by Sarah Price
“Where’s Ruthie?” she asked as she shut the gate behind her.
“Sleeping still,” he responded. “When I realized you weren’t there, I looked around and saw you walking down the road. Wanted to come get you and make sure you were OK.” She walked up to the buggy and stood before him. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Everything all right, then?”
She nodded, smiling and lowering her eyes. “I had something I wanted to tell Rebecca before I told you,” she said shyly, the color creeping onto her cheeks. “I would tell you at home but I can’t contain myself anymore, Manny.”
He tilted his head and waited.
Lifting her eyes, she looked into his face, her dark eyes meeting his blue ones as she said, “We’re going to have a baby.”
His reaction surprised her. He caught his breath, a look of complete surprise on his face. “A baby?” He reached for her hands and held them in his. “You’re certain?”
She laughed and nodded. “For sure and certain!”
“Oh Faith,” he said, his voice soft and full of emotion. Not caring if anyone passed by and saw, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “What a blessing!” he whispered into her ear. When he pulled back, she was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “I am overjoyed,” he said, his hands holding her face tenderly as he stared down into it. “What a blessing, indeed!”
“Sssh Faith! You have to be quiet!”
Faith frowned, flickering her flashlight around the room. “I am being quiet!” she insisted.
“No! Quieter!”
Mamm had made three Tupperware containers full of chocolate and red velvet Whoopie Pies for a family gathering the next day. Neither Rebecca nor Faith saw any harm in taste testing them a bit early. They had waited patiently until the house had quieted down before they snuck out of the bedroom upstairs and quietly tiptoed down the hallway toward the stairs.
They crept down the staircase, trying to avoid the third step that creaked and might awaken Rebecca’s mamm. It was after ten o’clock and they would get a scolding for certain if they woke anyone. But those Whoopie Pies were calling out to them.
Once in the kitchen, Rebecca motioned for Faith to follow her toward the pantry. Their flashlights flickered around the room like a wild lightshow in the darkness as they hurried to claim their bounty.
“It’s so dark down here!” Faith whispered as she bumped into a long wooden bench sticking out from under the kitchen table. She carried her little flashlight, which whipped around the room, casting a wobbly beam onto the offending piece of furniture. “Where did that come from?”
“Sssh! Be careful. You wake my mamm and we’ll know it for sure!”
At the pantry, Rebecca slowly opened the door, cringing when it scraped against the bottom of the floor. It was open just enough that they could both squeeze through. Rebecca flashed her light around until she found the Tupperware.
“I want a red velvet one,” Faith whispered.
“OK,” Rebecca said as she reached for the container and opened it. “Here, these are the red ones.”
A few minutes later, they were sitting on the floor, happily eating the forbidden Whoopie Pies. Rebecca flashed her light at Faith and snickered. “You have cream all over your face. You better wipe that or Mamm will notice and know!”
Faith swiped at her mouth with the back of the sleeve of her nightdress.
She loved sleepovers at Rebecca’s house. Unlike her own home, Rebecca’s house was lively and full of joy. Her mother always made delicious treats and the girls loved to sneak late night snacks when the house was finally quiet.
“You’re my bestest friend,” Rebecca suddenly said. “You won’t ever forget that, will you, Faith?”
“Of course not!” Faith whispered back. “I can’t because you keep reminding me!”
In the darkness, Rebecca rolled her eyes and nudged Faith with her arm. “I’m serious, Faith. And as my best friend, you have to tell me all of your secrets first! I better not find out the good stuff after anyone else!”
“Even my mother?”
Rebecca scoffed. “Of course!”
Faith sighed. “Ok then, I guess.”
“Promise me!”
Here we go again, Faith thought but with a light heart. Rebecca loved to make certain Faith was onboard with all of her ideas and plans for the future. Whenever she had a new one, Faith was always made to promise to take the journey with her. “I promise,” she said.
Rebecca smiled and stood up, reaching down to help Faith to her feet. “A promise that shall never be broken,” she said and gave Faith a quick, affectionate hug.
They put the Tupperware containers back on the shelf before taking the stealth journey back across the kitchen and up the stairs in order to return to bed. In the morning, they’d deal with any questions about the missing Whoopie Pies, taking their chances that Rebecca’s mamm would be too busy to notice. Even if they were caught, the ramifications could never negate the memory of a secret journey to share a treat in the darkness, just Rebecca and Faith together, bestest of friends forever.
One More Thing…
I want to personally thank you for reading Amish Faith. The characters in this book took on a special and more spiritual meaning for me when I realized that, without knowing it, I was retelling the story of Jonathan and David. I encourage you to read I Samuel to revisit this story and how the love of friends can be so powerful strong.
If you enjoyed this book, I’d be very grateful if you’d post a short review on Amazon. Your support really does make a difference. Not only do I read all the reviews in order to see what you liked and how I can improve, but they are also a great source of motivation. When I hear from my readers and fans, it really makes me want to keep writing…just for you.
If you’d like to leave a review or see a list of my books on Amazon, simply click here. And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook so that you can hear firsthand about new, upcoming releases.
With blessings,
Sarah Price
http://www.facebook.com/fansofsarahprice
About Sarah Price
The Preiss family emigrated from Europe in 1705, settling in Pennsylvania as the area’s first wave of Mennonite families. Sarah Price has always respected and honored her ancestors through exploration and research about her family’s history and their religion. At nineteen, she befriended an Amish family and lived on their farm throughout the years.
Twenty-five years later, Sarah Price splits her time between her home outside of New York City and an Amish farm in Lancaster County, PA where she retreats to reflect, write, and reconnect with her Amish friends and Mennonite family.
Find Sarah Price on Facebook and Goodreads!
Learn about upcoming books, sequels, series, and contests!
Contact the author at [email protected].
Visit her weblog at http://sarahpriceauthor.wordpress.com or
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fansofsarahprice.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Other Books by the Author
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thi
Chapter Four
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
One More Thing…
About the Author
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