A Plain and Simple Christmas Read Online Free PDF

she whispered. She grabbed two glasses of water and sat across from him. Thoughts swirled through her mind like a tornado. Guilt weighed down on her, feeling like a stone sitting on her chest and stealing her breath. How could she possibly deceive the man who’d been her best friend and confidante since she was a child?
    “Is something wrong, Katie?” he asked, lifting his glass. “You seem preoccupied.” He took a long drink.
    Kathryn cleared her throat. “I spoke to Anna Mae today.”
    His eyes widened with shock. “You spoke to her? What do you mean?”
    She took a sip of water and cleared her throat. “She called the bakery.”
    “How is she?”
    “She’s doing gut.” She traced the condensation on the glass with her fingertip. “She and Kellan still want to come andvisit for Grischtdaag. I told her it sounded like a nice idea.” She inhaled a breath, awaiting his response.
    “Katie.” Reaching over, he took her hand in his. “You know it’s a bad idea. I told you we’ll go visit her in the spring, and that’s what we’ll do. Forget any plans for their coming for Grischtdaag. It just won’t work out the way you’d like.”
    “But David, it’s Grischtdaag. The family should be together.”
    “You know as well as I do that having Anna Mae and her husband here would just upset my dat. We don’t want that at Grischtdaag. We’ll go to Baltimore and visit Anna Mae in the spring and discuss inviting her back another time. We’ll have to warn my daed about it and prepare for the visit. Having them just drop in would cause problems that I’m not ready to face.”
    “But I really feel that this is the time to invite her,” she said slowly, choosing her words as best she could. “It feels like God is leading me to this. I feel it strongly in my heart, David. I’m not just making this decision lightly. It’s coming from the very depths of my soul.”
    “I’m too tired to discuss this now, Katie.” He yawned. “The store was busy all day long, and I’m ready to read the Bible and relax. We’ll go see my schweschder in the spring. That’s it. It’s decided.” He stood. “This discussion is over.” He started for the door.
    “Wait.” Kathryn stood and took a deep breath. “I’m not finished.”
    Turning, he raised his eyebrows.
    “You read the letter,” she said. “Anna Mae and Kellan are expecting their first child. They want to rebuild theirrelationship with the family for the child’s sake.” She stepped over to him. “Surely you can understand that.”
    He frowned. “I’ve already told you that we’ll visit her in the spring. You need to let this go. A Christmas visit is not a good idea. There’s nothing else to discuss.”
    “But David—”
    He grimaced. “There’s nothing else to discuss, Kathryn.” He turned and crossed the room, and Kathryn’s resentment simmered in her soul.
    Glowering, she snatched the glasses from the table and washed them. David had a knack for deciding when a discussion was over, whether she was finished making her case or not. David had no problem walking away when they’d had a heated debate. He would let it go, not discussing it any further. He would probably be reticent the rest of the evening, but by tomorrow he’d be past it, acting as if the disagreement had never happened. However, Kathryn would hang onto her resentment, mulling the problem over and over again in her mind and thinking of everything she should’ve said to him to make her case.
    She knew tonight would be one of those nights when she’d go to bed and lie awake for hours, probably most of the night. While drying the glasses, she contemplated Anna Mae. Kathryn’s heart had swelled at the sound of Anna Mae’s voice. She had sounded so hopeful on the phone, so desperate to be reunited with her family.
    How could a family reunion at Christmastime be wrong? Wasn’t that the best time of year for a family to work out issues and become one again? Besides, Anna Mae was