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Authors: Cindy Woodsmall

Christmas in Apple Ridge

BOOK: Christmas in Apple Ridge
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B
OOKS BY
C
INDY
W
OODSMALL

A
MISH
V
INES AND
O
RCHARDS
A Season for Tending

A
DA

S
H
OUSE SERIES
The Hope of Refuge
The Bridge of Peace
The Harvest of Grace

S
ISTERS OF THE
Q
UILT SERIES
When the Heart Cries
When the Morning Comes
When the Soul Mends

N
OVELLAS
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
The Christmas Singing
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms

N
ONFICTION
Plain Wisdom

C
HRISTMAS IN
A
PPLE
R
IDGE
P
UBLISHED BY
W
ATER
B
ROOK
P
RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

The scripture quoted on
this page
is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com
. The scripture quoted on
this page
is taken from the King James Version.

The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells
copyright © 2009 by Cindy Woodsmall
The Christmas Singing
copyright © 2011 by Cindy Woodsmall
The Dawn of Christmas
copyright © 2012 by Cindy Woodsmall

Cover design by Mark D. Ford; cover photos by Jim Celuch and Dale Yoder

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

W
ATER
B
ROOK
and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Woodsmall, Cindy.
    The sound of sleigh bells / Cindy Woodsmall. — 1st ed.
        p. cm.
1. Amish women—Fiction. I. Title.
    PS3623.O678S68 2009
    813’.6—dc22

2009018239

Woodsmall, Cindy.
     The Christmas singing / Cindy Woodsmall. — 1st ed.
        p. cm.
    eISBN: 978-0-307-73101-2
 1. Amish—Fiction. I. Title.
    PS3623.O678C57 2011
    813’.6—dc23

2011035015

v3.1_r1

Contents

To one of the most splendid blessings in my life
,
Miriam Flaud

T
he aroma of fresh-baked bread, shepherd’s pie, and steamed vegetables filled Lizzy’s house, mingling with the sweet smell of baked desserts. In the hearth a bank of embers kept a small fire burning, removing the nip that clung to the early-April air.

The noise of conversations rose and fell around Lizzy’s kitchen table as her brother and his large family talked easily throughout the meal. His grown and almost-grown children filled the sides of her fourteen-foot table, and his grandchildren either sat in their mothers’ laps or in highchairs.

Nearly four decades ago her oldest brother had put effort into finding an Amish bride. When Stephen found the right girl, he married her. He’d handled life well, and the fruit of it fed her soul. Lizzy had focused on her business and never married. She didn’t regret her choices, not for herself, but she’d crawl on her hands and knees the rest of her days to keep her niece from the same fate.

Beth was like a daughter to Lizzy. Not long after the family’s dry goods store passed to Lizzy, Beth graduated from the eighth grade and
started working beside her. Soon she moved in with Lizzy, and they shared the one-bedroom apartment above the shop. When Lizzy had this house built a few years ago, her niece had stayed above Hertzlers’ Dry Goods.

Lizzy studied the young beauty as she answered her family’s endless questions about her decisions in the middleman role between the Amish who made goods and the various Englischer stores who wanted those goods.

That was her Beth. Answer what was asked. Do what was right. Always be polite. Offer to help before it was needed. And never let anyone see the grief that hadn’t yet let go of her. Beth had banned even Lizzy from looking into the heartache that held her hostage.

The one-year anniversary of Henry’s death had come and gone without any sign from Beth that she might lay aside her mourning, so Lizzy had taken action. She’d prepared this huge meal and planned a social for the afternoon. Maybe all Beth needed was a loving, gentle nudge. If not, Lizzy had a backup plan—one Beth would not appreciate.

Over the din of conversations, the sounds of horses and buggies arriving and the voices of young people drifted through the kitchen window, causing Beth to look at her.

Lizzy placed her forearms on the table. “I’ve invited the young singles of the community for an evening of outdoor games, desserts, and a bonfire when the sun goes down.”

Two of Beth’s single younger sisters, Fannie and Susie, glowed at the idea. With grace and gentleness, Beth turned to her
Mamm
and asked if she would need help planting this year’s garden.

It didn’t seem to bother Beth that five of her sisters had married before her, and three of them were younger than she was. All but the most recently wed had children. Lizzy knew what awaited Beth if she didn’t find someone—awkward and never-ending loneliness. Maybe she didn’t recognize that. It wasn’t until Henry came into Beth’s life that she even seemed to notice that single men existed. Within a year of meeting, they were making plans to marry.

Now, in an Amish community of dresses in rich, solid hues, Beth wore black.

Through a window Lizzy saw the young men bring their rigs to a halt. The drivers as well as the passengers got out of the carriages. The girls soon huddled in groups, talking feverishly, while the guys went into the barn, pulled two wagons with plenty of hay into the field, and tied their horses to them. It was far easier to leave the animals harnessed and grazing on hay than to have to hitch a horse to its buggy in the dark. The young people knew the routine. They would remain outside playing volleyball, horseshoes, or whatever else suited them until after the sun went down. Then they’d come inside for desserts and hot chocolate or coffee before riding in wagons to the field where they’d start a bonfire.

BOOK: Christmas in Apple Ridge
12.4Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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