Love Blooms in Morning Star

Book excerpt: In the fourth Maidels of Morning Star novel by fan-favorite author Charlotte Hubbard, the five unmarried Amish friends who teamed up to transform an abandoned barn into the Morning Star Marketplace tackle the latest stumbling block to their success. When the elders vote to forbid any maidel to work after marriage, the rule forces one of them to make the choice between running the store she's put so much effort into and the man she loves. As Jo Fussner keeps the Marketplace humming, her heart dances with a joyous secret. Jo and Michael Wengerd, a shy nursery owner from a nearby town, have fallen hopelessly in love. When Michael buys a courting buggy, Jo is sure a proposal will follow. But she'll have to work hard to gain her mother's approval--because the widowed Drusilla Fussner is convinced that marriage will bring her daughter nothing but heartache. To win Jo's hand, Michael enlists his father's help in convincing Drusilla to give the marriage her blessing--and perhaps even open her heart to new happiness of her own. . . . But just as Jo and Michael's hope for their future grows, an even bigger obstacle looms. The Amish elders vote to forbid any maidel from working once she marries. Now Jo must choose between the beloved store she's put her heart into, and the man she can't live without. Conflicted, Jo will have to trust that anything is possible when true faith guides the way . . .