{"id":200,"date":"2008-06-09T06:15:11","date_gmt":"2008-06-09T11:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/\/?p=200"},"modified":"2008-06-09T14:51:25","modified_gmt":"2008-06-09T19:51:25","slug":"a-sisters-hope-by-wanda-brunstetter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=200","title":{"rendered":"A Sister’s Hope by Wanda Brunstetter"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It is time to play a Wild Card<\/span>!<\/strong> <\/span>Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a>. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his\/her book’s FIRST chapter!<\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n
WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER <\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

and her book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A Sister’s Hope<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbour Publishing, Inc (July 1, 2008)<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/a>\"\"<\/a>Fascinated by the Amish people during the years of visiting her husband’s family in Pennsylvania, WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER combined her interest with her writing and now has eleven novels about the Amish in print, along with numerous other stories and ministry booklets. She lives in Washington State, where her husband is a pastor, but takes every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the states.<\/p>\n

Visit her at her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"A<\/a>Be of good courage,
\nand he shall strengthen your heart,
\nall ye that hope in the LORD.<\/em><\/p>\n

PSALM 31:24<\/em><\/p>\n

——<\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ar-ou-ou! Ar-ou-ou!<\/p>\n

Piercing howls roused Martha Hostettler from her sleep, and she rolled over in bed.<\/p>\n

Ar-ou-ou! Ar-ou-ou!<\/p>\n

There it was again. That couldn\u2019t be Polly. The beagle had a high-pitched howl, not deep and penetrating. Polly\u2019s mate, Beau, must be making that awful noise.<\/p>\n

Martha turned on the flashlight she kept on the nightstand and pointed the light at her battery-operated clock. It was three o\u2019clock. None of Martha\u2019s dogs ever barked or howled during the night unless something was amiss. Could Heidi have had her pups? The sheltie wasn\u2019t due for another week or so. Maybe Beau had sensed what was going on and wanted to let Martha know.<\/p>\n

She shook her head, trying to clear away the cobwebs of sleep. That\u2019s ridiculous. Beau might be able to sense that Heidi\u2019s having a problem, but I doubt he\u2019s smart enough to let me know. Something else must have disturbed the dog.<\/p>\n

Martha thought of the day she\u2019d found her sheltie Fritz tied to a tree. One of his legs had also been tied up, and a bowl of water had been placed just out of his reach. Another time, Martha had found one of her puppies in the yard with its neck broken. She had wondered if whoever had been vandalizing her family\u2019s property and attacking them in other ways could have been responsible for the puppy\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

A tremor shot through her body. What if someone was in the barn right now? What if they planned to hurt one of her dogs?<\/p>\n

She pushed the covers aside and jumped out of bed. Dashing across the room, she slipped into her bathrobe, stepped into her sneakers, grabbed the flashlight, and rushed out of her room.<\/p>\n

When Martha stepped outside, she shivered as a chilly breeze rustled the leaves. Martha hurried across the yard. As she approached the barn, she tipped her head and listened. Beau had stopped howling. The dog could have been spooked by one of the horses on the other side of the barn. She was probably worried for nothing.<\/p>\n

Holding the flashlight with one hand and grasping the handle of the door with the other, Martha stepped into the barn. Clunk! Splat! Something cool and wet hit the top of her head. The sticky liquid dripped down her face and oozed onto her neck.<\/p>\n

Martha aimed the flashlight at the front of her robe and groaned. She was covered in white paint! She flashed a beam of light upward and gasped. A bucket connected to a piece of rope had been suspended above the barn door. Someone had deliberately set this up! Was it a prank by some unruly kids? Or could this be another attack?<\/p>\n

She reached for a cardboard box on a nearby shelf and fumbled around until she located a clean rag. She blotted the paint from her face the best she could. The ammonia smell identified the paint as latex. At least it would clean up with soap and warm water.<\/p>\n

Martha hurried to her dog kennels in the back of the barn. Relief swept over her when she saw that all of the dogs\u2014Polly, Beau, Fritz, and Heidi\u2014were okay. And Heidi still hadn\u2019t delivered her pups.<\/p>\n

When Martha reached through the wire fencing and patted Beau on the head, he looked up at her and whined.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo back to sleep, boy. Everything\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t fine. Someone had sneaked into their barn and rigged up the bucket. How long ago had it been done? Could they still be in the barn?<\/p>\n

Martha swept the barn with her flashlight but saw no one. Satisfied that nothing else seemed to have been disturbed, she hurried outside. Glancing down, she noticed an empty pack of cigarettes on the ground.<\/p>\n

Rustling sounded in the distance. She aimed her flashlight toward the field of dried corn behind their house. A man was running through the fields. She sucked in her breath. It was hard to tell much from this distance in the dark, but it looked like he wore a straw hat, the kind Amish men used.<\/p>\n

Martha shuddered. If I tell Dad about seeing the man, he\u2019ll think it was Luke. For some time, her father had suspected Luke of attacking their family, but she was convinced Luke was innocent. At least, she hoped he was.<\/p>\n

Martha hurried to the house and headed straight for the shower. She needed to get the paint washed off. She needed time to think.<\/p>\n

When she stepped out of the bathroom a short time later and saw a man standing in the hallway, her breath caught. \u201cDad! What are you doing here? I. . .I didn\u2019t think anyone else was up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sound of the shower running woke me.\u201d He frowned and pointed to her clothes lying on the floor outside the bathroom. \u201cI\u2019ve heard of folks sleepwalking during the night, but I never knew anyone who liked to paint in their sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t. I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Mom asked as she joined them in front of the bathroom door.<\/p>\n

Martha quickly explained what had happened in the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cAch!\u201d Mom gasped. \u201cWas this another attack?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .I don\u2019t know,\u201d Martha stammered. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dad looked over at Martha, his brows furrowing. \u201cDid you see anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .uh. . .thought I saw someone running across the field, but
\nI didn\u2019t get a good enough look to tell who it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruth showed up on the scene, rubbing her eyes and yawning. \u201cIt\u2019s the middle of the night. What\u2019s everyone doing out of bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Martha recounted her story again and ended by saying, \u201cI\u2019m sorry I woke everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed to know what happened.\u201d Mom slipped her arm around Martha\u2019s waist. \u201cIt\u2019s not safe for you to go to the barn during the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to check on my hund. Besides, it\u2019s not right that we can\u2019t feel safe on our own property.\u201d Martha looked at Dad. \u201cWill you let the sheriff know about this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the point? Sheriff Osborn hasn\u2019t done a thing to prevent any of the attacks from happening. It\u2019s not likely he\u2019ll start now.\u201d Dad shrugged. \u201cWhat\u2019s done is done. Notifying the sheriff won\u2019t change a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Luke Friesen headed down the road in his open buggy, the pungent smell of horseflesh filled his senses. Despite the fact that he owned a pickup truck he kept hidden in the woods because his folks wouldn\u2019t approve of it, Luke preferred horse and buggy transportation. He\u2019d only bought the pickup because some of his Amish friends, who were also going through their running-around years, owned a vehicle. Luke figured it was expected of him. Besides, having the truck gave him the freedom to travel wherever he wanted. And it gave him an in with Rod and Tim, the English fellows he\u2019d been hanging around for a time. Luke\u2019s folks didn\u2019t approve of his rowdy English friends, and they\u2019d been after him to settle down and join the Amish church for some time. But he wasn\u2019t ready. Some things he wanted to do, he couldn\u2019t do as a member of the church. Besides, there was no point in joining the church when he wasn\u2019t ready to get married. He would consider it if and when he found the right woman.<\/p>\n

A vision of Martha Hostettler flashed across Luke\u2019s mind. She was spunky and daring\u2014the complete opposite of her sister, Ruth, who never liked to take chances and had seemed so subdued during the time they\u2019d been courting. Under the right circumstances, Luke might consider courting Martha.<\/p>\n

Luke gritted his teeth as he thought about the way Martha\u2019s father, Roman, had fired him for being late to work a few years ago, and how, after the Hostettlers had come under attack, Roman had pointed a finger at Luke. Even though Luke had denied having anything to do with the attacks, Roman had given him the cold shoulder ever since. If the man had any idea Luke was interested in his youngest daughter, Luke was sure he and Martha would both be in trouble.<\/p>\n

At least I have a job working for John Peterson. Guess that\u2019s something to be grateful for. Luke snapped the reins to get the horse moving faster. If I\u2019m not careful, I\u2019ll end up being late for work because I\u2019m allowing my horse to plod along while I think about someone I can\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

The buggy jolted and leaned to the right. \u201cWhoa! Steady, boy.\u201d He pulled back on the reins and grimaced when he saw his left buggy wheel roll onto the opposite side of the road. Good thing there were no cars going by at the moment.<\/p>\n

Luke guided the horse and buggy to the shoulder of the road, jumped down, and sprinted over to the buggy wheel. \u201cGreat,\u201d he muttered. \u201cNow I will be late for work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke lugged the wheel over to his buggy and spent the next several minutes looking for the nut that had come off. When he couldn\u2019t find it, he reached into his toolbox in the back of the buggy and took out another nut. He\u2019d just squatted down in front of the buggy to set the wheel in place, when Sheriff Osborn\u2019s car pulled up behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like you lost a wheel,\u201d the sheriff said as he sauntered over to Luke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what happened, all right.\u201d Luke grimaced. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna make me late for work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeed any help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I\u2019d appreciate that.\u201d Luke\u2019s nose twitched as Sheriff Osborn knelt on the ground next to the buggy wheel. The sheriff\u2019s clothes reeked of cigarette smoke, which made Luke think the man was either a heavy smoker or had recently been around someone who smoked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you still working for John Peterson?\u201d the sheriff asked as he helped Luke lift the wheel and set it in place.<\/p>\n

Luke nodded. \u201cSure am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you like working for John better than you did Roman?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn\u2019s a good boss\u2014always patient and fair with me,\u201d Luke said without really answering the sheriff\u2019s question. \u201cOf course I don\u2019t know how he\u2019ll react to me being late today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019ll understand when you tell him what happened with your buggy wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate your help,\u201d Luke said once the wheel had been securely fastened.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Osborn reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of gum, and popped a piece into his mouth. \u201cNo problem. Glad I came along when I did. If you\u2019d had to fix the wheel yourself, you\u2019d be even later for work.\u201d He turned toward his car. \u201cGuess I\u2019d better get back to the business at hand. I got a report that there have been too many cars going over the speed limit on this stretch of road, so I figured I\u2019d better nip it in the bud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke shuffled his feet a few times, trying to think of the best way to say what was on his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re looking kind of thoughtful there,\u201d Sheriff Osborn said as he chomped on his wad of gum. \u201cHave you got something on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .uh. . .was wondering if you\u2019ve had any leads on who\u2019s behind the attacks against the Hostettlers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, sure don\u2019t. As far as I know, there haven\u2019t been any more attacks at their place in some time.\u201d The sheriff stuck another piece of gum in his mouth. \u201cI might have caught the culprit responsible for the attacks if Roman had let me know about them sooner.\u201d He kicked a pebble with the toe of his boot. \u201cFrom what I understand, it\u2019s not against the Amish religion to notify the police, so I can\u2019t figure out why Roman kept quiet about most of those attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke shrugged. \u201cI guess he figured it was best to turn the other cheek and not involve the law unless it became absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re probably right.\u201d The sheriff turned toward his car again. \u201cI\u2019d better be on my way and let you get to work. Wouldn\u2019t want to see you lose your job on my account.\u201d He waved as he climbed into his car.<\/p>\n

Luke checked the wheel over once more for good measure, gave his horse a quick pat, and stepped into his buggy.<\/p>\n

When he arrived at John\u2019s shop, he found John sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone. Figuring it best not to disturb him, Luke hurried to the back room to put away his lunch box. When he returned, John was off the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry for being late,\u201d Luke apologized. \u201cOne of my buggy wheels fell off, and I had to stop and fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you did.\u201d John smiled. \u201cYour being late\u2019s not a problem. Some things happen that we can\u2019t control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke wiped the sweat from his forehead as he drew in a quick breath. \u201cI appreciate your understanding. I was afraid you might fire me the way Roman did when I worked for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A deep wrinkle formed above John\u2019s slightly crooked nose. \u201cNo one should be punished for something that isn\u2019t his fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke nodded. Working for John was sure easier than working for Roman had been. Nothing had ever seemed to be good enough for that man. Every time Luke had an idea about how something should be done, Roman had vetoed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you like me to do this morning?\u201d Luke asked as he moved toward John\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

John motioned to several cabinet doors stacked against the wall. \u201cYou can begin sanding those while I go over to Kiem Lumber to pick up some supplies.\u201d He stood. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t be gone long. If any customers show up, go ahead and write up the orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke nodded. It felt good to have John\u2019s trust. Roman never trusted him. He grimaced. Why do I keep comparing John to Roman, and why can\u2019t
\nI stop thinking about how things used to be when I worked for Roman?<\/p>\n

When John left the shop, Luke began working on the doors. John\u2019s beagle, Flo, who\u2019d been lying on an old rug near John\u2019s desk, ambled over to Luke with a pathetic whine.<\/p>\n

He bent down, and the dog licked his hand. \u201cYou don\u2019t miss John already, do you, girl? Are you craving some attention?\u201d<\/p>\n

The dog responded with a low whimper then flopped on the floor a few feet from where Luke stood.<\/p>\n

As Luke plucked a piece of sandpaper, he thought about Martha and wondered how her dog business was doing. She\u2019d sold Flo to John because the dog was barren, and she\u2019d used the money to buy another dog she hoped to use for breeding purposes.<\/p>\n

Luke wished he felt free to stop by the Hostettlers\u2019 to see Martha, but he knew if Roman saw him talking to her, he wouldn\u2019t like it. Luke and Roman would probably end up having words. He thought too highly of Martha to cause trouble between her and her dad. Luke figured it was best if he stayed away from the Hostettler place. Besides, there were other things he needed to do today.<\/p>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/h3>\n

Once again, I enjoyed my journey into Amish country through the pages of a novel written by Wanda Brunstetter. Wanda’s books give us a look into another way of life within our own backyard. Her descriptive prose transports us into the Amish settlements of Ohio and makes us feel as though we are there.<\/p>\n

A Sister’s Hope<\/a> is the story of Martha Hostettler who is secretly in love with Luke Friesen, a young man scorned by her father. As the attacks against her family escalate, Martha and Luke work together undercover to unmask the culprit. A Sister’s Hope<\/a> contains all the elements I require for a good read – suspense and mystery blended together with a little romance. It is a story of family, loyalty, love, courage, and forgiveness. I would recommend A Sister’s Hope<\/a> to anyone who enjoys a good positive book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his\/her book’s FIRST chapter! You never know when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}