Amelia and George were expecting their next guests at the Froggy Amish B&B, but they were taking longer to arrive than the frogs anticipated. They were a newlywed couple, and Amelia was so looking forward to hearing how they met and how they got married, and all of those fun details.
“Let’s take Brigette outside to playing the snow while we wait,” Amelia suggested.
George thought it was a great idea, so the family bundled up into their winter scarves and they headed outside to play.
Brigette loved playing the snow! She would kick her feet and flail her arms and then she’d lick the snow with her tongue, and Amelia and George would both jump and tell her not to eat the snow, because they really weren’t sure what was underneath it, this being a farm.
When a car drove up, Amelia and George were both covered in snow, and their cheeks were rosy from the cold.
“Hello, hello!” Amelia called. “Welcome! We’re so glad you made it!”
“What a cute baby!” the newlywed wife said. “She’s the sweetest. Isn’t she adorable, Hank?”
Holly and Hank carried their bags toward the house, and George rushed to open up for them. Holly was smitten with Brigette right away, and Brigette did love it when people were smitten with her.
When the men had left the room, carrying the bags up the stairs, Amelia turned to her guest.
“Is this your honeymoon?” Amelia asked.
“Oh, no. We’ve been married a year,” Holly said. “This is our Let’s-Decide-If-We’re-Ready-To-Have-A-Baby road trip.”
“Oh my!” Amelia said. “That’s terribly important, too!”
And Amelia looked down at sweet little Brigette in her arms with her rosy cheeks and her bright eyes. While it was possible for a family to grow by adding a puppy or a kitten to the mix–or even a mouthy parrot–a baby was the very sweetest way to grow a family, in Amelia’s humble opinion.
Hank and Holly, the newest guests at the Froggy Amish B&B, were thrilled to see how an Amish farm ran. Holly watched Amelia while she stoked up the wood stove to do some baking. And Hank wanted to go with George to the barn to see how chores were done.
“Why don’t I take Brigette with me?” George said to his wife. “We might be able to get some energy out of her before nap time.”
That was a great idea, so George took Brigette, and Hank tagged along, and they all set out for the barn.
“How did you know when you were ready to be a father?” Hank asked George.
“Well now…” George thought for a moment. “My wife told me she was pregnant, and that was that.”
George set up Brigette in her little walker, and he set her loose on the barn floor. Ronnie the rooster and his wife Lucy fluttered and flapped and squawked, getting away from Brigette’s grabbing fingers. But Mikey the calf wasn’t scared of Brigette, and he came out to play with her.
“Were you nervous?” Hank asked.
“Oh, absolutely!” George replied. “Especially when we found out it was a girl. I didn’t know how to be the father of a girl. Why do you ask?”
“My wife wants to have a baby,” Hank said. “And I’m scared to death. What’s it like to be a dad?”
George was trying to think up something incredibly wise, something reassuring and memorable, but he was saved by the sound of Bessie the cow’s furious moo.
All I can tell you is that there was a cold mud puddle–a very big one–just outside the back door of the barn, and a rambunctious froglet and a curious calf had gotten themselves into trouble.
“This is what it’s like to be a dad!” George said lifting Brigette free of the muck. “There is a lot of rescuing that goes on! And you get to be the hero a lot.”
For George, it was the best life ever. But he didn’t know how to explain it. But when he looked into Brigette’s shining eyes, he was filled with love and satisfaction.
“Someone needs a bath!” George declared. And that was as wise and memorable as it was going to get.
When George came back into the house and hollered, “Somebody needs a bath!” Amelia didn’t suspect that the “somebody” in question wasn’t her froglet daughter, but was the calf instead!
But there was George carrying a very dirty calf in his arms, and Hank was carrying Brigette who was planting muddy hand prints all over Hank’s cheeks.
The poor calf was very dirty and very cold. Mikey couldn’t be left in that condition, and in the winter, they didn’t want to spray him down with a hose, either. So the only other option was a bath in the tub.
While Amelia scrubbed down the calf, she listened to the sound of George changing Brigette’s clothes across the hall in the bedroom. And in the guest room right next door to the bathroom, she overheard Holly and Hank discussing the matter so far.
“Don’t be scared off of babies!” Holly was pleading. “Our baby will be much better behaved! I’m sure of it!”
Amelia wasn’t asked her opinion, but if she were, she’d tell them that babies all got into trouble. It wasn’t about being good or bad. It was just being little!
“Actually, Holly,” Hank said. “A baby looks like fun! George lets her chase the chickens, and he lets her play with livestock. And Brigette just seems to love it all! I think being a dad would be a lot of fun! Let’s do it!”
There was silence. Amelia listened for a response. Finally she heard Holly say with a smile in her voice, “We’re going to have to talk about safety with infants, but I want a baby, too., Hank. Let’s have one!”
Wait… George let Brigette chase chickens and play with livestock??
But then Amelia spotted George carrying Brigette out of the bedroom in a clean new dress, and Brigette’s eyes were sparkling with such happiness, that Amelia knew she had nothing to worry about.
All the same, they might need to talk about safety, as well!
I hope you enjoy these free little Froggy Amish B&B stories that I put together for my readers. I like to be able to provide something fun and absolutely free. These are a big hit on my Facebook page.
My romance novels do not include amphibians, but I do have one miniseries set at an Amish B&B! (The Butternut Amish B&B miniseries through Harlequin Heartwarming.) If you haven’t checked out my books yet, I hope you will today.
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!