“Maybe you should buy me a hat!” Callie batted his hand away, felt the color rise in her cheeks when he laced his fingers with hers. The last three months she’d shared many late-night phone calls with Shane and more than one cup of coffee with him at Margie’s. She didn’t know what to think about her relationship with Shane Black. What she did know was she liked the delicious way her heart tripped when he was around. Maybe what Deborah had told her was right. Maybe time would sort things out, and there really wasn’t any rush.
“I think I might do that. I know just the place that sells gorgeous hats.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really.”
“There you two are. We were looking for you inside.” Deborah hurried down the steps, holding onto her dress with one hand and her kapp with the other.
Callie pulled her hand out of Shane’s grasp as she fumbled in her purse for sunglasses, but she didn’t take a step away from him. After the scene in the courtroom, she needed the steadiness of him next to her. The thought occurred to her that he was almost as comforting a presence as Max.
Esther, Tobias, and Reuben completed the circle of friends.
“Do you think Samuel will be all right?” Esther asked. “I can’t stand the thought of him being locked up through the spring and summer.”
“The boy will make it.” Reuben’s voice was strong and steady, surprising Callie with its confidence. “He can’t turn back and choose a different path.”
Shane reached into his pocket for his keys. “Katie’s parents will be a help to him. They want him to return to their farm when he’s released.”
“They consider him their son. After being on that farm, we can see how sorely Timothy Lapp needs a young man around the place.” Deborah smiled, but it was weak, just like the winter light shining down on them. “More than that though, I think he had become a part of their family long before he and Katie married.”
The words hung there between them for a moment: married, family, son. And then another breeze skittered the words away, a horn honked somewhere down the street, and Shane looked at his watch.
“I have a few errands to run, maybe even a little shopping to do.” He winked at Callie. “Guess I’ll be seeing you back in Shipshe.”
“Guess so,” Tobias said.
They climbed into the van, Callie choosing a seat near the back, and Deborah settling next to her.
“Want to tell me what that was about?”
“What what was about?”
“Shane Black holding your hand and winking at you.”
“Was he holding my hand?”
“And winking at you.”
“Maybe something was in his eye.”
Callie glanced over at her friend and smiled. Esther and Tobias sat in the seat in front of them, heads together, murmuring. Reuben had opted to ride home with Adalyn, which surprised everyone.
“Were you able to contact Samuel’s mother?” Callie asked.
“Ya. We phoned her as soon as the judge finished. She’s upset, but also relieved that his sentence is less than a year.”
“Does she wish she’d come? To see Samuel? I can’t imagine not being there for my child.”
Deborah turned to study her. “She’s prayed for him every night and written letters. Traveling would have been difficult and wouldn’t have changed the outcome.”
When Callie nodded, she continued. “I remember Emma just barely. She was such a sweet thing. Samuel is her only child, which is why she wrote to Reuben. She wanted someone to watch out for him. Reuben is the one person she contacted occasionally over the years.”
“Did Reuben and Emma once love each other?”
Deborah ran her hand down the strings of her prayer kapp. “Not in the way you’re thinking. Emma was older for one thing, but she did help Reuben. Reuben felt he owed Emma a great debt.”
“Great enough to sacrifice his life?”
Tobias turned around. “He didn’t believe that would be necessary. Reuben always trusted that things would work out. He believed in — “
“Gotte’s wille?” Callie asked.
“Ya.” Esther smiled. “You’re learning our language well.”
As they drove away from the courthouse, Callie had an odd feeling, like when it’s very cold outside and you take a nice big drink of hot tea. You can sometimes feel the warmness travel down your throat and into your stomach. She felt that way now, felt that combination of opposite extremes at the same time.
Looking at the courthouse, she felt such sorrow over Samuel and the loneliness he would face that she wanted to break down and cry — just lean her head on Deborah’s shoulder and sob out a good one. And she knew that Deborah would probably reach into her pocket for the clean handkerchief she always kept, pat Callie on the shoulder, and not say a word about it.
The wind rattled the van, reminding her of the coldness of winter, of how harsh some things could be — like Samuel’s sentence, and Callie actually shivered.
In light of the suffering she’d witnessed inside the courthouse, some of the things Callie focused on in her day-to-day life seemed somewhat petty: for example, her feud with Mrs. Knepp, which had continued into the cold dreariness of winter.
She’d also spent long winter nights struggling with her feelings about Shane. She had finally come to terms with the fact that just because she was ready to move on with her life after Rick’s death didn’t mean she was being disloyal. In some ways it meant she was honoring who he had taught her to be.
Thinking about this, Callie felt a warmness despite the physical cold of winter — it was the warmth of true friendship. Looking around the van, remembering Shane’s hand on her back, even thinking of Gavin and Trent and Melinda waiting in Shipshe, the warmth Callie was feeling grew and radiated all the way to her fingers and toes.
Their lives weren’t perfect, like the squares in Deborah’s quilts, but the way they fit together, the way they cared for one another and supported one another, the way they had all come into each other’s lives at the exact time when they needed each other …
Watching out the window as Fort Wayne fell away and the Indiana countryside slipped into view, Callie realized there was only one explanation for those things. Their lives were stitched together by a divine quilter, and she could trust the pattern would be a good one.
Epilogue
THE EARLY JULY SUN had finally begun to set when Samuel jumped out of the back of the farmer’s pickup truck. He waved, settled his hat, and stared at the farmer’s taillights as the man continued to drive down the two-lane road.
Then he began to walk.
Two miles. He would be there before dark.
How many times had he replayed this moment in his mind? But even Samuel’s imagination hadn’t been able to call up the way the sunset colored the western sky or the smell of the corn growing in the fields — nearing its time for picking. Or Reuben’s pond turning from light to dark to midnight blue.
Samuel stopped when he reached the edge of the pond, still a fair ways from the house. He stopped at the place where Katie had first seen the old farmhouse. Taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves, he pulled the oft-read letter from his pocket and smoothed it against his pant leg.
The six months after his hearing had almost been a blessing. He could see that now. He hadn’t been ready to face Timothy and Rachel — to tell them he couldn’t live on the farm where memories of Katie were so strong. And he didn’t want to live in the Englisch world. His work in the prison shops and good behavior had quickly reduced the nine months remaining on his sentence to six.
Six months to pray, to seek forgiveness, to try to find peace within himself and a way to continue life once he was released.
He looked down at the words he’d long ago memorized.
When I began courting the only girl I’ve ever loved, I didn’t know how to control my emotions. Always I loved her, but one moment I would be tender, the next angry about some minor thing. Before we could wed, she
died from the sickness gripping our district. I wanted to die with her, but Gotte didn’t choose that path for me. Your mamm was my closest friend and helped me through that dark time, so long ago. Some days the ache is still fresh. Many wonder why I haven’t married another, but Gotte didn’t choose that path for me either. At least he hasn’t yet.
I don’t know by what design Gotte brought you and Katie to my house, or why things turned out the way they did. But I do know it isn’t our place to question Gotte’s wille. And so I extend to you Gotte’s mercy, my forgiveness, a place of work if you ever need it, and always the hand of friendship.
Samuel, you can’t turn back and choose a different path. Live the life you’ve been given.
Samuel folded Reuben’s letter, placed it back in his pocket, and began walking the final distance to the farmhouse. In the distance, he could see the woman, Esther, was standing on the porch, her hands resting atop a very large stomach — no doubt her time to have her child was near. The tall man, Reuben’s cousin, was unpinning laundry from the line. He looked like a poplar tree, he was so gangly. Reuben stood next to the barn, brushing a horse with sure, steady strokes. A young girl stood beside him, helping.
Pulling in a deep breath, Samuel walked toward his new life.
Questions for Group Discussion
At the end of Chapter Six, Tobias called Esther’s attention to the flowers growing at the edge of the field and along the road. He says, “It was Gotte’s wille that you look up and see the ones by the pond’s edge.” As Christians, do you believe we’re put in the midst of difficult situations for a reason? Or was it chance that Esther happened down to the pond that morning?
In Chapter Nine, Deborah’s twin boys were once again in trouble. This is a funny scene, but if they were our children we might not be laughing! Children often do make extra work. Did you think Deborah’s solution was too harsh or was it fair? There’s no doubt she loves the boys, so why does she saddle them with such chores at such a young age?
Ira Bontrager is introduced later in Chapter Nine. If you read the acknowledgement page that follows, you’ll see that the book is dedicated to my father-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s. Ira also suffers from a form of dementia. What was your reaction to this character? Do you have anyone in your life who has suffered from this disease or a similar disease?
In Chapter Eleven, we first see Reuben and Adalyn interact. They seem to be complete opposites, but they will have to find common ground in order to work together. Have you ever had to work with someone that you had nothing in common with? Why does God sometimes put us in situations with people who are nothing like us?
In Chapter Thirteen we are given another glimpse into Samuel and Katie’s past. What is Samuel’s biggest mistake so far? Does he really love Katie?
At the end of Chapter Sixteen, we learn the emotion Reuben is struggling with the most — regret. How can regret block our path? What does the Bible have to say about our past?
In Chapter Twenty-One, Ira tells Callie about the Palm Sunday Tornadoes. Forty-seven tornadoes actually did strike the Midwest on Palm Sunday in 1965, including the town of Shipshewana. What comfort does Scripture give us to help us through such horrific times?
In Chapter Twenty-Four, Callie has a dream. What do you think the dream means? Do dreams mean anything? What does the Bible say about dreams, and does it still apply today?
We finally have the reunion scene between Faith and Ira in Chapter Twenty-Nine. Do you believe such reunions are actually possible in this life? Or only in the next?
This story ends with an emphasis on grace: Katie’s father offers Samuel his hand in grace; Deborah doesn’t understand why the legal system can’t rule by the same grace the bishops would use to guide them; and Samuel pulls from his pocket Reuben’s letter, which offers mercy, forgiveness, and friendship. What place does grace have in our lives?
Glossary
ack — Oh
aenti — aunt
boppli — baby
bopplin — babies
bruder — brother
daadi — grandfather, informal
daed — father
danki — thank you
dat — dad
Dietsch — Pennsylvania Dutch
dochder — daughter
dochdern — daughters
eck — corner
Englischer — non-Amish person
fraa — wife
freind — friend
freinden — friends
gelassenheit — calmness, composure, placidity
gern gschehne — you’re welcome
Gotte’s wille — God’s will
grandkinner — grandchildren
grossdaddi — grandfather
grossdochdern — granddaughters
grossmammi — grandmother
gudemariye — good morning
gut — good
in lieb — in love
kaffi — coffee
kapp — prayer covering
kind — child
kinner — children
mamm — mom
mammi — grandmother, informal
naerfich — nervous
narrisch — crazy
onkel — uncle
Ordnung — set of rules for Amish living
rumspringa — running around; time before an Amish young person has officially joined the church, provides a bridge between childhood and adulthood
schweschder — sister
was iss letz — what’s wrong
wunderbaar — wonderful
ya — yes
Acknowledgments
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED to my father-in-law, George Robert Chapman, better known to our family as Paw. Paw came into my life the same year that my father stepped into the next. I have no doubt that the Lord smiled on me that year and provided in my hour of need. He has been a blessing beyond measure. We have watched him struggle with Alzheimer’s the last several years and the character of Ira Bontrager was my way of painting a tribute to Paw. I remain grateful for every day we share. Paw is a veteran, a patriot, and a very dear man.
I would also like to acknowledge the help of all the wonderful people at Zondervan, whom I could not write without, and my agent, Mary Sue Seymour.
Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Shelley Shepard Gray, and Mary Ellis always provide good counsel when I need it.
Rick Acker, a top-notch author and a Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice, helped with legal questions. Any mistakes are my own.
Janet Schrock, President of the Shipshewana Area Historical Society, provided help in regard to the Palm Sunday Tornadoes, which actually did take place on April 11, 1965. I did take some liberties with the details — no Amish people lost lives in the storm but one Amish man was killed in the cleanup operation.
I could not write a book without the support and help of my pre-readers: Donna and Kristy. Thank you for faithfully reading everything I email you and giving me honest feedback. Cindy and Toot continue to correct my errors in regard to equestrian matters.
The friends I have made in Shipshewana are too numerous to name here. You all have been incredibly supportive and good natured about allowing your town to be the site of murder mysteries. Nothing could be further from the truth. Shipshewana is a lovely, friendly town. I can’t wait to go back!
Once again, thank you to my family who make it possible for me to write full-time. My husband, children, mother, sister, and in-laws have been incredibly supportive. It’s appreciated more than they can know.
And finally … always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20, NIV).
About the Author
Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her first novel, A Simple
Amish Christmas, quickly became a bestseller. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Also by Vannetta Chapman
Falling to Pieces
While this novel is set against the real backdrop of Shipshewana, Indiana, 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 descriptions, 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.
ZONDERVAN
A Perfect Square
Copyright © 2012 by Vannetta Chapman
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EPub Edition © JANUARY 2012 ISBN: 978-0-310-41587-9
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