Gertrude Small did as George suggested and she called her family and invited them for a few days in Amish Country. Their last stop was at the Froggy Amish B&B where Amelia served them a wonderful meal.
Gertrude had won the lottery, and she had been wondering what she should do with the money, especially since her family was rather selfish.
As everyone finished their cake, Gertrude explained the situation.
“Mom, you’re rich?” her daughter gasped.
“Can you buy me a car?” her nephew asked.
“Yes, I am rich,” Gertrude said, “and no, I will not be buying anyone cars. But I do have a plan and I’m inviting you to join me in it. I want us family of Smalls to make a BIG difference! I’m going to open a soup kitchen for people in need of a hot meal. And I want your help to run it.”
She wanted to hire her nephew (who hadn’t worked a day in his life) as a driver to go around picking up the food they’d be cooking. She wanted her niece (who was always rude to waiters) to help serve the food and make it attractive for people. And she wanted her daughter (who hadn’t visited in a year) to help her to manage the whole affair. Her family was stunned.
“Will you help me?” Gertrude asked. “I don’t want us to be a spoiled family. I want us to make a difference. When people talk about us, I want them to say that our town was better because of us. What do you say? Will you help me?”
“Yes!” they all said.
“Do I really have to be a waitress?” her niece asked.
“You don’t have to do anything,” Gertrude replied. “But I’d really like you to be part of things.”
As the family discussed their plans, Amelia and George tiptoed out of the kitchen and exchanged a smile.
“I think they’ll be okay,” George said.
There was just something about Amish Country that made people think a little more seriously about what mattered most.
When Gertrude Small and family left the Froggy Amish B&B, Gertrude left behind a very special present for Brigette–a little teddy bear.
Brigette loved her teddy bear. She wrapped her arms around it and hugged it hard. It was fluffy and squishy, and from the moment she spotted it, Brigette was in love.
But the next morning after Brigette’s bath, Amelia couldn’t find Brigette’s teddy bear! It was gone!
“George!” Amelia called down the stairs. “George?”
George happened to be home still, and they both set off in search of Brigette’s teddy bear while the froglet wailed out her heartbreak.
They looked in every room that Brigette had been in–the bedroom, the kitchen, the sitting room, the bathroom… but it was nowhere to be seen!
And then Amelia spotted it. The teddy bear was in Rosie the dog’s bed, and Rosie was curled up around it.
“Oh, dear,” Amelia said. “Brigette has some competition for her toy.”
It took a few minutes of coaxing and deal-making with Rosie before they were able to get the teddy bear back again. Rosie had to be given a whole roast beef sandwich in exchange.
And when they gave the teddy bear back to Brigette, her tears stopped, and she wrapped her arms around it once more.
“We’d better keep an eye on that bear!” George said.
And Amelia had to agree. It looked like Brigette had found her first toy that she wouldn’t be able to live without.
Rosie the dog had her eye on Brigette’s teddy bear, and it wasn’t long before the bear went missing again. This time, when George went out for chores, he found it in the barn with Rosie.
“Rosie, you’ve got to stop stealing things!” George said, exasperated. “Do you know how loud Brigette can cry? Well, I do!”
Brigette was currently howling out her displeasure inside the house, and when he left for chores, Amelia was at her wits’ end.
Rosie wanted a toy, though, and George came prepared for a fair trade.
“All right, Rosie,” he said seriously. “I’ll give you this rubber duck in exchange for the teddy bear. What do you say?”
Rosie did not seem interested. A rubber duck was a poor substitute for this truly fabulous teddy bear. George squeezed the duck and it squeaked, and Rosie perked up.
Maybe the trade wasn’t so bad after all if the duck squeaked!
George passed Rosie the rubber duck and she gave it a couple of trial chews, and each time it squeaked wonderfully. She picked up the duck and wandered off, leaving George with a slightly battered teddy bear.
“Thank goodness!” George said, tucking the bear under his arm and heading for the door.
He would return to the house with the rescued teddy. He smiled at that. He knew that when he came back with that bear, Amelia would kiss him, and Brigette would stop crying, and he’d get to be the hero.
If he was going to be a hero for anyone, it would be for Amelia and Brigette.
If you enjoy stories about romance and Amish Country, you’ll enjoy my books! Have you taken a peek at my latest releases?
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
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