Marta Perry - The Promised Amish Bride

A prodigal homecoming...

The Brides of Lost Creek continues

Returning to his Amish community after losing his job in the Englisch world, Aaron King isn’t sure if he wants to stay. Everything’s the same, including his childhood friend Sally Stoltzfus. With an uncertain future and a big secret, Aaron has changed. But the more time he spends training a horse with Sally, the more he believes this is exactly where he’s meant to be.

A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage led MARTA PERRYto write about the Plain People, who add so much richness to her home state. Marta has seen nearly sixty of her books published, with over six million books in print. She and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a central-Pennsylvania valley. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, traveling, baking or enjoying her six beautiful grandchildren.

Also By Marta Perry

Brides of Lost Creek

Second Chance Amish Bride

The Wedding Quilt Bride

The Promised Amish Bride

An Amish Family Christmas

“Heart of Christmas”

Amish Christmas Blessings

“The Midwife’s Christmas Surprise”

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Promised Amish Bride

Marta Perry

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09475-7

THE PROMISED AMISH BRIDE

© 2019 Martha P. Johnson

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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“Are you ready to keep your promise to me?”

“Promise?” He looked at her blankly.

“You can’t have forgotten. You promised you’d wait until I grew up and then you’d marry me.”

He was appalled, until he saw her laugh. “What are you trying to do, scare me to death?”

She laughed again.

“So you don’t expect me to marry you. Anything else I can do that’s not so permanent?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. I want you to help me train my horse Star. Everyone knows that you’re the best there is with horses.”

There was no real reason he couldn’t help her out, except that it seemed like a commitment, and he didn’t intend to tie himself anywhere, not now.

“I’d like to help. But I don’t know how long I’ll be here and—”

“I’ll take whatever time you can spare. Denke, Aaron. I’m wonderful glad.”

He started to say that his words hadn’t been a yes, but before he could, Sally grabbed his hand and every thought flew right out of his head.

And he knew in that instant that he was in trouble.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the third book in the Brides of Lost Creek series, The Promised Amish Bride . Sally Stoltzfus was just a child when the neighbor she adored, Aaron King, ran away to the Englisch world. Sally was left with the memory of a lighthearted promise...that when she grew up, Aaron would marry her. When Aaron comes back, life takes unexpected turns for many people in Lost Creek.

I love stories of first loves finding fulfillment, so this story was a joy to write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And that you’ll come back again for future stories set in Lost Creek.

Let me know if you enjoy my story. You can find me online at www.martaperry.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/martaperrybooks, or you can email me at mpjohn@ptd.net. I’ll be happy to respond with a signed bookmark and my brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes.

Blessings,

Marta Perry

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

—John 15:12

To Brian, my first and only love.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

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

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

The country road was as familiar as Aaron King’s own body, even after all these years away. Here was the spot where his brother, racing a buddy in the family buggy, went into the ditch. There was the bank where they’d picked blackberries, and there the maple tree where he’d stolen a kiss from Becky Esch when they were both fifteen. The maple’s leaves were scarlet now that fall was here, but it had just been budding out that spring.

One more bend in the road, and he’d be able to see the family farm. The realization was like a rock in his stomach.

What was he doing? Did he really want to accept the role of the prodigal, returning to the Amish fold in Lost Creek after failing in the Englisch world? That was what they’d think, surely—his two brothers and his uncle. They’d assume he’d messed up, and they’d also assume he’d come back to stay.

They’d be right on the first count—he had to admit it. The memory of the scene that had destroyed his job and the tenuous place he’d made for himself still scalded.