Winter In Stony Creek

By Brenda Parker

In the small town of Stony Creek, there are no mountains—only endless prairies. The town’s little church is a gathering place for families to catch up on news and learn more about God. As Christmas approaches, the seventy-year-old pastor hopes to bring his congregation together to celebrate. But everything changes when tragedy strikes.
After spooked horses tip a wagon and claim the life of a little girl who might have been saved if they had a town doctor, the close-knit-residents must rely on their steadfast faith to come together and help one another as they battle heartache and guilt. With a lofty goal of making their town a welcome place for a doctor, they come up with a great idea. But will their prayers and actions actually work to convince a doctor to open a practice in Stony Creek?
Winter at Stony Creek is the heartwarming tale of a small prairie town’s residents as they band together in faith, hope, and determination after a tragedy prompts them to seek a resident doctor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385011575

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Copyright © 2024 Brenda Parker.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1155-1 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1156-8 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1157-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023921381

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/27/2023

Dedicated to

I lovingly dedicate this book to Jonna Horn

who saw the best in me and pushed me to

write this book.

Because of Jonna’s faith, wisdom, and example,

I learned to see God.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1     The Celebration

Chapter 2     The Commitment

Chapter 3     The Big Day

Chapter 4     The Accident

Chapter 5     The Complication

Chapter 6     The Preparation

Chapter 7     The Gathering

Chapter 8     The Doctor’s Office Is Coming

Chapter 9     Barn Raising

Chapter 10   Dr. Albert Webster Arrives

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CHAPTER 1

The Celebration

I n the Midwest of the United States lay a town called Stony Creek. There were no mountains, just the boring plains. You could see as far as your eyes could see. The town was not ordinary, and the people were not typical either. The town had about 150 people, and there was a mercantile run by the Clarks, Raymond and Evelyn, which had things like food, salt, sugar, lard, coffee, cheese, and material to make clothes and things for hobbies. Oh, yes, remember, they also had canning materials. Elizabeth Wilson and Cora Beth Washburn did much canning for the winter months. Likewise, their husbands, Henry and Benjamin, could get shells for their guns so they could go hunting. There were also honing stones to help them sharpen their knives and tools. The children in Stony Creek loved the gumdrops, suckers, and lemon drops that Raymond had at the counter.

Ralph Clark, Raymond’s son, was the wild type. At fifteen, he was among the most aged and arrogant kids in town, often bullying the other children. And he was lazy. There were many chores around the mercantile, and he did not help. Ralph had been this way all his life. Timmy, the brave one of the family, could hold a spider in his hand and carry it around for hours. He was clever. He knew how to manipulate his siblings, get out of doing his chores, and not get into trouble. Helen, a sweet-natured nine-year-old, often had to protect what was hers from her brothers. She was known to be selfish because her brothers were constantly taking her things and ruining them. The children were at the store daily and got one piece of candy every time they helped out their mother.

Mr. Clark was hilarious and could order anything for anyone who needed it, but he needed help determining when it would come in. Merchandise came by horse and wagon because the stagecoach did not run to Stony Creek. He did his best to help the town with what they needed. Mr. Clark also owned a feed store where men could get food for their animals. The Wilsons needed feed for the sheep, lambs, horses, and cows. The Washburn family had hogs, cows, horses, and sheep. They also needed seeds to plant a crop and seeds to start a garden. At the feed store, Henry Wilson and Benjamin Washburn gossiped about the other townspeople and what they were doing and shared information about their crops.

Our story starts with the little church just off Main Street in Stony Creek. The only church in town, it was a gathering place for families to catch up on the news and learn more about who God is. It was a building made from wood and painted brown, an unusual color for a country church. It had several windows and a big wooden door. The church did not have pews; it had benches so no one could fall asleep. The Sunday morning services were in one spacious room heated by a stove. The children sat with their mothers on one side, and the men sat on the other. There were no organs, pianos, or musical instruments. They just sang without music, and it was from their hearts. The members were few but lovable—hardworking, mostly middle-aged, and some seniors.

There was no playing around in church. Most of the children in the church were school-aged or older and had