Read An Amish Christmas for Free Online Page A

money again. Like I said, it’s over.”
    Meg sat paralyzed, trying to force her mind to make sense of what she had just heard. No, it wasn’t possible. Things like this didn’t happen to people like them.
    The ongoing flood of emotions seemed to have exhaustedJames. He spoke quietly. “We have to leave the house. Our cars go back because they’re leased. I own the Mustang, so that stays with us. The kids can finish out the semester, since the school bill was paid long ago, but they’re done there next month. The big things are obvious.” He paused. “You need to understand that all we have is what’s left in our checking account, which is about nineteen hundred dollars. And whatever you have in your wallet. I have a hundred and fifty bucks in mine.”
    He closed his eyes and slowly swung his desk chair around so that his back was to her.
    Meg struggled to understand. They had nowhere to go and money that would last only a few weeks. They were homeless. Destitute. All because James had decided he could cover up getting fired. He had chosen to take every cent they had without even discussing it with her, then handed it over to a crook. No, she corrected herself, he had gone out of his way to
double
his investment.
    She thought about the children. If they had no place to live, how would they go to school, private or otherwise? Forget about their having to say good-bye to everything they had ever known in life—their friends, the community in which they lived, their everyday activities. They would lose the very foundation of their lives, which was that they were safe and secure in the world, protected by their parents.
    Meg stood, speaking through clenched teeth. “I could kill you right now, James. You’ve destroyed us. All by yourself. You were too smart, too important, to talk to me about anything you did. You never considered what that could do to your family. If you wanted to play roulette with your own life, that’s onething. But what about the children and me? You thought so little of us, you sacrificed us without a second thought.”
    James turned his chair to face her. Tears spilled from his eyes as she spoke. “I know,” he whispered. “You’re right. I don’t know what to do to make it up to you.”
    “I can’t imagine that you’ll
ever
make this up to us!” She began to tremble, rage and terror threatening to overtake her. “We have
nothing
! James,
how could you
?”
    They stared at each other, fury and confusion on her face, misery on his.
    The doorbell rang.
    “It’s the Dobsons.” They heard Sam’s shout as he raced down the stairs. “I’ll get it.”
    It was four o’clock. Their guests were starting to arrive.

Chapter 4

    Bleary-eyed from exhaustion, Meg clasped a mug of steaming coffee with both hands as she made her way around the backyard. It was barely seven o’clock. Now, before the children got up and she had to face whatever this day might bring, she had some time to be alone in the garden. She reached out to touch the cyclamen’s heart-shaped leaves, satisfied to see signs of its emerging white flowers. Looking over the remnants of her hydrangea and foxglove blooms, she recalled her small triumphs and disappointments with them over the seasons. Her crocuses would be in full bloom by Christmas, but she wouldn’t be there to see them. Maybe it’s silly, she thought, but I’ll miss this more than the house itself.
    She sat down on one of the Adirondack chairs. No need to worry about painting them now.
    Yesterday’s Thanksgiving meal was probably the hardest thing she ever had to endure. She could barely believe she hadgotten through it. Smiling, making small talk, cooking, serving. All the while seeing her husband seated at the head of the table, downing Scotch after Scotch. His exaggerated cheerfulness, obviously fueled by the alcohol, made her wince. Worst of all was watching the children, all three in notably good moods at the same time, a remarkable occurrence. The