Rescued: Mother-to-Be
Pregnant and without options, Katie Kay Lapp is trapped between two worldsâabandoned by her babyâs Englisch father, not ready to return to her Amish family. With nowhere to go, sheâs rescued by the unlikeliest of heroesâthe man whose heart she shattered. Months ago, Micah Stoltzfus courted her, envisioned a future with her, until she chose the big city over him. Now bound by duty to protect mother and child, Micah offers a solutionâmarriage. Though his heart never healed, he still cares for the Amish beauty. He knows heâll be the father Katie Kayâs baby needs...but can he show her heâs also the love sheâs always wanted?
Micahâs touch scrambled her thoughts.
Her hopes that he hadnât noticed the tremor in her voice faded when he said, âItâs going to be okay.â He flashed her a smile.
Lost in her despair, sheâd failed to see how much power his grins still had to move her, reminding her how theyâd laughed together after singings. She realized how much she missed that.
Something else sheâd thrown away when sheâd tossed him out of her life.
âTell me the truth, Micah,â she blurted. âWhy are you helping me?â
âWhy wouldnât I? Youâre pregnant andââ
âYou donât have to feel obligated because youâre the one who found me.â
He shook his head, sadness dimming his eyes. âAfter all this time, Katie Kay, I thought you knew me better than that.â
She winced, realizing how she had wounded him. It hadnât been intentional. She wanted to know the truth about why a man whom sheâd treated poorly would help her.
No, it was more than helping. He wanted to be certain she and the boppli were taken care of. He was a gut man. Better than she deserved.
Dear Reader,
Dorothy isnât the only one who wonders whatâs âover the rainbow.â That song and story resonate with us because weâre impatient to find out what lies ahead or want to make sure, as Katie Kay does, that weâre not missing out on something important. Learning to âlet go and let Godâ is tough, and many of us have to learn it over and over. And sometimes the hard way. With each reminder that God understands whatâs truly inside her, Katie Kay opens her heart to Him and love. And thatâs a lesson for all of us to let go and let God lead us on the path He has for us, isnât it?
Stop in and visit me at www.joannbrownbooks.com. Look for my next story coming soon from Harlequin Love Inspired.
Wishing you many blessings,
Jo Ann Brown
JO ANN BROWN has always loved stories with happily-ever-after endings. A former military officer, she is thrilled to have the chance to write stories about people falling in love. She is also a photographer and travels with her husband of more than thirty years to places where she can snap pictures. They have three children and live in Florida. Drop her a note at joannbrownbooks.com.
For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
âMicah 4:5
For Elizabeth McIntyre
Thanks for keeping us on track. And herding writers is definitely harder than herding cats...
Chapter One
Paradise Springs
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
When the night sky opened and it started raining, Katie Kay Lapp stopped by the side of the road, covered her face with her hands and began to cry. The cold downpour was the final insult in a day that had begun badly and gotten worse with each passing hour. How had she gotten to this point? Months ago, sheâd been the center of attention of young men at any gathering. Theyâd vied for time with her and for the chance to take her home in their courting buggies. Now she was abandoned and afraid and had no place to go.
You could go home.
Ach, it was easy for the little voice in her headâthe one nagging her endlessly about doing the right thingâto say that. But sheâd burned her bridges behind her and in front of her and around her. She couldnât go home. Her sisters would welcome her, but Daed would insist on knowing every detail of what sheâd done since she ran away. Heâd want to pray with her and ask her to repent for any sins sheâd committed.
And sheâd committed a bunch. Some intentionally and others by accident. In the eyes of Bishop Reuben Lapp, what sheâd done would need to be repented for with prayer before it could be forgiven.
She moaned aloud when she imagined telling her daed about her fear that she was pregnant. Many plain women her age were married with one or more bopplin, but she hadnât been ready to settle down and lead an Amish life, the only life sheâd ever known until she left home four months ago to find out what the rest of the world was like. It hadnât been a carefree rumspringa decision. Instead, sheâd made the choice with care and a lot of deep consideration.