Amish Christmas Joy. Patricia Davids

      

      Instant Father

      One minute, Caleb Mast is an oil-rig roughneck who answers to no one but himself. The next, he’s the father of a special-needs child he never knew existed. What kind of home can a man like him—without faith or community—provide for an eight-year-old girl? For little Joy’s sake, Caleb returns to the Amish community he left behind years ago. His daughter bonds with Amish schoolteacher Leah Belier, and Caleb feels hopeful for once. But Leah blames Caleb for dashing long-ago dreams and can’t bear to trust him. With Christmas weeks away, one special girl just may bring two hearts—and an entire community—together.

      Brides of Amish Country: Finding true love in the land of the Plain People.

      Leah laid a protective hand on Joy’s head.

      “Patience and kindness are the keys to raising a special child,” she told Caleb. “All children are gifts from God, but we believe a child such as Joy is one of His most cherished gifts.”

      Caleb’s hands dropped to his sides. He looked…defeated. “I know what the Amish believe. That’s why I’m here. The only reason I’m here.”

      She didn’t understand. He tipped his head slightly. “The prodigal son has returned. You don’t look happy to see me.”

      She wasn’t. She didn’t care if he knew it. He had changed a great deal in the past nine years. The wild, handsome Amish boy she had known had matured into a tall, rugged-looking man with a muscular frame and deeply tanned skin. He wore his dark hair cut short in the Englisch way, not in the bowl-cut style the men of her community wore.

      Leah realized he was studying her, too. Watching her with hard, piercing gray eyes that gave away little of what he was thinking.

      PATRICIA DAVIDS

      After thirty-five years as a nurse, Pat has hung up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer. She enjoys spending her new free time visiting her grandchildren, doing some long-overdue yard work and traveling to research her story locations. She resides in Wichita, Kansas. Pat always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can visit her on the web at www.patriciadavids.com.

      Amish Christmas Joy

      Patricia Davids

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

      —Mark 9:37

      This book is lovingly dedicated to the parents

      of special-needs children everywhere.

      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

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

       Excerpt

      Chapter One

      Loud pounding pulled Caleb Mast out of the first good night’s sleep he’d had in a month. He squinted at the clock on his bedside table. Who was beating on his door at three-forty in the morning?

      Staggering out of bed, he made his way through his condo. After four weeks on an oil platform in the Gulf, he was ready for some downtime. He’d stayed twice as long as his normal rotation to cover for an injured crewmate. The twelve-to thirteen-hour shifts seven days a week were tough. Lousy weather and a shorthanded crew made the extra two weeks a killer. All he wanted was to crawl back in bed.

      If some of his crewmates were looking to celebrate on their first night in, they could have fun without him. He didn’t do the party scene. Not since... He dismissed the thought without finishing it. He didn’t look back. The pounding resumed.

      He yanked open the front door. “If this building isn’t on fire you’re in trouble. What?”

      A woman stood on his doorstep. She had a little girl beside her. Thunder rumbled in the distance. A fine mist was falling, scenting the air with rain and making a shimmering halo around the streetlamp across the roadway. A yellow hatchback with a dented door sat parked beneath it.

      The woman pushed back her frizzy blond hair. “You’re a hard man to find, Caleb.”

      The voice belonged to a bad memory from his past. “Valerie?”

      She gave a halfhearted smile. “You remember my name. That’s something.”

      Was she kidding? He had turned his life upside down, cut bone-deep family ties and moved halfway across the country with Valerie Perry. A year later, she left him a goodbye note with no forwarding address and an empty bank account. Now, after nearly nine years, she was back. Why?

      There were dark circles under her eyes and a droop to her full lips. She was thin as a rail. Her once-thick brown