Finding Love at Home (The Beiler Sisters) Read online

  Be sure to read the first two books in Jerry Eicher’s charming

  The Beiler Sisters Series

  Debbie Watson, a young Englisha woman, grew up admiring her Amish friends, the Beiler sisters. Graduating from college, Debbie’s fascination with Amish life and faith grows. When she asks Amish Bishop Beiler and his wife if they would consider letting her live with them as a boarder, she’s thrilled when they say yes.

  Moving into the Amish community, Debbie joins their activities and soon attracts the attention of Paul Wagler, a successful, sought-after bachelor. But she’s drawn to Alvin Knepp, the youngest son of a poor farmer. Would an Amish man consider courting a woman not brought up in the faith? Would the community allow it?

  Englisha Debbie Watson is still learning the Plain way of the Amish community in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. Living with Bishop Beiler and his family, she’s already attracted two suitors: the insecure-but-lovable Alvin Knepp and the confident, brash Paul Wagler. Believing she’s in love with Alvin, Debbie is crushed when he leaves the Amish community for the big city.

  When Lois Beiler also decides to leave the community, the bishop faces mounting criticism for allowing Debbie to dwell among them. Returning Paul’s interest would eliminate much of the community’s concern. Should Debbie simply give in and marry Paul?

  A Checklist of Jerry Eicher’s Books from Harvest House Publishers

  The Beiler Sisters

  Holding a Tender Heart

  Seeing Your Face Again

  Finding Love at Home

  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 quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Cover photos © Chris Garborg; qnjt / Bigstock

  Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota

  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.

  FINDING LOVE AT HOME

  Copyright © 2014 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.

  Finding love at home / Jerry S. Eicher.

  Pages cm. — (The Beiler sisters ; book 3)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-5515-7 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-5517-1 (eBook)

  1. Amish—Pennsylvania—Fiction. 2. Man–woman relationships—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3605.I34F58 2014

  813’.6—dc23

  2013043549

  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 means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser 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

  The Beiler Sisters Series

  A Checklist of Jerry Eicher’s Books from Harvest House Publishers

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Discussion Questions

  About Jerry Eicher

  About the Publisher

  Ready to Discover More?

  One

  It was a beautiful fall morning as Debbie Watson sat on the front porch swing of the Beiler home. She smiled as she listened to the creak of the swing chains on each side of her. She hadn’t been born Amish or raised in the faith, and yet God had done a good work in her heart, just as He’d done in the hearts of the Beiler family. They had welcomed her into their home well over a year ago, and so much had happened since then. Good things as well as tragic things.

  That she was well accepted in the community was one of the good things. Widower Melvin Kanagy’s passing last spring, only weeks before his planned wedding with Ida Beiler, had been one of the great tragedies. That Ida had managed to rebound so quickly after her heart had been fully given to Melvin still surprised Debbie. Of course, she had her own heartache regarding Alvin Knepp. He still hadn’t asked her home after a Sunday hymn singing. When Alvin returned from his brief time of living in the Englisha world, he’d practically promised he would ask to take her home.

  Debbie pushed thoughts of Alvin aside and took in the sweep of fall colors beginning to roll over the hills around her. It was the second week of September, and Snyder County’s Amish country always put on its best face this time of year. The Beilers’ corn crop had been cut and stacked in the fields, awaiting the annual silage filling. Debbie planned to stay home from work when that day arrived. She’d wanted to take in the full flavor of an Amish silo filling for some time now—and this was the year!

  The men of the community would gather for the day, and Saloma and Ida would have tables in the yard spread with an awesome noon meal. The community was a peaceful place filled with people who possessed deep faith and worked close to the soil. Debbie had chosen to become part of them, and each day she was drawn further in. An
d now, incredibly, tomorrow would be the day of her baptism! It had been so long in coming, and now that it was here, Debbie was finding it hard to hold her joy in. How she made it through all the baptismal instruction classes, with the long lectures by Minister Kanagy on the Ordnung rules, was still a miracle. Minister Kanagy wasn’t the bishop, but he acted like he was sometimes.

  Minister Kanagy had been skeptical of her true intentions and had regarded her with steely eyes as she sat with the other applicants on Sunday mornings. Surely the others were also at risk of not keeping the Ordnung. Minister Kanagy didn’t have to single her out—but he did.

  Still, she would never wish calamity on Minister Kanagy, but disaster had struck anyway. Horrible tragedy. His wife, Barbara, had been diagnosed with cancer at nearly the same time his brother Melvin had passed, back in the spring. The doctors had recommended the most aggressive treatment for Barbara, but this had done little to halt the cancer’s rapid advance. They had buried her last month, only yards from where Melvin’s body lay.

  Debbie sighed. How closely sorrow and joy walked together. And here among the community, the cutting edge of each emotion was felt to the maximum. These people drew support from God and from each other. That was how they survived and flourished in a modern world that often rushed past them. And tomorrow she would become part of them. Bishop Beiler would ask her the questions, she would answer, and water would be poured over her head. Debbie’s hands tingled at the thought.

  She’d truly become Amish. Her baptism would just confirm what she already knew in her heart. Despite his eagle eye, Minister Kanagy had failed to catch her in any Ordnung transgressions. She’d been careful about that, often questioning Ida Beiler for hours on how things were done. Ida would mention things like comportment, how to fold her hands on her lap in the instruction classes, and to look up only when the others spoke or a question was asked of her. Ida had personally supervised the sewing of her dresses, and she’d seen to it that her head covering was large enough. If Minister Kanagy had found fault with any of that hard work, Debbie would have corrected the error at once. That was another character trait the people of the community admired—the willingness to change one’s ways to conform. And she had changed her ways. She’d come a long way from her Englisha roots.

  Debbie’s thoughts drifted to the sweeping lawns of the college of Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster. There the trees would also blaze with their fall splendor. The students were rushing about this week on their way to classes. She’d once been one of them, only she hadn’t been eager or excited. Their world had never been hers, even when she completed four years and graduated with honors to please her mother. Callie had thought she’d won the struggle with her only child once Debbie had her degree in hand. Hoping her daughter’s fascination with the Amish had been forever purged or at least neutralized by her college education, Callie had been sorely disappointed. With the world open before Debbie, and now able to choose for herself, she’d followed her heart first by becoming a boarder with the Beiler family and then by embracing their Plain faith. Her mother had openly disapproved of Debbie’s decision. But at least her mother wasn’t in shock like Adam and Saloma Beiler were when their youngest daughter, Lois, deserted the Amish faith and moved into the Englisha world. The Beilers were still reeling from the blow.

  Debbie had grown up next door to the Beilers and was friends with the three Beiler girls: Verna, Ida, and Lois. But between Lois and her there had always been a vast difference. Debbie admired the Amish community, while Lois longed for Englisha life. Now Lois lived at Debbie’s parents’ place, where she’d moved earlier this year. Debbie thought it was as if she and Lois had swapped places and corrected some error of birth. But there hadn’t been an error. She was Herbert and Callie Watson’s birth daughter, just as Lois belonged to Adam and Saloma Beiler.

  Debbie brought the squeak of the swing to a halt for a moment. Next week Lois would marry Doug Williams, of all people. Mother must have introduced the two soon after Lois moved in. Debbie was sure her mother had eagerly pushed Lois down the path of social success that her own daughter refused. What irony, Debbie thought. She’d dated Doug on and off but was never really impressed by him.

  Debbie pushed with her foot to start the swing again. The subject of Lois’s wedding was a sore one around the Beiler household. Lois’s wedding invitation was in the bottom of one of Saloma’s dresser drawers, and it would remain there. None of the Beiler family planned to attend the wedding. And Debbie couldn’t go either, although she would have before she began the baptism instruction classes. Tomorrow she would be baptized, and she certainly wouldn’t jeopardize her new standing in the community by doing such a thing.

  The front door squeaked open. Ida’s face appeared. “Hiding out, are we?”

  “In plain sight.” Debbie smiled. “Come join me.”

  Ida did so, gazing off into the distance as she sat down.

  Debbie reached over to squeeze her friend’s hand. “Are we troubled on this fine morning?”

  Ida gave her a strained smile. “Your baptism is tomorrow. I’m so happy for you, Debbie. You’ll have found your home amongst us at last.”

  “Thank you.” Debbie didn’t let go of Ida’s hand. She wasn’t fooled by Ida’s cheerfulness. Her friend’s heart was always toward others and seldom on her own troubles, but something was off.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Debbie tightened her fingers.

  Ida shrugged. “I’m okay. Just thinking, that’s all.”

  Debbie didn’t back down. “You’ll feel better if you talk about it.”

  Ida’s response was a sharp intake of breath as she looked away.

  “Did Barbara’s funeral bring back memories?” Debbie tried again. “I know it did for me, so I can only imagine what you must still go through.”

  Ida’s voice choked. “Melvin’s body was lying over there, Debbie. So close. The man I almost married. I could still see the outline of the grave. And Melvin’s boy Willard, the eldest, couldn’t stop looking at it. I got to thinking of him finding his daett under the cultivator tines. No nine-year-old boy should have to see such a thing, and with no mamm to comfort him… ” Ida wiped the tears from her cheek. “I almost went over last week to put my arms around him, Debbie. But Willard isn’t my son, and he never will be. Oh, why did Da Hah do this to us? Why, Debbie?” Ida struggled to control her sobs.

  Debbie slipped her arm around Ida’s shoulders and pulled her close. “God knows what’s best,” Debbie whispered, surprised that the words were more than just words. Conviction rose in her heart.

  “Yah, Da Hah does.” Ida collected herself. “And here I am blubbering all over the place.”

  “That doesn’t mean that you don’t trust Him, Ida. It just means that it still hurts.”

  Ida’s shoulders shook. “First Melvin’s six children are left motherless and fatherless, and now Minister Kanagy’s two have no mamm. It seems so wrong.”

  Debbie let go of Ida and gave her friend a sharp look. Should she say something? Hadn’t she seen Minister Kanagy’s gaze on Ida at the Sunday service—and Ida’s weak smile in response? Or had her imagination been running wild?

  Did Ida have ideas in her head? Like marriage to Minister Kanagy so she could take care of Melvin’s orphaned children and Minister Kanagy’s semi-orphaned children? Surely Ida wouldn’t marry the man—even if Minister Kanagy asked. Would she? Shivers ran through Debbie at the thought of Ida as Minister Kanagy’s frau. What a loveless match that would be. Debbie decided she shouldn’t say anything about it. What if she said something, and Ida hadn’t thought of it? Would she have planted seeds that could take root in Ida’s kind and selfless nature? Then Ida’s open heart might draw Minister Kanagy’s attention even further. “That’s terrible!” Debbie gasped out loud.

  “I know.” Ida nodded. “It’s awful what has happened this year. And now Lois’s wedding to that awful Englisha man is next week. Our family ought to go about the community in sackcloth and ashe
s.”

  Debbie let the subject of Minister Kanagy go. “People don’t blame your family like you think they might.” Thankfully Ida hadn’t caught the true meaning of her gasp.

  “I guess things look dark right now. Maybe you’re right.” Ida lapsed into silence.

  Perhaps Lois’s upcoming marriage was the more urgent concern anyway. Debbie knew Doug well. She had, after all, dated the man. He wasn’t quite the awful Englisha man the Beilers thought he was, but she understood their point of view. To them Doug had lured Lois deeper into the outside world. On the other hand, Debbie remembered what the Beilers were overlooking at the moment. Lois had found her way into the Englisha world on her own, well before knowing Doug.

  Ida shifted on the swing. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be speaking such harsh words about Doug. My heart is broken and sorrowful, I suppose. But that’s never a gut excuse for wrongdoing.”

  “I’m sure Da Hah understands.” Debbie reached over to squeeze Ida’s hand.

  “I hope so.” Ida attempted a smile. “I’ll be needing His blessing soon. If I don’t miss my guess, Minister Kanagy will be calling before long. He needs a new frau—and quickly, I would say.”

  Shock sent Debbie to her feet. “You shouldn’t say that, Ida. It’s not decent. The man’s wife is barely in the ground.”

  Ida appeared puzzled. “There’s nothing indecent about it. Da Hah made that choice, and Minister Kanagy is free to marry again since Barbara’s gone. And we could bring all of Melvin’s children into the family.”

  Debbie trembled. “He’s a horrible man, Ida. Have you ever had to deal with his harsh eyes looking for any flaw in you? Well, I did. I lived through many an instruction class with the man. And what about what he did to Joe and Verna? He would’ve liked to put Joe in jail on his suspicions alone if Henry Yoder hadn’t found another witness to testify for Joe.”

  Ida eyed Debbie. “He’s a hard man, Debbie. I know that. But I also know I’m sitting here wasting away my life as an old maid when I could be mothering Melvin’s six children.” Ida paused to wipe her eyes. “Would you keep me from that, Debbie?”