Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge


 
 
 
 
 IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A WEDDING. 
 The women were forming their line outside before they filed in to sit on the pew benches. Marlene walked past some of the older ladies waiting on the lodge’s wide front porch, exchanging greetings with them as she stepped down into the yard. Someone took hold of her sleeve from behind. 
 Marlene turned and went still. Elverta’s expression suggested she’d been sucking lemons for breakfast. 
 “You’re new here, so I should inform you that Lester has daughters your age,” she muttered disapprovingly. “I’m telling you this for your own gut, because men tend to forget about such details.” 
 The maidel walked away before Marlene could make a rational reply—or a comeback. 
 Why had Elverta chosen this moment to inform her of such a fact? As Marlene mulled it over, she recalled that Lester had mentioned the son he’d lost in a traffic accident, so it came as no big surprise that he might have additional children, except . . . 
 Elverta’s trying to shame me—just as she ruthlessly accused Agnes of being chatty and overweight. Lester and I are merely friends, so why would it matter to me if his girls are my age? 
 Yet, deep down, it did matter. 
 
 
 
 Don’t miss any of Charlotte Hubbard’s Amish romances: 
 
 A Mother’s Gift A Mother’s Love 
 
 Seasons of the Heart series 
 Summer of Secrets 
 Autumn Winds 
 Winter of Wishes 
 An Amish Country Christmas 
 Breath of Spring 
 Harvest of Blessings 
 The Christmas Cradle 
 An Amish Christmas Quilt 
 
 Promise Lodge series 
 Promise Lodge 
 Christmas at Promise Lodge 
 Weddings at Promise Lodge 
 New Beginnings at Promise Lodge 
 Light Shines on Promise Lodge 
 
 Simple Gifts series 
 A Simple Vow 
 A Simple Wish 
 A Simple Christmas 
 
 The Maidels of Morning Star series 
 Morning Star 
 First Light in Morning Star 
 Christmas Comes to Morning Star 
 Love Blooms in Morning Star 
 
 
 
 Family Gatherings at PROMISE LODGE 
 Charlotte Hubbard 
 
 ZEBRA BOOKS KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. www.kensingtonbooks.com 
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 
 IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A WEDDING.
 Also by
 Title Page
 
 Copyright Page
 Scripture
 Acknowledgments
 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
 From the Promise Lodge Kitchen
 Teaser chapter
 
 
 
 
 
 ZEBRA BOOKS are published by 
 Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018 
 Copyright © 2023 by Charlotte Hubbard 
 This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 
 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews. 
 To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book. 
 If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.” 
 
 ZEBRA BOOKS and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off. Bouquet Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off. 
 ISBN: 978-1-4201-5439-9 
 ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-5440-5 (eBook) 
 
 
 
 Scripture 
 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 
 —Galatians 5:22-23 
 
 
 Acknowledgments 
 To God alone be all the glory—and my thanks for the energy and imagination to complete this story! 
 
 Special thanks to my agent, Evan Marshall, for shepherding my career for more than twenty years! 
 
 Thanks, as well, to my editor, Alicia Condon, for her constant support and enthusiasm for the Promise Lodge books. Also, a word of appreciation to Vicki Harding in Jamesport, Missouri, and to the network of Amish friends who answer my questions about the Amish faith as I write my stories. 
 
 
 
 This book’s for my husband, Neal, who has remained the epitome of patience and kindness as we came through the pandemic—and our first year in a new city—together. 
 
 
 Chapter 1 
 As he tilted his chaise lounge back to stretch out in the afternoon sunshine, Lester Lehman felt like a new man. It was unusually warm for a March day in Missouri, and after spending the winter in his tiny home on the shore of Rainbow Lake, he reveled in the chance to soak up some rays out on his dock. He’d worked hard all morning installing the aluminum siding on Dale Kraybill’s new bulk store—a wonderful addition to the other businesses of Promise Lodge—and he’d enjoyed a nice lunch in the lodge’s dining room with his friends. And now, nothing was going to stop him from doing absolutely nothing. 
 It felt downright sinful, being this lazy on a Monday afternoon. The gentle lapping of the lake lulled Lester as he reclined full-length on the mesh chaise. He folded his arms beneath his head and let his mind go blissfully blank.