ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

AS ALWAYS, I’M THANKFUL FOR MY LOVING FAMILY, including my mother, Lola Goebelbecker; my husband, Joe; and my sons, Zac and Matt. I’m blessed to have such an awesome and amazing family who puts up with me when I’m stressed out on a book deadline.

Special thanks to my mother and my dear friend Becky Biddy, who graciously read the draft of this book to check for typos. Becky—I’m sure you ran out of a few dispensers of tape flags on this one! Also, thank you, Becky, for your daily notes of encouragement. Your friendship is a blessing!

I’m also grateful to my special Amish friend, who patiently answers my endless stream of questions.

Thank you to my wonderful church family at Morning Star Lutheran in Matthews, North Carolina, for your encouragement, prayers, love, and friendship. You all mean so much to my family and me.

Thank you to Zac Weikal and the fabulous members of my Bakery Bunch! I’m so thankful for your friendship and your excitement about my books. You all are amazing!

To my agent, Natasha Kern—I can’t thank you enough for your guidance, advice, and friendship. You are a tremendous blessing in my life.

Thank you to my amazing editor, Jocelyn Bailey, for your friendship and guidance. I appreciate how you push me to dig deeper with each book and improve my writing. I’ve learned so much from you, and I look forward to our future projects together. I also cherish our fun emails and text messages. You are a delight!

I’m grateful to editor Jean Bloom, who helped me polish and refine the story. Jean, you are a master at connecting the dots and filling in the gaps. I’m so thankful that we can continue to work together!

Thank you to Janet Jeter for help with the twin research. You’re so blessed to not only have a twin brother but also another set of twins in your family! Thank you for giving me pointers on Laura and Mark’s connection. I’m so grateful to have you as one of my work buddies.

I also would like to thank Kristen Golden for tirelessly working to promote my books. I’m grateful to each and every person at HarperCollins Christian Publishing who helped make this book a reality.

To my readers—thank you for choosing my novels. My books are a blessing in my life for many reasons, including the special friendships I’ve formed with my readers. Thank you for your email messages, Facebook notes, and letters.

Thank you most of all to God—for giving me the inspiration and the words to glorify You. I’m grateful and humbled You’ve chosen this path for me.