The Promise of Palm Grove (24 page)
Read The Promise of Palm Grove Online
Authors: Shelley Shepard Gray
“Is that what this is about? You are wanting a husband?”
“
Nee
!” How could her mother have jumped from her needing to be able to walk down the street by herself to her wanting a husband?
Her mother's expression gentled. “Don't worry, dear. We'll all go to more gatherings. You'll meet a man.”
“You don't understand. I am not simply looking for a husband. I am looking for friends, activities.” Around a sigh, Penny added, “I am looking for a life.”
“You have a life. And a good, safe one, too. Daughter, everything we've done has been to protect you.”
“
Jah
. But it's also been to protect you and Daed. Mamm, you and Daed must loosen your hold on me.”
“I'll speak to your father. Perhaps we can come up with a plan . . .”
“Mamm, tonight there is a gathering at Pinecraft Park. A missionary group, the Worldwide Address, is speaking. I am going to go with Violet Kaufmann.”
“Violet? But she's not Amish anymore.”
“I know. But she is a nice girl from a nice family.” She was also one of Penny's few friends. “I'm going to go with her.”
“Your father is going to be upset when he hears about this.”
“I know and I'm sorry about that. But I can't live my life trying to make him happy with me.” Especially since she knew that nothing was going to truly ever make her father happy again. “Please try to understand my point of view, Mamm. I feel like I'm trapped. No one wants to live like they are confined and restricted.”
“I'm sorry, child. But you know I cannot support this . . . this whim of yours.” She paused, looking as if she was trying to add something more, but then merely stood up and walked back inside.
Penny slumped against the back of the wooden bench. In that moment, she knew she had two choices. She could either back down so she wouldn't hurt her parents . . . or she could finally please herself.
And suddenly, her decision was so very easy. Everyone at some point in their life had to stop being someone's daughter and start being their own person.
It seemed that it was finally time to do that.
With a new resolve in her heart, Penny stood up and started walking. It was time.
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S
ISTERS OF THE
H
EART SERIES
S
EASONS OF
S
UGARCREEK SERIES
Winter's Awakening
â¢
Spring's Renewal
Autumn's Promise
â¢
Christmas in Sugarcreek
F
AMILIES OF
H
ONOR SERIES
The Survivor
â¢
A Christmas for Katie
(novella)
T
HE
S
ECRETS OF
C
RITTENDEN
C
OUNTY SERIES
T
HE
D
AYS OF
R
EDEMPTION SERIES
R
ETURN TO
S
UGARCREEK SERIES
O
THER BOOKS
Redemption
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph by Steve Gardner
Author photograph by The New Studio
“Orange Pie” recipe from
Simply Delicious Amish Cooking
by Sherry Gore (Zondervan, 2012) reprinted with permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S.⢠is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE PROMISE OF PALM GROVE
. Copyright © 2015 by Shelley Shepard Gray. Excerpt from
The Proposal at Siesta Key
© 2015 by Shelley Shepard Gray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Illustrated map copyright
©
by Laura Hartman Maestro
Photographs courtesy of Katie Troyer, Sarasota, Florida
EPUB Edition January 2015 ISBN 9780062337719
ISBN: 9780062337702
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