Christmas In Hollybrook (Hollybrook Holiday Amish Romance) Read online

  Christmas in Hollybrook

  Amish Romance

  Brenda Maxfield

  Copyright © 2018 by Tica House Publishing LLC

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Personal Word from the Author

  Dearest Readers,

  Thank you so much for choosing one of my books. I am proud to be a part of the team of writers at Tica House Publishing who work joyfully to bring you stories of hope, faith, courage, and love. Your kind words and loving readership are deeply appreciated.

  I would like to personally invite you to sign up for updates and to become part of our Exclusive Reader Club—it’s completely Free to join! We’d love to welcome you!

  Much love,

  Brenda Maxfield

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  Contents

  Personal Word from the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Continue Reading…

  Thank you for Reading

  More Amish Romance for You

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

  Ephesians 4:32 KJV

  Sadie Verkler stood at the warming stove, holding her hands out to soak up the heat. There was a decided nip in the air even though she’d poked at the banked fire to get it going over an hour before. She glanced out the window through the frosty panes.

  Well, it was early December in Ohio. This kind of cold snap was to be expected.

  “Child, you all packed?” Sadie’s grandmother, Henrietta Verkler, asked. “The van will be here soon to pick you up.”

  “I don’t want to go,” Sadie said without thinking. She cringed. At nineteen years of age, she sounded like a petulant child. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “It’ll be fine. You’ll see. And your mamm will be right glad to have you home.” Henrietta shook her head with a wry grin and a chuckle. “Imagine. Expecting a new boppli at her age.”

  In truth, Sadie had a hard time reconciling that fact herself. Even though many Amish women bore children well into their forties, Sadie had never expected it to happen with her mother. Goodness, her youngest sibling, Matilda was already nine years old. There would be quite a gap between her and this new one.

  “I’m glad you’ll be there to help,” Henrietta went on. “Them boys are busy with men’s work and won’t be a lick of help to your mamm. Lizzie and Matilda will be of help, for sure and for certain, but you’re the one your mamm needs.”

  “I know. And I’m glad to help. Truly, I am. I just don’t want to leave you.” Sadie had been with her grandmother for nearly two years, ever since Henrietta had tripped and broken her leg. Her leg was better now, of course, but Sadie had been content to stay on.

  Sadie had never admitted to her grandmother the main reason she had been so quick to come live with her and help. She shuddered, trying not to think on it. Nothing good came from dwelling on a broken heart. It had taken months for her yearning to fade into a dull ache. And now, Sadie preferred not to think of it at all. But it was hard, knowing she was going right back to Hollybrook, Indiana. Right back to where Peter Wyse lived.

  She’d never asked her mother about Peter’s wedding. Never asked anyone in Hollybrook how he was surviving the death of his young wife. When Sadie learned of Eloise’s death, she had been stunned into silence for hours. How could a twenty-year-old simply die? Eloise hadn’t been sick. She hadn’t suffered. There had been no clue and no hint of any trouble health-wise. She’d simply bent over to tie her shoe one day and died.

  Sadie’s mother had written her to say that Englisch doctors thought there had been something wrong with Eloise’s heart from birth, but of course, Peter wouldn’t agree to any sort of examination. The very thought of Englisch doctors cutting into Eloise to figure out the whys was inconceivable. So, Eloise Gundy Wyse had been swiftly buried and mourned.

  Sadie didn’t know how Peter was doing. Was he all right? Was he eating properly? Was he sleeping? It had been nearly a year ago now, for he and Eloise had only been married a few months before the tragedy.

  Had he adjusted?

  Such questions were the reason Sadie tried not to think of him. It was too disturbing. Too raw. Such thoughts plunged her back into the past where she didn’t want to live.

  Besides, she’d moved on, hadn’t she? She was now smitten with Aaron Roggi, and he lived right there in Ainesburg, Ohio. During the last month, he’d driven her home twice from Youth Singings. He owned a fine courting buggy with a heater in it, of all things. But oh, how pleasant it was in the cold winter air. Never in Sadie’s life had she ridden in a buggy with a heater. In truth, she hadn’t even known they existed, but she was spoiled now, that was for sure and for certain.

  Sadie always made a concerted effort never to compare Aaron with Peter. What good would come of it? If she didn’t feel that same tug, that same pull on her heart that she’d had with Peter, she just needed to be patient. It would come. She closed her eyes, but Aaron’s image was quickly crowded out by Peter’s. How well she remembered Peter’s eyes as he looked into hers. They were such a deep blue that Sadie sometimes fancied them almost purple. Peter’s eyes had a spark in them, too, a twinkle of sorts that made him always seemed amused by something. In truth, Aaron’s eyes seemed ordinary and unimpressive next to Peter’s.

  Peter used to give her a happy feeling. Like if she stayed by his side, life would be fun and rewarding—not just an endless series of chores and work and rules and judgements.

  She shivered and opened her eyes. Goodness, but where her mind went sometimes. Surely such thoughts were not pleasing to God.

  “Did you?” Henrietta was asking.

  Sadie gave a start. “Did I what, Mammi?”

  “Did you pack yourself some food for the trip? There’s some left-over meatloaf that would make a gut sandwich.”

  “Jah. I already made one. I made one for you, too. It’s on the top shelf in the refrigerator.” Sadie took a step closer to where her grandmother sat at the kitchen table. “Why don’t you come with me? I don’t like leaving you here.”

  “Ach, child. We’ve gone over and over this. Ainesburg is my home. I’ve lived here my whole life. Your daadi built this house. He died in it, and I plan to do the same.”

  “But you could be with us. And you could help us with the new boppli.”

  “I ain’t needed to help with the new boppli, and you know it. You’re going to be all the help your mamm needs. Nee, child. This is my place.”

  “I’ll come back after the boppli’s born. I promise, I will.”

  “You’ll do no such thing. Your mamm will still need you for a gut while.”

  “But once the boppli’s born, my sisters can be all the help needed. You know that, Mammi. I can come back.”

  Henrietta smiled, her th
in lips pulling up at the corners. “I haven’t asked before, and I hesitate to do it now. But, you have a young fella here, ain’t so?”

  Sadie felt her cheeks flush.

  “Never mind,” Henrietta went on. “Those red cheeks of yours are telling enough.”

  “But Christmas is going to be here before we know it,” Sadie tried again. “I don’t want you in this house alone on Christmas. It ain’t right.”

  Henrietta patted Sadie’s hand. “It’s sweet how you fuss over me. I’m an old woman, Sadie. I can be by myself on Christmas. Besides, there will be the program at the school, you know. And I expect I’ll be asked over by the Bellams.”

  “But you should be with us.” Sadie sighed, not liking the image of her grandmother waking up alone on Christmas Day. But she also knew how stubborn her grandmother could be. If she said she was staying put, then she was staying put.

  “I’ll come back for Christmas, then. And afterward, I’ll go back to help Mamm.”

  “Sadie Verkler, I won’t be hearing of it. I won’t be taking you away from your family for another Christmas. You’ve already spent two of them with me.”

  “You know, Mammi, I can be as stubborn as you are.”

  Henrietta laughed, and her eyes turned misty. Sadie saw it and a pang went through her heart. She really did prefer to stay, and not only so she could avoid seeing Peter. She loved being with her grandmother there in Ainesburg.

  A crunch of gravel sounded from outside. With a sinking heart, Sadie peered through the window and saw a van approaching the front porch.

  “He’s here, ain’t so?” Henrietta announced. “Get on out there. Don’t make him wait.”

  Sadie faced her, tears now pricking her own eyes. “You’re sure, Mammi? You’re sure you’ll be all right?”

  Henrietta nodded. “Go on with you.” She waved her hand in exaggerated dismissal. “Get out of here.”

  Sadie leaned down and gave her a quick hug. Henrietta’s tiny frame felt fragile in her arms. Everything in Sadie screamed at her to stay, but she knew it wasn’t her choice. Her father had sent for her—she was needed at home. Just as she had been needed there in Ohio two years before.

  As she gave her grandmother a last long look, she wondered whether she would ever really be able to make her own choices in life. So far, it hadn’t worked out that way very often. But she could hardly ignore or disobey a direct mandate from her father.

  Even though she fussed with Henrietta like she had a choice—she didn’t. She had to go back to Hollybrook, Indiana.

  Chapter Two

  Sadie closed the door behind her and hurried down the porch steps. The driver, a Mennonite man named George they often used, stood outside the back passenger door. He slid it open for her.

  “How are you, Sadie?”

  She nodded and smiled, not trusting her voice to speak. At least not yet. He must have sensed her sadness, for he said nothing further until they were leaving the city limits of Ainesburg. Then he looked at her from his rear-view mirror.

  “You must be mighty happy to be seeing your family again.”

  She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Jah. It’s been a while.”

  “I should say it has. A good six months or so.”

  It had been a whole lot longer than six months, but she didn’t feel like correcting him. In truth, she’d only been back once, and that was a quick trip of only three days. Three days in which she kept close to home, not venturing out to see anyone. But now if she was moving back, she could hardly hole up in the house and never see a soul.

  Well, never see Peter Wyse, to be specific.

  How was it possible that she could continue to harbor feelings for a boy who had rejected her? And two years ago, for goodness sake? It seemed absurd. Impossible. She reached over and patted her suitcase. Inside was a letter from Aaron. She was tempted to open up her suitcase right then and there and re-read it. Perhaps that would help her ignore the thoughts of her old beau. But what would the driver think? It seemed awfully silly to be digging through her suitcase for a letter that she’d only just packed the night before.

  She shook her head in disgust at herself and gazed out the window. She would never get used to how the scenery sped by in a blur in a motor car. A person hardly had the chance to see something before it was torn from view and something else replaced it. She surely liked the convenience and the warmth of modern cars, but she deeply preferred the rhythmic motion of a horse and buggy.

  During the rest of the trip, George offered comments now and again, but it was mostly silent. He offered to stop and take a short break at the state border, but Sadie preferred to just continue on. Stopping at the border wasn’t going to change anything.

  “Can you direct me to your farm?” he asked as they neared Hollybrook. “I didn’t plug your address into my cell, but I figured you could steer me easy enough.”

  Hating the tremor in her voice, Sadie gave running directions until they were pulling into her drive. Being December, she didn’t see anyone out and about. Likely, chores were finished and they were all huddled around the warming stove in the front room. George pulled up to the porch just as the front door of the house burst open.

  Lizzie and Matilda came tumbling out, their blue eyes alight with excitement.

  “Your sisters?” George asked, coming to a complete stop.

  “Jah.” Despite her misgivings, Sadie’s heart beat more quickly at the sight of them. My, but how they’d grown. She got out of the van and they rushed to her, nearly bowling her over.

  “You’re finally here!” Lizzie said, nuzzling Sadie’s arm.

  “I’m here.” Sadie smiled.

  Matilda pulled on her sleeve. “Come on inside.”

  “Wait. I have to grab my bag.”

  “Let me know if you need my services again,” George interrupted them. “You have my number?”

  “Jah. Thank you.” Sadie said. Although she was happier than she’d thought she’d be to see her sisters, she still wished that this was only a short stay. She still wished that she could return to her grandmother’s by Christmas.

  “I got your bag,” Lizzie said, holding the suitcase with both hands and awkwardly heading for the porch steps. The suitcase bopped along before her, slapping back to hit her legs at every step.

  “Then, shall we go?” Sadie asked, following Lizzie.

  Before they got to the door, it opened again and Bonnie Verkler stood before them. “Goodness, but it’s right fine to see you, daughter,” she said, her usual full, mellow voice lower than Sadie remembered. Her mother’s eyes looked tired, and it was hard to miss the dark circles beneath them. There was a sallow tinge to her cheeks, too, unlike the usual stereotypical glow of an expectant mother.

  “Hello, Mamm. I’m glad to see you, too.”

  “Come in quick. It’s awful cold out today.”

  Sadie and her sisters hurried inside. Sadie paused for a moment after she shut the door, letting the smell and sounds of home sink into her. It all seemed so wonderfully familiar, yet strangely different from the smells of Mammi’s house. Sadie would have to get used to it all over again. Her father gave her a nod from the front room, and her brothers Mark and Roger grinned at her and hollered their greetings.

  “You hungry, child?” Mamm asked.

  “Nee. I had a sandwich on the way. Besides, you sit on down. I’m here to help, remember?”

  Bonnie chuckled. “So you are. But this household needs more than one person to run it.”

  “Mamm,” cried Lizzie, indignant. “I help. And so does Matilda.”

  “For sure and for certain, you do,” Mamm replied. “I declare, I couldn’t do it without you.”

  “Well, now you have me, too.”

  “How’s Mammi?” Matilda asked. “I wanted her to come home with you.”

  Sadie patted Matilda’s kapp. “I tried. Truly, I did. But she won’t budge from Ohio.”

  Mamm tsked her tongue against her teeth. “She’s a stubborn one, your dat
’s mamm.”

  “That she is.” Sadie pulled out a chair from the dining table for her mother. “Sit down. Do you want some tea?”

  “Nee,” Mamm said, sinking into the chair with a heavy sigh. “I have to visit the bathroom every ten minutes as it is.”

  “Old Mae been?” Sadie asked, wondering if her mother had seen the district’s medicine woman.

  “She comes every week,” Matilda announced. “Says Mamm is doing fine, just needs to rest some.”

  Sadie nodded, relieved that Old Mae was so involved. “So that’s what we’re going to make sure of, ain’t so?” She looked at both her sisters.

  They nodded solemnly, and Lizzie set Sadie’s suitcase on the bench. “Want me to take this up for you?”

  “I can do it,” Sadie said.

  “We, uh, well, we changed things around a bit,” Mamm explained.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We didn’t see any use in wasting your bedroom when you wasn’t here,” she continued. “Lizzie has been using your room. Matilda’s on her own in the furthest room. But now, we’ve had to get a nursery prepared. We can move Lizzie back—”

  Before she’d hardly gotten the words out, Lizzie was groaning.

  “Elizabeth,” Mamm warned.

  Lizzie looked momentarily ashamed, but she recovered quickly enough. “Can’t Sadie move in with Matilda? I’m sure they’d like to share a room.”

  Sadie raised her brow. She was ready to agree, for after all, she was the one who left nearly two years ago. It would be awfully presumptuous to assume she’d get her old room back. But before she could say so, their mother made herself quite clear.