When she returned to the front of the classroom, Rachel smiled brightly. “Kinner, it’s time to go home. Gather your lunch pails and backpacks, stack your chairs, and line up.”
Again, each task was done immediately and with care. Five minutes later, Rebecca watched Rachel walk to the door, open it wide, and dismiss the class.
She smiled at each one, gave a couple of the little girls hugs, and spoke softly to Peter.
When the last of the students were gone, Rachel turned to Rebecca and smiled. “Danke for helping me today, Rebecca. You were a lifesaver.”
The praise was as embarrassing as it was unwarranted. “I don’t think that was the case at all, Rachel. I tried my best, but chaos reigned. I don’t know what happened—I was sure I would have been able to manage things easily for an hour.”
She chuckled. “Don’t fret. You did fine. It’s simply children’s natures to stretch their boundaries. They like to push a bit, just to see when someone will push right back.”
“Well, they certainly pushed.” They also won. Again, Rebecca wondered how it was possible for her to work so well with hundreds of grown men at the lumber mill but be putty in twenty-five children’s hands? “I see I have a lot to learn about managing a classroom.”
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Also by Shelley Shepard Gray
SISTERS OF THE HEART SERIES
Hidden • Wanted
Forgiven • Grace
SEASONS OF SUGARCREEK SERIES
Winter’s Awakening • Spring’s Renewal
Autumn’s Promise • Christmas in Sugarcreek
FAMILIES OF HONOR SERIES
The Caregiver • The Protector
The Survivor • A Christmas for Katie (novella)
THE SECRETS OF CRITTENDEN COUNTY SERIES
Missing • The Search
Found • Peace
THE DAYS OF REDEMPTION SERIES
Daybreak • Ray of Light
Eventide • Snowfall
RETURN TO SUGARCREEK SERIES
Hopeful • Thankful • Joyful
AMISH BRIDES OF PINECRAFT SERIES
The Promise of Palm Grove • The Proposal at Siesta Key
A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn
A Wish on Gardenia Street (novella)
A Christmas Bride in Pinecraft
OTHER BOOKS
Redemption
Credits
Cover photograph and design by Laura Klynstra
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A SON’S VOW. Copyright © 2016 by Shelley Shepard Gray. Excerpt from A Daughter’s Dream © 2016 by Shelley Shepard Gray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-233779-5
EPub Edition JANUARY 2016 ISBN: 9780062337801
16 17 18 19 20 OV/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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