George had brought Mikey the calf into the house because he found the poor little creature by himself outside without his mother. And it was the kind of cold that made frost creep up the windows and the frost grew like fur on the barbed wire of the fences.
But when Mikey got inside, he took off on an adventure, and Amelia had to go running after him, leaving little Brigette on the floor where she’d been playing.
Mikey was spry, and his hooves clattered through the house as he dodged into one room and out another, and finally went thundering up the stairs, his hooves slipping on the wood beneath them.
“Mikey, stop!” Amelia called behind him, running as fast as she could to keep up with him.
Mike wove around Amelia and zipped right into their bedroom and bounced up on to the bed.
“Mikey…” Amelia said, trying her very best to sound reassuring and soothing, but it was hard to do when she was breathing hard. “Mikey, now you need to calm down.”
Mikey turned in a circle in the center of the bed, and Amelia crept closer. Just before he could dodge off again, she grabbed him and held on tight.
“Gotcha!” she whispered.
Outside the window, she heard George’s voice. “There you are, Bessie! For crying out loud! Do you know where your baby is? Well, do you? Aha! Now you look around for him!”
Mikey let out a plaintive little moo.
“We’ll get you back to your mama,” Amelia said. “Heaven knows you don’t belong in here.”
George came back inside while Amelia wrangled the calf, and she heard George say, “No, no, Brigette! No eating wood!”
After they got Brigette secured in her crib, they guided Mikey back down the stairs, through the house, and back outside where his anxious mother was waiting for him.
“Take better care of your baby, Bessie!” Amelia said.
And all the same, Amelia felt just a little bit guilty because her own baby had almost eaten a piece of bark. Mothers really did do their best.
That evening, another guest arrived at the Froggy Amish B&B. This time, it was an older lady named Gertrude Small. She had come for some peace and quiet so she could do some serious thinking.
“Come in, come in,” Amelia said. “We have plenty of peace and quiet to go around here, but everything is warmer by the stove. I’ll put your bag by the stairs, and my husband will carry it up for when he next comes in.”
Gertrude was chilled right through, and she followed her nose toward the kitchen where Amelia had a fresh batch of peanut butter cookies fresh out of the wood burning oven.
“Cookies and milk?” Amelia asked cheerily.
Gertrude didn’t mind of she did, and she ate three big cookies and drank a whole glass of milk.
“You seem like a trustworthy sort,” Gertrude said. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure!” Amelia enjoyed hearing the secrets of her guests.
“I won the lottery.” Gertrude’s eyes twinkled. “I won the big one, and I haven’t told any of my family yet. I have one daughter, and she hasn’t visited me in year. My grandson is in his early thirties and hasn’t worked a day in his life. My nephew is a philanderer, and my niece is rude to waiters. I honestly don’t know who I should share this windfall with, because I certainly can’t spend it all by myself.”
“Oh, that is a problem!” Amelia murmured. “I can see why you need to do a lot of serious thinking.”
“Thank you,” Gertrude replied. “I have decided upon two things. Firstly, I will simply wait for my daughter to visit me. If she’s only coming for the money, then it doesn’t count, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t,” Amelia sadly agreed. “What is the second thing you decided upon?”
“One more cookie,” Gertrude said with a wink.
And that was something that Amelia COULD provide!
George discovered that the car wouldn’t start when he was ready to head into town on some errands. So instead of running errands, he set to work on trying to fix the car.
He muttered to himself and he grumbled as he tinkered. This was one job that a frog had to take care of himself. Their Amish neighbors wouldn’t know how to fix a car! A buggy? Certainly. But they didn’t own cars, didn’t drive cars, and couldn’t fix them.
“Hello, Gertrude,” George said when their guest came wandering in. “Any luck on deciding what to do with your windfall?”
Gertrude had won the lottery–the big one!–and she feared that the money wouldn’t be good for her family members. The ones who didn’t work might never try. The ones who were mean to waiters might never improve. And her daughter hadn’t visited in a year, and Gertrude wanted her to visit because she loved her, not because she smelled money.
“I’d like to help some people, if I can,” Gertrude said. “Do you have any ideas of people who might need help? Do you?”
“We inherited this land,” George said, ” so we’re already blessed beyond what we deserve…” He put down his screwdriver. “But let’s think… What about school lunch programs? There are many families who depend upon those. You could pay off some lunch bills.”
“That’s a good idea,” Gertrude said, but she still looked sad. She could find many worthy causes to support, but George thought he knew what the problem was.
“You miss your daughter, don’t you?” George asked.
Gertrude nodded.
“Why don’t you invite your whole family to come tour Amish Country with you?” George suggested. “There is one thing about the Amish we can all appreciate–and that is their love of simplicity and family. Their good morals tend to rub off on those around them.”
“I like that idea,” Gertrude said. “Thank you, George.”
George was happy to help.
“Maybe I could help you with your car troubles,” Gertrude said. “My husband and I ran an auto shop for fifty years, and I’ve picked up a trick or two. Pass me that screw driver.”
Now this was the kind of help that George WOULD accept! He joyfully scooted over and passed over the screwdriver.
I hope your 2025 is off to a wonderful start! If you’re looking for a book to read, check out my books. I write about Amish families and falling in love. If you enjoy a sweet romance, I think you’ll like mine!
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!