Amish Christmas Blessings: The Midwife's Christmas Surprise/A Christmas to Remember Read online

  What she wanted to do was to give Ben the good news, but mindful that Asa wanted to do it himself, she contained herself. Still, she maybe should stay clear of Ben for a bit or she’d let the secret out for sure.

  A bustle at the door announced the arrival of more visitors, coming in on a tide of cold air and cheerful chatter. Anna blinked at the sight of Etta Beachy and her husband. They were not usual Second Christmas visitors, being neither neighbors nor relatives.

  Anna took a step backward. She hadn’t seen Etta since the birth of Dora’s baby, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to encounter her now. Another stealthy step, and she backed right into Ben’s strong figure. He steadied her with a hand on her elbow and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

  “You’re not looking for a place to hide, are you?” he murmured. “After all, this is your home. Our home, in fact.”

  She spun to meet his gaze. “Your daad told you?”

  His eyes danced. “Ya. And I see Mamm couldn’t resist telling you, ain’t so? Have you seen how happy Josh is looking?”

  “He’ll be as happy as we are.” The joy that bubbled up in her just had to be shared.

  Ben shook his head. “He couldn’t possibly be as happy as I am right now. And you...”

  He was interrupted by a rush of movement behind her. The next instant Anna was enveloped in an enormous hug. “Ach, Anna Zook, you are just the person I wanted to see. Our little granddaughter is doing fine, thanks to you, and she’s the prettiest newborn I ever saw in my life.” Etta’s ruddy face beamed with pleasure. “I always said you are a wonderful fine midwife.”

  Anna heard a chuckle behind her and felt sure that Ben was on the verge of saying something she’d rather he didn’t. She gave him a quick nudge with her elbow, not daring to meet his eyes.

  “I’m glad they’re doing so well. Will they be home soon?”

  “Tomorrow, the doctor at the hospital says. Not that we needed him, but with the weather so bad, it was best to be on the safe side, ain’t so?”

  It was hard to keep a straight face when Ben was standing so close and barely containing himself, but she managed. “Tell Dora we’ll stop by to see her in a few days.”

  “Gut, gut.” Etta sent a sly glance from her to Ben. “I hear tell we’ll be celebrating with the two of you before long, too. You’re just what Benjamin needs, ain’t so?” Before either of them could say a word, she’d whisked off to greet someone else.

  Anna turned to Ben. “Don’t you dare laugh at her,” she said. “I like her much better this way.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of laughing.” He drew her out of the flow of traffic. “I agree with her. You’re just what I need.” His intent gaze brought a flush to her face. “And the sooner the better.”

  For an instant she was afraid he’d kiss her right there in front of everyone, but he didn’t. “Happy Christmas, Anna,” he murmured softly.

  “Happy Christmas, Ben.” Joy lent wings to her words. This truly was the happiest Christmas she’d ever had, and with God’s blessing, she and Ben would have many more to share together.

  * * * * *

  Dear Reader,

  Merry Christmas, and welcome to an Amish Christmas celebration in Lost Creek, Pennsylvania. The Amish don’t celebrate Christmas in just the same way as their Englisch neighbors, and sometimes not even in the same way from one Amish settlement to another. The strong prevalence of Pennsylvania German folk traditions affects most of us here in Pennsylvania, including the Amish. What would Christmas be without the Moravian Star or the putz (manger scene) or the Christmas pickle? (And if you don’t know about the Christmas pickle, you’re missing a delightful time as the pickle ornament mysteriously moves from one place to another in the days leading up to Christmas!)

  I’ve written about midwives in several books, and when I was asked to do an Amish Christmas novella, my mind immediately jumped to the idea of writing about an Amish midwife. From there it was a quick progression to thinking about a Christmas snowstorm, an unexpected baby and a story about the forgiveness brought to each of us by the Christmas Child.

  I hope you’ll enjoy my story. I’m writing it in the aftermath of a joyous Christmas celebration with my own loved ones, and it comes from my heart.

  If you’d like to receive a signed bookmark and a copy of my Pennsylvania Dutch recipe brochure, email me at [email protected] or find me online at martaperry.com. And if you prefer to write a letter, send it to me in care of Love Inspired Books, 195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007. I’ll be happy to answer you.

  Blessings,

  A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

  Jo Ann Brown

  For my family

  Thanks for keeping the Christmas traditions

  we share alive

  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

  —Amos 3:3

  Contents

  Dedication

  Bible Verse

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Dear Reader

  Chapter One

  From where he stood in the darkened store, Amos Stoltzfus watched a small hand rising over the edge of the shelf. Tiny fingers inched around one of the loaves of bread on display at the front of Amos’s grocery store. They vanished, both the fingers and the bread, and soft footfalls rushed toward the front door.

  Pushing away from the counter where he’d been arranging bottles of the honey Hannah Lambright had brought in from her hives earlier, Amos cut down the other aisle. He reached the door as the tiny thief came around the corner by the milk cooler.

  The little girl didn’t look more than four or five. The top of her head wouldn’t reach Amos’s waist. Her blond hair was neatly braided, and the kind’s clothing appeared to be new. There were no holes visible where her blue dress hung below her wool coat. The toes of her black sneakers were scuffed, but the wear was slight.

  Someone took gut care of the little girl. So why was she trying to steal a loaf of bread? Occasionally one of the local teens would try on a dare to take something from the store without paying for it, but Amos had learned to recognize the warning signs. The nervous way the kid refused to meet his eyes or how the would-be thief wandered around the store waiting for an opportunity to snatch and flee.

  Had someone put this kind up to a prank while Amos was closing the store? What a low thing to do!

  He glanced out the window, but the parking lot was lost in shadow. Darkness fell early as the first day of winter approached. He couldn’t determine if someone was waiting there for the girl.

  “Hello, young lady,” Amos said.

  The kind stared at him with big blue eyes as she held the bread behind her back. “Hewwo,” the child said with a definite lisp that suggested she was younger than she looked.

  “Can I help you?”

  “No.” She shook her head, sending strands of fine golden hair into her eyes. As she raised a hand to wipe it away, she gasped and stared at the loaf she held.

  “Wouldn’t you like a bag for the bread?” Amos asked. “It may seem not heavy now, but it’ll get heavier each step you take beyond the door.”

  The girl looked from Amos to the bread. Stuffing it onto the nearest shelf, she ran toward the door.

  “Wait,” Amos said.

  The kind halted, a sure sign she was reared in a gut home. When she looked at Amos, tears glistened on her cheeks.

  His heart threatened to break at the terror on the little girl’s face. No kind should ever have to display such dismay and fear. “Don’t you want some peanut butter to go with your bread?” He smiled at the little girl. “Bread is pretty boring without
something on it.”

  She sniffed and rubbed her knuckles against her nose before wiping away tears.

  Collecting the bread and taking a jar of peanut butter off a nearby rack, Amos put them in one of the cloth bags his customers preferred. He held it out to the little girl. “Pay me when you can. If you can’t, do something nice for someone else. Our Lord teaches us: give, and it shall be given unto you.”

  The kind regarded him, confused, and Amos knew the little girl was thinking only of getting away.

  “Take it,” he urged. He must look like a giant to her. Though he wasn’t the tallest of the seven Stoltzfus brothers, he towered over the little girl.

  “Danki,” the kind whispered. “Danki, mister.”

  “Amos. My name is Amos.” He smiled. “If you want, I’ve got some silverware. You can make a sandwich for yourself before you leave. You won’t be delaying me. I need to finish sweeping up.”

  The girl shook her head and grabbed the doorknob. Turning it, she threw the door open and fled, the bag slapping her short legs.

  Amos was surprised when the little girl sped in front of the doors opening into the rest of the businesses at the Stoltzfus Family Shops, the buggy shop and the woodworking and carpentry shops his brothers ran. He’d expected her to race along the road.

  His eyes widened when he saw someone move as the little girl skidded to a stop. In the faint light from his brother Joshua’s buggy shop, a silhouette of a slender woman emerged from the darkness near the hitching rail used by their plain customers. She put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

  What was going on?

  Amos paused long enough to grab a flashlight from a nearby display. He strode toward the woman and the little girl. He saw the kind whirl and point at him, but neither the woman nor the girl spoke. He struggled to tamp down the outrage rising through him at the thought of a grown woman sending a kind to do her dirty work.

  He aimed the light at the woman. She was dressed plainly. Like the kind, she had a dark coat on. Beneath it, she wore a dark cranberry dress. A black bonnet revealed her hair was as blond as her brows. Her eyes were paler than the kind’s, but navy ringed the irises.

  Pretty. The unbidden thought formed before he could halt it. However, he took it as a warning. His head had been turned by a lovely woman once, turned round and round until he was too dizzy to think straight. He’d offered her his heart, and she’d spurned him. That had been five years ago, but he’d learned his lesson. Only a fool would be taken in by beautiful eyes and the curve of enticing cheekbones.

  “Did you send her into my store to steal?” he asked, anger lacing through his question.

  “Who are you?” The woman stared at him with candid curiosity.

  “Amos Stoltzfus, and that’s my store where your young friend was trying to sneak out with a loaf of bread.” He spoke more sharply than he should have, and the woman recoiled.

  “No! That’s wrong!” She looked at the kind. “Were you in the store?”

  Before the little girl could answer, Amos demanded, “Why are you letting such a little kind out of your sight? It’s dark, and Englischers often drive their vehicles into the parking lot really fast. She could have been hit!”

  “I know.” She put a hand to her forehead and rubbed it, then winced. “But I don’t know.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  The little girl tugged on the woman’s coat and lisped, “Winda.”

  Or that was what Amos thought the kind said until the woman met his gaze. “She means Linda. She tells me my name is Linda and hers is Polly.”

  “Tells you? I don’t understand.”

  “I’ve got to assume she’s right about our names because I don’t remember anything before a half hour ago.”

  * * *

  Linda struggled to focus her eyes, which blurred each time she blinked. She saw shock on Amos Stoltzfus’s shadowed face. That incredulity was something she needed to get used to, because he wouldn’t be the only one horrified she couldn’t remember her name or the kind’s name when she’d come to herself less than an hour ago. Everything before that was lost in a thick fog.

  Her memories must exist. She wasn’t a newborn boppli. She had no idea what had happened and why she couldn’t remember. Was Polly her daughter or her sister or someone else’s kind? They must have known each other for a while because the little girl acted comfortable around her.

  It might be easier to think if her head didn’t ache. The pain centered near her right ear, but swelled across her forehead. Her headache made her eyes lose focus and set everything spinning.

  “What happened to you?” Amos asked.

  “I wish I could tell you.” Every word was a struggle, but some sense she couldn’t identify warned she needed to stay awake. She must not allow the pain to suck her down. “I remember walking here and deciding to take a break by the hitching rail. That’s it until Polly came with you chasing after her.”

  She wondered if he understood she hadn’t realized the little girl had entered the store. It seemed that one minute, the kind had been beside her; then she wasn’t. Then she returned with Amos. How long had Polly been gone?

  He held out a cloth bag. “Here’s some bread and peanut butter. I offered to let her eat in the store while I finish cleaning for the day. You’re both welcome to come inside.”

  “Danki.” She glanced toward the road and winced as the motion set off a new tidal wave of pain. She tried to ignore it as she reached for the bag. Her fingers closed inches from it. A groan burst from her lips.

  Amos put a strong, steady hand under her elbow as Polly cried out her name. Linda realized she was swaying. She closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping her balance.

  What’s wrong with me? Lord, help me.

  “Are you okay?” she heard Amos ask.

  “I will be.” She stepped away, taking care not to tumble over her feet. Looking into his brown eyes, she murmured, “Danki for the food.”

  He frowned. “It’s going to snow. You can’t stay here. Do you have somewhere to go?”

  She pondered his question and looked at Polly who was watching with dismay. “I must, but I don’t know where.”

  “We’re going to see Grossmammi and Grossdawdi,” Polly said.

  Amos hunkered down beside the little girl, and Linda noticed his hair, in the glow from the flashlight, was brown with ruddy streaks. “That sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “Ja.” The little girl nodded so hard Linda had to look away before her eyes unfocused completely.

  “You know Linda’s name. Do you know the names of your grandparents?”

  “Ja.” She sounded disgusted that he’d asked such a question.

  “Gut for you,” Amos said with a smile. “I should have known a big girl like you would know. Will you tell me their names?”

  “Ja. Grossmammi and Grossdawdi.” She grinned with pride.

  As he stood, Amos’s expression didn’t change. He kept smiling, and she guessed he didn’t want to upset Polly. He must be a nice man. Or was he? She didn’t know if she was a good judge of character or not.

  Why have I lost everything, Lord? The anguish came from her heart.

  “I assume you don’t know their names either, Linda,” he said.

  “No.” It was easier to admit than she’d expected. Or maybe she was too tired and achy and lost to pretend.

  “You can’t stay here overnight. Once the snow starts—”

  When he looked past her, she shifted to see snowflakes drifting in an aimless pattern. They melted as soon as they touched the asphalt parking lot, but more followed.

  Polly gave an excited yell and whirled about, trying to catch them on her tongue. Joy flowed in her laughter.

  Linda smiled faintly. Every change of expression sent pain along h
er face, but it was impossible not to be captivated by the little girl’s happiness.

  “That settles it,” Amos said as he turned off his flashlight, leaving them in the thick gray twilight. “You two will have to go home with me.”

  “What?” All inclination to smile vanished. What sort of woman did Amos Stoltzfus think she was? Why would he assume that she’d agree to such an arrangement with a stranger? A sob caught in her throat. She was a stranger to herself, too.

  He held up his hands as if to keep her dismay at bay. “Before I offered the invitation, I should have told you that I live with my mamm and some of my brothers.” He pointed to the doors of the other shops. “My brothers own these businesses. Our farm is outside the village. There are empty bedrooms since a few of my brothers and sisters have married. You’re welcome to stay until...”

  She understood what he didn’t want to say. You’re welcome to stay until you remember everything. What if she never did? She’d lost more than her memories. She’d lost herself, everything she was and everything she hoped to be.

  “It’s snowing, Winda! Isn’t it wunderbaar?” Polly grasped her hands and nearly jarred Linda off her feet.

  Amos’s hand on her elbow kept her standing. In not much more than a whisper, because she guessed he didn’t want Polly to hear, he said, “She needs to get out of the cold.”

  “Ja.” Linda edged away from Amos’s fingers which sent a sensation through her that was not cold. How could she be drawn to him now?

  “Komm in while I finish. After that, we’ll head to my family’s house.”

  What choice did she have? Even if she could remember where she and the kind were bound, she didn’t know how they’d get there on a snowy night.