The Courtship Basket Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE FORGOTTEN RECIPE

  “Clipston delivers another enchanting series starter with a tasty premise, family secrets, and sweet-as-pie romance, offering assurance that true love can happen more than once and second chances are worth fighting for.”

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 41/2 STARS, TOP PICK!

  “In the first book in her Amish Heirloom series, Clipston takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through grief, guilt, and anxiety.”

  —BOOKLIST

  “Clipston is well versed in Amish culture and does a good job creating the world of Lancaster County, Penn. . . . Amish fiction fans will enjoy this story—and want a taste of Veronica’s raspberry pie!”

  —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

  “[Clipston] does an excellent job of wrapping up her story while setting the stage for the sequel.”

  —CBA RETAILERS + RESOURCES

  PRAISE FOR AMY CLIPSTON

  “Clipston brings this engaging series to an end with two emotional family reunions, a prodigal son parable, a sweet but hard-won romance and a happy ending for characters readers have grown to love. Once again, she gives us all we could possibly want from a talented storyteller.”

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 41/2 STARS, TOP PICK! ON A SIMPLE PRAYER

  “. . . will leave readers craving more.”

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 41/2 STARS, TOP PICK! ON A MOTHER’S SECRET

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

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 41/2 STARS, TOP PICK! ON A HOPEFUL HEART

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

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 STARS ON A PROMISE OF HOPE

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

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 STARS ON 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 ON 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 ON A PLAIN AND SIMPLE CHRISTMAS

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

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 STARS

  ALSO BY AMY CLIPSTON

  THE AMISH HEIRLOOM SERIES

  The Forgotten Recipe

  The Courtship Basket

  The Cherished Quilt (available November 2016)

  THE HEARTS OF THE LANCASTER GRAND HOTEL SERIES

  A Hopeful Heart

  A Mother’s Secret

  A Dream of Home

  A Simple Prayer

  THE KAUFFMAN AMISH BAKERY SERIES

  A Gift of Grace

  A Promise of Hope

  A Place of Peace

  A Life of Joy

  A Season of Love

  YOUNG ADULT

  Roadside Assistance

  Reckless Heart

  Destination Unknown

  Miles from Nowhere

  NOVELLAS

  A Plain and Simple Christmas

  Naomi’s Gift included in An Amish Christmas Gift

  A Spoonful of Love included in An Amish Kitchen

  A Son for Always included in An Amish Cradle

  Love Birds included in An Amish Market

  NONFICTION

  A Gift of Love

  ZONDERVAN

  The Courtship Basket

  Copyright © 2016 by Amy Clipston

  ePub Edition © May 2016: ISBN 978-0-3103-4272-4

  Requests for information should be addressed to:

  Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Clipston, Amy, author.

  Title: The courtship basket / Amy Clipston.

  Description: Nashville: Zondervan, [2016] | Series: An Amish heirloom novel

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016002207 | ISBN 9780310342014 (softcover)

  Subjects: LCSH: Amish--Fiction. | Man-woman relationships--Fiction. | GSAFD: Love stories. | Christian fiction.

  Classification: LCC PS3603.L58 C68 2016 | DDC 813/.6--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002207

  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

  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.

  Interior Design: James Phinney

  16 17 18 19 20 21 22 RRD 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For Nyeisha and Eric with love

  CONTENTS

  GLOSSARY

  AMISH HEIRLOOM FAMILY TREES

  NOTE TO THE READER

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  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 mari
ye: Good morning

  gut: good

  Gut nacht: Good night

  haus: house

  Ich liebe dich: I love you

  kaffi: coffee

  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

  schweschdere: sisters

  Was iss letz?: What’s wrong?

  willkumm: welcome

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

  wunderbaar: wonderful

  ya: yes

  AMISH HEIRLOOM 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 completely due to fictional license.

  PROLOGUE

  RACHEL FISHER SMILED AS SHE STEPPED OUT ONTO THE PORCH of her parents’ large farmhouse. The crisp February air caressed her cheeks as a breeze brushed her blue dress against her legs, and she reflected on the day. Her older sister, Veronica, had married Jason Huyard while Rachel and her younger sister, Emily, stood by as attendants and more than two hundred members of their community filled the congregation gathered in her father’s largest barn.

  The wedding service had been perfect, and Rachel was bursting with joy and excitement for Veronica, who had lost her former fiancé in an accident nearly a year ago, but then met and fell in love with Jason.

  As she moved to the porch railing, Rachel’s thoughts turned to David Beiler, and she smiled. She’d been dating him for four years now, and she was certain their wedding would be next. Rachel had already started a mental list of everything she needed to do to prepare for the ceremony. She dreamed of marrying in November, the busiest wedding season.

  Like Veronica, Rachel wanted to have the service in her father’s large barn. She imagined her sisters and herself wearing hunter green dresses she would sew. Rachel would smile with happiness as she and David stood before their community and took those sacred vows that would join them together for life.

  If only he’d propose to me . . .

  Rachel tucked an errant strand of dark brown hair behind her ear and leaned against the railing. Loud voices sounded from the house behind her as well as from the barn and pasture, signaling that the celebration continued despite a cloudy sky and dropping temperature. She breathed in a faint aroma of threatening rain and rubbed her arms where gooseflesh appeared, grateful that a late-winter snowstorm they’d feared had never materialized.

  She searched the pasture where young people gathered and tried to find David’s handsome face. She had seen him after the service, but then he disappeared into the crowd. After she helped deliver the food to the tables, she started looking for him. Her search led her to the house, where she thought he might be lounging in the family room, talking to her father. Instead, she’d found only a few women working in the kitchen.

  When her ears caught the sound of soft voices around the corner of the house, Rachel moved to the far end of the porch to see who was there. She stopped short when she realized she could be interrupting a private conversation.

  “I know,” a feminine voice said. “I was wondering if we were going to be able to talk alone.”

  The voice was familiar, but it was too low for Rachel to place it. It was rude for her to listen in on the conversation, and she knew she should walk away. Yet something kept her cemented in place. She leaned against the corner of the house and listened more intently.

  “I told you I would get away as soon as I could,” a masculine voice responded. His voice was hesitant. “I just had to find a way to be discreet. I left when she wasn’t paying attention.”

  Rachel gnawed her lower lip. That voice was so familiar too. Who was it?

  Then it hit her like a thousand bales of hay falling from the loft in the barn. That voice belonged to David. An icy chill shimmied up her spine.

  “So when are you going to tell her?” the young woman asked, her voice holding a hint of a whine. “I’m tired of sneaking around. I’m ready to let the world know we want to be together.”

  Rachel shook her head. Surely she was wrong about the voice. David would never cheat on her or sneak behind her back. Yes, she should just walk away and stop behaving like a voyeur.

  “I promised you I’d tell her, and I will. I just need to find the right time,” the man said. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “Of course I do, David.”

  Rachel swallowed a whimper. Who was the young woman stealing her dreams? She leaned forward on the railing and peered around the house. Her best friend, Sharon, was standing beside David.

  Rachel’s world tilted and a gasp escaped her mouth.

  As if startled by the sound, David and Sharon spun, turning their gazes to Rachel.

  “Rachel?” Panic flashed in David’s eyes as he took a step toward her, then froze. “I was looking for you.”

  Sharon gaped, then spoke. “Rachel?”

  Rachel shook her head. This had to be a nightmare. How could the two people she loved like members of her own family betray her like this? Anguish at this treachery stole her words and nearly suffocated her. “How-how could you?” she stammered. She took a step back, turned, and ran toward the front door.

  “Rachel, wait!” Rachel could hear Sharon coming around the corner, shouting, “It’s not what you think!”

  Rachel rushed through the front door of the house and raced up the stairs to her bedroom as Sharon’s voice chased after her, begging her to stop. She stepped into her room, closed the door, and locked it before sinking down onto the corner of her double bed.

  Grief choked her and tears trickled down her hot cheeks. All the plans she’d made for her life with David disintegrated into a distant memory as knocks sounded on her door.

  “Rachel?” Sharon’s wobbly voice sounded through the door. “Rachel, please let me in. Let me explain, okay?”

  “Go away.” Rachel’s words were muffled as she covered her face with her hands.

  “Rachel, please listen to me. I never meant to hurt you.” Sharon’s voice quavered. “We’ve been best freinden since first grade. I can’t imagine losing your friendship.”

  Rachel swiped her hands across her face and tried to clear the lump from her throat. “Just leave.”

  “No.” Sharon’s voice was determined. “We need to talk about this.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. You and David betrayed me. It’s over.”

  “We were going to tell you. We were waiting for the perfect time to let you know.”

  “That’s why you were sneaking around.” Rachel shook her head as if Sharon could see her through the door. “I was so naïve. I thought you were my best freind.”

  “I am your best freind,” Sharon insisted. “This wasn’t planned. It just sort of happened.” She sniffed. “Please let me in. I want to tell you how sorry I am.”

  “Just go away.” Rachel stret
ched out on her bed, resting her cheek on her cool pillow.

  Closing her eyes, she allowed her tears to finally flow, washing away her fantasy of marrying David and raising a family with him. For four years she’d believed he’d one day be her husband. Now she was alone. She was twenty-two and didn’t have a boyfriend with whom to plan a future.

  “Rachel?” Sharon’s voice asked from the hallway. “Rachel, please let me in.”

  Rachel pulled a pillow over her head to shield herself from Sharon’s pleading voice. She longed for Sharon to leave. There was nothing her former best friend could say to make this better. Rachel’s whole world was falling apart.

  The hallway outside her room grew silent, and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. She just wanted to be alone. As a fresh rush of tears filled her eyes, Rachel turned and buried her face in her pillow.

  A few minutes later, another knock sounded on her door.

  “I said go away!”

  “Rachel?” It was Emily. “Are you all right?”

  Rachel climbed from the bed and unlocked the door.

  “Ach, no. What happened? I’ve been looking for you and someone said she saw you run upstairs.” Her younger sister’s pretty face clouded with concern as she stepped into the room. At twenty, she was the shortest of the Fisher sisters, and like their sister, Veronica, she had the same blue eyes and blonde hair as their mother.

  “David and Sharon have been seeing each other behind my back.” Rachel sat on the corner of her bed.

  Emily sat down beside her and shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”

  As Rachel recounted the conversation she’d overheard, she felt her hopes and dreams shredding into a million pieces. Her life would never be the same. But as Emily stroked her arm and listened, Rachel was grateful she still had her sisters.

  CHAPTER 1

  RACHEL STOOD AT THE FRONT OF THE CLASSROOM AND WROTE the day’s schedule on the dry-erase board. She breathed in the sweet aroma of the marker as she worked.

  Today is the day!

  The small trailer that housed the school was on the same property as a larger, traditional, one-room school building. She turned to glance around the small classroom and butterflies fluttered in her stomach.