Amish Celebrations by Beth Wiseman

Author:Beth Wiseman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2018-07-10T07:00:00+00:00

A PERFECT PLAN

PROLOGUE

Priscilla glanced around the yard at all the guests. Warm August temperatures allowed for an outside celebration, and it never rained on her special day. Mamm went all out for birthdays, but this year was the biggest yet. In addition to a beautiful pineapple layered cake that her oldest sister, Naomi, made, there was a ham, barbecued string beans, scalloped potatoes, creamed celery, homemade breads, jams, jellies, chowchow, and a variety of pies and cookies. She smiled as she turned away from the main food table.

Ten oblong tables spanned the front yard, topped with simple white coverings. On each table, Mamm’s blue Tupperware party bowls were filled with peanuts and chips, with a platter of pickles and olives in the center. Everything was perfect, right down to the decorations. Her sister Hannah had been put in charge of filling the balloons with helium, and yellow and blue bundles were tied to the head chair at each table. Priscilla’s place setting had double the balloons from every color in the rainbow.

“I think everything turned out lovely.” Naomi waved her arm around the yard. “And look how many guests showed up. There must be a hundred people here.”

Priscilla took another look around the crowd and was happy to see that some of the folks were starting a game of volleyball on the far side of the yard. Then her eyes landed on someone. “What is Chester Lapp doing here?”

Chester Lapp was handsome and well-respected in the community. He was a fine carpenter. Her father had purchased two rockers from Chester for the front porch. But he was nineteen. Why would he want to come to her sixteenth birthday party?

“Why shouldn’t he be here?” Naomi folded her arms across her chest and grinned. “Our family has known his family forever. We even share a phone shanty.”

“I know that.” Priscilla rolled her eyes. “I’m just surprised he’s here. I mean, I rarely see him socially. Just at worship, and he hardly ever goes to Sunday singings. I wonder who invited him.”

Naomi scratched her cheek as she took a deep breath and looked away.

“You did, didn’t you? Why?” Priscilla narrowed her eyebrows at her sister. Naomi was twenty-two and always playing matchmaker for someone. “I barely know him.”

“Maybe you should get to know him better.” Naomi breezed across the yard, turning back once to wink at her sister.

Priscilla sprinted a few steps to catch up with her. “Why do you say that? Has he said something? Tell me, Naomi.”

Naomi stopped alongside Priscilla and whispered, “Let’s just say he has asked about you more than once.”

“When?” She tried not to get too excited as her eyes drifted in Chester’s direction.

“Once when I saw him in town, a couple of months ago. Then I ran into him last week at the hardware store in Bird-in-Hand. He asked about you then too.” Naomi shrugged. “So I invited him to your birthday party.”

Priscilla twisted her mouth from side to side as she studied the tall, handsome man. “I’m still surprised that he came.

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