A Simple Prayer Read online

  Acclaim for Amy Clipston

  “. . . will leave readers craving more.”

  —ROMANTIC TIMES TOP PICK! 4 1/2-STAR REVIEW OF A MOTHER’S SECRET

  “Clipston’s series starter has a compelling drama involving faith, family and romance. . . . [an] absorbing series.”

  —ROMANTIC TIMES TOP PICK! 4 1/2-STAR REVIEW OF A HOPEFUL HEART

  “Authentic characters, delectable recipes and faith abound in Clipston’s second Kauffman Amish Bakery story.”

  —ROMANTIC TIMES 4-STAR REVIEW OF A PROMISE OF HOPE

  “. . . an entertaining story of Amish life, loss, love and family.”

  —ROMANTIC TIMES 4-STAR REVIEW OF A PLACE OF PEACE

  “This fifth and final installment in the ‘Kauffman Amish Bakery’ series is sure to please fans who have waited for Katie’s story.”

  —LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW OF A SEASON OF LOVE

  “[The Kauffman Amish Bakery] series’ wide popularity is sure to attract readers to this novella, and they won’t be disappointed by the excellent writing and the story’s wholesome goodness.”

  —LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW OF A PLAIN AND SIMPLE CHRISTMAS

  “[A Plain and Simple Christmas] is inspiring and a perfect fit for the holiday season.”

  —ROMANTIC TIMES 4-STAR REVIEW

  Also by Amy Clipston

  THE HEARTS OF THE LANCASTER

  GRAND HOTEL SERIES

  A Hopeful Heart

  A Mother’s Secret

  A Dream of Home

  THE KAUFFMAN AMISH BAKERY SERIES

  A Gift of Grace

  A Place of Peace

  A Promise of Hope

  A Life of Joy

  A Season of Love

  A Plain and Simple Christmas

  Naomi’s Gift

  YOUNG ADULT

  Roadside Assistance

  Reckless Heart

  Destination Unknown

  Miles from Nowhere

  NOVELLAS

  A Spoonful of Love included in An Amish Kitchen

  A Son for Always included in An Amish Cradle

  NONFICTION

  A Gift of Love

  ZONDERVAN

  A Simple Prayer

  Copyright © 2015 by Amy Clipston

  Requests for information should be addressed to:

  Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

  ePub Edition © April 2015: ISBN 978-0-310-33589-4

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Clipston, Amy.

  A simple prayer / Amy Clipston.

  pages ; cm. — (Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel; book 4)

  ISBN 978-0-310-33588-7 (softcover : acid-free paper) 1. Amish—Fiction. 2. Domestic fiction. I. Title.

  PS3603.L58S56 2015

  813'.6—dc23

  2014044003

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

  Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  15 16 17 18 19 20 / RRD / 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For my mother, Lola Goebelbecker, with

  love, appreciation, and admiration.

  You’re my rock and my best friend. Thank

  you for all you do for our family.

  CONTENTS

  GLOSSARY

  HEARTS OF THE LANCASTER GRAND HOTEL FAMILY TREES

  NOTE TO THE READER

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  EPILOGUE

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  AN EXCERPT FROM THE FORGOTTEN RECIPE

  PROLOGUE

  GLOSSARY

  ach: oh

  aenti: aunt

  appeditlich: delicious

  Ausbund: Amish hymnal

  bedauerlich: sad

  boppli: baby

  brot: bread

  bruder: brother

  bruderskinner: nieces/nephews

  bu: boy

  buwe: boys

  daadi: granddad

  daed: dad

  danki: thank you

  dat: dad

  Dietsch: Pennsylvania Dutch, the Amish language (a German dialect)

  dochder: daughter

  dochdern: daughters

  Dummle!: hurry!

  Englisher: a non-Amish person

  fraa: wife

  freind: friend

  freinden: friends

  froh: happy

  gegisch: silly

  gern gschehne: you’re welcome

  grossdaadi: grandfather

  grossdochder: granddaughter

  grossdochdern: granddaughters

  grossmammi: grandmother

  Gude mariye: Good morning

  gut: good

  Gut nacht: Good night

  haus: house

  Ich liebe dich: I love you

  kapp: prayer covering or cap

  kichli: cookie

  kichlin: cookies

  kind: child

  kinner: children

  kumm: come

  liewe: love, a term of endearment

  maed: young women, girls

  maedel: young woman

  mamm: mom

  mammi: grandma

  mei: my

  mutter: mother

  naerfich: nervous

  narrisch: crazy

  onkel: uncle

  Ordnung: The oral tradition of practices required and forbidden in the Amish faith.

  schee: pretty

  schmaert: smart

  schtupp: family room

  schweschder: sister

  Was iss letz?: What’s wrong?

  Wie geht’s: How do you do? or Good day!

  Willkumm: welcome

  wunderbaar: wonderful

  ya: yes

  Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel Family Trees

  NOTE TO THE READER

  While this novel is set against the real backdrop of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the characters are fictional. There is no intended resemblance between the characters in this book and any real members of the Amish and Mennonite communities. As with any work of fiction, I’ve taken license in some areas of research as a means of creating the necessary circumstances for my characters. My research was thorough; however, it would be impossible to be completely accurate in details and description, since each and every community differs. Therefore, any inaccuracies in the Amish and Mennonite lifestyles portrayed in this book are complet
ely due to fictional license.

  ONE

  Memories flashed through his mind as Aaron Ebersol steered his pickup truck through Paradise late Tuesday afternoon. When he saw the old schoolhouse, he pulled over and thought about the years he spent learning with his peers in the one-room building. He took in the place, wondering if his brother had any children still attending there. Had Solomon’s family grown during the past seventeen years? He was certain it had.

  Aaron put the truck in gear and drove to his parents’ house. His pulse pounded as he slowed to a stop in front and took in the property. Their house looked the same—an average-size, two-story white house with the green window shades typical in Lancaster County Amish homes.

  His brother’s house, behind their parents’ home, was more substantial. When Aaron left, the house was already framed, so he knew the two-story home was nearly twice the size of his parents’ house. He remembered the plans included six bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, and two bathrooms. Solomon and his wife, Becky, wanted what every Amish couple dreamed of having—a place of their own to raise a large family.

  Solomon had always seemed so certain of himself and his future. He was confident and serious, the opposite of Aaron. Solomon never doubted where he belonged in life or what path he should follow. Eight years Aaron’s senior, Solomon had joined the church when he was eighteen, married his childhood sweetheart when he was twenty, and started a family when he was only twenty-one. Solomon had figured everything out at a young age—not only would he help his father with the dairy farm that would one day be his, he would raise his family in the Amish church.

  For a long time, the two brothers were close. Solomon was the best older sibling anyone could ask for. But then Aaron started getting into trouble with behavior his by-the-book brother couldn’t understand. How could he, when following all the rules had made his own life so perfect? By the time Aaron left, they seemed more like strangers than brothers.

  Aaron spotted a man walking out of the largest of the red barns. He was sure it was Solomon, though he supposed it could be his son, Manny, who’d be nineteen by now. He considered climbing from the truck. Instead he sat still in his seat, unable to move. Something had kept him away from his family all these years, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to see any of them now. Not today.

  He watched Solomon saunter toward his parents’ house for a moment longer and then drove off before he’d be noticed. He was going to the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast, where he had reserved a room for his stay. He’d found the place by searching for hotels close to his parents’ home, and it was only three and a half miles away.

  He parked in their driveway and grabbed his duffle bag from the backseat. The crisp January air seeped through his coat and caused him to shiver as he climbed the front steps leading to the three-story, clapboard house. Just as the website had boasted, the building had a large, wrap-around porch with a large swing and was peppered with rocking chairs. A wooden sign with old-fashioned letters boasted the name of the place: Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast. He knocked on the front door, and in a minute or so it swung open, revealing a tall man with short sandy-blond hair and a matching goatee. He looked to be in his mid-forties.

  “Good afternoon,” Aaron said. “I’m Aaron Ebersol. I’m going to be staying here for a while.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. We’ve been expecting you. I’m Trey Peterson.” Trey shook Aaron’s hand and then swung the door open and motioned for him to enter. “My wife, Hannah, and I own this bed-and-breakfast.”

  Aaron followed him into a sitting area sparsely decorated with antiques and a few plants. “This is nice.”

  “Thank you.” Trey pulled out a book and flipped through it. “Let me see where we have you staying.” He reviewed a page and then looked up. “Oh, yes. I remember. You said you don’t know how long you’ll be here, so we’d like to have you pay for a week up front. Does that still sound okay?”

  “That will be fine.” Aaron slid his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his credit card.

  Trey ran it through the machine and Aaron signed the receipt. Trey handed him a set of keys, explaining that one was his room key and the other was the key to the front door. Aaron followed him up the stairs to the second floor and down a hallway to the last door on the right.

  “Here we are.” Trey opened the door and stepped inside.

  Aaron stood in the doorway and surveyed the room. It had a double bed, a dresser with a flat-screen television on top of it, a small desk with a chair, and a nightstand. He could also see a small bathroom with a shower through another open door and what was probably the closed door to a closet. A stack of towels sat in the middle of the bed. The walls were white, and a small mirror hung in one corner next to a flowered wreath. A painting of a farm landscape adorned the wall above the bed, and another wall had a big window.

  It was all he’d need for his visit.

  “It’s perfect,” Aaron said.

  “We’ll provide fresh linens every day.” Trey picked up a piece of paper next to the television. “We have basic cable, and this is a list of channels.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t watch much television.” Aaron dropped his duffel bag next to the bed with a thud.

  “Breakfast is included with your stay, and it’s served at eight. The back stairs we passed lead right to the kitchen. We don’t have a formal dining room. One authentic Amish meal is also included, and you can choose what day you want that meal.”

  Trey paused, looking as if there were something else he wanted to say.

  “Mr. Ebersol,” he finally said, “I didn’t want to ask when you called, and I didn’t say anything to my wife for fear I’d get her hopes up, but . . . are you Ruth’s son? She and my wife are friends.”

  “Yes, I am. But if you don’t mind, could you not tell anyone I’m here? My family doesn’t know anything about me being here. Not yet.”

  “Of course. But I know from what Hannah has told me that Ruth will be thrilled to see you. They worked together at the Lancaster Grand Hotel. Well, welcome back.”

  “Thank you. And please call me Aaron.” He was surprised his mother had had a job outside the home. Inwardly, he winced. Had the farm not adequately supported his family over the years?

  Trey moved to the doorway before adding, “Do you have any questions before I go?”

  “No. Everything is great.” Aaron smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Just let me know if you need anything.” Trey tapped the door frame and then walked down the hallway.

  Aaron took off his coat and sat down on the edge of the bed, which creaked under his weight. He didn’t know what to do first. He stared out the window, considering his options. He had to go see his parents, but something was holding him back. Was it his pride or was it something more like fear—fear of their continued rejection?

  Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he unpacked his clothes, placing his shirts and undergarments in the dresser and hanging his jeans and trousers in the closet. Besides, his family members were not the only people he wanted to see.

  Aaron’s childhood friend Saul was the one who’d contacted him a little over a week ago to tell him his mother had suffered a massive stroke. He even indicated she was asking for him. Aaron had been both shocked and saddened by the news, but also surprised. He hadn’t heard from anyone in his family for seventeen years. Still, he had decided before they had even finished talking that, if his mother wanted him, he’d go.

  He tied up loose ends at the construction company he co-owned in Missouri and headed to the community where he’d been born and raised until he left at the age of fifteen.

  It was difficult to believe he was here.

  After freshening up in the bathroom, Aaron grabbed his coat and started down the back stairs to the kitchen. He found Trey flipping through a cookbook.

  Aaron knocked on the door frame and then leaned against it. “Hi, Trey, I was wondering if you could help me.”
/>   Trey looked over at him. “Sure. What do you need?”

  “I want to visit a friend, but I’m not sure where he lives these days. His name is Saul Beiler, and he owns Beiler’s Cabinets somewhere in Paradise. Do you know him by any chance?” Aaron asked.

  “Oh, yes, I do know where that is. It’s only a few blocks from here.” Trey pulled a map out of a nearby drawer, grabbed a pen, and drew a line. “We’re here, and his property is over here. It will only take you a few minutes to get there. You can’t miss the sign advertising his business. You can see it clearly from the road. There’s a small house in front of his property, and you’ll drive up the rock driveway past that house to Saul’s place behind it.”

  “Thanks.” Aaron took the map and stuck it in his pocket.

  “We don’t serve lunch,” Trey said, “but are you hungry? I have some lunch meat and rolls if you’d like to make a sandwich. I think there’s some potato salad in the refrigerator.”

  “Oh, no, thanks. I’m fine. I had a late lunch on the road.” Aaron pulled on his coat.

  “Well, that’s probably for the best. I’m not much of a cook, but I do what I can now that my wife has to take it easy. She’s expecting our first child in the spring. But we hired a part-time person to help, and she’s a great cook. Her name is Linda, and she’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be back later. May I use this back door?”

  “Sure. Have a good visit with your friend,” Trey called after him as Aaron stepped out onto the back deck.

  Using Trey’s directions, Aaron easily found his way to Saul’s place. He spotted the sign with Beiler’s Cabinets on it and steered his pickup up the rock driveway, passing the small, one-story house as Trey had advised. A larger house was surrounded by several other small buildings.

  Aaron parked near one of the larger buildings and climbed from the truck. He heard whirling from inside and assumed Saul was working in there. He pushed open the door and stepped into a woodworking shop.

  The smell of wood dust filled his senses. The soft yellow light from lanterns perched around the large former barn illuminated the shop. A tall man with dark-brown hair and a matching beard stood at a workbench and sanded a cabinet while a diesel generator hummed. An array of tools cluttered a line of surrounding workbenches. A pile of wood sat in the corner beside cabinets in various stages of development.