Naomi’s Christmas Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE PLEASANT VALLEY NOVELS

  Hannah’s Joy

  “[A] warm tale of love and belonging.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  “Amish book lovers…you are ferhoodled if you don’t go out and pick up a copy of Hannah’s Joy RIGHT NOW!”

  —The Mary Reader

  “Refreshing.”

  —Romance Novel News

  Katie’s Way

  “Superb…Magnificent Marta Perry provides another engaging Pleasant Valley tale.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  “Katie’s Way stands alone, but readers will love…all of the novels in the order they were published…great characters and a bit of mystery…a delightful novel!”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A great story of friendship, second chances, and faith…wonderful.”

  —Reviews from the Heart

  “While this is a love story, it’s also a very complex story…I highly recommend this book and this series to anyone who loves Amish romances.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  Sarah’s Gift

  “Perry’s fourth Pleasant Valley book places her well-rounded characters in a sweet, entertaining romance.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Perry’s narrative keeps a nice pace as things develop credibly…between Aaron and Sarah; the legal challenge makes for more than merely romantic tension. Minor characters are also clearly sketched and differentiated.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The latest Pleasant Valley inspirational Amish romance is a superb contemporary that focuses on the role of a midwife in modern America…another powerful Pleasant Valley tale.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  Anna’s Return

  “Those who enjoyed the first two series titles will eagerly await this third entry, which does not disappoint. It will also appeal to fans of Amy Clipston and Shelley Shepard Gray.”

  —Library Journal

  “Perry crafts characters with compassion yet with insecurities that make them relatable.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “A story of forgiveness, redemption, and mistaken ideas…full of wonderful characters…a wonderful book!”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “In today’s fast-paced society, it’s a joy to sit back and enjoy a book that can combine romance, faith, and a bit of a thriller…I look forward to reading more of Ms. Perry’s books.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  Rachel’s Garden

  “Sure to appeal to fans of Beverly Lewis.”

  —Library Journal

  “A large part of the pleasure of this book is in watching Rachel be Amish, as she sells snapdragons and pansies to both Amish and ‘English’ at an outdoor market, taking in snatches of Pennsylvania Dutch.”

  —The Philadelphia Inquirer

  Leah’s Choice

  “What a joy it is to read Marta Perry’s novels! Leah’s Choice has everything a reader could want—strong, well-defined characters; beautiful, realistic settings; and a thought-provoking plot. Readers of Amish fiction will surely be waiting anxiously for her next book.”

  —Shelley Shepard Gray, author of the Sisters of the Heart series

  “A knowing, careful look into Amish culture and faith. A truly enjoyable reading experience.”

  —Angela Hunt, author of Five Miles South of Peculiar

  “Marta Perry has done an exceptional job describing the tradition of the Amish community…a wonderful start to what is sure to be a very memorable series.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “I loved Leah’s Choice by Marta Perry! More than just a sweet Amish love story, it is a complex mix of volatile relationships and hard choices. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend it!”

  —Colleen Coble, author of Tidewater Inn

  Other Pleasant Valley novels by Marta Perry

  LEAH’S CHOICE

  RACHEL’S GARDEN

  ANNA’S RETURN

  SARAH’S GIFT

  KATIE’S WAY

  HANNAH’S JOY

  NAOMI’S

  CHRISTMAS

  Pleasant Valley

  BOOK SEVEN

  MARTA PERRY

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision.

  The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2012 by Martha Johnson.

  Excerpt from Lydia’s Hope by Marta Perry copyright © 2012 by Martha Johnson.

  Paper-star pattern © Tammy Seidick Graphic Design.

  Cover art by Shane Rebenschied.

  Cover design by Annette Fiore DeFex.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  BERKLEY® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley trade paperback edition / October 2012

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Perry, Marta.

  Naomi’s Christmas / Marta Perry.

  p. cm. — (Pleasant Valley ; bk. 7)

  ISBN: 978-1-101-61169-2

  1. Amish—Fiction. 2. Lancaster County (Pa.)—Fiction. 3. Christmas stories. I. Title.

  PS3616.E7933N36 2012

  813’.6—dc23 2012018779

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ALWAYS LEARNING

  PEARSON

  This story is dedicated

  to my children and grandchildren,

  with much love.

  And, as always, to Brian.

  LIST OF CHARACTERS

  Naomi Esch, a beekeeper, eldest child of Sam Esch

  Nathan King, widower, a dairy farmer; Ada, his late wife; his children: Joshua, six, and Sadie, almost five

  Ezra King, Nathan’s father

  Sarah S
chultz, Nathan’s sister

  Emma Miller, mother of Nathan’s late wife, mother of Elizabeth, Jessie, and Seth

  Elizabeth Miller, middle sister of Nathan’s late wife

  Jessie Miller, youngest sister of Nathan’s late wife

  Seth Miller, brother of Nathan’s late wife, Englisch

  Elijah Esch, Naomi’s oldest brother; Lovina, his wife

  Isaiah Esch, Naomi’s youngest brother; Libby, his wife

  Sam Esch, Naomi’s father

  Betty Shutz, Sam Esch’s new wife

  Anna and Sara, Naomi’s sisters

  Paula Schatz, Mennonite, runs Pleasant Valley’s bakery

  Hannah Brand, protagonist of Hannah’s Joy, Paula’s niece, partner in the bakery; William Brand, her husband

  Leah Glick, protagonist of Leah’s Choice; Daniel Glick, her husband; their children: Matthew, Elizabeth, Jonah, and Rachel Anna

  Katie Miller Brand, protagonist of Katie’s Way, quilt shop owner; Caleb Brand, her husband, furniture shop owner

  Rhoda Miller, Katie’s sixteen-year-old sister

  Rachel Zook, protagonist of Rachel’s Garden; Gideon Zook, her husband; their children: Becky, Joseph, Mary, and Josiah

  Joseph and Myra Beiler, Leah’s brother and sister-in-law

  Anna Beiler Fisher, protagonist of Anna’s Return; Samuel Fisher, her husband; their children: adopted daughter Grace and baby David

  Barbara Beiler, Leah’s sister-in-law

  Bishop Mose, spiritual leader of the Pleasant Valley Amish

  GLOSSARY OF PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH WORDS AND PHRASES

  ach. oh; used as an exclamation

  agasinish. stubborn; self-willed

  ain’t so. A phrase commonly used at the end of a sentence to invite agreement.

  alter. old man

  anymore. Used as a substitute for “nowadays.”

  Ausbund. Amish hymnal. Used in the worship services, it contains traditional hymns, words only, to be sung without accompaniment. Many of the hymns date from the sixteenth century.

  befuddled. mixed up

  blabbermaul. talkative one

  blaid. bashful

  boppli. baby

  bruder. brother

  bu. boy

  buwe. boys

  daadi. daddy

  Da Herr sei mit du. The Lord be with you.

  denke. thanks (or danki)

  Englischer. one who is not Plain

  ferhoodled. upset; distracted

  ferleicht. perhaps

  frau. wife

  fress. eat

  gross. big

  grossdaadi. grandfather

  grossdaadi haus. An addition to the farmhouse, built for the grandparents to live in once they’ve “retired” from actively running the farm.

  grossmutter. grandmother

  gut. good

  hatt. hard; difficult

  haus. house

  hinnersich. backward

  ich. I

  ja. yes

  kapp. Prayer covering, worn in obedience to the Biblical injunction that women should pray with their heads covered. Kapps are made of Swiss organdy and are white. (In some Amish communities, unmarried girls thirteen and older wear black kapps during worship service.)

  kinder. kids (or kinner)

  komm. come

  komm schnell. come quick

  Leit. the people; the Amish

  lippy. sassy

  maidal. old maid; spinster

  mamm. mother

  middaagesse. lunch

  mind. remember

  onkel. uncle

  Ordnung. The agreed-upon rules by which the Amish community lives. When new practices become an issue, they are discussed at length among the leadership. The decision for or against innovation is generally made on the basis of maintaining the home and family as separate from the world. For instance, a telephone might be necessary in a shop in order to conduct business but would be banned from the home because it would intrude on family time.

  Pennsylvania Dutch. The language is actually German in origin and is primarily a spoken language. Most Amish write in English, which results in many variations in spelling when the dialect is put into writing! The language probably originated in the south of Germany but is common also among the Swiss Mennonite and French Huguenot immigrants to Pennsylvania. The language was brought to America prior to the Revolution and is still in use today. High German is used for Scripture and church documents, while English is the language of commerce.

  rumspringa. Running-around time. The late teen years when Amish youth taste some aspects of the outside world before deciding to be baptized into the church.

  schnickelfritz. mischievous child

  ser gut. very good

  tastes like more. delicious

  Was ist letz? What’s the matter?

  Wie bist du heit. how are you; said in greeting

  wilkom. welcome

  Wo bist du? Where are you?

  Table of 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

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Epilogue

  CHAPTER ONE

  Naomi Esch froze in her seat at the family table, unable to stop staring at her father. Daadi had just tossed what felt like a lightning bolt into the middle of her thirtieth birthday celebration. Around her, she could feel her siblings and their spouses stuck in equally unbelieving attitudes.

  “Ach, what is wrong with all of you?” Daadi’s eyes narrowed, his beard seeming to bristle as he glared at his offspring. “This is a reason to celebrate, ain’t so?”

  Lovina, her brother Elijah’s wife, was the first to recover, her calm face showing little of what she felt. “We wish you and Betty much happiness.” She bounced Amos, her two-year-old, on her lap, hushing him. “Wilkom, Betty.”

  Betty Shutz, a round dumpling of a woman with a pair of shrewd brown eyes, nodded and smiled, but the glance she sent toward Naomi was cautious.

  Isaiah, the youngest and most impetuous, said what everyone was thinking. “But what about Naomi? If you and Betty are marrying, what is Naomi to do?”

  The question roused Naomi from her frozen state. What was she supposed to do, after fifteen years spent raising her siblings, tending the house and garden and her beehives, and taking care of Daadi?

  Daadi’s gaze shifted, maybe a bit uneasily. “Naomi is a gut daughter, none better. No one would deny that. But newlyweds want to have time alone together, ja? So we…I was thinking Naomi would move in with Elijah and Lovina. They are both busy with the dry-goods store and two young kinder besides. It would be a big help to you, ja?”

  Elijah and Lovina exchanged glances, and then Lovina smiled at Naomi. “Nothing would please us more than to have Naomi with us, but that is for her to say, ain’t so?”

  “Denke, Lovina.” Naomi found that her stiff lips could move, after all. “But what about my beehives?”

  Odd, that her thoughts had flown so quickly to her bees in the face of this shock. Or maybe not so odd. The beehives were the only thing she could call truly hers.

  “I’ve already talked to Dick Holder about the hives, and he’ll be happy to give Naomi a gut price for them.” Daad spoke as if it were all settled, her life completely changed in a few short minutes.

  “I will not sell the hives.” Naomi could hardly believe that strong tone was coming out of her mouth. Everyone else looked equally surprised. Maybe they’d never heard such firmness from her.
r />   Daad’s eyebrows drew down as he stared at her. “Komm, Naomi, don’t be stubborn. It is the sensible thing to do. Betty is allergic to bee stings, so the hives cannot stay here. And Elijah’s home in town isn’t suitable. The money will give you a nice little nest egg for the future.”

  A babble of talk erupted around her as everyone seemed to have an opinion, but Naomi’s thoughts were stuck on the words Daad had used. Her future. He clearly thought he knew what that future was to be. She should move from one sibling to another, helping to raise their children, never having a home or a life of her own.

  She was engaging in selfish thinking, maybe, and it was unfitting for a humble Amish person. But…

  She looked around the table. Elijah, two years younger than she, whom she’d comforted when bad dreams woke him in the night. Anna and Sara, the next two in the family, who had traveled by bus with their husbands from the next county for her birthday today. She’d taught the girls everything they needed to know to be Amish women, overseen their rumspringas, seen them married to gut men they loved. And Isaiah, the baby, the one whose first stumbling steps she’d guided. Were they to be her future, as they had her past?

  Much as she loved them, her heart yearned for more. Marriage might have passed her by during those years when she was busy raising her siblings, but she’d looked forward to a satisfying future, taking care of Daad, tending her hives, enjoying her part-time work at the bakery.

  Amos slid down from his mother’s lap and toddled around the table to tug on Naomi’s skirt. A glance at his face told her he’d detected the strain in the air. She lifted him to her lap, running her hand down his back, murmuring soothing words. He leaned against her, relaxing, sucking on two fingers as he always did before going to sleep.

  Lovina met her gaze from across the table and smiled. “Naomi is wonderful gut with children.”

  “For sure,” Betty said, her first contribution to the conversation. “A widower with kinder would do well to have a wife like Naomi.”

  Somehow, that comment, coming from Betty, was the last straw. Naomi had to speak now, and quickly, before the rest of her life was set in stone by the family.

  “You are all ser kind to give so much thought to my life. But as dearly as I love my nieces and nephews, I have no wish to raise them. And I will not give up my beehives. So I think I must find this answer for myself.”