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An Amish Christmas
Patricia Davids
“It seems you’ve come to my rescue once again.”He held out his hand to seal the deal and gave her a crooked grin. It deepened the lines that bracketed his mouth lending him a boyish charm.With only a brief hesitation, she accepted his hand. Her pulse skipped a beat then pounded erratically as her small hand was swallowed by his large, warm one. It wasn’t soft, it was calloused and rough like the hand of a man who worked outdoors for a living. A blush heated her cheeks, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.She remembered him so clearly. The shape of his brow and the stone gray color of his eyes, even the way the stubble of his beard had felt beneath her fingers. She remembered, too, the husky sound of his voice when he told her she was beautiful.Something light and sweet slipped through her veins. An echo of a time when she’d been a giddy teenager smitten with a local boy. A time before she’d had to become a surrogate mother to her younger siblings and put her girlhood dreams away.
Praise for Patricia Davids and her novels
“[A] wonderful tale…”
—RT Book Reviews on An Amish Christmas
“Davids’ deep understanding of Amish culture is evident in the compassionate characters and beautiful descriptions.”
—RT Book Reviews on A Home for Hannah
“Davids’ latest beautifully portrays the Amish belief that everything happens for a reason, which helps one focus on the most important things in life.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Christmas Quilt
Praise for Anna Schmidt and her novels
“A sweet story…”
—RT Book Reviews on Family Blessings
“Schmidt knows what readers expect…and delivers on all levels.”
—RT Book Reviews on Gift from the Sea
“[A] poignant story…”
—RT Book Reviews on Second Chance Proposal
After thirty-five years as a nurse, PATRICIA DAVIDS hung up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer. She enjoys spending her free time visiting her grandchildren, doing some long-overdue yard work and traveling to research her story locations. She resides in Wichita, Kansas. Pat always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can visit her online at patriciadavids.com (http://www.patriciadavids.com).
ANNA SCHMIDT is an award-winning author of more than twenty-five works of historical and contemporary fiction. She is a three-time finalist for the coveted RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America, as well as a four-time finalist for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award. Critics have called Anna “a natural writer, spinning tales reminiscent of old favorites like Miracle on 34th Street.” One reviewer raved, “I love Anna Schmidt’s style of writing!”
An Amish Christmas Family Blessings
An Amish Christmas
Patricia Davids
Family Blessings
Anna Schmidt
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Table of Contents
Cover (#u0ba7d1d0-3104-51c8-8359-8e9583ab49a1)
Praise (#uec266213-04eb-588c-bff2-a24f17f63e5c)
About the Author (#u2bb5f74f-f1c5-547a-956b-a6c1a8644c80)
Title Page (#u2a5e1e66-e74e-5303-b2e8-1925063e77e2)
An Amish Christmas (#u9a3e8a2f-3d70-50d1-9762-8d3f64c0b689)
Epigraph (#ucaeb83d1-8765-50d7-96d2-5dece664f516)
CHAPTER ONE (#u1435c110-d0b1-54d3-b944-3ee2e8a7a47a)
CHAPTER TWO (#u5ce29a34-af9e-5ec0-a428-ed20109e11cb)
CHAPTER THREE (#u42c63cfc-aca7-522d-9ab7-2a65d307a27e)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u4219a4c6-cc7a-5b3b-88e5-81fec6b0f21c)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u7074d887-550c-5496-a0b6-a8485abaf023)
CHAPTER SIX (#ud19678a4-d8e3-5024-a987-9484da564af0)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#u0e50d754-4321-5ba6-9b22-ed1f04540cf3)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#u293b56ba-0a26-5fba-bbe8-c0d913021ae4)
CHAPTER NINE (#uc890c941-fde2-5747-8f7f-bddb2064cbb8)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Family Blessings (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
Epigraph (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
An Amish Christmas (#ua2947530-3874-5143-91c8-63ffb95308e1)
Patricia Davids
This book is dedicated to women and men
everywhere who seek to mend fences
and to right wrongs within their families.
“Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.”
—Matthew 5:9
If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord,
who shall stand?
But there is forgiveness with thee,
that thou mayest be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,
and in His word do I hope.
—Psalms 130:3–5
CHAPTER ONE (#ua2947530-3874-5143-91c8-63ffb95308e1)
“Our school program will be so much fun. We’re going to do a play and sing songs. I have a poem to recite all by myself. I can’t wait for Christmas.” Eight-year-old Anna Imhoff leaned out the side of their Amish buggy to let the breeze twirl a ribbon she held in her hand.
Karen Imhoff listened to her little sister’s excited prattle with only half an ear. Christmas was still eight weeks away. There were more pressing problems on Karen’s plate, like buying shoes for three growing children, her father’s mounting medical bills and finding a job until he was fully recovered.
Anna sat back and grabbed Karen’s sleeve. “Look, there’s a dead man.”
Before Karen could respond to Anna’s startling comment, the horse pulling the buggy shied violently, then bolted. Caught off guard, Karen was thrown back against the leather seat as the mare lunged forward. Anna screamed at the top of her lungs. Her brothers in the backseat began yelling. The horse plunged ahead even faster.
Regaining her balance, Karen grasped the loose reins. She braced her feet against the floorboards and pulled back hard. “Whoa, Molly, whoa!”
Molly paid no heed. The buggy bounced and swayed violently as the mare charged down the farm lane. Mud thrown up by her hooves splattered Karen’s dress and face. Gritty dirt mixed with the acid tang of fear in her mouth.
Anna, still screaming, threw her arms around Karen’s waist, further hampering her efforts to gain control. The horse had to be stopped before they reached the highway at the end of the lane or upended in the ditch.
Muscles burning, Karen fought Molly’s headlong plunge. A quarter of a mile flew past before Molly gave in. The horse slowed and came to a stop a few feet shy of the highway just as a red pickup zipped past. The brown mare tossed her head once more but didn’t seem inclined to run again. Karen sent up a heartfelt prayer of thanks for their deliverance then took stock of her passengers.
Anna, with her face buried in the fabric of her sister’s dress, maintained her tight grip. “I don’t like to go fast. Don’t do that again.”
Karen comforted her with a quick hug and loosened the child’s arms. “I won’t. I promise.”
Turning to check on her brothers, Karen asked, “Jacob? Noah? Are you all right?”
Fourteen-year-old Jacob retrieved his broad-brimmed black hat from the floor, dusted it off and jammed it on his thick, wheat-colored hair. “I’m fine. I didn’t know Molly could move like that.”
Ten-year-old Noah sat slumped down beside his brother. He held his hat onto his head in a tight grip with both hands. The folded brim made it look like a bonnet over his red curls. He said, “That was not fun.”
“I thought it was,” Jacob countered. “What spooked her?”
“I’m not sure.” Karen’s erratic heartbeat gradually slowed to a normal pace.
