Arms of Mercy Read online

  ACCLAIM FOR RUTH REID

  “Reid is in a class by herself with this tender love story with an unusual twist. Fans of Amish fiction and readers seeking a satisfying and heartwarming inspirational novel with a touch of romance will savor this series launch.”

  —LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED REVIEW OF ABIDING MERCY

  “Unique and compelling, [Abiding Mercy] blends elements of romance, suspense, and a hint of the supernatural in a coming-of-age story that’s difficult to put down . . . A delightfully different sort of Amish romance that even non-Amish-fiction fans should try!”

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 STARS

  “A heartfelt novel.”

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 STARS ON A DREAM OF MIRACLES

  “Reid’s second series installment (after A Miracle of Hope) works well as a tender romance with a bit of suspense. A solid pick for fans of Beverly Lewis and Melody Carlson.”

  —LIBRARY JOURNAL ON A WOODLAND MIRACLE

  “Ruth Reid is skillful in portraying the Amish way of life as well as weaving together miracles with the everyday. In this book, she writes a beautiful tale of romance, redemption, and faith.”

  —BETH WISEMAN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE PROMISE SERIES, ON A MIRACLE OF HOPE

  “Ruth Reid pens a touching story of grace, love, and God’s mercy in the midst of uncertainty. A must-read for Amish fiction fans!”

  —KATHLEEN FULLER, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE HEARTS OF MIDDLEFIELD SERIES, ON A MIRACLE OF HOPE

  “Reid gives readers the hope to believe that there are angels with every one of us, both good and evil, and that the good angels will always win.”

  —RT BOOK REVIEWS ON AN ANGEL BY HER SIDE

  “An Angel by Her Side brings together not only a protagonist’s inner struggle, but the effect on the character from outside forces. In short, the reader rises, falls, grows, and learns alongside the story’s champion.”

  —AMISH COUNTRY NEWS REVIEW

  “Reid has written a fine novel that provides, as its series title claims, a bit of ‘heaven on earth.’”

  —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON THE PROMISE OF AN ANGEL

  “If The Promise of an Angel is anything to judge by, it looks like she’s going to become a favorite amongst Amish fans.”

  —THE CHRISTIAN MANIFESTO

  “Ruth Reid captivates with a powerful new voice and vision.”

  —KELLY LONG, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SARAH’S GARDEN AND LILLY’S WEDDING QUILT

  “Ruth Reid’s The Promise of an Angel is a beautiful story of faith, hope, and second chances. It will captivate fans of Amish fiction and readers who love an endearing romance.”

  —AMY CLIPSTON, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE HEARTS OF THE LANCASTER GRAND HOTEL AND THE KAUFFMAN AMISH BAKERY SERIES

  OTHER BOOKS BY RUTH REID

  THE AMISH MERCIES NOVELS

  Abiding Mercy

  THE AMISH WONDERS NOVELS

  A Miracle of Hope

  A Woodland Miracle

  A Dream of Miracles

  THE HEAVEN ON EARTH NOVELS

  The Promise of an Angel

  Brush of Angel’s Wings

  An Angel by Her Side

  NOVELLAS

  Her Christmas Pen Pal in An Amish Second Christmas

  Always His Providence in An Amish Miracle

  An Unexpected Joy in An Amish Christmas Gift

  A Flicker of Hope in An Amish Home

  Home for Christmas in An Amish Christmas

  Arms of Mercy

  © 2018 by Ruth Reid

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

  Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

  Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  In chapters 6, 11, 20, 24, and 28 Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

  In chapters 8 and 15 Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

  In chapters 23, 26, and 33 Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  In chapter 33 the Psalm 144:4 quote is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Epub Edition April 2018 9780718082482

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Reid, Ruth, 1963- author.

  Title: Arms of mercy / Ruth Reid.

  Description: Nashville, Tennessee : Thomas Nelson, [2018] | Series: An Amish mercies novel ; 2

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017059941 | ISBN 9780718082468 (softcover)

  Subjects: LCSH: Amish--Fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Love stories.

  Classification: LCC PS3618.E5475 A88 2018 | DDC 813/.6--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017059941

  Printed in the United States of America

  18 19 20 21 22 LSC 5 4 3 2 1

  To my daughter Lexie.

  As I’m working on the final edits for Arms of Mercy,

  you are traveling the world—China, India, Indonesia,

  Malaysia, Ireland, London, France, Amsterdam, and

  Iceland—and I am praying night and day for your safety.

  Adventure awaits! But never forget that God

  is the one who lights your path.

  In all your ways acknowledge him,

  and he will make straight your paths.

  PROVERBS 3:6 ESV

  Love, Mom

  Show me the right path, O LORD;

  point out the road for me to follow.

  Lead me by your truth and teach me,

  for you are the God who saves me.

  All day long I put my hope in you.

  PSALM 25:4–5 NLT

  Glossary

  ach: oh

  aenti: aunt

  Ausbund: Amish hymnbook of praise

  boppli: baby

  bruder: brother

  bu: boy

  daed: dad or father

  danki: thank you

  daudi haus: house for grandparents

  doktah: doctor

  Englischer: anyone who is not Amish

  fraa: wife

  geh: go

  guder: good

  guder mariye: good morning

  gut: good

  haus: house

  hiya: a greeting like hello

  icehaus: icehouse

  iss appeditlich: is delicious

  jah: yes

  kaffi: coffee

  kalt: cold

  kapp: a
prayer covering worn by Amish women

  kinner: children

  kumm: come

  maedel/maed: unmarried woman/women

  mamm/mamma: mother or mom

  mammi: grandmother

  mann: husband

  mei: my

  nacht: night

  narrish: crazy

  nau: now

  nay: no

  nett: not

  onkle: uncle

  Ordnung: the written and unwritten rules of the Amish; the understood behavior by which the Amish are expected to live, passed down from generation to generation. Most Amish know the rules by heart.

  Pennsylvania Deitsch: the language most commonly used by the Amish

  reddy-up: clean up

  schweschaler: sister

  sohn: son

  wedder: weather

  welkum: welcome

  wunderbaar: wonderful

  yummasetti: a traditional Amish dish made with noodles, hamburger, and cheese

  Contents

  Acclaim for Ruth Reid

  Other Books by Ruth Reid

  Glossary

  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

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Discussion Questions

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Posen, Michigan

  Finally, he arrived.

  Catherine Glick placed the jar of pickled eggs on the serving table, then pretended to straighten the other dishes so she could spy Zachariah Lantz pressing through the crowded entryway of The Amish Table restaurant.

  Removing his snow-covered coat, Zach looked her direction and smiled. Even from across the crowded room, his deep blue eyes had a way of warming her insides and melting the balled-up tension. Thoughts of him sliding into the ditch somewhere had invaded her mind. Sure, icy roads were typical this time of the year in northern Michigan, and Zach owned an exceptional horse, but not knowing if her boyfriend of nearly five years was stranded someplace had knotted her muscles. Now it didn’t matter how much snow accumulated. Zach was here, safe, and just in time for their district’s New Year’s Eve supper.

  Catherine stepped away from the food table to greet Zach at the door but was stopped when his sister, Mary, sidled up beside her, a vegetable tray in her hands.

  “I see mei bruder finally made it.”

  Catherine smiled. “Better late than never.”

  Mary set the tray on the table. “You’d think being a clockmaker he would pay more attention to all those chiming reminders around him in the shop and be on time.”

  “Jah, you’d think,” Catherine echoed while following Zach with her gaze as he joined the other unmarried men in the corner of the room. He was a talented clockmaker, meticulous with details, but he was certainly not a timekeeper. He’d missed several functions in the past, citing work-related reasons. But she wasn’t about to complain about his punctuality now and ruin this fine evening. Her heart had been pounding with anticipation of their sleigh ride home tonight.

  The women filed out of the kitchen, carrying various plates and bowls of food to put on the long buffet table. Roasted turkey, sliced pineapple ham, sauerkraut and pork, and venison made up the meats, and yummasetti, baked yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, and peas made up the side dishes. The feast was like Christmas all over again. Even the children had flocked to the cheese and pickle trays, their tiny hands snitching a few samples before the meal was blessed, while their mothers hovered nearby, chiding them for their actions.

  A niggle of jealousy stabbed Catherine’s heart. One day she would have a few sticky-fingered culprits to wag her finger at. Of course, she’d told herself one day for years and it hadn’t changed the fact that at twenty-nine, she was the oldest maedel in her district.

  Don’t dwell on such negativity. Everything could change after tonight’s sleigh ride. She wrung her hands, suddenly eager for the meal to get started and, more importantly, for it to end.

  The bishop’s wife, Alice Zook, was the last to come out of the kitchen. She placed a steaming dish of brown gravy on the table, then nodded at her husband, who stepped forward.

  Bishop Zook cleared his throat, signaling everyone’s attention. “Shall we bow our heads and ask the Lord’s blessing over this wunderbaar food the women have prepared?”

  Catherine closed her eyes. I know You hold the future, Lord. I pray it’s Your will that Zach wants to include me in his future.

  The bell over the door jingled, and a gust of cold air sent a shiver down her spine. Boots stomped, muffling the tune the latecomer whistled as he entered. Catherine didn’t have to open her eyes to know who it was. She recognized the man by his off-pitch tune.

  Elijah Graber.

  The latecomer blew into his fisted hands. His hat, coat, scarf, and pants below the knees were snow covered. As Elijah stood at the entry, his gaze flitted across the room and stopped on Catherine.

  Sharpness seized her breath. After six years, why would he search her out in the crowd first? Years of wondering what it would feel like to see him again flooded her senses, and for the split second that their gazes connected, everyone else in the room disappeared.

  Rein it in. You feel nothing. Nothing.

  Catherine narrowed her eyes on the man. At least be respectful of others, Elijah, and bow your head.

  As if reading her thoughts, he dropped his hands to his side and lowered his head for the final seconds of the blessing.

  Once the bishop cleared his throat again, his way of signaling the end of the silent prayer, conversations and activity around the room resumed. Except for Catherine who was frozen in place.

  Elijah shivered and snow fell from the brim of his straw hat. Removing the knitted scarf from around his neck exposed his big red ears, which contrasted with the pale, purplish tinge on his lips. But what caught her off guard was his beard.

  She focused on the puddle that had formed from his stomping snow off his boots, a hazard that needed to be addressed immediately. As other members greeted Elijah, Catherine dashed into the kitchen, grabbed the mop from the utility closet, then returned to the dining room.

  Still standing at the front door, Elijah looked up from brushing snow off his pant legs as she approached. “Hiya, Cat.” He smiled as if there’d never been a moment of distance between them.

  Before she had the chance to return a formal greeting, Bishop Zook came up to Elijah and patted his shoulder. “It’s gut to see you again, Elijah.”

  “Same here.”

  The bishop glanced at Catherine a brief second, then continued. “I trust your trip to Posen went well.”

  “The roads were snowy, and for a while there was talk that Mackinac Bridge might close due to high winds, but we made it fine.”

  “How long will you be staying?”

  This time it was Elijah who looked at her uncomfortably. “I’m, ah, nett sure.”

  This was agonizing. She expected any conversation she might have with Elijah to be stilted, but she hadn’t expected Bishop Zook to guard his word
s. Why didn’t he just go ahead and ask Elijah about his wife and children?

  “Again, it’s gut to have you home. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to talk more later.” Bishop Zook motioned to the table of food. “Nau don’t be a stranger. Jump in line and fill your plate while the food is hot.”

  “Jah, I’ll be sure to join you shortly.”

  Once the bishop left to rejoin some of the other married men, Catherine mopped up the trail of water he tracked across the floor. Elijah hadn’t moved from the doorway when she went back to finish cleaning up the entrance area.

  Elijah lifted one snowy boot, then the other. “I made a mess, didn’t I? Would you like me to mop it up?”

  “Nay. I’ll get this.” She motioned to the other married men filling their plates. “You should go eat. I’m sure a hot meal and mug of kaffi will warm you up.”

  “That’s nice of you to be concerned. I’ve been meaning all week to stop by your haus and say hello.”

  All week? Catherine harrumphed. “It’s a little late to tell me you got married.”

  He scratched his whiskered jaw. “Jah, I’ve been meaning to—”

  She glared.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m sure.” Obviously he hadn’t changed. He was always itching to tell long stories. Well, this time she wasn’t interested. Six years ago when he’d told her he needed to visit an out-of-town friend, she hadn’t expected to read in The Budget newspaper a few weeks later that he’d gotten married. She redirected her attention to the wet floor and shoved the mop around.

  “I’ll get out of your way,” he said, yet didn’t move. When she purposefully swabbed the area next to his boots, he finally sidestepped the mop. “Nice seeing you again, Cat.”

  She stopped cleaning the floor and straightened her posture, but just as she unclenched her teeth to speak, he was swarmed by other members welcoming him home.

  “Mei name is nett Cat,” she muttered to herself.

  She finished sopping up the melted snow, then returned the mop to the utility closet in the kitchen. After taking a moment to relax her breathing and slow her racing heart, she turned to head back to the dining area, but a shadowy figure moved out from behind the row of storage shelves.