Amish White Christmas Pie Read online

  “That’s exactly what I think you should do.”

  He shook his head. “I think it would be a waste of money.”

  “How come?”

  “Because when I was able to return to Lancaster County after my accident, no one I spoke with knew where Will and the Stoltzfus couple had gone.”

  “But if you ran an ad in The Budget, you’d be doing something that might lead to your son. Wouldn’t that be better than moping around here every holiday season, making everyone in the family feel miserable?”

  “I’m not moping around or trying to make anyone miserable. I’m having a cup of coffee while I wait for my breakfast. After I’m done eating, I’m going to stretch out on the couch and watch TV.”

  “I was hoping you might go to church with me and the girls this morning.”

  “Not interested.” Frank pushed away from the table. “I think I’ll go upstairs and see if the girls are awake.”

  “What about the ad for The Budget?”

  He shook his head. “I really don’t think it’s worth the effort.”

  At eight thirty, Will pulled his horse and buggy up to the Grabers’ place, where church was being held. Several black buggies were parked in a row near the box-shaped wagon that had been used to transport the wooden benches from the Bontragers’ place, where they’d had their last church meeting. The first person Will spotted was Leroy, dressed in his Sunday white shirt, black pants, matching vest, and mutza coat.

  “How’d you get those dents in your buggy?” Leroy asked as Will began to unhitch his horse.

  “My horse got loose from the hitching rail when I was visiting Karen last week, and he ran into a van out on the road. Then as we went to chase after the horse, the buggy sideswiped the man’s van.” Will glared at Leroy. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  Leroy’s dark eyebrows drew together. “Huh?”

  “Did you let my horse go?”

  “Of course not. Why would I do something like that?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Don’t be lecherich, Will.”

  “I’m not being ridiculous. You’ve always liked to get my goat, and I figured you—”

  “Well, you figured wrong! It’s too bad about your horse breaking free, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it.” Leroy grabbed his horse’s bridle and led him to the rope that had been stretched between several posts in the barnyard.

  Will figured there wasn’t much more to be said without making a scene, so he followed with his horse. Maybe Leroy was telling the truth. Ben might have gotten tired of waiting and broken free on his own. He had been pretty unpredictable lately. Since Will had no proof that Leroy had done it, he guessed he’d better give him the benefit of the doubt.

  As soon as Will had his horse tied to the rope, he headed for the new addition the Grabers had built onto their house for church and other large gatherings. He was almost to the porch when he spotted Karen’s folks coming up the walkway with Karen’s sister, Cindy, trailing behind. “Where’s Karen?” Will asked, stepping up to Cindy.

  “She woke up with a lot of pain in her jaw, so she stayed home in bed.”

  Will winced. “I’m sorry to hear that. When I was over the other day, she seemed to be getting along fairly well.”

  “That’s what we thought, too,” Hannah interjected. “I’m pretty sure Karen has a dry socket, so we’ll have to see the dentist sometime tomorrow.”

  “I could take her if you like,” Will offered.

  Hannah smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather go with Karen myself. That way I can ask the dentist a few questions.”

  “Maybe when church is over, I’ll go over to see Karen. I’d feel better if I knew how she was doing.”

  “She might be sleeping,” Karen’s father, Alvin, replied. “Maybe you should wait until late this afternoon.”

  Will nodded. As much as he wanted to see Karen, he wouldn’t go against her father’s wishes.

  “Where are your folks?” Hannah asked. “Aren’t they with you today?”

  “They came in their own buggy and left home before I did, so I’m guessing Mama Regina’s in the kitchen visiting with the women, and Papa Mark’s probably in the yard someplace talking to the men. Since I was planning to take Karen for a buggy ride after church, I brought my own rig today. I wanted to show her my dog’s puppies today, too.”

  “I’m sorry your plans were ruined,” Hannah said. “Karen felt bad about not being able to come to church this morning, and I know she was looking forward to spending time with you afterward.”

  Alvin thumped Will on the back. “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other times for you and Karen to go buggy riding.”

  “Jah.”

  Will spotted Bishop Miller and the other ministers leading a group of older men to the addition. He followed, along with several others, and when he stepped onto the porch, he removed his black hat and placed it on a bench near the door where other men’s hats lay. Then he entered the house and found a place on a backless wooden bench beside his friend Nathan.

  “I haven’t seen you for a few days,” Nathan said. “How are things going?”

  “Not so good.” Will began telling Nathan the story of how his horse had gotten loose but had to stop talking when the bishop announced the opening of the service.

  Harley Kauffman, the song leader, announced the page number of a hymn and asked David Graber to lead it. The people opened their Ausbund hymnals to the appropriate place. As they began to sing, the ministers left to meet in another room so they could decide who would take which parts of the service and discuss church business.

  The congregation finished the first hymn and began the second. It took almost fifteen minutes to sing the four verses of the praise song, and Will’s mind began to wander as he thought about Karen. He was anxious to check on her and see how she was doing.

  During the second verse of the next song, the ministers returned to the room and took their seats. The singing stopped at the end of the verse. Will pulled his attention to the side of the room where Perry Hochstetler, a visiting minister, stood. Perry spoke for half an hour; then everyone knelt for silent prayer. After that came the scripture reading from Deacon Mast, and then Bishop Miller delivered the main sermon.

  Will’s mind continued to wander as he thought about his encounter with Leroy. He knew it was wrong to nurse a grudge or feel jealous of someone, but he couldn’t seem to help himself where Leroy was concerned.

  By the time church was over, Will was struggling with his emotions so much that his face was beaded with sweat. When the men and boys exited the house by rows, he hurried outside for some much-needed fresh air. He was tempted to get his horse and buggy and head over to see Karen but remembered that her father had said she was probably sleeping.

  “Let’s find a place to sit, and you can tell me the rest of that horse story you began before church started,” Nathan said.

  Will nodded and motioned to the barn. “Why don’t we go in there and get out of this chilly air?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “How are those hundlin of yours doing?” Nathan asked as they began walking.

  “Real well. They’re cute little pups. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble finding homes for them after they’re weaned.”

  “If I knew for sure that I’d be staying in Indiana, I might buy one from you.”

  “You could always take the pup back to Ohio.”

  “That’s true, but I’ll have to wait and see how it goes.”

  They were almost to the barn when David Graber came running across the yard, waving his arms and hollering. “There’s a horse hung up on the hitching rope, and I think it’s dead!”

  Everyone in the yard dashed toward the line of horses, including Will and Nathan. When Will reached the rope, he screeched to a stop and gasped. His horse was hung up on the rope!

  CHAPTER 13

  I’m sure sorry about this,” Elam Graber said to Will
as they watched his lifeless horse being loaded into the dead animal truck for removal on Monday morning.

  Will slowly shook his head. “I still can’t figure out how Ben got hung up on that rope. He’s been pretty spooky lately, so I guess it’s possible that he was trying to break free.”

  “There’s gonna be a horse auction in Topeka on Saturday. If you’re lookin’ to buy another horse right away, that might be a good place to go.”

  “That’s what I’ll probably do, but I’m not happy about having to buy a horse right now. I just got a bill from that English fellow whose van my horse and buggy ran into the other day, and I’ve got some repairs to have done on my buggy, as well.” Will shrugged.

  “At least I can borrow one of my daed’s driving horses until I’m able to get a new one.”

  “I’m sure he’s got an extra buggy that you can use while yours is being repaired.”

  “Jah. Well, guess I’d better get going,” Will said as the truck pulled out of the Grabers’ driveway. “I’ve got a couple of errands to run, and then I want to stop by the Yoders’ and see how Karen’s doing. After everything that happened with my horse yesterday, I wasn’t able to make it over there like I’d planned.”

  “Sometimes those wisdom teeth can sure cause trouble. I remember when I had mine out that it took nearly a month until I felt well enough to eat a decent meal.” Elam patted his oversized belly. “Thought I might starve to death, drinkin’ liquids and eatin’ nothing but soft foods for so long.”

  Will moved toward Bob, Papa Mark’s horse, waiting patiently at the hitching rail with his buggy. Elam was quite the talker, and Will knew if he didn’t get going he probably wouldn’t make it over to Karen’s house today, either. “Danki for seeing that my horse got hauled away this morning and for paying the pick-up fee.”

  Elam nodded. “No problem. It was the least I could do, seeing as it was my rope that strangled your horse to death.”

  Will released Bob from the hitching rail, climbed into his buggy, and gave Elam a friendly wave. It was time to see Karen.

  “I’m glad I went to see the oral surgeon this morning,” Karen said as she and her mother entered the house.

  Mom nodded. “It’s good that we know it’s a dry socket causing all the pain. Now that the doctor has begun treatment, you should feel better soon.”

  “I hope so.” Karen hung her jacket on a wall peg near the kitchen door. “I’m getting bored sitting around the house all day when there’s so much to be done.”

  “Cindy, Mavis, and your daed have been managing fine in the store, and whatever needs to be done around here can be done by me.” Mom smiled. “It’s important for you to rest and let your mouth heal.”

  Karen nodded. “Maybe I can use this time to finish sewing my wedding dress. That won’t take much effort.”

  “That’s a good idea. You can always stop sewing if you get tired.” Mom stepped into the kitchen. “Are you hungry? I could fix you a bite to eat.”

  “Maybe something to drink.”

  “Cold or warm?”

  “How about some warm apple cider?”

  “That sounds good. I may have some, too.” Mom soon had a kettle of cider on the stove. She added some spice, and before long, the whole room smelled like warm apples and cinnamon. “If you’d like to relax in the living room, I’ll bring it in to you when it’s ready,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at Karen.

  “Okay.” Karen was almost to the living room when a knock sounded on the door.

  When she opened it, Will stood on the porch holding an African violet. “This is for you.” His genuine smile drew her attention to the deep dimples in his cheeks. “I picked it up at the Millers’ greenhouse on my way over here.”

  Karen took the lacy purple plant. “That was thoughtful of you, Will, but you already brought me a plant after I first had my wisdom teeth removed. I sure didn’t expect another.”

  “I know how much you like flowers, so I figured it might help cheer you up,” he said, following her into the living room.

  “Danki, I appreciate it.”

  “So how are you feeling? Did you see the dentist this morning?”

  “Jah.” She set the plant on the table near the sofa and took a seat.

  Will hung his jacket on the back of the rocking chair and sat beside her. “What’d he say?”

  “I have a dry socket, which is just what Mom suspected.”

  “What’d he do about that?”

  “He put medicine in the socket, and I’m supposed to go back to have it looked at in a few days.” Karen touched the side of her face. “After only one treatment, I’m noticing less pain.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “How are those hundlin of yours getting along?” Karen asked. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see them yet.”

  “The puppies are doing well—growing like little weeds.” He smiled. “As soon as you have some free time and are feeling better, you’ll need to see them.”

  “I’m looking forward to that.” Karen touched Will’s arm. “When Mom and Dad got home from church yesterday, they told me about your horse getting hung up on the hitching rope. I’m sorry Ben died. I know you had a fondness for him.”

  The sparkle in Will’s blue eyes faded. “I did until a few days ago—when the critter broke free of the hitching rail here and smacked into that Englisher’s van. Maybe it’s a good thing Ben’s gone, because he’s sure cost me a lot of money. I’m planning to go to the horse auction in Topeka on Saturday to buy a new one.”

  “Maybe you’ll get a good deal and find a better horse.”

  “I hope that’s the case.”

  Karen gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “Things are bound to go better for both of us soon.”

  “Once we’re married, I think everything will be better.”

  “Speaking of getting married, I was wondering if you’ve been able to get your list done so we can send out our invitations soon.”

  “Mama Regina worked on the list the other night. I should have thought to bring it with me today. I’ll bring it the next time I come over.” Will’s forehead wrinkled. “Since most of Mama Regina’s and Papa Mark’s relatives are either dead or live in some other state, our list is mostly friends.” He grunted. “And we sure can’t invite my real daed, since I have no idea where he lives or even if he’s still alive.”

  “I’m sorry about that, Will.”

  He pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug. “It’s okay. You, Mama Regina, and Papa Mark are the only family I need.”

  As Frank approached the village of Paradise on his return trip from Philadelphia, where he’d made a delivery, he spotted a young Amish man with red hair walking toward a convenience store. Frank’s heart gave a lurch. The man looked like Will. Or at least the way Frank imagined Will might look at age twenty-two. Could this young man actually be Will? Should he stop and ask?

  He turned on his blinker and pulled into the parking lot. By the time he reached the store, the redheaded Amish man had already gone inside.

  Frank entered the store and glanced around. He walked briskly up the first aisle. No sign of the Amish man there. He turned the corner, started down the next aisle, and halted when he spotted the young man in front of the ice cream freezer.

  Frank’s heart pounded as he stepped up to him. “Are you buying ice cream on a cold day like this?”

  The young man nodded, his blue eyes twinkling like fireflies on a hot summer day. Frank swallowed hard as his heart continued to thump in his chest. Will had blue eyes like that. Will had freckles on his nose, too.

  “I really like ice cream.” The young man reached into the freezer and plucked out a box of ice cream bars. “Fact is, I could eat ice cream most any time of the year.”

  Frank gnawed on his lower lip as he contemplated what to say next. He couldn’t come right out and ask if this Amish man was his long-lost son. That would be too bold, and the man might think Frank was crazy.

  The man
stepped aside. “Are you getting ice cream, too?”

  “Uh…no…I…” Frank reached in and grabbed one of the single bars. “Maybe I will have one.”

  The young man started to move away, and Frank figured if he was going to say anything more, it had better be now. “Are you from around here?”

  “I live down the road apiece. My dad owns a buggy shop on Churchtown Road.”

  “What’s your dad’s name?”

  “Leon Fisher.”

  “Then I guess your name’s not Will.”