An Amish Wife for Christmas

by Patricia Davids

  Sadie barked and raced up the hill to meet the ball. She leaped to the side and tried to bite it as it rolled past. Her actions changed the direction just enough to let it roll harmlessly past the little girl who fell trying to scramble out of the way.

  The snowball came to rest a few feet away from the trees that separated the field from the road. Michael heard Ivan apologizing. “I didn’t think it would get so big. I thought it would break apart.”

  Bethany eyed him sternly.

  “Honest, sister. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I thought we could make a snowman faster by rolling the balls down the hill to make them bigger.”

  She looked up at Michael as if seeking his opinion. He didn’t think the boys meant any harm, either. He nodded slightly. She turned back to her brother. “Okay. It was almost a good idea. It just shows that you have to consider all parts of a problem before you decide on a solution. The easy way is not often the best way.”

  The younger children eagerly began creating snowmen of their own.

  Jenny beckoned to Michael. “Help me make a tall snowman, Michael.”

  He wanted to join them. How many happy memories would it take to make him forget the horrible ones? Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could get down the hill without falling and arriving at the bottom inside a massive snowball. He shook his head and held up his cane.

  Jenny pulled her sled over to Sadie and whispered something in her ear. Then she gave her the rope. Sadie came charging up the hill, pulling the empty sled. She skidded to a stop in front of Michael, dropped the rope and began barking furiously.

  He looked at his dog. “You can’t be serious. You want me to sled down the hill.” He took another look at the terrain. It actually wasn’t a bad idea. He looked at all the people beckoning him to come down. Getting down was the easy part. Getting up the slope would be the real challenge.

  Sadie jumped up and put her paws on his chest. He ruffled her ears. “What kind of Amish man gives in to the whims of children and dogs?”

  She barked once and looked downhill.

  He followed her gaze and saw Bethany watching him. “Good point. She is down there. I was looking for an excuse to spend some time with her. When an opportunity falls into my lap I shouldn’t waste it.”

  He awkwardly lowered himself into the red plastic sled and used his cane to pull himself to the edge of the incline. He looked at Sadie. “If I break my other leg I’m going to blame you.” He pushed off and went flying down the slope.

  He remembered how much fun it was to go sledding down a hill when he was a child. As an adult, he was a little more concerned about arriving at his destination in one piece.

  * * *

  Bethany held her breath as Michael shot down the hill with more speed than any of the children had obtained. To her relief, he used his cane as a drag to slow down when he neared the bottom. He came to rest a few feet in front of her. All the children applauded. Ivan jumped forward to help him to his feet. Michael was laughing like one of the kinder.

  She had never seen him so lighthearted. It seemed that whatever had plagued him when he first came to New Covenant was giving way to a happier man.

  She turned around with a snowball in her hand. “I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time.” She threw the ball and it hit him in the chest.

  He brushed at his coat. “I refuse to get in a snowball fight with you. It’s not dignified.”

  “You’re right.” She scooped up another handful of snow and packed it together. “I wouldn’t want you to do something undignified.” She let fly and this one struck him on his shoulder.

  He brushed the loose snow away with one hand. “You are asking for trouble.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I can outrun you.”

  “That was a low blow.”

  She tossed a newly formed snowball from one hand to the other. “You said you didn’t like being treated differently because you need to use a cane.”

  “I think I will have to make you pay for that remark.” He advanced menacingly.

  She scuttled backward. “Forgiveness is the foundation of our religion. You don’t want me to tell the bishop that you threatened me, do you?”

  He kept coming and she kept backing up. “I think he would understand,” he growled.

  She took another step and tripped over the snowball Jenny had left unfinished. Michael scooped up a handful of snow. Standing over her, he dumped it on her face. She shrieked and rolled away. Surging to her feet, she shook her head to get rid of the snow and then glared at him. “That was just plain mean.”

  She was adorable. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold. Snow sparkled on her hair and eyelashes. The joy that filled his heart caught him off guard. Meeting her was the best thing that ever happened to him. How had she managed to worm her way so firmly into his heart in such a short amount of time?

  “I apologize. I promise no more snow in the face, but I must remind you that you started it.”

  She looked as if she wanted to argue but gave in. “Okay, that is true. Now I have had my comeuppance and we are even, right?”

  “I’d say so.”

  The boys had managed a haphazard snowman with a ragged straw hat, but they decided to go on to other adventures, leaving the slightly crooked fellow leaning into the wind.

  “He looks lonely,” Bethany said.

  Michael put his hands on his hips. “I think he just looks homely.”

  Bethany moved several paces back. “I’ve been told I need to look at the whole picture.”

  “And what do you see?”

  “A homely, lonely snowman. Let’s fancy him up.”

  They found some winterberry and holly to decorate his straw hat. Bethany used a handful of red berries pressed into the snow to form his mouth. Michael supplied the branches for his arms and he sent one of the children to get a carrot for his nose.

  Bethany withdrew a pace to look at him when he was finished. “There’s still something missing.”

  “What?”

  “I know.” She pulled the red-and-white-striped scarf off and wrapped it around the snowman’s neck. “There. He looks great.”

  Michael chuckled. “He looks like a mighty fancy Amish fellow. Is he one of your suitors?”

  “He is and I will accept his offer.” It was now or never. She smoothed the snowman’s rough cheeks with her mittens, knowing Michael was listening. She’d never been so bold in her life, but she had to try. “The bishop understands why Ivan acted as he did when I explained things to him the other day, but he is still convinced a firmer hand could have prevented much of the trouble Ivan became embroiled in. He won’t reconsider sending my brother away. I need an Amish husband before Christmas and the Lord has provided. That is, unless another suitor speaks up and asks me for my hand in marriage.” She couldn’t look at Michael.

  He stepped close to her. “I don’t think you should marry this fellow.”

  She looked into Michael’s troubled eyes. “Do you think I’ll get a better offer?”

  He shook his head and walked away from her. “I wish I could be the man you need, but I’m not, Bethany.”

  “I think you are.”

  “You make it so hard to say no.”

  She moved to stand in front of him. “If it’s hard to say no, then maybe you should say yes. I won’t make any demands on you. Your time will be your own. You can have one hundred percent of the business. I need your help, Michael.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Jenny came walking back to see what they were up to. She clapped her hands when she saw the snowman. “He’s beautiful. He can be Bishop Schultz come to marry Michael and Bethany.” Jenny looked at her sister.

  Bethany gave Michael a sidelong glance. His face could have been carved from stone. She leaned over and forced a smile for her little sist
er. “There isn’t going to be a wedding. I told you that.”

  Jenny’s face fell. “Okay. I’m going to help Jeffrey and Ivan build a snow cave.”

  Michael glanced at Bethany and then quickly looked down at his boots. “Are you going to the Christmas parade in the city with Pastor Frank?”

  “Yes, we are. What about you?” She avoided meeting his gaze.

  “I think I will go.” Maybe during the Christmas parade would be a good time to gauge how she felt about them.

  Bethany retreated a pace. “I’d better get started on lunch. They’re going to be a hungry bunch when they come in.”

  “I’ve got some work to do, too.”

  She regained some of her composure. “That’s right. A box came for you. I left it at your barn.”

  He looked up the slope. “I might work on something that’s already in the workshop.”

  “I’ll get the box.” She grabbed the empty toboggan that Jenny had left by her snowman’s head and trudged up the hill. She picked up his box, got in the sled and pushed off.

  When she came to a stop two feet in front of him, he arched one eyebrow. “Show-off.”

  “I’m just using the gifts God gave me.” She handed him the box and walked beside him all the way to his workshop, but the awkwardness between them persisted. Had she ruined their friendship with her desperate attempt to keep Ivan?

  * * *

  A half hour later Bethany was at the kitchen sink, peeling potatoes for French fries, when Jeffrey came in. “I’m hungry. Can I have a sandwich?” Sadie Sue followed him in and plopped down in front of the fireplace with her tongue hanging out.

  His cheeks were rosy red from the cold but his lips were tinged with blue. “I think you should stay in for a while. Take off your boots and let me check your feet.”

  She had learned her first winter here that frostbite was nothing to be trifled with. He did as she instructed. His toes were bright pink but there was a patch of white skin on the back of his left heel. “You are definitely not going back outside. I’m going to get a pan of cool water and I want you to keep your foot in it until I tell you otherwise.”

  “But we just finished a great snow cave. Ivan is expecting me to come back.”

  “I’ll explain to him why you have to stay in.”

  Michael had been working in his shop but apparently he had overheard her conversation. “I’ll go tell Ivan what’s going on.”

  “Danki,” Bethany said and smiled at him. He was always willing to lend a helping hand. In many ways he reminded her of her grandfather. He had the same kind of gentle soul. She fixed a pan of water and had Jeffrey soak his foot.

  Michael put on his coat and hat. “Where is your snow cave?”

  “Out by the highway. The snowplows have made huge piles there.” The snow the previous night had left four more inches on the roadways.

  Michael stepped out onto the porch. “I see the piles, but I don’t see the kids.”

  Bethany came out and stood beside him. She shaded her eyes with one hand against the glare of the sun off the white snow. “I don’t see them, either.”

  Mike took a pair of snowshoes off their hooks on the porch. As he did, Bethany heard the grading rumble of the snowplow coming down from the ridge. The truck with a large blade on the front blasted through the new snow, easily making bigger drifts along the side of the road. It was headed down to the intersection where Jeffrey said Ivan and Jenny were playing.

  The snowplow driver couldn’t see the children for they were on the far side of the high snowbank away from him. She saw a flash of red in the snow and thought it must be Jenny’s glove. The snowplow hit the side of the big pile and pushed it farther off the edge of the highway, adding a huge new supply of snow on top of what was already there. The place where she had seen Jenny’s glove was completely covered. She started screaming and ran toward her sister.

  Michael saw the whole thing happen and was helpless to stop it. How much time did they have? A few minutes? Maybe more if the children were in any kind of air pocket. He turned around and hurried to the house. “Jeffrey, get your shoes back on and run to the neighbors. Jenny and Ivan have been buried by the snowplow. We need everybody who can get here to dig. Go.”

  Jeffrey rushed to do as he was told. Michael ran to the tower of snow. Bethany was on her knees, digging with her bare hands. Michael grabbed a snow shovel from the porch and rushed to her side. He gave it to her and began using his cane as a probe into the snow, hoping to come in contact with a body. Each time his cane sank all the way in, he prayed harder.

  It seemed like hours but it could’ve only been minutes when he heard the sounds of shouting from up the road. A dozen Amish men came rushing toward them with shovels and rakes. They spread out on either side of Bethany and Michael and began digging. Jeffrey was digging frantically with them. Bethany was crying. She kept saying “no, no, no.”

  He kept probing inch by inch, knowing Jenny and Ivan were under there somewhere and running out of time. He had never been so scared in his life. Not even when he knew the gunman was going to kill him. Suddenly Sadie Sue was beside him, whining. Bethany stopped digging and looked at the dog and then at Michael.

  “It’s a long shot,” he said. He knelt beside Sadie and said, “Find Jenny.” She whined and didn’t move. Bethany came to stand beside Michael. “Find Jenny, please.”

  The dog trotted away from where they were digging and Michael’s hopes crashed. He went back to probing and Bethany returned to digging.

  Twenty feet away, Sadie Sue started barking and digging at the snow.

  Bethany looked at Michael. “I saw her glove here. I know I did.” She kept digging and uncovered a red plastic candy wrapper.

  Jeffrey had returned. He took Bethany’s shovel away and raced over to the dog. He began frantically scooping the snow aside as she dug her way in. Suddenly the dog disappeared completely.

  Bethany heard crying and knew at least one of them was alive. Praying as she had never prayed before, she stumbled to where Jeffrey was kneeling. The rest of their neighbors gathered around the hole and began widening it. Sadie came backing out, but she was dragging something. With two strong tugs she emerged from the hole, pulling Jenny out by her coat. Ivan crawled out on his own.

  Cheering broke out from everyone. Bethany grabbed up her sister and held her tight and threw her other arm around Ivan. “Thank you, merciful Lord.”

  She looked at Michael and held out her hand. He came and embraced them all. He never wanted to let them go. As his frantically beating heart slowed, he added Sadie Sue to the group hug. She started licking Jenny’s face, making the child giggle.

  Ivan looked at Michael. “I knew you’d find us.”

  Not once during the emergency had Michael thought about the robbery or its aftermath. He had faced a life-and-death challenge without triggering a flashback or a panic attack. He had worked side by side with Bethany to save her family. A family he wanted to be a part of forever.

  He caught Bethany’s eye. “If you haven’t said yes to the snowman, I’d like to reconsider your offer.”

  “You would?” Hope brightened her face.

  “I would.”

  “Is that a yes?” A grin spread across her face.

  “If you’ll have me.”

  “I will.” She hugged Ivan and Jenny harder. “I most certainly will.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  On the Saturday evening before Christmas, Bethany, Michael and the children climbed into Pastor Frank’s twenty-passenger van with sixteen other members of their Amish community, including the bishop, Jesse, Gemma and her parents.

  Bethany kept Jenny close to her. The child had been subdued since the accident and wanted to constantly claim Bethany’s attention. Michael didn’t seem to mind. Bethany loved him for that. Ivan seemed far less affected.

  As the van
rolled down the highway Ivan began leading them in song. Michael joined in with his pleasant baritone voice. Christmas hymns new and old filled Bethany’s heart with the joy of this most holy season. She knew how blessed she was to have Jenny and Ivan with her and how easily it could have turned out differently. Every time she caught Michael’s eye he smiled at her. She hoped it was just a matter of time before he declared his love.

  When they reached the city Pastor Frank parked the van on a side street and everyone made their way to the parade route. The streets were lined four deep with bundled-up people all sharing the holiday spirit on a frosty evening. Lavish holiday lights decorated the buildings along Main Street, blinking red and green and ice blue. Lit displays filled every business window.

  Jenny, standing at Bethany’s side, tugged on her coat. “I can’t see.”

  Jesse leaned down to her. “Would you like to sit on my shoulders? I can see everything and you’ll be even taller.”

  Jenny glanced at Bethany and then took Jesse’s hand. “Okay.”

  He hoisted her to sit piggyback on his shoulders and she laughed. “Ivan, look at me.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair,” her brother shot back, but he was smiling.

  Bethany reached for Michael’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “She’s feeling better.”

  “Kids are resilient and there is nothing like seeing a parade from the back of a giant to perk someone up.”

  Bethany chuckled and leaned against him. “You can always make me laugh.”

  Michael knew a depth of joy he never thought he would experience. His PTSD had improved enough for him to believe he was finally over it. The stress of searching for Jenny and Ivan hadn’t triggered a flashback. He hadn’t even had a nightmare afterward. That horrible part of his life was well and truly over. He smiled at Bethany and took her hand. Although she hadn’t said that she loved him, he was sure that love would blossom in time to match his. And he did love her. With all his heart.

  A PA system announced the parade was about to start and the crowd pressed forward. The canon across the park boomed and fireworks lit up the sky. The red streaks in the darkness held his attention. A shiver crawled down his spine. He couldn’t shake the sight of red streaks on the floor and red flashes lighting up the night beyond his window.