Secret at Pebble Creek

by Lisa Jones Baker

  So many things filled her mind that she closed her eyes to calm herself. Eli. Annie. Mary. Praying to God for guidance. Selling Old Sam’s place to the right people. Purchasing a place of her own near her work. The key.

  A sudden beep prompted her to glance at her phone. Jessica stopped her task at hand and answered.

  “Jess, it’s Sandy. Great news! The buyer I told you about has made an offer on your property! It’s more money than I ever imagined we’d get.” Jessica closed her eyes and swallowed a hard knot that blocked her throat.

  “Jessica? Are you there?”

  *

  The following morning, Eli glanced at Jessica. Since he’d started work, they’d barely said two words. In fact, she hadn’t offered him iced tea.

  Something’s wrong. She’s avoiding me.

  Chuck put down his hammer and interrupted Eli’s thoughts. “Time for a break.” Eli agreed.

  But instead of heading to the pickup truck for water, he made his way to Old Sam’s flower bed, where Jessica was touching a new green leaf on Old Sam’s rosebush.

  “It’s coming back.”

  Jessica got up from her squatting position and smiled. “Mary gave it a special formula.” She lifted her palms. “And look!”

  Together, they bent to marvel at the green that had started to appear. But Eli wasn’t here to talk about the rosebush. He cleared his throat and spoke in a low, serious tone. “Something’s wrong, Jessica. Want to talk about it?”

  *

  Later that afternoon, Jessica walked alongside Eli as they climbed the hill that overlooked Pebble Creek. The pressure to sell the property to the businessman so she could get rid of the stress of driving through the city was causing as much stress as the actual drive across St. Louis to work. A knot pained the back of her neck. She stopped to catch her breath.

  “Okay, let’s have it.” A combination of sympathy and urgency edged Eli’s voice.

  “Thanks for taking off early to talk to me.”

  “It actually worked out well. The tile needs to set before we step on it again.” After a short pause, he nudged her arm to avoid stepping in a dip in the ground. “Something’s bothering you. You’ve avoided me all morning. You didn’t even offer me tea.”

  Jessica wanted to talk to him about the sale of Pebble Creek. About the turmoil inside of her that she would displease the Millers. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. But anxiety had already started to set in.

  “Jess?”

  Deciding on a straightforward approach, she started to explain the offer. She went on to tell about the man who wanted to buy it. About the pressure she faced at selling to someone who didn’t intend to live there or raise a family there. At the end, she waited for a response from Eli, her heart picking up speed.

  For long moments, the only sound was their breathing as they continued up the hill. Suddenly, emotions hit her from every direction, and she lowered her gaze to the ground so Eli wouldn’t see her tears.

  Jessica’s lungs started pumping harder and harder for air until she lay down on her back on the dirt trail and closed her eyes. Light-headedness began to set in. “Eli, I need your help.”

  He knelt beside her. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be. Hold my feet up.”

  Without wasting time, he followed directions while she closed her eyes and tried for slow breaths. She silently began counting down from a hundred, like her doctor had told her to do when a panic attack came on. When she finally managed to steady her breathing, she opened her eyes and focused on his face. Tiny lines around his eyes revealed great concern. His jaw was set.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Please. Just prop my legs up a little longer.”

  He nodded.

  Finally, the light-headedness ceased, and Jessica looked at Eli and smiled in relief. “Eli, I get panic attacks. They started when I was a kid when my dad got drunk.” She swallowed. “When I had to hide from him.”

  To her relief, Eli didn’t respond. He continued to listen.

  “At home, in St. Louis, I take medicine to prevent the attacks from happening. I think I mentioned that to you. But now the anxiety is coming back … because of the offer and because I don’t want to displease you and your family. Or Old Sam.” A couple of tears slid down her cheek.

  She drew her legs closer to her body and sat up. There was still no response from Eli as he knelt beside her.

  “It’s okay, Jessica. Please. Don’t worry. I can’t stand to see you so uneasy. Life is too short. Maemm always tells us what Old Sam once told her. That today’s a blessing from God. To enjoy it. Because once it’s over, we can’t have it back.”

  Jessica lifted her chin and studied the gentle man next to her. “Eli, being with you and talking to you”—she let out a relieved breath—“is so comforting. Thank you for listening to me. For everything. Your mother told me the same thing. Oh, Eli, if only I could be so happy as you are. As your mother is.”

  His eyes gleamed with moisture as their gazes locked. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “You can, Jessica. It’s all about knowing God. Believing in His purpose for you.”

  She paused and considered Eli’s words. Finally, she was more curious about Eli’s God than ever. “If there is a God, what do you think His purpose is for me, Eli?”

  He studied her, and moments later, his lips curved in amusement.

  “What?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “I’m not sure, Jessica Beachy, but I’m certain of His purpose for me.”

  She looked at him to continue.

  “To keep you out of trouble.”

  She smiled and relaxed. “I know I’ve probably been a bit of a worry.”

  He said softly, “But it’s more than that, Jessica.” He shook his head before focusing on her face. “Since you’ve moved into Old Sam’s home, I’ve become aware of a great purpose God has given me.” He stopped as if deciding what to say next. “It’s to make sure you know your Lord and Savior. And when that happens …” He lifted his palms to the sky.

  “The sale of your house … driving across the city to get to work … these things won’t matter like they do now. Because if you look at the whole picture, if God guides your life, He’s really all that matters. And you’ll trust Him.”

  As she absorbed his potent words, he continued. “Over the years, Maemm and I have had a lot of conversations about God. How to live our lives. You know what she always told me?” He went on with a wry smile. “You’ll be very interested in this because she heard it from your great-uncle.”

  She sat up a little straighter. “What?”

  “That only God is privy to everything that happens in our lives. From birth to death. And that each time something happens, good or bad, there’s a reason for it. But only He knows the end result.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “Jessica, pray to do the right thing. I know God is watching over you.” Eli winked. “He brought you to us, didn’t He?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “There’s something I feel compelled to share with you. It’s about what I’ve noticed since you’ve come to Pebble Creek.”

  She looked at him to continue.

  “You’ve changed a lot.”

  “I have?”

  Eli offered a confident nod. “With the exception of today, since we’ve first met, you’ve become more relaxed. And I like it when you wear jeans and tennis shoes. I was worried that you’d fall in those heels.”

  She laughed. “Over all, I have been much more relaxed than ususal.”

  “Doesn’t that tell you something?”

  She considered his question. “Like what?”

  “Like maybe you should rethink the sale. At least, who you’re selling to. You said yourself that’s what brought your stress back.” He stood, and she followed suit.

  The strength of what Eli had just said stunned her so much that she couldn’t find words to respond. She wondered what would happen if she declined the sale. Even more, i
f she stayed here at Pebble Creek.

  She quickly decided it wasn’t plausible. How would she make a living? What would she do in this quiet, uneventful countryside? To her knowledge, there weren’t any hotels in the area where she could work.

  Then something came to her. A realization that nearly took her breath away. As they began climbing up the hill again, she spoke in a soft, vulnerable voice. “Eli, you truly care about me.”

  When he didn’t respond, she decided to go on. At this point, she knew she could speak her mind and that Eli wouldn’t pass judgment on her. “No one has ever cared about me the way that you do. Like your family does. And to be honest, what I’m feeling …” She drew her hand to her chest. “I don’t even know what to think. I just want to thank you.”

  In silence, they neared the top. Eli motioned and let out a breath. “There they are. The stones my parents sat on when they were kids.”

  Together they stood and looked down at the creek. While they did so, the gentle breeze lifted the ends of Jessica’s hair. She shoved it back over her ears. The creek below them prompted her to draw in a breath that was the epitome of awe.

  A strange sense of calmness filled her, despite the heavy conversation she and Eli had just had.

  “I understand why Maemm and Daed used to walk all the way up here.”

  “Me too.”

  They bent to sit on the stones. But the small garden of coneflowers behind Annie’s and Levi’s stones drew Jessica’s attention, and she knelt to touch one of the purple centers.

  Beside her, Eli did the same. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “But it seems like a strange place for a flower bed.”

  From her peripheral vision, Jessica glimpsed Eli squinting.

  Jessica grinned. “No, it doesn’t. Not if this was his and Esther’s favorite spot.” She lowered her voice. “The very place my great-uncle asked Esther to marry him.”

  She bent closer. The bright sunlight hit the patch of flowers, and she saw something shiny at the base of the leaves.

  Without saying anything, she squinted for a better look at the copper. When she glanced over at Eli, his attention was focused on the same thing.

  Eli began brushing away dirt to uncover the object. He removed enough so they could detect the outline of the box.

  Jessica didn’t take her gaze off of the object. “Is it copper?”

  Several seconds later, Eli nodded in agreement. “I think so. The ground is soft from the rain, but I need a shovel. Let’s come back tomorrow and dig up whatever it is.”

  In a low, certain tone, Jessica spoke. “Whatever it is, the key will unlock it. I know it.”

  Leaning back, Eli brushed his hands together, and tiny pieces of mud dropped to the ground. “You’re determined, aren’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “I don’t want you to be disappointed if the key doesn’t work.”

  Standing, she looked down at the copper that had been partially exposed. “Tomorrow, we’ll find out what Old Sam’s key unlocks and what’s inside that.” She pointed.

  Jessica’s heart picked up speed as her mind wandered to Old Sam. Whatever he’d buried had been important enough to carry it all the way to the top of this hill and place it between Levi’s and Annie’s sitting stones.

  Suddenly, something disturbed her. She tensed and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “Something wrong?”

  “Eli, I just had a disturbing thought. What if the key won’t open the box?”

  Eli rolled his eyes and offered a conciliatory shrug of his shoulders. “Then it won’t.”

  She tapped the toe of her tennis shoe against the stone. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Then what did you mean?”

  She harrumphed. “I know that the key goes to whatever we’ll uncover tomorrow. But what if the lock is rusted? Esther’s been gone a long time … which means that whatever is buried has been in the ground for years.”

  The thoughtful expression in his eyes made her smile. She was fairly certain that the man opposite her did not believe the key opened this box. The box that Old Sam had buried. His skepticism showed in his voice.

  As they faced each other, Eli seemed even taller than usual. The sun hitting his face made his eyes take on a lighter shade of hazel. The color was so beautiful, it reminded her of the oak leaves behind her apartment complex in the fall. Of cinnamon in her spice box.

  He took a deep, thoughtful breath and pushed it out. “Tomorrow, we’ll know.”

  “We’ll just have to be patient, won’t we?”

  He offered a firm nod. At the same time, as if on cue, they turned toward the creek. At that moment, Jessica felt a sense of great satisfaction.

  As if reading her thoughts, Eli said in a low voice, tinged with emotion, “Now I understand why this was my parents’ special spot.”

  Jessica took in the captivating stream below, country houses spread out acres apart, and imagined Annie and Levi Miller running up and down this very hill when they were young.

  “They must have taken a lot of breaks while they hauled these stones. I wonder what they talked about when they came up here.”

  Old Sam, if only I had met you. My life would have been different. For the better. I know you would have protected me.

  Eli cleared his throat. “Jess?”

  The way he said her abbreviated name with such softness made her pulse pick up speed. This time, she didn’t even bother to scold herself.

  She merely looked at him in silence as she enjoyed their togetherness.

  He bent closer. He was so near, she could feel his warm breath. “You can stay here, you know.”

  A long silence ensued while she gave great consideration to his statement. And she realized more than ever that she could never live here and watch this wonderful man marry a nice Amish girl. That startling realization made her stiffen.

  No. This can’t be happening.

  To her dismay, he pursued the subject. “Jess, your life can be whatever you want it to be. Old Sam once told me that. You’ve been through a lot, but learn from it. In fact, use it to your advantage. You might feel like you don’t have control over what happened, but you do. And to have a happy life, the kind you really want inside of your heart, you’ve got to put the past behind you and create your future.” He offered a casual lift of his shoulders. “It’s up to you. Just think of how happy you’ve been since you got here. You said yourself that you’ve been more relaxed since coming here.”

  Nervously, she tapped the toe of her tennis shoe against the ground. “I know. But staying here isn’t that easy, Eli.”

  “Why not? I’ll always be here for you, to help in any way I can. That’s a promise.”

  Jessica’s chest rose and fell much too quickly. She hoped he didn’t notice. And she was sure that he didn’t know how she felt about him. Otherwise he wouldn’t have made such a strong commitment. He obviously didn’t have a clue that she wanted much more than his help. She yearned for his love. To spend the rest of her life with him.

  “I wish your kind, loving God would help me.”

  She was quick to note the hopeful expression that filled his eyes.

  After a slight hesitation, the tone of his voice became even more serious. “He will, Jess. But you’ve got to ask Him.”

  “I want to. But I don’t know if I can.”

  He looked at her to go on.

  “When did you start to know God?”

  She turned and shrugged helplessly as she walked away from him.

  But he followed her. She couldn’t see him, but she heard him breathing. She heard his boots stepping behind her.

  When she stopped, she turned and caught his gaze. She was quick to catch the surprised expression in his dark eyes.

  “I can’t pinpoint a certain time. Ever since I can remember, my folks have taken me to church. Raised me to pray at the table and at night, by my bed. I just always knew, Jess. I never doubted.
”

  He shoved his thumbs into his pockets and let his f in-gers rest over the tops. His right foot tapped nervously as he looked directly into her eyes.

  “Jess, just think of how complex this world is. For example, feel my heart beat.”

  She stared at him in surprise. He surely wasn’t asking her to touch him. Not that there was anything wrong with that. There wasn’t.

  But her feelings for him … they were so strong, she feared her reaction. The last thing she wanted was for him to know how she felt about him. That would complicate her life even more.

  “What?”

  He motioned to his chest and offered an encouraging nod. “Go ahead.” When she didn’t react, he took her fingers in his and pressed them hard against his chest. They were so close, she wondered if he could hear her heart race to an excited, dangerous beat.

  “Can you feel my heart pumping?”

  Talking would reveal her breathlessness, so she pressed her lips together and merely nodded.

  “Did you ever stop and wonder how a heart could beat without a Creator?” He gave a quick shake of his head. “Jess, I’m not a doctor, but I’m fully aware of the complexity of the human body. That when one little thing gets out of sync, the whole body reacts.” He raised his voice in excitement. “There’s just no way this could be without a Designer!”

  Jessica considered his theory and frowned. “What you say makes sense, that’s for sure. Just like Mary says a beautiful plant couldn’t have just happened. And Annie says the same thing about the delicious chocolate cake at the fish fry.”

  Eli grinned and paused to take a deep breath.

  Fully aware that his hand still covered hers, Jessica stood very still. His warm touch was so comforting and reassuring, she never wanted his fingers to leave hers. It was as if she wore a helmet and no one could hurt her.

  “You’re making something that’s so simple, so hard.”

  Jessica’s lips parted with amazement when he tightened his grip around her fingers and lowered her hand to waist level. To her surprise, he didn’t let go. For long, thoughtful moments they looked at each other with a curious intensity. Gray flecks danced in his eyes.