A sweet Amish romance with lost love letters, a determined matchmaker, and finding love where and when you least expect it. “Her fingertips brushed against something else in the box of doilies. She lifted a bundle of letters, neatly tied with a thin red ribbon . . .” Ivy Yoder hasn’t heard from John King in over a year. She knows it’s time to let go of the idea that they will one day marry, but she’s humiliated to be one of the oldest single women in her Amish community of Birch Creek. When quirky Cevilla Schlabach asks her to help clean out an attic, Ivy is grateful for the distraction. Noah Schlabach isn’t from Birch Creek or even Ohio. His job as an auctioneer takes him around the country and away from a typical Amish life, but he still remains devoted to his family. So when his aging aunt asks him to help clean out her attic, he agrees. Plus, who knows what curious items he might find up there? As Noah and Ivy work side by side, they come across a different kind of treasure: a packet of letters written during the Korean War. Soon they are swept up in the story of two young people falling in love—even as they remain determined not to fall in love themselves. Third book in the Amish Letters series ( Written in Love and The Promise of a Letter ). The books do not need to be read in order. - Part of the larger Birch Creek Amish community with the Amish of Birch Creek series and Amish Brides of Birch Creek series - Full-length novel, approximately 75,000 words - Sweet, clean Amish romance with happily-ever-after ending - Includes discussion questions for book clubs and list of all the author’s books by series With over two million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the USA TODAY bestselling author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com; Instagram: @kf_booksandhooks; Facebook: @WriterKathleenFuller; X: @TheKatJam. Words from the Heart By Kathleen Fuller Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2018 Kathleen Fuller All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7180-8256-7 CHAPTER 1 December (one year later) Ivy Yoder stood on tiptoes as she reached for the dark-green dress she'd chosen to wear today. She had a stepstool in her room, but most of the time she didn't bother to use it. At four feet eleven, she was used to having to reach for things. Once she was dressed, her hair tucked neatly into a stiff white kapp and warm stockings covering her legs and feet, she grabbed her purse, and then went downstairs to help her mother with breakfast. " Gute morgen," Mamm said, scrambling what Ivy knew had to be a dozen eggs in a large cast iron skillet. She adjusted the gas burner underneath. "Morning." Ivy set her purse on the kitchen counter near the mudroom and then started setting the table. Her father and three brothers were feeding the animals and milking their two dairy cows, and as usual they would be hungry for a big meal when they finished. Her brothers were all strapping boys who burned a lot of calories working on the family farm. After several lean years, the farm was a success. They had plenty of food, not only for themselves, but to share with other families as well. None of them took for granted the bounty they were experiencing after so many years of struggle. Ivy quickly finished with the table, and then she started cutting a fresh loaf of bread into thick slices. "Everything okay?" Ivy looked at her mother, not liking the expression on her face. Mary Yoder was usually a happy-go-lucky woman, optimistic even in the worst of times. But occasionally she made that face, her eyes looking at Ivy with a mix of worry and confusion. " Ya, " Ivy said, placing the bread slices on a plate and carrying it to the table. "Why?" "Today's yer last day at the Millers'. I know you've enjoyed working for them." Ivy nodded. She'd been working part-time at Miller's Bookbinding over the past couple of years. Her younger sister, Karen, had also worked there before she married a little over a year ago. Now David Miller had told Ivy he and his wife were closing their business and moving back to Holmes County, where they were from originally. "I'll miss them a lot, but they're happy to be moving closer to their extended familye. " "That seems to be a trend around here." Mamm slid the scrambled eggs onto a large platter and handed it to Ivy. "The older people here when Emmanuel Troyer started the settlement are moving away." She smiled. "Meanwhile, our community is filling up with yung folks." Ivy returned her mother's smile with a halfhearted one of her own. Yes, there were plenty of younger residents in Birch Creek now. Unfortunately, most of them were children, teenagers, or men who came to marry women in the community. Over the past three years, since Emmanuel Troyer left under a scan