by: Charlotte Hubbard
Series: The Maidels of Morning Star
Genre: Amish/Inspirational Romance
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Publisher: Zebra Books
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Founded by five unmarried and enterprising Amish maidels, the new Morning Star Marketplace in small-town Missouri is preparing for a joyous Christmas season. But will the holiday also bring unexpected tidings of love?
Twin sisters Molly and Marietta Helfing are eagerly anticipating Christmas, with Marietta fully recovered from cancer and their noodle making business thriving. But Molly clearly misses having former tenant Pete Shetler and his rambunctious dog, Riley, around. Marietta can’t ignore Molly’s feelings for Pete—or the anxiety it stirs within her. Convinced her illness has made her unmarriageable, Marietta wonders what kind of life she’ll have if her sister marries—despite Molly’s promise to never leave her behind...
Then a fire destroys the home of Amish neighbors and Molly and Marietta graciously make room for widower Glenn Detweiler, his dat, and his two young boys. When Pete returns to help the family rebuild, Molly relishes her reunion with the handsome carpenter, while Marietta delights in mothering Glenn’s boys—and is surprised by her poignant bond with their quiet, brooding father. Soon everyone is wondering if this season will bring the blessing of a merry double wedding to Morning Star…
When I was a kid, my family all crowded into my great-grandmother’s little house for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, because she insisted on it! I am still amazed that in a kitchen with maybe 3 square feet of counter space (and only a small table to work on) she cooked a turkey and a ham, usually a sweet potato casserole AND mashers, green beans (home-canned, of course), cranberry sauce she’d made, another side dish or two, plus the best homemade rolls in the world. And then pie. I have NO idea how she found space in her fridge to accommodate all this extra food, or how she single-handedly produced these holiday feasts until she died when she was in her mid-80’s.
On Christmas morning, there would be twelve of us at her house—I was by far the youngest. A couple of tables were set end-to-end in the spare bedroom so we could all crowd around it. My special job was to help Grandmother make the “pocketbook” rolls, which were rolled, cut as circles, and then folded over like pocketbooks. Talk about noise level! Constant chatter, and then afterwards when the men would get out their cigars or cigarettes, the front room took on a thick haze. That’s when I usually retreated to the fresher air in the small bedroom off the back of the house…for some quiet time and probably a nap!
By the time Grandmother died, Neal and I were married—and my mom took over the holiday meals. The family was smaller then, and by the time Mom died the holiday festivities petered out altogether...partly because neither my aunt nor I had any kids, and because Neal and I usually lived wherever he was working at the time.
Some years, of course, Neal and I went to his family’s holiday gatherings, which still involved probably 15-20 people and a ton of food his mom cooked. But those folks are now gone, as well. A few years, he and I drove out to PA to visit with cousins on my mom’s side of the family.
When Neal and I moved to Minnesota, where we had no family at all, we usually celebrated with a nice meal at home and made some family phone calls. This past “COVID” Christmas found us in our new Omaha home, just the two of us, and that was fine! We still had our two nice trees—one trimmed with ornaments made by me or folks we know, and one crammed with ornaments from our many vacations and cruises—and we had watched a couple of wonderful Christmas church services online earlier in the week.
One other fun tradition: Santa! I don’t recall how I learned who Santa really was when I was little, but I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut, and Santa kept right on coming, even after I was in college! Now, Neal and still have a few presents under the tree from the Man in Red, just because it’s fun.
Like the characters in CHRISTMAS COMES TO MORNING STAR, I believe that Christmas is what you make it—and it’s best if you put your faith first, and if you are the giver rather than the receiver!
Pete cranked up his pickup, gunning the engine as he shot down the Helfings’ lane—and then he kicked himself. He was trying to act more mature, and driving like a clueless kid—he way he had when he’d lived in the twins’ dawdi haus—was not what he’d intended to do. But old habits died hard.
“Riley, we’ve gotta do better, boy,” he said as he slung his arm around the dog’s furry neck.
“Keep reminding me that Molly won’t take me seriously unless I turn over a lot of new leaves, will ya?”
Riley licked Pete’s face exuberantly. The dog loved to ride in the pickup every chance he got, and he’d been excited about returning to the twins’ place.
“Even though she and Marietta stick like glue, I have to admire the way Molly’s supported her sister,” Pete continued as he drove toward town. “Not many girls would’ve shaved their heads during Marietta’s chemo, knowing how that goes directly against the Ordnung! I love it that Molly broke the rules that way!”
When his dog’s eyes widened, Pete laughed.
“Uh-oh, I said that L word, didn’t I? Gotta watch that. Gotta toughen up my attitude,” he continued in a firmer voice. “Molly’s the bossiest girl I ever met—and there’s no prying those twins apart, anyway. So why act like I’m interested, right?”
Riley focused forward, gazing through the windshield as though he didn’t believe a word Pete had just said.
As always, the dog probably had it right.
“Riley, we’ve gotta do better, boy,” he said as he slung his arm around the dog’s furry neck.
“Keep reminding me that Molly won’t take me seriously unless I turn over a lot of new leaves, will ya?”
Riley licked Pete’s face exuberantly. The dog loved to ride in the pickup every chance he got, and he’d been excited about returning to the twins’ place.
“Even though she and Marietta stick like glue, I have to admire the way Molly’s supported her sister,” Pete continued as he drove toward town. “Not many girls would’ve shaved their heads during Marietta’s chemo, knowing how that goes directly against the Ordnung! I love it that Molly broke the rules that way!”
When his dog’s eyes widened, Pete laughed.
“Uh-oh, I said that L word, didn’t I? Gotta watch that. Gotta toughen up my attitude,” he continued in a firmer voice. “Molly’s the bossiest girl I ever met—and there’s no prying those twins apart, anyway. So why act like I’m interested, right?”
Riley focused forward, gazing through the windshield as though he didn’t believe a word Pete had just said.
As always, the dog probably had it right.
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The Maidels of Morning Star Series:
In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.
Places to find Charlotte Hubbard:
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