Snowbound Amish Christmas--An Uplifting Inspirational Romance by Jo Ann Brown

Author:Jo Ann Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-07-31T18:47:07+00:00

* * *

Mark heard a sharp intake of breath. His? As he glanced around the table, he saw he wasn’t the only one shocked by how his youngest brother had described him.

Kirsten put a hand on his hand balanced on his knee. She gave it a gentle squeeze. To console him in the wake of his brother’s outburst? Or was she reminding him not to retort to Daryn?

Slipping his other hand atop hers, he didn’t let her slide it away. He appreciated her gentle touch more than he could explain.

Daryn’s eyes were wide. “I didn’t mean it as an insult, Mark.”

“Just as a fact?”

“Well...ja.” His brother shifted on the bench. “You know you want things exactly as you want them. You can’t be shaken from your opinions. I’m sixteen, and if I want to buy a buggy with my share of the potato profits, I should be able to.”

“That’s not a conversation we should be having now.” He didn’t want to accuse Daryn of bringing up the subject that had strained their dinner conversation last night after Mark had told his brother that the potato payment had come in. Daryn had been thrilled his share of the money was more than he’d ever possessed in his life, and he announced he was going to use most of it to buy a refurbished buggy he’d heard was for sale on the other side of Shushan.

“Why not?”

“This is a lunch with our friends. We shouldn’t be talking money.”

Daryn glanced at Janelle and got an encouraging smile in return. Did his brother want the buggy to bring her home from youth events? Kirsten wouldn’t be happy about that. Her cousin was too young to get serious about any boy. Daryn wasn’t old enough to have a relationship either.

“It’s my money,” his brother retorted. “You told me not to waste it, and I’m not going to. I’m investing in my future. I thought you’d be happy that I’m doing the best I can. How many times have you said that the only standards worth having are high ones?”

“That doesn’t mean I’m a snob. It means I’m dedicated to doing my best.”

“When that dedication means you think nobody else can do as well as you can, that’s being a snob.”

This time, Daryn didn’t shift his gaze. His brother was speaking from the heart. Had he been too tough on the boy? Every time that question had popped into his head, he’d silenced it by reminding himself he didn’t ask more of Daryn than of himself.

Theo broke the tense silence when he said, “Here comes our food!”

Mark reached for the dispenser to pass around napkins to each of them. As Kirsten accepted one, he saw the sympathy in her eyes. He let the conversation flow around him as if he were a rock in a sparkling stream. Kirsten didn’t say much either, and he felt awful that his disagreement with Daryn had ruined her day. When, after they’d eaten and he’d paid, Janelle suggested they visit the other thrift store in Shushan, Kirsten’s nod showed a lack of interest.

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