Rebecca's Choice (The Adams County Trilogy 3) Read online

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  Acknowledgments

  Thanks, first of all, to the good people at Harvest House, who I am still getting to know. They are the ones who took the risk and welcomed me into the real world of publishing.

  Thanks to the editors I work with, Nick Harrison and Peggy Wright. Terry Glaspey—the great mediator extraordinaire—you are good.

  In the world outside Harvest House, there is a man to whom I cannot fully express my gratitude—Mr. John Gerber, the executive director of Choice Books of Midwest. It is no exaggeration to say that without him there would be no Jerry Eicher who writes Amish fiction. The dream would have died with the self-published memoirs of my childhood memories.

  On that Saturday afternoon in the summer of 2005, I visited with Lavina Hostetler at her home, where I had boarded some twenty-three years prior as a parochial school teacher. That meeting was the last stop on what my wife, Tina, called my “book tour.” A sort of pitiful affair, but I was trying. I had by then given up on the book but showed it to Lavina anyway.

  She said, “You have to talk to John Gerber from Choice Books. You know him from your school teaching days.”

  I said, “Ja, I know him, but I also know Choice Books. They turned me down at the main office.”

  “You have to talk to him,” she insisted and picked up the phone. Fifteen minutes later Mr. Gerber walked into her living room, sat down across from me, and cast his steely eye on my book.

  “We need this kind of literature,” he said, “but this is all done wrong.”

  “Okay,” I said. At least the man seemed willing to give me information.

  What followed was rapid-fire information about the world of publishing, all highly classified and not to be disclosed here . . . just kidding. He took me down to the local Choice Books offices at Metamora and gave me the full tour.

  I left with his promise that if I changed the cover he would test market ten copies. I did, and he kept his promise. On such a small thread hung my destiny as a writer. I think I sold six copies in two weeks—and I was in. From there he pushed me into writing romance, a place I would never have gone on my own. I only had mystery, suspense, and that sort of thing in mind.

  Thanks, John. You have been a friend indeed.

  Other books by the Author

  THE ADAMS COUNTY TRILOGY

  By Jerry Eicher

  REBECCA’S PROMISE

  The Adams County Trilogy, book one

  Rebecca Keim has just declared her love to John Miller and agreed to become his wife. But she’s haunted by her schoolgirl memories of a long-ago love—and a promise made and a ring given. Is that memory just a fantasy come back to destroy the beautiful present… or was it real?

  When Rebecca’s mother sends her back to the old home community in Milroy to be with her aunt during and after her childbirth, Rebecca determines to find answers that will resolve her conflicted feelings. Faith, love, and tradition all play a part in Rebecca’s divine destiny.

  REBECCA’S RETURN

  The Adams County Trilogy, book two

  Rebecca Keim returns to Wheat Ridge full of resolve to make her relationship with John Miller work. But in her absence, John has become suspicious of the woman he loves. Before their conflict can be resolved, John is badly injured and Rebecca is sent back to Milroy to aid her seriously ill aunt Leona.

  In Milroy, Rebecca once again visits the old covered bridge over the Flatrock River, the source of her past memories and of her promise made so long ago.

  Where will Rebecca find happiness? In Wheat Ridge with John, the man she has agreed to marry… or should she stake her future on the memory that persists… and the ring she has never forgotten? Does God have a perfect will for Rebecca—and if so how can she know that will?

  New Amish Books

  from Harvest House Publishers

  THE POCKET GUIDE TO AMISH LIFE by Mindy Starns Clark

  As Amish fiction continues to appeal to a huge audience, A Pocket Guide to Amish Life gives you a glimpse into an obscure, fascinating world—what the Amish believe and how they live. Full of fun and fresh facts about the people who abide by this often-misunderstood faith and unique culture, this handy-sized guide covers a wide variety of topics, such as:

  beliefs and values

  clothing and transportation

  courtship and marriage

  shunning and discipline

  teens and rumpsringa

  children and the elderly

  education and work

  Presented in an easy-to-follow and engaging style, this pocket guide to the Amish is a great resource for anyone interested in Amish life.

  THE HOMESTYLE AMISH KITCHEN COOKBOOK by Georgia Varozza

  Just about everyone is fascinated by the Amish—their simple, family-centered lifestyle, colorful quilts, and hearty, homemade meals. Straight from the heart of Amish country, this celebration of hearth and home gives you a delightful peek at the Amish way of life—a life filled with the self-reliance and peace of mind that many long for.

  You will appreciate the scores of tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes such as Scrapple, Graham “Nuts” Cereal, Potato Rivvel Soup, Amish Dressing, and Snitz Pie. At the same time you will learn a bit about the Amish, savor interesting tidbits from the “Amish Kitchen Wisdom” sections, find out just how much food it takes to feed the large number of folks attending preaching services, barn raisings, weddings, and work frolics, and much more.

  The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook is filled with good, old-fashioned family meal ideas to help bring the simple life home!

  More Fine Amish Fiction

  from Harvest House Publishers

  RACHEL’S SECRET by BJ Hoff

  The Riverhaven Years, book one

  In Rachel’s Secret, Hoff introduces a new community of unforgettable characters and adds the elements readers have come to expect from her novels: a tender love story, the faith journeys of people we grow to know and love, and enough suspense to keep the pages turning quickly.

  When the wounded Irish American riverboat captain, Jeremiah Gant, bursts into the rural Amish setting of Riverhaven, he brings chaos and conflict to the community—especially for young widow, Rachel Brenneman. The unwelcome “outsider” needs a safe place to recuperate before continuing his secret role as an Underground Railroad conductor. Neither he nor Rachel is prepared for the forbidden love that threatens to endanger a man’s mission, a woman’s heart, and a way of life for an entire people.

  WHERE GRACE ABIDES by BJ Hoff

  The Riverhaven Years, book two

  In Where Grace Abides, the compelling second book in the series, Hoff offers her readers an even closer look at the Amish community of Riverhaven and the people who live and love and work there. Secrets, treachery, and persecution are only a few of the challenges that test Rachel’s faith and her love for the forbidden “outsider,” while Gant’s own hopes and dreams are dealt a life–changing blow, rendering the vow he made to Rachel seemingly impossible to honor.

  Many of the other characters first introduced in Rachel’s Secret now find their gentle, unassuming lives of faith jeopardized by a malicious outside influence. At the same time, those striving to help runaway slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad face deception and the danger of discovery.

  SHADOWS OF LANCASTER COUNTY by Mindy Starns Clark

  Following up on her extremely popular Gothic thriller, Whispers of the Bayou, Mindy Starns Clark offers another suspenseful stand-alone mystery full of Amish simplicity, dark shadows, and the light of God’s amazing grace.

  Anna thought she left the tragedies of the past behind when she moved from Pennsylvania to California, but when her brother vanishes from the genetics lab where he works, Anna has no choice but to head back home. Using skills well-honed in Silicon Valley, she follows the high-tech trail her brother left behind, a trail that leads from the simple world of Amish farming to the cutting edge of DNA research and gene mapping.
/>   Anna knows she must depend on her instincts, her faith in God, and the help of the Amish community to find her brother. She also must finally face her own shadows—and pray that she’s stronger than the grief that threatens to overwhelm them all.

  A WIDOW’S HOPE by Mary Ellis

  A bright new voice shares a tender love story set in the rolling green fields of Ohio Amish country.

  After the death of her husband, Hannah Brown is determined to make a new life with her sister’s family. But when she sells her farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and moves with her sheep to Ohio, the wool unexpectedly starts to fly. Her deacon brother-in-law finds just about everything about Hannah vexing. When his widower brother shows interest in the young and beautiful widow, the deacon turns to prayer for guidance.

  Hannah thought she could never love again, until she meets the strong, gentle farmer. Unfortunately, Seth Miller’s only interest is in Hannah’s sheep. He is content in his bachelor state and slow to recognize his daughter’s need for a new mother. Yet God offers Seth the perfect solution to their problems if he could only open his heart again… and love.

  Table of Contents

  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

  Book Group Discussion Questions

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Other books by the Author