The Gift of Twins

by Gabrielle Meyer

  Mrs. Carver smiled and winked at Ben. “Take your time, dearie.”

  As the families began to leave, Ben noticed Mr. Russell standing in the opposite corner of the room, his appreciative gaze on Emmy. It was hard not to notice how much time the new banker had spent by her side that evening. For each smile he sent her, she sent him one in return, though Ben wasn’t sure if she realized she was flirting. Emmy was too sweet and kind to play the sort of games other women often played. Over the course of two weeks, Ben had found that she was very serious about her promise to Mr. Samuelson. She had not once looked left or right, but continued down the path she had chosen for herself as a schoolteacher. Had her mind been changed by Mr. Russell?

  The Morgan family said their goodbyes, and Emmy turned toward her desk, but Mr. Russell stepped into her line of sight. “I was hoping to get a moment to speak to you before I leave,” he said.

  “I’d be happy to give you a moment.” Emmy smiled sweetly.

  Mr. Russell looked around the room and his gaze fell on Ben, the only other person now in the schoolhouse.

  Ben smiled, letting him know he was still there and didn’t have any plans to leave. He liked Mr. Russell well enough, but where Emmy was concerned, he would never take a chance leaving her alone with anyone. He started toward them, anxious to stop the man from making a request of Emmy.

  “Maybe I could stop by at another time,” Mr. Russell said, his gaze flickering between Emmy and Ben.

  Emmy turned and met Ben’s gaze with a smile. “I’ll only be a moment.”

  “Take all the time you need.” Ben came to stand behind Emmy.

  Mr. Russell cleared his throat. “I suppose I’ll see the both of you at church on Sunday.”

  “Wasn’t there something you wanted to speak to me about, Mr. Russell?” Emmy asked.

  The banker glanced at Ben. “It can wait.”

  Emmy nodded and reached for a book on her desk. “Thank you, again, for participating this evening. I hope you had fun.”

  Mr. Russell took her hand and bowed over it. “I had a wonderful time. Good night.”

  “Good night,” Ben said with a satisfied grin.

  Mr. Russell walked down the aisle to the door and grabbed his coat and hat off the hook in the cloakroom before stepping out into the dark night.

  Emmy secured a couple books in her book strap and turned to Ben. “I’m ready.”

  He banked the fire in the stove while she blew out all the lanterns. They met in the dark cloakroom, neither speaking as he helped her into her coat. His hands brushed her arms as he slipped the coat over her shoulders.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, equally as quiet.

  She put on her bonnet and he put on his cap, and then he took her books and opened the door.

  Snow had begun to fall. It came down in large, puffy clumps, sticking to the branches and buildings all around.

  Emmy stepped out of the school and Ben followed. When he was out, she closed the door and locked it with her key.

  “There,” she sighed in contentment. “I would say that was a success.”

  “More than a success,” he agreed. “Everyone had a grand time.”

  He offered her his arm, tucking her in close to him as they walked down the narrow steps and onto the snow-covered path.

  The world was so quiet and still. Lanterns glowed from the homes nearby, sending soft light onto the street. All around, the snow fell, covering the town in a soft blanket.

  “How did you come to be the pastor of this town?” Emmy asked, her voice still low.

  Ben thought back to the day he’d agreed to stay in Little Falls. “It was three years ago. I had been a circuit preacher for ten years before that. I often stopped to see Abram and his first wife, Susanne, who were the only people here. One day when I stopped, Susanne’s sister Charlotte was here and I learned Susanne had died. The next time I stopped, it was Christmas and Abram asked me to stay and be the preacher.”

  He hesitated to tell her that he had come to stay because he had been attracted to Charlotte. At the time, Charlotte and Abram were not a couple, and Ben had fancied himself in love with her. He’d even asked her to marry him. Though Charlotte had come to care for him, she couldn’t marry him, and Ben knew it was because she was already in love with Abram.

  “It was the third time I stopped that Abram finally talked me into staying, and I’ve been here ever since.”

  Emmy walked close beside him, but her eyes were roaming the sleepy little town. “What convinced you to finally stay?”

  Ben ducked his head, wishing she hadn’t asked. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now, but I stayed because I was in love with someone who lived here.”

  Emmy looked up at him, her blue eyes searching his. “What happened?”

  He couldn’t look at her. “She married my best friend.”

  “Charlotte?”

  He smiled and nodded.

  She was silent for a moment, but then she went on gently. “Do you still love her?”

  Ben finally looked back at her. “I do, but not in the same way. She will always be special to me, but she has become like a sister.”

  They walked on, slowly. Ben wasn’t in a hurry to get home and Emmy didn’t seem to be in a rush, either.

  “Where did you grow up?” She looked up quickly. “Is it all right if I ask you so many questions?”

  “I don’t mind at all—as long as you answer some of mine.”

  She smiled. “All right.”

  Ben took a few moments to gather his thoughts, not wanting her pity as he told his story, but feeling the need to be as honest as possible. The snow continued to fall, but there was very little wind, which made the night pleasant in many ways. No one moved about town, making it feel as if it was just the two of them in a snow-covered world.

  “My father was a fur trader from Montreal. Originally, he came to Minnesota with the North West Company, but it eventually merged with the Hudson Bay Company. He met my mother who was the daughter of one of his guides. She was a Chippewa Indian, but she had spent most of her life with fur traders and could speak English, French and Scottish Gaelic as well as her native tongue.” Ben could hardly recall his mother, but he did remember how beautiful and smart she was. “When I was six, my mother died and my father was so overcome by his grief, he decided to return to Montreal—to his first family.”

  Emmy inhaled a quick breath and looked up at him. They had stopped walking, though he didn’t know how long they stood there. “What happened to you?”

  “He couldn’t very well take me to Montreal and introduce me to his wife and children, so he left me with missionaries at a place called Pokegama. Mr. and Mrs. Ayers had not been there long when my father left me with them.”

  “And what became of your father?”

  Ben took her arm once again and started walking, his gaze straight ahead. His home was now within sight and the snow had begun to pick up. A gust of cold wind took him by surprise. “I’ve never seen or heard from him since.”

  She was quiet for a moment, and then she stopped again.

  Ben looked down into her beautiful blue eyes which were now filled with sadness.

  “I’m so sorry, Ben. That must have been terrible for you.”

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “It wasn’t as horrible as it sounds. Mr. and Mrs. Ayers raised me like one of their sons and I had a wonderful education. I learned about our Savior and had more opportunities than most men I know.”

  “What became of the Ayerses?”

  “After an ambush by the Dakota, they fled for their lives and left me with an Indian missionary. I was angry and bitter for a time, feeling abandoned all over again.” He smiled, warmth filling his chest, thankful that he could now look
back on that time and see it had been part of the journey necessary to bring him to Christ. “But they eventually returned and moved to Belle Prairie to start a mission just north of Little Falls. That’s how I came to be in this area to begin with. I still see them all the time.”

  They crossed the road and drew closer to the parsonage. Ben didn’t want their time to end, but he knew he needed to get her inside before the snow started to really blow.

  “It reminds me of a passage of scriptures in the Book of Genesis,” Emmy said, almost to herself. “When Joseph’s brothers went to him in mourning after their father died, and they expected Joseph to be angry at them for all the evil they had done.”

  Ben nodded, knowing exactly what passage she was referring to. “And Joseph said to them not to worry, that the evil they did to him, God used for Joseph’s good.”

  They stepped onto Ben’s front porch and she faced him, putting her free hand on his arm. “Not just for Joseph’s good, but to save the lives of many people.” She studied him for a moment. “Don’t you see? What was meant to harm you is really the thing that God used to bring you to this place so you could minister into the lives of all these people.” Her eyes shone with the truth of it. “I think that’s beautiful.”

  He thought she was beautiful, but he couldn’t tell her what was on his mind and heart. She was out of his reach, and even if she wasn’t, what made him think she would love him when there were so many other men worthy of her affection? Men like Adam Russell who could provide her with all the luxuries life had to offer.

  “I had a good time tonight, Emmy.”

  “So did I. Thank you for all your help.”

  He pushed open the door and watched as she walked into his home—so close, yet unreachable.

  Chapter Nine

  Ben stood by the window in the front room early the next morning with a mug of coffee in hand. The storm had increased in intensity throughout the night and had not let up when morning arrived. Saturdays were usually reserved for Ben to practice his sermons, but he didn’t like to practice inside for others to hear. He often went to the woods or the river, and let his heart fill with the beauty of God’s creation, and then he would speak toward the sky, as if God was his only audience. But he wouldn’t take the risk and go out in this storm, in case it turned into a blizzard.

  Mrs. Carver was in the kitchen, making all sorts of noise as she prepared breakfast. The boys were still asleep, and Emmy had not yet come down.

  Though Ben had much to do today, he couldn’t deny the pleasure he felt at knowing he would get to spend the whole day with Emmy and the boys. He’d slept very little the night before after walking her home. It hadn’t been a restless night. On the contrary, he felt more rested and alive than he had in years. Thoughts of her beautiful smile, her kind words and her gentle presence had filled his mind into the wee hours of the morning.

  As he had lain awake, he had thought about the boys, too. What if they never found Malachi Trask? Could Ben make a home for them here? The only way it would be possible is if he had a wife, and one of the only women available was Emmy, though he’d watched her turn down one man after the other. Was it ludicrous to even contemplate her as an option?

  He would have to walk carefully. If he overstepped the boundaries she had set in place, she would leave his home, and that was the last thing he wanted.

  A commotion on the stairs took Ben’s attention off the snow. Levi and Zeb emerged and ran through the front room on their way to the kitchen.

  “I get the first flapjack,” Zeb cried. “Mrs. Carver promised me.”

  “The first one there is the winner!” Levi said over his shoulder laughing. “And the winner gets the first flapjack.”

  “Not fair,” Zeb whined, stopping in the front room.

  Levi didn’t wait for his brother, but pushed open the kitchen door with a bang. “I win!”

  Zeb’s face turned red and tears streamed down his cheeks. “Not fair,” he said again, wiping at his eyes.

  Ben set down his coffee mug and crouched in front of Zeb to look him in the eyes. “Did Mrs. Carver promise you the first flapjack?”

  Zeb nodded as he continued to wipe his eyes.

  “Then you need to dry your tears and go in there and wait patiently for that flapjack. If I know Mrs. Carver, she won’t go back on a promise.”

  “But Levi’s the winner and he said he gets it.”

  Ben smiled and took a clean handkerchief out of his pocket. He wiped Zeb’s cheeks. “Levi’s not the boss of Mrs. Carver’s kitchen, is he?”

  “No.”

  “Then he doesn’t make the rules.”

  Zeb peaked out from behind his hands and a smile lifted his cheeks.

  “Are you better?” Ben asked.

  The little boy nodded.

  “Then go in there and get your flapjack.”

  Zeb raced out of the front room, his tears forgotten.

  “There he is.” Mrs. Carver’s voice carried out of the kitchen. “I’ve been waiting for you to come and get your flapjack. I couldn’t serve anyone else until you got the first one.”

  Ben smiled to himself as he tucked his handkerchief back into his pocket and noticed Emmy standing at the bottom of the stairs watching him.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  She walked into the front room. “You handled that like an expert.”

  “I’m hardly an expert.”

  “You could have fooled me.” Her gaze wandered to the window and she shook her head. “I’m happy the snow waited until after the spelling contest. No one would take the chance to go out in weather like this.”

  “Breakfast is ready,” Mrs. Carver called out from the kitchen. “Come and get it while it’s hot.”

  They stepped into the kitchen and found Zeb devouring a flapjack smothered in maple syrup as Mrs. Carver served the second one to Levi.

  After their meal was over, Mrs. Carver shooed them out of the kitchen while she cleaned.

  “What shall we do with ourselves today?” Ben asked the boys as they entered the front room.

  “Play games!” Levi said.

  “Make popcorn!” Zeb shouted.

  Emmy laughed. “We just ate.”

  “Later,” Zeb said with just as much enthusiasm, rubbing his belly. “When we’re hungry again.”

  Ben laughed along with Emmy, but a knock at the front door made the adults pause.

  “Who could that be?” Emmy asked with a frown.

  “Very few people would brave this snow,” Ben added. “They must either be desperate or foolish.”

  Ben walked to the front door and pulled the latch. The door swung open and a man stood on the porch, his head and body covered in snow. Only his eyes could be seen above his scarf and below his cap. Even his eyebrows and eyelashes were layered with ice.

  But it didn’t take Ben long to figure out who their caller was, and he surmised he was both desperate and foolish—and possibly smitten.

  “Hello, Reverend Lahaye. Is Miss Wilkes available?”

  “Good morning, Mr. Russell,” Ben said, stepping aside. “Won’t you come in?”

  Mr. Russell crossed the threshold and Ben pushed the door closed against the wind.

  “Mr. Russell?” Emmy walked to the front door, concern on her face. “Is everything all right?”

  Mr. Russell unwrapped his scarf and revealed his grin. “They don’t have storms like this where I’m from. A man could get lost out there.”

  Ben crossed his arms. “Or freeze to death.”

  Mr. Russell tore his gaze off Emmy and laughed. “That’s exactly what I was thinking on my way here.”

  Emmy stepped up to him, took his coat and hung it on the hook by the door as Ben just stood there and stared.

  “What bring
s you out in this weather?” Emmy asked. “Is something wrong?”

  Mr. Russell took off his cap and smoothed down his dark hair. “Wrong? No, nothing’s wrong. I just thought I’d pay a neighborly call.”

  Emmy looked at Ben with a quizzical expression and Ben just shrugged. If Emmy couldn’t deduce why this man would risk his life to come and see her, Ben wouldn’t feed her the answers.

  “Why don’t you come in,” Emmy said. “We were just about to play a game.”

  Zeb and Levi stood in the middle of the front room where they’d left them, their wary glances following the strange man as he walked toward the fireplace, his hands outstretched to the heat. “Hello, boys.”

  “Hello,” they said in unison, though their welcome was not warm.

  Ben and Emmy followed Mr. Russell, and Emmy indicated Ben’s rocker. “Would you like to have a seat?”

  “Thank you.” He started to sit, but then he paused. “Would you care to join me?”

  Emmy nodded politely and drew up her chair next to the fireplace.

  Ben remained standing, his arms crossed. “Zeb and Levi, why don’t you go play quietly in your room for a bit while we visit with Mr. Russell.”

  The boys looked disappointed, but they obeyed. They walked out of the room, casting glances back at the adults. Emmy gave them a promising smile, and they perked up a bit, no doubt trusting that she would eventually play with them.

  Mr. Russell looked up at Ben. “Don’t let us keep you from whatever you need to do. I’d be happy to entertain Miss Wilkes for the remainder of the morning.”

  Ben reached down and pulled a heavy chair from the corner of the room, scraping it across the floor, and drew it up to the fireplace, close to Emmy’s chair. He took a seat and smiled at Mr. Russell. “That won’t be necessary. I have nowhere I’d rather be at the moment.”

  Mr. Russell sat up straighter in his chair, clearly dissatisfied at Ben’s presence, but gentlemanly enough not to make it awkward.

  “Would you like something to eat or drink, Mr. Russell?” Emmy asked as she stood. “Coffee to warm you, perhaps?”

  Mr. Russell nodded. “I would. And please, call me Adam.”