The Amish Christmas Matchmaker

“Ahh. Now your concern makes sense. But what does this have to do with me?”

“I need to distract him.”

“That’s what you want me to do?”

“Nein.Ya. Maybe.” Baby Joseph had fallen asleep in her arms, so Annie sat on the ground in front of the picnic table, crossed her legs and placed him in the crook of her knee. She quickly explained that Levi was working at their house two days a week and that he had set his sights on recruiting her father and brother.

“Jebediah and Nicole might move to Texas?”

“I don’t know. Anything is possible, I guess.”

“Wow.”

“I know.”

“Texas?”

“You should hear him talk about it. Actually, you will hear him talk about it if you go out on a date with him because it’s his only topic of conversation.”

“Hmm. You make him sound more attractive all the time.”

Annie snorted. “He’s good-looking enough, I’ll give you that, but that’s not the point. I just want you to agree to go out with him a few times.”

“Again...why? You know I’m taking a six-month break from dating.”

“Ya.”

“After what happened with David—”

“It wasn’t your fault he left the faith. He would have been willing to move to Alaska if they’d let him keep that cell phone.”

They shared a smile, both remembering the way that David had carried it around, glancing at it every few minutes, tapping on it constantly with his fingers.

“That relationship was never going to work anyway,” Martha admitted. “But the fact remains that I’m on a roll of bad relationships.”

“Only three.”

“Four if you count Meno.”

“Years ago, and he was never right for you.”

“None of them are.” Instead of looking as if that thought depressed her, Martha smiled. “I’m on a break.”

“Okay. All right. So don’t call it a date. Call it being a friend to someone new in our community.”

“It doesn’t have to be romantic?”

“Nein. Levi thinks...”

“Uh-oh. What did you tell him?”

“I might have mentioned that you need practice dating.”

“We both know that isn’t the case.”

“You need practice dating someone new.”

“Let me get this straight. I’m supposed to go out with him and distract him...”

“Maybe mention the gut points about Goshen. You know this place as well as I do, and it’s a fine community. He doesn’t have to go to Texas to find a place to settle down.”

“I’m not falling in love with Levi Lapp.”

“Of course not.”

“I don’t want to move to Texas any more than you do.”

“Exactly.”

“He’s bound to figure that out sooner than later.”

“Later would be better. Just buy me some time for Dat to simmer down about the idea.”

“Why don’t you do it? Why don’t you date him?”

Annie shook her head so hard that her kapp strings bounced back and forth. “Oh no. That would only encourage him to get closer to my family. Plus, fall and spring are the busiest seasons for my business. I have no time to waste on dating.”

“Oh, but I should...”

“You know what I mean. It’s fine for other people. I want other people to date.”

“If they didn’t, you’d be out of business.”

“Exactly.”

Martha placed the toddler on the ground and baby Jeremiah in his baby carrier. She stood, stretched and cast a look toward Big Tom who was still playing in the leaves, though now he was lying on his back and making a snow angel—or maybe a leaf angel. Martha smiled, and Annie was struck again by how close the two were.

Annie handed Joseph back to Martha, stood and brushed off the back of her dress.

“Will you do it?”

“Ya, ya,I’ll do it.”

“Danki.”

“But only because you’re my best friend.”

“I owe you.”