The Long Road Home Romance Collection

by Judi Ann Ehresman

  The last few days before Christmas Mandy and Deidre spent making cookies, candies, cakes, and pies to take to the Brownings’. Mandy went out to the woods where she knew some holly grew and cut several branches with their bright red and yellow berries to decorate their mantel.

  On Christmas Eve, after Jedediah was asleep, Mandy went back to the woods where she had earlier that day cut a large evergreen bough and hidden it. While she was making it stand in a bucket of sand, Deidre strung cranberries and popcorn on long cords. They fastened a small candle to the top and tied some bright-colored yarn remnants on to make colorful bows. Finally they stepped back to admire their handiwork. It only stood about four feet tall, but it was very pretty by the fireplace with the holly on the mantel.

  Mandy sighed. “I wish so much that Ethan was here to make some toys for Jedediah and Daniel.”

  Deidre smiled and whispered, “I’ll be right back,” then disappeared up the stairs. When she returned, she carried a pretty basket with bright-colored reeds running in stripes around the sides. Mandy was admiring it when Deidre said, “Go ahead; look inside.” Mandy lifted the lid and saw that Deidre had colored some of Jedediah’s wooden blocks the same colors as the stripes on the basket. Also there was a colorful little cloth bag with a drawstring. Mandy took it out and found it full of bright rocks.

  “I colored the blocks when I was colorin’ the reeds with the berry juices. The rocks I found down by the creek last fall, and I saved them ’til Jedediah was big enough to appreciate them.” At that instant Mandy noticed how much clearer Deidre’s speech was becoming. She sounded like any other educated woman, and Mandy was proud of her.

  So the women arranged the basket beside the decorated branch and tiptoed off to bed with hugs and prayers of thanksgiving.

  That night, as Mandy finished nursing Daniel and tucked him snugly in the cradle, she couldn’t help but whisper, “Oh, Daniel, if only I had told your daddy about you before he left, maybe he would not have gone and would be with us now. Why do I have to learn all my lessons the hard way? He would be so proud of you and could teach you how to be a man. I miss him so much, but I will teach you the best I can.” And she kissed him again and crawled into her cold bed.

  Mandy dozed a little but kept dreaming that she was telling Ethan they had a son. When she turned to put the baby in his arms, he was gone. She woke up with a soft cry, her heart pounding in her ears. She quickly got up to check the cradle and found Daniel sleeping soundly. She crawled back into her bed, but sleep refused to return.

  Finally, she quietly dressed and went out to the main room. She made a cup of sweet herb tea and sat rocking by the fire.

  When she had finished her cup and was no sleepier than before, she decided to make some sweet cranberry muffins and nutmeg custard for their Christmas breakfast. While they were baking, she slipped back into her room and brought out the packages for Deidre and Jedediah and tucked them under their Christmas branch.

  Soon after the clock on the mantel struck five, she looked up to see Deidre quietly closing her bedroom door. “I thought I smelled somethin’ mighty good out here. Why are you up so early?”

  “Oh, I’m worse than a small child,” Mandy said with a grin. “I was so excited for Christmas I couldn’t sleep.”

  The two women had a cup of tea together. Then Mandy went over to the packages on the floor, lifted the large one, and placed it in her surprised friend’s lap.

  Deidre opened it eagerly. When she saw the beautiful coat, her mouth opened but no words came out. She carefully lifted it out of the wrappings and tried it on. When she pulled the hood up around her face, Mandy said, “Oh, Deidre, I had a little of the fur left, so I put that small strip around the inside of your hood to keep the wind out, but I didn’t think how beautiful it would look next to your smooth, dark skin. You look just like a china doll.”

  They laughed and giggled together. Then Deidre jumped up. “Stay right there!” she exclaimed as she ran up the stairs. She came down with a beautiful basket with a lid and a handle. As Mandy delighted over the lovely basket, Deidre said, “Lift the lid and look inside.”

  Mandy opened the lid carefully. Inside lay a beautiful bonnet. It had a wide brim in front that tapered down to no brim at all by the ears. A wide green sash was fastened by each ear and lay flat against the bonnet behind the brim, with long sashes to tie under the chin. The green sash had a cluster of dried berries, vines, and flowers arranged on it. It was more beautiful than any bonnet Mandy had ever seen in Boston.

  “Where did you get it?” she asked Deidre as she gently tried it on.

  “I made it just like we always made for the women down South. Do you like it?”

  “It’s the most beautiful bonnet I have ever seen in my life,” she assured Deidre. “I’ll wear it today.”

  Soon Jedediah toddled out of the bedroom, and Mandy went to check on Daniel. Jedediah’s eyes were as big as saucers when he spied the decorations. He squealed and pointed. “Oh, it’s so purty!”

  When Deidre came back into the house from doing the chores she still insisted on doing, they all sat down and enjoyed their muffins and custard. When they finished, they read the Christmas story from their worn New Testament and thanked God for all the blessings He had provided. They each brought their gifts over to Jedediah and showed him how to open them. As he was enjoying his pretty blocks and rocks with his new hat on because he wouldn’t take it off, the women cleaned up the table.

  They washed and dressed the two babies, dressed themselves, and straightened the cabin. They were packing their treats in baskets when they heard bells jingling and Thomas’s melodious voice singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

  The sleigh ride through the woods went swiftly. Nelda had felt like trotting, and Thomas had let her go. They laughed, agreeing they weren’t sure whether she was trotting to get home more quickly or to make the bells ring more. Nelda held her head high, seemingly proud of the bells the Brownings had tied around her neck. Thomas was as good as his father at getting everyone to sing. Before long, they were singing songs they had never heard before, and the woods rang with their laughter on that blessed day.

  Edna and the girls had decorated the front door and each of the two windows in the front of their cabin with evergreen boughs and large red fabric bows. The house looked festive and inviting as they drove up to the front. Edna and Betsy, the Brownings’ oldest daughter, bustled out to take the babies in to the warm house, and the others quickly followed. As soon as the door burst open, the fragrance of good food filled the air.

  The table was set with holly boughs, berries, and apples, making a centerpiece around several tall candles. Touches of evergreen were all about the room. Edna chuckled. She had sent Betsy (her name was really Elizabeth, but she still enjoyed the family’s pet name of Betsy best) to get some greens for decorating. Since the other girls wanted to help, they went along. When they came back, they had enough greens and berries to decorate six houses.

  “But we just kept tucking it in here and there, and pretty soon it began to look like a real party.” Edna laughed.

  Deidre and Mandy laid a gift on each plate, and before long it was time for their Christmas meal. As soon as Ned had blessed the meal, Mandy and Deidre encouraged each of them to open their gifts. They started with the youngest and went up by age. They all loved their gifts and thanked the women excitedly.

  The dinner was delicious. When everyone had eaten all they could hold, the children politely asked if they could try their new sleds. Permission was granted, so off they went with Ellen and Esther begging to take Jedediah along. They promised to care for him, so they bundled him warmly in his new coat, hat, and mittens, and then they were gone also.

  Betsy felt too grown up to sled, so she offered to stay and help with the cleanup. With so much help on the dishes, before long the house was tidy and quiet. Betsy and the three women pulled chairs around the fireplace to chat. They could hear the squeals and laughter outside as the children played.
After a while Deidre went out to bring Jedediah in to rest. He was hardly warm by the fire before he fell asleep in her arms.

  Later in the afternoon, Ned and Thomas rode their high-stepping horses through the woods to Mandy’s cabin to do her evening chores. It didn’t take the two of them long to finish, and they headed back through the woods toward home. Mandy’s heart swelled with thankfulness for the gift of good neighbors as they heard the men returning.

  The afternoon moved lazily into evening, and soon the children came inside to get warmed by the fire. Edna popped popcorn while Ned retrieved some cold cider from the cellar. Betsy, Mandy, and Deidre brought cakes and cookies as they sat around the fire eating goodies and telling stories of past Christmases. Some of the stories made them laugh, and some were poignant and sweet, bringing tears to their eyes. The friendship was so warm and so good that even the quietest children could be coaxed to contribute some memory or story.

  When the small children’s heads drooped, the older children carried them off to bed and then came back to shyly thank Mandy and Deidre again for their gifts and to say good night.

  It was a wonderful Christmas. Before it ended, Ned suggested that the older ones who were still gathered by the fire join their hearts in prayer. Deidre quietly asked if they could please pray for her husband, Jeremiah, wherever he was in the world, and that God would someday reunite them.

  When they had finished praying, Ned began a soft song, and all joined in. They sang for quite a while. Ned said to Deidre in reference to her longing to be reunited with her husband, “Whenever the night looks darkest, remember, God will still give a song to strengthen and see us through.” And Deidre smiled her gentle smile.

  Ned and Edna had given their room to Mandy and Deidre and Daniel. All three snuggled down into the large soft bed and were soon sound asleep.

  It felt as though they had barely closed their eyes when they heard soft shuffling out in the main cabin and knew morning had come. They could smell coffee brewing and ham frying as they hurried into their clothes. Ned was moving the straw mattress back up the stairs. He had already done the chores, and Edna and the girls were putting the finishing touches on a large breakfast when Mandy and Deidre came out to help.

  After they ate the wonderful breakfast, they had worship together once again. It was wonderful to fellowship with other believers, to encourage one another, and to enjoy that common bond. Mandy and Deidre loved to learn the hymns of the church, and Ned made it easy to sing along. They ended their singing time with a beautiful old hymn that told the story of God’s grace. As Ned and the boys harmonized, Mandy listened worshipfully to the words:

  “In the perfect world his pride turned

  Adam from the Father’s face.

  It’s there I follow in his steps and

  seal my own eternal fate.

  Here my best is mixed with envy,

  selfishness, greed, pride, and hate;

  I know the road that I should walk, but

  take the path through wider gates.

  In God goodness finds its meaning.

  He is holy, good and pure.

  I am sinful, full of evil

  thoughts and deeds—so insecure.

  God, the Just, cannot ignore the

  sin I must be punished for.

  He’s jealous of His matchless name.

  His name be praised forevermore.

  Where His justice and His wrath are

  mingled, there my Lord demands

  that for my sin my blood be spilled

  to pay for guilt that’s on my hands.

  But oh! His love and grace it was

  that took this burden from my head

  and placed it on the spotless Lamb

  to pay for sin there in my stead.

  Praise Him for His mercy that doesn’t

  end with sacrifice for sin.

  Adopted in His family

  I’m loved and warmly welcomed in.

  Joy and peace He’s given me and

  conscience clean and cleared of guilt.

  Endless days I’ll spend with Him up

  in a mansion He has built.

  I’m an undeserving sinner

  but I’m justified by grace.

  It’s not by things I’ve done—they’re tainted

  by my motives and my ways.

  It’s through grace alone I come with

  confidence before the throne

  And there cast praises to His name

  for Christ has saved me, Christ alone!”

  When the hymn was finished, there was silence while they all worshipped in their hearts. Even the babies seemed quieted by the hush over the room. In a bit, Ned closed their worship time with prayer. Mandy couldn’t help thinking that heaven must be like this—what glory to sit and worship their loving God!

  Too soon Ned was saying they must be on their way home. He and Thomas were going to take Mandy and Deidre and the babies home and do the chores for them, and they hated to make the cows wait much longer. So they bundled up the children and soon were on their way.

  After the chores were finished and the men were leaving, Mandy invited them to all come for a visit before too long. When the sleigh was swallowed up by the woods, Mandy turned back to their quiet home. She suddenly felt the loneliness she had been denying almost overwhelm her.

  Oh, Ethan, she cried in her heart, why did you have to leave me? I miss you so.

  Chapter 13

  Week after week Ethan could hardly wait for Sunday to come so he could meet with his new friends and hear the teaching from God’s Word. One Sunday he was invited to share the noon meal with one of the families from the church. He gladly accepted since he could never get enough of the rich fellowship of the family of God.

  As they shared the meal together, he asked something that had been on his mind for some time now. “Do you know of a family in town that would take me in as a boarder if I could find work in town?” He was eager to become a more stable part of the town and wanted to look for a job that would be a bit more permanent than the railroad work. Since he had not yet told anyone about Mandy, they assumed he was a bachelor and assured him they would stay on the lookout for something for him.

  They did know of a couple whose children had died of typhoid fever some time back, so they inquired for him. The couple owned the general store in town and were also part of the church. When the Taylors heard of Ethan’s query, they were very interested in talking with Ethan and contemplated the possibilities presented by having help in the store and a boarder.

  Later in the week, Ethan went to meet them and introduce himself. The store was a large building with a false front, giving the impression of two full stories, when in reality the second floor was simply a loft tucked in under the rafters with a steep stairway leading up from the large room in back of the store. The couple did most of their living in the large room behind the store and the small rooms enclosed to the side. They were glad to offer the upstairs loft area to Ethan.

  In the conversation with the Taylors, Ethan mentioned his experience in the store in Boston, and soon the Taylors had the arrangements made. He could live and board with them for free if he would work in the store to assist Mr. Taylor. If he did well, eventually Mr. Taylor would pay him something as well. This would relieve Mrs. Taylor of having to work in the store much at all.

  Without delay, Ethan resigned his position with the railroad, packed his few belongings, and moved into the town. His room in the eaves was small, unheated, but very adequate. The Taylors had made a bed for him up there and had placed a crate by the bed for a lamp table. There was an old cupboard tucked in under the eaves that he could use for his personal belongings. Beside it were a couple of pegs for his clothes. The blankets and comforters on the bed were clean and neat, and he smiled to see a small rug beside the bed. Mrs. Taylor and Mandy seemed to have some traits in common.

  Ethan enjoyed the work in a store again, meeting people and helping them find the things they needed.
He seemed to have a sixth sense of what Mr. Taylor should stock in his store. Business soon picked up as people treasured the friendly conversations with the new help.

  Fall soon turned to winter, and the snows came early.

  One day Bess stopped in to make a purchase at the store. As soon as she saw Ethan, she turned to leave. But Ethan caught up to her and said he needed to talk to her. They agreed to meet on Sunday afternoon. They set a time that Ethan would meet her in front of the saloon, and, weather permitting, they would take a walk and have a talk.

  Bess wanted to be excited because she would be seeing Ethan again, but something deep inside her argued that this was not the same Ethan she had known before. Something was quite different, and she wasn’t too sure of herself with this new person. He seemed immune to her flirting smiles and quips, almost as though he could see through to the real Bess inside, the one she kept hidden from everyone…including herself.

  As the week plodded on, Ethan planned over and over what he would say to Bess. He felt he owed her an explanation of some kind. They had been close emotionally as well as physically, but of course no commitment had been made. She was a prostitute, after all, and he had never hinted that he was married. Not that it would have mattered to Bess. Many of the men who frequented the saloon were married, but he knew in his heart that he had not been honest, implying that he was a bachelor. He sensed that there was an attachment between them that was more than her professional duty. Now that he saw things in the light of his new faith, he realized how very wrong he had been. How could he ever make things right in his messed-up life?