Secret at Pebble Creek

by Lisa Jones Baker

  *

  That evening, Jessica unloaded the last of her supplies and food that she’d purchased in town. With the kitchen under construction, she decided to keep her new items on the table. It was as good a place as any. It would be nice having dinner with the Millers tomorrow. But tonight, there was supposed to be a bad storm.

  As she organized the table, her thoughts turned to Annie Miller, and she smiled. Eli’s mother seemed so easy to talk to and understanding.

  So much that Jessica had wanted to ask Annie about Old Sam’s and Esther’s favorite place, to tell her all about the key and the note. But talking about Old Sam should occur in a quiet place. Where appropriate attention could be given to the wise hope-chest maker.

  But that didn’t mean that Jessica couldn’t search for Old Sam’s gift. It has to be somewhere. She leaned forward on the countertop and acknowledged that there was enough daylight left to search the very place that had inspired Old Sam to create his works of art.

  I’m ready to look.

  In the old barn, Jessica eyed the ladder hanging on the wall. Then she turned to look up at the hayloft, let out a determined breath, and crossed her arms over her chest. Eli said there’s a large window at the top that overlooks Pebble Creek. Old Sam’s and Esther’s favorite spot could be up there. If that’s the case, I could find the gift he made for her today.

  As she stepped toward the hayloft, a squirrel scurried in front of her and came to her tennis shoes, where he sat on his hind legs and looked up at her.

  She laughed. “I know I’ve got big shoes to fill, but I wouldn’t be a relative of Old Sam’s if I didn’t take care of you.” Quick steps took her to the side wall, where she unfolded the bag of pecans.

  Taking a handful, she closed the top of the container. As she began to return to where the animal had begged, she looked down and stopped.

  “You followed me. Okay, I know you were Old Sam’s pet, but I still don’t want you to bite me, so I’ll put these snacks down here.”

  She took a couple of steps back and placed the pecans a few feet away from the animal. She was fully aware that in St. Louis, this squirrel’s life would be in danger. Here, he might be looked at as a friendly creature, but she knew people who trapped them and killed them because the long-tailed mammals were considered pests.

  When the brown-furred creature scurried away through the large open doors, Jessica proceeded back to the wall and stepped to the ladder, placing one hand over one long board and the other underneath. Pressing her lips together, she leaned forward and lifted the ladder enough to remove it from its hooks.

  Gripping the ladder, she carefully stepped back so it wouldn’t hit her feet when she laid it down on the floor. After dusting off her hands, she gripped it again and pulled it to the front of the hayloft, where she lifted it and rested it against the edge of the loft.

  Making sure the legs of the ladder were planted firmly against the cement and checking to ensure that it was steady and balanced, she glanced up. For a moment, she closed her eyes, pressed her lips together in a determined line, and forced herself to go on.

  She’d never liked heights, and this loft wasn’t an exception, but the drive to find her great-uncle’s gift prompted her to continue her mission.

  With great care, she planted her right tennis shoe on the bottom rung, careful to keep her feet in the middle, and started up the steps. On the third step, she stopped. When she was satisfied that it was safe, she continued the climb with slow, steady motions. She was glad she’d changed to jeans and a T-shirt.

  She didn’t look down. As she neared the top, she blinked at the bright light streaming in through a window. For a moment, she stopped at the sting of tears in her eyes. Letting out a breath, she looked up, careful to keep balanced. I’m almost there.

  As she reached for a support beam that extended down from the vaulted ceiling, a cracking sound made her startle. The ladder moved, and she gripped the beam and used her knee to push herself forward onto the floor of the loft.

  But before she was able to get her entire body up, the ladder gave way beneath her. The sound of the heavy ladder hitting the cement prompted realization that she was lucky she hadn’t gone down with it.

  But she wasn’t entirely safe yet. She leaned forward, moving as much of her body onto the floor of the loft as she could. Her heart thumped against her chest in urgency and fright. Hay stuck to her arms and to her hands. By this time, she’d managed to slide most of her body onto the level floorboards while her feet and lower legs dangled in the air.

  You can do it.

  As she struggled to swing the remainder of her body to safety, she accidentally looked down. Her pulse zoomed into high gear. She gritted her teeth so hard, she accidentally bit her tongue.

  Her lungs pumped hard for air. Finally, she managed to move her feet onto the loft. Heaving a sigh of relief, she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she turned to face Pebble Creek.

  As she looked out the large window, the pace of her heart started to calm. She drew in a deep breath and let it out, realizing again how fortunate it was that she hadn’t gone down with the ladder.

  Brushing hay off her face and neck, she recalled her purpose, and smiled a little as she continued to gaze at the beautiful creek and the out-of-place hill.

  As she turned to the hay stacked neatly in rows, she glimpsed a cabinet at the end of the bales. She straightened and observed the drawer handles with great hope and great nervousness.

  But she quickly returned her attention to the window and the fairy-tale-like view. An emotional knot in her throat almost choked her. She swallowed it while tears of amazement blurred her vision.

  She’d never seen Pebble Creek from this angle. She couldn’t look away as she imagined Levi and Annie Miller falling in love as they tossed pebbles into the creek to see who could make the bigger splash.

  She realized that she, too, was mesmerized by Pebble Creek. She broke the happy reverie when she stepped to the cabinet and began pulling the drawers open.

  The view of the property is gorgeous from this window. This loft could have easily been their favorite spot. Bending, she squinted, shuffling the contents. But to her dismay, she didn’t spot anything that closely resembled a gift. Frowning, she revisited the drawers, beginning at the top.

  Finally, she stopped, crossed her arms over her chest, and shoved out a defeated sigh. Her gaze swept the floor and the broken ladder and landed on her cell phone, which she’d put down on the cement.

  She looked around for another means to get down. She checked her watch. Unfortunately, Eli and Wayne wouldn’t return till tomorrow afternoon. And she couldn’t call for help, either.

  After trying to come up with options, she bit her lip and frowned. There were none.

  *

  That evening, in the Millers’ barn, Eli could hear footsteps outside of the entrance. He peeked out the door.

  “Daed?”

  His father joined him. “The clouds are coming in.” As he laid a bucket next to the wall, he went on. “They’re callin’ for a thunderstorm tonight. Let’s make sure everything’s closed up good.”

  In silence they went about their jobs. All the while, Eli’s mind was on Jessica and how to make her believe in God. The more he toyed with ideas, the more uncertain he became.

  He didn’t even hear his father when he joined him in the horse stalls. Levi snapped his fingers, and Eli looked up. “I finally got your attention.” The stern look on his father’s face stopped Eli.

  “What’s goin’ on? You’re caught up in what to do about Old Sam’s great-niece?”

  Not wanting to discuss what bothered him, Eli pretended a sudden interest in the pile of dirty straw. He looked down at his work and responded with disinterest as he continued raking. How was it that his father knew something was wrong?

  “Ah, come on. I can read you like a book. Did you know that whenever you’re worried about something, you got this crease that appears on your fo
rehead?”

  Eli smiled a little, running a finger over his brows. “I wasn’t aware of that.”

  “No use trying to hide something. And I’m guessin’ you’re preoccupied with Jessica Beachy and how to save her.”

  Eli considered the issue and gave a firm nod. “Jah. Of course I am. But we’ve already talked about it. And you told me you weren’t sure what to do.”

  “I said to pray.”

  Eli offered a slight lift of his shoulders. “I’m definitely doing that.” He breathed in and forced a smile. “To be honest, I’m realistic. I know we can’t live without problems. It’s just the way it is. But Daed, this trumps anything I’ve ever had to deal with. And I don’t know what to do next.”

  Eli turned his attention back to the pile of dirty straw. When his daed didn’t leave, Eli looked. “I’m glad you’re here for me. Thanks for trying to help.”

  Eli wanted to drop the subject. But the elder Miller didn’t let that happen. Instead, he nudged Eli’s shoulder and motioned to the nearest bale of straw. Before Eli could get a word in, his father said, “What’s the worst that could happen? That I can’t help, right?”

  Eli considered the logical question and offered a gentle shrug.

  “Aww, come on, Sohn. Now you got me worrying about you. Let’s get this out in the open.”

  They both sat on the bale. Eli contemplated how to broach what was on his mind. His father was right. What was the harm in talking about it? A conversation wasn’t going to hurt.

  “Daed, she’s only gonna be here a couple more weeks. Until we finish Sam’s house. I feel like God has put her here with me for a reason. But how can I make her believe? I mean, when you think about it, belief has a lot to do with faith. It’s not like I can personally introduce her to the Creator of the universe and watch them shake hands.”

  Eli pushed out a sigh and crossed his arms over his waist. Why were they talking about this again? They’d already been through it once. And his own father didn’t even know what to do.

  When his father didn’t respond, Eli lowered his voice to a more serious tone. “See?” He rolled his eyes. “We didn’t come up with a solution before, and unfortunately, this time’s no different.”

  The senior Miller finally responded with a firm shake of his head. When he turned to Eli, his eyes reflected both sadness and hopefulness. “I’ve been praying about this. And the more I think about it, the more it’s hard to believe a relative of someone so strong in their faith, like Sam, doesn’t believe.”

  “But Daed, you’ve got to remember: she never met him.” Eli gave a gentle shrug. “When I think back on the conversation with her in the barn, I’m glad I said what I did. That Sam’s in heaven. Maybe she’ll think on that. Who knows?” After a slight hesitation, he went on. “The problem was when she asked me how I knew.”

  “And?”

  “I wasn’t sure what to say. If she’s looking for tangible proof, I don’t have it.” He gave a helpless lift of his palms and frowned. “I know I should’ve said something, but the question took me off guard. I’ve never witnessed to anyone. Now it’s my mission to make sure that she knows the Lord. For her sake and for Old Sam’s. But how do I do it?”

  When his daed glanced at him in silence, he said, “There’s one thing for sure, that my window of opportunity to do something important is short.”

  As they sat in silence, Eli couldn’t help but consider the complexity of eternal life. It was something he’d always believed. But when it came right down to it, he’d never questioned it.

  “This is by far the most important challenge I’ve ever faced, Daed. I was wondering …”

  Levi looked at him to continue.

  “Have you ever told anyone about our Savior? Tried to convince them He’s real?” After a slight pause, Eli went on. “We go to church. We pray. But really … we haven’t done what’s most important, and that’s to tell others.”

  Levi Miller let out a low whistle. “You’re right, Sohn. Unfortunately, I have to say no to that question.” The only sounds were from the pigeons perched on the windowsill and a squirrel that scurried behind them.

  When Levi spoke again, he gestured with his hands. “Here’s what I think, for all that it’s worth. It’s our responsibility to make sure she knows that we believe in God and why we do. Tell her the Easter story. About the stone. That Jesus’s body was no longer in the tomb. That they found it empty.”

  He paused to adjust his hips on the bale. “As far as making her believe it really happened?” He shook his head slowly. “Sohn, that’s something that only God can do. You can’t expect to convince her of what she has to decide on her own.”

  He looked off in the distance before lowering his voice. “Believing is a choice. To us, there’s never been any doubt. It’s important that what you say comes out in the right way. The last thing you want to do is to shove Christianity down her throat. That could turn her off. At the same time, this is something we can’t ignore.”

  “When did you know, Daed?”

  “What? That I believe?”

  Eli nodded.

  The expression on his father’s face reflected deep concentration. His lips were pressed together. Tiny wrinkles outlined the corners of his eyes. His jaw was set.

  “I’m not sure that there was a special moment. I just always did. But you’ve got to admit that we’re fortunate. The two of us, we were raised in Christian homes, and that’s a great blessing.” Eli’s father bent to stare down at the floor.

  When he sat up, he glanced at Eli before proceeding to stand. As he looked down, he squared his shoulders, as if a sudden confidence swept through him. “Sohn, this is something you can’t do alone.”

  Before Eli could question the statement, his father had his hands on his hips. “Give this one to God.” After a long pause, he added, “And I hope you got everything bundled up at the Beachy place. The storm’s comin’.”

  Chapter Six

  Less than an hour later, Eli contemplated the conversation he’d just had with his father. The sunset colors of orange, red, and pink filled the western sky as Eli tied Storm to a post near Jessica’s house.

  Flame was pulling the other buggy. After talking with his daed, Eli had remembered covering the open space where the window had been taken out in the kitchen. But was the space sealed enough so that the rain wouldn’t get in?

  A downpour was expected, and he didn’t want to risk water getting into the kitchen. Thunder crackled. The air smelled of rain.

  As he knocked on Jessica’s door, he tapped the toe of his boot impatiently against the cement. Sliding his hands into his trousers pockets, he hooked his thumbs over the tops.

  When no one answered, he glanced around the corner to confirm her car was in the drive. It was. He knocked again. This time, he accompanied the knock with a friendly holler. “Jessica! It’s Eli. Are you in there?”

  I’m glad we took care of the oak. Now I don’t have to worry about it falling on the roof. A bolt of lightning flashed, reminding him of the urgency to check the plastic. Besides, getting home by horse and buggy would be much easier while the weather was still dry. He turned the handle and cracked the door. “Jessica!”

  Inside, he breathed in the pleasant scent of vanilla. He noticed an unlit candle on the small table next to the couch. A plastic glass was next to it. The windows were still open. Obviously, Jessica wasn’t inside. But why hadn’t she closed the windows? Surely she knew a rainstorm was coming.

  Quick steps took him to the kitchen, where he checked the plastic covering on the inside of the window. Satisfied, he went out to make sure the exterior of the window was sealed as well.

  He nodded satisfaction. Rain wouldn’t get in. Then he remembered the open window in the living room. He didn’t like being in Jessica’s home when she wasn’t there, but he figured what needed to be done couldn’t wait.

  Outside, the temperature dropped a few more notches while the wind picked up speed. Eli turned at the loud whinny wher
e Storm stomped his foot impatiently. Grinning, Eli made his way to the beautiful animal and ran an affectionate hand over his long nose.

  “You love rainstorms, boy. Well, you’re going to have a happy night. But I want to get us out of here before the big one hits.”

  I can’t go until I find Jessica. Where is she?

  Concern prompted him to frown. He guessed that she knew the forecast, but his protective nature took over, and he couldn’t leave until he saw that she was inside, safe and sound.

  He walked around the house. The branches of the large oaks were swaying. The coneflowers struggled to stay put as the wind tried to sweep them away. When it started to sprinkle, Eli stopped and looked around.

  To his dismay, Old Sam’s great-niece was nowhere in sight. But her car’s here. There was only one other place to check, and that was the barn.

  Noting the dark turmoil in the sky and the rain that was picking up its pace, he decided it best to take the horse with him to the old structure. Storm was a sturdy creature, for sure, but if the downpour hit, Eli wanted the animal inside where he wouldn’t be hit by something the wind threw his way.

  He untied Storm before leading him to the barn.

  As they made their way toward the red building, Eli frowned as he recollected the conversation he’d had with her about the whereabouts of Old Sam’s gift. She’s in the barn, looking for it.

  *

  As soon as he stepped through the large doors with Storm, the suddenly fierce wind blew them shut. Storm threw his head back and let out a long whinny at the loud sound.

  “Let’s put you where Old Sam kept his fella.”

  Old Sam had never installed gas lights in the barn, and the sun was gone for the day, so the lack of light made Eli blink to adjust his vision. He could see well enough to retrieve the flashlight that Old Sam had kept next to the horse stall.

  He flipped it on, led the standardbred into the stall, and aimed the beam at the soft, urgent voice.

  “Eli! Over here!”

  The moment Eli glimpsed Jessica standing in the hayloft, he stopped and put his hands on his hips. “What—”