An Amish Country Christmas Read online

  “And pass the same along to your families.” Uncle Abe looked a little heavier than last time Bram had seen him, and his bushy hair had gone from gray to white, but he seemed genuinely pleased to see them. “Guess I should warn you that your aunt’s in a stew, figuring you should’ve been here for dinner this noon. I reminded her that we were young once, too—about a hundred years ago.”

  “Not every day you run across the likes of the Coblentz twins,” Bram said as he shook his uncle’s gloved hand. “What do you think of these rigs? Seems to me James Graber did a fine job on them.”

  Uncle Abe stroked Felix’s shoulder before he circled the buggy, nodding, and then gave his attention to Nate’s sleigh. “Nobody builds a better ride than our James. Seems you young bucks have outdone yourself with these horses, too. Auctioneering and training must suit you, that you’re doing so well.”

  “Bram found us these geldings while he was working a couple of sales,” Nate remarked with a nod. “And then I made quick work of training them to pull our rigs.”

  Bram was thoroughly enjoying this chat, but when the kitchen door opened and his aunt stepped onto the side porch, he knew it was time to stop stalling. “Merry Christmas to you, Aunt Beulah Mae!” he called over to her.

  “Jah, late as it’s getting, I was wondering if Christmas might be here and gone before you boys showed up,” came her reply. “But I see now who might’ve led your gut intentions astray. Mary and Martha are known for distracting the fellows around here. Mary bakes me a lot of cookies, though.”

  “Jah, we’ve found that out.” Bram chuckled, exchanging a knowing smile with the young woman at his side.

  “Get yourselves inside now, before you catch your death in this cold wind,” Aunt Beulah Mae instructed. “I’ll put on water for some cocoa and we can visit.”

  “Can’t argue with that,” Abe said, waving the four of them toward the house. “Or at least we’d better not.”

  Bram gestured for his brother to lead the way, reminding Nate with a purposeful gaze that it was his job to spell out their new plans. When his hand found Mary’s, he wanted to drive off with her right then and there, but that was sure to get him into hot water.

  The kitchen felt too warm when they stepped inside. Judging from the pans of bars and fresh dinner rolls—not to mention four pies—on the back counter, the ovens had been fired up all day. When Nate hugged their aunt and snatched up a frosted sugar cookie, Bram followed suit . . . always a good idea to make Beulah Mae happy by eating every chance they got. The four of them exchanged pleasantries with the older couple as they hung their coats on pegs near the door. The long table was laid out with plates and mugs, with platters of coffee cake, sticky buns, and colorful cookies in the center. As his aunt quickly added two more place settings and grabbed the whistling kettle, Bram sighed inwardly. Might be an hour or more before they could even hope to slip away . . .

  “We don’t want to be any trouble, dirtying up sheets and towels and what-not,” Nate said as they took seats at the table, “so we won’t be staying the night, like we’d originally figured.”

  The kitchen got deadly quiet. Aunt Beulah Mae peered over the top of her black-rimmed glasses.

  Bram jammed the rest of his gingerbread man into his mouth. He was starting to sweat, and not just because the furnace and ovens were stoked up.

  “Abram and Nathaniel, you can’t tell me you’re starting back to Willow Ridge this late in the day.” Their aunt gazed intently at Mary and Martha. “Why am I thinking you girls have something to do with this change of plans?”

  Mary concentrated on her cocoa. Beside Nate, however, Martha bit back a grin. “At least give us credit for knowing a couple of worthwhile young fellows when we see them,” she replied pertly. “We wouldn’t invite just anybody to stay over and celebrate our birthday.”

  “And of course we’ll be seeing you at the schoolhouse tomorrow night for the scholars’ program, and then spending a prayerful Christmas Day at home. All fit and proper,” Mary added quietly. “Mamma and Dat wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “And what do your parents have to say about this?” Beulah Mae quizzed him and Nate. “Abe, was there a message on the phone from Nell, telling us of this change?”

  Uncle Abe, who had known to stay out of this conversation, shook his head. “Not the first time young fellows have gotten acquainted with girls over the holidays—”

  “But I’ve been cooking all day! And we’ve been looking forward to this visit—”

  “—and if you recall, Beulah Mae, you and I started courting at Christmas by giving your family the slip,” he continued with a quiet laugh. “Jah, that was more than fifty years ago, but things haven’t changed between girls and boys since then that I’ve noticed.”

  Their aunt’s cheeks got very pink. “That’s neither here nor there, and you know it!” she spouted. Then she focused again on Bram and Nate. “And why do I suspect you haven’t told your folks about this, either?”

  Bram whipped his cell phone from the pocket of his plaid flannel shirt. “Matter of fact, I was just about to call them,” he said as he rose to grab his jacket.

  “And then we’ll need to head home to let Mamma know about our guests,” Martha confessed. She snatched a chunk of fudge from the platter as she, too, stood up. “Denki so much for these wonderful-gut goodies, Beulah Mae.”

  “But we wouldn’t dream of missing the dinner you’ve fixed for us,” Nate chimed in. “And we’re hoping the girls can join us for that?”

  “We’ll be a lot better at redding up the kitchen afterward than these boys would,” Mary pointed out.

  The last thing Bram heard as he stepped outside was Uncle Abe’s laughter. “Sounds like a mighty fine evening,” he said. “We’ll see you kids later.”

  As the four of them scurried along the snow-packed lane, putting on their coats, Bram shook his head in amazement. “Well, that was slicker than all get-out, but we’ll pay for our escape tonight at supper, most likely.”

  “Jah, we cut them pretty short,” Martha remarked as she tied her bonnet strings. “But it’s not like we were telling stories—”

  “Because we do have to break the news to Mamma that you boys’re staying over,” Mary continued. “But make your call first, Bram, out on the road. Nissley’s Ridge is the best place out here to get a gut signal.”

  Once they had gone down the lane and headed up the slight grade of the county blacktop, Bram pulled over to the side. He punched the numbers and waited . . . and, as he’d anticipated, no one was near the phone shanty to pick up. “Jah, it’s Bram, callin’ to tell you we’re havin’ supper tonight with Abe and Beulah Mae, but we’ve been invited to celebrate a big birthday with carpenter Amos Coblentz’s girls,” he said. “So we’ll be stayin’ with them over Christmas Day and Second Christmas instead of headin’ home tomorrow like we thought. Bye now.”

  Mary was smiling mischievously beside him as he spoke. His heart was thundering, looking forward to the fun they would have over the next few days. After all, it would likely be hours before his parents heard about their change of plans—and what could they do about it? Willow Ridge was three hours away.

  “We’re gut to go,” he called back to his brother. “Let’s do it!”

  Chapter Four

  When the sleigh turned in at Coblentz Lane, Martha sat straighter and watched Nate’s face for his reactions. How did her home place compare to his in Willow Ridge? Was his house larger or newer than hers? Did the outbuildings appear well-kept to him, or was Nate making unfavorable comparisons as he took in the barnyard . . . the cluster of deep red barns with stone foundations . . . the silos rising behind them? She had lived on this land, in these buildings, every day of her life, yet now she looked at them with a more critical eye.

  “Real pretty place,” he murmured as he gazed out over the pastures. “It’s hillier here than where we live. More trees and rocks breaking up the tillable land. I’ve noticed how the homes and barns look to be o
lder in Cedar Creek, with a lot of stonework. Our town’s not been on the map as long.”

  “Jah, this farm’s been in Dat’s family for several generations,” Martha replied. “What with him and Owen both being carpenters, hay for the livestock is our only crop—and we have a big garden, of course.”

  Nate slowed the sleigh, watching ahead to see where Bram was going to park the buggy. “Whoa, Clyde,” he crooned in a low voice. Then he gave her a smile that seemed almost shy. “Hope your folks won’t feel like my brother and I are intruding on your family’s Christmas. Mighty nice of you, asking us to stay in town for longer than we’d figured on. If your mamm seems put out, we can always stay with the aunt and—”

  “We’re pretty gut at talking her into things, Mary and I,” Martha assured him as they got out of the sleigh. But now that they were mere steps away from introducing their two surprise guests, she realized what a challenge she and her twin had set themselves up for. Not only would her mamm and dat wonder what was really going on with these out-of-town boys, but there would be plenty of remarks from their brothers and little sister, as well.

  “Are you going to tell Mamma, or shall I?” Mary murmured as the four of them stepped onto the wide porch. “She’ll already figure something’s up, after the way I took out of here with those brownies a while ago.”

  “Should Nate and I wait out here until you girls break the news?” Bram placed his hand on Mary’s back, looking sincerely concerned about making the right impression.

  He also looks ready to kiss her. And she wouldn’t turn him away! Martha reached for the doorknob, thinking she might be the better one—the less distracted one—to break their news. “You might as well make your entrance, fellows. We’ve got nothing to hide, after all,” she pointed out.

  The sweet scents of orange cake and cherries greeted them as they all entered the kitchen. Her mother was taking a pan of orange date bars from the oven while Joanna drizzled white frosting over a batch of cherry pie bars. Mamma straightened to her full height, her gaze running quickly from Nate to Bram as they removed their hats. “Well, now! What’s this we have going on?”

  Martha jumped in feet first, hoping all the words came out right. “This is Nate and Bram Kanagy, from over to Willow Ridge,” she said, gesturing to each fellow in turn. “The more Mary and I talked to them, the more we wanted to spend our birthday getting better acquainted—”

  “So we invited them to stay over for a few days,” Mary chimed in. “They’re nephews of the Nissleys, and—”

  “They came to pick up the new sleigh and courting buggy James has built for them,” Martha added.

  Silence rang in the kitchen, until Joanna began to giggle. “Oh, but Dat’s gonna love this! Wasn’t but a couple days ago he was saying you girls should be gettin’ hitched, so—”

  “Let’s not rush things, missy. These young men don’t need anyone giving them ideas.” Mamma set her pan of hot bars on a cast iron trivet and then shut the oven door. She found her smile. “It’s nice to meet you. Nate and Bram Kanagy, is it?”

  “Jah,” Nate replied. “Our dat Daniel keeps sheep and our mamm Leah has a truck garden—”

  “And we run our own businesses,” Bram cut in with a winsome grin. “I’m an auctioneer, and my brother’s been trainin’ horses for a gut long while. We were hopin’ to test out our new rigs with Mary and Martha before we head back.”

  “Were you, now?” Her mother didn’t look angry, but she wasn’t one to be told what to do, either. “You’ve no doubt figured out that my girls never lack for ideas and that between the two of them they can cook up some mischief. And what are your intentions, far as joining the church, boys? I don’t want to see my daughters jumping the fence, understand.”

  “I took my vows last year, Mrs. Coblentz,” Nate assured her. “And while my brother looks anything but Plain in his red plaid shirt and English haircut, our folks are set on having all of us kids follow the Old Ways, as well.”

  “That’s why I’ve called to let them know we’ve been invited to a home with the same strong faith,” Bram said with a decisive nod. “If we’ll be interrupting your plans for Christmas, we’ll head back home tomorrow like we’d originally figured on.”

  Their mother considered this as she studied the boys for a moment. Then she looked at Martha and Mary straight-on. “And where did you think these boys would be sleeping?” she asked quietly. “They’ll not be in your room—no matter what some Plain families allow, far as courting practices like bundling in their daughters’ beds.”

  “We thought Jacob might move in with Owen and Noah for a couple nights, so these fellows can sleep in the spare beds in his room,” Mary suggested. “Like we do when the cousins come to stay.”

  “And have you asked Jacob about this?”

  As Martha glanced at Mary, their youngest brother replied from the front room. “You’re gonna have to do me somethin’ special for this big favor you’re askin’,” he declared. “Who are these guys, anyway?”

  “And you’ll have to set up the beds and get their towels and sheets, too,” Mamma added with a sly smile. “And since your sister and brother could use some help learning their recitation pieces for the scholars’ program tomorrow night, the four of you are to get them gut and ready. The sleigh and the new buggy’ll have to bide their time in the yard until all those things are ticked off my list.”

  “Bram and I will see to our horses,” Nate said. “Then we’ll be in to help with what you’ve asked, Mrs. Coblentz.”

  “And we’ve told Aunt Beulah Mae and Uncle Abe we’ll eat supper with them tonight,” Bram added. The dimples flickered in his cheeks. “So you can see we’ve got all manner of gut, honorable things to do and places to be, ain’t so?”

  Their mother’s chuckle made Martha relax. Nate’s sense of responsibility and Bram’s teasing good nature had won her over—for now. “Jah, I reckon we can put up with you boys’ company for a few days, long as Amos agrees. He’ll have the final word.”

  “Only right.” Nate smiled at the tousle-haired boy who had come to the kitchen doorway. “Jacob, I could use some help with my Clydesdale and sleigh, if you’ve got a minute. I bet you know right where to stable him, too. Along with Bram’s bay.”

  Jacob rushed to the window and his eyes widened. “That’s your horse? Why, he’s the tallest one I’ve ever seen!”

  “Want to drive him for a bit? Clyde’s an easygoing fellow—”

  “And you can park my buggy, too, if you like,” Bram said as he put his fedora on again. “I don’t let just anybody drive my new rig, you know.”

  The three fellows were out the door quicker than Jacob could get his coat on. Martha’s heartbeat had returned to normal, but the look on Mamma’s face told her they weren’t finished with a little business best tended while their guests were out of earshot.

  “And what possessed you to invite boys you don’t even know into our home?” she asked quietly. “Lord love us all if you start taking up with just anybody who passes through town.”

  “Oh, but please, Mamma! The Kanagy boys aren’t just anybody!” Mary pleaded. She pressed the dough she’d abandoned earlier into a clean nine-by-thirteen pan and stuck it in the oven. “Bram’s only eighteen, but he’s been working livestock sales—going to auctioneer school—so he can make himself a real gut living—”

  “And a lot of men hereabouts rely on Nate to train their horses,” Martha insisted. “Dat will know of him, for sure and for certain.”

  “But mostly you just thought they were the cutest things you’ve ever seen,” Joanna piped up from her place at the counter. “I might only be ten, but I’ve got eyes, ya know.”

  Martha looked at Mary and burst into a giggling fit. “Well, jah, there’s that. Not to mention the fact that they had James Graber make their new rigs,” she added. “Their folks gave them the sleigh and the courting buggy for Christmas, because the boys promised they’d not get cars or driver’s licenses. So does that make you feel any bet
ter about it, Mamma?”

  Their mother began melting the butterscotch chips for the cashew bars Mary was making, a grin twitching at her lips. “Your little sister and I had it figured the same way. I might be your mother, but I’ve got eyes, too, you know. Keep that in mind these next few days while your guests are here.”

  “We will, Mamma.” Mary removed her crust from the oven and sprinkled cashews all over it. Then she poured on the melted butterscotch chips without spilling a drop. Ever the neat and tidy Amish cook, Mary was.

  “For sure and for certain, Mamma,” Martha agreed as she gathered the dirty bowls and measuring cups. “And denki for letting us celebrate an extra-special eighteenth birthday. We won’t cause you a lick of trouble.”

  Joanna laughed out loud. “I’ve gotta see how that will work. You two were causin’ trouble long before I was born.”

  Martha met her twin’s gaze from across the kitchen. Though they had gotten their way, plenty of folks would be watching them with the Kanagy boys. And they had an afternoon of listening to Jacob and Joanna practice their recitations before they would have to endure supper with Preacher Abe and Beulah Mae. It might well be eight or nine o’clock tonight before she joined Nate in his sleigh . . .

  Patience is a virtue, Martha reminded herself. Too bad it’s not one of mine.

  “Better be helping yourself to more of these mashed potatoes and the chicken with noodles,” Beulah Mae insisted as she passed the bowls to Bram. “Why, I figured you young fellows would eat a whole lot more than this, or I wouldn’t have cooked so much!”

  Bram groaned inwardly. His plate was still covered with second helpings of creamed succotash, fried apples, baked chicken, and green bean casserole and they hadn’t even looked at the desserts lined up on the counter yet. While his aunt was renowned for her cooking and had a successful restaurant, a fellow could only find room for so many big, fluffy dinner rolls while doing justice to the chickens and apples his aunt and uncle raised here on their farm.