Thinking again of Susie, she went across the hall to her sister’s room and stared out the window. She could see Susie walking near the pond, beneath the stark, bare branches of her beloved willows, carrying her ice skates. And soon she was sitting on a boulder and putting them on. “Ah, perfect,” Britta whispered, thinking this might be just what her sister needed to unwind.

Is she planning a fresh start for herself in Missouri, if Aendi Emmalyn can’t take us both in? she worried.

By Monday, Susie had finished the list of furnishings and other items to send to Mamma. She’ll know how to advise us.

Closing the envelope, Susie was anxious to get it sent off to Missouri. Maybe we’ll need to have an auction, she thought. She felt sad about the thought of saying good-bye to so many of their furnishings. At least she had this evening’s cookie exchange with a few of her cousins to look forward to. Aendi Emmalyn was hosting, so Susie hoped to poke around to see if there was room for the goats and Brambles or Atta-Girl in the stable. She wondered exactly when Allen would contact their aunt about his plan—how long after the new year. As for the cats, Susie figured that if their doting aunt had any idea how much they meant to Britta, she would let them bed down in the stable straw.

Britta seemed quite happy to take Susie’s letter out to the mailbox before heading on foot to babysit for the Ebersols a couple of hours that afternoon. And while she was gone, Susie worked on her top-secret Christmas present for Britta. Only a few more hours of stitching till it’s done.

Emmalyn’s kitchen and sitting room were more decorated for the cookie exchange than Susie had ever seen before, with red and green streamers and a single tall red candle surrounded by holly and tiny red berries centered on the kitchen table. Like other Amish families, Emmalyn had strung Christmas cards over the doorways and windows, as well.

A handful of Susie and Britta’s close cousins were present, including Laura Ann, Verena, Marnie, and Miriam—most of them around Susie’s age.

Susie was happy to trade her cranberry crunchies, sand tarts, snowballs, and peanut blossoms for different kinds of cookies from each guest. With all of the cheerful chatter at Emmalyn’s, Susie couldn’t help noticing that each young woman in attendance made a point of interacting with Britta. And though she wasn’t privy to every conversation, Susie could see that her sister was enjoying herself. They’re going out of their way to show kindness, she thought, thankful Bishop Beiler had taken time to talk with individual families about Britta’s birth mother.