Chapter One

      Susannah Miller stood behind the security of her teacher’s desk, watching the departure of school board member James Keim and his wife, and wondered if her annual Christmas program was going to spell the end of her job as teacher at Pine Creek Amish School. The hollow feeling in her stomach brought on by Keim’s complaints lingered even after the door had closed behind him.

      Too worldly? What would make the Keims think there was anything worldly about the Amish school’s Christmas program? The program celebrated typical Amish values and attitudes toward the birth of Christ. It had always been the highlight of the school year for her scholars and their families in this small, valley community in central Pennsylvania.

      Susannah stiffened her spine. It still would be, if she had anything to say about it. She glanced around the simple, one-room schoolhouse that had become so precious to her over the past twelve years. Everything from the plain, green shades on the windows to the sturdy, wooden desks to the encouraging sayings posted on the wall declared that this was an Amish school, dedicated to educating kinder for life in an Amish community.

      Becky Shuler, Susannah’s best friend since childhood, abandoned the pretense she’d adopted of arranging books on the bookshelves. She hurried over to put her arm around Susannah’s waist.

      “Ach, Susannah, it wonders me why you don’t look more upset. I’d be throwing something if I had to put up with James Keim’s criticisms. The nerve of the man, coming in here and complaining about your Christmas program before he’s even seen it.”

      Susannah shook her head, managing a smile. “I’m not upset.”

      Or, at least, she had no intention of showing what she was feeling. Becky was her dearest friend in the world, but she knew as well as anyone that Becky couldn’t keep herself from talking, especially when she was indignant on behalf of those she loved.

      “Well, you should be.” Becky’s round cheeks were even rosier than usual, and her brown eyes snapped with indignation. “The Keims have only lived here less than two years, and he thinks he should tell everyone else how to live Amish. How he even got on the school board is a mystery to me.”

      Shrugging, Susannah closed the grade book she’d been working on when the Keims had appeared at the end of the school day. “Komm, Becky. You know as well as I do that folks don’t exactly line up to volunteer to be on the school board. James Keim was willing, even eager.”

      “That’s certain sure.” Becky’s flashing eyes proclaimed that she was not going to be talked out of her temper so easily. “He was only eager to serve because he wants to make our school into a copy of the one where they lived in Ohio. All I can say is that if he liked Ohio so much, he should have stayed there instead of coming here and bothering us.”

      “Becky, you know you shouldn’t talk that way about a brother in the faith. It’s not kind.”

      Becky was irrepressible. “But it’s true. You of all people know what a thorn in the side he’s been. Ach, you know I wouldn’t say these things to anyone but you.”

      “It would be best not to say them at all. James Keim has his own ideas of what an Amish school should be like. He’s entitled to his opinion.”

      Based on his disapproving comments, Susannah suspected that Keim’s previous community had been more conservative than Pine Creek, Pennsylvania. Amish churches varied from place to place, according to their membership and their bishops. Pine Creek, being a daughter church to Lancaster County, was probably a bit less stringent than what Keim had been used to.

      “You’re too kind, that’s what you are,” Becky declared, planting her fists on the edge of the desk. “You know perfectly well that he’d like to see his daughter Mary take your place as teacher, so he could boss her around all he wanted.”

      Susannah shook her head, but she had to admit there was some truth to what Becky said. As a thirty-year-old maidal who’d been teaching for a dozen years, Susannah wasn’t easily cowed, at least not when it came to her classroom and the young scholars who were like her own children. Young Mary would probably be easily influenced by her father’s powerful personality.

      “I don’t think Mary Keim has much interest in teaching, from what I’ve seen,” she said, determined to deflect Becky’s ire. Picking up the cardboard box that held Christmas program materials, Susannah set it on the desk. “If we’re going to work on the program this afternoon, we’d better get started.”

      Becky shook her head gloomily. “Mary might not want to teach, but she’d never stand up to her daad. You’re not going to let her help with the Christmas program, are you? She’d just be spying on you and reporting back to him.”

      “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” she said. “Maybe she won’t offer.” Susannah pulled the tape from the box lid, sure that would divert Becky’s attention.

      “Just one more thing, and then I’ll stop, I promise,” Becky said. “You’re not to pay any heed to Keim’s nasty comment about you not understanding the kinder because you’re unmarried, all right?”

      “All right.” That was an easy promise to make. One thing she’d never had cause to question was her feelings for her scholars.

      “After all, it’s not as if you couldn’t have married if you’d wanted to.” Becky dived into the box and pulled out a handful of paper stars. “Even after Toby left—” She stopped abruptly, her cheeks flaming. “Susannah, I’m sorry,