Snow Angels

By Kelly Irvin

As a young man enjoying his rumspringa, David Byler gave his heart to an Englisch girl, but he eventually realized he couldn’t give up his Plain faith and family for her, so he let her go. He’s found a new love in his Bee County Plain community, Molly Shrock. Molly has been patient, waiting for the man she loves to love her back. Just as he is ready to propose, David makes a startling discover: Bobbie McGregor, his Englisch love, is back. Will Molly’s prayers for a Christmas love be answered?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9780718027278

Kelly Irvin

Kelly Irvin is a bestselling, award-winning author of over thirty novels and stories. A retired public relations professional, Kelly lives with her husband, Tim, in San Antonio. They have two children, four grandchildren, and two ornery cats. Visit her online at KellyIrvin.com; Instagram: @kelly_irvin; Facebook: @Kelly.Irvin.Author; Twitter: @Kelly_S_Irvin.

Book preview

Copyright

Snow Angels

© 2017 by Kelly Irvin

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

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.® And from the King James Version. Public domain.

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.

Epub Edition July 2017 ISBN 9780718027278

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

CIP data available upon request.

Printed in the United States of America

17 18 19 20 21 LSC 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Copyright

Glossary

Featured Bee County Amish Families

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Discussion Questions

An excerpt from Home For Christmas

About the Author

To Tim, the love of my life

Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

ISAIAH 43:18–19

Glossary*

bopli, boplin: baby, babies

bruder: brother

daed: father

dochdee: daughter

Englisch, Englischer: English, non-Amish

fraa: wife

Gmay: church district/community

Gott: God

gut: good

jah: yes

kaffi: coffee

kapp: prayer cap worn by all Amish women

kinner: children

lieb: love

mann: husband

mudder: mother

nee: no

rumspringa: period of running around

schtinkich: stink, stinky

schweschder: sister

Featured Bee County Amish Families

AARON AND JOLENE SHROCK

Isabella (married to Will Glick)

Matthew

John

James

Molly

Amanda

LEVI AND SUSAN BYLER

David

Martha (married to Jacob King)

Milo

Rueben

Jason

Ida

Nyla

Liam

Mordecai

Henry

TOBIAS AND REBEKAH BYLER

Jason

Lupe and Diego (foster children)

MORDECAI AND ABIGAIL KING

Jacob

Caleb (Abigail’s son)

Grace (Abigail’s daughter)

Chapter 1

The red roan looked like she’d been ridden hard and put up wet. David Byler kept that thought to himself as he paraded the twelve-year-old mare in front of the audience. It was thick with Bee County farmers, housewives, children who wiggled on produce boxes turned upside down, and the occasional curious tourist who’d driven all the way from San Antonio to experience a Plain auction.

Leroy Glick’s deep, singsong auctioneer’s voice played like sweet music in David’s ears. He loved the auction. The clammy November air in the barn plastered his shirt to his back, but he didn’t mind. By South Texas standards, autumn had arrived. Cooler weather waited around the year’s bend. The stench of manure wafting in from the livestock section mingled with the sweet aroma of the haystacks.

The horse, who might once have been a beauty, tossed her head, making her dark, almost black mane whip. She whinnied, a high, nervous sound like a lady being introduced for the first time at a sewing frolic. He felt for his new equine friend. Reba wouldn’t bring much. She had an open sore on her rump, which the owner explained came from something she rubbed against. Her best years might be behind her, but Reba deserved a second chance.

Everybody did.

David smiled as he guided the horse into a second pass while Leroy upped the ante. One-fifty, one-sixty, I have one-sixty; who’ll give me one-seventy-five? There, one-seventy-five, one-eighty-five. I’ve got one-eighty-five.

An old geezer in overalls and a train conductor hat held up his number. To David’s amazement, a lady with a sunburned face and a pink bandanna covering her red hair countered when Leroy hopped to two hundred. The old geezer tugged at his handlebar mustache, his expression disgusted, and shook his head. He plopped back onto the wooden bleachers, his arms crossed and propped up on his rotund belly.

Going, going, gone. Sold to number two-twenty-six.

Reba had a new owner. A new start. Congratulations. David whispered the word like a sweet nothing in the horse’s ear. It might sound silly, but he knew how Reba felt. He trotted the horse out the side door into the gray haze of low-hanging clouds that couldn’t decide whether to mist or move on. Pink Bandanna followed him out, her flips-flops making a slap-slap sound on the hard dirt.

David knew most everyone in the area, but he didn’t recognize the lady who waddled toward him. She was shaped like an overweight duck wearing a short-sleeved green-and-pink-flowered housecoat. She carried a woven straw bag on one shoulder and a half-empty water bottle in her hand.

Poor, sweet thing. She had a high-pitched quack of a voice that served to further David’s image of her as a middle-aged, overweight duck. She’ll live out her days safe and sound, giving rides to my grandchildren.

David spent his days training horses. They were beautiful, intelligent creatures. He recognized a fellow horse lover when he saw one. Sounds like she’ll be happy in her new home.

The woman stuffed the water bottle in her straw bag. I have to call my husband. He’ll have to bring up the trailer to fetch Cinnamon.

Cinnamon? Her name is Reba.

I like Cinnamon. Where do I pay?

David turned to point out the booth where all transactions were handled. Molly Shrock walked toward him, her face lit up in her usual shy smile, a gift he still couldn’t believe was directed at him on a regular basis. She glanced around, surely checking to see if anyone would notice if she stopped to talk to him. She had the steady stride of a woman who needed no one’s approval but welcomed everyone’s friendship. Her pale-blue dress and white apron were pristine, her brown hair pulled neatly behind her white kapp. Everything about her said I know who I am and what I want. Gott willing, she would say yes when he proposed—something he planned to do soon. Very soon.

He handed the reins to the new horse owner. They’ll get you taken care of right there at the booth where you got your number.

Waving off her thanks, he moved toward a row of buggies and wagons lining the space between the Combination Store and the road. The variety, like the open buggy with blue