An unwed Amish woman yearns for real love and a family. The only thing in her way is the shame she’s been carrying for half of her life. Thirty-one-year-old Carolyn Lapp has never been married—but she’s been a mother for fifteen years. In a community with strict standards and a long memory, Carolyn knows she might never find a man who will have her and her son, Benjamin. Carolyn’s family tries to marry her off to a widower with a daughter who needs a mother. A marriage of convenience doesn’t sound so bad, yet despite her loneliness, Carolyn knows what she really wants: a traditional Amish family and a marriage for love. When Benjamin gets into trouble at an auction, he finds himself beholden to a handsome horse breeder named Joshua Glick. Joshua and Carolyn feel an instant attraction, and soon a romance is budding between them. The trouble is Joshua believes Benjamin is Carolyn’s nephew, not her son. After years of shame and loneliness, Carolyn suddenly has two men vying for her attention. Can either man give her the family—and the unconditional love—she longs for? Or will her past once again sabotage the future she wants? “. . . will leave readers craving more.” — RT Book Reviews , TOP PICK!, 4 1/2-star review “. . . will leave readers craving more.” -- RT Book Reviews, TOP PICK!, 4 1/2-star review Amy Clipston is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery, Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel, Amish Heirloom, Amish Homestead, and Amish Marketplace series. Her novels have hit multiple bestseller lists including Christianbook, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan University and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at AmyClipston.com; Facebook: @AmyClipstonBooks; Twitter: @AmyClipston; Instagram: @amy_clipston; BookBub: @AmyClipston. A Mother's Secret By Amy Clipston ZONDERVAN Copyright © 2014 Amy Clipston All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-310-33581-8 CHAPTER 1 Joshua Glick held the reins and guided his horse through the crowd at the auction. Both Amish and English spectators lined the path he followed while riding behind other horseback riders. If Joshua were prideful, he would be tempted to brag that Buck, the massive draft horse he rode, was the cream of the crop—not just from his horse farm, Glick's Belgian and Dutch Harness Horses back home in Paradise, Pennsylvania, but at the auction as well. Joshua hoped to sell at least five horses today, which would bring a nice profit. Business had been booming ever since he bought out the other half of the farm from his former sister-in-law, Hannah, when she left the community last year. He was even beginning to suspect he needed to hire more helpers. The volume of business was becoming too much for him and his assistant, Daniel King, to handle alone. He suppressed a smile as he thought of his farm. Joshua had promised himself he'd keep the business going as a way to provide a living for his brother's widow and their three children. Then when Hannah remarried and she and two of her children left, Joshua became the sole owner and it was no longer a source of income for Gideon's family. But now, seven years after Gideon's death, the business was becoming everything Gideon dreamed of when the brothers established it nearly a decade ago, and it was a way to keep Gideon's dreams alive. It was Joshua's connection to his only sibling, and he was going to do his best to make it the best farm it could be for Gideon. If only his brother were alive to see it now ... Above the noise of all the people, Joshua heard someone heckling the parade of horses. He scanned the crowd and spotted a group of three Amish boys standing with the crowd. They looked to be in their mid-teens. "Look at that fat old mare," one of the boys said in Pennsylvania Dutch while pointing to a horse in front of Joshua's. "She couldn't pull a buggy if her life depended on it!" One of the other two boys laughed. Joshua turned toward the horse in front of him and returned his thoughts to his business and hopes for sales that would make the trip to the auction cost-effective. He was deep in thought when Buck suddenly reared, kicking his massive legs and sending Joshua's stomach up to his throat as he swayed and nearly slipped off the horse. The surrounding crowd of spectators broke into a chorus of gasps and shouts. Joshua held on to the reins and climbed off the horse. He found Buck's eyes wide with fear. "It's okay," Joshua cooed, calming the horse by rubbing his neck. "It's fine, bu . Calm down. Calm down, bu ." Daniel ran over, appearing from behind Buck. "Is he all right?" At nineteen, Daniel was muscular from working on the farm and stood close to Joshua's height of five-foot-eleven. "Oh no! He's bleeding! Look at that cut on his rump." Daniel pulled a rag out of his pocket and placed it on the large gash. "I'll t