Priscilla's Escape — Diane Craver

When faith and freedom collide, mistakes made in the past may decide the future.Twenty-year-old Priscilla King is unsure about joining the Amish Church and wants to use her rumspringa freedom to paint beach landscapes. She's been offered a two-month-long nanny position in Siesta Key, Florida by an author on a tight writing deadline. The opportunities presented are more than a little tempting for Priscilla, even if it means disappointing her parents and leaving her new boyfriend. Stephen Hertzler grew up in an Amish family, but, like Priscilla, he's undecided about joining the church. He loves Priscilla and wants to marry her, though he knows she's not ready to decide about anything other than her summer plans. His biggest worry is that she'll meet someone else in Florida and forget him. Priscilla's father Amos, bishop of the church, has a secret. As a child, he'd also loved painting pictures. But, because of his Amish district, painting was frowned upon and he was forced to do it in hiding. His father found out about his art and, in fury, he burned the paintings. When he was older, Amos moved to Fields Corner, where he would have been allowed to paint. Traumatized, he'd instead buried his passion for art in order to focus on being a good bishop for the community. When Priscilla's parents sabotage her part-time job at a local fabric store to dissuade her from following a "worldly lifestyle" in taking the nanny position in Florida, Priscilla is distraught. She knows she would regret not taking this chance. Leaving a note, she sneaks out in disobedience of her parents' wishes. Free to paint, dreams she's never fully envisioned before seem within reach…but at what price?