Sarah's Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis Page B

caught the scent of strawberries despite the tang of wood smoke in the air. Sarah used strawberry shampoo and body lotion.
    She moved away from the blaze while slipping on her mittens. “ Jah , I skated for a while with my sisters. Then my blade snagged a rough spot, and I lost my balance. I fell down hard on my backside without a shred of gracefulness. Rebekah said if I kept that up, the ice would crack and everybody will fall into the water.”
    “Your sister is in rare form today. But you don’t have to worry about the ice. The schoolteacher’s father drilled a hole to gauge the thickness. He would have canceled the party if there was any danger whatsoever. This ice will support tons of weight.”
    “Well, thanks a lot, Adam Troyer. I feel much better now.” Sarah huffed out a cloud of condensed vapor.
    “You know what I mean. You’re as skinny as a rake handle.”
    “A rake handle? My, you’re just a real sweet-talker today, aren’t you? You’re doing my icy heart a world of good.”
    Adam swept off his hat and thumped it against his leg. “I’m sorry, Sarah. Let me walk to my buggy, come back, and start this afternoon over.”
    A slow smile pulled up the corners of her mouth. “If you head to your buggy, I’ll be right behind you. Then we can go someplace warm.” She turned her other side to the fire as though frying an egg.
    “We can leave whenever you’re ready,” he said, tugging his hat back on. “I don’t want you being miserable when this was supposed to be a fun occasion for us.”
    Her smile bloomed across her face. “ Danki , but we’ll stay a while longer. I can once again feel my fingers and toes. Let’s eat those sloppy joes my sister fixed before they freeze solid. I’ve worked up a fierce appetite with my moaning and complaining.”
    Adam slipped an arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the group. So like my Sarah. Her sense of humor never failed to rescue him from some blunder or bad choice of words. And she wasn’t afraid to laugh at herself. There wasn’t a prideful bone in her body. Although she didn’t need flattery or praise, he wished just once he could express how he felt about her.
    Working in an all-male factory provided little opportunity to learn how other men conversed with women. He might be an expert with hand lathes, sanders, and every stain and wood preservative made, but with social conversation he was a dismal failure. Sarah occasionally eavesdropped on the guests’ breakfast conversations at Country Pleasures. The bed-and-breakfast attracted business folk, doctors, nurses, and teachers on school break. She’d once served two college professors, a writer, and the governor of Ohio at the same meal. Those people knew how to string words together into a sentence.
    Don’t worry…this ice will support tons of weight.
    An Amish woman might not be looking for glibness in a mate, but if he could express his heart, he might have an official fiancée instead of a beau.
    “There you two are!” Rebekah called. “I fixed your plates. Adam, I gave you two sloppy joes because your hockey game must have worked up an appetite. How about a cup of hot chocolate?” She handed each of them a plate.
    “Jah, danki,” he said. The girl had heaped potato chips next to his sandwiches, but she had given Sarah only a few. As Rebekah hurried off to the folding tables, he and Sarah settled into lawn chairs by the fire. Adam transferred some of his chips to her plate.
    She smiled, popping a chip into her mouth. “My sister must still be worried about the ice.”
    “I should have brought a bag of something,” said Adam. “I was in too big a hurry to get here.”
    “Don’t be silly,” said Rebekah, appearing with two cups of cocoa. “There’s plenty of food. Sarah brought Jell-O cubes, but I’m not sure who would want to eat Jell-O on a frigid day.” Her words trailed off as she headed back to the group of girls.
    “Now Rebekah seems to be worried about you,”