Czytaj książkę: «Her Amish Christmas Gift»

Chapter One

Charlotte Stoltzfus stood near home plate in the makeshift baseball diamond on Abram Peachy’s back lawn with the bat inches away from her right shoulder.

“Come on, Charlie!” Joseph shouted. “You can do this, cousin. Keep your eye on the ball and bring Jed and me home.”

Meeting his eyes across the distance, she gave a jerk of her head. She wiggled into her stance. And focused. She breathed deeply as she stared at the pitcher, her cousin Noah, and watched him swing back his arm to let the ball fly.

“Aren’t you tired of playing with boys?” a male voice said behind her just as she swung her bat.

She growled as she missed. Heart beating wildly, she turned to glare at the man who’d spoken. “Nathaniel Peachy, mind your own business and stop trying to distract me.” She was furious. Determined to ignore the one man who got her back up more than anyone on this earth, Charlie breathed to calm herself and got ready for the next pitch.

“Why would I distract you?” Nate said as she swung the bat. She swung and missed again, then she gasped and glared at him.

“Go away,” she snapped.

The way he arched an eyebrow made her bristle. She stiffened and became more determined not to let him rattle her. She’d hit the ball despite his presence.

“It’s oll recht,” Jedidiah called out to her. Her eldest cousin, he stood on third base and gazed at her with a smile of reassurance. “Keep your eye on the ball. You can do this.”

I can do this. She was a decent player. Isn’t that why they first asked her to join the game? Ignore Nate Peachy. Ignore him. Ignore him.

Noah watched for her cue. Charlie gave a little nod, and her cousin pitched the ball. She kept it in her sights and swung. The impact made a loud crack as wood met leather and sent it sailing over the head of her cousin Daniel near third base, past the stand of trees beyond the property. With a whoop of joy, Joseph ran from second to third as Jedidiah sprinted home. Charlie ran to first base and made it to second then to third, as Nate’s younger brother Jacob came out of the bushes with ball in hand. She took a chance, followed Joseph and raced toward home. As the ball headed in her direction, she slid into home plate and grimaced as she felt the sting of a scraped knee.

“Are you oll recht?” a deep voice said. She glanced up and saw concern flicker in Nate Peachy’s blue eyes. She started to get up and the man was there helping her. “Charlie,” he murmured into her ear. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, not wanting him to know how much her knee stung and her hip ached from the jolt against the ground.

“Great job, Charlie!” Jed hollered. She grinned at her teammates, who carried on as if she’d won the lottery. Then she looked over at Nate smugly.

“Yahoo!” Joseph yelled. “We won! You never let us down, cousin!”

She forced herself to grin at them with triumph.

Jacob Peachy grumbled good-naturedly as he threw the ball to Noah, who then grabbed the bat and markers they’d used for bases. Jacob met her gaze. “How did you learn to hit a ball like that?”

She shrugged. “From playing with my cousins.” She’d been playing baseball with them for over a year. She could still recall the day Joseph had asked her to play and the thrill of her teammates’ pleasure when she scored a run.

Jacob shook his head as he smiled. “I should have picked you for my team.”

“Now you’ll know better for next time.” She paused. “If you get the chance,” she added. He laughed, then headed to join his friends.

“Charlie.” Nate came up from behind her and stood close, too close. “You’re bleeding. Come with me.”

She glanced down, saw a trail of blood down her right leg. “I’ll be fine.”

“Ja, you will,” he said, “after I put a bandage on it.”

“I don’t need your help.”

His eyes narrowed and he looked annoyed. He heaved a sigh. “Would you like me to pick you up and throw you over my shoulder?” he murmured for her ears alone.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Wouldn’t I?”

Face flushing, Charlie glanced around and saw that no one found it odd that she and Nate were having a conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause a scene. She’d done enough impulsive things in her life that had given her parents undue worry. “Fine. Let’s not make a big thing of it,” she muttered, meeting his gaze.

To her relief, he simply nodded. He didn’t look smug that he’d won their argument. In fact, she felt an odd little flutter in her chest when she saw the way he continued to eye her with concern. She followed him at a distance, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was leading her into the house. She glanced around and saw the rest of his family outside. She could catch the deacon’s wife’s attention, have her give her first aid, but she had a feeling that Nate would cause trouble for her if she did. Besides, what was one little bandage, right?

Nate went to the side door and held it open for her. Charlie drew a sharp breath. The man was good-looking; she’d give him that. But those gorgeous blue eyes in a face with fine features under a crop of dark hair weren’t what made the man, and she wasn’t sure she liked Nate in any way, shape or form. But she’d seen his compassion and tenderness when dealing with his younger sisters. She’d seen it whenever someone needed his help and he’d been right there to assist. And now, to her shock, he was concerned for her.

He wants to help me. Why should I allow it to bother me? Because she suspected that he disapproved of her, and she feared getting a lecture about acting like a proper young Amish woman.

She met his gaze as she climbed the steps. The way he stared at her gave her goose bumps.

“Afraid?” he asked softly.

“Of what?”

His expression filled with satisfaction. “Exactly. There is nothing to fear.”

It was a clear autumn day with pleasant temperatures and sunshine. The house was silent, especially for Visiting Sunday. The warmer weather would soon be gone. Everyone preferred to enjoy these last days outdoors. As she glanced around the Peachy kitchen, Charlie raised a hand to tuck fine strands of hair under her prayer kapp. She became aware of Nate as never before.

He gestured toward a chair. “Sit,” he ordered.

Annoyed, she lifted her chin.

“Please,” he added softly.

She sat, willing to listen after he’d asked nicely.

He opened a kitchen cabinet and pulled out a tube of ointment and a box of bandages. He set them on the table close to her before he reached into a drawer for a clean tea towel. He ran the sink, wet the cloth and returned to her. “Where exactly did you hurt yourself?”

She reached for the wet towel. “I can clean it.” But he ignored her and hunkered down to wipe up the trail of blood. She blushed. She was barefoot and her feet were dirty, as were her legs from playing ball and sliding across the yard into home plate.

Nate was gentle as he washed her leg. He wiped up what he could see then looked up at her. “Here,” he said, his voice husky. “You can clean the rest.”

Charlie nodded and waited until he turned away to raise her dress just enough to reveal her scraped, bleeding knee. As the cloth touched the wound, she hissed out with pain. Nate spun and locked gazes with her. He glanced down then scowled at her. “Charlie Stoltzfus, look what you’ve done to yourself.”

She stiffened and looked away, unwilling to see the condemnation in his eyes. “I had a home run.”

“Ja, you did,” he said with a chuckle that had her shooting him a startled gaze. “Gut job, by the way.”

She gaped at him. He wasn’t scolding her; he was praising her. Stunned, she could only stare at him.

“You’ve dripped bloody water on the floor,” he said gently. He reached and took the cloth from her then washed it under the faucet. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked casually. She averted her glance, glad that he couldn’t see the rising heat in her cheeks.

“I’m fine,” she said too quickly.

He looked at her then, arched an eyebrow as he returned to her side with the washed cloth. “Charlie.”

Her gaze pleaded with him. “I’m fine.”

He observed her a long moment, his expression softening. “As long as you’re sure.”

She bobbed her head.

He towered over her, a tall man older by at least seven years. “Will you let me take care of your knee?” He regarded her kindly.

She drew a calming breath. “Ja.”

“Gut girl.”

She glared at him. “Please. I’m not a child.”

He knelt and gently cleansed her knee and the lower half of her leg. He dried it with another clean cloth that she hadn’t noticed he’d held. “What are you? All of sixteen?”

“I’ll be nineteen in two weeks.”

He seemed taken aback at her answer. She wasn’t sure but she thought he’d murmured, “I had no idea.” But he didn’t look at her when he spoke. He was busy applying first-aid ointment before he covered her scrape with a bandage. “There you go,” he said without expression. He reached for her arm and helped her to her feet.

“Danki,” she murmured and quickly turned to leave, her arm tingling where he’d touched her. He didn’t stop her from going. Charlie hurried outside to join her family for lunch. She didn’t look back to see if Nate had left the house. She went right to the food table, grabbed a plate and helped herself. Spying her family at a table under a shade tree, she made her way over and sat down with a smile. If anyone wondered why it took so long for her to join them, they didn’t mention it.

“Gut game, Charlie,” Henry Yoder said as he set a plate in front of his wife then slid onto the bench next to her.

Charlie didn’t say anything at first as she stared down at her plate. She should have been there to help the women. She’d been so focused on the game that she’d lost track of time. Now she felt guilty for not doing her share. She’d have to make sure she did most of the cleanup afterward.

“Charlie?”

She blinked and realized that her brother-in-law had spoken and she hadn’t answered. “I’m sorry.” She saw him eyeing her with concern. She managed a grin. “It was a gut game. Noah and Daniel aren’t happy with me right now.”

“Ja, but Joseph and I are.”

She gave him a genuine smile. She really liked her sister Leah’s husband. They’d been married a year, and her respect and liking of him had only grown. The fact that he made her sister ridiculously happy only heightened her feelings for him.

“You didn’t hurt yourself when you fell, did you?”

She shook her head. “Nay, I’m fine. A little skinned knee is nothing when we got the win.”

“Did you take care of it? Your knee?” her sister Leah asked with concern.

“All cleaned and bandaged.” Fortunately, her family didn’t question that she’d taken care of her injury. She looked down at her plate as she felt her face heat. She’d spent enough time in the Peachy house watching their youngest children that she knew where everything was kept.

She grew silent as Nate’s tender first-aid ministration played on her mind. She caught sight of the man deep in conversation with his brother across the yard and felt a kick to her belly as his gaze brushed over her casually before he looked away.

“Do you think it’s wrong of me to like playing baseball?” she asked no one in particular as she paused in her eating.

Her brother-in-law frowned. “Nay. Why?”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” Nathaniel Peachy didn’t matter, she thought, but knew she was lying to herself to believe it.

Henry studied her a long moment, his expression softening. “You had fun, didn’t you?”

She nodded.

“Gut, because we did, too, and we like having you on our team.”

Charlie smiled. She started to eat, then froze when Nate slipped onto the far end of the bench at the next table. Why couldn’t she get him out of her mind? The man was years older than she was, and she was more than a little fascinated by him. Which wasn’t wise, she scolded herself. Not wise at all.

* * *

Nate studied Charlie and felt his stomach tighten. Charlie Stoltzfus had shown time and again to be a good ballplayer. Her focus couldn’t be questioned. Every Sunday, whenever there was a game, the young men within their Amish community fought good-naturedly over which team would get Charlie.

He scowled. Good ballplayer or not, Charlie was too wild, too impulsive.

A lot like Emma.

A shaft of pain hit him hard, making his chest hurt with the memory of the girl he’d loved and lost. Emma had been wild and reckless, always searching for excitement. In the end, her wild behavior had led to her death.

Charlie Stoltzfus needed someone young but stable to keep her in check. Someone who could keep her safe and alive. Someone like... Nate glanced about the yard, searching for a prospective suitor for her, but he didn’t find anyone suitable.

“Nate, aren’t you going to eat?” his younger sister asked. Ruth Ann sat across the table from him.

He nodded as he flashed her a smile. “What are you having?”

“Roast beef and sides. And there are sandwiches if I’m still hungry.”

“You love sandwiches.” He recalled making them for her when she was much younger after his mother had died. He experienced a moment’s sadness for a young life cut short too soon until he thought of his stepmother. Mam was as different from Charlie Stoltzfus as night and day. She had made his father—his whole family—happy. She was pregnant again, due sometime in early January.

At his age, Nate never thought he’d have a baby brother or sister. In fact, he’d hoped that he’d be married with children of his own by now. But he hadn’t found the right woman yet. Someone kind and loving who wanted the same things from life as he did. There was farm property down the road from his parents he’d been hankering after. Once he acquired the land, he’d be ready to find someone to marry. Someone older and mature. Someone unlike Charlie Stoltzfus.

Nate started to eat. He stilled with fork in hand as he glanced toward the table where Henry sat with his wife, Leah, and Charlie. Her sister Nell and her husband, James, were seated across from them.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Ruth asked.

Desperate to ignore Charlie Stoltzfus, he nodded at his sister then ate the food off his fork. Unfortunately, he and Charlie faced each other, and he found himself unable to keep his eyes off her. She had beautiful features with a pert little nose and pretty pink lips. Her red-gold hair glistened brightly under the sun. Her eyes were a deep shade of vivid green. Her spring-green dress only heightened her coloring, highlighting her beauty.

He looked away. She was trouble, and he had to stop thinking about her.

“Charlie played a gut game today,” his brother Jacob commented.

“She’s got a lot of energy, that girl,” his sister Mary Elizabeth said.

“She didn’t help you with the food,” Nate murmured and immediately regretted his comment.

Mam raised her eyebrows. “We had more than enough help. Take a look. Do you see a lack of women here? Charlie enjoys the game, but she would have come if we’d asked.” Her speculative look made Nate squirm.

“I’ve never seen anyone hit the ball like she does,” he said softly, sincerely, brushing the awkward moment aside. “She brought everyone on base home then slid into home plate, giving the team the win.”

“Ja, I wish I could play like that,” Ruth Ann said.

He blinked, but he didn’t say a word. He waited for his father to comment, but the man only chuckled.

“You’re much better off spending your time gardening,” Dat said.

Nate breathed a sigh of relief. “Ja, gardening is a fine way to spend your time. Did you pick the last of the vegetables?”

“Plan to do it tomorrow,” his sister said. “If there are any left. I haven’t checked recently.”

Ruth loved to garden so bringing up the subject was brilliant. He had to give his father credit. The man knew how to deal with his children in a way that was natural and loving without being overbearing.

Nate hoped that someday he could be the kind of father his dat was. And a leader like him. Some folks within his community thought that one day Nate would be asked to serve as deacon, preacher, or even bishop.

Nate closed his eyes. He hoped not. Being asked to serve as deacon would mean that his father had passed, for the position was lifelong. He didn’t want to think of the day Dat was no longer with them. And he couldn’t see himself as preacher or bishop. He could never live up to the title. Nate didn’t feel good enough to be a church elder.

But he enjoyed farming. His father’s farm wouldn’t be his to inherit. The farm would go to his youngest brother, not the oldest son, as was the Amish way. Not that Nate minded. He would work for what he wanted. He had nearly enough money to bid on that other farm.

Charlie stood, immediately catching his attention.

He watched as she returned to the food table with her sisters Leah and Nell. They were chatting. Charlie laughed at something Nell said, and the change in her features was so startling that Nate was unable to look away. She was even more beautiful when she was happy. She’d always been a pretty little thing, but the way laughter changed her face stole his breath.

She was oblivious to his regard as she filled her dessert plate. He heard Leah chuckle and watched Charlie as she talked animatedly while gesturing with one hand, her movements nearly unseating the chocolate cake on her plate. The women kept up a steady conversation as they headed back to their table. Charlie giggled at something Leah said, but her good humor died quickly when she encountered his glance. Nell spoke and Charlie looked away, her smile restored. Awareness surged inside him. He recalled how he’d felt when he saw the blood on her leg. Anxiety. Anger. The strongest urge to protect her. He scowled. I can’t do this again.

His chest tightened but he managed to eat his lunch before heading to the dessert table with Ruth Ann. He didn’t know why, but he was ready for the day to end.

“Soohns, we’ll be leaving for Indiana first thing in the morning,” his father said as Nate returned to the table. “I’d hoped the two of you would stay home and take care of things here.”

Nate nodded. He’d known about his father’s plans to take the family to see his grandparents. “We’ll take care of the animals and make hay.”

Jacob smiled. “Won’t take us long.”

“We’ll take turns cooking,” he warned his brother.

His brother shrugged. “I can survive on sandwiches.”

He laughed. “I think you’ll get sick of sandwiches, but we’ll see.”

After he finished eating, Nate rose to throw away his paper plate. He turned and caught a glimpse of Charlie standing at her cousin’s paddock, watching the horses at play. Her glorious red hair was like a beacon that called to him. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?

He headed in her direction.

* * *

Charlie gazed at the horses and felt a rush of pleasure. What she wouldn’t give to race like the wind on the back of a horse! She smiled. The chestnut mare pranced and chased her companions into a playful gallop. She’d give anything to feel the freedom of riding through the fields with the warmth of the sun against her skin and her hair unpinned without a head covering. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze tempered by the afternoon sunshine.

This week she wouldn’t be babysitting for the youngest Peachy children. The family was going out of town, which made her sigh. She loved spending time with them and missed them when she wasn’t needed. She loved children. It was her biggest wish to take over the teaching position at the Happiness School when the current schoolteacher left. That would be in a month or so, when current schoolteacher Elizabeth Troyer and her family moved to Ohio.

I’d make a gut teacher. She had done well in school, and she knew how to break down problems and find fun ways to make children remember what they’d learned. And she was ready. Her birthday was next month and she’d be nineteen. Her opportunity for teaching would be gone if it didn’t happen soon. She planned to approach the church elders this week about her filling the upcoming vacancy.

The sun slipped beneath a cloud, and she felt a sudden chill. She hugged herself with her arms. The sky was only partially cloudy. In a few moments the sun would resurface and warm her again.

“Charlie.”

She stiffened, recognizing his voice. She faced him. “Nate.” The shock of his appearance made her heart flutter. Ironically, she’d come here alone to seek refuge from the feelings he’d churned up inside her.

He leaned against the fence rail with only a few inches separating them. She became instantly aware of the heat his nearness generated. Something within her urged to flee from him; yet, she didn’t move.

She straightened her spine and stared. “What do you want, Nate? What are you doing here?”

“How’s your knee?” he asked, his eyes soft with concern.

She swallowed hard. “Fine. Your first aid helped.” She bit her lip. “Danki.”

He nodded with satisfaction. “You like to play ball.”

Charlie drew away, putting several more inches between them. “Ja, so?”

A tiny smile hovered on his lips. “You play well.”

“Then why were you trying to distract me?”

“My bruder was on the other team.”

She gaped at him for several seconds then laughed. She watched as his mouth curved into a grin before he joined in her laughter.

It felt good to laugh, yet strange to laugh with him. The fact that she liked the feeling made her stop laughing. Suddenly tense, she quieted and leaned against the fence and returned to her study of the horses.

They stood silently for a few moments. “What do you hope for, Charlie?” he asked. “In your life.”

She hesitated. “I like children. I’d like to teach.”

Clearly surprised, Nate raised his eyebrows. “You want to teach at our Happiness School?”

“Ja,” she whispered. “I know there are some members within our community who won’t think I’m good enough—”

“I believe you’d be an excellent teacher.”

“You do?”

“Ja, I do.” His gaze seemed intense as he studied her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“You surprise me.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “I can help you.”