Her Brother's Keeper

A
CCLAIM FOR
B
ETH
W
ISEMAN

T
HE
P
ROMISE

“The story of Mallory in
The Promise
uncovers the harsh reality American women can experience when they follow their hearts into a very different culture. Her story sheds light on how Islamic society is totally different from the Christian marriage covenant between one man and one woman. This novel is based on actual events, and Beth reached out to me during that time. It was heartbreaking to watch those real-life events unfolding. I salute the author's courage, persistence, and final triumph in writing a revealing and inspiring story.”

—Nonie Darwish, author of
The Devil We Don't Know
,
Cruel and Usual Punishment
, and
Now They Call Me Infidel

“
The Promise
is an only too realistic depiction of an American young woman motivated by the best humanitarian impulses and naïve trust facing instead betrayal, kidnapping, and life-threatening danger in Pakistan's lawless Pashtun tribal regions. But the story offers as well a reminder just as realistic that love and sacrifice are never wasted and that the hope of a loving heavenly Father is never absent in the most hopeless of situations.”

—Jeanette Windle, author of
Veiled Freedom
(2010 ECPA Christian Book Award/Christy Award finalist),
Freedom's Stand
(2012 ECPA Christian Book Award/Carol Award finalist), and
Congo Dawn
(2013 Golden Scroll Novel of the Year)

T
HE
H
OUSE THAT
L
OVE
B
UILT

“This sweet story with a hint of mystery is touching and emotional. Humor sprinkled throughout balances the occasional seriousness. The development of the love story is paced perfectly so that the reader gets a real sense of the characters.”

—
Romantic Times
, 4-star review

“[
The House that Love Built
] is a warm, sweet tale of faith renewed and families restored.”

—BookPage

N
EED
Y
OU
N
OW

“Wiseman, best known for her series of Amish novels, branches out into a wider world in this story of family, dependence, faith, and small-town Texas, offering a character for every reader to relate to . . . With an enjoyable cast of outside characters,
Need You Now
breaks the molds of small-town stereotypes. With issues ranging from special education and teen cutting to what makes a marriage strong, this is a compelling and worthy read.”

—Booklist

“Wiseman gets to the heart of marriage and family interests in a way that will resonate with readers, with an intricately written plot featuring elements that seem to be ripped from current headlines. God provides hope for Wiseman's characters even in the most desperate situations.”

—
Romantic Times
, 4-star review

“You may think you are familiar with Beth's wonderful story-telling gift but this is something new! This is a story that will stay with you for a long, long time. It's a story of hope when life seems hopeless. It's a story of how God can redeem the seemingly unredeemable. It's a message the Church, the world needs to hear.”

—Sheila Walsh, author of
God Loves Broken People

“Beth Wiseman tackles these difficult subjects with courage and grace. She reminds us that true healing can only come by being vulnerable and honest before our God who loves us more than anything.”

—Deborah Bedford, bestselling author of
His Other Wife
,
A Rose by the Door
, and
The Penny
(coauthored with Joyce Meyer)

T
HE
L
AND OF
C
ANAAN
N
OVELS

“Wiseman's voice is consistently compassionate and her words flow smoothly.”

—
Publishers Weekly
review of
Seek Me with All Your Heart

“Wiseman's third Land of Canaan novel overflows with romance, broken promises, a modern knight in shining armor, and hope at the end of the rainbow.”

—
Romantic Times

“In
Seek Me with All Your Heart
, Beth Wiseman offers readers a heartwarming story filled with complex characters and deep emotion. I instantly loved Emily, and eagerly turned each page, anxious to learn more about her past—and what future the Lord had in store for her.”

—Shelley Shepard Gray, bestselling author of the Seasons of Sugarcreek series

“Wiseman has done it again! Beautifully compelling,
Seek Me with All Your Heart
is a heartwarming story of faith, family, and renewal. Her characters and descriptions are captivating, bringing the story to life with the turn of every page.”

—Amy Clipston, bestselling author of
A Gift of Grace

T
HE
D
AUGHTERS OF THE
P
ROMISE
N
OVELS

“Well-defined characters and story make for an enjoyable read.”

—
Romantic Times
review of
Plain Pursuit

“A touching, heartwarming story. Wiseman does a particularly great job of dealing with shunning, a controversial Amish practice that seems cruel and unnecessary to outsiders . . . If you're a fan of Amish fiction, don't miss
Plain Pursuit
!”

—Kathleen Fuller, author of The Middlefield Family novels

A
LSO BY
B
ETH
W
ISEMAN

T
HE
D
AUGHTERS OF THE
P
ROMISE NOVELS

Plain Perfect

Plain Pursuit

Plain Promise

Plain Paradise

Plain Proposal

Plain Peace

T
HE
L
AND OF
C
ANAAN NOVELS

Seek Me with All Your Heart

The Wonder of Your Love

His Love Endures Forever

O
THER
N
OVELS

Need You Now

The House that Love Built

The Promise

Copyright © 2015 by Elizabeth Wiseman Mackey

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

The book
Pennsylvania German Dictionary: English to Pennsylvania Dutch
by C. Richard Beam is referenced in this novel.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-1-4016-8600-0 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wiseman, Beth, 1962-

Her brother's keeper / Beth Wiseman.

pages ; cm -- (An Amish secrets novel ; book 1)

ISBN 978-1-4016-8596-6 (softcover)

1. Amish--Fiction. I. Title.

PS3623.I83H47 2015

813'.6--dc23

2015002002

15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Karen and Tommy Brasher

C
ONTENTS

Pennsylvania Dutch Glossary

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Epilogue

Discussion Questions

Acknowledgments

About the Author

P
ENNSYLVANIA
D
UTCH
G
LOSSARY

aamen
—amen

ab im kopp
—off in the head; crazy

ach
—oh

aenti
—aunt

baremlich
—terrible

boppli
—baby or babies

bruder
—brother

daadi haus
—grandparents' house, usually a smaller dwelling on the same property

daed
—dad

danki
—thank you

die Botschaft
—The Message

Englisch
—a non-Amish person

fraa
—wife

gut
—good

haus
—house

kaffi
—coffee

kapp
—prayer covering or cap

kinner
—children

maedel
—girl

mamm
—mom

mammi
—grandmother

mei
—my

meidung
—shunning

mudder
—mother

nee
—no

Ordnung
—the written and unwritten rules of the Amish; the understood behavior by which the Amish are expected to live, passed down from generation to generation. Most Amish know the rules by heart.

Pennsylvania Deitsch
—the language most commonly used by the Amish. Although commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch, the language is actually a form of German (Deutsch).

rumschpringe
—running-around period when a teenager turns sixteen years old