Page 15 of The Christmas House
The air was nippy and damp early the next morning as Liz made her way out to the stable to groom King. Gently, she spoke to him while making circular motions with the curry comb, recalling that Matt liked to talk to the horse, too. “It’ll be nice to see Matt again, won’t it?”
As if he understood, the horse whinnied.
She laughed softly. “Well, Matt’s fond of you, too.”
The memory of her first date with him continued to linger. It went very well , she thought, once I let myself enjoy it and not be worried about what comes next . Like Ella Mae said .
She sighed deeply, thinking of the heartbreaking loss Matt had suffered. I’m not sure I could let myself love again if that happened to me.
Despite Liz’s growing attraction to Matt, they continued to interact professionally and effectively with each other that work week.
But when they groomed King together after the last ride of the day—a routine now—she was surprised at how easy it was to banter with him and even flirt a little.
She no longer wondered what was happening between them. She absolutely knew.
Liz was happy to see the Nolt family return for the Christmas House Buggy Tour that Saturday afternoon, along with other customers.
Jack and James, the identical twins, asked their parents if they could sit close to the front of the carriage.
Their shy sister, Danica, sat with their parents, farther back.
“We’re ready for the Christmas treats,” Jack told Liz before the tour even started.
Liz smiled as James gave an emphatic nod. She recalled their question last month about the goodies on this particular tour.
“It’ll be worth the wait, I can tell ya.”
Jack made a show of rubbing his little hands together.
“Did I hear ya say you’re just here for the treats?” Matt joked, getting into the driver’s seat. Now that Matt knew all the routes for the tours, Liz had relinquished the reins more than a week ago. She liked having more freedom to interact with the passengers.
“Not just for the treats, the toy store, too,” James said, elbowing his twin.
Danica looked downright embarrassed back there next to her mother as they headed out, driving past several farms and meadows on the way to the first stop at the Amish Toy Store.
Liz enjoyed seeing the boys wave at two sorrel horses with long noses leaning over a fence as if watching the carriage go by.
Do I take these everyday scenes for granted?
she wondered. There’s so much to love about life here.
The toy store was as popular as any stop, and the owner’s young wife welcomed them and offered a quick peek through the window at the large woodworking shop in the back. Afterward, tourists were always eager to see the toy options on the store’s shelves.
Liz noticed the Nolt twins eyeing wooden bulldozers, fire trucks, and a helicopter.
Their father leaned down to ask each of them to choose one for a Christmas present, and their mother said she would wrap them for under the tree.
The boys’ eyes danced with excitement, yet their sister hung back.
Like she did at the petting zoo farm , Liz remembered.
Going over to her, she asked, “Have ya seen the doll-sized rocking chairs? There’s a dollhouse, too.”
Instantly, Danica brightened.
“ Kumme , I’ll show ya.” Liz led the way, and Danica’s mom fell in step with them.
Later, once all the purchases were made, the touring carriage resumed its horse-drawn journey down Hickory Lane, then over toward the narrow road where the Christmas House was located.
As they drew closer to the big display, Liz could hear the usual raucous music and saw two frowning Amishmen standing out near the road, arms folded as they observed.
In front of the Christmas House, Matt brought King to a halt so everyone could see the multitude of decorations and lights. Jack and James began to sway to the rhythmic beat.
“I can’t believe the work they put into this,” Patricia said.
“It’s so creative,” another passenger agreed.
Unexpectedly, five Amish schoolchildren on individual kick scooters—each child wearing a safety vest—zoomed past the horse and carriage, then stopped and stared in wonder at the dazzling lights.
On board the carriage, people stretched their necks to get a better glimpse of the adorable children—little girls in black coats and black outer bonnets, and the boys all in black from their knit hats and scarves down to their shoes.
This isn’t a school day , Liz thought, curious why they’d come.
One woman held up her phone to take a photo, and Matt politely asked her to respect the Amish wish that they not be photographed. Liz exchanged glances with Matt, proud of him for speaking up.
Suddenly, the door of the Christmas House opened, and a white miniature poodle dashed down the front steps, yipping and wagging its tail, and headed straight toward the scooters.
Ashley and her younger son, Jace, followed a second later and ran after the dog, calling, “Here, Kippy Sue. Come back, girl!” Yet the more they called and pleaded, the faster the little poodle ran from them, heading up the country road.
Immediately, the Amish children took off on their scooters, chasing after Kippy and calling to her in Deitsch . The tour passengers stood to watch, and it wasn’t long before Ashley and her son vanished from sight, as well.
Never had Liz seen such a commotion during her tours here, and she wished she, too, could take time to help catch the Hyatts’ small pooch, especially what with all the traffic soon to come, but she asked everyone to please be seated.
“We need to be safe when we move forward to better view the nativity and angel chorus on the other side of the yard.”
Cody Nolt spoke up. “Isn’t it unusual for Amish children to show an interest in a Christmas display like this?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen any Amish children here,” Liz replied. “And the first time for a dog chase durin’ a tour, too.”
Now that things had quieted down outside the carriage, she could hear the music for the display of Santa’s sprightly elves, and the figures began to shift into another round of their dance.
Matt asked, “Who’d like to sing along?”
In the second row of the carriage, Jack and James began to sing “Jingle Bells” with Matt, and soon the others joined in, too. Danica had little bells on the wrists of her Christmas sweater, and she began to ring them in time to the song.
Liz stole an admiring glance at Matt again, trying to be subtle, but her heart beat faster. He brings out the best in everyone!
At Ella Mae’s, Liz introduced her to the tour group standing there on the back porch. “Many thanks to my longtime friend for her tasty Christmas cookies and creamy hot cocoa. Ella Mae certainly helps spread Christmas cheer, jah ?”
The group applauded, happy for the goodies, including gingerbread cookies and sand tarts topped with colorful sprinkles.
The twins walked over to hand Ella Mae a tip like others had done on previous tours, thanking her for “the best cookies ever,” which made Ella Mae smile, her dear face simply beaming.
“Have yourselves a nice time,” Ella Mae told the boys as she leaned on her cane. “ En hallicher Grischtdaag —a Merry Christmas to all of yous!”
Liz could well guess where that tip money would go—directly into the deacon’s alms fund.
The ride back through Hickory Hollow was a jovial one as Cody Nolt got everyone singing carols, his strong baritone voice leading out. Liz couldn’t resist joining in to sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
As they waited to make the left-hand turn onto Cattail Road, Liz could see the long line of cars to the left inching toward the intersection, undoubtedly heading for the Christmas House.
She wondered how the touring carriage would ever get across and hoped that Ashley and Jace and their dog were safely home.
Several cars farther back blared their horns, impatient with the wait, and everyone on board stopped their singing. There was no sign of the traffic letting up, however. Cars kept drifting through the intersection, blocking it completely, as though King and the carriage were invisible.
At last, Matt asked Liz to take the reins, and she scooted over to the right side of the carriage.
Matt got out, reached for a flashlight in the glove compartment, and strode calmly into the clogged road, raising his right hand to stop the very next car while motioning with his left for Liz to direct King forward.
Liz held her breath, hoping the horse wouldn’t be spooked as she carefully guided him through the narrow opening.
“Keep goin’,” Matt called to her as she passed by. “I’ll meet ya later.”
Liz nodded, concerned he wouldn’t be so visible soon, now that the sun was setting.
Lord , please protect him , she prayed silently as she guided King back toward the parking lot of the hardware store, astonished at the number of cars coming from Route 340.
The northbound lane was vacant of vehicles, so the traffic heading south had to be there primarily for the Christmas House.
The image of Matt courageously taking charge and standing in the road, nearly sandwiched between the cars, made her shiver inwardly. Even so, her only responsibility now was to her passengers, and she steadily held the driving lines until she got them back safely.
She’d nearly finished grooming King by the time Matt came walking across the parking lot. Her first impulse was to run to greet him, but she resisted.
“You’ll never guess what happened,” he said as he approached. “The Hyatts’ dog reappeared, runnin’ holler-boller amongst the cars. The poor thing came right up to me, it was so frightened. I was able to catch her.”
“Aww, wunnerbaar. ” She shook her head, grateful Kippy Sue’s dangerous escape had come to an end.
“I must say, that was one happy family when they saw me with the pup.”
“You are so kind, Matt,” said Liz, though other, more endearing words came to mind.