Merry's Christmas: Two Book Set (Amish) by Susan Rohrer Page A

of hang out there under the dirt.” 
    Ollie’s shoulders went up in a little shrug. “Marty Ruppick has one,” he pointed out. “Marty grows lots and lots of worms. Then his dad takes him fishing.”
    There it was.
    It was so simple that Daniel wondered why he hadn’t put it together before. It wasn’t so much the worms Ollie wanted, Daniel realized. What Ollie wanted most for Christmas was his time.
    Long after his children had gone to bed, Daniel sat in his study, deep in thought. Nothing about this roller coaster ride of a day had gone like he had supposed. He finished off a short note and slipped it into the Christmas drawer, knowing Merry would find it in the morning.
     
    Even after finishing up the late shift at the Downtown Diner, there was a spring in Merry’s step as she walked with Kiki toward the stop where they would catch the El to their respective homes. Despite the disastrous heirloom platter incident, Merry was quietly exuberant. For Arthur’s sake, Merry hadn’t said much about her job with the Bells. She’d only spoken about it in the most general of terms. Still, Merry felt Kiki studying her, the way Kiki did whenever she’d figured out that something intriguing was afoot.
    “So, gimme the real skinny on this Christmas gig,” Kiki probed.
    Merry did her best to feign nonchalance. “You heard what I told Arthur.”
    “Yeah, I heard you dancing ‘round the doo-doo for him, but this is me. Kiki. So, let’s have it straight now.”
    Merry cocked her head with a smile. She lit up from inside. “Almost got fired today.”
    “So, why you glowing like a Tiki torch?”
    Though Merry did her best to downplay her excitement, it still kept bubbling through. Still, she did her best not to say too much. “No, it was just...he has this cute way of being all boss-man, but underneath, I get these little glimmers that he’s... It was good, that’s all.”
    Kiki clasped her hands and raised them toward the heavens. “Precious Lord, help us!” Then turning back to Merry, she nailed what even Merry hadn’t realized.  “You jazzin’ on that man!”
    Merry sputtered, taken completely off-guard. “No, no, I mean, he is—”
    “I know sparks when I see ‘em,” Kiki crowed, “and Honeypot, you about to set this here track on fire.”
    Merry felt her face turn crimson. She covered it with her hands. “Augghh! No, no, no. You know what? I can’t even go there.”
    “Well, that kit’s already caboodled.”
    Merry grabbed Kiki’s arm in desperation. “It is not! It can’t be. Okay, okay. Maybe it is. But it’s just in my head.”
    “Oh, it’s on your face, too,” Kiki hooted.
    Mortified, Merry stopped in her tracks. “Is it that obvious? What if he can tell?”
    Kiki shook it off. “Naw, Baby. Men don’t see that inside stuff. That’s why God made women.”
     
    Hours later, all was quiet at the Bell household. Ollie checked the clock in his father’s study. It read 2:10 a.m. Painstakingly, Ollie tiptoed to his dad’s desk. He knew he wasn’t allowed up at that hour, much less to prowl his dad’s study, but curiosity over just what he’d be getting for Christmas had gotten the better of him.
    Reaching his father’s desk, Ollie eyed the forbidden fruit: the mysteriously taboo Christmas drawer, the one he knew was completely off limits. Unable to resist, Ollie carefully slid the drawer open. Suddenly, the lamp flipped on, illuminating the room. Ollie startled to see Tara. “Augh!”
    Tara padded over quickly, her finger to her lips. “Shhhhh!”
    His little heart pounding, Ollie whispered emphatically. “You shush! What are you doing here?”
    “Same as you, apparently,” Tara retorted.
    Ollie looked back quizzically. “Seeing what I’m getting for Christmas?”
    Tara pushed Ollie aside, made a beeline for the open Christmas drawer, and removed her father’s note to Merry. “Yeah, I’m really itching for a worm farm.” Tara opened the envelope, pulled the note out, and