Page 4 of The Christmas House

Liz’s father and Adam departed for Somerset before dawn that Tuesday, leaving Liz to confide her concerns to Mamm about having a stranger ride with her today.

“I know Dat wants to help, but I’m not so sure I actually need anyone to step in,” she said as she warmed up the leftover cornmeal mush while Mamm fried some eggs. “Do you know anything ’bout this guy?”

“Only what your father said. He’s spoken of the family several times to me over the years.” Mamm turned off the gas flame and set the eggs aside to await Martha Rose’s return from feeding the chickens.

“Did Dat ask Martha ’bout this?”

“Are ya wonderin’ why he didn’t ask her to go with ya?” Mamm asked.

“Honestly, I hadn’t thought of that, but now that ya brought it up...”

“ Nee .” Mamm shook her head. “Things are set in place. No need to fret, Lizzy. Besides, your Dat wants ya safe on the roads come December. Remember how last year he got sideswiped by a car comin’ from the Christmas House?

It’s a blessing he escaped in one piece.

Having an extra set of eyes in the front of the touring carriage is right schmaert with customers to tend to, too. ”

Liz had never forgotten how shaken Mamm was that day, and how distressed her dear father had been . Dat’s right , she thought more agreeably, and decided that she must make the best of working with Matt Yoder.

Who knows , he might just be a nice fellow.

At eight-thirty that morning, Liz was met near the waiting area at Onkel Joe’s hardware store by a tall young Amishman with light brown hair.

Apart from his straw hat, he was dressed in church clothes, all in black except his white shirt, and he carried a black horse-grooming tote along with an insulated lunch bag.

He walked right over to her. “I’m Matthew Yoder,” he said, shaking her hand. “But please call me Matt. Gut to meet ya. You must be Liz.”

She nodded, taking note of his self-assurance. “You’re right on time.”

“I want to make sure we start things off on the right foot,” he said, hazel eyes twinkling.

She was about to ask if her father had explained what Adam did to assist her on the buggy rides when, at that moment, her Onkel Joe stepped out of the hardware store, walking this way. “Lizzy, can I have a word?”

She excused herself from Matt and went to meet her uncle . “Everything all right?”

“So, your Dat and Bruder are off to Somerset.”

She nodded. “They’re building a large addition onto a house there. One of your mutual cousins. Sounds like a big job.”

“Your Dat filled me in. And made a point of sayin’ he doesn’t want your Mamm, or you and Martha Rose, havin’ to do the men’s work in the barn.”

Liz recalled hearing Dat tell Mamm this very thing before he and Adam left town.

“So while they’re gone, I’ll be lookin’ after yous.”

“My two married brothers are pitchin’ in, too,” Liz told him.

“ Des gut. Not much to do this time of year, but the barn will be kept clean and mucked out ... bedding straw freshened, and livestock fed and watered.” Onkel Joe paused. “And if there’s anything else ya need, let me know. We’re just up the road.”

“ Denki , Onkel.”

He nodded, his gaze drifting inquisitively toward Matthew. “Looks like ya got yourself a new sidekick.”

“Just ’til Adam’s back.”

Onkel Joe frowned and shook his head. “He sure looks familiar.”

“His name’s Matthew Yoder. Maybe ya know his father? Dat does. The family lives in Bird-in-Hand.”

Her uncle shrugged. “Not sure where I would’ve met him.”

Liz didn’t know Matt well enough to invite Onkel Joe over to talk with him. Besides, the ticket holders for the first tour would be arriving any minute.

“I’ll noodle on it,” Onkel Joe said. “Have yourself a nice day.” He pushed his thick fingers through his shaggy brown beard, glancing again at Matt.

Liz hurried back to the horse and carriage where Matt stood.

She quickly filled him in on the family of five who’d scheduled a private tour for the wife’s birthday.

“By the way, I’ll do the drivin’ today,” she said, wanting to get that settled.

“That’ll give you an idea of the route and the pace.

” Thankfully, Matt only nodded. “On this tour, we’ll ride past a few dairy farms, then over to my Dat’s brother’s place to see their greenhouse and a quilt shop.

Then a little something fun for the children, and last of all, a birthday surprise. ”

Matt grinned. “Sounds like a green thumb and someone with an eye for colorful quilts might be on board.”

Liz couldn’t help smiling at his observations. “Exactly.”

“So ya give custom-made tours, then?” Matt asked, looking somewhat out of place in his for-good clothing. Dat must not have told him to wear everyday clothes. Or maybe , she thought, slightly embarrassed, he wanted Matt to make a good impression on me.

“ Jah , private tours for any occasion, as well as the set tours popular this time of year.” She mentioned the Amish Back Roads and Tasty Treats Tour, and the Amish Farm Tour. “Oh, and real soon, the Christmas House Buggy Tour.”

Matt tilted his head and frowned. “Christmas House, ya say?”

“Just a little over a mile away.”

“I helped paint some rooms and install some shelving there last year when I was working part-time for a local contractor. Got to know the new owner a little, Logan Hyatt. He told me he liked to decorate for the season to make up for the years he missed out on celebrating Christmas as a child.”

“Ya mean his family didn’t celebrate?”

“From what he said, his father was opposed to it.”

“I wonder why.”

“Well, Logan never volunteered why, but when he got married, he said he’d promised his wife they would celebrate Christmas merrily and in a big way, and not only in their hearts.”

This interested Liz. “So that’s the reason for all the outdoor decorations.”

“And indoors, too,” Matt said. “A tree in nearly every room. I’ve never seen a family go all out for a holiday like that.”

“That’s somethin’. No Amish would go to such lengths.”

“He and his wife are new to Lancaster County. They were real kind to me those few days I worked on the house ... seemed eager for company. That’s when Logan showed me all the Christmas trees—real ones, fake ones, cloth ones, you name it.”

“Did he ever say why they moved here?” she asked, still very curious.

“Never did, and I didn’t ask.”

A minivan turned into the parking lot just then, and a man, woman, and three children got out, all of them smiling.

“ Willkuum! Such a nice sunny day for your birthday buggy ride,” Liz said, smiling at the woman. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Cody Nolt cheerfully introduced himself, his wife, Patricia, and their three children, all of them homeschooled—nine-year-old Danica and six-year-old identical twins, Jack and James.

“We’ve all been looking forward to this,” Cody told her.

“When I ran across your website, I knew this was the perfect present for Patricia.” He glanced affectionately at his wife.

“I’m so glad,” Liz replied, once again grateful for her Mennonite cousin’s help in setting up and maintaining the site that handled her reservations and ticket sales.

She doubted her business would be this steady without Roy’s help.

Liz looked at each of the sweet-faced children.

“I’ve planned a special tour and a surprise for your mamma. ”

Then she introduced Matt Yoder as her assistant, and he greeted the family cordially and accepted their tickets.

Soon, they were on their way and passing the general store when one of the look-alike twins spoke up. “We saw the Christmas House Tour online. Does that tour come with cake, too ... like today’s?”

And with that, the birthday cake secret was out! Glancing in the rearview mirror, Liz saw Cody and his daughter, Danica, both shaking their heads.

Liz ignored the spilled beans and instead answered the question about goodies. “There’ll be plenty-a sweets for that Christmas tour, jah , but you’ll have to come an’ see for yourself,” she teased.

“Okay!” the boy shouted, grinning at his twin.

Cody chuckled and slipped his arm around his wife.

“Today we’ll be goin’ to an Amish petting farm that belongs to my father’s youngest brother and his wife,” Liz told them.

“Years ago, after marrying and wantin’ to start their family, Onkel Caleb and Aendi Elsie adopted two little orphaned sisters.

Once the girls were settled into their new home and enjoyed helping round the farm, they asked to adopt a pair of goats. ”

The twins on board giggled.

“So my uncle and aunt decided they would purchase two goats. But do ya think that was enough?”

The children shook their heads.

“That’s right. Perty soon the girls wanted even more animals to care for.”

“Did they ask for two puppies, maybe?” Danica asked softly.

“ Jah , and two miniature horses, too,” Liz said, holding the driving lines steady as a car passed by. “Not long after that, they added two donkeys ... and then two llamas.”

“Like Noah and the ark!” the twins said gleefully in unison.

Now the whole family was laughing.

“Wow, what animals don’t they have?” young James asked.

“You’ll find out real soon,” Matt replied, speaking for the first time since the ride began. “Remember, it’s a farm with a petting zoo. You’ll be able to get up close to everything.”

“Yay!” the twins cheered.

Liz slowed the horse as they came upon two dairy farms, the boys’ noses pressed against the windows as they pointed to the grazing cattle. Their more reserved sister also watched with curiosity but remained silent.

Later, during the short tour of the greenhouse, Liz took notice of Matt, who leaned over to talk and laugh with little Jack and James like a good friend or relative might. He must have younger siblings or nephews and nieces .

As an extra bonus, Liz’s Onkel Caleb swung them by the barn and took all of them up to the hayloft, showing where hay was stored for the winter.

“This is also where we host the Singing gatherings for the Amish youth every other Sunday evening during the spring, summer, and fall when it’s our turn,” he explained.

Cody pulled out his phone to take a photo of his children sitting atop a large square bale. First a silly pose, then a smiley one.

The time spent in the quilt shop was largely for Patricia’s benefit, but Matt entertained the children near the checkout counter, taking a quarter out of his pocket and spinning it.

Soon, all of them were taking turns to see who could keep the coin spinning the longest while Matt counted the seconds.

Meanwhile, Liz enjoyed Elsie’s descriptions of the Amish quilt patterns on display. After listening intently, Patricia chose a quilt she “had to have,” a lovely Double Nine Patch in shades of green and yellow and brown. “A special birthday gift for myself,” she told Liz, eyes bright.

Once the queen-size quilt was wrapped and paid for, Elsie invited everyone around to the large fenced-in area where the animals were located.

A quarter in the food-dispenser slot produced a handful of feed, more than either Jack or James could manage to hold with their hands cupped together.

Matt, anticipating the possibility of spillage, quickly held his hands beneath theirs.

Cody took photos of the llamas while his wife tutted to one of the small donkeys who’d nosed through the nearby fence.

Soon, she was petting the donkey’s head as the miniature horses made a beeline across the barnyard, two sheep close behind, making their way toward Jack and James and their generous handfuls of feed.

Arms folded, Danica wandered over to Liz, observing. “The llamas are so tall,” she said with a grimace. “And they spit.”

“They are tall, but they spit at each other and scarcely ever at people, unless they’re aggravated.” Liz looked at Danica; the sun shone on the girl’s shoulder-length blond hair. “When I was your age, I wasn’t fond of them, either. But now, chickens ... I loved them. ”

Danica’s blue eyes lit up. “You raised chickens?”

“My family still does.” Liz went on to say that her younger sister and she had been warned by their father when they were little never to treat them as pets or to name them. “But it was so hard not to.”

“Why couldn’t you name them?” Danica asked, a puzzled look on her round face.

“Can ya guess why not?” Liz disliked revealing this part.

Danica’s face crumpled like she was trying to figure it out. Then the light seemed to dawn. “Oh yeah, because someday they’d be your dinner.”

“That’s right.”

Frowning, Danica said, “I don’t blame you for wanting to give them names, though.”

Liz smiled. How she hoped the Good Lord would someday bless her with inquisitive children like Danica and her younger brothers.

First , though , a husband , she thought . Well , first a beau ... then a husband , Lord willing.

Onkel Caleb invited all of them into the large farmhouse, where Elsie had already laid out a pretty yellow tablecloth with sunflower dessert plates. A three-layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting looked enticing there in the center of the trestle table.

“Sit wherever yous like,” Elsie told them, her dimpled cheeks pink.

Once they were seated, Onkel Caleb bowed his head for a silent prayer, and everyone else did, too.

Afterward, Liz was surprised when Matt quietly led out in singing the birthday song for Patricia, and everyone else joined in. Again, Liz was conscious of Matt’s exceptional manners and comfortable way around people, anticipating their needs.

So far , he’s actually working out okay.