Free An Amish Country Christmas by Naomi Charlotte; King Hubbard Page A

before you went to the barn and I chopped the wood.”
    “Get out! What makes you think—”
    Nate shushed his brother’s outburst with a finger, gesturing toward the wall between
     their beds and the girls’ room. “Martha wouldn’t go on and on about how the twins
     did at the program tonight,” he said, “and she wouldn’t have been so happy in the
     kitchen, baking buns and cookies all morning. Didn’t you notice any difference in
     the way your girl was kissing you?” he continued in an urgent whisper. “ That was the big give-away. Martha went after it with a vengeance—and a wad of peppermint
     gum in her mouth last night—and tonight it was like you’ve said. Mary was her sweet,
     loveable self.”
    At least his brother had the decency to look sheepish for not noticing. But as Bram
     reviewed his day choring in the barn, and then his ride tonight, he allowed that possibly the twins had pulled a switch on them. “Who’s to know, just from looking at them?”
     he protested in a strained whisper. “They dress alike, and they look identical right
     down to the freckles on their perky little noses. Even Uncle Abe can’t tell them apart,
     and he’s known them all their lives.”
    “I’m right, little brother,” Nate muttered. “You just don’t want to admit it.”
    “So what’re you gonna do about it?” Bram challenged. “I sure hope you won’t get all
     bent out of shape while we’re havin’ such a gut time here. If you and I were twins, we’d probably pull the same stunt now and again.”
    At ten or twelve, maybe. But not at eighteen.
    Long after his brother put out the lamp, as the old house creaked and settled in the
     night, Nate remained awake. He couldn’t let go of the way Mary and Martha had behaved,
     when they could have simply suggested changing partners—especially considering that
     they had done the choosing from the start. It was Mary who had climbed into Bram’s
     buggy, most likely after consulting with Martha on her cell phone.
    How long did the twins intend to continue their charade? Had they no consideration
     for his and Bram’s feelings? Even if this was just meant to be a little Christmas
     diversion lasting a few days, it galled him that girls from a respected Amish family
     had played them for fools. It also reminded him of the way Roberta had betrayed him,
     seeing other fellows after he’d declared his intention to marry her and had joined
     the church. To the Coblentz girls, their switch had probably seemed like a harmless
     game, but he had no stomach for such dishonesty in another relationship.
    Nate kept his face toward the wall when he heard Bram get up and slip into his clothes,
     ready for breakfast. Then he dressed, stuck his clothes into his duffel, and went
     downstairs with a heavy heart but a firm resolve. He didn’t change his mind when everyone
     around the table stopped talking at the sight of his scowl and his luggage.
    “I—I thank you for your hospitality,” he said, nodding to Amos and Nell, “but I’m
     going home to spend Christmas with my family. It was gut to meet you all.”
    The twins sprang from their seats. “But Nate, we’re just now starting to celebrate
     our birthday—”
    “And it won’t be the same without you here, when we were counting on the four of us—”
    Who had spoken first, and who had followed up? Mary? Martha? He met their gazes briefly
     but he didn’t reply.
    Amos cleared his throat. “I hope you haven’t gotten word that someone’s ill, or that
     something’s gone wrong in Willow Ridge. It was our pleasure to meet you boys.”
    Nate pressed his lips together, exchanging a glance with his brother, who looked anything
     but happy. He had to at least give a reason for his departure, because lame excuses
     would make him as guilty of duplicity as the twins had been. “No, things are fine
     at home, far as I know. Sorry to leave on a sour note, but . . . I didn’t like it
     much that while I