Her Amish Christmas Choice

He realized what she said was true. And yet, he couldn’t give up hope.

Not for her. And not for himself…

Dear Reader (#udd596fa7-5df2-56cd-9b87-7ae93c043918),

Have you ever wanted something so badly and it seemed you could never have it no matter what you did? In this book, Julia Rose has dreamed of having a large family all her own. She’s been alone and willingly carried the burden of caring for both her ill parents for so long. Yet, when it appears she has finally found Martin, the man of her heart, she can’t have him because he’s Amish. Julia believes she is faced with the choice of abandoning her mother or turning her back on her love. Only when the people in her life make concessions that will allow Julia and Martin to be together does she discover that life is full of surprises and God can bless us when we least expect it.

I know that as we accept and wait upon God’s will in our own lives and follow the Savior’s example, we can find peace and joy no matter what difficulties we might face.

I hope you enjoy reading this story and I invite you to visit my website at LeighBale.com (http://www.LeighBale.com) to learn more about my books.

May you find peace in the Lord’s words!

Leigh Bale

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

—Ecclesiastes 9:11

To my very own Rose, who has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible.

Contents

Cover (#uebbb972d-591b-57d1-b436-916508400621)

Back Cover Text (#u0eab2772-db0f-5549-86e1-5df4f61b2121)

About the Author (#u75873d8a-9cf8-542c-b2ff-e3d4e0c9c07b)

Booklist (#u5f301f27-5cdc-5c3f-a23c-2e1fd0657e70)

Title Page (#u627b90d7-3222-55c6-a6c0-281baa9762bf)

Copyright (#u67bcdeda-6cce-5f86-a1bc-6e256bdc1462)

Note to Readers

Introduction (#ub296ae2d-b6f1-5242-a6c0-f14e924a6716)

Dear Reader (#u16e6fa9c-7ba6-5441-9642-e36c25ec1e9e)

Bible Verse (#ub27368ad-7d7b-5536-a515-c5d7c7b5f4cf)

Dedication (#ud12b446b-c615-5ffb-b27a-d066078b3add)

Chapter One (#u83fe7384-ef6e-5879-8647-1f0ff0d8ee92)

Chapter Two (#u0270f6c1-e751-5910-9380-69c2d8a0f008)

Chapter Three (#u3bf7be34-d7bb-582b-b3ea-37005ad2908a)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#udd596fa7-5df2-56cd-9b87-7ae93c043918)

“Hallo?”

Julia Rose jerked, startled. The two nails she’d been holding between her pursed lips dropped to the wooden planks of the front porch and bounced off into the weedy flower bed.

She swiveled around on the rickety ladder and caught a glimpse of a tall man standing directly behind her. She didn’t have time to return his greeting. The leather gloves she wore were overly large and caused her to lose her grasp on the heavy hammer. It followed the nails, thudding to the wooden porch below. The ladder wobbled and she fought to retain her grip on the tall post she’d been holding upright with her left hand. For fifteen minutes, she’d struggled to get it in just the right spot so she could nail it into place. Now, it slid sideways. Without its support, the heavy canopy above sagged dangerously near her head. The overly stressed timbers gave a low groan and she widened her eyes.

“Acht gewwe!” the man called in a foreign language.

A sickening crack sounded above and Julia scrambled down the ladder. Like a zipper coming undone, the nails holding the awning to the side of the building pinged into the air as the canopy tore away from the outer wall and knocked her to the ground. She gasped in pain as the ruined wood continued its descent toward her.

With a cry of alarm, she curled against the side of the wall, protecting her head with her arms. She was vaguely aware of the man shielding her, taking the brunt of the weight against his own back.

“Oof!”

She glanced up and found his face no more than a breath away. She gazed into his eyes, catching the subtle scent of licorice. His muscular arms held her tight as another piece of the canopy bludgeoned him with a shocking thump. He jerked at the impact but made no sound. For several seconds, they both held perfectly still. She felt uncomfortable with his close proximity but couldn’t move away just then.

“Alles fit? Are you all right?” His voice sounded low and calm, like the approach of thunder off in the distance.