Bookends
Authors: Liz Curtis Higgs
Tags: #Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Christian, #Romance, #General
“Liz Curtis Higgs’s
Bookends
is witty, charming, delightful—this book will keep you up all night laughing.”
D
EBBIE
M
ACOMBER
,
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“Delicious as Moravian Sugar Cake!
Bookends
has all of award-winning Higgs’s warmth, wit, and charm. Brimming with fun and overflowing with Christian encouragement,
Bookends
has it all. Readers will love it.”
L
ORI
C
OPELAND
,
AUTHOR OF
R
OSES
W
ILL
B
LOOM
A
GAIN
“
Bookends
is proof that Liz Curtis Higgs’s name will be indelibly written across the field of fiction. I am smitten with the way Liz dips her pen into the inkwell of her humor and her heart and spells out such captivating characters.
Bookends
is a delightful reason to declare a holiday and cozy up with this engaging novel.”
P
ATSY
C
LAIRMONT
,
AUTHOR OF
I L
OVE
B
EING
A W
OMAN
“
Bookends
hooked me from chapter one and continued to reel me in to the end. I want fiction filled with snappy, well-crafted dialogue, natural humor, and could-be-real characters. I want suspense, romance, and scenes that make me think deeply and spur me to grow in my faith. I want plausible struggles without easy, pat answers. I’ll admit I demand A LOT when it comes to fiction. The brilliant Miz Liz delivered it all, and more!”
B
ECKY
F
REEMAN
,
AUTHOR OF
R
EAL
M
AGNOLIAS
“While this book may not replace antibiotics, it’s a sure cure for sagging spirits and listless hearts. Liz has done it again: created real, likable characters in a warm, cozy town, sprinkled the mix with romance and history and color, and topped it off with a recipe for fun and delicious sugar cake! You won’t want to miss
Bookends
—it’s a little bit of stardust and a whole lotta fun!”
A
NGELA
E
LWELL
H
UNT
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
N
OTE
“
Bookends
is such fun! It’s a book rich in character, setting, and spiritual dimensions. Liz has given us a wonderful, thoughtful, yet humorous treat.”
G
AYLE
R
OPER
,
AUTHOR OF
W
INTER
W
INDS
“From the Moravian sugar cake to the rich, spiritual heritage that Higgs shares, her second fiction novel is as good as it gets. A great story with believable characters, realistic situations and a sprinkling of Higgs’s humor make for a wholesome love story that will keep the pages turning.”
K-L
OVE
N
EWS
& R
EVIEWS
“Liz Curtis Higgs has done it again!
Bookends
is a well-written, delightful concoction of romance, humor, tenderness, and fun. You’ll want to savor it during your midday cup of tea, but may find yourself partaking of its delights whenever a spare moment arises. It’s that good.”
L
ISA
S
AMSON
,
AUTHOR OF
T
IGER
L
ILLIE
“From the first page, Liz Curtis Higgs draws you into a warm, wonderful world of small-town charm, Moravian culture, faith, and romance. She delivers the kind of characters you’d like to count as friends and creates the kind of setting you dream of visiting. This is a story you’ll want to read again and again. Heartwarming and absolutely delightful!”
A
NNIE
J
ONES
,
AUTHOR OF
S
AVING
G
RACE
“
Bookends
is a triumph! Laugh-out-loud humor coupled with moments that will turn your knuckles white as you grip the book. Liz has created characters so real, you’ll swear you know them. Outstanding job by a novelist on her way.”
S
UZY
P
IZZUTI
,
AUTHOR OF
R
AISING
C
AIN
A
ND
H
IS
S
ISTERS
P
EOPLE
L
OVE
M
IXED
S
IGNALS
!
“One of the most delightful surprises I’ve had all year—a first novel that moved me to both laughter and tears!”
S
USAN
W
IGGS
,
U
SA
T
ODAY
B
ESTSELLING
AUTHOR
“A true home run … warm, cozy, truthful, compelling, and encouraging. Good messages about the God who rescued us, loved us without limit, and gave us a second and sometimes third chance.”
V
IRELLE
K
IDDER
,
AUTHOR OF
D
ONKEYS
S
TILL
T
ALK
“Christian fiction isn’t known for humorous books, so this title is a special joy. This bouncy romantic tale of a devout Christian woman looking for love should please most readers searching for a fun read. Recommended.”
L
IBRARY
J
OURNAL
“I thoroughly enjoyed
Mixed Signals.
It had everything—great laughs, good solid story, surprises and twists, and great characters. I cared about all of them, even craggy, cranky Frank—all perfectly wonderful.”
F
RANCINE
R
IVERS
,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
R
EDEEMING
L
OVE
“
Mixed Signals
absolutely blew me away! The prose was incandescent, each character fully realized and unforgettable, and it fully captured the magic of falling in love. Bravo!”
T
ERESA
M
EDEIROS
,
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of 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.
B
OOKENDS
published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
© 2000 by Liz Curtis Higgs
All Scripture quotations are taken from
The Holy Bible,
New King James Version
© 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Multnomah
is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc., and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For information:
Multnomah Publishers, Inc. • Post Office Box 1720 • Sisters, Oregon 97759
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Higgs, Liz Curtis.
Bookends/by Liz Curtis Higgs.
p.cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-78887-0
1. Real estate developers–Fiction. 2. Women historians–Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.I36235 B66 2000 99-057369
813′.54–dc21
v3.1
In memory of my mother,
who made every living thing around her bloom,
including me.
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Hugs and kisses, blessings and thanks, to the following individuals whose hearts and lives have touched mine and enhanced the pages of this novel.…
Peggy and David Jones, who kindly allowed Emilie to reside in their historic home on Main Street and prayed for this book from day one.
Jane and Don Rannels, friends and encouragers since my Girl Scout days, who welcomed Beth and company to live in their charming Spruce Street home and offered valuable information on Moravian matters.
Debbie Boehler of the Lititz Moravian Congregation, who compiled, faxed, and mailed more information about the church than one writer should require, and provided ongoing encouragement from the moment I walked through her office door one chilly December.
Dorothy Rutbell and Bruce Carl, birders both, who helped me keep our feathered friends straight.
Betty Siegrist, who truly
did
say she wouldn’t mind having a golf course in her backyard.
Sharon Brown of the Moravian Book and Gift Shop in Winston-Salem for her guidance concerning Moravian music.
Margaret Bucher of Moravian Sugar Cake fame, for sharing her recipe with our Helen and her heart with so many for so long.
Bonnie Dills of Home Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, who walked me through a Moravian New Year’s Eve Watchnight Service—the Home Church way.
Sharon Shaich and Tilly Shouten, for sharing their skills in the art of
Scherenschnitte.
Richard Johe of Salem College, who kindly responded to a
most
unusual request from a stranger.
Donna Hammond of the Lititz Public Library who—bless her—keeps not only
my
books on her shelves, but lots of other authors’ books, too.
Jim Hess of the Heritage Map Museum for kindly explaining survey maps and land draughts.
Nancy Sauder of the Moravian Mission Gift Shop in Lititz, whose enthusiasm for the Lord Jesus is positively contagious.
Stephanie Brubaker of the Humane League of Lancaster County for her
cheerful answers to my many questions about animal adoption.
Jeanine Gehman, aesthetician, and Donna Stover, owner of Shear Sensations, who helped me experience a Grand Spa Escape over the telephone.
Glenn B. Knight, former Web master of
www.LititzPA.com
, for knowing the answer to
everything
about Lititz and then some.
Courtney Yartz, for his expertise about irrigating golf courses and such.
Jane Clugston, book buyer for the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, for helping me locate enough Moravian resource material for a dozen novels (and don’t think I’m not tempted!).
Karen Ball, my dear editor, and Sara Fortenberry, my literary agent, two angelic creatures who made the whole process fun.
My hubby, Bill Higgs, for his own heroic efforts on behalf of our family, day in and day out.
Gloria Looney, office assistant, and Gayle Roper, novelist and wondrous writing teacher—two of the best “first readers” a writer could find.
Leesa Gogel, proofreader and kind supporter.
And finally—always—to a precious sister in writing, Diane Noble, my best friend and encourager, who keeps my heart on my work and my eyes on the Lord.
Thank you, one and all!
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
P
SALM 16:11
One
