Mended Hearts

By Kelly Irvin

At eighteen Hannah Kauffman made a terrible mistake. Her parents and members of her Jamesport Amish community say they’ve forgiven her. But she feels their eyes following her everywhere she goes with eighteen-month-old Evie. Thaddeus, Evie’s father, escaped this fate by running away from Jamesport. Now that Thaddeus is gone, Hannah’s old friend Phillip is stepping up to be by her side. He has waited patiently for Hannah to realize just how much he cares for her. But when Thaddeus returns after two years, Hannah can’t deny the love she feels for him. Does the fact that Phillip has waited patiently for her all this time mean that she owes him something? Can she trust either one of them? Can she trust herself? She has repented and been forgiven by the One who is most important—her heavenly Father. But is she willing to risk making more mistakes by opening herself up to love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780310352754

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; X: @Kelly_S_Irvin.

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COPYRIGHT

ZONDERVAN

Mended Hearts

Copyright © 2019 by Kelly Irvin

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ISBN: 978-0-310-35275-4 (e-book)

Epub Edition March 2019 9780310352754

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication

CIP data is available upon request.

Unless otherwise noted, 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.™

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

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

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.

Printed in the United States of America

19 20 21 22 23 / LSC / 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Glossary

Featured Jamesport, Missouri, Residents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Epilogue

Discussion Questions

About the Author

To my family, love always.

Come now, let us settle the matter, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

—Isaiah 1:18 NIV

GLOSSARY*

ach: oh

aenti: aunt

appeditlich: delicious

bann: a temporary period of excommunication intended to cause a change of heart and end errant behavior in a church member

bedauerlich: sad

boppli/bopli/ boplin: baby, babies

brot: bread

bruder: brother

bruders: brothers

bruderskinner: nieces/nephews

bu: boy

buwe: boys

daadi: grandfather

daadi haus/dawdy haus: a small house built onto or near the main house for grandparents to live in

danki: thank you

dat/daed: dad, father

Deutsch/Deitsch: Dutch

dochder: daughter

dochdern: daughters

Dummle!: hurry!

Englisch/English/Englisher: English: non-Amish person

eck: married couple’s corner table at their wedding reception

Fehla: sin

fraa: wife

freind: friend

freinden: friends

froh: happy

gegisch: silly

gern/gaern gschehne: you’re welcome

Gmay: church district

Gott: God

groossdaadi/grossdaadi: grandpa

groossmammi/grossmammi: grandma

Gude/guder mariye: Good morning

gut: good

Gut nach/gut natcht: Good night

haus: house

hund: dog

Ich liebe dich: I love you

jah: yes

kaffi: coffee

kapp: prayer covering or cap

kichli/kuche/kichlin: cookie, cookies

kinner: children

kitzn: cat

krank: ill

kuche: cake

kuchen: cakes

kumm: come

leib/liewe: love, a term of endearment

maed: young women, girls

maedel: young woman

mamm/mudder: mom, mother

mammi: grandmother

mann: husband

mei: my

Meidung: avoidance, shunning

millich: milk

naerfich: nervous

narrisch: crazy

nee: no

onkel: uncle

Ordnung: written and unwritten rules in an Amish district

rumspringa/rumschpringe: period of running around when a young person turns sixteen

schee: pretty

schmaert: smart

schtupp: family room

schweschder: sister

schweschdere: sisters

sohn/suh: son

Was iss letz?: What’s wrong?

Wie bischt?: How are you?

Wie geht’s: How do you do? or Good day!

wunderbaar: wonderful

ya: yes

*The German dialect spoken by the Amish is not a written language and varies depending on the location and origin of the settlement. These spellings are approximations. Most Amish children learn English after they start school. They also learn high German, which is used in the Sunday services.

FEATURED JAMESPORT, MISSOURI, RESIDENTS

Hannah Kauffman and daughter Evelyn Rose (Evie) Kauffman

Laura and Zechariah Stutzman (Hannah’s great-grandparents)

Phillip Schwartz (bachelor)

Susie and Declan Yoder, son Thaddeus, and daughter Mattie (married), and three other siblings

Burke McMillan (widower), owner of Purple Martin Café

Leo and Jennie Graber, owners of Jamesport Combination Store

Ben and Rosalie Stutzman and children (bishop and Zechariah’s grandson)

CHAPTER 1

The aroma of cinnamon rolls wafted through the air, more aromatic than any perfume. Hannah Kauffman grinned to herself as she slid a thick ceramic plate laden with eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns onto the table in front of an English customer who held up her fork, ready to dive in. The second plate, a Spanish omelet, toast, and a cup of fresh fruit, belonged to the woman seated in the red Naugahyde booth across from her.

Hannah breathed through the ache in her shoulders and elbows. It had been a long morning filled with a steady stream of customers at the Purple Martin Café, Jamesport’s most popular Amish restaurant. Staying busy made her happy. Excellent food, nice customers, good tips. Making people smile made the aches and pains worth it.

The stench of mingled perfumes hit her without warning.

She rushed to place two glasses of orange juice and two cups of coffee on the table. The tickle in her nose ballooned faster than she could move.

A gargantuan sneeze broke just as she swiveled away, burying her face in the crook of her arm.

Trying not to sniffle, she turned back to the ladies. Is there anything else I can get for you?

The women’s delighted smiles faded. Do you have a cold? The one wearing a purple dress and purple checked leggings frowned. "Are you sick? If you are you shouldn’t—"

"I’m not sick. It’s the perfume—"

Are you blaming my expensive Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess? The woman with hair dyed the color of cotton candy held up her plate. You sneezed all over my omelet. Take it back. I want a different waitress.

I’m so sorry, ma’am. Breathing through her mouth, Hannah accepted the plate. I really don’t have a cold. I promise.

Her baby, Evie, had the sniffles, but Great-Grandma Laura, who’d taken care of hundreds of babies over the years, insisted they were caused by allergies brought on by the gorgeous array of spring flowers blooming in her front yard.

Take mine as well. Checked Leggings waved her hand over her food with a dismissive air. I want to talk to your boss.

I’m right here, ladies. His usual smile on his rugged face, Burke McMillan strode toward them. How can I help?

This girl sneezed all over us.

I didn’t—

It’s okay, Hannah. Take the food back to the kitchen, please. Burke swiveled toward Hannah and winked. Have Nicole bring them fresh plates. Tell her I said thank you for helping out.

I should call the health department. Purple Leggings fingered her cell phone. Surely you know better than to let employees work sick.

Her querulous voice faded in the distance as Hannah lugged the tray back to the kitchen. How quickly a good day could deteriorate. Just like her daughter’s mood. At twenty-one months Evie could be all sunshine and smiles one minute, and dark clouds and squalls the next.

Hannah’s gaze caught Claire Plank’s. She sat at a table across from Isabel Schrock. The two women, both members of Hannah’s Gmay, stared at her as if she were a cockroach crawling across their eggs. Claire’s smile held a combination of pity and condemnation that was all too familiar. Hannah lifted her chin and smiled back with