Unlikely Sweethearts (An Amish Christmas Story)

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  “What are you smiling about?” Her father eyed her in the rearview mirror from the driver’s seat. “Don’t put too much stock in the Stoltz boy.”

  She wanted to protest, but she wouldn’t. She’d let Dad do his dad thing.

  “I’m meeting with him on Wednesday before church,” her father added. “But I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

  She nodded. Of course, she’d already known about the meeting because she’d been eavesdropping on their conversation. A terrible habit she needed to break. It would be easier if her hearing wasn’t so good. Not that she wished to be hard of hearing. But she’d always been the curious type, which was why she loved working with children. Children were like sponges when it came to information, soaking up every minute detail.

  She wouldn’t let her father dampen her mood, although their meeting didn’t seem too promising.

  She wondered how Dad would react if he knew she’d mentioned Walmart to Randy. He’d likely be upset. But she felt Walmart was a safe place to see him. It wouldn’t constitute a date. It was public and there would be plenty of other people around, especially since Christmas was just on the horizon.

  Which brought her thoughts to caroling this Saturday night with the singles group. Even if Dad denied Randy’s request to court her, they’d have plenty of opportunities to see each other through church activities. At least, until he went off to college. That alone was enough to make Dad deny his request. Did long-distance relationships ever work out? She supposed a few did, but the majority ended in failure. She thought she’d read about that somewhere. In the newspaper advice column, maybe?

  Nevertheless, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday seemed promising. She needed to start praying about Randy’s meeting with Dad. Because if Dad agreed, well… No, she wouldn’t get her hopes up. Not yet.

  But Randy would definitely be in her thoughts, no doubt about it.

  SIX

  Randy shivered slightly and knocked on Wesley’s door. He wasn’t sure, though, whether his tremors were from the biting cold or nervousness. In many ways, he admired his older brother. He had everything. A good job, a nice home, a great wife and family whom he adored, a houseful of love.

  Randy had never realized it until this moment, but this was exactly what he wanted. Maybe he should be taking notes from his older brother. He seemed to have it all together. Everything that mattered, anyway.

  The door swung open. “Little brother, come on in before you freeze to death.”

  “So you’re still calling me little brother, huh?”

  Wesley shrugged and stepped aside so Randy could enter. “Force of habit. Must be all those pictures Mom has of me holding you.”

  Randy rubbed his hands together as they walked through the kitchen. Sweetness lingered in the air, like Shannon had recently baked something tantalizing. He wanted a wife to bake him tantalizing treats.

  Whoa! Where did that thought come from? Randy shook himself. “Let’s get down to business?”

  Wesley thrust a mug of coffee into his hands and he took a sip.

  “Any yummy treats?”

  “We may have a few cookies left if the kids didn’t devour them all. I’ll check.” He gestured toward the living room, where Randy took a seat. “You may as well get comfortable. We’re going to be here for a while.”

  “Not too long, I hope. I need my beauty sleep.”

  Wesley chuckled. “Got a big date tomorrow?”

  He couldn’t hide his smile if his mouth was plastered with duct tape. “Something like that. Holly’s going to be shopping at Walmart. Ten A.M.” He winked, accepting a paper towel containing two freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.

  “Did she tell you that?” Wesley’s surprised expression elicited a chuckle.

  “She may have mentioned something.” He sat up prim and proper and feigned innocence.

  “You have her breaking the rules already, little brother?” Wesley shook his head. “Not good. Not good at all. You’re already a bad influence.”

  “She likes me. What can I say?” He scratched his chin, then his lips twisted. “Do you think I can get her to break other rules too?”

  “You are a bad influence. I don’t think you’re going to survive the interview.”

  Randy moaned around a bite of cookie. “Why’d you have to remind me about the interview?”

  “That is why you’re here, right?”

  Randy blew out a long breath. “Yeah, I guess so. Since I have no choice.”

  “Did you bring a notebook and pen?”

  “What for?”

  “You’ll want to take notes.”

  Randy snorted.

  “Okay, have it your way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.”

  Randy cracked his knuckles, then leaned back against the couch. “Is it really that bad?”

  “Okay, first of all, he’s probably going to ask you what the purpose of the relationship is. What your intentions are.”

  “The purpose. Okay, I can handle that.” He thought about it for a moment, then frowned. “What am I supposed to say?”

  “The truth.”

  “Which is?”

  “Think about it for a minute. That way you can come up with a coherent answer.”

  “Okay. The purpose of the relationship. Um, to take her out. Get to know her better.”

  “Ah…I guess that’s a start.”

  “A start? What, am I supposed to have a speech written out by hand?”

  “No. Typed, double-spaced on plain white paper. No mistakes.” He chuckled.

  “That’s not even funny. I half believed you.”

  “Just consider the situation for a moment. He’s looking for a worthy life mate for his daughter. Think of this from his perspective.”

  “Okay, I’ll come up with something. Next?”

  “He’ll likely ask you about past relationships. And…how far you’ve gone.” His brother eyed him warily.

  “Oh, no. Past relationships? Oh, boy.” His hands began feeling clammy and he wiped them on his jeans. And this was just his brother. “Can I lie?”

  “Under no circumstances.” Wesley nudged his shoulder. “And you should be ashamed for considering it.”

  This was discouraging. “Should I just forfeit, then? Because, by the sound of it, I’ll be out of the running in the first round anyway.”

  “Just answer honestly. He might respect you because you tell the truth, even when you know it might harm your chances with Holly. There’s something to be said for honesty.”

  “I don’t know, Wes. I feel like he already hates me.”

  “He doesn’t hate you. They’re good people. If you get to know her dad a little, you’ll see he’s actually a friendly guy.”

  Randy grunted.

  “We’ve all messed up,” Wesley said. “Who hasn’t?”

  “You.”

  Wesley laughed. “Trust me, I’ve messed up plenty.”

  “But not in that department.”

  “Look, Randy. The most important part to him is not going to be how you’ve messed up in the past. It will be where you are spiritually, right now. What your plans are for the future—if it’s with his daughter. Will you be a good husband? Are you going to pull her away from God or bring her closer to Him? Will you raise your children to love Jesus?”

  “To tell you the truth, I want this for my future.” He waved his hand around. “What you have.”

  “What you see here, brother, is the direct blessing of God. I followed His leading.”

  “Do you think I can have it too?”

  “Maybe. If you put God first in your life. Get serious about your faith, about serving Him.”

  “I’m not sure I know how to do that.”

  “You are saved, right?”

  “Don’t you remember when we got baptized in that pond in someone’s backyard?”

  Wesley nodded. “I remember. But getting baptized doesn’t mean you have a relationship with God.”

  “I asked Jesus
to save me when I was ten, if that’s what you’re referring to.”

  “And that’s it?”

  “What do you mean? I thought that was all there was.”

  “Well, yeah, that is all that’s required for salvation. But when you get saved, it’s called being ‘born again’ for a reason. You’re like a spiritual baby, born into God’s family. Babies need to be fed so they can grow. The Bible is the food new Christians need so they can mature in their spiritual life. If new Christians don’t get fed, they will be weak and won’t grow properly.”

  Randy grimaced. “Oh. I think I must have missed that part somehow.”

  “Too busy chasing girls, I’d venture to say.”

  Randy chuckled. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

  “That’s what I meant by getting serious about your faith. Since Holly’s been raised going to the church’s school—and I think she might have been homeschooled too—then she’s probably pretty spiritually mature.”

  Randy blew out a breath. “So, what you’re saying is I’m behind. And I should start going to church regularly.” Going to church would be a pleasure if Holly was there every time he attended.

  “That’s a good first step. If I were you, I’d start studying my Bible. And pray. God will lead you if you ask Him to.” Wesley set his coffee on the table and leaned forward. “But don’t expect your life to become perfect. It never is.”

  “Your life is.”

  “Hardly.”

  “How so?”

  Wesley shrugged. “We fight sometimes.”

  “You and Shannon?”

  He nodded. “It’s not easy to provide for a family of six on my wages. I work. A lot. And I think sometimes Shannon gets lonely and craves adult company after being around the children all day.”

  “That’s it?”

  “No, there’s much more. My point is that no family is perfect. But the good part about fighting with your sweetheart is you get to kiss and make up.” Wesley smiled and winked.

  “I’m going to enjoy that part.”

  “Just remember that words spoken in anger can be forgiven, but they can never be revoked.” He grimaced.

  “You sound like you speak from experience.”

  “I’ve been a jerk at times. But I have a really, really good, loving, caring, understanding, patient, and forgiving wife. I don’t know how she puts up with me sometimes.”

  “She realizes you’re human.”

  “I’m definitely no angel.”

  “Well, I’m sure she isn’t always either.”

  “She’s a saint compared to me.”

  “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. Because that’s definitely not how other people see you.”

  “Wow, that’s a compliment coming from you, little brother. Thanks.”

  “I said other people.” He teased.

  Wesley fake punched his arm and chuckled.

  Back to the issue at hand. “So, what else is Holly’s father going to ask me?”

  “Probably about school, work, church, what you do in your free time. He’ll be trying to get a good picture in his mind of who you are, basically. He’ll want to know what kind of character you have.”

  Randy covered his face with both hands. “I’m doomed.”

  “I think you’re being too hard on yourself now.”

  “It just seems like he’s looking for perfection and I’m so far below that… I almost feel like this is a hopeless cause.”

  “Like I said before, pray. You’re putting confidence in yourself. Put your confidence in God and His plan. He knows whether you and Holly are meant to be together. If it’s His will, He will make it work out.”

  “Okay, yeah.” He expelled a breath. “I think I’ll pray.”

  SEVEN

  Holly pushed her cart down an aisle of the local Walmart, occasionally adding items from her list. Mom had relegated this weekly task to her a couple of years ago, but she didn’t mind. It gave her an opportunity to peruse the book section each week to see if any new titles had been released by her favorite authors. If she didn’t make her quest a weekly adventure, there was a good chance the popular books would be sold out. The shelves didn’t always get restocked, so she’d miss out if she didn’t grab her copy right away.

  She’d arrived ten minutes early, but hadn’t spotted Randy’s vehicle in the parking lot. She’d already glanced toward the entrance more than once, but she didn’t want to seem too eager. But, man, was he handsome. He was so different than the boys she was used to. He seemed adventurous and spontaneous and carefree. The opposite of herself. But didn’t opposites attract?

  “Guess who?”

  She’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn’t even noticed when the strong masculine hands covered her eyes. She smiled at Randy’s voice and spun around.

  “Fancy meeting you here.” She couldn’t seem to not flirt whenever Randy was near. Why was that? She wasn’t one of those girls who flirted with all the guys.

  “Hmm…” He eyed the book in her hand. “The Cowboy’s Forgotten Daughter. Sounds interesting.”

  “Somewhat predictable, but they’re good, clean stories.”

  The side of his mouth quirked up. “You lookin’ for a cowboy, little lady?” he said with a twang in his voice.

  “Why, I just might be.” She splayed a hand over her chest and replied with her best Texan drawl.

  “You wanna ride off into the sunset with me, darlin’?” he responded in kind.

  She giggled. “It’s an awfully temptin’ offer, cowboy.”

  He let out a long sigh. “I’m really going to miss you when I go back to college.” He was back to his normal voice now. “I’m tempted not to go back.”

  She gasped. “You have to. Isn’t it your last semester?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sure it will go by fast. You’ll probably be too busy to think about home.”

  He shook his head. “You is what I’ll be thinking about. I’ve thought of little else since we crashed on the ice rink.”

  Her heart fluttered. She could get used to this much attention.

  “I’m worried about my meeting with your father on Wednesday night. Do you have any pointers for me?”

  She shrugged. “Just be yourself.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I haven’t always been the saintly person you see now.” He chuckled.

  “Everybody has a past. You learn, grow, and move on.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re forgiving.”

  She frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “My dad. He doesn’t think we’ll be a good match.” She hated to put a damper on their conversation, but it was only fair that Randy know what he was up against.

  “I already figured that. I’ve been praying now more than ever. Wesley’s given me some good advice.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like putting God first in my life. Getting serious about my relationship with Jesus.”

  “Those sound like wise words.”

  “Well, you know my brother…” He let his words trail off.

  “Yeah. About that…I think now I’m seeing a little more clearly why he and I didn’t work out.”

  “Why do you think…?”

  “Shannon.” She stared at him. “You.”

  “Me. I like the sound of that.” He smiled.

  “God’s plan for us is always better than our own. We can trust Him to do what’s best.”

  He moved closer and lightly bumped her side, feathering his fingers over hers but failing to hold her hand. It was a deliberate teasing gesture that let her know he longed to do more.

  The simple touch sent her heart galloping into the sunset. With her cowboy.

  His intense gaze and quirked half smile made her almost wish he’d pull her to secluded place and kiss her breathless. She shook her head. She’d definitely been reading too many romance novels or watching too many romant
ic Christmas movies. Likely both.

  She cleared her throat to redirect her thoughts. “Shopping.”

  A low rumble escaped his lips. Was there a thing he did that didn’t add to his charm? She didn’t think so.

  “Do you have a list?”

  She handed the paper to him.

  “Ooh…I love spaghetti.” His smile widened.

  “You do?”

  “One of my favorite things to eat.”

  She smiled. “Mine too. With extra parmesan cheese and garlic bread and salad.”

  “You’re making me hungry.” He eyed her. “Can you do lunch?”

  “Uh…” She shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t. There’s a good chance someone’s already seen us together here.”

  “Then why not lunch too?” His eyes pled. “I only have until the first, then I have to go back.”

  “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” She turned away from his probing gaze.

  “Holly?” She turned toward him and he swallowed. “Is it because you don’t want to or because of your parents?”

  How could she answer that? Yes, she certainly wanted to. But spending time with Randy was dangerous. The more time she spent with him, the more that realization sunk in. They weren’t courting. He wasn’t even the kind of man she’d had in mind to marry. She wanted someone spiritually mature, who would guide their household in the ways of the Lord. But she felt herself falling hard for him, in spite of that fact.

  “Both. I mean, I do want to. I just don’t think…I mean, my parents already wouldn’t be happy if they knew that we’d arranged to meet today. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that I’d be here.” She’d deceived her parents. What kind of an example was she being? Guilt ate at her.

  His brow lowered. “I feel like I’m getting mixed signals here.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Tell me what I need to do to be acceptable to you. I want you in my life. I want us to happen. But I don’t know how to do that. Please. Give me a clue.” She hated the hurt intertwined with his words. He seemed to be trying so hard to please her.