Josephine will discover more than she bargained for as her world collides with the Plain people of Lancaster County. Josephine Dronberger was a scared teenager when she left her baby in the care of an Old Order Amish couple. But seventeen years have passed and Josie longs to reconnect with her daughter. Linda—as the couple named the child—is promised to Stephen Ebersol, the bishop’s grandson. They plan to marry in the fall. When her birth mother comes to Paradise, Linda is drawn to a world she’s never known. Will the direction she’s been heading since birth be suddenly derailed, and who will stand by her convictions—mother or daughter? Plain Paradise A Daughters of the Promise Novel By Beth Wiseman Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2010 Beth Wiseman All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-59554-823-8 Chapter One Josephine Dronberger adjusted her dark sunglasses as she stared at the faceless dolls on display. She lifted one to eye level then eased her way closer to Linda. Turning the figure about, she pretended to study it even though her eyes were on the seventeen-year-old Amish girl standing with two friends at the neighboring booth. She inched closer, as if somehow just being near Linda would comforther. Then she heard one of the girls talking in Pennsylvania Deitsch , the dialect most Amish speak and one she regularly heard at the farmer's market. Josie pushed her glasses down on her nose and slowly turned to her left, feeling like the stalker she had become over the past few weeks. She drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Two of the girls were wearing dark green dresses with black aprons. Linda was clothed in a dress of the same style, but it was deep blue, and Josie instantly wondered if Linda's eyes were still a sapphire color. All of them wore prayer coverings on their heads, as was expected. Not much had changed since the last time Josie had been in Lancaster County. She watched one of the girls fondling a silver chain hanging on a rack filled with jewelry. Linda reached forward and removed a necklace, then held it up for the other girls to see. Again they spoke to each other in a language Josie didn't understand. Josie knew she was staring, so she forced herself to swivel forward, and once more she pretended to be interested in the doll with no face, staring hard into the plain white fabric. Until recently, that's how Linda had looked in Josie's mind. She placed the doll back on the counter alongside the others and then wiped sweaty palms on her blue jeans before taking two steps closer to the girls who were still ogling the necklaces. Jewelry wasn't allowed in the Old Order Amish communities, but Josie knew enough about the Amish to know that girls of their age were in their rumschpringe , a running around period that begins at sixteen-a time when certain privileges are allowed up until baptism. Josie watched Linda hand the woman behind the counter the necklace. Then she reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out her money. Josie moved over to the rack of necklaces and glanced at the girls. Linda completed her purchase, then turned in Josie's direction so one of her friends could clasp the necklace behind her neck. Josie stared at the small silver cross that hung from a silver chain, then she let her eyes veer upward and gazed at the pretty girl who stood before her now, with blue eyes, light-brown hair tucked beneath her cap, and a gentle smile. "That's lovely." Josie's words caught in her throat as she pointed to the necklace. Linda looked down at the silver cross and held it out with one hand so she could see it, then looked back up at Josie. "Danki." She quickly turned back toward her friends. No, wait. Let me look at you a while longer. But she walked away, and Josie stared at the girls until they rounded the corner. She spun the rack full of necklaces until she found the cross on a silver chain like Linda's. "I'll take that one," she told the clerk as she pointed to the piece of jewelry. "And no need to put it in a bag." Josie handed the woman a twenty-dollar bill and waited for her change. She glanced at the Rolex on her left wrist. Then she unhooked the clasp of the necklace she was wearing, an anniversary present from Robert-an exquisite turquoise drop that he'd picked up while traveling in Europe for business. She dropped the necklace into her purse while the woman waited for Josie to accept her purchase. "Thank you." Josie lifted her shoulder-length hair, dyed a honey-blonde, and she hooked the tiny clasp behind her neck. The silver cross rested lightly against her chest, but it felt as heavy as the regret she'd carried for seventeen years. Josie straightened the collar on her white blouse. She cradled the small cross in her hand and stared at it. There was a time when such a trinket would have symbolized the strong Catholic upbringing she'd had and her faith in God. But those days were behind her. Now the silver cross symbolized a bon