A Family for Christmas

by Irene Brand

  Marcy drove her mother and Olivia to the church, but since Evan’s grandparents had gone to the service in a horse-drawn sleigh, Evan wanted to take Wendy in the same manner. As he hitched a fast-stepping horse to the sleigh, he wondered if he should have skipped this traditional event, since Wendy apparently wasn’t overly impressed by what Kesslers of the past had done.

  He helped Wendy into the sled and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. He sat beside her and lifted the reins. They slipped out of the driveway at a rapid pace, because the horse was eager to go, but Evan restrained him. He hadn’t driven the sleigh for years, and he wanted to get the feel of the rig. If the sleigh turned over, they could be badly hurt.

  By the time they reached the secondary road leading to the church, their shoulders were covered with soft snowflakes. When they passed a neighbor’s house, a light from the front porch shone on their faces. Glancing at Wendy, Evan saw that a faint light glowed in the depths of her dark eyes. Confident of his skill in driving the sleigh, Evan clicked the reins and the horse picked up speed. As the sleigh moved smoothly and quickly over the packed snow, Wendy squealed in delight.

  “Hey, this is fun! Do you do this every year?”

  “No. Most Christmases we don’t have any snow.”

  “Then I’m lucky to have been here when it snowed.”

  That comment encouraged Evan, and his heart was lighter as he guided the horse into the parking lot of the church. It took a while for him to find a place among the automobiles to park the sleigh and tie the horse, which he covered with a blanket before they went inside.

  It had been four years since Wendy had attended a church service, and that had been at a large church in Miami where her grandfather was the pastor, with a seating capacity of one thousand. Evan’s church was a small building, and it probably didn’t hold more than a hundred people, but every seat seemed full. A soloist’s presentation of “Silent Night” greeted Evan and Wendy as their eyes adjusted to the dim light. Electricity hadn’t been restored to the church as yet, so by candlelight they made their way up the aisle to where his family had saved a seat for them.

  When the congregation stood to sing the opening carol, “Joy to the World,” Evan and Wendy shared a hymnal. Wendy had heard the song often on television, but she wasn’t accustomed to congregational singing, so she listened. She was amazed at the beauty of the music as the worshipers sang fervently, “‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her King.”’

  An ensemble featuring a violin, a piano and a guitar played “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” During this musical selection, Wendy recalled some of the words. “No ear may hear His coming, but, in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him still the dear Christ enters in.”

  One summer when she’d attended Vacation Bible School during a visit to her grandparents’, all of the children were encouraged to memorize the sixteenth verse of the third chapter in the book of John. She had learned the verse, but had rarely thought of it since. Surprisingly, she hadn’t forgotten the words. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

  Wendy imagined herself back in that church, hearing the minister as he’d given the invitation on the closing day of Bible school that year. Her heart had been touched, and she wanted to go forward and receive Jesus as her Savior. She’d closed her ears and her heart, knowing that Emmalee would be displeased because she had accepted her grandparents’ beliefs rather than following her anti-church attitude.

  But in this quiet place, with Evan holding her hand, she did what she’d wanted to do years ago. Her lips moved slightly as she quietly confirmed, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart.” Wendy’s pulse quickened, and she sensed a new spirit within her heart because she’d finally chosen God’s way instead of her own.

  After the sermon, the pastor extended an invitation for all believers to come to the altar to receive communion. Evan had decided that he would stay in the seat with Wendy, rather than to embarrass her and make her feel isolated. He stood so his mother and sisters could step into the aisle and join the line of people. Wendy stood, too. Hilda and her two daughters started up the aisle. With a smile over her shoulder at Evan, Wendy followed them.

  “Hallelujah!” Evan whispered, perceiving he was nearer the culmination of his dreams than he’d ever been before. Kneeling with the others, Wendy accepted a piece of bread from the hand of the minister’s female assistant, ate it and took a cup of juice from the tray the minister held out to her.

  Her heart filled to overflowing with praise and joy. Not only was Evan offering her a gift of his family, tonight she’d received another gift that had made her a part of the family of God.

  When all the people had been served, the minister encouraged his parishioners to greet each other as they left the building. The ensemble pealed out the sounds of “Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born,” while the worshipers shook hands, hugged and rejoiced. Evan swept Wendy into his arms and whispered in her ear, “I love you.”

  The bell in the steeple was ringing, its mellow tones resounding through the hills when Evan and Wendy exited the church, holding hands. Evan helped Wendy into the sleigh, tucked the robe around her and hitched the horse to the sleigh. He sat beside her and locked her in a tight embrace.

  “Evan, I can’t explain what happened tonight, but I feel like a different person.”

  “You’ll never be the same again. You’ve joined the greatest family on earth—the family of God.”

  “I’m kinda afraid, though,” she said as he released her. “I feel a whole new life beckoning to me, and I don’t have a map to guide my way.”

  “The Bible will be your guide into this new life. And I’m going to be right beside you, giving you any help you need.” His kiss was slow and gentle, but Wendy knew that his lips sealed the promise he’d made.

  Chapter Twelve

  As Evan turned the horse toward home, Wendy told him of her spiritual rebirth. “Just think, after all of these years, I still remembered the first time I experienced the call to follow Jesus. Do you think I’ve had that desire ever since then?”

  “Probably. God is patient, and He’s been gently pursuing you all of these years. You’ve made me very happy tonight. Will you let me share it with my family? They’ll be overjoyed, too.”

  “I don’t know. This is all so new. Let’s wait until after Christmas.”

  “Since you took communion, they probably already suspect, but we don’t have to talk about it tonight. We need to go to sleep anyway. One of our workers will do the milking tomorrow, so we can leave no later than eight o’clock to meet your mother in Columbus. Do you have an alarm clock or should I tap on your door when I get up?”

  “I didn’t bring a clock with me, so you’d better knock, please.”

  He left her at her bedroom door, and Wendy hurriedly changed into her nightclothes and got into bed, but she wasn’t sleepy. To realize that she’d been rejecting God’s call for years gave her an empty feeling inside. If she’d been a Christian, she might have had an influence over her mother. At least, she would have had the right spirit to have understood her mother’s unhappiness. After an hour of soul-searching, Wendy knew that if she could live her life over, she would do many things differently. But she was only twenty-two, so surely she would have many years to serve the Lord. Her acceptance of Jesus had removed one barrier from her marriage to Evan, but she still had to determine if she could deal with the large Kessler family and their traditions. She figured seeing them en masse tomorrow would help her make a decision.

  They made the drive to the airport in Hilda’s car. Evan was aware of Wendy’s nervousness while they waited for her mother. And he was a little edgy, too. Things were beginning to look favorable for their future engagement, but what if Emmalee put a stop to it? He sensed that Wendy was still not free from her mother’s domination.

  He didn’t know what he ex
pected, but Evan was surprised in Emmalee Kenworth. She was dressed impeccably, and was young looking.

  Wendy waved to her mother as she came through the skyway door, and holding Evan’s hand she hurried to meet her.

  “Hello, Mother. Your plane was right on time. This is Evan.”

  Evan stepped forward to greet the woman, whom he hoped to make his mother-in-law. He shook hands with Emmalee, took her carry-on bag and stifled his surprise at the lack of a physical greeting between Emmalee and Wendy.

  “It’s nice of you to come to meet me on Christmas Day,” Emmalee said. “I hope I didn’t take you away from the family dinner.”

  To Wendy’s relief, her mother was using the attitude she always showed to her customers, which had won her many sales bonuses and promotions. She’d sometimes wondered if having to be nice to customers all day wasn’t the reason her mother was often grouchy at home.

  “No,” Evan said. “We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner last night. Tonight is when our extended family joins us. We’ll be home in time for that.”

  Wendy and Evan had eaten a snack while they waited for the plane. Emmalee said that she’d had lunch in Atlanta, so they left for Heritage Farm as soon as Emmalee’s luggage was unloaded. Emmalee continued to be pleasant as they traveled, and Wendy prayed that her present behavior would survive the Kessler throng.

  Vehicles were parked all over the property when they arrived at the house, but Evan carefully squeezed the car into the garage.

  “I know you’d rather freshen up a bit before you meet the whole family,” Evan said to Emmalee. “Wendy, take her up the back stairs to her room. We won’t eat for an hour, so take your time.”

  “All right. Olivia is sharing Marcy’s room during Mother’s visit, so we’ll have adjoining rooms. This way,” she said, guiding her mother through the vacant family room and up a narrow flight of stairs that was seldom used. “We won’t be long,” she said to Evan.

  A half hour later, Wendy wondered if Emmalee shared her apprehension as they walked down the wide stairway into the central hall. Emmalee had changed into a white silk ankle-length party dress. Long black pearls graced her slender throat and ears, and only an expert could have known that they were imitation pearls. She had repaired her makeup expertly before they left the room. Beside her, wearing a polyester pants suit, Wendy felt dowdy, but she was pleased that her mother looked so lovely.

  Karl had been wheeled into the vast living room, and either Marcy or Olivia stayed at his side throughout the evening to meet his every need. Hilda took Emmalee under her wing, and Wendy marveled at her mother’s glowing reception to all the attention she was receiving.

  Wendy cringed against Evan when he led her through the crowded rooms that held more than a hundred people. She shook dozens of hands and was hugged warmly by strangers, hearing over and over, “Any friend of Evan’s is a friend of mine.” It was overwhelming to Wendy that anyone could have so many relatives.

  When it was time for Hilda to supervise the serving of the vast amount of food that she and the guests had provided, Hilda asked Gavin Kessler to look after Emmalee. The two of them seemed to bond immediately, and they spent the rest of the evening together.

  When the clock in the parlor struck midnight, Christmas was over for the Kesslers. Karl had long since gone to his bed in the family room, so the family departed as quietly as they could. Wendy stood on the front porch with Evan and his family waving goodbye to the guests as they drove away from the house.

  Gavin was the last to leave, and he said to Emmalee, “I’ll drive over tomorrow and take you for a tour of the county, if you like.”

  “I’d like that very much,” Emmalee said. “I only have two days before I return to Florida, and I want to see as much of the area as possible.”

  Evan was standing close beside Wendy, and he nudged her in the ribs with his elbow. She had been watching Gavin and Emmalee with a dazed expression, and when she looked at Evan, he winked at her.

  “Whew!” Emmalee said when they went to their rooms. “Wasn’t that a terrible racket? I’ve never been around so many happy people.”

  “Neither have I. The Kesslers have been very good to me, but sometimes I’m overwhelmed by their closeness.”

  “I like Evan very much.”

  Wendy felt her face growing warm. “So do I.”

  “Have you made any plans?”

  “Not really. We haven’t talked about our broken engagement since I arrived. I still don’t know if I can be successful as a farmer’s wife, especially in the Kessler family. I had no idea how much work goes into operating a farm. Someday this house and farm will be Evan’s, and when I think of following in Hilda’s footsteps, I’m not sure I can do it.”

  “I have no objections if you do decide to marry. And I’m sorry that I haven’t been a better mother. Being here with the Kesslers tonight has shown me what a poor home life I’ve given you.”

  Wendy hardly knew what to say, since she, too, had compared her childhood with Evan’s more than once.

  “I was really happy when Hilda invited you to visit. I felt bad about leaving you alone at Christmas.”

  “I’ve been scared to death ever since you left, fearing I’d lost you,” Emmalee said, and tears filled her eyes. “Please forgive me for being such a terrible mother.”

  Wendy moved to her mother, and for the first time in many years felt her mother’s arms embrace her. “I haven’t been the best daughter in the world, either. Maybe this can be a new beginning for us.”

  “I realized tonight that I’ve wasted too many years being bitter about the past.”

  “And I want you to know,” Wendy started, “that last night at the Christmas Eve service, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In the days I’ve been with the Kesslers, I’ve realized that’s what makes them such a unique family. If I put my Christian faith into practice like they do, I’ll be a better daughter.”

  “You’re not the one who needs to change, Wendy. I have to find it in my heart to forgive your father, and until I do that I’ll never be able to have any happiness.”

  “I would like to have better communications with my grandparents and my father. In the past two weeks, I’ve seen how wonderful a family can be.”

  “Oh, by the way,” Emmalee said. “Evan’s uncle Gavin is coming to Florida in a few weeks, and he’s asked if he can come and see me and take me out to dinner. I told him that he could. He seems like a very good man.”

  Well! So much for Gavin’s intention to take me out to dinner, Wendy thought humorously.

  “That sounds great,” Wendy said, adding mischievously, “If Evan asks me to marry him again, maybe we can have a double wedding.”

  Emmalee playfully tapped Wendy on the shoulder. “Oh, stop your foolish talk.” Then she laughed slightly, paused and said in wonder, “He’s the first man I’ve been interested in since my divorce! I thought my emotions were so cold that I’d never feel anything again. Seems I’m wrong.”

  Sensing that she was on the threshold of a new relationship with her mother, after Wendy got into bed and turned out the light, she wondered what the future held for Evan and her. If he asked her to marry him, how would she answer? She thought about the reasons she loved Evan.

  His good looks were what had attracted her in the beginning, but she’d soon learned that there was more to Evan than his handsome exterior. He was conscientious about his schoolwork. When she went out with him, he treated her like a queen. He opened doors for her, seated her at the table, always putting her wishes before his. His solicitous behavior reminded her of the legendary Sir Galahad. Evan had made her feel loved and special long before he’d proposed to her. And she was convinced now that his family’s influence had made Evan into the man she loved and wanted to marry. Although there were many things about the farm that chafed her, Wendy wanted her children to grow up in an environment that the Kessler family could provide.

  Gavin came the next morning to have late breakfast with the f
amily. When he escorted Emmalee to his car for the promised tour of the countryside, she was glowing and excited.

  Evan said to Wendy, “I’m going to check on some stock this morning. Want to go with me?”

  “Sure. How are we going? Foot, sleigh, tractor or…?”

  He laughed. “By pickup, so you won’t have to wear your coveralls.”

  While Wendy hurried upstairs for her coat and boots, Evan backed his pickup out of the garage. Victor came running and jumped into the bed of the truck. Evan whistled and motioned to Victor. The dog left the back of the truck, and with head down, tail between his legs, his belly almost on the ground, he crept toward the barn.

  “Come here,” Evan said, and Victor made a quick turn and galloped to Evan, who knelt down and put his arms around the dog’s neck.

  “This is a party for two, old buddy, and you aren’t invited. Next time, you can go.”

  Victor was reassured by the tone of Evan’s voice, and he walked to the back door of the house. When Wendy came out, the dog pushed through the open door, and Evan knew the warmth of the fireplace would compensate for the lack of a ride in the truck.

  They were soon on their way, and Evan said, “I believe we have a new romance budding under our very eyes.”

  “You mean, your uncle Gavin and my mother? No doubt about it. I have never seen her so vibrant and happy. She admitted to me last night that Gavin is the first man she’s been interested in since she and my dad divorced.”

  “Actually, this trip to check on the cattle is just a ruse to get you alone. I love my family, but they can get in the way when I want to court my girl.”

  He drove away from the homestead and turned on a road toward the hills, driving a short distance to the small house he’d shown her once before. He stopped and helped Wendy out of the pickup. “I brought the key this time, so we can go inside.”