The WAITING by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The 2nd book in the series Lancaster County Secrets.

Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing

When Ben Zook left Lancaster County to go to Veitnam as a contentious objecter, he asked Jorie King to wait for him, and for the past couple of years, her life has been on hold.  Then word came that Ben had been killed, and Jorie has to move on with her life. She begins teaching in the little one room schoolhouse and knows she has to get the 8th graders ready to take the state exam in May, or the Amish children will have to go to the public schools.
Just two weeks after news of Ben's death, his brother, Cal, lost his wife, Mary Ann to leukemia, and he is left to raise his youngest brother, Ephraim, and his young daughter, Maggie, alone, while running the farm.  One of Mary Ann's last requests was that he find a new wife to help him, and she hoped it would be Jorie.

Just when it looks as if Cal and Jorie have decided that they can become a family, the bottom falls out of their world, when it is found that Ben is still alive, and in a mental ward at a hospital in Lebanon, about an hour away from the farm, and Cal brings him home to try and help him recover.

Does Jorie still love Ben, the man she has waited for, since she was a young woman, or is she in love with Cal?

This book isn't just a simple story, it is very complex, with lots of characters who make the story very interesting, from Sylvia, Mary Ann's sister, to Dr. Robinson, the new vet in the community.  I found myself reluctant to put it down.  I know that if you start reading, you'll feel the same.

I received a copy of this book from Litefuse to read and review.  I received no other compensation.
All opinions expressed here are my own.