Amish White Christmas Pie Read Online Free PDF

folks.”
     
    Karen shifted uneasily as she tried to formulate the best response. She couldn’t go out for supper with Will if she and Regina held a surprise party for him.
     
    “Well, what do you say? Would you like to go out for supper on Tuesday?”
     
    “I’m not sure I’ll be free that night, Will.”
     
    “What do you mean you’re not sure? You’re either free or you’ve made other plans. Which is it?”
     
    “Well, I—” Karen moistened her lips. “I’m going to be busy that night.”
     
    “Doing what?”
     
    “I…uh…really can’t say.”
     
    Will frowned. “What do you mean you can’t say?”
     
    “I can’t say what I’ll be busy doing.”
     
    “Fine, then! If you don’t want to help celebrate my birthday, I’ll celebrate alone.”
     
    “It’s not that I don’t want to help celebrate your birthday. I just—”
     
    “Never mind; it’s not important.” He started for the door.
     
    “Where are you going?”
     
    “Home.”
     
    “But I thought you were staying for lunch.”
     
    He turned to face her. “I’ve changed my mind.”
     
    Karen frowned. “You’re unpredictable, Will. One minute you say you’re going to do something, and then you change your mind for no good reason.”
     
    “I do have a reason. You won’t be honest with me, so it’s time for me to go.”
     
    She fixed him with a wordless stare.
     
    He shrugged, blinked a couple of times, and tromped out the door.
     
    Karen leaned heavily against the kitchen counter.
I couldn’t tell Will the truth. It would have ruined the surprise. I’ll need to speak to Regina as soon as possible. I can’t have Will upset with me because he thinks I don’t want to go out with him on his birthday
.
     

C HAPTER 5
     

     
    K aren stepped outside and drew in a deep breath. The mist rolling over the farmlands surrounding Middlebury lifted the curtain on another day. She leaned her head back and looked at the sky. A small patch of sun peeked through the clouds, offering a promise to chase away the chill on this frosty Sunday morning. It was an off-Sunday in their district, so she and her family would be attending her aunt Jean’s church.
    As Karen headed to the chicken coop to feed the chickens, she thought about Will and how strange he’d acted the day before. She felt bad about the way things had gone when he’d invited her to join him for supper.
     
    I wish I felt free to tell Will about the party, but if I do, it won’t be a surprise. Maybe after we get home from church, I’ll go over to the Stoltzfuses’ and see if I can get Regina alone for a few minutes to discuss this problem
.
     
    Karen opened the chicken coop door and stepped inside. She bent to pick up one of the watering dishes and was startled by Herman, their biggest and meanest rooster. He flapped his wings, stretched his neck, and charged across the coop.
     
    Karen jumped back and waved her hands, but the ornery rooster pointed his beak right at her ankle and
—peck, peck, peck!
     
    “Ouch!
Absatz
—stop that!” The water dish slipped from Karen’s hands, splashing water all over her dress.
     
    The rooster backed up a few steps, ruffled his feathers, and charged again. Quickly Karen bent down, lifted the lid off the chicken feed container, and threw some on the floor. Herman rushed for it, as did the other chickens. While they clucked around the coop, fighting for food, Karen hurried through the watering process. The job done, she headed back to the house.
     
    Stepping onto the porch, she tripped on a loose board and fell on her knees. Gritting her teeth, she limped into the house, mumbling, “I think I should have stayed in bed this morning.”
     
    “Daughter, what’s wrong?” Mom asked when she saw Karen.
     
    “Our
nixnutzich haahne
is responsible for my wet dress and bleeding leg.”
     
    “Which naughty rooster?”
     
    “Herman. As soon as I reached for the water dish, he charged across the chicken coop and pecked my