The Proposal at Siesta Key (22 page)

Dear Reader,

Last February when Tom and I visited Sarasota, Florida, we ended up at Pinecraft Park around five that evening. My Amish friend walked us over, and the three of us stood on one side of the chain-link fence chatting with everyone on the other side who were playing shuffleboard. In the distance, some boys were playing basketball, while a group of young children were playing tag. The street nearby was filled with parked bicycles and a couple of scooters and a whole lot of people of all ages. Everyone was simply visiting and passing time.

Then I noticed that under the nearby pavilion, a crowd had gathered. A sense of anticipation filled the air. Soon, the benches were becoming filled and others crowded around the stage. I was kind of confused, and asked my friend what was going on. With a smile, she said a missionary group had come to talk. Tom and I were just as intrigued by the event as everyone else, so we walked over and stood on the outskirts.

After a brief introduction, a whole family took the stage, which was basically just a raised platform on one side of the pavilion. Then, the father spoke. And as he told his story, the crowd hushed. He told all of us about some trials his family had gone
through, and how prayer and God's light had gotten them through that difficult time.

It was a beautiful testimony.

And then, very sweetly, his daughters started singing “Amazing Grace.” Soon, almost everyone present was singing along.

I squeezed Tom's arm, knowing that I would never forget that moment. It was absolutely beautiful!

That evening was one of the highlights of my time in Pinecraft. I also knew by the time I went to sleep that night that I wanted to write about a family like the one I'd heard. I hope I did them justice.

I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I am enjoying writing it! Next up is
A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn
. The romance features two people who have been widowed, their many children, and a beagle named Frankie. I can't wait to share more of Pinecraft with you!

With blessings,
Shelley

P.S. I love to hear from readers, either on Facebook, through my website, or through the postal system! If you'd care to write and tell me what you thought of the book, please do!

Shelley Shepard Gray
10663 Loveland Madeira Rd. #167
Loveland, OH 45140

   
1.
  
At the beginning of the book, it's obvious that both Penny and Michael need to make some changes in their lives after spending years of keeping everything the same. Can you remember a time in your life when you needed a change? What led you to make the change?

   
2.
  
Both Penny and Michael have overcome traumatic incidents in their past. Though their situations were extreme, most people can point to difficult situations that they've had to overcome. How have you moved forward after a trying time in your life?

   
3.
  
Showing Penny's growth through her new job at the Orange Blossom Inn was gratifying for me to write about. Do you think she could have become as confident and self-assured if she'd been working at a different place? Why do you think her parents needed her to be the one to move forward first?

   
4.
  
Michael's conversation with Drew was a turning point for him. Who in your life has provided some desperately needed wisdom?

   
5.
  
Beverly and Eric's relationship continues to evolve in
The Proposal at Siesta Key
. They have begun to trust each other and now have slowly begun to form a friendship. Is there
anyone in your life who became a friend over time?

   
6.
  
Why do you think Beverly needs Tricia in her life?

   
7.
  
The idea that bad things can happen to good people is one of the mysteries of faith. In the novel, Penny's family certainly grapples with it. How have you come to terms with this idea?

   
8.
  
I used the following Scripture verse to guide me while writing this book:
Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions
(Psalm 119:18). What wonderful truths has the Lord asked you to open your eyes to see?

   
9.
  
I felt the following Amish proverb was particularly meaningful to many of the characters in the book:
Growing old is easy—the hard part is growing up.
What does it mean to you?

2 tablespoons margarine

½ cup chocolate chips

3 eggs (beaten)

½ cup white sugar

1 cup light or dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups chopped pecans

1 unbaked pie shell

Melt margarine, then add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Set aside. Beat together eggs, sugar, syrup, and vanilla in a medium bowl until creamy. Add melted chocolate chips. Stir in pecans and pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400°F until done, about 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Taken from
Our Family's Favorite Recipes
by Clara Coblentz. Used by permission of the Shrock's Homestead, 9943 Copperhead Rd. N.W., Sugarcreek, OH 44681.

H
ONESTLY
, I
FELL IN LOVE
with everything about the tiny village of Pinecraft, nestled in the heart of Sarasota and nearby Siesta Key! Here are five places to start your journey:

   
1.
  
Yoder's Restaurant.
I've been to a lot of Amish restaurants. I've eaten a lot of coconut cream pie at each one. But nothing has compared to this well-known restaurant. The line to get in is always long, usually at least a thirty-minute wait. But the long lines allow everyone to chat and make friends.

   
2.
  
The Produce Market at Yoder's.
The market next to Yoder's is full of beautiful Florida-fresh produce. We couldn't resist picking up two pints of strawberries and five oranges. Just to snack on—in between servings of pie, of course!

   
3.
  
Pinecraft Park.
It's the social center of the community! The night we were there, kids were playing basketball, men and women were playing shuffleboard (women have their own lane), and there were at least another forty or fifty people standing around and visiting.

   
4.
  
The Bus Parking Lot.
Behind the post office is a large parking lot where everyone meets to either board one of the Pioneer Trails buses or to watch who is arriving and leaving.

  
5.
  
Village Pizza.
It's located right behind Olaf's Creamery. You can order a pie and take it right over to one of the picnic tables outside. The pizza is delicious. Eating pizza outside in the sunshine in February in the Florida sun? Priceless.

Photographs courtesy of Katie Troyer, Sarasota, Florida

The Pioneer Trails bus arrives in Pinecraft.

Siblings and friends at Big Olaf in Pinecraft.

Enjoying a Song Fest at Pinecraft Park.

Playing bocce in Pinecraft Park.

Coming Fall 2015 from Avon Inspire

F
RANKIE WAS ON THE LOOSE
. Again. “Mandy, dear, are you sure you didn't see where he went off to?” Emma asked her six-year-old daughter.

Mandy shook her head, the long white ties of her
kapp
swinging with the movement. “I was talking to Frankie about my daisies, but I guess he weren't too interested in them.”

“I fear his actions have less to do with your daisies and more to do with the scent of pizza,” Emma said around a frown. “He has never met a pizza he didn't want his stomach to know well.”

“I'm sorry, Mamm. I thought the gate was closed.”

Walking to the freshly painted white fence that surrounded their house like pretty white icing on a cake, Emma examined the gate. The latch was in place. Then she noticed the beagle-sized hold underneath it.

“Looks like Frankie dug his way out this morning.”

“Oh, brother.” Mandy let out an exasperated lungful of air. “Frankie can sure be a bad beagle, Mamm.”

“Indeed.” Ever since Frankie had been a puppy, he'd had an inordinate fondness for pizza. But now that he'd reached
the ripe old age of ten, he seemed to have developed a real problem with wandering off in search of his favorite snack. Honestly, one would think he was too old for such nonsense.

Emma knew
she
was. She had three girls to take care of by herself, as well as her home and part-time job. She had no time to track down wayward beagles.

“One day I'm going to have had enough of his foolishness,” she muttered.

“Frankie don't mean to be bad, Mamm,” Mandy protested as she grabbed Emma's arm. “Don't be mad. He's simply a really hungry beagle.” She brightened. “Like the caterpillar in that picture book!”

“I know, child.” Gently, she rubbed her thumb over the little line that had formed between her middle child's brows. “You know I would never do anything to hurt Frankie. Go get your sisters, and hurry, please. We're going to have to look for him.”

While Mandy ran back inside, Emma put her hands on her hips and looked left and right. Then she did it again, valiantly hoping that Frankie would suddenly appear trotting down the street toward them.

But that was unlikely to happen. If her silly dog had managed to sneak a slice of pizza, he wouldn't still be wandering around. Instead, he would be looking for a shady place to take a nap.

And because he was a very deep sleeper, he would likely not even hear the four of them calling his name.

Behind her, the screen door squeaked open with a sprinkle of giggles. Looking at her three angels, Emma did a quick inspection. All three were dressed for the day. Their three different shades of violet dresses neatly in place, rubber flipflops on clean feet, and white
kapps
on just so.

They were her heart, for sure and for certain. After Sanford had passed away three years ago, Emma had wondered if she'd ever smile again. But then she'd looked into her sweet girls' faces and knew that the Lord was good, indeed. He might have taken Emma's husband away far too early but He'd also given her three
wonderful-gut
reasons to live.

All she needed was for Frankie to stop escaping and her life would be fine.

“Where do you think Frankie went this time, Mamm?” little Annie asked.

“Wherever he smelled pizza.” Feeling vaguely like a bit of a canine herself, she breathed deeply through her nose. “Do you girls happen to smell any?”

“We never do,” Lena said. As the eldest daughter, all of eight years, she currently had an answer for everything. “But I think we should go to the right today when we start looking.”

“How come?” Mandy asked. “The Kaufmanns live to the left and they always are eating pizza.”

Lena shrugged. “Frankie went left last time. Plus, it's kind of early for them to be eating pizza. They're usually all at work or school this time of day.”

That was as good a reason as any. Holding out her hands for Mandy and Annie, Emma turned left and let Lena lead the way.

“Frankie? Frankie!” Lena called out. “Frankie, you silly beagle. Where are ya?”

“Frankie, come home! You, you hound!” Emma yelled in her best no-nonsense “mom” voice.

“I don't think Frankie likes being called a hound, Mamm,” Mandy said.

“Let's just hope he comes when one of us calls.”

Taking that as an invitation to bellow, Lena took a deep breath. “Frankie!”

Emma winced. “Lena, not quite so loud.”

“But if he's sleeping he won't wake up.”

“I know, but—”

“Who's Frankie?” A boy sitting on the front steps of the Orange Blossom Inn said as they approached. He looked to be a year or so older than Lena. He was also dressed in long trousers, a light blue shirt, suspenders, and wore a straw hat. He was surely Amish, but his attitude told Emma all she needed to know . . . he, too, was blessed with the know-it-all syndrome.

Lena marched right up to him. “Frankie is our beagle. Have you seen him?”

“Nope. Why's he called Frankie?”

“'Cause that's his name, that's why.”

“Well, I wouldn't come if I was a dog named Frankie. That's a silly name for a dog.”

Lena planted her hands on her hips. “Frankie likes his name. A lot.”

“Then why doesn't he come when you call?”

“He likes pizza,” Annie said as she scampered over to him. “Do you?”

Emma braced herself to step in. Surely he was going to say something snarky, Lena was going to blurt something inappropriate, or Annie was going to start crying.

But instead, the young man stared at little Annie for a moment, stood up, and smiled. “Did you say he likes pizza?”

“Oh,
jah
. He loves it!”

“My family does, too. And they just happen to be eating it out on the back patio. Come on.”

Next thing Emma knew, all three of her girls were following the boy into the inn. Though Emma wasn't afraid for them—she'd known Beverly Overholt, the proprietor for several years now—Emma wasn't especially certain that either the boys' family or Beverly would want three little girls to be traipsing through her inn.

But since they were inside, she followed, looking for Beverly as she stepped into the lovely entryway. When Emma spied Beverly standing by the stairs, her arms folded across her chest and grinning, she grimaced. “Sorry about the interruption. I'm afraid we're searching for Frankie again.”

“When I heard you calling for him down the street, I thought that might be the case,” she replied. Pointing toward the kitchen, she said, “They went that way.”

“Danke.”
Emma hurried on. There would be plenty of time to apologize better later. For now, she had to keep track of her busy girls before they managed to get into as much trouble as one missing beagle.