An Amish Country Christmas (8 page)

“We’ve been had, Bram.”

His brother’s dark eyebrows rose like question marks. “And what’s that supposed to
mean? Mary was her sweet, loveable self and we had ourselves quite a nice—”

“
Jah
, she was,” Nate murmured, his heart hammering. “But Mary was with
me
. And the more I’ve thought about it, the more I believe they switched on us this
morning, before you went to the barn and I chopped the wood.”

“Get out! What makes you think—”

Nate shushed his brother’s outburst with a finger, gesturing toward the wall between
their beds and the girls’ room. “Martha wouldn’t go on and on about how the twins
did at the program tonight,” he said, “and she wouldn’t have been so happy in the
kitchen, baking buns and cookies all morning. Didn’t you notice any difference in
the way your girl was kissing you?” he continued in an urgent whisper. “
That
was the big give-away. Martha went after it with a vengeance—and a wad of peppermint
gum in her mouth last night—and tonight it was like you’ve said. Mary was her sweet,
loveable self.”

At least his brother had the decency to look sheepish for not noticing. But as Bram
reviewed his day choring in the barn, and then his ride tonight, he allowed that
possibly
the twins had pulled a switch on them. “Who’s to know, just from looking at them?”
he protested in a strained whisper. “They dress alike, and they look identical right
down to the freckles on their perky little noses. Even Uncle Abe can’t tell them apart,
and he’s known them all their lives.”

“I’m right, little brother,” Nate muttered. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

“So what’re you gonna do about it?” Bram challenged. “I sure hope you won’t get all
bent out of shape while we’re havin’ such a
gut
time here. If you and I were twins, we’d probably pull the same stunt now and again.”

Long after his brother put out the lamp, as the old house creaked and settled in the
night, Nate remained awake. He couldn’t let go of the way Mary and Martha had behaved,
when they could have simply suggested changing partners—especially considering that
they had done the choosing from the start. It was Mary who had climbed into Bram’s
buggy, most likely after consulting with Martha on her cell phone.

How long did the twins intend to continue their charade? Had they no consideration
for his and Bram’s feelings? Even if this was just meant to be a little Christmas
diversion lasting a few days, it galled him that girls from a respected Amish family
had played them for fools. It also reminded him of the way Roberta had betrayed him,
seeing other fellows after he’d declared his intention to marry her and had joined
the church. To the Coblentz girls, their switch had probably seemed like a harmless
game, but he had no stomach for such dishonesty in another relationship.

Nate kept his face toward the wall when he heard Bram get up and slip into his clothes,
ready for breakfast. Then he dressed, stuck his clothes into his duffel, and went
downstairs with a heavy heart but a firm resolve. He didn’t change his mind when everyone
around the table stopped talking at the sight of his scowl and his luggage.

“I—I thank you for your hospitality,” he said, nodding to Amos and Nell, “but I’m
going home to spend Christmas with my family. It was
gut
to meet you all.”

The twins sprang from their seats. “But Nate, we’re just now starting to celebrate
our birthday—”

“And it won’t be the same without
you
here, when we were counting on the four of us—”

Who had spoken first, and who had followed up? Mary? Martha? He met their gazes briefly
but he didn’t reply.

Amos cleared his throat. “I hope you haven’t gotten word that someone’s ill, or that
something’s gone wrong in Willow Ridge. It was our pleasure to meet you boys.”

Nate pressed his lips together, exchanging a glance with his brother, who looked anything
but happy. He had to at least give a reason for his departure, because lame excuses
would make him as guilty of duplicity as the twins had been. “No, things are fine
at home, far as I know. Sorry to leave on a sour note, but . . . I didn’t like it
much that while I thought I was with Martha last night, it was really Mary.”

He went out the back kitchen door toward the stable then, relieved that none of the
Coblentzes followed—and not surprised that Bram didn’t join him. This was his own
issue to deal with, after all, not his brother’s. When he hitched Clyde to his new
sleigh, he tossed the harness strap with the bells under his seat, so their merry
jingle wouldn’t mock him the whole way home. With a last glance at the cozy white
house and the smoke curling out of its stone chimney, Nate sighed.

“Let’s go, Clyde,” he said sadly. “Just you and me, buddy.”

Chapter Eight

“So what’s this I’m hearing, girls?” Amos asked in a low voice. He looked steadily
at his two older daughters as they sat with their heads bowed. “Is it true, what Nate
said? Did you mislead your guests about which one of you was Mary and which one was
Martha?”

Bram sat silently, not looking at the twins in their moment of truth. It wasn’t his
place to stick up for them, or to interfere in this conversation. And what would he
say? Would he appear stupid if he admitted he hadn’t noticed the difference last night?
Would these folks—or his brother—think him disloyal if he didn’t follow Nate back
to Willow Ridge? Owen, Noah, and the younger twins remained quiet as they watched
this discussion with interest, but Nell’s expression had lost its Christmas morning
cheer.

“Answer your
dat
,” she said. “We’ll not eat until we’ve gotten the whole story.”

The twin across from him cleared her throat. “
Jah
, we did that,” she said in a tiny voice.

“But only after we heard Nate and Bram telling each other some mighty tall tales about
their dates with us on Friday night,” her sister blurted.

Bram’s face prickled with heat. He and Nate
had
engaged in some brotherly bragging . . .

“So you’re also saying you eavesdropped on their conversation?” Amos asked tersely.
“Put a glass against the wall of their room, did you?”

When he peered from beneath his eyelashes, Bram saw how the girls’ faces were nearly
the same red as their Christmas dresses. Down the table he heard fidgeting and a snicker.

“Oh, but you’re gonna get it now,” Joanna murmured.

“That’ll be enough out of you, missy,” Nell declared quietly. “Girls? We need to hear
you say it out, what you did, so we’ll all know what you’ll be asking Bram to forgive
you for. You should be ashamed, treating your company that way.”

“Thought we had this discussion about your fooling folks enough times when you were
wee girls to get that out of your systems,” their father went on sternly. “It’s not
a topic meant for our Savior’s birthday, either, but I won’t have this cloud hanging
over our heads until tomorrow.”

The redhead across the table looked at Bram with tear-filled eyes. “I—I’m sorry I
pretended to be Mary yesterday,” she stammered.

“Switching places on you boys was a low-down trick,” her sister agreed woefully, “and
listening in on your chat with Nate wasn’t one of our finer ideas, either. We’re really
sorry, Bram—”

“And we feel awful about hurting Nate’s feelings.”

“—and if you want to go home, too, well, I can’t say as I’d blame you. I hope you
can—”

“Forgive us?”

“Forgive us?”

Bram let out the breath he’d been holding, not sure he’d kept accurate track of who
had said what. “
Jah
, apology accepted. Nate’s leery of girls right now, after the way he thought he was
gettin’ married and Roberta gave him the slip. But, um . . .” He paused, hoping for
the right words. “Those tall tales you heard were just a guy thing. Not meant to upset
you, see.”

“And we didn’t swap places to hurt your feelings, either,” Mary insisted as she wiped
away tears. “We just, well—”

“We each wanted to find out if we were better suited to the other brother, seeing’s
how neither of us came home real happy Friday night.”

Bram glanced at Amos and Nell, but saw no sign that they knew about Uncle Abe’s visit
to the stable. “I had a hand in the way things turned out that night,” he hedged,
“and neither of us brothers intended for Friday evening to go sour, believe me. We
were both real tickled that you asked us to stay over.”

Had he overstated his case? Correctly interpreted the twins’ disappointment? It was
his experience that girls had their romantic expectations about dates and guys had
totally different ones. If a man wanted to make any progress with a special young
lady he sometimes had to kiss up. But if he overdid it, he’d be in worse trouble than
if he’d not admitted his perceived mistakes. Girls were complicated creatures . .
.

But at least their parents seemed to think the issue had been settled for now. Amos
bowed his head, a signal that they should begin their meal with silent prayer. Then
the food passing began, and Bram filled his plate with an egg casserole loaded with
cheese and chunks of sausage, along with baked pineapple and a couple of those glazed
buns that Martha—no,
Mary
—had baked yesterday. The table talk still felt strained but everyone was making the
best of the situation.

“I’d be happy to do the horse chores for you this morning,” Bram offered. “It’ll be
my Christmas gift, for the way you’ve fed me and heard me out.”

“Well, that’d be a fine thing,” Amos replied, and Owen nodded happily as he helped
himself to more food.

“We’ll help,” Mary insisted with a glance at her sister. “It’ll go faster with the
three of us.”

“Can’t expect you to do that by yourself,” Martha agreed. “Especially not on this
special day when we keep the work to a minimum.”

Bram grinned, as this was the reaction he’d hoped for. After the twins scraped and
stacked the dishes—and declared that Joanna could help their
mamm
wash and dry them because it was their birthday—he and the two girls headed for the
barn. When a snowball hit his back, Bram laughed out loud and returned the favor,
tossing loosely packed handfuls of snow at Mary and Martha. The way he saw it, Nate
had left the party too soon . . . so now it was his mission to keep both Coblentz
sisters entertained. There could be worse ways to spend a Christmas morning before
they went inside for the traditional Bible reading from Luke, and then quietly pondered
the meaning of Jesus’ birth in their lives.

“
Denki
for seein’ my side of things after my brother left,” Bram said as they entered the
dim barn. “Glad we got things aired out so as not to spoil your birthday. And I’m
hopin’ it’ll be the happiest one you’ve ever had, too.”

“We’re working on that,” Martha said as she grabbed a bucket for hauling water.

“
Jah
, I thought we were in for a big lecture and maybe getting sent to our room,” Mary
added. “Dat would’ve been a lot tougher on us if you’d left with Nate.”

Bram grabbed a shovel and started scooping the piles of manure that had accumulated
since yesterday. It seemed like a fine time to discuss another subject that had been
on his mind, while it was just the three of them . . . perhaps a topic these girls
might consider if they got tired of thinking about religion today. “We can still enjoy
each other’s company even with my brother gone—if you’ve a mind to,” he said playfully.

Mary and Martha glanced at each other and then back at him, looking hopeful. “What’d
you have in mind, Bram?” one of them asked.

“Maybe a ride this afternoon, to get out of the house for a while?” the other twin
chimed in. “We could all fit in your buggy.”

“Oh, I had something more . . . permanent in mind.” He would have to be careful, because
he still couldn’t tell them apart . . . and he didn’t want to ruin his chances for
keeping one or both of them interested. They did everything together, it seemed. “I’ve
been wantin’ to start up my own auctioneering business, like I’ve told you. And if
I had you girls to help me with the clerkin’ and the organizin’, we could do a bang-up
business, the three of us.”

Their eyebrows rose in unison. One stopped raking the soiled hay from the stalls and
the other quit filling the water troughs. “You mean, like, moving to Willow Ridge?
Finding a place to live and—”

“Are we talking a job that pays? Or just being there to help you out, Bram?”

“Of course I’ll pay you!” he assured them. “I’ve got enough connections with fellows
who set up estate sales and livestock auctions to make a
gut
go of it. But I’ll need somebody who can make my calls for me, and print up the bills
of sale, and run a lunch wagon and—”

Again their eyebrows rose. “So you’re talking about a full-time thing? Where we won’t
be living at home?”

“
Jah
, now’s your chance to get out and see something of the world, before you join the
church,” Bram continued earnestly. “You might even decide the Old Ways aren’t your
ways. I admit I’m on the verge of jumpin’ the fence myself because this religion just
isn’t feelin’ like a
gut
fit for me. If we stick together—”

“You’re saying Nate won’t be in on this plan?”

Bram suspected it was Martha talking, and she’d brought up another subject he had
to handle carefully. But he couldn’t help feeling excited. His future seemed to be
unfolding even as he was discussing it with these two bright, personable girls. Folks
at sales would take to the attractive Coblentz twins immediately. They were hard workers—resourceful—with
a good sense of humor. “Nate will always be my brother,” he pointed out. “His trainin’
business takes him to livestock sales sometimes, and that’ll keep us connected. I
can’t speak for him, understand, but mostly he’ll be goin’ his way and I’ll be goin’—”

“But if you jump the fence, you’ll separate yourself from your whole family. They
won’t be as likely to spend time with us if we’ve left the Old Order,” Martha pointed
out.

“And I can’t see us causing that sort of split here,” Mary said in a rising voice.
“We have our tough talks now and again, but I’m not ready to break Mamma’s heart by
telling her I’m leaving the church—”

“And if she gets wind of this idea that you want to look after both of us, while working
mostly amongst English, away from Cedar Creek,” Martha went on, “well, that’s sounding
mighty radical to me.”

“Living in sin. That’s what Mamma and Dat would call it.”

Bram felt his new future—a wonderful opportunity for independence—slipping away with
each word they said. “But it wouldn’t be that way!” he insisted. “Our families aren’t
gonna pitch us out like this manure we’re shovelin’. I’d be sure you girls had a nice
place to stay, and—”

“Oh, that’ll be a sticking point, for sure and for certain.” Martha gripped her rake,
leaning on it as she held his gaze. “If you’d be payin’ the rent, that would make
it pretty much your place, to come and go as you pleased—”

“And to do whatever else you wanted with us,” Mary said with a firm shake of her head.
“You’d best head on back to Willow Ridge, Bram. I’ll not ruin our Christmas by breaking
this idea to the parents. I’ll gather your things together and tell them you’ve decided
to spend the day with your family—”

“And I’ll hitch Felix to your buggy,” Martha said as she went to the back wall where
his tack was hanging.

Bram’s jaw dropped. Just that fast these girls had sent him packing. “But—”

“
Jah
, your
butt
is cute and fun to have around,” Mary remarked ruefully.

“But your wild ideas will get us in big trouble,” her sister finished. “I’m not letting
this cat out of the bag and getting another lecture on our birthday.” She was already
slipping the bridle over Felix’s head, while Mary hurried out of the barn, toward
the house.

Fifteen minutes later Bram’s rig was pointed toward the road. He waved to the twins
and they waved back, but the regret he saw on their faces weighed heavily on his heart.
He wasn’t used to being rejected—especially not by two girls in the same day—and that
thought made his resentment simmer as he urged Felix into a trot . . .

And yet, as the miles went by, Bram realized he’d acted brashly . . . would have been
better off talking up his auctioneering business while Nate was around to soften his
sharp edges. It wasn’t the first time he’d spoken in all-out excitement and then overstepped
some lines. And even if they teased their dates with their sparkly blue eyes and hot
kisses, nice girls like Mary and Martha stayed within the lines. He could see that
now.

When he got home, Nate was still enduring some stiff talk from their parents. Bram
heard their voices in the front room as he came in through the kitchen door, so he
paused to get the gist of the conversation.

“. . . not the way I’d figured on spending my Christmas, with my family scattered
hither and yon,” Mamm was saying. “What possessed you boys to take up with girls you’d
never seen before?”

“And why would their parents go along with it?” Dat asked sternly. “Seems a sign that
their daughters might play fast and loose, inviting you into their home so quick-like.”

Bram closed his eyes, waiting for Nate’s answer. Some of the blame belonged to him
for jumping at the chance to get better acquainted with Mary and Martha, after all.

“It wasn’t like we were staying with English,” his brother replied with a resigned
sigh. “The Coblentz family observes the same traditions we do. We went to the scholars’
program on Christmas Eve with them, and—”

“I could tell from the tone of Bram’s voice message that he started all of this,”
Mamm broke in. “And that explains why he stayed behind, too. At least you had the
sense to realize those girls were up to no
gut
, and come home.”

Oh, but that remark went too far! Bram entered the front room and let his duffel drop.
“There’s nothing
loose
about Mary and Martha Coblentz,” he stated as they all turned his way. “And their
family seemed pleased to have Christmas visitors.”