The Arranger (Amish Country Brides)

By Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann

Can Justin and Lucy discover God’s blessings in their lives and navigate their way to happily-ever-after?

Lucy Bontrager finds herself in the kind of trouble no Amish bishop’s dochder wants to be in.

Justin Beachy wants to restore the Beachy name and redeem his family's reputation in his new Amish community.

What happens when the bishop asks Justin to pretend Lucy’s boppli belongs to him?

When Bishop Bontrager’s teen daughter finds herself in the familye way, he’s determined to find a gut Amish husband for her. Amish bachelor Justin Beachy is the perfect candidate. Will Justin agree to the bishop’s outrageous request to marry Lucy - a young woman he doesn't even know?

Justin and Lucy reluctantly agree to a marriage of convenience, but will their agreement end in regret?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215874646

Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann

USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann seeks to pen compelling stories that captivate readers and bring glory to GOD. She has penned over forty Amish fiction titles in her “cant-put-down” writing style. She resides in Indiana Amish Country with her family on a former Amish farm where the documentary Breaking the Silence was filmed. "...Spredemann weaves a thread of love and intrigue into a quilt of faith and values." - reader reviewGrab a FREE story when you join my newsletter! Go here: https://www.jenniferspredemann.com/ABOUT MY BOOKS...It seems like every series I've written has been unique:AMISH GIRLS SERIES: (co-authored with my daughters) is a fun series set in Pennsylvania and is geared for teens (although many of my older readers have said they thoroughly enjoyed it!) (8 books + 2 tie-ins)AMISH BY ACCIDENT TRILOGY: Amish by Accident was originally a stand-alone book (my first book released!) It was SO different (that was my crazy imagination kicking in), I was unsure how readers would respond (or if anyone would even read it, LOL). And then the reviews started coming in! As of today, the book has 700+ Amazon reviews with a 4.5 STAR average! PRAISE THE LORD!!! I ended up writing a sequel and a prequel, thus the trilogy. :) (3 books)AMISH SECRETS SERIES: Oh, boy! This series tackles some pretty intense topics that you likely won't read about in your mainstream Amish fiction books. The first book in this series, An Unforgivable Secret is currently FREE in ebook. This was another one that I was unsure how it would resound with readers. It currently has 1900+ Amazon ratings and reviews with a 4.5 STAR average! GOD IS GOOD! (7 books)AMISH FAIRY TALES: (originally "FAIRLY" TALES, on purpose, but not everybody "gets" my twist on words) Basically, loose retellings of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, Amish-style (2 books, #3 on the backburner)KING FAMILY SAGA : the Bible stories of Isaac & Rebekah; Jacob, Rachel, & Leah; Joseph; Ruth; and David loosely told in an Amish context. (5 books so far)AMISH COUNTRY BRIDES: Sweet faith-filled romances set in Indiana (12 books)STAND-ALONE STORIES: Her Amish Identity (previously known as Love Impossible), An Unexpected Christmas Gift (Unlikely Singing loosely ties into this sweet love story)UNLIKELY SERIES: Unlikely Santa (An Amish Christmas Story), its sequel Unlikely Sweethearts, Unlikely Singing, and Unlikely Season - LOVED writing this series.AMISH COLLABORATIONS: Amish Christmas Miracles Collection (2020), More Amish Christmas Miracles (2021), Amish Spring Romance (2022)Coming 2023 (Lord willing!): AMISH COURTSHIP SERIESA Forbidden Amish CourtshipA Widower's Amish CourtshipTBA

Book preview

The Arranger

Amish Country Brides

~

JENNIFER SPREDEMANN

Copyright 2021, 2022, 2023 by Jennifer Spredemann, J.E.B. Spredemann

All rights reserved. No part of this work/book may be copied, transmitted, or stored in any form or by any means, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior written consent from the author/publisher.

All incidents and characters in this book are completely fictional and derived by the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual incidents and persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

Published in Indiana by Blessed Publishing.

www.jenniferspredemann.com

All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Cover design by Blessed Designs ©

ISBN: 978-1-940492-89-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table Of Contents

Books by Jennifer Spredemann

Books by J.E.B. Spredemann

Unofficial Glossary of Pennsylvania Dutch Words

Author’s Note

PROLOGUE

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Discussion Questions

A Special Thank You

Excerpt: The Healer

Get a FREE Amish story as my thank you gift when you sign up for my newsletter at: www.jenniferspredemann.com

BOOKS by JENNIFER SPREDEMANN

AMISH BY ACCIDENT TRILOGY

Amish by Accident

Englisch on Purpose (Prequel to Amish by Accident)

Christmas in Paradise (Sequel to Amish by Accident) (co-authored with Brandi Gabriel)

AMISH SECRETS SERIES

An Unforgivable Secret - Amish Secrets 1

A Secret Encounter - Amish Secrets 2

A Secret of the Heart - Amish Secrets 3

An Undeniable Secret - Amish Secrets 4

A Secret Sacrifice - Amish Secrets 5 (co-authored with Brandi Gabriel)

A Secret of the Soul - Amish Secrets 6

A Secret Christmas – Amish Secrets 2.5 (co-authored with Brandi Gabriel)

KING FAMILY SAGA (AMISH ROMANCES)

An Amish Reward (Isaac)

An Amish Deception (Jacob)

An Amish Honor (Joseph)

An Amish Blessing (Ruth)

An Amish Betrayal (David)

AMISH COUNTRY BRIDES

The Trespasser (Amish Country Brides)

The Heartbreaker (Amish Country Brides)

The Charmer (Amish Country Brides)

The Drifter (Amish Country Brides)

The Giver (Amish Country Brides Christmas)

The Teacher (Amish Country Brides)

The Widower (Amish Country Brides)

The Keeper (Amish Country Brides)

The Pretender (Amish Country Brides)

The Arranger (shorter version previously featured in the Amish Spring Romance collection)

The Healer (Amish Country Brides)

The Newcomer (Amish Country Brides) The Prequel

UNLIKELY AMISH CHRISTMAS

Unlikely Santa

Unlikely Sweethearts

Unlikely Singing (previously featured in More Amish Christmas Miracles)

Unlikely Season

AMISH COURTSHIP SERIES

A Forbidden Amish Courtship

FAIRY TALES

The Princess and the Prayer Kapp (Cindy’s Story & Rosabelle’s Story)

OTHER

Learning to Love – Saul’s Story (Sequel to Chloe’s Revelation)

Her Amish Identity

An Unexpected Christmas Gift

COMING 2023 (Lord Willing)

A Widower’s Amish Courtship

A Christmas Amish Courtship

Special 10 Year Anniversary Edition of Amish by Accident

The Crimson Dress (previously published under a pen name)

The Wanderer (Amish Country Brides)

BOOKS by J.E.B. SPREDEMANN

AMISH GIRLS SERIES

Joanna’s Struggle

Danika’s Journey

Chloe’s Revelation

Susanna’s Surprise

Annie’s Decision

Abigail’s Triumph

Brooke’s Quest

Leah’s Legacy

A Christmas of Mercy – Amish Girls Holiday

Unofficial Glossary of Pennsylvania Dutch Words

Ach – Oh

Ach du liebe – Expression similar to Oh, my goodness! or Oh, dear!

Bann – Shunning/excommunication

Boppli/Bopplin – Baby/Babies

Bruder/Brieder – Brother/Brothers

Daed/Dat – Dad

Denki – Thanks

Der Herr – The Lord

Der Welt – The world

Dietsch – Pennsylvania German

Dochder(n) – Daughter(s)

Dumm – Dumb

Dummkopp – Dummy

Englischer – A non-Amish person

Ferhoodled – Crazy, scatterbrained, mind is elsewhere

Fraa – Wife/Missus

G’may – Members of an Amish fellowship

Gott – God

Gross sohn – Grandson

Gut – Good

Haus – House

Herr – Mister/Lord

Hochmut – Proud

Jah – Yes

Kapp – Amish head covering for women

Kinner – Children

Kumm – Come

Lieb – Love

Maed/Maedel – Girls/Girl

Mamm – Mom

Nee – No

Ordnung – Rules followed by the Amish church (varies according to district)

Schatzi – Sweetheart

Schweschder(n) – Sister(s)

Sohn – Son

The familye way – Pregnant

Vatter – Father

Verboten – Forbidden

Wunderbaar – Wonderful

Author’s Note

The Amish/Mennonite people and their communities differ one from another. There are, in fact, no two Amish communities exactly alike. It is this premise on which this book is written. I have taken cautious steps to assure the authenticity of Amish practices and customs. Old Order Amish and New Order Amish may be portrayed in this work of fiction and may differ from some communities. Although the book may be set in a certain locality, the practices featured in the book may not necessarily reflect that particular district’s beliefs or culture. This book is purely fictional and built around a fictional community, even though you may see similarities to real-life people, practices, and occurrences.

We, as Englischers, can learn a lot from the Plain People and their simple way of life. Their hard work, close-knit family life, and concern for others are to be applauded. As the Lord wills, may this special culture continue to be respected and remain so for many centuries to come, and may the light of God’s salvation reach their hearts.

PROLOGUE

Lucy Bontrager was hiding a secret.

If Dat, aka Bishop Jerry Bontrager to the rest of g’may, ever got wind of her activities this summer, he’d probably ground her for life. Seriously.

But Lucy couldn’t help spending time with handsome Trey Montgomery. From the moment they’d first spoken in the dollar store, she knew she was in trouble.

She wasn’t even sure what it was about him. Jah, he was funny—or silly was more like it. But she’d been flattered to catch the attention of a gut-looking Englisch bu. Nee, Englisch man. She’d known he was verboten, but that hadn’t stopped her from agreeing to meet him at the coffee shop in town a few days after they’d met. Nor had it prevented her from joining him for lunch and ice cream. Or stealing away with him at his house and riding in his car.

It had been a bad idea from the start, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

Dat wouldn’t be happy one bit. Especially if he knew Trey was a soldier.

Ach, what had she gotten herself into?

~

Trey coaxed Lucy onto his lap, pressing his lips to the side of her head. I’m going to miss you when I’m gone, you know.

Gone? She pulled back, her eyes searching his. What do you mean? Where are you going?

He stroked her hair, something he’d complimented her on many times. He loved it when she removed her kapp and allowed her hair to fall free. He loved running his fingers through it. She loved when he ran his fingers through it. I told you, remember? I’m in the military, babe. I have to take my tour of duty.

I don’t know what that means.

"I have to go wherever they send me. It’s not called the service for nothing. I’m serving my country, our country." He’d tried to explain this to her before, but it always seemed to go over her head. To her thinking, serving had an entirely different meaning.

She recognized the familiar pride in his voice when he talked about being a soldier. He’d once told her he couldn’t help being proud, and that not all pride was a bad thing.

It had been strange hearing a different point of view other than the one she’d grown up learning. Did the Bible ever talk about pride being a gut thing? Nee. She didn’t think so.

It was what made the devil fall, ain’t not? Trey had laughed when she’d told him that, so she wouldn’t mention it again. She hadn’t thought it was funny in the least.

"Fools make a mock at sin." She could hear Dat’s voice quoting the Scripture verse now. He’d mentioned it many a time when one of her brieder would speak nonchalantly about the shenanigans some of the youngie indulged in.

Lucy frowned. Where are they sending you?

He shrugged. That’s the thing. I don’t know. But I doubt it’ll be much worse than bootcamp. Most likely it’ll be a foreign country, helping keep the peace.

She didn’t like when Trey spoke of things she knew little about. It was almost like he spoke a different language.

He rubbed her back and began lightly massaging her shoulders. She’d miss his capable hands, for sure. Trey’s touch was something she didn’t think she’d ever tire of. Don’t you worry, beautiful. I’d be happy to give my life for this country.

She gasped. Give your life?

"There’s no guarantee I’ll return. Some of these missions are dangerous. It’s the risk