Her Amish Holiday Suitor. Carrie Lighte

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      “But everything is cleaned and put away already. And you know Mamm won’t let us go unless you kumme, too.”

      She was right. Even though Mildred was eighteen and Katura was the same age as Lucy, Betty was likely to prohibit her daughters from going out unless Lucy went with them. Sunday evening singings were intended to be a time of fellowship and fun for young people, but Lucy noticed the majority of Willow Creek’s singles only went to the singings so they’d have an excuse to get out of their houses. They’d make a brief showing at the host house, where they participated in a few songs, and then they’d pair up to take off for parties or wherever it was they went.

      Half the time Lucy brought a book so she could slip away to a corner to read. She frequently returned home without either Mildred or Katura, who would sneak off before she realized they had ditched her. By that time, her father and Betty were usually asleep, and the next day Lucy never mentioned where her sisters had gone.

      “But I was planning to work on an embroidery project,” Lucy objected.

      “Work isn’t permitted on the Sabbath,” Katura scolded, as if Lucy weren’t always meticulous about following the rules of her district’s Ordnung.

      With all the patience she could muster, Lucy explained, “This isn’t something I’m going to consign at Schrock’s Shop. It’s the tablecloth-and-napkin set for the charity auction at the Piney Hill Christmas festival.”

      Since embroidering was quiet, sedentary work and the project wasn’t for her own financial profit, Lucy felt she could work on the project on the Sabbath in good conscience. Moreover, she needed to work on the project that evening.

      Her deadline for completing it was December 21, when the linens would be displayed with other items in a silent auction to benefit the Englisch soup kitchen where she volunteered on Wednesday nights. Interested buyers would have two days to bid on the goods and Lucy and her family planned to attend the festival the evening of the twenty-third, when the highest bid was announced. Last year she’d been sick with pneumonia and wasn’t able to participate in any fundraising events for the soup kitchen. This year the organization was so strapped it couldn’t even afford to repair their commercial oven, and they were counting on Lucy’s contribution to raise at least half the funds they needed.

      “Can’t you do that tomorrow? You’re home all day.”

      Mildred’s ignorance was insulting; Lucy may have been home all day, but when she wasn’t keeping house her time was spent working on items she consigned at Schrock’s Shop so she could contribute to their family’s living expenses. As it was, Lucy could barely manage to fill the customers’ specialty orders for Christmas. She’d have to keep all unnecessary distractions to a minimum if she was going to complete the auction project on time, too. Unfortunately, she realized her stepsisters would keep wheedling until she gave in, and that in itself would be a distraction.

      “Okay,” she agreed. “But you have to take care of unhitching the buggy and stabling the horse when we get home.” The weather was turning cold and she couldn’t afford to get sick.

      “Sure. We wouldn’t want you exerting yourself,” Mildred said, and Lucy didn’t know if she was being sarcastic or sincere.

      “Mamm! We’re leaving now,” Katura called after the trio bundled into their winter cloaks and donned their gloves. Lucy never understood why Betty didn’t tell her daughters it wasn’t polite to shout in the house. “We’ll be home before midnight.”

      Midnight? Lucy didn’t even want to stay past nine, but when she opened her mouth to protest, she quickly closed it again. Arguing would cost her more time. Instead, she said, “I’ll be right back.”

      She darted upstairs and grabbed her embroidery materials and carefully placed them in a canvas bag. She figured by midnight she could probably finish embroidering at least one of the napkins—provided she could find a secluded place where no one would interrupt her.

      After a few minutes of silence, Nick said, “I’ll talk to Jenny about the damage. Maybe there’s a way I can make the repairs myself.” Having worked with his uncle’s carpentry crew for a year when his uncle was ill, Nick was a better craftsman than Kevin.

      “But when?” Kevin questioned. “It’s not a one-day job. You know we won’t get any Saturdays off until after Grischtdaag.” He went on to explain that Jenny’s family was planning a Christmas Eve reunion in the cabin with her ailing grandfather, who was traveling all the way from Spokane, Washington, to celebrate the holiday with them.

      “I’ll have to work on it in the evenings then, won’t I?” Nick didn’t try to temper his irritation at his brother.

      Kevin snorted. “The store is open late on weeknights until Grischtdaag, too. There’s no way Mamm and Daed will let you get out of helping.”

      “Actually, there is. You’re going to insist you can cover for me at the store.”

      Kevin’s jaw dropped. “I already told them I want to go caroling this year. If I have to stay late at the store, I’ll miss the rehearsals during the week.”

      “Well, unless the money drops from the sky or you suddenly develop expert carpentry skills, you’ll have to tell them you changed your mind,” Nick advised, annoyed that Kevin still didn’t comprehend the sacrifice he was making for him. “Besides, you’re not interested in caroling. You just want to get out of working at night during the week.”

      Kevin didn’t deny it. “So what excuse are you going to give Mamm and Daed for going out on weeknights?” he asked.

      “Maybe I’ll say I’m joining the carolers.” Even as he suggested the idea, Nick knew it wasn’t plausible. For as many singings as he’d been to, he hardly ever sang. He couldn’t carry a tune and his parents knew it, but because singings were chaperoned, they didn’t discourage him from attending. “Or maybe I’ll tell them I’m courting someone.”

      “Who? You’ve already courted all the meed in Willow Creek,” Kevin countered.

      Courtships among the Amish were usually private matters and Nick definitely hadn’t told Kevin about his romantic relationships. “How would you know?”

      “Word gets around. Everyone says you’re a real heartbreaker,” Kevin replied flippantly. “You’d practically have to leave Lancaster County to find someone you haven’t already courted.”

      Nick was suddenly inspired. “Hey, maybe someone has a cousin visiting Willow Creek for the Thanksgiving holiday. Let’s stop at Frederick’s haus and check it out. Then we can go talk to Jenny about the repairs.”

      But when they entered Frederick’s home and Nick scanned the room, his hope flagged. The only out-of-towner present was Frederick’s cousin, Mark. The usual young women from Willow Creek and the Elmsville district were encircling him, batting their lashes and fiddling with their kapp strings. Katura and Mildred Peachy, Lucy Knepp’s stepsisters, appeared downright enraptured, and it occurred to Nick he hadn’t ever courted either of them. But asking to walk out with Katura or Mildred was a risk he couldn’t take. He’d heard how outspoken СКАЧАТЬ