. Look at all of us. Daughters of the promise.”

Lucy bit her bottom lip. Was she being forgiven? Included? Was she really going to have a family that accepted her? How could that be after what she’d done to Katie Ann? Maybe they
just wanted to see Benjamin. They would have to tolerate Lucy to have that.

But this didn’t look or feel like grudging tolerance. It felt like . . . friendship, smiling at her from amidst a group of women who’d always disliked her. It was all very confusing, and as they talked among themselves, Lucy barely heard anything. But she did hear Katie Ann ask her if they could take a walk.

“Oh, I don’t know. Benjamin is here somewhere, and I’d hate to leave him, and—”

“There he is.” Lillian pointed toward the house. “The bride is holding him.”

Lucy nodded. There was no getting out of it, so she got in step with Katie Ann.

Katie Ann stopped when they got far enough away from the crowd not to be heard. “You look nice. I like your hair that color.” Katie Ann was obviously trying to make her feel comfortable, although she had no idea why. She touched her brown hair, knowing she’d looked very different last time Katie Ann saw her.

“Thank you. It’s easier to take care of shorter. And I don’t color it anymore. I stay busy with Benjamin and work.” She shrugged, knowing Katie Ann would get to the point, but dreading it just the same.

“Lucy, I’ve talked to Noah, Mary Ellen, Rebecca, and Samuel—all of Ivan’s siblings. They all want very much to have little Benjamin in their lives. And you.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I have told them all that I hope you can be a part of the family. And that I hold no ill will against you.”

“How can you say that?” The words slipped from Lucy’s mouth before she had a chance to think.

“I’m no saint, Lucy. I carried around a lot of bad feelings about you for a long time.” Katie Ann’s voice was stern but not harsh. “And if I lived here, I think it would be hard for us to be friends. But I understand from Carley that you’re a daughter of the promise, and this means a great deal to us. It’s a journey that all of us have traveled at some point in our lives. It’s sacred and dear to us.” She smiled. “And not always easy. I know that sometimes on our journey, forgiveness is a large part of the process.” She paused. “It took me a long time to forgive you.”

Lucy hung her head. “I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry.” She looked up, tears filling her eyes. “But I love Benjamin so much. And I did love Ivan, despite what we did.”

Katie Ann pressed her lips together, and Lucy wished she hadn’t said that last part. But then Katie Ann nodded. “Of course you love Benjamin. And Ivan would want his family involved in Benjamin’s life. So I’m hoping that you’ll let them be a family to you.”

A family?
Lucy had never had anyone but her mother. She had always dreamed of having a big, loving family, but this was an unlikely source. She hung her head again, and this time she started to cry.

Katie Ann put a hand on her arm. “Forgive yourself, Lucy.”

Lucy sniffled, unsure what to say.

“Because I forgave you a long time ago.”

Lucy didn’t move as she watched the other woman walk away. She was thinking that Katie Ann might be the best person she’d ever met. How could Ivan have loved them both? She slowly made her way back to the house. Children seemed to be playing everywhere around her. Adults gathered in groups of three or four, laughing and talking.

Lucy looked up at the bright blue October sky.
Am I really a daughter of the promise?

She spotted Marianne and Cora near the porch, chatting with a group of women. Marianne was holding Benjamin. As Lucy grew closer, she recognized Katie Ann, Lillian, Mary Ellen, Rebecca, Carley, and Sarah Jane. She walked up just as Marianne set Benjamin down on the ground in front of another little boy.

“This is your
bruder
, Benjamin.” Katie Ann squatted down and pointed at Jonas. He was older now than when Lucy saw him last. “His name is Jonas.”

Lillian walked to Lucy, put her arm through hers, and pulled her to the group. “Look at these two,” she said in a bubbly voice. “They really like each other.”

They all laughed as Benjamin tugged at the jacket Jonas was wearing. It was impossible not to see the resemblance.

Katie Ann looked up at Lucy and winked. “Welcome to the family.”

Lucy bit her lip, and it took everything she had not to cry. Then everyone
aww
ed when Benjamin hugged Jonas. Lucy closed her eyes for a few moments, thankful for this new circle of people in her life, for the changes she’d made within herself, and for all that God had blessed her with. She closed her eyes and silently spoke to God, knowing that He had been hearing her all along.

Anna and Emma were chatting with Cora and her daughters when Jacob walked up.

“I’m stealing my bride.” He grabbed Anna’s hand and eased her away from the group.

Emma grinned, her hands on her hips. “And where are you two off to?”

Jacob just smiled and pulled Anna along with him. They rounded the corner of the house, and the instant they were out of sight, Jacob pulled her close and kissed her the way a husband kisses his wife.

“I kept my promise to your grandfather, but I couldn’t wait one more minute.” He pulled her close and kissed her again. “Can you believe we have our own buggy and the down payment for a
haus
?”

“I know!” Anna bounced up on her toes. “
Mammi
has been doing so much for everyone, and she seems so happy doing it.”

“I love you, Anna Hostetler.”

“I love you too, Jacob Hostetler.” She was sure the smile on her face was going to be there forever.

He kissed her again, but Anna eased him away. “I have a question for you.” She reached into her apron pocket, pulled out her dime, and held it up between two fingers. “What did you wish for the day we put the dimes on the train track?”

Jacob reached into the pocket of his black pants. “This dime?” He smiled.

“You have yours today too,” Anna said softly.

“Of course.” He kissed her tenderly on the mouth, his hand cupping her jaw. Then he nodded. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

He pulled her around the corner to the yard where most of their guests were in view. “Look.” He pointed to his parents. Both of them were laughing and chatting within a circle of about ten people, including his sisters. Then he nodded to his left, where Abe and Eli were also enjoying themselves with a group of kids.

“I wished that we’d all heal somehow. That’s what I wished for. For peace. Leah would have wanted that.”

Anna wrapped her arm around his waist, wondering if he was going to ask her what she’d wished for that day at the tracks.

“But a dime on a train track didn’t make all this happen.” He draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “I prayed for it every day.” He turned to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I prayed for healing. And I prayed for you. For you to love me.”

Anna had to blink the happy tears away as gratitude washed over her.

“And I do.” She glanced toward heaven as she said it.

Thank You
.

Reading Group Guide

1. Early in the story, Anna overhears Ben and Rubin talking badly about her grandfather. How do you think things would have played out if Anna had not heard this conversation and decided to ask Jacob out?

2. Bishop Byler is a stern man who is imposing rules that are already in place. What are some of the forces driving his actions?

3. Marianne believes her husband’s strict ways have driven her to keep secrets. Do you agree with this or does Marianne need to accept some of the responsibility for her actions? Are you keeping secrets from a spouse or loved one, and if so . . . is it a burden or a necessity? And is there ever really a
good
reason to keep secrets?

4. Were you ever concerned about Glenda, the receptionist at the lumberyard? Did you see her as a threat to the relationship that was developing between Anna and Jacob? And what about the jealousy that Anna was feeling? Was it justified? Is jealousy ever justified, no matter the situation?

5. John can’t cope with Leah’s death, largely in part because he blames himself. Were you angry at John throughout the story?
Did you feel sympathy for him? Were you rooting for him to come around or wishing he would just leave the family?

6. Jacob is taking up the slack and trying to be the head of his grieving household when his father checks out emotionally. What are some of the ways that Jacob does this?

7. Lucy is clearly the Daughter of the Promise in this story. What are some examples of the ways Lucy is bettering herself in the eyes of the community and in the eyes of the Lord?

8. Cora is a woman with the best of intentions, but her bitterness often shows through, and she is guilty of judging others. Besides Lucy, who does Cora judge?

9. Forgiveness is a major theme throughout the book. What are some examples of this? And how does forgiveness of one’s self affect several of the characters?

10. Why do you think that Cora and Marianne hit it off so well and became friends quickly? Was it their situations with their husbands? Or was there more to it?

11. Can you name all the Daughters of the Promise?

Plain Perfect

Plain Pursuit

Plain Promise

Plain Paradise

Plain Proposal

Plain Peace

Amish Recipes

Cora’s Chicken Bundles

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon dill weed

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ cup celery, chopped

¼ cup onion finely chopped

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

3 tubes crescent rolls

4 cups chicken (cooked and cubed)

Beat cream cheese, sour cream, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken, onion, and celery. Unroll each tube of crescent rolls and roll out like stromboli, rectangular shape. Fill with chicken mixture. Fold sides up over chicken and pinch to seal. Brush with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Marianne’s Cherry Crumb Cake

½ cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

⅓ cup milk

2 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cans cherry pie filling

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add dry ingredients and milk with vanilla. Spread half of the batter on bottom of 13 × 9 baking pan. Pour pie filling on top of batter then pour remaining batter on top of pie filling. Mix the following until crumbly:

2 tablespoon butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

Spread on cake. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Marianne’s Pepperoni Lasagna

1½ lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 ½ cup water

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

2 eggs

1 (12-ounce) pkg. small curd cottage cheese

½ cup sour cream

8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1 (3½-ounce) pkg. sliced pepperoni

2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

In a skillet, cook beef and onion until done, drain grease. Add water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bouillon, and seasoningss. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. In a bowl, combine eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream. Spread ½ cup meat sauce into a greased 13 × 9 × 2 baking dish. Layer with four noodles, the cottage cheese mixture, and pepperoni. Top with remaining noodles and meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Cora’s Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

1 (8-ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

3 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice, divided

1 (6-ounce) chocolate pie crust

½ cup raspberry preserves

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add egg and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix well. Pour half the batter into the crust. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon lemon juice and preserves. Spoon half the preserves over batter. Pour remaining batter on top. Using a knife, swirl remaining preserves in a decorative pattern of your choosing. Bake at 300 for 55 minutes. Cool before serving and refrigerate leftovers.

Acknowledgments

I
HAVE A YOUNG FRIEND WHO SIGNS HER EMAILS
—
I
AM
a Daughter of the Promise
. I just love that. I hope that my books have helped at least a few people travel the path that God set them on in an effort to become a Daughter of the Promise. I know that each book I write ministers to my own soul in that regard. Writing this series has been a blessing and a dream come true for me. These characters are family, and God laid them on my heart to tell stories that glorify Him.