Kate Lloyd’s book A Letter from Lancaster County is available this month! Enjoy this small taste, and then visit your favorite retailer to pick up your copy!

What Happens When the Bonds of Sisterhood are Broken?

Rose Webster longs for a husband and children, but her sister, Angela, has all that and still isn’t happy. When the siblings receive an invitation to visit their aunt in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the heart of Amish country, Rose and Angela relish the opportunity for a vacation and a fresh start for their friendship. But when Rose pursues a promising, new relationship with Amish bachelor Glenn Yoder, a man whose charms also stir an unsettling longing in Angela’s conflicted heart, the two sisters are forced to confront the rift that threatens to divide them.

***

Angela looked ready to pounce on me when I waltzed into Aunt Silvia’s house singing.

“Where have you been?” she demanded.

“I was at Glenn Yoder’s.” I basked in the sound of his last name, which would suit my first. Rose Yoder had a nice lilt to it.

Hold on there. I’d better not get ahead of myself. Glenn had revealed he was contemplating joining the Amish church, a lifetime commitment, which wouldn’t include me unless I did too. A highly unlikely occurrence. According to Glenn, few non-Amish successfully joined. Would I even contemplate the radical lifestyle, not to mention learning the language? And where did God fit in?

“We got busy talking and doing chores,” I said. Playing hooky, getting to know each other. “I helped feed his chickens.”

Angela must have been dumbfounded, the way she stared. “It was fun looking for eggs. To think the ones you just ate were freshly laid. I fried them over easy. The way Glenn likes. Plus two slices of eight-grain toast, light on the butter, and homemade raspberry jam.”

She gaped. “You cooked for him?”

“Yeah. You didn’t know I could make a mean breakfast, did you?”

Her cheeks blotched red. “Sounds fun.”

“It was. Just my cup of tea.”

“What else were you doing?”

“Nothing outlandish.” In the course of conversation, Glenn had mentioned he was tired of his bachelor’s life. He’d like to spend his evenings and vacations with someone. And he was open for kids, if it wasn’t too late.

“Rosie.” Angela gathered my attention like the sweep of a broom. “I’ve been waiting here to apologize, but you’re making it difficult.”

“If you’re apologizing for our verbal tussle yesterday, I was the one doing most of the yelling. You don’t owe me a thing. I overreacted.”

“I should have responded with patience, not anger.” Angela sounded like she was reciting a prepared speech. “I was so mad at the way things were turning out. Helpless is a better word. Everything’s gone wrong.” Her lips formed a grim line. “Maybe discovering Aunt Silvia was sick… No, that’s not it. It’s my fault. It’s me. I’m changing.”

“You too?” My mouth widened into a grin.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Not at all. I can relate. Last month I was walking around like a robot. Today I feel like a million bucks. I really do.” I was too happy not to let it show. “It’s not only Glenn. Although he’s part of it.”

Angela’s pale face wore a mask of misery. I scolded myself for causing her pain. It wouldn’t hurt me to be kinder.

But I had to ask, “Do you have the hots for Glenn?”

She coughed a false laugh. “No, don’t be silly.” As if on stage after final curtain call, she turned away, her loose hair swinging to conceal her features. “This is a ridiculous conversation,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m married.”

“What does that have to do with anything? That’s like closing your eyes and plugging your ears during a storm and then claiming it’s a clear day.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Her voice waned as she retreated from the room. “My eyes are wide open.”

***

Can Rose and Angela move past their differences and recapture the closeness they had as children? And will Angela’s secret affection for Glenn thwart her sister’s best chance at finding true love?

 

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Filed under: Amish Fiction by Amber | AmishReader.com