Amish Christmas Secrets

by Debby Giusti

  He tried to smile, but he kept thinking of Rosie, who once again was running away from him.

  She deserved better than a man with a past, a man who had made too many mistakes to count and who continued to fall short of the mark.

  Love was not in Ezra’s future. Not now. Not ever.

  FIFTEEN

  Rosie woke early the next morning. She dressed quickly and got Joseph ready for breakfast. Once downstairs, she placed him in the high chair and cut up small portions of a banana for him to eat as she helped Susan with the breakfast.

  Mary ran in with a basket of fresh eggs from the henhouse. She squealed when she saw Joseph and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

  “Can I stay and feed Joseph this morning?”

  Susan raised her eyebrows. “You know Ezra needs you in the barn.”

  “Oh, Susan, tell him I am growing so big and am needed in the kitchen.”

  Rosie smiled and waited until Susan nodded her agreement. “Perhaps Rosie will tell him.”

  She detected a sly smile on Susan’s face as Rosie grabbed her cape. “I will let your brother know that I need your help, Mary. But I think Joseph is too interested in his new friend to feel like eating. Offer him the cup, Mary. He may want a drink of water.”

  The girl slid into the chair next to him and began to explain everything that was happening in the barn as she lifted the sippy cup to his lips. “When you grow to be a big boy you will help in the barn, too, and you will be able to milk the cows and feed the chickens.”

  Rosie laughed as she hurried from the house and searched for Ezra. He was standing near the fence, filling one of the troughs with feed.

  He looked up, his face full of longing. Her heart nearly broke through her ribs. His look took her back to last night and their almost-kiss. Was Susan’s interruption a blessing or not?

  Rosie did not know her own heart, and she was totally confused by the mixed messages she kept getting from Ezra.

  “Mary would like to help in the kitchen this morning,” she told him. “If you can spare her.”

  Ezra laughed. “She wants to be with her buddy Joseph. He is all she has talked about since she woke this morning. Yes, of course, she can remain in the kitchen.”

  “I am sorry that we are taking her from her chores.”

  “But she will help you with Joseph and that is how girls learn to be good wives and mothers. It is not a problem, Rosie.”

  She nodded, wishing he would say something else, but he turned back to the feed as if he had nothing more to say to her. Nothing about last night or the moments in the barn or whether his lips had touched her forehead.

  There she was again, totally confused and not able to decide what he thought of her or if he even thought of her at all.

  She turned to go inside, but he called her name.

  She stopped and glanced back, not knowing what to expect.

  “Your ankle is better?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Much better. Thank you.”

  Rosie hurried inside and was welcomed by Joseph’s laughter and Mary’s giggles.

  Susan smiled. “I am not sure if breakfast is being eaten or played with.”

  “He certainly is taken with Mary.” Seeing the basket of eggs Mary had brought from the chicken coop, Rosie offered, “If you are scrambling eggs, I could break them and get them ready.”

  “I would appreciate your help.”

  Working quickly, Rosie broke the eggs into a bowl, added salt and pepper, stirred them with a fork and added a dollop of milk.

  Susan stepped closer. “I do not add milk.”

  “I am sorry. I should have asked before I added it.”

  “Oh, no, I am glad to learn something new. I cook like my mamm, but that does not mean there are no other things to learn.”

  “According to my mother, adding milk made the eggs smoother.” She took the bowl to the stove. “Shall I use the big iron skillet?”

  “Yes, please, but let me add butter first.”

  Once the butter had melted, Rosie poured in the eggs and stirred them as they cooked.

  Oatmeal simmered on a back burner, and biscuits baked in the oven. When Susan pulled them out, the rich smell filled the kitchen. “It is good to have a warm breakfast on a cold December morning.”

  “Christmas will be soon,” Mary said from the table. “After school, can we make a pretty chain with colored paper?”

  “May we,” Susan said, correcting her.

  “Yah, may we?”

  “I am not certain Ezra wants any Christmas decorations in the house this year.”

  “But we have the paper, and I can make the glue with flour and water.”

  “I will talk to your brother. Now run to the door and ring the bell.” Susan glanced at the skillet. “The eggs are almost ready, and the biscuits are hot. Everyone must eat before school.”

  “I will return in a minute,” the girl told Joseph. “Listen for the bell.”

  The baby’s eyes widened as if he understood Mary’s comment. When the bell rang, he kicked his feet and laughed. Mary hurried back to sit at the table next to him.

  “Wash your hands, Miss Mary, and pour milk for you and David.”

  The child complied with what her sister had requested.

  Rosie watched Ezra through the window as he added fresh water to the troughs before washing his hands at the pump. The other children did likewise and then followed him inside.

  The fresh morning air circled around them, their cheeks ruddy from the cold. As Ezra shrugged out of his coat, she could not help but notice how his shirt pulled over his muscular chest, which brought more thoughts of being in his arms.

  Rosie’s cheeks warmed and she lowered her gaze, hoping to free her mind of anything except the breakfast needing to be served.

  Once the eggs were plated and the plates and bowls of oatmeal placed in front of each hungry person at the table, she slipped into the chair next to Joseph and across from Ezra. With a downcast gaze, she silently gave thanks for this family and for the welcome and love she felt here.

  She glanced up and found Ezra starting at her as if he had read her mind when she had focused on love. They both reached for their coffee cups and sipped simultaneously. Again, their eyes met.

  Rosie no longer wanted to eat. She took a spoonful of oatmeal and offered it to Joseph, who gobbled it down, followed by another and another after that.

  He glanced at Mary between bites. She smiled at him and then at Rosie as she ate. “I like your eggs,” she said sweetly.

  Susan nodded in agreement. “Rosie’s eggs taste gut to me as well, Mary. It is the milk she adds. When you help me fix breakfast, we will try her breakfast tip, yah?”

  “Yah.” Mary nodded. “I want Rosie to stay and fix eggs for us every day.” She patted the baby’s chubby hand. “I want Joseph to stay, too.”

  “You have all been very thoughtful and have made us feel welcome,” Rosie said, carefully choosing her words. “Joseph and I thank you for this.”

  “It sounds as if you plan to leave us,” Ezra said, his brow raised.

  She did not understand his comment. Did he think they would stay forever? “Yah, we must leave soon.”

  “How soon?” Belinda asked.

  “I am not sure.” Rosie fed more oatmeal to the baby.

  “You mentioned a cabin,” Ezra said from across the table. “There are fishing cabins around the lake area. Perhaps we could go there today.”

  “Is this wise?” Both of them were cautious of what they said around the children, but there was no doubt that Ezra was talking about the cabin Rosie had visited with William.

  “A number of cabins are located on this side of the lake,” Aaron said. “Caleb, my friend who likes to fish, goes there often. He noticed a cabin in the woods that had shipping carts piled up on the street
for the garbage man to take. The boxes were addressed to the pharmacy in town so he told Peter.”

  “Peter Overholt?” Ezra asked.

  “Yah. You know Peter. He lives on the farm at the outskirts of town. You went to school with his brother, Jonas.”

  Ezra nodded. “What does Peter have to do with the pharmacy?”

  “He works there. At least he did. Rayleen is the new pharmacist in town. She bought Mountain Pharmacy a few months ago and hired him shortly after that, but now she told him not to come to work. Peter does not know when he will be needed again.”

  Ezra glanced at Rosie, and from the look of concern on his face, she felt sure his thoughts were not on their near-kiss or being in each other’s arms. The thought that came to her was why Peter was not wanted at the pharmacy. Did the pharmacist have something she wanted kept secret from the teen?

  Ezra looked at the wall clock. “David, you and Mary need to leave for school. Finish your milk and take your dishes to the sink.”

  Both children did as their brother requested. Mary rinsed the plates and stacked them on the counter.

  “It is my turn to wash the breakfast dishes,” she announced.

  “Go on, Mary,” Susan insisted. “Ezra is right, we stayed too long at breakfast. You and David must get on your outerwear. Your lunches are on the counter. Tell your teacher you are sorry if you arrive late.”

  “I will tell her we have company.”

  Mary’s comment troubled Rosie. “It might be better to not mention that we are staying here.”

  “Is it a secret?” the little girl asked.

  Rosie nodded.

  With a knowing smile, Mary brushed Joseph’s hair back from his forehead and kissed his check. “It will be our Christmas secret.”

  After the youngest two children left the house, Aaron and Belinda went outside to complete their morning chores while Susan busied herself at the sink and Rosie washed Joseph’s hands and face with a warm washrag.

  Ezra finished the last of his coffee and then pushed back from the table. “Come with me to the lake, Rosie. We will try to find the cabin you visited as well as the cabin Caleb told Peter about. Like Caleb, I question why the shipping boxes would be at an isolated cabin. Perhaps it is the same cabin you visited.”

  “It would be hard to know where to look, Ezra. Plus, I do not want to see Larry Wagner again.”

  “This is not who I want to see, either. We will take the bigger buggy with three rows of seats. You can sit in the rear. With your black bonnet, he will not notice you.”

  Rosie hoped Ezra was right because deep down she wanted to go with him. Not only to find the cabin that might have clues as to what was happening in town but also to determine if William had been involved in the drug operation. She had been so wrong about him. Rosie glanced again at Ezra, a gut man who needed a gut woman in his life.

  Perhaps it was fortunate Susan had interrupted them before they kissed. Rosie did not deserve Ezra, yet she had wanted him to kiss her yesterday. She wanted Ezra to kiss her today as well.

  * * *

  “We will take another back road,” Ezra said as he helped Rosie climb into the rear of the buggy.

  “You have many back roads on this mountain.”

  He laughed. “A man likes to have various ways to travel. This road will take us over the mountain instead of heading back down to the valley, the way we normally go to town. Eventually we will arrive at the lake.”

  “I do not recall seeing a lake when I went to the cabin with Will.”

  “Did you see anyone else when you were there?”

  She thought for a moment. “I went with William only twice and each time I remained in his truck and saw no one. Will said he had to pick up a package, although both times he returned from the cabin with more than one box in hand.”

  “Cardboard boxes?”

  “Yah, each box was marked with a name and address.”

  “Did you go with him when he made the deliveries?”

  “Only once when he made a delivery to Atlanta.”

  “Do you remember the address?”

  She shook her head. “The house was north of the city. That is all I remember.”

  “What about the cabin, Rosie? Was there anything to help identify it?”

  “It was an A-frame and had a screened-in side porch.”

  “We will search for just such a place.”

  Rosie pulled her cape tight around her neck. The sun was shining, but the day was cold. Ezra wrapped a heavy blanket around her legs before he climbed into the front seat.

  “If a car passes, duck down so they will not know you are there.”

  “I am not worried,” she assured him.

  Ezra was. Not overly, but he was concerned and hoping the man in the SUV would remain in town or wherever he lived and not venture to the lake.

  Susan stepped onto the porch, carrying Joseph in her arms.

  “Keep watch,” Ezra told her. “Lock the door while you are home alone and do not let the children linger outside when they come home from school. I have already warned Belinda and Aaron.”

  “You are worried for our safety?”

  “I am worried someone may come here looking for Rosie. Do not open the door to anyone except our family. The man who drives a white SUV is not to be trusted.”

  “Joseph and I will stay inside with the doors locked.”

  “That is gut.”

  Ezra nodded farewell and then flicked the reins. The mare snorted as she turned onto the paved roadway.

  “You are warm enough?” Ezra asked, glancing back to where Rosie sat bundled under the heavy covering.

  “Yah, I am fine.”

  The clip-clop of the horse’s hooves and the rumble of the buggy wheels over the pavement made conversation difficult. Ezra wished Rosie was sitting next to him so he could put his arm around her to keep her warm.

  The turnoff to the lake appeared. He pulled on the reins. The mare stepped into the turn and increased her pace to a sprightly trot.

  “The lake is in the distance. Thankfully we have the road to ourselves.” Ezra glanced back.

  Rosie smiled. He wanted her to sit next to him even more.

  The road ambled downward toward the water, where ducks floated and geese honked as they flew overhead. Today, the lake was devoid of boats and fishermen on the shore, and in spite of the cold temperature, Ezra appreciated the beauty of the rolling hills surrounding the shimmering water.

  He stopped the buggy to admire the setting and heard Rosie stir. She climbed from the rear, scooted next to him and inhaled the mountain air.

  “It is beautiful here,” she said. “I do not remember seeing anything this serene when I was with William. Although perhaps I was not looking at the surrounding scenery.”

  Ezra’s heart faltered. Rosie’s attention had, no doubt, been on Will. Tall and muscular and with his wavy hair and thick neck, he’d attracted women, and Rosie in particular. All Ezra could remember was the anger that flashed from Will’s eyes and the smirk on his full lips.

  “When in love, we do not always see clearly,” Ezra said.

  She angled her head and looked quizzically at him as if she did not understand the comment. Perhaps she thought he was revealing his own heart. If so, the frown she wore was message enough that she was not interested in Ezra.

  SIXTEEN

  “A road angles away from the lake,” Ezra said as he and Rosie sat on the side of the road in the buggy. “And another road beyond that.”

  Rosie followed his gaze. “I wish I could remember some landmark that would make it easier to find the cabin.”

  “Perhaps you should sit in the second seat, directly behind me, instead of all the way in the back. You will be better able to see the landscape and any buildings we pass.”

  “And if a car approach
es, I will hide in the rear.”

  Once Rosie was settled, Ezra flicked the reins. They turned onto the first road and paused momentarily at each cottage and cabin to give Rosie time to determine if anything looked familiar.

  “Do not get discouraged,” he said when the road came to a dead end. Ezra guided Bessie to an adjoining side street. At the next intersection, they turned right, heading back to the lake on the second road.

  Rosie placed her hand on Ezra’s shoulders and leaned forward. “We both hope the cabin will provide information about the drug operation. But what if we do not find the cabin?”

  “We will keep looking until we do find it.”

  His optimism plummeted as their search stretched on. Rosie mentioned never having noticed the lake when she and Will had stopped at the cabin. Perhaps Ezra was wasting his time and hers, looking for something that could not be found. At least not around the lake.

  “Aaron’s friend saw shipping boxes outside the cabin addressed to the pharmacy,” Ezra mused aloud. “Does that mean the pharmacist is involved?”

  “She would have to be suspicious with so many patients being prescribed pain medication,” Rosie said. “What about Dr. Manny, who treats the nursing-home patients? Would he not be involved since he writes the prescriptions?”

  “Perhaps he gets a bonus for the number of prescriptions he writes. Surely some state-wide agency monitors drug prescriptions, yet with so many pharmacies, it might take time to identify abuse.”

  “Ezra, stop the buggy.” Rosie pointed to the right. “There. That is the cabin.”

  Just as she had mentioned earlier, the small, single story structure was an A-frame with a screened side porch.

  “I do not want the buggy to be seen in front of the cabin,” Ezra cautioned. “We will look farther for a back path where we can tie Bessie.”

  “Then we will peer through the windows?” she asked.

  “Yah. If we want Wagner arrested, we need evidence of wrongdoing. As we both know, the police are often not interested in what the Amish have to say. We will ensure they are interested by providing evidence they cannot ignore.”