All she wants for Christmas is to not fall in love...

She’ll be their Christmas nanny...

But a permanent family’s not part of her plans.

Embarrassed by an unrequited crush, Amish maedel Sadie Dienner needs a vacation from her life in Pennsylvania—and from romance. Until Christmas, she’s working in Maine as a nanny to Amish widower Levi Swarey’s twins. But Levi is frustratingly overprotective and they just can’t see eye to eye on anything. And the worst part? Sadie can’t seem to stop herself from losing her heart...

Amish of Serenity Ridge

CARRIE LIGHTE lives in Massachusetts next door to a Mennonite farming family, and she frequently spots deer, foxes, fisher cats, coyotes and turkeys in her backyard. Having enjoyed traveling to several Amish communities in the eastern United States, she looks forward to visiting settlements in the western states and in Canada. When she’s not reading, writing or researching, Carrie likes to hike, kayak, bake and play word games.

Also By Carrie Lighte

Amish of Serenity Ridge

Courting the Amish Nanny

Amish Country Courtships

Amish Triplets for Christmas

Anna’s Forgotten Fiancé

An Amish Holiday Wedding

Minding the Amish Baby

Her New Amish Family

Her Amish Holiday Suitor

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Courting the Amish Nanny

Carrie Lighte

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90065-6

COURTING THE AMISH NANNY

© 2019 Carrie Lighte

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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“I’d like to ride with you, if I may.”

“Jah. Unless there’s a blizzard,” Levi said. Without thinking, he muttered, “Sadly, there’s little hope of that.”

Sadie lifted her eyebrows. “You don’t want to go to the wedding, either?”

“Either? Does that mean you don’t want to go? Why not?”

“You tell me why you don’t want to go first.”

Levi stalled. He couldn’t express the real reason to Sadie. “Oh, er, it’s that they last all day and it’s hard on the kinner to miss their naps. They get cranky and then I worry they’ll misbehave. Why don’t you want to go?”

“I—I won’t really know anyone there. I haven’t even met the bride or groom yet.”

Was that really the reason? “Then we should stick together,” Levi replied. “That way, you can help with the kinner and I’ll introduce you to everyone. How does that sound?”

“Not quite as gut as a blizzard, but I like it,” Sadie said.

What Levi didn’t know was if it was her smile or the hot chocolate warming his insides like that...

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 4:6–7

Dear Reader,

As someone who frequently vacations in Maine, I’m delighted to begin a new series set in the Pine Tree State. For research, my sister and I recently took a trip to the small Amish community in Unity. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, spent time talking to a local farming family and shopped at an Amish market that sold the tallest and sturdiest clothes-drying racks we’ve ever seen (an essential household item if you have a large family but no electric clothes dryer). We can’t wait to go back again this year; we plan to visit on a Wednesday or Saturday, which is when you can buy fresh, homemade doughnuts.

As different as Englisch practices and values can be from Amish traditions and beliefs, there are many commonalities, too. As you read Sadie and Levi’s love story, it’s my hope you’ll connect with their struggles and joys, as well as get a glimpse of what it might be like to live as an Amish person in Maine.

Blessings,

Carrie Lighte

For my parents,

with gratitude for our Maine adventures

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Bible Verse

Dear Reader

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

“If you go to Maine now, you’ll miss hochzich season here,” Sadie Dienner’s stepmother, Cevilla, protested as she mixed water with flour to thicken the juice of a roast into gravy.

Jah, that’s exactly my plan, Sadie thought. “I’m happy for Sarah and Rebekah, but we aren’t exactly close friends,” she said. “It’s not as if I’m a newehocker in either hochzich.”

She hardly expected to be asked to be a wedding attendant; the brides were each four years younger than twenty-five-year-old Sadie and she rarely saw them except at church. Sadie’s closest friends had been married for years and she was painfully aware that once Sarah and Rebekah married their suitors this fall, she’d be the only single woman in Little Springs, Pennsylvania—with the exception of Elva Wyse, a ninety-two-year-old widow. And Elva had been married three times, so it wasn’t as if she was considered a spinster.

“What about Harrison? Won’t he be hurt if you don’t attend his hochzich to Mary?”

Not nearly as hurt as I was when he told me he was marrying her. The news had come as a shock to Sadie, who had long imagined marrying Harrison herself. In fact, he was the primary reason she wanted to flee Little Springs during wedding season. Not because she still entertained any romantic feelings toward him, but because her pride was wounded and the prospect of attending his wedding was too humiliating to bear.

Sadie cringed to remember what a fool she’d made of herself after Harrison and Mary’s wedding was “published,” or announced in church, a few weeks back in mid-October. The Old Order Amish youth in her district fiercely guarded their courtships, keeping them as secret as possible, so Sadie had assumed Harrison was interested in her and no one else. Come to find out, she was wrong on both counts.

“I didn’t know you were courting someone from another district! All this time I thought—I thought you liked me,” she’d wailed to him at work the Monday after his wedding was announced.

Perplexed, Harrison furrowed his brows. “I do like you. We’re friends. I consider you a gut pal.”

“A pal?” Sadie spit out the word.

“Jah. In some ways, I like spending time with you more than with Abe or Baker,” Harrison had said with a grin, as if Sadie should have felt complimented she outranked his other buddies.

“But what about all the times you gave me a ride home from work?” Sadie sniffed, half enraged and half heartbroken, astonished he didn’t return her romantic affections.

“What about it? We live in the same part of town. I’d do that much for anyone.”

“Wh-what about the gifts?” The catch in Sadie’s voice meant she was dangerously close to tears.

“Gifts?” Sadie could practically see the light dawning across his features. “Oh, you mean the Grischtdaag gift last year?”

“As well as the birthday present in March,” Sadie reminded him, referencing the leather-covered diary Harrison had given her. The same diary in which she’d written all her dreams about him marrying her. “I thought those gifts meant something.”

“They did. They were a reflection of how much my familye and I appreciate your work at the shop. Listen, Sadie, you’re a valuable employee and—”

“Not anymore I’m not!” Sadie shot back. She already felt pitiful enough; she couldn’t stand to listen to a consolation speech about the merits of her productivity at his family’s furniture store when she’d hoped to hear declarations of love.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m quitting,” she declared. Her mouth made the decision before her mind thought it through, so she added, “You’ve said sales are waning and you’ve been struggling to pay two clerks. Sereta Miller is supporting her eldre and suh. She needs the job more than I do, so I volunteer to have my hours eliminated. Would you like to tell your eldre or do you want me to tell them?”

Harrison shook his head as if Sadie was speaking gibberish. “It’s only a temporary lull. We expect business to pick up again in December. There’s always a surge after Thanksgiving.”

“By then, you’ll be married and I’m sure your new wife will be glad to help out at the store,” Sadie said with a shrug. At that point, she couldn’t quite bring herself to acknowledge Mary by name.

That was nearly a month ago. Since then, Sadie had ruminated long and hard about how she had misinterpreted Harrison’s gestures. She had convinced herself he was interested in her romantically but was too shy to ask to be her suitor. What a joke that was! He apparently hadn’t been shy about asking Mary to become his wife.

Why isn’t any man ever so enamored of me that he can’t wait to ask for my hand in marriage? Sadie silently groused. This wasn’t the first time a man had indicated, in so many words or actions, he thought of Sadie as a friend and nothing more. Something similar had happened with Albrecht Smoker and with Roy King, both of whom had actually walked out with her before deciding they weren’t interested in continuing a courtship. Having grown up with seven brothers, Sadie wondered if there was something about her personality that caused men to feel comfortable around her but not drawn to her as a romantic prospect.

Either way, she regretted exposing her unrequited emotions to Harrison and she’d finished out the week at the furniture store feeling ridiculous in his presence. They’d stopped eating lunch together and she’d walked four miles home in the dark rather than accept a ride from him again. Not that he’d asked. He must have thought she was pathetic, because he’d gone as far out of his way to avoid her as she had to avoid him ever since. The way Sadie saw it, she’d be doing them both a favor by not attending his wedding.

“Harrison will have so many relatives there I doubt he’ll even notice my absence,” Sadie told her stepmother, retrieving a stack of plates from the cupboard. “Besides, ever since I qu—I agreed to give my hours at the shop to Sereta, you’ve been telling me I need to find another job.”

“Jah, but I meant a job in Little Springs.”

“Your cousin’s nephew needs help. And it’s only temporary.”

Cevilla chewed her lip and Sadie knew she’d made a good point. Her stepmother’s cousin’s nephew Levi was a widower with four-year-old twins. He owned a Christmas tree farm in Maine, where his mother had been minding the children for him, but she’d passed away in July. Apparently, the other nannies he’d employed hadn’t worked out and now he was coming into his busiest season. After Christmas he was moving back to Indiana so his in-laws could help raise the twins, but until then, he was in desperate need of someone to care for them.

“I suppose that’s true,” Cevilla reluctantly admitted. “Besides, you’re old enough to choose what you want to do.”

“I want to go,” Sadie firmly stated. “I really do.”

Cevilla nodded but added, “Your brieder will miss having you here.”

Sadie had three older brothers, who were married and lived locally in Pennsylvania, and four younger brothers at home, whom she doted on. “Tell them not to worry, I’ll be back with their gifts just in time for Grischtdaag,” she joked, but Cevilla was serious.

“I’m going to miss you. Maine is so far away,” she said. “You’ve never even left Lancaster County.”

That was because even when she’d had the opportunity, Sadie hadn’t wanted to leave. But now she felt like she couldn’t get far enough away. She set the last plate near her place at the table and crossed the kitchen to embrace Cevilla.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” she assured her stepmother. And by then, hochzich season will be over and I’ll be able to hold my head up in front of Harrison again.

Levi Swarey firmly grasped the hands of his four-year-old twins, Elizabeth and David, as they skipped along beside him on the way to his mother’s daadi haus across the lawn from his own home. Her death had hit him hard and he’d rarely been inside her house since she’d passed away in July. Afterward, the women from his church district had visited to collect her clothes for donation and give the place a good scrubbing down. They’d said they washed all the linens and stowed them away in the closet, so Levi figured that besides making up a bed there was little for him to do before Sadie moved in, but he wanted to double-check that she had everything she would need.

“I can smell Groossmammi,” Elizabeth announced tearfully moments after they entered the empty house. “I want her to kumme back.”

“Groossmammi can’t kumme back. She’s in heaven with the Lord and with Mamm,” David said solemnly, repeating the explanation Levi had given the children countless times since his mother died.

Levi said, “Jah, and all three of them would want you to wilkom Sadie, so we need to make sure the daadi haus is cozy and clean. It looks pretty nice in here to me, what do you two think?”

“There’s a big spiderweb in the corner.” David pointed to the wall above the thickly cushioned armchair. “Sadie might be afraid of spiders.”

“That’s not a spiderweb. It’s a cow web,” his sister corrected him.

“You’re right, it is a cobweb,” Levi agreed. “I’ll get the broom.” He headed toward the kitchen. The broom wasn’t hanging on its nail beside the refrigerator. Neither was it in the pantry, so he checked the bedroom, where he found it propped against the wall. He returned to the living room to discover David balanced on the back of the sofa. The boy jumped up and swiped at the cobweb with a doily he must have removed from an end table.

“Absatz!” Levi shouted for him to stop as he lunged forward and grabbed his son from the sofa. “How many times have I told you not to climb on furniture?”

David’s lower lip quivered and tears bubbled in his eyes. “I was only trying to help wilkom Sadie, Daed.”

“And he took his shoes off so he wouldn’t get the couch dirty,” Elizabeth defended him.

Levi picked David off the sofa and set him on the floor. Settling onto the cushion so he could be eye to eye with his son, Levi said, “I understand you wanted to help, but you could have fallen and broken your leg. And that would have broken my heart.”

David’s expression was one of anxiety as much as contrition and Levi knew he was overreacting. Again. He couldn’t seem to help himself. As Levi sat there in his mother’s house, it was almost as if he could hear her scolding him, What happened to Leora was a baremlich thing, suh, but it’s time you started trusting the Lord.

He did trust the Lord. But trusting the Lord didn’t relieve Levi of his responsibility to keep his children safe. He hadn’t been able to protect their mother—on the contrary, it was his carelessness that had led to her death when the children were toddlers. He wasn’t going to make that mistake with his children, no matter who thought he was overly protective.

And plenty of people did, which was why he’d lost the four nannies he’d had since his mother passed away. Levi’s mother was the only person other than himself he trusted with their care, and he even caught himself looking over her shoulder, especially as the twins grew older and became more mobile.

“I know you’re sorry,” he told David. “But remember the rhyme I taught you?”

The twins duly chorused, “Keep safe and sound with both feet on the ground.”

He insisted on this rule because of Leora’s accident three years ago. She had been cleaning the windows when she must have lost her balance. After falling and cracking her skull on the stone hearth behind her, she’d suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and died. Although Levi’s mother had come to live in the daadi haus by the time, on that particular day she had been out of town. Leora and the children had been home alone. But the Lord had been merciful; a neighbor happened to stop by for tea and discovered Leora sprawled across the floor, a kettle screaming from the stove and the twins wailing in their cribs. Even now it horrified Levi to consider what else might have happened if no one had come by before then. He’d never forgiven himself for failing to return Leora’s stepladder to its spot in the pantry. He had used it the day before when he was trimming dead limbs from the apple tree at the back of the house and then he’d forgotten it there. Leora must not have wanted to leave the babies while they were napping, so instead of fetching the solid stepladder, she’d stood on a chair from the kitchen. Borrowing household items and not returning them was one of Levi’s habits that had nettled his wife to no end, but until then, he had never imagined his carelessness would result in tragedy. What kind of spouse was so thoughtless about his wife’s needs? Levi came to believe he hadn’t deserved to be a husband, and sometimes he wondered why the Lord had entrusted him with children. But as long as they were his, he would do everything he could to keep them safe.

The twins might not have understood the origins of the rule about keeping their feet firmly planted, but they understood they were meant to obey it. “I won’t do it again, Daed,” David promised.

“How about if you and Elizabeth take turns sweeping and I’ll open the windows to air out Groossmammi’s place a little?”

“So her smell doesn’t make us sad anymore?” Elizabeth wondered.

If only it were that simple. Levi swallowed the lump in his throat. His children had lost so much at such a young age. They’d hardly known their mother, their beloved grandmother had died of congestive heart failure, and although they didn’t know it yet, they were about to have to bid their home and community goodbye, too.

Given his mother’s death and the lack of suitable nannies in the area, Levi had realized he had little choice but to move back to Indiana, where Leora’s parents would help provide Elizabeth and David with the kind of stability and long-term care they needed. As grateful as he was for their help, Levi was concerned about how difficult the relocation would be for the children—and he had his own qualms about moving in with Leora’s family, as well. He hadn’t been especially close to his wife’s parents when she was alive, and after she passed on, Levi sensed they blamed him nearly as much as he blamed himself for her death. Not that he had ever told them—or anyone—about his part in his wife’s accident, but Leora’s parents had been terribly nervous when he and their daughter had ventured off to Maine. After Leora died, Levi imagined they felt their fears had been justified.

Nevertheless, he’d begun making all the necessary relocation preparations, and he already had two prospective buyers who were very interested in the house and farm. As for employment in Indiana, he planned to take a job in an RV factory or work construction again. But first things first: Levi had to make it through Christmas season. After seven years, the trees were finally ready to harvest. If all went well and sales were what he expected them to be, Levi would have enough money to repay the loan on the land he and Leora had bought back when they were young newlyweds in love and thought they had their entire lives together spread out before them.

“Jah.” Levi finally answered his daughter’s question, but he could have been talking to himself. “It’s better not to be reminded of things that make us sad. If we open the windows, the scent of the trees will waft inside.”

“Then the haus will smell like Grischtdaag. And Grischtdaag is a happy smell,” Elizabeth said.

“Jah,” David agreed. “That’s because Grischtdaag is when wunderbaar things happen, isn’t it, Daed?”

In response, Levi smiled wanly and tousled his son’s hair. Holidays weren’t the same after Leora had died. Since his mother had also passed on, Levi didn’t even know how they’d spend Thanksgiving Day. The thought of celebrating Christmas felt overwhelming to him. He’d be so busy selling trees beforehand and then selling the house shortly afterward he felt like he wouldn’t have any time for festivities. But knowing the children were looking forward to the holidays gave him a boost of motivation. We’ll have joy again in our haus before we move if it’s the last thing we do, he decided.

Sadie leaned her head against the window of the van. Although traveling by vehicle made her nauseated, she knew the older Englisch couple who’d transported members of her district for years were cautious drivers, and she shifted into a more relaxing position.

It was a long trip from Little Springs, Pennsylvania, to Serenity Ridge, Maine. She’d begun the day excited to see sights she’d only read about—the scenic Pocono Mountains and Hudson River; cities like Allentown, Hartford and Worcester; and Englisch neighborhoods with houses spaced so close together it seemed the residents could stick their hands out their windows and touch each other’s fingertips. It was dusk by the time the van crossed the bridge linking Maine and New Hampshire, and the closer they got to their final destination, the more densely forested the land became. No wonder they nicknamed this the Pine Tree State, she thought.

That was one of the few facts Sadie knew about Maine. As for the Amish community in Serenity Ridge, it was one of a handful of settlements that had been established in Maine in the past two or three decades. The families there hailed from places as disparate as Canada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee. Some were drawn to the area because the land was less expensive than in their home states; others came in pursuit of new opportunities or to escape the Amish tourism industry. The Maine settlements were still growing, and from what Sadie heard, Serenity Ridge only had about fifteen small Amish families in residence.

That will be gut. The fewer people, the less chance of there being any hochzichen while I’m there, she thought.

For the umpteenth time, Sadie inwardly chastised herself for acting so rashly and quitting her job. Harrison probably thought he’d really broken her heart, when actually she was over him within a week. That’s because I wasn’t truly in love with Harrison, she’d written in her diary when the realization struck her. I was infatuated with infatuation. From now on, I’m putting those notions out of my head. Romance isn’t everything after all. Confident a change of scenery would reinforce her new perspective, Sadie pushed any lingering embarrassment from her mind and quietly hummed the rest of the way to Serenity Ridge.

Once they arrived at the daadi haus, the driver carried her luggage to the porch and wished her the best. Sadie pushed open the door, which Levi had indicated would be unlocked when he left the address and a brief voice mail on the machine at the phone shanty.

He must have turned up the gas heat for her, because the kitchen was toasty and so was the small living room. The daadi haus also contained a bathroom and two cozy bedrooms. To Sadie’s surprise, her host had even made both beds up and set extra quilts at the foot of each one. What a thoughtful thing to do. He must have known I’d be exhausted. Deciding there’d be time enough for unpacking before she went to Levi’s house to meet him and the twins tomorrow, Sadie fell into bed.

Her deep sleep was punctuated only by a morning dream about Christmas trees that was so real it seemed as if she was woken by their fragrance. But no, it was a rapping on the door that forced her to open her eyes and jump out of bed. It took a moment for her to recognize her surroundings before she cloaked her shoulders in a quilt and shuffled to the mudroom.

“Guder mariye.” The rangy man who greeted her had a slightly crooked nose, a shock of dark hair and thick eyebrows framing his doleful green eyes. But it was his facial hair that really caught Sadie’s attention; not only was he sporting the usual Amish beard men wore after marrying, but he had a neatly trimmed mustache, too.

Suddenly remembering her manners, she replied, “Guder mariye.”

He must have noticed her gaze, because he pointed to his face and said, “Here in Maine, we do things a little differently. Mustaches aren’t forbidden. They’re not required, either.”

Sadie was so caught off guard by his forthrightness and so embarrassed he’d noticed her staring that she pulled back and stuttered, “I—I—”

Fortunately, the children interrupted. “My name is Elizabeth,” lisped the chubby girl with a missing tooth.

“I’m David,” the boy piped up. He was the spitting image of his father, although his nose was smaller and straight.

“I’m four years old. Almost five,” Elizabeth proudly announced.

“Me, too,” David informed Sadie, as if she wasn’t aware they were twins.

Smiling, she replied, “Guder mariye. I’m Sadie Dienner.”

“Denki for coming to help us on such short notice,” Levi said. “I’m Levi, by the way.”

“Hello, Levi. It’s my pleasure to be here. Not that I’m glad about the circumstances, of course, but I’m... I’m—” Sadie stopped herself midsentence. She was babbling and probably blushing, too.

Levi acted as if she hadn’t misspoken. “Sorry to wake you so early after your long trip, but we brought you millich and oier. And we thought you’d want to ride to church with us. It’s almost time to leave, so while you’re, um, getting dressed, we’ll bring the buggy around front.”

Back in Little Springs, today would have been an off-Sunday, meaning Amish families worshipped in their own homes instead of gathering as a group at a designated house. But not all districts followed the same schedule. Sadie pushed her long, light brown ringlets over her shoulder, suddenly aware she wasn’t wearing a prayer kapp, and accepted the basket with one hand while still clutching the blanket tight around her with the other.

“Denki. I’ll be ready in just a few minutes.” Before closing the door with her foot she stole another glance at the hair above Levi’s lip. Although it took a moment to grow accustomed to the sight of it, she had to admit it was becoming to him.

The old Sadie might have been tempted to imagine a courtship with him, but the new Sadie isn’t going to give it a second thought, she resolutely decided.

Levi was expecting a younger woman, maybe seventeen or eighteen at most. Until this morning, he and Sadie hadn’t actually spoken. They’d only left a couple of sparsely detailed messages on the machines at each other’s phone shanties. All Levi knew was Sadie was the stepdaughter of a distant relative, that she’d helped care for her four younger siblings and that she was willing to come to Maine right away. He’d never thought to ask how old she was. Not that it mattered; it was just that he was surprised someone her age wasn’t married and didn’t have a family of her own.

Maybe she’s widowed, too, he mused but quickly dismissed the idea. There was nothing about her expression suggesting the shadow of grief. Quite the opposite: her eyes were as blue as a cloudless sky and her complexion was just as sunny. If anything, she seemed a bit self-conscious; perhaps because she’d just woken and her hair was loose and mussed from sleep. Even so, her lips were pert with a breezy smile. Vaguely recalling when Leora used to appear as luminous as that, Levi sighed.

“Kumme,” he called to the children and headed to the stable, where the pair of them stayed outside and sat on the stone wall. He required them to keep a safe distance whenever he was hitching or unhitching the horse and buggy. Once finished, he signaled them to approach and they climbed into the back seat so there’d be room for Sadie—who joined them just then—to sit up front with Levi.

“Look at all the pine trees!” she exclaimed as they traversed the long straight road that cut across town. “I could only see their outlines last night. They seem even bigger in the daylight.”

“Don’t you have pine trees where you come from?” Elizabeth asked.

“Not nearly as many as you have here. I’ve never been out of Lancaster County, so it’s fun to see new sights.”

“Later in the week I can take you to the Englisch supermarket,” Levi offered. “The library and post office, too. Since we’re still a young settlement, we don’t have as many Amish businesses as you probably have in Little Springs.”

“Do the Englischers gawk at you when you’re in town?”

“Neh, not at this time of year. Most of them are year-round residents and they’re used to us by now. They’ve been wunderbaar about accepting us into the community but also respecting our differences. Summer is a different story, though, because that’s when tourists kumme to vacation on Serenity Ridge Lake. To them we’re a novelty. Or part of the scenery—I’ve been photographed too many times to count.”

Sadie clicked her tongue sympathetically. Then she pointed to a house. “There’s another one!”

“Another what?”

“A green roof. They’re everywhere.”

“Jah, they’re made of metal,” Levi said, amused by her observation. He’d been here long enough that he didn’t notice the differences between Maine and his home state anymore. “Metal roofing is very popular here because it’s durable and energy efficient. Plus, it keeps ice dams from forming, which is important during our harsh winters. One of our district members, Colin Blank, owns a metal roofing company and he can hardly keep up with the demand.”

Sadie nodded, clearly taking it all in. She was quiet until they turned onto the dirt road and Levi announced their destination was at the top of the hill. “What a strange-looking haus,” she remarked. “Who lives here?”

“No one.” Levi chuckled. Her bewilderment was winsome. “It’s a church building.”

“You worship in a building instead of a home?” Sadie asked so incredulously it sounded as if she was accusing them of something scandalous.

“Jah. The settlement in Unity does, too. It’s a rarity, but it makes sense for us since we’re so spread out and this is the most central location.”

“Wow. Is there anything else I should know about Amish life in Maine?”

“Hmm... Well, on Thanksgiving we eat smoked moose instead of turkey,” Levi teased.

Sadie’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Levi felt guilty about the alarmed look on her face. “Neh. I was only kidding. We have turkey and all the usual fixings.”

“Have you ever encountered a moose?”

“Neh. Fortunately. If they feel threatened, they can be very dangerous creatures.”

“You should always give them lots of space,” Elizabeth advised from the back seat.

“And never get in between a mamm moose and its calf,” David warned. “Because the mamm might charge.”

“I’ll remember that,” Sadie said. “Although I’m a pretty fast runner, so if it charged it would probably moose me.”

David and Elizabeth cracked up, but Levi had to bite his tongue to keep from telling Sadie it wasn’t a joking matter. He hoped she wasn’t going to be glib about the rules he had for the children’s safety or reckless about their care, the way the other nannies had been. Overbearing, one of them had called him in response to his reminders. But what did she know about the responsibilities involved in raising children? She was practically a child herself.

At least Sadie’s older than the other meed were, he thought. But older didn’t necessarily mean wiser. Suddenly, he was struck by a worrisome thought: Why had someone Sadie’s age traveled all this way to take a job usually reserved for teenage girls? She’d been so highly recommended by his uncle that Levi hadn’t thought to ask why she was willing to come to Maine—during Christmas season, no less! Levi was only distantly related to Cevilla, so it wasn’t as if Sadie was fulfilling a familial obligation. Maybe she couldn’t find employment in Pennsylvania—or worse, she’d had a job but was fired.

The other possibilities that occupied Levi’s mind throughout the church service were equally unsettling. As the congregation rose to sing the closing hymn, Levi decided the only way to know if Sadie was a good nanny would be to keep an even closer watch on her than he had on the others. And somehow, he was going to have to accomplish that feat without offending her with his scrutiny.

Dear Lord, give me wisdom and tact, he silently prayed. And if I’ve made a mistake by hiring Sadie, please show me before any harm befalls my precious kinner.

Chapter Two

Although there were fewer families present and church was held in a building instead of a house—and although half of the men wearing beards also wore mustaches—the worship service in Serenity Ridge was very similar to the services Sadie was accustomed to in Little Springs and she felt right at home. Especially because afterward the women greeted her warmly as she helped them prepare the standard after-church lunch of peanut butter, bread, cold cuts, cheese, pickled beets and chowchow in the little kitchen in the basement.

A svelte, energetic blonde woman about five or six years older than Sadie introduced herself as Maria Beiler, one of Levi’s seasonal employees. She said she’d be making wreaths and working the cash register at the farm. “It’s so gut of you to kumme all the way from Pennsylvania. I don’t know what Levi would have done if you hadn’t arrived to watch the kinner.”

“I suppose it’s difficult to find a nanny in such a small district,” Sadie replied modestly.

“Not nearly as difficult as keeping one,” Maria mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Sadie asked, but Maria had whisked a basket of bread from the counter and was already on her way to the gathering room. Her curiosity piqued, Sadie wondered what could be so difficult about retaining a nanny to mind these children. From what she could tell so far, David and Elizabeth were exceptionally well behaved and sweet, if a little timid.

Then it occurred to her Levi might be the one who presented a challenge. He did seem a bit uptight, lacking the sense of humor to laugh at her corny moose joke. But that hardly qualified as a personality flaw and it didn’t overshadow his thoughtfulness in warming up the daadi haus for her or bringing her milk and eggs. Since Sadie knew she wasn’t the best judge of men’s characters, she decided to let Maria’s remark slide. After all, this was a short-term position, and as far as Sadie was concerned, it didn’t matter if the children were incorrigible or Levi was a two-headed monster; she could tolerate anything if it meant avoiding wedding season in Little Springs.

After lunch the women sent Sadie home carrying a canvas bag bulging with plastic containers of leftovers, since she hadn’t been to the supermarket yet and didn’t have anything in her cupboards to snack on. She offered to share the food with Levi and the children at supper, but Levi insisted she enjoy it at leisure by herself. “The Sabbath is a day of rest and you’ve had a long trip. You’ll be preparing meals for us soon enough.”

Although Sadie appreciated his consideration, she wasn’t used to spending Sunday afternoon and evening all alone, and by Monday morning she was so antsy to hear the sound of another person’s voice, she showed up at Levi’s house half an hour early.

“Who is it?” Elizabeth squeaked from the other side of the door.

“It’s me, Sadie,” she answered, wondering who else the child thought could be arriving at that hour. She heard a bolt sliding from its place—in Little Springs, the Amish never locked their houses when they were at home—before the door swung open.

“Guder mariye,” the twins said in unison.

“Guder mariye,” Sadie replied as she made her way into the mudroom. After taking off her coat and shoes and continuing through to the kitchen, she remarked, “Look at you, both dressed already. Have you eaten breakfast, too?”

“Neh, Daed said if we waited maybe you’d make us oatmeal ’cause when he makes it it’s as thick as cement.”

Sadie laughed. “I’m happy to make oatmeal. But where is your daed? Out milking the cow?”

“Neh,” Levi answered as he entered the room. His face was rosy as if it had been freshly scrubbed, and Sadie noticed droplets of water sparkling from the corners of his mustache. She quickly refocused to meet his eyes. He added, “I wouldn’t leave the kinner here alone. I hope you wouldn’t, either.”

Sadie was puzzled. Most Amish children Elizabeth and David’s age could be trusted to behave if their parents momentarily stepped outside to milk the cow or hang the laundry. What was it about the twins that gave Levi pause about leaving them unsupervised? If Sadie didn’t figure it out by herself soon, she’d ask him later in private. “Of course I wouldn’t. We’ll stick together like glue.” Then she jested, “Or like cement.”

Levi cocked his head when the children giggled. Then he got it. “Aha, my kinner must have told you about my cooking.” Laughing at his own expense, he proved he wasn’t humorless after all.

“Cooking is my responsibility now,” Sadie said, since she’d agreed to make meals for the Swarey family. She was invited to eat with them as a perk, in addition to her salary. “I’ll have breakfast ready by the time you return from the barn. Maybe Elizabeth wants to help me make it.”

Elizabeth’s eyes glistened. “Jah—” she said before Levi cut her off.

“Neh, she’s too young to operate the stove. She can kumme with David and me to the barn.”

Seeing Elizabeth’s shoulders sag, Sadie opened her mouth to inform Levi she had no intention of allowing Elizabeth turn on the gas, but that didn’t mean the girl couldn’t assist in the kitchen. Then she figured Levi knew more about his daughter’s abilities than Sadie, so she helped Elizabeth into her coat, hat and mittens while Levi did the same for David.

By the time the trio returned from milking the cow and collecting eggs, breakfast was on the table. In between swallowing spoonfuls of oatmeal, Levi explained, “Even though it’s only the sixteenth of November, we’re harvesting the first trees this week so we can ship them to our Englisch vendors who open their lots the day after Thanksgiving. I’ve also got a few dozen customers who ordered early deliveries of oversize trees for their places of business. You know, local restaurants and shops. A dentist’s office. A couple of churches, too.”

Sadie appreciated hearing about his job. She’d grown up on a farm, but they primarily grew corn and wheat; she had no idea what was involved in harvesting Christmas trees. “How many people do you have on your crew besides Maria Beiler?”

“This week it’s me and four young men from our district. Plus two Englisch truck drivers, who will help bale and load, too. After Thanksgiving we’ll have fewer deliveries. For the most part customers will cut and carry the trees themselves, or else we’ll bag and burlap the live ones, so I’ll reassign staff to manage all of that,” Levi said. He stopped to guzzle down the rest of his juice. “Which reminds me, my brother-in-law, Otto, will be arriving the Saturday after Thanksgiving to help. I hope you don’t mind cooking for him, too?”

“That’s fine. I’m used to preparing meals for a group of hungerich men—I have seven brieder,” Sadie said before asking what made him decide to grow Christmas trees. It seemed an odd choice of crops, considering most Amish people didn’t allow Christmas trees in their own houses.

“The Englischer who sold us the acreage had already planted the seedlings about three years before we arrived. Then his parents had some health issues, so he relocated to Portland to care for them. My wife and I originally planned to clear the land and grow potatoes, but the previous owner had already invested so much into the trees we ended up changing our minds. All told, it’s taken over ten years for the trees to be ready to sell. In the meantime, I’ve also been working for Colin—the man I told you about—who owns a roofing company, so I’d have a steady income until we could turn a profit.”

“Did you live on a farm in Indiana, too?”

“Neh. I worked construction. In fact, that’s why Leora—my wife... That’s why she wanted to move to Maine in the first place. We couldn’t afford to buy farmland in Indiana and it was her dream to raise our kinner in the countryside...” Levi’s voice wavered and he dragged a napkin across his mouth.

Sadie regretted that she’d stirred a painful memory and tried to console him. “I’m sure your wife would be pleased you’re fulfilling her dream for the kinner.” But her comment seemed to upset Levi even more.

He pushed his chair from the table and scowled. “I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, so I don’t have time for any more chitchat.”

Embarrassed by his brusque dismissal, Sadie rose to her feet, too. “Then I won’t keep you. I’m sure the kinner know what their chores are and can help me find whatever I need in the house, although we’ll probably spend time outdoors, too.”

“Neh, I don’t want you taking Elizabeth and David outside.”

Sadie was baffled as to why Levi expected them to stay inside; the weather was cloudy and cold, but she’d take care to dress them warmly. Were they recovering from a recent illness and in need of rest? Or perhaps a wild animal had been roaming the property and Levi didn’t want to frighten the children by mentioning it in front of them. While their father was donning his outerwear, Sadie directed David and Elizabeth to go upstairs and make their beds so she could ask Levi in private why they weren’t allowed outside.

He answered, “There will be trucks on-site today and I don’t want them running along the driveway or even playing in the yard until I’ve had a chance to show you around the property. I need to point out places to avoid. There’s a shallow little pond at the bottom of the hill on the opposite side of the barn, for example.”

Puzzled, Sadie quipped, “I wasn’t planning to take them swimming. Not in this weather anyway.” But when Levi glowered and pushed his hat onto his head, she cleared her throat and added, “We’ll stay on this side of the driveway and keep far away from the trucks, I promise.”

“I said I didn’t want them going outside yet!” he snapped. “Those are my rules for my kinner and if you have a problem following them, perhaps you made a mistake by coming here.”

Sadie saw red. I’m not the one who has a problem, she thought, but she didn’t say it. She had already quit one job impetuously; she wasn’t going to quit this one, too. At least, not without considering it carefully. The thought of sitting through Harrison’s wedding made her wince, but she wasn’t sure she could work for someone as unreasonable as Levi, either.

“You’re right. Perhaps I did make a mistake by coming here,” she replied evenly. “I’ll have to give it more thought.”

Levi pulled his chin back as if surprised. “You do that, then,” he said. “But before I go, I’d like you to look this over. It lists what’s expected of David and Elizabeth, as well as what they’re not allowed to do.”

He went and retrieved a sheet of paper from on top of the fridge and handed it to Sadie and then looked over her shoulder as she read it. The children are not allowed to get too close to the woodstove. The children cannot handle knives. They mustn’t climb on furniture. The list continued on and on. Scanning it, Sadie doubted even the least experienced nanny would need such detailed guidelines to care for Elizabeth and David. Nor did she consider all the rules to be necessary, but she held her tongue.

“Any questions?” he asked when she glanced up.

“Neh, no questions.”

“Gut. I’ll stop by in an hour or two.”

If he’s so pressed for time, why would he bother coming back in an hour? “Oh, there’s no need to disrupt your work,” Sadie suggested. “We’ll be fine until you return for lunch. When would you like to eat?”

“One o’clock,” he replied so gruffly it confirmed Sadie’s suspicion he was the reason the other nannies had quit.

Before leaving the house, Levi called David and Elizabeth back downstairs. He placed a hand on each of his children’s heads, the way he always did before he left them for a length of time. After silently praying for their safety, he removed his hands and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. “Ich leibe dich,” he said and the twins told him they loved him, too.

On the porch he pushed his fingers into his gloves. Although the worst of his grief had subsided over the years, talking about Leora’s dream to live on a farm had brought up sorrowful emotions. Levi regretted she didn’t live to see the tree harvest finally coming to fruition. His wife believed farming was doing God’s work and she envisioned the two of them as pioneers, setting out for Maine on their own. Even though she missed Indiana and her family and experienced terrible morning sickness with the twins, Leora had never complained because she said their move was going to be worth it.

Levi knew she would have been devastated he and the children were leaving Maine. But what else could he do? He’d already lost two nannies from his district, one from nearby Unity and one from Smyrna, in the northern part of the state, who had been visiting her cousins in Serenity Ridge. He doubted there were any other Amish nannies he’d find remotely suitable left in Maine, and if Sadie was any indication, Pennsylvania wasn’t that promising, either.

Judging from the conversation he’d just had with her, she wasn’t going to work out. Which was disappointing—Elizabeth and David had taken an instant liking to her; in contrast with the other nannies, Sadie had shown a genuine interest in them, too. Levi had prayed for guidance. If Sadie refused to honor his instructions or chose to quit, that was as much clarity as he could ask for in regard to whether he’d made a mistake by hiring her. And when it came to his children’s well-being, it was better to know sooner rather than later if she was a suitable match.

The sound of a truck clattering up the gravel road jarred Levi from his thoughts. Signaling the driver, Scott, to stop, he crossed the lawn to the barn, which was located on the opposite side of his house from the daadi haus. Halfway in between his house and the barn was a small workshop. Last week he’d rearranged his tools and workbenches to create an area where Maria could make wreaths. Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, the workshop would also serve as a place for her to ring up sales when the farm opened to the public. But Levi didn’t expect Maria to arrive until nine o’clock, so he continued toward the barn, where he stored the portable baler, the machine used to shake the needles from the trees and the chain and handsaws.

By the time he and Scott loaded the equipment onto the truck bed, the rest of the crew had arrived. Levi spent the next couple of hours explaining the tagging system, showing the young men around the sixteen-acre farm, and demonstrating how to operate the machinery and palletize the trees for shipment, the way he’d learned from working at a tree farm the previous year. The guys groaned when he reminded them they were required to wear goggles and ear protection whenever they used the chain saws, so he delivered a stern lecture on injury prevention.

He intended to supervise their work until he was confident they knew what they were doing and would do it safely, but Walker Huyard, a young Amish man who was employed by a tree service company during the warmer months, pulled him aside. “A word to the wise is sufficient,” he said. “You’ve got an experienced crew here.”

“What do you mean?”

Walker returned his question with a question. “Does Colin Blank watch you like a hawk or nag you like a schoolmarm when you’re roofing for him?”

Levi got his point; on occasion Colin was overbearing, much to the consternation of his employees. Clapping Walker on the shoulder, he said, “You’re right. I’ll leave you guys to it. I’m going to take a break and I’ll be back by ten thirty—to help, not to harp on you.”

He returned to the house to discover the kitchen empty, but laughter spilled from the living room, where Elizabeth and David snuggled against Sadie on the sofa. They were so enraptured by whatever she was saying they didn’t immediately notice his arrival. I don’t know if the kinner could handle the upheaval of another nanny leaving. Especially not Sadie. More to the point, he had no idea who he’d get for a replacement.

Pausing silently at the threshold of the room, he studied her animated gestures; something about the artful way she moved her hands reminded him of Leora and he realized his wife had been Sadie’s age when her life was cut short.

Sadie suddenly noticed his presence. “Can I help you?” she asked dryly.

“Neh, I’m just checking up on you.” That sounded wrong. “I mean, checking in on you. To make sure there’s nothing you need, that is.”

“Denki, we’re all set.” Her tone remained politely formal.

“Sadie’s telling us stories about her brieder,” Elizabeth said.

“One time they used a pulley and a clothesline to fly from the loft of the barn to a tree on the other side of the fence!” David exclaimed.

“Her bruder Joseph got stuck halfway across and he was too scared to let go, so Sadie’s other brieder had to reel him back like a fish,” Elizabeth recited.

Despite his intention to smooth things over with Sadie, Levi had been cautioning his children for so long it was second nature to him to blurt out, “That sounds very dangerous. I imagine they gave Sadie’s mamm and daed a fright and they probably received a harsh punishment.”

“Neh, my eldre didn’t find out until afterward, when it was clear Joseph was okay. My daed was impressed by the ingenuity and durability of their invention. Besides, we positioned our trampoline near the end of the line so we could let go before we hit the tree. It was a lot safer than jumping out of the loft into a pile of straw the way we usually did,” Sadie said with a laugh.

“Her brieder were afraid to try it, but Sadie went first and then they all wanted a turn,” Elizabeth interjected.

Levi pointed his finger at his daughter. “If I ever saw you dangling from a rope in the air, I’d be very, very upset.” As Elizabeth’s expression changed from jubilant to ashamed, Levi realized how punitive he must have sounded, when what he meant to express was how disturbed he’d be if she was ever in such a dangerous position. Trying to assure his daughter she wasn’t being scolded, he said, “But I don’t have to worry about that because you’re not a tomboy.”

“Not yet, she isn’t,” Sadie countered. “She’s too young to determine what kind of personality or interests she’ll develop. But just because she’s a maedel doesn’t mean she shouldn’t run and climb and jump and explore the outdoors. Physical exercise is gut for children, both buwe and meed.”

As Sadie spoke, her eyes flashed a warning Levi was walking on thin ice. “I only meant it would have alarmed me if Elizabeth—or David, for that matter—had gotten stuck the way Joseph did. I didn’t mean there’s anything wrong with a girl being active,” he tried to explain. “My Leora was one of the most adventurous women I’ve ever known. I’ll be pleased if Elizabeth takes after her mamm in that way—but that’ll be when she’s older and can judge for herself whether or not a risk is worth taking. Until then, she needs the guidance of responsible adults.”

Sadie didn’t look at all appeased. She blinked twice before freeing her arms from the children’s grasp and standing up. “You mentioned how much work you have to get done today, so you probably want to return to it now. And I need to begin preparing lunch.”

I’m still on thin ice, Levi thought. Not wanting to push her, he figured he could go back to reminding the children about their safety rules tonight. Right now he sensed if he didn’t back off, Sadie would decide to pack her bags that evening. “Don’t worry about tidying the kitchen or making hot meals for lunch. Sandwiches are fine. The most important thing is the kinner are well cared for. And you’re right, a little exercise is gut for them. If the rain lets up, maybe you can take them for a walk to the barn and back.”

Did he imagine it or did Sadie roll her eyes before glancing at David and Elizabeth and asking, “What do you think, kinner? Can you make it all the way to the barn and back?”

Unsure if she was teasing the children or taking a swipe at him, Levi joked, “If they can’t, I’ll swing by on the clothesline and pick them up.”

The children laughed, but Sadie’s expression remained unreadable. “I’ll see you at lunchtime, then,” he muttered awkwardly, exiting the house as quickly as his feet could carry him.

If Levi thought his comment about sandwiches being acceptable to him or his concession in allowing her to take the children outside was going to win Sadie over, he had another think coming. If the rain lets up? It’s barely drizzling, Sadie fumed as she squared the potatoes for stew. She’d never encountered an Amish father—especially one who lived on a farm—who didn’t fully expect his children to play and do their chores outside in weather far worse than this. Was this one of the differences between the Amish in Maine and the Amish in Pennsylvania, or was it simply one of Levi’s quirks?

And what exactly did he mean about Elizabeth not being a tomboy? Sadie resented the word that had often been used to describe her, too. Which wasn’t to say she didn’t relish being every bit as agile, strong and intrepid as her brothers. But like the word pal, the word tomboy had negative connotations when a man used it to describe a woman. To Sadie it indicated he thought she didn’t also have the feminine interests and qualities that men admired and appreciated in a woman.

She covered the pot and set it on the stove to simmer. “What do I care what Levi thinks of me as a woman anyway?” she muttered. She wasn’t even sure if she was going to stay there.

“Who are you talking to?” David was suddenly at her elbow.

“Oh, sometimes I think out loud,” she admitted. “So, what did you and your schweschder usually do with your groossmammi in the mornings once your chores were done?”

“Groossmammi read to us.”

“Or we played board games or colored,” Elizabeth piped up as she entered the room.

“I see,” Sadie said. She wondered whether their sedentary activities were because their grandmother had been ill and didn’t have a lot of energy, or because of Levi’s restrictions. “The sun is peeking out from the clouds, so let’s take that walk to the barn now.”

The children scurried to the mudroom, where Sadie helped them into their boots, coats, mittens and hats. As soon as they stepped outside, Elizabeth and David simultaneously slid their hands into Sadie’s. Although she was happy to receive the gesture as a sign of affection, she was surprised they didn’t want to run freely, the way most children did after being cooped indoors for any length of time.

“Let’s make a dash for it!” she urged and began sprinting across the yard toward the barn. But the children couldn’t keep up and she didn’t want to tug too hard on their arms, so she slowed to a casual stroll. As they approached the workshop she noticed a lamp burning and asked the children if they thought their father was inside. If I see him again right now, I might not be able to censor myself.

David answered, “Neh, that’s where Maria Beiler makes wreaths.”

Another woman to talk to; that was just what Sadie needed at the moment to take the edge off her unpleasant interaction with Levi. “Let’s stop in and say hello.” As soon as she opened the door, the scent of balsam filled her nostrils.

“What a wunderbaar surprise—wilkom!” Maria greeted them. “Would you like a demonstration of my one-woman wreath-making workshop in action?”

She proceeded to show them how she collected boughs from the bin the crew had filled outside the door. Then she cut the trimmings into a suitable size and arranged them neatly around a specially designed wire ring. Using a foot-pedaled machine, she clamped the prongs on the ring, securing the boughs into place. Finally, she fastened a bright red or gold ribbon on the wreath and then carefully hung it from a peg on a large portable rack.

“As you can see, I’m running out of bows,” she said. “I like to make them at home ahead of time but since yesterday was the Sabbath, I’m falling behind.”

“I can tie a few bows into shape so you can keep assembling the other parts,” Sadie volunteered.

“Denki, but this is my job. You’ve got your hands full enough yourself.”

“Please,” Sadie pleaded.

Maria smiled knowingly. “Do you have a case of cabin fever already?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she handed Sadie a spool of ribbon, and to the children’s delight, she announced she needed their help on a special project. She supplied them with precut lengths of red and green cord, as well as a glue stick to share, before leading them to a crate filled with thin slices of tree trunks. She explained how to glue the cord onto the trunk slices, transforming them into ornaments the customers’ children could take for free to decorate their trees at home.

As Maria was setting up their workbench, Sadie deftly fashioned the stiff ribbon into fat loops until she formed a half-dozen bows and then stopped to affix one on each wreath from the pile. When she finished, she repeated the process as quickly as she could in order to keep up with Maria.

Once their work fell into a steady rhythm, Maria asked, “So, are you...getting on all right at the haus?”

“Jah,” Sadie answered carefully. “Although I’m discovering parents do things a little differently in Maine than in Pennsylvania.”

“Ha!” Maria uttered. When the children looked her way, she lowered her voice to confide, “The parenting differences you’ve noticed have nothing to do with Maine.”

“So were those, uh, differences the reason the other two nannies left?”

“Two? There were four nannies before you, and jah, that’s exactly why they left,” Maria whispered. “To be fair, Levi wasn’t always like this. He used to be fairly easygoing. But after his wife died, he became really controlling.”

Sadie felt guilty for gossiping, but she wanted to know. “How did his wife die?”

“She fell off a chair cleaning a window and hit her head. A neighbor found her and called an ambulance, but she was already gone,” Maria lamented and Sadie’s eyes filled. “I think Levi’s afraid something like that might happen to his kinner, too, and that’s why he’s overly protective. His mamm was the only person he trusted to take care of them. Ever since she died and he’s had to rely on nannies, he’s become even more cautious. I know it must be difficult to tolerate. That’s one of the reasons I’m working in the shop instead of watching the kinner myself. But...”

“But it helps to know why he is the way he is,” Sadie finished her sentence. “Denki for sharing that. It gives me a different outlook.”

“Gut, because I was close friends with Leora and I’m still very fond of Levi. I’d hate for him to lose you, too—”

“Hey, I was using that!” Elizabeth scolded her brother, who hugged the glue stick to his chest so she couldn’t take it.

Her conversation with Maria interrupted, Sadie decided it was time for the children to get a little fresh air before lunch. She invited Maria to eat with them but Maria declined, saying she’d take her break in the workshop with the men when they came in to eat the meals they’d brought from home.

“Feel free to drop by again. It’s nice to have a woman around here to talk to.”

“I feel the same way,” Sadie told her. But now that she had new insight about Levi, she didn’t mind the prospect of chatting with him again, either.

“Something smells appenditlich,” Levi commented after he said grace. It really did; he wasn’t just trying to butter Sadie up and influence her decision to stay.

“It’s stew.” Sadie placed the pot on a trivet in the center of the table to serve them. Her cheeks were flushed and the children’s faces were ruddy, too.

“Did you go outside this morning?”

“Jah, but we didn’t go any farther than the barn. You said we could,” Sadie quickly reminded him, as if she was afraid they’d get in trouble. Had he really come across as that prohibitive this morning? No wonder she was considering whether to stay or not.

“Oh, gut. I was only asking because your complexion looks pretty...” he began but stopped midsentence to concentrate on not spilling the full bowl of stew Sadie handed him. When he set it down in front of him, he suddenly realized what he’d said and rushed to clarify. “I meant to say your skin looks pretty pink. Very pink, that is, not pretty. Although it’s not not pretty, either. David’s and Elizabeth’s faces are extremely pink, as well.”

Levi was certain his face was the pinkest of them all as Sadie bit back a smile and graciously switched subjects. “We stopped in the workshop and said hello to Maria, too.”

“She let us make ornaments,” David said.

“But the kinner didn’t go anywhere near Maria’s shears,” Sadie informed him. “Or get too close to the woodstove.”

Levi blinked. Was Sadie mocking him? Or was she trying to reassure him she took his concerns seriously? If so, Levi appreciated it, although he wondered what accounted for her sudden change in attitude.

“Then we played Freeze Tag in the yard. It’s like tag but you have to freeze in place like this.” David leaped up from his chair and struck a pose, causing Levi to chuckle. His laughter grew louder the longer David remained motionless, refusing to even blink.

“All right, sit down and eat your lunch now,” he finally directed his son.

“You have to tag him first.” Elizabeth walked around the table and tapped her brother on the shoulder. “Like that.”

“Denki, Elizabeth. I was getting starved,” David said appreciatively, taking his seat again.

Tickled by their cheerful behavior, Levi turned his attention to Sadie. It occurred to him he’d been so preoccupied with his own concerns that morning he hadn’t asked Sadie to tell him anything about herself.

“I’d like to hear more about your life in Pennsylvania. Do you work as a nanny there, too?”

“Neh, I worked in a furniture store.” She blew on a spoonful of meat. “But sales were in decline and the owner couldn’t employ two clerks, so here I am.”

Relieved by her response, Levi said, “We’re glad you are, aren’t we, kinner?” Their mouths were full, but they nodded vigorously.

He tried to think of something else to ask Sadie but his mind went blank, so they ate in silence. Once their meal was over, Sadie suggested the children take picture books to their rooms and told them she’d be up to tuck them in for their naps after she finished the dishes.

When Elizabeth paused in the doorway and asked, “Will you still be here when we wake up, Sadie?” Levi felt a prick of guilt, remembering how their second nanny actually did leave when the children were napping. She was so peeved about something he’d said she didn’t even finish out the day.

“Of course I will. I’m staying until the day before Grischtdaag.”

Her answer elicited cheers from the children. Over their heads Levi caught Sadie’s eye and mouthed, Denki.

When she nodded and smiled back it occurred to him his household was beginning to experience the return of joy. Maybe David was right; maybe Christmas was when wonderful things happened.

Chapter Three

On Tuesday morning it was Levi who answered the door because the children were still getting dressed. “They fell asleep right away last night, so I thought they’d be up bright and early today but I had a difficult time rousing them.”

Suspecting they were tired because she’d run their legs off playing Freeze Tag yesterday, Sadie stifled a smile. There was no need to gloat. “My guess is they’ll be hungrier than usual this morning, so I’ll make pannekuche and wascht for breakfast.” She’d taken inventory of the pantry the day before, so she knew Levi had the ingredients for pancakes on hand and there was sausage in the fridge.

“Denki. I already put on a pot of kaffi. Would you like me to pour you a cup before I go see to the milking?”

Pleased by the gesture, Sadie accepted. As she mixed the batter, she hummed softly. Clearly Levi intended this day to get off to a much better start and so did she. The children were their usual cheerful selves, although David couldn’t stop yawning.

“Schlofkopp.” Levi affectionately called his son a sleepyhead. “If you and your schweschder had gotten up earlier, we could have taken Sadie on a tour of the farm. Now it’s too late. I have to go meet the crew.”

“That’s all right,” Sadie assured him. “We’ll run around in the yard or walk to the barn like we did yesterday.”

Levi shot her a grateful look. “If we have a quick lunch this afternoon, I’ll have time to show you around then. That way, you and the kinner will have more options for your outdoor activities.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, we’d really like that,” Sadie replied.

“It would be my pleasure.”

Elizabeth screwed up her face and asked, “Why are you and Sadie talking funny, Daed? It sounds narrish.”

“Elizabeth,” Levi admonished, “that’s not any way for a kind to speak to her eldre.”

Elizabeth apologized, but Sadie silently admired how astute the child was; Sadie and Levi were being overly polite and their conversation sounded artificial to her ears, too. Although it was better than the previous day’s tense discussions, Sadie hoped in time they’d relax around each other enough to talk naturally.

After Levi left, Sadie washed the dishes while the children brushed their teeth, made their beds and took turns sweeping the floors. Then she read to them from the Bible and helped them practice writing their names before they went outside, where Sadie taught them how to play Simon Says and Mother, May I, followed by another round of Freeze Tag.

She must have needed more time to get used to the climate because Sadie wanted to go back inside before the children did. “If we keep playing Freeze Tag, I’m going to freeze for real!”

“Five more minutes, please?” Elizabeth cajoled and David echoed her request.

Sadie realized playing outdoors was so new to them they probably felt like they couldn’t get enough of it, so she gave in to their request. After another twenty minutes of chasing each other, they returned to the house to warm up and make hot chocolate, which they then brought to the workshop to share with Maria.

“You must have known I needed your help again, Elizabeth and David,” Maria said. “Would you like to decorate one of the trunk ornaments you made yesterday? We’ll hang them up as examples for the Englisch kinner.”

“Do you need my help, too?” Sadie asked as Maria situated the children at their workbench, out of earshot.

“I won’t turn it down, that’s for sure. We’re shipping these to our vendors on Thursday and then I’ll assemble more for sale here. I’m worried I won’t have enough made by the time we open, especially since I won’t be here next Tuesday.” Maria snapped her fingers and set down her mug. “Ach! That reminds me, I have something for you.”

“What’s this?” Sadie asked instead of opening the envelope Maria had fished from her tote bag and handed to her.

“It’s from Grace Bawell. You didn’t get to meet her Sunday because she was visiting relatives in Unity but I saw her yesterday evening and she asked me to deliver this to you. It’s a note inviting you to her hochzich. She wanted to invite you in person, but she’s so busy with the preparations she can’t make the trip over here.”

“An invitation to her hochzich?” Sadie repeated blankly. She felt as if her face were made of brick and she couldn’t have smiled if she wanted to.

“Jah, a week from today. I can’t wait. I love hochzichen!”

“Well, I don’t.” The words escaped her lips before Sadie could stop them and she scrambled for something to say that wouldn’t sound rude. She repeated, “Well, I don’t...want her to feel like she has to invite me just because I arrived at the wrong time—at the last minute, I mean.”

“That’s narrish. Open it. Read her note. She really wants you there.”

Sadie unsealed the envelope and scanned the card for details. On the bottom in tiny print, Grace had written, I truly hope you’ll come, Sadie! I can’t wait to meet you and introduce you to my husband (to-be). Until then, may the Lord bless you—Grace. Sadie’s groan was audible.

“What’s wrong? You’re acting as if you’ve been summoned to a funeral, not invited to a hochzich.”

Realizing how ill-mannered she appeared, Sadie said, “It’s lovely of Grace to invite me, but...but Levi might not give me the day off.”

“Lappich! Levi and the kinner will be attending, too. I don’t know how your district does things in Pennsylvania, but here in Serenity Ridge, we close our businesses and the teacher and scholars take the day off school for hochzichen, too. The entire church is expected to go—it would be unthinkable for anyone to stay home.”

Of course, that was exactly how things were done in Sadie’s district, but she’d been hoping it was different in Maine. She stammered, “I, uh, I guess I’ll be there, then.”

Maria clapped. “Gut! And don’t worry about being new here and not knowing anyone—Grace will pair you up with a friendly bachelor for supper.”

“Neh, she shouldn’t do that!” Sadie objected.

Amish weddings lasted all day. There was the three-hour church service and ceremony, which was followed by a big dinner. Guests socialized, sang and played games throughout the afternoon, and in the evening there was a second, informal meal. It was tradition for the bride and sometimes the groom to play matchmaker, seating young, unmarried people together for supper.

“Why not? Do you have a suitor back in Pennsylvania?”

“Back in Pennsylvania, I wouldn’t tell you if I did,” Sadie retorted, irritated by Maria’s persistence. “We consider courting to be a private matter.”

Maria blinked rapidly and the tips of her ears went red. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m sorry.”

Sadie felt terrible; her new friend was only trying to make her feel welcome. “You have no reason to apologize. I’m the one who’s being rude and I’m sorry. It’s just that I came to Maine to avoid going to hochzichen.”

In a hushed tone she described what had happened—what hadn’t happened—between her and Harrison. Abashed, Sadie concluded by telling Maria she’d decided to put all thoughts of romance out of her mind so she wouldn’t be so desperate to be in a courtship that she made a mistake like that again.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to attend Harrison’s hochzich, but I’m not sure you can just make up your mind you’re finished with romance,” Maria countered. “It has a way of creeping up on you.”

Sadie giggled. “You make it sound like catching the flu. Which might actually be an accurate comparison, judging from my experience.”

Waving a bough at her, Maria said, “That’s because you haven’t met the right man yet.”

“I don’t want to. Not right now and certainly not here, since I’m going home in a month.” Sadie fiddled with a lopsided bow, pulling it straight before venturing to ask, “You said you love hochzichen, but be honest. Doesn’t it bother you to watch meed much younger than you getting married?”

“Are you asking if I feel like a bitter old maid? I’m only thirty-one, you know. That’s hardly ancient.”

“Neh, I didn’t mean it like that—”

“It’s okay,” Maria said with a laugh. “But neh, it doesn’t bother me, because I wouldn’t want to marry the men they’re marrying. Not that they’re not wunderbaar men, because they are. But their suitors wouldn’t have been the man for me. I’d rather wait however long it takes to marry the man Gott intends for me to marry than get married simply because I’ve reached a certain age.”

“Then you still think...” Sadie realized the question was rude, so she let her sentence dangle but Maria seemed to read her thought.

“Do I think there is a man out there the Lord has intended for me to marry?” Maria didn’t hesitate to answer. “Jah, I do. And I think there’s one out there for you, too. Like it or not!”

Sadie was about to say, “I won’t hold my breath,” but Maria looked so earnest Sadie changed her mind and forced a laugh in spite of herself.

After lunch Levi pushed aside his plate, unfolded a small map and laid it flat it on the table. “The printer delivered these this morning, so I brought you one,” he told Sadie, who pinched her lips together. Was she irritated or amused? “I had them made for the customers so they’d know how to navigate back to the exit once they’ve chosen their trees, but I thought you could use one, as well. Not that you’ll get lost, but I wanted us to have a common reference point. This way, if I tell you what part of the farm I’m working on and later you need to find me, you can just look at this. All the sections and rows are labeled.”

“That was a gut idea. Denki.” Sadie smiled, relaxing at his explanation and coming around to his side of the table. As she leaned to examine the map, her sleeve brushed against his. She traced a marking with her slender finger. “What does this symbol indicate?”

“That’s the pond.” Acutely aware he hadn’t been in such close proximity to a woman in ages, Levi was suddenly nervous. He didn’t want to intrude on Sadie’s personal space, so he sat as motionless as David had been when he demonstrated how to play Freeze Tag.

“Is this thing in the middle of the pond a duck?”

Levi chuckled. “That’s a caution flag, so the customers know to keep their kinner from wandering off to the other side of the barn. The printer duplicated my original sketch. I guess I should have asked David or Elizabeth to help with the drawing.”

Sadie giggled and stood straight again. Collecting the dirty plates from the table, she asked, “Now that I have the map, does that mean you’re not giving me a personal tour?”

Is she relieved...or disappointed? Levi couldn’t tell from the levity of her tone. Before he could say it was her choice, David spoke up.

“Aw, Daed, you promised we could show Sadie our farm and help you point out hazards she might not have in Pennsylvania.”

“David!” Elizabeth admonished. “You were supposed to be secret about that so Sadie doesn’t think Daed is too bossy.”

Levi cringed, but Sadie calmly replied, “That’s okay, Elizabeth, I won’t think your daed is being too bossy. I’ll think he just wants us to be safe.”

“We can’t be safe if we don’t help point out the hazards,” David reasoned.

Levi caught Sadie’s eye and shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

“Then jah, let’s take a tour of the hazards,” Sadie replied with a wink that caused Levi to grin from ear to ear. “You three go put on your coats while I finish rinsing the dishes.”

When Levi and the children had donned their outerwear and Sadie still didn’t come to the mudroom, Levi brought her jacket to her in the kitchen. Holding it up so she could slip her arms into it, he asked, “Are you going to be cold? This coat seems kind of thin.”

“I’ll be fine. Tomboys are tough,” she said as Elizabeth came into the room.

“Daed, you tied my scarf too tight. My neck is choking,” she complained, so Sadie loosened it for her before they finally set out on their trek.

Sadie was so inquisitive about the farm and so appreciative of the beauty of the landscape it seemed time stood still as the foursome made their way around the property. Since Levi’s break was already half-over, they didn’t get to cover the entire farm, but he showed Sadie a sizable section of the acreage—including the “hazardous” pond, “treacherous” rocks and the “precarious” run-down shack on his neighbor’s property—before she began to shiver. I knew that coat wasn’t warm enough for her. It’s too bad I donated my mamm’s clothing or I could have given Sadie her wool coat.

“Does anyone want a mug of hot chocolate?” she asked when they returned. The children said yes, so she directed them into the living room to warm up by the woodstove while she heated the milk. “Would you like some, too, Levi?”

He’d already taken twice as long as he usually took for a lunch break, but the afternoon had been so pleasant he wanted to draw it out. “Jah, please. While you’re making it, I’ll bring in more wood. I can hear your teeth chattering from here. I’ll get the fire roaring and then we can drink our cocoa in the living room.”

When he returned, there were two mugs and two plates holding thin slices of shoofly pie on the kitchen table. Sadie raised a finger to her lips and pointed to the living room with her other hand. “The twins couldn’t hold out until nap time. I’ll stoke the fire later. I don’t want to wake them—I brought the leftover pie from church and there’s really enough for two people. I was going to give it to the kinner, but...”

“Their loss is our gain,” Levi jested. When he pulled his chair away from the table, it loudly scraped against the floor. He and Sadie simultaneously stopped moving and cocked their ears toward the living room, but they didn’t hear the children stirring, so they took their seats.

With his fork suspended above the plate, Levi whispered, “I feel like we’re doing something we shouldn’t be doing.”

“Jah, this reminds me of when my brieder and I used to sneak cookies from the cookie jar when my mother’s back was turned.”

“I hope the kinner don’t catch us—we’ll get sent to our rooms without any dinner.”

“I could be the lookout while you eat your piece and then we can trade places,” Sadie joked and her muted laugh tickled her throat, which made her face go red and her eyes water.

“You okay?” Levi asked nervously. “Are you choking? Do you need water?”

“I’m fine,” she croaked, waving her hand. It took another moment for her to catch her breath, and when she did, she said, “Oh, neh. Look, my sleeve is all wet. I must have spilled hot chocolate. I hope my manners are better at Grace’s hochzich.”

“Ah, the hochzich

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