by Amy Clipston
“It’s not actually Christmas yet, either, you know.” She touched his cheek, and Tommy looked up with eyes full of anticipation. She almost relented. She’d splurged on a set of carving tools. Tommy wanted to do everything Henry did, and this would help. For Henry, she’d scrimped until she could afford a new tool belt, including a few new tools. “You’ll have to wait until then.”
“Aww.”
“Are you nervous about your part in the program?”
He shook his head. “Henry helped me practice for hours and hours.”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration—”
A whoosh of cold air blanketed the room. Leesa glanced toward the door. The Beachys, the Rabers, and the Mosers had arrived and were busy removing coats. Happy chatter filled the room. “I need to start gathering the kinner behind the curtain—”
“Wait.” His back to the others, Henry took a step closer. “I’d like to take a ride after the program. So I can give you your present from me.”
Embarrassment swept over Leesa. She hadn’t brought Henry’s present. “Aren’t we waiting for Christmas? I’ll have to visit with all the parents and clean up. It’ll be suppertime before I’m done. You’re still coming for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Jah, but this can’t wait. We’ll help you clean up.” He grinned like a little boy about to burst with the effort of hanging on to a secret. “Tommy is going to the Beachys’ after the program. He and Solomon want to build snowmen. I’ll drop you off here afterward to get your buggy, then go pick him up.”
He had it all planned. Resisting an offer of time alone was impossible. Leesa nodded. Wilma Beachy bustled toward them, carrying an enormous sheet cake. “We’ll talk after.”
The Christmas program went like clockwork. The children prepared it all on their own. First came the skits, and then they sang. The older grades recited poems they’d written in English. The middle-age students recited the Christmas story in High German.
Then it was Tommy’s turn. Leesa couldn’t help herself. She peeked from behind the curtains. Dressed in a long robe made from burlap sacks, he grasped a wooden staff in one hand and a small wrapped gift in the other. He began to tell the story of Jesus’s birth from the perspective of a wise man. He’d written it himself in English.
“We saw a big star in the sky, and angels told us about the birth of the baby Jesus. My friends, who were shepherds too, and I followed the star to the place where the baby Jesus was. We were so happy when we saw the baby Jesus with his mother, Mary. We bowed down and worshiped him. We opened the presents we brought: gold, incense, and myrrh. That’s a spice and it wasn’t cheap. I brought the gold because you can buy stuff with gold. I know they’re funny gifts to give to a baby, but life was different then, I reckon.”
Chuckles from the crowd filled the air. Leesa sought Henry. He was sitting near the back, grinning from ear to ear. He didn’t even try not to look proud. Pride was wrong, but Tommy had come so far in four short months. She couldn’t blame Henry for feeling a sliver of it.
“Anyway, I had a dream that told me not to go back to King Herod because he was an evil man who wanted to kill the baby Jesus. So we went back home a different way. Pretty smart, right?” He lifted the staff high in the air. “And that was the first birthday party for Jesus. That’s why we give each other gifts on Christmas Day.” His voice rising, he pumped the staff and shouted, “Happy Birthday, Jesus!”
He bowed his head and scurried from the stage. Leesa had just enough time to pull her head back behind the curtain before he charged into her space. “How did I do?”
“Wunderbarr.” She hugged him. He was no longer a skinny runt. Between her mother’s and Leesa’s cooking, they’d managed to fatten him up. “You make a very gut wise man. Now get ready to sing.”
“I love Jesus.”
“You do?”
“Jah. I may not get everything I want, but sometimes things work out.”
Wise words from a child. Danki, Gott. “I love Jesus too. Go sing.”
Grinning, he rushed to join his classmates on the stage.
The program ended with more traditional Christmas hymns. Leesa peeked out again. The families joined in the singing with laughing, happy faces.
The last singsong note of “Silent Night” ended. Englishers probably wouldn’t recognize the hymn, sung in the traditional Plain a cappella manner of notes held over the space of ten minutes. The children scattered from the improvised stage and rushed to their families, where much hugging and smiling commenced.
She’d survived her first program as a teacher.
Leesa followed the children, intent on making sure there were plenty of paper plates and plasticware for the refreshments.
“Teacher, Teacher.” Molly headed up the cluster of students bearing gifts. “Mudder and me embroidered hankies for you.”
“You’re not supposed to tell.” Samantha elbowed her classmates. “You’re supposed to let her open the present.”
“It’s okay.” Leesa patted the little girl’s cheek. “I’m so pleased you took the time to make something for me. It’s very special.”
They’d done a gift exchange at the end of the day on Friday. Every child received a gift through the drawing of names. Leesa had given each student a small illustrated storybook of Christmas from the Gospel of Luke. This evening, one by one her scholars presented her with potted plant holders, kitchen towels, and a variety of small, useful gifts. She would need extra bags to carry them home.
“And one more.” Harley Beachy spoke as he and Jack Moser skirted the cluster of children, carrying a blanket-covered gift between them. “From all the parents. We appreciate how hard you have worked with our kinner during your first semester of teaching.”
Tears pricked Leesa’s eyes. “Danki for allowing me to teach them.”
With a flourish Jack removed the blanket to reveal a large chest made from pine. A simple pattern of leaves covered the hinged lid. “It’s beautiful. Just what I needed.”
“The boys made it.” Jack cocked his head toward the older scholars. “The girls made something to put in it.”
Inside she found a Country Hearts quilt.
Such generosity and caring overwhelmed her. Leesa dispensed hugs to the younger children, her head bent in hopes that the others wouldn’t see how much the sentiments behind the gifts meant to her. She hadn’t dreamed of doing this job. She hadn’t wanted it. But one look at Tommy’s cheeky grin as he gobbled his third or fourth frosted sugar cookie told her this had been God’s plan all along.
“Here, Teacher, Mudder made these gingerbread-man eppies.” Charlie squeezed between his classmates to offer her the cookie clutched in his plump hand—no napkin included. “I put the eyes on and the mouth.”
“Gut job.” She took the cookie. It fell apart in her lap. Charlie’s lower lip quivered. “It’s okay.” She plucked a piece from her apron and popped it in her mouth. “Mmm!”
Giggles followed. A sweet contentment she once thought impossible swept through her. Henry stood near the thermoses of coffee and hot chocolate, watching.
She smiled at him, and he returned the favor.
An hour later the crowd had cleared after mothers and daughters made quick work of cleaning up while the fathers and sons returned furniture to its proper spot.
“Do you want company on the ride home?” Mercy wrapped a thick woolen shawl over her enormous belly. Her coat no longer fit. “Caleb and I are coming over for supper. I can ride with you.”
“Nee, that’s okay. I still have a few things to do here.” Leesa forced herself not to look at Henry, who was slowly folding the last card table and stacking it against the wall. “Don’t wait supper for me.”
“Be careful. It’ll be dark soon.” Mercy swooped in for a quick hug. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I told you that you would be a gut teacher. And gut things come to those who wait.”
The old Leesa would’ve said something bitter like, How would you know? Inste
ad, Leesa leaned into the hug. “Frehlicher Grischtdaag, schweschder.”
Finally, everyone was gone. They exited the building and got into the sled. Henry slid under the sled robes after her and tucked them around their knees. “Ready?”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
What Christmas gift required a sleigh ride? The gift itself didn’t really matter. The time spent alone with Henry during this busy holiday season would be gift enough for Leesa. She leaned back and inhaled the crisp mountain air scented with pine and fir. Henry’s horse tossed his head and snorted. White puffs of breath hung in the air. The sleigh skimmed over the packed snow. Soon they were beyond the last Kootenai home at the outermost edge of the tiny community.
“Whoa, whoa.” Henry, who had said nothing on the drive, pulled the buggy to the side of the road and stopped next to a barbed-wire fence. “Here we are.”
An empty, snow-covered field. “Where would this be?”
He tied the reins to the bar and slipped his thick leather gloves from his hands. They disappeared under the blanket and found Leesa’s. “This is—was—Dale Shaeffer’s property.”
“The doctor who used it as a hunting lodge until it burned down during the wildfires?”
“That’s the one. He retired. He and his wife decided to buy an RV and travel around the Midwest visiting their four children and twelve grandchildren. That’s why they never rebuilt. They decided to sell instead.”
“It sounds as if you’ve been visiting with him.”
“I have. Juliette’s dad came into the shop a few weeks ago.” Henry’s warm fingers tightened around Leesa’s. “He mentioned the property was for sale.”
The pieces began to fall into place. Leesa’s heart pounded. Her breath came more quickly.
“I bought it.”
“You bought it?”
“All twenty acres. A single man living alone doesn’t have a lot of expenses. I’ve saved almost everything I’ve made in the last four years.”
“It’s a beautiful piece of property.”
“With plenty of room for a house.” He slid closer. His leg touched hers. He put his arm around her shoulders. He felt warm and solid against her body. “Our house, I hope.”
With Henry so close Leesa found it difficult to connect two dots, let alone two thoughts. “Our house?” She sounded like a parrot who could only mimic his words. She cleared her throat. “You and me?”
He leaned closer and brushed her lips with his. “What do you think?”
“No fair. I can’t think with you so close.”
“Will you marry me?”
Those words she’d waited so long to hear were sweet and clear as an angel’s song on the starry, bright night. “Jah, I will.”
He sighed. “Whew!”
“Did you really think there was a chance I’d say no?”
His arm tightened. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips. The kiss turned a December early evening into a balmy July afternoon. Caught in his embrace, Leesa slid her arms around his neck to capture a warmth that would never fade and never grow old.
Much later Henry leaned back. “How do you feel about slow and steady now?”
“As long as we’re in it together, I have no need to rush willy-nilly into anything.” She had begun something she needed to finish. Once married, her days as teacher would be over. A current that had nothing to do with the cold ran through her. A wife with babies couldn’t divide her time between family and vocation. That would be her someday soon. Overwhelming gratitude filled her to the brim. “I’ll always have you to hold my hand. That’s all I need.”
“Gut.” He rubbed his fingers over hers. “It will take some time to save the funds to build the house. And time to build it.”
“I like teaching. I want to finish what I’ve started this year.”
“I’m so happy you’ve found contentment in teaching and learned it’s not just a fallback for a woman who felt jilted and had no other choice.”
“Nee, it’s a vocation, a calling. I love my scholars. I want to see the eighth graders graduate.” Leesa kissed his fingers, one by one. “This must be a bittersweet moment for you as well.”
“Nee, only sweet.” He smiled. “Vivian would’ve wanted this. She was a generous, kind soul who wanted only happiness for those she loved. It must be strange for you to know I’ve loved another heart and soul, but believe me when I say my first marriage showed me how gut life can be when you give all you have to another person. I am who I am because of what I shared with Vivian.”
“It must be equally strange for you to know I gave my heart to another first.”
“Only strange because he threw away such a sweet gift.” Henry shook his head. “I’ll never understand that. His loss is my gain.”
“Together we’ll finish what we started with Tommy.”
“We’ll have our hands full.” He laughed, the sound like music in Leesa’s ears. “He will be the envy of all your scholars because he may lose a teacher, but he’ll gain a mudder.”
“I’m the one who is blessed to have him in my life.” She planted another kiss on Henry’s knuckles. “We’ll adopt him, then?”
“As soon as we’re married, we’ll make it official. My boss is helping me look into how that works. Lawyers and such. More money to be saved.”
“We’ll figure it out. Together.”
Leesa leaned her head on his shoulder. He tucked the sleigh robe around her. A snowflake meandered from the sky and landed on Henry’s nose. “Look, schnee again.” She laughed and brushed it away.
More snowflakes, each unique, each perfect, floated down and landed on her face. Her life would be different from anything she could’ve imagined. But God had imagined it for her. The story of a widower, an orphan, and a reluctant teacher who would become a unique, far from perfect, but loving family.
Henry pressed her close to his chest. His heart beat in her ear. “We’ll simply have to snuggle closer to keep warm.”
What a lovely plan.
“One year from today, we’ll marry. That will be our Christmas gift to each other.”
“One year from today.” She snuggled closer. “Frehlicher Grischtdaag.”
“Frehlicher Grischtdaag.”
Amid snowflakes that sparkled and spiraled from the sky, they sealed the vow with a kiss.
13
One year later
Her nerves were showing. Leesa tried for the third time to pin up her hair with fumbling, shaking fingers. Loose strands tickled her warm cheeks and neck.
“Let me do that for you.” Mercy tucked her sleeping baby under a crib quilt in the middle of the bed that would soon belong to Henry and Leesa, husband and wife. The service was set to begin in a few minutes. Savannah did everyone a favor by napping while they prepared for this unusual December wedding. “You’re making a mess of it. Your cheeks are so red, you look like you’re about to melt into a puddle.”
“That would be wunderbarr.” Leesa let her sweaty hands drop to the lap of the opal blue dress she’d sewn for the occasion. “I can’t see straight.”
Nerves and lack of sleep both played a role in her current state. The last two days had been spent putting the final touches on the new home she and Henry would share with Tommy. They borrowed chairs and tables from family and friends. Mother and the other women did the cooking in Leesa’s new kitchen.
It would be a small wedding. Four feet of snow and more on the way saw to that, but Leesa and Henry agreed this was exactly what they wanted. He had only two brothers and a smattering of cousins, aunts, and uncles in Kentucky and Tennessee. None planned to make the trek. The majority of Leesa’s family lived in nearby Plain communities. They were accustomed to Montana winters. A measly blizzard wouldn’t stop them from attending.
“Why are you nervous? You’ve been waiting for this forever.” Mercy tucked and smoothed Leesa’s unruly hair under her prayer covering with expert fingers. “It’s about time, isn’t it?�
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“I’m not nervous about marrying Henry.” Leesa’s nerves calmed under her sister’s ministrations. “But standing up in front of everyone . . .”
“It’s only five minutes, tops. You know everyone in the Gmay. They’re family and friends. Just pretend they’re your scholars. You stand in front of them and talk all day long.”
Good advice, but hard to take. “Do you think Henry’s nervous?”
“Everyone is nervous on their wedding day. Caleb said Henry hit his thumb with a hammer twice in the last week. Nothing shakes Henry, but this has.” Mercy stood back and cocked her head at Leesa. “There. All done. You’re ready.”
Ready or not, here I come.
She’d been ready for months, but the house had not. First they had to scrape together their earnings and save every penny they could. Then Henry and their friends laid the foundation and erected the framework. A fierce windstorm in July destroyed their first efforts. A second round had proven to be longer lasting. Once the frame was boxed, they had worked through rain, sleet, and snow.
Leesa sewed curtains and made quilts with her family and friends. Henry built their bed and a new table and chairs for the kitchen. Caleb contributed matching rocking chairs to be placed in front of the fireplace. Leesa’s dad built the kitchen cabinets. Everyone had a hand in the final product.
Today all the preparations were done. Nothing else was needed except the exchange of vows.
“Go on, go.” Mercy nudged Leesa toward the door. “Christine and I will be right beside you.”
Her witnesses to the best day of her life.
So far.
The living and eating areas of their new house were crowded with long benches set up like the typical church service. In a way it was. Almost all of the three-hour ceremony would consist of the usual series of hymns, prayers, and sermons. Only the last few minutes were dedicated to their vows. How would she manage to wait that long?
Somehow, she did. Every one of her scholars was present, their faces as shiny and expectant as they had been the first day of school a year and a half ago. They had a new teacher. They were in good hands.
