Her Amish Christmas Choice. Leigh Bale

      

      A forbidden love…

      Can Englischer and Amish make a forever match?

      For Englischer Julia Rose, starting her first handmade-soap store almost makes up for her lost dreams of marriage and children. With patience and care, Amish carpenter Martin Hostetler renovates the dilapidated building Julia inherited—and sparks her interest in his community’s peaceful ways. But their families’ objections make romance between them impossible…unless faith and love can light their holiday way home.

       Colorado Amish Courtships

      LEIGH BALE is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She is the winner of the prestigious Golden Heart® Award and is a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Booksellers’ Best Award. The daughter of a retired US forest ranger, she holds a BA in history. Married in 1981 to the love of her life, Leigh and her professor husband have two children and two grandkids. You can reach her at leighbale.com.

       Also By Leigh Bale

      Colorado Amish Courtships

      Runaway Amish Bride

      His Amish Choice

      Her Amish Christmas Choice

      Men of Wildfire

      Her Firefighter Hero

      Wildfire Sweethearts

      Reunited by a Secret Child

      The Road to Forgiveness

      The Forest Ranger’s Promise

      The Forest Ranger’s Husband

      The Forest Ranger’s Child

      Falling for the Forest Ranger

      Healing the Forest Ranger

      The Forest Ranger’s Return

      Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

      Her Amish Christmas Choice

      Leigh Bale

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ISBN: 978-1-474-09920-2

      HER AMISH CHRISTMAS CHOICE

      © 2019 Lora Lee Bale

      Published in Great Britain 2019

      by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

      All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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       www.millsandboon.co.uk

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      “I’m better off staying single, Martin,” Julia said.

      Martin almost gasped out loud but caught himself in time. Julia not ever marry? He could hardly contemplate such a situation.

      “Why do you say that?” he asked.

      She shrugged. “Love hurts too much. If I don’t fall in love, I can’t be hurt. It’s that simple. I get to say what happens in my life and I’m not at the whim and pleasure of someone who doesn’t really care about me.”

      He nodded his assent. “It is true that if you don’t love, you won’t be hurt. But you also won’t have the joy. And besides, if you marry a man who really loves you, he would never want to hurt you.”

      Julia was quiet for a moment, her face filled with such sadness that he thought she might cry. “I have loved before but he didn’t love me in return. He abandoned me when I needed him most. It hurt more than I can say. Love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, Martin. It can be brutal, cruel and destructive.”

      He realized what she said was true. And yet, he couldn’t give up hope.

      Not for her. And not for himself…

      Dear Reader,

      Have you ever wanted something so badly and it seemed you could never have it no matter what you did? In this book, Julia Rose has dreamed of having a large family all her own. She’s been alone and willingly carried the burden of caring for both her ill parents for so long. Yet, when it appears she has finally found Martin, the man of her heart, she can’t have him because he’s Amish. Julia believes she is faced with the choice of abandoning her mother or turning her back on her love. Only when the people in her life make concessions that will allow Julia and Martin to be together does she discover that life is full of surprises and God can bless us when we least expect it.

      I know that as we accept and wait upon God’s will in our own lives and follow the Savior’s example, we can find peace and joy no matter what difficulties we might face.

      I hope you enjoy reading this story and I invite you to visit my website at LeighBale.com to learn more about my books.

      May you find peace in the Lord’s words!

       Leigh Bale

      I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift,