Miriam and the Stranger

S. Eicher Jerry

Description

Miriam Yoder is living a happy life as the beloved school teacher in the small Clarita, Oklahoma Amish community having accepted the fact that she will likely never marry. But when a local freelance reporter enters her world, Miriam is astonished to find herself attracted to the handsome Englisha man.The very next week, widower Mose Stoll arrives from her home community of Possum Valley, Ohio, in search of a second frau. Mose has spoken with Miriam's father and is ready to meet Miriam in person. If he finds no serious flaw in Miriam, Mose plans to marry her and take her home to Possum Valley.When Miriam follows her heart instead of her head, she finds herself facing excommunication. Suddenly her happy life has been turned upside down with no possible solution...unless God intervenes.Jerry Eicher's many fans (more than 600,000 books sold) will delight in this concluding volume in his Land of Promise series.Book three in the Land of Promise series

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736958844
• Langue: English

Extrait

A Checklist of Jerry Eicher s Harvest House Books
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
The Beiler Sisters
Holding a Tender Heart
Seeing Your Face Again
Finding Love at Home
Land of Promise Series
Miriam s Secret
A Blessing for Miriam
Miriam and the Stranger
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 by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota
Cover photos Chris Garborg; George D./Bigstock
MIRIAM AND THE STRANGER
Copyright 2015 Jerry S. Eicher
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eicher, Jerry S.
Miriam and the stranger / Jerry S. Eicher.
pages ; cm. - (Land of promise ; book 3)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5883-7 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5884-4 (eBook)
1. Amish-Fiction. 2. Mate selection-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3605.I34M56 2015
813 .6-dc23
2014044385
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
A Checklist of Jerry Eicher s Harvest House Books
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 the Author
Other Books in the Land of Promise Series
Ready to Discover More?
About the Publisher
Chapter One

M iriam Yoder opened the schoolhouse door and looked across the ball diamond where only a couple of hours ago the children had played softball at recess. The sunbathed, open Oklahoma landscape stretched off into the horizon. Miriam paused with her hand on the doorknob. This little one-room schoolhouse had been hers for the past two years. She was the teacher, and the Clarita Amish community had become home to her. Here she had found a land of promise in which to heal and to grow after the tragedy of her beloved Wayne s death-even if that now meant she might have to walk alone as a single woman for the rest of her life.
A smile filled Miriam s face when Star s whinny from the small weather shelter broke into her thoughts.
Yah , Miriam hollered. I know I m late, but you don t have to be in such a hurry.
Star tossed his head as if he understood, and Miriam closed the schoolhouse door behind her. Aunt Fannie would have supper on the table by now. She shouldn t have worked so late, but at least she had managed to finish correcting the last of the arithmetic tests. Tomorrow the scholars would be happy with their grades. Her entire third-grade class of four students had received scores above ninety, which was an accomplishment after last year when all four had struggled so hard. She had spent time this term with the students whenever there had been a spare moment. The other grades also needed a fair share of her attention, but the extra effort with the third-graders had paid off. Their faces would glow with happiness when she told them the news, and further joy would fill her own heart. Her fourth teaching term had begun this fall, and what grace the Lord had granted her that she could play even a small part in the development of these precious children s lives. The Lord had surely been with her since Wayne s passing during that awful tornado.
Star lifted his head as Miriam approached, and she rubbed his nose. The white mark on his forehead was highlighted in the soft afternoon sunlight. Miriam traced the outline of the imprint while Star held his head perfectly still, fully enjoying the attention.
The Lord has guided me well these past years, Miriam whispered to him. And this is one of my signs that the way was opened by His hand. You are my Star. Miriam brushed the silky hair on his neck.
Star whinnied again.
Miriam laughed. Yah , you are a dear. But now we d best be heading home before it gets much later.
Miriam hurried to hitch Star to the buggy and drove quickly out of the schoolyard. Star lifted his feet high and pranced down the road. Miriam laughed and allowed contentment to fill her again.
She was happy even if the prospect of marriage had not been granted her these past years. Yah , she would always mourn Wayne, but in her heart healing had come. That the two could occur together seemed impossible, yet both were true. Uncle William and Aunt Fannie had experienced the grace of the Lord along with her. The tornadoes that had swept through the community and brought so much sorrow were a distant memory now. And back home in Possum Valley, the latest news was that her sister Shirley had fallen in love and would marry Glen Weaver next month. She would travel to Ohio for the November wedding. The Lord truly had blessed again. And now Mamm s last letter had hinted of a new happiness soon to enter Miriam s life. Mamm hadn t given details, saying only that she was to trust in the Lord and in Daett s guidance, which sounded like gut advice whatever this new thing should be.
Miriam pulled back on the reins to slow Star for the stop sign. With a quick look each way she turned west. She should be very thankful, Miriam reminded herself. A heart could be broken into a thousand pieces, and yet the Lord knew how to put them all together again. She still struggled at times with submission to the Lord s will for her future. Was there to be a man in her life or not? No unmarried man in the community had paid her more than a passing glance these past two years. And surely the news Mamm wrote about couldn t be about a man.
Miriam sighed. Not often did she dare entertain these thoughts. Daydreams weren t wise, and even if another unmarried Amish man with an interest in marriage looked her way, could she open her heart again? At almost twenty-four years of age, she was an old maid in the Amish world. All the unmarried men from the community were younger than she was. Maybe she should travel more and put herself out there before she was a hopeless case? Miriam frowned and pulled back again on Star s reins for the stop on Highway 48. She turned south after a quick check each way.
The road was the main thoroughfare through the community, but traffic was usually light-unlike Possum Valley near Berlin, Ohio. There the place usually buzzed with people and automobiles. She couldn t imagine Clarita, Oklahoma, jammed with cars like Berlin was on Friday nights. Clarita, with its empty streets, was an island of sanity on any day of the week. Its peace and quiet comforted the soul. The small Amish community followed course with its laid-back attitudes and slower pace of life. Not too many unusual things happened here. Even the violent fall storms had been quiet the past two years, as if their fury had been expended for a time.
Miriam hung on to Star s reins and shivered at the memory of the evening she had spent in Uncle William and Aunt Fannie s basement. Outside the winds had lashed from the tornadoes. Many of the Englisha people in Clarita had perished that night, and the Lord would not exempt the Amish from the tragedy. She did not blame anyone for Wayne s and his sister Lois s deaths-most certainly not the Lord. His thoughts and purposes were high above what anyone on this earth could comprehend.
Miriam slowed down as her Uncle William s greenhouse with its rows of plants and bushes came into view. She turned into the driveway and pulled to a stop near the barn. A car was parked at the greenhouse door, which was unusual at this hour, but perhaps Uncle William had a late customer. Miriam climbed out of the buggy and unhitched Star. With another quick glance at the car, she led Star into the barn and left him in his stall with his nose deep in a bucket of oats.
Miriam slipped out of the barn and crossed the lawn. The car was still parked in front of the greenhouse, so perhaps a salesman was having a late conversation with Uncle William. She shrugged and entered the front door of the house and called, Gut evening. Anybody home?
In here. Aunt Fannie s voice came from the kitchen.
Miriam peeked through the doorway with a big smile on her face.
My, are we cheerful tonight? Aunt Fannie asked, looking up from the kitchen stove.
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