An Amish Christmas (17 page)

The minute the final amen sounded, Karen shot to her feet and waited impatiently for the crowd to get out the doors. Outside, she lost no time in locating Jonathan. He was standing by her father and Jacob. The three of them were laughing and smiling like it was any other day. Eli caught sight of her. “Karen, look who has returned.”

Jonathan’s gray eyes filled with deep emotion when his gaze fell upon her. He said, “Hello.”

Karen’s voice had fled. She could only stare. The foolish hope that he had come back for her bloomed in her heart.

Anna launched herself at Jonathan and threw her arms around his waist. “John, I knew you wouldn’t forget me.”

He swung her up to his shoulder and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Smiling at Karen, he said, “I find all the Imhoff women are…
unforgettable.
”

“We’ve missed you so much.” Anna said the words Karen wanted to say but couldn’t.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Setting the child down, he cupped the back of her head and dropped a kiss on her bonnet. She clung to his hand, looking up with adoration shining in her eyes.

Noah, hopping with impatience, began peppering Jonathan with questions. “Did you go all the way to New Zealand and back already? Did you fly in a plane? Did
you know the sheriff caught the men who beat you up? They’d been stealing a whole bunch of stuff from Amish people.”

“Yes, yes and yes, I knew they’d been arrested.” Jonathan answered Noah, but his eyes never left Karen.

Realization dawned on her and the foolish hope in her heart withered. He’d come back because of the arrest, not because of her. He would be needed at the trial.

She found her voice at last. “How long are you going to be staying? You must come and have supper with us while you are here.”

“I’m going to be staying for a long, long time. As long as God and you will let me.”

She blinked hard. What was he saying?

Several of the men who knew him had come up to greet him. Among the handshakes and well-wishes of Jonathan’s friends, Karen found herself crowded backward.

“Are you moving here?” Jacob sounded as confused as Karen felt.

Jonathan nodded. “
Ja.
The organization I work for is leasing a small farm not far away. Our need for more stable space in this part of the country is growing because of the recent changes in U.S. horse-slaughter laws.”

Several of the local men nodded. One said, “We have heard of this. Broken-down racehorses used to be sold for meat, but now they can’t be unless they are shipped out of the country.”

Jonathan nodded. “That’s right. More of them are being abandoned now than ever. We will take them in, retrain them for riding or pulling buggies and find them proper homes.”

“You will need good harnesses for these horses.”
Reuben Beachy’s eyes lit up at the prospect of new business.

“I will. I’ll need hay and grain and repair work done on the stables.”

“You will need a good farrier, too,” Eli added.

“That I will,” Jonathan agreed. Looking down at Anna, he said, “I will need my Amish tutor again and I will need to study the Amish ways so that one day I may take the vows of your faith.”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the group. Karen’s breath froze in her throat as tears sprang to her eyes. He was planning to join her faith. He had declared it in front of everyone.

“After that, I’ll need a wife.” He looked over the crowd to where Karen was standing.

Anna shouted, “I’ll marry you.”

Everyone laughed at that, everyone but Karen. Stepping between the men, she grabbed Jonathan’s sleeve and pulled him toward the Fishers’ greenhouse without a word to anyone.

Inside the plastic enclosure, surrounded by the smell of earth and new plants, she turned to Jonathan and crossed her arms to keep from hugging him. “Is it true?”

He smiled at her tenderly. “Yes. In time, I will marry you, Karen Imhoff. Never doubt it.”

Her heart melted with joy. She threw her arms around him holding him as tight as she could. She never wanted to let go again. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much.”

She felt his lips on her forehead. “I’ve missed you, too, darling.”

Holding her away from him, he looked into her eyes. “The moment I reached New Zealand I realized I couldn’t stay there. I belong here. With you. With your people. I’m never leaving again.”

He pulled her close once more. She returned his embrace with such joy in her heart that she thought she might die of it.

“I dreamed of this,” she whispered.

“Wake up, my little heart. I’m not a dream. I’m a flesh-and-blood man who loves the most wonderful woman in the world.”

“
Nee,
I will not open my eyes. You will be gone.”

“I won’t, but I do see one problem with our courtship. Ah, make that three problems.”

She looked up to find him smiling. He nodded behind her. Noah, Anna and Jacob had their faces cupped against the plastic walls trying to see in. Karen grinned at Jonathan. “I’m sure they will not object to our courtship as they know you plan to become Amish.”

He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “I wasn’t thinking about an objection. I thought Amish couples kept their courting a secret. I don’t think that’s going to happen for us.”

She patted his cheek. “I can live with that. Can you?”

He drew her close once more. “As long as I know you will be mine, I can live with anything. God has blessed me, Karen. I will praise Him always.”

“He has blessed us both.”

Smiling tenderly at her, he said, “I’d like a Christmas wedding.”

She smiled back. “I think we can arrange that.”

She lifted her face for Jonathan’s kiss and gave thanks as her long-hidden love bloomed like a beautiful rose.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed AN AMISH CHRISTMAS. It’s hard to believe another holiday season is upon us already. I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very merry Christmas as well as a happy and prosperous New Year. As we get caught up in the frantic pace of holiday shopping and party planning I pray each of us can find a quiet minute every day to reflect as the Amish do on the true meaning of the season.

Christmas blessings to all and to all a good night.

1. Karen Imhoff is the caretaker of her family, their surrogate mother. In what way did that role affect her relationship with John Doe?
   
2. Was Karen right to offer John a place to stay? Why or why not?
   
3. How did John’s amnesia allow him to fit in with the Imhoff family?
   
4. Would it have been more difficult for John to fit in with the Amish culture if his memory had been intact? Why or why not?
   
5. Which of the Imhoff children did you identify with most closely? Why?
   
6. Were you surprised to learn that many Amish buggy horses are former racehorses?
   
7. The Amish practice of providing homes for their elderly relatives by building “grandfather houses” attached to the primary home seems like a wonderful custom. What problems or benefits do you see with this type of arrangement?
   
8. The Amish often turn a blind eye to their teenager’s behavior during their
   rumspringa
   or running around years. Is there a lesson to be learned here for modern parents?
   
9. Karen believed that God had a purpose for placing
   John Doe in her care. It is sometimes easy to think what we want is also what God wants for us. How can we avoid falling into the trap of following our own will and not the will of God?
   
10. What was your favorite scene in this story and why?
    
11. What was your least favorite part of the story and why?
    
12. Anna felt that God didn’t want her because she survived the carriage accident that killed other members of her family. Has there been a time in your life when you felt that God had turned away from you? How did you overcome that feeling?
    
13. What part of “Amish living” would you find most difficult to maintain?
    
14. Eli Imhoff tried to keep God first in his business dealings. How can we keep God first in our own business lives?
    
15. What part of plain living do you wish you could incorporate into your own life without turning off the electricity?