Mary Davis - Courting Her Prodigal Heart

Mother-to-Be’s Amish Homecoming

A Prodigal Daughters story

Pregnant and alone, Dori Bontrager is sure her Amish kin won’t welcome her—or the child she’s carrying—into the community. And she’s determined that her return won’t be permanent. As soon as she finds work, she’ll leave again. But with her childhood friend Eli Hochstetler insisting she and her baby belong here, will Dori’s path lead back to the Englisher world...or into Eli’s arms?

MARY DAVISis an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is active in two critique groups. Mary lives in the Colorado Rocky Mountains with her husband of thirty years and three cats. She has three adult children and one grandchild. Her hobbies are quilting, porcelain doll making, sewing, crafts, crocheting and knitting. Please visit her website, marydavisbooks.com.

Also by Mary Davis

Prodigal Daughters

Courting Her Amish Heart

Courting Her Secret Heart

Courting Her Prodigal Heart

Her Honorable Enemy

Romancing the Schoolteacher

Winning Olivia’s Heart

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Courting Her Prodigal Heart

Mary Davis

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09041-4

COURTING HER PRODIGAL HEART

© 2018 Mary Davis

Published in Great Britain 2018

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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“I came for a drink of water.”

“Come on in.” Dori pulled a glass out of the cupboard, filled it at the sink and handed it to Eli.

“Danki.”

She gifted him with a smile. “Bitte. How’s it going out there?”

He smiled back. “Fine.” He gulped half the glass then slowed down to sips. No sense rushing.

After a minute, she folded her arms. “Go ahead. Ask your question.”

“What?”

“You obviously want to ask me something. What is it? Why do I color my hair all different colors? Why do I dress like this? Why did I leave? What is it?”

She posed all gut questions, but not the one he needed an answer to. A question that was no business of his to ask.

“Go ahead. Ask. I don’t mind.” Very un-Amish, but she’d offered. Insisted.

He cleared his throat. “Are you going to stay?”

She stared for a moment and then looked away. Obviously, not the question she’d expected, nor one she wanted to answer.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed the third book of the Prodigal Daughters series, featuring Amish women with nontraditional hopes and dreams.

I wanted to portray women who didn’t follow the traditional path for an Amish. And what prodigal series would be complete without a true prodigal who turned her back on her way of life, her family and everything she knew? For this book, I wanted a young woman who looked very different from the Amish. But deep inside, she still held on to a few core Amish beliefs. I had to figure out what would drive someone so against the Amish way of life back into their midst.

Dori is dear to my heart because she had such an emptiness inside her that she was looking everywhere to fill. Finally, she found what she sought: Gott . Unlike Kathleen and Deborah, Dori isn’t named for one of my wonderful sisters. But I did dedicate this book to my late son, Josh. He was my prodigal who found people fallible and God sufficient. If Josh had met Dori with her rainbow hair, he no doubt would have fallen in love with her.

Happy reading!

Blessings,

Mary

It was meet that we should make merry,

and be glad: for this thy brother...

was lost, and is found.

—Luke 15:32

German Proverb

Mer sott em sei Eegne net verlosse;

Gott verlosst die Seine nicht.

One should not abandon one’s own;

God does not abandon His own.

To my son Josh

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

German Proverb

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

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

With the reins in hand, Eli Hochstetler drove his vater ’s supply-hauling wagon through Goshen in the early-June sun. Dutch’s hooves clip-clopped on the pavement.

Daniel Burkholder sat on the seat next to him. “Have the church leaders given you permission to purchase a computer and make a website?”

Eli shook his head. “I haven’t asked yet.”

“Why not? The summer is going to be over before you know it.”

“I need to have more items made first.” Eli had branched out his blacksmithing from the practical horseshoes, weather vanes and herb choppers to decorative items like napkin holders, door knockers and small animal figures. This second group of items would be marketed toward Englishers , hence the need for a computer and website. Not everyone who requested such privileges were granted them.