The Dawn of Christmas Read Online Free PDF

move back toward home, but then … Which direction
was
home? She tugged on the reins, slowing Bay while she searched their surroundings for a familiar landmark. How far was she from Mammi Lee’s? Ten miles? Maybe fifteen?
    Another groan made her skin crawl, and she studied the ground. Bay’s hoofs shifted and trod the thick grass, leaving clear imprints.
    The moon’s glow revealed other horse tracks, and Sadie feared it wastime to bolt from the area. But she directed Bay to follow the beaten path. The tracks continued for a short distance, then made a circle and went back in the same direction.
    On the horizon she saw a shadowy figure. Was that an animal? Yes, it might even be a bridled horse standing at the edge of the field near a patch of woods. Although her curiosity was piqued, she wasn’t about to go near that area to check it out. With fear rising, she nudged Bay into a gallop toward the creek.
    Once there, Sadie risked a glance behind her. She didn’t consider herself a coward. How many women went out by themselves at night for the sheer joy of it? Yet here she was, running home simply because she’d heard a groan in the darkness and seen something that looked like a bridled horse in silhouette.
    Unable to shake free of her fear and yet chiding herself for being so skittish, she clicked her tongue and tugged on the right rein until Bay headed back toward the sound.
    “Hello?” She peered into the woods, watching for any sign of life. Other than the animal she’d seen earlier—whether cow, deer, or horse—she saw no movement.
    As she neared the creature, it whinnied and backed up. Definitely a horse. Reins dangled from the bit to the ground, but it wasn’t tethered to anything.
    She dismounted.
“Begreiflich.” Easy
.
    She made several attempts to get closer, but the horse kept backing away. “
Gut Gaul
. Kumm.” The horse calmed a bit, ears perked to listen to Sadie’s low voice. When Sadie drew close, she took hold of a dangling rein to keep the animal from running off.
    “Begreiflich,” she repeated softly as she ran her hand down the horse’s leg. She didn’t feel any broken bones. “Where’s your rider?”
    Peering into the woods, she looked for any sign of another person, a moving shadow or something. When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she looked across the field. The grass stood at least a foot tall, high and thick enough to conceal a body. She didn’t like the idea of hunting for someone, but even so, she tethered the stray horse to a low-hanging branch, mounted Bay, and followed the tracks in the grass.
    She moved slowly, searching the area. Just beyond where the tracks ended, she saw a shadowy lump in the grass. She nudged the horse forward, one step at a time. The desire to flee overwhelmed her, but she paused a few feet from the mass, studying it through the darkness.
    A man.
    She got off her horse and crouched, realizing the man wore Amish clothing.
    “Hello?” She patted his face, but he remained motionless. “Hello? Can you hear me?” She spoke in clear English, hoping not to reveal her Amish accent. If word of how she was dressed leaked back to Mammi Lee’s community, her Daed’s patience with her would go from thin to nonexistent.
    How can you think about yourself right now?
    She had to get help. Where had she seen the last house—two, maybe three miles back? Looking across the land, she realized afresh how turned around she was.
    “Can you hear me?” When he didn’t budge, she pressed two fingers against his neck. His pulse met her fingertips, and relief exploded in her, feeling much like fireworks themselves. “Please wake up.”
    Regardless of his being Amish, she patted his pants pockets, hoping he had a phone. He didn’t, and she again checked his pulse.
    His face turned toward her, and he lowered his jaw as if responding to her touch. He moaned, startling her.
    Excitement suddenly soared in her, and she was tempted to double her fists and jab them into