A Simple Amish Christmas (21 page)

What if he said something that crushed her dreams?

He certainly looked serious.

“Evening, Annie.”

“Evening, Samuel.”

He joined her at the porch railing. “Cold out tonight.”

“
Ya
, but I like looking for the stars as they begin to appear.”

They stood that way a minute, staring up as the last of the light faded from the sky, until Samuel finally broke the silence. “Leah was right, you know.”

She cocked her head, waited.

“About your dress. It’s very pretty.”

The warmth started deep within her and rose up into her cheeks, until Annie felt as if her face was on fire like the western sky in front of them.

“Samuel Yoder, I never know what is going to come out of your mouth.”

“I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes—if you’re not too cold.” He motioned toward the oak rocking chairs.

Annie’s thoughts immediately conjured up that other evening when she’d first come home. “Why don’t we walk instead?” She pulled her coat more snugly around her mid-section, though she could hardly feel the chill in the air with Samuel so close by her side.

“All right. Sure.”

Annie followed her natural path, the one she took most evenings, the one that led to the vegetable garden behind the house. Though snow still covered the rows, she could now imagine it as they’d planned it for spring. She’d spent hours with Charity and her
mamm
looking at seed catalogs.

“How do you feel about me, Annie?”

His question caught her completely off guard. She’d wrestled with it so many times, but she’d never expected to be asked and certainly never by him.

“You know how I feel, Samuel.” When he didn’t rescue her by agreeing, she swallowed and pushed on. “I respect you very much. You have excellent doctoring skills—and of course I
realize you’re not a doctor. You’re very kind to the people in our community, and you give to them selflessly. You’ve done so for a long time. I admire that about you.”

“I didn’t ask for a professional reference.” He leaned back against the fence post, blocking her way into the garden. “But
danki
for the kind words.”

“
Gem gschehne.
” Samuel’s words confused her, but his smile made her pulse jump in a
gut
way. So why was she so lightheaded all of a sudden? Perhaps she had caught something from one of the patients with fever on Saturday.

Was this conversation actually happening?

“How do you feel about me, Annie?” This time he reached out and tucked a stray curl into her prayer
kapp
. The touch sent a shiver all the way to her toes, even though she could barely feel her toes—the night’s cold had fallen around them like a blanket of ice.

“I… I like you, Samuel.” As an afterthought she added, “Now.”

His laughter pierced the night.

“Oh, Annie. You are a delight, do you realize that?”

She slapped his arm and pushed past him into the garden, though it now lay cloaked in near-darkness. Suddenly, she needed to be there, needed to be among the rows where she would plant seedlings in a few months.

“I don’t know why you’re teasing me. You know yourself how hard you were to be around when I first came—and I certainly didn’t like you then. You growled every time I stepped into the room. Do you even remember the conversation on my own front porch? You practically threw me out of my parents’ home.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Instead of sounding defensive, he actually sounded amused.

“
Ya
, you did.” She wanted to stomp her foot, wanted to wipe the smile off his face, though she could barely see it in the gathering dusk. She could hear it, though. What had gotten into him? Why was he behaving so oddly?

And then he said the words she hadn’t ever expected to hear. “I was a little frightened the evening you came home, Annie. I didn’t know what to think of you. When you arrived, breathless and worried, in your
dat’s
room, you weren’t what I expected. You still aren’t what I expect, and that has me confused—I’ll be honest.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I enjoy your company, on many levels.” His shoulder brushed against hers as they turned and began walking back toward the house, back toward the glow of the gas lamps in the kitchen and living room, back toward the windows lighted with Christmas candles.

“I spoke with your father earlier this evening, asked him if it would be all right for me to come calling. Would you mind if I came calling, Annie?”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” she stammered, her heart now beating faster, but she slowed her steps. She wasn’t ready to be back on the porch yet.

“Say yes. Say you’d like to spend time with me. Say I don’t have to keep pretending to be checking on your father’s leg when I stop by.”

Her laughter bubbled up, surprising them both.

“I’d sort of figured that was a ruse.”

“Oh, you had, had you?”

“
Ya.
”

“Ruse—is that another
Englisch
word you learned?”

They continued up the porch steps, but he stopped her before they entered the house.

“You’ll think on what I’ve said?” he asked softly.

“Of course I will.”

“
Danki.
” Then he opened the door for her.

The evening had taken on an unreal quality to Annie, but she didn’t mind one bit. In fact, it might be something she could grow to like.

21

 

T
he next day was Thursday, December twenty-third. How had the month passed so quickly? It seemed only yesterday Annie had been trudging down the city sidewalks to her job at the hospital, wishing for the quietness of home, the simplicity of Christmas among her family.

Now Christmas waited—only two days away.

She busied herself with housework in the morning, and before lunch she put the finishing stitches into Leah and Adam’s gift.

Then a few moments before noon, Charity, Reba, and her
mamm
came home early—full of news about the school pageant, which would be the next evening, more rumors about the General Store, and excitement over the approaching holiday.

Reba dashed off to the barn as soon as she’d grabbed a piece of fruit out of the bowl on the table.

“By the way, Annie, someone dropped off a note for you today.” Charity smiled as she hung her coat on a peg near the door.

“A note for me?”

“
Ya.
” Rebekah teased. “I hope I didn’t leave it there. I thought I put it in my apron, but now I’m worried I lost it.”

“You didn’t lose it. I have it.” Charity smiled, held up the folded sheet of paper.

Annie glanced from one to the other. “Anyone want to tell me who wrote this mysterious note?”

Both shook their heads.

“Guess I’ll have to read it then.” Snatching it from Charity’s hand, she plopped down into her father’s chair and unfolded the sheet.

“Well, what does it say?” Charity demanded.

“Now, Charity. Could be private. Leave your
schweschder
alone and come help me with dinner.”

“We know it’s from Samuel,
Mamm
. It would be cruel for her not to read it to us.”

“Cruel?” Annie asked as she continued to stare at the single sheet of paper. “Cruel, like not telling someone who wrote the note in the first place?”

“Sorry, dear.” Her mother pulled out the fixings for chicken and potato casserole. “We couldn’t resist having a little fun with you. Samuel reminded me of a schoolboy when he asked us to bring it home to you. What are the two of you cooking up, anyway?”

Annie joined them in the kitchen, unable to temper the smile on her face.

“Love, could be love is what they’re cooking up.” Charity selected several potatoes from the bowl and began washing and peeling them.

“Don’t tease, Charity.”

“Look at her, she’s read it three times now, and still she’s staring at the paper with moon eyes. Wouldn’t you call that look love?”

“Love is more than a look, dear.”

“Still, she does have moon eyes. You can’t deny it, and she is staring.”

“I am not staring at it with moon eyes, and don’t talk about me as if I’m not sitting right here.” Annie smoothed the note out with the palm of her hand. “I think he’s sweet is all. I’m not sure I ever received a note from a man before today.”

“Does Samuel need your help with another patient?” Rebekah asked.

Charity and Annie exchanged looks, and Charity mouthed, “Tell her.”

“Did
Dat
not speak to you last night when he came in from the barn?” Annie asked.

“Your father fell asleep before I even managed to climb into bed. I wanted to talk to him about Reba and the puppy you two talked me into, but I didn’t have a chance.” Rebekah stopped grating cheese and stared at both girls. “What am I missing here? Obviously, you two know something I don’t.”

When Annie and Charity continued to grin at each other, Rebekah grated the cheese more slowly and played along. “You asked me if your father spoke with me, I said no… what would he have talked to me about last night?”

“Samuel wants to court Annie,” Charity blurted.

Annie rolled her eyes, but smiled at her
schweschder
.

“You don’t say.” Rebekah wiped her hands on a dishtowel and moved around the table, wrapped Annie in a hug. “What do you think about the idea, dear?”

“I’m not sure what I think about it, or how I feel.”

“She’s certainly smiling about the note.” Charity dropped the potato she’d peeled into the casserole dish and scooted around next to Annie where she could read the words he’d written.

Dearest Annie,

Would you care to join me, Adam, and Leah for a ride out to their new home this afternoon? They want to show us what
progress they’ve made, and then we’ll go to dinner in town. Adam and I have worked out the details if you’re interested.

Affectionately,

Samuel

“Doesn’t hardly sound like the same man,” Charity said.

“Love softens their edges.” Rebekah went back to the end of the table and resumed grating the cheese. “I suppose this is what you and Samuel talked about last night when you went for your walk.”

“It is, but I thought perhaps I’d imagined the whole thing.”

“Apparently not.” Charity plopped another potato into the dish and set the paring knife down, propped her chin on her hand, and stared out the window. “A weekday buggy ride, dinner in town—and not a sick person around. That’ll be a new experience for the two of you.”

“
Ya
, it will,” Annie agreed, and something told her she was going to like it.

 

It was a different experience all right.

The afternoon was clear, bright, and incredibly cold. But Adam wasn’t about to let chilly winter temperatures deter his plans. They bundled up with extra scarves, coats, and gloves, and stacked blankets in the buggy.

Then Adam decided if Charity could handle Blaze then he could too.

They picked Leah up first, and circled around to pick up Samuel.

Annie had decided on her new blue dress. The material was a heavy-weight cotton that both added some extra warmth and would hold up through years of washing. Truthfully, it was heavenly to wear something not too tight across the bosom.
She’d bleached her aprons, so they appeared brand new as well.

She felt like a schoolgirl, ready for the first day of lessons.

She had expected Leah to move to the back of the buggy when they picked up Samuel, but instead he jumped agilely into the back, Adam clucked to Blaze, and they were off like a comet streaking across the sky.

“Can’t you slow her down?” Annie hollered, steadying the extra blankets stacked on the seat between them.

Samuel leaned closer, eyes twinkling, as he tucked his battery-operated heater near their feet. “I wouldn’t worry. Odds are you and I wouldn’t both be hurt, so one of us could patch everyone else up. That’s probably why they agreed to let us come along.”

Leah began to laugh, then reached forward to grasp the front rail along the buggy. When she did, she let go of the dish towel covering the chocolate oatmeal cookies she’d brought in case they wanted a snack before dinner. The red-checkered towel flew out the window, out into the road, and she laughed even harder, gasping now and pointing at the towel—trying to draw Adam’s attention to it.

“Whoa there, Blaze.” Adam pulled on the reins, slowing and finally stopping the mare, which tossed her head but obeyed.

“First casualty of the day—one dish towel.” Samuel smiled broadly, then hopped out of the buggy before anyone could ask where he was going.

They all turned and stared as he jogged back down the roadside, waited for two
Englisch
cars to pass, then retrieved the towel, which had caught in the branches of a bush. As he hustled back—clutching his coat with one hand and his hat with the other, a car of teenagers zoomed by, honking their horn and waving.

“You made quite the impression,” Adam noted as Samuel handed the towel to Leah.

“
Ya.
Probably my jaunty clothes caught them by surprise.”

“Jaunty?” Annie asked.

“It could have been my handsome mare.” Adam flicked the reins and Blaze started off again, this time at a slightly more controlled pace.

Annie shook her head in disbelief. “I think you two need to eat one of Leah’s cookies now.”

“Why would you think that, Annie girl?” Samuel placed his arm across the back of the seat.

“Those
Englischers
were not honking at Samuel’s clothing or your horse. They slowed down enough to smell Leah’s cookies and wished to buy some of her Amish cooking once they arrived in town.”

Leah shared a smile with her as they turned down the lane to their new home.

Annie hadn’t been there since Adam had started building. She’d meant to stop by but hadn’t found the time. Or perhaps she’d been putting off the inevitable.

She stared at the frame of their home and a pang suddenly seized her—Adam would be moving away. What would their home be like without him?

Adam pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the house.

They all sat there, considering what still needed to be done, and what would be here in a few short months.

Annie blinked back the tears pooling in her eyes.

Her big
bruder
was moving off—starting a family of his own. She’d known it, but it hadn’t been real to her until this moment. Of course, he’d only be a little way down the road, but still it wouldn’t be the same. She was so used to having his curly head and smiling face around.

Samuel must have sensed her change in mood, because he reached over, covered her hand with his, and said, “Adam told me he’s been working on this since last fall.”

The reminder worked. She focused on Leah and Adam’s future, the family they were looking forward to building here, not the ways her own life would change.

“You’ve done a
gut
job, Adam. Between your job in town and helping
dat
around the farm, I don’t understand how you’ve managed to complete so much on your own.”

“Some days I stop by on my way home from work—they let me off early if I work through lunch. I can get in an hour or two each day that way, and it’s amazing what I can do on a full Saturday.”

“When you’re not picnicking,” Leah teased him.

“A man has to eat,” Adam answered, lacing his fingers with hers. “Now come and let me show you where the living room will be.”

The two exited the buggy, huddling together as they made a dash for the part of the house that would offer shelter from the wind—Adam carrying a jug of tea and a checkered cloth he’d stowed on the buggy’s floor, Leah still holding the plate of cookies.

Annie told herself she should follow, felt the winter breeze gently rock the buggy, but still her feet didn’t want to move.

“He won’t be so far away.” Samuel’s voice—soft, gentle— slowed the anxiousness crawling up her spine.

“
Ya
, you’re right. Seeing his home makes it seem very real is all—took me by surprise. He’s going to be married. He and Leah will have children, and then he’ll be a father.”

Samuel’s laugh was a deep, resonant sound. He reached out and took her hand in his as he helped her out of the buggy. When he did, goose bumps ran from her fingers up her arm.

“Which is usually how it works. A man marries, then has children, and becomes a father—but then you’d know the process, being a nurse.”

His teasing eased the knot of worry that had begun forming a headache along the back of her neck. And of course he was right. What Leah and Adam were doing was a natural and proper thing.

In their community sons often stayed on their father’s land and built a home adjacent to the main house—like the Blauchs had done. But Adam had worked since he’d left school, saved his money, and bought a nice piece of land. He was lucky to be able to purchase it when it came up for sale. Tillable farming land was becoming increasingly hard to find.

What if he’d decided to move to Ohio as several in their community had done?

No, she’d be satisfied he was a few miles down the road, halfway between her parents’ home and Leah’s.

She’d be satisfied any
bopplin
would be a short buggy ride away, and should she decide to be an apprentice to Belinda, she might be the one to help deliver them.

The thought stopped her cold.

“Something wrong?” Samuel asked.

“No.” She tried to wrap her mind around the idea of being an
aenti
, of delivering her own nieces and nephews, as she watched Adam and Leah spread the large checkered cloth in the middle of their home, between two walls that had been partially framed. They’d be protected from the north breeze but still able to enjoy the afternoon sun.

“Are you sure? Because you’ve turned awfully pale.” Samuel laced his fingers in hers, rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. Raising his other hand he nodded at the little heater. “Maybe you should sit down near this—get warm.”

Annie shook her head, forced herself away from the future and into the present.

“I’m fine, but a glass of tea would be
gut
.” She reversed directions back toward the buggy, found the bag of cups and napkins she’d brought.

As they joined Adam and Leah, she thought back on the bishop’s lesson the previous week—how he’d spoken to them about
gelassenheit
. It had sounded so simple then—peacefulness, composure, calm.