Page 12 of The Christmas House

The next week’s tours were lively and fun, even the ones that weren’t seasonal. Now that it was December, passengers had started showing up in festive sweaters, holiday-themed jewelry, and even a few in red stocking caps, demonstrating Christmas spirit.

After wrapping up the final tour of the week, Liz and Matt groomed the horse together yet again, and Liz thanked him for sticking around, and for his pleasant, easy way with the customers. “They really like ya, Matt,” she said, blushing that he might think she was including herself.

“No need to thank me, Liz,” he said as he picked the debris out of King’s hoof.

“I’m enjoying it.” He stood up just then.

“Tell ya what, though. We can talk more ’bout the tours over coffee and pie on Monday afternoon, if you’d like.

I’ll send a driver for ya around two o’clock and meet ya at the Bird-in-Hand Bakery and Cafe. Okay?”

She had not seen this invitation coming and was speechless . . . and felt strangely shy. But why? She knew Matt well enough, and they’d clicked early on while working together.

Is this a date? Am I ready to go out with him?

“S’pose I’ll need your address,” Matt said with a smile.

“Uh ... jah , of course.” She told him where the driver should pick her up. “Nice of you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” He was outright grinning now.

Liz’s thoughts were racing as they finished grooming King, and later, too, as she headed home in the carriage. Wait till Martha hears ’ bout this!

Liz’s wind-up clock alarm jingled her awake the next morning, and immediately, she was alert.

She’d told Martha the surprising news about Matt last night .

“How do you feel about him?” Martha had asked.

And Liz still grappled with the question, curious as to why she’d felt so shy around Matt after he’d asked her out.

What am I worried about? I’ ve spent plenty-a time with him lately. It’s just a casual get-together .

There was one thing Liz knew for sure: She must go and visit Ella Mae Zook. And very soon.

That morning at the Preaching service held at Onkel Joe’s farmhouse, Liz was distracted and fidgeted in her seat, especially when Preacher Yoder rose to give the first of the usual two sermons—the first sermon being the shorter.

Seeing the elderly man speak to the congregation pushed her thoughts back to Matt.

Why did he tell me about his Dat’s relationship to our minister?

Preacher Yoder asked the People to pray that his words would be wholly directed by the Lord, something the ordained brethren always humbly requested.

Liz studied him, looking for a physical resemblance to Matt, and as she observed him, listening closely, she detected a similar ity.

Not so much a physical one, though. The theme of his sermon was kindness—going out of one’s way for another, and Preacher Yoder recited the biblical account of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke.

During the sermon, Liz imagined Matt being the Samaritan man who helped the wounded Jewish man lying on the road.

“The Samaritan was not fearful of helping the injured man who was of a different background,” said Preacher Yoder.

“ Nee , he set aside the potential shame and ignored the social customs of the time to reach out to his neighbor. In other words, the Samaritan chose to do what was right in God’s eyes. ”

It sure seemed like Preacher Yoder was trying to get the congregation to focus on something practical.

Something, just maybe, that was a sore spot in the middle of their own community, now that traffic had returned to the roads near the Christmas House.

At least that’s how Liz took it. On the other hand, if she was mistaken in her assumption, the message of the sermon was still very clear.

They were to show compassion to those outside their Plain circles.

After the sermon, Liz and everyone in attendance turned and knelt at the benches to pray silently where they’d been sitting. And Liz asked God to show her ways to demonstrate kindness to everyone, even outsiders.

When Liz gathered after the service with Martha Rose and their cousins Fran and Naomi at the far end of the backyard, Fran whispered that she thought the first sermon might be a “hard pill to swallow” for a lot of folks around here. “I mean, think ’bout it.”

Martha Rose looked befuddled. “How hard is it to be kind to others?”

Fran quickly filled Martha Rose in on what she’d determined to be the point of the first sermon, confirming Liz’s own suspicions.

“One of my Bruders—I won’t say which one—said last night at supper that somethin’ bad’s gonna happen what with all the cars comin’ to see the Christmas House, and the Englishers’ disregard for horses and buggies. ”

Hearing this, Liz shivered.

“Maybe one of the lanes in the road could be blocked off to make it impossible for cars to return the way they came in? If that happened, ya’d have to drive past the Christmas House an’ keep goin’ to get to another crossroad,” Fran suggested.

Liz wondered how that could work, since doing so would take cars—and buggies—far out of their way ... and just for a glimpse of the light and music display.

“Sounds like a detour to me,” Naomi declared. “Which would definitely discourage outsiders from coming at all.”

“Isn’t that too much of an all-or-nothin’ approach?” Martha Rose asked. “Besides, the buggies passin’ by are just tryin’ to get home for milkin’.”

Liz said nothing, thinking that Fran’s and Naomi’s families must be influencing the girls’ strong opinions. And, too, if the road were partially closed, there’d be no way to get Liz’s customers back to Ella Mae’s for cookies and hot cocoa to end the Christmas House Buggy Tour before dark.

Sighing, Liz felt torn yet again.

On this very mild December Sunday, the older folks began to move toward the back porch as the first seating for the fellowship meal commenced indoors. Liz spotted Ella Mae in the midst of them, leaning on her daughter Mattie Beiler’s right arm.

“Excuse me,” Liz told her sister and cousins before hurrying across the yard to the Wise Woman.

“Hullo there, Lizzy,” Ella Mae said when she saw her.

Liz stepped close to speak softly. “Just wondered if ya’ll be home this afternoon?”

“I will, indeed.” Ella Mae’s eyes caught hers. “And I’ll put a kettle on, dearie.”

Smiling with relief, Liz thanked her and turned to head back to Martha Rose and their cousins. Knowing she could talk with Ella Mae before tomorrow’s coffee date with Matt made her feel somewhat better.

On the buggy ride home, Liz noticed a number of church members and their families walking toward their farms.

“A great day to be outdoors,” Martha Rose said. “’Specially after sittin’ in church all mornin’.”

Mamm was deep in thought at the reins, not replying.

Later, after they arrived home and Mamm was getting ready to unhitch Charlie, Liz asked, “Might I take the buggy out this afternoon?”

“Help yourself,” Mamm said, and Liz hurried into the barn to get some hay for Charlie to munch on.

The day felt almost balmy as Liz headed toward Ella Mae’s. Lowering the window on the driver’s side, she breathed in the fresh air, the breeze brushing her face. The landscape looked lonely, stark and brown as it was, awaiting a real snow, not a mere dusting. Where is winter ?

Just ahead on the left side of the road, Liz could see a runner pausing to take a breather—a slender woman in pale-blue-and-black jogging pants and a matching top. Is that Ashley Hyatt?

Liz slowed the horse, as the carriage was nearly parallel with the woman now. Then, catching sight of her face, Liz pulled the horse over onto the shoulder and waved. “Would ya like a ride?” she called.

There was no hesitation on Ashley’s part as she immediately crossed the road. “Thanks, I think I outran my endurance,” she said, getting in on the left side of the buggy. “It’s Liz, right?”

“ Jah , and it’s nice to see ya again, Ashley.” Picking up the driving lines, Liz eased the horse back onto the road.

“So this is what the inside of an Amish buggy looks like.”

“It’s surprisingly small, ain’t so?” Liz glanced at her. “How far’d ya run?”

Ashley adjusted her headband and looked at the gadget on her left arm. “Let’s see. According to my fitness tracker, seven miles ... and obviously I’m not even home yet.”

“That is a long way.”

“For some reason, it seemed longer today.”

Liz stayed quiet, hoping the woman might keep talking.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Ashley said.

“I enjoy running or biking every day, especially when our three children are in school or out with Logan, like today. They’re Christmas shopping.

And since cold weather is bound to come at some point, I’m making an effort to get outdoors as much as possible. ”

Seeing an opening there, Liz asked, “How old are your children?”

“Dalton’s thirteen. Bella is eleven, going on eighteen.” Ashley laughed. “And Jace is nine.”

“Hope ya don’t mind me askin’, but how do they like livin’ in the country?” Liz purposely did not say amongst the Amish.

“Oh, is that ever a story.” Ashley seemed to settle back in the bench seat.

“Before we moved here, Logan and I both found ourselves caught up in the New Jersey tech world. He was an IT manager, and I was an information security analyst.” She told Liz that they both woke up one day and felt they were losing precious time with their children.

“We wanted a totally different lifestyle. So we looked online for the ideal little farm, with no luck. Then, one day while driving around Lancaster County, we stumbled onto Hickory Hollow, unaware it even existed. Of course, everyone thought we were out of our minds to leave the big city to move to the so-called boonies and work remotely in lower-paying jobs. But we craved the idea of getting our hands in the soil, growing some of our food, and giving our children a more peaceful life, which they’re slowly becoming accustomed to . .. and enjoying, too.”

Liz caught herself nodding her head. “I know what ya mean ’bout living in the hollow. It’s hard to find if ya don’t know where it is. And it’s a wunnerbaar-gut place to bring up children.”

Ashley was quiet for a time. Then she spoke again.

“Thank goodness, our children have been quite resilient through this big change. But they love having a large property to explore and help garden. They’re enjoying their schools, too, which is a real plus.

” She paused. “I do wonder what our neighbors think of us, though. We don’t really know any of them, since we’re rather new to the area.

” She smiled at Liz. “It still seems . . . a bit lonely, I guess,” she said more softly.

Pausing, she looked out the window, then toward Liz.

“I remember when we had electricity installed last year, some of the buggies would slow down in front of our house, and the Amish folks inside just stared ... like they couldn’t believe it.

” She shook her head and sighed. “Except for a couple of people like you, we haven’t been very warmly received. ”

Liz was sorry to hear that but didn’t reveal that she knew why there was standoffishness. Undoubtedly it’s mostly due to the chaos the Christmas House has brought to the community.

“Maybe people are still getting used to the idea of your house no longer being owned by Amish after so many generations,” Liz mentioned gingerly.

“And it must be a challenge for you to live close to folks who look and act like they’re straight out of an old-fashioned storybook,” she added, trying to sympathize.

“Well, I actually adore waking up to the sound of horses’ hooves on the road and the clatter of the carriages. It’s beyond quaint,” Ashley said. “The definition of tranquility.”

Liz made the turn toward the Hyatts’ farm and slowed the horse’s gait.

Ashley squinted now at the Christmas display. “My husband wants to add even more outdoor lights.”

“This year?” Liz reacted without thinking.

Nodding, Ashley replied, “He’s determined to have the biggest and best display in Lancaster County.”

Liz was surprised Ashley was telling her this. “Well now . . . that is somethin’.”

Ashley waved her hand dismissively. “You’re so sweet to give me a ride.” She smiled. “Thank you, Liz.”

“Happy to help. Have yourself a relaxin’ afternoon ... now that you’ve had your long run, that is!”

The woman got out of the buggy and waved, then hurried toward the festooned house.

Well , what about that? Liz had enjoyed hearing how it was that Ashley and her family had come to live here.

Still mulling over Ashley’s revealing comments, she signaled the horse to a trot and looked forward to sipping some delicious peppermint tea with Ella Mae.