The Amish Christmas Kitchen by Kelly Long Page A

jostling her a bit with his arms as he held the lead rope.
    â€œI can’t,” he heard her bite out.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause you—you’re all around me and I’m rather scared of going fast.”
    He felt her sigh at the admission, and he eased back on the rope. “It’s all right,” he soothed. “I won’t let us go too fast, and you can imagine that you’re on the sled alone, okay? Just enjoy the ride.”
    â€œ Jah, ” she said, sounding resigned.
    He smiled, determined to make it the most unforgettable sled ride of her life.
    â€œLemme give you a push, Aenti Clara!”
    Daniel felt Elijah’s small but strong hands on his back as the sturdy child threw all of his weight against the sleigh. They were off, tipping then sliding down the high hill. Daniel gained control of the sled and rode the brake so that gumdrop-like snow mounds passed leisurely by and the wind blew softly on their faces. They were about halfway down when Clara gasped, then cried out.
    â€œ Ach, no!”
    â€œWhat?” Daniel glanced around and tried to see if she’d been hurt in some way. “What is it?”
    â€œBlinks—dead-ahead!” she screamed.
    â€œWe’ll turn,” he promised, then felt the sudden, jarring impact as they plowed into a snowbank.
    Clara groaned, and Daniel saw Blinks standing to their left, completely unscathed. He felt Clara shaking while Blinks bleated a rapid song.
    â€œClara, are you all right?” Her shoulders still shook against him, and he anxiously ran his hands up and down her arms.
    â€œI’m—fine,” she gurgled. “I’m just laughing, that’s all.”
    â€œ Ach . . .” He relaxed and reached to pet Blinks’s head. “I’m glad.” Then, at the unfamiliar sound of her melodic laughter, he found himself joining in, full of amazing good cheer on account of a wonderful woman and a pain-in-the-neck goat.

C HAPTER 9
    D aniel walked home later that morning feeling as if anything were possible now that Clara seemed to be softening toward him. Then he walked into his daed ’s store and mentally groaned. He’d forgotten that once a month on Saturday, his fater got together a crew of friends to sit around and play checkers and talk. The local customers were used to the loud, masculine laughter and the wait for their purchases to be rung up, but Daniel tried to avoid the whole thing. He always managed to get sucked in and then riled up with enough advice about life, love, and women to choke a horse. So now, he tried to back out of the door without being seen, but it was too late.
    â€œDan! Dan, buwe! Ye’re just in time,” his daed hollered. “ Kumme on in!”
    Daniel sighed. His thoughts of spending a few hours relaxing and fantasizing about Clara soon dissolved as he was practically pulled into a chair in the circle of men near the woodstove.
    â€œHow’re ya doin, Danny?” Clair Bitner wanted to know. “And what’s that on your wrist?” He stared at Daniel while stroking Benny the goat’s coarse neck. Teddy and Scruffy lay nearby.
    â€œ Ach, a cut from work, that’s all.”
    â€œAre you all right, sohn? ” his fater asked low, leaning toward him.
    â€œ Jah, Daed. Fine. I just wasn’t concentrating.”
    â€œYa got women fever! That’s what,” Bottleneck Joe declared, loud enough to be heard in the high timber.
    Daniel suppressed a groan as Meatball Summerson clapped him hard on the shoulder with a thick hand. “Flee, buwe . Women ain’t nuthin’ but trouble.”
    â€œNow, now,” Clair Bitner grinned with a gap-toothed smile as he stroked his sparse gray beard. “Mebbe they are but mebbe they aren’t. It all depends on how ya look at things, Dan. Now, if I was ta tell ya a story about a certain woman, ya might have to think twice about things. Because sometimes there’s