Amish Christmas Joy Read Online Free PDF Page B

desire to raise her in the Amish way. Will they do that?”
    “All I can do is ask.”
    His mother would welcome Joy with open arms. He wasn’t so sure about his father. He had to believe they would agree with his decision to bring her here. If not, he didn’t know what he would do. Joy needed more than he could give her.
    “I should tell you that Wayne is on the school board.”
    “I see.” Would his brother block his efforts?
    “No matter where she continues her education, you’ll need her records from her last school. Do you have them?”
    “She was homeschooled by her grandmother.”
    “Can you get copies of her curriculum and any test scores? Each state has different requirements. I’m not familiar with what Texas requires.”
    “I’ll have my attorney get what he can and send it to me.” Caleb had already paid the firm a big chunk of his savings to gain temporary custody of Joy. Whatever it took, he was willing to do. His one overriding fear was that Valerie could get Joy back and all of this would have been for nothing.
    Leah stared at him for a long moment. “What happens when Joy’s mother returns for her and wants to take her away?”
    He shifted his gaze to his hands on the steering wheel. It was a question he couldn’t answer. He wanted Joy to know security and happiness. His attorney was working to sever Valerie’s parental rights on the basis of abandonment, but Caleb wasn’t sure what would happen if she returned to fight for custody.
    “I left a letter for Valerie with her stepfather and one with my attorney if she should come looking for us. I let her know I was taking Joy to my folks. She knows they’re Amish. I’m hoping she’ll realize that Joy is better off with them and stay out of her life.”
    “Shouldn’t you pray that she sees the error of her ways and wants to reunite with her daughter?”
    “You can pray for that if you want. I won’t waste my time. God doesn’t listen to me.” Caleb had stopped praying a long time ago.
    Sadness filled Leah’s eyes. “God hears everyone’s prayers. Perhaps you are the one who has stopped listening for His answer.”
    He tipped his head to the side and tried for a lighter tone. “Maybe you should pray for me, then.”
    Her chin came up a notch at his challenge. “I will, Caleb Mast. I will do just that.”
    Joy finished petting the horse, picked up the grocery bag and came running toward the truck. He got out and held open the door as she raced around the hood.
    “Did you see me? I touched a horse, a real horse. Not a pretend one. His name is Benny. He belongs to Anna. I want a horse.”
    He smiled at her excitement. Taking the bag of groceries from her, he handed them to Leah and then lifted his daughter into the truck. “You’ll meet lots of horses at your grandpa and grandma’s farm. Cows, too, and chickens and ducks, but no elephants.”
    “Do they have a dog?”
    Caleb glanced at Leah. “Do they?”
    “They don’t have a dog, but I do. Her name is Trixie, and she is going to have puppies soon. I’ve been trying to think of some names for them. Have you got any suggestions?”
    Caleb breathed an inward sigh of relief. Leah seemed to be on board with his plan. While she might not like helping him, he had to trust that she would do what was best for Joy.
    He drove out of town with a renewed sense of hope. This might actually work. If Joy was happy and safe, he couldn’t ask for more.
    “If your dog has a girl puppy, you can call it Princess,” Joy said from the backseat.
    Caleb smothered a grin and waited for Leah’s reply. She tilted her head slightly. “I think Princess is much too fancy a name for an Amish dog. She will be a working dog.”
    “What kind of work can a dog do?” Joy asked.
    “My puppies will grow up to herd sheep and cattle, just like their mother and father do.”
    Caleb glanced at Leah. “Are they border collies?”
    “English shepherds.”
    The breed wasn’t well-known outside farming