Her Amish Christmas Sweetheart

The evening passed quietly after a simple meal of cold cuts and fresh bread, followed by apple pie. Meg hadn’t actually slept after Jacob had brought her home, but she had rested. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep once she’d retired for the night.

She woke up to the sounds of birds outside her window the next morning. She relished the pleasant sensation of lying in bed, listening to birdsong, until it hit her. Peter. Alarmed, she sat up. She was going to be working with Peter for weeks, planning their parents’ party.

She closed her eyes, recalling the way he had studied her when she’d last seen him. He’d been kind to her recently, and he’d convinced Jacob to take her home. She didn’t know what to make of his thoughtfulness.

She stood, grabbed her crutches and tried not to think of him. But his face remained ever present in her thoughts.

Chapter Five (#u93d1a112-c583-50d3-a821-fbc70f31cb68)

Monday afternoon Peter paused at the base of the stairs and stared up at the Stoltzfus farmhouse. The last thing he’d expected to be working on was planning a birthday party for his mother and Arlin Stoltzfus. He had learned about Missy Stoltzfus’s and his father’s arrangement to have him and Meg work together to plan the celebration the evening of the last singing, the night that Reuben Miller and Meg had had the accident. Peter had figured that because of the accident, their parents would have forgotten all about the arrangement. But apparently not. So here he stood, in front of Meg’s house, after being told by his father this morning that Missy and Meg would be expecting him today.

He thought about Meg. How on earth was he going to work with her? Meg Stoltzfus could be difficult on a good day. Planning an event with her wasn’t going to be easy.

He grinned as he realized that he was up for the challenge.

He thought of Agnes and the wonderful afternoon they’d shared on their walk with Alice. The three of them had chatted, laughed and had a nice time. It had been a stress-free afternoon. Still, he had thought of Meg during it. It felt as though something was missing when he spent time with Agnes.

Peter climbed the steps and knocked.

Meg’s mother opened the door. “Peter!” She smiled as she stepped back to allow him entry. “Come in. Meg is in the great room.”

“Is she feeling oll recht?” he asked, as he followed her through the kitchen.

“She’s coming along,” Missy said.

As he entered the room, he caught sight of Meg immediately, seated in a chair facing the window. She looked pensive as she gazed out into the yard.

“Meg, Peter’s here.”

She jerked as if burned, and met his gaze. “Hallo, Peter.” She lifted her cast off a stool and tried to turn her chair.

He rushed forward to help, gently grabbing the back of her chair and swiveling it to face the room. He then retrieved the large stool she’d been resting her leg on and placed it directly in front of her.

Meg gave him an irritated look as she lifted both legs onto the stool. Clearly, she wasn’t happy to accept his help. If this was the way their planning time would go, then it was going to be much more challenging than he’d envisioned.

He grabbed a wooden chair from the other side of the room and sat, facing her. She seemed much improved since yesterday. “You look better. You must have slept well.”