The Dawn of Christmas: A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country

by Cindy Woodsmall

  If he was this intuitive with his horses, he was no doubt a remarkable trainer. “I’m sort of baffled by all of life right now.”

  “Been there a dozen times. Want to tell me about it?”

  She did, but the idea of actually sharing her thoughts made her squirm. What if his opinion affected her final decision and he was wrong? “Maybe later.”

  They remained there, a few yards from the lake, taking in the sights. A cooling breeze played with the strings to her prayer Kapp. A baby cooed nearby, and she searched for it.

  A few feet away a woman sat on a blanket with a little one dressed in pink and wearing a silky headband. The baby girl was about six months old. She sat on her mother’s lap. The woman smiled at her child. “Is that right?” She waited for the baby to respond. “You tell Mommy all about it.”

  The baby seemed mesmerized by her mother, cooing as if her tender sounds actually formed words. A toddler in a beige dress was asleep on the blanket next to the woman and her baby. The mom brushed black hair off the sleeping child’s neck, her face glowing, as if this moment made up for all the nights of walking the floors while her little ones wailed.

  Sadie and Levi headed toward the lake. Behind them a huge ruckus broke out. Men and women shrieked, yelling words Sadie couldn’t make out. Some were grabbing their children and scattering. A man’s voice rose above the clamor. “Stop him! Somebody grab a rein!”

  A black horse appeared out of nowhere and thundered toward them.

  Sadie slung her drink to the ground.

  Levi grabbed her hand, and in one fell swoop, he tugged her forward and forced her arms straight out, as if she were a scarecrow. “Stay.” Despite his neck brace and not being able to turn his head, he took off running, pointing to people as he went. “Get behind a tree!”

  People scattered, obeying his command. The path cleared—all except for Sadie, who stood like a target.

  Everything was happening fast. Maybe six or eight seconds had passed since the chaos began. Sadie’s head whirled the way it had when she was a child and her Daed spun her by her arms around and around, her little legs gliding through the air.

  Levi disappeared behind a tree—and she was standing in the horse’s path! Was he crazy?

  The massive creature charged straight at her. Earth flew from its rumbling hoofs, but she couldn’t budge.

  A moment later Levi lunged forward, grabbing the horse’s rein before throwing himself onto its neck. In a flash he was atop the animal. “Whoa!” Levi’s voice carried calm firmness while she wanted to scream like a banshee—if only she could find her voice.

  “Whoa!” He pulled on the reins, and the horse slowed, prancing as it did, finally coming to a halt twenty feet from her.

  When Sadie could take her eyes off the horse, she looked behind her. Levi had put her ten feet in front of the blanket with the mother and two children. If the horse had gotten past him, he’d intended for her to scare it away from that spot. The mom had gotten to her feet, terror on her face, with the baby clutched in her arms. If the horse had kept coming, Sadie doubted the mother and child could have gotten to safety. What if she’d tried to grab her toddler first?

  Impossible.

  Sadie’s heart pounded. “Are you okay?”

  The woman sank to her knees, rocking her little one. “Yeah.” The toddler awoke, unaware of what had happened. She brushed sweat-matted hair from her face and crawled into her mother’s arms, next to the baby.

  “Thank you!” another voice said. It was the same one that had begged for someone to stop the horse.

  Sadie searched for the speaker.

  A large man was struggling to breathe as he made his way toward them. He waved toward Levi, not that Levi saw him. “I’ll be there as soon as …” His voice faded while he gasped for air.

  Levi eased off the horse, moving much slower than when he’d gotten on. Had he hurt himself? He held the reins, stroking the horse and talking to it in a low, soothing voice. When Levi came toward Sadie, he led the horse. Levi put his free hand on his chest before moving it to her shoulder. “That was scary. Much more so than me landing in a hayfield.”

  He’d thought so clearly, covering possibilities that were just now dawning on her. If he’d simply scared the horse away from the woman on the blanket with her two little ones, the rampaging animal could have trampled other children or even adults. By hiding behind the tree, he avoided scaring the horse and sending him off in a different direction.

  Sadie’s legs shook, and she looked for a place to sit. She needed a few moments to absorb what had just happened. Her first thought when he moved into action was outrage that he’d dared to put her in harm’s way while protecting himself. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “I think I hate horses.”

  “Don’t do that.” He patted the horse’s neck. “They’re like people—good hearts, occasional bad judgment, and sometimes volatile reactions when scared.” Levi tilted his head, studying her eyes before he smiled. “You’ll be fine in a bit. I can see it.”

  She drew a deep breath, surprised to find that she believed him despite how she felt.

  “Excuse me.”

  They turned at the man’s voice to find the woman from the blanket standing next to a man who now held the sleepy toddler. “I can’t thank you enough.” The man’s voice cracked. “You did that for us, and you’ve got a neck injury.” The man shook Levi’s hand.

  For the next few minutes, people gushed over Levi, thanking him and asking if he was okay. The owner retrieved his horse, also grateful for what Levi had done. When the man learned what Levi did for a living, he asked for a business card, and Levi gave him one.

  Sadie and Levi moved to a bench that faced the lake, neither one talking. He had to be more drained than she was. The dad of the two little ones brought them cold drinks and a bag of popcorn.

  Sadie opened the can of Sprite. “Did you hurt your neck?”

  Levi set his drink on the bench between them. “I don’t think so.” He opened the popcorn and held it for her. “This collar is like wearing a cast. It protects against another break while allowing the healing to continue.”

  “That’s good.”

  They grew still, staring at the lake for a long time. Her thoughts drifted. Surely a man who reacted in the best interests of innocent bystanders could be trusted with her puny problems.

  Ducks waddled over to them, and she tossed bits of popcorn and watched sunlight sparkle on the water.

  She ate a few pieces of popcorn. “When Daed finds out about the store closing, he’ll insist I come home.” She tossed a few more pieces onto the ground.

  “Would moving in with Mammi Lee be any easier for you?”

  “It’s possible. She doesn’t seem as bent out of shape about my not being married, but Daed won’t tolerate it. It’d be an insult for me to be unemployed and homeless and still not return home. I can’t afford for him to feel like I’m totally rebelling against him.”

  “I can understand how he’d feel that way.”

  “Me too, but I don’t want to move back home.” She sighed. “I have no job. Loyd and Edna paid a portion of our rent each month, but now Blanche is moving back home. That’ll make our rent even higher. If I stay, I might be able to get another job, but I’ll plow through everything that I’ve saved so far for my mission trip.”

  “I can’t offer much advice, but I can tell you how I’d think this through.”

  “Please.”

  “I’d keep my focus on the goal. Yours is Peru. Avoiding living with your parents is a perk, not your ambition. Stay true to what’s most important. Seems to me that since you’re no longer working at the five-and-dime, you can reduce your bills by living at home and using your time to make crafts.”

  “You think if I made that many more crafts, I could actually sell them?”

  “Seems likely. You just need to get them into every store possible. Beth can help you with that. She keeps several stores, both Amish and Englis
ch, supplied with Amish goods.”

  Sadie took another sip of her drink. The idea of moving home wasn’t her favorite, but she had to admit, looking at the big picture as Levi suggested, it made sense. Of course, while she was there, her parents and the community would do all they could to spark a relationship between her and one of the single Amish men.

  Too bad Levi didn’t have an answer for that.

  Using tiny wooden pegs, Levi attached another brace to the bottom of a cradle. He needed to take a load of goods to Hertzlers’ soon. He had a meeting set up for one o’clock. Later this afternoon, around three, Daniel was supposed to drop off some horses for training and pick up others that were ready to be sold. The process would take the rest of the day, perhaps until midnight.

  The door to the shop creaked, and he raised his head. The neck brace made his workday harder because it was hot and unforgiving, but he tried not to let it grate on his nerves. He was healing, and that was all that really mattered.

  Andy had a box in his hand. “This came for you.”

  “Denki. Just set it on the counter.” He tapped the last peg into place and turned the cradle upright. “The stuff lined up against the wall is ready to go. Could you hitch up the wagon and pull it around?” Grabbing a sheet of fine sandpaper, he noticed that Andy lingered by the door. “Is there a problem?” Levi scrubbed the headboard, causing wood particles to swirl in the air.

  He hoped nothing was wrong. He had neither the time nor the patience for any issues today.

  “Mamm came by earlier to see if you’d heard from Sadie.”

  “And now I have.” Levi removed a cotton rag from his pants pocket and used it to wipe off the headboard. He inspected the finished product, smoothing a few rough spots with sandpaper.

  Despite Levi’s request that Andy pitch in, he continued to wait by the door. Andy opened his mouth twice and drew a quick breath as if on the verge of saying something. Levi turned the cradle upside down again, ready to attach the two rockers.

  “If you’ve got something on your mind, say it. We have fifteen hours of work to do during the next five hours.”

  Andy picked up one of the finished toy highchairs and propped it on his shoulder. “You know Mamm and Daed think you and Sadie have something going on.”

  Levi threw the rag onto the table, studying his brother. “And?”

  Andy tucked another chair under his arm and picked up a cradle. “Do you?”

  Levi turned his back on Andy and grabbed a hand drill. “I don’t know who’s worse, you or them.” After putting a seat for a toy highchair on the bench, he pulled out a measuring tape. “All I want is a little peace on this topic. Could you get the horse hitched up and everything loaded, please?”

  The screen door slammed, leaving the silence to heap guilt on Levi.

  Three weeks ago, after his visit with Sadie in Stone Creek, he’d ended up staying in a hotel with Daniel and the driver. The auction and subsequent sorting and hauling of horses had lasted until nearly dawn. When he’d arrived at Andy’s around noon the next day and stepped out of the car with a couple of boxes of Sadie’s crafts, his folks were there.

  Their parents lived across the back pasture, so it wasn’t unusual for them to pop in, often with food for the bachelors. They were good people, and Levi loved them and enjoyed their company—when they weren’t matchmaking. But since he had Sadie’s boxes in tow, they had questions. He couldn’t figure out how to avoid admitting he’d gone by to see the woman who’d returned his horse. So he told them the truth—he’d gone to see her, discovered the five-and-dime was closing, and planned to give her crafts to Beth for the store.

  Neither Mamm nor Daed had asked any more questions. They simply nodded, but Levi recognized the look in his mother’s eyes, and he couldn’t douse it. She was a good woman whose heart had broken when Andy’s wife had left. She believed if Levi didn’t marry, he’d be worse off than Andy, because he’d die without ever having loved someone or having children or grandchildren.

  Her ache for Andy and Levi was like a hole in her gentle heart.

  Then Sadie sent another package of dolls, but also inside the box was a gift for him. It was a simple gesture, a candle shaped like a horse and made to smell of leather, but Tobias saw it and ran across the field to tell his grandparents that Levi’s girlfriend was sending him presents.

  The sound of horse hoofs and the creaking wagon let Levi know his brother was back. The screen door opened again. “Hey, Levi.”

  “Ya?”

  Andy didn’t say anything, and Levi turned to face him.

  “You’re annoyed with me, and I get that, but I carry this awful fear that my life has redirected yours in a negative way.”

  “Oh, all right. I’ll load the stuff myself.” Levi grabbed numerous pieces from along the wall. With a couple of cradles and a rocking horse in hand, he went out the door and to the nearby wagon.

  “We’re having a conversation here!” Andy followed him, carrying several more items.

  The way Levi saw it, Andy’s and Daniel’s experiences had opened his eyes. That was a positive thing, not something Andy needed to feel bad about. But Levi knew his brother wouldn’t see it that way. “You need to stop. Stop fretting. Just … stop!”

  “Okay,” Andy growled, setting the stuff in the wagon. “All I want to know is if you’re courting Sadie. Just tell me straight up.”

  Levi stared at his brother, tempted to climb onto the wagon seat and drive off. “Look, I know what Mamm and Daed think, and maybe there’s some whispering about Sadie and me in the community. But do you have any idea how nice it’s been these last few weeks with no one prodding me about attending singings or making wisecracks about how I can’t find a girl who’ll have me? I’m sick of being needled about it.” He removed his tool belt and threw it onto the porch of the workshop. “And you’ve joined them.”

  “Okay.” Andy sighed and leaned his forearms against the wagon. “But it’s been four years since you moved in with us to help me juggle work and raise Tobias, to help us cope with the hole Eva left, to make the house feel less lonely. You’ll never know how much I appreciate that, but—”

  “So?” Levi interrupted. “You want me to move out? Is that it?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! For my sake, for Tobias’s, being completely selfish, I’d side with you about avoiding singings and staying single. I’d have you live here forever.” Andy shook his head. “But I want what’s best for you. Not what’s best for me or even Tobias.”

  Levi climbed into the wagon and took the reins. “Then be my brother, my friend, and my business partner. But stop trying to be my trainer.”

  Beth picked up a large stack of empty handwoven shopping baskets from the counter near the register. She went through the main part of the store, heading for the front to return them to their rightful spot. Zigzagging between small groups of shoppers, she enjoyed the breeze that flowed through the aisles, caressing her skin. It was the second week in September, and today was the first hint that summer was fading and autumn was on its way.

  Jonah was descending a ladder, holding a large clock he’d removed from the wall display. He stepped off the last rung and passed the clock to an employee, giving instructions. He then grabbed his cane off the ladder’s hinge. As Beth skirted around the customers, someone put a hand on her arm, and for a moment she thought a patron had a question. But then she recognized Jonah’s tender touch. His golden-brown eyes stared into her soul, melting her right there in front of everyone—if the others hadn’t been too busy to notice.

  “I’ll take those.” He lifted the baskets from her arms and repositioned his cane, all without moving his gaze from hers. His lopsided grin tempted her to kiss him.

  Jonah moved in closer. “How about if you and I take a break?” He brushed his lips near her ear. “I’ll make us lunch and bring it to your office.”

  “I’d planned to grab a few bites of a sandwich while working. I’m backlogged on the inventory. I haven’t logged or
shelved the items that came in this morning, and Levi will be here soon with his goods.”

  “Please. Take just a few minutes to get off your feet and rest.”

  She slid her hand over her slightly protruding stomach. The bump was hardly noticeable to onlookers. Five months pregnant and each day she’d witnessed the joy of their news in her husband’s eyes, a pleasure that seemed to know no bounds.

  “I’m going to be spoiled before this child is born.”

  “I don’t think sitting at lunchtime qualifies as being pampered.”

  “How about if we sit at one of the outdoor tables of Mattie Cakes café?”

  “Is the shade of the white oak calling you again?”

  She grinned. He knew her well. “It is.”

  “Beth,” Lillian said.

  “It’s not the only voice calling to you.” Jonah brushed his hand against hers, smiling as they turned to the girl behind the register.

  Lillian held up jars of Amish candles. “When will we get some more of these?”

  Jonah squeezed Beth’s shoulder. “Lunch will be served in twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  She went toward the customer who was buying the last of Sadie’s candles. “I don’t know.” Beth had left several messages for Sadie on her parents’ answering machine, but that was in a phone shanty. And as of yet Sadie hadn’t returned any of her calls. She made a mental note to ask Levi about it when he came in later. Surely Sadie returned his calls. “But I’ll do what I can to get some more.”

  Beth took notes on what the woman wanted, chatted with her for a bit, and then headed toward the café.

  The chimes of several clocks bonged, letting her know it was half past noon, and then one of them played music. Beth continued through the craft supplies aisle, but she always savored the only source of music allowed in an Amish store or household. She and Jonah had one of these timepieces in their bedroom.

  As Beth went through the little section of the store that was Mattie Cakes café, Mattie glanced up. “Need anything?”