{"id":253521,"date":"2026-07-13T02:52:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/a-time-of-proving-alena-mentink\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:52:35","slug":"a-time-of-proving-alena-mentink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/a-time-of-proving-alena-mentink\/","title":{"rendered":"A Time Of Proving – Alena Mentink"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jonathan darted a glance at Jase. \u201cDon\u2019t believe we\u2019ve met yet.\u201d Jase extended his hand, and hesitantly Jonathan accepted it. \u201cJase Hoffman. You might have met my parents and brothers.\u201d \u201cProbably not. Haven\u2019t met many people yet.\u201d Jonathan glanced back at Miriam as if pleading for a reprieve. Did he even know how to handle small talk?<\/p>\n

Uncomfortable didn\u2019t begin to describe him. \u201cWell, you wouldn\u2019t forget my family if you\u2019d met them. We\u2019re a bit of a mob.\u201d Jase flashed Jonathan one of his trademark smiles. To Miriam\u2019s surprise, Jonathan smiled back\u2014tentatively, but still a smile. \u201cWould you be willing to do some chores in exchange for your supplies?\u201d Miriam asked Jonathan.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadie had her baby last night, and Ephraim is running behind.\u201d Jonathan nodded. \u201cI can do that. Was it a girl or boy?\u201d \u201cBoy. Peter Burkett.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s great. My youngest brother just turned one. Not really a baby anymore. I think it would be fun if Ma . . .\u201d His voice trailed off. \u201cOf course she should have another one,\u201d Jase said. \u201cNo boy should have to suffer through being the youngest. He gets picked on something awful, and all his big brothers call him spoiled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jase made a wry face. Jonathan\u2019s smile widened into a full-fledged grin. \u201cNope, Jacob probably shouldn\u2019t be the youngest forever. It\u2019s one thing for a girl to be spoiled, but a boy\u2019s gotta learn to toughen up.\u201d Miriam had been trying to pull a grin like that out of Jonathan since the day she met him, and she could hardly believe the way his self-imposed shield crumbled in Jase\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

Maybe he, too, had fallen under Jase\u2019s charm. Or more likely, he had sensed that behind Jase\u2019s smile was a heart that truly cared about others. \u201cJonathan, you can go back into Ephraim and Sadie\u2019s rooms and find Ephraim. He\u2019ll tell you what needs to be done. And, Jase, I\u2019ll get back to your order now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miriam lifted the paper again, determined to do her job well and not let her mind wander this time. Jase cleared his throat. \u201cIf it\u2019s no trouble, I think I\u2019ll tag along with Jonathan. Ephraim asked me to build some shelves for the back room, and Pa agreed that I can fit the time in for the project.\u201d He arched one brow at her.<\/p>\n

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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For permission requests, write to alena@alenamentink.com.<\/p>\n

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a result of the author\u2019s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of its affiliates\/contractors\/printers. Author retains all intellectual property rights. Contact author for questions or disputes. Editing by Mountain Peak Edits and Design, Avodah Edits, and Jayna Baas Cover design by Hannah Linder FICTION \/ Christian \/ Romance \/Historical FICTION \/ Romance \/ Historical \/America Printed in the United States of America 1kitap1.com\/en ALSO BY ALENA MENTINK Settle My Heart HOME TO OSCEOLA SERIES A Bargain to Keep A Choice of Love A Time of Proving 1kitap1.com\/en For Caleb.<\/p>\n

Because you have a sense of justice, a love for a good fight, and a propensity for trouble, this one\u2019s for you. 1kitap1.com\/en \u201cProve all things; hold fast that which is good.\u201d 1 Thessalonians 5:21 1kitap1.com\/en O CHAPTER 1 Omaha, Nebraska April 23, 1880 maha was a disagreeable place in the best of times, but when the city sat half drowned under a torrent of spring rain, Miriam Locklin found it despicable.<\/p>\n

Rain poured from the sky and overflowed the gutters lining the store roofs. Water streamed across the boardwalk and transformed the streets into mud pits. And as lightning forked across the sky, a horse reared at one end of the street, making onlookers yell. Sensible people stayed home on an afternoon like this. Only those who had no choice or were crazy ventured out into the deluge. Of course, Miriam was more than a little crazy.<\/p>\n

Clutching her paper-wrapped parcel tightly against her chest, she leaped over a puddle that filled a hollow in the boardwalk, then pressed herself against the wall of a store as two men straining beneath the weight of a wooden crate lurched past her. Another man in a black rain slicker bumped into her from behind and growled as if she had purposefully stepped into his private space. Omaha. A town with absolutely no sense of manners. The men with the crate lumbered away, and Miriam dashed on, narrowly avoiding a broken downspout that poured water straight onto the boardwalk.<\/p>\n

She should have done her shopping a different day, but her sister Myra\u2019s third birthday was tomorrow, and she could put it off no longer. Nor could she bypass the opportunity to search for a job.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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