Sunflower

by Jill Marie Landis

  “I’m a hopeless romantic,” Sophie had told her then, “so I’ll wish the best for you. I can’t wait to see this dark, mysterious stranger you’ve married.”

  Analisa remembered how she’d flamed in embarrassment at Sophie’s words, knowing inside that her wish for herself was the same.

  “The coffee is nearly ready. Shall we join our men?” Sophie lightened the mood as she nodded toward the two across the room.

  “Ja.” Analisa smiled and linked arms with her friend as they moved across the hard-packed floor.

  Hat pulled low to meet the collar of his coat and shield his neck from the drifting snow flakes, Caleb made his way across the flat, open plain toward the golden squares of light that singled out the soddie in the darkness ahead of him. The light shining from the windows was a beacon drawing him home. Drawing him to Analisa. The last few yards seemed the longest as he rode surrounded by the silence, the only sounds in the chill of the evening the creaking of his leather saddle and the muffled footsteps of his horse. How would Analisa react to his return? He’d written her only one terse note since September, a note that was cold and impersonal. He wouldn’t blame her if she turned him away at the door.

  Caleb shrugged off the cold and pulled on the reins, guiding Scorpio through the packed powder along the road. What if Analisa didn’t love him? What if Ruth was wrong? He remembered his stepmother’s enthusiasm as she’d accompanied him on a shopping trip in Boston, choosing items of clothing for Analisa and Kase, caught up in the spirit of Christmas giving and the thought of his new family somewhere in the West. She’d seen him off at the station a week later, boxes and parcels wrapped and tagged for Analisa, Kase, and Edvard, together with his own luggage and instructions from Parker.

  He rode Scorpio from Pella, intending to return to the train depot to collect the remainder of his goods once he was certain of his wife’s welcome. He was determined to arrive at the soddie while it was still Christmas Eve, and so he had strapped only the lightest of the parcels to the back of his horse.

  Caleb took a deep breath of cold air to calm himself as he approached the soddie and nudged Scorpio forward. He couldn’t recall ever having felt as nervous as he did just now, watching the distance close between himself and the bleak sod house. He told himself there was no need for the tension building inside him. If he was not welcome, he would simply leave. For a man who’d fought his way out of more than one impossible situation he was acting quite the fool, and knew it.

  Caleb turned into the yard and quickly took note of the black carriage standing near the house. All thought of his nervousness fled as he listened to the soft strains of music drifting on the air outside the soddie and remembered the organ standing against the far wall of the room. The strained, slow music was soon joined by the sound of a fiddle, and Caleb found himself wondering with a sharp sense of unease who could be with the Van Meeterens. He had never imagined a rival for Analisa’s affections and now he felt his stomach knot with anxiety as he imagined who might be inside.

  With an easy motion that was second nature to him, Caleb dismounted, letting the reins trail to the ground, a signal to the well-trained horse to stand and wait. While the music continued, Caleb untied the parcels from his horse and balanced them precariously on one arm while he piled them one upon the other.

  Analisa pumped the organ pedals and played “Sinterklaas Kapoentje,” a Dutch Christmas favorite, the only tune she could play with some confidence. Jon tried his best to accompany her on his fiddle. The result was unique, if not memorable, Sophie and Kase exchanging pained looks while the musicians’ backs were turned. Kase glanced toward the door when he heard a soft knock, and before Sophie could join him, the boy had crossed the floor and opened the door wide.

  “Caleb!”

  Before the man took a step into the room, the child wrapped his arms around Caleb’s knees, rendering him helpless. His arms filled with gifts, Caleb teetered precariously on the threshold.

  “Take it easy, Kase. I’m about to drop your presents!” Caleb was reassured of the boy’s affection at once. The problem now was extricating himself from Kase’s hold so that he could determine Analisa’s response to his arrival.

  Aware of Caleb’s uncertain foothold in the doorway, Sophie moved to take the packages from his arms. The confusion in the doorway drew the attention of Analisa and Jon, who stopped playing. Jon put his fiddle down and walked to the doorway to greet the visitor, who was obviously no stranger to Kase. Analisa sat in stunned silence, unable to move and join her friends as they ushered her husband into the tiny room.

  Sophie stepped aside and set the packages on the table as her husband greeted Caleb and welcomed him into the house. His hands free of the bulky parcels, Caleb bent and scooped Kase up into his embrace. After a quick, intense hug, Caleb held him at arm’s length, studied his healthy complexion, and hugged him again before setting him down. His eyes skimmed the room, ignoring Jon and Sophie for a moment as he sought out and soonfound Analisa. She was lovelier than he remembered, her hair a halo of golden braids wrapped about her head, her eyes shining a silent welcome across the room. In a heartbeat he noted the plaid wool dress she wore as well as the bright flush of her cheeks against the pale ivory of her skin. She seemed unwilling or unable to cross the room to meet him, and he wanted nothing more at that moment than to take her into his arms, but he was all too aware of the couple in the doorway and the boy tugging at his coat sleeve.

  “Caleb! Caleb!” The child’s voice brought his attention back to the trio surrounding him. “Caleb, we have some friends now. This is Jon and Sophie ... and Jon made me some ice skaters and I learned how to do it. He’s gonna make me a fiddle, too, when I grow bigger.”

  Caleb studied the other man, a tall slender blond, taller than he, who pumped his hand with a vigorous shake of welcome. The man looked well dressed and prosperous, the cut of his suit and quality of the materials attesting to his wealth, as did the expensive rig outside. His thin brown hair had been carefully parted and slicked down for the occasion. Caleb tried to smile, but failed in the attempt. He longed to grab the man by his collar and shake him.

  “Happy Christmas, and welcome, Mr. Storm. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Sophie Allen, and this”—she grabbed Jon’s elbow and drew him near—“is my husband, Jon Allen. We’ve just finished quite a wonderful Christmas dinner, but there is plenty left over. We’ll be happy to fix something for you. I’m sure you want to come in and rest after your journey.”

  A genuine smile lit Caleb’s eyes as he listened to Sophie Allen’s introduction. He could tell by the relieved look on her face that she had read his feelings perfectly, and he felt himself blush at the thought of his loss of control where Analisa was concerned. He took a liking to this petite Sophie at once and knew, too, that he would have to guard his thoughts around her, as her intuition about his feelings seemed to be as sharp as Ruth’s. Caleb noted that, like her husband, Sophie was dressed in the latest style. He’d become all too knowledgeable about fashion during his week of shopping with Ruth. The simple but elegant pearls the young woman wore bespoke wealth. He was anxious to hear just how the couple had become acquainted with Analisa, but it seemed that in the hubbub created by his entrance, he would be forced to wait a while to find out.

  As they moved into the room, Caleb shrugged out of his long wool coat and hat and handed them to Jon, who hung them on the pegs near the door. Sophie crossed the room to join Analisa, who had finally managed to rise on shaking limbs. Analisa stood with one hand against the organ for support as she watched Caleb cross the room with Kase in tow. She knew she had to move, to speak, to say something in greeting, lest he think she was not happy to see him, and yet she had no strength; her will to act seemed to have vanished at the sight of him standing in the doorway. The space between them narrowed to a few feet and then to inches before Analisa could make any response to him at all. She felt Sophie touch her shoulder, but was unable to take her eyes off of Caleb.

&nbs
p; “Analisa, Jon and I will fix a plate for Caleb while you say hello,” Sophie prompted.

  Analisa was afraid she would be forced to stand dumbfounded forever. She knew her friends were fast becoming aware that she’d kept the intensity of her feelings for Caleb deeply hidden ... but what good did her attempts at secrecy amount to now as she stood openly gaping at him?

  “We have to think about leaving, too, as it is getting quite late.”

  Sophie’s words suddenly registered in Analisa’s mind. Would they truly leave her alone with this dark, silent man who was once again a stranger to her?

  “No!” Analisa turned to Sophie, her eyes pleading as she tried to soften her reaction to her friend’s announcement. “No, please, Sophie. It’s still early, and we’ve not yet served the dessert.” Analisa looked back at Caleb once more, shaken out of her state of shock. She smiled in greeting. A slow, warm smile. She was unsure of herself and of his reaction to her as well. What was he doing here? Did he intend to stay this time? Analisa knew it was best her friends stay until she felt able to deal with his sudden appearance. Suddenly she did feel like celebrating. For the first time she spoke directly to Caleb, avoiding any greeting at all, but slipping into her own safe, familiar role.

  “We have a special Christmas treat, Caleb, appelflappen, which I’m sure you’ll like, and you must get acquainted with Jon and Sophie, our new friends.”

  The stiff formality of her words frightened him for a moment. He could see the tension in her determined stance and fought the urge to reach out and pull her to him. Caleb knew that for a while he would have to be content to go along with her need to become familiar with him once again, and hoped that she had not surrounded her heart with the barriers he’d broken through once before. In that moment he knew that he had been right to come back to her, whether she loved him of not. Seeing her standing there, so alone and yet willing to face being alone for his sake, Caleb knew that his heart belonged to this tall, striking woman, and had since he’d first laid eyes on her. It had taken time and Ruth’s perception to make him aware of his love.

  Analisa tried to read the emotion she saw in Caleb’s eyes as she stared into them across the space that still separated her from him. He could hardly pull her into his arms in front of the others, and yet that was what she secretly wished he would do. All around them, confusion reigned. Sophie stood near the stove, lifting pan lids and banging them down again in her haste and excitement as she prepared a plate for Caleb. Kase had joined Jon and Sophie near the table where he eyed the packages and scanned the snow-dampened paper tags in search of the one word he had learned to read—his own name.

  “K-a-s-e. Kase! This one is for me, ja, Caleb?”

  The boy’s enthusiastic shout drew Caleb and Analisa back to reality. Caleb turned away from her with a smile that promised much, and walked to the table where the little boy waited anxiously for permission to open his present. Analisa watched him go, admiring his slow, confident grace as he crossed the room. His movements were all so familiar to her, and yet it was only now, seeing him walk, that she realized just how much she had missed him. Afraid that she would wake to find this just another one of her dreams, Analisa joined the boisterous couple near the stove. She poured coffee for the adults and mixed a cup of milk with the warm, dark brew for Kase. The appelflappen he’d waited for was finally placed on the table amid the confusion of Caleb’s dinner, the coffee cups, and all of the packages as well.

  Caleb lifted the gift with the boy’s name spelled out in carefully printed letters. “This one does have your name on it, Kase. How about that? I didn’t realize I had a package this big for you.” Caleb handed the gift to the boy, then sat down at his place near the end of the table.

  Kase smiled and would not allow himself to be teased. “Don’t you remember that when you left you said you would bring me a present?”

  The talk around the table became hushed as Caleb met Analisa’s eyes for a brief second, each remembering the circumstances of his leaving. Caleb covered the awkward moment easily as he continued talking to Kase. “That’s right. And I knew a tough hombre like you would hold me to my promise.”

  “Kase,” Analisa interrupted, “you should have good manners and wait until Caleb is finished eating before you open the gift.”

  “On Christmas Eve?” Caleb crooked an eyebrow at her. “That’s what the evening’s for, isn’t it? I would say we could dispense with manners for one night.” He cut into the tender slice of goose on his plate, his appetite growing with every bite, now that his initial nervousness had fled. He was back, Analisa was beside him, and Caleb felt he had all the time in the world to relish the complete feeling that washed over him each time he looked at her.

  “We don’t celebrate Christmas Eve with gifts, Caleb; it’s a holy night,” Jon explained. “Gifts are exchanged on Sinterklaasdag, December fifth. That’s when Sinterklaas flies over the houses on his white horse and brings gifts for the children, who leave hay in their klompen for his animal.”

  “Ja,” Kase added with enthusiasm, his eyes shining bright with the memory of the treats he’d received. “I left my shoes outside the door, and Sinterklaas left me some candies inside. Jon made me some skates, too, for Sinterklaasdag, but they were from him, not from Sinterklaas.”

  “Well, these are from me, and a good friend of mine whom I will tell you about later. Why don’t you open yours now while I finish this delicious meal?” Caleb nodded his appreciation to Sophie, who beamed at his recognition.

  “Analisa cooked most of the meal, Caleb. Jon and I just brought out the goose early in the day and sort of invited ourselves to dinner.” As Caleb continued to eat, Sophie explained further how she and Jon had moved to Pella and were without family in the area. “So, you see, even though Jon’s family is Dutch, they all live in Minnesota. I am a Canadian, and a Catholic, so you might say I haven’t too many friends here yet.”

  Analisa turned to her friend. Before she spoke she realized her shyness in front of Caleb was ebbing slowly. Still, she could think of nothing to say to him directly. “You’ll have plenty of friends, Sophie, as soon as Jon’s business is opened and everyone gets a chance to meet you.”

  Kase had soon unwrapped his parcel and tossed the brown paper and string to the floor. Impatiently, he lifted the lid off the box and gazed at the small newspaper-wrapped bundles inside. Removing one, he unrolled the paper covering and soon held a tin soldier in his hands. The figure was perfect, painted carefully to represent a United States Army officer. He stood the toy soldier on the table and continued to unwrap each figure in turn, exclaiming over the uniforms as he stood them one by one on the table. Jon was nearly as excited as the boy and examined each figure as it appeared. Caleb explained the rank and duties of the soldiers as Kase lined them up. Analisa listened in amazement and realized that Caleb must have served in the army at one time. She wondered if he’d been in Indian campaigns like the ones that plagued the army now. Had he fought against his own mother’s people, then?

  Caleb soon cleaned his plate as he alternately watched the boy unwrap the soldiers and took bites of food. In no time at all, the goose, creamed potatoes, beans, and honeyed bread disappeared. Analisa moved his plate to the sideboard and replaced it with a dessert dish. As she refilled his coffee cup, Caleb suddenly looked around the room as if seeking a missing detail. His eyes met Analisa’s as she sat back down on the bench across from him.

  “Where is Edvard?”

  He asked the question quietly, his voice nearly a whisper, but Sophie caught his words. She drew Kase’s attention from Caleb and his mother, giving Analisa a chance to explain.

  Caleb knew immediately by the sadness that filled Analisa’s eyes that Edvard was dead. He wished he had waited to ask.

  Leaning forward, her arms folded against her rib cage, her voice soft yet steady, she told him of her grandfather’s disappearance during the snowstorm. Quickly, with as little detail as possible, Analisa explained how the minister had brought the volun
teers, Jon among them, to search for Opa, and how Sophie and Jon had taken Kase and her in as guests until the burial was over. She didn’t tell him that the four of them had been the only ones to attend the old man’s funeral, nor did she tell him of the way the townsfolk chose to ignore her loss.

  “Caleb?”

  He had failed to hear Kase call his name the first time, but now turned to the boy.

  “May I open another gift?”

  “Only if your name is on it. I want your mother to open the one I brought for her, too.”

  “I found another one with my name,” Kase explained, then added, “a big one!”

  “Then go right ahead.” Caleb turned to Jon, who was seated next to Analisa. “Jon, why don’t you pass Analisa that big box?”

  Suddenly, unbidden color stained Analisa’s cheeks as Sophie, Jon, and Caleb watched her take the large gift. Slowly, trying to calm her shaking fingers, she untied the twine and began to pull off the thick brown wrapping.

  Kase was exclaiming over his gift, a suit cut to his size with long wool trousers, a finely tailored jacket of matching tweed, and a round-collared white shirt. A pair of black suspenders was tucked into the box as well. In his eagerness to try on the new clothes, he jumped up from the bench and carried the box to his mother’s bed and began to unbutton his cotton flannel shirt and tug it off.

  “Don’t look until I am ready,” he called over his shoulder, giving the adults the opportunity to study Analisa’s package once again.

  She lifted the lid and then the thin paper inside to reveal the gift. As Caleb took a sip of warm coffee, Analisa stared at the contents of the box while Sophie leaned over the table to get a closer look.

  “Oh, Anja!” Her friend spoke with a swift intake of breath. “It’s beautiful.”

  Analisa slowly pulled the delicate rose-color dress from the box, relishing the feel of the soft, expensive wool. The dress was cut in the latest style, much like the ones she’d made for the women of Pella. Her eyes deftly took in the tucks and stitches and knew that this dress had cost no little amount. It was cut for a bustle in the back and fell into a sweeping ruffle across the front near the knees. Tucked inside the box was a pair of the finest kid gloves, dyed a matching shade of rose. Analisa recalled with a sharp twinge of feeling that the dress she’d worn on the day Caleb left was the simple cotton of the same shade, the plain dress she called her best.