The Amish Christmas Sleigh (7 page)

C
HAPTER
12

O
n Christmas Eve, Kate tucked Ben into bed, then bent close to his face. “Do you mind if I kiss you
gut nacht,
Ben, now that you're growing up?”

He smiled up at her, but his brown eyes were wide and serious. “I will always want you to kiss me, Kate. Except maybe not when the other fellas are around. . . .”

She laughed and kissed him gently on the forehead, then she moved to turn down the light. “Are you sure you'll be all right, Ben, if I go for a quick sleigh ride with Sebastian?”

He laughed in the darkness of the room. “Of course, Kate. It's not like you're going to the North Pole or anywhere like that.... I'll be fine.”

She smiled to herself and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Then she went into her tiny room and dressed with care, though Sebastian would probably only see her cloak and bonnet. She patted her
kapp
into place and then went to put on her outer things and wait for Sebastian.

She soon heard the rich sound of many sleigh bells ringing and flew to open the front door. The moon was out in full and perfectly illuminated the sleigh and driver, and she caught her breath in wonder.

The sleigh was an exact replica of the cutter sled that Sebastian had made for little Karen in the hospital: painted a rich, shiny burgundy and trimmed in coal black, its lines smooth and perfect. The new reins even stretched out to contain a prancing white gelding, whose white mane competed with the color of the snow.

“Sebastian . . . what . . . how?” she asked, unable to put a full thought together at the childlike wonder she felt gazing at the sleigh. He stepped down and extended a gloved hand to her.

“Tim . . . uh . . . a friend thought it might be a
gut
idea to make for you something special that we'll use on our wedding day and on nights like tonight.” His voice was husky and romantic, and she let him lift her easily into the tight confines of the sleigh.

She ran her hand in delight over the velvet seat cover and scooted over to make room when Sebastian retook his place at the reins. The press of his lean hip and firm thigh against her was more than enough to send her senses spiraling upward, but then he spoke lightly to the white horse and they were off.

She'd never ridden in a sleigh so fine, she realized as they seemed to fairly fly over the dips and turns of the open fields.

“Do you remember the story I told Karen in the hospital?” he asked her tenderly and she turned to look at his handsome profile with love in her eyes.

“I do, indeed,” she said.

“Tell me,” he prompted.

She swallowed hard. “Once upon a time, two bears fell into love like it was a giant colored puddle, and they swam together happily for days and days. But then the winter came, a cold time between them, and the puddle froze over into long pulls of icy color and they couldn't swim together anymore.”

She reached out to touch his arm, remembering her harshness to him the day she found out about his past.

“And then?” he questioned quietly.

Kate wet her lips. “And then, the Mr. Bear said, ‘I will build you a sleigh to fly upon the ice, a sleigh fit for a princess bear so that we may be together when the cold comes.' And he did, a magical, special sleigh that cuddled them close together as they did, indeed, fly over the rose- and blue-colored ice, a sleigh ride with the promise of spring in its flight.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

And she heard the love in his voice.

E
PILOGUE

 

D
aniel Zook carefully pulled aside the tarp that covered the baby sled. He picked it up with tears in his eyes, recalling how
gut Gott
had been to them in the past year and remembering the despair he'd felt two Christmases ago when they'd lost their little girl. But now that sister in heaven had a robust baby boy as a
bruder,
and it was a perfect time and day to take him for his first sleigh ride.

Dan quickly attached a pull rope into each hole in the sled, then left the woodshed to find Fran smiling and happy as she held their well-bundled baby, Kris, on the front porch.

“It's all ready.” Daniel smiled and Fran looked at him with happy tears in her eyes.

“I'm so glad you kept it,” she murmured. “It was a sign of a blessing, and many of our
kinner
will ride in his
gut
wood.”

She passed the baby to Daniel, who put him securely in the little sleigh, then he turned and held out the rope to Sebastian, who stood nearby, with Ben on his shoulders, and Kate snuggled close under his arm.

“Sebastian, if you and your wife and Ben would do the honors. I think his first sleigh ride should be entrusted to your capable hands,” Daniel said, smiling.

Sebastian nodded and moved forward, stretching out a gloved hand to take the sleigh rope while Baby Kris cooed excitedly.

They went slowly over the sun-kissed snow, the sleigh making a familiar whooshing sound complemented by Kris's happy gurgles.

Sebastian glanced down at Kate and squeezed Ben's hand where he balanced him on his shoulders. “Well, what do you think,
sohn?
And Frau
Christner?
Is it a fair enough day for someone's first sleigh ride on Ice Mountain?”

Kate laughed and Ben gave a tap to his hat, and Sebastian basked in their love as a united family.

A M
AMM FOR
C
HRISTMAS

Anyone who knows me knows how much my grandmother meant to me. I've dedicated one book to her, but wanted to honor her again. So I named the main character in this novella after her. Surprisingly enough—or maybe not—Bernice seems to have the same spunk as my grandmother did when she was alive. So thanks to my grandmother Bernice Davis, for lending your name and personality to Bernice Yoder.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my Lancaster friends for tirelessly helping me with the details concerning Amish schools, their teachers, and their Christmas pageants. Thank you to Becky, Nancy, Sadie, Rachel, and Sarah for answering my endless questions and for your continued efforts in making my books as accurate as they can be. I had the best team on my side; any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Thanks to John and the team at Kensington for their continued patience and allowing me to be a part of this project. Each day I work with you is more fun than the one before!

And to my agent, Julie Gwinn. I know this is just the beginning of many more fabulous projects to come.

Many thanks to my “Carl” for standing beside me and occasionally behind me to give me a nudge whenever I need it. I'm chagrined to say it is more often than I care to admit.

So many thanks go out to my family. You'll never know exactly how much you mean to me! Love you!

And to the readers. You are the reason I do what I do. Thanks for reading!

 

Amy

C
HAPTER
1

S
now was a'comin'. Jess Schmucker looked to the clouded sky, then across the pasture where his herd of dairy cows ambled along toward the barn. His girls would be home from school any minute, and together he and his oldest daughter, Constance, would get the animals all hooked up in their milking stalls and milked. But Constance was the only one of his three girls who was old enough to truly help in the barn. At eight she was not as much assistance as he needed, but for the time being she was all he had.

“
Dat!
” He turned as his youngest daughter raced toward him. She ran from the road as if he would disappear at any minute. They had talked about it time and again, but to Lilly Ruth the problem was simple. She had gone to her
grossmammi
's house one morning last fall, and everything had been right in her world. She had returned that afternoon to find her mother dead and her father racked with grief.

He shook the thought away. Looking back to the past never did nobody any good. All he could do was face the future and pray for the best. And that's what he was doing: the best he could.

“
Dat! Dat! Dat!
” Lilly Ruth flung herself at him, leaving him no other option than to swing her into his arms. Behind her clear-framed glasses, her eyes were worried and happy all in the same moment. “You're still here.” It had been almost a year and her fear remained.

“Of course I am,
liebschdi
.” He planted a quick kiss to her forehead. He wanted to squeeze her tight and not let her go until the clouds left her eyes. But that would only make her clingier. Instead, he inhaled the scent of outdoors that wafted from her clothes and let her slide to the ground.

Constance and Hope had long since given up on their sister staying near. They trudged down the driveway, their lunch coolers swinging in their hands.

“Everyone inside,” Jess instructed. “Let's get a snack before we start our chores.” The girls didn't protest, but dragged their feet a little as they plodded to the house.

The girls removed their coats and changed into their chore clothes, then set about getting out paper plates for their quick snack. Constance poured disposable plastic cups full of milk for them all.

He tried not to think about the time long ago when they ate off the good plates and drank from glasses made from . . . well, glass. Of all the things that had changed, their use of throwaway dishes was at the bottom of the list of what he wished was different.

Constance and Hope shared a look as his middle daughter gave everyone three of the store-bought cookies, then sealed the bag shut. She placed it in the cabinet and came back to the table.

For some reason her serious face made the hair on his arms stand on end. Or was that the waft of cold air that had followed them in from outside? No matter. He bowed his head and his daughters did the same. A prayer before they ate, a quick snack, and it was back to the barn for the evening milking.

Jess idly chewed his cookie, the sweet treat tasting more like cardboard than he cared to acknowledge. He looked around the quiet table at each of his girls. Maybe it was just him. But what he wouldn't give for one of his
mamm
's apple pies right about now.

“When's
mammi
coming back?” Hope asked, nibbling her cookie with what could only be described as reluctance.

With the holidays fast approaching and weddings to go to every single Tuesday and Thursday, Jess knew his
mamm
and his only sister were busy. His
brudders
had their own families and problems. It was time to face it; it was time to move on. Forward. And figure out what to do about store-bought cookies and his daughters. Or rather their everyday care.

“
Dat?
” Constance turned her blue eyes on him, eyes that were far too filled with pain for any eight-year-old's to be. “Is she ever coming back?”

Jess swallowed the lump in his throat. “Of course.” Maybe sometime after the first of the year, once Christmas and the New Year had passed. Once wedding season had ended and they didn't have more of their own issues to take care of. Maybe after all that.

Despite his own doubts, his daughters seemed to accept the answer.

But now more than ever, he could see how hard his family was struggling without the care of a woman about the house. The girls needed someone to help them with their hair and breakfast. Someone to care for them and show them all the things a
mamm
shows her
dochders
.

But their
mudder
had only been gone a year, and the thought of marrying again . . . He shook his head.

“Come on,” he said, motioning his daughters toward the pegs where their heavy coats hung. “Those cows aren't going to milk themselves.”

 

Bernice Yoder pulled her buggy down the driveway that led toward the Schmucker house and told herself she was doing this for the girls. Constance, Hope, and Lilly Ruth needed her, and she had to stand up and do the right thing. But she had never in her eight years of teaching had to go to a family's house for something like this. She'd had to check on sick children and travel with the bishop to talk to the parents of some of the more spirited children. But never for neglect.

There, she let the word loose in her mind, but it was no comfort. She set the brake on her buggy and took a deep breath. It had to be done.

“Just go in there and take a look at the situation,” she told herself. “If things are worse than you thought, just leave and get the bishop's wife.” Ruth Mullet was always one to lend a hand. Or so Bernice had been told.

Mind made up, Bernice slid from her buggy and headed for the porch. The wind whipped through her woolen coat as she made her way up the steps and knocked on the door. She would assess the situation. She had to. The girls deserved more than they were currently getting.

“Help you?”

Bernice whirled around at the sound of the deep male voice behind her. The man was tall, at least taller than anyone else she knew. And she was thankful that she was standing on the porch, three feet above him. Otherwise he would tower over her. Or maybe it was the frown pulling his brows together that made him seem so . . . menacing.

“Can I help you?” he asked again.

“Oh, I—” She cleared her throat, her mouth suddenly dry, her stomach twisting into knots. “I'm here to see Jess Schmucker.”

He propped his hands on his hips. “That's me.”

Of course it was. Just what she needed: to confront an angry man about the sad state of his daughters.

“Bernice!” Lilly Ruth came running out of the barn, her sisters trailing behind. Her coat flapped open in the wind, just one more thing Bernice needed to talk to the man about. Young girls shouldn't go around like that; she was liable to catch pneumonia.

Bernice bent down, preparing to be the recipient of one of Lilly Ruth's full-body hugs, when Jess snaked out one arm and caught his daughter as she passed.

“You know her?” he asked. As if she wasn't standing right in front of him.

Constance nodded. “She's our teacher.”

He turned back to look at her, and Bernice couldn't help but nod as if that would add value to Constance's statement. Maybe she should have come out here before now and introduced herself. She usually met all the parents before the school year started, but Jess Schmucker had sent his sister in his stead.

“Bernice Yoder.” She stepped off the porch and reached out a hand to shake. She was right. He did seem to tower over her even though he wasn't
that
tall. But his frown sent her heart racing in her chest.

He looked at her hand long enough that she wasn't sure he was actually going to touch her. Finally his hand came up, but his eyes never left hers. She snatched her hand away as soon as politely possible. “What can I do for you, Bernice Yoder?”

“I would like to speak to you . . . if that's possible . . . alone.” She pulled on her coat and tried to make her words ring with confidence, but sadly they fell way short of her goal.

“Girls, go on in the house.”

They did as their father asked without question, though each one stopped and gave her a quick hug before scuttling inside.

“What's on your mind?” Jess asked as the first snowflake started to fall.

For a split second she almost abandoned her resolve, told him everything was fine and hurried over to her buggy. But it would do those sweet little girls no favors for her to chicken out now.

“It's the girls.”

His frown turned into an all-out scowl. “
Jah?
Are they misbehaving?”

“Oh no.”

“Having trouble with their studies? Lilly Ruth can be a bit headstrong.”

Bernice smiled. “No, it's not that, either.”

He waited, watching her as she gathered her thoughts. “
Jah?
” he said, his voice tinged with impatience. Not a good sign.

“It's their clothes.” There, she said it. But the constriction in her chest remained.

“Their clothes?”

“They come to school a bit disheveled.”

“Disheveled?” He repeated the word as if he'd never heard it before.

“Dirty.” It was a stronger word than Bernice wanted, and it seemed to be harder than Jess could stand.

His face turned an unlikely shade of red, his freckles standing out stark against the vivid color. “Are you saying my children aren't clean?”

Bernice shook her head. She was ruining whatever chance she had of reaching him. “That's not what I mean. It's just that . . .”

“What?”

She took a steadying breath as the snowflakes continued to fall around them. “The other children are starting to notice.” She dropped her voice in hopes that her softened tone would have a calming effect on him. “The girls . . . they are so sweet and smart. But when they come to school with stains on their clothes, their hair messy, and part of their breakfast on their faces . . .” She trailed off, but she didn't need to finish; Jess Schmucker knew exactly what she was talking about. She could see it in his eyes.

“Thank you, Bernice Yoder.” His face was still that frightening shade of crimson as he pushed past her and into the house. She turned as the door shut behind him, effectively sealing her off from him and his girls.

Bernice stared at the door for two long heartbeats. “I can help you if you'd like,” she said quietly to no one, but she had a feeling Jess Schmucker didn't want her help. Not now anyway. Pulling her coat a little tighter around her, she dashed through the falling snow to her waiting horse and buggy. She had done her part. She had met with the girls' father. But, she thought as she clicked her horse into motion, her meeting with Jess had not gone according to plan. Not even close.