A Daughter's Dream (19 page)

R
ebecca arrived just moments after Lilly came inside from her walk with Peter. After Rebecca said hello to everyone, Lilly and Jacob's parents had gone to their rooms.

It wasn't that late, but it had been a stressful day. Still, Jacob knew that sleeping was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt keyed up and restless.

And Rebecca's last words to him before he'd collapsed still rang in his ears.

She loved him.

Now that they were alone, a new tension existed between them. Rebecca seemed a little awkward, a little hesitant. He suspected she was thinking about her declaration, too.

After he got settled on the sofa, she sat next to him, sitting so that her knees were touching his. He was pleased with their arrangement. He wanted her close enough to see her pretty blue eyes.

She, on the other hand, was staring at his arm. “Oh, Jacob, it looks worse close up.”

He chuckled. “You can't see anything, Becky. It's all covered up with bandages.”

“
Jah
, but that is a big bandage. You're covered all the way from your wrist to elbow.”

He looked down at the white gauze and grimaced. “It looks worse than it feels,” he reassured her. Of course, that was no doubt because he had been sent home with some prescription pain-killers. Once the shock had worn off, his “little” cut had actually hurt pretty badly.

“You are lucky that blade didn't cut anything too important.”

She was right about that. The doctors had said that if the slice had been just a few millimeters to the right he would have cut one of his veins. But that said, he still felt foolish. “I shouldn't have cut myself in the first place. It was a stupid mistake.”

“Don't be so hard on yourself. Accidents happen. It's a fact of lumber mills.”

“I agree. But I've been handling saws and knives since I was younger than Peter. This is the worst nick I've ever gotten.”

Reaching out, she ran a finger down along his knuckles. Her touch felt cool and soft. “A cut requiring seventeen stitches ain't a nick. You have an injury.”

“It's just a cut.” Seeking to remove the worry from her eyes, he said, “All the guys in my crew are going to bring this up for the next ten years.” He rolled his eyes. “That, and the fact that I went and fainted like a girl.”

He still couldn't believe he'd let a little bit of blood—and the sweet declaration from the woman he loved—get to him so badly.

“Hey,” she said. “Don't you go start talking bad about girls. After all, no girl fainted today.”

He chuckled. “Point taken.”

As she continued to caress the hand of his wounded arm, he
reached out with his other hand and linked their fingers. He liked touching her. He liked that she cared about him. Liked how she smelled good and was so pretty. Most of all, he liked how she was currently smiling at him.

“Did I say something else amusing that I wasn't aware of?” he asked.

“It wasn't amusing. But you did say something that made me happy.”

“What was that?” So far, all they'd talked about was his injury and the poor way he reacted to it.

“You said that the men would no doubt be teasing you for ten years.”

“
Jah?
So?”

Her blue eyes sparkled. “Well, I took that to mean that you plan to be at Kinsinger's for a long time.”

This was the perfect time to tell her how he felt. To tell her that he loved her, too.

But instead of blurting all that out, he simply rubbed her hand some more. “I hope I will be at Kinsinger's for years,” he said, doing his best to act as if it was the job that meant so much to him. “I mean, as long as your brother and Marcus give me a chance to redeem myself.”

“Redeem yourself? Why?”

“I cut myself while another guy was having a heart attack. They had to order an ambulance for me. That's expensive. They may decide that I am too much trouble.”

“Lukas was worried about you. He wasn't complaining.” She lifted a shoulder. “Besides,” she added quietly, “he knows that you and I have grown close.”

“We have.” Now, at last, it was time. “Rebecca, you have to
know something. I heard what you said to me today. I heard you say that you love me.”

Her cheeks bloomed. “Oh.” After taking a breath, she continued, each word tumbling over the next. “Well, you see, I was anxious about you—”

He shook his head. “No, you can't take it back.”

Her mouth snapped shut. “Why not?”

“Because I've fallen in love with you, too.”

She swallowed. For once, it seemed Rebecca Kinsinger, the woman who commented on just about anything . . . was at a loss for words.

It was too cute.

Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss to her temple, then gave in to temptation and let his lips drift along her cheek. When she shivered in response and placed her hands on his chest, he gently pressed his lips to hers. Then he leaned back and held her hands to his chest with one hand. She looked a little dreamy. So very sweet.

And that, it seemed, made the words come easier.

“Rebecca, since I've known you, we've had lots of conversations about dreams and jobs and relatives and what that all means to us. But I don't know if I've ever truly shared with you about how I once had another dream.”

“What was that?”

“I wanted a family. I wanted a woman to call my own. A wife. I wanted a partner to go through life with. I've been trying to be the person I thought my parents had always wanted me to be, but then I realized that I've already accomplished something pretty amazing.”

She blinked. “What did you do?”

“I found you.”

Her hands were shaking as she pulled them away from his chest and placed them on her face. After taking another ragged breath, she clasped her hands tight in her lap.

He pressed on. “Becky, I've come to realize that my life isn't going to be about careers and financial success. It's going to be about waking up in the morning content. It's going to be about going to sleep happy with the person I am sleeping beside. It's going to be about creating a life with someone I love.”

After eyeing the empty doorway, Jacob lifted his bandaged arm to rest on the back of the couch, then shifted. With his good arm, he carefully pulled Rebecca close. So close, she was practically sitting in his lap.

Heat filled her gaze before a fierce blush stained her cheeks. “Jacob, stop!” she said in a whispered shriek. “Your parents are going to be shocked.”

“I'm thirty years old, Bec. I don't think they're going to be
that
shocked.”

“They'll think something has come over you.”

But he noticed that she wasn't moving away. Instead, her hands were resting on his shoulders and her eyes were sparkling.

Just to keep them that way, he teased her. “If they ask what's come over me, I'll tell them it's the pain-killers.”

“What about me? I haven't taken any drugs. They'll think I'm a floozy,” she protested. Still, she didn't back away.

“I'll tell them you are feeling sorry for me.” He grinned. “Just stay here a few minutes longer, wouldja, Becky? It's nice to feel you in my arms. Now, tell me you love me again.”

“Do you need to hear it? You said you heard me the first time.” She smiled coyly.

“
Jah
, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again.”

“All right, then.” Her eyes met his. “Jacob Yoder, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Rebecca. Forever.”

“Forever,” Rebecca agreed. “And always,” she whispered as she cuddled closer.

The feel of her body nestled close made Jacob realize that what they'd shared was exactly right. Perfect, in fact.

Work was good. Family was even more important. But having a person to share both with? To plan a future with? Having the chance to hold a pretty woman in his arms and know that she was everything he'd ever hoped for?

Well, that was truly a dream come true.

Meet Shelley Shepard Gray

P
EOPLE OFTEN ASK
how I started writing. Some believe I've been a writer all my life; others ask if I've always felt I had a story I needed to tell. I'm afraid my reasons couldn't be more different. See, I started writing one day because I didn't have anything to read.

I've always loved to read. I was the girl in the back of the classroom with her nose in a book, the mom who kept a couple of novels in her car to read during soccer practice, the person who made weekly visits to the bookstore and the library.

Back when I taught elementary school, I used to read during my lunch breaks. One day, when I realized I'd forgotten to bring something to read, I turned on my computer and took a leap of faith. Feeling a little like I was doing something wrong, I typed those first words:
Chapter One.

I didn't start writing with the intention of publishing a book. Actually, I just wrote for myself.

For the most part, I still write for myself, which is why, I think, I'm able to write so much. I write books that I'd like to read. Books that I would have liked to have had in my old teacher tote bag. I'm always relieved and surprised and so happy when other people want to read my books, too!

Another question I'm often asked is why I choose to write inspirational fiction. Maybe at first glance, it does seem surprising. I'm not the type of person who usually talks about my faith in the line at the grocery store or when I'm out to lunch with friends. For me, my faith has always felt like
more of a private thing. I feel that I'm still on my faith journey—still learning and studying God's word.

And that, I think, is why writing inspirational fiction is such a good fit for me. I enjoy writing about characters who happen to be in the middle of their faith journeys, too. They're not perfect, and they don't always make the right decisions. Sometimes they make mistakes, and sometimes they do something they're proud of. They're characters who are a lot like me.

Only God knows what else He has in store for me. He's given me the will and the ability to write stories to glorify Him. He's put many people in my life who are supportive and caring. I feel blessed and thankful . . . and excited to see what will happen next!

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
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.

Letter from the Author

Dear Reader,

A funny thing happened in the middle of the editing process for this novel—I was able to go to the photo shoot for the book's cover!

This was an exciting event for me. I had cut out photos for all the characters in the series from magazines and taped them in a notebook. When I began writing the first book in the series,
A Son's Vow
, each character slowly began to come to life. Before I knew it, I had all kinds of scribbled notes about each character. Some were descriptive, like Darla's petite frame, while other notes were more about each character's personality, such as Rebecca's fondness for turtles.

Then one day out of the blue, I was invited to help choose models for the cover of
A Daughter's Dream
. When I clicked through various photos from the modeling agency, I found Jacob and Rebecca easily. Soon after that, I learned that I could actually visit the cover shoot!

A couple of weeks later, my girlfriend Maggie and I were in Michigan. We met Laura, the photographer and designer; Andrea, the makeup artist; and Abby and Steve, the models who would be my characters on the cover. Each person couldn't have been nicer. When I saw Abby, tears filled my eyes. There, sitting right in front of me, was Rebecca Kinsinger! It was really the strangest thing.

I should share that I promised everyone that I wouldn't get in the way. I was fully prepared to stand in a corner and just watch. But to my amazement, Laura asked me for my opinion about the models' clothes. Then she asked me to tell the models about their characters. Abby and Steve smiled when I told them about Rebecca and Jacob. They looked eager to try their hand at being Amish cover models!

Next thing I knew, we were all wandering through fields. Laura took lots and lots of
pictures. I did my best to stay out of the way while Andrea continually fixed the folds and tucks on Abby's dress. Immediately, Abby and Steve proved why they were such successful models. They played their parts, smiled and looked reflective, and somehow managed to look comfortable even though the temperature was in the forties and neither was wearing a coat.

As I watched all of this taking place, I felt as if I were actually seeing my characters come to life! By the time I headed back to Cincinnati, I had vowed to myself to go back through the book and make it better. I wanted my story to do justice to the photographer's and models' wonderful work.

Honestly, I don't know if I did that or not. All I do know is that visiting the cover shoot was certainly a dream come true for me! I will be forever grateful to Laura Klynstra for allowing me to join her and to my editor, Chelsey Emmelhainz, who so kindly made it all happen.

I hope you liked the book. I hope you were as delighted with the cover as I was!

Thank you for picking up
A Daughter's Dream
. Thank you for telling your friends and family about it, and for asking your local librarian to carry the book, too.

But most of all, I want to thank you for your support over the years. It's because of you that so many people at HarperCollins work so hard to make these books the best that they can be.

With blessings,

Shelley

P.S. If you have time, please tell me what you thought about the book and the cover! You can find me at my website, on Facebook, or on Twitter. You can also write me at the following address: Shelley Shepard Gray, 10663 Loveland Madeira Rd. #167, Loveland, OH 45140.

Questions for Discussion

  1.
   
What does the following scripture verse from Ezra mean to you?
Be of good courage and do it
(Ezra 10:4).

  2.
   
Has there ever been an instance in your life when the following Amish proverb would have seemed particularly meaningful?
If we fill our houses with regrets of yesterday and worries of tomorrow, we have no today for which to be thankful.

  3.
   
During the novel, Jacob relies on his parents' advice to help parent Lilly. Who do you go to for advice? Your parents? Spouse? Friends? Why?

  4.
   
What do you think of Rachel's dilemma? What about her husband's reaction to her wanting to continue to teach school?

 5.
   
One of the themes in the novel centers on dreams that don't come true. Do you think this is a theme that many people can relate to? Why or why not?

  6.
   
Lilly's story line continues in the next book,
A Sister's Wish
. What do you think will happen to her next?

  7.
   
Jacob returns home after living apart from his family for the last decade. What do you think about his decision to give up his job and life in Pinecraft in order to help his parents and niece? What obstacles do you think he will face?

  8.
   
Each member of the Kinsinger family has been dealing with their father's death and the fire at the lumber mill in different ways. What has helped you survive a difficult loss?

  
9.
   
Jacob and Rebecca have fairly similar personalities. What similar character traits do you share with important people in your life?

10.
   
What do you think is going to happen when Levi eventually returns?

Granola Bars

1½ pounds miniature marshmallows

½ cup butter

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup honey

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup graham crackers (crushed fine)

9½ cups Rice Krispies

5 cups quick oatmeal

1½ cups M&M's

1 cup chocolate chips

Melt together butter and marshmallows in a small saucepan over low heat. Combine rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, then stir in melted marshmallow mixture until combined. Press into baking pans and leave out at room temperature. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

Taken from
Country Blessings Cookbook
by Clara Coblentz. Used by permission of the Shrock's Homestead, 9943 Copperhead Rd. N.W., Sugarcreek, OH 44681.