Soon after they’d settled in to family life, Kelly asked Jack what he would have done if she’d stayed in Chicago. He’d smiled sheepishly, taking her by the hand and leading her to his office. He pulled out his drawer and reached in, removing an envelope. Inside was an expensive plane ticket to Chicago.
“I already knew where to find you,” Jack said, smiling. “Chet was a very helpful man.”
Kelly laughed. “And when you found me, what then?”
Jack shrugged. “I hadn’t gotten that far.”
Kelly’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “You spent a lot of money on a ticket you didn’t use.”
“Worth every penny.”
Kelly waved the ticket. “Can I have this?”
“What for?”
“Our memory book.”
In August, Jack flew Nattie and Kelly to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and they stayed in Bird-in-Hand, close to the restaurant where Laura now worked.
They’d arranged, along with a little conspiratorial help from the management staff, to be seated at her table when she came over to wait on them. Laura was yards away, in fact, when she spotted them. Nattie sprang from her seat and flew into Laura’s arms, and together the two of them stood in the middle of the restaurant talking in Pennsylvania Dutch, hugging and weeping for joy.
Management gave Laura an hour off, and she joined them for dinner. They talked about the past, and the present. Laura and Jonathan had married and were living in his home, taking care of Becca Lynn, and the way Laura told the tender story gave Jack shivers.
“If you hadn’t seen Jonathan’s market picture, who knows what might’ve happened,” Laura said softly, amazement in her voice. She still hadn’t taken the church vow, however, and although her mother and father had warmed up to them, things were still strained. After all, they were still under the Bann, and in fact, Laura confided, “I guess I’m fancier than I thought. I couldn’t part with my car or electricity.”
Nattie was all over that. “I told you!”
“Ach, you did,” Laura said and blushed.
“Come back to us!” Nattie pleaded.
Laura glanced toward Kelly and smiled demurely. “That might not be a good idea.”
Nattie spoke up. “Why not?”
Laura shrugged, embarrassed, and Kelly put a hand on her arm. “Laura, you’re always welcome in our home. You were part of Nattie’s life for many years, and she misses you.”
Tears glistened in Laura’s eyes, and she brushed them away. “I’m forever grateful, to all of ya, for everything.” She smiled and then blushed. “While we’d love to come visit, I’ll soon have my own family to care for.” When realization dawned, congratulations echoed all around the table, and Nattie’s eyes grew saucer sized with excitement.
Later in the meal, Kelly and Nattie left the table for the restroom, leaving Jack alone with Laura.
“So what is it like to be back in Lancaster?”
She looked out the window at the parking lot and the farmland beyond. “I missed this place, but you know . . . sometimes you really can’t go home again.”
“Are you happy, Laura?”
A humorous glint shone in her face. “I am, Jack. I have my dear Jonathan, and you to thank for it.”
Jack chuckled. “It was Kelly who got the whole thing started.”
“Jah,” Laura whispered. “Thank God for Kelly.”
Nattie was ten when she started fifth grade and—as San might have said—ready to put childish things behind her. Her DVD tower of favorites had long since fallen into disuse. “I’ve seen them all,” she complained.
Finding Nemo was now for babies, and Nattie rarely created favorites lists anymore. Pop-Tarts wouldn’t have even made the top ten, and she preferred swimming to swinging, but she wasn’t too old to be tucked in by her favorite dad and her favorite mom—although she hadn’t handed Jack a stuffed animal in over a year.
“You have a real person now,” she informed Jack, pointing at Kelly. “You don’t need a stuffed animal.” And at that, he agreed.
Jack heard a soft meowing behind him, and Nattie leaned up, tapping her mattress. “Come on, Felix!”
Felix sprang up onto Nattie’s bed, and Nattie swallowed Kelly’s cat into a giant hug. Felix soaked it up, purring magnificently.
They prayed together, thanking God for His many blessings and submitting new requests, usually for Laura’s family situation and for Nattie’s teachers to be nicer, and sometimes for God to convince Dad that she really needed a cell phone.
“We’d lose you for sure,” Jack said one night, after they’d finished their prayers.
Nattie turned her pleading eyes to Kelly. “What do you think, Mom?”
Amused, Kelly glanced at Jack. “I think she’s getting the knack of having two parents!”
“Didn’t take long,” Jack agreed.
Kelly leaned over and kissed Nattie on the cheek and whispered, “I’ll work on him.”
“Thank you!”
Jack laughed. “I heard that.”
Standing, Kelly tugged at Jack’s shirt collar. “C’mon, my love. Time for bed.”
“Eww!” Nattie whined, putting her hands on her ears but grinning all the same.
Kelly and Jack retired to their room, now fully feminized, with new drapes at the windows, soft lighting, and a picture of both his father and his mother framed on the wall.
One cool fall evening, while holding each other and recounting their day, Kelly casually asked Jack when he thought Nattie might be ready for the truth.
Jack considered this and asked for her opinion.
“Well . . .” Kelly began tentatively. “Maybe when Nattie starts asking again, but only after San gives permission.”
That made sense to Jack, and after another minute or two, he whispered, “San gave up a lot for Nattie’s sake.”
“She did,” Kelly agreed. “But that’s what mothers do.”
Jack nodded in the darkness. “I love you, Mrs. Livingston.”
Kelly snuggled into his arm contentedly. “I love you more, Mr. Livingston.”
Jack kissed her nose. “Care to wager on that?”
“How much are you prepared to lose?”
Jack paused. “Hmm. Perhaps I might reconsider.”
Kelly laughed softly. “Perhaps you should.”
He kissed her, and she kissed him back. Jack snuggled her in closer, and she murmured approvingly. They listened to the night sounds for a while before Jack broke the stillness. “What do you think is in our future?”
“Hmm,” Kelly considered. “I think our future is like an empty table . . . about to be filled with the most delectable of foods.”
Moments later, they heard a knocking against the door.
Jack called, but Nattie didn’t come in.
“Is it safe?” she asked cautiously.
Kelly laughed. “It’s safe, honey.”
Nattie peeked her head in. “I can’t sleep. I’m going downstairs for ice cream. You guys want some?”
Jack shook his head in disbelief. “Excuse me?”
“It’s Saturday night.”
“So?”
“Actually . . .” Kelly began, pulling off the covers. “I have a hankering for something chocolatey.”
Nattie jumped on the bed, springing up and down. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Kelly was already up, putting on her robe. She looked over at her husband. “C’mon, sleepyhead.”
Nattie and Kelly were already gone by the time Jack put on his robe. He could hear giggling downstairs, the opening and shutting of the freezer, the clinking of silverware.
“Da-ad! C’mon!”
He turned on the dresser lamp and gazed at his mother’s picture on the wall, tracing the outline of her face, recognizing Nattie’s eyes shining back at him.
Jack smiled, warmth filling his heart. He turned off the light and headed downstairs to fill up on ice cream with his girls.
Authors’ Note
We are thrilled to co-write Child of Mine, our second novel together, remembering all the fun of developing multiple story lines for our first co-authored novel, Sanctuary, deciding who would write which character’s viewpoint, and so on. Yes, the long wait is over, and thanks to the many devoted readers who have pleaded for more from our fiction-writing partnership. It would be only half the joy without you!
Our heartfelt thanks go to the readers of the earliest stages of the manuscript, as well as to Amish consultants and research assistants in various Plain communities, including Lancaster, Holmes, and Wayne counties.
Special gratitude to Hank and Ruth Herschberger; Sherri Sturgeon; Fay Landis; Alice Henderson; Donna De For; Julie Garcia; Roswell and Sandra Flower; Dave and Janet Buchwalter; Dale and Barbara Birch; Beth M. Sparks, Esq.; Keene & Sparks, LLP; Ben Sparks of Sparks Willson Borges Brandt & Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Michael Phillips, CFI.
We are privileged to work with the brilliant editorial team at Bethany House Publishers and offer sincerest gratitude to David Horton, our acquisitions editor, who immediately caught the vision for this story; Barbara Lilland and Rochelle Glöege, wonderfully talented development and line editors; Ann Parrish and Sharon Asmus, insightful reviewers; Jolene Steffer, Cheri Hanson, and Sabrina Rood, eagle-eyed proofreaders.
It is also a blessing to work with Paul Higdon, art director, and Dan Thornberg of Design Source Creative Services for such stellar cover art.
Finally, this story was covered with prayer by numerous people, including Beverly’s dear father, Rev. Herb Jones, who devoted his daily prayer time during his two-year battle with cancer to the inspiration and far-reaching impetus of Child of Mine. Dad joined the Church Triumphant on January 9, 2014, prior to our book’s publication.
“Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1 TLB
—Dave and Beverly Lewis
David Lewis is the bestselling author of Coming Home, his first solo novel, as well as a keyboard artist and pilot. He is the first editor for his wife, Beverly Lewis, as well as research partner and manager. David was born in Minnesota, grew up in the Midwest, and met Beverly in Colorado, where they currently make their home.
Beverly Lewis, born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, is the New York Times bestselling author of more than ninety books. Her stories have been published in eleven languages worldwide. A keen interest in her mother’s Plain heritage has inspired Beverly to write many Amish-related novels, beginning with The Shunning, which has sold more than one million copies and was recently made into an Original Hallmark Channel movie. In 2007 The Brethren was honored with a Christy Award.
Beverly has been interviewed by both national and international media, including Time magazine, the Associated Press, and the BBC. She lives with her husband, David, in Colorado.
Visit her website at www.beverlylewis.com for more information.
Books by David Lewis
* * *
Child of Mine*
Sanctuary*
Coming Home
Saving Alice
*with Beverly Lewis
Books by Beverly Lewis
* * *
HOME TO HICKORY HOLLOW
The Fiddler
The Bridesmaid
The Guardian
The Secret Keeper
The Last Bride
THE ROSE TRILOGY
The Thorn • The Judgment • The Mercy
ABRAM’S DAUGHTERS
The Covenant • The Betrayal • The Sacrifice
The Prodigal • The Revelation
THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY
The Shunning • The Confession • The Reckoning
ANNIE’S PEOPLE
The Preacher’s Daughter • The Englisher • The Brethren
THE COURTSHIP OF NELLIE FISHER
The Parting • The Forbidden • The Longing
SEASONS OF GRACE
The Secret • The Missing • The Telling
The Postcard • The Crossroad
The Redemption of Sarah Cain • October Song • Sanctuary (with David Lewis) • The Sunroom • Child of Mine (with David Lewis)
Amish Prayers
The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook
www.beverlylewis.com
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
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