The Promise of an Angel (Heaven on Earth, 1, Band 1) - Softcover

Reid, Ruth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1595547886 ISBN 13: 9781595547880

Verlag: Thomas Nelson, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

Interrupting the ordered routine of the Mecosta County Amish settlement, an angelic visitor awakens Judith to a new faith.

All Judith Fischer ever wanted is to marry within her community and raise a family. She longs for the day when her parents will allow Levi Plank to officially court her.

But on the day Judith suspects Levi will ask her parent's permission, her younger brother Samuel has an accident under her charge. Rushing to Samuel's aid, Judith spies a strange man helping him; a man she later believes was an angel.

When she shares her conviction with her family and close friends, she is shocked to find that no one believes her, including Levi. In the days following the accident, the angel visits Judith with information that may guide her down the path of faith, should she choose to follow.

As her community slowly distances themselves, only one person is willing to stand up for her?the bishop's son, Andrew Lapp. But can he convince the settlement to listen to her? With a show of faith that flies in the face of her conservative upbringing, can Judith hold strong to the promise that there are even greater things in store for those who believe in God's miracles?

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA bestselling author of the Heaven on Earth, the Amish Wonders, and the Amish Mercies series. She's a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida with her husband and three children. When attending Ferris State University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life. Visit Ruth online at RuthReid.com; Facebook: Author-Ruth-Reid; Twitter: @AuthorRuthReid.

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The Promise of an Angel

By Ruth Reid

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2011 Ruth Reid
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-59554-788-0

Chapter One

Mecosta County, Michigan

The maple tree's crimson canopy offered shade for the children in Judith Fischer's charge, and a perfect place to stitch her quilt while viewing Levi Plank as he worked with the men building the barn. With the structure nearly complete, soon the supper bell would ring. Judith glanced toward the house. Her friend Deborah was busy preparing the outdoor tables for the meal. Judith enjoyed helping with the food preparations, but she loved sitting with the children and entertaining them with stories more.

Six-year-old Rebecca pulled on her sister's sleeve. "Tell us another story."

Judith turned back and eyed the tight circle of smiling children. "What color dress will the maydel wear?"

"Yellow," said Rebecca.

Little Emily looked down at her own dark dress. "Not black or blue?"

A leaf fluttered from the branch above them and landed on Judith's lap. She picked it up and twirled it by the stem. "In stories, people wear bright colors." She tucked the red leaf into her tightly wound hair, leaving it to dangle from under the head covering. "Storybook characters can also wear wildflowers and colorful ribbons in their hair."

Rebecca raised her hand to shield the late afternoon sun from her eyes as she looked up into the branches. "What's her name?"

Judith repositioned the younger girl's bonnet, then removed the leaf from her own hair and tucked the stem under Rebecca's head covering. Feeling a tug on her other arm, she looked down at her five-year-old brother's gap-toothed smile. "Jah, Samuel?"

"Name her Judith."

The girls chimed in their agreement.

Emily's eyes widened. "I'll name the boy in the story."

Judith glanced toward the barn and spotted Levi on the roof. She watched as he removed a nail he'd been holding between his teeth and hammered it into the wood. Judith couldn't help but smile. Levi would make a perfect storybook hero.

"Let's call him Andrew," Emily blurted.

"Andrew?" Judith echoed louder than she intended. She followed the child's gaze to Levi's cousin, Andrew Lapp, and watched as he measured a piece of lumber. He paused, holding the pencil in place against the wood, and smiling, turned toward the children. As his eyes met Judith's, he lifted his hand from the board and touched the brim of his straw hat.

Rebecca scrunched her freckled nose as she looked at Judith. "Why is your face red?"

Judith touched her warm cheeks. Before she could think of how to answer, she heard her sister Martha giggling behind her.

"Supper's ready," she said. "That is, if the daydreamer is ready to eat?"

Judith set the quilt section beside her and stood. Since Martha turned seventeen last month, her entire demeanor had changed. Judith hoped her father would notice the way Martha sashayed to the barn. He'd have something to say about that.

Judith lined up the children to brush the grass off their dresses, meanwhile watching Levi climb down the ladder out of the corner of her eye.

"Am I done?" Emily asked.

She looked at the girl's dress. "Jah, run to your mamm."

Martha had managed to be at the foot of the ladder as Levi reached the ground.

Sarah, Emily's older sister, fanned her dress by pulling on both sides, then twirled in place. "What about me?"

After a few swipes, Judith sent her on her way. Her jaw tightened as she heard Martha and Levi laugh. She should be the one exchanging pleasantries with him, not Martha. She was the one turning nineteen tomorrow. She shooed the other children toward the house without inspecting their clothing, but held back Rebecca and Samuel.

"Samuel, you stay with Rebecca and me. Mamm doesn't need to chase after you today."

He pointed to the supper tables. "I'm hungry."

Judith could see Martha, Levi, and some other girls their age moving in her direction. She pretended to brush grass off Samuel's clothing. "Mamm wouldn't want you to kumm to the table covered with grass. Nau hold still."

"Hello, Judith." Levi paused near the tree, Martha and the others clustered around him. "You sounded happy being surrounded by children all day."

Judith blushed. He had noticed her under the tree. She thought she'd seen him gaze in their direction a few times.

Martha sighed. "She was filling their heads with nonsense again."

Judith gritted her teeth and didn't comment.

"She's going to lead the children astray. They'll all want to wear lacy gowns and ribbons in their hair." Martha pointed to Rebecca. "See, she has our sister wearing colorful adornments."

Rebecca's lips puckered, and Judith quickly patted the girl's slumped shoulders. "It's okay. Martha used to listen to stories too."

"Before I turned seventeen."

Judith crossed her arms. "And you think seventeen makes you grown?"

Martha planted her hand on her hiked hip and shot her nose into the air. "At least I don't dream of fairy tales. I—"

Judith hadn't noticed Andrew joining their group until he cleared his throat and stepped forward. He reached into his pants pocket and knelt in front of Samuel. "I have something for you."

"For me?" The little boy beamed.

Andrew handed him a galvanized nail. "After supper, I'll help you pound that into a piece of wood."

"Really?" Samuel rolled the nail over his palm, eyeing it as if he held a fistful of candy.

Andrew stood and dusted the dirt from his patched knees. "Sure. You want to build barns someday, don't you?"

Samuel nodded. "And furniture too."

Rebecca peeked around Judith's dress. "Andrew was the name of the boy in Judith's story."

Judith's breath caught as she glimpsed Andrew's raised eyebrows. She sent a furtive glance in Levi's direction, but he and the others were heading toward the house.

Andrew squatted and picked up the quilt Judith had been sewing. "Ouch!" He shook his hand. "I guess I stabbed myself with your needle." He handed her the fabric, taking care to point out where the needle was stuck. "I hope I didn't dirty your work."

Judith looked down at the squares. "It'll come out in the wash." She hoped. When she married, she wouldn't want her wedding quilt marred.

She reached for Samuel's hand and caught Rebecca before she darted away. "You two need to wash for supper." Avoiding eye contact with Andrew, she hustled the children toward the house.

As was the custom, the men stood on one side of the table, the women and children on the opposite side. While Bishop Lapp thanked God for the meal, the completed barn, and the day's fair weather, Judith glanced across the table at Levi.

His thick broad shoulders gave him a towering build. Hat in hand and head bowed, his sandy-brown hair, damp with sweat, curled into ringlets and fell forward, covering his eyes.

She stifled the sigh that threatened to escape. If her father caught her staring at a boy instead of giving thanks to God for their new barn, she would hear about it. She tried to keep her eyes closed, but as the bishop's prayer droned on and on, she couldn't keep from peering at Levi again.

His eyes opened. He tipped his head enough to look between his coiled locks.

Her heart quickened. Tomorrow she'd be nineteen. In her dreams, she had already accepted his courtship invitation.

His glance passed over her toward the opposite end of the table....

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1595547886
• ISBN 13: 9781595547880
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Reckitt Benckiser Deutschland GmbH; consumerhealth_de@reckitt.com; ; Darwinstrasse 2-4; Heidelberg; 69115; Deutschland