Amish Christmas Twins. Shelley Shepard Gray

“If there was a mirror in here, I reckon you’d be standing in front of it all day long, doing nothing but staring at yourself.”

      She could feel her skin start to flush. “I didn’t ask you to come in here. Why don’t you go back to your own room?”

      With a blink, his smirk vanished, and he looked once again like his usual six-year-old self. “Nee. I was bored in there. There wasn’t anything to do.”

      Still irritated with his comments, she turned to face him. “That isn’t my problem. Leave me alone. Go out and pester somebody else.”

      Roy glared at her. “You didn’t used to talk to me like that. You’re being mean, Jemima.”

      She knew she was, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t right. She didn’t want to have to always entertain her little brother. “If I’m being mean, it’s because you’re being a baby, Roy.” She was pretty sure she was right about that, too. She was still six when their parents had died and all anyone ever expected of her was to “watch out for Roy.” She had, too. How come no one was asking him to do much now except a couple of easy chores and playing with the wooden farm and train sets in his room? It wasn’t fair.

      “I’m not being a boppli!”

      “You are too. Now, go!”

      Just as Roy stuck out his tongue at her, Will appeared in the doorway. He looked irritated and a little angry, too.

      “What is the matter with the two of you?” he asked, looking from her to Roy and back again. “E.A. and I could hear you two fussing from the kitchen.”

      Roy’s eyes widened and suddenly looked angelic.

      Which really was annoying. “You should ask Roy,” Jemima said. “He started it.”

      “I did not.”

      “You wouldn’t l—”

      “Oh, for Pete’s sake. We’re not starting that again,” Will interrupted. “Roy, what is the matter?”

      “I came in here to play with Jemima, but all she wants to do is prance around in her new dress.” He lifted his chin. “And when I told her that she would probably do all that in front of a mirror if there was one in here, she told me to leave.”

      “Ah.” Jemima noticed that Will almost smiled but then seemed to get back his composure. “Roy, I grew up with a slew of sisters. I’m sorry, but I fear you are going to have to get used to girls doing things boys don’t understand.”

      “You mean she’s going to twirl all the time?”

      After giving her a quick smile, Will crooked a finger at Roy. “Come with me, boy. Let’s leave Jemima alone for a moment.”

      Roy stepped forward but then stopped again. “But I thought we were getting ready for the party.”

      “Well, I’m ready, and I see that you have on your new shirt. Does that mean you’re ready as well?”

      Her little brother bobbed his head. “Jah.”

      “Then I’d say that we should go downstairs and sit patiently while the women finish, too.”

      “But what else do they have to do? Jemima, what do you have to do now?”

      “Nothing that we need to know about, Roy,” Will said easily as he guided her little brother out the door with a wink in her direction. Just before he closed it, he said, “Jemima, we’ll be leaving for the Lambrights’ haus in ten minutes. I expect you to be downstairs by then.”

      “I will be.”

      “Gut.” Just before he stepped away, he lowered his voice. “You look mighty pretty, Jemima. Very grown-up.”

      “Danke,” she said as he closed the door.

      When she was alone again, she paused, and only heard silence. Then she took a moment to appreciate the fact that she was in her own room, sitting on her own bed, and Mr. Kurtz had just not only given her a few moments of privacy, but he’d said she looked pretty, too.

      Swallowing the lump in her throat, she realized that she was happy. She wasn’t thinking about her parents or afraid of getting yelled at or worried about where she and Roy were going to be living next week. All she felt was a beautiful sense of peace floating inside her.

      She wondered if it was her guardian angel reminding her that all was going to be well. Back when she was a little girl, she used to tell her mamm that she was never alone because she had her very own special angel always by her side. Her mother would laugh at her comments and say that if any little girl was so blessed, it would surely be her Jemima.

      After their parents went to heaven and everything had turned so wrong, Jemima had been sure she’d been stupid ever to imagine that sweet angels walked by little girls’ sides. After all, how could a guardian angel really exist if both of her parents had died in an instant?

      She’d decided then and there that all she’d had was a make-believe friend.

      But now, maybe she’d been right all along. Maybe her special angel was looking out for her again and she was reminding Jemima that even though something very bad had happened, she was still never alone. That she was blessed and special in her own way.

      The most recent turn of events seemed to say that was true. Even though Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz were having a baby, they’d said that she and Roy were still special to them and that they wanted them, too. Surely that meant something?

      She didn’t know everything about E.A. and Will Kurtz, but she was almost positive that they didn’t lie. Not about things like that, at least.

      “Jemima!” Roy called. “Everyone’s waiting!”

      “Sorry!” She grabbed her black bonnet, slipped it over her kapp, and hurried downstairs. She was ready at last.

      Chapter 10

      All the attention was becoming awkward. From the moment she, Will, and the children had arrived at Katie and Harley’s house, all of their friends had made a beeline for E.A.’s tummy. They’d hugged her, patted her belly as if it wasn’t actually a part of her body, and discussed the pregnancy in excited tones.

      Any other time, E.A. would have been grateful for that. But now, while she was holding little Jemima’s hand? All she wanted everyone to do was pretend that she wasn’t suddenly looking very pregnant.

      And “suddenly” was the key word, too. It was as if the baby had decided to grow exponentially over the last week. She’d gone from looking like she was carrying a little bit of extra weight to looking like she was four or five months pregnant. It was rather confusing.

      “I don’t think we have to talk about this anymore,” she said when her friends Kendra and Marie started to ask her questions about how she was feeling.

      “Are you sure?” Marie asked.

      “Positive,” she replied, hoping her quick glance at Jemima would relay what was on her mind.

      “Oh, of course!” Smiling down at Jemima, Marie said, “Do you have a Christmas wish yet?”

      “Nee.”

      “Really?” She looked up at E.A. in concern. “I know the Amish don’t have Christmas trees or Santa Claus, but I thought children still got presents.”

      “They do,” Kendra said before E.A. could. “But it’s different. Kinner don’t ask for the moon and stars, just for one or two special things.”

      “Oh, of course.” Marie smiled again. “So, do you have one or two things in mind?”

      Little Jemima looked up at E.A. with big eyes, which of course made a lump form in her throat. “You can say whatever you want to say, dear,” she murmured. “I promise, both Marie and Kendra are nice women. I’ve known them for years