The Amish Twins Next Door, page 1
He was not supposed to be falling for Deborah Mast.
He ordered two double dips of ice cream, getting a variety of flavors since he had no idea what she liked. Passing the money to the teen working the cash register, he noticed his hand shaking slightly.
Get a grip, man.
Pulling in a deep breath, he accepted the change, tossed it into the tip jar and carried the ice cream to Deborah.
“Mint chocolate chip with strawberry? Interesting combination...”
“Uh, ya. Or you could have this one...” He thrust the second cone toward her.
She stepped closer to him, accepted the mystery ice cream and took a bite. “Buttered pecan on top, and I’m pretty sure that’s chocolate chip on bottom. Pretty gut too.”
He could not be falling for this woman. She was all wrong for him. She was independent and strong-willed and the mamm of two boys.
She was beautiful and made him laugh.
But most importantly, she was everything that his five-year plan did not allow for.
Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines and received over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her first novel, A Simple Amish Christmas, quickly became a bestseller. Chapman lives in Texas Hill Country with her husband.
Books by Vannetta Chapman
Love Inspired
Indiana Amish Brides
A Widow’s Hope
Amish Christmas Memories
A Perfect Amish Match
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker
An Unlikely Amish Match
The Amish Christmas Secret
An Amish Winter
“Stranded in the Snow”
The Baby Next Door
An Amish Baby for Christmas
The Amish Twins Next Door
Visit the Author Profile page at LoveInspired.com.
THE AMISH TWINS NEXT DOOR
Vannetta Chapman
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord.
—Psalm 127:3
This book is dedicated to Professor Audrey Wick.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from Forever on the Bay by Lee Tobin McClain
Excerpt from Secrets in an Amish Garden by Lenora Worth
Chapter One
June 1
Deborah Mast stood on the front porch, worrying her thumbnail. How long had it been since she’d seen the boys? Ten minutes? Fifteen? What was worse, she couldn’t hear them. As long as they were close enough to be within earshot, she didn’t worry. But when silence descended upon the land, more often than not, that indicated trouble.
Double trouble.
No one had told her what raising twins would be like, and of course she hadn’t expected to be a single parent. But there you had it. Life often did not turn out as you would expect.
She stepped off the porch.
Too quiet.
Something was up.
Circling the house, she checked the trampoline and swing set. They weren’t at either of those places. Picking up her pace, she headed to the barn, but the door was firmly shut and latched.
Where else could they be?
Her dat was inside the house, so they weren’t helping him.
Her mamm was cooking dinner, and they most certainly weren’t helping her.
Then she heard it—a male shout, followed by Joseph’s concerned voice and Jacob’s peal of laughter. Uh-oh. She hurried toward the property line separating her parents’ place from the new neighbor’s.
Nicholas Stoltzfus had recently purchased the adjacent farm. Her father had spoken with the man several times, but Deborah hadn’t yet met him. She knew he’d been raised in the area, had lived in Maine for ten years and had recently moved back. She also knew he was a bachelor, which meant he’d receive a lot of interest from the single girls in their community. At twenty-five, Deborah no longer considered herself a part of that particular group. True, she was single—as her mamm loved to point out—but she wasn’t exactly on the prowl for a man. She had her hands full with Jacob and Joseph.
Breaking through the line of maple trees, she stopped in her tracks, hand pressing her side where a stitch had developed from running. The fingers of her other hand went to her lips in an attempt to hold in her laughter.
Jacob was standing on the fence rail, a fishing pole held in both his hands. Joseph had scrambled through to the other side and was attempting to catch the cattle dog that had apparently been hooked through his collar. And then there was the neighbor—tall, handsome and not amused.
She rushed over, admonishing Jacob to drop the fishing rod.
“But then he’ll get away,” her son protested.
“Drop it!”
The dog, realizing he was no longer being reeled in by a six-year-old, took off running toward his owner, dragging the rod behind him. Joseph threw himself at the dog and the reel and managed to get his arms around both.
“Hold on, boy. We’ll set you free. Just hold on.”
Even in her hurry to reach them, Deborah noticed how gentle Joseph was with the dog. He stopped to look in the dog’s eyes and scratch behind his ears, then freed him from the fishing line.
“See. It’s all okay. You’re fine.”
“It is not all okay.” Nicholas Stoltzfus reached Joseph and the dog at the same time that Deborah did. “You could have hurt my dog. You could have taken out an eye with that fishing hook. What were you thinking?”
“Not possible.” Jacob hopped off the fence and joined them, thumbs under his suspenders, straw hat pushed back on his head. “Wasn’t using a hook. Just a small weight.”
“The weight could have hit him in the eye.”
“Oh.” Jacob cocked his head to the side and studied the dog. “I didn’t think of that. But how are we supposed to practice without a weight?”
“Practice on your own property.”
“Technically, we were on our property...”
“Jacob, watch your tongue.” Deborah stepped forward, though she was still on their side of the fence.
“But, Mamm...”
The look she gave him silenced his protests. He dropped to the ground and proceeded to smother the poor dog with affection—apologizing, assuring the beast that they meant no harm, complimenting him on his mottled coat and dark ears. Looking down at her sons, at their red heads touching as they played with the dog, Deborah couldn’t hold back her smile. They were rambunctious and didn’t always think things through, but what six-year-old did? They had compassionate hearts. That was what mattered most to her.
“I would think you’d take this more seriously.”
“What?” She jerked her head up in surprise. “I’m sorry, we haven’t met. I’m Deborah Mast. We live...”
“John’s doschder, ya, I guessed. If you could keep your boys on your side of the fence...”
“Jacob and Joseph, stand up and say hello to our new neighbor. This is Nick.”
“Nicholas,” the man practically growled.
“Nicholas.” Deborah attempted to smile her apology, but the man seemed intent on ignoring her. “Remember, your daddi mentioned him at dinner last night.”
Both boys popped up and extended a small hand.
Nicholas shook them, then quickly stuck his hands in his pockets and took a step back. He was only a few inches taller than Deborah, maybe five foot eight, and slightly built. His hair was a light brown, and his face might be good-looking if he ever smiled. His dark brown eyes were set off by frown lines. This guy was a worrier, no doubt about that.
“Howdy.” Joseph sent another longing look toward the dog. “What’s his name?”
“Blue.”
“But he’s white and black and brown.”
“He’s a blue heeler. That’s why I named him Blue.”
Deborah barely resisted laughing at that. It seemed their neighbor was bad-tempered, inexperienced with children and wholly unimaginative. He named his blue heeler dog Blue? Did he name his chestnut mare Chestnut? Deborah only knew she was a chestnut mare because her dat had mentioned that he’d bought her from Old Tim and managed to talk him down on the price. Few people were successful negotiating Old Tim down. It usually wasn’t worth the time involved.
Her neighbor was miserly, bad-tempered, inexperienced and unimaginative. Plus, he was older than she’d expected. Was that gray hair at his temples?
“Seems like a gut farm dog.” Jacob kicked the toe of his shoe in the dirt, no doubt imitating what he’d seen the older boys do at their church gatherings. “Are you planning on more animals? I guess Blue would make a gut work dog, if you are planning to bring in cattle or goats. Me and Jos
“As evidenced by the fishing line you managed to tangle around Blue.” Nicholas crossed his arms and frowned at the boys.
“That was a gut cast, huh? I told Joseph I could do it, but he was worried we’d get in trouble. We’re not in trouble, are we?”
Instead of answering that question, Nicholas addressed Deborah. “I’d appreciate it if you could keep your boys...”
“Jacob. My name’s Jay—cob. And this is Jo—seph.” Jacob spoke with slow exaggeration, but clamped his mouth shut when Deborah gave him the look.
She studied Nicholas a minute, then turned to her boys. “Home, both of you, now. Wash up and set the table for Mammi.”
“Race you,” Jacob said.
And then he was gone. Joseph paused to give Blue one last hug and then trotted off in his bruder’s wake.
Deborah waited until they were out of earshot.
“You’re not fond of children, I take it.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Deborah held up both hands. “I get it. I wasn’t terribly fond of them myself until I had two. Actually, I rather avoided children in general. Since I’m the youngest in my family, that was fairly easy to do. But now...”
Nicholas looked as if he wanted to ask what had changed, but to give him credit, he kept that rather intrusive question to himself.
“I’ll certainly speak with my boys and remind them to respect our boundary line.”
“Danki.”
“But I have to warn you that they are boys, not yet seven, and they often forget what they’re told.”
“Maybe you should take a stronger hand with them.”
“Is that so?” Deborah wished she could work up the energy to be offended, but she was too used to people telling her how to raise her sons. She was worn down to the point of simply ignoring and shrugging off such comments. “And you know that after spending ten minutes with them?”
“Well...” Nicholas nodded toward the dog, who was now lying with his head on his paws, staring after the boys. “If today was any indication, then yes.”
“Your dog isn’t hurt.”
“But he could have been.”
“They weren’t even using a hook.”
“If that sinker were to hit him in the eye, we’d be on the way to the vet’s right now.”
“I suspect Jacob did not cast that line with the strength of a major-league pitcher.” Deborah wasn’t exactly perturbed, but she wasn’t pleased, either. Nicholas Stoltzfus seemed to be an irritating know-it-all. “I will remind Jacob and Joseph to stay on our side of the property.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“But if they should forget...” She paused, waited for him to contradict her again and was profoundly glad when he didn’t. “Simply send them back.”
“Send them back?”
“Sure. Like a letter put in your mailbox that doesn’t belong there. Return to sender.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.” She plastered on an overly bright smile. “It was nice meeting you.”
It wasn’t, but she had to say something.
Nicholas, on the other hand, only nodded, though his scowl became more pronounced.
Deborah walked home slowly, enjoying the last of the day’s light, savoring the moments of quiet. The first day of June brought with it a myriad of feelings for her. She enjoyed the longer days and warm sunshine. Summer would bring her sons’ birthday, and in the fall they would begin school. How was she old enough to have children in school? June also brought with it a decision she needed to make—she’d promised her parents that she’d begin dating this summer. The boys were old enough to understand that it made sense for her to find someone and to marry. They were old enough to want a stepfather. Why did she find that thought so distasteful?
She loved her boys more than the air that she breathed, though she understood that they could be a handful. But children were a gift. They helped you see the world in a new light. They reminded you of Gotte’s love, of the joy in providing for others through a hard day’s work. At least once a day, she would look at Jacob and Joseph and commit herself to leaving this world better than she’d found it.
An image of their new neighbor popped into her mind.
She was fairly certain that Nicholas Stoltzfus wouldn’t agree with any of those things. He seemed quite intent on being left alone. She wished him good luck with that, but something told her that he hadn’t seen the last of her twins.
* * *
Nick was sitting at the kitchen table eating an egg and toast for dinner when his younger bruder stopped by.
David dropped into a chair across from him and shook his head in mock consternation. “Why do you live this way, Nick?”
He grunted but didn’t answer. He was thinking of the way he’d corrected Deborah when she’d called him Nick. He must have sounded like a real jerk, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want her to feel familiar, to feel casual around him. He had no intention of becoming friends with the neighbor’s doschder, or any other woman, for that matter.
Once burned, twice shy, as his mamm liked to say.
“You really should come eat at our place.”
“And miss my own excellent cooking?” He sopped up the last of the egg yolk, popped the bread into his mouth and then stood to refill his coffee mug. Waving the pot at his bruder, he asked, “Want some?”
“Caffeinated?”
“Nein. It’s six in the evening. Who drinks caffeinated coffee in the evening?”
“Parents. We need it if we’re going to outlast the young ones.”
David had three children, though he’d only been married four years. He and Lydia seemed intent on setting some Amish record for having the most children in the least amount of time. Looking in the refrigerator, Nick retrieved a soda for his bruder, who then guzzled half of it.
“Speaking of kids...”
“Were we?”
“I met the neighbor’s doschder and her twin boys today.”
“Deborah. Ya. She and Lydia know each other, even visit occasionally.”
Nick felt his eyebrow arch. “The boys, they’re quite the handful.”
“What children aren’t? I can’t imagine having twins and raising them alone. That can’t be easy.”
“What’s the story there?”
“Story?”
“They’re redheaded with freckles, so...”
“Ah. Right. I guess it’s not gossiping since everyone knows, and Deborah doesn’t attempt to hide it.”
“Hide what?”
David shrugged. “Her past. Her sins or mistakes or whatever.”
Nick told himself that he wasn’t interested in either, but he waited for his bruder to continue.
“Nothing you haven’t heard before. She dated an Englischer when she was eighteen or nineteen, I guess. She’d been living with an aenti over in Sugarcreek.”
“Ohio?”
“That’s the only Sugarcreek I’m aware of.” David downed the rest of the soda, stood and dropped the can into the recycle bin under the sink.
“And then?”
“Then what?”
“What happened in Sugarcreek?”
“Oh. Ya. Well, I suppose they became engaged, she planned to switch over to the Mennonite faith, then became pregnant and the fella ditched her.”
“Ditched her?”
“I’m not clear on that part. You could ask Lydia, though. Deborah doesn’t make any bones about it. I think she views it as a cautionary tale for our youngies.”
“The father has nothing to do with them?” Nick didn’t want children. He didn’t understand children. Honestly, they terrified him. But he couldn’t imagine ignoring his responsibility to any that were his own. Not that he’d ever get caught in such a situation.
“I think Lydia mentioned he had signed over his parental rights, then joined a punk band and moved to Chicago.”
Sounded like an Englisch soap opera to Nick, not that he’d ever watched one.
“When did all this happen?”
David laughed. “In the last seven years, obviously. Must have been when you were living in Maine.”
