Housekeeper For The Holidays
During the Christmas season, Rebecca Yoder agrees to help new preacher Caleb Wittner with his mischievous daughter. Ameliaâs turned the community of Seven Poplars upside down. Only Rebecca can see the pain hidden beneath the little girlâs anticsâand her fatherâs brusque manner. After losing his wife in a fire, Calebâs physical scars may be healing, but his emotions have not. Yet Rebeccaâs sweet manner soon has him smiling and laughing with his daughterâand his pretty housekeeper. Soon Caleb must decide whether to invite Rebecca into his lifeâor lose her forever.
Hannahâs Daughters: Seeking love, family and faith in Amish country
As Caleb entered the Yoder barn, he looked up to see Rebecca coming down the ladder from the hayloft.
She was such a pretty sight, all pink cheeked from the cold, red curls tumbling around her face, and small graceful handsâhands that could bake bread, soothe a crying child and manage a spirited driving horse without hesitation.
âCaleb!â A smile lit her eyes and spread over her face. âI didnât expect you so early.â
âYa.â Rebecca often made him trip over his own tongue. âYou, too,â he added. âUp early.â
She nodded. âI like mornings, when itâs quiet. A barn can be almost likeâ¦like a church. The contented sounds of the animals, the rustle of hay when you throw it down from the loft andâ¦â She broke off, laughing softly. âI must sound foolish.â
âNe. I feel the same wayâ¦as if God is listening.â
When she looked at him, he got the feeling she saw beyond the scars on his face and hand. It was almost as if she didnât see them at all.
EMMA MILLER
lives quietly in her old farmhouse in rural Delaware amid fertile fields and lush woodlands. Fortunate enough to be born into a family of strong faith, she grew up on a dairy farm, surrounded by loving parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Emma was educated in local schools, and once taught in an Amish schoolhouse much like the one at Seven Poplars. When sheâs not caring for her large family, reading and writing are her favorite pastimes.
âFor I know the plans I have for you,â declares the Lord, âplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.â
âJeremiah 29:11
Chapter One
Seven Poplars, Kent County, Delaware, Autumn
Rebecca Yoder stole another secret glance at the new preacher before ducking behind an oak tree. Today had been delightful; she couldnât remember when sheâd last enjoyed a barn raising so much. Leaning back against the sturdy trunk of the broad-leaved oak, she slipped off her black athletic shoes and wiggled her bare feet in the sweet-smelling clover. It may have been October, but fair weather often lingered late into autumn in Delaware and the earth was still warm under her feet.
She and her friends Mary Byler and Lilly Hershberger had been busy since sunup, cooking, helping to mind the children and squeezing dozens and dozens of lemons to make lemonade for the work frolic. It seemed that half the Amish in the county, and more than a few from out of state, had come to help rebuild new preacher Caleb Wittnerâs barn, and everyoneâfrom toddlers to white-haired eldersâhad been hungry.
As adult women, a great deal of the heavy work of feeding people fell to them. Rebecca didnât mindâshe was happy to helpâand work frolics were fun. A change from everyday farm chores was always welcome, and gatherings like these gave young people from different church districts an opportunity to meet and socialize. Getting to know eligible men was the first step in courtship, as the eventual goal of every Amish girl was finding a husband.
Not that she would be in the market for one for some time. Technically, at twenty-one, she was old enough to marry, but she liked her life as it was. Her older sisters had all found wonderful husbands, and she intended to take her time and choose the right man. Good men didnât exactly grow on trees, and she wouldnât settle for just anyone. Marriage was for a lifetime and she didnât want to choose in haste. If she couldnât have someone who loved her in a romantic way, sheâd remain single.
Rebecca yawned and rubbed the back of her neck. This was the first chance that she, Mary and Lilly, all of courting age, had found to take a break. Here, under the shade trees, they could take a few minutes to relax, talk and enjoy some of the delicious food theyâd been serving to the men all afternoon. The fact that their chosen spot was slightly private while offering a perfect view of the young men pulling rotted siding off the old barn was a definite plus.
âI donât care how eligible Caleb Wittner is. I wouldnât want him.â Balancing her plate of food, Mary folded her long legs gracefully under her as she lowered herself onto the grass. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned toward Rebecca. âAmish or not, I tell you, I wouldnât set foot in that manâs house again, not even for double wages.â