He pulled her back into his arms again. “Now, where were we?”
~
Wesley glanced out the window when he saw the lights from a vehicle flash through the curtain. “Someone is here. Are we expecting more company?”
“Not that I know of,” Mom said.
“I’ll get the door,” Wesley volunteered. He’d pretty much healed from most of the trauma Aiden wrought.
His mouth hung open the moment he answered the door. “Grandma? Grandpa?” In all his years growing up, not once had his grandparents visited. Not even on Christmas.
Dad stepped behind him. “Daed? Is everything okay?”
“Ach, everything is chust fine, sohn.”
Wesley glanced at his father’s puzzled expression.
“Why are you here?” Dad frowned.
“Won’t you come in,” Mom, who appeared the only one to be thinking clearly, offered.
“Yes, come in,” Dad said, stepping around Wesley and opening the door wider.
Wesley moved away from the door and next to Shannon. He reached for her hand and gently squeezed it.
A fire kindled in his spirit. Something wonderful was happening at this moment, and he had a front row seat.
He shared a glance with his brother Randy, who shrugged. Randy wasn’t as close to their grandparents as Wesley was. Wesley had made an effort to get to know them, whereas Randy couldn’t tolerate the “Amish drama” as he’d called it. But Wesley felt blessed to have a relationship with their grandparents.
It was only a matter of time before the children in the other room realized that “Santa” was there.
Grandpa and Grandma were led into the den, where they were offered their choice of seats. They chose the couch, likely because it was a luxury they weren’t allowed to own.
Grandpa looked at Dad, his eyes misting. “Mamm and I have been talking. I have decided to go before the leaders and ask them to lift your Bann. I do not know what they will say, but I thought you would like to know.”
Dad nodded graciously. “I will pray for a positive outcome and that God’s will be done.”
“We are praying that too,” Grandma said as she accepted a mug of steaming coffee from Mom.
“Do they know you are here?” Dad asked.
“The g’may? Nee.” Grandpa shared a loving look with Grandma, as though they were in on a special secret. “We are taking a step of faith.”
“And hoping for a miracle,” Grandma added.
The older adults chatted amongst themselves, while Shannon and Wesley broke away. They peeked into the family room to check on the kids, who seemed entranced by their new gifts.
“Guess who’s here,” Wesley said with a grin. His gaze zeroed in on Jaycee.
Jaycee’s eyes widened. “Santa!” He jumped up and ran out of the room, betraying the toys that had brought him enjoyment for the last half hour.
“Santa?” Melanie parroted.
“No, baby.” Shannon smiled and took her hand. “It’s Christopher and Judy.”
Melanie clapped her hands. “Judy!”
“Come on, Brighton. I think Wesley’s dad is going to read the Christmas story now.” Shannon nodded toward the den.
They joined the rest of the family. Everyone took a seat and made themselves comfortable.
Wesley settled on the floor with his back against the sofa. His arm draped around Shannon’s shoulders as she snuggled next to him.
Faces glowed with joy.
The fire crackled in the hearth.
The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled.
And Dad began reading the story of the first Christmas over two thousand years ago. The story of the birth of “Baby Jesus,” who became the Saviour of the whole world. Who was literally born to die, demonstrating the ultimate act of charity. A costly love. Because God gave His very best, so that we might have the very best.
EPILOGUE
Six months later…
“Alright. Are your eyes still closed?” Wesley waved a hand in front of Shannon’s face.
“Yes, they’re closed. I’m going to fall asleep if I have to keep them closed any longer.”
“We’re almost there, I promise.” Wesley cut the engine.
“May I open them?”
“Patience, wife.” He leaned close and kissed her pretty face.
“I love it when you call me that. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.”
“Not even after four months of marriage?”
“Not even after four years of marriage. Or forty-four years.”
He hopped out of the truck and jogged around the front, then opened the door on the passenger’s side. “I’m going to help you down. Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.”
He pulled her by the hand so she’d have a decent view. “Alright, open them!”
She did. Her mouth hung open. “Okay, Wesley. Tell me what I’m looking at.”
“This, my dear wife, is our new home.”
She screamed, half startling him in the process.
He laughed. “That was the reaction I was hoping for.”
“You built us a cabin in the woods? This is exactly what I pictured. Exactly.” She shook her head in apparent amazement.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“There’s a pond in back where the kids can ice skate when it gets really cold. I put up a fence around it, though, so it’s not a danger to Melanie and whatever babies might come along.”
Shannon’s smiled widened. “Speaking of babies…”
“What? No! You’re joking with me, right?”
She shook her head, then caressed his cheek. “Not joking. Daddy.”
“Woo hoo!” He whisked her into his arms and carried her up the porch steps. “Oh, man. This might just be one of the happiest days of my life.”
~
Sitting on their back porch, Shannon enjoyed watching the kids play in the yard. She glanced at her beloved. “I still can’t believe all that’s happened in such a short time. It’s like I have a totally different life than I had last year at this time.”
Wesley sipped his iced tea. “I hope you’re happy.”
“I am. You and your grandparents were such a Godsend. Really.”
“Speaking of my grandparents, guess what.”
“Was the Bann lifted?”
“Unfortunately, no.” He frowned. “But my dad said that Grandma and Grandpa have been visiting them regularly.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“What’s even more wonderful is that they accepted Christ last week.”
“Really? That’s the best news ever!”
“It is.” He smiled.
“I’m so glad I found Jesus. And you. And your grandparents. I truly don’t know what I would have done without you guys in my life. I was so lost.”
He reached for her hand. “I don’t believe in coincidences. God put each of us in the right place, at the right time. Do you believe that?”
“I’m beginning to. It’s strange to think that none of this would have happened if Mom and Dad hadn’t died. It’s almost like I had to let go of something precious to me to find something equally precious. And now, I couldn’t imagine my life without having experienced both.” She looked out at the children and smiled. “And to think, all this started because a little boy mistook an Amish man for Santa Claus. Who would have guessed?”
“God did. Well, He didn’t guess. He knew it all along.”
THE END
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about Jennifer Spredemann, join my email list, or purchase other books, please visit me at www.jenniferspredemann.com. My books are available in Paperback, eBook, and Audiobook formats. You may also follow Author Jennifer Spredemann on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, BookBub, Amazon, Instagram, and Goodreads.
Questions and comments are always welcome. Feel free to email the author at [email protected].
Dear Reader,
>
I sincerely hope Unlikely Santa touched your heart. I hope it is one of your favorite books this year. I hope you've fallen in love with Jaycee, Shannon, Wesley, and, of course, 'Santa.' But most of all, I pray you've fallen in love with JESUS, the true Reason for the Christmas season!
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
P.S. Word of mouth is the best advertisement. If you enjoyed this book, please tell a friend.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
I’d like to take this time to thank everyone that had any involvement in this book and its production, including my Mom and Dad, who have always been supportive of my writing, my longsuffering Family—especially my handsome, encouraging Hubby, my Amish and former-Amish friends who have helped immensely in my understanding of the Amish ways, my supportive Pastor and Church family, my Proofreaders, my Editor, my CIA Facebook author friends who have been a tremendous help, my wonderful Readers who buy, read, offer great input, and leave encouraging reviews and emails, my awesome Launch Team who, I’m confident, will ‘Sprede the Word’ about Unlikely Santa! And last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my Precious LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, for without Him, none of this would have been possible!
A special thank you to Janet D'Ambrise Steiniger, one of my readers who suggested the name Holly for Wesley’s church friend. If you haven’t joined my Facebook reader group, you may do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/379193966104149/
Thanks to my good friend and author, Tracy Fredrychowski, for her sugar cookie recipe. If you enjoy Amish fiction and haven’t read her books, I suggest you pick up a copy of The Secrets of Willow Springs.
Find more recipes like this one here: https://tracyfredrychowski.com/sweettreat/
Stella’s Drop Sugar Cookie (Makes 4 dozen cookies)
Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted softened butter
1 tsp. salt
1 cup Canola oil
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 tsp. cream of tartar
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. In large mixing bowl cream sugars, butter, oil, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time and blend evenly.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture until blended.
6. Drop rounded 2” balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
Discussion Questions for Unlikely Santa
1. At the onset of the story, Shannon is dealt an unfathomable tragedy, but manages to wade through it. Have you experienced a difficult situation in your own life? If so, how did you cope?
2. Shannon has difficulty providing for her family financially. Has there been a time in your life when you’d had to count your pennies, so to speak?
3. When Christopher encounters Jaycee, the boy misidentifies him. If you were in Christopher’s shoes, would you have corrected Jaycee?
4. What was your first impression of Wesley? Aiden?
5. Have you ever purchased a meal for a stranger?
6. Shannon doesn’t like depending on the charity of others. How do you feel about it? Have you ever been in a situation that necessitated depending on the kindness of strangers?
7. When I first began writing this story, I had in mind for it to go a certain way. But, like most of my books, the characters have ideas of their own and highjack the story as Wesley and Aiden did. Did you suspect the story to play out the way it did? If not, how did you think the story would go?
8. This story was loosely based on a real-life incident of an Amish friend who was indeed mistaken for Santa Claus. Did you suspect the premise to be true?
9. Have you ever cut down a fresh Christmas tree?
10. Have you been to a place that celebrates Christmas like the Creation Museum? Have you ever been to a live nativity?
11. Did you grow up believing in Santa Claus? How did you react when you found out the truth?
12. Shannon eventually meets Jesus Christ, the true Reason for the Christmas season. Have you met Jesus? If so, do you remember when?
13. If you enjoyed this story, will you kindly consider leaving a review? Thanks!
Releasing February 1, 2020
The Trespasser
(Amish Country Brides)
©Jennifer Spredemann
Single mother Kayla Johnson embarks on a journey to Pennsylvania in search of her daughter's biological family. But when a storm forces them to turn in to an abandoned home in a small rural Indiana Amish community, Kayla must come to terms with her past disappointments and her distrust in God.
Amish widower Silas Miller has always dreamed of owning his own property. So when Minister Yoder vacates his home and moves out of state, Silas is thrilled to be caretaker for the Yoder homestead. When a trespasser finds shelter in the Yoders' house, Silas allows her to stay temporarily. Then Silas learns a secret that will not only rock his world, but challenge life as he knows it.
Will he listen to God's still small voice, even if he's asked to give up his dream? An Amish romance to warm your heart and touch your soul.
Preorder Now!
A sneak peek at The Trespasser, coming 2020…
The Trespasser
Amish Country Brides
©2019-2020 Jennifer Spredemann
CHAPTER ONE
Kayla Johnson squinted to see through the windshield as her wipers attempted to keep up with the torrential downpour assaulting her vehicle. But even with the wipers at full speed, that proved to be a challenge. She wasn’t even sure where she and Bailey were exactly, but they’d crossed the state line from Kentucky into Indiana about an hour ago, or so it seemed. She distinctly remembered the ‘Welcome to Indiana’ sign just as they’d crossed the bridge over the gigantic Ohio River.
Perhaps she should pull over somewhere and wait out the storm. She couldn’t tell if she was even going the right way, since her GPS had lost its signal several miles back. She figured it was due to the storm raging outside. How long would this last? Now she understood when people mentioned the storms in the Midwest. This was downright terrifying.
As if on cue, a streak of lightning touched down just off to the left. Not even five seconds later, thunder shook her car. A shiver raced up her spine.
“I’m scared, Mommy,” Bailey whimpered from her booster seat in the backseat.
Me too. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s going to pull off up here.” She’d hoped to find a motel or a fast food restaurant, but who knew how far she was from one. The last town had several, but she’d spotted them before the sky began dumping buckets of water. She hadn’t expected this. If she’d known this was coming, she would have reserved a hotel room in the last town, and she and her five-year-old daughter would be safe and sound, curled up under the covers watching a Hallmark movie.
She flipped on her signal and maneuvered onto the next street. Great, no lines to even mark the road? She must be out in the middle of nowhere. The vehicle crawled at a snail’s pace as she struggled to see the road ahead of her. It seemed be at least a couple of inches deep in water. They really needed to get out of this. Was that a little store up ahead? She couldn’t be sure since there were no lights on, but they were probably closed. ‘Yoder’s Country Market’ the sign on the small white building read. Amish? As she pulled into the drive, she discovered a chain-link fence surrounding the parking lot. Definitely closed.
She sighed.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Bailey whined.
“Okay. I think there might be a ho
use down this driveway. We’ll stop and ask to use their restroom.” She drove along what appeared to be a fenced pasture. Or was it a small pond? It was difficult to tell with all the water everywhere.
Her cell phone began vibrating. No doubt another storm warning. She briefly glanced at it. Flash flood warning. Great. Perhaps the residents would allow her and Bailey to stay a while. She hoped so, because being out in this weather set her nerves on edge.
She pulled up to a large white two-story house. Should she just stop in front, or find a place to park out of the rain? She opted for the latter when she noticed a couple of structures independent of the house. A barn and another outbuilding of some sort. She slowly crept up to the smaller structure, hoping there was an empty spot large enough to house her vehicle.
Thunder rumbled overhead once again.
“Please, Mommy! I gotta go!”
“Okay, baby.” As soon as she pulled under the outbuilding’s roof, she could see clearly enough to park. She spotted a hitching post. This must be where they park the buggies. Except, there were no buggies present. Perhaps they were in the massive barn. Hopefully, the owners wouldn’t mind her parking her car there.
Kayla opened the door, then went to release Bailey from her booster seat. “Do you think you can wait for Mommy to find the umbrella? It’s just in my suitcase.”
“I think so. But please hurry!” Bailey slid out of the car, then bounced up and down.
“I will.” She quickly popped the trunk open and rifled through her clothing. She grabbed a comfortable change of clothes for each of them, just in case they were allowed to stay a while. “Okay. You ready to make a run for the door?”
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