An Englischer's Amish Courtship

By Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann

When Clive Eicher escapes death after an accident, he can’t help but feel grateful to the Englisch woman who swerved to miss his buggy. Or feel responsible for her dire circumstances. The least he can do is see to her and her boppli’s wellbeing and offer them a place to stay while she recovers from her injuries.
Living with a dead Amish man on her conscience wasn’t an option for Amanda Taylor—not after all the regrets she already carried. But the last thing she imagined is getting stuck in Amish country and birthing her baby here—in the most embarrassing way. But since she has little choice in the matter, she’s resolved to accept her circumstances and be grateful for a place to heal—physically and emotionally.
The handsome Amish man who rescued Amanda and her baby, intrigues her. His honest and thoughtful ways are so different than the men life has dealt her thus far.
As Clive and Mandy spend more time together, neither of them can deny the spark between them. But a romantic relationship between the two of them can never be...unless God somehow intervenes.
An intriguing story of fierce faith and forbidden love that you won’t want to put down!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann
• Release date: Apr 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9798215976395

Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann

USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann seeks to pen compelling stories that captivate readers and bring glory to GOD. She has penned over forty Amish fiction titles in her “cant-put-down” writing style. She resides in Indiana Amish Country with her family on a former Amish farm where the documentary Breaking the Silence was filmed. "...Spredemann weaves a thread of love and intrigue into a quilt of faith and values." - reader reviewGrab a FREE story when you join my newsletter! Go here: https://www.jenniferspredemann.com/ABOUT MY BOOKS...It seems like every series I've written has been unique:AMISH GIRLS SERIES: (co-authored with my daughters) is a fun series set in Pennsylvania and is geared for teens (although many of my older readers have said they thoroughly enjoyed it!) (8 books + 2 tie-ins)AMISH BY ACCIDENT TRILOGY: Amish by Accident was originally a stand-alone book (my first book released!) It was SO different (that was my crazy imagination kicking in), I was unsure how readers would respond (or if anyone would even read it, LOL). And then the reviews started coming in! As of today, the book has 700+ Amazon reviews with a 4.5 STAR average! PRAISE THE LORD!!! I ended up writing a sequel and a prequel, thus the trilogy. :) (3 books)AMISH SECRETS SERIES: Oh, boy! This series tackles some pretty intense topics that you likely won't read about in your mainstream Amish fiction books. The first book in this series, An Unforgivable Secret is currently FREE in ebook. This was another one that I was unsure how it would resound with readers. It currently has 1900+ Amazon ratings and reviews with a 4.5 STAR average! GOD IS GOOD! (7 books)AMISH FAIRY TALES: (originally "FAIRLY" TALES, on purpose, but not everybody "gets" my twist on words) Basically, loose retellings of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, Amish-style (2 books, #3 on the backburner)KING FAMILY SAGA : the Bible stories of Isaac & Rebekah; Jacob, Rachel, & Leah; Joseph; Ruth; and David loosely told in an Amish context. (5 books so far)AMISH COUNTRY BRIDES: Sweet faith-filled romances set in Indiana (12 books)STAND-ALONE STORIES: Her Amish Identity (previously known as Love Impossible), An Unexpected Christmas Gift (Unlikely Singing loosely ties into this sweet love story)UNLIKELY SERIES: Unlikely Santa (An Amish Christmas Story), its sequel Unlikely Sweethearts, Unlikely Singing, and Unlikely Season - LOVED writing this series.AMISH COLLABORATIONS: Amish Christmas Miracles Collection (2020), More Amish Christmas Miracles (2021), Amish Spring Romance (2022)Coming 2023 (Lord willing!): AMISH COURTSHIP SERIESA Forbidden Amish CourtshipA Widower's Amish CourtshipTBA

Book preview

Prologue

Clive had already made the decision.

He wouldn’t be attending the singing tonight—or any time soon, for that matter.

He heaved a sigh as he maneuvered his buggy onto the snow-laden road, leaving immediately after church before anyone else had a chance to interact with him.

What was wrong with him? Why did none of the young women in his Amish district meet his expectations? Was he being too picky? Should he settle for just anyone?

Something about that thought didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t want to marry someone he was simply attracted to and hope for the best.

He wanted to marry for love.

Like his siblings had.

Sammy had Bertie, whom he adored. Charlotte and Glenn Kauffman were obviously in love with each other. And he never saw Anne or Andy without a smile when they were together.

Was love too much to ask for himself?

He thought about Abigail Troyer now. She was nice enough. And attractive enough, he admitted. But something in their relationship had been missing. You’d think after months of courting someone that there would eventually be some kind of romantic connection, some kind of excitement, some kind of spark.

But there was none there. Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Church this morning had been awkward. He’d seen Abigail and her friends looking his way, hoping he’d go over there and talk after the service, maybe play a game in the barn.

But nothing about the idea appealed him.

It was like he was stuck. Bored. Doing the same thing day after day, week after week, no longer held the appeal it once had.

Was this normal for people his age?

He thought of his friends. Jacob, Freeman, and Eddie all had it figured out. Jacob would marry Betty this fall. Freeman and Fannie were well on their way to happily ever after. And Eddie, although he’d been enjoying an extended rumspringa, still had plans to settle down, marry, and join the ranks of their friends.

No this wasn’t normal.

Perhaps he needed to have a heart-to-heart with Dat or his bruder, Sammy. They both seemed to have answers when he needed them. Sammy had once struggled with his life choices, but now he was settled down, happily married to Bertie, and had a cute son whom he adored. He’d never seen his brother more content.

What should I do, Gott?

Discouragement began to settle in. Maybe he should just settle—

A blaring horn snapped his attention back to the road—right before he realized he’d directed his buggy horse into the other lane.

Straight into oncoming traffic.

A deadly collision with a buggy in an Indiana Amish community was the last thing Mandy imagined on her journey westward—a place where, hopefully, her past would never find her. Just as she began her descent down the hill—the moment she realized it would be impossible to miss the buggy that had veered into her lane—her reflexes kicked in. She jerked the car to the right, but not in time to completely miss the buggy’s wheel.

As her vehicle slid off the road toward a tree, she vaguely remembered glancing into her rearview mirror and seeing the buggy topple over on its side.

One moment before everything turned into a sea of nothingness.

Chapter 1

Clive’s heart pounded like it might beat right out of his chest.

He blinked. I’m still alive. Relief slipped through his lips on a grateful sigh.

Looking out his buggy’s front window, he had a sideways view of everything. The snowy road lay beneath him.

He dared to move his limbs. Miraculously, nothing seemed injured.

His mare whinnied and kicked her legs. He needed to turn her upright before she panicked even more.

Was it safe to exit his buggy?

He listened closely to determine whether any vehicles were approaching. Thankfully, the road he was on wasn’t a busy one. In fact, few needed to travel this far off the beaten path.

He shimmied out of his overturned buggy, coaxed his horse to work with him as he managed to push the damaged rig upright, and relieved his driving mare of her burden. She didn’t appear to be injured, only spooked.

He led his horse to a tree on the side of the road and tethered her, then pulled his buggy over. No need to cause another accident.

He inwardly groaned at his carelessness. Hopefully, the driver of the other vehicle was okay.

As soon as his buggy and horse were safely off the road, he dashed to the overturned vehicle on the other side. Since they’d been on a hill, the only thing visible was one of the tires in the air peeking just beyond the roadway. Someone driving by might miss it.

His heart skipped a beat as he took in the driver. A woman hung upside down, cradled by a seatbelt, eyes closed.

Gott, please don’t let her be dead.

He kneeled in the snow, ignoring the cold seeping through his for-gut trousers, reached through the broken window and clutched her wrist, breathing a sigh of relief when he located her pulse. That was when he realized she was heavy with child.

Beyond a curtain of silky hair, he nudged her shoulder.

Hello? he asked.

No response.

He didn’t know much about traffic accidents, but her upside-down position couldn’t be good for her or her unborn boppli.

If he guessed correctly, it would be at least an hour before any of the g’may ventured down this road. And probably longer for the next Englischer. Although his driveway was just off the roadway a hundred yards away, the nearest phone shanty was at least two miles from here.

He heard a hissing noise from under the hood. Ach, that couldn’t be gut.

He needed to rescue this woman and her boppli as quickly as possible, lest something worse happen, like the car catching fire. Did that sort of thing happen?

He wasn’t sure.

Fear filled him. But now was not the time to panic. Gott, please give me strength. Let my faith be bigger than my fear. And show me what to do.

He attempted to wake her one more time, then decided to just get her out as painlessly as he could. He pushed the button on the door handle with his thumb and yanked on the door. The heavy door groaned open in protest.

Denki, Gott. Please help me get her out and not injure her or the unborn boppli any more than they might already be.

He felt for the metal hinge on the seat belt and moved to catch the woman as soon as the belt released.

He strained to lift her from his awkward position, thankful now for all the heavy lifting he’d done growing up on Dat’s farm.

A low moan escaped her lips as he gently pulled her from the vehicle, then stood with her in his arms. He scanned the area, but didn’t see a dry place to set her down. It would only take ten minutes to trek down his driveway. At least his home would be warm and dry.

He listened for any sign of a vehicle possibly heading down the road. Only silence echoed back.

If he left his horse and buggy out near the road—someone from the