An Amish Noel

An Amish Homecoming

Luke Bowman’s homecoming is turning Emma Swartzentruber’s carefully ordered world upside down. Gone is her rebellious girlhood crush, and in his place is a handsome man who seems committed to serving the community. Luke’s even agreed to work for Emma’s ill father, whose last wish is to see his daughter wedded to a stable, loving man. But Luke—a man who flirted with the outside world with disastrous consequences—is hardly marriage material for a good Amish woman. Yet this Christmas, when her family is flung into crisis, Emma finds that he may just be the one to capture her heart for good.

“What if I say that I’ve changed? Would you believe me?” he asked.

“I would pray fervently that is true,” Emma replied.

“Not exactly what I wanted to hear.”

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “It’s the best I can do.”

“Then maybe I should tell your father I’ve changed my mind.” He pulled back. A shadow slipped across his eyes.

Was it pain? Had she hurt him? That was never her intention. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s best to get our feelings out in the open. I’ll speak to your father tomorrow.”

“But you understand machines. You will know what can be fixed and what is junk fit only for scrap. At least he’ll make a little money off that.”

“And making money is important, isn’t it? Of course it is. What woman wants to go into a marriage empty-handed?”

She drew back in shock. “Marriage? Who said anything about marriage?”

After thirty-five years as a nurse, PATRICIA DAVIDS hung up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer. She enjoys spending her free time visiting her grandchildren, doing some long-overdue yard work and traveling to research her story locations. She resides in Wichita, Kansas. Pat always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can visit her online at patriciadavids.com.

An Amish Noel

Patricia Davids

www.millsandboon.co.uk

If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee,

that thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,

and in His word do I hope.

—Psalms 130:3–5

This book is dedicated with Love and Hugs

to my granddaughter Shantel. Merry Christmas, honey. PS: Don’t forget to do your chores.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“He’s not going to try and cross the river. No one is that stupid.” Luke Bowman drew back on the reins of the draft horses pulling the large bobsled. The massive gray Percherons stopped, but they tossed their shaggy heads, making the harness bells jingle. They were eager to finish the task and head home. Their snorts sent duel puffs of white mist into the cold November air. Luke watched in disbelief as a snowmobile with two riders continued to barrel toward the frozen river winding through the snow-covered valley below his father’s cornfield.

Noah, Luke’s youngest brother, leaned on his ax handle as he stood behind the driver’s seat. “I remember when you did it on Jim Morgan’s snowmobile. More than once. That looks like the same machine.”

It did look like the same machine, but Luke doubted it was his Englisch friend aboard. More than likely it was Jim’s younger brother Brian riding into trouble. “We never crossed this early in the year. The ice isn’t thick enough. It won’t hold them.”

Noah pulled his scarf up to cover his face. “This cold snap has been bitter even for late November. Maybe the ice is thicker than you think.”

Luke didn’t mind the cold. His stint in prison made him cherish every moment he could spend out in the open. “It would have to be this cold a lot longer to freeze running water.”

He and Noah had come out to gather a load of firewood from the stand of trees along the river. Four inches of fresh snow from the night before made easy pulling for the team. The sled was three-quarters full of logs lashed together, and the men were on their way home.

Luke watched the snowmobilers a second longer, then he turned the horses toward the river. Noah almost lost his balance on the flat sled at the unexpected move and had to grab hold of the seatback to keep from falling off. “What are you doing?”

“We’re gonna pull those fools out of the water unless they drown before we reach them.”

The red-and-white machine didn’t stop. It hit the river’s edge at a fast clip and traveled a full fifty feet out onto the ice before the front end broke through, spilling the riders. Luke shouted at the team and slapped the reins, sending the horses into a fast trot across the snow-covered field, knowing he might be too late. If the riders were dragged under the ice by the current, they would drown.

One of the snowmobile riders had been thrown clear of the open water. He lay sprawled facedown on the ice. The second rider was desperately trying to claw his way out of the river but the edge of the ice kept breaking in front of him. The snowmobile teetered precariously, half in and half out of the water as it hung by the rear tread.