Amish Christmas Secrets

by Debby Giusti

  Rosie stopped at the steps and turned, as if realizing he was watching her.

  “Have you met my son?”

  What? He shook his head.

  She took the baby from her mother, kissed his cheek and then carried him back to the buggy. “Ezra, this is Joseph. His father was William MacIntosh, as you know. I made a mistake once, but I did nothing that would cause a man to come after me now. I have asked forgiveness from the bishop for my fickle heart, but I was not involved in anything illegal.”

  “I never thought you were.”

  Her lips lifted into a weak smile. “I am grateful for your help yesterday and today. There are few people who have reached out to me since I have returned home.”

  “Are you sure it is the people who would not help or is it that you have holed up on this farm without returning to the community you knew?”

  She hesitated. “What about you, Ezra? Do you join in the activities of the community or have you holed up on the mountain?”

  “I have brothers and sisters who need my care.”

  “And I have a son who needs mine. Perhaps we are not that different. Again, thank you.”

  Before she could turn her back on him again, Ezra raised his hand. “I still have your bicycle.”

  “I will not return to town soon so do not worry yourself about something that would probably be an impossible task. Sometimes that which is broken cannot be fixed.”

  She hurried back to her house. Her mother had already gone inside. Rosie stopped on the porch and turned to watch him leave.

  “Wave goodbye, Joseph.” She took hold of the baby’s hand and waved it in the air.

  Ezra could not respond. Goodbye was not what he wanted to say. The word lodged in his throat and refused to be spoken. Instead he flipped the reins and encouraged his mare to turn back to the road that would take him away from Rosie Glick.

  His leaving would be good for both of them. Rosie would remain with her troubled father and her mother, who always seemed fearful. The family would eke out an existence far from town and with only a few ways of interacting with the other Amish. They would remain distant, removed from the regular Amish community as if their daughter’s mistake had taken away their desire to live life to the fullest. Were they so guilt-ridden by her mistake that they refused to enter back into life?

  Ezra doubted their Amish neighbors would consider the Glicks’s problems any more challenging than the problems other families had. Ezra could relate, as Rosie had mentioned. He had lived reclusively on the mountain and been unwilling to be baptized or involved in the social aspects of the Amish way. His sisters had suffered because of his closed outlook, but now he realized his mistake—he would give them the freedom they desired and needed.

  Susan was of courting age. He would not stop her from falling in love and marrying and from making her own way in life. Belinda, when she was old enough, would make an excellent teacher, of this he was sure. He would not inhibit her desires any longer.

  And the buggy shop? His brother would have to wait. Ezra was not ready to step back into the workshop where his parents had been murdered. Not yet. Perhaps in the future, although today as he left the Glick farm and traveled up the hill, he could not think of tomorrow, and it was too painful to think of the past, while focusing on the present only brought visions of Rosie to mind with her pretty blue eyes and blond hair.

  He thought of her open expression and her willingness to reach out to an old man in a nursing home, as well as to give her heart to her son. But she had given her heart to someone else. To an Englischer. She loved him still, Ezra was sure.

  Better that Ezra leave now before he think any more about Rosie. He would push her out of his mind, although he knew it would take time—time and effort, because saying goodbye to Rosie felt like a knife stabbing his heart.

  Silly of him to have gotten invested so quickly, although looking back, Ezra realized Rosie had captured his interest years ago in school.

  Now he feared if he stayed around her any longer, she might also capture his heart.

  SIX

  Rosie woke to the sound of a car engine. Her heart jumped to her throat, and she instinctively reached out her hand and touched the crib to ensure Joseph was still there.

  The rise and fall of his chest comforted her until the pounding at the front door had her racing to the window. Pulling back the curtain, she looked down to see a light-colored SUV.

  Was it white?

  She blinked and rubbed her hand over her eyes, trying to wipe away the sleep and the dream she had about a certain Amish man with understanding eyes and a square jaw. Ezra was not the one pounding on her door.

  She heard her father’s footsteps as he scurried downstairs. “What is it you want?” he asked, raising his voice.

  Garbled sounds floated up to her, as if an argument ensued, then she heard footsteps on the porch. If only she could see what was happening.

  It sounded like a scuffle. She strained to see through the darkness until two forms took shape.

  She gasped as she saw a man throwing punches at her father as he cowered in the cleared area at the front of the house. Heart in her throat, she turned again, to ensure Joseph was safe, then glanced back, seeing her father on the ground. The man towering over him was poised to strike again.

  His fist pounded into her father’s stomach. Even at this distance, she could hear Datt moan as he rolled into a ball, trying to protect himself.

  “Don’t tell me you forgot how to fight, Wayne?”

  The assailant grabbed her father’s shirt, yanked him to his feet and pummeled him again.

  “No,” her mother cried from below. Mamm ran to where her husband had dropped to the dirt again. “Leave him alone, Larry.”

  Larry? Larry Wagner? The man with the streak of white hair? How did Mamm know his name?

  “Wayne tried to be tough in his youth, but deep down he was a coward then, and he still is a coward.” Larry brushed his hands together before he looked at the house. His gaze fell on Rosie’s bedroom window.

  She stepped back, hoping he had not seen her.

  “Where is she?” he demanded. “Where’s Rosie?”

  “She’s gone, Larry. Now, leave us. You and your kind have caused us enough pain.”

  “You’re lying, Emma.”

  She got into his face and pointed to his car. “Leave now and don’t come back.”

  “I’ll find her,” he said as he brushed his pants legs and glanced at her father huddled on the ground. “If you weren’t here, Emma, I’d finish him off. You know how I felt.”

  He looked at the house and shook his head. “Did you get what you wanted? I could have given you so much more.”

  “Leave, Larry. And do not return.”

  He climbed into the car, turned out of the drive and headed back toward town.

  Rosie flew down the stairs and out the door to where her mother kneeled, cradling her father.

  “Help me get your datt to his feet,” her mother said.

  Rosie put her arm around her father’s shoulders and helped him stand. He was woozy and wobbled on his feet, but with their encouragement, he slowly climbed the stairs and entered the house.

  “We will take him to the bedroom,” her mother said with no additional explanation of what had happened.

  Rosie eased her father onto the bed and then hurried to draw water into a bowl and bring towels to clean his cuts and scrapes.

  Her mother met her in the kitchen. “I will tend to your father. Go back to bed.”

  “I can help.”

  Her mother shook her head. “No. Return to your bed.”

  “But—”

  “Do as I say, Rosie.”

  “It was my fault, Mamm. The man said he wanted me.”

  “And I told him you were gone. Do not go outside. He will not come in
to the house, and we must make sure he does not see you if he drives by again.”

  “I did this to you, and I am so sorry, but—”

  She stared at her mother, knowing her own eyes were filled with question. “He called you Emma. How did he know your name?”

  “Rosie, go to bed.”

  Her mother hurried back to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  Rosie glanced out the window and looked at the spot where her father had been accosted by the same man who wanted to do her harm.

  What was happening to her life? She had experienced a few months of peace after being released from captivity and had been raising her son and healing from her own ordeal, but everything was happening again, only now everything was so much worse.

  Her parents were in danger, yet there was something her mother had not revealed. She knew the man who had come after her—Larry Wagner, the man with the streak of white hair. How could that be?

  One thing was certain, Rosie could no longer stay and bring more danger to her parents. She had done enough to cause them problems. She needed to leave in the morning.

  But a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She needed to leave but where would she go?

  * * *

  Sleep eluded Ezra. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Rosie, brow furrowed and fear reflecting from her eyes. With a sigh, he turned to his side and rolled out of bed. He would not stay put when so much awaited him.

  He glanced again out the window, relieved to see the first hint of morning light on the horizon. He would get an early start on the day. Surely Rosie rose early, just as everyone did in every Amish home. He envisioned her mixing flour for the breakfast biscuits and could almost smell them baking.

  Realizing he was smelling the biscuits his sister Susan was making eased some of his angst. As always, he was grateful for her help and hurried downstairs.

  “You are early for breakfast,” Susan said.

  Ezra reached around her and grabbed a warm biscuit from the baking sheet. “There is work to be done this morning.”

  “Yet, you were up late tinkering with a woman’s bicycle. This belongs to someone you know?”

  He bit into the biscuit and tasted its sweetness.

  Susan turned from the stove and stared at him, her brow raised as if waiting for his reply.

  He swallowed and smiled. “There is coffee?”

  She took a cup from the cupboard and filled it with coffee from the pot. “I always have coffee ready in the morning. But you did not answer my question about the bike.”

  “It belongs to Rosie Glick.”

  His sister’s eyes widened ever so slightly before she turned back to the stove. “The same Rosie Glick who was held captive for eight months?”

  “I know of no other woman by that name in this area.”

  “I heard she works at the nursing home in town. This is who you have visited these last few days?”

  “You are full of questions this morning, Susan.”

  “And you, my bruder, are hesitant to answer them.”

  She broke two eggs into a skillet. The hot grease sizzled. “Do you wish ham to go with your eggs?”

  “Not this morning. I must leave soon.”

  “Before chores?”

  “The boys can handle them today. I will return in an hour or so.”

  “You are delivering the bike?”

  “Yah.”

  “Datt ran a buggy-making shop. Now you are working on bicycles. Is this a new venture?”

  “I am helping a woman who has no one to help her. Surely this is something you can understand.”

  Once the eggs cooked, Susan used a spatula to lift them from the skillet. She arranged them on a plate, next to two more biscuits.

  “You have a soft heart, Ezra, especially for those in need. This is a good attribute, yah? But you must use your head as well as your heart.”

  She smiled knowingly at him as she handed him the filled plate.

  “I am not blind, Susan. I see clearly.”

  “Yet you still struggle to find your way and have not yet accepted baptism. Having this family to care for returned you to us, but I sense you do not know the direction with which you should walk into the future. We hold you back, perhaps. This woman might hold you back even more.”

  “I would think my staying here would be a good decision.”

  “Yah, in my mind it is the right decision. But we are talking about you, Ezra. You must decide what is best for you.”

  “Sometimes circumstances take that decision from a person. He no longer has the freedom to decide due to the responsibility placed on his shoulders.”

  “You are a strong man, Ezra. You can carry much weight, but you do not need added burdens that will weigh you down even more.”

  He scooped a forkful of eggs into his mouth and washed it down with coffee as she spoke.

  “Rosie Glick is not a burden, Susan. I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but you need not worry. I know where I am going.”

  He hurriedly finished breakfast and headed to the barn to hitch Bessie to the buggy. The day was cold, but he appreciated the clearness of the air and welcomed the chance to leave his sister’s watchful eye.

  Susan was right. He did question his future, but his wanderlust had ebbed with the deaths of his parents. The Amish life that had initially held him back from experiencing the world now provided stability and a firm foundation on which to build his future, although he questioned where the future would take him.

  He loved his brothers and sisters. He could not and would not abandon them again.

  In spite of what Susan said, Ezra had his eyes wide open when it came to Rosie Glick. He would return the bike to her this morning and that would end their relationship. He had helped her to escape Larry Wagner. She had lost her job and planned to remain safely at home. Ezra no longer need worry about her.

  But as the buggy left his house and headed down the mountain, Ezra knew the man with the patch of white hair was still a threat. He had come after Rosie once. He would surely come after her again.

  SEVEN

  Rosie left her house soon after the first light of the winter sun appeared over the horizon. She cradled Joseph close in her arms. On her back, she had tied a bundle of his clothing, extra blankets and diapers. She refused to disturb her parents, and instead of saying goodbye, she had left them a note on the kitchen table, explaining that she would contact them once she and Joseph were settled. Somewhere.

  Today, she would walk to her Aunt Katherine’s house. Katherine was her mother’s sister, who lived higher up the mountain—her husband had died two years ago, and her daughter, Alice, had married and moved to Ohio a few years earlier. Katherine’s son-in-law was a good carpenter, like her husband had been. Holmes County in Ohio was experiencing a tourist boom with much new construction. Hotels, shops and restaurants were springing up, bringing jobs that Alice’s husband had quickly found in commercial construction. Perhaps Rosie could find a job there in one of the many stores or restaurants. But first, she needed to ensure she and Joseph were safe. If she holed up in her aunt’s house for a day or two, the man after her might give up his search. Then she and Joseph could leave the North Georgia mountains and take a bus to Ohio without fear of being followed.

  Rosie glanced down at her sleeping child, unwilling to think of what the future might hold. She needed to focus on today. Once they arrived at her aunt’s house, Rosie could make plans for the next leg of their journey.

  The air was cold to her cheeks. She pulled Joseph’s blanket over his head to protect him from the morning chill. The temperature had dropped in the night and a shiver of concern traveled down her spine. She glanced back at her parents’ home. A lump formed in her throat as she remembered when she had snuck out in the night to meet William. How naive she had been. And foolish.

>   At that time, she had been seeing life through the eyes of an immature girl, giddy with what she thought was love.

  William had little love for her in his heart. He had more love for himself and his need to be the center of attention. Rosie doted over him like a fool, which somehow fed into his need to be accepted. His own father had been abusive and had little use for William.

  They were alike in that way, a fact she had learned all too soon. Although she did not consider herself self-centered at the time. Looking back now, she saw the pain she had caused her parents because of her own desire to experience life beyond her small Amish world.

  Now she was leaving home again, but this time to protect her parents, although she doubted they would consider her absence to be in consideration of their own well-being. Her mother doted over Joseph. Surely, Mamm would cry for his loss.

  Rosie turned back to the road and walked with determined steps to the end of the driveway, holding her breath as if her parents could hear her in the still morning. Her heart was fragile, and with a little coaxing, she could easily be swayed to remain at home.

  She shook her head, unwilling to acquiesce and wondered again about how Larry Wagner knew her parents. If he came to her home once, he could easily come again. She had to leave and find a safe haven for her child. Joseph did not need to be raised holed up in a farmhouse where love was hard to be found and an abusive man had beat up her father. The child deserved laughter and sunshine and friends with whom to romp over the grassy meadows. She would find a new home for them that was free from danger.

  A sound echoed down the mountain, causing another chill to run down her spine. Not an automobile, for that she was thankful, but a steady rhythmic sound that made her pause and glance into the dense forest that edged the narrow roadway. The sound grew louder, yet was still unrecognizable. She shivered, knowing anyone or anything could be approaching.

  Unwilling to remain in clear view, she pulled Joseph closer to her heart and skirted her way into the woods. Tree branches snagged her coat and scraped against her cheeks. She kept her hand protectively over Joseph, covering his precious face from the branches and bramble.