Courting Emily (A Wells Landing Book 2)

by Amy Lillard

  Behind him another light shone down this time onto a weary man who led a donkey. On the back of the beast sat a tired, pregnant woman. Man, woman, and beast appeared as if they were ready to collapse any minute.

  For the first time in her life, Emily thought about what it meant for them to walk from Galilee to Bethlehem. She had no idea how far it was. But the journey couldn’t have been easy. Especially not when pregnant and close to delivery.

  She and Elam walked along with the crowd, following Mary and Joseph. They ambled along, Mary perched on the back of the donkey, Joseph’s heavy footsteps leading the way.

  Once they reached the destination, the lights went out and a single spotlight focused on a new narrator. “‘And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.’”

  The lights came back on, and there sat Mary with the baby Jesus.

  Tears sprang into Emily’s eyes at the beautiful depiction. She moved a little closer to Elam, sharing his heat and the sight with him.

  “It’s beautiful, jah?” he whispered.

  Emily nodded, unable to force words past the lump in her throat.

  “‘And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.’”

  As the fictional Mary laid the baby in a wooden trough, Emily wiped away her tears with the back of one hand. The baby stretched and fussed a little about being put down. Emily was both shocked and overjoyed that the presenters used a real baby for the exhibit.

  The light remained on Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, but another light snapped on to their left. As Emily turned, the narrator spoke.

  “‘And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.’”

  The shepherds milled around, herding their lambs and sheep who bleated in response. Everyone laughed at one little lamb who wanted to play rather than be herded.

  “‘And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.’”

  The shepherds fell to their knees and bowed their heads as an angel appeared.

  Emily wasn’t sure how they accomplished such a feat. The angel fairly glowed, suspended above the shepherd and the flocks of milling sheep.

  “‘Fear not,’” the angel said. “‘For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’”

  The narrator spoke again, “‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”

  They continued to watch as the shepherds made their way to Bethlehem to see the new baby. The wise men came from the faraway lands, bringing the new babe precious gifts. The kings wore long, jewel-colored robes and gold crowns on their heads. Above the manger, a bright star shone, brighter than any Emily had ever seen.

  Elam clasped her hand into his own, and Emily smiled at him. What a wonderful gift to see such a production. He returned her smile, squeezed her fingers, but kept her hand in his.

  Hand in hand they walked through the field, enjoying the remarkable story with the others who had come. There were Amish and Englisch alike, all celebrating the special birth.

  At the end of the trail to Bethlehem, vendors were stationed. There were places selling food, hand warmers, Christmas ornaments, and various other holiday goods.

  Elam led her to a stand selling hot drinks. A couple was ahead of them in line, each trying to decide what to get.

  Emily scanned the menu. “What’s a hot vanilla?”

  “I s’pose it’s like a hot chocolate, but vanilla instead,” Elam replied.

  Emily made a face.

  “You don’t like that idea?”

  “Why would I drink vanilla when I can have chocolate?” she asked in return.

  “I think it sounds good.” He took a step toward the counter as the other couple took their drinks and left. “I’ll have one of those.”

  The man behind the counter poured the drink.

  “Jah?” Emily asked.

  Elam shrugged. “It’s gut to try something different for a change.”

  For some reason his words rang like a challenge. Was he talking about hot vanilla drinks or the two of them? “Okay then, I’ll take one, too.”

  They took their drinks, wandering around looking at the wares for sale.

  Emily sipped her hot vanilla.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  “It’s delicious.” Better than delicious. So much better than she thought it would be. Rich, creamy, and surprising, the hint of cinnamon deliciously unexpected.

  He shot her a knowing look, but refrained from actually saying, I told you so.

  A large Christmas tree loomed over the booths, shedding fractured sparkles of light as the decorations turned in the wind.

  “It’s like magic,” she whispered, watching the lights dance along the ground.

  “This from the bishop’s daughter.” Elam laughed.

  “So because the bishop’s my father, I can’t believe something is wondrous?”

  “You didn’t say wondrous. You said magical.”

  “Are you going to tell on me?”

  “Not a chance.”

  He took up her hand and led her past the giant tree to where another manger had been set up. This one didn’t have a real baby inside, but the man in the Santa Claus suit was. He knelt by the baby, his hat in his hand and his head bowed.

  The sight brought tears to Emily’s eyes. “It’s so schee,” she said.

  The entire evening had been picture-perfect, but this one demonstration embodied Wells Landing at its finest. The town was a seamless mix of Englisch and Amish, of Christianity and the world. She was so blessed to be a part of it all.

  Elam pulled the tractor to a stop in the side yard and switched off the engine. All in all, he considered tonight a success. His goal was to take Emily out, show her a good time. He thought he’d succeeded on all accounts.

  “Danki.” Emily swung down from the tractor like she had been doing it her entire life.

  Jah, he admitted that the tractor hadn’t been entirely necessary, but he wanted a little edge. He might be Amish and planning to stay right where he was, but he was modern, progressive even.

  “I had a gut time,” he said, climbing down next to her.

  Not once had the proposal come up, and that was just the way he planned it. No pressure. A fun evening with just the two of them. And fifty other people who happened to be milling around at the same time.

  “Would you like to come inside and warm up before you go home? I’m sure Mamm has some pie left from nachtess.”

  He would like nothing more than to stay with Emily for as long as possible, but tonight was about courting, and he was determined to keep it that way. He patted his stomach. “I think I had enough at the Christmas show. Danki, anyway.”

  Together they walked up the porch steps.

  “Would you just like to come in?”

  He shook his head. After their scorching Thanksgiving kiss, it’d be better if he got back on the tractor and hightailed it home. “Four-thirty comes mighty early.”

  Her brow puckered into a frown. Had she expected him to jump at the chance to be with her? His goal was to change her expectations, show her a different way. Surprise her.

  “It’s better like this,” he said.

  “How so?” she asked. Her voice dropped to a low whisper that Elam found hard to resist.

  “It gives you more to think about.” He took a step closer to her, loving the way she smelled like outdoors and cinnamon.

  “Jah?”

  “Gut nacht, Emily.” He pressed a kiss to h
er forehead, then loped off the porch without a backward glance.

  Christmas Eve held an expectant air. There was just something about the celebration of Christ’s birth that made the day seem heavier. More important, different somehow.

  Emily said her prayers and crawled into her bed. Tomorrow morning she would spend the day with her family, then in the afternoon she was going over to Elam’s with the gifts she had made for Elam, James, and the rest of the Riehls.

  Their date had been one of the most spectacular evenings of her life. Though being left at the door with only a chaste kiss to the forehead left her anxious to spend more time with him.

  He had kissed her at the Thanksgiving party, so why didn’t he kiss her after their date? Did he want to kiss her?

  She rolled onto her side and punched her pillow to smooth out the lumps. All she did was make it worse. She sat up, fluffed the pillow again, and lay back down with a frustrated sigh.

  She shouldn’t be thinking about such matters. She was supposed to be concentrating on the holiday and all it meant to her and her family. Yet after their date, Elam would be forever intertwined in her best memories of Christmas.

  Plink.

  Just like before, she rolled to the side, listening to the soft sounds of the night.

  Plink.

  Only one person threw stones at her window.

  She pushed out of the bed and rushed to the window. Up went the sash and she gazed out into the yard. “Luke?” she whispered into the starry night.

  “Emily.” He looked much the same as he had the last time she had seen him. Plain coat, blue jeans, baseball hat. He had his hands shoved into his pockets as he stared up at her. “Meet me in the barn?” His voice barely carried up to her window, but he pointed as he spoke.

  She hesitated, then nodded.

  Part of her wanted to tell him no, crawl back in bed, and pretend she had never seen him. But then this other part . . . that was the part that raced down the stairs, grabbed her coat off the hook, and hurried out the door while still trying to put it on.

  The barn door slid open with minimal effort and there he was. “Luke.” Emily fought against the confusion raging inside her. She was so happy to see him, but her feelings were tangled as well. She wrapped her arms around herself and held on. “What are you doing here?”

  He tilted his head to one side. “You aren’t happy to see me?”

  “I did not say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” A frown puckered his brow, and his demeanor turned from open to surly. “I hitchhiked all the way here to be with you on Christmas, and this is the reception I get?” He pulled a piece of hay from the bale he leaned against and tossed it away.

  “You hitchhiked? That’s dangerous.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I didn’t have any other way to get here.”

  “What about your car?”

  He shrugged again. “It’s not always that easy, Em.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t expect you to.”

  She stood, silently watching him stare at the ground. So many changes.

  He wasn’t the same bu he had been when he’d left. He had been carefree and adventurous. Now he seemed tired . . . defeated.

  “Luke,” she started, her voice low in the night. “If you are unhappy, why don’t you come back here? To stay, I mean.”

  He stared off at nothing.

  Her heart hurt for him as she watched him. She wanted to put that sweet smile back on his face, but was it her responsibility to make sure he was happy? He had to want it as well, and as he stood there she knew the Englisch world still had ahold of his heart.

  “I’m looking toward the future, Em. Surely you can understand that.”

  “A future with me or a future driving a race car?” She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to that.

  “Why can’t I have both?” His words were quiet, heartfelt, and so much like Luke. In his mind, he had the world by the tail, and he didn’t understand when things didn’t go his way.

  “Do you think we can have a future if you can’t even knock on the front door? You sneak in to see me, slink out the way you came.” She shook her head as if that could help her work the kinks out of her thoughts.

  And then there was Elam. Sweet, loving Elam who only wanted her to be happy. Who only wanted her.

  “Emily, you just have to be patient. All I need is a little time and—”

  “Elam Riehl proposed to me.”

  He stopped, the expression on his face unreadable. “You told him no, jah?”

  “I haven’t told him anything.”

  “But you are going to tell him no.”

  There was a part of her that wanted to say of course, why would she marry Elam if she was in love with Luke, but she wasn’t so sure anymore. Not just about her feelings, but Luke’s as well. Elam? She knew how he felt. He had been forthcoming from the start. It was refreshing and real to know that he loved her. It was special and made her feel warm inside. Almost as if he was there holding her. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she whispered. Yet deep down, the choice was obvious.

  “You have to give me some more time, Em.”

  “For what?” She wanted promises. Was that too much to ask?

  “Just hang in there with me,” he begged. “Please.”

  She shook her head. “I . . . I’m just so confused.”

  “You don’t have to make up your mind right now.” His voice held an urgent edge. “Just don’t tell Elam yes.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “What’s wrong, liebschdi?” Mamm asked the following afternoon.

  Emily had been unusually quiet even for a reverent Christmas Day, but she couldn’t tell her mudder why. She needed to talk about it, get it out in the open, and examine all the pieces that made up this puzzle of her life, but she couldn’t talk to Mamm. She just couldn’t.

  “Do we have any ginger cookies left?” she asked.

  Mamm nodded. “Jah, a dozen or so. Why?”

  “I thought I might go out to see Caroline and Andrew today.”

  Her mother smiled. “I think that sounds like a perfect idea. It’s a beautiful day for visiting.”

  And that was how Emily found herself swaying along under the blue sky. The air still held the chill of winter, but it was a wunderbaar-gut day to get out and visit with friends. Course’n it didn’t hurt that she needed to talk to her friend in the worst way.

  Caroline herself had recently had to choose between the two loves of her life: Trey Rycroft, her baby’s Englisch vatter, and the handsome Andrew Fitch. Thankfully Trey had stepped aside, allowing Caroline and Andrew to get married and raise sweet little Emma on their own. Emily wasn’t sure what it cost Trey emotionally, but she could imagine the pain he felt at walking away and leaving his child with another. Yet he had done it for the good of everyone involved. Everyone but him.

  Emily had almost lost her friend to the Englisch world and now was about to lose Luke to the same.

  Is Luke really mine to lose?

  She didn’t know.

  She pulled into the drive at the horse farm and guided her mare up the lane.

  Caroline was on the porch before she was even parked. “Merry Christmas,” she called.

  “Merry Christmas,” Emily returned, looping her arm through the basket handle and hopping down from the carriage.

  “Come in, come in. I’ll have Andrew see to your horse, jah?”

  Emily smiled in gratitude and made her way up the porch steps. Caroline enveloped her in a quick hug and steered her into the house.

  “Where’s Emma?” Emily asked after she’d taken off her coat, and Caroline had sent her husband out to see to Emily’s horse.

  “She’s down for a nap.”

  Emily nodded and picked at an invisible spot on her apron.

  “Come, sit.” Caroline waved her into a chair. “You unpack whatever is in that basket, and I’ll get the
coffee.”

  Emily nodded. Somehow Caroline knew she needed to talk and for that she was grateful. “I thought Esther and Abe would be here,” she said as she took the lid off the container holding the cookies.

  “They will be by later. For now they wanted to give us some private time on our first Christmas together.”

  “Oh.” Emily started to put the cookies back into the basket. “I’ve intruded. I didn’t think . . . I—”

  Caroline carried the coffee to the table and laid a gentle hand on Emily’s to stay her action. “You have not intruded.”

  “It’s just that I—” She bit her lip.

  “Have something big on your mind.” Caroline nodded.

  “Jah.” She was grateful her friend understood. What would she have done if Caroline had gone back to Tennessee and lived with Trey Rycroft? She definitely needed to thank the Lord for that small miracle.

  “Sit,” Caroline instructed. “And tell me what is bothering you. You look like you are about to explode.”

  Emily slid into the chair and glanced toward the door. “Andrew?”

  “Is a smart man,” Caroline finished. “He won’t be back from the barn for a bit.”

  The air left Emily in a rush. She felt herself almost wilting under the strain. “Luke Lambright came to see me last night.”

  Caroline’s eyes grew wide. “Nay.”

  Emily nodded. “That’s not all. Elam Riehl asked me to marry him.”

  Caroline collapsed in her seat, snatching a cookie on her way down. “Are you joking?”

  “I wish I was.”

  Her friend took a quick bite and studied her as she nibbled on the treat. “What are you going to do?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  Emily was still wondering as she pulled into the driveway at the Riehl house later that afternoon. Though she hadn’t gotten any firm answers during her talk with Caroline, she felt better having confessed all that had been going on.

  Caroline hadn’t said as much, but Emily knew her friend thought Elam’s proposal to be worth consideration.

  And it was.

  But Emily had been pining after Luke for so long, she wasn’t able to let it go just yet. Maybe with a few more days of prayer . . .