Book Title: STILL WATERS
Character Name: Beth Peachy
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
I always thought my childhood was perfect. I grew up in a close-knit Amish community. My parents loved each other and were very close. I visited my grandmother, who we call Mammi, in Shepherd’s Hill, Pennsylvania every summer. It was ideal. But there was something missing, and I only noticed after my father passed away. But my family had a very strange void in the center of it.
What was your greatest talent?
I’m a swimmer, and while we Amish don’t compete, I’ve been told that I’m very good. My father taught me how to swim, and I have been pushing myself to get stronger and have more endurance ever since I started to paddle. I often wonder if I might have been good enough to race if I’d grown up Englisch.
Significant other?
At the moment, I’m single. I’m visiting my grandmother one last time while I help her get the house ready to sell. And there’s this guy I was friends with as a girl who lives along the same lake—Danny Lapp—and I have to say… there’s a spark! And we’re both old enough to do something about it now. I’m not sure if that will work in my favor or not.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
Being able to just say things as I see them and not scare the guy off. Amish men want the perfect Amish wife at their side. She’s got to be able to cook, clean, raise the kids, sew clothes, garden, preserve food… But I’m not necessarily good at those things. I mean, I can keep a house, but my passion is for swimming. That’s a touchy pass time for a lot of Amish communities. So just saying what I think—that can derail a nice flirtation.
Where do you live?
I live with my mother and siblings in Ohio, but I’m spending the summer in Pennsylvania helping my grandmother pack up so she can sell the house and move back to Ohio and live with us. It’s time.
Do you have any enemies?
I never thought so, but my family is turning out to be rather difficult lately!
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
In Pennsylvania? It’s a beautiful area, with lots of Amish culture. I love it. But it does make me wonder if I’m really cut out for an Amish life. What draw me in? The memories, Danny, all those long, hazy summers we spent together. What pushes me away? The reality of Amish living, and knowing for a fact that I’m not going to make any man a perfect Amish wife.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
I grew up on a farm. I have horses I love, a milk cow I’m fond of. My grandmother has an old dog who is utterly devoted to her named Goldie, and I’ve been bonding with her again, too.
What do you do for a living?
Right now? I’m trying to figure that out. I’d like to work at a bank, but that’s not very Amish. I’d have to be able to use computers. But if I have to support myself, I think that would be a reliable source of income, and I’d enjoy the work. But I’d have to go back to school and get my high school diploma, while the Amish stop at the eighth grade.
Greatest disappointment?
When my father died. I was incredibly close to him.
Greatest source of joy?
Right now, Danny is quickly becoming my biggest comfort. I didn’t expect that, but he’s grown into a handsome, sweet, reliable man. When I need someone to talk to, I find myself walking around the lake to his place. He’s special, but he’s another Amish guy who needs a proper Amish wife. And I’m a bit of a disappointment in that area.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
I swim. I love it! I have to be careful to swim where no men can see me, because that’s a modesty issue for our people, but I just love that time in cool lake water, pushing myself to my limit.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
Not asking the right questions while I could. Daet never told me anything about his life before the age of eighteen. He never mentioned his father. It was like his life started when he married Mamm, which is romantic, but not true, either. And now that he’s gone, no one knows anything! Not that they’re saying, at least. Even my grandmother clams up tighter than the seal on a five-gallon bucket when I ask anything about his childhood. I should have asked sooner. I was far too trusting.
What keeps you awake at night?
Worrying about my grandmother these days. She’s losing her memory, and parts of her personality, too. I didn’t know it was this bad when I came, but Mammi needs help. And I’m the one who is here to provide it.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
I need to get my grandmother to tell me her stories before she loses them for good. But I’ve realized another oddity. Mammi never spoke of a husband. Ever. I think it’s possible that Mammi was a single mother and she raised my father on her own. But she won’t admit to it. Trying to protect her own reputation, maybe? Trying to protect me? I wish I knew! I deserve to know who my grandfather is.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
I need those family stories! Family tales tell you who you are, where you came from. My Englischer neighbor knows more about her own family history than I know about mine. And my family has the stories locked down tight, and they aren’t trusting me with details. So yes, I do need something. I need them to trust me like an adult and tell me why my father never spoke of his childhood, and why my grandmother is so terrified of the lake behind her house. I need answers.
Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?
I think my grandmother got pregnant outside of wedlock, and they’re trying to protect me from that fact. But I can guarantee you this—before I make any hard and fast decisions about joining the faith, I’m going to have my answers. Daet didn’t hatch from an egg. He had a father, too. And I will find out who that is!
The Amish of Shepherd's Hill #2
An Amish Christian Fiction Romance About Family Secrets, Faith, and Community
Their hidden past brings questions about their future . . . together.
Unsure of her future within the Amish community, Beth Peachy arrives in Lancaster County for the summer to care for her ailing grandmother. Yet with dementia threatening to steal away Mammi's memories, Beth's visit quickly evolves into an urgent search for answers to questions that her relatives seem determined to avoid. How can Beth possibly make a lifelong vow to the Amish church when her own family is concealing so much of the past from her?
Beth's childhood friend Danny Lapp faces his own dilemma as his ex-Amish older brother turns his back on their family upbringing, dishonoring his Plain heritage. Struggling to find some sort of connection with his brother despite their deep difference of opinion, Danny is determined to find a solution before church leadership becomes involved. As Beth and Danny reconnect and seek to help each other in their search for answers, they find themselves stirring up not only surprising revelations about the past, but questions about a possible future—together.
Christian Romance | Amish [ Baker Publishing Group, On Sale: November 4, 2025, Trade Paperback, ISBN: 9781493451241 / ]
Patricia Johns is the author of more than twenty sweet romance, including the Infamous Amish Trilogy, Jeb's Wife, The Bishop's Daughter, and Thursday's Bride. She lives with her husband and son in Alberta, Canada.
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