The Beginning

"I wish there was something I could do," Cousin Verena said, her voice cracking. "But what?" Susie whispered, wiping her eyes. "The boy I've always loved thinks of me as his sister . . . and always has." Susie Mast's Amish life in Lancaster County has been shaped by events beyond her control, with the tragic deaths of her  Dat  and close-in-age brother casting long shadows. Now twenty-two, Susie remains unmarried despite her longtime affection for friend Obie Yoder.