When Mercy Rains
Authors: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Praise for
When Mercy Rains
“A compelling cast of authentic characters, heart-wrenching mistakes and responses, and love, redemption, and restoration make
When Mercy Rains
by Kim Vogel Sawyer a must-read masterpiece.”
—
M
ONA
H
ODGSON, author of The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek series,
The Quilted Heart
omnibus, and
Prairie Song
“Kim Vogel Sawyer paints characters with exquisite detail emotionally and physically, then sets them in a story that transports the reader into a world equally as appealing as the people who live there. A captivating read, leaving you wanting more.”
—
L
AURAINE
S
NELLING, author of
To Everything a Season
in the Red River series,
Wake the Dawn
, and
Heaven Sent Rain
“
When Mercy Rains
takes readers on a remarkable journey into the lives of the Zimmermans, a Mennonite family whose secrets threaten to destroy them. With a compelling style, Kim Vogel Sawyer weaves a story of love, compassion, forgiveness, redemption, and a family determined to discover and accept the truth. This novel captivates and challenges—a wonderful read.”
—
J
UDITH
M
ILLER, best-selling author of the Home to Amana Series
“Perhaps you’ve heard the old phrase ‘You can’t go home again.’ Kim Vogel Sawyer proves it wrong in her beautifully written novel
When Mercy Rains
. Intriguing, tender, bittersweet … this heart-wrenching story took me to places I didn’t even realize I wanted to go. Highly recommended.”
—
J
ANICE
H
ANNA
T
HOMPSON, author of
Fools Rush In
and
The Dream Dress
“
When Mercy Rains
is a beautiful testimony to the power of forgiveness. With three generations of characters to fall in love with, Kim Vogel Sawyer’s new novel kept me turning pages—and discovering surprises—to the very end. I especially enjoyed the Kansas setting and the restoration of a homestead that was a beautiful reflection of the restoration of hearts and minds.”
—
D
EBORAH
R
ANEY, author of
The Face of the Earth
and the Chicory Inn Novels series
B
OOKS BY
K
IM
V
OGEL
S
AWYER
The Grace That Leads Us Home
What Once Was Lost
Just As I Am
Echoes of Mercy
Through the Deep Waters
T
HE
Z
IMMERMAN
R
ESTORATION
T
RILOGY
When Mercy Rains
When Grace Sings
W
HEN
M
ERCY
R
AINS
P
UBLISHED BY
W
ATER
B
ROOK
P
RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Trade Paperback ISBN 978-0-307-73131-9
eBook ISBN 978-0-307-73132-6
Copyright © 2014 by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Cover design and photography by Kelly L. Howard
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, New York, a Penguin Random House Company.
W
ATER
B
ROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sawyer, Kim Vogel.
When mercy rains : a novel / Kim Vogel Sawyer. — First edition.
pages cm.
ISBN 978-0-307-73131-9 — ISBN 978-0-307-73132-6 (electronic)
I. Title.
PS3619.A97W53 2014
813′.6—dc23
2014013305
v3.1
For Kaitlyn
,
who forgives readily and remembers the slight no more
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Alexa’s Oatmeal Cookies
Baked Goulash for a Crowd
Acknowledgments
Readers Guide
Excerpt from
When Grace Sings
Suzanne
Spring 1994
The hiss of approaching tires on wet pavement broke the tense silence between the mother and daughter seated on the bus-stop bench. Suzy flicked a look at Mother and dared a timorous comment. “Here it comes.” Now that her leave-taking was upon her, would her mother’s disapproving demeanor soften?
The lines of Mother’s mouth remained etched in a stern line, the furrows between her brows forming a V so deep it might never depart. Suzy hunched into her wool coat—a coat far too cloying for the damp May dawn but also too bulky to fit in her small cardboard suitcase. She’d be gone well into the winter months, and Mother insisted she’d need it so she should wear it. And she always did what her mother said.
Well, almost always. Who knew one foolish mistake could hold such far-reaching consequences?
I’m so sorry, God
.
The bus groaned to a stop at the curb, and Mother curled her hand around Suzy’s elbow, forcing her to rise. Although Mother’s grip was hard, impersonal, Suzy welcomed it. Her ordinarily demonstrative mother hadn’t touched her even once in the past two weeks, as if fearful Suzy’s stains would rub off. So she pressed her elbow against her rib cage, needing to feel the pressure of Mother’s
work-roughened fingers against her flesh. But the coat proved too thick a barrier. Suzy blinked rapidly.
“Get your case.”
The moment Suzy caught the handle of the old suitcase, Mother propelled her through the gray drizzle toward the bus. The slap of the soles of their matching black oxfords sent up dirty droplets from the rain-soaked sidewalk, peppering their tan hosiery. The dark spots reminded Suzy of the dark blotch now and forever on her soul. She pushed the thought aside and looked into the opening created by the unfolding of the bus door.
The driver glanced from Mother to Suzy, seeming to focus on their white mesh caps and dangling ribbons—Mother’s black, Suzy’s white. Accustomed to curious looks from those outside her Mennonite faith, Suzy didn’t wince beneath the man’s puzzled scowl, but she battled the desire to melt into the damp concrete when Mother spoke in a strident tone.