Free An Amish Christmas by Patricia Davids Page B

call.”
    “That would be great, but how do I get back if you’ve got to leave?” A light dusting of snow covered the ground this morning and occasional flakes drifted down from the gray sky. John didn’t want to walk five miles back to the farm in this weather.
    “We have a couple of folks in town that provide taxi services to the Amish. Amber can arrange a ride if you need it.” Nick made the phone call.
    After a brief conversation, he closed the phone. “All set. They can see you in half an hour.”
    “Let me tell Miss Imhoff where I’m going. She likes to keep a tight leash on me.”
    Nick chuckled. “I’ve heard she can be a tough cookie.”
    The two men walked toward the main house. Nick asked, “How’s it working out? You staying here.”
    “It’s fine. The boy, Jacob, isn’t thrilled, but Noah and Anna don’t seem to mind. Eli is taking a wait-and-see attitude.”
    “And Karen?”
    John glanced toward the house. “She’s been very kind.”
    Before they reached the steps, Eli came out to greet them. His stoic face showed nothing of what he was thinking. He nodded to the sheriff. “ Goot day to you.”
    “The same to you, Eli. I’m going to take John into town so Doc White can check him out. I’ll see that he gets back, too. How is your arm?”
    Flexing his fingers in the sling, Eli said, “It is healing.”
    Jacob came out of the house followed by Anna and Noah. The children hung back at the sight of the sheriff.
    Nick glanced from Eli to Jacob. “I had a complaint about some Amish boys racing buggies over on Sky Road yesterday. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
    “ Nee. We do not,” Eli stated firmly. John caught the furtive glance Jacob shot in the sheriff’s direction before looking down.
    Nick nodded. “It’s dangerous business racing on a public road. Gina Curtis had to put her car in the ditch to avoid hitting someone. It did a fair amount of damage to her front end. None of the buggy drivers stuck around. She wasn’t hurt but she could have been.”
    Eli glanced at his son. “Do you know anything about this?”
    “No, Papa.” Jacob glared at the sheriff. If he did knowsomething, he wasn’t talking. Noah remained uncharacteristically quiet.
    Eli said, “Go on to school now, children.”
    The kids rushed down the steps with their lunch pails in hand and headed toward the school two miles away. Several times they threw looks over their shoulders. John had the distinct feeling they did know something.
    After bidding Mr. Imhoff goodbye, John climbed in the sheriff’s SUV. When Nick got in and started the truck, John said, “You think Jacob was involved, don’t you?”
    Nick turned the vehicle around and drove out the lane. They passed the children walking. Only Anna waved.
    Nick said, “Gina’s description could fit ten boys in this area. I didn’t expect to get a confession. Illicit buggy racing goes on amongst Amish teenagers the same way drag racing goes on among the English kids. A lot of Amish parents turn a blind eye to that kind of behavior during the rumspringa. ”
    “What’s that?”
    “It means running-around years. Amish teens are free to experiment with things that won’t be allowed once they join the church. You’ll see their buggies outfitted with boom boxes, they’ll have cell phones and they’ll dress like regular kids when they are away from the farm. Jacob is young for that type of behavior. Rumspringa normally starts when the kids are about sixteen, but his dad has some fine horses.”
    “Yes, he does.”
    The sheriff looked at him sharply. “Do you know something about horses?”
    “I know which end is which. I seem to know what a good Standardbred looks like. I found out I can drive a buggy and Eli’s two-wheeled cart without a problem.He’s been letting me use the cart to visit farms around here. The one thing I did remember was a woman’s voice. She called me her geils-mann. ”
    “She called you her horseman?