Unexpected Christmas Gift , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Kate Lloyd

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50 pages

English

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Driving into a Lancaster County ditch during a near-blizzard is not where Maria Romano envisioned she'd end up on the day before Christmas Eve. But somehow she finds it fitting--after all, her life has been stuck and lonely for years, and the recent discovery that she was adopted makes her yearn for connection. So when a genealogy search leads her to a shop in Amish country, she can't help but visit in person, regardless of the weather. Despite a rough introduction, Maria is surprised by the warm and welcoming Amish family table she finds herself invited to on Christmas. But will the family's kindness be enough to help her find her place and the truth about her past? An Unexpected Christmas Gift is an endearing novella from Amish fiction author Kate Lloyd.

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	06 octobre 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493418930
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0120€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2019 by Kate Lloyd
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1893-0
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the authors’ imaginations and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services
Author is represented by MacGregor Literary, Inc.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Recipes
About the Author
Back Ad
Dedication
To Kathleen Kohler
CHAPTER ONE

T he moment I saw the sign for Miller’s Quilts and Gifts through the onslaught of snow, my throat constricted as if I’d swallowed a handful of salt. I jammed on the brakes, but the car glided through the white flurry, slid into a ditch, and came to rest with a metallic crunch against a fence.
My brain spun with uncertainty, as if I’d gotten onto a roller coaster ride and changed my mind. But it was too late to turn around and drive back home to Hartford, Connecticut. This car wasn’t going anywhere until I called a tow truck. I cut the engine.
At least the airbag hadn’t inflated, making it possible to move. But when I reached for the door handle, I shouldered the door without success. I was trapped.
The snow fell so quickly that my windshield was soon covered with a blanket of white. The setting sun cast a gray shadow. What on earth was I doing here? Who in their right mind would travel to Lancaster County on the day before Christmas Eve?
Me, apparently. Because I wasn’t planning to celebrate Christmas. Ever again. Not since my sister and I took our DNA tests and found out we weren’t related in any way, flipping my world upside down.
We’d gone to our father, as our mother had died two years earlier. The corner of his mouth had lifted a skosh. “Uh . . . we adopted you, Maria. I’d wanted a boy, but your mother said it was too late to change our minds. And then she got pregnant with Trish four years later.”
My sister and I looked at each other with new eyes. I recalled her as a toddler and remembered my mother’s jubilation as they decorated her nursery. “I’m just like Hannah in the Bible,” Mom had said years later. “God answered my prayers.” Her hand moved to the nape of her neck. “He answered them—twice.”
I heard a knock on my window, saw a man’s glove swipe across it. “Are you okay?” came his muffled words. “Unlock the door.”
I fumbled to unlock it as a hefty form tugged at the door and pulled it open past snow-covered grasses.
“ Kumm .” He was Amish, dressed the way I’d seen in books and movies, but never in real life. He assisted me in escaping my dungeon.
“Oh! Thank you so much.” With the wind whipping particles of snow into my eyes, I squinted at the shop’s sign, way down a fence-lined lane and what looked to be an impossibly long distance. “I need to go to the quilt shop.”
“It’s not open, but the owners live next door.” Snow accumulated on his black felt hat and shoulders. “It’s five o’clock and tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”
“Yes, I know, but that’s where I’m headed.” I’d have to check the damage to my car later. “Will you help me?”
“ Yah , of course.”
When I stood, I found my legs shaky. The man, who looked to be in his upper twenties like me, took my elbow and helped me climb out of the ditch. I chided myself for thinking I could drive my Toyota in the snow. But the weatherman hadn’t predicted this humongous accumulation.
A gust of wind blew the man’s hat off, and he bent to retrieve it. After a shake, he set it squarely on his head.
There wasn’t another vehicle in sight. I felt chill air invading my clothing. “Wait, maybe I should call a tow truck first.”
“I doubt you’ll get help tonight.” He straightened his hat, but the wind threatened to toss it away again. “My friend and I can assist you tomorrow.”
“Really? I heard Amish don’t drive.”
“My friend’s Mennonite, so he can.”
“Oh, okay.” But where would I sleep? I’d planned to find a cheap motel room in town. Well, I’d come this far and would not be deterred. As the sky darkened, I was losing sight of the quilt shop. I couldn’t afford to wait any longer. I took a step and felt icy snow creeping over the tops of my socks.
He proffered a hand. “The snow’s deep, so you best let me give you support.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” A moment later I lost my balance, but he caught me in midair.
“Thanks again,” I said, even though Mom taught me never to trust strangers. Wait, she hadn’t even been my mother. How could I believe her words of advice?
“What’s your name?” I asked, my words muted by a gust of wind.
“Isaac Stoltfuz. You want to borrow my coat?”
“No, that’s okay.” I should have thought to wear warmer clothes.
“And what’s yours?”
Did I want to tell a stranger anything about myself? A first name couldn’t hurt anything. “Maria.” I looked around expecting to spot his buggy but saw nothing. I’d heard the Amish used horses and buggies, and I wouldn’t mind getting a look at one. But evidently he was on foot.
I started my trudge toward the sign for the quilt shop and saw a spacious home. A hurricane lamp in a window cast yellow light across the white lawn. Now that I thought about it, there were no streetlights leading up to the house, and the sky was draining of color.
“Change your mind?” Isaac asked.
I hadn’t realized I’d slowed my pace. I sped up. “No, the quilt shop is my destination.”
“Like I said, it’s closed tonight. But it’s next to the Millers’ home.”
“Okay.” I headed for the house’s front door, but he beckoned me around to the back past a barn. We crossed the barnyard and climbed the back stairs to a small porch. He rapped on the door, then stomped his feet.
The door swung open. “Isaac,” said an Amish woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a calf-length dress, a black bib apron, a white heart-shaped organza head covering, and an expectant grin. She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. “What a lovely surprise.”
“Hullo, Nancy. I’m not coming in but for a moment. I brought a stranger named Maria.”
“Oh?” Nancy’s smile flattened. “What are you doing out on such a greislich night, Isaac?”
“Looking for Mamm ’s favorite goat.” He glanced at me. “I was just about to give up when I noticed Maria’s car skidding into the ditch out front. It looks like the bumper and fender are dented, but there’s no way to tell in that snow.”
The corners of her mouth angling down, Nancy gave me a good look-over. “Probably driving too fast.”
“No, I wasn’t,” I said through the snowflakes. “As a matter of fact, I was trying to slow down, but my car kept going.”
“Because you were driving too fast.”
No use arguing with her when in fact I’d been creeping along, all the while second-guessing myself. I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively to begin with. No matter my hurt feelings.
“You best come in.” She frowned at my soaked Adidas. “Please stomp your feet first.” I glanced down at my snow-covered shoes and realized she was right.
The ambrosia of baking breads beckoned us forward as Isaac and I followed her through a dimly lit hallway. We passed a utility room with an old-fashioned wringer washer and then a small sink by a closed door. Nancy opened the door, and I found myself inside a beautiful kitchen, not what I expected of an Amish home. I’d heard they didn’t use electricity.
Nancy pointed to a towel on the floor and told me I could leave my shoes there. Fair enough, no need to get their linoleum wet. But still, I felt unwelcome. I’d never been more out of my element.
I scanned the room, expecting to see Christmas decorations. A few fir-tree sprigs perched on a shelf. Huh? I guessed the Christmas tree was in the living room. My gaze latched on to muffins on a cooling rack, and two loaves of bread sitting on the counter were emitting a luscious aroma. I hadn’t eaten for hours, and my stomach growled with hunger.
Nancy introduced me to her mother, Naomi, and her younger sister, Anna. Both women, dressed the same as Nancy, gawked at me but seemed friendly. Naomi insisted I join them for supper. “We’ve got plenty of sliced ham, cold meat loaf, cheeses, pickled beets, and applesauce.” She turned to her daughters. “What’s keeping you, girls? Set the table and slice the bread. Your Dat will be in from the barn in five minutes. He’s been working all day and the table isn’t even ready.”
“I’d best be going.” Isaac repositioned his hat.
“Please stop back again soon,” Nancy said.
“Yah, okay.” His gaze caught mine for a moment and then he looked away, but not before I noticed his sky blue eyes and clean-shaven chin. Even with a hat and long bangs, he was good-looking. No wonder Nancy obviously had a crush on him. But he didn’t seem to notice or was purposely ignoring her when he wished us all a good night. I listened to his departing footsteps and hoped he really would come back and help me with my car. I didn’t belong to AAA or have towing coverage in my driver’s insurance. I doubted I had enough money in the bank to cover the deductible if my car was damaged. Thank goodness I’d paid off my credit card.
“Where are you headed tonight?” Naomi asked me. “Last-minute shopping?”
Nancy lifted her chin. “We close