Snow arrived in Pennsylvania, and Amelia was delighted when she looked out the window and saw the whole barnyard covered in a mantle of white.
“George!” she exclaimed. “Come see!”
George looked out the window.
“I wonder if the chores get harder with snow,” he murmured.
Amelia hadn’t thought of that. She would be working inside the house, so she got to enjoy the snow from behind a window pane.
“Are they harder?” Amelia asked, concerned.
“Maybe a bit,” George said.
Amelia was silent for a moment, watching the snow drift down in pirouetting spirals.
“Let’s make a snowfrog!” Amelia suggested. “After chores, and after I’ve done a little editing for Patricia, we should go outside and make a snowfrog in the pasture! It will be Brigette’s first!”
George and Amelia exchanged a grin. Back when they were newlyweds, they used to play in the snow together. But now that they had Brigette, they weren’t just having fun together, they were having fun as a family, and that just felt special.
So when the work was done, Amelia and George put on their scarves and they headed out into the pasture to build the most glorious snowfrog ever built! And so long as the bulls didn’t take offence with him and take a run at him, he could last for weeks!
Delilah McDonald was a very big fan of Amelia Frog. Amelia was not only a skilled editor, but she was also known for being the stalwart author-wrangler for Patricia Johns.
Every author needs a wrangler. Authors are strange creatures. They can seem to be entirely productive, hammering away on their newest novel, and then they will suddenly be beset with Imposter Syndrome or Manuscript Completion Phobia, or be distracted with a shiny new idea. Authors required someone to peek over their shoulder now and again and tell them to get back to work! Sometimes they needed to be talked off a ledge. It really depended on the day.
So when Amelia Frog opened the door of the Froggy Amish B&B and welcome Delilah inside, Delilah was delighted!
“It’s so wonderful to meet you, Amelia,” Delilah said. “I’m going to hug you, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh!” Amelia said. “That’s all right, I suppose.”
Delilah gave her a big hug and followed Amelia into the house. It was a beautiful old home–hard wood floors, sturdy Amish furniture, and everything smelled like baking cookies. It was like coming home to a home Delilah had never stepped foot in before, and she felt her blood pressure come down immediately.
“I’m a big fan!” Delilah said as she put her bag down next to the stairs.
“Of Patricia Johns?” Amelia asked. “So am I!”
“No, of you!” Delilah said. “I love Patricia’s books, but I really want to meet the editor behind them all. In fact, if you wanted to work while I’m here, I’d love to just watch you do your thing!”
“Me?” Amelia laughed self-consciously. “I’m not sure I’m that interesting.”
“You’d be surprised!” Delilah said. “Now, tell me all about you, Amelia! I want to hear everything!”
And for some reason, Amelia’s cheeks went all pink, and she mumbled something, and tripped over her own feet on the way into the kitchen. Delilah could tell that she and Amelia were going to be friends. She could just feel it.
When George came inside later on that that, he discovered that their guest had already arrived, and Amelia had her settled into the sitting room with a cup of tea and a plate of chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven. He could hear the women chatting together.
“How did you meet Patricia Johns?” Delilah McDonald asked.
“I met her through a publisher I was working for back then,” Amelia said. “I was assigned to her, but we got along so well that I started doing some work for her on the side, too.”
“Oh, how fun! Did you meet other authors I might know of?”
Their conversation went on, and George grabbed a cookie off the pan and popped it into his mouth. Then he huffed out a few breaths. It was very hot! He was hungry, though, and he decided that what he wanted most was a big, roast beef sandwich.
When he’d made his sandwich, he sat down at the kitchen table to eat it. Just before he took his first bite, there was a flutter of feathers, and Ronnie the Rooster landed on the table top.
“How did you get in here?” George said, and he stood up to shoo Ronnie off the table, but Ronnie was too quick! He shot out his sharp beak and snatched the top of his sandwich right off!
“Ronnie, that’s quite enough!” George said seriously. “Give me back my bread!”
Ronnie would not.
“Ronnie, I’m warning you!” George said. It was an empty threat, though, because George had no idea what he’d do to Ronnie if he didn’t give back the bread.
Suddenly, George heard the sharp clap of hands, and he turned to see their guest looking severely down at Ronnie the rooster, who had the good sense to cower.
“Out! Right now!” Delilah cried, and she clapped her hands again and stomped her foot. Ronnie fluttered toward the door and Delilah rushed after him, opening the door and booting him back outside. She shut the door with a bang.
George exchanged a look of surprise with Amelia. Amelia looked as bewildered as he felt!
Their guest gave George an apologetic smile. “I’m Delilah McDonald. So nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is ours,” George said, still a little bewildered. “How did you know how to deal with Ronnie?”
“I grew up on a farm!’ Delilah said. “Roosters are easy enough to deal with if they know who’s boss.”
Maybe George could learn a thing or two from Delilah before she left. How fortunate that Amelia had such a useful fan!
I hope you enjoy these little Froggy stories. They are a lot of fun to put together for me, and they give you a little taste of life in an Amish B&B. You might even decide to try one of my books!
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!