Showing results by narrator "Cecily White" in All Categories

Lydia Beiler loves teaching school in her Amish community in Wisconsin. As a single woman in her fifties, the scent of chalk dust and the feel of a red Bic pen between her fingers is her calling, and she lives it to the full extent. But teaching isn't without its struggles—namely Jesse Stoltzfus, a sixth grade boy who pushes Lydia's patience to the limits. It doesn't matter how many times she makes him stay in from recess; he seems determined to argue everything and distract the other students with his toe tapping and incessant teasing.

It's winter, and Liesel Hart needs a project. Single and over the hill, she's more likely to turn to the convent than to find a date for the Christmas tree lighting. But when her friend's daughter reaches out with questions about Liesel's favorite passtime, she sees a chance to reinvent herself...until a family secret comes knocking like the Ghost of Christmas Past.

My best friend has held a grudge against his half-sister, Lauren, forever. It’s unjustified and ridiculous, but I have to take his side. Also ridiculous? How bad I have it for her. My Lauren radar goes off the second she steps in the building. Did I mention we work together and her dad’s the boss? Yeah, she’s so off-limits I might as well start running now and never come back. Except, her family is like family to me. So, I’ll do whatever it takes to stick around, even if she hates my guts.

Amie Martin has never been more ready to trade in her quaint seaside Maine hometown for a life of studying art in New York. But when old flame August Colton returns to Camden and proclaims his undying love, Amie is torn between her future plans and forgiving August’s secret past.

Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the town doctor's excessive bleeding treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek's dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life without love or family, a life where dreams rarely come true.

As far as Thea Michener is concerned, it's time for a change. With her husband murdered and her much-anticipated baby stillborn, there is nothing left for her in Ladreville. Having accepted a position as Cimarron Creek's midwife, she has no intention of remarrying and trying for another child. So when a handsome Texas Ranger appears on her doorstep with an abandoned baby, Thea isn't sure her heart can take it.

From afar, Cimarron Creek seems like an idyllic town tucked in the Texas Hill Country. But when former schoolteacher Lydia Crawford steps onto its dusty streets in 1880, she finds a town with a deep-seated resentment of Northerners - like her. Lydia won't let that get her down, though. All will be well when she's reunited with her fiancé.

Decisions have always been hard for Mary. Her whole life, she has found herself so controlled by the stern voice of her father that she struggles to hear God's voice or even know her own desires. What does it mean to give up one's will when you can't tell what your own will is, never mind God's? Finally, Mary commits to marriage, and so begins a tumultuous journey into life as a wife and mother. Will she pass her insecurities on to her daughter, or will she choose a new way of parenting? And will her daughter be able to navigate life and love without the same pain that Mary faced?

I know Denver Talcott hates me as much as I hate him, but since we’re sharing custody of the same friend, I can’t get rid of him. Believe me, I’ve tried. Worse, he’s now working at the same startup as me. My dream job cannot be his dream job, because my dream is to not see him on a daily basis.

Running her own bakery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania keeps Mary busy and her active mind engaged. But she continues to struggle with anxiety that is sometimes crushing, and though she has Aunt Lizzie and a few good friends, she often feels lonely and out of place. She's still questioning her very conservative Amish upbringing, too, and feeling torn between fear of an angry, exacting God and the hope of a loving, forgiving one.

Morgan Calhoun and her parents are whisked away in the middle of the night, something Morgan always knew was a possibility because of her father's CIA job. But she'd always thought if such a scenario played out that she would have time to say goodbye to those she loved - particularly her boyfriend, Kyle. Adding to her unbearable situation, several weeks after the move, Morgan finds out that she's pregnant.

Of course Noah would come back, and right when my life is a mess. I swear we had the best carpool friendship. Until he asked me out, then changed his mind, and then asked me out again, only to ghost me. I hate him so much. Almost as much as I love him and miss him—the old him before he became the worst ever. I don’t know what to think, but I know what I’m going to do. I’m locking my heart in a vault where he can’t reach it. My crush on him may have been obvious and embarrassing, but now that he’s in carpool again, I’m making sure the only thing getting crushed around here are his hopes.

Carianna isn’t like other 26-year-old women. She’s never been on a date, never experienced the euphoria of a first kiss, and certainly never been in love. Can a man’s heart speak to hers in a way that she can understand? And if so, will any man believe that she sings with the angels and has tea with God? Will they see the star dust twinkling in her eyes or hear the secret whispers of the ocean in a sea shell?

Ashamed of being duped by her handsome psychology professor, Josie Martin returns to Maine too proud to admit her foolishness to those closest to her. As the one-year anniversary of her father’s death approaches, she seeks solace in an old friend, Tripp Colton, and a new business venture that will prove to herself and her loved ones that she is still capable of success despite her overwhelming failure. When Josie announces she will not return to school to finish her graduate degree but wishes to remain in Camden, the entire family gets behind her idea to open and run a bed and breakfast.

FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?

Experience the joy of love and faith in this heartwarming Amish Christmas collection. This delightful box set brings together three captivating stories that celebrate the magic of Christmas, the strength of family, and the journey to finding love during the most special time of the year.

Divorced empty-nester Becky Linden wants a fresh start. After two decades away, she returns to her hometown to find herself. What she discovers instead is the long-abandoned schoolhouse where she had her first kiss as a teenager. Others might see an eyesore, but Becky sees the neglected building as a charming business opportunity and…her future. However, she can’t do it on her own. The one man who can help her is the last one she ever thought she’d ever ask — her ex-boyfriend.

Now that Nancy Yoder's sons have both married, she turns her attention to Rose, the oldest of her four daughters. Rose is nearly 20 and, in Nancy's opinion, it's high time she began to look for a husband. Rose is caught off guard by her mother's desire that she should marry and marry fast. She tells her mother that love will find her when its ready. Soon after their discussion, Rose meets Jacob, the man of her dreams, and the two become close.

When Miss Charlotte Wilson asks God for a husband, she decides He must want her to pursue Mr. Hamilton Beckett, the catch of the season. The only problem? She's never actually met Hamilton. Fortunately, one of her oldest and dearest friends, Mr. Henry St. James - who has returned to New York after a two-year absence - does know Hamilton. Much to Henry's chagrin, Charlotte immediately ropes him into helping her meet Hamilton. However, none of her plans to catch Hamilton's eye go as she expected, and she is even more confused when her old feelings for Henry begin to resurrect themselves.

In 1770, Heather Douglas is desperate to escape a brewing scandal in her native Scotland. Penniless and hoping for a fresh start far away, she signs a seven-year indenture and boards a British merchant vessel headed to Virginia. Widowed planter Matthew Stewart needs someone to help raise his two young children. The tall blond standing on the Alexandria quay doesn't look like much after her harrowing sea voyage, but there's a refinement about her that her filthy clothing cannot hide. Could God be leading him to take this unknown indentured servant as his wife?