Christmas Cradles

By Kelly Long

When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers' quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9781401689360

Kelly Long

Kelly Long is a nationally bestselling author of Amish Fiction who enjoys studying the Appalachian Amish in particular. Kelly was raised in North Central Pennsylvania, and her dad's friendship with the Amish helped shape Kelly's earliest memories of the culture. Today, she lives in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with her three children and is a great proponent of autism spectrum and mental health needs. Visit Kelly on Facebook: Fans-of-Kelly-Long and Twitter: @KellyLongAmish.  

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© 2010 by Kelly Long

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version.

Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-1-59554-856-6 (TP)

ISBN 978-1-41857-914-2 (ebook)

ISBN 978-1-40168-936-0 (ebook: Christmas Cradles)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wiseman, Beth, 1962–

  An Amish Christmas : December in Lancaster County : three Amish

Christmas novellas / Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Barbara Cameron. —

Expanded ed.

       p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-1-59554-878-8 (alk. paper)

 1. Christmas stories, American. 2. Christian fiction, American. 3. Lancaster County (Pa.)—Fiction.

I. Wiseman, Beth, 1962– A choice to forgive. II. Fuller, Kathleen A miracle for Miriam. III.

Cameron, Barbara, 1949– One child. IV. Title.

  PS648.C45A47 2010

  813'.0108334—dc22

2010014413

For Anna and Sam Locksley.

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CONTENTS

Contents

GLOSSARY

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

READING GUIDE

AMISH RECIPES

EXCERPT FROM SARAH'S GARDEN

AUTHOR BIO

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Acknowledgments

I’d like to acknowledge my editor, Natalie Hanemann, who continues to be a source of encouragement and strength for me both as a person and as a writer. I also would like to thank my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, for providing a lot of cheer along the writing process of this work. My love goes out to my critique partner and coconspirator of plotting and love, Brenda Lott, and my deepest thanks goes to Daniel Miller, my Amish consultant for the piece. And lastly but foremost, I want to thank my husband, Scott, for always being there, through all the storms of life—you are my real hero!

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Glossary

ab im kopp – off in the head, crazy

aenti – aunt

baremlich – terrible

bauchduch – napkin

boppli – baby or babies

bruder – brother

daadi – grandfather

daed – dad

danki – thanks

demut – humility

dippy eggs – eggs cooked over easy

Derr Herr – God

dochder – daughter

du bischt wilkumm – you’re welcome

dummkopf – dummy

Englisch or Englischer – a non-Amish person

fraa or frau – wife

Frehlicher Grischtdaag – Merry Christmas

gebet – prayer

gern schöna – so willingly done

glay hotsli – little heart (endearment)

grossmammi – grandmother

guder mariye – good morning

guten nacht – good night

gut-n-owed – good evening

gutguckich – good-looking

gut – good

halt – stop

haus – house

hatt – hard

herr – mister

hochmut – pride

in lieb – in love

kaffi – coffee

kapp – prayer covering or cap

kind, kinder, kinner – children or grandchildren

liebschen – dearest

maedel or maed – girl or girls

mamm – mom

mammi – grandmother

mann – man

mei – my

mudder – mother

naerfich – nervous

narrisch – crazy

nee – no

onkel – uncle

ordnung – the written and unwritten rules of the Amish; the understood behavior by which the Amish are expected to live, passed down from generation to generation. Most Amish know the rules by heart.

Pennsylvania Deitsch – Pennsylvania German, the language most commonly used by the Amish

recht – right

redd-up – clean up

rumschpringe – running-around period when a teenager turns sixteen years old

sehr gut – very good

seltsam – weird

sohn – son

wunderbaar – wonderful

ya – yes

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Chapter One

The fading light played with the reflection of the kerosene lamp against the window of the old Amish farmhouse and illuminated the stray snowflakes just beginning to fall. Inside the warm and simple room, Asa Mast bent his broad back over his father’s bed and lifted the older man into a more comfortable position against the pillows.

"Danki, Asa. Samuel coughed, giving his son a bleary-eyed look. The flu is bad this year and it moves fast, or else I’m growing old."

Asa sat on the edge of the bed and poured a fresh glass of water from the pitcher his sister-in-law had just brought.

"You seem as young to me, Daed, as the day you took me out behind the barn and tanned my hide for driving the colt through Mamm’s kitchen garden."

Samuel smiled as Asa knew he would, his fever-bright eyes, so dark and so like his son’s, growing warmer for a moment. "Jah, to think that you were ever that young . . ."

They sat in silence for a moment, remembering. Then Asa lifted the cloth napkin from the tray on the bedside table and saw untouched thin slices of ham, mashed potatoes, pickled beets, and a wedge of apple pie.

"Can’t you bring yourself to eat anything, Daed? Would you like something lighter, maybe broth?"

I’m not an invalid; I asked for all of that. I guess my eyes were just bigger than my stomach.

Asa recovered the plate. "I hate to leave you alone tonight, Daed."

Samuel waved the words away. "Your bruder and sister-in-law are here; they will care well for me."

I know, but I guess I’d feel more comfortable if you’d let me take you to the hospital to get checked out. I don’t like the sound of your cough.

"Ha! Going to the hospital for the flu, and on First Christmas too. I don’t think so. And I made a promise to Frau Ruth; you must keep it for me."

Asa sighed. I know, but . . .

Samuel tapped his son’s large hand. You’re making excuses. Perhaps you don’t want to go because it’s a woman you’ll be helping. Hmm?

Asa’s dark eyelashes drifted downward.

So that’s the truth of it? Samuel smiled as he settled back once more against the pillows.

"Nee . . . it doesn’t matter."

Samuel snorted. Women always matter.

"I’m going to point that out to Grossmuder the next time she visits."

Bah, and I’ll point out to her that you’ve yet to get over something that happened more than a decade ago.

I didn’t think you’d kept track.

"Your mamm did, Samuel rasped. She worried for you. Now that she’s gone, it’s my job."

"I’m over it, Daed. There’s nothing for you to worry about." Asa touched his father’s arm.

His father sighed. "We celebrate Christmas, my son. A season of expectancy, of hope. But you, I don’t think that you expect anything wonderful to happen to you in your life. You don’t look at your days, or your nights, with the hope of Derr Herr."

"I know Derr Herr has a plan for my life."

"Then look for it. Watch for it, like a candle in the snow. This is what your mamm would want for you. It’s what I want for you."

"Daed. Asa smiled. I’ll think about it. And I know you miss Mamm—I do too."

Now you’re changing the subject . . .

Asa got to his feet and adjusted the quilts, tucking them around his father’s shoulders but leaving room for his long, gray beard to stick out. "Nee, now I’m going to keep your favor—woman or not. Happy Christmas, Daed."

The old man sighed. "Happy Christmas, sohn."

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Anna Stolis breathed a prayer of gratitude when the large white van took the last corner around Lincoln Street and came to a ragged halt in front of Dienner’s Country Restaurant. She’d endured the Englisch teenager’s reckless driving for two and half hours. At the last minute her transportation from Pine Creek had canceled, but she had needed to get to her Aenti Ruth,