Amish Christmas Twins
Page 1
READ MORE SHELLEY SHEPARD GRAY IN
An Amish Second Christmas
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His Unexpected Amish Twins
His Pretend Amish Bride
His Accidental Amish Family
AND MORE AMISH ROMANCE FROM LOREE LOUGH
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Home to Stay
AMISH CHRISTMAS TWINS
SHELLEY SHEPARD GRAY
RACHEL J. GOOD
LOREE LOUGH
KENSINGTON BOOKS
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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Compilation copyright © 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corp.
“The Christmas Not-Wish” © 2020 by Shelley Shepard Gray
“New Beginnings” © 2020 by Rachel J. Good
“Twins Times Two” © 2020 by Loree Lough
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ISBN: 978-1-4967-1785-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-1785-6
ISBN-10: 1-4967-1785-6
Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
The Christmas Not-Wish
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
New Beginnings
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Twins Times Two
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Teaser chapter
The Christmas Not-Wish
SHELLEY SHEPARD GRAY
But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
—Luke 2:10
Always begin anew with the day, just as nature does.
—Amish proverb
Chapter 1
Two weeks before Christmas
“What do you think about them?” Roy asked Jemima as he wandered into her room without knocking.
Usually Jemima would have been annoyed with her little brother for disturbing her, but she wasn’t asleep, either. An hour earlier, each of them had been tucked into their own beds in their own rooms by Elizabeth Anne and Will Kurtz, their newest set of foster parents.
After the children debated for a couple of seconds about whether they should risk getting E.A. and Will mad, Jemima motioned Roy to come sit beside her on the bed. She would never tell Roy, but right now, she thought she needed him as much as he needed her.
“I don’t know,” she replied at last. “I guess they seem nice.”
Roy lifted his right thumb to suck, then tucked it under his leg so he wouldn’t be tempted. “They’re nicer than Dan and Shirl.”
“Anyone would be nicer than them,” Jemima said. They’d only lasted at Dan and Shirl Miller’s house for five weeks. Jemima personally had thought they’d been there five weeks too long. Dan and Shirl had seemed nice enough when the social worker was there, but when she was gone, Dan’s and Shirl’s smiles disappeared. They’d given Jemima and her little brother lots of chores, yelled at Roy every time he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to suck his thumb, and weren’t even very nice at Thanksgiving dinner. Shirl had gotten really mad at Jemima when she’d revealed that she wasn’t thankful to be at the Millers’ house on Thanksgiving Day.
So mad that Jemima had been sent to her room without any food . . . and when Roy had started crying and sucking his thumb, he’d been sent from the table, too. He’d thrown himself on the twin bed next to her and bawled. Figuring he had every right to cry, she’d curled up on her own bed in a ball and tried to pretend she was anywhere else.
Yes, it had been a really bad night. But even though her stomach had been rumbling with hunger, she hadn’t regretted her honesty.
After all, how could she have uttered such a bold lie? She wasn’t thankful to be at the Miller house. Wasn’t thankful to be there at all. She missed her own parents and her old house and the turkey that her father had always hunted and their mother had always complained about plucking. She missed her own room and their life in the woods and the way that their mamm and daed did things.
She had not been grateful to have to share a room with Roy. She was not grateful to always be yelled at. She really hadn’t been grateful when she’d eyed the watery-looking chicken, boxed mashed potatoes, and canned green beans that had been their Thanksgiving supper.
When Melanie, their social worker, stopped by the next morning, Jemima had told her everything. Melanie had hugged her tight and asked her to hold on just a little bit longer, because she was working hard to find them someplace better.
It had taken another three weeks, but now here they were at the Kurtzes’ house. She was very thankful for the move, but she’d learned over the last couple of months not to expect too much . . . or to wish for things that probably would never happen.
All that did was make her feel worse.
“Are you going to call Elizabeth Anne E.A. or Mrs. Kurtz?” Roy asked, bringing her back to the present.
“I’m going to call her Mrs. Kurtz.”
Roy’s eyes got big. “Really?”
“I didn’t like having to call Mr. and Mrs. Miller Dan and Shirl. They had friendly names, but they weren’t friendly people.”
“They were mean.”
“All they cared about were the checks they got for watching us.” She lowered her voice. “Plus, Shirl told me that she was going to put us with a babysitter on Christmas Day because they’d gotten invited to Dan’s brother’s house. That wasn’t nice.”
“But E.A. and Will don’t seem like that.”
“We don’t really know them yet, Roy. They could act different in the morning. Some people do.”
His thin shoulders slumped. “Jah. I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am,” she replied. “It won’t do us any good to get attached to E.—I mean, Mrs. and Mr. Kurtz. They might not even keep us until New Year’s Day.”
Roy’s expression turned even more troubled. “I miss Mamm and Daed. How come they had to die?”
“Everyone said that Go
t wanted them early.” She shrugged. The explanation didn’t sound very comforting, but she guessed it was something they were supposed to be happy about. But even if the Lord had wanted their parents to go to heaven early, Jemima didn’t think being hit by a big truck was a very nice way to die. No one wanted to hear her say that, though.
“Roy?” E.A.’s voice sounded worried. “Roy, where are . . . oh. There you are,” she said as she peeked into Jemima’s bedroom. “Is everything all right?”
Roy scrambled to his feet. “Jah. I’m sorry I got out of bed. I won’t do it again.”
E.A.’s expression softened. “Oh, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong. You know, I didn’t even ask if you two were used to sharing a room. Are you scared?”
Jemima spoke up before her brother could say a word. “We like having our own rooms. We’re used to that.”
“Jah,” Roy replied, scooting toward the door. “I like my own bedroom. Danke.” He darted out of her room as if he was afraid E.A. was going to change her mind.
Jemima felt her stomach twist into knots as E.A. turned to watch Roy walk down the hall. “He usually listens and stays in bed.”
E.A. turned back to her. “I’m not upset, Jemima. I had a feeling that your first night here might be difficult. That’s why I came upstairs to check on you.”
“Oh.”
“Are you all right? Do you need anything?”
“Nee. I am fine.” She sank against her pillows and pulled the flannel sheet up higher on her chest. “I’m going to go to sleep soon.”
“Ah. Well, I’ll be on my way, then. Sweet dreams, Jemima.”
“You too. I mean, gut naucht, Mrs. Kurtz.”
Some of E.A.’s smile dimmed. “Gut naucht to you as well, Jemima. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jemima sat perfectly still as she listened to her new foster mother walk down the hall, pause for a moment, then slowly descend the staircase. Only then did Jemima scoot farther into bed.
After turning off her bedside flashlight, Jemima closed her eyes and tried not to worry.
But, like always, attempting not to worry was as hard as wishing for sleep to come. At least she’d given up wishing for things that could never be, though.
Now she was rarely disappointed with how things turned out.
Chapter 2
“Is everything all right?” Will asked the moment E.A. walked inside their bedroom. “Are they scared? Do they need anything?”
E.A. carefully closed the door behind her before tossing her robe on the floor and crawling back into bed. “I don’t know.” And that was the truth. She had no idea how Jemima and Roy were feeling.
Looking even more concerned, Will sat up and faced her. “Well, what happened? You were in there for a while.”
“I found Roy in Jemima’s room. He was sitting on the edge of her bed and they were whispering. But the moment I showed up, he jumped to his feet and promised he wouldn’t get out of bed again. Next thing I knew, he was scurrying back to his room.” Hating how scared he’d looked—and how resigned Jemima had been—E.A. released a ragged sigh. “I think that boy actually thought I was going to get mad at him. Can you believe it? He thought I was going to get mad at him for talking to his sister. It makes me want to cry.”
“They’ve been through a lot, E.A. You’re still a stranger, remember?”
“I haven’t forgotten. I believe Melanie said that we’re the sixth foster family they’ve been with since their parents died three years ago.”
“She also said that the couple they were with before wasn’t a good fit and that the kinner had been especially unhappy there.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. If anything, I feel worse—like we should have filled out the paperwork months ago.”
“You can’t think that way. Their rough time of it isn’t our fault, darling. You can’t take on all their burdens, and most especially not their past.”
She looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled. Will was truly one of the kindest people she knew. He’d always been that way, even back when they were children. What she hadn’t known, however, was that he could be romantic, too. He’d started to call her darling when they were engaged, and though they’d been married over a year and were no longer newlyweds, every time he murmured the endearment her heart pitter-pattered a little faster.
“I know you are right, Will. It’s just hard. I want them to be happy.”
“They will be. Or at the very least, we’ll try to help them to be happy.”
“Even though they just got here and Melanie said for us to take our time getting to know each other, I already know I want more than that.” She reached for his hand. “Will, I want Roy and Jemima to be with us forever.”
“I’m taken with them, too. I knew it the moment Melanie introduced us to them two weeks ago and Roy asked if I liked pumpkin pie.”
E.A. giggled. “Just as I was about to say that I’d make him one, he wrinkled his nose and said he thought it was yucky.”
“All while Jemima was trying to get him to hush.” The lines around his eyes deepened with his smile. “Elizabeth Anne, not to sound too full of myself or anything, but I think they’re going to be mighty happy with us, too.”
“Do you really think so?”
He nodded. “How can they not be? We already are starting to love them.” He ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I bet it will just take them a while to get settled.”
“I hope so.”
“Come now, try to stay positive, jah?”
Against her will, her eyes filled up with tears. “Christmas is just around the corner. I wish those kids were only worrying about presents they wanted and how much fruitcake to eat.”
Will grinned. “First, nobody sits around dreaming of fruitcake. Secondly, that’s a wonderful idea. We can ask them to write a Christmas list. That will give them something positive to think about.”
“I’ll bring that up tomorrow.”
“Gut.” He ran a hand down her hair. “Does that mean you’ll stop crying now?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“I think you do, Elizabeth,” he said gently. “Ain’t so?”
Feeling her cheeks heat, she nodded. Less than a week ago—just days before Roy and Jemima were scheduled to arrive—they’d gotten the biggest surprise. They were expecting a baby.
When E.A. had shared her shock, the midwife had simply raised her eyebrows. “A smart girl like you can sure be foolish,” she’d chided. “I would have thought you’d have figured out how babes were made.”
Yes, she had known. But she’d also learned years ago that the chances of her becoming pregnant were very slim. This pregnancy was truly a miracle, but it was also a closely guarded secret. She and Will wanted to wait a few weeks before they shared the news. Not just to hold their secret tight for a bit before it was all of their friends’ and families’ news as well . . . but for the sake of Jemima and Roy.
Now all of their plans were up in the air.
“Have you thought any more about what we discussed?” Will asked.
E.A. nodded. “I’ve thought about it, but it doesn’t feel right. We brought the children here with the intention of adopting them.”
“I know we did. But the timing might not be the best. Roy and Jemima need two parents to give them all their attention. They’ve already been through so much. How can we give them what they need if we have a newborn?”
“Our babe won’t be born for months and months. We don’t need to make this decision now.”
“I agree, but as soon as Christmas is over, we’ll need to decide.”
“That’s in two weeks, Will.”
He sighed in the dark. “Elizabeth Anne, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings or bring pain into those kinner’s lives. But one of us has to be tough. I can’t think that it will be easier on those children to wait to tell them that we can’t adopt them.”
“If that’s what we decide.”
“At least there’s that.” She felt her eyes fill with tears again.
Will wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t cry. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. God has a plan, yes?”
“Jah,” she whispered. But as the minutes passed and she eventually heard Will’s deep, even breathing, E.A. couldn’t help but think of everything the children had already been through.
How did God have a plan that included orphaning two small children? No matter how hard she tried to wrap her mind around that, it didn’t make much sense.
At last, she fell into a restless sleep, finally praying that the Lord would help her be strong enough to do the “right” thing, whatever that might be.
Chapter 3
Ten days before Christmas
Jemima looked at the many sheets of paper, crayons, and colored pencils that E.A. had set out for her and Roy on the kitchen table. “Are you sure you want me and Roy to help you?” she asked.
E.A., who had been stenciling letters of the alphabet on each page, put her pencil down. “Of course, dear. It’s going to be our family’s Christmas present and you two are part of the family.” Her smile wobbled. “I mean, you are right now.”
Right now. That didn’t sound very permanent. A new sense of doom settled in Jemima’s chest, making it hard to breathe. Over the last few days, she and Roy had felt a little bit like they had woken up in a dream.
Everything that had been so awful and wrong at the Millers’ was so right with Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz. E.A. and Will wanted to be with them and never got mad, even when Roy sucked his thumb or when Jemima accidentally knocked over her milk on the table.