My greatest lesson during this journey has been that no book has one author. My dear friends, Barbara Kline and Debbie Stone, were with me at the Amish dinner table when this story found me. Then, during yearly trips, they listened to the scant pages I had written since our last gathering and always wanted more. My writing teachers—Randall Albers, John Schultz, Betty Shiflett, and Ron Suppa—gave me the tools and confidence to go forward, and the members of my Monday night writing group were gentle midwives at this novel’s birth. Later, the Ragdale Foundation provided a setting conducive to reflection and productivity. There, I met Sheri Holman, who became my mentor, adviser, and friend.

Many thanks to Jan Caron, Wendy Herst, and Jackie Gross, who read an early manuscript and saw the possibilities through the flaws. Thanks also to Jason Anthony, whose interest and guidance helped me fix the flaws, and Barbara Chandler, who helped me write the quilting scenes. I appreciate the nine girls who inspired me to write about the love between an aunt and niece, and my many students who helped me recall what it was like to be a teenager. And to Debbie Batko and all the women in my life, thank you for making it easy to write about friendship. I’m also thankful to Steve and Gary for reading a book about a girl; Fern Schumer and Travis Ross for setting aside their writing to help me with mine; and Marsha Hoover for reading boring stuff and helping me understand it. And I deeply appreciate my wonderful boss, Helen Marlborough, who supported this book even when it meant shouldering my work on top of her own.

I’m grateful forever to my agent, Holly Root, who changed my life one August morning when she called to say, “I loved your book.” My thanks, also, to Dina Sherman, who gave the book an early vote of confidence from someone who knows the heart of the girl in the library. Thanks also to Laura Schreiber for her insightful editorial assistance, and the staff at Disney-Hyperion, who gave this book their attention and expertise. And I will always be indebted to my editor, Abby Ranger, for seeking this project and for pushing me to know more about the story and its characters. Thank you, Abby, for wanting this book, and for insisting that it could be better.

To my son, Kevin, love and thanks for being the first boy reader, for giving me the information I needed to write the party scene, and for not telling me how you got the information. To my daughter, Maggie, my cherished reading partner and first editor, thank you for uttering the words that rang in my head through all the years of writing: “Oh, Mom, I feel like I’m reading a real book!” Finally, to my husband, Ken, I’m grateful for everything you’ve done over the years to make sure this book got finished. Thank you for accepting my marriage proposal in that Omaha bar. Since then I’ve felt lucky every day.